The adapted physical activity as a valuable tool to overcome social prejudice to the disabled persons

The Adapted Physical Activity, in modern times, is defined as the program with an educative target so it promotes the autonomous recovery of the person through direct experience of physicality (Cottini, 2008). The ICF (WHO, 2001) is a guide achieving this objective because it defines disability as the product of the relationship between the health of the person and the context in which he lives. The context creates disability because it doesn’t have the appropriate tools to allow the free expression of the person for the different life contexts (Cottini, 2008). Finally the “conquest” consists in the implementation of Adapted Physical Activity. This activity is expressed in the manipulation of the physical context according to the various needs of the person to improve all their dimensions. The TMA test is the methodology used to evaluate the functionality of Adapted Physical Activity to empower the global person’s self-esteem. This instrument has favored a primary monitoring to understand the initial condition of the four disabled, involved in the research work, and the whole class group. The results obtained in this first phase were classified as negative according to the American standardized sample. The test had determined how the global self-esteem of the disabled person was influenced by his conditions of marginalization determined by the prejudice that limited action. The A.P.A., during the hours of physical education, has facilitated the achievement of positive results compared to those of departure. These results represent a practical demonstration of how prejudice is an abstract entity resulting from the lack of people knowledge. In any case the activity has placed all subjects on the same plane to achieve a performance, a common target. The person’s improvement is the starting point in the understanding of this work

Lightning Talk #4 (5 min): Our Own Labels: LGBT2QIA+ Representation in Catalogue Records

Abstract Continuing to build on relationships formed between Out On The Shelves and the University of British Columbia School of Information, we are seeking to explore radical possibilities for cataloguing queer works for queer audiences. As an independent, volunteer-run library, Out On The Shelves has opportunities to depart from traditional cataloguing practices and experiment with approaches impossible or undesirable in other settings. In this lightning talk, we outline a proposed creator consultation project to explore how creator and character identities might be represented in item records. Out On the Shelves prioritizes the “the voices of LGBT2QIA+ individuals writing, creating, and reflecting their own experiences” and at the heart of this project is an understanding that users of the library often seek books by or featuring people like them. However, there are inherent limitations and dangers of building this information into a traditional library cataloguing process. We engage with broad concerns in queer theory and social justice librarianship to reconsider the item record and the controlled vocabulary—is a creator’s identity constant or can it shift over time and in relation to different works? whose place is it to assert a creator’s identity and decide how it is phrased? how can control of terms and term relationships respect a creator’s expressions while meeting the discoverability and access needs of users? This spring, we piloted an interview protocol that seeks to give living creators of works at Out On The Shelves informed choices on how their works are described in the library catalogue, with a focus on identity terms for themselves and the characters in their works. Our next steps are to refine this interview approach and to engage with creators of different, overlapping identities and different types of works in the collection. With a broad set of creator perspectives, we will turn to re-cataloguing their works and will develop channels for living creators to continue to have input into the language and representation of their works in the library’s descriptive systems. This collaborative work between library workers and creators will lead to further work reconciling the outcomes of this process with the needs of users and the representation of the rest of the collection. We will discuss the challenges (and joy) of this approach and welcome discussion of how to move forward and queer the cataloguing process

Physical self-efficacy in women’s artistic gymnastic between recreational and competitive level

In Bandura’s theory (1997, 2001), self-efficacy is the cognitive mechanism that mediates information on personal capacities to successfully execute necessary courses of action in a specific domain. It is theorized that self-efficacy belief influences motivation, affect and behaviour. Self-efficacy regarding motor activities has been widely investigated (Feltz, 1992) and represents a frame of reference to explain links between cognitive processes and physical performance (Colella & Morano, 2008). The purpose of the study was to verify the difference in physical self-efficacy (perceived) between gymnasts practicing sports at recreational level and gymnasts, however, which train at a competitive level. The Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children by Colella (2008) was presented to a sample of 58 gymnasts, 29 practicing sports at recreational level and 29 practicing sports at competitive level in random selection, ranging in age from 8 to 10 years old. The items of the PPASC are: speed, ability, strength, rapidity, self-confidence and tiredness. They are structured in response scales having a 1- to 4-point format. Observing the results of the descriptive statistics in the whole sample it is obvious how the perceived physical abilities are very high in all items. The artistic gymnastic is a sport in which these aspects of physical abilities are trained specifically. The children say that they run fast (77 %), they are able to do difficult exercises (77%), their muscles are strong (68%) and move rapidly (71%). Slightly lower values are those related to self-confidence, the 48% say that they feel sure when they move but the 32% say that they feel somewhat insure when they move, and the value of energy, 50% say I don’t feel tired when I move, but the 25% say that they feel tired. The difference between the values of the two levels of gymnastic report in the competitive groups is higher in physical self-efficacy in all items than in the recreational group. These data could suggest that the quantity of the trainings and, at the same time, the improvement of the quality of the performance increases the Perceived Physical Ability. The results of the test is particularly high and considering it globally, confirms that, in any case, the physical activities, even if only practiced as recreational activity, produces positive effects on the Perceived Physical Ability

Competitive sport and self-concept in adolescent

Self-esteem is the degree to which an individual values himself or herself globally. Several studies have shown that the self-esteem level is a key indicator of positive mental health and well-being. The belief that physical activity and sport are often associated with the best development of self-esteem in adolescent is a commonly held view. However in literature there aren’t many studies that investigate the self-esteem level in young athletes that practice competitive sport activities. The aim of this study is to assess the self-esteem level comparing athletes who practice individual sport with athletes who play team sports. In last ten years it has become widely accepted that self-esteem is structured hierarchically and therefore on the top of all there is general self-esteem and secondly there are the various interrelated dimensions between them. The sample consisted of seventy-eight individuals, basketball athletes (M= 20, F= 14) and gymnasts (M=19, F=25). All the participants compiled the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Test (TMA, Erickson), a structural questionnaire on the specific domains (interpersonal relationship, competence, emotionality, school, family, body image). The results showed that both females and males who were physically involved in the practice of sports at competitive level (indifferently whether individual or team sport) have considerably highest level of self-esteem. This data confirms that individuals with the a higher self-esteem manage to apply themselves better in the high-level sports and, at same time, that the competition, for the all disciplines of sport, further strengthens self-esteem

Physical activities and special educational needs

The Ministerial Directive dated December 27, 2012 and the subsequent Circular dated March 6, 2013 for the identification of students with special educational needs (SEN), have planned a school that knows how to respond appropriately to all the difficulties of students by preventing them, in the perspective of a deeply inclusive school. Ianes & Cramerotti (2013) stated that in order to recognize the real needs of a student, it is necessary to understand their current and general situation of functioning; ICF (WHO, 2001), in fact, being fundamentally organic-psycho-social, obliges to consider the totality and complexity of the functionings of the people and not only organic and structural aspects. From this perspective, the didactic setting that is built during Physical Education and Sport, is an excellent valuation framework for the identification of SEN, because physical activity has always been recognized as a disciplinary area that allows students to express their personality, build dynamics of relationships, express motor behavior, etc. (IN 2012). The Personal Factors, in fact, were considered key elements for the construction of instruments with indicators and qualifiers, because according to the latest neuroscience research (Caruana & Borghi, 2013; Damasio, 2009; Gomez Paloma, 2013), they are particularly influencing into the learning process. The research involved 34 schools (2500 students) from four different regions. For data collection has been activated an online platform which allowed to the teachers to download the necessary tools for the assessment and enter the results at the end of the process. From the data analysis it was possible to understand that there is a significant and positive correlation between indicators encoded by ICF and indicators that detect situations, attitudes, behaviors and postures specially created for the identification of difficulties and special educational needs, affirming the validity and reliability of the tool and giving teachers the opportunity to apply strict criteria to identify pedagogically students and act in an inclusive way

Construcción de un modelo parametrizable de la Escuela Lean mediante Witness: One Piece Flow

Este trabajo fin de máster tiene por objetivo la creación de un modelo parametrizable mediante Witness de la configuración de la Escuela Lean en la que se emplea una distribución de célula en “U” y un flujo de una pieza. Para alcanzar este objetivo, ha sido necesario conocer la filosofía del Lean Manufacturing y sus técnicas, el software Witness que se emplea para diseñar el modelo, así como lograr una correcta comprensión de la propia Escuela Lean. Una vez verificado y validado el modelo, se procede a la simulación y experimentación del proceso de producción de vehículos. Esta simulaciónnos ayuda a visualizar, analizar y estudiar el funcionamiento de la cadena productiva implantada en la escuela. También muestra qué fases de la producción están desequilibradas y permite detectar problemas para posteriormente recomendar medidas de mejora.Por último, se considera la implementación en el Aula Lean de las decisiones efectuadas a partir de los resultados obtenidos. Palabras clave Simulación; Modelo;Departamento de Organización de Empresas y Comercialización e Investigación de MercadosMáster en Logístic

Effect of row orientation on soil water content and vine water status on a Cabernet franc vineyard in Madrid, spain

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of row orien¬tation on vine and soil water status in an irrigated vineyard. The trial was developed during 2006, 2007 and 2008, in the South East region of Madrid (Spain) on 5-year old Cabernet franc grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) grafted onto 140Ru. Plant spacing was 2.5 m x 1.5 m and vines were trained to a VSP. Four orientations were stu¬died: North-South (N-S), East-West (E-W), Northeast-Southwest (N+45) and North-South +20o (N+20). Irrigation (0.4•ET0) started when shoot growth stopped. Soil water availability was measured using a TDR technique with forty buried probes. Row orientation did not have any effect on water consumption in the vineyard. At maturity, leaf water potential was measured at predawn, early mor¬ning, midday and 14:00 solar time, on both canopy sides - sun and shade – ; the early morning measurement was the one that better differentiated treatments. Leaf water potential was a good indica¬tor of plant water status. Differences between (N-S and E-W) and (N+20 and N+45) treatments were obtained both on sun and shade canopy sides, N+20 and N+45 having lower leaf water potentials then drier leaves. The water stress integral shows that N-S and E-W reach the end of maturation with a greater level of hydration than N+45 and N+20. As a whole, N+45 and N+20 orientations, without affecting too much the soil available water content, induce regularly more water stress to the vine at some periods, probably due to an higher sunlight interception in early morning which makes water limitation for the vine more early and thus more severe during the day

Natural acquisition of the second language (l2) through routine movements in children

Research is increasingly showing that the brains of people who know two or more languages are different from those who know just one – and those differences are all for better. (Kluger, J., Times Magazine 2013). Multilingual people, studies show, are better at reasoning, at multitasking, at grasping and reconciling conflicting ideas. A bilingual brain is proving to be more flexible and more resourceful. Gregg Roberts, a language–immersion specialist with the Utah State Office of Education, says, “Monolingualism is the illiteracy of the 21st century”, (Kluger, J., Times Magazine 2013). This preliminary project would demonstrate that acquiring a second language for children is possible through an alternative teaching proposal that integrates body into the natural language acquisition process thanks to a new didactic method fun and exciting which stimulates children to consider the second language more friendly and less hostile. The groups we are going to consider attend the last year of the infant school, they come from different schools, the first group, (the random group) attends regularly at school, traditional frontal lessons of the second language (L2), two hours a week; the second group, (experimental group) doesn’t learn the second language at school but will start our experimental programme which allows them to acquire the second language through routine movements during the gymnastic hours for one hour a week. In this way children start to decode the language and slowly become confident with it. This method consider that teaching the second language will become more difficult as children grow, and grow their ability to the movements: as movements become more complicated so will the vocabulary become more complex (Doron, H. ready-steady-move 2007-2013). Starting from this preliminary study we would demonstrate that the experimental group, compared to the random group, even if exposed to the second language one hour a week less than the random group, will be able to remember and perform routine movements if exposed to the second language and imitating the teacher: smiling, laughing, turning around, walking, reaching, sitting, running, and so forth. This methodology will be more efficient than a traditional teaching lesson because children will learn naturally and in their natural environment. Dr. Asher calls this "a language-body conversation" because the parent/teacher speaks and the infant answers with a physical response; in this case the teacher gets immediate feedback that the children understand when they give an appropriate physical response (Kovács, 2010). To conclude, we must consider that children are happy when they can play, move and sing, all better if these activities are combined. There is a saying that a child does not do what he has learnt, but rather the contrary: he learns what he has already done (Kovács, 2010). That’s why in early language acquisition, activities linked with movements, competitions, dance and group games are very important. All these need time to develop receptive skills (understanding based on listening) before the productive use of the language appears (Kovacs, 2010). For the future we would refine the method, consider a wider group of children and of different ages, and experiment the natural language acquisition also in specific motor disciplines

El trabajo de cuidados: ámbito económico e influencia en la calidad del estado del bienestar, un análisis del caso español = Care work: economic field and influence on the quality of the welfare state, an analysis of the Spanish case

El trabajo de cuidados está constituido por aquellas actividades dedicadas a garantizar el sostenimiento y reproducción de la vida, así como el bienestar físico y emocional de todas las personas. Este trabajo nace de la necesidad de otorgarle la significación que merece a esta labor, que continúa siendo, en su mayor parte, responsabilidad de las mujeres. Además del fin de mostrar el carácter imprescindible y necesario de los cuidados y su influjo directo en la calidad del estado del bienestar español. Para demostrar esta relación se ha utilizado el contraste de hipótesis, trazando un nexo entre la inversión en prestaciones sociales relacionadas con los cuidados y la calidad del estado de bienestar. A través de los contrastes realizados se ha podido probar la relación entre ambos indicadores, confirmando el carácter carácter imprescindible y necesario de los cuidados y su influjo directo en la calidad del estado del bienestar español

Design and Validation of a model-based development process for distributed control algorithms with different target platforms

This master’s thesis is written at the Universität Stuttgart and submitted to Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. The thesis is carried out by the student Laura Villar Rio, participating in the Erasmus+ exchange program. It is supervised by M.Sc Caren Dripke, researcher of the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units (ISW). The thesis is also framed within the DEVEKOS project, a project carried out by several organizations such as the ISW. The context of this project is the age of digitization and industry 4.0. Thanks to the miniaturization of the electronics, control, actuators and sensors now the components can be integrated into a tight space. The embedded software makes such components intelligent and they offer their own abilities in the form of manufacturer-standardized automation functions. These skills are composed in the engineering of machine integrators to higher-quality skills until a level of skill is reached that corresponds to the process of the product being produced. This results in a component-based automation with a suitable component-oriented engineering approach - both prerequisites for the implementation of the currently emerging industry 4.0 standards. A Distributed Control System (DCS), which will be implemented in this thesis, increases reliability and reduces installation costs by localizing control functions near the process plant, but enables monitoring and supervisory control of the process remotely. The key attribute of a DCS is its reliability due to the distribution of the control processing around nodes in the system. This mitigates a single processor failure. If a processor fails, it will only affect one section of the plant process, as opposed to a failure of a central computer, which would affect the whole process, increasing also productivity. This distribution of computing power local to the field Input/Output (I/O) field connection racks also ensures fast controller processing times by removing possible network and central processing delays. Another advantage, which makes these systems appropriate for the Industry 4.0, is that the introduction of distributed control allowed easy interconnection and re-configuration of plant controls such as cascaded loops and interlocks, and easy interfacing with other production computer systems. In line with the digitization that Industry 4.0 heralds, future control system functionality will be decided by software and firmware upgrades and be completely independent of hardware in the future. This will allow the user to purchase the control system hardware with limited functionality and as requirements increase they can continue to upgrade to add additional functionality as required — such as faster cycle times, additional communication interfaces etc. To achieve this goal this project is going to use Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) completely reprogrammable and with high capabilities. It also allows faster update times when new functionality is developed as this functionality can be available as soon as the firmware is upgraded, in the same way as a smartphone