Biceps femoris long head sarcomere and fascicle length adaptations after 3 weeks of eccentric exercise training

Background:Eccentric exercise increases muscle fascicle lengths;however,the mechanisms behind this adaptation are still unknown.This study aimed to determine whether biceps femoris long head(BFlh)fascicle length increases in response to 3 weeks of eccentric exercise training are the result of an in-series addition of sarcomeres within the muscle fibers.Methods:Ten recreationally active participants(age=27±3 years;mass=70±14 kg;height=174±9 cm;mean±SD)completed 3 weeks of Nordic hamstring exercise(NHE)training on a custom exercise device that was instrumented with load cells.We collected in vivo sarcomere and muscle fascicle images of the BFlh in 2 regions(central and distal)by using microendoscopy and 3 dimension ultrasonography.We then estimated sarcomere length,sarcomere number,and fascicle length before and after the training intervention.Results:Eccentric knee flexion strength increased after the training(15%;p<0.001;η_p²=0.75).Further,we found a significant increase in fascicle length(21%;p<0.001;η_p²=0.81)and sarcomere length(17%;p<0.001;ηp2=0.90)in the distal but not in the central portion of the muscle.The estimated number of sarcomeres in series did not change in either region.Conclusion:Fascicle length adaptations appear to be heterogeneous in the BFlh in response to 3 weeks of NHE training.An increase in sarcomere length,rather than the addition of sarcomeres in series,appears to underlie increases in fascicle length in the distal region of the BFlh.The mechanism driving regional increases in fascicle and sarcomere length remains unknown,but we speculate that it may be driven by regional changes in the pas sive tension of muscle or connective tis sue adaptations.     

The concurrent validity of the matrix analogies test-short form with the stanford-binet: Fourth edition and KTEA-BF (academic achievement)

This study examined the relationship between the Matrix Analogies Test-Short Form (MAT-SF) and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition and academic achievement as measured by the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement-Brief Form (KTEA-BF). The subjects were 71 referred students who were attending a large urban school district. The results supported the concurrent and criterion-related validity of the MAT-SF. This brief nonverbal intelligence test correlated significantly with the Stanford-Binet Areas and Test Composite (r = .73) and with the Math, Reading, and Spelling scores of the Brief Form of the KTEA (rs = .44, .44, and .38, respectively).     

Experiences of Being Heterosexual Allies to Lesbian,Gay, and Bisexual People: A Qualitative Exploration

In this qualitative study, heterosexual professionals with an interest in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) issues were surveyed about their ally work with LGB people. Data were analyzed to describe participants' experiences. Results are discussed in terms of implications for counseling and student affairs professionals who engage in LGB‐affirmative work.     

Sign tracking in domesticated quail with one trial a day: Generality across CS and US parameters

When the conditioned stimulus (CS) is located some distance from the unconditioned stimulus (US), pairings of the CS and US can yield either conditioned approach to the CS (sign tracking) or conditioned approach to the US (goal tracking). However, goal tracking is the more common outcome, and, because of that, goal tracking has come to serve as a “standard” measure of associative learning in several laboratories. In contrast, in previous studies of sexual conditioning with domesticated quail, only sign tracking was observed. In the present study, quail continued to show sign tracking rather than goal tracking whether or not the US was highly localized (Experiment 1), whether food or a sexual US was used (Experiment 2), whether the CS was mobile or immobile (Experiment 3), and whether the CS was 91 or 233 cm from the US compartment (Experiment 4). The present findings encourage caution in the routine use of goal tracking as a measure of learning. The possible mechanisms of goal tracking are discussed in terms of occasion setting and behavior systems theory.     

Implementing a comprehensive behavioral health model for social,emotional, and behavioral development in an urban district: An applied study

Urban communities are disproportionality impacted by issues such as community violence, leaving children at higher risk of trauma, and increased adverse childhood experiences. This applied study addresses a research-to-practice gap by demonstrating the longitudinal impact of a district-initiated, school-wide multitiered systems of support approach to universal instruction, intervention, and assessment—the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model. Results from more than 1200 students over a 3-year period indicate that this universal, integrated approach is associated with improved outcomes for students with a demonstrated level of risk, with the greatest impact on students with risk of internalizing behaviors. The findings of this applied study highlight the benefits of a systemic approach and enhance the discourse on robust universal screenings that can identify needs and assets of children within urban communities.     

Making a Difference in the Lives of Youth: Mapping Success with the “Six Cs”

Many museums offer specialized programs for young people during out‐of‐school time, yet the consequences of such programs are not well documented. This article explores the potential utility of borrowing a conceptual framework from the youth development literature as a tool for assessment. The authors map findings from three studies of museum youth programs onto the youth development framework as an exercise in understanding the extent to which this model may be useful in developing museum youth programs. Results from this preliminary analysis demonstrate that the framework could serve as a viable tool for program design, and could offer a clear, grounded framework with common language for articulating program impacts often known intuitively and/or anecdotally but not formalized.     

Winning Is(n't) Everything: The Paradox of Excellence and the Challenge of Organizational Epideictic

Encompassing both the controlled messages of values advocacy and less explicit rhetorical actions such as philanthropy, community programs, and volunteerism, organizational epideictic affirms common values. This essay argues that such common values are problematized by the presence of paradox even in seemingly innocuous epideictic subjects. Through a case study of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's “Stay in Bounds” program teaching children to be good sports both on and off the field, the essay demonstrates the challenges of organizational epideictic through the paradox of excellence. It also provides suggestions for the management—but not elimination—of paradox in organizational epideictic, particularly directed at external publics.