Service Learning In A College Nutrition Class: Examination Of Elementary School Lunch

A service learning project was implemented in a college nutrition course to examine what elementary school students actually consume during lunch. Students organized in teams with specific tasks for each stage of the project (data collection, analysis, interpretation). The project yielded meaningful recommendations for modifications in the school menu, which were implemented by the school district. The incorporation of service-learning is an excellent option for a general nutrition college course.

Nature and essence in Aristotle's logical and biological works

Aristotle holds that some of the predicates that are true of a subject, signify what the subject is. The definition that states what a subject is, is composed out of such predicates, and signifies the essence or nature of the subject. I examine the grounds for distinguishing these predicates in Aristotle's works and I focus on the case of living kinds. In the first part I consider Aristotle's logical works, where the distinction rests on priority relations that relate to explanatory considerations. Given the subjects of a domain or genus studied by a science the predicates that are explanatorily more basic form the essence of those subjects. The aim of scientific understanding is to study the explanatory patterns within a genus; patterns that will be different in different sciences. In the case of the subject-genus of biology the explanatory patterns are determined by teleological relations. In the second part, I consider Aristotle's views on teleological explanation in biology, and in particular what forms the basis of these explanations, thus determining the order of priorities with respect to the nature or essence of the subjects studied in biology

Lactate Testing Revisited: A Reliable Indicator of Training Progress for All Swimmers.

We examined the use of lactate testing to monitor training progress in swimming at a small liberal arts college, using an inexpensive handheld lactate analyzer. The tests were carried out by undergraduates as part of their investigative learning curriculum in exercise science. Twelve female athletes participated in a 2-year program of periodic testing using a 5 × 200 swim of increasing intensity. Blood lactate values were measured from a sample obtained 2-4 min after each swim, plotted against swim time, and the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) was identified. MLSS improved significantly throughout the training period (higher by 0.56 mmol/L and lower by 5.92 s, p \u3c .05), accompanied by significant improvements in swim performance in middle distances. We conclude that the use of a handheld lactate analyzer is an effective method to monitor training progress in swimming. The low cost of the procedure and the participation of undergraduate students were novel applications of established protocols

In-Season High-Intensity Interval Training Improves Conditioning In High School Soccer Players

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(5): 713-720, 2017. Soccer is characterized by high aerobic demands interspersed with frequent bursts of anaerobic activity. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is considered a viable alternative to traditional endurance conditioning and offers the additional time-saving benefits of anaerobic training. We hypothesized that HIIT will compare favorably to traditional (aerobic-based) soccer conditioning over the course of a high school soccer season. Junior varsity soccer players were split into control (CON, n=16) and experimental (HIIT, n=16) groups for the 10-week study. The HIIT group performed 4-6 “all-out” sprints lasting 30s each, with 4.5 minute recovery, 3 times a week. The CON group performed endurance running for the same duration. The groups did not differ in any other aspect of their training. Participants completed the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (IR1), a 40-yard dash, vertical jump, Illinois agility test, and a sit-and-reach test, in two different testing sessions (pre/post season). Both HIIT and CON groups exhibited significant increase in IR1 test performance with time (741.6±307.6m vs. 1067.6±356.8m, p\u3c.001 and 733.2±318.8m vs. 1165.2±252.8m, p\u3c0.001 respectively), with no difference between groups. The CON group demonstrated a significant difference in the 40-yard dash over time (5.48±0.36s vs. 5.21±0.16s, p\u3c0.004). While there was a difference in vertical jump between the pre and post tests for the HIIT group (42.20±7.04cm vs. 47.87±750cm respectively, p\u3c0.019), no such effect was observed in the CON group. In contrast, there were differences in the agility test only for the CON group over time (16.67±0.76s vs. 16.15±0.49s, p\u3c0.001). There were no differences in the flexibility test between groups. Our results indicate that HIIT offers similar endurance improvements to more traditional soccer training

Determination of Blood Lactate Concentration: Reliability and Validity of a Lactate Oxidase-based Method

The measurement of blood lactate has long been used as marker of exercise intensity and training status. We compared a commercially available lactate oxidase spectrophotometric method (LO) to determine blood lactate levels to two previously validated methods, the lactate dehydrogenase spectrophotometric method (LDH), and the YSI 1500L Sport lactate analyzer (YSI). First we established a series of calibration curves over physiological range of lactate values (1-15 mM∙l-1 for the spectrophotometric assays and 1-30 mM∙l-1 for the YSI) with high correlations (0.986 \u3c r \u3c 0.999). Aerobically trained participants (n = 11) performed repeated exercise bouts of varying intensities on a cycle ergometer. Capillary blood samples (n = 189) were collected from the earlobe and the blood lactate concentration was determined using each of the three methods. An ANOVA (alpha=0.05) revealed no differences in blood lactate concentrations between the three methods. The three experimental protocols yielded similarly-shaped lactate curves, although the actual values for the LDH method was somewhat lower than the LO and the YSI at every intensity level. Bland-Altman plots revealed a slight bias towards lower lactate values with the LDH method, perhaps indicative of a more conservative measure of blood lactate. We conclude that the LO method is a reliable and valid method to determine blood lactate concentrations spectrophotometrically. All three methods can provide useful within-subject lactate curves, although we caution against interchangeable use of the three methods

El Rugby amateur en la Inglaterra del Siglo XIX ¿Filosofía o manipulación social? = The Amateur Rugby in England in S. XIX: Philosophy or Social Manipulation?

El 27 de Agosto de 1995, Vernon Pugh, presidente de la comisión de la International Rugby Board (IRB) para el amateurismo, declaró que el Rugby pasaba a ser un deporte libre. Se terminaba de esta forma con más de un siglo de amateurismo declarado en este deporte, y se terminaba también con una década de debates sobre el conocido shamateurismo, o profesionalismo encubierto, en el cual los jugadores no cobraban por jugar pero si por el trabajo, ya fuera real o ficticio, que le proporciona el club que defendían. En ese año, terminaba el anacronismo de un deporte de finales del S.XX sometido a reglas de la Inglaterra victoriana. ¿Como se pudo llegar a dicha situación? Dunning y Sheard argumentan que el fenómeno del amateurismo en el Rugby en el S.XIX fue un instrumento de diferenciación social complejo y que debe ser analizado desde un punto de vista histórico y sociopolítico. En esta línea, Bádenas expone que la aristocracia británica del S. XIX utilizó el interés creciente por la cultura griega antigua para atribuir unos valores al deporte practicado en aquella época de forma que se conceptualizó el deporte como una actividad lúdica propia de una élite social. Para lograrlo, ensalzaron los valores de un deporte amateur griego (que no existió como tal concepto) y realzaron aquellos textos que criticaban la profesionalización de los deportistas y sus efectos sobre el deporte. Teóricos británicos, como Mahaffy atribuían al deporte griego antiguo unos valores que coincidían con el prototipo de gentlemen deportista de la época victoriana.-----------------------------------------------------------------The August 27, 1995, Vernon Pugh, chairman of the committee of the International Rugby Board (IRB) for amateurism, said the Rugby happened to be a free sport. It thus ended more than a century of declared amateurism in this sport, and also ended a decade of discussions on shamateurism or concealed professionalism, in which the players were not paid to play but by work, whether real or fictitious, which gives the defending club. In that year, ended the anachronism of a late twentieth century sport governed by rules of Victorian England. How did he get to this situation? Dunning and Sheard argue that the phenomenon of amateurism in rugby in the nineteenth century was a complex instrument of social differentiation and must be analyzed from a historical standpoint and sociopolitical. In this line, Bádenas states that the British aristocracy in S. XIX used the growing interest in ancient Greek culture to assign values to the sport practiced at that time so that was conceptualized as a recreational activity characteristic of a social elite. To achieve this, extolled the values of a Greek amateur sports (which did not exist as such a concept) and enhanced those texts criticizing the professionalization of sports and its impact on sport. British theorists, as Mahaffy attributed to the ancient Greek sport values that matched the prototype athlete gentlemen of the Victorian era. Artículo revisado por pare

Short Duration High-Intensity Interval Training Improves Aerobic Conditioning of Female College Soccer Players

International Journal of Exercise Science 5(3) : 232-238, 2012. We hypothesized that High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is comparable to traditional endurance training for improving aerobic capacity over a 5-week training period. A VO2max test and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery 1 test (Yo-Yo) were conducted by the HIIT group (Sprint Training (SPR); 5 maximal sprint efforts with 30 seconds of stimulus and 4.5 minutes of active recovery, twice weekly) and the endurance group (END; 40-min run at 80% of VO2max, twice weekly) before and after intervention. Following initial testing, female NCAA D-III level soccer players were matched for VO2max and randomly assigned to SPR (n=7) or END (n=6) groups. Between-group (END vs. SPR) and between-condition (pre- vs. post- training) comparisons were made using repeated measures ANOVA (α=0.05) with a Tukey post-hoc analysis. The Yo-Yo test revealed significant team pre- and post- training differences (1680±480 m vs. 1895±524 m respectively, p=0.002), also true for SPR (1857±423 m vs. 2131±436 m, p=0.001) and END groups (1473±494 m vs. 1613±510 m, p=0.042). There were no differences between groups for the pre-test (p=0.108) or the post-test (p=0.076). The training program resulted in significant improvements in team VO2max values (50.66±3.52 ml∙kg-1 ∙min-1 vs. 52.71±3.24 ml∙kg-1 ∙min-1 respectively, p=0.002), with no differences between the two groups for the pre- (p=0.493) and post- tests (p=0.362). The mean VO2max improved by 2.36 ml∙kg-1∙min-1 (4.73%) for SPR and 1.66 ml∙kg-1∙min-1 (3.42%) for END. Performing HIIT as little as twice per week offers an adequate aerobic training stimulus at considerable time savings

A Two-test Protocol for the Precise Determination of the Maximal Lactate Steady State

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(4): 681-695, 2018. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a two-test method for precisely identifying the Maximal Lactate Steady State (MLSS). Eight male competitive cyclists performed two bouts on a cycle ergometer. Following a maximal oxygen consumption (O2max) test (66.91 ± 5.29 mL∙kg-1∙min-1) we identified the lactate deflection point using the visual deflection (TVis), Log-Log (TLog), Dmax (TDmax), RER = 1.00 (TRER), ventilatory threshold (TVent), and the 1.0 mmol·L-1 increase above baseline (T+1) methods. The second incremental test (SIT) consisted of 6-7 stages (5 min each) starting 20-30 W below to 20-30 W above the predetermined deflection point, in 10 W increments. Comparison of the two tests yielded different threshold estimates (range 11-46W) for all methods (P = 0.001-0.019) except the TLog (P = 0.194) and TRER (P = 0.100). The SIT resulted in significantly (P = 0.007) more narrow range of thresholds (27.5 ± 11.01W) compared to the O2max test (70 ± 42.51W). The TVis from the SIT was identified as the MLSS and was verified using three 45-minute steady-state exercise bouts at 95%, 100%, and 105% of MLSS intensity (average increment 12.8 W). Blood lactate and O2 were recorded every 5 minutes and differed between the three intensities at every time point (P \u3c 0.001). O2 increased from the 5th to the 45th minute by 7.02 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 (100% MLSS), 3.63 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 (95% MLSS) and 7.5 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 (105% MLSS, to the 30th minute). These results indicate that the MLSS was identified correctly by the SIT, the single incremental test overestimated the MLSS intensity, and the TVis provides a very accurate determination of the lactate breakpoint. The use of a second submaximal test is required for a precise identification of MLSS

Challenging The Accuracy of a Single-test Lactate Threshold Protocol in Collegiate Rowers

Elite rowers use lactate threshold (LT) estimates as a basis for training intensity in order to achieve the greatest training volume. For convenience, LT is usually determined in a maximal LT/VO2max test. This simultaneous test is problematic because it requires a large power increment, which may not give the most accurate LT. PURPOSE: To challenge the validity of a simultaneous LT/VO2max test to estimate LT in rowers. METHODS: Collegiate rowers (n=20, 16F and 4M, age 19.3±1.3 years, height 171.5±7.1 cm, weight 70±14 kg, VO2max 44.6±5.5 ml•kg-1•min-1) performed two LT tests. Participants completed an incremental VO2max test with 3-minute intervals increasing by 30W and 40W for women and men respectively. The second test consisted of five 6-minute stages of 10W increments starting from 20W below the estimated LT. For both tests, blood lactate was measured at the end of each stage and LT was determined by the lactate deflection point. The difference in intensity between the first deflection point and the LT was then calculated. RESULTS: Average difference between LT1 and LT2 was 1.15 ± 13.4W, and were not statistically different (p=0.204). Average absolute difference was 9.95 ± 8.80W, and was different from the average (p=0.022). CONCLUSION: A second incremental test should be performed for the most precise determination of LT. This is particularly important to rowers who rely on LT to determine training intensities

Learn to Live: Simple and Practical Activities to Promote Health, Nutrition and Physical Fitness in the K-8 Curriculum

Current health education and physical fitness programs have failed to prevent the youth obesity epidemic. The diminishing emphasis placed on such programs due to curricular and budgetary constraints results in few opportunities to promote students’ active participation in regular physical activity and health education programs. Findings indicate that a successful program to promote healthy nutrition, an active lifestyle, and regular physical exercise requires that the information is easily accessible, and presented in a clear and concise format. Readers are introduced to a comprehensive program, easily adjustable throughout the K-8 curriculum. It is designed to complement regular classroom activities by introducing a series of stand-alone lessons and activities to educate students on the benefits of regular exercise and healthy lifestyle. This program can be used in any community and can offer the youth population the information they need to create healthy habits that will last a lifetime