Using a Daily Diary Approach to Understand the Psychological Experiences of Making Weight

Making weight refers to the process of reducing body weight to compete in weight-categorized sports. The current study explored judo athletes’ psychological experiences of making weight. Six international standard judo athletes participated for the length of time they required to make weight. An unstructured diary was used to collect data daily, supported by a follow-up interview. Data were analyzed using a holistic content analysis. Emergent themes included initiating the making weight process, competing demands of dual roles, temptation, impacts of restricted nutrition, and the desire for social support. Athlete stories provided rich descriptions of their experiences, revealing the extent to which difficulties were concealed and the process of making weight was normalized. Their accounts highlight the challenges associated with social support but the value of emotional disclosure. Future research should explore the potential uses of diaries as a form of disclosure

Social influence on students' experiences of transition into postgraduate study

Introduction Students’ social relationships play an important role in their experiences of educational transition, with some researchers reporting that postgraduate students often feel a lack of support during their transition. The current study examined how students’ social relationships influence their experiences of transition into taught postgraduate study in the Sport and Exercise Sciences. Method A mixed methods approach was adopted to explore 12 students’ (M age 25±9.54; 4 female, 8 male) social relationships and the perceived influence of these relations on educational transition. A personal network analysis was used to structure an interview which was analysed using a thematic content analysis. Results Five sources of social influence were identified, including social support, social comparison, gate keeper, accommodation of relationships, and, coping with the network. These themes were evidenced and discussed with reference to participants’ network structural features such as tie strength and alter centrality. Discussion The combination of both network structure and function makes a novel contribution to literature by highlighting aspects of participants’ social network in context to their experiences of transition. Results are discussed in relation to social network theory and models of influence. Recommendations for coordinators of Masters programmes are also offered relating to the provision, development and maintenance of supportive relationships

Secondary school smartphone policies in England:a descriptive analysis of how schools rationalize, design, and implement restrictive and permissive phone policies

This study provides a descriptive analysis of the content and implementation of smartphone policies across 30 secondary schools in England, comparing schools that do (permissive) or do not (restrictive) allow phone use during recreational time. School policy documents were collected, along with survey data from pupil (n = 1198), teacher (n = 53), and SLT (n = 30) participants. Phones were positioned as benefitting safety, learning, and communication. However, most schools adopted restrictive policies, aiming to improve attainment, behavior, and safeguarding. Significant differences were found between pupils and teachers, and between pupils at permissive vs restrictive schools, regarding their support for the rules. Implications are discussed

Step By Step Project Evaluation Report

The Step-by-Step Project (SBS) was co-designed to address a common need identified by partners from four European Countries. Men are at greater risk of poor physical and mental health because of social isolation, loneliness and unemployment. SBS delivered a model of community engagement to empower men to move from poor health and/or isolation to healthy social participation or active engagement in the labour market. To achieve this, the SBS Model adapted the Men’s Sheds concept by developing a new, third-generation Men’s Sheds Delivery Model. This incorporated peer champion (health and employment focused) training and deployment within the Sheds and their communities, outreach with their communities and other organisations, and use of health technology for assessment of health status. Information videos have been created, explaining the SBS Model in English, French, and Dutch. The evaluation adopts a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative evidence gathered), multi-discipline (physical, social, psychological and economic indicators of change) multi-level (evidence gathered from Shedders, Leaders, Trainers, Partners) approach. The objective is to provide evidence of “who” the SBS Project has engaged with (reach), “what” changes have occurred (effectiveness), document “where” diversity in SBS Shed delivery is observed (adoption), “how” change was achieved (implementation) and “if” change is likely to lead to long-term economic benefit (maintenance). This approach is based on the RE-AIM evaluation framework (Glasgow, 1999, 2019). Between September 2017 and November 2021, 101 Sheds were established with a total membership of approximately 2000 individuals from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Data collection for this evaluation started in May 2019 and ran until November 2021, and involved approximately 450 Shedders (Leaders, Champions and Members), 7 Champion trainers and 15 Project Partners. Economically, the SBS Model facilitated reduced expenditure on mental and physical healthcare, less public spending on welfare transfer payments and other support agencies, and up-skilling and greater self-esteem on reducing unemployment and enhanced productivity in the workplace

Step By Step Project Evaluation Report

The Step-by-Step Project (SBS) was co-designed to address a common need identified by partners from four European Countries. Men are at greater risk of poor physical and mental health because of social isolation, loneliness and unemployment. SBS delivered a model of community engagement to empower men to move from poor health and/or isolation to healthy social participation or active engagement in the labour market. To achieve this, the SBS Model adapted the Men’s Sheds concept by developing a new, third-generation Men’s Sheds Delivery Model. This incorporated peer champion (health and employment focused) training and deployment within the Sheds and their communities, outreach with their communities and other organisations, and use of health technology for assessment of health status. Information videos have been created, explaining the SBS Model in English, French, and Dutch. The evaluation adopts a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative evidence gathered), multi-discipline (physical, social, psychological and economic indicators of change) multi-level (evidence gathered from Shedders, Leaders, Trainers, Partners) approach. The objective is to provide evidence of “who” the SBS Project has engaged with (reach), “what” changes have occurred (effectiveness), document “where” diversity in SBS Shed delivery is observed (adoption), “how” change was achieved (implementation) and “if” change is likely to lead to long-term economic benefit (maintenance). This approach is based on the RE-AIM evaluation framework (Glasgow, 1999, 2019). Between September 2017 and November 2021, 101 Sheds were established with a total membership of approximately 2000 individuals from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Data collection for this evaluation started in May 2019 and ran until November 2021, and involved approximately 450 Shedders (Leaders, Champions and Members), 7 Champion trainers and 15 Project Partners. Economically, the SBS Model facilitated reduced expenditure on mental and physical healthcare, less public spending on welfare transfer payments and other support agencies, and up-skilling and greater self-esteem on reducing unemployment and enhanced productivity in the workplace

Duke Activity Status Index and Liver Frailty Index predict mortality in ambulatory patients with advanced chronic liver disease:A prospective, observational study

BACKGROUND: There remains a lack of consensus on how to assess functional exercise capacity and physical frailty in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (CLD) being assessed for liver transplantation (LT). Aim To investigate prospectively the utility of the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) and Liver Frailty Index (LFI) in ambulatory patients with CLD.AIM: To investigate prospectively the utility of the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) and Liver Frailty Index (LFI) in ambulatory patients with CLD.METHODS: We recruited patients from outpatient clinics at University Hospitals Birmingham, UK (2018-2019). We prospectively collated the DASI and LFI to identify the prevalence of, respectively, functional capacity and physical frailty, and to evaluate their accuracy in predicting overall and pre-LT mortality.RESULTS: We studied 307 patients (57% male; median age 54 years; UKELD 52). Median DASI score was 28.7 (IQR 16.2-50.2), mean LFI was 3.82 (SD = 0.72), and 81% were defined either 'pre-frail' or 'frail'. Female sex and hyponatraemia were significant independent predictors of both DASI and LFI. Age and encephalopathy were significant independent predictors of LFI, while BMI significantly predicted DASI. DASI and LFI were significantly related to overall (HR 0.97, p = 0.001 [DASI], HR 2.04, p = 0.001 [LFI]) and pre-LT mortality (HR 0.96, p = 0.02 [DASI], HR 1.94, p = 0.04 [LFI]).CONCLUSIONS: Poor functional exercise capacity and physical frailty are highly prevalent among ambulatory patients with CLD who are being assessed for LT. The DASI and LFI are simple, low-cost tools that predict overall and pre-LT mortality. Implementation of both should be considered in all outpatients with CLD to highlight those who may benefit from targeted nutritional and exercise interventions.</p

Duke Activity Status Index and Liver Frailty Index predict mortality in ambulatory patients with advanced chronic liver disease:A prospective, observational study

BACKGROUND: There remains a lack of consensus on how to assess functional exercise capacity and physical frailty in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (CLD) being assessed for liver transplantation (LT). Aim To investigate prospectively the utility of the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) and Liver Frailty Index (LFI) in ambulatory patients with CLD.AIM: To investigate prospectively the utility of the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) and Liver Frailty Index (LFI) in ambulatory patients with CLD.METHODS: We recruited patients from outpatient clinics at University Hospitals Birmingham, UK (2018-2019). We prospectively collated the DASI and LFI to identify the prevalence of, respectively, functional capacity and physical frailty, and to evaluate their accuracy in predicting overall and pre-LT mortality.RESULTS: We studied 307 patients (57% male; median age 54 years; UKELD 52). Median DASI score was 28.7 (IQR 16.2-50.2), mean LFI was 3.82 (SD = 0.72), and 81% were defined either 'pre-frail' or 'frail'. Female sex and hyponatraemia were significant independent predictors of both DASI and LFI. Age and encephalopathy were significant independent predictors of LFI, while BMI significantly predicted DASI. DASI and LFI were significantly related to overall (HR 0.97, p = 0.001 [DASI], HR 2.04, p = 0.001 [LFI]) and pre-LT mortality (HR 0.96, p = 0.02 [DASI], HR 1.94, p = 0.04 [LFI]).CONCLUSIONS: Poor functional exercise capacity and physical frailty are highly prevalent among ambulatory patients with CLD who are being assessed for LT. The DASI and LFI are simple, low-cost tools that predict overall and pre-LT mortality. Implementation of both should be considered in all outpatients with CLD to highlight those who may benefit from targeted nutritional and exercise interventions.</p

The terrestrial carbon budget of South and Southeast Asia

Accomplishing the objective of the current climate policies will require establishing carbon budget and flux estimates in each region and county of the globe by comparing and reconciling multiple estimates including the observations and the results of top-down atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) inversions and bottom-up dynamic global vegetation models. With this in view, this study synthesizes the carbon source/sink due to net ecosystem productivity (NEP), land cover land use change (ELUC), fires and fossil burning (EFIRE) for the South Asia (SA), Southeast Asia (SEA) and South and Southeast Asia (SSEA=SA+SEA) and each country in these regions using the multiple top-down and bottom-up modeling results. The terrestrial net biome productivity (NBP=NEP-ELUC-EFIRE) calculated based on bottom-up models in combination with EFIRE based on GFED4s data show net carbon sinks of 217±147, 10±55, and 227±279 TgC yr?1 for SA, SEA, and SSEA. The top-down models estimated NBP net carbon sinks were 20±170, 4±90 and 24±180 TgC yr?1. In comparison, regional emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels were 495, 275, and 770 TgC yr?1, which are many times higher than the NBP sink estimates, suggesting that the contribution of the fossil fuel emissions to the carbon budget of SSEA results in a significant net carbon source during the 2000s. When considering both NBP and fossil fuel emissions for the individual countries within the regions, Bhutan and Laos were net carbon sinks and rest of the countries were net carbon source during the 2000s. The relative contributions of each of the fluxes (NBP, NEP, ELUC, and EFIRE, fossil fuel emissions) to a nation’s net carbon flux varied greatly from country to country, suggesting a heterogeneous dominant carbon fluxes on the country-level throughout SSEA

Global ecosystems and fire: multi-model assessment of fire-induced tree cover and carbon storage reduction

In this study, we use simulations from seven global vegetation models to provide the first multi‐model estimate of fire impacts on global tree cover and the carbon cycle under current climate and anthropogenic land use conditions, averaged for the years 2001‐2012. Fire reduces the tree covered area and vegetation carbon storage by 10%. Regionally the effects are much stronger, up to 20% for certain latitudinal bands, and 17% in savanna regions. Global fire effects on total carbon storage and carbon turnover times are lower with the effect on gross primary productivity (GPP) close to zero. We find the strongest impacts of fire in savanna regions. Climatic conditions in regions with the highest burned area differ from regions with highest absolute fire impact, which are characterized by higher precipitation. Our estimates of fire‐induced vegetation change are lower than previous studies. We attribute these differences to different definitions of vegetation change and effects of anthropogenic land use, which were not considered in previous studies and decreases the impact of fire on tree cover. Accounting for fires significantly improves the spatial patterns of simulated tree cover, which demonstrates the need to represent fire in dynamic vegetation models. Based upon comparisons between models and observations, process understanding and representation in models, we assess a higher confidence in the fire impact on tree cover and vegetation carbon compared to GPP, total carbon storage and turnover times. We have higher confidence in the spatial patterns compared to the global totals of the simulated fire impact. As we used an ensemble of state‐of‐the‐art fire models, including effects of land use and the ensemble median or mean compares better to observational datasets than any individual model, we consider the here presented results to be the current best estimate of global fire effects on ecosystems

Emergent global patterns of ecosystem structure and function from a mechanistic general ecosystem model

Anthropogenic activities are causing widespread degradation of ecosystems worldwide, threatening the ecosystem services upon which all human life depends. Improved understanding of this degradation is urgently needed to improve avoidance and mitigation measures. One tool to assist these efforts is predictive models of ecosystem structure and function that are mechanistic: based on fundamental ecological principles. Here we present the first mechanistic General Ecosystem Model (GEM) of ecosystem structure and function that is both global and applies in all terrestrial and marine environments. Functional forms and parameter values were derived from the theoretical and empirical literature where possible. Simulations of the fate of all organisms with body masses between 10 µg and 150,000 kg (a range of 14 orders of magnitude) across the globe led to emergent properties at individual (e.g., growth rate), community (e.g., biomass turnover rates), ecosystem (e.g., trophic pyramids), and macroecological scales (e.g., global patterns of trophic structure) that are in general agreement with current data and theory. These properties emerged from our encoding of the biology of, and interactions among, individual organisms without any direct constraints on the properties themselves. Our results indicate that ecologists have gathered sufficient information to begin to build realistic, global, and mechanistic models of ecosystems, capable of predicting a diverse range of ecosystem properties and their response to human pressures