Resilient pedagogy: experiences of kinesiology faculty during COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic required an emergency shift to remote teaching. Despite their limited previous experience with online or hybrid teaching, our cohort of kinesiology faculty (n = 112) had high confidence in their ability to deliver quality educational experiences for their students during the pandemic. With support from their institutions, technology departments, and teaching and learning centers, faculty developed new skills and organizational strategies. To achieve this, 81% of faculty reported needing extra course preparation time to deliver high-quality remote teaching, with 51% needing up to 5 extra hours per week per course. There is a fraction of faculty from this study excited about the prospect of teaching online in the future. These newfound online teaching skills should be leveraged to modernize course offerings in kinesiology departments, supporting student recruitment, retention, and success.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The COVID-19 pandemic caused temporary and permanent changes to higher education, specifically kinesiology programs. This article highlights the resiliency of faculty in kinesiology programs, how they adapted, where they felt supported, and what they hope to bring with them into their future pedagogy practices.

Impact of COVID-19 on access to laboratories and human participants: exercise science faculty perspectives.

Restrictions due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic impacted the ability of faculty and students in exercise science to work in lab settings with human participants. The purpose of this study was to determine how exercise science faculty were impacted by COVID-19 restrictions with respect to access and use of exercise science lab and research facilities. Of the 100 surveyed participants categorized as requiring access to people and lab spaces (lab-based faculty), 61% (n = 61) reported decreased research productivity with 87% (n = 53) of those faculty in one or more of the following subdisciplines: exercise physiology, clinical exercise physiology, or biomechanics. Of all lab-based faculty, 40% (n = 40) participants reported having access to students and lab spaces and 55% (n = 55) indicated they were allowed to conduct in-person research. Of tenure-track lab-based faculty, 80% (n = 20) reported a decrease in research productivity, of which 60.0% (n = 12) identified as female. Among faculty with 5 or less years of teaching experience (n = 23), 69.6% (n = 16) reported a decrease in productivity, with 68.8% (n = 11) of those being female. All exercise science faculty surveyed reported issues with safety and social distancing, modified lab and research procedures, faculty workload, and research productivity. This information can be leveraged to create better infrastructure to support faculty and develop and implement strategies to reduce workload inequities.

Faculty perceptions of the exercise science student learning experience during the coronavirus pandemic.

Significant disruptions in higher education course delivery occurred during the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. The implementation of emergency remote teaching (ERT) offered exercise science faculty a safe method to continue educating students in courses generally taught face-to-face. The purpose of this investigation was to explore faculty perceptions of their ERT efforts with respect to student successes, challenges, and faculty expectations. Through an electronic survey, participants (n = 112) from higher education institutions in 31 states and three Canadian provinces provided feedback on their perceptions of the student experience across 315 fall 2020 courses. Data analysis included a thematic analysis to identify themes and trends in participant responses. Faculty identified student adaptability, increased autonomy of learning, and maintenance of learning as successes. Also noted was the increased flexibility of alternative pedagogy methods. Participants perceived student challenges related to technology, time management, and well-being. Faculty perceived students expected increased accommodations and instructor responsiveness during fall 2020. While faculty and students were challenged to adapt during the global pandemic, the perceived ERT experiences during COVID-19 highlight the resiliency of higher education students and underscores changes needed by educational institutions to provide resources and training upon return to traditional education or in response to a future crisis.

Effects of disturbances and environmental changes on an aridland riparian generalist.

Anthropogenic climate change and ecosystem disturbances can detrimentally affect habitats and species. Areas with concentrated biodiversity, such as aridland riparian zones, often yield the greatest number of vulnerable species. A better understanding of ecological and environmental relationships can guide more effective conservation strategies. We used both visual transects and external (tape) radio telemetry to study the behavioral and spatial ecology of black-necked gartersnakes (Thamnophis cyrtopsis; n = 81)-a dietary generalist yet aquatic habitat specialist-in a heterogenous aridland riparian zone of lower Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona, between 2018 and 2021. Our objectives were to (1) understand how extrinsic conditions influence population ecology dynamics, including immediately prior to and after major disturbances and environmental extremes; (2) analyze behavioral activity and microhabitat usage in relation to environmental factors; and (3) assess the efficacy of a less-invasive telemetry strategy. Between late spring 2020 and early summer 2021, ecosystem disturbances included near-record heat and drought, wildfire, and low overwinter precipitation. Many aquatic habitats either completely dried or were spatially disjunct; gartersnake prey species were noticeably sparse. Extreme drought rapidly shifted to excessive flooding during the 2021 monsoon that brought above-average streamflow magnitude and duration. Between 2019 and 2021, we observed a dramatic decline in T. cyrtopsis; odds of detection reduced by 92.8% (CI [56.0-99.1%]). Strong spatiotemporal links relative to the extent and timing of available surface water appear important. Prior to the onset of monsoonal stream recharge in early summer, shallow and drying aquatic habitats are used as parturition sites and foraging grounds; all age classes took advantage to corral fishes trapped in isolated and shrinking pools. Ambient conditions had varying effects on gartersnake behaviors. Variation in microhabitat assemblages occurred with distance from water, activity level, and developmental age class. Interestingly, associations remained consistent across seasons and years, which suggests a reliance on heterogenous habitat structure. Sampling techniques complemented each other, however, bioclimatic parameters rendered limitations and should be considered in methodological decisions. Overall, disadvantageous responses to major disturbances and climatic extremes by a presumably adaptable generalist like T. cyrtopsis are concerning. Insights from long-term monitoring of responses by common yet environmentally sensitive species such as T. cyrtopsis may serve to more broadly highlight demographic challenges that other taxa with similar semi-aquatic life histories may face in changing systems. Such information could inform more effective conservation management strategies in warming and drying ecosystems.

Heat Acclimation Knowledge among Recreational Runners.

Heat acclimation (HA) is the foremost method of preventing exertional heat illness during exercise in hot and humid environments. However, the prevalence of HA training and its associated knowledge is not currently known in recreational running populations. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of recreational runners toward HA. A survey consisting of 38 questions that required approximately 10-15 min to complete was disseminated to running clubs throughout the Southeastern United States. Questions were designed to collect data on participant demographics, yearly training habits, and HA knowledge. Recreational runners (N = 125) demonstrated a lack of knowledge toward proper HA training and its associated benefits. Participants largely received HA advice from their peers (31.2%) and reported no professional guidance in their training (79.2%). Finally, participants' beliefs toward proper HA training differed among training groups with moderate and high groups perceiving greater frequency, miles/wk, and min/wk as appropriate for HA compared to the low group (p ≤ 0.05). Due to the warmer temperatures and higher relative humidity experienced in the southeastern, southwestern, and mid-Atlantic locations of the United States and throughout certain regions of the European Union, governing bodies in sport and exercise science should develop more educational initiatives to convey the importance and advantages of HA, especially when runners are training for major marathons that are typically held in the late spring and early fall seasons.

Partnering With State Health Departments to Address Injection-Related Infections During the Opioid Epidemic: Experience at a Safety Net Hospital.

Massachusetts is one of the epicenters of the opioid epidemic and has been severely impacted by injection-related viral and bacterial infections. A recent increase in newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections among persons who inject drugs in the state highlights the urgent need to address and bridge the overlapping epidemics of opioid use disorder (OUD) and injection-related infections. Building on an established relationship between the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Boston Medical Center, the Infectious Diseases section has contributed to the development and implementation of a cohesive response involving ambulatory, inpatient, emergency department, and community-based services. We describe this comprehensive approach including the rapid delivery of antimicrobials for the prevention and treatment of HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, systemic infections such as endocarditis, bone and joint infections, as well as curative therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus in a manner that is accessible to patients on the addiction-recovery continuum. We also provide an overview of programs that provide access to medications for OUD, harm reduction services including overdose education, and distribution of naloxone. Finally, we outline lessons learned to inform initiatives in other settings.

New Author Guidelines in Statistical Reporting: Embracing an Era Beyond p < .05.

Statistical reporting of quantitative research data has been plagued by potential bias and reporting suppression due to a single numerical output: the p-value. While there is great importance in its merit, creating a pass-fail system (set at point of .05) has created a culture of researchers submitting their project's data to a filing cabinet if it does not yield "statistical significance" based on this value. The editors of the International Journal of Exercise Science are following the American Statistical Association's call for statistical reform by adjusting our reporting guidelines to the following requirements: [1.] make an intentional effort to move away from statements "statistically significant" or "not significant;" [2] all p-values are to be reported in their raw, continuous form; [3.] measures of the magnitude of effect must be presented with all p-values; [4.] either an a-priori power analysis with relevant citations should be included or post-hoc power calculations should accompany p-values and measures of effect. The ultimate goal of this editorial is to join with other scholars to push the field toward transparency in reporting and critical, thoughtful evaluation of research.

The Buffalo Concussion Bike Test for Concussion Assessment in Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test (BCTT) is a graded exertion test for assessing exercise tolerance after concussion, but its utility is limited for certain populations. HYPOTHESIS: We developed the Buffalo Concussion Bike Test (BCBT) and tested its comparability with the BCTT. We hypothesize that heart rate (HR) at symptom exacerbation on the BCBT will be equivalent to the BCTT. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: Adolescents with acute concussion (AC) (n = 20; mean age, 15.9 ± 1.1 years; 60% male) presenting to a concussion clinic within 10 days of injury and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 20; mean age, 15.9 ± 1.1 years; 60% male) performed the BCTT at first visit and returned within 3 days to perform the BCBT. Test duration, HR, symptom severity (measured using a visual analog scale), and exertion (measured using the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion) were collected during each test. RESULTS: Adolescents with AC who were exercise intolerant on the BCTT were also intolerant on the BCBT, with symptom exacerbation occurring at a mean 8.1 ± 2.8 minutes on the BCTT versus 14.6 ± 6.0 minutes on the BCBT (P < 0.01). Two 1-sided t tests showed that the HR at symptom exacerbation in AC patients (137 ± 28 bpm on BCTT vs 135 ± 25 bpm on BCBT; 95% CI, <0.01-0.03) and at voluntary exhaustion for controls (175 ± 13 bpm on BCTT vs 175 ± 13 bpm on BCBT; 95% CI, 0.03-0.03) on each test were statistically equivalent. CONCLUSION: The HR at symptom exacerbation on BCBT is equivalent to the BCTT for the assessment of exercise tolerance after concussion in adolescents. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The BCBT can be used in patients with limited mobility or for research interventions that require limited participant motion.