Evaluation of true maximal oxygen uptake based on a novel set of standardized criteria

In this study, criteria are used to identify whether a subject has elicited maximal oxygen uptake. We evaluated the validity of traditional maximal oxygen uptake criteria and propose a novel set of criteria. Twenty athletes completed a maximal oxygen uptake test, consisting of an incremental phase and a subsequent supramaximal phase to exhaustion (verification phase). Traditional and novel maximal oxygen uptake criteria were evaluated. Novel criteria were: oxygen uptake plateau defined as the difference between modelled and actual maximal oxygen uptake >50% of the regression slope of the individual oxygen uptake-workrate relationship; as in the first criterion, but for maximal verification oxygen uptake; and a difference of [less than or equal to]4 beats x [min.sup.-1] between maximal heart rate values in the 2 phases. Satisfying the traditional oxygen uptake plateau criterion was largely an artefact of the between-subject variation in the oxygen uptake-workrate relationship. Secondary criteria, supposedly an indicator of maximal effort, were often satisfied long before volitional exhaustion, even at intensities as low as 61% maximal oxygen uptake. No significant mean differences were observed between the incremental and verification phases for oxygen uptake (t = 0.4; p = 0.7) or heart rate (t = 0.8; p = 0.5). The novel oxygen uptake plateau criterion, maximal oxygen uptake verification criterion, and maximal heart rate verification criterion were satisfied by 17, 18, and 18 subjects, respectively. The small individual absolute differences in oxygen uptake between incremental and verification phases observed in most subjects provided additional confidence that maximal oxygen uptake was elicited. Current maximal oxygen uptake criteria were not valid and novel criteria should be further explored

Practical Indicators for Risk of Airborne Transmission in Shared Indoor Environments and Their Application to COVID-19 Outbreaks

Some infectious diseases, including COVID-19, can undergo airborne transmission. This may happen at close proximity, but as time indoors increases, infections can occur in shared room air despite distancing. We propose two indicators of infection risk for this situation, that is, relative risk parameter (Hr) and risk parameter (H). They combine the key factors that control airborne disease transmission indoors: virus-containing aerosol generation rate, breathing flow rate, masking and its quality, ventilation and aerosol-removal rates, number of occupants, and duration of exposure. COVID-19 outbreaks show a clear trend that is consistent with airborne infection and enable recommendations to minimize transmission risk. Transmission in typical prepandemic indoor spaces is highly sensitive to mitigation efforts. Previous outbreaks of measles, influenza, and tuberculosis were also assessed. Measles outbreaks occur at much lower risk parameter values than COVID-19, while tuberculosis outbreaks are observed at higher risk parameter values. Because both diseases are accepted as airborne, the fact that COVID-19 is less contagious than measles does not rule out airborne transmission. It is important that future outbreak reports include information on masking, ventilation and aerosol-removal rates, number of occupants, and duration of exposure, to investigate airborne transmission

Gender and British national identity in wartime A study of the links between gender and national identity in Britain in the Second World War, the Falklands War, and the Gulf

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN003782 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Thermodynamic and transport properties of single crystalline RCo2Ge2 (R=Y, La–Nd, Sm–Tm)

Single crystals of RCO2Ge2 (R=Y, La-Nd, Sm-Tm) were grown using a self flux method and were characterized by room temperature powder X-ray diffraction; anisotropic, temperature and field dependent magnetization; temperature and field dependent, in plane resistivity; and specific heat measurements. In this series, the majority of the moment bearing members order antiferromagnetically; YCO2Ge2 and LaCo2Ge2 are non-moment-bearing. Ce is trivalent in CeCo2Ge2 at high temperatures, and exhibits an enhanced electronic specific heat coefficient due to the Kondo effect at low temperatures. In addition, CeCo2Ge2 shows two low temperature anomalies in temperature dependent magnetization and specific heat measurements. Three members (R=Tb-Ho) have multiple phase transitions above 1.8 K. Eu appears to be divalent with total angular momentum L=0. Both EuCo2Ge2 and GclCo(2)Ge(2) manifest essentially isotropic paramagnetic properties consistent with J=S=7/12. Clear magnetic anisotropy for rare-earth members with finite L was observed, with ErCo2Ge2 and TrnCo(2)Ge(2) manifesting planar anisotropy and the rest members manifesting axial anisotropy. The experimentally estimated crystal electric field (CU) parameters.89 were calculated from the anisotropic paramagnetic 0,a, and 0, values and follow a trend that agrees well with theoretical predictions. The ordering temperatures, TN, as well as the polycrystalline averaged paramagnetic Curie-Weiss temperature, for the heavy rareearth members deviate from the de Gennes scaling, as the magnitude of both is the highest for Tb, which is sometimes seen for extremely axial systems. Except for SmCo2Ge2, metamagnetic transitions were observed at 1.8 K for all members that ordered antiferromagnetically