Fiber Type Profile and its Relation to Wilks Coefficient in Both Male and Female Powerlifters

While powerlifters tend to display higher fast-twitch fiber content, it is unknown if this content predicts competitive performance via Wilks coefficient. Purpose: to 1) compare the myosin heavy chain (MHC) fiber type (FT) profiles between powerlifters and sedentary controls of both sexes, and 2) determine if fast-twitch fiber content predicts Wilks coefficient. Methods: Twelve actively competing powerlifters (PL; n=6M/6F; age=21±1.0y; 3.0±1.8y competing; 7.3±6.6 meets attended) and ten sedentary controls (CON; n=5M/5F; age=19.4±2.0y) underwent vastus lateralis muscle biopsies, with samples analyzed for MHC isoform content via mixed homogenate SDS-PAGE. Individual MHC isoform differences between group and sex were analyzed using a 3x2x2 (FT [MHC I, IIa, & IIx] x group [PL & CON] x sex [male & female]) ANOVA and MHC IIa content was compared to Wilks coefficient using Pearson correlation coefficient at pResults: Male PL MHC isoform distribution was 50±6% I, 45±6% IIa, and 5±11% IIx, vs 46±6% I, 53±6 IIa, and 0% IIx in PL females. Conversely, male CON MHC distribution was 33±5% I, 38±7% IIa, and 30±8% IIx, vs 35±9% I, 44±8% IIa, and 21±17% IIx in CON females. Analysis revealed a significant FT main effect (pConclusions:These results illustrate powerlifters have higher MHC I and IIa proportions, as well as lower MHC IIx content compared to sedentary controls. While overall limited by sample size, MHC IIa content does not appear to be a significant predictor of powerlifting Wilks coefficient, suggesting this characteristic alone does not define powerlifter skill variations

Creatine Supplementation Improves Muscular Performance without Additional Impact on the Cardiovascular System in Trained Women

Creatine monohydrate supplementation in females is largely under-represented in the literature, and their potentially differential hemodynamic responses are unknown. Methods: Twenty-eight resistance-trained women (25.5 ± 6.1 years, 59.7 ± 6.3 kg, 163 ± 5 cm) were randomly assigned to the supplement creatine monohydrate (CRE; 5 g creatine monohydrate + 5 g dextrose) or placebo (PLA; 10 g dextrose) four times per day for 7 days in a double-blind fashion. Each subject subsequently completed resistance training sessions (3 × week) for four weeks with four sets to muscular failure of both half-squat and leg press exercises. The change in body mass (BM), exercise repetition number (REP), rated perceived exertion (RPE), and cardiovascular variables were assessed (sessions 1, 6, and 12). Statistical analyses were performed at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. Results: Analyses revealed a significant CRE-specific BM increase (p = 0.013), as well as significantly greater half-squat (p = 0.006) and leg press (p = 0.017) REP per set versus PLA. Additionally, CRE demonstrated significantly lower relative RPE values at session 12 compared with previous sessions. Any significant main or interaction effects were observed for the studied cardiovascular variable. Conclusions: The present data substantiate the creatine’s efficacy to improve muscular performance in females while demonstrating the safety of combined creatine monohydrate supplementation and resistance training on cardiovascular parameters

The Effect of Fish Oil Supplementation on Resistance Training-induced Adaptations

Background: Resistance exercise training (RET) is a common and well-established method to induce hypertrophy and improvement in strength. Interestingly, fish oil supplementation (FOS) may aug-ment RET-induced adaptations. However, few studies have been conducted on young, healthy adults. Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled design was used to determine the effect of FOS, a concentrated source of eicosapen-taenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), compared to placebo (PL) on RET-induced adaptations following a 10-week RET program (3 days·week−1). Body composition was measured by dual- energy x-ray absorptiometry (LBM, fat mass [FM], percent body fat [%BF]) and strength was measured by 1-repetition maximum bar-bell back squat (1RMSQT) and bench press (1RMBP) at PRE (week 0) and POST (10 weeks). Supplement compliance was assessed via self-report and bottle collection every two weeks and via fatty acid dried blood spot collection at PRE and POST. An a priori α- level of 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance and Cohen’s d was used to quantify effect sizes (ES). Results: Twenty-one of 28 male and female participants (FOS, n = 10 [4 withdrawals]; PL, n = 11 [3 withdrawals]) completed the 10- week progressive RET program and PRE/POST measurements. After 10-weeks, blood EPA+DHA substantially increased in the FOS group (+109.7%, p\u3c .001) and did not change in the PL group (+1.3%, p = .938). Similar between-group changes in LBM (FOS: +3.4%, PL: +2.4%, p = .457), FM (FOS: −5.2%, PL: 0.0%, p = .092), and %BF (FOS: −5.9%, PL: −2.5%, p = .136) were observed, although, the between- group ES was considered large for FM (d = 0.84). Absolute and relative (kg·kg [body mass]−1) 1RMBP was significantly higher in the FOS group compared to PL (FOS: +17.7% vs. PL: +9.7%, p = .047; FOS: +17.6% vs. PL: +7.3%, p = .011; respectively), whereas absolute 1RMSQT was similar between conditions (FOS: +28.8% vs. PL: +20.5%, p = .191). Relative 1RMSQT was higher in the FOS group (FOS: +29.3% vs. PL: +17.9%, p = .045). Conclusions: When combined with RET, FOS improves absolute and relative 1RM upper-body and relative 1RM lower-body strength to a greater extent than that observed in the PL group of young, recreationally trained adults

The bear in Eurasian plant names: Motivations and models

Ethnolinguistic studies are important for understanding an ethnic group's ideas on the world, expressed in its language. Comparing corresponding aspects of such knowledge might help clarify problems of origin for certain concepts and words, e.g. whether they form common heritage, have an independent origin, are borrowings, or calques. The current study was conducted on the material in Slavonic, Baltic, Germanic, Romance, Finno-Ugrian, Turkic and Albanian languages. The bear was chosen as being a large, dangerous animal, important in traditional culture, whose name is widely reflected in folk plant names. The phytonyms for comparison were mostly obtained from dictionaries and other publications, and supplemented with data from databases, the co-authors' field data, and archival sources (dialect and folklore materials). More than 1200 phytonym use records (combinations of a local name and a meaning) for 364 plant and fungal taxa were recorded to help find out the reasoning behind bear-nomination in various languages, as well as differences and similarities between the patterns among them. Among the most common taxa with bear-related phytonyms were Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng., Heracleum sphondylium L., Acanthus mollis L., and Allium ursinum L., with Latin loan translation contributing a high proportion of the phytonyms. Some plants have many and various bear-related phytonyms, while others have only one or two bear names. Features like form and/or surface generated the richest pool of names, while such features as colour seemed to provoke rather few associations with bears. The unevenness of bear phytonyms in the chosen languages was not related to the size of the language nor the present occurence of the Brown Bear in the region. However, this may, at least to certain extent, be related to the amount of the historical ethnolinguistic research done on the selected languages

Computer modelling of distortion in a one-dimension bipolar transistor using volterra series

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D38901/82 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Treatment of a corrosion-resisting precipitation-hardened steel for flat springs

22.00; Translated from Czech. (Strojirenstvi 1988 v. 38(10) p. 636-639)Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:9023.19(VR-Trans--3917)T / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo