Benefits of achieving vigorous as well as moderate physical activity recommendations: evidence from heart rate complexity and cardiac vagal modulation

The aim of this study was to examine differences in traditional heart rate variability measurements and heart rate complexity (sample entropy) in young adults grouped by objectively measured achievement of either moderate or both moderate and vigorous physical activity recommendations. Of 168 young adults tested (86 females, 82 males; age 20.5 ± 1.2 years), 119 achieved only recommendations for moderate physical activity (moderate group) and 49 achieved recommendations for both moderate and vigorous physical activity (vigorous group). Analysis of covariance controlling for sex, weekly minutes of moderate physical activity, and percentage of body fat was used to assess between-group differences in heart rate variability and heart rate complexity. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the group characteristics that best predicted high heart rate complexity and vagal indices of heart rate variability. The majority of the autonomic measures were higher (P < 0.05) in the vigorous group, and regression analysis showed that vigorous physical activity was the only multivariate predictor of higher heart rate complexity and higher heart rate variability. Young adults engaged in regular vigorous physical activity were more than twice as likely to have high heart rate complexity than those involved in predominantly moderate exercise. These findings suggest that vigorous physical activity is more closely associated with high heart rate complexity than moderate physical activity in young adults.     

Metabolic impact of a soccer match on female players

The aim of this study was to examine the metabolic effect of a female soccer match in elite and sub-elite teams. Blood samples were taken (24 h before, immediately after and 18 h after official soccer matches) to determine haematological, electrolytic and hormonal variables, as well as the levels of cell damage and oxidative stress in 14 elite and 14 sub-elite players. Our results show increases in white blood cell count (P < 0.001) and the percentage of neutrophils (P < 0.001), and decreases in the percentage of lymphocytes (P < 0.05), eosinophils (P < 0.001), monocytes (P < 0.001) and basophils (P < 0.05) immediately post-match. Increases were also found in lactate dehydrogenase activity (P < 0.001), uric acid (P < 0.001), albumin (P < 0.001), total antioxidant status (P < 0.001) and free testosterone levels (P < 0.01). Creatine kinase activity significantly increased 18 h post-match (P < 0.01) and the concentrations of several ions, glucose and proteins were found to be altered immediately post-match. Overall, our results show that playing a soccer match exerts specific metabolic effects on female players, resulting in muscle damage, oxidative stress and biochemical and hormonal variations. On the basis of some interesting correlations, we also suggest that exercise-induced cell breakdown may enhance antioxidant capacity of the soccer players.     

Precarious privilege: Indignad@s,daily disidentifications,and cultural (re)production

In this article, I develop the notion of precarious privilege to investigate dialectics of cultural (re)production, in relation to both specific discursive practices and broader discursive formations. Using the Indignad@s social movement as an example, I locate, interpret, and critique a series of disidentification dynamics shaping the movement as a whole, as well as the rhetoric of specific participants. Regarding the rise and development of Indignad@s, precarious privilege illuminates a conflicted social position enabled by disidentification from the current crisis of neoliberalism in Western Europe—a conjuncture that the movement strives to both expose and exploit. As for the views expressed by specific activists, precarious privilege helps explain the discursively enacted disidentification from the imagined aspects of their and others’ (supra)national cultural identities. Grounded in this analysis, I emphasize the potentiality but also the limitations of this generalized tension between residual and emergent dynamics shaping Indignad@s’ political practices.     

DACs: Bringing direct access to variable-length codes

We present a new variable-length encoding scheme for sequences of integers, Directly Addressable Codes (DACs), which enables direct access to any element of the encoded sequence without the need of any sampling method. Our proposal is a kind of implicit data structure that introduces synchronism in the encoded sequence without using asymptotically any extra space. We show some experiments demonstrating that the technique is not only simple, but also competitive in time and space with existing solutions in several applications, such as the representation of LCP arrays or high-order entropy-compressed sequences.     

Positive aspects of the teacher training supervision: The student teachers’ perspective

This paper explores the student teachers’ perceptions about the most positive aspects of the supervision provided during their teaching practice. The authors developed a study based on the reflections of a group of 224 student teachers about their cooperating teacher’s and university supervisor’s performance. Student teacher’s appraisals regarding their supervisors, the learning and progress perceived as resulting from their co-working with more experienced teachers, and the emotional aspects of this relationship are among the main aspects analysed in the study. Results show the importance attributed to the supervisors’ personal features and to the quality of the interactions established with their student teachers. These aspects were clearly regarded as an essential aspect of the student teachers’ emotional balance and resistance to the difficulties emerged during their entrance in the teaching profession. Some differences were perceived in terms of the students teachers’ evaluations regarding the moment of the practicum (beginning versus end) and the type of supervisor (university versus school). Some enquiry and suggestions for future research emerge as final contributions.     

Does the public communication of science influence scientific vocation? Results of a national survey

The purpose of this work was to determine if public communication of science and technology (PCST) has any influence on people's decision to become dedicated to scientific research. For this reason, a national survey involving 852 researchers from all disciplines was conducted in Argentina. The results showed that the factors affecting scientific vocation are many, and that, regardless of differences in gender, age or discipline, the greatest influence on the decision to go into scientific research is exerted by teachers. The analysis also demonstrated that different manifestations of PCST (science books, press articles, audiovisual material, and activities such as visits to science museums) play a significant role in awakening the vocation for science. From these results it may be stated that PCST--in addition to its function of informing and forming citizens--exerts a significant influence in fostering scientific vocation.     

Mathematics learning and practice in and out of school: A framework for connecting these experiences

A variety of researchers in the last fifteen years have described how people learn and use mathematics in out-of-school situations. These researchers have found that mathematics learning and practice in and out of school differ in a number of ways. In this paper we examine and discuss these differences while maintaining the position that while some differences may be inherent, many differences can be narrowed so that mathematics learning and practice in school and out of school can build on each other and be connected. Before discussing a framework that we think sheds some light on connecting these experiences, we present some research from several of our studies that illustrates some of the differences between in-school and out-of-school mathematics practice and lays the groundwork for the discussion of the framework.We then discuss Saxe's (1991) research framework for gaining insight into the interplay between sociocultural and cognitive development processes through the analysis of practice participation (p. 13). Although Saxe's framework is a method for studying the interplay between sociocultural and cognitive development processes, we propose that it may be helpful in working towards connecting in-school and out-of-school mathematics learning and practice. Thus, we discuss the framework with illustrations from our own research, and then elaborate on ways to make this interplay between in-school and out-of-school contexts more deliberate.     

Family Predictors of Maternal and paternal Involvement in Programs for Young Children with Disabilities

The study of family variables has become increasingly critical in understanding outcomes typically considered program driven. Research linking family variables to parental involvement in early intervention programs for young children with disabilities is generally lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine the combined influence and predictive ability of family characteristics on maternal and paternal involvement in early intervention programs. Service providers rated mothers' and fathers' involvement in early intervention programs Mother and fathers completed a battery of self-report questionnaires related to a variety of constructs, such as family functioning, marital adjustment, social supports, stress, coping, and parental involvement. Structural equating modeling was used to test the predictive ability of family variables. Two different models were developed for mothers and fathers. Results indicated significant outcomes for both group, largely supporting the proposed model. The coping variable emerged as a significant predictor of maternal and paternal involvement as well as a mediator variable between family functioning and parental involvement.     

Pollution monitoring by dosimetry and passive diffusion sampling for evaluation of environmental conditions for paintings in microclimate frames

Pollutants and their potential degradation of paintings have been measured for the first time in microclimate frames (mc-frames), which are used to protect paintings. The pollutants that were measured include both inorganic pollutants, which originate mainly from external sources, and organic pollutants from mainly internal sources. Those originating from the outdoors enter rooms and subsequently mc-frames at a rate depending on the ventilation rates (air exchange rates) of the mc-frames. The concentration of gaseous pollutants emitted within the mc-frames will depend on net emission rates of the materials used to make the mc-frames, their design, and their ventilation rates. In the EU PROPAINT project measurements of gaseous air pollutants and climatic conditions were performed at various locations both inside and outside different state-of-the-art mc-frames. Diffusive passive pollution gas samplers were used together with different types of dosimeters. Results show that the dosimeters respond to either the photo-oxidizing conditions or the level of volatile organic acids in the environments both in the museums and within the mc-frames. Two dosimeters, the Early Warning Organic (EWO) made from a synthetic polymer and the Resin Mastic coated Piezo electric Quartz Crystals (RM-PQC) respond to photo-oxidation and showed higher values outside than inside the mc-frames. Two other dosimeters, the Glass Slide Dosimeter (GSD) and the Lead coated Piezo electric Quartz Crystals (L-PQC) respond to volatile organic acids and yielded higher values inside than outside the mc-frames. This study emphasizes the need for further work to determine environmental damage functions for paintings, in particular for the effects of organic acids. Such information is essential for the evaluation of the protective effects of mc-frames for paintings. The use of mc-frames is increasing and it is very important to know that this protective measure does not introduce new risks.