The effect of acute aerobic exercise on central arterial stiffness,wave reflections,and hemodynamics in adults with diabetes: A randomized cross-over design

BackgroundIndividuals with diabetes have greater central arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and hemodynamics, all of which promote the accelerated cardiovascular pathology seen in this population. Acute aerobic exercise has been shown to be an effective strategy for reducing central arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and hemodynamics in healthy individuals; however, the effects of acute aerobic exercise in reducing these outcomes is not well established in people with diabetes. Recently, implementation of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) has shown superior improvements in cardiovascular health outcomes when compared to traditional aerobic exercise. Yet, the effect of HIIE on the aforementioned outcomes in people with diabetes is not known. The purpose of this study was to (i) describe the central arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and hemodynamic responses to a bout of HIIE and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) in adults with diabetes; and (ii) compare the effects of HIIE and MICE on the aforementioned outcomes.MethodsA total of 24 adult men and women (aged 29–59 years old) with type 1 (n = 12) and type 2 (n = 12) diabetes participated in a randomized cross-over study. All participants completed the following protocols: (i) HIIE: cycling for 4 × 4 min at 85%–95% of heart rate peak (HR_peak), interspersed with 3 min of active recovery at 60%–70%HR_peak; (ii) MICE: 33 min of continuous cycling at 60%–70%HR_peak; and (iii) control (CON): lying quietly in a supine position for 30 min.ResultsA significant group × time effect was found for changes in central systolic blood pressure (F = 3.20, p = 0.01) with a transient reduction for the HIIE group but not for the MICE or CON groups. There was a significant group × time effect for changes in augmentation index at a heart rate of 75 beats/min (F = 2.32, p = 0.04) with a decrease following for HIIE and MICE but not for CON. For all other measures of central arterial stiffness and hemodynamics, no significant changes were observed (p > 0.05).ConclusionA bout of HIIE appears to lead to a greater transient reduction in central systolic blood pressure than the reduction observed following MICE; however, both HIIE and MICE improved augmentation index at a heart rate of 75 beats/min in people with diabetes. There was no significant difference in response to HIIE and MICE in all outcomes. This provides preliminary evidence on the role of HIIE on such outcomes in people with diabetes.     

备战2004 年奥运资格赛过程中的文化挑战: 瑞典运动员—俄罗斯教练的个案

所有参与此个案研究的专家们都在瑞典一起工作.此个案是关于协调一名瑞典优秀男子体操运动员和他的俄罗斯教练之间关系的研究.两名俄罗斯同事也一同参与其中,协助专家们的工作.这次合作始于2001年秋末,持续到2003年8月.     

Achievement motivation and self-reported grade point average

This experiment examined the impact of achievement motivation on the accuracy of self-reported grades. Since subjects high in achievement motivation have a greater need for success than subjects low in achievement motivation, we predicted that they would also be more likely to overestimate the degree of their success than low need achievers. This was tested by comparing the grade point overestimations of high and low need achievers. Although there was a general tendency toward oyerestimation, this tendency, as predicted, was significantly greater for individuals high in achievement motivation. The present study considered the implications of this finding as well as the validity of the self-reported grade point average.     

Finding the common ground: Teachers' and employers' representations of English in an assessment context

There has been a long‐standing debate about how ‘English’ can be defined. Educational policy changes have typically been driven by differing representations of the subject, and have ranged from broad ‘aesthetic’ definitions to more narrow ‘functional’ views. The present study aims to analyse areas of consensus and contention in stakeholders' discourse regarding English. A questionnaire‐based survey and focus groups were used to explore how teachers and employers viewed English as a subject. Their views were conceptualised into three themes: the importance of functional English; English as atomistic versus holistic study; and English as critical thought. These themes are discussed in relation to historical definitions of ‘English’, and their implications for the future reform of English qualifications.     

Teaching the Pursuit of Assumptions

Within the school of thought known as Critical Thinking, identifying or finding missing assumptions is viewed as one of the principal thinking skills. Within the new subject in schools and colleges, usually called Critical Thinking, the skill of finding missing assumptions is similarly prominent, as it is in that subject's public examinations. In this article we examine how school‐ and college‐focused texts explain and teach ‘this very important skill’. The same texts also deal with the nature of assumptions, validity and the role of stated reasons in arguments, and the way these matters are tackled will also be examined in our inquiry. In addition we explore what respected contributors to the critical thinking movement have had to say about some of these issues.     

Tweeting Facts,Facebooking Lives: The Influence of Language Use and Modality on Online Source Credibility

The present study examines how language use (e.g., personalized vs. depersonalized language) and modality (e.g., tweets vs. Facebook status updates) influence source credibility interdependently. A total of 257 participants read personalized or depersonalized health messages embedded in mock-up tweets or Facebook status updates. The results show that users perceive depersonalized tweets as more credible than depersonalized status updates posted on Facebook. On the other hand, personalized status updates on Facebook generate higher credibility judgments than personalized tweets. The findings are discussed in light of the MAIN model as well as the preconceived user expectations and communication norms of social media.