A study of the transnational journeys of British Asian music and musicians in the 21st century

This thesis is an enquiry into the 21st-century journeys of British Asian music and musicians along with the networks of transnational Punjabi music production. Following the bloom and decline of the British Asian bhangra and Asian Underground scene, at the turn of the 21st century, we can witness a stream of return migration of musical artists from the United Kingdom to India. Now, there are a number of British Asian diaspora artists who work in the Bollywood and the Punjabi music industry and this raises interesting questions regarding the dynamics of cultural production between the homeland and the diaspora. The thesis has two main aims: firstly, it seeks to re-evaluate the position of British Asian music in the 21st century in relation to the global South Asian cultural production, and secondly, it seeks to understand how the cultural industry of Bollywood engages with South Asian diasporas from the point of view of music. I use mixed research methods, such as participant observation, interviews, and textual analysis of media reportage and social media presence to conduct a qualitative cultural studies analysis. In order to provide a more nuanced understanding of the systemic processes, I focus on three case studies in my thesis (Rishi Rich, music producer; DJ Frenzy, DJ; Hard Kaur, rapper) to highlight different key push and pull factors for the return migration process, such as nostalgia, gender, cultural remittances and the importance of Punjabiness. By tracing the lives and careers of selected British Asian artists and their journeys to Bollywood and the Punjabi music industry, I suggest that we are witnessing a major transformation in the global South Asian cultural economy as Bollywood is gaining more visibility and it is becoming an increasingly attractive and lucrative industry globally and in relation to its diasporas

Resistance Training and Milk-Substitution Enhance Body Composition and Bone Health in Adolescent Girls

Background: Increased soft-drink consumption has contributed to poor calcium intake with 90% of adolescent girls consuming less than the RDA for calcium. Purpose/objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the independent and additive effects of two interventions (milk and resistance training) on nutrient adequacy, body composition, and bone health in adolescent girls. Methods: The experimental design consisted of four experimental groups of adolescent girls 14–17 years of age: (1) Milk + resistance training [MRT]; n = 15; (2) Resistance training only [RT]; n = 15; (3) Milk only [M] n = 20; (4) Control [C] n = 16. A few significant differences were observed at baseline between the groups for subject characteristics. Testing was performed pre and post-12 week training period for all groups. Milk was provided (3, 8 oz servings) for both the MRT and the M groups. The MRT group and the RT groups performed a supervised periodized resistance training program consisting of supervised one-hour exercise sessions 3 d/wk (M, W, F) for 12 wk. Baseline dietary data was collected utilizing the NUT-P-FFQ and/or a 120 item FFQ developed by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, Washington). Body composition was measured in the morning after an overnight fast using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with a total body scanner (ProdigyTM, Lunar Corporation, Madison, WI). A whole body scan for bone density and lumbar spine scans were performed on all subjects. Maximal strength of the upper and lower body was assessed via a one-repetition maximum (1-RM) squat and bench press exercise protocols. Significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: Significant differences in nutrient intakes between groups generally reflected the nutrient composition of milk with greater intakes of protein and improved nutrient adequacy for several B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. Mean calcium intake was 758 and 1581 mg/d, in the non-milk and milk groups, respectively, with 100% of girls in the milk groups consuming \u3e RDA of 1300 mg/d. There were no effects of milk on body composition or muscle performance, but resistance training had a main effect and significantly increased body mass, lean body mass, muscle strength, and muscle endurance. There was a main effect of milk and resistance training on several measures of bone mineral density (BMD). Changes in whole body BMD in the M, RT, MRT, and CON were 0.45, 0.52, 1.32, and −0.19%, respectively (P \u3c 0.01). Conclusions: Over the course of 12 weeks the effects of 1300 mg/d of calcium in the form of fluid milk combined with a heavy resistance training program resulted in the additive effects of greater nutrient adequacy and BMD in adolescent girls. While further studies are needed, combining increased milk consumption with resistance training appears to optimize bone health in adolescent girls

Relationships of Physical Performance Tests to Military-relevant Tasks in Women

Purpose: This investigation sought to determine the most predictive measures of performance on a repetitive box lifting task (RBLT) and load bearing task (LBT) among 123 women (aged 23±4 years, height 165±7 cm, body mass 64±10 kg). Methods: To determine the relationship of various predictors to performance on the RBLT and LBT, multiple regression analysis was conducted on body mass, height, leg cross-sectional area, upper and lower body muscular strength, lower body explosive power, upper and lower body local muscular endurance, and aerobic capacity. Results: The mean±SD (range) number of repetitions for the RBLT was 86±23 (20-159). The mean±SD (range) time to complete the LBT was 2,054±340 seconds (1,307-3,447). The following equations were generated: RBLT (number of repetitions)=57.4 + 0.2(peak jump power) + 0.4(number of pushups in 2 minutes) + 0.15(number of repetitions during the squat endurance test) + 1.39(one repetition maximal strength boxlift (kg)) – 0.04(2-mile run time (2MR) in seconds), R=0.81; standard error of the estimate (SEE)=14; LBT (in seconds)=1,831 – 4.28(number of repetitions during the squat endurance test) + 0.95(2MR in seconds) – 13.4(body mass), R=0.73; SEE=232. Conclusions: We found that the 2MR and squat endurance test were signifi cant predictive factors for performance on both load carriage tasks. These data also imply that women’s performance in combat-related tasks can be improved with training that targets muscular strength, power, and local muscular endurance in addition to aerobic capacity

beta-Hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate free acid reduces markers of exercise-induced muscle damage and improves recovery in resistance-trained men

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of short-term supplementation with the free acid form of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB-FA) on indices of muscle damage, protein breakdown, recovery and hormone status following a high-volume resistance training session in trained athletes. A total of twenty resistance-trained males were recruited to participate in a high-volume resistance training session centred on full squats, bench presses and dead lifts. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 3 g/d of HMB-FA or a placebo. Immediately before the exercise session and 48 h post-exercise, serum creatine kinase (CK), urinary 3-methylhistadine (3-MH), testosterone, cortisol and perceived recovery status (PRS) scale measurements were taken. The results showed that CK increased to a greater extent in the placebo (329%) than in the HMB-FA group (104%) (P=0.004, d=1.6). There was also a significant change for PRS, which decreased to a greater extent in the placebo (9.1 (SEM 0.4) to 4.6 (SEM 0.5)) than in the HMB-FA group (9.1 (SEM 0.3) to 6.3 (SEM 0.3)) (P=0.005, d = -0.48). Muscle protein breakdown, measured by 3-MH analysis, numerically decreased with HMB-FA supplementation and approached significance (P=0.08, d = 0.12). There were no acute changes in plasma total or free testosterone, cortisol or C-reactive protein. In conclusion, these results suggest that an HMB-FA supplement given to trained athletes before exercise can blunt increases in muscle damage and prevent declines in perceived readiness to train following a high-volume, muscle-damaging resistance-training session

A study of the transnational journeys of British Asian music and musicians in the 21st century

This thesis is an enquiry into the 21st-century journeys of British Asian music and musicians along with the networks of transnational Punjabi music production. Following the bloom and decline of the British Asian bhangra and Asian Underground scene, at the turn of the 21st century, we can witness a stream of return migration of musical artists from the United Kingdom to India. Now, there are a number of British Asian diaspora artists who work in the Bollywood and the Punjabi music industry and this raises interesting questions regarding the dynamics of cultural production between the homeland and the diaspora. The thesis has two main aims: firstly, it seeks to re-evaluate the position of British Asian music in the 21st century in relation to the global South Asian cultural production, and secondly, it seeks to understand how the cultural industry of Bollywood engages with South Asian diasporas from the point of view of music. I use mixed research methods, such as participant observation, interviews, and textual analysis of media reportage and social media presence to conduct a qualitative cultural studies analysis. In order to provide a more nuanced understanding of the systemic processes, I focus on three case studies in my thesis (Rishi Rich, music producer; DJ Frenzy, DJ; Hard Kaur, rapper) to highlight different key push and pull factors for the return migration process, such as nostalgia, gender, cultural remittances and the importance of Punjabiness. By tracing the lives and careers of selected British Asian artists and their journeys to Bollywood and the Punjabi music industry, I suggest that we are witnessing a major transformation in the global South Asian cultural economy as Bollywood is gaining more visibility and it is becoming an increasingly attractive and lucrative industry globally and in relation to its diasporas