citizen of Germany accepted on the recommendation of

ii Ubiquitous computing has the goal of enhancing computer use by making many computers available throughout the physical environment, and thus providing the technical and conceptual means for enabling anytime, anywhere, anyhow computing. The technical realization of this vision has become feasible owing to recent advances in miniaturization and embedded computing technologies, which enable the integration of diverse computing capabilities into manifold everyday objects and devices. The multitude and diversity of computerized entities that are part of ubiquitous computing systems imply a number of technical challenges. On one side, the differences in form factors, functionality, and technical capabilities result in a great level of diversity of hardware and software, and a distinct heterogeneity in capabilities. Further, ubiquitous computing systems in general are often highly decentralized, featuring an exceptionally high volatility of cooperative relationships and topologie

Longitudinal tracking of academic progress during teacher preparation

Background. Given that the ultimate academic goal of many education systems in the developed world is for students to graduate from college, grades have a considerable bearing on how effective colleges are in meeting their primary objective. Prior academic performance informs predominantly the selection and retention of teacher candidates. However, there remains a dearth of evidence linking academic performance with outcomes in teacher preparation or the workplace. Aim. This study examined pre-service teachers’ trajectories of academic growth during teacher preparation. Sample. The sample comprised 398 pre-service teachers – 282 (70.8%) males and 116 (29.1%) females. Method. Academic growth was measured across eight time points over the course of 4 years. Pre-service teachers’ academic growth was analysed using linear and nonlinear latent growth models. Results. Results indicate that academic growth was quadratic and, over time, decelerated, with no evidence of the Matthew effect or the compensatory effect. There was evidence of a connection between prior academic attainment and current grades. Conclusion. Greater attention to academic growth during the college years, and particularly among pre-service teachers, may enable greater achievement support for student

Effect of performance level on pacing strategy during a 10-km running race

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the performance level of athletes on pacing strategy during a simulated 10-km running race, and the relationship between physiological variables and pacing strategy. Twenty-four male runners performed an incremental exercise test on a treadmill, three 6-min bouts of running at 9, 12 and 15 km h−1, and a self-paced, 10-km running performance trial; at least 48 h separated each test. Based on 10-km running performance, subjects were divided into terziles, with the lower terzile designated the low-performing (LP) and the upper terzile designated the high-performing (HP) group. For the HP group, the velocity peaked at 18.8 ± 1.4 km h−1 in the first 400 m and was higher than the average race velocity (P 0.05) and this initial velocity was not different from LP average racing velocity (14.5 ± 0.7 km h−1). The velocity then decreased non-significantly until 9,600 m (P > 0.05), followed by an increase at the end (P < 0.05). The peak treadmill running velocity (PV), running economy (RE), lactate threshold (LT) and net blood lactate accumulation at 15 km h−1 were significantly correlated with the start, middle, last and average velocities during the 10-km race. These results demonstrate that high and low performance runners adopt different pacing strategies during a 10-km race. Furthermore, it appears that important determinants of the chosen pacing strategy include PV, LT and RE

The effect of self- even- and variable-pacing strategies on the physiological and perceptual response to cycling

It has been proposed that an even-pacing strategy is optimal for events lasting 0.05). The results of this study show that, for a time- and work-matched 20-km time trial, an even-paced strategy results in attenuated perturbations in the physiological response and lower perception of effort in comparison to self- and variable-paced strategies