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Lower Limb Muscle Strength Matters: Effect of Relative Isometric Strength on Countermovement and Rebound Jump Performance in Elite Youth Female Soccer Players
Get PDFBackground: Expression of maximal and rapid force in the hip, knee, and plantar flexors is important for athletic performance in female soccer. This study was designed to determine the effect of relative isometric strength in the isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) on countermovement jump (CMJ) and rebound jump (CMJ-R) performance in female youth soccer players. Methods: Ninety-six female soccer players (age: 14.1 ± 2.3 years, height: 160.5 ± 9.7 cm, mass: 55.0 ± 10.3 kg) completed three trials of the IMTP, CMJ, and CMJ-R using force plates. Players were categorized as stronger (top quartile, n = 19) and weaker players (bottom quartile, n = 23) based on IMTP relative net peak force. One-way Bayesian independent t-tests were performed between stronger and weaker players. Results: Very large difference in lower limb strength between groups (g = 5.05). Moderate to very strong evidence to support that stronger players had greater countermovement depth and time to take-off with similar jump heights than weaker players. Strong evidence was observed for CMJ-R height, with stronger players falling from a greater height and executing similar ground contact times compared to weaker players. Conclusions: Relative strength has implications for CMJ-R, highlighting the importance of developing relative strength in hip, knee, and plantar extensors
The effect of different onset thresholds on isometric hamstring force-time variables using force plates
Get PDFIntroduction. There is an increasing frequency of single joint isometric assessments using force plates within team sports to inform training decisions; however, limited methodological consistency has been identifi ed within the literature, including onset threshold (muscle contraction initiation). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the eff ect of diff erent onset thresholds on force-time characteristics during a 90:90 isometric hamstring assessment. Methodology: Twenty female soccer players (age: 20.7 ± 4.7 years; height: 168.7 ± 5.9 cm; body mass: 64.4 ± 6.7 kg) completed three maximal trials per limb. Five thresholds assessed, including fi ve standard deviations (SD) of system weight (SW, which included limb weight and any pretension) (SW5SD), SW plus 15 N (SW15N), and 10-, 20-, and 30% of SW. Results: Moderate relative reliability and excellent absolute reliability for force at 100 ms (F100) and 200 ms (F200), and rate of force development (RFD) was observed for SW5SD and SW15N, outperforming percentage-based thresholds. 10-, 20- and 30% of SW resulted in increased F100, F200, and RFD values, with large eff ects observed (η²p ≥ 0.166). Conclusions: SW5SD and SW15N were identifi ed as the most reliable and consistent methods for assessing time-related force variables. Practical implications: Sport scientists, strength and conditioning coaches, and medical staff who regularly use isometric hamstring assessments to monitor training and return to sport objectives are recommended to use either SW5SD and SW15N thresholds to ensure valid and accurate results on the hamstrings force generating that can be used to inform training
Worldwide Soundscapes: A Synthesis of Passive Acoustic Monitoring Across Realms
Get PDFAim: The urgency for remote, reliable and scalable biodiversity monitoring amidst mounting human pressures on ecosystems has sparked worldwide interest in Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM), which can track life underwater and on land. However, we lack a unified methodology to report this sampling effort and a comprehensive overview of PAM coverage to gauge its potential as a global research and monitoring tool. To address this gap, we created the Worldwide Soundscapes project, a collaborative network and growing database comprising metadata from 416 datasets across all realms (terrestrial, marine, freshwater and subterranean). Location: Worldwide, 12,343 sites, all ecosystem types. Time Period: 1991 to present. Major Taxa Studied: All soniferous taxa. Methods: We synthesise sampling coverage across spatial, temporal and ecological scales using metadata describing sampling locations, deployment schedules, focal taxa and audio recording parameters. We explore global trends in biological, anthropogenic and geophysical sounds based on 168 selected recordings from 12 ecosystems across all realms. Results: Terrestrial sampling is spatially denser (46 sites per million square kilometre—Mkm2) than aquatic sampling (0.3 and 1.8 sites/Mkm2 in oceans and fresh water) with only two subterranean datasets. Although diel and lunar cycles are well sampled across realms, only marine datasets (55%) comprehensively sample all seasons. Across the 12 ecosystems selected for exploring global acoustic trends, biological sounds showed contrasting diel patterns across ecosystems, declined with distance from the Equator, and were negatively correlated with anthropogenic sounds. Main Conclusions: PAM can inform macroecological studies as well as global conservation and phenology syntheses, but representation can be improved by expanding terrestrial taxonomic scope, sampling coverage in the high seas and subterranean ecosystems, and spatio‐temporal replication in freshwater habitats. Overall, this worldwide PAM network holds promise to support cross‐realm biodiversity research and monitoring efforts
Optimizing the Temperature Sensitivity of the Isoprene Emission Model MEGAN in Different Ecosystems Using a Metropolis-Hastings Markov Chain Monte Carlo Method
Get PDFIsoprene is a reactive hydrocarbon emitted to the atmosphere in large quantities by terrestrial vegetation. Annual total isoprene emissions exceed 300 Tg a−1, but emission rates vary widely among plant species and are sensitive to meteorological and environmental conditions including temperature, sunlight, and soil moisture. Due to its high reactivity, isoprene has a large impact on air quality and climate pollutants such as ozone and aerosols. It is also an important sink for the hydroxyl radical which impacts the lifetime of the important greenhouse gas methane along with many other trace gas species. Modeling the impacts of isoprene emissions on atmospheric chemistry and climate requires accurate isoprene emission estimates. These can be obtained using the empirical Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN), but the parameterization of this model is uncertain due in part to limited field observations. In this study, we use ground-based measurements of isoprene concentrations and fluxes from 11 field sites to assess the variability of the isoprene emission temperature response across ecosystems. We then use these observations in a Metropolis-Hastings Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MHMCMC) data assimilation framework to optimize the MEGAN temperature response function. We find that the performance of MEGAN can be significantly improved at several high-latitude field sites by increasing the modeled sensitivity of isoprene emissions to past temperatures. At some sites, the optimized model was nearly four times more sensitive to temperature than the unoptimized model. This has implications for air quality modeling in a warming climate
Exploring the care of the older population in Rural Kenya: a qualitative study
No full textAbstractImprovements in health, diet, medicines, and resources have resulted in more people living longer and globally, the older generation is increasing year on year. For international governments, this poses a significant challenge in providing adequate economic, health, and social well-being interventions for older people. Sub-Saharan Africa is no different; as one of the poorest regions, it now faces a challenge in providing social safety infrastructures and policies to support the ageing population. These challenges are more pronounced in rural settings where health facilities for older people and other basic requirements such as food, shelter, and fuel are limited. Changes in culture have resulted in younger people migrating to the city to seek employment, so there is reduced extended family support available for older people living in rural locations. Robust ‘real world’ evidence is limited, both the experiences of older people and evidence that examines whether the current social support and health care policies the government provides meet the needs of the older people population. This unique study, based in Kenya, provided a platform for hearing the voices of older people living in rural communities. The study explored older people’s experiences, developed an understanding of their lives, social situations, and health, and exposed their challenges and preferences for care and support as they progressed. Focused on Kwale County, a rural Kenyan region, the research adopted a qualitative design, using in-depth interviews to capture the lived experiences of older people (n=20), their caregivers (n=20), and local and government stakeholders (n=20). The research examined the type of care the older people receive from their caregivers, their assistance concerning their daily living activities, and the policies and government support available. A purposive sampling method was used to identify older people by the local authorities and then snowball sampling using knowledge from community leaders identified additional older people and their caregivers in the community. Findings exposed the abject poverty of older people in rural areas, lacking shelter, food, and clean water, basic needs which people felt should be provided by the government. Some older people felt unsafe; their living environment was insecure and unfriendly, leaving them open to physical abuse. Older people were dissatisfied and unhappy. They wanted to be cared for in their homes by people they knew, but this was not an option for some. This new knowledge of older people's experiences directly informs Kenyan government policy. Indeed, the provision of financial and social support requires urgent review; many older people entitled to support do not receive it, their health and social needs remain unmet, and their existence in rural communities is poor
The relationship between changes in emotional intensity and treatment outcome in PTSD patients in EMDR therapy
Get PDFBackground: Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy primarily aims to reduce the emotional intensity or subjective disturbance associated with traumatic memories. However, to date, only one study has investigated whether a reduction in emotional intensity is related to a reduction in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.Objective: Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between changes in emotional intensity of traumatic memories during EMDR therapy and treatment outcomes.Method: One hundred twenty-five patients (88.8% female, M age = 36.4 years, SD = 11.40) with PTSD due to multiple traumatisation participated in a six-day intensive treatment programme consisting of a combination of six 90 min EMDR therapy sessions, six 90 min prolonged exposure sessions, six 60 min sessions of physical activity, and six 60 min psychoeducation sessions delivered at an academic outpatient mental healthcare clinic.Results: The results showed that a greater reduction in the emotional intensity of traumatic memory during EMDR therapy was associated with a larger decrease in PTSD symptoms at four weeks post-treatment.Conclusions: Clinicians should monitor changes in emotional intensity during treatment to assess treatment progress. Furthermore, the findings justify the use of memory disturbance as an outcome measure in experimental studies on EMDR therapy. Future research should focus on EMDR therapy processes and their relationship to treatment outcome, whereas replication of the present findings in other trauma populations is warranted
Deservingness’ and the construction of contemporary citizenship: military veterans and migrant Roma in the UK
No full textSince the formation of the post war welfare state in the late 1940s, the ability to access andenjoy a range of social rights has been seen as a key constituent of citizenship in the UK. Thediscursive framing of who is – or is not - regarded as ‘deserving’ of such rights is key toestablishing their legitimacy (Marston, 2008), deciding their substantive distribution, and thuswho is ‘more or less’ a citizen.Since the 1980s, researchers in disciplines including Social Policy, Sociology and CitizenshipStudies have described the increasing influence of discourses that see ‘deservingness’ to socialrights as conditional on proving one’s active social contribution, primarily through paidemployment (Katz, 2013). Welfare benefits have faced particular hostility from policymakersfor their perceived encouragement of inactivity and disincentivising personal initiative among(mainly) low-income members of society. As a discursive device, contrasting the ‘deserving’with the ‘undeserving’ welfare claimant has significance not only for practical access tobenefits but also in relation to defining, managing and regulating the abstract relationshipbetween governments and citizens (Walters, 2000; 2012).This thesis draws on a range of published works to examine the operation of ‘deservingness’as it manifests in the experiences of two distinct groups of citizens in the UK – military veteransand migrant Roma. The publications focus on their contemporary experiences in the welfarebenefits system, in employment, and the connections between these fields. A criticalcomparison of how these two groups are represented, and their substantive experiences has notbeen undertaken before, and in that regard, this thesis represents an original contribution toknowledge.It argues that while they function as powerful allegories of the ‘deserving’ (veterans) and the‘undeserving’ (Roma), helping to reinforce the dominant discourse of welfare (Wright, 2016),their actual interactions with institutions reveal a more complex reality. The publications addnew data on how ‘deservingness’ is understood, represented and/or challenged by the twocommunities, providing important qualitative evidence about a topic predominantly characterised by quantitative approaches. In doing so, they also add to our understanding ofcontemporary social citizenship and what it means to be a citizen in the UK today
Obstetrics and Gynecology Trainees Face Higher Musculoskeletal Demands than General Surgery Trainees in Simulated Laparoscopic Tasks—An Observational Study
No full textBackground/Objectives: Laparoscopic surgery has become the pre-eminent surgical approach for performing general surgical and gynecological operations, but it can lead to musculoskeletal disorder in surgeons. This study aimed to investigate the musculoskeletal demands of completing four core laparoscopic skills tasks amongst Obstetrics and Gynecology (O&G) and General Surgery (GS) trainees, recognizing that differences between specialties may create different ergonomic and muscular demands. Methods: Ten O&G and ten GS trainees both performed the same four tasks to evaluate their core laparoscopic skills whilst using electromyography (EMG) to assess the physical demand of each task in the trainee groups as a percent of maximum voluntary contraction. Results: O&G trainees had significantly higher muscle activity when completing a hand–eye coordination (HEC) task (167.9 ± 63.8 vs. 92.5 ± 31.3%, p = 0.019), bimanual coordination (BMC) task (205.6 ± 80.7 vs. 106.9 ± 47.0%, p = 0.017), and suturing (267.7 ± 121.6 vs. 122.2 ± 33.0%, p = 0.016) task in the right trapezius and deltoid muscle groups compared to GS trainees. No difference was observed between trainee groups in the laparoscopic camera navigation (LCN) task (p = 0.438). Conclusions: There appears to be increased muscular activity in O&G compared to GS trainees during the same simulated laparoscopic tasks. The findings should inform training policy around the optimization of ergonomics to minimize the risk of musculoskeletal disorder
People with Long Covid and ME/CFS Exhibit Similarly Impaired Dexterity and Bimanual Coordination: A Case-Case-Control Study.
Get PDFDexterity and bimanual coordination had not previously been compared between people with long COVID and people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Therefore, this study determined dexterity and bimanual coordination in people with long COVID (∼16 month illness duration; n=21) and ME/CFS (∼16 year illness duration; n=20), versus age-matched healthy controls (n=20). Dexterity, and bimanual coordination was determined using the Purdue pegboard test. The main findings of the present investigation were that people with ME/CFS and people with long COVID were generally comparable for Purdue pegboard tests (p>0.556 and d0.40 for pairwise comparisons). These data suggest that both people with long COVID and people with ME/CFS have similarly impaired dexterity, and bimanual coordination. Therefore, there is an urgent need for interventions to target dexterity and bimanual coordination in people with ME/CFS, and given the current pandemic, people with long COVID. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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