Nottingham Trent University

About: Nottingham Trent University is a education organization based out in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 4702 authors who have published 12862 publications receiving 307430 citations. The organization is also known as: NTU & Trent Polytechnic.

Effect of beta-alanine supplementation on muscle carnosine concentrations and exercise performance

Abstract: High-intensity exercise results in reduced substrate levels and accumulation of metabolites in the skeletal muscle. The accumulation of these metabolites (e.g. ADP, Pi and H+) can have deleterious effects on skeletal muscle function and force generation, thus contributing to fatigue. Clearly this is a challenge to sport and exercise performance and, as such, any intervention capable of reducing the negative impact of these metabolites would be of use. Carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine) is a cytoplasmic dipeptide found in high concentrations in the skeletal muscle of both vertebrates and non-vertebrates and is formed by bonding histidine and β-alanine in a reaction catalysed by carnosine synthase. Due to the pKa of its imidazole ring (6.83) and its location within skeletal muscle, carnosine has a key role to play in intracellular pH buffering over the physiological pH range, although other physiological roles for carnosine have also been suggested. The concentration of histidine in muscle and plasma is high relative to its Km with muscle carnosine synthase, whereas β-alanine exists in low concentration in muscle and has a higher Km with muscle carnosine synthase, which indicates that it is the availability of β-alanine that is limiting to the synthesis of carnosine in skeletal muscle. Thus, the elevation of muscle carnosine concentrations through the dietary intake of carnosine, or chemically related dipeptides that release β-alanine on absorption, or supplementation with β-alanine directly could provide a method of increasing intracellular buffering capacity during exercise, which could provide a means of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and performance. This paper reviews the available evidence relating to the effects of β-alanine supplementation on muscle carnosine synthesis and the subsequent effects on exercise performance. In addition, the effects of training, with or without β-alanine supplementation, on muscle carnosine concentrations are also reviewed.

Social networking addiction, attachment style, and validation of the Italian version of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale

Abstract: AimResearch into social networking addiction has greatly increased over the last decade. However, the number of validated instruments assessing addiction to social networking sites (SNSs) remains few, and none have been validated in the Italian language. Consequently, this study tested the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), as well as providing empirical data concerning the relationship between attachment styles and SNS addiction.MethodsA total of 769 participants were recruited to this study. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multigroup analyses were applied to assess construct validity of the Italian version of the BSMAS. Reliability analyses comprised the average variance extracted, the standard error of measurement, and the factor determinacy coefficient.ResultsIndices obtained from the CFA showed the Italian version of the BSMAS to have an excellent fit of the model to the data, thus confirming the single-factor structure of the ins...

Exploring the Practice of Feedback to Students

Abstract: Feedback to students is a vital but relatively underresearched area. An analysis is presented of practice in a complex modular business programme. Attention is drawn to the difficulty of such analysis, but three ways of looking at the text are presented: by modality, by area of concern and by developmental content. A conversational form of feedback with a focus on ‘implied development’ is identified and placed in the context of Bernstein’s notion of an ‘invisible pedagogy’. Such a focus may disadvantage students and the importance of reflection on feedback in the context of knowledge claims at both the module- and the programme level is stressed.