Effects of fixed vs. self-suggested rest between sets in upper and lower body exercises performance

In its last position stand about strength training, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends a rest interval (RI) between sets ranging between 1 and 3?min, varying in accordance with the objective. However, there is no consensus regarding the optimal recovery between sets, and most studies have investigated fixed intervals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the effects of fixed versus self-suggested RI between sets in lower and upper body exercises performance. Twenty-seven healthy subjects (26?±?1.5; 75?±?15?kg; 175?±?12?cm) were randomly assigned into two groups: G1: lower body exercises and G2: upper body exercises. Squat and leg press 1 repetition maximum (1RM) were tested for the G1 and bench press and biceps curl 1RM for G2. After the 1RM tests, both groups performed three sets to concentric failure with 75% of 1RM in combination with different RIs (2?min or self-suggested) on separate days and the exercises performance was evaluated by the number of repetitions. The results demonstrated no significant differences in the number of repetitions between 2?min and self-suggested RIs that presented similar reductions with the sets progression. It was also shown that the self-suggested RI spent less time recovering than the 2?min RI group on average. This suggests that for individuals with previous experience, the self-suggested RI can be an effective option when using workloads commonly prescribed aiming hypertrophy. Also, the self-suggested RI can reduce the total training session duration, which can be a more time-effective strategy.     

Thriving at the Intersection: Integrating Social Determinants of Health and Sexual Health Education to Achieve Positive Outcomes for Youth

Abstract

Social determinants of health are the key to understanding and addressing persistent disparities in adolescent pregnancy in the United States. However, there is little guidance on what concrete steps organizations can take to work at the intersection of social determinants of health (SDoH) and sexual and reproductive health (SH). Two community-based organizations completed a case study using a structured interview guide to illustrate their transition working at this intersection. The Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy and Identity, Inc. arrived at the intersection of SDoH and SH from opposite ends of the road. Despite clear differences in their trajectory, their experiences share four key elements that marked their success in expanding their core work: (a) both organizations enjoyed ample community and political support, (b) they used data to drive strategic decisions, (c) they used funding opportunities to move toward the intersection of sexual health and social determinants, and (d) they leveraged existing programs to sustain their efforts. Organizations working at the intersection must continuously leverage community, political, and financial capital to pursue partners, expand services, and change policies that sustain a holistic approach to youth health and well-being.     

Performance of goldfish trained in allocentric and egocentric maze procedures suggests the presence of a cognitive mapping system in fishes

Goldfish were trained to obtain food in a four-arm maze placed in a room with relevant spatial cues. Four experimental conditions were run: allocentric, egocentric, egocentric + allocentric, and control. Relative to controls, all groups were able to solve the different tasks with high accuracy after 1 week of training. Subsequent transfer tests revealed place and response strategies for allocentric and egocentric groups, respectively, and both types of strategies for the ego-allocentric group. Moreover, the allocentric group showed the capacity to choose the appropriate trajectory toward the goal, even from novel starting points, presumably by using the distal cues as a whole. The results suggest that, in addition to using egocentric strategies, goldfish are able to solve spatial tasks on the basis of allocentric frames of reference and to build complex spatial cognitive representations of their environment.     

Cultural discontinuity between home and school and American Indian and Alaska Native children's achievement

An assumption of culture-based education with respect to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children is that discontinuity between home and school cultures is responsible for educational underachievement. Using data from the 2009 round of the National Indian Education Study, a subset of the larger National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), the author constructed a measure of cultural discontinuity and examined its relationship to AI/AN students' Grade 4 and 8 reading and mathematics achievement. Contrary to the cultural discontinuity hypothesis, there is no statistically significant negative relationship when the culture of the home is discontinued at school. On the Grade 4 NAEP reading assessment, in particular, cultural discontinuity was positively associated with students' achievement, net of both student- and school-level controls. Findings suggest that the assumptions of culture-based education may be overstated, though longitudinal data are still needed to be able to make causal claims.     

Process Versus Content: Integrating Personal Awareness and Counseling Skills to Meet the Multicultural Challenge of the Twenty‐First Century

The authors describe a study in which there was a strong relationship between personal awareness and multicultural counseling skills during group supervision. The authors suggest that during supervision, supervisors should help counselors‐in‐training to attain wisdom, as defined by F. J. Hanna, F. Bemak, and R. C. Chung (1999). This should be done by promoting personal awareness and may result in improvement in both multicultural and general counseling skills.     

Illiteracy and literacy training in Latin America and the Caribbean

Educationist and linguist. Professional activity in Nicaragua (1980–86) and Ecuador, particularly in the adult education sector. Has been engaged in educational research sine 1980 and has acted as education adviser in a number of countries. Was Director of Education for the Monseñor Léonidas Proaño National Literacy Compaign carried out in Ecuador in 1989. Is currently adviser to the National El Ecuador Estudia Programme. Author of many publications on adult education, including: Nicaragua, revolución popular, educación popular (Mexico City, 1985); Educación popular: un encuentro con Paulo Freire (Quito, 1986); Alfabetización popular: diálogo entre 10 experiencias de Centro-américa y el Caribe (Quito, 1987); Discurso y práctica en educación popular (Quito, 1988; Ijuí, 1988); Entre la acción y la praxis: crónica de un proceso de formación de educadores populares (Quito, 1989); El nombre de Ramona Cuji. Reportajes de la Campaña Nacional de Alfabetización Monseñor Léonidas Proaño' (Quito, 1990).