Pilot Testing a Qualitative Methodology to Evaluate the Perceived Benefits and Stressors of Sole-Dog Ownership in Full-time College Students

The number of individuals acquiring pets is continually increasing, with 71.5% of Americans owning a pet in 2012. Companion animals are a huge source of benefits but owning them can also come with several stressors. However, little research has been conducted on the negative aspects of dog ownership. This pilot test evaluates the perceived stressors and benefits of sole dog ownership in full-time college students. The pilot aimed to hold three focus groups from which qualitative thematic data were collected and quantitative were collected from a demographic survey of participants. Participants were asked a series of questions about sole dog ownership such as their dog’s behavior, monthly expenses, daily time commitment, etc. Participants referenced four common themes under perceived benefits (developed responsibility, physical health, emotional support, and sense of pride) and three common themes under perceived stressors (traveling, commitment, behavior). This pilot can be adapted and expanded on to conduct qualitative research in the future on the benefits and stressors of dog ownership. In addition, data from this pilot test could be combined with future data to inform potential pet owners of all the areas associated with ownership, to enhance the decision-making process

The metabolic responses to high carbohydrate meals with different glycemic indices consumed during recovery from prolonged strenuous exercise

This study investigated the metabolic responses to high glycemic index (HGI) or low glycemic index (LGI) meals consumed during recovery from prolonged exercise. 8 trained male athletes undertook 2 trials. Following an overnight fast, subjects completed a 90 minute run. Meals were provided 30 minutes and 2 hours following cessation of exercise. The plasma glucose responses to both meals were greater in the HGI trial compared to the LGI trial. Following breakfast, there were no differences in the serum insulin concentrations between the trials; however, following lunch, concentrations were higher in the HGI trial compared to the LGI trial. This suggests that the glycemic index of the carbohydrates consumed during the immediate post-exercise period might not be important as long as sufficient carbohydrate is consumed. The high insulin concentrations following a HGI meal later in the recovery period could facilitate further muscle glycogen resynthesis

Improved recovery from prolonged exercise following the consumption of low glycemic index carbohydrate meals

The present study examined the effects of the glycemic index (GI) of post-exercise carbohydrate (CHO) intake on endurance capacity and the metabolic responses during exercise the following day. Nine active males participated in two trials in a randomised crossover design. The experimental protocol was completed over two days. On day 1, subjects completed a 90 min treadmill run at 70% VO2 max (R1). Thereafter, they were supplied with a diet consisting of either high glycemic index (HGI) or low glycemic index (LGI) CHO and provided 8g CHOkg body mass (BM)-1.On day 2, after an overnight fast, subjects ran to exhaustion at 70% VO2 max (R2). Eight subjects completed both performance runs (R2). Run time to exhaustion during R2 was longer in the LGI trial (108.9 7.4 min) than in the HGI trial (96.9 4.8 min) (p<0.05). Average RER values were higher in the HGI trial compared to the LGI trial (p<0.05). Fat oxidation rates and free fatty acid concentrations were higher in the LGI trial than the HGI trial (p<0.05). The results of the study suggest that the increased endurance capacity during R2 was largely a consequence of the greater fat oxidation following the consumption of the LGI meals

Thinking beyond rationalism : international perspectives

This chapter begins with the claim that current predominant approaches to thinking in educational theory and policy are grounded in certain philosophical assumptions about the nature of thinking and the human being who thinks. I characterise such assumptions as ‘rationalistic’ to exemplify their relation with formalisable, mechanistic ways of thinking, and with an intellectualised, disengaged picture of the human being who thinks. I critique such a conception on the grounds that it closes down the possibilities of thinking in education, cramping thought into the narrow straits of reason. Yet alternative conceptions of thinking, I argue, can be found within the philosophical schools of phenomenology, ordinary language philosophy and post-structuralism. I explore the connections and contrasts between key thinkers in these traditions to work towards establishing a more adequate philosophical account of human thinking. At the end of the chapter, I suggest how the teaching of thinking in schools might consequently be reconceived, in ways that are richer and more robust than rationalism

Resisting the drive to theorise : a phenomenological perspective on social science research

This article explores predominant uses of theory in social science research in relation to the approach of phenomenological philosophy. While phenomenology is sometimes interpreted as one theoretical or methodological paradigm amongst others in the field of qualitative research, this article explores key thinkers within the philosophical tradition of phenomenology to argue that this tradition can raise challenges for predominant conceptions of research and theorizing in the social sciences and certain philosophical idea(l)s that can be connected to them. The distinctive nature of phenomenological description is outlined, and new possibilities for qualitative research are sketched. Also considered is the question of whether qualitative research should seek to enshrine the intellectual virtues of the arts, and resist the inclination towards the scientific -- and scientistic -- drive to theorize