Tough Teammates: Training Grit and Optimism Together Improves Performance in Professional Footballers

Many psychological constructs under the heading of Positive Psychology are important to the careers of athletes and other high level performers. Grit and optimism have both been linked to performance outcomes in multiple disciplines, and interventions have been trialed to develop these factors in individuals and groups, with varying levels of success. Using an adapted version of the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) and Master Resilience Training (MRT) programs used to train resilience in both education and military settings, we implemented a mental toughness training intervention with a group of professional football players (n = 22) and also followed a control group (n = 13) in the same team. Results show the training was effective at increasing optimism but not grit, and had a positive impact on performance over the following season that was moderated by previous performance levels. Correlations and regression models also showed that optimism and grit together were subsequently predictive of consistency and performance. We discuss the moderating effects of the player’s pre-training level of ability as well as potential leadership effects, and offer recommendations for future research into the links between optimism, grit and performance

Critical success factors in project management globally and how they may be applied to aid projects

This paper reports upon progress towards a doctoral study on the antecedents of project success in aid/emergency relief projects. We argue that there are useful project management (PM) approaches that may be universally applied to most, if not all, projects to contribute to successful PM delivery. However, when reflecting upon field-experience, some of these PM approaches appear to simply not function in the environment typified by project aid and emergency relief projects. This raises some interesting questions. What does the literature on PM success factors take as its underlying assumptions that may not apply to aid projects? What are some of the more problematic issues that aid project deliverers face which are significantly different from delivering, for example, commercial projects in difficult or distressing circumstances? How can we best approach studying such projects and to summarise in a simple but effective universal framework, the contextual project success constants and methods for application in any environment, particularly the PM Framework and application undertaking Aid / Relief Projects. This paper also has the benefit of a PMI research grant

Understanding the antecedents to project management best practice - lessons from aid relief projects

This study makes explicit assumptions that underpin sound PM practice that forms the required infrastructures for PM practice. It compares best PM practice with PM practice on distressed and troubled projects that takes place within the context of post-disaster relief projects where there is a notable absence of characteristics of required identified PM antecedents. It reviews traditional project management and international aid and development methodologies such as the ‘Logical Framework’, Project Cycle Management and Evaluation and looks at the best in each. This research highlights a set of practices that may be universally applied in principal, with actual implementation dependent upon the project context. It also concludes that, if recognised, these contexts can be planned for and strategies and processes applied to minimise their disruptive influence and enable a positive outcome. The understanding of the antecedents to project management was best understood through pragmatic action research, and within that, reflective practice and soft systems methodology in a structured, but open way and evaluated and then validated through rigorous cycles of research to objective outcomes. The methodologies and models that resolved this enabled sensible, workable, impacting outputs, both internally within practices and externally through different environments and contexts

Phenological cycle and floral development of Chloraea crispa (Orchidaceae)

Vogel, H (Vogel, Hermine).Univ Talca, Fac Ciencias Agr, Talca, ChileU. Steinfort, M.A. Cisternas, R. Garcia, H. Vogel, and G. Verdugo. 2012. Phenological cycle and floral development of Chloraea crispa (Orchidaceae). Cien. Inv. Agr. 39(2): 377-385. Chloraea crispa Lindl. is a terrestrial orchid endemic to Chile that has potential to be a novel alternative for the cut flower industry. The objectives of this study were to describe the phenological cycle and floral bud development of C. crispa to determine the timing of initiation and differentiation of the spike. During the summer, plants are dormant. The renewal buds are located at the top of the rhizome, next to the buds from which the shoot of the previous season originated. From the end of summer until the end of winter, the plant is in vegetative growth. From June onward, the flower stalk starts to emerge, and flowering and leaf senescence occur during the spring until the beginning of summer. The renewal buds started forming leaf primordia during or after the flowering of the above-ground annual stems and the senescence of the plant. Between December and January, the apical meristem changes to the reproductive stage, and from March, the first flower primordial could be observed. C. crispa shows similarity with other geophytes in which florogenesis and the development of new organs occurs within the renewal buds during or after the summer dormancy period

Drama therapy is a valuable asset in career aspiration setting : a multiple-angle investigation

The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a drama therapy approach in career aspiration. The author used group comparison quantitative methods based on pre- and post-test data collected from two separate workshops. The control group (CG) received dialectical methods and the experimental group, the Drama Therapy group (DTG), experienced an action method. The overall statistical results appeared to favour the assumption that an action-oriented drama therapy approach in career aspiration was beneficial to workshop participants. Statistical findings also shed light on the value of a time-limited intensive creative process-oriented workshop. Thematically, the author compared and contrasted the workshop evaluation between the CG and the DTG. Both groups requested to spending more time on each activity. The CG found the length of the workshop to be exhausting. On the contrary, the workshop process energized the DTG. Three months later, the author conducted an email follow-up. The responding rate was 20% from the CG vs. 70% from the DTG. Most DTG participants reported that they either took concrete steps in their career move or developed new perspective towards their career choices. In addition, the author conducted two interviews to support the statistical results. The first one was on the effectiveness of drama therapy in a career aspiration workshop. The other was about the therapeutic value of a time-limited creative process workshop. Taken together, findings in this study demonstrate that drama therapy is a valuable asset in career aspiration work. Likewise, results suggest that drama therapy can be a contribution to other psychoeducational setting

Evaluación de la extrusión de residuos apicales y permeabilidad apical en sistemas endodónticos rotativos continuos y recíprocos.

The aim of the study was to quantify and compare apical debris extrusion in two systems of continuous and reciprocating rotary instrumentation with, and without, the use of a patency file. An experimental study was carried out in 120 mesial roots of lower first molars, which were randomized in the following 4 groups: Group A. Reciproc (VDW) R25 without a patency file, Group B Mtwo (VDW) without a patency file, Group C Reciproc (VDW) R25 with a patency file and Group D Mtwo with a patency file. Groups A, B and C presented statistically significant differences in comparison to group D, Mtwo with the use of a patency file (p<0.008 to 95% reliability). In conclusion, the greater amount of debris extruded through the apex occurred in roots instrumented with the reciprocating rotary system; this difference was statistically significant in relation to teeth treated with the Mtwo continuous rotary system with the use of a patency file.El objetivo del estudio fue cuantificar y comparar la extrusión de residuos apicales en dos sistemas de instrumentación endodónticos rotativos, continuo y recíproco, con y sin el uso de una lima de pasaje apical. Se realizó un estudio experimental en 120 raíces mesiales de primeros molares inferiores, que se aleatorizaron en los siguientes 4 grupos: Grupo A. Reciproc (VDW) R25 sin lima de pasaje apical, Grupo B Mtwo (VDW) sin lima de pasaje apical, Grupo C Reciproc (VDW) R25 con lima de pasaje apical y Grupo D Mtwo con lima de pasaje apical. Los grupos A, B y C presentaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en comparación con el grupo D, Mtwo con el uso de una lima de pasaje apical (p<0.008 a 95% de confiabilidad). En conclusión, la mayor cantidad de residuos extruidos a través del ápice ocurrió en raíces preparadas con el sistema rotativo recíproco; Esta diferencia fue estadísticamente significativa en relación a los dientes tratados con el sistema rotativo continuo Mtwo con el uso de una lima de pasaje apical

Experimental study on the stomatal resistance of green roof vegetation of semiarid climates for building energy simulations

Current modelling approaches for energy simulations in green roofs use a range of values for parameters such as stomatal resistance (rs) of the vegetation. rs reflects the capability of a plant to transpire, thus it has a direct relation to the cooling potential of green roofs in buildings. Therefore, rs values need to be revised based on differences among species and contrasting environmental conditions, considering anatomical and physiological characteristics among species and their changes throughout the day. In order to provide real data on species commonly used for green roofs in semiarid climates, this paper aims to evaluate the stomatal resistance of nine species of groundcovers and to compare this data with current models. rs was measured for each species at 8:00 h, 12:00 h, 16:00 h and 20:00 h during day and nighttime in winter in a leaf located at the middle of the stem. The results of this study showed that rs varies significantly among species, throughout the day and between the side of the leaf (adaxial or abaxial). The lowest rs values for species was at noon ranging from 264 to 807 s m- 1 and the highest rs was at night ranging from 568 to 973 s m-1. Sedum spurium red, Sedum hybrid, and white and pink Verbena sp. had the largest rs variation in the day-night cycle. The results of rs are higher than those values recommended for some energy simulation models

Root morphology of mandibular molars: a cone-beam computed tomography study

Background: The aim of the study was to assess the number and anatomical classification of roots and root canals of first and second mandibular molars using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in a Chilean population. Materials and methods: This study evaluated the CBCT scans of 289 patients aged between 14 and 86 years, obtaining a sample of 1022 mandibular first and second molars. The number of roots and root canals was evaluated according to the anatomical classification proposed by Ahmed in 2016. Data were analysed using Pearson’s chi-squared test and ANOVA. Results: Nine hundred fifty-one (93.05%) molars had two roots, while the remaining 71 (6.95%) molars had one root. The most frequent root and root canal morphologies found were: 2MM M2 D1 (29.65%),  2MM M2-1 D1 (22.3%) and 2MM M1 D1 (13.4%) (M — mesial, D — distal), with a total of 32 different anatomical distributions. C-shaped canals were present in 56 molars and were more frequently found in women than in men (7.1% vs. 3.88%; p = 0.024). Conclusions: The analysis of internal anatomy using CBCT revealed a highly variable distribution of root canals. The most frequent morphology found in mandibular molars in a Chilean population was two roots and three canals