Role of fluid intake in endurance sports

This chapter discusses the endurance sports are defined as continuous activities of greater than 90 min duration that can potentially span into ultra-endurance events and multiday competitions. A common element to endurance sports is that fluid intake during an event is primarily achieved on the run-or while the athlete is actually exercising. The chapter also discusses the background to the debate over fluid needs for endurance events, covering the evolution of the guidelines and the points of differences in current views. In proposing recommendations to find some common and practical middle-ground, the literature on self-chosen fluid intakes of competitors in a variety of endurance sports will be presented. The updated American College of Sports Medicine guidelines published in 1996 increased the general scope of interest to fluid intake during exercise and recognized the benefits of including carbohydrate and electrolytes in beverages for endurance sports. The topic of recent debate has been the need for guidelines for fluid intake

Evaluation of workbook exercises for developing oral recall in grade six

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1946. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Dissecting the role of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor in adipose and vascular homeostasis

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) is a ligand activated transcription factor, which was initially characterised as an environmental sensor, that mediates toxic effects in response to harmful chemicals. Early research therefore focussed on exogenous ligands such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), which elicit a sustained activation of the AHR pathway, rather than a transient one associated with natural ligands. More recently, AHR has been implicated in obesity. The incidence of obesity has increased dramatically over recent decades, and carries a high burden to health care systems, along with increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Continued work surrounding obesity has shown that thermogenesis contributes to energy balance, and is now an attractive therapeutic target to attempt to reduce obesity rates. Findings show that AHR is not required for activation, nor regulation of thermogenesis through the characterisation of the global AHR knock out (KO) and adipocyte-specific AHR KO mouse models when exposed to cold. Both AHR KO and adipocyte-specific KO animals are able to maintain body temperature when exposed to acute cold challenge. No differences were observed in oxygen consumption nor energy expenditure. These mice were also able to maintain body temperature upon fasting prior to cold exposure. Endothelial cells (ECs) were also selected as an important cell-type to investigate AHR function due to the severe vascular defects of global AHR KO animals. Vascular disease is again associated with a high burden on healthcare, especially in the ageing population and in individuals who are obese. A human model system of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was used to investigate novel functions of AHR in ECs in vitro. Bulk RNA sequencing revealed that AHR activation caused a downregulation of many cell cycle-related pathways. Functional data using EdU staining also verified that activation of AHR with various concentrations of FICZ for 6Hrs caused a transient accumulation of cells in G0/1, whilst S and G2/M remained unchanged when compared to DMSO control. Further protein expression analysis at a single cell resolution using Operetta indicated that these effects were mediated through E2F. In addition, AHR was knocked down in HUVECs, which saw a decrease in cells at G1/0 compared to control siKD cells, and an increase in S phase when stained with EdU. Cells reached confluency more rapidly in siAHR group, compared to siKD control group using Incucyte. Increases in E2F were also observed using the Operetta system.Open Acces

Institutional work at field-configuring events:shaping industry change within sustainable transitions

Adopting an institutional approach from organization studies, this paper explores the role of key actors on “purposeful governance for sustainability” (Smith, Voss et al. 2010: 444) through the case of smart metering in the UK. Institutions are enduring patterns in social life, reflected in identities, routines, rules, shared meanings and social relations, which enable, and constrain, the beliefs and behaviours of individual and collective actors within a field (Thornton and Ocasio 2008). Large-scale external initiatives designed to drive regime-level change prompt ‘institutional entrepreneurs’ to perform ‘institutional work’ – “purposive action aimed at creating, maintaining and disrupting institutions” (Lawrence and Suddaby, 2006). Organization scholars are giving increasing attention to ‘field-configuring events’ (FCEs) which provide social spaces for diverse organizational actors to come together to collectively shape socio-technical pathways (Lampel and Meyer 2008). Our starting point for this exploratory study is that FCEs can offer important insights to the dynamics, politics and governance of sustainability transitions. Methodologically, FCEs allow us to observe and “link field evolution at the macro-level with individual action at the micro-level” (Lampel and Meyer, 2008: 1025). We examine the work of actors during a series of smart metering industry forums over a three-year period (industry presentations [n= 77] and panel discussions [n= 16]). The findings reveal new insights about how institutional change unfolds, alongside technological transitions, in ways that are partial and aligned with the interests of powerful incumbents whose voices are frequently heard at FCEs. The paper offers three contributions. First, the study responds to calls for more research examining FCEs and the role they play in transforming institutional fields. Second, the emergent findings extend research on institutional work by advancing our understanding of a specific site of institutional work, namely a face-to-face inter-organizational arena. Finally, in line with the research agenda for innovation studies and sustainability transitions elaborated by Smith et al (2010), the paper illustrates how actors in a social system respond to, translate, and enact interventions designed to promote industrial transformation, ultimately shaping the sustainability transition pathway

Sports foods and dietary supplements for optimal function and performance enhancement in track and field athletes

Numerous nutritional products are marketed with claims of optimizing athlete health and function and/or enhancing performance. Products that fall under the banner of “Sports Foods” or “Dietary Supplements,” may be used to support performance during training and competition or for enhancing aspects of training adaptation, recovery, immune function, and/or overall athlete health. Effective marketing campaigns and athlete endorsements may convince us that certain sports foods and supplements are fundamental in allowing athletes to reach their sporting goals. However, this approach is naive in understanding the true foundations of athlete success, such as the inherent genetic predisposition for athletic characteristics, the many hours of well-structured/periodized training, appropriate underlying nutrition, adequate sleep and recovery, and of course, good overall physical and mental health. Nevertheless, if these variables are all accounted for, there may be a role for sports foods and dietary supplements in an athlete’s training and competition routine, particularly within elite sport where marginal performance gains are pursued. The following review presents general considerations for track-and-field athletes using sports foods and dietary supplements to enhance performance, in addition to exploring the potential therapeutic/prophylactic use of these nutritional aids

A user configurable data acquisition and signal processing system for high-rate, high channel count applications

Real-time signal processing in plasma fusion experiments is required for control and for data reduction as plasma pulse times grow longer. The development time and cost for these high-rate, multichannel signal processing systems can be significant. This paper proposes a new digital signal processing (DSP) platform for the data acquisition system that will allow users to easily customize real-time signal processing systems to meet their individual requirements. The D-TACQ reconfigurable user in-line DSP (DRUID) system carries out the signal processing tasks in hardware co-processors (CPs) implemented in an FPGA, with an embedded microprocessor (μP) for control. In the fully developed platform, users will be able to choose co-processors from a library and configure programmable parameters through the μP to meet their requirements. The DRUID system is implemented on a Spartan 6 FPGA, on the new rear transition module (RTM-T), a field upgrade to existing D-TACQ digitizers. As proof of concept, a multiply-accumulate (MAC) co-processor has been developed, which can be configured as a digital chopper-integrator for long pulse magnetic fusion devices. The DRUID platform allows users to set options for the integrator, such as the number of masking samples. Results from the digital integrator are presented for a data acquisition system with 96 channels simultaneously acquiring data at 500 kSamples/s per channel

Olive (Fink) Risch and the Cross Country Weavers: An Archival and Ethnographic Study

Studies on group and transmission often omit the affective dimensions which imbue the process of community formation, maintenance, and continuity with purpose and pleasure. This case study on Olive (Fink) Risch’s involvement with the national, mail-based Cross Country Weavers from 1962 until at least 1967 provides an apt opportunity to mend this oversight. By applying collaborative ethnographic methodologies to her archival collection, this essay identifies seven qualities of relationality—reciprocity, presence, belonging, veneration, narration, stewardship, and remembrance—which indicate the co-constitutive processes of social connection and weaving scholarship. Furthermore, the wide geographic distance between group participants provides an example of effective distanced-learning practices, certainly relevant now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Master of Art

Body composition of elite Olympic combat sport athletes

Physique traits of a range of elite athletes have been identified; however, few detailed investigations of Olympic combat sports (judo, wrestling, taekwondo and boxing) exist. This is surprising given the importance of body composition in weight category sports. We sought to develop a descriptive database of Olympic combat sport athletes, compare variables relative to weight division and examine differences within and between sports. Additionally, we investigated the appropriateness of athletes’ self-selected weight classes compared to an internationally recognised classification system (the NCAA minimum wrestling weight scheme used to identify minimum ‘safe’ weight). Olympic combat sport athletes (56♂, 38♀) had body mass (BM), stretch stature and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry derived body composition assessed within 7–21 days of competition. Most athletes were heavier than their weight division. Sport had an effect (p  0.6) with; fat free mass, fat mass and body fat percentage, however, was not predictive of total mass/weight division. The Olympic combat sports differ in competitive format and physiological requirements, which is partly reflected in athletes’ physique traits. We provide reference ranges for lean and fat mass across a range of BM. Lighter athletes likely must utilise acute weight loss in order to make weight, whereas heavier athletes can potentially reduce fat mass