Ten-Year Secular Changes in Selected Health and Fitness Parameters of 10-11 Years Old Swansea School Children – 2003-2013

Purpose: The aim of this study was to highlight the secular changes in selected health and fitness measures (body mass index, prevalence of overweight and obesity and grip strength) in 10-11 year old Swansea school children, using data obtained in 2003 and 2013.Methods: Stature, body mass and grip strength data were collected for 512 participants (n= 230 boys, n= 282 girls) in 2003 during a Crucial CrewDay and for 414 participants (n= 198 boys, n= 216 girls) in 2013 during the Swan-Linx programme. BMIs were calculated from this data and used to calculate BMI standard deviation scores. A two-way ANOVA was conducted to examine if there was a statistically significant difference in BMI z-score by gender and year of testing. A two-way ANCOVA was used to investigate if there were differences on grip strength by gender and year of testing, with BMI z-score as a covariate.Results: BMI z-scores decreased significantly (p = 0.001) between 2003 and 2013 for both boys (0.80 to 0.40) and girls (0.58 to 0.41). Prevalence of overweight and obesity decreased for both boys and girls from 31.7% to 23.8% and 33.8% to 29.7%, respectively. After BMI z-scores adjustment, grip strength decreased significantly for boys (18.43kg to 16.88kg, p < 0.001), but not for girls (16.53kg to 16.59kg).Conclusion: The study shows promising results in terms of BMI z-scores and prevalence of overweight and obesity. However, the prevalence of overweight and obesity recorded in 2013 is still high, therefore further decreases in prevalence should continue to be an aim. The study also shows that muscular strength, in boys in particular, should be a focus for future interventions regarding physical fitness, in addition to an area for further investigation

Dealing with the deluge of historical weather data: the example of the TEMPEST database

People have long been interested in the history of weather, particularly extremes, and chronologies of past events drawing on information from written records, have been compiled and published throughout history. In recent years, concern over current and future weather and climate has triggered a new level of interest in past weather events and their impacts. This interest, alongside the development of digital humanities research methods has resulted in a rapid growth in the number of online databases relating to historic weather and climate around the world. This paper reviews this expansion with reference to a range of examples, before documenting the design and creation of one such database, TEMPEST, an online repository for extreme weather history in the UK. TEMPEST has been created as the major output of the AHRC funded project ?Spaces of Experience and Horizons of Expectation: Extreme Weather in the UK, Past, Present and Future? (2013-2016). Unlike the majority of existing databases that rely on published materials, TEMPEST?s records are drawn from primary research into original documentary sources held in archives around the UK. The c. 18,000 records that TEMPEST currently contains offer personalised and geo-referenced insights into the relationship between society and extreme weather in the UK spanning a period of over 400 years. We conclude this paper by outlining some potential applications for TEMPEST, and suggesting directions for future research and resources in historical weather. We also consider broader issues for the digital humanities.publishersversionPeer reviewe

The Effects of a Proprietary Fenugreek Extract on Strength & Body Composition

Fenugreek extract has been marketed in dozens of dietary products as having performance enhancing potential for resistance trained athletes. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential performance enhancing effects of a proprietary fenugreek extract in conjunction with a controlled resistance training program. METHODS: Thirty resistance trained male subjects were matched according to fat free mass and randomly assigned to ingest in a double-blind manner capsules containing 500mg of a placebo or fenugreek (Trigonella Foenun greacum) once per day for 8-weeks (Active: N = 17, 21 ± 2.8 yrs, 178 ± 5.8 cm, 85 ± 9.6 kg, 18.8 ± 4.8 BF%; Placebo: N = 13, 21 ± 3 yrs, 180 ± 6.4 cm, 84 ± 15 kg, 18.3 ± 6.8 BF%). Subjects were instructed to participate in a periodized 4-day per week resistance-training program split into two upper and two lower extremity workouts per week for a total of 8-weeks. Body composition was analyzed using hydrodensiometry and strength tests involved performing a one repetition max (1RM) on the isotonic bench press and leg press. Statistical analyses utilized a two-way ANOVA with repeated measures for all criterion variables (p \u3c 0.05). RESULTS: A significant (p \u3c 0.05) group x time interaction for body composition was observed indicating the Active (-1.8 ± 0.5 BF%) group decreased body fat percentage in comparison to Placebo (-0.05 ± 0.3 BF%) over the 8-week investigation period. In addition, there was a significant (p \u3c 0.05) main effect for time over the eight week period in lean muscle mass (Active: 2.4 ± 0.1 kg; Placebo: 1.0 ± 0.1 kg). No significant effects for group or time were observed for upper or lower body strength (p \u3e 0.05). CONCLUSION: In addition to a controlled resistance training program fenugreek had a significant impact on body composition in comparison to placebo. This study was funded by Indus Biotech

Structure of Class Feeling / Feeling of Class Structure:Laura Wade’s Posh and Katherine Soper’s Wish List

Theatre’s counter-hegemonic resistance to the “demonization of the working class” (Owen Jones) is the subject of this article. This resistance is analysed through case studies of two “class acts”: the elite Oxford boys in Laura Wade’s Posh (2010) and poverty-stricken youth in Katherine Soper’s Wish List (2016). My close reading of these two plays involves a reprise of Raymond Williams’s “structure of feeling”: the conjugation of “structure” and “feeling” allows me to engage with and advocate a dual concern with systems of classification, and the affective, experiential (lived) dimension of being “classified.” Moving between the class-fuelled feelings of entitlement in Posh and those of alienation in Wish List, I elucidate how, under the UK’s regime of neoliberal austerity, the label “working class” has become “sticky” (Sara Ahmed) with disgust-making properties (Pierre Bourdieu). Overall, what emerges is a critical feeling for the UK as a class-divided nation and the urgent need to resist the entrenched classifying gaze of the neoliberalist imagination

Effects of Fenugreek, Cinnamon, & Curcumin on Post Workout Inflammatory Response

It has been documented that strenuous exercise suppresses cellular immunity leading to increased susceptibility to infections and delayed recovery. As mediators of these phenomena, cytokines released into the circulation have been a recent focus of attention. PURPOSE: To assess the acute effectiveness of fenugreek, cinnamon, & curcumin on blunting inflammatory markers after muscle damage. METHODS: Twenty healthy non-resistance trained male and female subjects were equally divided by gender and assigned to ingested either a proprietary blend of fenugreek, cinnamon, & curcumin (N = 10, 21 ± 2.8 yrs, 174 ± 10 in, 77 ± 20 kg) or placebo (N = 10, 20 ± 1.9 yrs 175 ± 14in, 89 ± 20 kg). Subjects ingested 450 mg of either active supplement (400mg fenugreek, 25mg cinnamon, 25mg curcumin) or 450 mg of placebo for 14 days prior to the damage bout. Subjects were instructed to warm-up briefly and subsequently perform 24 sets of 10 eccentric knee extensor repetitions with one leg at 30°/s on an isokinetic device. Subjects had their blood drawn at baseline, immediately post, 1hr, 3hr, and 24hr post damage. Serum samples were analyzed for IL 1β, IL1rα, IL6, TNFα and CRP levels using a multiplex bead based assay. Data were analyzed by a two-way ANOVA with repeated measures (p\u3c0.05). RESULTS: Significant (p\u3c0.05) main effects for time were observed for the inflammatory / immune markers IL 1β, IL1rα, & IL6, although there were no significant (p\u3e0.05) interaction effects. However, a significant trend for interaction was observed for IL 6 (p=0.06) & IL1 rα (p = 0.09). Post hoc analysis revealed a significant difference immediately post damage in IL 1rα where active group was significantly lower than the placebo group (p\u3c0.05) than active and a significant difference at 1hr & 2hr post damage IL6 where placebo was significantly greater (p\u3c0.05) than active. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the protocol used induced significant (p\u3e0.05) systemic inflammation. The experimental proprietary blend showed some positive anti-inflammatory effects as illustrated by a significantly (p\u3c0.05) lower inflammatory response in IL1rα and IL 6 by 2hr post damage. It is concluded that fenugreek, cinnamon, and curcumin have potential anti-inflammatory properties and that they significantly reduced the onset of inflammation in response to muscle damage. This study was funded by Indus Biotech

The effects of age on resting‐state BOLD signal variability is explained by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular factors

Funder: Amsterdam NeuroscienceAbstract: Accurate identification of brain function is necessary to understand neurocognitive aging, and thereby promote health and well‐being. Many studies of neurocognitive aging have investigated brain function with the blood‐oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) signal measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. However, the BOLD signal is a composite of neural and vascular signals, which are differentially affected by aging. It is, therefore, essential to distinguish the age effects on vascular versus neural function. The BOLD signal variability at rest (known as resting state fluctuation amplitude, RSFA), is a safe, scalable, and robust means to calibrate vascular responsivity, as an alternative to breath‐holding and hypercapnia. However, the use of RSFA for normalization of BOLD imaging assumes that age differences in RSFA reflecting only vascular factors, rather than age‐related differences in neural function (activity) or neuronal loss (atrophy). Previous studies indicate that two vascular factors, cardiovascular health (CVH) and cerebrovascular function, are insufficient when used alone to fully explain age‐related differences in RSFA. It remains possible that their joint consideration is required to fully capture age differences in RSFA. We tested the hypothesis that RSFA no longer varies with age after adjusting for a combination of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular measures. We also tested the hypothesis that RSFA variation with age is not associated with atrophy. We used data from the population‐based, lifespan Cam‐CAN cohort. After controlling for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular estimates alone, the residual variance in RSFA across individuals was significantly associated with age. However, when controlling for both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular estimates, the variance in RSFA was no longer associated with age. Grey matter volumes did not explain age differences in RSFA, after controlling for CVH. The results were consistent between voxel‐level analysis and independent component analysis. Our findings indicate that cardiovascular and cerebrovascular signals are together sufficient predictors of age differences in RSFA. We suggest that RSFA can be used to separate vascular from neuronal factors, to characterize neurocognitive aging. We discuss the implications and make recommendations for the use of RSFA in the research of aging

The effects of age on resting‐state BOLD signal variability is explained by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular factors

Funder: Amsterdam NeuroscienceAbstract: Accurate identification of brain function is necessary to understand neurocognitive aging, and thereby promote health and well‐being. Many studies of neurocognitive aging have investigated brain function with the blood‐oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) signal measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. However, the BOLD signal is a composite of neural and vascular signals, which are differentially affected by aging. It is, therefore, essential to distinguish the age effects on vascular versus neural function. The BOLD signal variability at rest (known as resting state fluctuation amplitude, RSFA), is a safe, scalable, and robust means to calibrate vascular responsivity, as an alternative to breath‐holding and hypercapnia. However, the use of RSFA for normalization of BOLD imaging assumes that age differences in RSFA reflecting only vascular factors, rather than age‐related differences in neural function (activity) or neuronal loss (atrophy). Previous studies indicate that two vascular factors, cardiovascular health (CVH) and cerebrovascular function, are insufficient when used alone to fully explain age‐related differences in RSFA. It remains possible that their joint consideration is required to fully capture age differences in RSFA. We tested the hypothesis that RSFA no longer varies with age after adjusting for a combination of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular measures. We also tested the hypothesis that RSFA variation with age is not associated with atrophy. We used data from the population‐based, lifespan Cam‐CAN cohort. After controlling for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular estimates alone, the residual variance in RSFA across individuals was significantly associated with age. However, when controlling for both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular estimates, the variance in RSFA was no longer associated with age. Grey matter volumes did not explain age differences in RSFA, after controlling for CVH. The results were consistent between voxel‐level analysis and independent component analysis. Our findings indicate that cardiovascular and cerebrovascular signals are together sufficient predictors of age differences in RSFA. We suggest that RSFA can be used to separate vascular from neuronal factors, to characterize neurocognitive aging. We discuss the implications and make recommendations for the use of RSFA in the research of aging

Results From Wales’ 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

This is the third Active Healthy Kids Wales (AHK-Wales) Report Card following the inaugural and second report card published in 2014 and 2016 respectively.1,2 The 2018 report card (Figure 1) consolidates and translates research related to physical activity among children and young people in Wales. The report card aimed to raise the awareness of children and young people’s engagement in physical activity behaviours and influences, and advocate for children’s right to be active and healthy