Reliability of 1RM Split-Squat Performance and the Efficacy of Assessing Both Bilateral Squat and Split-Squat 1RM in a Single Session for Non-Resistance-Trained Recreationally Active Men.

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of 1 repetition maximum (1RM) split squat (SS) and establish the efficacy of collecting 1RM-SS and 1RM bilateral squat (BLS) data in the same session, for a non-resistance-trained recreationally active population. Fourteen males performed a submaximal familiarization session and 5 testing sessions. After familiarization, the 1RM-SS was tested in the following 3 sessions.

Teaching and communicating science in a digital age.

We assume that digital literacy and access are common to all who teach and communicate their science and to their audiences. We also assume that our digital communication is effective and that by using digital technologies learning experiences are enhanced. But are these reasonable assumptions to make? This F1000Research channel brings together papers developed from presentations made at Teaching and Communicating Science in a Digital Age, a Society for Experimental Biology symposium involving Higher Education Professionals from across the globe to reflect upon the impact that digital technologies have and will have upon aspects of the communication of science.

The setting of nurse staffing levels must be evidence-based.

The suspension of NICE's vital work on safe nurse staffing levels is a damaging step back, not only for nursing but for all who use the NHS and care about its future.

Unsocial hours pay is a question of fairness.

Should you be paid extra for working weekends? What about nights, or public holidays? Unsocial hours go with the job for most nurses, but the issue of whether and how staff should be rewarded is currently being scrutinised by the NHS Pay Review Body. In the past week there has also been a heated political discussion, as the parties vie for nurses' votes.

Application of xCELLigence RTCA Biosensor Technology for Revealing the Profile and Window of Drug Responsiveness in Real Time.

The xCELLigence technology is a real-time cellular biosensor, which measures the net adhesion of cells to high-density gold electrode arrays printed on custom-designed E-plates. The strength of cellular adhesion is influenced by a myriad of factors that include cell type, cell viability, growth, migration, spreading and proliferation. We therefore hypothesised that xCELLigence biosensor technology would provide a valuable platform for the measurement of drug responses in a multitude of different experimental, clinical or pharmacological contexts.

Adaptive Modifications of Muscle Phenotype in High-Altitude Deer Mice Are Associated with Evolved Changes in Gene Regulation.

At high-altitude, small mammals are faced with the energetic challenge of sustaining thermogenesis and aerobic exercise in spite of the reduced O2 availability. Under conditions of hypoxic cold stress, metabolic demands of shivering thermogenesis and locomotion may require enhancements in the oxidative capacity and O2 diffusion capacity of skeletal muscle to compensate for the diminished tissue O2 supply. We used common-garden experiments involving highland and lowland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to investigate the transcriptional underpinnings of genetically based population differences and plasticity in muscle phenotype.

Goodwill in the NHS is a one-way street.

The NHS runs on goodwill. Every day thousands of nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers work extra hours, skip breaks and go the extra mile to keep the health service running. In return, you may receive a 'thank you' from your manager or expressions of gratitude from patients, but rarely will you see any extra in your pay packet.

Let's see action on Willis' framework for education.

I don't suppose many of you will have ploughed through the 72 pages that make up the Shape of Caring review, which sets out a framework for the future of nursing education. It is not the first such report, and won't be the last. This one contains many noble sentiments and sensible ideas on how nurses and care assistants should be trained and developed throughout their careers, but it fails to deliver a coherent strategy that everyone can get behind.

Vulnerable patients deserve regulated care.

Ask nurses of a certain age about changes to the profession over the past 30 years or so and many will refer with dismay to the demise of enrolled nurses (ENs). For younger readers or those whose memories have faded, ENs completed a two-year, apprentice-style training programme before going on to deliver highly practical hands-on care.

Welcome to an exciting new era.

This week we launch RCNi, the new name for RCN Publishing, plus a new website for all nursing staff – rcni.com. Here we explain how the website is tailored to meet the needs of busy nurses who are passionate about their work.

How bar-headed geese fly over the Himalayas.

Bar-headed geese cross the Himalayas on one of the most iconic high-altitude migrations in the world. Heart rates and metabolic costs of flight increase with elevation and can be near maximal during steep climbs. Their ability to sustain the high oxygen demands of flight in air that is exceedingly oxygen-thin depends on the unique cardiorespiratory physiology of birds in general along with several evolved specializations across the O2 transport cascade.

Distinct physiological strategies are used to cope with constant hypoxia and intermittent hypoxia in killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus).

Many fish encounter hypoxia on a daily cycle, but the physiological effects of intermittent hypoxia are poorly understood. We investigated whether acclimation to constant (sustained) hypoxia or to intermittent diel cycles of nocturnal hypoxia (12 h normoxia:12 h hypoxia) had distinct effects on hypoxia tolerance or on several determinants of O2 transport and O2 utilization in estuarine killifish. Adult killifish were acclimated to normoxia, constant hypoxia, or intermittent hypoxia for 7 or 28 days in brackish water (4 ppt).

High-altitude ancestry and hypoxia acclimation have distinct effects on exercise capacity and muscle phenotype in deer mice.

The hypoxic and cold environment at high altitudes requires that small mammals sustain high rates of O2 transport for exercise and thermogenesis while facing a diminished O2 availability. We used laboratory-born and -raised deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) from highland and lowland populations to determine the interactive effects of ancestry and hypoxia acclimation on exercise performance. Maximal O₂consumption (V̇o(2max)) during exercise in hypoxia increased after hypoxia acclimation (equivalent to the hypoxia at ∼4,300 m elevation for 6-8 wk) and was consistently greater in highlanders than in lowlanders.

Why do we bother? Exploring biologists' motivations to share the details of their teaching practice.

There exists in the UK (and across the global HE sector) a community of practitioners who define themselves as biologists but who are more than that. They are reflective educators involving themselves in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). In this paper I explore the motivations of these individuals to disseminate the detail of their teaching practice.

An expensive lesson in workforce planning.

The NHS is on course to spend almost £1 billion on agency nursing staff during the 2014/15 financial year in England alone, according to figures released by the RCN last week. At the same time, many trusts have despatched teams around the world to recruit from overseas in a desperate bid to maintain safe staffing levels.

Pioneering centre goes beyond gender labelling.

We have all filled in forms that ask for our gender. Often the question seems irrelevant, but most people tick the box, reveal their age along with a few other personal details, and move on. However, for some the enquiry may be simple but the answer more complicated.

Spinal sealant system provides better intraoperative watertight closure than standard of care during spinal surgery: a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled study.

Study Design: Prospective, 3:1 randomized, single-blind, multicenter investigational study.

Objective: To assess the safety and efficacy of a low-swell spinal sealant when used as an adjunct to sutured dural repair compared with standard of care methods to obtain watertight dural closure in subjects undergoing spinal surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Watertight dural closure is paramount in spinal surgery to avoid complications of cerebrospinal fluid leak.