A Comparison of Resistance Exercise to Aerobic Exercise on Cognitive Processing Speed in Young Adults

Processing speed is the progression by which an individual receives information, begins to understand it, and then responds to it. Processing speed affects academic performance and research has established a positive relationship between exercise and processing speed. While the majority of research on cognition has focused on aerobic exercise, several studies have still demonstrated resistance exercise can improve cognitive abilities, including processing speed. However, these studies have relied primarily on a more tradition approach with free weights and machines. Additionally, there are a lack of studies directly comparing these modes of exercise (aerobic vs. resistance) and the appropriate duration of exercise to improve processing speed is not fully understood. PURPOSE: To explore if an acute 10-minute bout of resistance exercise, using body weight and resistance bands, compares to aerobic exercise on cognitive processing speed in young adults. METHODS: Healthy young adults (N = 29; male = 15, female = 14) underwent a repeated measures design with one control and two experimental conditions (aerobic, resistance). Visits took place at least 48 hours, but no more than 72 hours apart. During the control visit, participants completed the Symbol Search Subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV) via Inquisit computer software, a validated measure of processing speed. During the two experimental conditions, participants completed a 10-minute bout of moderate intensity aerobic or resistance exercise, determined by heart rate reserve response (40-59% of HRR). Following the brief exercise bout, the Symbol Search subtest was administered 11 minutes post-activity during the optimal window of assessment, as previously determined. RESULTS: A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to assess differences in processing speed across the conditions (control, aerobic, and resistance). The results revealed an overall significant effect (F(2,56) = 28.18, p \u3c 0.001, ηp2= 0.502) between the three conditions. Follow-up pairwise comparisons revealed participants performed better on processing speed following aerobic exercise compared to the control condition (p \u3c 0.001), and performed better following resistance exercise compared to the control condition (p \u3c 0.001). However, no statistically significant difference was found on processing speed between the aerobic exercise and resistance exercise conditions (p = 0.300). CONCLUSION: Our study compared a brief bout of aerobic and resistance exercise and determined that both resistance and aerobic exercise produced improvements in processing speed compared to the control condition, but no difference was found between the two exercise conditions. This suggests that a brief 10-minute bout of moderate intensity aerobic or resistance exercise can be utilized to improve processing speed in healthy college-aged students. Given the large number (40-50%) of college students in the U.S. who are inactive and report time as a barrier to exercise, either 10-minute bout of exercise used in the current study may be feasible for healthy young adults to engage in prior to performing tasks in which processing speed is essential, for example, timed examinations

Analyzing Sex Differences and the Dose-Response Relationship Between Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Processing Speed in Young Active Adults

Available research has identified a positive relationship between 10 minutes of aerobic exercise and improvements in cognitive processing speed (CPS) in young adults, although participant activity level was unclear Additionally, research indicates possible sex differences concerning exercise and CPS, defined as the rate in which human beings take in information and generate a response. PURPOSE: To investigate the potential effects of aerobic exercise bout length on cognitive processing speed in active adults. A secondary aim was to explore differences in CPS and aerobic exercise bout length between sexes. METHODS: Male (n=6) and female (n=6) participants who were classified as physically active based on ACSM guidelines participated in aerobic exercise sessions of different bout lengths (15, 20, and 25 minutes) in a balanced cross-over design. When participants arrived for the three testing trials, they first completed a computerized Symbol Search test. This matching test lasts two minutes and provides a score based on how many matches they answer correctly. Next, the exercise treatment consisted of a 5-minute warm-up, followed by a moderate intensity walk or jog on the treadmill (approximately 50-59% of Heart Rate reserve), and ending with a 5-minute cooldown. Participants then remained seated for ten minutes to allow for their heart rate to return to a resting state. Once in the resting state participants were administered the symbol search test again to determine if there were any changes in CPS following an exercise bout. All treatment sessions were performed at least 24 hours apart. Exercise bout length (T15, T20, T25) and time (pre-/post- exercise) were compared between sexes (M, F) using an ANOVA (1 between, 2 within) α=0.05. RESULTS: The main effects for bout length (p=0.849) and sex (p=0.232), bout length x sex interaction (p=0.563), bout length x time interaction (p=0.491), and bout length x time x sex interaction (p=0.956) were not significant. However, the main effect for time was significant (p=0.0001) where CPS was faster post-exercise (50+9) than pre-exercise (45+9) when pooled across bout length and sex. Also, there was a significant time x sex interaction (p=0.009) where, when pooled across bout length, there was greater CPS improvement from pre- to post-exercise in the males (Pre 46+8, Post 53+8) than in the females (Pre 43+11, Post 46+9). CONCLUSION: Active individuals experience improvements in CPS following an exercise bout. We did not find any significant distinction between bout lengths, indicating that active individuals do not require a specific exercise dose time to elicit improvements in CPS. However, male participants had a statistically significant increase in their processing speed assessment (pre-/post- exercise) compared to the females. This suggests that females may require additional exercise bouts or alternate exercise forms to experience similar improvements as the male participants

The Murchison Widefield Array: The Square Kilometre Array Precursor at Low Radio Frequencies

The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is one of three Square Kilometre Array Precursor telescopes and is located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in the Murchison Shire of the mid-west of Western Australia, a location chosen for its extremely low levels of radio frequency interference. The MWA operates at low radio frequencies, 80–300 MHz, with a processed bandwidth of 30.72 MHz for both linear polarisations, and consists of 128 aperture arrays (known as tiles) distributed over a ~3-km diameter area. Novel hybrid hardware/software correlation and a real-time imaging and calibration systems comprise the MWA signal processing backend. In this paper, the as-built MWA is described both at a system and sub-system level, the expected performance of the array is presented, and the science goals of the instrument are summarised

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Background: Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. // Methods: We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. // Findings: We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. // Interpretation: Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030