High Point University is a private university in High Point, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded as High Point College in 1924, it became High Point University in October 1991. HPU offers 61 undergraduate majors, 65 undergraduate minors, and 14 graduate majors.
Visual processing speed and cognitive interference control are critical for athletic performance and Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury risk. However, how these cognitive functions relate to biomechanical performance after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR) remains unclear. This gap is clinically relevant given persistent re-injury rates of 20–25
Preparing evaluators requires more than technical training. It requires cultivating the judgment to navigate uncertainty, complexity, and equity concerns. This study examines how evaluator competencies are developed through a collaborative, reflective self-study of a graduate evaluation program at a Minority Serving Institution in the southeastern United States. Twenty-two students and alumni participated in interviews exploring how evaluator competencies were enacted through coursework, assistantships, and applied projects. Findings indicate strengths in Context and Methodology competencies, while Planning and Management and Interpersonal competencies require greater attention. Participants emphasized the importance of safe and brave spaces and identified reflection as essential for linking technical skills with professional judgment, cultural responsiveness, and professional identity. The study introduces the ARC Framework-Action, Reflection, and Competency-as a model for evaluator preparation. Implications extend to embedding authentic practice, making reflection intentional, cultivating dispositions, and integrating justice throughout curricula to prepare evaluators to act wisely and responsibly.
Objectives : This study compares linear sprint force-velocity (F-v) mechanical variables between elite Under-19 (U19) academy players and senior professional players. Methods : Thirty-eight senior players (SP; mean age 24.5 +/- 4.3 y) and 214 U19 academy players (YP; mean age 17.4 +/- 0.5 y) from 14 first-division club academies were tested during October 2023 using a motorized resistance device (1080 Motion). The following F-v variables were assessed: maximal theoretical force (F-0, N & centerdot;kg(-1)), maximal theoretical velocity (v(0), m & centerdot;s(-1)), maximal ratio of horizontal-to-resultant force (RFmax, %), and decrease in the ratio of forces (DRF, %). Between-group comparisons were performed using the t-test, and Cohen's d effect sizes were reported. Results : Senior players outperformed U19 players across all F-v variables. F-0 exhibited a mean difference = 0.220 N & centerdot;kg(-1), with a 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.056, 0.384], p = 0.0166, and d = 0.46. v(0) exhibited a mean difference = 0.560 m & centerdot;s(-1), with a 95% CI [0.410, 0.710], p < 0.0001, and d = 1.07. RFmax exhibited a mean difference = 1.470%, with 95% CI [0.830, 2.110], p = 0.0003, and d = 0.69. DRF exhibited a mean difference = 0.260%, with a 95% CI [0.103, 0.417], p = 0.0013, and d = 0.53. Conclusions : U19 players demonstrated lower F-0, lower v(0), and reduced mechanical effectiveness compared with senior players. Regular monitoring of F-v profiles and individualized training interventions (force- or velocity-targeted) may be useful for training and monitoring strategies aimed at supporting physical preparation during the transition to senior soccer.
BACKGROUND:Excessive alcohol consumption has been associated with a proinflammatory neuroimmune response and deficits in glutamate transporters. While astrocytes regulate the neuroimmune response and glutamatergic tone, estrogen can promote neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects on astrocytes. However, studies in alcohol use disorders (AUDs) have primarily focused on males, and given the more escalated rate at which females display signs of AUDs compared with males, this study examines sex-based differences in astrocytic responses to ethanol following a nondependent binge drinking paradigm. METHODS:Male and female mice consumed either 20% ethanol (v/v) or 3% sucrose (w/v) for three cycles in the Drinking in the Dark paradigm. The brains of these mice were collected for immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR for markers of astrocyte activity, cytokines, and astrocytic glutamate transporters. ELISAs were performed on hippocampal tissue to measure cytokines and glutamate transporters. RESULTS:Ethanol exposure caused an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactivity and GFAP+ cell counts in the hippocampus that were more robust in females. Ethanol's influence on S100B+ cell counts was subregional and sex-specific. Changes in astrocytes were accompanied by a decrease in glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) mRNA but not protein with no changes in glutamate aspartate transporter (GLAST). However, cystine/glutamate antiporter (xCT) expression increased specifically in female mice days following ethanol exposure. CONCLUSIONS:These data suggest that nondependent binge drinking alters astrocytes in the hippocampus that can lead to dysregulation of glutamate transporters and cytokine synthesis. Moreover, there were sex-specific effects shown in binge-like exposure's effects, highlighting the need to consider sex as a biological variable in the neuroimmune response in AUDs.
As large language models (LLMs) become more powerful and pervasive across society, ensuring these systems are beneficial, safe, and aligned with human values is crucial. Current alignment techniques, like Constitutional AI (CAI), involve complex iterative processes. This paper argues that the Methodology of Wide Reflective Equilibrium (MWRE) – a well-established coherentist moral methodology – offers a uniquely apt framework for understanding current LLM alignment efforts. In addition, this methodology can substantively augment these processes by offering pathways for improving their dynamic revisability, procedural legitimacy, and overall ethical grounding. Together, these enhancements can help produce more robust and ethically defensible outcomes. MWRE, emphasizing the achievement of coherence between our considered moral judgments, guiding moral principles, and relevant background theories, arguably better represents the intricate reality of LLM alignment and offers a more robust path to justification than prevailing foundationalist models or simplistic input-output evaluations. While current methods like CAI bear a structural resemblance to MWRE, they often lack its crucial emphasis on dynamic, bi-directional revision of principles and the procedural legitimacy derived from such a process. While acknowledging various disanalogies (e.g., consciousness, genuine understanding in LLMs), the paper demonstrates that MWRE serves as a valuable heuristic for critically analyzing current alignment efforts and for guiding the future development of more ethically sound and justifiably aligned AI systems.
