EFFECTIVENESS OF THE FRIENDS FOR LIFE PROGRAM IN PORTUGUESE SCHOOLS: STUDY WITH A SAMPLE OF HIGHLY ANXIOUS CHILDREN

The FRIENDS for Life program is a cognitive–behavioral group program that targets anxiety in children. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of the Portuguese version of the FRIENDS for Life Program, which was implemented in schools to reduce anxiety problems in a group of highly anxious children. The study used a quasi‐experimental research design with two groups of children, an intervention (n = 17) and a wait‐list control group (n = 21), aged 8 to 12 years old. The impact of the program in reducing anxiety symptoms as assessed by children and mothers was analyzed through the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders‐Revised (SCARED‐R). The results show a statistically significant post intervention effect on anxiety symptoms evaluated by the child, but not by the mother. The implications of these results for the prevention of anxiety disorders in Portuguese schools are discussed.     

A spectral analysis of team dynamics and tactics in Brazilian football

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to characterise the total space covered and the distances between players within teams over ten Brazilian First Division Championship matches. Filmed recordings, combined with a tracking system, were used to obtain the trajectories of the players (n = 277), before and after half-time. The team surface area (the area of the convex hull formed by the positions of the players) and spread (the Frobenius norm of the distance-between-player matrix) were calculated as functions of time. A Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was applied to each time series. The median frequency was then calculated. The results of the surface area time series median frequencies for the first half (0.63 ± 0.10 cycles · min^?1) were significantly greater (P < 0.01) than the second-half values (0.47 ± 0.14 cycles · min^?1). Similarly, the spread variable median frequencies for the first half (0.60 ± 0.14 cycles · min^?1) were significantly greater (P < 0.01) than the second-half values (0.46 ± 0.16 cycles · min^?1). The median frequencies allowed the characterisation of the time series oscillations that represent the speed at which players distribute and then compact their team formation during a match. This analysis can provide insights that allow coaches to better control the team organisation on the pitch.     

Perceived environmental characteristics and psychosocial factors associated with physical activity levels in adolescents from Northeast Brazil: structural equation modelling analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the direct and indirect associations between perceived environmental characteristics and psychosocial factors and physical activity levels in adolescents from Northeast Brazil. The sample was composed of 2,361 adolescents aged 14–19 years (56.6% female). Physical activity was measured using a questionnaire and environmental (perceived environmental characteristics) and psychosocial (self-efficacy, social support from parents and friends for physical activity) factors with previously validated scales. Perceived environmental characteristics were not directly associated with the levels of physical activity, but exhibited significant indirect associations, mediated by self-efficacy in males. Self-efficacy and social support were positively and directly associated with physical activity levels, and part of the associations between social support and physical activity was mediated by self-efficacy. Perception of self-efficacy and social support, important factors associated with physical activity levels in adolescents, should be the target of interventions aimed at increasing physical activity. Favorable environments for physical activity also need to be considered, since they have a positive influence on the self-efficacy of adolescents.     

Providing industry 4.0 technologies: The case of a production technology cluster

The concept of industry 4.0 (i4.0) encompasses the integration of different technologies into an autonomous, knowledge- and sensor-based, self-regulating production system. Our objective is to synthesize which are the challenges and opportunities of adopting i4.0 from the perspective of technology provider companies. A single-case research was conducted with ten companies at the Portuguese Production Technologies Cluster. Based on i4.0 technologies – Augmented reality; Additive Manufacturing; Big Data; Cloud Computing; Cyber-Physical Systems; Cybersecurity; Smart Robotics; Simulation; and System Integration – interviewees mentioned that the main adoption challenges are the analysis of data generated, integration of new technologies with available equipment and workforce, and computational limitations. The main opportunities are improvements in: efficiency; flexibility; productivity; cybersecurity; quality of products and services; and decision process due to data analysis. Interviewees have also foreseen changes in company's business model through the integration of internal resources with complementary activities of their partners and other cluster companies.     

Analysis of the distances covered and technical actions performed by professional tennis players during official matches

The purpose of this study was to analyse the physical and technical performances of professional tennis players during official matches. The trajectories of eight players were obtained during matches, using an automatic tracking method. The distances covered and technical performances were analysed for the first and second sets. The athletes covered (mean ± standard deviation) a total of 1702.4 ± 448.2 m in the first set, 1457.6 ± 678.1 m in the second set and 3160.0 ± 880.1 in the entire match. No differences were found between the sets for the physical variables (lateral and forward displacements, distance covered per rally, per game and per set, and the percentage of time spent in each range of velocity). However, the distances covered by the athletes during the rallies in which they were serving (median = 5.2; interquartile range (IQR) = 6.7 m) were statistically smaller than when they were returning (median = 6.2; IQR = 7.7 m). Forehand ground stroke proficiency decreased from the first (mean ± standard deviation: 75.2 ± 4.11%) to the second set (mean ± standard deviation = 65.5 ± 14.3%). In conclusion, tennis players did not present reduced physical performance from the first to the second set.     

Verifying the operation of an elastic crossbar system applied to a panel painting: the Deposition from the Cross by an anonymous artist from Abruzzo,sixteenth century

This study deals with the post-treatment evaluation of the elastic crossbar system already designed and installed on the recently restored panel painting Deposition from the Cross by an anonymous artist from Abruzzo (sixteenth century). After the restoration, the panel and the crossbars were subjected to mechanical tests to identify their elastic characteristics. Then the panel, equipped with the elastic crossbar system, was subjected for about two months to controlled environmental cycles made up of approximately constant humidity periods. During the two months, the forces exerted by the springs and the deformations of both panel and crossbars were continuously monitored. A mathematical model, calibrated on the specific parameters derived from the analysis of the panel, provided the deformation that the panel would have shown without the crossbars; comparing the model output with the measured data provided a restraining effect (RE) of approximately 7% (RE could range between zero – no restraint – and 100% – total restraint). Future developments of this project will define appropriate procedures to design an elastic crossbar system for a given panel, once the expert judgement of restorers has identified the most desirable RE to be achieved.     

Experimental validation of a continuous-time MCSI algorithm with bounded adaptive gains

Model reference adaptive control algorithms with minimal controller synthesis have proven to be an effective solution to tame the behaviour of linear systems subject to unknown or time-varying parameters, unmodelled dynamics and disturbances. However, a major drawback of the technique is that the adaptive control gains might exhibit an unbounded behaviour when facing bounded disturbances. Recently, a minimal controller synthesis algorithm with an integral part and either parameter projection or σ-modification strategies was proposed to guarantee boundedness of the adaptive gains. In this article, these controllers are experimentally validated for the first time by using an electro-mechanical system subject to significant rapidly varying disturbances and parametric uncertainty. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the modified minimal controller synthesis methods to keep the adaptive control gains bounded while providing, at the same time, tracking performances similar to that of the original algorithm.     

Neither at the cutting edge nor in a patent-friendly environment: Appropriating the returns from innovation in a less developed economy

Despite increased focus on understanding how firms appropriate the returns from innovation, our knowledge regarding firms' behaviour in less developed economies (LDEs) is still scant. This paper provides a nuanced view as to how firms that are not at the technological frontier attempt to capture value when they encounter fragile patenting conditions. I analyse a unique dataset on innovative activities in Brazil. My findings reveal the effects (if any) of a number of factors on the use of a wide range of appropriability mechanisms. These factors include measures of knowledge intensity, novelty of products and processes, firm size, degree of competition, innovation cooperation, government support for innovation, and type of ownership. In addition, my empirical exercise provides evidence of the extent to which firms in an LDE adopt different appropriability mechanisms in pairs. Overall, this paper indicates that even in the absence of an effective patent system, firms do use patents. However, there are other patterns of appropriability in which firms use design (being registered or not registered accordingly), lead-time or trademarks in association with other means of appropriation.     

Maximal and submaximal physiological responses to adaptation to deep water running

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare physiological responses between runners adapted and not adapted to deep water running at maximal intensity and the intensity equivalent to the ventilatory threshold. Seventeen runners, either adapted (n = 10) or not adapted (n = 7) to deep water running, participated in the study. Participants in both groups undertook a maximal treadmill running and deep water running graded exercise test in which cardiorespiratory variables were measured. Interactions between adaptation (adapted vs. non-adapted) and condition (treadmill running vs. deep water running) were analysed. The main effects of adaptation and condition were also analysed in isolation. Runners adapted to deep water running experienced less of a reduction in maximum oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O_2max) in deep water running compared with treadmill running than runners not adapted to deep water running. Maximal oxygen consumption, maximal heart rate, maximal ventilation, [Vdot]O₂ at the ventilatory threshold, heart rate at the ventilatory threshold, and ventilation at the ventilatory threshold were significantly higher during treadmill than deep water running. Therefore, we conclude that adaptation to deep water running reduces the difference in [Vdot]O_2max between the two modalities, possibly due to an increase in muscle recruitment. The results of this study support previous findings of a lower maximal and submaximal physiological response on deep water running for most of the measured parameters.