Direct and indirect effects of mood on risk decision making in safety-critical workers

The study aimed to examine the direct influence of specific moods (fatigue, anxiety, happiness) on risk in safety-critical decision making. It further aimed to explore indirect effects, specifically, the potential mediating effects of information processing assessed using a goodness-of-simulation task. Trait fatigue and anxiety were associated with an increase in risk taking on the Safety-Critical Personal Risk Inventory (S-CPRI), however the effect of fatigue was partialled out by anxiety. Trait happiness, in contrast was related to less risky decision making. Findings concerning the ability to simulate suggest that better simulators made less risky decisions. Anxious workers were generally less able to simulate. It is suggested that in this safety-critical environment happiness had a direct effect on risk decision making while the effect of trait anxiety was mediated by goodness-of-simulation

Influence of prior activity (warm-up) and inspiratory muscle training upon between- and within-day reliability of maximal inspiratory pressure measurement

This is the post-print version of the article. The official published version can be obtained from the link below.BACKGROUND: A specific inspiratory muscle ‘warm-up’ (IWU) prior to assessment of maximal inspiratory mouth pressure (PImax) may reduce the number of measurements required to obtain reproducible, representative estimates of PImax. The influence of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) upon this phenomenon is unknown. OBJECTIVE: Compare the impact of an IWU on the between- and within-day reliability of PImax before and after IMT. METHOD: Eight participants were assessed on 4 separate occasions: 2 trials preceded IMT and 2 followed it. At each assessment, the highest of 3 initial efforts was recorded as the pre-IWU value (PI). The highest of 9 subsequent efforts that followed 2 sets of 30 breaths at 40% PI was recorded as PImax. Following 4 weeks of IMT, the trials were repeated. RESULTS: IWU increased PI by 11–17% (p ≤ 0.01), irrespective of IMT status. After IWU, 5–6 efforts were required to determine PImax, irrespective of IMT status. PImax was similar between the 2 trials before IMT and the 2 trials after IMT (p ≥ 0.05), and was 21% higher after IMT (p ≤ 0.01). The coefficient of variation was excellent before and after IWU, both before (1.9 and 0.6%, respectively) and after IMT (1.1 and 0.3%, respectively). Limits of agreement and sample sizes for effect sizes ≤10% were substantially smaller after IWU in all trials. CONCLUSIONS: (1) IWU enhances the between-day reliability of PImax measurement, and this is unaffected by IMT, and (2) judgements regarding acceptability in relation to PImax reliability should be made in relation to analytical goals and we present data to facilitate this

The role of organizational and individual variables in aircraft maintenance performance

Aviation maintenance has been identified by the FAA as an area where better efficiency is needed to cope with ever increasing workloads. However, aviation maintenance has also been identified as one of the major causes of accidents. Consequently, if further efficiencies are to be achieved, they cannot come at the cost of reduced safety margins. The present study employed a safety climate approach to assist in the development of a model that can help to explain morale, psychological health, turnover intentions, and error in the aviation maintenance environment. An instrument called the Maintenance Environment Survey was developed and administered to 240 personnel responsible for maintenance of a large military helicopter fleet. Data collected through the survey were used to develop a structural model that predicted 45 per cent of the variance in psychological health, 67 per cent of the variance in morale, 27 per cent of the variance in turnover intentions, and 44 per cent of the variance in self-reported maintenance errors. The model shows the pathways through which organizational level and individual level variables can influence work outcomes and leads to suggestions for interventions that can help to improve maintenance efficiency

The role of motion analysis in elite soccer

The optimal physical preparation of elite soccer (association football) players has become an indispensable part of the professional game especially due to the increased physical demands of match-play. The monitoring of players’ work-rate profiles during competition is now feasible through computer-aided motion analysis. Traditional methods of motion analysis were extremely labour intensive and were largely restricted to university- based research projects. Recent technological developments have meant that sophisticated systems, capable of quickly recording and processing the data of all players’ physical contributions throughout an entire match, are now being used in elite club environments. In recognition of the important role motion analysis now plays as a tool for measuring the physical performance of soccer players, this review critically appraises various motion analysis methods currently employed in elite soccer and explores research conducted using these methods. This review therefore aims to increase the awareness of both practitioners and researchers of the various motion analysis systems available, identify practical implications of the established body of knowledge, while highlighting areas that require further exploration

Balancing stress and recovery in sports

To reach elite level in sports, athletes have to start their intensive and time-consuming training at an early stage. The road to the top is a stressful one, not only due to the physiological stress of training, but also caused by psychological and social stress. In order to improve performance athletes continuously challenge their personal boundaries. This may lead to a local or general overload of the human body that results into injuries, illnesses and overtraining. Overtraining is characterized by an unexplained decrement in sport-specific performance and is often coupled with symptoms such as increased fatigue, poor concentration, disturbed mood, and altered eating and sleeping patterns. Full recovery may take months to years. Monitoring stress and recovery may help to optimize performance and prevent a local or general overload. Clinical measurements showed that mood state and hormonal responses to a double maximal exercise protocol provided valuable information to confirm the diagnosis of overtraining.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSCULOSKELETAL STRENGTH, PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND KNEE KINESTHESIA FOLLOWING FATIGUING EXERCISE

Fatiguing exercise may result in impaired functional joint stability and increased risk of unintentional injury. While there are several musculoskeletal and physiological characteristics related to fatigue onset, their relationship with proprioceptive changes following fatigue has not been examined. The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between musculoskeletal and physiological characteristics and changes in proprioception, measured by threshold to detect passive motion (TTDPM), following fatiguing exercise. Twenty, physically active females participated (age: 28.65 ± 5.6 years, height: 165.6 ± 4.3 cm, weight: 61.8 ± 8.0 kg, BMI: 22.5± 2.3 kg/m2, BF: 23.3 ± 5.4%). During Visit 1, subjects completed an exercise history and 24-hour dietary questionnaire, and body composition, TTDPM familiarization, isokinetic knee strength, and maximal oxygen uptake/lactate threshold assessments. During Visit 2, subjects completed TTDPM and isometric knee strength testing prior to and following a fatiguing exercise protocol. Wilcoxon signed rank tests determined TTDPM and isometric knee strength changes from pre- to post- fatigue. Spearman’s rho correlation coefficients determined the relationship between strength and physiological variables with pre- to post-fatigue changes in TTDPM and with pre-fatigue and post-fatigue TTDPM in extension and flexion (α=0.05). No significant differences were demonstrated from pre-fatigue to post-fatigue TTDPM despite a significant decrease in isometric knee flexion strength (P<0.01) and flexion/extension ratio (P<0.05) following fatigue. No significant correlations were observed between strength or physiological variables and changes in TTDPM from pre- to post-fatigue in extension or flexion. Flexion/extension ratio was significantly correlated with pre-fatigue TTDPM in extension (r=-0.231, P<0.05). Peak oxygen uptake was significantly correlated with pre-fatigue (r=-0.500, P<0.01) and post-fatigue (r=-0.520, P<0.05) TTDPM in extension. No significant relationships were demonstrated between musculoskeletal and physiological characteristics and changes in TTDPM following fatigue. The results suggest that highly trained individuals may have better proprioception, and that the high fitness level of subjects in this investigation may have contributed to absence of TTDPM deficits following fatigue despite reaching a high level of perceptual and physiological fatigue. Future studies should consider various subject populations, other musculoskeletal strength characteristics, and different modalities of proprioception to determine the most important contributions to proprioceptive changes following fatigue

Reliability and Validity of Ratings of Perceived Exertion in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

Objective: To test the reliability and validity of using the Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale (ratings 6e20) in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Design: Nonrandomized repeated measures. Setting: Research laboratory. Participants: Volunteer sample (N=27) comprised of 16 PwMS (10 women) and 11 age-matched persons without multiple sclerosis (MS) (6 women). Clinical measures included symptomatic fatigue, depression, and MS functional capacity. Interventions: A submaximal cycling test was performed to estimate maximal capacity. Participants then pedaled for 2 minutes at 50% and 60% of predicted maximal oxygen consumption per unit time (V̇O2), and physiological measures and RPE were obtained (week 1: response protocol). One week later, participants replicated the prescribed V̇O2 using the RPE range from week 1 (week 2: reproduction protocol). V̇O2, heart rate, and respiratory quotient were measured continuously; RPE and workload were measured every minute; and blood lactate and mean arterial pressure were measured after exercise. Main Outcome Measures: RPE, workload, V̇O2, and heart rate from week 1 to week 2. Results: PwMS had greater fatigue (P2, and heart rate were similar between groups. Both groups had an intraclass correlation coefficient \u3e.86 for RPE, workload, and V̇O2. The intraclass correlation coefficient was comparatively lower for heart rate for both groups (MS group: .72, non-MS group: .83). RPE was highly correlated with V̇O2(rZ.691, P Conclusions: Results suggest that RPE can be reliably reproduced, is valid, and may be used in exercise prescription in mildly to moderately impaired PwMS during cycling exercise

The effect of variable rest intervals and chronic ankle instability on triplanar ankle motion during performance of the Star Excursion Balance Test

Inadequate rest intervals may contribute to impaired performance during functional tests. However, the effect of different rest intervals on performance of the SEBT in individuals with and without CAI is not known. Our purposes were to determine whether different rest intervals impact ankle kinematics during the SEBT and whether there differences between those two populations. 24 controls and 24 CAI completed 3 trials in 3 reach directions (anteromedial; AM, medial; M, posteromedial; PM). The order of rest intervals and reach distance were randomized and counterbalanced. Three visits were required to complete the 3 rest interval conditions (10, 20, 40 s). Rest interval did not impact ankle kinematics between controls and CAI during the SEBT. Dorsiflexion (DF) (AM:partial eta(2) = 0.18; M:partial eta(2) = 0.23; PM:partial eta(2) = 0.23) for all directions and tibial internal rotation (TIR) excursions (AM:partial eta(2) = 0.20) for AM direction were greater in individuals with CAI regardless of rest interval length. Rest intervals ranging from 10 to 40 s did not influence ankle kinematics. Differences exist in DF and TIR between controls and CAI during the SEBT. These findings suggest that clinicians can use any rest interval between 10 and 40 s when administrating the SEBT. However, triplanar motion differs during a complex functional movement in controls compared to CAI

Vitamin D supplementation does not improve human skeletal muscle contractile properties in insufficient young males

Vitamin D may be a regulator of skeletal muscle function, although human trials investigating this hypothesis are limited to predominantly elderly populations. We aimed to assess the effect of oral vitamin D3 in healthy young males upon skeletal muscle function

Haematological malignancy: are we measuring what is important to patients? A systematic review of quality of life instruments

© 2018 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.The wide range of health‐related quality‐of‐life (HRQoL) instruments used in haematology makes it challenging for haematologists and other care team members in practice to select, use and understand the scoring system and finally interpret the results. The main objectives of this study were to: (a) provide a comprehensive list of quality‐of‐life issues important to patients suffering from haematological malignancies, identified through the literature; (b) provide a list of health‐related quality‐of‐life (HRQoL) instruments used in haematological malignancies in both daily clinical practice and research; and (c) evaluate the relevance and comprehensibility of the identified instruments in haematological malignancies. Systematic literature review of two databases, followed by addition of articles by manual searching, was carried out. The articles focusing on the primary studies, which have used semi‐structured/structured interviews or surveys to identify issues important to HM patients, and other studies describing the results of testing measurement properties, such as reliability, validity and responsiveness of the instruments currently used to evaluate the HRQoL in different HMs, were included. Fifty‐seven studies reported development and validation of 30 HRQoL instruments, which have been used in haematology. Twenty‐four studies were identified using qualitative methods to report HRQoL issues and symptoms from a patient's perspective. No identified instrument captured all the issues identified from the qualitative studies. None of the instruments reviewed appeared to have been developed for use in clinical practice and specifically for patients with HM, except MyPOS. Furthermore, measurement properties were established, largely, in clinical trial scenarios. There is a need for development of a new HRQoL instrument entirely based on involvement of patients with haematological malignancies.Peer reviewe