Hydration status and fluid balance of elite European youth soccer players during consecutive training sessions

The objective of the study was to investigate the hydration status and fluid balance of elite European youth soccer players during three consecutive training sessions. Fourteen males (age 16.9 ± 0.8 years, height 1.79 ± 0.06 m, body mass (BM) 70.6 ± 5.0 kg) had their hydration status assessed from first morning urine samples (baseline) and pre- and post-training using urine specif-ic gravity (USG) measures, and their fluid balance calculated from pre- to post-training BM change, corrected for fluid intake and urine output. Most participants were hypohydrated upon waking (USG >1.020; 77% on days 1 and 3, and 62% on day 2). There was no significant difference between first morning and pre-training USG (p = 0.11) and no influence of training session (p = 0.34) or time (pre- vs. post-training; p = 0.16) on USG. Significant BM loss occurred in sessions 1-3 (0.69 ± 0.22, 0.42 ± 0.25, and 0.38 ± 0.30 kg respectively, p < 0.05). Mean fluid intake in sessions 1-3 was 425 ± 185, 355 ± 161, and 247 ± 157 ml, respectively (p < 0.05). Participants replaced on average 71.3 ± 64.1% (range 0-363.6%) of fluid losses across the three sessions. Body mass loss, fluid intake, and USG measures showed large inter-individual variation. Elite young European soccer players likely wake and present for training hypohydrat-ed, when a USG threshold of 1.020 is applied. When training in a cool environment with ad libitum access to fluid, replacing ~71% of sweat losses results in minimal hypohydration (<1% BM). Consumption of fluid ad libitum throughout training ap-pears to prevent excessive (≥2% BM) dehydration, as advised by current fluid intake guidelines. Current fluid intake guide-lines appear applicable for elite European youth soccer players training in a cool environment

How institutional repositories are already working to solve the Open Access problem

Last week, Mike Taylor discussed his concerns on institutional repositories as an adequate solution to the open access problem and asked Green OA advocates to address these problems. In response, Natalia Madjarevic, Dave Puplett, and Neil Stewart clarify the existing capabilities of institutional repositories and highlight the powerful transitional role they can play in providing greater access and benefits for individuals, institutions and disciplines

The New Zealand workforce survey II: occupational risk factors for asthma.

INTRODUCTION: We conducted a cross-sectional population-based survey in New Zealand that collected information on work history, current workplace exposures, and selected health outcomes. We report here the findings on occupational risk factors for asthma symptoms. METHODS: A random sample of men and women aged 20-64 years were selected from the New Zealand Electoral Roll and invited to take part in a telephone survey. Current asthma was defined as: (i) woken up by shortness of breath in the past 12 months; or (ii) an attack of asthma in the past 12 months; or (iii) currently taking asthma medication. Adult-onset asthma was defined as first attack of asthma at age 18 or over. Prevalence odds ratios (ORs) for all occupations were calculated using logistic regression adjusting for sex, age, smoking, and deprivation. RESULTS: Totally, 2903 participants were included in the analyses. The prevalence of current asthma was 17% and the prevalence of adult-onset asthma was 9%. Prevalence ORs for current asthma were elevated for ever working as a printer [OR = 2.26; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09-4.66], baker (OR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.02-3.85), sawmill labourer (OR = 3.26; 95% CI = 1.05-10.16), metal processing plant operator (OR = 2.48; 95% CI = 1.22-5.05), and cleaner (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.09-2.35). Excess risks of adult-onset asthma were also found for ever working as a printer, baker, and sawmill labourer as well as ever-working as a market-oriented animal producer (OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.14-2.41), and other agricultural worker (OR = 2.08; 95% CI = 1.03-4.20). A number of occupations not previously considered at high risk for asthma were also identified, including teachers and certain sales professionals. CONCLUSION: This population-based study has confirmed findings of previous international studies showing elevated risks in a number of high-risk occupations. The strongest risks were consistently observed for printers, bakers, and sawmill labourers. Several occupations were also identified that have not been previously associated with asthma, suggesting that the risk of occupational asthma may be more widely spread across the workforce than previously assumed

Domain specific software architectures: Command and control

GTE is the Command and Control contractor for the Domain Specific Software Architectures program. The objective of this program is to develop and demonstrate an architecture-driven, component-based capability for the automated generation of command and control (C2) applications. Such a capability will significantly reduce the cost of C2 applications development and will lead to improved system quality and reliability through the use of proven architectures and components. A major focus of GTE's approach is the automated generation of application components in particular subdomains. Our initial work in this area has concentrated in the message handling subdomain; we have defined and prototyped an approach that can automate one of the most software-intensive parts of C2 systems development. This paper provides an overview of the GTE team's DSSA approach and then presents our work on automated support for message processing

Measuring lateral heat flux across a thermohaline front: A model and observational test

We develop and test a method to observationally estimate lateral intrusive heat flux across a front. The model combines that of Joyce (1977), in which lateral cross-frontal advection by intrusions creates vertical temperature gradients, and Osborn and Cox (1972) in which vertical mixing of those gradients creates thermal microstructure that is dissipated by molecular conduction of heat. Observations of thermal microstructure dissipation χT are then used to estimate the production by intrusions, and hence the lateral heat flux and diffusivity. This method does not depend on the precise mechanism(s) of mixing, or on the dynamical mechanisms driving the frontal intrusions. It relies on several assumptions: (1) lateral cross-frontal advection produces diapycnal temperature gradients that are mixed locally, (2) thermal variance is dissipated locally and not exported, (3) intrusion scales are larger than turbulence scales, and (4) isotropy of temperature microstructure is assumed in order to estimate χT.The method is tested using microstructure observations in Meddy Sharon, where the erosion rate and associated lateral heat flux are known from successive mesoscale hydrographic observations (Hebert et al., 1990). An expression is developed for the production (lateral heat flux times lateral temperature gradient, expected to equal χT) in a front of steady shape that is eroding (detraining) at a steady rate; the production is proportional to the erosion speed and the square of the cross-frontal temperature contrast, both of which are well-known from observations. The qualitative structure and integrated value of the dissipation agree well with model assumptions and predictions: thermal variance produced by lateral intrusive heat flux is dissipated locally, dissipation in intrusive regions dominates total dissipation, and the total dissipation agrees with the observed erosion rate, all of which suggests that microstructure observations can be used to estimate intrusive heat flux. A direct comparison was made between lateral heat flux estimated from mesoscale Meddy structure plus the known rate of erosion, and lateral flux based on microscale temperature dissipation, with excellent agreement in the frontal zone and poorer agreement where lateral temperature gradient is too small to accurately measure

Will it gel? Successful computational prediction of peptide gelators using physicochemical properties and molecular fingerprints

The self-assembly of low molecular weight gelators to form gels has enormous potential for cell culturing, optoelectronics, sensing, and for the preparation of structured materials. There is an enormous “chemical space” of gelators. Even within one class, functionalised dipeptides, there are many structures based on both natural and unnatural amino acids that can be proposed and there is a need for methods that can successfully predict the gelation propensity of such molecules. We have successfully developed computational models, based on experimental data, which are robust and are able to identify in silico dipeptide structures that can form gels. A virtual computational screen of 2025 dipeptide candidates identified 9 dipeptides that were synthesised and tested. Every one of the 9 dipeptides synthesised and tested were correctly predicted for their gelation properties. This approach and set of tools enables the “dipeptide space” to be searched effectively and efficiently in order to deliver novel gelator molecules