ObjectiveTo determine to what extent physical fitness indicators and/or moderate to vigorous physical activity may account for final mathematics academic performance awarded at the end of primary school.MethodsSchool-aged youth were sampled in a repeated-measures, longitudinal design in Grade 6, and again in Grade 9. The youth completed a fitness test battery consisting of: flamingo balance test, standing long jump, backward obstacle course, plate tapping, sit ups, sit and reach, handgrip, and 20-m shuttle run. APmath scores were obtained for all children (...) at the end of Grade 5, end of Grade 8, and end of Grade 9. In a sub-sample of Grade 6 youth, MVPA was measured objectively via SenseWear Pro Armbands for seven consecutive days, with measurements repeated in Grade 9.ResultsMath scores decreased from Grade 6 to 9 for both boys and girls. MVPAOB was reduced by ∼45.7 min from Grade 6 to 9. Significant main and interaction effects are noted for each fitness indicator. A backward stepwise multiple regression analysis determined significant shared variance in final APmath grade to the change scores from Grade 6 to Grade 9 in: ΔAPmath, Δbackward obstacle course, Δsit and reach, and Δsit-ups [R2 = 0.494, F = 43.67, p < 0.0001]. A second regression was performed only for the youth who completed MVPAOB measurements. In this sub-sample, MVPAOB did not significantly contribute to the model.ConclusionLongitudinal changes in youth fitness and their delta change in APmath score accounted for 49.4% of the variance in the final math grade awarded at the end of Grade 9. Aerobic power, upper body strength, and muscular endurance share more common variance to final math grade in boys, whereas whole-body coordination was the more relevant index in girls; this finding suggests that future research exploring the relationship of AP and PF should not be limited to cardiorespiratory fitness, instead encompassing muscular and neuro-muscular components of PF. (shrink)

Knjige Predraga Fincija "Poetofilozofski eseji" i "Umjetnost uništenog" – sličnog stila i tematski komplementarne – daju nam jedinstvenu predodžbu o njegovu načinu pisanja. U "Poetozofskim esejima" tretira sam subjekt filozofije na najvišoj razini općenitosti, dok je druga knjiga, "Umjetnost uništenog", izgrađena na njegovoj povezanosti sa konkretnim zadatkom: tema holokausta i nesposobnost čovječanstva suočiti se i razmotriti holokaust na odgovarajući način. Umjetnost koja bi uspjela u takvom zadatku, estetika, kao i kritika, mora rješenja tražiti izvan klasičnih, tradicionalnih kriterija. Pristup »temeljnom pitanju« (...) indirektno se bavi našom sposobnošću za suočavanjem s budućnosti svijeta, svijeta u kojem volja za dominacijom dominira nad demokratskim kvalitetama. Uz središnje teme, autor otvara brojna relevantna pitanja poput stabilnosti identiteta, povezanosti između tradicije i potrebe za prilagodbom, doma i strane zemlje, individue i domovine, raznolikosti i stava prema različitom, ograničenja kulturnih kodova i etičkih vrijednosti i vlasništva nad istinom.Predrag Finci’s books "Poetosophic Essays" and "The Art of the Destroyed" – of similar style and topic complementarity – give us coherent idea of his handwriting. The first one, "Poetosophic Essays", treats the subject of the philosophy itself at the highest generality level, and the second one "The Art of the Destroyed" is built on its relations with concrete task: the theme of holocaust and the incapability of manhood to face it and treat it in the appropriate way. The art which would succeed in such a task, and the aesthetics and the criticism as well, should search for the solutions out of the classical, traditional criteria. Approach to “the basic issue” indirectly treats our qualification to face the future of a world in which the will for domination dominates over democratic quality. Besides central themes, the author opens many relevant issues such as the (in stability of the identity, relationship between the tradition and the need for adaptation, the home and foreign country, the individual and the homeland, diversities and attitude towards the different, the limitations of the cultural codes and ethic values and the property over the truth. (shrink)

Background Research involves the systematic collection and analysis of data to enhance understanding of a particular phenomenon. Participation in medical research is crucial for advancing healthcare practices. However, there has been limited focus on understanding the factors that motivate medical students to engage in research. Additionally, in the era of e-learning, the easy accessibility of online resources has contributed to a widespread ‘copy-paste culture’ among digital-native students, which is recognized in academia as plagiarism. Existing studies suggest that a contributing factor (...) to the increasing prevalence of plagiarism is students’ limited understanding of this act. The purpose of this study was to assess medical students’ attitudes toward research and plagiarism, and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Attitudes Toward Research (ATR) and Attitudes Toward Plagiarism (ATP) questionnaires. Methods This was a multicenter study conducted among medical undergraduate and postgraduate students attending the three medical universities who were involved in research. Students’ attitudes toward research and plagiarism were assessed using the ATR and ATP questionnaires. The research instruments underwent translation and cultural adaptation in accordance with internationally accepted methodology. The psychometric properties of the ATR and ATP, including validity and reliability, were assessed. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the model’s fit to the data. Results The ATR and ATP questionnaires were completed by 793 medical students who were involved in research (647 undergraduates and 146 PhD students). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.917 and 0.822 indicated excellent and good scale reliability for the ATR and ATP questionnaires, respectively. The five-and three- factor structures of ATR and ATP have been validated with maximum likelihood confirmatory analysis, and the results demonstrated an adequate level of model fit (TLI = 0.930, CFI = 0.942 and TLI = 0.924, CFI = 0.943, respectively). Medical students showed a high degree of positive attitudes toward research and favorable scores across all three domains of attitudes toward plagiarism. In multivariate regression models, age was found to be positively associated with favorable attitudes of research usefulness, positive attitudes, relevance to life subscales and total ATR scale (p < 0.001), while PhD study level was related to research anxiety (p < 0.001) and favorable attitudes across all three ATP domains (p < 0.001). Conclusion Medical students who were involved in research showed a high degree of favorable attitudes toward research and plagiarism. Adjusting medical school curricula to include research courses would broaden the students’ interest in scientific research and maximize their impact on the full preservation of research ethics and integrity. (shrink)

Studies of the familial association of physical activity and sedentary behavior have increased in recent years. However, there is a lack of studies that have objectively examined the correlates between parents, grandparents, and childrens' PA. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure PA using accelerometers to determine the extent to which PA and SB correlate among parents, grandparents, and children. A sample of 169 children between 11 and 14 years, 225 parents, and 52 grandparents were recruited for the (...) current study. Accelerometers RM42 were used to determine PA levels of children, parents, and grandparents. Epoch length was 6 s. Mothers' moderate-to-vigorous PA was associated with children's MVPA of children's MVPA. In contrast, grandfathers' sedentary behavior was a significant predictor of children's sedentary behavior. The results of the current study suggest that parental involvement in PA, particularly by mothers, is important for children's PA and, accordingly, healthy outcomes. (shrink)