Oxygen Cost of Recreational Horse-Riding in Females

Version: as accepted for publication.BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to characterize the physiological demands of a riding session comprising different types of recreational horse riding in females. METHODS: Sixteen female recreational riders (aged 17 to 54 years) completed an incremental cycle ergometer exercise test to determine peak oxygen consumption (VO₂peak) and a 45-minute riding session based upon a British Horse Society Stage 2 riding lesson (including walking, trotting, cantering and work without stirrups). Oxygen consumption (VO₂), from which metabolic equivalent (MET) and energy expenditure values were derived, was measured throughout. RESULTS: The mean VO₂ requirement for trotting/cantering (18.4 ± 5.1 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹; 52 ± 12% VO₂peak; 5.3 ± 1.1 METs) was similar to walking/trotting (17.4 ± 5.1 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹; 48 ± 13% VO₂peak; 5.0 ± 1.5 METs) and significantly higher than for work without stirrups (14.2 ± 2.9 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹; 41 ± 12% VO₂peak; 4.2 ± 0.8 METs) (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: The oxygen cost of different activities typically performed in a recreational horse riding session meets the criteria for moderate intensity exercise (3-6 METs) in females, and trotting combined with cantering imposes the highest metabolic demand. Regular riding could contribute to the achievement of the public health recommendations for physical activity in this population

SCOLIOSIS: A REVIEW

School screening of adolescents reveals a high prevalence of mild rotational deformity. The objective of screening is to prevent serious deformity by regular review of these children, early recognition of progression and provision of spinal bracing for curves greater than 25°. Two per cent of students screened in the age range 11–13 years have curves greater than 10° but only two per thousand screened require active treatment. A programme of exercise combined with bracing until skeletal maturity is reached, obviates the need for major surgery. Indications for follow-up and treatment are reviewed, and some current concepts of the aetiology of idiopathic scoliosis are examined with particular emphasis on the relationship between scoliosis and growth

The affect of versioned package design on various demographics

This study challenged the concept of a single best package design for food products. Research found that typography played a crucial role in the consumer’s perception of the quality and the value of a product. It was also found that, based on the consumer’s purchasing intention, the use of type or graphics on a package could have either a positive or a negative affect on consumer perception of product value and quality. In addition, this study pointed out that these variables require careful testing in the marketplace, which can only be achieved in package designs that can be economically tested with a variety of audiences

Ex-situ evaluation of PTFE coated metals in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell environment

Metallic-based bipolar plates exhibit several advantages over graphite-based plates, including higher strength, lower manufacturing cost and better electrical conductivity. However, poor corrosion resistance and high interfacial contact resistance (ICR) are major challenges for metallic bipolar plates used in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Corrosion of metallic parts in PEM fuel cells not only increases the interfacial contact resistance but it can also decrease the proton conductivity of the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), due to catalyst poisoning phenomena caused by corrosive products. In this paper, a composite coating of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was deposited on stainless steel alloys (SS304, SS316L) and Titanium (G-T2) via a CoBlast™ process. Corrosion resistance of the coated and uncoated metals in a simulated PEM fuel cell environment of 0.5 M H2SO4 + 2 ppm HF at 70 °C was evaluated using potentiodynamic polarisation. ICR between the selected metals and carbon paper was measured and used as an indicator of surface conductivity. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), 3D microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and contact angle measurements were used to characterise the samples. The results showed that the PTFE coating improved the hydrophobicity and corrosion resistance but increased the ICR of the coated metals due to the unconductive nature of such coating. Thus, it was concluded that it is not fully feasible to use the PTFE alone for coating metals for fuel cell applications and a hybrid coating consisting of PTFE and a conductive material is needed to improve surface conductivity.Enterprise Irelan

Identification of the regions involved in phonological assembly using a novel paradigm.

Here we adopt a novel strategy to investigate phonological assembly. Participants performed a visual lexical decision task in English in which the letters in words and letterstrings were delivered either sequentially (promoting phonological assembly) or simultaneously (not promoting phonological assembly). A region of interest analysis confirmed that regions previously associated with phonological assembly, in studies contrasting different word types (e.g. words versus pseudowords), were also identified using our novel task that controls for a number of confounding variables. Specifically, the left pars opercularis, the superior part of the ventral precentral gyrus and the supramarginal gyrus were all recruited more during sequential delivery than simultaneous delivery, even when various psycholinguistic characteristics of the stimuli were controlled. This suggests that sequential delivery of orthographic stimuli is a useful tool to explore how readers, with various levels of proficiency, use sublexical phonological processing during visual word recognition

Dairy Ingredients in Chocolate

End of Project ReportThe main objective was to assess and control the contribution of various ingredient components to chocolate behaviour and to optimise ingredients for specific chocolate applications. A key aim, therefore, was to understand the role of composition and particle structure and to produce spray dried powders with a functionality in chocolate as close as possible to roller dried powders. By demonstrating how the powder properties affect chocolate, it should be possible to control the functional properties of the powders to meet any powder or chocolate specification. Novel powder compositions indicated by this work should also be useful to chocolate makers. The ability to make chocolate under test conditions and to assess the role of milk powders or other ingredients has been put in place for the first time in Ireland. Previous knowledge of milk seasonality and of powder technology has provided a basis for understanding variations in milk powder functionality in chocolate. Spray dried powders with mean free fat values of 50 to 94%, particle sizes of 30 to 65 mm and vacuole volumes of 0.0 to 3.9 ml/100g were produced from milks of varying composition but under the same processing conditions. Advances were made in analysing powder structure through microscopy, particle size and occluded air measurement. Valuable new information has been generated on the changes in free fat, solid fat content, particle size and occluded air in powders. Explanations were provided for the first time for the complex effects of these properties on chocolate viscosity and yield value. This information will also make a positive contribution to other projects in the milk powder area. Good contacts have been established with multinational manufacturers and with producers of milk powder for chocolate.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Quantifying sources of inter-model diversity in the cloud albedo effect

There is large diversity in simulated aerosol forcing among models that participated in the fifth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), particularly related to aerosol interactions with clouds. Here we use the reported model data and fitted aerosol-cloud relations to separate the main sources of inter-model diversity in the magnitude of the cloud albedo effect. There is large diversity in the global load and spatial distribution of sulfate aerosol, as well as in global-mean cloud-top effective radius. The use of different parameterizations of aerosol-cloud interactions makes the largest contribution to diversity in modeled radiative forcing (up to -39%, +48% about the mean estimate). Uncertainty in pre-industrial sulfate load also makes a substantial contribution (-15%, +61% about the mean estimate), with smaller contributions from inter-model differences in the historical change in sulfate load and in mean cloud fraction