An evidence-based approach to utilizing cold therapies for post-exercise recovery

Whilst cold therapies such as cold-water immersion are regularly used in practice, the practical application does not always align with best practice. In this commentary we highlight the key components of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) Expert Statement on the use of cooling therapies for post-exercise recovery, and provide additional discussion on the empirical evidence and rationale that informed our perspective. We developed a series of specific questions, to ensure that cold therapy recovery protocols are context specific and tailored to the needs to the individual athletes. These questions, which cover the WHEN, WHAT and HOW of cold therapy, were central to the development of the Expert Statement. This was presented as a decision tree to ensure that key messages could be concisely disseminated across a range of sporting environments and populations (e.g. gyms, locker rooms and treatment rooms), supporting and informing decision making for those wanting to use cold therapy to assist their recovery, in-line with previously published peer-reiewed work. Discussion points included the suitability of cooling therapies for in some contexts, how athletes’ choice of cooling mode should be largely driven by practicalities (e.g. budget, availability) and lastly future research directions

The Environmental and Economic Importance of Mixed and Boundary Friction

One route to reducing global CO2 emissions is to improve the energy efficiency of machines. Even small improvements in efficiency can be valuable, especially in cases where an efficiency improvement can be realized over many millions of newly produced machines. For example, conventional passenger car combustion engines are being downsized (and also downspeeded). Increasingly, they are running on lower viscosity engine lubricants (such as SAE 0W-20 or lower viscosity grades) and often also have stop-start systems fitted (to prevent engine idling when the vehicle is stopped). Some of these changes result in higher levels of mixed and boundary friction, and so accurate estimation of mixed/boundary friction losses is becoming of increased importance, both for estimating friction losses and wear volumes. Traditional approaches to estimating mixed/boundary friction, which employ real area of contact modelling, and assumptions such as elastic deformation of asperities, are widely used, but recent experimental data suggests that some of these approaches underestimate mixed/boundary friction losses. In this paper, a discussion of the issues involved in reliably estimating mixed/boundary friction losses in machine elements is undertaken, highlighting where the key uncertainties lie. Mixed/boundary lubrication losses in passenger car and heavy-duty internal combustion engines are then estimated and compared with published data, and a detailed description of how friction is related to fuel consumption in these vehicles, on standard fuel economy driving cycles, is given. Knowing the amount of fuel needed to overcome mixed/boundary friction in these vehicles enables reliable estimates to be made of both the financial costs of mixed/boundary lubrication for today’s vehicles, and their associated CO2 emissions, and annual estimates are reported to be approximately $290 billion dollars with CO2 emissions of 480 million tonnes. This paper is an expanded version of a conference paper [1] that was originally delivered at the LUBMAT 2023 International Conference which took place in Preston, UK, in July 2023

Entrepreneurial Attributes: Accessing Your Inner Entrepreneur for Business and Beyond

Everybody wants their employer to recognise and value the skills and attributes they have, but not everybody feels those skills are valued. Entrepreneurial Attributes: Accessing Your Inner Entrepreneur for Business and Beyond looks at the link between skills, actions and attributes, and the value they present: value in terms of how an employee can be more valuable to the company they work for – in essence, more employable. The book aims to answer the question: why are entrepreneurial attributes we see in businesspeople valued, but in non-businesspeople they are sometimes not recognised when there is a clear link between entrepreneurial skills and attributes, human capital (effectively your CV) and how successfully a company performs? Entrepreneurial Attributes: Accessing Your Inner Entrepreneur for Business and Beyond discusses how we currently view skills, actions and attributes, and how those attributes add value to a person in life and to a business that person works for. The author questions whether certain skills and actions are unrecognised or neglected in today’s world, and uses case studies and research methodologies to illustrate how value can be recognised and appreciated within the context of human capital and firm performance. Finally, the book offers tools and strategies which may assist the reader in gaining a better understanding of the way in which their entrepreneurial actions and attributes can enhance their value as a person and also make them more employable. This book also offers businesses tools to better recognise and reward the skills it needs. The ideal audience for this book are those of us who wish to better evidence the skills and value we can offer a company; Entrepreneurial Attributes: Accessing Your Inner Entrepreneur for Business and Beyond will find an appreciative audience wherever there is a keen interest in the recognition and value of employee skills and attributes

Vertical Strength Transfer Phenomenon Between Upper Body and Lower Body Exercise: Systematic Scoping Review

Background. There are myriad of exercise variations in which upper body (UB) and lower body (LB) exercises have been intermittently used. However, it is still unclear how training of one body region (e.g., LB) affects adaptations in distant body areas (e.g., UB), and how different UB and LB exercise configurations could help facilitate physiological adaptations of either region; both referred to in this review as vertical strength transfer (VST). Objective. To investigate the existence of the VST phenomenon as a response to various UB and LB exercise configurations and to identify potential mechanisms underpinning its occurrence. Methods. A systematic search using the PRISMA Scoping Review protocol was conducted in February 2024 using four databases (Web of Science, MEDLINE, Scopus and CINAHL) to identify peer-reviewed articles that investigated the VST phenomenon. Results. Of the 5,242 identified articles, 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings suggest that the addition of UB strength training to LB endurance exercise may help preserve power-generating capacity for the leg muscle fibres. Furthermore, systemic endocrine responses to high-volume resistance exercise may beneficially modulate adaptations in precedingly or subsequently trained muscles from a different body region, augmenting their strength gains. Lastly, strength training for LB could result in improved strength of untrained UB, likely due to the increased central neural drive. Conclusion. VST existence is enabled by neuro-physiological mechanisms. Future research should involve athletic population, examining the potential of VST to facilitate athletic performance and preserve strength in injured extremities

The vulnerability of UK dentistry to dental tourists and dental tourism

A growing trend in dental health tourism reflects growing pressures on dental services and risks to the NHS

Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being of an Aging Prison Population Through Creative Nature-Based Interventions

This article focuses on an evaluation of a conservation and nature-based pilot project (BOOM) conduced in a UK local prison as part of the Greener on the Outside for Prisons therapeutic horticultural program. BOOM developed a tree and plant growing nursery where prisoners approaching the end of their sentences helped to restore endangered fauna and flora. They also engaged in tree-planting sessions within the prison grounds. Over 100 prisoners participated overall, with approximately a fifth of these going on to take part in an accredited course and engage in creative, arts-based activities related to nature as part of the project. Researchers carried out a series of focus groups with prisoners and staff who had taken part in prison-based BOOM activities during 2022–2023. In addition to BOOM staff, 18 prisoners were interviewed in four narrative-based focus groups, which gave participants a forum to discuss their experience of the project. A thematic analysis of this data has drawn out key themes in relation to health and well-being benefits of the project for an aging prison group and opportunities and challenges that arise from partnership working in this context. These health and well-being themes incorporate trust, connecting with nature, raising environmental consciousness, the value of creativity, and thinking beyond the gate. These findings have implications for future prison-based prisons project involving older prisoners, who are the fastest growing group in the prison population, and whose particular health and well-being needs are not currently entirely understood or met within the UK prison system

Dostoevsky in the Arts and Beyond: Contemporary Perspectives

The book is a substantial contribution to international Dostoevsky research, exploring Dostoevsky's contemporary relevance from a multicultural and multidisciplinary perspective. It offers some fresh readings of Dostoevsky's texts, presenting new complex studies on the writer and his works in the mirror of several arts of the last three decades. The book is divided into three Parts, featuring researchers from Bulgaria, Great Britain, Russia and Ukraine. Part One deals with conceptual issues, treating Dostoevsky above all as a prophet and philosopher, and thus determines the ideological system of coordinates for the studies presented in the rest of the book. Part Two examines Dostoevsky's legacy through the lenses of literary theory, music, and Illustration art, and Part Three, via world cinema and theatre. The volume has gathered together an array of original and innovative studies from world leading experts in Dostoevsky's creative universe, to make an authoritative input into the field

Computed Tomography Scanning for Sternal Wound Infections: A Systematic Review

Sternal wound infection (SWI) has always been a significant risk in patients who undergo sternotomies as part of their cardiac surgical procedures. Computed tomography (CT) imaging is often used to diagnose and assess sternal wound infections. Its purpose includes identifying and locating infection and any sternal dehiscence. A systematic literature review across PubMed, Embase, and Ovid was performed according to PRISMA guidelines to identify relevant articles that discussed the utility of CT scanning for SWI, common features identified, patient outcomes and sensitivity/specificity (Figure 1). 25 papers were included. 100% (n=25) of the papers were published in peer-reviewed journals. CT scans in SWIs can be seen as a beneficial aid in diagnosing as well as determining the components of infection. Commonalities were identified such as fluid collection in the mediastinum, free gas, pleural effusions, and sternal dehiscence which point towards the presence of sternal wound infection. CT scanning is a novel and emerging methodology for imaging in SWI and post-sternotomy complications, hence increased research is required to expand the literature on this area as well as the creation of guidelines and cut-offs or signs for radiology professionals to identify and determine the extent of infection. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024 Ulster Medical Society.