Old Wine in old Bottles: the Neglected Role of Vocational Training Centres in Innovation

Vocational training centres are conceptually regarded as key players in the knowledge generation and dissemination processes that take place within innovation systems. However, the literature does not provide conclusive evidence of their influence on the generation, development and dissemination of innovations. The goal of this paper is to analyse whether vocational training centres are indeed relevant agents in the articulation, knowledge exchange and dissemination of a local innovation system. The paper explores the most influential agents driving cooperation and articulating the local innovation system in Durango, one of the twenty counties of the Basque Country, Spain. Social network analysis is applied to regional collaboration networks in order to address this purpose. Our results show evidence of the pivotal role played by vocational training centres within local innovation processes implemented by firms. For many local firms vocational training centres represent the main sources of knowledge in their innovation processes. In the Basque context, vocational training centres have a longer history than other knowledge infrastructures, such as universities and research centres. These long-standing centres thus constitute ‘old bottles’ that despite their history are still able to produce a ‘good old wine’ in terms of innovation, which is translated into competitive advantage for the territory. Science, technology and innovation policies should therefore not only aim to create more knowledge infrastructures, but also to reinforce the role that traditional and territorially established organizations like vocational training centres can play as intermediary agents.     

Why We Say it Like That: Making Rhetorical Practices Explicit for Students in Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Courses

Students in colleges and universities need to be able to learn how to communicate effectively both within the specialized arenas of their chosen disciplines and, increasingly, with a wide variety of public and professional audiences. One way to accomplish this goal is to integrate the development of effective writing and speaking skills into both our disciplinary and interdisciplinary classrooms. In this essay, we suggest that faculty to adopt a “rhetorical perspective” in their teaching, regardless of discipline, in order to capitalize on already existing faculty expertise and empower students. Specifically, a rhetorical perspective integrating speaking and writing can help students to become more active agents in their intellectual development, can help faculty design assignments and activities that relate directly to course goals and learning outcomes, and can provide a framework for feedback that can facilitate student learning.     

Inflammatory and apoptotic signalling pathways and concussion severity: a genetic association study

The objective was to investigate the relationship between IL-1B rs16944, IL-6 rs1800795, and CASP8 rs3834129 genetic polymorphisms and concussion severity. Rugby players from high school, senior amateur, and professional teams completed a concussion severity questionnaire and donated a DNA sample. Participants (n = 163) were split into symptom severity groups around the median number and duration of symptoms. The frequency of participants with high symptom counts (more than five symptoms) increased across the IL-1B (C/C: 35%; C/T: 51%; T/T: 56%; P = 0.047) and the IL-6 (C/C: 31%; C/G: 44%; G/G: 58%; P = 0.027) genotypes. The C–C inferred interleukin allele construct frequency, created from combining the IL-1B and IL-6 genotype data, was lower in participants reporting a high symptom count (18%), compared to those with a low symptom count (fewer than six symptoms, 36%, P = 0.002). Similarly, the C–C inferred interleukin allele construct frequency was lower in those reporting prolonged symptom duration (more than one week, 16%), as opposed to short symptom duration (less than one week, 34%, P = 0.015). This study provides evidence of novel inflammatory pathway genetic associations with concussion severity, which supports the hypothesis implicating neuroinflammation in the development of concussion symptoms.     

Prediction of performance by heart rate-derived parameters in recreational runners

We investigated whether heart rate (HR)-derived parameters are accurate performance predictors in endurance recreational runners. One hundred thirty recreational athletes completed an incremental running test (4´running + 1´rest). After each stage, we recorded HR, % of maximum HR (%HRmax), and blood lactate. We also assessed HR after each recovery period, and calculated lactate and HR recovery thresholds and HR deflection point. We tested these parameters for associations with running performance, as measured by peak treadmill speed (PTS) and personal best International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) score. The %HRmax at 14.5 km·h^?1 correlated with PTS (r = ?0.92), and IAAF score (rho = ?0.80). The magnitudes of the correlations of lactate-related parameters with PTS (|r| = 0.84 to 0.86) or IAAF score (|rho| = 0.70 to 0.77) in absolute values were slightly lower. The correlations detected between other HR-derived parameters and running performance were weaker (|r or rho| = 0.24 to 0.70). Regression models identified %HRmax at 14.5 km·h^?1 as the strongest predictor of both PTS (β = ?0.72) and IAAF score (β = ?0.72). Consequently, tests based on %HRmax may provide a non-invasive and inexpensive alternate method for predicting the performance of these athletes.     

Book reviews

Myocybernetic control models of skeletal muscle: characteristics and applications, H. Hatze, University of South Africa Press, Pretoria, 1981. xi+221 pp, ISBN 0 86981 216 5

Psychology of motor learning, (2nd edition) J.B. Oxendine, Prentice‐Hall, Inc., New Jersey, 1984. 403 pp, £26.75 (hb), ISBN 0 13 736603 5

Exercise, health and medicine, Symposium Procedings, Sports Council, London, 1984. 66 pp, £4.00 (pb), ISBN 0 906577 42 X

Human motor actions: Bernstein reassessed, H.T.A. Whiting (ed.), North Holland, Amsterdam, 1984. xxxv+559 pp, £40.00 (hb), ISBN 0 4444 868135

Sporting body sporting mind, John Syer and Christopher Connolly, Cambridge University Press, 1984. 160 pp, £3.95 (pb), ISBN 0 521 26935 0

Exercise physiology: human bioenergetics and its applications, George A. Brooks and Thomas D. Fahey, John Wiley & Sons, UK, 1984. xxiv + 810 pp, £30 (hb) ISBN 0 471 88827 3     

Book reviews

Clinical sports medicine, Robert C. Cantu, (ed.), The Collamore Press, Lexington, Massachusetts, Toronto, 1984. 219 pp, £19.95 (hb), ISBN 0 669 06842 X

Sports injuries, a self‐help guide, Vivian Grisogono, John Murray Ltd, London, 1984. 293 pp, £7.95 (hb), ISBN 0 7195 4111 5

Athletes’ guide to mental training, Robert N. Nideffer, Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois (distributed in the UK by Eddington Hook & Co.) 1985. vii +156 pp, $9.95 (pb), ISBN 0 931250 96 X

Scientific foundations of coaching, R.R. Pate, B. McClenaghan and R. Rotella, Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, 1984. xii + 344 pp, £21.95(hb), ISBN 0 03 057961 9

Mathematics in sport, M. Stewart Townend, Ellis Horwood, Chichester, 1984. 202 pp (hb), ISBN 0 85312 717 4

Frontiers of exercise biology, ’Big Ten Body of Knowledge’ symposium series, Vol. 13 K.T. Borer, D.W. Edington and T.P. White (eds), Human Kinetics Publishers Inc., Champaign, Illinois, (distributed in the UK by Edington Hook & Co.), 1983. vii + 295 pp, $31.95(hb), ISBN 0 931250 49 8

The knee, Philippe Segal and Marcel Jacob, Wolfe Medical Publications, Frome, Somerset, 1984. 143 pp (hb), £15, ISBN 2 224 00887 2

Psychological foundations of sport, J.M. Silva and R.S. Weinberg (eds), Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois, (distributed in the UK by Eddington Hook & Co), 1984. xxiv + 528 pp, £22.50 (hb), ISBN 0 93 1250 59 5

Physical activity and the social sciences, W. Neil Widmeyer, Mouvement Publications Inc., Ithaca, 1983. 472 pp, £9.00 (pb), ISBN 0 932392 13 X