EUROPEAN INTERREGIONAL CO‐OPERATION AS A BASIS FOR INTER‐UNIVERSITY EXCHANGE

This article examines the operation and the results of TRUC, the Transfrontier Regional University Co‐operation Programme which was launched by the CC‐PU of the Council of Europe more than two years ago. It is a response to the growing recognition that regions which straddle international frontiers play an important political and economic role in Europe and that regional university‐industry links can contribute to the economic viability of such regions. Projects which were initiated in eight out of nine designated regions are examined. The conclusion is that in some cases the existence of pre‐existing regional political and financial agreements can stimulate the implementation of inter‐university agreements.     

Quantifying the offensive sequences that result in goals in elite futsal matches

The aim of this study was to quantify the type of offensive sequences that result in goals in elite futsal. Thirty competitive games in the Spanish Primera Division de Sala were analysed using computerised notation analysis for patterns of play that resulted in goals. More goals were scored in positional attack (42%) and from set pieces (27%) compared to other activities. The number of defence to offense “transitions” (n = 45) and the start of offensive plays due to the rules of the game (n = 45) were the most common type of sequences that resulted in goals compared to other patterns of play. The central offensive zonal areas were the most common for shots on goal, with 73% of all goals scored from these areas of the pitch compared to defensive and wide zones. The foot was the main part of the body involved in scoring (n = 114). T-pattern analysis of offensive sequences revealed regular patterns of play, which are common in goal scoring opportunities in futsal and are typical movement patterns in this sport. The data demonstrate common offensive sequences and movement patterns related to goals in elite futsal and this could provide important information for the development of physical and technical training drills that replicate important game situations.     

The Effectiveness of a Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention for College Freshmen Who Have Aged out of Foster Care

This study investigated the effects of a brief meditation intervention on perceived stress, mindfulness, and sleep quality for college freshmen who have aged out of foster care. Thirty-six youth who had aged out of foster care and enrolled at a large midwestern 4-year university (n?=?16 experimental group, n?=?20 control group) participated in a study in which they were assessed three times on the dependent variables. Students also participated in a focus group after the intervention ended. Four sessions of the brief mindfulness intervention resulted in significant short-term reductions in stress levels and increases in sleep quality. Finding effective personal interventions to increase chances for college success for students with histories in foster care can also offer potential insight toward the development of educational models and resources for other vulnerable college student populations.     

Innovative moments and narrative change in career counselling: a case study

International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance - This case study of an undecided university student has two aims: to assess the effect of life design career counselling on...     

Peer relations across contexts: individual-network homophily and network inclusion in and after school

Peer relations across 2 contexts (in school and after school) were examined for 577 participants, approximately 12 years old, from 3 middle schools in Milan, Italy. The primary research questions were: Do peer networks from different contexts uniquely contribute to explaining variance in individual behavior? Do measures of peer preference and peer network inclusion across contexts uniquely contribute to explaining individual depressive symptoms? Structural equation models showed that both the in-school and the after-school peer networks uniquely contributed to explaining variance in 2 types of individual problem behavior (in-school problem behavior, after-school delinquency), and that similarity with the 2 peer networks varied according to behaviors specific to each context and across gender. Finally, both in-school and after-school peer network inclusion contributed to explaining variance in depressive symptoms, after controlling for classroom peer preference.     

RESOLV: Readers' Representation of Reading Contexts and Tasks

We introduce RESOLV, a theoretical model to account for readers' construction and management of goals during text comprehension and use. RESOLV focuses on readers' experience of their physical, social, and communicative context prior to actually engaging with texts. RESOLV assumes that readers construct two types of mental models prior to reading: The context model is a representation of the physical and social reading context, whereas the task model is a set of goals and plans that drives readers' decisions and actions in reading. We first present the RESOLV model, and we articulate two core hypotheses. We then present and discuss evidence supporting these hypotheses, from past and more recent research conducted in our labs, as well as in others'. The data support the view that reading decisions and processes are guided by readers' perceptions and attributions regarding the task statement but also more implicit cues from the reading context.     

Infant joint attention, temperament, and social competence in preschool children

Infant joint attention has been observed to be related to social-emotional outcomes in at-risk children. To address whether this relation is also evident in typically developing children, 52 children were tested at 12, 15, 24, and 30 months to examine associations between infant joint attention and social outcomes. Twelve-month initiating and responding to joint attention were related to 30-month social competence and externalizing behavior, even when accounting for 15-month temperament ratings, 24-month cognition and language, and demographic variables. These results suggest that, in addition to associations with language and cognition, infant joint attention reflects robust aspects of development that are related to individual differences in the emergence of social and behavioral competence in childhood.     

Effect of different recovery patterns on repeated-sprint ability and neuromuscular responses

We examined the effect of recovery pattern on mechanical and neuromuscular responses in active men during three repeated-sprint ability tests consisting of ten 6-s cycling sprints. Within each test, the recovery duration was manipulated: constant, increasing, and decreasing recovery pattern. Maximal voluntary contractions of the knee extensors were performed before and after the repeated-sprint ability tests to assess strength and electromyographic activity [root mean square (RMS)] of the quadriceps muscle. We observed different fatigue patterns for peak and mean power output between recovery patterns, with earlier decrements recorded during the increasing recovery pattern. Total work performed over the ten sprints was also lower in the increasing recovery pattern (43.8 +/- 5.4 kJ; P < 0.05). However, the decreasing recovery pattern induced a greater overall power output decrement across the sprints (-15.8%; P < 0.05), compared with the increasing recovery pattern (-5.1%) but not the constant recovery pattern (-10.1%). The decreasing recovery pattern was also associated with higher post-sprint RMS values (+16.2%; P < 0.05). Therefore, the recovery pattern within successive short sprints may influence repeated-sprint ability, and may lead to greater post-sprint neuromuscular adjustments when recovery intervals decrease between sprints. We conclude that peripheral impairments caused the major differences in repeated-sprint ability between recovery patterns.     

Do achievement goals mediate stereotype threat?: an investigation on females' soccer performance

This research investigated stereotype threat effects on women's performance in sports and examined the mediation of this effect by achievement goals. The influence of two stereotypes-relative to the poor athletic ability and the poor technical soccer ability of women-were studied. Fifty-one female soccer players were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, introducing the task as diagnostic of athletic ability, technical soccer ability, or sports psychology. Next, they filled out a questionnaire measuring achievement goals and performed a soccer dribbling task. Results showed that compared with the control condition, females' performance significantly decreased in the athletic ability condition and tended to decrease in the technical soccer ability condition. Moreover, participants endorsed a performance-avoidance (relative to performance-approach) goal when the stereotypes were activated. However, this goal endorsement was not related to performance. The implications of these results for understanding the role of stereotypes in gender inequalities in sports are discussed.     

Effects of slag fineness on durability of mortars

In recent years, the usages of by-products and wastes in industry have become more important. The importance of the sustainable development is also of increasing. The utilizations of wastes, as mineral admixture or fine aggregate, reduce the consumption of the natural resources and improve the durability of concrete. In this study, the effect of the fineness on the high temperature and sulphate resistances of concrete mortar specimens, produced with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) replacing cement, is investigated. The compressive and flexural strength test results for all series related to durability effects, exposing temperature and solutions, exposure times for these durability effects, slag content and fineness are discussed. Conse- quently, the optimum slag contents are determined for producing the sulphate and high temperature resistant mortars.