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MEASURES OF MUSCLE STRENGTH, RATE OF FORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND FATIGUABILITY ACROSS THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE
No full textBACKGROUND: Hormone fluctuations and inconsistencies across the menstrual cycle paired with a shortage of literature on female physiology in exercise have made understanding on female exercise performance troublesome. Performance-based research has fallen behind and the increase in women participation and current evidence does not warrant general guidance on modulating specific exercise across the menstrual cycle. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of estrogen and progesterone on muscle strength, rate of force development, and fatiguability. METHODS: Nineteen recreationally active and eumenorrheic females (25.3 ± 5.8 yrs, 73.4 ± 12.2 kgs) volunteered to participate in the study. Maximal force, rate of force development, and fatiguability of handgrip and knee extensor strength were measured in both the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. RESULTS: Menstrual cycle phase or circulating hormone levels showed no consistent effects on maximal strength, RFD, or fatigue outcomes. While few hormone-related trends emerged, particularly involving estrogen and its interaction with progesterone, these effects were inconsistent and did not replicate across outcome measures. CONCLUSION: No reliable evidence was discovered that menstrual cycle phase or associated hormone fluctuations significantly affect isometric strength or fatigue in eumenorrheic women, supporting individualized, rather than phase-based, approaches to training and performance evaluation
Identifying and Examining Stressors in the Secondary and Post-Secondary Classroom
No full textStudents in secondary and post-secondary classrooms are openly exposed to stressors that can be considered impactful in their day-to-day lives.These stressors can be categorized as either “positive,” which serve as motivators, or “negative,” which often cause anxiety. In order to understand the stressors that students experience, students in a rural teacher education program at Northern Michigan University were asked to respond anonymously to a survey asking about stressors at the secondary and post-secondary levels. The survey was given to students enrolled in the Winter & Fall semesters of 2023, and the Winter semester of 2024. Students identified stressors from their secondary setting retrospectively and their current stressors during their post-secondary setting.
In conducting a qualitative analysis of the responses from the survey, patterns and themes emerged from the data of reported stressors. These stressors came from a variety of different areas, but they could be grouped into one of nine categories: Academic Performance, Social Standing, Abuse, Family Related, Extra Curricular, Identity, Responsibility, Wellbeing, and Other. This paper serves as an in-depth look at self-reported stress in the secondary and post-secondary classroom
AI Fetishism and Perverse Climate Disavowal: Why Denying Destructiveness Facilitates Our Ecological Collapse
No full textAs ecological crises intensify, scholars and activists increasingly question the sustainability of economic growth. Yet, the dominant growth-oriented paradigm remains foundational to advanced capitalist societies and cannot be altered without significant social disruption. The resulting tension between ecological limits and the imperative for continuous growth generates “climate anxiety.” This article advances the concept of perverse climate disavowal: a mode of climate denial that acknowledges climate threats while maintaining faith in the illusion of infinite economic expansion. This disavowal functions as a psychological defense mechanism, enabling individuals and institutions to avoid confronting structural contradictions. The article examines the increasing use of artificial intelligence to address climate change as a key expression of this phenomenon. A directed qualitative content analysis was conducted on USA news articles (2020–2024) concerning AI and climate change. A complete description of the methodology, including rank order frequency of concept codes and representative quotes, is included
Balancing Security and Customer Satisfaction: Strategies to Combat Retail Theft
Full text linkRetailers face unprecedented inventory losses, which significantly impact their profitability. This capstone paper examines theft as a primary driver of retail shrinkage, highlighting the evolution of theft tactics and the substantial financial losses resulting from these activities. Comprehensive security strategies are necessary, incorporating technology, employee training, and collaboration with law enforcement. Effective shrinkage prevention is crucial for maintaining a customer-friendly environment and achieving sales goals. Balancing security with customer satisfaction, considering the impact of anti-theft technology, and implementing a robust data collection program are essential for enhancing sales and profitability. This paper contributes to the ongoing effort to balance customer satisfaction and sales goals in preventing inventory shrinkage
Bartonella in Small Mammals from Montana and Idaho
Full text linkBartonella bacteria are widespread zoonotic pathogens that infect a diverse range of small mammals, yet their prevalence and distribution remain understudied in many host species. In this study, Bartonella infection was assessed across multiple small mammal species, revealing an overall prevalence of approximately 37% based on droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) screening. Following ddPCR screening, individuals that yielded positive results were selected for further analysis including genetic sequencing of the RNA polymerase b-subunit (rpoB) gene. While 116 individuals of 313 tested positive, only 63 samples were successfully sequenced, likely due to low infection loads. BLAST analysis suggested the presence of several Bartonella species among the infected samples, with B. grahamii and B. washoensis being the most frequently detected. Phylogenetic analyses using both Bayesian inference (MrBayes) and maximum likelihood (IQ-TREE) approaches demonstrated strong host-associated clustering of known Bartonella species. These findings provide important insights into Bartonella prevalence, distribution, diversity, and host specificity
Scrounge
No full textScrounge is a poetic excavation of rural abjection and the enduring consequences of the death of the American Dream in the post-industrial Midwest. Drawing from Julia Kristeva’s concept of abjection, the collection explores life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where generations have witnessed the slow, ongoing decomposition of a dream that never fully disappears—a corpse that haunts rather than vanishes. The material remnants of this corpse are visible in the region’s shuttered factories, opioid-ravaged bodies, and foreclosed homes, while its immaterial form lingers in the unrelenting cultural myth that hard work guarantees prosperity. Ultimately, Scrounge is both an autopsy and an elegy—an autopsy on the corpse of the American Dream and an elegy for the remarkable lives that persist in its absence. While these poems cannot change the material conditions that created them, they serve as a testament to the resilience of Midwesterners and an invitation for those who live in this liminal space to authorize themselves to create meaning beyond the broken promises of a forgotten system
VELOCITY-BASED TRAINING INTERVENTION: EFFECTS ON LOWER LIMB PERFORMANCE IN FEMALE FLOORBALL ATHLETES
No full textThis study investigated the effects of a six-week velocity-based training (VBT) program in female floorball players. The intervention, focused on back squats and trap bar deadlifts. Key performance metrics included movement velocity of RT exercises, sprint speed, jump performance, stop-and-go (SAG) performance, and load-velocity profiles (LVP). Seventeen participants completed 12 training sessions divided into strength (Sessions 1–6) and power (Sessions 7–12) blocks. Significant improvements were observed in VBT metrics, with squat estimated 1RM increasing by 15.3% (from 1.60 to 1.85) and deadlift estimated 1RM by 5.9% (from 1.76 to 1.87), while mean concentric velocity rose by 7.5% in the squat (0.88 to 0.95 m/s) and by 7.3% in the deadlift (0.86 to 0.92 m/s). This study provides valuable insights into tailoring VBT for female athletes in high-demand team sports like floorball
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VERTICAL JUMP HEIGHT AND RESIDUAL FORCE DEPRESSION IN KNEE EXTENSORS
No full textThis study investigated the relationship between vertical jump performance and history-dependent muscle force depression. Maximum isometric knee extension torque was measured following a stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) or shortening-only (SHO) contraction and compared to a reference isometric contraction (ISO) at 20°. Residual force depression (rFD) was observed as 14.5% after SSC and 4.9% after SHO. Squat jump (SJ) height was positively correlated with peak concentric torque in the SHO–ISO condition, whereas countermovement jump (CMJ) height showed no significant relationship. Both jump heights showed strong positive correlations with rFD, suggesting that individuals with greater rFD tended to achieve higher jump performance. These findings suggest that rFD may serve as a potential indicator of neuromuscular function in tasks related to SSC
AN EXPLORATION OF SHOULDER-HIP SEPARATION DYANMICS IN GOLF THROUGH STATISTICAL PARAMETRIC MAPPING
No full textThe purpose of this study was to explore the use of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) to analyse shoulder-hip separation (SHS) during a golf swing. Fifteen skilled amateur golfers performed a maximal effort golf swing using their driver. A 20-camera motion capture system recorded the shoulder and hip motions. Shoulder angles were compared to hip angles during the full and forward portion of the golf swing using statistical parametric mapping. Results of the SPM showed that there was significant difference in SHS during the middle and end of the full swing (a total of 55% of the time). During the forward swing, over 90% of the duration of the movement, there was significant SHS. These results suggest that SPM can be a useful tool to analyse factors of SHS during the entire swing, rather than using discrete points in time such as maximum SHS