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When utilizing youth sport as a social intervention to promote positive youth development (PYD) outcomes, the programming and practices of the youth sport leader (YSL) are critical. However...

Background: Participation in youth sport is often associated with a variety of positive development outcomes. In order to effectively utilize sport as a context of learning and development, the sport must be intentionally designed and programed. One often-used approach is known as sport-based positive youth development (PYD). Recently, to further enhance the intentionality of a sport-based PYD approach, several researchers have posited the potential benefits of applying experiential learning theory to youth sport programing. Through utilizing experiential learning within a sport-based PYD approach, it is believed youth sport can be designed to intentionally promote desired PYD outcomes.Purpose: Experiential learning theory offers a deep understanding and history of effective youth programing. However, within the field of experiential learning, many different pedagogical approaches exist. To date, sport-based PYD has yet to identify a specific pedagogical approach within experiential learning. In o...

Nondeliberative group work allows group members to generate their own solutions and provides experiential opportunities to transfer learning to life outside of a therapeutic setting. Adventure therapy is explored as a tool for engaging groups in a nondeliberative manner. The theoretical underpinnings of adventure therapy are presented and contextualized within the larger framework of experiential education. Specific methods and models of adventure work are presented and considered in relationship to nondeliberative social work with groups. Two case examples are presented to illustrate the nondeliberative nature of adventure therapy.

Central to the ability of successfully utilizing sport as a social intervention to promote youth developmental outcomes is the role of the youth sport leader (YSL). While many YSLs care for the youth-athletes with whom they work, many YSLs do not have a purposeful intent when facilitating sport as a social intervention. One strategy developed to increase the YSL's ability to intentionally facilitate sport towards youth development is the Coaching on the Wave model, which offers a framework for YSLs to apply theory and research into their coaching practices to intentionally promote positive youth outcomes such as life-skill development.

The Russian gastrotrich fauna is virtually unknown, particularly the marine fauna. In the ocean, investigations have been restricted to the White Sea, from where only three fully described species have been reported so far. In this study we describe a new species of Aspidiophorus found in a sandy sample collected from off of Vladivostok (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan). Aspidiophorus oculatus n. sp. is the first marine chaetonotid gastrotrich described from Russia and the first representative of the order Chaetonotida reported from the Sea of Japan. Specimens of the new species are characterized by a body up to 147.5 µm in total length; enveloped by 57 alternating columns of 65–70 keeled, elongate scales. Pharyngeo-intestinal junction at U27; the head bears cephalion, hypostomion, pleuria and a pair of eye-spots; the furca is 20 µm long including the 12-µm long adhesive tube; the ventral interciliary field is naked, with the exception of a pair of elliptical, keeled scales occurring near the a...

Two new species of Tetranchyroderma are described from a sandy beach in southeastern Australia. Both species belong to the subgroup of the genus in which the dorsal surface of the body is covered with pentancres and in which head sensorial organs (tentacles and/or pestle organs) are absent. Tetranchyroderma pentaspersus sp. nov. is small, 178–244μm long, and distinguished by possessing exceptionally large pentancres, c. 30 rows, with the central tine c. 15μm long on the trunk, though shorter on the head; lateral tines c. 60% as long. The adhesive apparatus consists of four pairs of anterior adhesive tubules (TbA), nine pairs of ventro‐lateral tubules (TbL), and eight posterior tubules (TbP), with two of the latter at the end of each caudal pedicle and four very small in between the caudal pedicles; dorsal and ventral tubules and “cirrata” are absent. Tetranchyroderma australiense sp. nov. is larger, 330–390μm long, possesses c. 70 rows of smaller pentancres, with all five tines of equal length. T...

Serum fibrinogen‐fibrin degradation product (FDP) levels of healthy control subjects and of patients with colorectal cancer have been measured by DR‐70® ELISA in Frankfurt, Germany (Germany study) and in Tustin, California (U.S. study). Serum FDP levels of patients with colorectal cancer were significantly higher than those of the healthy controls. The median serum FDP levels in healthy control groups of the German and U.S. studies were, respectively, 0.37 µg/mL and 0.61 µg/mL. The median serum FDP levels in the colorectal cancer groups of the German and U.S. studies were, respectively, 1.25 µg/mL and 1.60 µg/mL. The results are consistent with enhanced fibrinolysis in serum of patients with colorectal cancer.

The micellization properties and phase behaviour of model ternary surfactant—oil—water systems were studied by grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations assisted by histogram reweighting techniques. Larson's lattice model was used for a symmetrical H4T4 surfactant, where H represents hydrophilic and T hydrophobic groups. In contrast to earlier studies, oil chains of variable length, from T to T4, were studied and the effect of added oil on the critical micelle concentration (cmc) was determined quantitatively. It was found that the cmc decreases as the volume fraction of oil in the aqueous phase is increased. Longer oil chains have a stronger effect than shorter chains for the same volume fraction. The oil, tail and head density profiles were obtained for typical micelles. Simulation results for the density profiles indicate that long chain oils are almost exclusively located within the micellar aggregates, in agreement with single-chain mean-field theory predictions. Ternary phase diagrams were obtained bo...

A faunistic analysis of the sandy sediment collected from 10 locations along the east (four) and west coasts (six) of Corsica, western Mediterranean Sea, yielded a rich and diverse range of gastrotrichs: 42 species of 18 genera and seven families from the orders Chaetonotida (17 species) and Macrodasyida (25 species). Sublittoral samples were always more species-rich than those from littoral sites; 37 versus nine spp. The gastrotrich fauna from the east coast was more diverse than that from the west coast, both in terms of the total species number (35 spp.: 13 Chaetonotida ‡ 22 Macrodasyida versus 23 spp.: 12 Chaetonotida ‡ 11 Macrodasyida) and the number of species per location (13 §4.2 versus 7.5§ 4.0). All but three of the species have previously been reported from other Mediterranean locations. The exceptions are two as yet unidentieed species of the genera Cephalodasys and Macrodasys, and Tetranchyroderma inaequitubulatum sp. nov., a thaumastodermatid with pentancrous covering, showing a cluster of ventral adhesive tubes peculiarly located only on the right side and an unusually conspicuous sexual caudal organ. Aspidiophorus paramediterraneus, Chaetonotus apechochaetus, Acanthodasys aculeatus, Paraturbanella teissieri, Pseudostomella etrusca and Tetranchyroderma thysanophorum, present at 50% or more of the investigated locations, are the most common species on the third largest island of the western Mediterranean basin.

Natural hybridization between previously allopatric plant species can produce highly successful lineages. We test the low-fitness-hybrid hypothesis in Carpobrotus and its implications for hybrid in...

A new interstitial copepod, Meloriastacus ctenidis gen. et sp. nov. (Harpacticoida, Leptastacidae), is described from the shallow Meloria Shoals, Tuscany (Italy). It represents the most primitive leptastacid known to date, displaying several unique plesiomorphic character states previously unknown in the family. A sistergroup relationship with Archileptastacus Huys is suggested on the basis of the detailed structure of the caudal ramus, the fifth legs, the distal endopodal armature of P2‐P4 and the presence of spinule rows on either side of the anal opening. The ancestral leptastacid condition for the P5 setation is re‐assessed and the homology of the caudal ramus setae discussed. The structure of the mouthparts in Meloriastacus suggests that mucus‐trap feeding was adopted only secondarily in the evolution of the family.

Of the thaumastodermatid gastrotrichs that were collected in the years 1989–1991, during a faunistic survey of the Italian coasts, several have been placed in the genus Tetranchyroderma. On the basis of their distinctive morphological characters, four that bear pentancres are being described as new species, three with a complete dorsal covering of ancres: T. kontosomum, T. polyprobo‐lostomum, T. tanymesatherum, and one with an incomplete covering: T. anomalopsum.

A new genus, Dendropodola, and species, D. transitionalis, are described in the family Dactylopodolidae. Three new species, Cephalodasys hadrosomus, Mesodasys adenotubulatus, and Mesodasys ischiensis, are described in the family Lepidodasyidae. And, six new species, Pseudostomella etrusca, Ptychostomella tyrrhenica, Tetranchyroderma heterotubulatum, Tetranchyroderma hypopsilancrum, Tetranchyroderma pachysomum, and Tetranchyroderma thysanophorum, are described in the family Thaumastodermatidae. All were collected in littoral and shallow sublittoral sediments along the Italian coastline of the Mediterranean Sea and its adjacent waters.

The species Chaetonotus lacunosus Mock, 1979 is redescribed and refigured from specimens collected in littoral and shallow sublit‐toral sediments along the entire Italian coastline of the Mediterranean Sea and its adjacent waters. Six species new to science are described and figured: Chaetonotus apechochaetus, C. apolemmus, C. siciliensis, Halichaetonotus etrolomus, H. margaretae, and H. thalassopais. The proper nomenclature for Halichaetonotus decipiens (Remane, 1929) is noted, and a new combination is given: Musellifer delamarei (Renaud‐Mornant, 1968) n. comb.

Twenty‐three species of chetonotid gastrotrichs are reported from three islands of the Tuscan Archipelago (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). The island of Elba is the largest in the archipelago and has the most sand beaches. It possesses the greatest diversity of gastrotrich fauna, with 17 known species. The island of Capraia ranks second with 12 species, and the island of Giglio is third with 8 species. Chaetonotus napoleonicus from the island of Elba and Chaetonotus aegilonensis together with Halichaetonotus marivagus, both from the island of Capraia, are described as new species. A clarification of the diagnostic characters of C. atrox, C. dispar and C. neptuni is given. Xenotrichula carolinensis is synonymized with X. intermedia.

Twenty species, 8 Chaetonotida and 12 Macrodasyida, are reported from the Island of Ponza. Among the Chaetonotida, Chaetonotus mariae is new to science. It is characterized by peculiar round scales, each with numerous ridges radiating from the base of the spine. Among the Macrodasyida, Diplodasys minor is redescribed, and Platydasys phacellatus is reported for the second time. The Italian geographic distribution and the species‐substraturri relationship are also analyzed.