A Comparison of Resistance Exercise to Aerobic Exercise on Cognitive Processing Speed in Young Adults

Processing speed is the progression by which an individual receives information, begins to understand it, and then responds to it. Processing speed affects academic performance and research has established a positive relationship between exercise and processing speed. While the majority of research on cognition has focused on aerobic exercise, several studies have still demonstrated resistance exercise can improve cognitive abilities, including processing speed. However, these studies have relied primarily on a more tradition approach with free weights and machines. Additionally, there are a lack of studies directly comparing these modes of exercise (aerobic vs. resistance) and the appropriate duration of exercise to improve processing speed is not fully understood. PURPOSE: To explore if an acute 10-minute bout of resistance exercise, using body weight and resistance bands, compares to aerobic exercise on cognitive processing speed in young adults. METHODS: Healthy young adults (N = 29; male = 15, female = 14) underwent a repeated measures design with one control and two experimental conditions (aerobic, resistance). Visits took place at least 48 hours, but no more than 72 hours apart. During the control visit, participants completed the Symbol Search Subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV) via Inquisit computer software, a validated measure of processing speed. During the two experimental conditions, participants completed a 10-minute bout of moderate intensity aerobic or resistance exercise, determined by heart rate reserve response (40-59% of HRR). Following the brief exercise bout, the Symbol Search subtest was administered 11 minutes post-activity during the optimal window of assessment, as previously determined. RESULTS: A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to assess differences in processing speed across the conditions (control, aerobic, and resistance). The results revealed an overall significant effect (F(2,56) = 28.18, p \u3c 0.001, ηp2= 0.502) between the three conditions. Follow-up pairwise comparisons revealed participants performed better on processing speed following aerobic exercise compared to the control condition (p \u3c 0.001), and performed better following resistance exercise compared to the control condition (p \u3c 0.001). However, no statistically significant difference was found on processing speed between the aerobic exercise and resistance exercise conditions (p = 0.300). CONCLUSION: Our study compared a brief bout of aerobic and resistance exercise and determined that both resistance and aerobic exercise produced improvements in processing speed compared to the control condition, but no difference was found between the two exercise conditions. This suggests that a brief 10-minute bout of moderate intensity aerobic or resistance exercise can be utilized to improve processing speed in healthy college-aged students. Given the large number (40-50%) of college students in the U.S. who are inactive and report time as a barrier to exercise, either 10-minute bout of exercise used in the current study may be feasible for healthy young adults to engage in prior to performing tasks in which processing speed is essential, for example, timed examinations

Initial validation of a virtual blood draw exposure paradigm for fear of blood and needles

Fear of blood, injections, and needles commonly prevents or delays individuals' receipt of health care, such as vaccines or blood draws. Innovative methods are needed to overcome these fears and reduce anxiety related to activities of this nature. The present study describes initial testing of an arm illusion paradigm that may prove useful during early phases of graded exposure for people with blood and needle fear. Seventy-four undergraduate students aged 18-29 years were tested. In line with study aims, results indicated that the virtual blood draw paradigm promoted strong perceptions of arm ownership and elicited significant changes in physiological indices (blood pressure, heart rate, electrodermal activity, respiratory rate) in response to key procedure elements (e.g., needle insertion). Further, bivariate correlations indicated that individual differences in self-reported blood and needle fear collected prior to the illusion paradigm were significantly associated with presyncopal symptoms reported following the procedure. In regression analyses, self-reported measures of blood and needle fear explained unique variance in presyncopal symptoms even after controlling for general state anxiety. These findings provide initial support for the virtual blood draw paradigm as a promising tool to help provide graded exposure to medical procedures involving needles and blood draw

Problems associated with direct displacement-based design of concrete bridges with single-column piers, and some suggested improvements

Currently available displacement-based design (DBD) procedures for bridges are critically evaluated with a view to identifying extensions and/or modifications of the procedure, for it to be applicable to final design of a fairly broad class of bridges. An improved direct DBD procedure is presented, including a suite of comprehensive design criteria and proper consideration of the degree of fixity of the pier top. The design of an overpass bridge (originally designed to a current European Code), applying the improved ‘direct’ displacement-based design (DDBD) procedure is presented and both ‘conventional’ and displacement-based designs are assessed using non-linear response-history analysis (NLRHA); comparisons are made in terms of both economy and seismic performance of the different designs. It is seen that DDBD provided a more rational base shear distribution among piers and abutments when compared to the force-based design procedure and adequately captured the displacement pattern, closely matching the results of the more rigorous NLRHA

Miniaturized thin-film filters to connect multiple self-written waveguides

Self-written waveguides (SWWs) have been well investigated within the last decades. In most cases, they are used as low-loss coupling structures, i.e., to connect buried optical structures in photonic integrated circuits. In this work, we extend the field of possible applications for SWWs by embedding a novel thin-film filter to split the beam and connect multiple output ports simultaneously. The multilayer design of the dielectric filter can be customized to enable its application as a dichroic beamsplitter for photonic networks. The embedded thin-film filter was characterized in detail and used to connect an additional optical sensing element, which is also based on SWWs, to demonstrate its usability for measurement of physical quantities

Optical and Electrical Measurements Reveal the Orientation Mechanism of Homoleptic Iridium-Carbene Complexes

Understanding and controlling the driving forces for molecular alignment in optoelectronic thin-film devices is of crucial importance for improving their performance. In this context, the preferential orientation of organometallic iridium complexes is in the focus of research to benefit from their improved light-outcoupling efficiencies in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Although there has been great progress concerning the orientation behavior for heteroleptic Ir complexes, the mechanism behind the alignment of homoleptic complexes is still unclear yet. In this work, we present a sky-blue phosphorescent dye that shows variable alignment depending on systematic modifications of the ligands bound to the central iridium atom. From an optical study of the transition dipole moment orientation and the electrically accessible alignment of the permanent dipole moment, we conclude that the film morphology is related to both the aspect ratio of the dye and the local electrostatic interaction of the ligands with the film surface during growth. These results indicate a potential strategy to actively control the orientation of iridium-based emitters for the application in OLEDs

A Call to Clarify the Intensity and Classification of Standing Behavior

Public health guidelines for physical activity now include recommendations to break up prolonged sitting with light-intensity activities. Concurrently, interventions to increase standing have emerged, especially within the workplace in the form of sit–stand or standing workstations. Moreover, in short-duration studies, breaking up prolonged sitting with standing has been associated improved cardiometabolic outcomes. Publicly available estimates of the intensity of standing range from 1.5 to 2.3 metabolic equivalents (METs), neatly classifying standing as a light-intensity activity (>1.5 to 2.0 METs and ≤2.0 METs, respectively. However, this study reviews data suggesting that some standing (e.g., while performing deskwork) is substantially below the minimum light intensity activity threshold of 1.5 METs. These data bring into question whether standing should be universally classified as a light-intensity behavior. The objectives of this study are to (i) highlight discrepancies in classifying standing behavior in the human movement spectrum continuum, and (ii) to propose a realignment of the ‘active’ vs. ‘passive’ standing threshold to match the light intensity threshold to help provide a clearer research framework and subsequent public health messaging for the expected health benefits from standing.N/

Water Infiltration in Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite: Fast and Inconspicuous

While the susceptibility of CH3NH3PbI3 to water is well documented, water influence on device performance is not well understood. Herein we use infrared spectroscopy to show that water infiltration into CH3NH3PbI3 occurs much faster and at much lower humidity than previously thought. We propose a molecular model where water molecules have a strong effect on the hydrogen bonding between the methylammonium cations and the Pb-I cage. Furthermore, the exposure of CH3NH3PbI3 to ambient environment increases the photocurrent of films in lateral devices by more than one order of magnitude. The observed slow component in the photocurrent buildup indicates that the effect is associated with enhanced proton conduction when light is combined with water and oxygen exposure.C.M. and M.S. acknowledge support by the Heidelberg Graduate School of Fundamental Physics. A.A.B. is a Royal Society University Research Fellow.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Chemical Society via http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b0388