Nutritional Practices of National Female Soccer Players: Analysis and Recommendations.

The aim of the study was to establish the nutritional practices and activity patterns of elite female soccer players. The nutritional intake of 16 female England Soccer players was self-reported over a seven-day period. Participants were provided with written and verbal guidelines for the completion of the diaries. Training details were also recorded, and used in combination with BMR predictions to calculate daily energy expenditure. Energy, macronutrient and micronutrient intakes were determined using DietMaster 4.0 software. Results suggest that energy intake was low (1904 ± 366.3 kcal) in relation to previous recommendations for soccer players. Energy expenditure (2153.5 ± 596.2 kcal) was not significantly different (p > 0.05) from intake, suggesting energy balance was achieved. Carbohydrate (53.8 ± 6.8%), protein (16.8 ± 2.1%) and fat (28.8 ± 6.6%) intakes were in line with recommendations. Fluid intake (2466 ± 1350.5ml·day-1) was sufficient to meet baseline recommendations, but would need to be higher to meet the additional requirement of training and competition. With the exception of vitamin A and iron, all micronutrient intakes were higher than the DRI. In conclusion, recommendations for female soccer players are to encourage consumption of carbohydrate-electrolyte beverages to enhance carbohydrate intake and increase fluid intake, and ensure sufficient iron rich foods are included in the diet to meet the DRI

Debunking the Myth of ‘Super Bowl Sex Trafficking’: Media hype or evidenced-based coverage

A large body of scholarship has described the narrow set of media narratives used to report trafficking for sexual exploitation to the public. This article examines US media coverage of human trafficking in relation to the Super Bowl, American football’s championship game. Available empirical evidence does not suggest that major sporting events cause trafficking for sexual exploitation. Yet, we find that 76 per cent of US print media from 2010 to 2016 propagated the ‘Super Bowl sex trafficking’ narrative. Local coverage of the 2018 Super Bowl in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was different, presenting a sceptical stance toward this narrative. The article describes how this substantial shift resulted from our research group and anti-trafficking stakeholders employing an action research approach to craft a Super Bowl communication strategy that aligned with empirical evidence. Although sensationalist narratives are difficult to dislodge, the Minnesota case shows that evidence on trafficking can be effectively used to inform media and impact public perceptions, when researchers work with stakeholders on the ground. Lessons learnt are shared to enable others to replicate these results

A routing and resource preservation strategy for traffic engineering in communication networks

International audienceThis paper presents a method for dynamic load balancing in data networks. When multiple routes are available, it determines their load shares as a function of a composite metric that takes into account the paths? length and load. A general resource preservation mechanism is also presented that complements the proposed random routing strategy when the network is heavily loaded. We compare our approach with trunk reservation in the particular case of fully meshed networks and evaluate its performance in any network, where an equivalent mechanism is missing. We validate our approach by means of simulation and provide insights on the routing solutions that it obtains

Integrated Circuit and System Design for Cognitive Radio and Ultra-Low Power Applications

The ubiquitous presence of wireless and battery-powered devices is an inseparable and invincible feature of our modern life. Meanwhile, the spectrum aggregation, and limited battery capacity of handheld devices challenge the exploding demand and growth of such radio systems. In this work, we try to present two separate solutions for each case; an ultra-wideband (UWB) receiver for Cognitive Radio (CR) applications to deal with spectrum aggregation, and an ultra-low power (ULP) receiver to enhance battery life of handheld wireless devices. Limited linearity and LO harmonics mixing are two major issues that ultra-wideband receivers, and CR in particular, are dealing with. Direct conversion schemes, based on current-driven passive mixers, have shown to improve the linearity, but unable to resolve LO harmonic mixing problem. They are usually limited to 3rd, and 5th harmonics rejection or require very complex and power hungry circuitry for higher number of harmonics. This work presents a heterodyne up-down conversion scheme in 180 nm CMOS technology for CR applications (54-862 MHz band) that mitigates the harmonic mixing issue for all the harmonics, while by employing an active feedback loop, a comparable to the state-of-the art IIP3 of better than +10 dBm is achieved. Measurements show an average NF of 7.5 dB when the active feedback loop is off (i.e. in the absence of destructive interference), and 15.5 dB when the feedback loop is active and a 0 dBm interferer is applied, respectively. Also, the second part of this work presents an ultra-low power super-regenerative receiver (SRR) suitable for OOK modulation and provides analytical insight into its design procedure. The receiver is fabricated in 40 nm CMOS technology and operates in the ISM band of 902-928 MHz. Binary search algorithm through Successive Approximation Register (SAR) architecture is being exploited to calibrate the internally generated quench signal and the working frequency of the receiver. Employing an on-chip inductor and a single-ended to differential architecture for the input amplifier has made the receiver fully integrable, eliminating the need for external components. A power consumption of 320 µW from a 0.65 V supply results in an excellent energy efficiency of 80 pJ/b at 4 Mb/s data rate. The receiver also employs an ADC that enables soft-decisioning and a convenient sensitivity-data rate trade-off, achieving sensitivity of -86.5, and -101.5 dBm at 1000 and 31.25 kbps data rate, respectivel

Alternative food networks in food system transition—values, motivation, and capacity building among young Swedish market gardeners

This study sheds light on a new generation of Swedish food producers, market gardeners, who are attracting attention in terms of food system sustainability, prompted by increasing consumer awareness about the value of healthy and locally produced food. Market gardening is part of a global agroecological movement opposed to industrialized agriculture and its negative impacts on the environment and rural communities. These food producers challenge the incumbent agri-food regime through the building of alternative food networks. This case-based study involving 14 young vegetable producers showed that young people who engage in market gardening are strongly motivated by dual incentives, namely entrepreneurship and transformation to sustainability. Six main competences were identified as important for market gardeners: practical skills related to growing vegetables, business management, innovation and continuous learning, systems thinking, pioneering, and networking. Individuals develop their skills through continuous experiential learning and gain knowledge through peer-to-peer learning using social media. However, they need to acquire certain skills relating to their daily work in the field and to managing a business. Market gardeners currently face a number of barriers erected by the sociopolitical environment, in particular regarding access to research-based knowledge, extension services, and business support

Assistance et éducation des travailleurs chinois pendant la Grande Guerre - Le rôle du Mouvement Travail-Etudes

Cet article examine les motivations qui poussèrent des intellectuels et réformateurs chinois à l'origine du Mouvement Travail-Etudes (MTE) à apporter une assistance aux ouvriers chinois recrutés par les Français et les Britanniques pendant la Première Guerre Mondiale. S'appuyant sur l'exploitation d'articles et de témoignages proposés dans un journal en langue chinoise, le Huagong zazhi, publié en France sous le patronage des promoteurs du MTE entre janvier 1917 et juin 1920, il met en lumière les formes que cette assistance a prises, de l'aide au recrutement à l'assistance éducative et morale

Mountain child: systematic literature review.

Objectives This systematic review identifies and reviews both peer-reviewed and 'grey' literature, across a range of disciplines and from diverse sources, relating to the condition of children living in mountain communities in low- and middle-income countries. Findings The literature on poverty in these communities does not generally focus on the particular vulnerabilities of children or the impact of intersecting vulnerabilities on the most marginalised members of communities. However, this literature does contribute analyses of the broader context and variety of factors impacting on human development in mountainous areas. The literature on other areas of children's lives - health, nutrition, child mortality, education, and child labour - focuses more specifically on children's particular vulnerabilities or experiences. However, it sometimes lacks the broader analysis of the many interrelated characteristics of a mountainous environment which impact on children's situations. Themes Nevertheless, certain themes recur across many disciplines and types of literature, and point to some general conclusions: mountain poverty is influenced by the very local specificities of the physical environment; mountain communities are often politically and economically marginalised, particularly for the most vulnerable within these communities, including children; and mountain communities themselves are an important locus for challenging and interrupting cycles of increasing inequality and disadvantage. While this broad-scale review represents a modest first step, its findings provide the basis for further investigation

Usefulness of a patient experience study to adjust psychosocial oncology and spiritual care services according to patients’ needs

Little is known about how cancer patients experience psychosocial and spiritual care services and about what services they feel should be offered in order to help them meet their actual needs. This study’s main goal was to examine how cancer patients experienced the psychosocial oncology and spiritual care (POSC) services they received, in order to adjust the service offer according to their expressed needs and expectancies. A qualitative design approach was used. The study was conducted in two phases: (1) Collection of the patients’ perspective and divulgation of the results to the clinical team and managers; and (2) assessment of the impact of the patient experience study results on the clinical team’s services and managerial decisions. Suggestions for improvement were gathered mainly around the themes of service delivery and information about services. Contrary to what was expected, delays to access service responded to patients’ needs and expectations. According to clinical managers, patients’ perspectives on their services legitimized the maintenance of certain services, and were levers that helped make coherent and targeted changes. They felt the changes they made were patient-driven instead of being driven by staff’s perception of patients’ needs. The fact that results emerged from a fairly large and structured patient experience evaluation had an impact on the motivation of stakeholders to initiate changes. These results suggest that collecting patients’ perspective will likely help clinicians and managers tailor service delivery to meet patients’ needs and expectations and may contribute to set more informative standards regarding access to care delays