Quantification of the physiological loading of one week of "pre-season" and one week of "in-season" training in professional soccer players

The aim of this study was to quantify the physiological loads of programmed "pre-season" and "in-season" training in professional soccer players. Data for players during each period were included for analysis (pre-season, n = 12; in-season, n = 10). We monitored physiological loading of training by measuring heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Training loads were calculated by multiplying RPE score by the duration of training sessions. Each session was sub-categorized as physical, technical/tactical, physical and technical/tactical training. Average physiological loads in pre-season (heart rate 124 ± 7 beats · min(-1); training load 4343 ± 329 Borg scale · min) were higher compared with in-season (heart rate 112 ± 7 beats · min(-1); training load 1703 ± 173 Borg scale · min) (P < 0.05) and there was a greater proportion of time spent in 80-100% maximum heart rate zones (18 ± 2 vs. 5 ± 2%; P < 0.05). Such differences appear attributable to the higher intensities in technical/tactical sessions during pre-season (pre-season: heart rate 137 ± 8 beats · min(-1); training load 321 ± 23 Borg scale · min; in-season: heart rate 114 ± 9 beats · min(-1); training load 174 ± 27 Borg scale · min; P < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that pre-season training is more intense than in-season training. Such data indicate that these adjustments in load are a direct attempt to deliver training to promote specific training adaptations.     

Rates and Predictors of Counseling Center Use Among College Students of Color

A comparison of institutional enrollment data and counseling center service utilization data at 66 universities showed that neither ethnic minority students nor European American students under‐ or overutilized counseling services (Study 1). Data from Study 2 examining students in the general campus bodies at 45 institutions indicated that utilization of counseling center services for students of various ethnicities was predicted by the ethnic composition of the counseling center staff. Among students of color, utilization of campus counseling services was predicted by greater psychological distress, less family support, and a history of previous psychological problems.     

Connecting learning and playing: the effects of in-game cognitive supports on the development and transfer of computational thinking skills

Educational technology research and development - Prior studies on game-based learning provide limited and mixed results in the transfer of skills learned during game play to contexts outside of...     

The relations between the student–teacher trust relationship and school success in the case of Korean middle schools

This study examined relations between the student–teacher trust relationship and school success, including school adjustment, academic motivation and performance. Data were collected from 318 7th‐grade Korean middle school students (170 males, 148 females). All intercorrelations were positively correlated and correlation coefficients were statistically significant (p < 0.01). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that the student–teacher trust relationship uniquely contributed to students’ performance through school adjustment and academic motivation. This discussion examines theoretical, empirical and practical implications of the trust relationship as a key predictor of adolescents’ school adjustment, academic motivation and performance.     

Knowledge convergence and collaborative learning

This paper operationalized the notion of knowledge convergence and assessed quantitatively how much knowledge convergence occurred during collaborative learning. Knowledge convergence was defined as an increase in common knowledge where common knowledge referred to the knowledge that all collaborating partners had. Twenty pairs of college students collaborated to learn a science text about the human circulatory system. Comparisons of individual pre-test and post-test performance revealed that students shared more knowledge pieces and mental models after collaboration. Although the amount of convergence was modest, analyses showed that collaborative interaction was responsible for the increase in common knowledge. The increase in common knowledge was observed in knowledge that was never stated in the learning text as well as in knowledge that was explicitly presented in the text. The amount of convergence was related to interaction such that real pairs shared more knowledge than nominal pairs, and more interactive pairs shared more inferred knowledge than less interactive pairs. Collaborative dialogues and learning artifacts (e.g., drawings) also indicated that common knowledge was constructed during collaboration. Possible reasons for the discrepancy between the impression of strong convergence assumed in the literature and the results of this study are discussed along with the need to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the notion that includes its process, outcome, and sources of convergence.     

Opinions on computing education in Korean K-12 system: higher education perspective

The need for computing education in the K-12 curriculum has grown globally. The Republic of Korea is not an exception. In response to the need, the Korean Ministry of Education has announced an outline for software-centric computing education in the K-12 system, which aims at enhancing the current computing education with software emphasis. In this paper, we review the outline from a higher education perspective and provide insights into its constructive improvement based on our experience in computer science education in higher education and a study of global initiatives on computing education. We also consider the social environment for computing education in Korea. In the proposed implementation, we first discuss goals for software-centric computing education and identify areas of focus. The identified areas are discussed in terms of topics to be covered and appropriate exposure of knowledge depth in the three levels in the Korean K-12 system. We then discuss necessary preparations for the success of the plan from academic, governmental and social perspectives.     

Shaping education policy research in an Asia-Pacific context

Globalization increasingly calls for comparing educational policies across countries. In this study, we assemble and analyze academic journal publications of the past decade in order to shape education policy research within an Asia-Pacific context. After examining Asia-Pacific research publication data from the Web of Science, we find a few stylized facts: (1) increasing research collaboration, (2) growing policy evaluation research, (3) swelling empirical research with quantitative methodology and (4) growing attention to higher education. Moreover, education stakeholders show exclusive interest on globalization, private tutoring, and language education policies within and across countries. Finally, we find a significant difference in research impact and diffusion between Asia-Pacific and American education policy studies. Further, we examine what determines research impact and diffusion. Our results indicate that research collaboration, national context, publication year and issue, policy area, and research methodology are significantly associated with publication citations. Based on the findings, we suggest useful implications for future directions on education policy research in an Asia-Pacific context.     

An online authoring tool for creating activity-based learning objects

As higher education increasingly relies on e-learning, the need for tools that will allow teachers themselves to develop effective e-learning objects as simply and quickly as possible has also been increasingly recognized. This article discusses the design and development of a novel tool, Enook (Evolutionary note book), for creating activity-based learning objects (LOs). This tool has three general foci: 1) creation of various activity-based objects for experimental learning or learning by doing while simultaneously offering as many learning resources as a real e-book that services as both a textbook and a notebook, dual functions that paperback books can never provide; 2) management of all aspects of live instructor-led classroom training in a network environment, such the Web and or a mobile network; 3) facilitated use of data on students’ progress to monitor their understanding of the material and to provide other meaningful information through learning analytics.     

Rapid separation of bacteriorhodopsin using a laminar-flow extraction system in a microfluidic device

A protein separation technology using the microfluidic device was developed for the more rapid and effective analysis of target protein. This microfluidic separation system was carried out using the aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) and the ionic liquid two-phase system (ILTPS) for purification method of the protein sample, and the three-flow desalting system was used for the removal of salts from the sucrose-rich sample. Partitioning of the protein sample was observed in ATPS or ILTPS with the various pHs. The microdialysis system was applied to remove small molecules, such as sucrose and salts in the microfluidic channel with the different flow rates of buffer phase. A complex purification method, which combines microdialysis and ATPS or ILTPS, was carried out for the effective purification of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) from the purple membrane of Halobacterium salinarium, which was then analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption∕ionization time-of-flight. Furthermore, we were able to make a stable three-phase flow controlling the flow rate in the microfluidic channel. Our complex purification methods were successful in purifying and recovering the BR to its required value.