A pilot study of a sport-specific projective method: The athlete apperception technique

The content and methodology of personality development research, like those of the total field of child development research, vary tremendously. Past personality development studies have ranged from empirical normative surveys to theory-oriented hypothetical-deductive ones, and from naturalistic observational investigations to controlled laboratory experiments. No attempt will be made in the present paper to survey all, or even most, of the current theoretical and methodological problems in this area of child development research. Rather, a limited number of these problems will be selected for discussion, with special emphasis on their implications for future research. A number of personality development studies in the recent past have employed projective techniques as research tools. While some of these techniques have been very useful for studying certain problems, projective techniques have often, unfortunately, been employed in an uncritical fashion. Too frequently the tail has wagged the dog, with research problems being determined by available projective methods rather than by specific theoretical questions. It is the belief of the writer that this state of affairs can be, and probably will be, eradicated as research in this area becomes less empirical and more theoretically oriented. Ideally, in theory-oriented research, hypotheses under consideration should dictate behaviors to be studied and thus, indirectly, determine the choice of assessment techniques to be used. Existing projective techniques may or may not be appropriate for such investigations. In sheer number there is no shortage of potentially useful projective tests; the growth of these assessment methods has been almost weed-like. However, since many of these techniques were originally developed with little regard for existing personality theories, few may be found useful in future personality development research in their present form. New techniques will have to be developed and/or old ones modified. As the writer suggested in a recent symposium on the use of projective tech

Strategies are needed to address the shortfall in children's dairy food and Ca intakes. The present review identified interventions targeting an increase in children's dairy food or Ca intakes, and determined characteristics associated with successful intervention. A systematic literature search identified fourteen intervention studies, published in English, between 1990 and 2010. Studies were evaluated for study population, setting and mode of delivery, dietary targets and outcome measures, measures of intervention intensity, intervention description, the use of behaviour change techniques and intervention effectiveness. Interventions targeting an increase in dairy food or Ca intake. Children aged 5-12 years. Ten of the fourteen studies were considered to be effective. Studies focusing on encouraging intake of dairy foods or Ca alone were all effective, compared with 55 % of studies promoting dairy within the context of a healthy diet. Effective interventions tended to be higher in intensity, provide dairy foods and were delivered across a variety of settings to a range of primary targets. The number of behaviour change techniques used did not differentiate effective and ineffective interventions, but the use of taste exposure and prompting practice appeared to be important for effective intervention. Interventions that target an increase in children's dairy food or Ca intake could potentially increase children's dairy food intake by about one serving daily. Research conducted outside the USA is needed. The review has identified some promising strategies likely to be part of effective interventions for improving dairy and Ca intakes in countries where children's intake is insufficient.

The development of a midlife crisis in women is accompanied by forming mental states that affect the quality of life and determine the possibilities of transformation of midlife crisis into a new stage of self-development. Study sample were 168 women, aged 30 to 44 years. We used projective techniques, questionnaires, content analysis as study methods. The deviation indicator from autogenous norm of M. Lusher test in women with the crisis symptoms has a rather strong positive correlation with the «negative conditions» index (r=0,4; p<0,001). We have identified the parameters of mental states (antipathy, anxiety, tension, asintonia, fatigue) thatmay contribute to the formation of negative mental states in general, hampering personal and social changes in the midlife crisis. The article defines the dominant motivations meaningful for development and transformation of midlife crisis in women. The results complement the scientific understanding of mental states and age characteristics from a gender perspective.

This is a review of findings from four recent surveys on use of clinical tests in the United States, The Netherlands, Japan, and Hong Kong. The preliminary analysis indicates that projective techniques are popular in the assessment of personality worldwide. Obviously, projective tests are 'universal' in that unstructured stimuli serve as the basis for assessment and do not pose a language barrier. Also, reliance on projective methods may reflect problems in access to adequately translated and standardized objective tests. More data are needed from developed countries before firm conclusions on the international status of projective techniques can be affirmed.

Although risk management approaches appeared more than one decade ago, there is the evidence of low penetration rate of their techniques in current software projects. One of the most widely known methods is the SEI Software Continuous Risk Management (SEI-CRM) method. This paper addresses the usage of the SEI-CRM method in a big university software development project. Moreover, the study we carried out suggests that SEI-CRM is limited in terms of the organizational risk perspective. This research is expected to contribute with the knowledge on risk management for software development projects by for which we propose to extend the SEI-CRM method with some organizational risk factors that we have found relevant from our study.

Image processing and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of diagnostic images represents a necessary tool for depicting complex anatomical structures and understanding pathological changes in terms of both morphology and function. The importance of 3D reconstructions is evident if we consider that the quantity of native images produced with new-generation cross-sectional techniques has become increasingly large. Volumetric data such as those acquired with multidetector row computed tomography (CT) are particularly well suited to postprocessing. On the other hand the analysis and processing of such data through additional planes over the axial and 3D views is becoming mandatory. Image processing involves operations such as reformatting original CT images and surface and volume rendering. These types of operations are also included in a wide classification which divides the techniques of display of 3D models into projectional and perspective methods. Projectional methods are those in which a 3D volume is projected into a bidimensional plane; in the perspective methods a 3D virtual world is displayed by means of techniques that aim to reproduce the perspective of the human eye looking at the physical world. Projectional methods include CT image-reformatting approaches such as multiplanar reformations (MPR) in the sagittal, coronal, oblique, and curved planes. More specific projection techniques include maximum-intensity projection (MIP) and minimum-intensity projection (MinIP). The reformatting process does not modify the CT data but uses them in off-axis views and displays the images in an orientation different from native acquisition. Surface and volume rendering use algorithms that generate 3D views of sectional two-dimensional data. Surface rendering is based on the extraction of an intermediate surface description of the relevant objects from the volume data, while volume rendering displays the entire volume preserving the whole dynamic range of the image. A more advanced application of surface and volume rendering is represented by virtual endoscopy, which is a simulation of the endoscopic perspective by processing volumetric data sets. The CT acquisition parameters that have a direct effect on the quality of the image processing are section thickness, reconstruction spacing, and pitch. Thin sections and reconstruction spacing allow better postprocessing results by reducing partial volume averaging effects on the longitudinal plane or z-axis (Fig. 3.1). The effect of pitch on 3D imaging of CT data sets is particularly relevant for single-row systems, where the use of high pitch values introduces an increased slice-sensitive profile and consequently determines artifacts on projectional and perspective CONTENTS

Nutritional supplement use among fitness club participants in Tehran, Iran

Objective: to study the psychological characteristics of children with latent tuberculosis infection (LTI) in order to develop effective options for psychological assistance in the process of preventive treatment and rehabilitation measures. Materials and methods. A prospective group-control study was conducted with the participation of 60 children aged 5—15 years. The main group (n = 30) consisted of children with LTI without confirmed contacts with TB patients with MBT+; the control group (n = 30) consisted of children infected with MBT without LTI. The clinical and anamnestic method and the projective techniques «House-tree-man» and «Non-existent animal» were used. The statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's χ2 criterion. Results. Statistically significant differences in psychological status were found in children with latent tuberculosis infection compared with the control group. In the emotional sphere, increased anxiety, emotional instability and internal tension were more often observed. In the personal sphere, low self-esteem, low level of creativity and limited imagination are noted. Difficulties in communication, a tendency to self-isolation and low openness to contacts were revealed in social adaptation. Conclusions. The identified features require the development of specialized psychological support programs in the process of preventive treatment and rehabilitation. A comprehensive approach to the treatment of children with LTI is needed, including both medical and psychological and pedagogical measures.

Empowering brain science with neuroethics

BackgroundPrevious investigations of test re-test reliability of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) have used correlations and statistics such as Cronbach's α to assess consistency. In practice, the MMSE is usually used to group individuals into cognitive states. The reliability of this grouping (state based approach) has not been fully explored.MethodsMMSE data were collected on a subset of 2,275 older participants (≥ 65 years) from the population-based Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study. Two measurements taken approximately two months apart were used to investigate three state-based categorisations. Descriptive statistics were used to determine how many people remained in the same cognitive group or went up or down groups. Weighted logistic regression was used to identify predictive characteristics of those who moved group.ResultsThe proportion of people who remained in the same MMSE group at screen and follow-up assessment ranged from 58% to 78%. The proportion of individuals who went up one or more groups was roughly equal to the proportion that went down one or more groups; most of the change occurred when measurements were close to the cut-points. There was no consistently significant predictor for changing cognitive group.ConclusionA state-based approach to analysing the reliability of the MMSE provided similar results to correlation analyses. State-based models of cognitive change or individual trajectory models using raw scores need multiple waves to help overcome natural variation in MMSE scores and to help identify true cognitive change.

This study explores the creation of emotion- responsive user interfaces (UIs) that adapt to users' mental states in stressful settings in real time. Utilizing human- computer interaction (HCI) principles and artificial intelligence, it introduces an innovative framework for UIs that adjusts based on fatigue, concentration, and emotional cues. The method incorporates sophisticated facial recognition, eye tracking, and physiological sensors to continuously evaluate users' cognitive and emotional conditions. The adaptive UI system uses machine learning algorithms to optimize cognitive load and improve remote interactions in various high-pressure situations. Through a series of experiments and user studies, notable enhancements in task performance, user satisfaction, and overall cognitive efficiency have been demonstrated. The results underscore the potential of emotion-responsive UIs to transform human-computer interaction, particularly in areas such as healthcare, emergency response, and mission-critical operations. Keywords — HCI, Emotion-Adaptive UI, Cognitive Efficiency, Real-Time Adaptation, Fatigue, Focus, Emotional Expression, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, User Interface, High- Stress Environments, Remote Interaction.

The use of the internet and technology as a medium for delivering online nutrition education (ONE) has increased; however, evidence-based studies exploring factors that contribute to best practices in online interventions have not emerged. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify factors that contributed to successful ONE interventions in relation to research studies published between 2009 and 2018. Following the PRISMA guidelines, relevant studies were identified through PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) databases. Five authors screened and determined the quality of the studies using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system and extracted the data from the articles. Twenty-seven studies were included: 21 studies were website-based, 3 were delivered through smartphone application, 2 were delivered as online courses, and 1 used text messages. Tailored messages/feedback, interaction between participants and investigators, identification of specific behaviors, use theory, adequate duration, and alignment between stated objectives and activities were factors that contributed to successful online interventions, while comparison bias and the lack of specific details on duration and dosage, tracking system, objective outcome measurements, and follow-up were factors that may have interfered with successful ONE interventions. The findings underscore the importance of developing ONE intervention designs that utilize factors unique to online platforms for effective interventions aimed at behavior change.

Efectividad de las intervenciones de seguridad vial basadas en la evidencia: una revisión de la literatura

Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to understand others’ mental states (e.g., intentions). Studies on human ToM show that the way we understand others’ mental states is very efficient, in the sense that observing only some portion of others’ behaviors can lead to successful performance. Recently, ToM has gained interest in robotics to build robots that can engage in complex social interactions. Although it has been shown that robots can infer others’ internal states, there has been limited focus on the data utilization of ToM mechanisms in robots. Here we show that robots can infer others’ intentions based on limited information by selectively and flexibly using behavioral cues similar to humans. To test such data utilization, we impaired certain parts of an actor robot’s behavioral information given to the observer, and compared the observer’s performance under each impairment condition. We found that although the observer’s performance was not perfect compared to when all information was available, it could infer the actor’s mind to a degree if the goal-relevant information was intact. These results demonstrate that, similar to humans, robots can learn to infer others’ mental states with limited information.

Purpose The first part of the chapter discusses the premise that “wearing many hats” impedes a professional’s ability to get successful project results in a library setting. Offering their own experience as an example, the authors explore the issues that led to the implementation of project manager as a full-time position at Hesburgh Libraries. Part two of the chapter offers practical suggestions for incorporating a project management office (PMO) into a library setting. It includes the definition of the virtual PMO model, how this model fits into the organizational structure, and why this model might be preferred in a library environment. It includes descriptions of basic project management tools, techniques, and methods as well as graphic representation of division and overlap of responsibilities. Methodology/approach The methodology of this chapter is based on a review of the literature as well as a description of the authors’ experience with implementing project management at their institution. Findings Project management is a profession that requires dedicated personnel and resources. Actively involved project sponsors and dedicated project managers play a critical role in assuring project success. Basic project management tools, techniques, and approaches can be successfully implemented in libraries. Originality/value Full-time project management in libraries is still a novel concept. Readers will benefit from Hesburgh Libraries’ implementation of new methodology and learn about tools and approaches to introduce project management in their organizations.