Critical communication pedagogy and service learning in a mixed-method communication research course

ABSTRACT

Course: Mixed-Method Communication Research Methods

Objective: The purpose of this semester-long activity is to provide students with opportunities to cultivate mixed-method communication research skills through a social justice-informed service-learning format. Completing this course, students will be able to: recognize the unique strengths of quantitative and qualitative research methods; locate, evaluate, and utilize scholarly literature for a literature review; conduct an original research project using quantitative and qualitative research methods to gather and analyze data; and raise self and community awareness about a social issue through collaboration with a community organization.     

Effects of purposeful soccer heading on circulating small extracellular vesicle concentration and cargo

BackgroundConsidering the potential cumulative effects of repetitive head impact (HI) exposure, we need sensitive biomarkers to track short- and long-term effects. Circulating small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) (<200 nm) traffic biological molecules throughout the body and may have diagnostic value as biomarkers for disease. The purpose of this study was to identify the microRNA (miRNA) profile in circulating sEVs derived from human plasma following repetitive HI exposure.MethodsHealthy adult (aged 18–35 years) soccer players were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: the HI group performed 10 standing headers, the leg impact group performed 10 soccer ball trapping maneuvers over 10 min, and the control group did not participate in any soccer drills. Plasma was collected before testing and 24 h afterward, and sEVs were isolated and characterized via nanoparticle tracking analysis. Next-generation sequencing was utilized to identify candidate miRNAs isolated from sEVs, and candidate microRNAs were analyzed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In silico target prediction was performed using TargetScan (Version 7.0; targetscan.org) and miRWalk (http://mirwalk.umm.uni-heidelberg.de/) programs, and target validation was performed using luciferase reporter vectors with a miR-7844-5p mimic in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T/17 cells.ResultsPlasma sEV concentration and size were not affected across time and group following repetitive HI exposure. After 24 h, the HI read count from next-generation sequencing showed a 4-fold or greater increase in miR-92b-5p, miR-423-5p, and miR-24-3p and a 3-fold or greater decrease in miR-7844-5p, miR-144-5p, miR-221-5p, and miR-22-3p. Analysis of quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that leg impact did not alter the candidate miRNA levels. To our knowledge, miR-7844-5p is a previously unknown miRNA. We identified 8 miR-7844-5p mRNA targets: protein phosphatase 1 regulatory inhibitor subunit 1B (PPP1R1B), LIM and senescent cell antigen-like domains 1 (LIMS1), autophagy-related 12 (ATG12), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (MAP1LC3B), integrin subunit alpha-1 (ITGA1), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), and mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 (MAPK8).ConclusionCollectively, these data indicate repetitive HI exposure alters plasma sEV miRNA content, but not sEV size or number. Furthermore, for the first time we demonstrate that previously unknown miR-7844-5p targets mRNAs known to be involved in mitochondrial apoptosis, autophagy regulation, mood disorders, and neurodegenerative disease.     

Join the Club: Food Advertising, 1930s Children's Popular Culture,and Brand Socialization

Relying upon archival research, this article examines children's food advertising during the 1930s. More specifically, I highlight advertiser-created “clubs.” As a complement to 1930s radio and comic strip sponsorships, dozens of national food brands introduced “clubs” for children. Through a series of case studies, I argue that by creating these clubs, national food advertisers embedded themselves in children's popular culture with the outcome of brand socialization—not simply immediate sales. These clubs offered access to exclusive branded communities, encouraging children to be brand-conscious and brand-loyal consumers. Unlike toy advertisers, who did not enter children's popular culture until the television era, food advertisers sold products meant to be consumed daily; as such, brand loyalty was highly sought after.     

Device for on-the-water measurement of rowing output

All those who compete in the sport of rowing have used the land rowing machine, Ergometer (commonly called the ‘erg’), manufactured by Concept II (Morrisville, Vermont, USA). Ergon is the Greek word for work, hence the Ergometer measures work. Rowers are commonly ranked according to their ‘erg score.’ The fault in this ranking is that the land Ergometer cannot account for many of the important technical aspects associated with rowing on the water. The goals of this project were to (1) develop a system for on-the-water measurement of work during rowing and then (2) demonstrate the potential of such a system to quantify performance and improve rowing technique. To achieve these goals, force was measured using strain gauges glued to the shaft of the rowing oar and angular displacement was measured using a potentiometer. The force and displacement measurements were sent to a microcontroller, which calculated the total work done in a particular stroke, as well as other parameters, and displayed the values to the rower. The parameters were used to evaluate the performance of three collegiate rowers on the water. The data were also used to plot force profiles, which were reviewed with each rower and the coach to illustrate the rowers’ habits and facilitate improving technique. One rower was ‘tutored’ with the device through five on-the-water practices, after which his force profiles and parameter values demonstrated significant improvement. The device not only provided a standard to which all rowers were compared on the water, but also supplied the rowers with important information on technical aspects of their strokes and pacing themselves.     

Increasing hip and knee flexion during a drop-jump task reduces tibiofemoral shear and compressive forces: implications for ACL injury prevention training

Although most ACL injury prevention programmes encourage greater hip and knee flexion during landing, it remains unknown how this technique influences tibiofemoral joint forces. We examined whether a landing strategy utilising greater hip and knee flexion decreases tibiofemoral anterior shear and compression. Twelve healthy women (25.9 ± 3.5 years) performed a drop-jump task before and after a training session (10–15 min) that emphasised greater hip and knee flexion. Peak tibiofemoral anterior shear and compressive forces were calculated using an electromyography (EMG)-driven knee model that incorporated joint kinematics, EMG and participant-specific muscle volumes and patella tendon orientation measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Participants demonstrated a decrease in peak anterior tibial shear forces (11.1 ± 3.3 vs. 9.6 ± 2.7 N · kg^?1; P = 0.008) and peak tibiofemoral compressive forces (68.4 ± 7.6 vs. 62.0 ± 5.5 N · kg^?1; P = 0.015) post-training. The decreased peak anterior tibial shear was accompanied by a decrease in the quadriceps anterior shear force, while the decreased peak compressive force was accompanied by decreased ground reaction force and hamstring forces. Our data provide justification for injury prevention programmes that encourage greater hip and knee flexion during landing to reduce tibiofemoral joint loading.     

The Relationship Between Retention and College Counseling for High‐Risk Students

The author used an archival study to explore the relationship between college counseling and retention. The cohort for this study was a college's 2006 class of full‐time, 1st‐year students (N = 429). The results of chi‐square analyses and regression analyses indicated (a) a significant difference in retention between high‐risk and low‐risk students who used counseling services (CS) and (b) that a student's risk for dropout did not vary significantly over time based on risk level or CS use.     

“‘I Was Gonna Go Off,but My Best Friend is White.”: Hispanic Students’ Co-Cultural Reasoning in a Hispanic Serving Institution

The researchers engaged in a qualitative analysis (using journaling and focus group methodology) of the communicative behaviors of Hispanic students with White institutional members at a medium-sized, Southwest HSI. Utilizing Co-Cultural Theory and Elaborative Coding analysis, the authors mapped how Hispanic students narrated their co-cultural communication and reasoning (i.e., why they engage in one strategy rather than another). The findings show that, although Hispanic students used almost all co-cultural strategies, their responses were clustered primarily around assimilationist strategies – indicating that they engage in a high degree of self-monitoring and self-censorship when interacting with White institutional members in an HSI. These results suggest that even when Hispanic students constitute a large or majority part of the institution’s population, they still feel the need to engage in behaviors that navigate White norms. The study concludes by examining the findings for co-cultural theorizing as well as providing insights for instructors who wish to engage in inclusive teaching practices.     

Longitudinal patterns of emerging literacy in beginning deaf and hearing readers

The emerging reading and spelling abilities of 24 deaf and 23 hearing beginning readers were followed over 2 years. The deaf children varied in their language backgrounds and preferred mode of communication. All children were given a range of literacy, cognitive and language-based tasks every 12 months. Deaf and hearing children made similar progress in literacy in the beginning stages of reading development and then their trajectories began to diverge. The longitudinal correlates of beginning reading in the deaf children were earlier vocabulary, letter-sound knowledge, and speechreading. Earlier phonological awareness was not a longitudinal correlate of reading ability once earlier reading levels were controlled. Only letter name knowledge was longitudinally related to spelling ability. Speechreading was also a strong longitudinal correlate of reading and spelling in the hearing children. The findings suggested that deaf and hearing children utilize slightly different reading strategies over the first 2 years of schooling.