Recreational Noise Exposures at Motorsport Events

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a type of hearing loss that after repeated exposure to high levels of sound for extended periods of time can result in damage to the fragile structures of the inner ear. Hearing changes caused by NIHL could be temporary or permanent. Hazardous noise levels in the workplace environment have been known to cause NIHL over time. Therefore, governing agencies have noise standards that have been enacted to decrease the risk of developing NIHL in the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the Federal Railroad Administration are examples of these governing agencies. In addition, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the World Health Organization have provided best practice guidelines for prevention of NIHL by establishing permissible noise exposure criteria. Hazardous noise exposure is not only confined to the workplace but can be found in a variety of non-occupational settings including recreational activities. Occupational and non-occupational noise exposures are cumulative throughout a lifetime. However, there are no limits to reference for recreational exposures. Common recreational activities include target shooting, attending concerts, and attending motorsport or other sporting events among others. The motorsport industry is growing and includes countless aficionados partaking in motorsport events. Both recreational and occupational noise exposure studies have documented the risk for NIHL among individuals involved in motorsports. The range of sound pressure levels were between 63 dBA to over 100 dBA across studies investigating motorcycles, snowmobiles, stock cars, F1, monster trucks and tractor pulls (Bess & Poynor, 1974; Buhr-Lawler, 2017; Dolder et al., 2013; Jordan et al., 2004; Kardous & Morata, 2010; Moore, 2014; Morley et al., 1999; Rose et al., 2008; Ross, 1989; Van Campen et al., 2005). Hot rodding is a unique motorsport among other types that has not been evaluated for noise exposure of drivers, spectators, and event personnel. Due to an increasing number of individuals with NIHL, it is important that additional research is conducted to evaluate the noise exposures from motorsports that are contributing to this health issue. Development of prevention strategies and hearing conservation programs for individuals involved in motorsports is warranted. Recommendations for future directions and hearing health promotion activities targeting this population are provided. Audiologists can play a key role in the prevention of NIHL resulting from motorsport noise exposure by providing hearing conservation services, monitoring for auditory damage, and education for motorsport enthusiasts and employers

Responses of Healthy Subjects to Stresses of Selected Athletic Events Final Report, Jan. 1963 - Jul. 1964

Physiological responses of athletes to stress of sports event

A New Lean Model: Improving Race Team Performance through Team-Driver Communication Efficacy

In some organizational settings and in the field of competitive automobile racing, certain situations and rules place an emphasis on and sometimes escalate the need for effective team communications. This dissertation hypothesizes that effective and dense communications contributes directly to team performance. Supported by organizational behavioral and lean six sigma theory, communications is declared a form of waste within the context of Industrial Engineering subject to data collection, measurements, and real-time, value-added metrics. Measuring and reporting trends in communications provides a basis for a new and unique model called a Communications Productivity Model (CPM) with an associated Communications Density Report (CDR). Industrial Engineering productivity, statistics, linguistic and text analysis tools were combined to develop a unique Dynamic Productivity Index (DPI) enhancing the CDR as a means to rapidly provide meaningful and value-added feedback on recent and future performance. Data was collected on actual automobile racing teams to validate the new communications model, report on the results using the CDR and introduce the DPI. Future research is also proposed in this dissertation to enhance the new communications model whereby speech recognition technologies are evaluated and tested

Horses and Risk

The risk of physical accident or injury to humans from horses is well understood. Now, there is increasing awareness of negative impacts on the physical and mental wellbeing of horses from living in fundamentally human environments and being subject to human management regimes. The 17 articles in this collection describe horse-related risks to humans and human-related risks to horses across a range of equestrian disciplines, sectors and activities. Not only do the authors take detailed approaches towards describing and calculating risk, they suggest solutions-focussed interventions for reducing the consequence and likelihood of harm to horses and humans in their relations with one another. Together, these important articles provide strategies for maximising the mutual benefits of humans and horses in each other’s lives. By considering human, animal and environmental aspects of horse-related risk, this collection provides a foundation for the development of an ‘Equestrian One Health’ framework to underpin future research into horse-related risks

An Examination of the Psychological Skills Profiles of Oval Racers and Road Racers

Introduction: Given the global popularity and far-reaching economics of auto racing, it is surprising how few studies have examined the sport generally and the psychological aspects of the sport specifically. Consistent with this general lack of research is the specific absence of studies examining the psychological skills needed to participate in the two main disciplines of auto racing, specifically oval and road racing. The purpose of the current study was to examine the use of psychological skills by athletes who participate in distinct sub-disciplines within the sport of auto racing, specifically oval racers and road racers. Methods: A total of 106 amateur oval racers (n = 51) and road racers (n = 55) completed the Test of Performance Strategies - 2 (TOPS-2). Results: Road racers scored significantly higher than oval racers on emotional control (p \u3c .001) and significantly lower than oval racers on negative thinking (p \u3c .004), on the competition subscale of the TOPS-2. No significant differences were observed between the two groups on any of the practice subscales of the TOPS-2. Road racers participated in significantly fewer races than oval racers in the past two seasons (Mroad = 14.00, Moval = 37.59, p \u3c .0001). Compared to a general population of athletes, oval racers and road racers scored significantly higher on imagery in practice (p \u3c .004) and significantly lower on self-talk strategies in both practice and competition (p \u3c .004). Discussion: The differences observed between oval and road racers may be due to their opportunities for competition. Road racers may use psychological skills to a different extent than oval racers in order to effectively cope with the challenges associated with fewer opportunities for competition. Compared to other athletes, both oval and road racers reported more frequent use of imagery in practice settings, which may be due to their practice habits. Due to the financial and logistical constraints of practice, racing drivers may rely on imagery (e.g., cognitive-general imagery) to facilitate strategy acquisition and execution. The specific type of imagery used by racing drivers, along with an examination of the psychological skills used by professional drivers for improved performance, are topics for future study. In line with the results of the current study, practitioners are encouraged to work with drivers to develop their imagery skills. Overall, those interested in studying or working with racing drivers should look for opportunities to collaborate with other professionals (e.g., strength and conditioning coach, mental training coach, driver coach, crew chief) so that they can focus on driver development by utilizing an integrated approach to performance enhancement

The Physiology and Bioenergetics of Ultraendurance Mountain Bike Racing

Ultraendurance mountain bike racing is a relatively new sport and has received scant research attention. The practical difficulty of field-testing during competition has played a role in this dearth of knowledge. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the physiology and bioenergetics of cross-country marathon (XCM) and 24 hour team relay (24XCT) mountain bike racing. Study One analysed the physiological characteristics of XCM competitors and compared them to data from studies in the literature for Olympic-distance cross-country (XCO) mountain bike competitors. The XCM participants had lower mean peak aerobic capacity (58.4 ± 6.3 mL•kg-1•min-1), greater body mass (72.8 ± 6.7 kg) and estimated percentage body fat (10.4 ± 2.4%) compared to values reported for XCO competitors in the literature. Stature (1.77 ± 6.0 m) and normalised peak power output (5.5 ± 0.7 W•kg-1) were comparable. These data suggest that specific physiological characteristics of XCM competitors differ from those of XCO competitors. Study Two quantified and described the exercise intensity during a XCM race by monitoring heart rate responses. The mean heart rate (150 ± 10 beats•min-1) for the duration of the race equated to 82 percent of maximum heart rate and did not differ significantly throughout the race (p = 0.33). The data indicated that the XCM race was of a high aerobic intensity. Prior to the competition the relationship between heart rate and O2peak for each participant was established during an incremental laboratory test. Energy expenditure was estimated by assigning 20.2 kJ to each litre of oxygen consumed. The mean rate of energy expenditure during the race was estimated to be 59.9 kJ•min-1. Furthermore, no anthropometric or physiological measures were correlated to race speed, indicating that other factors contribute to race performance. The third study was a laboratory-based investigation to determine whether physiological factors relevant to 24XCT racing change with time of day. On separate days participants cycled on an ergometer for 20 min at 82 percent of maximum heart rate at 06:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 00:00 h. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed for several physiological responses (heart rate, oxygen uptake, salivary cortisol concentrations and intra-aural temperature) but not for performance variables (power output and self-selected cadence). It was concluded that the laboratory protocol lacked ecological validity and that it was necessary to test within a race using authentic 24XCT competitors. In order to measure in-race performance, Study Four examined the agreement between a bottom-bracket ambulatory ergometer (Ergomo®Pro) and the criterion SRM power meter in a field-based setting. Analysis of absolute limits of agreement found that the Ergomo®Pro had a systematic bias (± random error) of 4.9 W (± 6.12). Based on tolerances recommended in the literature the unit was considered fit for purpose for measuring power output during 24XCT racing. Study Five was a multiple case-study design that examined the physiological and performance parameters of a team during a 24XCT race. It was reported that mean work-shift speed (18.3 ± 2.6 km•h-1), power output (219 ± 50.9 W) and cadence (64.1 ± 9.3 rpm) were variable between participants and between work-shifts. A commonality amongst the participants was an increase in speed during the final work-shift compared to the penultimate one. A decline in work-shift heart rate was observed throughout the race. For the majority of participants an increase in gross efficiency (1.7 ± 1.4 %) was reported from the penultimate to the final work-shift. It was concluded that pacing strategies were employed and that the improved efficiency was caused, in part, by an increased familiarity with the course during the race. Study Six examined the nutritional practices and energy expenditure of the same team during the same 24XCT race. Energy expenditure during the work-shifts was estimated in accordance with Study Two. Resting energy expenditure during the recovery periods was estimated using the Harris and Benedict formula (1919). Food and fluid consumption were determined via food diaries and hydration status was assessed by measuring the refractive index of urine. Energy consumption (17.3 ± 2.2 MJ) was considerably less than energy expenditure (30.4 ± 6.1 MJ) with the former accounting for only 57 percent of the latter. The energy cost during the work-shifts was estimated to be 74.5 kJ•min-1. Mean fluid intake (6.3 ± 0.9 L) for the 24 h was sufficient to maintain hydration status. Based on these studies an integrated model of the factors that influence ultraendurance mountain bike performance was developed. The domains that influence race speed are physiological factors, technical and tactical factors, and nutritional strategies. The sub domain that influences these is environmental factors. Collectively this information is of practical importance to sport scientists, coaches and athletes involved with designing nutritional and tactical preparation strategies and training programmes for this sport

Development of Total Vaporization Solid Phase Microextraction and Its Application to Explosives and Automotive Racing

Pipe bombs are a common form of improvised explosive device, due in part to their ease of construction. Despite their simplistic nature, the lethality of pipe bombs should not be dismissed. Due to the risk of harm and their commonality, research into the pipe bomb deflagration process and subsequent chemical analysis is necessary