Women coaches at top level: Looking back through the maze

Framed in the Ecological-Intersectional Model and the Stages of Career Progression Model, the objective of this study was to explore how women coaching in high-performance settings advanced through the 'bottle-neck' path. In total 13 women coaches from Southern Europe between the age of 28 and 46 years working in high-performance contexts were interviewed. In order to assess both the subjective perceptions of participants and the structural factors that prevent women from accessing top-level positions, we adopted a critical realist perspective to perform a thematic analysis. Results show that while women coaches may follow a linear coaching career path in their early career stages, once they try to progress to high-performance settings their careers are shaped by the metaphor of a maze. Women need to navigate through a maze while having to overcome jeopardizing factors to find a succeeding career path in sports coaching. Moreover, previous experience as elite athletes, close entourage, role models, organizational support, precarious working conditions and motherhood influenced women's development of a coaching career, with differing relevance depending on the career stage. Women coaches who reach top-level positions associate their success with casual or external factors, instead of causal explanations related to their own achievements. We add evidence on the specificities of women's coaching careers that should be addressed not only to improve their recruitment and professional progression, but also to work on reducing the probabilities of women exiting the role

Smart rogaining for computer science orientation

In this paper, we address the problem of designing new formats of computer science orientation activities to be offered during high school students internships in Computer Science Bachelor degrees. In order to cover a wide range of computer science topics as well to deal with soft skills and gender gap issues, we propose a teamwork format, called smart rogaining, that offer engaging introductory activities to prospective students in a series of checkpoints dislocated along the different stages of a rogaine. The format is supported by a smart mobile and web application. Our proposal is aimed at stimulating the interest of participants in different areas of computer science and at improving digital and soft skills of participants and, as a side effect, of staff members (instructors and university students). In the paper, we introduce the proposed format and discuss our experience in the editions organized at the University of Genoa before the COVID-19 pandemic (2019 and 2020 waves)

Myocardial Function in Asphyxiated Infants

Background. L’ asfissia perinatale determina spesso un quadro di encefalopatia associata a disfunzione cardiaca. L’ipotermia rappresenta l’unica terapia efficace nel ridurre il danno cerebrale. Non è noto se possa agire anche sul danno miocardico. Obiettivi. Definire il danno miocardico conseguente ad asfissia perinatale mediante metodiche TDI associate a tecniche ecocardiografiche tradizionali e valutarne l’ outcome a breve e lungo termine. Materiali e Metodi. Sono stati arruolati 15 neonati con encefalopatia ipossico-ischemica: 7 di grado severo-moderato raffreddati per 72 h e 8 di grado lieve non raffreddati. Entrambi i gruppi hanno eseguito dosaggio ematico di CPK, Troponina T e Pro-BPN entro le 6 h di vita, a 12, 24 h di vita e in 7° giornata; a tutti sono stati eseguiti ECG ed ecocardiografia tradizionale e TDI entro 6 h di vita, a 36 h, a 7 giorni ed a 12 mesi; nel gruppo 1 anche a 4 giorni e a 1, 6 e 18 mesi di vita. Risultati. Le concentrazioni sieriche dei markers studiati nelle diverse tempistiche sono risultate più elevate nei pazienti del gruppo 1 rispetto al gruppo 2. In maniera concorde tutti gli indici di funzionalità cardiaca (output ventricolari, TAPSE, velocità sistolica e diastoliche al TDI) sono risultati significativamente inferiori nel gruppo1 rispetto al gruppo2 nelle prime ore dopo l’ insulto ischemico per entrambi i ventricoli, per poi riallinearsi successivamente. In particolare per quanto riguarda la metodica TDI i rapporti E/Em ed Em/Am per la valvola mitrale sono risultati significativamente inferiori anche a 7 giorni nel gruppo 1. Conclusioni. Le misure eseguite con metodica TDI presentano maggiore sensibilità nel riconoscere alterazioni della funzionalità miocardica rispetto alle metodiche tradizionali; tali valori infatti si normalizzano più tardivamente. Riteniamo pertanto opportuno valutare la funzionalità miocardica almeno per alcuni giorni dopo il riscaldamento nei bambini affetti da encefalopatia moderato-severa sottoposti ad ipotermia.Background. Perinatal asphyxia is commonly associated with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and cardiovascular dysfunction. Therapeutic hypothermia has become standard treatment for moderate and severe neonatal hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy to reduce cerebral morbidity and mortality. The effect on the heart is incompletely explored. Aim. To assess myocardial performance of infants with perinatal asphyxia using traditional and DTI echocardiographycs technique; evaluation of early and long-term myocardial outcome. Study design. Fifteen infants with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy were enrolled in the study: seven infants with moderate-severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy cooled for 72 hours (group1); eight normothermic infants with mild hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (group2). Biomarkers serum concentrations (CPK,TroponinT, PRO-BNP) were measured at 6, 12 , 24 h of life and on the seven day of life. ECG and echocardiographies (traditional and TDI mesaurements) were done in the first 6 h of life, at 36h, on day 7, at 12 month. In the cooled infants were done also on day 4, at 1, 6 and 18 month. Results. All sieric biomarkers were always higher in the group1 than group2. All functional myocardial indices (ventricular output, TAPSE, systolic velocity (Sm), early diastolic velocity (Em), late diastolic velocity (Am)) were lower for both ventricles in the first hours after hypoxic insult in the group1. Moreover we have also found that mitral E/Em ratio and Em/Am ratio were lower in the group 1 on day 7. Conclusion. The DTI technique appears more sensitive than traditional echocardiography to the subtle changes in cardiac performance that occur after perinatal asphyxia. In particular these value were lower for more time that conventional parameters. Moreover, in cooled infants with moderate-severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, it may be important examinated myocardial function at least for a few days after rewarming

The effects of motivational climate interventions on psychobiosocial states in high school physical education

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of task- and ego-involving climate manipulations on students’ climate perception and psychobiosocial (PBS) states in a physical education setting. Method: Two subsamples of female students (N = 108, 14-15 years of age) participated for 12 lessons on either a task- or an ego-involving climate intervention as grounded in the TARGET model. Results: At the end of the treatment, the participants of the ego-involved group reported lower scores in perceived task-involving climate and higher scores in perceived ego-involving climate than their peers in the task-involved group. Lower scores in pleasant/functional PBS states and higher scores in unpleasant/dysfunctional PBS states were also observed in the ego-involved group as a consequence of the intervention. Conclusion(s): Findings suggested that teacher’s induced achievement motivational climates can influence students’ perceptions and prompt PBS states consistent with the motivational atmosphere

Chapter Applicazioni di Motion graphic per la valorizzazione del patrimonio museale del Museo di Arte Orientale di Torino (MAO)

The 43rd UID conference, held in Genova, takes up the theme of ‘Dialogues’ as practice and debate on many fundamental topics in our social life, especially in these complex and not yet resolved times. The city of Genova offers the opportunity to ponder on the value of comparison and on the possibilities for the community, naturally focused on the aspects that concern us, as professors, researchers, disseminators of knowledge, or on all the possibile meanings of the discipline of representation and its dialogue with ‘others’, which we have broadly catalogued in three macro areas: History, Semiotics, Science / Technology. Therefore, “dialogue” as a profitable exchange based on a common language, without which it is impossible to comprehend and understand one another; and the graphic sign that connotes the conference is the precise transcription of this concept: the title ‘translated’ into signs, derived from the visual alphabet designed for the visual identity of the UID since 2017. There are many topics which refer to three macro sessions: - Witnessing (signs and history) - Communicating (signs and semiotics) - Experimenting (signs and sciences) Thanks to the different points of view, an exceptional resource of our disciplinary area, we want to try to outline the prevailing theoretical-operational synergies, the collaborative lines of an instrumental nature, the recent updates of the repertoires of images that attest and nourish the relations among representation, history, semiotics, sciences

AI+AR: Cultural Heritage, Museum Institutions, Plastic Models and Prototyping. A State of Art

The links between representation and artificial intelligence (AI) invade many fields of architectural research, recording continuous and significant advances: they require, on the one hand, a constant update of the state of the art and, on the other hand, careful consideration of the role of Representation in interdisciplinary research in this field. The present contribution intends to investigate these intertwining in some of the most frequented research fields in recent years: the valorization and communication of Cultural Heritage and cultural tourism, the experiences in the museum field, the research on the role of the prototype within the processes of artificial intelligence applied to architecture

Expressing Without Asserting in the Arts

Critical debate as well as uncertain or subjective claims are pivotal elements in arts scholarly analysis. Asserting such statements in RDF is hindered by the correct representation of uncertain or evolving aspects. In this article we examine and discuss the need and usefulness of expressing without asserting (EWA) arbitrary claims as RDF named graphs. We examine effectiveness of prior approaches to EWA and we propose a solution, called conjectures, to express and retrieve statements whose truth value is not specified

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

Assessing individual performance in team sports: A new method developed in youth volleyball

Studying the role of individual differences in team sports performance is a challenge. The main problem is having an available measure of individual performance of each member of the team. In particular, in youth sports, where the level of specialization is reactively low, it appears appropriate that this measure takes the entire performance of the athlete into consideration (i.e., that it assesses all of the athlete\u2019s gestures), while maintaining an ecological validity criterion. Therefore, we devised and calculated an individual assessment measure in volleyball following the subsequent steps: Firstly, we video-recorded at least three volleyball games for each of the 114 youth volleyball players who participated in the study. Then, two independent expert observers evaluated each individual performance by attributing a score to every single gesture performed by the athletes during the games. The derived individual score was adjusted and controlled for the team performance measure, namely the result of each Set the athlete participated in (and for the amount of participation of the athlete to each game). The final measure of individual performance in volleyball proved to be reliable, showing a high level of interrater agreement (r = .841, p < .001) and a significant correlation with the amount of experience in volleyball (r = .173, p < .05)

A developmental outlook on the role of cognition and emotions in youth volleyball and artistic gymnastics

Developmental and cognitive psychology recently started to take an interest in the sports domain, exploring the role of either cognitive functions or emotions in youth sport. However, to the extent that cognition and emotions are inextricably linked, studying them jointly from a developmental perspective could inform on their interplay in determining performance in different sports. This research examined the role of general cognitive abilities, attentional style, and emotions (controlling for age and experience), in predicting performance in youth volleyball and artistic gymnastics. A total of 218 female participants, of which 114 volleyball players and 104 artistic gymnasts (11-17 years old) were administered two measures of working memory and six measures of executive functions (namely inhibition, updating, and shifting). They also completed an attentional style and an emotion-related questionnaire. For each volleyball player, an individual performance index based on every gesture performed during the games and controlled for the team performance was computed. As a measure of gymnasts' performance, scores in 2017-2018 competitions were used. Regression analysis showed that the main predictor of the volleyball players' performance (R-2 = 0.23) was a working memory-updating factor (ss = 0.45, p = 0.001), together with experience (ss = 0.29, p = 0.030) and high-arousal unpleasant emotions (ss = 0.30, p = 0.029), which positively predicted performance. Experience (ss = 0.30, p = 0.011), age (ss = -0.036, p = 0.005) and high-arousal unpleasant emotions (ss = -0.27, p = 0.030) were the predictors of gymnasts' performance (R-2 = 0.25). These results represent a first step in understanding if and how youth female athletes of open- and closed-skills sports rely on different psychological abilities. This line of research could offer insight to practitioners regarding which psychological abilities could be more relevant to train depending on the type of sport