PLAY THE BALL WITH YOUR COGNITIVE RESOURCES , STICK THE LANDING WITHOUT ANXIETY. A Study on Cognition and Emotions in Youth Volley Ball Players and Artistic Gymnasts

This study aims to address two shortcomings in sport psychology research: the scarcity of cognitive and developmental psychology studies in sports (Furley & Wood, 2016), and the lack of an integrated approach, i.e. comprising both cognition and emotion, to study sports performance. The aim of this research is to examine the role of general cognitive abilities, attentional style and emotions in predicting performance in different sports, namely volleyball and artistic gymnastics. We tested 218 youth participants (104 artistic gymnasts and 114 volleyball players, aged between 11 and 17 years) with different measures of working memory capacity and executive functions (i.e. updating, shifting and inhibition). They completed two self-report measures, a Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style and a questionnaire on the emotions experienced before a competition. For each participant, we collected the age and years of experience. The scores collected in 2017 competitions were the artistic gymnasts\u2019 performance measures. For each volleyball player, we computed an individual performance index, by asking two independent judges to rate their video-recorded performances in 2017-18 competitions. Then we derived, from our measures, ten predictors, namely a working memory-updating factor, an inhibition-shifting factor, four attentional style indicators and four groups of emotional states derived from the crossing of two dimensions, specifically the arousal (high activation or low activation) and the hedonic tone (pleasant or unpleasant). The regression analyses pointed to a clear dissociation. On the one hand, the working memory-updating factor was the only predictor (together with the experience) of the volleyball players\u2019 performance, with a moderation effect of emotional arousal on this relationship. On the other hand, experience and higharousal unpleasant emotions (the latter with a negative coefficient) were the only predictors of artistic gymnasts\u2019 performance. This evidence underlines how performance in open-skills sports (volleyball), where athletes need to process a significant amount of information, mainly depends on working memory, while in closed-skills sports (artistic gymnastics), where gestures are highly automatized, it is affected by emotion regulation. Further differences between the sports sample are also described in the dissertation

The aquatic insects of Mill Creek, California

The study of insects has been a hobby for me for more than twenty years. Their diversity and adaptation to many habitats has been of particular interest. Ever since the removal of my first aquatic nymph from the crashing waters of the American River, I have been especially fascinated, with these insects. Since I had access to a relatively undisturbed year round stream, I chose to study the aquatic insects of this stream. The purpose of this study was to survey the aquatic insect fauna of Mill Creek during the course of a year and relate these findings to the River Continuum Concept

Effects of methamphetamine on locomotor activity and thalamic gene expression in leptin-deficient obese mice

Leptin is an adipose-derived hormone that regulates energy balance. Leptin receptors are expressed in extrahypothalamic sites and several reports showed that leptin can influence feeding and locomotor behavior via direct actions on dopaminergic neurons. The leptin deficient mouse (ob/ob) has been used as an animal model of blunted leptin action, and presents with obesity and mild type 2 diabetes. We used ob/ob mice to study the effect of repeated 7-day methamphetamine (METH) administration analyzing locomotion, behavioral sensitization, and somatosensory thalamic mRNA expression of voltage-gated calcium channels and glutamatergic receptors using RT-PCR. We observed reduced METH-mediated responses in ob/ob mice associated with enhanced in mRNA expression of key voltage-gated and glutamate receptors in the somatosensory thalamus. Results described here are important for understanding the control of locomotion and thalamocortical excitability by leptin.Fil: Gonzalez, Betina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Candela Rocio. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; ArgentinaFil: Bisagno, Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas; ArgentinaFil: Urbano Suarez, Francisco Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; Argentin

The primacy of cognition in the manifestations of substance use disorders

Fil: Bisagno, Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (i); ArgentinaFil: Cadet, Jean Lud. National Institute On Drug Abuse; Estados Unido

Imparare la matematica con Number Worlds: un intervento quinquennale nella scuola primaria

The Number Worlds (NW) program is based on Case’s theory of cognitive development and conceptual learning, and it promotes the learning of mathematical concepts through playful-manipulative activities and respecting children’s level of development. This five years-research is meant to develop an Italian adaptation of the program, compare it with traditional teaching, and determine the impact of working memory (WM) on math learning. 56 primary school children participated in the research. Since grade I, 13 pupils (controls) followed traditional teaching of math; 43 children worked with NW, 3 hours a week for 7 months. The pupils were assessed with two WM tests, the Number Knowledge Test (NKT), and the Number Line Estimation Task (NLET) at the beginning of Grade I and at the end of each Grade. At the end of Grade V, the AC-MT battery was also administered. The experimental group improved more than controls onthe NKT and NLET from Grade I to IV. At the end of Grade V, both groups showed a «ceiling effect» in the NKT and NLET performance. However, a difference in favour of the experimental group was found in some AC-MT tasks. WM, together with the curriculum, was predictive of mathematics performance up to class IV

Glial-neuronal ensembles: partners in drug addiction-associated synaptic plasticity

Drug addiction is manifested by a compulsive drive to take licit or illicit substances despite repeated severe adverse consequences (Volkow et al., 2012). Addiction is also accompanied by a vicious cycle of binges, abstinence, and relapses. Almost all drugs of abuse trigger euphoric feelings consequent to a rapid increase of dopamine levels in the mesolimbic system. Even after long periods of abstinence, addicts remain vulnerable to drug craving and/or relapses that can be triggered by stimuli previously associated with drugs (Koob and Volkow, 2010). These features of addiction suggest that drugs might cause a form of persistent neuroplasticity that is acutely responsive to environmental stimuli, with consequent compulsive drug-seeking and taking behaviors.Fil: Cadet, Jean Lud. National Institute on Drug Abuse; Estados UnidosFil: Bisagno, Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (i); Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Reflecting a… “Bit”. What relationship between metacognition and ICT?

Abstract Using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in educational environments has become widespread in latest years. Since research underlined the important role played by metacognition and self-regulation abilities in fostering learning outcomes, the relationship between these aspects appears to be particularly worthy of investigation. In this review, we present 14 studies that have deepened the relationship between ICT, metacognitive skills and learning outcomes by identifying two main categories. Some articles investigated the effects of ICT environments combined with metacognitive aspects of learning outcomes, while others investigated the reciprocal relationship between ICT and metacognition. In general, from our review, the interaction between ICT and metacognition in producing better learning outcomes appears well established and the results highlight a bi-directional relationship between metacognition and ICT, but also allow to draw attention to gaps requiring further research

How do elite female athletes cope with symptoms of their premenstrual period? A study on Rugby Union and Football players’ perceived physical ability and well-being

Women’s participation in sports has recently grown worldwide, including in sports typically associated with men (e.g., rugby and football). Similarly, literature on female athletes has increased, but how they cope with premenstrual (PM) physical and affective symptoms remains a poorly studied topic. Our study aimed to explain which coping strategies elite female rugby and football players use during their PM period to maintain perceived physical ability (PPA) and well-being. A mediation model analysis considering coping strategies (i.e., avoiding harm, awareness and acceptance, adjusting energy, self-care, and communicating) as independent variables, PPA and well-being as dependent variables, and PM physical and affective symptoms and PM cognitive resources as mediators was run on the data collected via an anonymous online survey. A dysfunctional impact of avoiding harm (indirect) and adjusting energy (both direct and indirect) and a functional indirect influence of awareness and acceptance, self-care, and communicating as coping strategies were found on PPA and well-being during the PM period. As predicted, PM physical and affective symptoms as mediators reduced PPA and well-being, while PM cognitive resources enhanced them. These results may inform practitioners on how to support elite female athletes’ PPA and well-being by knowing and reinforcing the most functional PM coping strategies for them

Come la tecnologia sta cambiando la contabilità: una serie di riflessioni

openIn questa tesi parlerò dell' effetto che la tecnologia ha sui processi contabili e decisionali, vedendo le più importanti tecnologie e come nello specifico influenzano tali processi.In this thesis I will talk about the effect that technology has on accounting and decision-making processes, seeing the most important technologies and how they specifically affect those processes

Gamma oscillations in the pedunculopontine nucleus are regulated by F-actin: neuroepigenetic implications

The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is part of the reticular activating system (RAS) in charge of arousal and rapid eye movement sleep. The presence of high-frequency membrane oscillations in the gamma-band range in the PPN has been extensively demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro. Our group previously described histone deacetylation (HDAC) inhibition in vitro induced protein changes in F-actin cytoskeleton and intracellular Ca2+ concentration regulation proteins in the PPN. Here, we present evidence that supports the presence of a fine balance between HDAC function and calcium calmodulin kinase II-F-actin interactions in the PPN. We modified F-actin polymerization in vitro by using jasplakinolide (1 μM, a promoter of F-actin stabilization), or latrunculin-B (1 μM, an inhibitor of actin polymerization). Our results showed that shifting the balance in either direction significantly reduced PPN gamma oscillation as well as voltage-dependent calcium currents.Fil: Urbano Suarez, Francisco Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas; ArgentinaFil: Bisagno, Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Rill, Edgar. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados Unido