Activity-promoting gaming systems in exercise and rehabilitation

Commercial activity-promoting gaming systems provide a potentially attractive means to facilitate exercise and rehabilitation. The Nintendo Wii, Sony EyeToy, Dance Dance Revolution, and Xbox Kinect are examples of gaming systems that use the movement of the player to control gameplay. Activity-promoting gaming systems can be used as a tool to increase activity levels in otherwise sedentary gamers and also be an effective tool to aid rehabilitation in clinical settings. Therefore, the aim of this current work is to review the growing area of activity-promoting gaming in the context of exercise, injury, and rehabilitation

Displacement and Dreams: The Loss of Home in a New South Town

Despite much research regarding the experience of white city dwellers of Greenville, South Carolina, in the twentieth century, telling the stories of the city’s Black neighborhoods still remains to be done. This thesis chronicles the Black neighborhood of Little Texas, which was found northeast of the city’s central business district from its inception in the 1870s to its demise in the 1970s. By situating the city’s efforts to restrict and limit Black spaces within the historical framework of nationwide efforts of residential segregation ordinances, racially restrictive covenants, and city planning, this thesis argues that Greenville followed many other cities in restricting the constitutional right of its Black citizens to acquire, occupy, and dispose of real property. Through careful examination of historic newspapers, city directories, historic maps, and census data, I argue that the city of Greenville cultivated a hostile view of Black spaces through segregation, zoning, and poor planning practices. These efforts led to the dismantling and removal of Little Texas homes, churches, schools, and burial grounds. This paper also presents new research concerning the city’s 1912 residential segregation ordinance, Black community leaders in the twentieth century, and challenges to the city’s policies of segregation and discrimination

Semiformal waste management at the community level: a case study of employment opportunity creation in Cape Town, South Africa

In order to effectively tackle the pressing matter of municipal solid waste management, particularly in developing countries, it is imperative to employ inventive and sustainable approaches. At the core of these approaches lie waste workers, who assume an essential function within Solid Waste Management Systems (SWMS). The contributions of their efforts yield substantial advantages for both society and the environment; nonetheless, they frequently encounter obstacles such as societal marginalization, stigmatization linked to diminished social standing, and sometimes a perception of engagement in illicit behaviors. Literature done in South Africa on informal waste workers have identified some of these issues. With a population over 60 million individuals, the nation generates a substantial quantity of waste, approximated at 122 million tones on a yearly basis. Despite the considerable scale of this matter, the proportion of waste that undergoes recycling remains very modest, amounting to approximately 10% as of 2022. The majority of the remaining waste is typically disposed of in landfills or improperly discarded, dumped, or incinerated, resulting in significant environmental and health issues. Within this particular setting, the ZeroToLandfill (ZTL) project emerges a noteworthy endeavor. ZTL, situated in the suburbs of Rosebank and Mowbray in Cape Town, is primarily dedicated to the mitigation of landfill waste by means of recycling, composting, and horticultural practices. Beyond environmental impact, it also aims to provide much-needed employment opportunities for unemployed individuals in neighboring communities and within the Cape Town Metropolitan area. The project's impact extends beyond environmental factors, as evaluated through the application of the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF). This methodology facilitated the assessment of the effects of ZTL on the well-being and livelihoods of its part-time employees, taking into account five categories of capital assets: human, social, physical, natural, and financial. The participants have reported a diverse range of benefits. Individuals have acquired personal development skills, a more profound comprehension of environmental concerns, and stronger social relationships, resulting in improved financial stability for some. The aforementioned results illustrate the diverse effects that community-led initiatives can potentially have, encompassing the ability to significantly alter the lives of individuals as well as the wider community. However, the project has encountered several obstacles. The participants have communicated several practical difficulties, including insufficient remuneration, disparities in job-related conditions, and the financial strain associated with commuting. These concerns underscore the significance of implementing complete support systems that encompass financial and structural requirements, thereby supporting the viability and efficacy of such initiatives. In conclusion, this study offers valuable insights into understanding waste management dynamics within local communities in South Africa. It also stresses the importance of continuous endeavors at both the local and institutional levels to promote sustainable behaviours and enhance the well-being of individuals concerned. Future research is crucial to further understanding of the socio-economic impacts of waste work and to develop strategies that genuinely improve the lives of underprivileged individuals, thereby enriching our comprehension of the waste sector's potential in driving socio-economic development in South Africa

Risk assessment, eradication, and biological control: global efforts to limit Australian acacia invasions

Aim? Many Australian Acacia species have been planted around the world, some are highly valued, some are invasive, and some are both highly valued and invasive. We review global efforts to minimize the risk and limit the impact of invasions in this widely used plant group. Location? Global. Methods? Using information from literature sources, knowledge and experience of the authors, and the responses from a questionnaire sent to experts around the world, we reviewed: (1) a generalized life cycle of Australian acacias and how to control each life stage, (2) different management approaches and (3) what is required to help limit or prevent invasions. Results? Relatively few Australian acacias have been introduced in large numbers, but all species with a long and extensive history of planting have become invasive somewhere. Australian acacias, as a group, have a high risk of becoming invasive and causing significant impacts as determined by existing assessment schemes. Moreover, in most situations, long-lived seed banks mean it is very difficult to control established infestations. Control has focused almost exclusively on widespread invaders, and eradication has rarely been attempted. Classical biological control is being used in South Africa with increasing success. Main conclusions? A greater emphasis on pro-active rather than reactive management is required given the difficulties managing established invasions of Australian acacias. Adverse effects of proposed new introductions can be minimized by conducting detailed risk assessments in advance, planning for on-going monitoring and management, and ensuring resources are in place for long-term mitigation. Benign alternatives (e.g. sterile hybrids) could be developed to replace existing utilized taxa. Eradication should be set as a management goal more often to reduce the invasion debt. Introducing classical biological control agents that have a successful track-record in South Africa to other regions and identifying new agents (notably vegetative feeders) can help mitigate existing widespread invasions. Trans-boundary sharing of information will assist efforts to limit future invasions, in particular, management strategies need to be better evaluated, monitored, published and publicised so that global best-practice procedures can be developed. (Résumé d'auteur

Relationship of Patterns of Use of Ddt and Its Residues in Animal Feeds and Food Products.

A study was undertaken to determine why DDT residue levels in milk produced on dairies in Northeast Louisiana was much higher than from dairies in other areas of Louisiana. The intensive agricultural practices and interrelationship of dairies and cotton farms in this area were thought to contribute to the contamination of milk. A relationship expressed as a time/DDT-milk residue effect due to the seasonal application of DDT on cotton was examined. The relationship between milk contaminated with DDT and feed ingredients contaminated with DDT was also investigated. Four dairies were selected for study. Herd milk samples from these four dairies revealed that all had DDT present in milk, ranging from 1.60 parts per million to approximately 6.00 parts per million (fat basis). All dairies investigated practice a combination of dry lot and pasture feeding. A positive correlation between the seasonal use of DDT on cotton and maximum levels of DDT in herd milk of each dairy was found. Based on a corrected mean residue value for a twelve-month period, the range in total DDT residues in milk from the four dairies studied was as follows: Dairy A from 1.38 in May to 5.54 parts per million (fat basis) in September; Dairy B from 0.81 in May to 3.77 parts per million in November; Dairy C from 1.45 in June to 9.90 parts per million in October; and Dairy D from 0.39 in June to a maximum of X2.42 parts per million in August. Residue analyses of feed ingredients revealed hay, silage and pasture grass to be highly contaminated with DDT considered a result of drift of DDT applied to adjacent cotton fields. Total DDT residues in hay fed to producing animals ranged from 0.17 to a maximum of 28.67 parts per million on Dairy C. The average concentration of DDT in hay fed to dairy animals on Dairy C during the course of this study was 5.24 parts per million. Total DDT residues in silage fed as part of the dairy ration on Dairy C throughout the course of this study ranged from 0.03 to 6.50 parts per million. The average concentration of DDT in all silage fed as part of the dairy ration on this dairy during this study show that interrelated farming activities such as dairying and cotton production cannot be practiced without the occurrence of illegally excessive residues in the milk produced if chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides such as DDT are used for cotton insect control. Where pastures, forage crops and silage crops for dairy and beef cattle feed are grown in close proximity to areas planted to cotton, inadvertent contamination of milk and meat cannot be avoided because of the contamination by drift of these insecticides onto the crops

EFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTATION WITH CREATINE MONOHYDRATE AND BETA-ALANINE, ALONE OR COMBINED, ON REPEATED SPRINT PERFORMANCE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN AMATEUR TEAM AND RACKET SPORT PLAYERS

The purpose of this study was to compare the combined effects of creatine monohydrate (Cr) and beta- alanine (BA) with their isolated use on performance and physiological parameters during repeated sprint sequences (RSS). Forty-four male (n=34) and female (n=10) amateur team- and racket sport players (25.1±3.1 years; 175.2±9.8 cm; 76.0±10.3 kg; 15.2±6.8% body fat) performed ten repetitions of 6-s sprints with departure every 30 s, before and after a 28-day supplementation period with either Cr (n=11, 5 g‧day-1), BA (n=10, 6 g‧day-1), combined Cr and BA (n=12, 5 g‧day-1 of Cr plus 6g‧day-1 of BA) or placebo (11 g‧day-1 of rice flour). Peak (PP) and mean power (MP), performance decrement (%Dec), heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration (LA) and perceived exertion (RPE) were measured. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine the effects of groups (Cr, BA, CrBA, P), sprint number (1 to 10), and time (pre- vs. post-supplementation) on all variables. A significant increase in PP was shown in the post- compared to the pre-supplementation in Cr (+5.2%) and BA (+5.2%) groups only (p<.05), and significant decreases in MP in all groups (3.7% to 6.4%, p<.05), except BA. %Dec was significantly decreased post-supplementation in the Cr group only (17.4%, p<.05). No effects were shown on HR, RPE and LA (p<.05). These results show no additional benefits of the combination of Cr and BA on RSS performance and suggest that longer sprint or total exercise duration might be necessary to observe the benefits of the combined supplementation

Rethinking refuges: Implications of climate change for dam busting

Climate change is projected to alter river discharge in every populated basin in the world. In some parts of the world, dam removal now outpaces their construction and the diminishing cost efficiency of dams in drying regions is likely to further increase the rate of removals. However, the potential influence of climate change on the impact of dam removals has received almost no consideration. Most dams have major biological and ecological impacts and their removal would greatly benefit riverine ecosystems. However, using model regions in the Southern Hemisphere, we highlight that artificial lentic habitats created by dams can act as refuges for increasingly imperiled freshwater fishes, and dams may also prevent the upstream spread of invasive alien species in rivers. We argue that, in these and other regions where the major impact of climate change will be to reduce streamflow and aquatic refuge availability, a shifting balance between the negative and positive environmental impacts of dams requires policy makers to include climate change predictions in prioritisation processes for dam remova