Patterns of change in psychological variables leading up to competition in superior versus inferior performers

The study explored patterns of change in a number of potentially performance-related 27 variables (i.e., fatigue, social support, self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, mental skills) 28 during the lead up to a competitive triathlon, and whether these patterns of change differed 29 for relatively superior versus inferior performers. Forty-two triathletes completed an 30 inventory measuring the study variables every other day during a two-week period leading up 31 to competition. Performance was assessed using participants’ race time, and using a self-32 referenced relative score compared to personal best times. Multilevel growth curve analyses 33 revealed significant differences in growth trajectories over the two week period in mental 34 skills use, social support, and fatigue. The results provide novel insight into how athletes’ 35 fluctuating psychological state in the two weeks prior to competition may be crucial in 36 determining performance

Transcriptome-wide analysis reveals different categories of response to a standardised immune challenge in a wild rodent

Individuals vary in their immune response and, as a result, some are more susceptible to infectious disease than others. Little is known about the nature of this individual variation in natural populations, or which components of immune pathways are most responsible, but defining this underlying landscape of variation is an essential first step to understanding the drivers of this variation and, ultimately, predicting the outcome of infection. We describe transcriptome-wide variation in response to a standardised immune challenge in wild field voles. We find that markers can be categorised into a limited number of types. For the majority of markers, the response of an individual is dependent on its baseline expression level, with significant enrichment in this category for conventional immune pathways. Another, moderately sized, category contains markers for which the responses of different individuals are also variable but independent of their baseline expression levels. This category lacks any enrichment for conventional immune pathways. We further identify markers which display particularly high individual variability in response, and could be used as markers of immune response in larger studies. Our work shows how a standardised challenge performed on a natural population can reveal the patterns of natural variation in immune response

Awareness of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: Can information on guidelines prevent overestimation?

BACKGROUND: Mass-media campaigns such as Change4Life use messaging to promote physical activity guidelines. Raising knowledge of MVPA guidelines within UK adults is a main goal of current mass media campaigns aimed at increasing engagement in MVPA. As this may help to inform accurate perceptions of adults’ own MVPA level it is an important area of investigation. Subjective norms, health status and normal walking intensity may also influence adult’s awareness of their own MVPA behaviour. The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that greater knowledge of MVPA guidelines, supportive subjective norms, lower self-reported health status and intensity of typical walking pace are associated with accurate awareness of MVPA engagement within a sample of UK adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of UK adults was conducted. UK adults who subscribed to the National Academic Mailing List Service (JISCMail) were sent an invitation to complete an online survey. 1,724 UK adults completed the online survey which included items on minutes spent in MVPA, awareness of MVPA using constructs highlighted by the precaution adoption process model, subjective norms, knowledge of guidelines, health status and demographics. RESULTS: The sample was 70% female, 57% aged under 45, 93% White and 69% in full-time employment. 62% reported their health to be above average, while 62% demonstrated accurate awareness of their own physical activity level, only 18% correctly reported the MVPA guidelines and 51% reported high subjective norms towards MVPA. Logistic regression analyses identified high subjective norms (OR = 1.84, CI: 1.29, 2.63, p = .001), average or below average health status (OR = .71, CI: .53 .97, p = .001), and a self-reported regular walking pace of moderate-to-vigorous (OR = 1.31, CI: 1.05, 1.63, p = .02) to be associated with accurate MVPA awareness. Knowledge of MVPA guidelines was not associated with MVPA awareness. CONCLUSIONS: Mass media campaigns, such as Change4Life, inform the general public of MVPA guidelines. Campaign messages may be more influential targeting subjective norms instead of knowledge of guidelines, thereby raising awareness of personal MVPA behaviour amongst inactive adults and increasing motivation to engage in more MVPA

Long-term drivers of catch variability in south-eastern Australia's largest portunid fishery

Portunid crab fisheries are socially and economically valuable yet are characterised by high inter-annual variability. Competing hypotheses about factors contributing to this variability concern the environment, climate, and fisher behaviour. Here, we investigate variability in commercial catch, through a case study of the most heavily exploited estuary in southeastern Australia (Wallis Lake). Four main hypotheses were identified based on the broader portunid published literature: 1) Freshwater flow may cause poor recruitment due to increased offshore spawning and unfavourable dispersal of larvae, 2) Winter and spring harvesting may impact the following summer harvest by removing the spawning stock biomass (recruit overfishing); 3) Environmental factors including sea surface temperature and onshore winds may influence supply-side processes and recruitment success, contributing to catch fluctuations; and 4) Climatic indices such as the Inter Pacific Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) may correlate with longer-term fluctuations in the fishery. We find evidence in support of hypotheses 2 and 4, with winter harvest negatively impacting the following January - April harvest and the PDO being positively correlated with January - April catch rates. Harvesting in June – November disproportionally impacts large females, and it may be possible to incorporate controls on winter fishing effort through co-management arrangements to achieve the best economic, environmental and social outcomes from the fishery. Such controls may lead to improved summer catch rates by protecting unspawned eggs during the winter months. The hypotheses explored here may provide insight in the variability observed in portunid fisheries around the world

Reproductive biology of female blue swimmer crabs in the temperate estuaries of south-eastern Australia

The blue swimmer crab (BSC, Portunus armatus) is an economically and culturally important species distributed throughout the coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific region. Reproduction of BSC is poorly understood in south-eastern Australia, a region that is experiencing substantial tropicalisation from global warming. We examined gonadal development, egg-mass relationships, and the influence of temperature on gonadal development and egg production within five different estuaries spanning ∼2.5° of latitude. A negative correlation between the gonadosomatic index (GSI, an index of gonadal development and reproductive investment) and hepatosomatic index (HSI, an index of energy storage) was observed in only the final stages of ovarian development. The weight of the egg mass increased logarithmically with body mass, accounting for up to 55% of total body mass, which was significantly larger than observed in other studies. Thermal performance curves showed a peak in individual reproductive output at a mean monthly temperature of ∼24°C, at which the individual egg mass weight reached a maximum and the HSI reached a minimum. Environmentally driven variation in BSC reproduction has implications for population productivity and inter-annual variation in recruitment

Prior self-control exertion and perceptions of pain during a physically demanding task

Objectives: Exertion of self-control has been associated with impaired performance on subsequent physical tasks also requiring self-control, but it remains unknown why this occurs. This study, therefore, explored whether a) prior self-control exertion reduces subsequent persistence on a physically demanding task, and b) whether any observed performance decrements could be explained by changes in perceptions of pain. Method: In a within-subject design, sixty-three individuals completed an easy (congruent) Stroop task or a difficult (incongruent) Stroop task that required self-control. Participants were then required to remain in a physically demanding posture (i.e., a ‘wall-sit’) until voluntary exhaustion and their perception of pain was recorded during the task. Results: When participants completed the difficult Stroop task, they quit the wall-sit sooner. This decrement in performance was explained by greater perceptions of pain at the beginning of the wall-sit. Conclusions: Perceptions of pain may, therefore, be an important attentional mechanism explaining why self-control use interferes with subsequent persistence during physically effortful tasks

The relationship between multidimensional motivation and endocrine-related responses: a systematic review

Multidimensional motivational theories postulate that the type of motivation is as important as the quantity of motivation, with implications for human functioning and well-being. An extensive amount of research has explored how constructs contained within these theories relate to the activation of the endocrine system. However, research is fragmented across several theories, and determining the current state of the science is complicated. In line with contemporary trends for theoretical integration, this systematic review aims to evaluate the association between multidimensional motivational constructs and endocrine-related responses to determine which theories are commonly used and what inferences can be made. Forty-one studies were identified incorporating five distinct motivation theories and multiple endocrine-related responses. There was evidence across several theories that high-quality motivation attenuated the cortisol response in evaluative environments. There was also evidence that motivational needs for power and affiliation were associated with lower and higher levels of salivary immunoglobulin A, respectively. The need for power may play a role in increasing testosterone when winning a contest; however, this evidence was not conclusive. Overall, this review can shape the future integration of motivational theories by characterizing the nature of physiological responses to motivational processes and examining the implications for well-being