Veritas & Vanitas: A Journal of Creative Nonfiction

A journal of creative nonfiction produced by students at the Marion campus of The Ohio State University with contributions from the students and faculty at the Marion campus of The Ohio State University and Marion Technical College

Veritas & Vanitas

A journal of creative nonfiction produced by students at the Marion campus of The Ohio State University with contributions from the students and faculty at the Marion campus of The Ohio State University and Marion Technical College

Metabolic acceleration and the evolution of human brain size and life history.

Humans are distinguished from the other living apes in having larger brains and an unusual life history that combines high reproductive output with slow childhood growth and exceptional longevity. This suite of derived traits suggests major changes in energy expenditure and allocation in the human lineage, but direct measures of human and ape metabolism are needed to compare evolved energy strategies among hominoids. Here we used doubly labelled water measurements of total energy expenditure (TEE; kcal day(-1)) in humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans to test the hypothesis that the human lineage has experienced an acceleration in metabolic rate, providing energy for larger brains and faster reproduction without sacrificing maintenance and longevity. In multivariate regressions including body size and physical activity, human TEE exceeded that of chimpanzees and bonobos, gorillas and orangutans by approximately 400, 635 and 820 kcal day(-1), respectively, readily accommodating the cost of humans' greater brain size and reproductive output. Much of the increase in TEE is attributable to humans' greater basal metabolic rate (kcal day(-1)), indicating increased organ metabolic activity. Humans also had the greatest body fat percentage. An increased metabolic rate, along with changes in energy allocation, was crucial in the evolution of human brain size and life history

Video-based road commentary training improves hazard perception of young drivers in a dual task

This study used a video-based hazard perception dual task to compare the hazard perception skills of young drivers with middle aged, more experienced drivers and to determine if these skills can be improved with video-based road commentary training. The primary task required the participants to detect and verbally identify immediate hazard on video-based traffic scenarios while concurrently performing a secondary tracking task, simulating the steering of real driving. The results showed that the young drivers perceived fewer immediate hazards (mean = 75.2%, n = 24, 19 females) than the more experienced drivers (mean = 87.5%, n = 8, all females), and had longer hazard perception times, but performed better in the secondary tracking task. After the road commentary training, the mean percentage of hazards detected and identified by the young drivers improved to the level of the experienced drivers and was significantly higher than that of an age and driving experience matched control group. The results will be discussed in the context of psychological theories of hazard perception and in relation to road commentary as an evidence-based training intervention that seems to improve many aspects of unsafe driving behaviour in young drivers

THE EFFECTS OF MATERNAL PERINATAL EXERCISE ON INFANT NEUROMOTOR OUTCOMES

BACKGROUND: Aerobic exercise during pregnancy has been well established as safe and effective for both mother and infant. Few studies have examined the effects of different exercise modes during pregnancy on infant outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of exercise mode during pregnancy on 1-month infant neuromotor outcomes. METHODS: Pregnant women were recruited and randomized to either aerobic (AE), resistance (RE), combination (CE), or control (CON) groups. Participants completed 150 min each week of supervised activity. After delivery, 1-month infant neuromotor skills were assessed using the Alberta Infant Motor Scales (AIMs) and Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, 2nd Edition. ANOVAs were used to compare differences between exercise groups; data was stratified by pre-pregnancy BMI (healthy weight, HW vs. overweight-obese, OO) and infant sex (M, F). Regressions assessed predictors of 1-month neuromotor outcomes. RESULTS: Groups were similar in maternal, neonate, and 1-month descriptors. Trends for improved subscores included: AE and RE in Prone (p=.20); CE in Sitting (p=.11); RE in Standing (p=.20) relative to controls. In females (F) from Healthy Weight (HW) women, all exercise types had increased gestational age (p=.03), AE and CE had greater Stationary (p=.17) subscores; in males (M) of HW women, all exercise types had greater Sitting (p=.02) subscores. In F from OO women, AE had greater total AIMs score (p=.20), while AE and RE had greater Stationary (p=.02) Locomotion (p=.06) subscores, as well as GMQ (p=.05) scores; in M of OO women, all exercise with increased height (p=.03) and weight (p=.02), RE with greater Prone (p=.03) and Standing (p=.04) subscores, with greater total AIMS (p=.04) scores. Controlling for other factors, we found significant predictors of 1-month neuromotor scores. Reflex scores were predicted by maternal exercise attendance, pre-pregnancy activity, fitness level, ethnicity, infant sex and body fat. Stationary scores were predicted by exercise mode, pre-pregnancy activity, baby BMI. GMQ was predicted by maternal exercise mode, race, delivery type, pre-pregnancy activity, BMI, and 1-month body fat. CONCLUSION: Maternal exercise mode or attendance, and infant body fat influences 1-month neuromotor skills. There are differences in 1-month neuromotor outcomes based on infant sex as well as maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. Further research is needed to understand this