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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
231

Desafio XIV para trompete e piano de Marlos Nobre: uma abordagem interpretativa / Challenge XIV for trumpet and piano by Marlos Nobre: an interpretative approach

Amaral, Gerson Frances do 26 April 2013 (has links)
Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2014-10-02T11:55:47Z No. of bitstreams: 4 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Dissertação - Gerson Frances do Amaral - 2013.pdf: 4732700 bytes, checksum: 5e8365f82ebcf84a1f5139da4f258753 (MD5) VIDEO_TS.BUP: 12288 bytes, checksum: af9c1cdabc941d08c38531ebb63abbb9 (MD5) VIDEO_TS.IFO: 12288 bytes, checksum: af9c1cdabc941d08c38531ebb63abbb9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jaqueline Silva (jtas29@gmail.com) on 2014-10-02T17:03:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 4 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Dissertação - Gerson Frances do Amaral - 2013.pdf: 4732700 bytes, checksum: 5e8365f82ebcf84a1f5139da4f258753 (MD5) VIDEO_TS.BUP: 12288 bytes, checksum: af9c1cdabc941d08c38531ebb63abbb9 (MD5) VIDEO_TS.IFO: 12288 bytes, checksum: af9c1cdabc941d08c38531ebb63abbb9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-02T17:03:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 4 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Dissertação - Gerson Frances do Amaral - 2013.pdf: 4732700 bytes, checksum: 5e8365f82ebcf84a1f5139da4f258753 (MD5) VIDEO_TS.BUP: 12288 bytes, checksum: af9c1cdabc941d08c38531ebb63abbb9 (MD5) VIDEO_TS.IFO: 12288 bytes, checksum: af9c1cdabc941d08c38531ebb63abbb9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-04-26 / This work suggests interpretative possibilities to the trumpet part of the piece “Challenge XIV” for Trumpet and Piano (or Strings) Opus 31 14 bis. The choice of this piece was made due to its relevance of a repertoire of Brazilian music for trumpet and also for its originality on interpretation and performance. This research was developed from a revision of a directed bibliography and also from an analisys of the performance elements: articulation, dynamics, tempo and phrasing. / Este trabalho sugere possibilidades interpretativas para a parte do trompete na obra Desafio XIV para Trompete e Piano (ou Cordas) Opus 31 14 bis. A escolha dessa obra se deu tanto por sua relevância como música brasileira do repertório para trompete, como pelo ineditismo de sua interpretação e performance. Esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida a partir de uma revisão da bibliografia direcionada e também consta de uma análise dos elementos da performance: articulação, dinâmica, andamento e fraseado.
232

MUSIC TRAINING AS A NEURO-COGNITIVE PROTECTOR FOR BRAIN AGING: COGNITIVE AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILES IN PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS

Schneider, Catherine E. 01 January 2018 (has links)
The proportion of older adults living with cognitive impairments is increasing rapidly. This shift will likely increase mortality rates, reduce perceived quality of life, and cause economic burden to patients and health care systems. Currently evidence of highly effective and noninvasive interventions that prevent or slow the onset of cognitive impairment are limited. This study aims to better understand what drives cognitive aging variability among musicians versus non-musicians. Music playing has been shown to improve brain and cognitive functions by engaging networks of brain areas, simultaneously involving cortical mechanisms associated with executive, high-level cognitive and motor functions, and multiple sensory systems. Literature suggests strong correlations between cognition and music ability. However, studies in the past have not concretely operationalized music training. Here we test the general hypothesis that music training improves neural mechanisms associated with core cognitive functions (e.g. working-memory and attention). A multi-source study was designed to control level of music involvement and genre by examining professional, classically trained orchestral musicians, establishing cognitive and neuropsychological profiles in an effort to better understand the potential for music training to protect older adults from cognitive decline. Specific hypotheses involved attentional inhibition theory and increased ability of musicians to perform attention and working memory tasks. Twenty-nine professional musicians were recruited who completed five neuropsychological exams. The scalp electrophysiological signals from 14 channels were recorded wirelessly while each musician performed a modified delayed match-to-sample task, imagination of music playing, and resting states. Musicians completed neuropsychological screening (MoCA) a music and life span questionnaire as well. Musicians tested above normative ranges in cognitive ability indicated through MoCA. Musicians’ scores were compared with average or normative scores of participants at similar ages in previous studies using the same measures and current musicians performed significantly faster and more accurately on four of five neuropsychological measures. Regression and ANCOVA showed strong positive correlations between theta oscillation in bilateral frontal sites (F3, F4) and both number of years of private music lessons and number of hours of music practice. Correlations between EEG recordings taken during music imagination exercise at posterior (01, 02) sites and the number of years of private music lessons participants took, the age participant started to take music lessons and the number of years they played their musical instrument were found. Current new findings reveal that professional musician’s cognitive scores and neural activity are associated with superior cognitive ability via enhancement of neural mechanisms of current target material and inhibition of distractions. Music training is apromising noninvasive method to control cognitive challenge, which merits further research to determine how it can be used as a beneficial cognitive training method for aging individuals. Future studies should examine neuro-cognitive differences between professional musicians and individuals with lower levels of music involvement to examine dose effects of music or the amount of music needed to protect aging adults from cognitive decline.
233

SR Flip-Flop Based Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) for Hardware Security

Challa, Rohith Prasad 25 June 2018 (has links)
Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) are now widely being used to uniquely identify Integrated Circuits (ICs). In this work, we propose a novel Set-Reset (SR) Flip-flop based PUF design. For a NAND gate based SR flip-flop, the input condition S (Set) = 1 and R (Reset) = 1 must be avoided as it is an inconsistent condition. When S=R=1 is applied followed by S=R=0, then the outputs Q and Q' undergo race condition and depending on the delays of the NAND gates in the feedback path, the output Q can settle at either 0 or 1. Because of process variations in an IC, the NAND delays are statistical in nature. Thus, for a given SR FF based $n$-bit register implemented in an IC, when we apply S=R=1 to all flip-flops followed by S=R=0, then we obtain an $n$ bit string that can be interpreted as a signature of the chip. Due to process variations, the signature is highly likely to be unique for an IC. We validated the proposed idea by SPICE-level simulations for 90nm, 45nm, and 32nm designs for both intra- and inter-chip variations to establish the robustness of the proposed PUF. Experimental results for 16-, 32-, 64-, and 128-bit registers based on Monte-Carlo simulations demonstrate that the proposed PUF is robust. The main advantage of the proposed PUF is that there is very little area overhead as we can reuse existing registers in the design.
234

A conduta universal: governo de si e políticas de gênero na Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus / The universal conduct: the government of the self and gender politics in the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God

Teixeira, Jacqueline Moraes 09 March 2018 (has links)
A emergência da Lei 11.340/06 também conhecida como lei Maria da Penha que regula e criminaliza a violência doméstica aparece como diretriz fundante do Projeto Raabe. Trata-se de um projeto desenvolvido pela Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (IURD), voltado para o atendimento de mulheres em situação de violência doméstica. Idealizado por Cristiane Cardoso, filha mais velha do Bispo Edir Macedo, o projeto reúne hoje uma equipe de profissionais tais como advogados, psicólogos e assistentes sociais, e visa oferecer assistência jurídica e psicológica a mulheres que procuram o atendimento em delegacias denominadas delegacias da mulher. Pretendo analisar - a partir de um conjunto de materiais produzidos pelo projeto, que compreende desde reuniões temáticas até relatos publicados como livros biográficos -, a produção civil de uma noção de conversão que se baseia no reconhecimento jurídico da condição de sofrimento. Nesse processo a categoria divórcio se desenha como um caminho primeiro para o aprendizado da relação heterossexual saudável, e o degrau necessário rumo a conversão. A concepção de afetividade saudável e o desenvolvimento constante de uma pedagogia que visa o cuidado de si tornam-se linguagens substanciais de produção de um sujeito feminino que deve afasta-se da condição jurídica de sujeito de sofrimento para assumir o relato público como crente civil. Assim, esta pesquisa tem por finalidade mapear e descrever práticas relacionadas à produção de uma performatividade de gênero mimetizada em formas de falar, de se apreender e de experienciar os corpos femininos a partir de programas de incentivo ao relacionamento heterossexual, pensando o papel de tais políticas têm na formação de performatividades, ora por meio de linguagem de gendramento dos gêneros, mediante tecnologias de poder que conformam a sujeição e a subjetivação dos sujeitos. / The emergence of the 11.340/06 law, also known as Maria da Penha law, that regulates and criminalizes domestic violence, appears as a fundamental guideline of the Raabe project. Its a project that has been developed by the Universal Church . Of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) , aimed at supporting women who have undergone domestic violence. Conceived by Cristiane Cardoso, Edir Macedos oldest daughter. The Project encompasses a set of professional such as lawyers , psychologixtx, and social assistents, and aims at offering juridical and psychological assistence for women who look for support at the so called Women Police Stations, which are specialized in domestic violence. I intend to analyze from a set of materials produced by the Project that compreheds theme meetings and also reports which were published as biografical books the civil production of a notion of conversin that is based on the juridical acknowledgement of suffering. In this process, the category divorce is drawn as the first step to the learning process of a healthy heterossexual relationship, and its the necessary step for the conversion.The concept of healthy affectivity and the constant development of a pedagogy of the self become substantial languages of the production of a female subject that should step away from the juridical condition of sufferer to take up the public role of a civilian evangelical . . Therefore this research intends to map and describe practices which are related to the production of gender perfomrnace which is mimetized in the act of speaking, seeing oneself and experience female bodies from programs that stimulate heterossexual relationships , thinking about the role that those policies have, whether by the language of gender gendering or through Technologies of power that forge the subjection and subjectivation of subjects.
235

Eczema in young children : aspects of clinical investigation and treatment

Norrman, Gunilla January 2007 (has links)
Bakgrund: Eksem förekommer hos 10-20% av barn i hela världen. En tredjedel av barnen med eksem har födoämnesallergi. Hos de flesta växer födoämnesallergin bort innan skolåldern. Förbättrat kliniskt omhändertagande och bättre förståelse av hur klinisk tolerans uppkommer är viktiga mål för forskning inom barnmedicin. Studieupplägg: Denna doktorsavhandling baseras på studier av två grupper av barn. Den första är en stor grupp med misstänkt allergi som undersökts med pricktest vid ett tillfälle. Den andra gruppen består av små barn med eksem och misstänkt födoämnesallergi. Barnen påbörjade studien innan två års ålder och har sedan följts över tid till fyra och ett halvt års ålder. Säkerhet vid pricktest: 5908 barn med en medelålder på 6 år och 5 månader, undersöktes med pricktest (SPT). Sju barn (0,12 %) reagerade med generaliserad allergisk reaktion (GAR), och behövde antiallergisk medicinering. Sju barn reagerade vasovagalt (VVR) med svimning eller ”nära-svimning”. Riskfaktorer för GAR var ålder <1 år (RR 6,28) och aktivt eksem (RR 16,98). Risken för VVR var högst hos tonårsflickor och barn/ungdomar undersökta med många allergen (många prickar) samtidigt, oavsett om de var positiva eller inte. Effekt av lokalbehandling och födoämneselimination hos spädbarn med eksem: 123 barn, 52 flickor och 71 pojkar deltog i studien. Åldern varierade mellan 1-24 månader, med en medelålder på 8,4 månader vid studiens början. Kraven för att få delta var eksem och/eller misstänkt födoämnesallergi. Diagnos av eksem gjordes med stöd av Hanifin och Rajkas kriterier. Eksemgrad bedömdes med instrumentet SCORAD. Barnen bedömdes vid två tillfällen med ca sex veckors mellanrum. 62 % av barnen hade positiv pricktest för födoämnen. SCORAD-värdena i gruppen med positiv pricktest var högre än i gruppen med negativ pricktest, barnen som var födoämnessensibiliserade hade alltså svårare eksem. Efter sex veckors behandling; födoämneselimination+ lokalbehandling hos SPTpositiva barn; endast lokalbehandling hos SPT-negativa barn; var det ingen skillnad i eksemens svårighetsgrad mellan de två grupperna. Både födoämnessensibiliserade och icke födoämnessensibiliserade förbättrades signifikant av behandling. En grupp med negativ pricktest, men med påvisade antikroppar mot födoämnen i blodet (analyserade först i efterhand), som behandlades enbart med lokalbehandling förbättrade sina eksem lika mycket som de barn som också ställts på eliminationskost. Antikroppar i blod och saliv i relation till toleransutveckling: Serumnivåer av total- samt ägg- och mjölkspecifika antikroppar av IgE, IgG1 och IgG4 analyserades. I saliv analyserades totalnivåer av sekretoriskt IgA samt specifikt IgA mot mjölk och ägg. Prover togs vid studiens början, efter sex veckor samt vid 4,5 års ålder. Barn som var sensibiliserade mot mjölk och/eller ägg, men som tålde dessa födoämnen vid 4,5 års ålder hade högre IgG4 nivåer och högre IgG4/IgE-kvot vid studiens början, än de barn som ej uppnått tolerans. De högsta IgG4/IgE-kvoterna sågs hos barnen med negativt pricktest men positivt specifikt IgE i blod. Under den första korta observationsperioden på sex veckor sågs ingen påverkan på barnens antikroppsnivåer. Recept/metodutvecklande och resultat av öppna och dubbel-blinda placebokontrollerade födoämnesprovokationer: Efter recept och metodutveckling för födoämnesprovokationer med mjölk och ägg, utfördes 52 provokationer på 39 barn. Fyra barn, alla provocerade blint, reagerade på provokationen. Generella slutsatser: Risken för generaliserade allergiska reaktioner vid pricktest är liten hos barn och tonåringar, men den finns. Riskfaktorer är låg ålder och aktivt eksem. Vasovagala reaktioner är lika vanliga som generaliserade allergiska reaktioner. Lokalbehandling/smörjning ger signifikant förbättring av eksem. Elimination av födoämnen kanske inte är nödvändigt hos eksembarn med sensibilisering för mjölk och ägg under förutsättning att hudvården sköts noga. Höga IgG4/IgE-kvoter av specifika antikroppar mot födoämnen kan vara associerat med snabbare toleransutveckling, och kan stödja idén med fortsatt allergenexponering hos födoämnessensibiliserade barn. Recept på beredningar som väl maskerar komjölk och ägg, vid öppna och blindade födoämnesprovokationer, är en god hjälp vid provokationer av små barn som ofta är misstänksamma mot nya smaker och konsistenser av mat. / Background: Eczema affects at least 20 % of children worldwide, and 1/3 of them also have food allergy. In most children, the food allergy is temporary. Improved clinical management and better understanding of etiological mechanisms underlying the tolerance development are target issues in paediatric research. Study design: The thesis is based on two study groups. The first is a large group of children with suspected allergy investigated with skin prick test in a cross-sectional study. The second group is a cohort of infants with eczema and/or suspected food allergy before 2 years of age, investigated prospectively with follow-up to 4.5 years of age. Safety of skin prick test (SPT): 5908 children with a mean age of 6.4 years (range: 1 month – 18 years) were investigated with SPT. Seven children, i.e. 0.12%, displayed a generalized allergic reaction (GAR), necessitating pharmacological treatment. Seven children showed a vasovagal reaction (VVR). Risk factors for GAR were age < 1 year (RR 6.28) and eczema (RR 16.98). The risk for VVR was highest among female adolescents, and children investigated with multiple skin pricks. The effect of skin care and food elimination on eczema in infants: 123 children, 52 girls and 71 boys, with a mean age of 8.4 months (range: 1-24 months) were recruited due to eczema and/or suspected food allergy. For diagnosis of eczema, the Hanifin and Rajka criteria were used, and for scoring of eczema severity SCORAD. The infants were investigated twice with an interval of 6 weeks. 62% showed positive SPTs. The SCORAD was higher among the sensitized children before treatment compared to not sensitized children. After treatment, i.e. skin care for all and elimination diet for sensitized children, there was no difference regarding eczema severity. Both SPT-positive and SPT-negative children decreased their SCORAD values significantly after treatment. A SPT-negative subgroup, with circulating specific IgE to milk/egg, was only treated with skin care, but these children improved their eczema to the same extent as those also treated with an elimination diet. Serum and salivary antibodies and achievement of tolerance Analyses were performed regarding: serum levels of total and egg- and milk-specific IgE antibodies, IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies to β-lactoglobulin (BLG) and ovalbumin (OVA); and salivary levels of total IgA, total SIgA and salivary IgA antibodies to OVA and BLG. Samples were drawn at inclusion, after 6 weeks of intervention (skin care, elimination diet), and at 4.5 years of age. Children sensitized to egg and/or milk who had developed tolerance at 4 ½ years of age had higher levels of IgG4 antibodies to OVA and BLG and also higher IgG4/IgE ratios on inclusion in the study, than those who remained non-tolerant. The highest IgG4/IgE ratios were found in children with circulating IgE antibodies to egg and/or milk but negative SPT on inclusion. The six-week treatment period did not significantly affect the levels of serum and salivary antibodies. Recipes and outcomes of open and double-blinded food challenges in children: After development of recipes for open and blinded challenge with cow’s milk and egg, 52 challenges were performed in 39 children. 4 children, challenged blindly, had a positive outcome of the challenge. General conclusions: The risk for generalized allergic reactions at SPT is low among children and teenagers, but allergic reactions do occur, and low age and eczema are risk factors. Vasovagal reactions occur as often as allergic reactions. Skin care gives significant improvement of eczema severity. Elimination diet may not be needed in infants with sensitization to milk and/or egg, provided that the skin care is adequate. High ratios of serum IgG4/IgE antibodies to food allergens may be associated with faster achievement of clinical tolerance, and may support the concept of benefit from continuing allergen exposure in sensitized children. Recipes for masking of cow’s milk and egg in open or blinded food challenges may help to accomplish challenges in young children, often suspicious to unfamiliar tastes or textures.
236

Gut Mucosal Reactivity to Gluten and Cow´s Milk Protein in Rheumatic Diseases

Lidén, Maria January 2009 (has links)
This thesis comprised patients with chronic rheumatic diseases. The studies aimed to elucidate food sensitivity by measuring mucosal inflammatory reactivity and thereby a possible link between the gut and joints. In all the studies, the mucosal path technique was used to evaluate the rectal mucosal response to rectal challenge with gluten and/or cow’s milk protein (CM). In some patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) and the genetic susceptibility genes HLA DQ2, mucosal reactivity measured with nitric oxide (NO) was found after rectal gluten challenge without detectable serum antibodies to gluten or transglutaminase. This gluten sensitivity was not linked to coeliac disease. After rectal CM challenge, a rectal mucosal inflammatory response measured with NO and myeloperoxidase (MPO) was detected in 38% of pSS patients, all of whom fulfilled the criteria for irritable bowel syndrome. In a questionnaire study of self-experienced adverse reactions to food, 27% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reported intolerance to various foods and CM in particular. After rectal CM challenge performed in RA patients (n=27), strong mucosal reactivity to CM was observed in a few patients and a moderate increase in 23%. After gluten challenge, a moderate increase in mucosal reactivity was found in 35% of patients. No correlation to self-perceived intolerance and mucosal reactivity measured with NO and MPO was seen. Inflammation of the gut is a prominent feature of spondyloarthropathies (SpA). After rectal challenges with CM protein and gluten, an increase in rectal NO production was seen in 26% and 19% respectively (p<0.001). An increase in the mucosal release of MPO as a sign of neutrophil activation was seen in the CM- and gluten-sensitive patients. NO production in SpA patients was more enhanced compared with RA and pSS patients and could contribute to the increased barrier permeability described in SpA patients.
237

Biophilic Design at Pomona College: An Analysis of the New Sontag and Pomona Residence Halls

Hasse, John W 01 May 2012 (has links)
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction (or LEED-NC) has become one of the most commonly used green building standards during the turn of the 21st century. While many champion LEED-NC, certain architects and academics believe that its low-environmental impact design approach toward green building isolates people from nature and thus cannot achieve sustainable development over the long-term. Pomona College’s green buildings, including its newest LEED Platinum certified Sontag and Pomona Residence Halls, exemplify this fact, as their designs fail to communicate their sustainable goals or inspire sustainable behavior. By examining the LEED-NC standards, the history of environmental conservation, Modern architecture, biophilia, and the Living Building Challenge, this thesis seeks to provide recommendations for how Pomona College can alter its existing green buildings as well as improve its green building policies for future projects so that its built environment better fosters positive human-nature interactions.
238

Implement BPR and CPI to optimize the process of getting medicine in pharmacy : a comparison between Sweden and China

Dai, Jingya January 2007 (has links)
<p>This report generally focuses on the process of getting medicine from the pharmacy in the hospital. The processes are different in Sweden and in China due to the different concrete conditions. Compared with the Swedish process the Chinese flow lags fairly far behind. To optimize the Chinese process by taking advantage of the Swedish process is the intention of this report; it also gives the advice on how to improve the performance for the Swedish process. By comparing the multiple theories for process improvement, I used Business Process Reengineering (BPR) theory to reengineer the Chinese process and used Continues Process Improvement (CPI) theory to ameliorate the Swedish process. The differences between BPR and CPI are also revealed in this report.</p>
239

Ethical challenges for medical professionals in middle manager positions

Schnoor, Jörg, Heyde, Christoph-Eckhard, Ghanem, Mohamed 10 August 2015 (has links) (PDF)
Background: Demographic changes increase the financing needs of all social services. This change also generates new and complex demands on the medical staff. Accordingly, medical professionals in middle management positions hold a characteristic sandwich position between top management and the operational core. This sandwich position often constitutes new challenges. In the industrial field, the growing importance of the middle management for the company’s success has already been recognized. Accordingly, the growing demand on economy urges an analysis for the medical field. Discussion: While there are nearly no differences in the nature of the tasks of medical middle manager in the areas of strategy, role function, performance pressure and qualifications compared to those tasks of the industrial sector, there are basic differences as well. Especially the character of “independence” of the medical profession and its ethical values justifies these differences. Consequently, qualification of medical professionals may not be solely based on medical academic career. It is also based on the personal ability or potential to lead and to manage. Summary: Above all, the character of “independence” of the medical profession and its ethical values justifies medical action that is based on the patient’s well-being and not exclusively on economic outcomes. In the future, medical middle managers are supposed to achieve an optimized balance between a patient-centered medicine and economic measures. It will be a basic requirement that middle managers accept their position and the resultant tasks putting themselves in a more active position. Because of that, middle managers can become “value-added bridge-builders”.
240

Psychological consequences of superstitions in sport

Ofori, Kwaku Patrick January 2013 (has links)
Superstitious thoughts or behaviours have been demonstrated to occur frequently and persistently among students and athletes. One major limitation in the superstition in sports literature is that researchers attempt to measure only negative superstitious beliefs; however, to date, little is known about types of superstitions, how superstitions are developed and maintained, their psychological functions and malfunctions, or their behavioural consequences. Study 1 demonstrates the widespread prevalence of superstitions within the present population of undergraduate student athletes in British and Ghanaian universities, and explores several specific superstitions that appear to be particularly common. There were significant main effects of gender and nationality on both positive and negative superstitious beliefs. British student athletes tended to endorse both types of superstition to a greater extent than Ghanaian student athletes, whereas Ghanaian student athletes engaged in superstitious behaviour more than British student athletes. In Study 2, the results suggested that people may enact their positive superstitious beliefs and religion as coping mechanisms and as secondary control strategies to offer them the comfort of feeling in control under conditions of impending failure. Results from the two qualitative studies (Studies 3 and 4) demonstrated some support for elite footballers’ engaging in rituals which serve a functional outcome. These findings suggest that superstitious and religious behaviour can protect against debilitating interpretations of anxiety by increasing self-confidence or allowing athletes to perceive symptoms as controllable and facilitative. Interestingly, athletes who have acquired their superstition by means of conformity note that they experienced cognitive dissonance. Dissonance emerges when two beliefs are inconsistent. Apparent contraction between an athlete’s personal superstitious behaviour and their teams’ superstitious behaviour may give rise to self-doubt, which can erode the athlete’s confidence and create other negative psychological consequences to team process. Study 5 provided empirical evidence for the notion that activation of personal superstition improved performance more than conforming to other superstitions, and that performance was better than that of athletes in the control group. In this regard, the reported findings uniquely contribute to our understanding of superstitions and their effects on psychological as well as behavioural consequences. The present findings are in line with previous research on the psychological functional benefits of superstition. At the same time, these findings suggest fresh interrogations for future research on the subject of superstitions. Possible applications to the student athletes and professional athletes are discussed.

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