The effects of protease supplementation on skeletal muscle function and DOMS following downhill running

Protease supplementation has been shown to attenuate soft tissue injury resulting from intense exercise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of protease supplementation on muscle soreness and contractile performance after downhill running. Ten matched pairs of male participants ran at a -10% grade for 30 min at 80% of their predicted maximal heart rate. The participants consumed two protease tablets (325 mg pancreatic enzymes, 75 mg trypsin, 50 mg papain, 50 mg bromelain, 10 mg amylase, 10 mg lipase, 10 mg lysozyme, 2 mg chymotrypisn) or a placebo four times a day beginning 1 day before exercise and lasting a total of 4 days. The participants were evaluated for perceived muscle soreness of the front and back of the dominant leg, pressure pain threshold by dolorimetry of the anterior medial, anterior lateral, posterior medial and posterior lateral quadrants of the thigh, and knee extension/flexion torque and power. The experimental group demonstrated superior recovery of contractile function and diminished effects of delayed-onset muscle soreness after downhill running when compared with the placebo group. Our results indicate that protease supplementation may attenuate muscle soreness after downhill running. Protease supplementation may also facilitate muscle healing and allow for faster restoration of contractile function after intense exercise.     

Dispositional Characteristics of Individuals Involved in Back Burner Relationships

To determine whether certain characteristics are shared by young adults who choose to communicatively maintain back burner relationships, this study investigated the associations between dispositional characteristics (i.e., sociosexual orientation, sensation seeking, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and the Big Five personality traits) and the number of back burners maintained by single and romantically involved individuals. Findings revealed that all dimensions of unrestricted sociosexual orientation and high sensation seeking were positively associated with number of back burners when predictors were considered independently. When the relative contribution of predictors was examined, only unrestricted sociosexual behavior significantly predicted the number of back burners. Implications for developing a profile of those who communicate to initiate and sustain back burner relationships are discussed.     

“We are Humans First”: Expanding Learning Outcomes in an Undergraduate Research Methods Course Through an Experiential Learning Project on Homelessness

This paper outlines my approach to and lessons learned from an experiential learning project on homelessness in an undergraduate research methods course for criminal justice majors. Students receive training in research ethics as well as interpretivist research epistemology and methods, and then conduct structured interviews with un-housed individuals. Drawing on a thematic analysis of students’ research reflection papers, I discuss three ways in which this approach can enhance and expand learning outcomes beyond what is conventionally achieved in a methods course: (1) developing competency in conducting human subjects research; (2) challenging pre-existing views on social issues; and (3) increasing empathy and enhancing communication skills, which may be particularly important for aspiring law enforcement officers.     

Alternative journal impact factors in open access publishing

Very little research has been conducted to investigate new journal impact factors that have emerged to rank open access (OA) journals as an alternative to the Journal Citation Reports and SCImago Journal & Country Rank. The few existing studies have found these metrics misleading. Our study examined the criteria used by these impact factors to see whether they are fake metrics or represent early efforts for developing new standards to advance journal evaluations. We analysed as many available alternative impact factors as possible and discovered that their methodologies were either unreproducible or based on unreliable or opaque criteria. We hope this study will help shed light on the ecosystem of OA publishing and identify both possibly unprofessional behaviours and potential improvements in bibliometric algorithms.     

What Does it Take to Make Discovery a Success?: A Survey of Discovery Tool Adoption,Instruction, and Evaluation Among Academic Libraries

Discovery tools have been widely adopted by academic libraries, yet little information exists that connects common practices regarding discovery tool implementation, maintenance, assessment, and staffing with conventions for research and instruction. The authors surveyed heads of reference and instruction departments in research and land-grant university libraries. The survey results revealed common practices with discovery tools among academic libraries. This study also draws connections between operational, instructional, and assessment practices and perceptions that participants have of the success of their discovery tool. Participants who indicated successful implementation of their discovery tool hailed from institutions that made significant commitments to the operations, maintenance, and acceptance of their discovery tool. Participants who indicated an unsuccessful implementation, or who were unsure about the success of their implementation, did not make lasting commitments to the technical maintenance, operations, and acceptance of their discovery tool.     

Narratives of dynamic lands: science education,indigenous knowledge and possible futures

We aim to share some of our work currently focused on understanding and unearthing the multiplicities of ways the denial of culture in relation to science and knowledge construction is embedded in issues of climate change and climate change education. The issues become more troubling when we consider how effects of climate change are manifesting locally in ways that force shifts in Indigenous ways of living while simultaneously nation-states seem to think that continued or increased control of Indigenous practice is warranted. For us, taking the implications of such approaches seriously requires significant consideration of how climate education impacts Indigenous learners and whether learning western climate science is indeed part of making real change important. In our work we have focused on the ways in which settler-colonialism and the resultant racialized hierarchies permeate science education and contribute to an expectation of human entitlement to land and a notion of land permanence.     

Bringing the Science of Team Training to School-Based Teams

Teams are ubiquitous in schools in the 21st Century; yet training for effective teaming within these settings has lagged behind. The authors of this article developed 5 modules, grounded in the science of team training and adapted from an evidence-based curriculum used in medical settings called TeamSTEPPS®, to prepare instructional and administrative personnel for teamwork and to enhance their teamwork skills. The resulting 5 modules, available for download on the American Psychological Association website, are collectively called Teach Teamwork and include: Introduction to Teams and Teamwork, Communication, Mutual Support, Situation Monitoring, and Leadership. In this article, the modules and supplemental materials are described, along with recommendations for implementation.     

Minute math: An action research study of student self-assessment

Forty-one students in two third grade classes, including special education students, participated in an action research project conducted jointly by two university supervisors, three teachers, and three student teachers. The “Minute Math” project involved students in predicting and graphing their test scores on a weekly conventional timed test of the 0–9 multiplication facts. Students also reflected each week on their progress and the success of their studying and problem-solving strategies. Student self-assessment was successful at turning the rote memorization task of learning the times tables into a deeper experience for students about monitoring their own mathematics learning. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Use of Simulated Multidisciplinary Treatment Teams and Client Actors to Teach Case Conceptualization and Treatment Planning Skills

The authors describe instructional methods used to teach comprehensive and individualized case conceptualization and treatment planning in a graduate‐level Advanced Counseling Procedures course. Students participate in a theory‐driven, simulated multidisciplinary treatment team and meet with recruited client actors to bring “to life” the process of integrating multiple clinical perspectives into a cohesive service plan for a client. Feedback from students and recommendations for course enhancement are provided.     

CRISIS PREPAREDNESS IN SCHOOLS: EVALUATING STAFF PERSPECTIVES AND PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEST PRACTICE

The current study investigated the content of school crisis plans and perceptions of crisis preparedness among school staff in six public elementary schools. Surveys were administered to 72 teachers, administrators, and other school staff members measuring their perceptions of crisis preparedness and performance of activities related to crisis response (i.e., trainings, familiarity with crisis plans, etc.). Respondents indicated positive perceptions of preparedness for the occurrence of a crisis at each of their schools; however, they reported lower participation in preparedness activities and provided inconsistent answers on response procedures. Regression analyses found that reading the crisis plan was a significant predictor of feelings of preparedness for fire, death, suicide, and extreme weather events. Researchers additionally found that school crisis plans lacked many of the components recommended by best practice. These findings and implications for educators are discussed.