Effects of root extract of Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera ) on perception of recovery and muscle strength in female athletes

Ashwagandha is a supplement with the potential to improve exercise performance. However, research on its impact on female athletes remains limited. This study investigates the effects of ashwagandha on exercise recovery and muscle strength in professional female athletes, addressing a gap in understanding its role in this underrepresented population. Female footballers were randomly assigned to a 600 mg/day ashwagandha root extract group (ASH, n = 15; age: 26.0 ± 4.9 years, height: 1.66 ± 0.1 m, body mass: 61.5 ± 7.5 kg, and career: 15.2 ± 7.4 years) or a placebo group (PLA, n = 15; age: 23.5 ± 5.5 years, height: 1.66 ± 0.1 m, body mass: 61.5 ± 6.0 kg, and career: 13.1 ± 4.9 years). Recovery was assessed with total quality recovery (TQR), Hooper Index (HI) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Strength was assessed by hand grip, medicine ball throw (MBT), countermovement jump (CMJ) and peak power. Dietary intake was recorded prior to baseline measurements. Repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni test, independent t‐tests and ANCOVA were used in the analysis. A significant group × time interaction effect was found for TQR (p = 0.026), with the post‐hoc analysis revealing a significant difference between ASH and PLA at 28 days (p = 0.039). Perceived sleep quality from HI improved significantly in ASH compared to PLA (p = 0.038), with a significant change at 14 days. The ANCOVA analysis highlighted the significant influence of carbohydrate intake on hand grip strength (p = 0.005), MBT (p < 0.001) and body mass (p < 0.001). A dosage of 600 mg of ashwagandha root extract for 28 days may improve TQR and enhance perceived sleep quality in female footballers. Future research should investigate the optimal dosage and test across a broader range of athletic populations. Trials Registration: The trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with the ID NCT0626498

Health literacy in young children (age 4-8): a mixed-methods systematic review

Background In recent years, there has been an increased focus on health literacy within children and adolescents, yet there is a paucity of research within the period of early childhood despite specific developmental and cognitive differences to older children in how they understand and conceptualise health. To best support the development and maintenance of health literacy within this specific population, we undertook a systematic review to identify theoretical definitions, models and outcomes in studies of health literacy in young children aged 4-8

Malign velocities: accelerationism and capitalism: 2nd Edition

We are told our lives are too fast, subject to the accelerating demand that we innovate more, work more, enjoy more, produce more, and consume more. That’s one familiar story. Another, stranger, story is told here: of those who think we haven’t gone fast enough. Instead of rejecting the increasing tempo of capitalist production they argue that we should embrace and accelerate it. Rejecting this conclusion, Malign Velocities tracks this 'accelerationism' as the symptom of the misery and pain of labour under capitalism. Retracing a series of historical moments of accelerationism - the Italian Futurism; communist accelerationism after the Russian Revolution; the 'cyberpunk phuturism' of the ’90s and ’00s; the unconscious fantasies of our integration with machines; the apocalyptic accelerationism of the post-2008 moment of crisis; and the terminal moment of negative accelerationism - suggests the pleasures and pains of speed signal the need to disengage, negate, and develop a new politics that truly challenges the supposed pleasures of speed

Anthocyanin-rich New Zealand blackcurrant extract reduces treadmill running-induced gastrointestinal symptoms in the heat: pilot observations

We examined the effect of anthocyanin-rich New Zealand black-currant (NZBC) extract on running-induced gastrointestinal symp-toms in the heat. Recreationally active men (n = 12, age: 28 ± 6 yr,BMI: 24.5 ± 1.8 kg·m−2, _VO2max: 56 ± 6 mL·kg−1·min−1) volunteered.Participants dosed with 7 days of NZBC extract (CurraNZ®) (210 mganthocyanins) or placebo. Exercise consisted of treadmill runningfor one hr at 65% _VO2max (34.1 ± 0.1°C, 40.8 ± 0.2% relative humidity)with the recording of gastrointestinal symptoms during and at60 min following recovery in normal conditions. With placebo, 11participants (92%) reported gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. belch-ing, stitch), and this was reduced to four participants (25%) withNZBC extract. Using a modified visual analog scale, the accumu-lated score of gastrointestinal symptoms was lower with 7-dayintake of NZBC extract (placebo: 112, NZBC extract: 54, p = 0.04).The prevalence of upper, lower and other gastrointestinal symp-toms was reduced (upper, placebo: 75%, NZBC extract: 25%; lower:placebo: 25%, NZBC extract: 17%; other, placebo: 50%, NZBCextract: 25%). With placebo, only two participants reported severesymptoms (one participant for dizziness and nausea with thatparticipant still reporting those in the NZBC extract condition).Seven-day intake of New Zealand blackcurrant extract reducedthe incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms during 1-h of runningin hot environmental conditions. Future research should examinethe efficacy of NZBC extract on exercise-associated gastrointestinalsymptoms in conditions in which gastrointestinal symptoms can be expected to be severe

The effects of acute exercise on memory: considerations for exercise duration and participant body mass index

Acute moderate-intensity exercise has been demonstrated to improve memory performance. It is less clear, however, whether the duration of acute exercise and body mass index (BMI) may moderate this effect. Thus, the purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of differing exercise durations (20- and 40-minutes) on immediate and long-term memory performance, while considering BMI as a moderating factor in this exercise duration and memory performance relationship. Twenty-three young healthy adults participated in a within-subjects experiment. Participants completed four different experimental visits including either exercising at a moderate intensity (or standing on a treadmill) for 20- or 40-minutes, followed by an immediate free-recall memory assessment and then a delayed 24-hr recall. Acute moderate-intensity exercise improved memory performance, regardless of the duration of exercise. Further, long-term memory performance was greater for individuals with a higher BMI when they engaged in shorter (20 min) exercise compared to longer (40 min) exercise

Soldier performance management: insights from boots on ground research and recommendations for practitioners

Theoretically, the serial measurement of biomarkers to monitor physiological responses to military training could be used to mitigate musculoskeletal injury risk and better understand the recovery status of personnel. To date, the cost and scalability of these initiatives have impeded their uptake by defence organisations. However, advances in technology are increasing the accessibility of a range of health and performance biomarkers. This paper presents a synthesises of findings from the literature and discussions with informed stakeholders to provide contextually relevant advice for future efforts to monitor military personnel, together with key considerations to ensure actionable outcomes from the data captured. The aim of this review is, therefore, twofold; first, to demonstrate how wearable devices and biomarkers have been used in defence research to assess the context-specific, occupational demands placed on personnel; and second, to discuss their potential to monitor military workloads, optimise training programming and understand soldier adaptation to multi-stressor environments

Neural indicators of sleep loss and sleep propensity in male military trainees: insights from dry-electrode EEG- an exploratory study

This study examined the impact of reduced sleep on electroencephalogram (EEG) activity during cognitive tasks in Military Clearance Diver trainees using a novel dry-electrode EEG system. Seven male participants underwent two 5-day periods: a baseline and a ‘live-in’ phase with increased workload and reduced sleep (5.4 ± 0.1 vs. 7.4 ± 0.7 hours). EEG was recorded daily in the early morning (AM) and late afternoon (PM) during a Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), two oculography tests (AM: n = 4; PM: n = 3), and two minutes of eyes-closed rest. Significant increases in theta (t(29) = 2.308, p = 0.028, d = 0.421) and alpha (t(29) = 2.124, p = 0.042, d = 0.388) power spectrum densities were observed in the ‘live-in’ phase during the PVT. These findings align with increased lower frequency activity over time awake, reflecting heightened sleep propensity. Sleep loss was further confirmed by declining Odds Ratio Product (ORP) values. This study demonstrates the feasibility of dry-electrode EEG in detecting fatigue-related neural changes and highlights the potential of ORP as a quantifiable fatigue marker. These insights may inform operational settings, such as military diver performance monitoring and fatigue management strategies

Scalable container-based time synchronization for smart grid data center networks

The integration of edge-to-cloud infrastructures in smart grid (SG) data center networks requires scalable, efficient, and secure architecture. Traditional server-based SG data center architectures face high computational loads and delays. To address this problem, a lightweight data center network (DCN) with low-cost, and fast-converging optimization is required. This paper introduces a container-based time synchronization model (CTSM) within a spine–leaf virtual private cloud (SL-VPC), deployed via AWS CloudFormation stack as a practical use case. The CTSM optimizes resource utilization, security, and traffic management while reducing computational overhead. The model was benchmarked against five DCN topologies—DCell, Mesh, Skywalk, Dahu, and Ficonn—using Mininet simulations and a software-defined CloudFormation stack on an Amazon EC2 HPC testbed under realistic SG traffic patterns. The results show that CTSM achieved near-100% reliability, with the highest received energy data (29.87%), lowest packetization delay (13.11%), and highest traffic availability (70.85%). Stateless container engines improved resource allocation, reducing administrative overhead and enhancing grid stability. Software-defined Network (SDN)-driven adaptive routing and load balancing further optimized performance under dynamic demand conditions. These findings position CTSM-SL-VPC as a secure, scalable, and efficient solution for next-generation smart grid automation

Listening to parents: lessons from the impact of lockdown on two-year-olds in England

Policy and funding for two-year-old children in England has focused upon widening access to early education and care (ECEC) but there is limited evidence that the approach has resulted in positive educational outcomes. This paper captures parental perceptions of the impact of a pause in ECEC for two-year-olds during a nationwide lockdown in England during the Spring of 2020. An online questionnaire collected both qualitative and quantitative data from 827 parents of two-year-old children who attended ECEC prior to the lockdown. 6% of parents identified themselves as being in receipt of government funding for disadvantaged[1] two-year-olds. Findings revealed that most parents (39%) believed the overall impact of lockdown upon their child was positive. A further 34% felt the impact was neither positive nor negative, with 27% reporting a negative impact. Quantitative data revealed the perceived impact on personal, social and emotional development (PSED) for two-year-old children was nuanced and this was reflected within the qualitative themes. Positive qualitative themes focused on the time gained for family relationships, time outdoors, toileting milestones and communication. Recommendations include recognising the value of time for unhurried adult-child interactions as a quality indicator of ECEC and facilitating parental choice for families wishing to invest in time with their two-year-old children. [1]Disadvantaged is the term adopted by the Department for Education in England to describe families of two-year-old children eligible for specific funded entitlement (FE) to childcare schemes. The criterion for this funding is outlined within the paper