Exercise Performance And Perception Of Breathlessness After Caffeine Ingestion In Cyclists

Caffeine (CAF) is commonly ingested as an ergogenic aid among cyclists, in part, due to its effect on pain perception. CAF may improve performance by altering the perceptions related to ventilatory work and dyspnea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate exercise performance and breathlessness in cyclists during a fixed-work time trial (TT) after the ingestion of caffeine. Nine male cyclists completed pulmonary function testing and a peak aerobic capacity test (V?O2peak: 60.8±5.7 ml·kg-1·min-1). During visit two, cyclists completed a fixed-work familiarization TT equivalent to a distance of 20-km. Subsequently, subjects completed in a randomized, counterbalanced order, TTs with ingestion of a placebo (TTPLA) or caffeine (TTCAF; 5 mg·kg-1). Elapsed time was significantly reduced during TTCAF compared with TTPLA (33.5±2.8 vs. 35.5±2.7 min, p < 0.01). RPB did not differ between TTCAF and TTPLA at any interval (p = 0.755). A main effect was observed in ventilation during TTCAF when compared with TTPLA (p = 0.019). A main effect was observed in integrated inspiratory mouth pressure during TTCAF when compared with TTPLA (p = 0.040). These results demonstrate that consuming a moderate dose of caffeine enhances exercise performance and increases ventilatory work without altering RPB

Robert Watson : the power of his command

Through his idiom speaks the poet to every man. Behind the language of poetry stand the master concepts—the poet's legacy—-the gene pool, so to speak, of germinal ideas. Standing before the poetic mirror, the reader must relate himself and his world to the world reflected and subtly reflected by the poet's genius, as the light-rays of perception flash beyond the poem through its images, metaphors, symbols, and myths. Thus the poet meets and mates aesthetic emotion with discursive thought. The sequence image, metaphor, symbol, and myth may be said to represent the convergence of two lines, both important for the theory of poetry. One is sensuous particularity, or the sensuous and aesthetic continuum, which connects poetry with music and painting and disconnects it from philosophy and science; the other is "figuration” or "tropology"--the "oblique” discourse which speaks in metonyms and metaphors, partially comparing worlds, precising its themes by giving them translations into other idioms.

North Carolina’s Clean Smokestacks Act: untangling a tangled relationship

This dissertation analyzes North Carolina’s Clean Smokestacks Act (CSA). By targeting sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions at fourteen coal-fired powerplants owned by Duke Energy and Progress Energy, the CSA implements utility level caps in two phases and allows for trading of emissions within each utility. In my analysis I employ emissions data from the Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS) and powerplant characteristics from the Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID). Difference-in-differences and the synthetic control method are used in concert with a nationally representative control group to analyze effectiveness, leakage, and the distribution of damages in the CSA. I estimate that the CSA reduced annual emissions of sulfur dioxide by approximately 100,000 tons and emissions of nitrogen oxides by approximately 50,000 tons. This result is a smaller estimated effect of the policy than prior studies have shown. Additionally, I provide evidence that the reductions are not due to utilities shifting production and are due to the installation of abatement technology. Estimating avoided damages from 2003 to 2014, the CSA results in estimated benefits of $1.88 billion (2014$). [This abstract has been edited to remove characters that will not display in this system. Please see the PDF for the full abstract.]]]> 2018 Coal-fired power plants $x Environmental aspects$x Law and legislation $z North Carolina Air$x Pollution $x Law and legislation$z North Carolina Emissions trading $x Law and legislation$z North Carolina Environmental policy $z North Carolina$x Cost effectiveness Environmental law $x Compliance costs$z North Carolina English http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/Larson_uncg_0154D_12459.pdf oai:libres.uncg.edu/23175 2018-07-02T15:19:09Z UNCG Associations between eating behaviors, diet quality and body mass index among adolescents Lawless, Megan C. NC DOCKS at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro <![CDATA[The prevalence of overweight and obesity are high in the U.S. and affect the population across all sociodemographic groups. Research shows that eating behaviors influence dietary intake as well as weight status, but both are complex processes that are influenced by a variety of biological, personal, behavioral, and environmental factors. Typically, adolescence is characterized by increased intakes of high-energy foods and beverages, higher obesity rates, as well as increasing prevalence of unhealthy weight management practices compared to younger age groups. Despite the obesogenic epidemic and high prevalence of unhealthy diets among adolescents, little is known about how eating behaviors, such as disinhibition and restraint, function in relation to weight and dietary outcomes in this age group. The purpose of the current research was to examine the associations between the two dysregulated eating behaviors, disinhibition and restraint, in relation to BMI and overall diet quality in a sample of adolescents. Subjects were 16-year olds participating in a longitudinal study that examines self-regulation as a predictor of cardiometabolic risks among adolescents. Disinhibition and restraint were measured using the subscales of the Three- Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). Dietary intake was assessed from 24 hour-dietary recalls that were used to calculate the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI). Two separate hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to test whether restraint moderated the associations between disinhibition and overall diet quality and BMI-for-age percentile. After adjusting for race and SES, the interaction effect between disinhibition and restraint fell short of statistical significance in the model that predicted BMI-for-age percentile (b=-.231 p=.176). There was a main effect of disinhibition on BMI-for-age percentiles (b=1.754, p=.012) such that individuals reporting higher scores for disinhibition had greater BMI-for-age percentiles. There was also a significant main effect of restraint on BMI-for-age percentile (b=.961, p=.038) so as the scores for restraint increased, so did BMI-for-age percentile. HEI-2010 scores were significantly associated with restraint scores (p=.009). Post-hoc probing revealed that at a high level of restraint, the association between disinhibition and HEI scores was non-significant (B=-.669, p=0.136). At low levels of restraint, there was a trend towards positive association between disinhibition and HEI-2010 score; however, this was statistically non-significant (B=1.073, p=0.069). In conclusion, the present study suggests that high levels of restraint independently predict both better diet quality and lower BMI-for-age percentiles, while disinhibition predicts only higher BMI-for-age percentiles among adolescents. Future studies should examine other factors, such as dieting status, to better understand these relationships in this target population

The Effect Of Fatigue On Sub-System Joint Work: The Influence Of Sex, Strength, And Eccentric Loading

Typically expressed in forms of positive, negative, and net work, locomotive energy is dispersed through each joint and can be affected by changes in conditions, sex, and fatigue. At increased loads, females and weaker individuals utilize a knee-dominant model, and males and stronger individuals utilize hip-dominant model (McBride &amp; Nimphius, 2020). These changes have not been investigated with fatigue. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of fatigue on different sex and strength joint work systems in the hip, knee, and ankle among healthy adults. Males and females were recruited to complete a countermovement jump and drop jumps from 15 cm, 30 cm, 45 cm, 60 cm, and 75 cm with a fatigue protocol between sets. Positive, negative, and net work were calculated for each subject in each jump trial, and data was evaluated based upon sex and strength striations. Results showed significant differences in ankle, knee, and hip work between jump types within groups, but no significant differences across groups. The fatiguing protocol produced a higher variability between jump types, but no significant differences in pre to post fatigue. The results of the current study have implications for future injury prevention and endurance-based sporting event research

Responding to health and social needs of aging Latinos in new-growth communities: a qualitative study

Background The development of new-growth communities of Latino immigrants in southern states has challenged the traditional health and social service infrastructure. An interprofessional team of service providers, Latino leaders, and university faculty partnered to establish linkages with the Latino community and providers serving aging adults and to explore the health and social needs of aging Latinos residing in a rural region. Methods A qualitative descriptive study was conducted through a community-university partnership, the Aging Latino Research Team (ALRT). Data were generated from nine focus groups and 15 key informant interviews with Latino and non-Latino community members and service providers in rural, eastern North Carolina (ENC). Results Thematic analysis was used to identify common patterns and form recommendations for future research and programs. Themes common to Latino participants were: “We are put off to one side�; “If I can't work, I can't survive�; and “Without documents, you are no one.� Themes common to non-Latino participants were: “Older Latinos are not well served�; “Older Latinos are invisible�; “Older Latinos are undocumented and afraid�; and “Older Latinos are wandering the highway�. Conclusion A major finding of this research was the extent to which discrepancies in perceptions between Latino participants and non-Latino participants exist. These discrepancies revealed ethnic stereotyping and cultural insensitivity as major barriers in access to care.Open Access Fun

Moisture transport by Atlantic tropical cyclones onto the North American continent

Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are an important source of freshwater for the North American continent. Many studies have tried to estimate this contribution by identifying TC-induced precipitation events, but few have explicitly diagnosed the moisture fluxes across continental boundaries. We design a set of attribution schemes to isolate the column-integrated moisture fluxes that are directly associated with TCs and to quantify the flux onto the North American Continent due to TCs. Averaged over the 2004–2012 hurricane seasons and integrated over the western, southern and eastern coasts of North America, the seven schemes attribute 7 to 18 % (mean 14 %) of total net onshore flux to Atlantic TCs. A reduced contribution of 10 % (range 9 to 11 %) was found for the 1980–2003 period, though only two schemes could be applied to this earlier period. Over the whole 1980–2012 period, a further 8 % (range 6 to 9 % from two schemes) was attributed to East Pacific TCs, resulting in a total TC contribution of 19 % (range 17 to 22 %) to the ocean-to-land moisture transport onto the North American continent between May and November. Analysis of the attribution uncertainties suggests that incorporating details of individual TC size and shape adds limited value to a fixed radius approach and TC positional errors in the ERA-Interim reanalysis do not affect the results significantly, but biases in peak wind speeds and TC sizes may lead to underestimates of moisture transport. The interannual variability does not appear to be strongly related to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation phenomenon

The Peter Pan paradigm

Genetic and environmental agents that disrupt organogenesis are numerous and well described. Less well established, however, is the role of delay in the developmental processes that yield functionally immature tissues at birth. Evidence is mounting that organs do not continue to develop postnatally in the context of these organogenesis insults, condemning the patient to utilize under-developed tissues for adult processes. These poorly differentiated organs may appear histologically normal at birth but with age may deteriorate revealing progressive or adult-onset pathology. The genetic and molecular underpinning of the proposed paradigm reveals the need for a comprehensive systems biology approach to evaluate the role of maternal-fetal environment on organogenesis

Advanced optical imaging in living embryos

Developmental biology investigations have evolved from static studies of embryo anatomy and into dynamic studies of the genetic and cellular mechanisms responsible for shaping the embryo anatomy. With the advancement of fluorescent protein fusions, the ability to visualize and comprehend how thousands to millions of cells interact with one another to form tissues and organs in three dimensions (xyz) over time (t) is just beginning to be realized and exploited. In this review, we explore recent advances utilizing confocal and multi-photon time-lapse microscopy to capture gene expression, cell behavior, and embryo development. From choosing the appropriate fluorophore, to labeling strategy, to experimental set-up, and data pipeline handling, this review covers the various aspects related to acquiring and analyzing multi-dimensional data sets. These innovative techniques in multi-dimensional imaging and analysis can be applied across a number of fields in time and space including protein dynamics to cell biology to morphogenesis

High Fat Diet Prevents Over-Crowding Induced Decrease of Sex Ratio in Mice

Adaptive theory predicts that mothers would be advantaged by adjusting the sex ratio of their offspring in relation to their offspring's future reproductive success. In the present study, we tested the effect of housing mice under crowded condition on the sex ratio and whether the fat content of the diet has any influence on the outcome of pregnancies. Three-week-old mice were placed on the control diet (NFD) for 3 weeks. Thereafter the mice were allotted randomly to two groups of 7 cages each with 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 mice in every cage to create increasing crowding gradient and fed either NFD or high fat diet (HFD). After 4 weeks, dams were bred and outcomes of pregnancy were analyzed. The average dam body weight (DBW) at conception, litter size (LS) and SR were significantly higher in HFD fed dams. Further, male biased litters declined with increasing crowding in NFD group but not in HFD. The LS and SR in NFD declined significantly with increasing crowding, whereas only LS was reduced in HFD group. We conclude that female mice housed under overcrowding conditions shift offspring SR in favor of daughters in consistent with the TW hypothesis and high fat diet reduces this influence of overcrowding

Consensus Statement Immunonutrition and Exercise.

In this consensus statement on immunonutrition and exercise, a panel of knowledgeable contributors from across the globe provides a consensus of updated science, including the background, the aspects for which a consensus actually exists, the controversies and, when possible, suggested directions for future research