Relationships Among Perceived Recovery, Vertical Jump and Change in Repeated Sprint Performance

Recovery has routinely been determined by using a counter movement vertical jump (CMJ). While a CMJ has been proven effective to determine recovery, there may be alternatives that are more efficient and less physically taxing such as the Perceived Recovery Status Scale (PRS). The PRS is a non-invasive, and accurate psychophysiological tool designed to measure recovery and its correlation to performance. PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between vertical jump and perceptual recovery status as a method for monitoring recovery during repeated sprint efforts. METHODS: Eight college-aged individuals (age=23±0.9 yr; Ht=65.3±4.2 in; Wt=67.1±9.3.4 kg; BF%=17.5±8.4) performed repeated sprints. The protocol consisted of three sets of eight 30m sprints on the Woodway Curve treadmill with 45-sec of rest between each sprint. The sets were separated by 5 min of passive rest. During each sprint, power output (PO) was measured; RPE was recorded immediately following each sprint. Immediately before the next set of sprints a CMJ was performed on a force plate where vertical jump (VJ) height was recorded. RESULTS: A 1-way repeated ANOVA found a significant main effect of sprint set on RPE (p=.044) and PRS (p=.000). Subsequent pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences among RPE between sprint sets 1 and 2 (p=0.05), and in PRS between sprint sets 1 and 2 (p=0.001), and sprint sets 1 and 3 (p=.002). Correlation coefficients showed the strongest relationship between PRS and delta MP to be moderate, and significant at p≤0.05 (R2=0.34) and the correlation coefficient was 0.57. All other correlations were determined as weak and not significant. CONCLUSION: Results from the current study suggest that PRS may demonstrate a stronger relationship with change in repeated sprint performance within a session than using VJ. However, neither index of recovery was robust, and may indicate that these measures may be more appropriate for use between day-to-day training sessions (as previously established) and not, necessarily, to gauge recovery

Antidepressants And Melanoma: Is There A Link?

ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND MELANOMA: IS THERE A LINK? Stephanie R. Douglas, Deepak Narayan. Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Cutaneous melanoma is the sixth most common cancer in the United States, and its incidence continues to rise steadily at a rate of 2-3% per year. Meanwhile nearly 11% of the general population is treated with antidepressant medication. Laboratory studies suggest a number of theoretical links between antidepressants and melanoma. Serotonin is a growth factor for melanocytes, and antidepressants upregulate components of the Wnt/beta-catenin, mTOR, and MAP kinase signaling pathways, all of which may be involved in melanoma transformation and carcinogenesis. To investigate the potential link between antidepressants and melanoma in vivo, localized tumors were induced in a conditional mouse model of BrafV600E-induced, Pten-deficient melanoma. Citalopram hydrobromide in 0.1% saccharin was administered at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day orally via drinking water beginning at the time of melanoma induction. Control animals received 0.1% saccharin. At weekly intervals, the overall tumor volume was assessed so that the tumor growth rate could be calculated for each mouse. At day 75 following tumor induction, necropsy was performed to assess for the presence of metastases. Antidepressant administration appeared to have no effect on tumor volume at any of the time points measured (day 29, p=0.997; day 36, p=0.761; day 44, p=0.612; day 50, p=0.682; day 57, p=0.797; day 66, p=0.691; day 75, p=0.736), or on metastasis. Secondly, the charts of 1271 patients treated for melanoma at Yale Cancer Center between 1997 and 2013 were reviewed, taking particular note of medication history. A health history questionnaire eliciting information about melanoma risk factors as well as medication histories was administered to patients seen at an outpatient surgery clinic at Yale-New Haven Hospital who had no history of melanoma. Age, sex, and group (cases or controls) were entered into a binary logistic regression model to calculate an adjusted odds ratio for antidepressant exposure as a function of group. Additionally, age, sex, and tumor stage were entered into a second model for the odds of antidepressant exposure as a function of tumor stage. Melanoma patients were less likely to have a history of antidepressant use relative to controls (OR 0.567, 95% CI 0.331-0.972, p=0.039). There was no association between antidepressants and melanoma stage at diagnosis. Further study is needed in order to clarify the nature of the association between antidepressants and melanoma risk

Building Organizational Resilience through Human Capital Management Strategy

Purpose This paper examines the role of human capital management strategy in shaping organizational resilience. Resilient organizations thrive in uncertain and adverse conditions. The organization’s capacity for resilience can be developed through human capital management strategies that are focused on employee capabilities, training, and development. When individual capabilities and resilience are developed, those can be aggregated at an organizational level to develop the capacity in an organization for resilience. Design/methodology/approach A review of relevant studies and literature was conducted to develop strategies and insight into developing the human capital of an organization to support organizational resilience. Findings Supporting individual capability development and resilience builds the organization’s capacity for resilience. By shifting human capital management strategies to building capabilities and then skills, organizations develop individual resilience and then organizational resilience. The implications of how to build such human capital management strategies are presented. Originality/value This paper provides support and guidelines for building individual capability and resilience to enhance an organization’s resilience

The development of molecular markers for use across all plant species using expressed sequence tags

There are over a half a million plant species on earth, and we use them in virtually every aspect of our lives. Little or no genomic information exists about the vast majority of these plants. This study investigated the use of Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) to locate highly conserved sequences from which to design a set of universal molecular markers for all plant species. Plant species for this study were chosen to representative of the plant kingdom. This was done by sampling several individuals of at least one species from all of the major terrestrial plant groups. Conserved sequences are generally found in a wide range of plants species and often in all plant species. A set of eight degenerate primers was designed specifically to detect Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) using capillary array electrophoresis-single stranded conformational polymorphism (CAE-SSCP). The results of this research confirmed that homologous regions of the genome could be used to design universal molecular markers for all plant species

The North Dakota Experience: Achieving High-Performance Health Care Through Rural Innovation and Cooperation

Explores how North Dakota has met the healthcare challenges of rural communities with support for primary care and the idea of a medical home, organization of care through coordination and cooperation networks, and the innovative use of technology

Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Disguise

Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pandemic is currently one of the most influential topics as it not only impacts the field of medicine but most importantly, it affects the lives of many individuals throughout the world. We report an interesting 2019-nCoV case in a tertiary community hospital with the initial concern of acute pyelonephritis without respiratory symptoms that ultimately led to the quarantine of a number of healthcare providers. This case emphasizes the importance of radiological evidence in diagnosing 2019-nCoV in the setting of an initial atypical presentation. It also serves as an example of how healthcare providers may need to increase their suspicion for COVID-19 to ensure self-protection and prompt diagnosis in the era of an ongoing pandemic

Change Fatigue in Aviation Maintenance through a Human Factors Lens

Aviation is a demanding and fast-paced industry and it is not uncommon for aviation professionals, including maintainers, to experience rapid disruption and organizational change. Fatigue in aviation professionals is a known risk. Fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) seek to mitigate this risk by focusing on tiredness resulting from long work hours and lack of quality sleep. Recently, change fatigue has also risen to the forefront of business and employee studies. In many of today’s industries, change is constant as firms implement changes either to address disruptions, business growth or to follow trends in the industry. Frequent changes in an organization often result in employee change fatigue as organizational change places an unintended strain on employees. The aviation industry has faced major crises and disruptive shocks over the past decades with the recent pandemic having grave implications. The effects of the pandemic are more profound than prior disruptions as the airline sector is facing a multitude of changes to operations and work design. The fundamental shifts in the aviation industry that have arisen from the pandemic will and are leading to a multitude of changes. This research focuses on the application of change fatigue on aviation maintenance personnel. The issues of change fatigue and the resulting increased workload need to be addressed for aviation maintenance personnel, especially considering the impact on safety. Through the guidance of human factors engineering, this study seeks to apply the knowledge of change fatigue through a human factors lens to aviation maintenance personnel

From Classroom to Industry: Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance Decision-Making

The presence of human factors in aviation remains a critical area of research given the safety implications of human error. Understanding what specific factors contribute to human error allows managers and operators to take steps to mitigate these hazards. Several methods have been tested in the cockpit and cabin crew environments, but less attention has been given to the aviation maintenance sector, despite the prevalence of accidents resulting from human error. With the introduction of AC-172A, the FAA validated the need for additional research and training on the role of human factors in aviation maintenance errors. However, a key component in this process is often overlooked--the role of decision-making. In aviation maintenance, the environment can change rapidly. Technicians must react and adjust their behavior, and their decision-making abilities, accordingly. Human factors such as fatigue, pressure, and distractions can interrupt cognitive processes and judgment, and in turn, decision-making. As technicians adapt to these environmental challenges, strategies must be in place to facilitate optimal decision-making. Recommendations for addressing the presence of human factors in aviation maintenance and the resulting impact on the decision-making process include taking both a proactive and reactive approach to human error identification. Proactively screening for individuals who are too risk-averse or too comfortable with taking risks can help hiring managers employ the right personnel equipped to make appropriate decisions in high consequence industries, such as aviation. Additionally, by encouraging and reviewing hazard reports, steps can be taken to mitigate human error factors in the future. Anonymous hazard reporting tools such as the REPAIRER allow maintenance managers to leverage existing (and FAA-required) safety management systems (SMS) by including a human factors analysis

Connecting Organizational Learning Strategies to Organizational Resilience

The objective of this study is to analyze the conceptual and domain overlap of organizational learning and organizational resilience; specifically, the adaptation or renewal domain in organizational resilience. From the findings, strategies to foster collective learning leading to organizational resilience are identified and outlined