Tall Stories: The Metaphorical Nature of Everyday Talk

This article questions some popular cultural assumptions about the nature of everyday discourse. It claims that such discourse is in fact richly metaphorical and that, through the operation of metaphor, we fictionalise ourselves as we talk. Because literary writing has dominated our culture and curriculum, English teachers have not been encouraged to explore an aspect of language that is at the core of how we think and behave.     

The terrible gift: Museums and the possibility of hope without consolation

Public history is turned toward the future no less than the past. Little discussion exists as to how practices of public history might foster new ways to live with the presence of history. Museum exhibitions are one site where such discussions may take place. Particularly generative in this regard are exhibitions that present artifacts and documentation that reference state-sponsored violence. One such exhibition in development is discussed. While this exhibition presents evidence of past events, it also assembles traces of the past and bequeaths them as a testament, “a terrible gift” that places difficult demands on those to whom it has been given. In discussing the practices of inheritance initiated by such a gift implications are drawn for how museums might initiate a reconsideration of the force of history in social life.     

Google Scholar's Coverage of the Engineering Literature 10 years Later

In 2008 Meier and Conkling first tested Google Scholar's coverage of the engineering literature against citations gathered from the Compendex database. Since that time, other studies have used the same methodology and found improvement in Google Scholar's coverage. This study uses engineering dissertations from Proquest Dissertations & Theses to create a data set of citations for the comparison of fee-based databases, Compendex and Scopus, against Google Scholar. From 1950 to 2017 Google Scholar outperformed both Compendex and Scopus in discoverability of citations in nine engineering subjects. These results have implications for collection management and information literacy program planning for librarians.     

The effect of acute aerobic exercise on central arterial stiffness,wave reflections,and hemodynamics in adults with diabetes: A randomized cross-over design

BackgroundIndividuals with diabetes have greater central arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and hemodynamics, all of which promote the accelerated cardiovascular pathology seen in this population. Acute aerobic exercise has been shown to be an effective strategy for reducing central arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and hemodynamics in healthy individuals; however, the effects of acute aerobic exercise in reducing these outcomes is not well established in people with diabetes. Recently, implementation of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) has shown superior improvements in cardiovascular health outcomes when compared to traditional aerobic exercise. Yet, the effect of HIIE on the aforementioned outcomes in people with diabetes is not known. The purpose of this study was to (i) describe the central arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and hemodynamic responses to a bout of HIIE and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) in adults with diabetes; and (ii) compare the effects of HIIE and MICE on the aforementioned outcomes.MethodsA total of 24 adult men and women (aged 29–59 years old) with type 1 (n = 12) and type 2 (n = 12) diabetes participated in a randomized cross-over study. All participants completed the following protocols: (i) HIIE: cycling for 4 × 4 min at 85%–95% of heart rate peak (HR_peak), interspersed with 3 min of active recovery at 60%–70%HR_peak; (ii) MICE: 33 min of continuous cycling at 60%–70%HR_peak; and (iii) control (CON): lying quietly in a supine position for 30 min.ResultsA significant group × time effect was found for changes in central systolic blood pressure (F = 3.20, p = 0.01) with a transient reduction for the HIIE group but not for the MICE or CON groups. There was a significant group × time effect for changes in augmentation index at a heart rate of 75 beats/min (F = 2.32, p = 0.04) with a decrease following for HIIE and MICE but not for CON. For all other measures of central arterial stiffness and hemodynamics, no significant changes were observed (p > 0.05).ConclusionA bout of HIIE appears to lead to a greater transient reduction in central systolic blood pressure than the reduction observed following MICE; however, both HIIE and MICE improved augmentation index at a heart rate of 75 beats/min in people with diabetes. There was no significant difference in response to HIIE and MICE in all outcomes. This provides preliminary evidence on the role of HIIE on such outcomes in people with diabetes.     

Can textured insoles improve ankle proprioception and performance in dancers?

With the aim of determining both the acute and the chronic effects of textured insoles on the ankle discrimination and performance ability of dancers, 60 ballet dancers from the Australian Ballet School, aged 14–19 years, were divided into three groups (two intervention groups and a control group), age- and level-matched. In the first 5 weeks (weeks 1 to 5), the first intervention group (GRP1) was asked to wear textured insoles in their ballet shoes and the second intervention group (GRP2) was not given textured insoles to wear. In the next 5 weeks (weeks 6 to 10), GRP2 was asked to wear the same type of textured insoles and GRP1 did not wear the textured insoles. The control group (CTRL) did not wear textured insoles during the whole 10 weeks. All participants were tested preintervention, after 5 weeks and after 10 weeks for ankle discrimination score (AUC scores). Dance performance was assessed by 5–7 dance teachers. Pre-to-post change in AUC scores was significantly greater for the groups wearing insoles than for the controls (P = .046) and the size of pre-to-post changes did not differ between the two intervention groups (P = .834). Significant correlation was found between ankle discrimination score and performance scores, using the textured insoles (r = .412; P = .024). In conclusion, the stimulation to the proprioceptive system arising from textured insoles worn for five weeks was sufficient to improve the proprioceptive ability and performance ability of ballet dancers.