Effect of resistance training with different frequencies and subsequent detraining on muscle mass and appendicular lean soft tissue,IGF-1, and testosterone in older women

Objective: To analyse the effect of resistance training (RT) frequency on muscle mass, appendicular lean soft tissue, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), testosterone, and their changes with detraining in older women. Methods: Forty-five physically independent older women (≥ 60?years) were randomly assigned to perform RT either two (G2X, n = 21) or three times/week (G3X, n = 24), during 12?weeks (8 exercises, 1 set of 10–15 repetition maximum). Muscle mass and appendicular lean soft tissue, IGF-1, testosterone, and dietary intake were measured at pre-training, post-training, and after detraining (12?weeks). Results: Muscle mass and appendicular lean soft tissue significantly increased post-training (G2X?=?+5.5% and G3X?=?+5.8%, P?P?P?Conclusion: We conclude that lower RT frequency is as effective as higher frequency to improve muscle mass and appendicular lean soft tissue, and to maintain testosterone and IGF-1. Additionally, detraining may reduce testosterone regardless of RT frequency. These results are specifically for community-dwelling older women and may not be generalized to other populations.     

Inconsistency of decision-making,the Achilles heel of referees

This study assessed whether decisions made by six qualified referees were consistent when watching the live 2016 televised Champions League Final. Referees were paired off into three separate rooms. Two referees watched the game with no supporters present. Two watched the game surrounded by Real Madrid supporters, and the remaining two watched the game surrounded by Athletic Madrid supporters. Referees were asked to decide whether each decision made by the on-field referee was either correct or incorrect. Results identified two types of refereeing inconsistency. The first type was a systematic tendency of the supporting crowds (both rooms) to influence the adjudicating referees to make fewer incorrect (disagree with the on-field referee) decisions (8 and 5) than referees in the “no supporters” room (19) (χ² = 11.22 [df = 2], P = 0.004). The second type of inconsistency was the home advantage “bias”, where the surrounding crowd influenced the adjudicating referees to favour their team, by disagreeing with the decision made by the on-field referee (χ² = 6.0 [df = 2], P = 0.0498). One explanation for these inconsistencies is that referees adopt a coping strategy of “avoidance”, i.e., when faced with difficult decisions, referees simply avoid making unpopular decisions by waving “play on”.     

Learning together: a transdisciplinary approach to student–staff partnerships in higher education

ABSTRACT

Partnership in higher education has gained prominence over recent decades, but recent studies have identified a lack of research exploring how partnership practices unfold in specific disciplinary contexts. This article explores how a transdisciplinary approach can be used to better understand and facilitate student–staff partnerships where staff and students have diverse disciplinary backgrounds and knowledge. We present a case study of the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation at the University of Technology Sydney, focusing on the adaptation of our curriculum co-creation processes by drawing on multiple knowledge types through a reflexive process of mutual learning. We conclude that explicit consideration of these principles, which are common to both transdisciplinary and partnership frameworks, have the potential to enhance consideration of diverse perspectives and the roles played by worldviews, norms and values when building student–staff partnerships around curriculum co-creation.     

NaNoWriMo in the AcadLib: A Case Study of National Novel Writing Month Activities in an Academic Library

The J. D. Williams Library at the University of Mississippi launched a pilot program during the 2010 National Novel Writing Month, hosting related events to determine community demand and how such efforts could be quantified. Using participant-submitted word counts and the event's own tools, researchers were able to ascertain that such events had a positive impact on participants’ writing output, at least by the standards of National Novel Writing Month itself, and that there is sufficient community interest to hold future events in an academic library setting.     

Towards a more inclusive approach to intervention research: the case of research in learning disabilities

Intervention research in special education tends to rely on comparisons of mean differences to determine instructional strategies that ‘work’ for students with disabilities. This reliance on mean differences obscures individual variation that is always present in educational research. This paper examines the degree to which individual variation is acknowledged in reports of intervention research published in four leading learning disabilities journals over a five-year period. It was found that, although there was considerable variance present in intervention studies published in these journals, this variability was often unacknowledged. This paper concludes with suggestions for how researchers might acknowledge variance in their research.     

Innovating Towards Sustainable Agriculture: A Greek Case Study

Abstract

Agronomists (scientists and extensionists), despite the emergence of interactive approaches, still have troubles with (the introduction of) innovations, such as sustainable forms of agriculture. This article critically addresses such difficulties based on the evaluation of a project mainly concerning the introduction of Integrated Crop Management in a Greek village. Evaluation brought to light a number of ‘weaknesses’ which led to a rupturing of the project. Among them, despite the ‘triple bottom line’ and ‘interactive innovation’ rhetoric, the top-down and agro-scientific approach that was taken in practice, which resulted in bypassing the multifaceted nature of such projects and in misunderstandings among the parties involved, emerged as crucial. Therefore, prerequisites, in both theoretical and practical terms, of designs for interactive learning/innovation are outlined.     

Male youth and Voluntary Counseling and HIV-Testing: the case of Malawi and Uganda

There is limited research addressing the beliefs of adolescents related to Voluntary Counseling and HIV-Testing (VCT). This paper analyzes qualitative data on such beliefs elicited from male youth in Uganda and Malawi. Although study participants understood the mainstream public health rhetoric on VCT, much of their narratives framed going for HIV testing in terms of danger, as a sign of lack of self-confidence, and as an acknowledgment of vulnerability. This tendency, we contend, is strongly rooted in the inclination of male youth to perform and validate their identities in gestures of self-certitude, imperviousness, invulnerability, and invincibility. Further, the idea of ‘not wanting to die alone’ from AIDS also featured prominently in the narratives, with many respondents declaring that they would deliberately infect others with HIV should they test positive. Key to freeing young people from the shackles of consternation and misconceptions about VCT and HIV is comprehensive HIV education.     

Looking in a science classroom: exploring possibilities of creative cultural divergence in science teaching and learning

Worldwide proliferation of pedagogical innovations creates expanding potential in the field of science education. While some teachers effectively improve students’ scientific learning, others struggle to achieve desirable student outcomes. This study explores a Taiwanese science teacher’s ability to effectively enhance her students’ science learning. The authors visited a Taipei city primary school class taught by an experienced science teacher during a 4-week unit on astronomy, with a total of eight, 90-minute periods. Research methods employed in this study included video capture of each class as well as reflective interviews with the instructor, eliciting the teacher’s reflection upon both her pedagogical choices and the perceived results of these choices. We report that the teacher successfully teaches science by creatively diverging from culturally generated educational expectations. Although the pedagogical techniques and ideas enumerated in the study are relevant specifically to Taiwan, creative cultural divergence might be replicated to improve science teaching worldwide.