Oral application of L-menthol in the heat: From pleasure to performance

When menthol is applied to the oral cavity it presents with a familiar refreshing sensation and cooling mint flavour. This may be deemed hedonic in some individuals, but may cause irritation in others. This variation in response is likely dependent upon trigeminal sensitivity toward cold stimuli, suggesting a need for a menthol solution that can be easily personalised. Menthol’s characteristics can also be enhanced by matching colour to qualitative outcomes; a factor which can easily be manipulated by practitioners working in athletic or occupational settings to potentially enhance intervention efficacy. This presentation will outline the efficacy of oral menthol application for improving time trial performance to date, either via swilling or via co-ingestion with other cooling strategies, with an emphasis upon how menthol can be applied in ecologically valid scenarios. Situations in which performance is not expected to be enhanced will also be discussed. An updated model by which menthol may prove hedonic, satiate thirst and affect ventilation will also be presented, with the potential performance implications of these findings discussed and modelled. Qualitative reflections from athletes that have implemented menthol mouth swilling in competition, training and maximal exercise will also be included

Wearable Architecture: Fashion to the Rescue

This dissertation, titled “Wearable Architecture: Fashion to the Rescue,” studies fashion and architecture in order to assess if the emerging urban nomad fashion trend can inform a new direction in temporary disaster relief for the families of Hawai‘i. The intention is to discover whether the clothes and accessories worn by survivors of natural disasters in bicoastal cities can provide shelter and relief to survivors between the event and the supply of government issued temporary housing. The methodologies used to prove the need for a wearable disaster relief kit are organized into three parts. The first topic researched is natural disasters. Analysis and observation of natural disasters support and demonstrate the need for a kit in times of a natural disaster. This section covers the various needs and problems of a disaster victim and thus reveals what design features should be incorporated into the proposed prototype. The second topic researched is minimalist shelters, which include indigenous shelters, low-income housing, and homeless shelters. This study is crucial as it explores the world of people who live with only the most basic and simple items that are necessary for survival. The resulting information is aimed at defining the basic essentials of everyday survival and how these necessities can be incorporated into a wearable disaster relief kit. The third topic researched is current related technologies. While the first two parts focus on the needs of people following a natural disaster as well as on a day-to-day basis, this part focuses on the tools and inventions that people have created to help address those needs. The information gathered concentrates on portable architecture, wearable architecture, survival kit tools, and materials. With this information, ideas for the prototype arise as the potential and constraints of each invention are examined, thus paving the way for design features that can be incorporated into the proposed prototype. Based on the information gathered, the design parameters were created and this list served as a guide for the wearable disaster relief kit prototype. By establishing the limitations and structure of the design, it paved the way for the design of The Compleat Retreat. The Compleat Retreat is an all-in-one shelter, jacket, floatation device and emergency kit

The History Books Tell It? Collective Bargaining in Higher Education in the 1940s

This article presents a history of unionization and collective bargaining in higher education during and just after World War II, decades before the establishment of statutory frameworks for labor representation. It examines the collective bargaining program adopted by the University of Illinois in 1945, along with contracts negotiated at other institutions, which demonstrated support for employee self-organization. It will also presents counter-examples of institutions using the courts and congressional investigators to defeat unionization efforts. . Lastly, the article will examine the role of United Public Workers of America (UPWA) and its predecessor unions in organizing and negotiating on behalf of faculty, teachers, instructors and staff on campus. The first known collective agreements applicable to faculty, teachers and instructors were negotiated by those unions before UPWA was destroyed during the domestic Cold War

The History Books Tell It? Collective Bargaining in Higher Education in the 1940s

This article presents a history of unionization and collective bargaining in higher education during and just after World War II, decades before the establishment of statutory frameworks for labor representation. It examines the collective bargaining program adopted by the University of Illinois in 1945, along with contracts negotiated at other institutions, which demonstrated support for employee self-organization. It will also presents counter-examples of institutions using the courts and congressional investigators to defeat unionization efforts. . Lastly, the article will examine the role of United Public Workers of America (UPWA) and its predecessor unions in organizing and negotiating on behalf of faculty, teachers, instructors and staff on campus. The first known collective agreements applicable to faculty, teachers and instructors were negotiated by those unions before UPWA was destroyed during the domestic Cold War

Clothing Physiological Properties of Cold Protective Clothing and Their Effects on Human Experience

Approximately one third of the Finnish working population is exposed to cold ambient temperatures (This thesis aimed to contribute new scientific information based on effects of clothing size, moderate wind and moisture on heat loss mechanisms through the layered cold protective clothing and how these affect the user’s experience on thermal comfort, coping and performance. Finally, the thesis aimed to gather the obtained information and the most significant findings from holistic points of view to determine recommendations for future design and development of cold protective clothing.The effects of layered cold protective clothing were examined from a multi-disciplinary perspective using textile technological and clothing physiological methods combined with thermophysiological and usability evaluation methods both in laboratory and in authentic field conditions. The measured materials consisted of layered fabric and clothing combinations, as well as different types of casualty coverings and protective gloves. The measurements were performed in the air temperature between −20 °C and +27 °C. Convective heat loss was studied in wind speeds of calm (0.3 m/s), moderate (4.0 m/s) and high (8.0 m/s). Effects of moisture from internal and external sources on clothing thermal insulation and heat loss were studied.The study found that the inner layer influenced the most on moisture handling properties, such as heat content for evaporation, drying time, and decrease in thermal insulation when wet. Garment fit and size was shown to affect the thermal insulation by about 20% and it should be considered in standardisation for clothing size and testing of the cold protective clothing. Moisture transfer mechanisms and their effects on the clothing insulation in the cold differed whether the moisture appeared from internal or external sources of the clothing. Wind decreased the intrinsic insulation by up to 33% depending on material air permeability, body position and wind speed and direction. The study also showed that development of the cold protective clothing during several decades provided improved human experiences such as thermal comfort, coping and performance during long-term cold exposure. Well-being at work is supported also by comfort, which is emphasized by thermal and sensorial sensations in the cold climate. Therefore, the findings are significant for improving occupational safety, health, and well-being as well as productivity in outdoor processes

SmartPro – Smart protective solutions for industrial safety and productivity in the cold

Year-round activity involves challenging climatic conditions for the industries in the North. Especially in the winter cold disturbs not only the machinery of industrial processes and vehicles, but is also very crucial factor to reduce worker’s thermal comfort, performance, and occupational health and safety. In the cold, work capability and productivity decrease, the risk of mistakes and errors increases and stress level elevates. Peripheral body parts, such as hands, are the first to cool when humans are exposed to cold resulting in reduced manual and psychomotor performance. This report describes possibilities of sensor-based heating systems integrated into gloves to prolong the safe and efficient working time in the cold. The project was carried out in co-operation with SINTEF and it was part of Saf€ra program

Human acclimation and acclimatization to heat: A compendium of research, 1968-1978

Abstracts and annotations of the majority of scientific works that elucidate the mechanisms of short-term acclimation to heat in men and women are presented. The compendium includes material from 1968 through 1977. Subject and author indexes are provided and additional references of preliminary research findings or work of a peripheral nature are included in a bibliography