Validity and reliability of the session RPE method for monitoring exercise training intensity

Objective. The Session Rating of Perceived Extertion (RPE) is a method of measuring exercise intensity that may be useful for the quantitative assessment of exercise training programmes. However, there are inadequate data regarding the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method. This study was designed to evaluate both the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method in comparison to objective measures (%HRpeak, %HRreserve and %VO2peak) of exercise intensity. Methods. Fourteen healthy volunteers (7 male, 7 female) performed 6 randomly ordered 30-minute constant-load exercise bouts at 3 different intensities, with each intensity being repeated. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) were measured throughout each exercise bout and normalised to maximal values obtained during a preliminary maximal exercise test. Thirty minutes following the conclusion of each exercise bout, the subject rated the global intensity of the bout using a modification of the Category Ratio (CR) (0 - 10) RPE scale. This rating was compared to the mean value of objectively measured exercise intensity across the duration of the bout. Results. There were significant non-linear relationships between Session RPE and %VO2peak (R2 = 0.76), %HRpeak (R2 = 0.74) and %HRreserve (R2 = 0.71). There were no significant differences between test and retest values of %VO2peak, %HRpeak, %HRreserve and Session RPE during the easy (47 v. 47%, 65 v. 66%, 47 v. 48% and 2.0 v. 1.9), moderate (69 v. 70%, 83 v. 84%, 74 v. 75%, and 4.2 v. 4.3) and hard (81 v. 81%, 94 v. 94%, 91 v. 91% and 7.3 v. 7.4) exercise bouts. Correlations between repeated bouts for %VO2peak (r = 0.98), %HRpeak (r = 0.98), %HRreserve (r = 0.98) and Session RPE (r = 0.88) were significant and strong. Conclusions. The results support the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method of monitoring exercise intensity, although as might be predicted for a subjective method the Session RPE was less precise than the objective measures of exercise training intensity. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 18 (1) 2006: pp. 14-1

Validity and reliability of the session RPE method for monitoring exercise training intensity

Objective. The Session Rating of Perceived Extertion (RPE) is a method of measuring exercise intensity that may be useful for the quantitative assessment of exercise training programmes. However, there are inadequate data regarding the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method. This study was designed to evaluate both the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method in comparison to objective measures (%HRpeak, %HRreserve and %VO2peak) of exercise intensity. Methods. Fourteen healthy volunteers (7 male, 7 female) performed 6 randomly ordered 30-minute constant-load exercise bouts at 3 different intensities, with each intensity being repeated. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) were measured throughout each exercise bout and normalised to maximal values obtained during a preliminary maximal exercise test. Thirty minutes following the conclusion of each exercise bout, the subject rated the global intensity of the bout using a modification of the Category Ratio (CR) (0 - 10) RPE scale. This rating was compared to the mean value of objectively measured exercise intensity across the duration of the bout. Results. There were significant non-linear relationships between Session RPE and %VO2peak (R2 = 0.76), %HRpeak (R2 = 0.74) and %HRreserve (R2 = 0.71). There were no significant differences between test and retest values of %VO2peak, %HRpeak, %HRreserve and Session RPE during the easy (47 v. 47%, 65 v. 66%, 47 v. 48% and 2.0 v. 1.9), moderate (69 v. 70%, 83 v. 84%, 74 v. 75%, and 4.2 v. 4.3) and hard (81 v. 81%, 94 v. 94%, 91 v. 91% and 7.3 v. 7.4) exercise bouts. Correlations between repeated bouts for %VO2peak (r = 0.98), %HRpeak (r = 0.98), %HRreserve (r = 0.98) and Session RPE (r = 0.88) were significant and strong. Conclusions. The results support the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method of monitoring exercise intensity, although as might be predicted for a subjective method the Session RPE was less precise than the objective measures of exercise training intensity. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 18 (1) 2006: pp. 14-1

The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies, that require no additional equipment, for preventing lower limb injuries during sports participation: a systematic review

PMCID: PMC3408383The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/10/75. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Super-resolution far-field ghost imaging via compressive sampling

Much more image details can be resolved by improving the system's imaging resolution and enhancing the resolution beyond the system's Rayleigh diffraction limit is generally called super-resolution. By combining the sparse prior property of images with the ghost imaging method, we demonstrated experimentally that super-resolution imaging can be nonlocally achieved in the far field even without looking at the object. Physical explanation of super-resolution ghost imaging via compressive sampling and its potential applications are also discussed.Comment: 4pages,4figure

Should physical activity recommendations be ethnicity-specific? Evidence from a cross-sectional study of south Asian and European men

Background Expert bodies and health organisations recommend that adults undertake at least 150 min.week−1 of moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA). However, the underpinning data largely emanate from studies of populations of European descent. It is unclear whether this level of activity is appropriate for other ethnic groups, particularly South Asians, who have increased cardio-metabolic disease risk compared to Europeans. The aim of this study was to explore the level of MPA required in South Asians to confer a similar cardio-metabolic risk profile to that observed in Europeans undertaking the currently recommended MPA level of 150 min.week−1.<p></p> Methods Seventy-five South Asian and 83 European men, aged 40–70, without cardiovascular disease or diabetes had fasted blood taken, blood pressure measured, physical activity assessed objectively (using accelerometry), and anthropometric measures made. Factor analysis was used to summarise measured risk biomarkers into underlying latent ‘factors’ for glycaemia, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, blood pressure, and overall cardio-metabolic risk. Age-adjusted regression models were used to determine the equivalent level of MPA (in bouts of ≥10 minutes) in South Asians needed to elicit the same value in each factor as Europeans undertaking 150 min.week−1 MPA.<p></p> Findings For all factors, except blood pressure, equivalent MPA values in South Asians were significantly higher than 150 min.week−1; the equivalent MPA value for the overall cardio-metabolic risk factor was 266 (95% CI 185-347) min.week−1.<p></p> Conclusions South Asian men may need to undertake greater levels of MPA than Europeans to exhibit a similar cardio-metabolic risk profile, suggesting that a conceptual case can be made for ethnicity-specific physical activity guidance. Further study is needed to extend these findings to women and to replicate them prospectively in a larger cohort.<p></p&gt

Lower cardiorespiratory fitness contributes to increased insulin resistance and fasting glycaemia in middle-aged South Asian compared with European men living in the UK

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to determine the extent to which increased insulin resistance and fasting glycaemia in South Asian men, compared with white European men, living in the UK, was due to lower cardiorespiratory fitness (maximal oxygen uptake [[Formula: see text]]) and physical activity. METHODS: One hundred South Asian and 100 age- and BMI-matched European men without diagnosed diabetes, aged 40–70 years, had fasted blood taken for measurement of glucose concentration, HOMA-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)), plus other risk factors, and underwent assessment of physical activity (using accelerometry), [Formula: see text], body size and composition, and demographic and other lifestyle factors. For 13 South Asian and one European man, HbA(1c) levels were >6.5% (>48 mmol/mol), indicating potential undiagnosed diabetes; these men were excluded from the analyses. Linear regression models were used to determine the extent to which body size and composition, fitness and physical activity variables explained differences in HOMA(IR) and fasting glucose between South Asian and European men. RESULTS: HOMA(IR) and fasting glucose were 67% (p < 0.001) and 3% (p < 0.018) higher, respectively, in South Asians than Europeans. Lower [Formula: see text], lower physical activity and greater total adiposity in South Asians individually explained 68% (95% CI 45%, 91%), 29% (11%, 46%) and 52% (30%, 80%), respectively, and together explained 83% (50%, 119%) (all p < 0.001) of the ethnic difference in HOMA(IR). Lower [Formula: see text] and greater total adiposity, respectively, explained 61% (9%, 111%) and 39% (9%, 76%) (combined effect 63% [8%, 115%]; all p < 0.05) of the ethnic difference in fasting glucose. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Lower cardiorespiratory fitness is a key factor associated with the excess insulin resistance and fasting glycaemia in middle-aged South Asian, compared with European, men living in the UK. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00125-013-2969-y) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users

Considering Intra-individual Genetic Heterogeneity to Understand Biodiversity

In this chapter, I am concerned with the concept of Intra-individual Genetic Hetereogeneity (IGH) and its potential influence on biodiversity estimates. Definitions of biological individuality are often indirectly dependent on genetic sampling -and vice versa. Genetic sampling typically focuses on a particular locus or set of loci, found in the the mitochondrial, chloroplast or nuclear genome. If ecological function or evolutionary individuality can be defined on the level of multiple divergent genomes, as I shall argue is the case in IGH, our current genetic sampling strategies and analytic approaches may miss out on relevant biodiversity. Now that more and more examples of IGH are available, it is becoming possible to investigate the positive and negative effects of IGH on the functioning and evolution of multicellular individuals more systematically. I consider some examples and argue that studying diversity through the lens of IGH facilitates thinking not in terms of units, but in terms of interactions between biological entities. This, in turn, enables a fresh take on the ecological and evolutionary significance of biological diversity

Nosocomial acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) Enterobacteriaceae in hospitalised patients: a prospective multicenter study

The risk of acquisition of antibiotic resistant-bacteria during or shortly after antibiotic therapy is still unclear and it is often confounded by scarce data on antibiotic usage.Primary objective of the study is to compare rates of acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in hospitalised patients, after starting antibiotic therapy

Lead exposure in adult males in urban Transvaal Province, South Africa during the apartheid era

Human exposure to lead is a substantial public health hazard worldwide and is particularly problematic in the Republic of South Africa given the country’s late cessation of leaded petrol. Lead exposure is associated with a number of serious health issues and diseases including developmental and cognitive deficiency, hypertension and heart disease. Understanding the distribution of lifetime lead burden within a given population is critical for reducing exposure rates. Femoral bone from 101 deceased adult males living in urban Transvaal Province (now Gauteng Province), South Africa between 1960 and 1998 were analyzed for lead concentration by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Of the 72 black and 29 white individuals sampled, chronic lead exposure was apparent in nearly all individuals. White males showed significantly higher median bone lead concentration (ME = 10.04 µg·g−1), than black males (ME = 3.80 µg·g−1) despite higher socioeconomic status. Bone lead concentration covaries significantly, though weakly, with individual age. There was no significant temporal trend in bone lead concentration. These results indicate that long-term low to moderate lead exposure is the historical norm among South African males. Unexpectedly, this research indicates that white males in the sample population were more highly exposed to lead