Urban Resilience and Sustainability: The Role of a Local Resilience Forum in England

Whilst being a large contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, the urban environment is prone to impacts of hazards, threats and major accidents. It is crucial to plan, design, build, manage and operate urban environments in a resilient and sustainable manner. The compatibility and conflict between resilience and sustainability has received increasing attention in recent years in academic literature, however its application at local and national levels has not yet been widely attempted. The Local Resilience Forum (LRF) is an important mechanism for facilitating the complex multi-stakeholder interactions required to deliver urban resilience in England, however sustainability does not appear to be a priority. This study explores how emergency planning and the design of the built environment can further both agendas. A range of promising practices have been found that potentially could not only increase the resilience of, but that are also integral to the sustainability of, the built environment

Herbal medicine for sports: a review

The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements has increased during last decades. At present, some herbs are used to enhance muscle strength and body mass. Emergent evidence suggests that the health benefits from plants are attributed to their bioactive compounds such as Polyphenols, Terpenoids, and Alkaloids which have several physiological effects on the human body. At times, manufacturers launch numerous products with banned ingredient inside with inappropriate amounts or fake supplement inducing harmful side effect. Unfortunately up to date, there is no guarantee that herbal supplements are safe for anyone to use and it has not helped to clear the confusion surrounding the herbal use in sport field especially. Hence, the purpose of this review is to provide guidance on the efficacy and side effect of most used plants in sport. We have identified plants according to the following categories: Ginseng, alkaloids, and other purported herbal ergogenics such asTribulus Terrestris, Cordyceps Sinensis. We found that most herbal supplement effects are likely due to activation of the central nervous system via stimulation of catecholamines. Ginseng was used as an endurance performance enhancer, while alkaloids supplementation resulted in improvements in sprint and cycling intense exercises. Despite it is prohibited, small amount of ephedrine was usually used in combination with caffeine to enhance muscle strength in trained individuals. Some other alkaloids such as green tea extracts have been used to improve body mass and composition in athletes. Other herb (i.e. Rhodiola, Astragalus) help relieve muscle and joint pain, but results about their effects on exercise performance are missing