Noninvasive estimation of fluid shifts between body compartments by measurement of bioelectric characteristics

Previous research has established that bioelectrical characteristics of the human body reflect fluid status to some extent. It has been previously assumed that changes in electrical resistance (R) and reactance (X) are associated with changes in total body water (TBW). The purpose of the present pilot investigation was to assess the correspondence between body R and X and changes in estimated TBW and plasma volume during a period of bedrest (simulated weightlessness). R and X were measured pre-, during, and post- a 13 day bedrest status. Although a clear relationship was not elucidated, evidence was found suggesting that R and X reflect plasma volume rather than TBW. Indirect evidence provided by previous studies which investigated other aspects of the electrical/fluid relationship, also suggests the independence of TBW and electrical properties. With further research, a bioelectrical technique for noninvasively tracking fluid changes consequent to space flight may be developed

Use and Misuse of the Likert Item Responses and Other Ordinal Measures

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(3): 297-302, 2015. Likert, Likert-type, and ordinal-scale responses are very popular psychometric item scoring schemes for attempting to quantify people’s opinions, interests, or perceived efficacy of an intervention and are used extensively in Physical Education and Exercise Science research. However, these numbered measures are generally considered ordinal and violate some statistical assumptions needed to evaluate them as normally distributed, parametric data. This is an issue because parametric statistics are generally perceived as being more statistically powerful than non-parametric statistics. To avoid possible misinterpretation, care must be taken in analyzing these types of data. The use of visual analog scales may be equally efficacious and provide somewhat better data for analysis with parametric statistics

Limitations to the study of man in the United States space program

Research on humans conducted during space flight is fraught both with great opportunities and great obstacles. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the limitations to United States research in space in the hope that an informed scientific community may lead to more rapid and efficient solution of these problems. Limitations arise because opportunities to study the same astronauts in well-controlled situations on repeated space flights are practically non-existent. Human research opportunities are further limited by the necessity of avoiding simultaneous mutually-interfereing experiments. Environmental factors including diet and other physiological perturbations concomitant with space flight also complicates research design and interpretation. Technical limitations to research methods and opportunities further restrict the development of the knowledge base. Finally, earth analogues of space travel all suffer from inadequacies. Though all of these obstacles will eventually be overcome; creativity, diligence, and persistence are required to further our knowledge of humans in space

Effect of Upper- and Lower-Body Vibration on Recovery, Muscle Soreness and Performance

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(1) : 33-44, 2014. The purpose of this study was to compare three types of recovery methods: control (CON), lower-body vibration (LBV) and upper-body vibration (UBV) on upper-body performance, perceived recovery, and muscle soreness. Eight physically active male volunteers participated in the study. In a crossover study design, participants completed three sets of push-ups to fatigue, a given recovery treatment, and two upper-body Wingate Anaerobic Tests to assess peak and mean anaerobic power. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and heart rate (HR) were measured after fatiguing exercise, the recovery treatment and maximal performance test. In Wingate 1, no significant mean differences (p \u3e 0.05) were found among CON, LBV, or UBV in peak power (560 ± 121, 594 ± 116, and 588 ± 109 W, respectively), mean power, or fatigue index. In Wingate 2, no significant mean differences (p \u3e 0.05) were found among CON, LBV, or UBV in peak power (570 ± 151, 557 ± 71, and 564 ± 120 W, respectively), mean power, or fatigue index. In addition, no significant mean difference (p \u3e 0.05) was observed in perceived recovery and muscle soreness (p \u3e 0.05). In conclusion, findings of the present study suggest no psychological or physiological benefits using LBV and UBV as a recovery modality

Effects of Heat Exposure on Body Water Assessed using Single-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis and Bioimpedance Spectroscopy

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(7): 1085-1093, 2017. The purpose of this study was to determine if heat exposure alters the measures of total body water (TBW), extracellular water (ECW), and intracellular water (ICW) in both single-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS). Additionally, we sought to determine if any differences exist between the BIA and BIS techniques before and after brief exposure to heat. Body water was evaluated for twenty men (age=24±4 years) in a thermoneutral environment (22°C) before (PRE) and immediately after (POST) 15 min of passive heating (35°C) in an environmental chamber. The mean difference and 95% limits of agreement at PRE demonstrated that BIS yielded significantly higher body water values than BIA (all p0.05; 0.2±1.5kg). Additionally, the ES of the mean differences at POST were trivial to small and the r-values were high (r≥0.96). When analyzing the changes in body water before and after heat exposure, POST values for BIS were significantly higher than PRE (all

A comparison of understanding of the amphibian crisis by zoo visitors across three countries

Despite the global declines in the rate of amphibians, evaluation of public understanding of the crisis has not yet been carried out. We surveyed visitors (n = 1,293) at 15 zoos in Brazil, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, using a certainty‐based assessment method to compare visitor knowledge of the global amphibian crisis. We further analyzed zoo educational material about amphibians to explore its potential to raise awareness through amphibian‐focused environmental education. Visitors in the three countries had relatively little understanding of amphibians and the global amphibian crisis. When the degree of confidence in answering the questions (high, medium, and low) is accounted for, correct answers varied between 28% and 39%. This compared to scores of between 58% and 73% when the degree of confidence in responding was not accounted for. However, specific areas of knowledge (e.g., biology, conservation, biogeography, and conceptual ideas) varied significantly across the countries. Visitors had a weaker grasp of biogeographical and conservation issues than general amphibian biology. Zoo visitors in Brazil knew less about amphibian conservation than those in New Zealand or the United Kingdom. There was less amphibian‐focused content in educational materials in zoos in Brazil than there was in the United Kingdom. Improving information about the global amphibian crisis may increase support for future conservation actions. Outreach education is one of the most important approaches in any strategic planning for conservation of species. Amphibian‐focused environmental education at institutions such as zoos and aquaria can be a crucial intervention to support amphibian conservation worldwide

Conservation decisions under pressure: Lessons from an exercise in rapid response to wildlife disease

Novel outbreaks of emerging pathogens require rapid responses to enable successful mitigation. We simulated a 1‐day emergency meeting where experts were engaged to recommend mitigation strategies for a new outbreak of the amphibian fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. Despite the inevitable uncertainty, experts suggested and discussed several possible strategies. However, their recommendations were undermined by imperfect initial definitions of the objectives and scope of management. This problem is likely to arise in most real‐world emergency situations. The exercise thus highlighted the importance of clearly defining the context, objectives, and spatial–temporal scale of mitigation decisions. Managers are commonly under pressure to act immediately. However, an iterative process in which experts and managers cooperate to clarify objectives and uncertainties, while collecting more information and devising mitigation strategies, may be slightly more time consuming but ultimately lead to better outcomes