Physical fun : Exercise, social relations and learning in SuperPark

SuperParks offer a diverse set of activities, including trampolines, skate parks, obstacle walls, parkour courses, playtowers and many different games. The activities are aimed to people of all ages and fitness levels. However, the biggest group of visitors are children and young people, who make up a clear majority inside the SuperPark crowd. SuperPark describes the entertaining physical, social and mental activity inside as “sparking”. SuperPark Ltd, the company behind SuperParks, commissioned this study to investigate the quality of physical activities and social life inside the parks. The research was carried out by researchers from the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences working in Juvenia and Active Life Lab, units focusing on youth studies and preventive wellbeing, respectively. University of Jyväskylä deserves credit for providing assistance for the research. This study report consists of two parts. Part 1 focuses on the physiology of sparking and physical data collected from participants at SuperPark Jyväskylä. Part 2 addresses the social life inside SuperPark using survey and interview data collected from young visitors inside SuperPark.SuperPark tarjoaa monipuolisen joukon aktiviteetteja, muun muassa trampoliineja, skeittiparkkeja, kiipeilyseiniä, parkour-ratoja ja monia erilaisia pelejä. Aktiviteetit on suunnattu kaikenikäisille ja -kuntoisille. Suurin ja näkyvin vierailijaryhmä ovat kuitenkin lapset ja nuoret. SuperPark käyttää ”sparkkaus” -termiä kuvaamaan puistoissa tapahtuvaa fyysistä, henkistä ja sosiaalista toimintaa. SuperParkien takana oleva SuperPark Oy tilasi tämän tutkimuksen saadakseen tutkimustietoa fyysisen aktiivisuuden ja sosiaalisen elämän laadusta puistoissa. Tutkimuksen toteuttivat Kaakkois-Suomen ammattikorkeakoulun tutkimusyksiköissä, nuorisoalan tutkimus- ja kehittämiskeskus Juveniassa ja tietoon perustuvia hyvinvointipalveluja kehittävässä Active Life Labissa, työskentelevät tutkijat. Jyväskylän yliopisto ansaitsee kiitoksen avusta, jota se tarjosi tutkimusprojektille. Tämä tutkimusraportti koostuu kahdesta osasta. Osa 1 käsittelee sparkkauksen fysiologiaa ja hyödyntää SuperPark Jyväskylän koehenkilöiltä koottua fyysistä mittausaineistoa. Osa 2 kuvaa sosiaalista elämää SuperParkeissa nuorilta Super-Park-vierailijoilta kootun verkkokysely- ja haastatteluaineiston avulla

Can the Functional Movement Screen Method Identify Previously Injured Wushu Athletes?

The functional movement screen (FMS) is commonly used to evaluate sports injury risks, but no study has been reported for Wushu athletes. The aim of this study was to identify optimal FMS cut-off points for previously injured Wushu athletes and to examine the associations with other possible factors. In this study, a total of 84 Chinese Wushu athletes (15.1 ± 4.5 years old, 51% male) with a minimum of two years of professional training background in either Taiji, Changquan, or Nanquan were assessed by the FMS. Video recordings were used to confirm the scoring criteria, and previous injuries were assessed based on face-to-face interviews. An optimal cut-off of the FMS score was investigated by receiver operating characteristic curves with sensitivity and specificity. We found that FMS score of less than 16 (sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 56%) was related to an increased occurrence of injuries (odds ratio = 5.096, 95%CI: 1.679–15.465) for the current study sample. The training type and training levels were related with FMS scores. More than half of the athletes (58%) had FMS asymmetry and 21% of athletes reported pain while performing the FMS protocol. Future prospective studies are recommended to use FMS with cut-off of 16 points in Wushu athletes

Face Recognition Using Morphological Analysis of Images

Face recognition from still and motion image has been an active and emerging research area in the field of image processing, pattern recognition and so on in the recent years . The challenges associated with discriminant face recognition can be attributed to the following factors such as pose, facial expression, occlusion, image orientation, image condition, presence or absence of structural component and many more. In this paper, we have tried to emphasize on the morphological analysis of images based on the behavior of the intensity value. Firstly images with various situations of a person are selected as training images. Based on the min, max and average characteristics of images, the training model has been built. Morphological analysis like binary image processing, erosion and dilation play the important role to identify the facial portion of an image from the whole one. Finally face recognition has been made for input images based on their intensity value measurement. The training images collected from various database such as YALE, ORL, and UMIST and others. The algorithm performed well and showed 80 percent accuracy on face predictio

A family based tailored counselling to increase non-exercise physical activity in adults with a sedentary job and physical activity in their young children: design and methods of a year-long randomized controlled trial

Background. Epidemiological evidence suggests that decrease in sedentary behaviour is beneficial for health. This family based randomized controlled trial examines whether face-to-face delivered counselling is effective in reducing sedentary time and improving health in adults and increasing moderate-to-vigorous activities in children. Methods. The families are randomized after balancing socioeconomic and environmental factors in the Jyväskylä region, Finland. Inclusion criteria are: healthy men and women with children 3-8 years old, and having an occupation where they self-reportedly sit more than 50% of their work time and children in all-day day-care in kindergarten or in the first grade in primary school. Exclusion criteria are: body mass index > 35 kg/m2, self-reported chronic, long-term diseases, families with pregnant mother at baseline and children with disorders delaying motor development. From both adults and children accelerometer data is collected five times a year in one week periods. In addition, fasting blood samples for whole blood count and serum metabonomics, and diurnal heart rate variability for 3 days are assessed at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months follow-up from adults. Quadriceps and hamstring muscle activities providing detailed information on muscle inactivity will be used to realize the maximum potential effect of the intervention. Fundamental motor skills from children and body composition from adults will be measured at baseline, and at 6 and 12 months follow-up. Questionnaires of family-influence-model, health and physical activity, and dietary records are assessed. After the baseline measurements the intervention group will receive tailored counselling targeted to decrease sitting time by focusing on commute and work time. The counselling regarding leisure time is especially targeted to encourage toward family physical activities such as visiting playgrounds and non-built environments, where children can get diversified stimulation for play and practice fundamental of motor skills. The counselling will be reinforced during the first 6 months followed by a 6-month maintenance period. Discussion. If shown to be effective, this unique family based intervention to improve lifestyle behaviours in both adults and children can provide translational model for community use. This study can also provide knowledge whether the lifestyle changes are transformed into relevant biomarkers and self-reported health. Trial registration number. ISRCTN: ISRCTN28668090peerReviewe

Mapping and assessment of forest ecosystems and their services - Applications and guidance for decision making in the framework of MAES

The aim of this report is to illustrate by means of a series of case studies the implementation of mapping and assessment of forest ecosystem services in different contexts and geographical levels. Methodological aspects, data issues, approaches, limitations, gaps and further steps for improvement are analysed for providing good practices and decision making guidance. The EU initiative on Mapping and Assessment of the state of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES), with the support of all Member States, contributes to improve the knowledge on ecosystem services. MAES is one of the building-block initiatives supporting the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020.JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climat

Muscle activity and inactivity periods during normal daily life

Recent findings suggest that not only the lack of physical activity, but also prolonged times of sedentary behaviour where major locomotor muscles are inactive, significantly increase the risk of chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to provide details of quadriceps and hamstring muscle inactivity and activity during normal daily life of ordinary people. Eighty-four volunteers (44 females, 40 males, 44.1±17.3 years, 172.3±6.1 cm, 70.1±10.2 kg) were measured during normal daily life using shorts measuring muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity (recording time 11.3±2.0 hours). EMG was normalized to isometric MVC (EMGMVC) during knee flexion and extension, and inactivity threshold of each muscle group was defined as 90% of EMG activity during standing (2.5±1.7% of EMGMVC). During normal daily life the average EMG amplitude was 4.0±2.6% and average activity burst amplitude was 5.8±3.4% of EMGMVC (mean duration of 1.4±1.4 s) which is below the EMG level required for walking (5 km/h corresponding to EMG level of about 10% of EMGMVC). Using the proposed individual inactivity threshold, thigh muscles were inactive 67.5±11.9% of the total recording time and the longest inactivity periods lasted for 13.9±7.3 min (2.5–38.3 min). Women had more activity bursts and spent more time at intensities above 40% EMGMVC than men (p<0.05). In conclusion, during normal daily life the locomotor muscles are inactive about 7.5 hours, and only a small fraction of muscle\u27s maximal voluntary activation capacity is used averaging only 4% of the maximal recruitment of the thigh muscles. Some daily non-exercise activities such as stair climbing produce much higher muscle activity levels than brisk walking, and replacing sitting by standing can considerably increase cumulative daily muscle activity

Voiko toimistotyötä tehdä muutenkin kuin istuen? : Toimiiko istuma-seisoma-työpiste istumisen terveyshaittojen torjumisessa?

Istumisen terveyshaitat ovat puhuttaneet viime vuosina yhä enemmän. Yksi istumisen stereotypia on toimistotyöntekijä, joka joutuu istumaan toimistotuolissaan pitkät päivät. Työt on tehtävä, eikä perinteiselle työpisteelle ole järkevää vaihtoehtoa. Vai onko sittenkin? Säädettävä istuma-seisomatyöpiste on kerännyt viime vuosina ihastusta osakseen, koska se mahdollistaa istumajaksojen katkaisun työtehon kärsimättä. Tässä artikkelissa annan sinulle taustaa siihen, miksi pienikin istumisen tauottaminen kannattaa ja mikä on uusin tieto istuma-seisoma-työpisteiden hyödyllisyydestä. Onko toimistotyöntekijällä sittenkin toivoa?nonPeerReviewe