Predictor variables for half marathon race time in recreational female runners

Anthropometric and training variables were related to half-marathon race time in recreational female runners. Skin-fold thicknesses at various upper body locations were related to training intensity. High running speed in training appears to be important for fast half-marathon race times and may reduce upper body skin-fold thicknesses in recreational female half marathoners

Reproductive ecology of Bombina variegata: aspects of life history

Individual reproductive behaviour and survival of Bombina variegata was studied in a dynamic habitat with a variety of rain-filled ponds from 1990 to 1992. Most animals reached sexual maturity at the age of two years. Annual adult survival was at least 62%. Individual females, on average, laid between 40 and 70 eggs per "clutch". While about 12% of the breeding females spawned a second time within the season, a similar proportion did not seem to spawn every possible year, probably depending on climatic conditions. The results are consistent with ultimate predictions from life history theory, but the proximate mechanisms of ovulation and spawning in response to environmental conditions remain to be investigated

Ethische Fallbesprechungen auf der Intensivstation: Vom Versuch zur Routine

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Der Berufsalltag vieler Mitarbeitender im Gesundheitswesen ist in den letzten Jahren anspruchsvoller geworden, und die Anforderungen werden immer größer. Häufig stellen sich neben rein fachlichen auch ethische Fragen, z.B. nach der Sinnhaftigkeit einer Therapie am Lebensende. So genannte "medical futility", eine nutzlose, aussichtslose Therapie, wird von Pflegenden und Ärzten auf Intensivstationen häufig wahrgenommen. Das medizinethische Modell METAP (Akronym aus Module, Ethik, Therapieentscheidung, Allokation und Prozess) stellt Verfahren und Kriterien zur Verfügung, die es dem Behandlungsteam ermöglichen, diese Fragen gemeinsam, eigenständig und lösungsorientiert zu bearbeiten. Material und Methode: Alle Protokolle der 44 ethischen Fallbesprechungen (eFB), die zwischen Januar 2011 und Juni 2012 auf einer chirurgischen Intensivstation stattfanden, wurden zusammengefasst. Ein kurzer Fragebogen an alle Teilnehmenden erfasste deren Beurteilung des Nutzens für den Patienten und das Team sowie die Wahrnehmung der Reduktion persönlicher Belastung. Ergebnisse: Interprofessionelle eFB finden regelmäßig statt (ca. 2/Monat). Von den 41 in der eFB behandelten Patienten verstarben im Verlauf 23. Die Befragten (Rücklaufquote 52 %) schätzen den Nutzen für Patienten und Team als hoch ein (Ärzte etwas höher als Pflegende). Mehr als zwei Drittel der Pflegenden und die Hälfte der Ärzte nehmen eine Reduktion der Belastung durch die eFB wahr. Schlussfolgerungen: Eine methodisch strukturierte ethische Entscheidungsfindung kann in die klinische Routine integriert werden, wenn sie einen festen Platz im Alltag erhält, die ärztliche und die pflegerische Leitung die Implementierung unterstützen sowie die Verantwortung für die Organisation und Durchführung festgelegt ist

Global glacier mass changes and their contributions to sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016

International audienc

Reproductive ecology of Bombina variegata: characterisation of spawning ponds

The use of spawning sites by Bombina variegata was analysed in a dynamic habitat containing a variety of different ponds. Cool or shadowy as well as permanent ponds were not used for spawning at all. Among the ephemeral ponds that were used, egg numbers increased with water temperature, both when compared among ponds and between different areas within ponds. Egg numbers were also higher in ponds of intermediate duration than in those persisting for shorter or longer periods. Ponds of intermediate duration with moderate predator densities and with larvae of competing anuran species (Hyla arborea, Bufo calamita) were used more often than short-lived ponds with no predators and competitors. This pattern of spawn deposition can be interpreted as an attempt to select sites allowing rapid larval development (warm water) and to avoid sites with high numbers of newts and invertebrate predators (permanent ponds). The selection critera seem to be adaptive, because pond duration and desiccation are more importent for larval survival than predators and competitors. Yet, optimal reproductive conditions remain highly unpredictable for Bombina variegata, as the characteristics and dynamics of spawning ponds are mainly determined by climatic conditions. Consequently, survival chances of tadpoles can change within a few days or weeks, depending on rainfall and evaporation

Predictor variables for a half marathon race time in recreational male runners

The aim of this study was to investigate predictor variables of anthropometry, training, and previous experience in order to predict a half marathon race time for future novice recreational male half marathoners. Eighty-four male finishers in the ‘Half Marathon Basel’ completed the race distance within (mean and standard deviation, SD) 103.9 (16.5) min, running at a speed of 12.7 (1.9) km/h. After multivariate analysis of the anthropometric characteristics, body mass index (r = 0.56), suprailiacal (r = 0.36) and medial calf skin fold (r = 0.53) were related to race time. For the variables of training and previous experience, speed in running of the training sessions (r = –0.54) were associated with race time. After multivariate analysis of both the significant anthropometric and training variables, body mass index (P = 0.0150) and speed in running during training (P = 0.0045) were related to race time. Race time in a half marathon might be partially predicted by the following equation (r2 = 0.44): Race time (min) = 72.91 + 3.045 * (body mass index, kg/m2) –3.884 * (speed in running during training, km/h) for recreational male runners. To conclude, variables of both anthropometry and training were related to half marathon race time in recreational male half marathoners and cannot be reduced to one single predictor variable

Anthropometric and training variables related to half-marathon running performance in recreational female runners

The relationship between skin-fold thickness and running has been investigated in distances ranging from 100 m to the marathon distance (42.195 km), with the exclusion of the half-marathon distance (21.0975 km). We investigated the association between anthropometric variables, prerace experience, and training variables with race time in 42 recreational, nonprofessional, female half-marathon runners using bi- and multivariate analysis. Body weight (r, 0.60); body mass index (r, 0.48); body fat percentage (r, 0.56); pectoral (r, 0.61), mid-axilla (r, 0.69), triceps (r, 0.49), subscapular (r, 0.61), abdominal (r, 0.59), suprailiac (r, 0.55), and medial calf (r, 0.53) skin-fold thickness; mean speed of the training sessions (r, -0.68); and personal best time in a half-marathon (r, 0.69) correlated with race time after bivariate analysis. Body weight (P = 0.0054), pectoral skin-fold thickness (P = 0.0068), and mean speed of the training sessions (P = 0.0041) remained significant after multivariate analysis. Mean running speed during training was related to mid-axilla (r, -0.31), subscapular (r, -0.38), abdominal (r, -0.44), and suprailiac (r, -0.41) skin-fold thickness, the sum of 8 skin-fold thicknesses (r, -0.36); and percent body fat (r, -0.31). It was determined that variables of both anthropometry and training were related to half-marathon race time, and that skin-fold thicknesses were associated with running speed during training. For practical applications, high running speed during training (as opposed to extensive training) may both reduce upper-body skin-fold thicknesses and improve race performance in recreational female half-marathon runners