Independent Olympic Athletes and the Legitimacy of the International Olympic Committee in Resolving International Conflicts

Abstract

Over the last three centuries (nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first) humanity has been facing huge political and ideological conflicts, especially wars. For these reasons, it was seen how necessary it was to create global institutions that aimed to promote peace and reduce or stop conflicts of this magnitude. Therefore, an international institution had already brought on its premises the principles of international peace and reconciliation through sport: the International Olympic Committee (IOC). However, despite bringing together nations around peaceful ties in an international competition, the IOC and the Olympic Games event have always been affected by constant conflicts along their path in the twentieth century, emphasizing issues involving nationalities. Thereby, in a mediator posture of international conflicts and in an effort to reduce the subversions that surrounded it, the IOC, in the 1990s, created the delegation of Independent Olympic Athletes. Such a delegation consists of athletes who cannot represent their respective nationalities at the Olympics due to political factors and/or armament conflicts. This proposal of the IOC demonstrates its posture to avoid, minimize, and even cease ideological and political events that might interfere with the Olympics Games or the athletes participating in them.     

High-throughput study of alpha-synuclein expression in yeast using microfluidics for control of local cellular microenvironment

Microfluidics is an emerging technology which allows the miniaturization, integration, and automation of fluid handling processes. Microfluidic systems offer low sample consumption, significantly reduced processing time, and the prospect of massive parallelization. A microfluidic platform was developed for the control of the soluble cellular microenvironment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, which enabled high-throughput monitoring of the controlled expression of alpha-synuclein (aSyn), a protein involved in Parkinson's disease. Y-shaped structures were fabricated using particle desorption mass spectrometry-based soft-lithography techniques to generate biomolecular gradients along a microchannel. Cell traps integrated along the microchannel allowed the positioning and monitoring of cells in precise locations, where different, well-controlled chemical environments were established. S. cerevisiae cells genetically engineered to encode the fusion protein aSyn-GFP (green fluorescent protein) under the control of GAL1, a galactose inducible promoter, were loaded in the microfluidic structure. A galactose concentration gradient was established in the channel and a time-dependent aSyn-GFP expression was obtained as a function of the positioning of cells along the galactose gradient. Our results demonstrate the applicability of this microfluidic platform to the spatiotemporal control of cellular microenvironment and open a range of possibilities for the study of cellular processes based on single-cell analysis.     

Carnation Atoms? A History of Nuclear Energy in Portugal

Drawing upon the concepts of civic epistemologies and sociotechnical imaginaries, this article delves into the history of nuclear energy in Portugal, analyzing the ways in which the nuclear endeavor was differently enacted by various sociopolitical collectives – the Fascist State, post-revolutionary governments and the public. Following the 1974 revolution - known as the Carnation Revolution - this paper analyzes how the nuclear project was fiercely contested by a vibrant anti-nuclear movement assembled against the construction of the Ferrel Nuclear Plant, the first sociotechnical controversy in Portugal, paving the way for the emergence of a combative civic epistemology. Supported by semi-structured interviews with scientists, activists and local residents of Ferrel and the analysis of historical material, this article presents the failed Portuguese nuclear endeavor as an emblematic case study to explore the co-production of science and society, in particular the role of revolutionary processes in the unfolding of sociotechnical controversies.     

Extending the understanding of mobile banking adoption: When UTAUT meets TTF and ITM

Mobile banking (mBanking) enables customers to carry out their banking tasks via mobile devices. We advance the extant body of knowledge about mBanking adoption by proposing a model for understanding the importance and relationship between the user perception of mBanking, initial trust in mBanking services, and the fit between the technology and mBanking task characteristics. We synergistically combine the strengths of three IS theories – task technology fit (TTF) model, unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT), and initial trust model (ITM). The model was tested in a study conducted in Portugal, one of the European Union (EU) countries with the highest mobile phone adoption. Based on the sample of 194 individuals we applied partial least squares (PLS) to test the conceptual model propose. The path significance levels were estimated using the bootstrapping method (500 resamples). The study found that facilitating conditions and behavioral intentions directly influence mBanking adoption. Initial trust, performance expectancy, technology characteristics, and task technology fit have total effect on behavioral intention. The paper offers valuable insights to decision-makers involved in the implementation and deployment of mBanking services. For researchers, the paper highlights the usefulness of integrating TTF, UTAUT and ITM in the development of a decision support framework to study the adoption of new technologies.     

Using Wikipedia to enhance student learning: A case study in economics

Currently, there is widespread interest in how Web 2.0 tools can be used to improve students’ learning experiences. Previous studies have focused either on the advantages of wikis or on concerns over the use of Wikipedia. In this study, we propose to use Wikipedia as a classroom wiki. In doing so, we discuss how students can improve their standard written assignments using Wikipedia instead of a module wiki. Compared to traditional essay assignments, students’ submission of articles to Wikipedia can address many of the problems faced by instructors of traditional assignments, such as students’ poor writing skills, lack of primary source research, and poorly balanced discussions. Our study was based on our experience in teaching an upper-level economics module at the National University of Singapore over two semesters: 121 students who were enrolled in semester 1 submitted a traditional writing assignment, while 124 students enrolled in semester 2 contributed two short entries to Wikipedia. The results showed a large increase in the number of students checking their assignment feedback. Further, students’ writing quality improved noticeably in the Wikipedia assignment, and they were able to put forth more balanced discussions of relevant issues and include a greater number of primary sources. Despite the challenges faced when using Wiki markup language, the students enjoyed the overall experience.     

The scientometric world of Keith Pavitt: A tribute to his contributions to research policy and patent analysis

Keith Pavitt has made pioneering contributions to the study of science, technology and innovation. This paper aims to examine some of them on the basis of a bibliometric analysis of Keith Pavitt's work and the impact that he has had. First the paper follows how Pavitt's publication profile develops over time. Then we trace his most cited works and explore the sets of references in his papers. Author and journal co-citation maps illustrate the intellectual environment associated with Pavitt and the central role Research Policy played in this context. An analysis of the most frequently cited authors in Research Policy and Scientometrics underlines Keith Pavitt's role as both a shaper of, and a bridge between, science and technology policy and bibliometric analysis.     

Spatial-temporal constraints on decision-making during shooting performance in the team sport of futsal

Abstract

In this paper we examined the influence of opposing players constraining the decision-making of an attacker during shooting performance in futsal. Performance during 10 competitive matches was recorded and examined from the moment a shot was taken until the ball was intercepted or entered the goal in sequences of play: ending in a goal, a goalkeeper's save, or an interception by the nearest defender. The variables under scrutiny in this study were (i) the distance of each player to the ball's trajectory, (ii) the time for the ball to arrive at that same point (i.e. the interception point), and (iii), the required movement velocity of the nearest defender and the goalkeeper to intercept the ball. Results showed that values of distance from a defender and goalkeeper to the interception points were significantly lower when they intercepted the ball. The time of ball arrival at the interception point of the defender was also lower when the ball was intercepted. The required velocities of the nearest outfield defender and the goalkeeper to intercept the ball were significantly lower during plays in which they intercepted the ball, than in plays in which the ball was not intercepted. Our results suggest that researchers and practitioners should consider simultaneously both space and time in analysis of interceptive actions in team sports. The required movement velocities of the opponents to intercept the ball are reliable spatial-temporal variables constraining decision-making during shooting performance in team sports like futsal.     

Assessment of passive drag in swimming by numerical simulation and analytical procedure

The aim was to compare the passive drag-gliding underwater by a numerical simulation and an analytical procedure. An Olympic swimmer was scanned by computer tomography and modelled gliding at a 0.75-m depth in the streamlined position. Steady-state computer fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses were performed on Fluent. A set of analytical procedures was selected concurrently. Friction drag (D_f), pressure drag (D_pr), total passive drag force (D_f+pr) and drag coefficient (C_D) were computed between 1.3 and 2.5 m · s^?1 by both techniques. D_f+pr ranged from 45.44 to 144.06 N with CFD, from 46.03 to 167.06 N with the analytical procedure (differences: from 1.28% to 13.77%). C_D ranged between 0.698 and 0.622 by CFD, 0.657 and 0.644 by analytical procedures (differences: 0.40–6.30%). Linear regression models showed a very high association for D_f+pr plotted in absolute values (R² = 0.98) and after log–log transformation (R² = 0.99). The C_D also obtained a very high adjustment for both absolute (R² = 0.97) and log–log plots (R² = 0.97). The bias for the D_f+pr was 8.37 N and 0.076 N after logarithmic transformation. D_f represented between 15.97% and 18.82% of the D_f+pr by the CFD, 14.66% and 16.21% by the analytical procedures. Therefore, despite the bias, analytical procedures offer a feasible way of gathering insight on one’s hydrodynamics characteristics.     

Let the Aryanists know! Brazilian race and nation in the 1938 France World Cup

ABSTRACT

Getúlio Vargas’ dictatorship (1937-1945) attributed to sports a key role to foment the formation of a ‘new Brazil’, using football as a crucial element to promote the state nationalist policy. A propitious moment for this attempt would be an international event, a space in which Brazil could demonstrate to the civilized nations – especially to the European countries – the best qualities of ‘the Brazilian race’. This arena was the 1938 World Cup, played in France. This essay presents some aspects of the relationship between football and the construction of Brazil’s national identity in the early twentieth century. My focus on the 1938 World Cup is due to the fact this was a quintessential event not only for the history of Brazilian sports but also for the debates on scientific racism and the construction of national identity. This event shaped, more than eight decades ago, the ways through which football articulated the core commonality of the Brazilian society, becoming one of the key elements to understand contemporary Brazil.     

Output-feedback binary adaptive control of MIMO systems using monitoring function

The problem of adaptive control design for multivariable linear time-invariant plants with unknown control direction is considered. A solution is proposed based on the SDU factorization of the high frequency gain matrix (HFG) and the monitoring function approach. The adaptation scheme is the binary model reference adaptive control (BMRAC) which utilizes parameter projection and sufficiently high adaptation gains. The signs of the leading principal minors of the HFG define the control directions, and the lack of knowledge of which is a major challenge in the multivariable framework. The role of the monitoring function is to monitor the output error transient and then provide the necessary changes of the adaptation gain signs to guarantee a stable adaptive control. In addition to proving the signal boundedness of the resulting closed-loop system, the output tracking error is shown to be asymptotically as well as exponentially practically stable, i.e., exponentially stable with respect to a small residual compact set of size inversely proportional to the BMRAC adaptation gain. The latter implies good transient properties of the output tracking error in contrast to conventional adaptive laws which only guarantee asymptotic stability but can lead to extremely slow error convergence. The extension of the proposed approach to matched disturbances is also briefly discussed following the classical paradigm of disturbance estimators. Numerical results with a visual servoing application illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method.