Discobolul Vol. 2//2025

The aim of our study was to conduct a literature review of studies in which mental training was used in shooting sports. To conduct this review, we used the PRISMA2020 schema, for new systematic reviews that included only database and journal searches. The exclusion criteria for the studies were as follows: mental training was studied in relation to other sports (n=121), mental training was not used for sports activities (n=93), mental training was used for other age groups (n=25), and studies that were not open access (n=17). The final articles that met all the inclusion criteria were 23 studies. The participants involved in the initial studies were performance athletes. The results of the included studies showed that the effects between the professional psychological support, performance shooting sports and effective coaching can promote higher performance in precision sports. Within the limits of the study, we note that there is not a very large number of research conducted in the direction of establishing the effects of psychological training in sports shooting. The practical implications of the study draw attention to the importance of the presence of mental training in the preparation of athletes in precision sports, which require a high level of emotional stability and self-control.

The focus related to Heart Rate (HR) knowledge in children in the aquatic environment already has some decades and continues to be an interest and constant research. This study intends to characterize and evaluate the level of cardiovascular responses regarding motor skills with aquatic exercises through the analysis of heart rate. The participants were 10 infants with a mean age of 17.6 months and all of them with 9 months of previous practice of water activities. Data collection was performed by a portable HR monitor with a band adjusted to the infant's chest. The highest heart rate value recorded was 194 bpm and the lowest one of 92bpm. Ventral, dorsal and vertical positions were analyzed, jumps and finally immersion. All sessions were recorded with a video camera at the same time it was made the heart rate assessments for synchronizing tasks times. For statistical analysis of the values, a comparison between infants’ activities was assessed, using the T-Test to compare means of the different aquatic skills. The higher mean recorded was in jump, with a mean value of 141.3±17.65 bpm, compared with the lowest mean the ventral position task with a mean value of 119.2±22.78 bpm. There were changes on the HR associated with the tasks performed, where each motor ability showed different cardiovascular responses.

In recent years, social media platforms have significantly influenced university marketing strategies, with the aim of promoting educational offerings, increasing student retention, and strengthening the institutional brand. At the same time, the accelerated development of artificial intelligence has generated new opportunities for optimizing communication and administrative processes. Although the education sector is often perceived as conservative in adopting emerging technologies, integrating AI into university marketing strategies demonstrates high potential for improving workflows, personalizing messages, and attracting a larger number of students. The purpose of this research is to analyse the impact of using artificial intelligence in the creation and dissemination of digital content on the engagement indicators, by comparing the impact of different promotion materials published on the university’s social platforms (Facebook and Instagram). The research results highlight the significant contribution of AI in strengthening the visibility and attractiveness of educational offer, by developing a more efficient and dynamic relationship with the target audiences. At the same time, there were significant differences between the social network platforms, in terms of impact of dissemination materials (Facebook) and attracting new public (Instagram). For future research, the degree of international user satisfaction regarding the technological tool based on AI will be very important in relation to the educational offer, especially since the presence of international users underlines the need to adapt the content and communication to a multicultural audience.

The present study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of an intervention program that includes specific means of the BrainKinetik methods, in the case future football players. The study was conducted between March and December 2024 and involved 20 athletes in the U8-U10 age group, from the German Football Academy. They were divided into two groups (experimental and control), each consisting of 10 athletes. Both groups performed their training sessions on the same days and at the same hour, with each session lasting the same amount of time (120 minutes). During the first 30-40 minutes of training, the groups completed different exercises: the control group did traditional athletic warm-up exercises, and the experimental group engaged in activities from the intervention program. For dynamic balance assessment, the Bass test was used, while cognitive flexibility was assessed with the Inhibition of Return Test (IOR), using the CogniFit platform. To compare the results of the experimental group and the control group in terms of dynamic balance and IOR scores, the U test was performed. Also, to examine whether there are significant differences between the initial and final results of each group the Wilcoxon non-parametric test was used. Considering dynamic balance, athletes from both groups recorded significantly better values (p = 0.005) at the end of the study period. The athletes’ cognitive flexibility indicated, through measures of central tendency, that the experimental group showed improvements in both response time and accuracy, while the control group showed no improvement in speed, as reflected by their response time results.

Hand trauma presents a demanding therapeutic challenge due to the complexity of the cases and the importance of the goal pursued: the recovery of hand functionality and the psychosocial reintegration of the patient. A carefully designed, individualized and efficient functional hand recovery protocol can significantly improve the healing process and lead to the restoration of the affected hand's functions. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a structured hand rehabilitation program on improving grip strength, range of motion and quality of life in patients after hand trauma. The study included 26 patients who had experienced complex hand injuries and subsequently underwent surgical interventions. Participants underwent a standardized rehabilitation program consisting of targeted exercises and therapies three times per week for 3 months. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 4 weeks and 3 months using the dynamometer Jamar for grip strength, a goniometer for range of motion, and for quality of life we used the arithmetic mean of the percentages for the VAS score, the GAD-7 score and the Quick Dash score. The data analysis highlights improvements in all measured outcomes. Grip strength and range of motion showed significant increases at 1 and 3 months compared to baseline. Quality of life assessments also demonstrated notable enhancements, correlating with physical improvements. In conclusion, the findings suggest that structured hand rehabilitation significantly improves functional outcomes in patients’ post-hand trauma. These results underscore the importance of implementing comprehensive rehabilitation protocols to restore function and enhance quality of life.