The Validity Of 7-Site Skinfold Measurements Taken By Exercise Science Students

International Journal of Exercise Science 6(1) : 20-28, 2013. Skinfold (SKF) measurement is arguably the most ubiquitous method of estimating percent body fat (%BF) because of cost, ease, and feasibility. However, it is unknown how accurately novice exercise science students measure SKF thickness. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the validity with which exercise science students in an Exercise Physiology course measured skinfold thickness and estimated percent body fat (%BF) when compared to a skilled technician. Twenty-three novice undergraduate students were afforded both verbal measurement instruction and visual measurement demonstration and, subsequently, assessed SKF thicknesses of a male and female testee. %BF was calculated using measurements obtained by the skilled technician and students. Comparisons were made between measurements taken by the skilled technician and students using error, absolute error, and one sample t-tests. For the female testee, average error ranged from -0.5 mm to -4.8 mm for the 7-sites, 1.7±15.4 mm for the sum of 7-sites, and -3.7±2.6% for %BF. The average absolute error ranged from 1.2 mm to 4.9 mm for the 7-sites, 23.3±12.7 mm for the sum of 7-sites, and 3.9±2.2% for %BF. For the male testee, average error ranged from 0.0 mm to 0.9 mm for the 7-sites, 2.9±8.5 mm for the sum of 7-sites, and 0.5±1.4% for %BF. The average absolute error ranged from 0.6 mm to 1.1 mm for the 7-sites, 4.8±7.5 mm for the sum of 7-sites, and 0.8±1.2% for BF%. The one sample t-tests revealed no significant differences in the sum of 7-sites and %BF for the male model (p\u3e0.05), but significant differences were found for the female model (p\u3c0.05). From a practical perspective, when novice exercise science students were provided both verbal and visual instructions of SKF measurement technique, students were able to accurately assess %BF of a male testee as compared to the skilled technician. With respect to the female testee, however, students underestimated the sum of the 7 SKF sites by ~ 20 mm when compared to the skilled technician. Additional tutelage and practice may be necessary when teaching SKF measurement of females and/or individuals with higher %BF to novice undergraduate exercise science students

A Low Dose Caffeine and Carbohydrate Supplement does not Improve Athletic Performance during Volleyball Competition

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(3): 340-353, 2017. Dietary supplements are widely used to enhance sport performance and the combination of carbohydrate and caffeine (CHO+CAF) has yielded particularly high performance gains. Though the effects of a CHO+CAF supplement have been studied in a laboratory environment, little research exists on the effects of supplementation during competition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a CHO+CAF supplement on athletic performance in competition. Eight female collegiate volleyball players completed three testing sessions under three different conditions separated by approximately one week each: CHO+CAF supplement, placebo (PBO), and control (CTL) using a randomized, cross-over design. Blood glucose (BG) was assessed prior to supplementation and immediately after set three. The supplement and PBO were administered prior to play and between sets two and three. Following three sets of play, three performance tests were completed: vertical jump (VJ), agility (AGL), and repeated 30-m sprint ability (RSA). While CHO+CAF supplementation significantly increased BG, the performance tests were not different (p\u3e.05) among the testing conditions. These findings suggest that the amount of the supplement used in this study is not beneficial to VJ, AGL, and RSA in female volleyball players. As these performance tests were largely anaerobic and non-glycolytic in nature, the ergogenicity of the supplement may have been underutilized. Additionally, coaches and athletes should not only be aware of what ingredients are in the supplements they choose, but the amount of those ingredients as they may modify the efficacy of the supplement to impact performance

Validation of the Actiheart Monitor for the Measurement of Physical Activity

The Actiheart monitor uniquely allows simultaneous measurement of heart rate and movement counts. The purpose of this study was to establish validity evidence for the Actiheart monitor under laboratory and free-living conditions. A total of 34 college students (17 males and 17 females, age = 21.8 ± 3.6 years) participated in the study. In the laboratory environment, the participants completed three, 5 min bouts of treadmill walking and/or running at speeds of 3.2, 6.4, and 9.6 km/h. Outside the laboratory, participants were asked to perform free-living physical activity for 30 min. For validation, energy expenditure, movement counts, and heart rate measurements from the Actiheart monitor were compared with an AEI Moxus Metabolic Cart, Actigraph accelerometer, Polar heart rate monitor (HRM), and electrocardiogram (ECG), respectively. The Actiheart underestimated energy expenditure only at the highest workload in the laboratory environment compared with the metabolic cart (p = .009). Actiheart heart rate (HR) was similar to the HR measured by ECG at all workloads. Under free-living conditions, the Actiheart energy expenditure was highly correlated (r = .81) with the Actigraph energy expenditure with no significant differences (t(33) =.26; p = .80). Actiheart heart rate was also highly correlated with HR from the Polar HRM (r = .93), however, there was an overestimation of HR by the Actiheart monitor (t(33) = 3.00; p = .005) under free-living conditions. The Actiheart monitor appears to accurately measure physical activity under free-living conditions and at low and moderate intensities in the laboratory environment

General N-and O-linked glycosylation of lipoproteins in mycoplasmas and role of exogenous oligosaccharide

The lack of a cell wall, flagella, fimbria, and other extracellular appendages and the possession of only a single membrane render the mycoplasmas structurally simplistic and ideal model organisms for the study of glycoconjugates. Most species have genomes of about 800 kb and code for few proteins predicted to have a role in glycobiology. The murine pathogens Mycoplasma arthritidis and Mycoplasma pulmonis have only a single gene annotated as coding for a glycosyltransferase but synthesize glycolipid, polysaccharide and glycoproteins. Previously, it was shown that M. arthritidis glycosylated surface lipoproteins through O-linkage. In the current study, O-linked glycoproteins were similarly found in M. pulmonis and both species of mycoplasma were found to also possess N-linked glycans at residues of asparagine and glutamine. Protein glycosylation occurred at numerous sites on surface-exposed lipoproteins with no apparent amino acid sequence specificity. The lipoproteins of Mycoplasma pneumoniae also are glycosylated. Glycosylation was dependent on the glycosidic linkages from host oligosaccharides. As far as we are aware, N-linked glycoproteins have not been previously described in Gram-positive bacteria, the organisms to which the mycoplasmas are phylogenetically related. The findings indicate that the mycoplasma cell surface is heavily glycosylated with implications for the modulation of mycoplasma-host interactions

The Impact of a Pilot Community Intervention on Health-Related Fitness Measures in Overweight Children

The purpose of this study was to pilot a 5-week community-based intervention on improving measures of health-related fitness in overweight children. Data were obtained from 8 overweight and obese 8- to 14-year-old children. Measurements included muscular fitness (curl-ups and modified pull-ups), aerobic capacity (20 meter progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run [PACER] test), body composition (tricep and calf skinfolds), body mass index (BMI), and flexibility (back saver sit-and-reach). A significant reduction in BMI was observed at post-test compared to baseline (p = .03). There was a significant decrease in body fat at post-test for boys (p = .013)

A Cross-Training Program Does Not Alter Self-Reported Physical Activity Levels in Elementary School Children

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(5): 308-318, 2018. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a school-based cross-training program on body mass index (BMI), attitudes toward physical activity (ATPA), and physical activity (PA) levels of children in the 4th and 5th grades. Children (N = 118) were divided into control (n = 60) and experimental (n = 58) groups based on class availability. While the control group continued academic classes as usual, the experimental group participated in cross-training involving resistance training (RT), calisthenics, and stretching twice a week for 10 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention measures included height, mass, ATPA, and PA. BMI was calculated and ATPA and PA levels were assessed via questionnaire. The groups did not differ significantly (p \u3e .05) for either pre- or post-intervention regarding BMI, ATPA, and PA. However, BMI and PA levels significantly increased over time for both groups (p ≤ .05). Overall, cross-training in a school setting may be a safe and enjoyable option for physical activity participation. BMI and PA increases were likely the result of the natural growth process and seasonal weather pattern changes, respectively. Nevertheless, the cross-training did not detract from PA levels and may have led to an overall increase in PA levels. As subdomain analyses revealed decreased attitude toward health and fitness in the experimental group, shorter programs involving RT with various protocols are recommended

A Cross-Training Program Does Not Alter Self-Reported Physical Activity Levels in Elementary School Children

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a school-based cross-training program on body mass index (BMI), attitudes toward physical activity (ATPA), and physical activity (PA) levels of children in the 4th and 5th grades. Children (N = 118) were divided into control (n = 60) and experimental (n = 58) groups based on class availability. While the control group continued academic classes as usual, the experimental group participated in cross-training involving resistance training (RT), calisthenics, and stretching twice a week for 10 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention measures included height, mass, ATPA, and PA. BMI was calculated and ATPA and PA levels were assessed via questionnaire. The groups did not differ significantly (p \u3e .05) for either pre- or post-intervention regarding BMI, ATPA, and PA. However, BMI and PA levels significantly increased over time for both groups (p ≤ .05). Overall, cross-training in a school setting may be a safe and enjoyable option for physical activity participation. BMI and PA increases were likely the result of the natural growth process and seasonal weather pattern changes, respectively. Nevertheless, the cross-training did not detract from PA levels and may have led to an overall increase in PA levels. As subdomain analyses revealed decreased attitude toward health and fitness in the experimental group, shorter programs involving RT with various protocols are recommended

LC MS/MS-CID showing hexosylation at Thr64 of the peptide Gt₆₄KDFLPIELQSLEVSK of MYPU_3230.

<p>The assigned b and y ions are shown in blue and red, respectively. Glycosylation of Q and S glycosites is absent in this spectrum as illustrated. The PEAKS peptide score (-10lgP) for this spectrum was 87. The charge state of the parental ion was <i>z</i> = 3.</p

LC MS/MS-CID showing hexosylation at Asn335 of the peptide STLEYTINNSQELQn₃₃₅ILKQTYEEFTK of MYPU_3200.

<p>The assigned b and y ions are shown in blue and red, respectively. Glycosylation of N, Q, T, S, and Y glycosites is absent in this spectrum as illustrated. The PEAKS peptide score (-10lgP) for this spectrum was 60. The charge state of the parental ion was <i>z</i> = 3.</p

Hexosylation of the peptide GTKDFLPIELQSLEVSK of MYPU_3230.

<p>Orbitrap MS showing the doubly and triply charged ions. The 81.0262 shift for <i>z</i> = 2 between the non-glycosylated and glycosylated peptides equates to a mass shift of 162.0524 Da, which corresponds to the addition of hexose (162.0528 Da) with a mass accuracy of 0.0004 Da. The 54.0169 shift for <i>z</i> = 3 between non-glycosylated and glycosylated forms equates to a mass shift of 162.0507 Da, which corresponds to hexosylation with a mass accuracy of 0.0021 Da. Monoisotopic values for the calculated theoretical and experimental masses of the peptide are given in bold. The images presented were obtained from an LC peak of MS scans and are expanded to show the charge states of each form.</p