UNA Scholarly Repository
Not a member yet
2489 research outputs found
Sort by
Acute Physiological Response by the Plethodontid Salamander eurycea cirrigera (Southern Two-Lined Salamander) to Predation Stress from Alarm Chemicals and Predator Kairomones
Full text link© 2020, Canadian Science Publishing. All rights reserved. Plethodontid salamanders may reduce predation risk via behavioral responses to predator kairomones and alarm chemicals from injured salamanders. However, it not known whether such predator cues prompt acute physiological responses, which may enhance arousal and the physical ability to escape from a predator. I examined whether predator chemical cues elicit an acute cardiac response in Eurycea cirrigera (Green, 1831) (Southern Two-lined Salamander). I compared heart rates before and after exposure to the odor of the large predatory Pseudotriton ruber (Sonnini de Manoncourt and Latreille, 1801) (Red Salamander) and exposure to alarm chemicals from homogenized skin of conspecifics. For two controls, I compared heart rates before and after exposure to the odor of live conspecifics and the odor of the large non-predatory Plethodon mississippi Highton in Highton, Maha and Maxson, 1989 (Mississippi Slimy Salamander). Compared with resting values, heart rates significantly increased in response to predator kairomones (mean rate increased 10.9% after 2 min and 12.7% after 5 min) and alarm chemicals from conspecifics (mean rate increased 12.0% after 2 min and 14.5% after 5 min). In contrast, heart rates after exposure to each control odor did not significantly differ from resting values. Results demonstrate an acute cardiac response to chemical cues indicative of either a predator or a predation event
Short-Term Study Abroad in Psychology: Effects of a Cultural Scavenger Hunt on the Development of Intercultural Competence
No full text© The Author(s) 2020. Steadily increasing ethnic and cultural diversity in the United States has led employers to see intercultural competence as a valuable and necessary trait for those entering the workforce, including students studying psychology. One high-impact practice that may increase students’ multicultural awareness is study abroad. The current research examined the effectiveness of a cultural scavenger hunt offered during two short-term study abroad programs to increase participants’ intercultural competencies. Cultural competence was assessed in Study 1 (N = 10) using the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale–Short Form. Results indicated a statistically significant increase across all subscales. In Study 2 (N = 16), the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory was utilized. Results from Study 2 demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the Emotional Resilience subscale. These findings suggest that a cultural scavenger hunt may assist participants in actively engaging in the local culture and facilitate the initial development of intercultural competencies
No Disrespect: Student and Faculty Perceptions of the Qualities of Ineffective Teachers
No full text© The Author(s) 2020. Research examining excellence in teaching is extensive. Nevertheless, research examining the inverse—what constitutes poor or ineffective teaching—has not been as systematic. The current research addresses this gap in the literature by examining student and faculty perceptions of the qualities and behaviors of ineffective teachers. Students and faculty identified being disrespectful as the number one perceived quality of ineffective teachers. Both groups of respondents also agreed that having weak rapport was indicative of ineffective teachers. Overall, students had a tendency to focus more on the social aspects of the student–teacher relationship, whereas faculty focused more on professional competencies. These findings provide additional support on teaching misbehaviors to avoid both in and outside of the classroom
‘Roads?! Where we’re going, we don’t’ need, roads’: Framing online sim racing during Covid-19 by motorsport forum participants
Full text linkAs many professional motor racing drivers turn to Esports and online sim racing due to the worldwide coronavirus induced shutdown, Doc Emmett Brown’s 1985 description of the 21st century’s obsolescence of roads in the blockbuster movie Back to the Future has suddenly become more of a reality. So far, existing studies discussing esport’s compromised societal and sporting image have shown that the media play a sizeable role in maintaining and reinforcing negative representations of Esports, not least through a ‘lack of physicality’, ‘nerdiness’ and ‘technical mastery’ which subsequently further overt male hegemony and undermines the validity of both Esports and its users. A subsidiary of Esports, online sim racing is similarly affected as professional racing drivers that regularly participate in and advocate sim racing other than for occasional training or promotional purposes have long remained far and few between. Considering the recent influx of such drivers in online sim racing, this explorative contribution adopts a qualitative, inductive framing approach to study how and to what extent this event influences traditional representations of Esports and online sim racing by analyzing a sample of 1473 comments taken from the online forum of Autosport.com. Results indicate forum participants frame online sim racing predominantly in function of a necessity of realism, for either serious professional play or leisurely entertainment. In doing so, longstanding traditional stereotypes of online sim racing participants are negated. On the other hand, results indicate gender marginalization and implicit masculine hegemony continue
Minimalist style boot improves running but not walking economy in trained men
No full text© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This study examined movement economy under load with 1000 g minimalist (MIN) vs. 1600 g traditional (TRD) style boots. Fourteen trained, male participants completed a VO2peak test (46.6 ± 7.3 ml/kg/min) while wearing a 16 kg external load. Treadmill speeds for the running economy (RE) trials were determined by the slowest pace in which participants completed a full stage with a running gait pattern during the VO2peak test. Walking economy (WE) pace was 1.6 km/h slower than RE pace. During the second session, participants completed 5-min exercise bouts at WE and RE pace under load wearing MIN and TRD. There were no differences for any measured variables during WE trials. In contrast, RE (MIN = 2.95 ± 0.28 vs. TRD = 3.04 ± 0.30 L/min; p =.003: Cohen’s d = 0.32), respiratory exchange ratio (p \u27.001), and perceptual measures (p \u27.05) were all improved while wearing MIN. Practitioner summary: In trained men, 1000 g/pair minimalist style boots (MIN) resulted in improvements of approximately 3% and 5% for running economy and respiratory exchange ratio versus 1600 g/pair traditional boots while wearing a 16 kg kit. Perceptual responses, including comfort, also favoured MIN. These effects were not found at walking pace. Abbreviations: MIN: minimalist style boots; TRD: traditional style boots; RE: running economy; WE: walking economy; ES: effect size; RER: respiratory exchange ratio; HR: heart rate
Effects of weighted vest loading during daily living activities on countermovement jump and sprint performance
No full text© 2020 Human Kinetics, Inc. Purpose: Wearing a weighted vest (WV) during daily living and training can enhance jump and sprint performance; however, studies examining the efficacy of this method in female populations is limited. This study examined the effect of wearing a WV during daily living and training on countermovement jump (CMJ), change-of-direction, and sprint performance. Methods: Trained females were separated into intervention (n = 9) and control (n = 10) groups. The intervention group wore WVs of ∼8% body mass 4 days per week for 8 hours per day (32 h/wk total), and 3 training sessions per week for the first 3 weeks. Subsequently, 3 weeks of regular training withoutWV stimulus was completed. The control group received no intervention and continued normal training for 6 weeks. Average and best performance was assessed on the single CMJ, four continuous CMJ, t-test change-of-direction drill, and a 25-m sprint at baseline, week 3, and week 6. Results: No significant interactions or group effects were found. However, significant time main effects revealed increases in average rate of force development during the CMJ from baseline to week 3 (P = .048) and week 6 (P = .013), whereas peak vertical ground reaction force increased during the four continuous CMJ from baseline to week 3 (P = .048) and week 6 (P = .025) for both groups. Conclusions: The lower relative WV load used in this study failed to elicit significant improvements in jump and sprint performance in comparison with routine training, or that which have been found in past investigations with elite male athletes completing high-intensity performance tasks with greater WV loads
A State-Created Danger Case in High School Wrestling
No full text© 2020 SHAPE America. This article looks at a case that was filed against the Pocono Mountain School District, which alleged that the state violated a wrestling team participant’s civil rights, amongst other claims, after an injury during wrestling practice
Enhanced sensitivity in graphene-based SPR biosensors using electrical bias
No full text© 2020 Optical Society of America A theoretical framework to increase the sensitivity of graphene-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors by the application of electrical bias voltage across the sensor surface is presented. Graphene layers deposited on thin gold film (50 nm) form the sensor surface system where the surface plasmon is excited. The real and imaginary parts of the refractive index of this gold–graphene system can be controlled by tuning its chemical potential using electrical modulation. Numerical calculations show a promising method to enhance the sensitivity of graphene-based SPR biosensors
Hiding in Plain Sight: The Globally Distributed Bacterial Candidate Phylum PAUC34f
Full text link© Copyright © 2020 Chen, Becraft, Pachiadaki, Brown, Jarett, Gasol, Ravin, Moser, Nunoura, Herndl, Woyke and Stepanauskas. Bacterial candidate phylum PAUC34f was originally discovered in marine sponges and is widely considered to be composed of sponge symbionts. Here, we report 21 single amplified genomes (SAGs) of PAUC34f from a variety of environments, including the dark ocean, lake sediments, and a terrestrial aquifer. The diverse origins of the SAGs and the results of metagenome fragment recruitment suggest that some PAUC34f lineages represent relatively abundant, free-living cells in environments other than sponge microbiomes, including the deep ocean. Both phylogenetic and biogeographic patterns, as well as genome content analyses suggest that PAUC34f associations with hosts evolved independently multiple times, while free-living lineages of PAUC34f are distinct and relatively abundant in a wide range of environments
Working Across Departments: Successful Scaffolding of an OER Program
Full text linkIn 2018 the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) began to formalize their efforts to increase OER adoption at colleges and universities in the state. Part of ACHE’s efforts included offering a series of workshops to librarians, faculty, and administrators from institutions throughout Alabama. In addition to the workshops, ACHE also offered a grant program to facilitate OER adoption and assessment of student outcomes in courses where this new OER was used. Spurred by the ACHE initiatives, the President and the Provost of the University of North Alabama (UNA) encouraged faculty to apply for one of the grants. They also tasked the Director of Educational Technology (ETS), who oversees the design, development, and quality assurance of online courses, and the Interim University Librarian (IUL) to implement structured OER efforts on campus. The ETS director and the IUL asked the Scholarly Communications Librarian to work with them to create a robust and sustainable OER program for the university. This presentation will detail how these three individuals began to build, advocate, and educate across the UNA campus.https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1038/thumbnail.jp