Sedentary behaviours, physical activity and cardiovascular health amongst bus and lorry drivers

Prolonged time sitting has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cardiovascular mortality (CVM), all-cause mortality, diabetes and some cancers. Workers in occupations where there is no alternative to sitting can best be defined as compulsory sedentary workers , which involve bus and lorry drivers amongst others. Limited research is available on the health behaviours and health profiles of individuals working within these occupations. This thesis adopts a mixed methods approach and fits within the MRC framework for the development of complex interventions to specifically investigate bus and lorry drivers sedentary behaviours and physical activity levels in association with their cardiovascular health. Chapter 3 describes a pilot study, which results showed bus drivers accumulate 12 hours sitting on workdays and presented higher than the recommended ranges for BMI, body fat, waist circumference and blood pressure. Chapter 4 explores the validity of using an ActiGraph accelerometer compared to the activPAL to assess bus drivers sedentary behaviours. Results highlight that compared to the activPAL, the ActiGraph underestimates sedentary time during workdays (151minutes/day) and working hours (172min/day). Chapter 5 phenotypes UK lorry drivers sedentary behaviours and non-sedentary behaviours during workdays and non-workdays and examines lorry drivers markers of cardiovascular health. Lorry drivers accumulate 13 hours sitting on workdays and 8 hours on non-workdays and presented an ill-cardiovascular profile. Chapter 6 examines the effects of an intervention designed to promote PA and reduce sedentary time on a range of cardiovascular risk factors in a sample of lorry drivers. Chapter 7 presents a process evaluation of the Structured Health Intervention for Truckers (SHIFT) programme described in Chapter 6. This thesis highlights that bus and lorry drivers accumulate the highest amount of sitting time reported up to date, together with high levels of physical inactivity and an ill-cardiovascular profile. However, positive changes in cardiovascular risk factors were observed when drivers increased their daily average of step counts. Overall, these results emphasise that targeting bus and lorry drivers health behaviours should be a public health priority

Sensorización en realidad aumentada

El propósito que persigue este proyecto es desarrollar una aplicación en realidad aumentada que simule el funcionamiento de la Terminal 4 del Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas utilizando información de temperatura y humedad obtenida en tiempo real y proporcionada a través de un sensor, e información no real sobre los vuelos, generada para ese fin de forma parcialmente aleatoria. Para este fin, se utilizan las capacidades que ofrece el proyecto Tango de Google, el sensor de temperatura y humedad DHT22 y su conexión con la Raspberry Pi 2 Modelo B. Por lo tanto, este sistema contará con dos partes principales: Realidad aumentada: se crea en tres dimensiones una reproducción del aeropuerto lo más fiel posible a la realidad, pero siempre teniendo en cuenta el espacio del que disponemos, ya que la aplicación se utiliza a través de un móvil y debe ser perfectamente visible y manejable por parte del usuario. Sensorización: el sensor de humedad y temperatura dará información sobre las condiciones en las que se encuentra el lugar donde esté ubicado (idealmente se tendría no es el caso, simplemente se mostrará la información). Los objetivos que se buscan a lo largo de este trabajo son los siguientes: v Estudiar las diferentes opciones de desarrollo de las que se disponen: herramientas de modelado y texturizado en 3 dimensiones, tipos de sensores que puedan proporcionar la información que aquí se busca, adquirir nociones de las conexiones entre sensor y ordenador, programas de renderizado para la creación del entorno gráfico y la programación del funcionamiento, etc. Conocer en detalle el entorno de desarrollo de las tecnologías de realidad aumentada. Construir la aplicación siguiendo criterios de diseño y usabilidad. Establecer un plan de trabajo y un presupuesto para la realización de la misma. Documentar todo el trabajo realizado.The purpose of this project is to develop an augmented reality application that simulates the operation of Terminal 4 of the Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas Airport using temperature and humidity information obtained in real time and provided through a sensor, and non-real information about flights, generated for that purpose in a partially random manner. For this purpose, the capabilities offered by the Google Tango project, the DHT22 temperature and humidity sensor and its connection to the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B are used. Therefore, this system will have two main parts: Augmented reality: a reproduction of the airport is created in three dimensions as true as possible to reality, but always taking into account the space we have, since the application is used through a mobile phone and must be perfectly visible and manageable by the user. Sensorización: Sensorisation: the humidity and temperature sensor will give information about the conditions in which the location is located (ideally it would be at the airport to use that information in the application properly, as it is not the case, simply will show the information). The objectives that are sought throughout this work are the following: Study the different development options that are available: modeling and texturing tools in 3 dimensions, types of sensors that can provide the information sought here, acquire notions of the connections between sensor and computer, rendering programs for the creation of the graphic environment and the programming of the operation, etc. Know in detail the development environment of augmented reality technologies. Build the application following design and usability criteria. Establish a work plan and a budget for the realization of it. Document all the work done.Ingeniería Informática (Plan 2011

Decentralized Composting of Organic Waste in a European Rural Region: A Case Study in Allariz (Galicia, Spain)

The inclusion of sustainability and circular economy principles, as well as the compliance of the European requirements in municipal waste management, involves improving the waste separation, recovery and valorization. The current municipal solid waste management system of Galicia (Northwestern Spain) that includes most of the municipalities involves the treatment of biowaste (mixed in the same container with the nonorganic rest fraction) in a single management facility. This biodegradable fraction, which accounts for 42% of the total amount of household waste, is treated by incineration for energy recovery. The local government of Allariz (Galicia) undertook a project to implement a management model decentralized for biowaste separation and treatment through composting. Municipality structure (type of housing, urban and rural areas, etc.) made it necessary to implement different composting systems: home composters, community composting islands and a dynamic composter. During the first year of start-up of the management model, the level of citizen acceptance was adequate, biowaste was correctly segregated and good quality compost for soil fertilizer was obtained. So, a reduction of around 8% of the mixed waste sent to the centralized treatment facility was observed. The biowaste recovery had also resulted in a recycling improvement of all remainder fractions

Economía con ciencia y conciencia: fomentando el desarrollo sostenible

Banco de experiencias de Aprendizaxe Servizo. Convocatoria 2020/202

Proxecto de aprendizaxe-servizo: proxecto de téxtil responsable ropa hecha con amor en hilandera

Banco de experiencias de Aprendizaxe Servizo. Convocatoria 2021/202

Decentralized composting of organic waste in a european rural region: a case study in Allariz (Galicia, Spain)

The inclusion of sustainability and circular economy principles, as well as the compliance of the European requirements in municipal waste management, involves improving the waste separation, recovery and valorization. The current municipal solid waste management system of Galicia (Northwestern Spain) that includes most of the municipalities involves the treatment of biowaste (mixed in the same container with the nonorganic rest fraction) in a single management facility. This biodegradable fraction, which accounts for 42% of the total amount of household waste, is treated by incineration for energy recovery. The local government of Allariz (Galicia) undertook a project to implement a management model decentralized for biowaste separation and treatment through composting. Municipality structure (type of housing, urban and rural areas, etc.) made it necessary to implement different composting systems: home composters, community composting islands and a dynamic composter. During the first year of start-up of the management model, the level of citizen acceptance was adequate, biowaste was correctly segregated and good quality compost for soil fertilizer was obtained. So, a reduction of around 8% of the mixed waste sent to the centralized treatment facility was observed. The biowaste recovery had also resulted in a recycling improvement of all remainder fractions

Cross-sectional surveillance study to phenotype lorry drivers’ sedentary behaviours, physical activity and cardio-metabolic health

Objectives Elevated risk factors for a number of chronic diseases have been identified in lorry drivers. Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as a lack of physical activity (PA) and high levels of sedentary behaviour (sitting) likely contribute to this elevated risk. This study behaviourally phenotyped UK lorry drivers’ sedentary and non-sedentary behaviours during workdays and non-workdays and examined markers of drivers cardio-metabolic health.Setting A transport company from the East Midlands, UK. Participants A sample of 159 male heavy goods vehicle drivers (91% white European; (median (range)) age: 50 (24, 67) years) completed the health assessments. 87 (age: 50.0 (25.0, 65.0); body mass index (BMI): 27.7 (19.6, 43.4) kg/m2) provided objective information on sedentary and non-sedentary time.Outcomes Participants self-reported their sociodemographic information. Primary outcomes: sedentary behaviour and PA, assessed over 7 days using an activPAL3 inclinometer. Cardio-metabolic markers included: blood pressure (BP), heart rate, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, body composition and fasted capillary blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipopreotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) levels. These cardio-metabolic markers were treated as secondary outcomes.Results Lorry drivers presented an unhealthy cardio-metabolic health profile (median (IQR) systolic BP: 129 (108.5, 164) mm Hg; diastolic BP: 81 (63, 104) mm Hg; BMI: 29 (20, 47) kg/m2; WC: 102 (77.5, 146.5) cm; LDL-C: 3 (1, 6) mmol/L; TC: 4.9 (3, 7.5) mmol/L). 84% were overweight or obese, 43% had type 2 diabetes or prediabetes and 34% had the metabolic syndrome. The subsample of lorry drivers with objective postural data (n=87) accumulated 13 hours/day and 8 hours/day of sedentary behaviour on workdays and non-workdays (p<0.001), respectively. On average, drivers accrued 12 min/day on workdays and 6 min/day on non-workdays of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA).Conclusion Lorry drivers demonstrate a high-risk cardio-metabolic profile and are highly sedentary and physically inactive. Interventions to reduce sitting and increase MVPA during breaks and leisure time to improve cardio-metabolic health are urgently needed. Educational programmes to raise awareness about diet and exercise are recommended.%U http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/7/6/e013162.full.pd

Dual-Specificity Phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) Has a Central Role in Redox Homeostasis and Inflammation in the Mouse Cochlea.

Stress-activated protein kinases (SAPK) are associated with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) of multiple etiologies. Their activity is tightly regulated by dual-specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1), whose loss of function leads to sustained SAPK activation. Dusp1 gene knockout in mice accelerates SNHL progression and triggers inflammation, redox imbalance and hair cell (HC) death. To better understand the link between inflammation and redox imbalance, we analyzed the cochlear transcriptome in Dusp1-/- mice. RNA sequencing analysis (GSE176114) indicated that Dusp1-/- cochleae can be defined by a distinct profile of key cellular expression programs, including genes of the inflammatory response and glutathione (GSH) metabolism. To dissociate the two components, we treated Dusp1-/- mice with N-acetylcysteine, and hearing was followed-up longitudinally by auditory brainstem response recordings. A combination of immunofluorescence, Western blotting, enzymatic activity, GSH levels measurements and RT-qPCR techniques were used. N-acetylcysteine treatment delayed the onset of SNHL and mitigated cochlear damage, with fewer TUNEL+ HC and lower numbers of spiral ganglion neurons with p-H2AX foci. N-acetylcysteine not only improved the redox balance in Dusp1-/- mice but also inhibited cytokine production and reduced macrophage recruitment. Our data point to a critical role for DUSP1 in controlling the cross-talk between oxidative stress and inflammation