Effects of pomegranate extract on blood flow and vessel diameter after high-intensity exercise in young,healthy adults

The effects of pomegranate extract (PE) supplementation were evaluated on high-intensity exercise performance, blood flow, vessel diameter, oxygen saturation (SPO₂), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP). In a randomized, crossover design, nineteen recreationally resistance-trained participants were randomly assigned to PE (1000?mg) or placebo (PL), which were consumed 30?min prior to a repeated sprint ability (RSA) test and repetitions to fatigue (RTF) on bench and leg press. The RSA consisted of ten six-second sprints on a friction-loaded cycle ergometer with 30?s recovery. Brachial artery blood flow and vessel diameter were assessed by ultrasound. Blood flow, vessel diameter, SPO₂, HR, and BP were assessed at baseline, 30?min post ingestion, immediately post exercise (IPost), and 30?min post exercise (30minPost). With PE, blood flow significantly increased IPost RSA (mean difference?=?18.49?mL?min^?1; P?<?.05), and IPost and 30minPost RTF (P?<?.05) according to confidence intervals (CI). Vessel diameter increased significantly 30minPost RSA according to CI and resulted in a significant interaction IPost and 30minPost RTF (P?<?.05). With PE, according to CI, average and peak power output increased significantly in sprint 5 of the RSA (P?<?.05). There was no significant difference between PE and PL for bench (P?=?.25) or leg press (P?=?.15) repetitions. Acute PE supplementation enhanced vessel diameter and blood flow, suggesting possible exercise performance enhancement from increased delivery of substrates and oxygen. The acute timing and capsule form of PE may be advantageous to athletic populations due to ergogenic effects, taste, and convenience.     

Strengthening the special educational needs element of initial teacher training and education

In the academic year 2006–2007, the Training and Development Agency (TDA) set up a development programme to enable Initial Teacher Training and Education (ITTE) placements in specialist special education provision. The goal of the programme was to enhance the knowledge, skills and understanding of inclusive practice for special educational needs and disability among those joining and those who are relatively new to the teaching workforce. This article, by Gill Golder, Nicky Jones and Erica Eaton Quinn, all Senior Lecturers at the College of St Mark and St John in Plymouth, outlines one project related to this TDA programme. The authors explore the outcomes of their work on a three‐year BEd (Honours) Secondary Physical Education course in the south‐west against the TDA's objectives for both trainee teachers and the special schools to which they were attached. Results confirm the importance of preparing trainee teachers for a future career in more inclusive schools.     

Female Academics in a Knowledge Production Society

In the latter half of the twentieth century, the 'Professional Society' was, and continues to be, replaced by a 'Knowledge Society'. One of the characteristics of the 'Professional Society' was its masculine culture and hierarchies. This paper examines the effect that the shift from a 'Professional Society' to a 'Knowledge Society' has had on the careers of female academics. It considers the career paths of vice–chancellors and goes on to examine the effects of geographical mobility on promotions. In addition, the significance of high proportions of professors in highly–rated research departments, and the gender implications of that, is examined. In the concluding section it is argued that, while universities continue to support the hierarchies of the 'Professional Society', it is to the detriment both of women and of knowledge production.     

Personal and clinical exercise-related attitudes and behaviors of freshmen U.S. medical students

To determine personal and clinical exercise-related attitudes and behaviors of freshmen U.S. medical students, we surveyed 1,906 entering freshman medical students (response rate = 87%; average age = 24 years) in 17 U.S. medical schools. Students reported a median of 45 min/day of exercise, 80 min/week each of mild and moderate exercise, and 100 min/week of strenuous exercise. Nearly all students (97.6%) engaged in some moderate or vigorous exercise in a typical week. Sixty-four percent complied with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services exercise recommendations. Most freshmen (79%) believed it would be highly relevant to their future practices to counsel patients about exercise; predictors included intention to provide primary care, excellent health, prevention emphasis by their personal physician, and performing more strenuous exercise.     

Teaching to be American: the quest for integrating the Italian-American child

In the early years of the twentieth century, the great structural, social and cultural changes in American society included a growing number of immigrants arriving from the poorest regions of Europe. For the first time, the issues of immigration, assimilation and social integration became the most important problems facing American society. In the optimistic climate of the so-called progressive era, social reformers thought that these problems could be solved by the science of pedagogy, as applied to the educational needs of foreign immigrants. This essay centres on the pedagogical efforts of Italian-American educator Angelo Patri, who attempted to integrate Italian-American children into the fabric of American society through education. It starts by assessing Patri’s early writings, such as A Schoolmaster of the Great City, and his private and professional papers. In doing so, his work is situated in the debate on progressive education alongside pedagogue Maria Montessori, demonstrating his central role in the debate on integration through education. Within this analysis, particular attention is paid to the notion of learning by doing, and it is argued that both educators were influenced by this particular aspect of progressive education.     

Hunting and gathering: new imperatives in mapping and collecting student learning data to assure quality outcomes

Assurance of learning (AOL) is a quality enhancement and quality assurance process used in higher education. It involves a process of determining programme learning outcomes and standards, and systematically gathering evidence to measure students' performance on these. The systematic assessment of whole-of-programme outcomes provides a basis for curriculum development and management, continuous improvement, and accreditation. To better understand how AOL processes operate, a national study of university practices across one discipline area, business and management, was undertaken. To solicit data on AOL practice, interviews were undertaken with a sample of business school representatives (n?=?25). Two key processes emerged: (1) mapping of graduate attributes and (2) collection of assurance data. External drivers such as professional accreditation and government legislation were the primary reasons for undertaking AOL outcomes but intrinsic motivators in relation to continuous improvement were also evident. The facilitation of academic commitment was achieved through an embedded approach to AOL by the majority of universities in the study. A sustainable and inclusive process of AOL was seen to support wider stakeholder engagement in the development of higher education learning outcomes.     

Establishing ‘fields of care’: teaching settings as active participants in science education

In their article, “Space, relations, and the learning of science,” Wolff-Michael Roth and Pei-Ling Hsu draw our attention to the importance of field in the teaching and learning of science. While the Roth and Hsu study is focused on the scientific research laboratory as an internship setting for the teaching of science, this response to their paper expands the discussion of the settings where science is taught in order to bring to the fore some of the affordances and challenges associated with teaching science in specific fields. By extending our thinking about the settings where science is taught/learned and the active role these settings play in teaching our students, we can re-envision how to better utilize a variety of fields in the teaching of science. The notion of ‘field of care’ is explored as a way of both finding and building connections between students and the settings where science is experienced.     

Horse-Sense and Sensibility

Abstract

Sports historians are created in many ways. My path combined both personal experience and academic passion in tracing the development of equestrianism throughout history.     

Supporting mathematics vocabulary instruction through mathematics curricula

Abstract

This study examines four of the most commonly-used core mathematics curricula in the USA for evidence of support for research-based instructional strategies for mathematics vocabulary in first and second grade. Content analyses of the teachers’ editions of two units for each grade level were analyzed per curriculum (n?=?16). Statistically significant differences among curricula were found for number of target words (range 6–51 per unit), level of difficulty of terms (basic to technical), and number of support strategies per word. Multiple means of representation varied in terms of verbal and non-verbal strategies for target terms. These differences indicate children are experiencing substantially different mathematics vocabulary learning opportunities, which may impact later mathematics achievement. Implications for practice, curriculum development, and future research are addressed.