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Investigation of the erosive potential of sour novelty sweets
Get PDFProvides a background about the link between acidic beverages and dental erosion.
Discusses the potential risk of developing dental erosion upon the frequent consumption of novelty sweets.
Provides information which could be used by dental personnel in counselling patients who consume novelty sweets or at risk of developing dental erosion.
Abstract
Background The expansion of the novelty sweets market in the UK has major potential public health implications in children and young adults as they may cause dental erosion.
Objective To investigate the erosive potential of the novelty sweets in term of their physiochemical properties and amount of enamel loss.
Subjects and methods The pH of a variety of novelty sweets was tested in vitro using a pH meter and the neutralisable acidity was assessed by titrating the sweets against 0.1M NaOH. The viscosity of the novelty sweets was measured using a rotational viscometer. The wettability of enamel by each sweet was measured using dynamic contact angle analyser. Enamel loss was assessed using contact profilometry.
Results The pH ranged from 1.8–3.2, the neutralisable acidity ranged from 9–201 ml of 0.1 NaOH. The viscosity of the novelty sweets that come in liquid form ranged from 2–594 mPa s. The surface enamel erosion ranged from 1.95–15.77 μm and from 2.5–17.6 μm with and without immersing in saliva for 1 hour before immersing in acidic solution respectively. The amount of subsurface enamel loss was ranged from 0.75 to 2.3 μm following ultrasonication at 0 min of acidic attack and from 0.23 to 0.85 μm at 60 minutes of acidic attack while immersed in saliva. The contact angle between enamel surface and four sweet was less than the angle formed between the orange juice and the enamel which caused more wettability of enamel.
Conclusion The pH is lower than the critical value for enamel erosion (5.5), high neutralisable acidity and high sugar content strongly suggest that these sweets may cause significant amount of dental erosion clinically. In addition, the degree of wettability of enamel by solution is an important factor to consider in determining the enamel loss caused by acidic solution. Immediate tooth brushing would cause further enamel loss as a result of the mechanical removal of softened enamel. However, it has been suggested that postponing brushing after erosive attack should be reconsidered
Qualitative evaluation of a school intervention for the promotion of physical activity: Learning from the perspective of the target population.
Get PDFQualitative evaluations of school-based interventions for physical activity promotion are seldom undertaken, but can provide important insights into unforeseen limitations and consequences of interventions. These understandings can help the refinement of those aspects of school intervention implementation that are not easily identified a priori via quantitative evaluations. We illustrate this argument with the example of evaluative qualitative data collected during a physical activity promotion intervention that we carried out in two Spanish primary schools. The findings of this study uncovered a number of unexpected and difficult to quantify problem areas including; communication problems with parents, classroom-based interventions as off-putting, the legitimization of stereotypical health and body shape associations and even instances of marginalization of some of the very children the interventions were targeting. In conclusion we call for researchers to consider drawing on qualitative evaluations in order to aid the refinement of future school-based interventions
Exploring choking experiences in elite sport: The role of self- presentation
Get PDFObjectives
The aims of this study were twofold: first, to examine the role of self-presentation within the lived-experience of choking in sport; and second, to explore whether the 2 × 2 framework of self-presentation (Howle, Jackson, Conroy, & Dimmock, 2015) holds the potential to further our understanding of acute sporting failure under pressurized conditions.
Design and Method
An empirical phenomenological research design was adopted to address the research aims. Purposefully selected participants completed phenomenological interviews, which explored in detail their experiences of choking and clutch performance under pressure. The sample consisted of 9 elite athletes (6 male and 3 female) (Mage = 27.14; SD = 5.27) from a range of sports (netball, rugby union, golf, tennis, and cricket).
Results
Participants reported a tendency to hold protective-agentic self-presentation motives, low self-presentation efficacy, and self-presentational concerns prior to, and during the choke. Conversely, acquisitive-agentic self-presentation motives, and self-presentation efficacy were experienced before and during clutch performances. However, alongside self-presentation, other psychological constructs also preceded and accompanied the choking experience (e.g., unfamiliarity and perceived control).
Conclusion
This exploratory study is the first to identify the value of examining choking in sport through the lens of the 2 × 2 self-presentation framework, with self-presentation motives appearing to influence the choking experience. Yet, it is also evident that self-presentation may not explain all choking episodes
Neuromuscular training improves lower extremity biomechanics associated with knee injury during landing in 11–13 year old female netball athletes: A randomized control study
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a neuromuscular training (NMT) program on lower-extremity biomechanics in youth female netball athletes. The hypothesis was that significant improvements would be found in landing biomechanics of the lower-extremities, commonly associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, following NMT. Twenty-three athletes (age = 12.2 ± 0.9 years; height = 1.63 ± 0.08 m; mass = 51.8 ± 8.5 kg) completed two testing sessions separated by 7-weeks and were randomly assigned to either a experimental or control group. Thirteen athletes underwent 6-weeks of NMT, while the remaining 10 served as controls and continued their regular netball training. Three-dimensional lower-extremity kinematics and vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) were measured during two landing tasks, a drop vertical jump and a double leg broad jump with a single leg landing. The experimental group significantly increased bilateral knee marker distance during the bilateral landing task at maximum knee-flexion range of motion. Knee internal rotation angle during the unilateral landing task at maximum knee flexion-extension range of motion was significantly reduced (p ≤ 0.05, g > 1.00). The experimental group showed large, significant decreases in peak vertical ground reaction force in both landing tasks (p ≤ 0.05, g > −1.30). Control participants did not demonstrate any significant pre-to-post-test changes in response to the 6-week study period. Results of the study affirm the hypothesis that a 6-week NMT program can enhance landing biomechanics associated with ACL injury in 11–13 year old female netball athletes
What are the implications of artificial intelligence? In Love and War
Get PDFIntroduction: 1. I am a computer scientist and educationist who work with robots that looks like human. Collaborating with the South East Asia National Human Rights Institutions including Malaysia. I investigate the educational implications for embedding
humanoid robot activist in educating child rights in ASEAN regions. The robot activist has artificial intelligent (AI) capabilities such as assessment and feedback analytics. 2. As a Welsh Crucible alumni, I extended the humanoid robotics research to healthcare sector with a Welsh hospital and an International Rehabilitation Centre. I am a pastor’s wife who use humanoid robot to engage refugees’ and autistic children in learning and teaching. 3. As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, I am a productive author, reviewer and editor for quality research publications; an academic trainer and a leader of advanced technology enhanced assessment and feedback for higher education in international horizon. 4. The following are my personal views grounded on the above experiences and expertise
A comparative study of Islamic and conventional banks’ risk management practices: empirical evidence from Pakistan
Get PDFWhile conventional bank risk management practices are well documented in the literature, there is limited research devoted at comparing the risk management practices of Islamic and conventional banks and how the recent financial crisis affected the approach taken in each banking model to manage the risks. In this paper, we use self-administered questionnaire to collect data from 150 bank senior managers and risk specialists from Pakistani conventional and Islamic banks to identify the main contributing factors to their risk management practices after the 2007–2008 financial crisis. The study results reveal that risk identification, risk assessment and analysis, credit risk analysis and risk governance are the most efficient and influential variables in explaining the risk management practices of Islamic banks, while understanding risk management, credit risk analysis and risk governance are the most significant and contributing variables in the risk management practices of conventional banks. Differences are also observed between Islamic and conventional banks in their liquidity risk analysis and risk governance. The results presented in this study are likely to benefit bank managers, investors, regulators and policymakers as they will serve them as guide when developing, reformulating and overseeing the bank(s) existing risk management practices
The association of novel polymorphisms with stress fracture injury in Elite Athletes: Further insights from the SFEA cohort
Get PDFObjective: To determine, in conjunction with a wider investigation, whether 11 genetic variants in the vicinity vitamin D, collagen and Wnt signalling pathways were associated with stress fracture injury in the Stress Fracture Elite Athlete (SFEA) cohort.
Design: Genotype-phenotype association study.
Method: Self-reported stress fracture history and demographic data were recorded in 518 elite athletes, 449 male and 69 female (mean age 24.2±5.5 y) from the SFEA cohort. Elite athletes were assigned to two groups based on history stress fracture injury. Data were analysed for the whole cohort and sub-stratified in male only and multiple stress fracture cases. Genotype was determined using a proprietary fluorescence-based competitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction assay.
Results: SOST SNP rs1877632 and VDR SNPs rs10735810 and rs731236 were associated with stress fracture (p0.05).
Conclusions: These data suggest an important role for SOST SNP rs1877632 and VDR SNPs rs10735810 and rs731236 in the pathophysiology of stress fracture. This might be due to the role of the SNPs in the regulation of bone remodelling and adaptation to mechanical loading, with potential implications for the prevention and treatment of stress fracture
sIL-6R is related to weekly training mileage and psychological wellbeing in athletes
Get PDFINTRODUCTION:
IL-6 has been ascribed both positive and negative roles in the context of exercise and training. The dichotomous nature of IL-6 signalling appears to be determined by the respective concentration of its receptors (both membrane-bound (IL-6R) and soluble (sIL-6R) forms). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the response of sIL-6R to long-term training, and to investigate the relationship between sIL-6R, self-reported measures of wellbeing, and upper respiratory illness symptoms (URS) in highly-trained endurance athletes.
METHODS:
Twenty-nine athletes provided resting blood samples, and completed wellbeing and illness monitoring questionnaires, on a weekly basis for a period of 18 weeks during a winter training block.
RESULTS:
URS were not correlated to concentrations of sIL-6R or cortisol, but there was a non-significant trend (P=0.08) for the most illness-prone athletes (as defined by self-reported illness questionnaire data) to exhibit higher average sIL-6R concentrations compared to the least ill (23.7±4.3 Vs 20.1±3.8 ng/ml). Concentrations of sIL-6R were positively correlated to subjective measures of stress (r=0.64, P=0.004) and mood (r=0.49, P=0.02), but were negatively correlated to sleep quality (r=-0.43, P=0.05) and cortisol concentration (r=-0.17, P=0.04). In a sub-group of 10 athletes, weekly training distance was quantified by coaching staff, and this negatively correlated with sIL-6R in the following week (r=-0.74, P<0.005).
CONCLUSION:
The findings of the current study suggest that sIL-6R is responsive to prolonged periods of exercise training, with sIL-6R levels varying related to the volume of training performed in the preceding week. Importantly, our data indicate that changes in sIL-6R levels could be linked to common symptoms of overreaching such as high levels of stress, and/or depressed mood
Exercise prescription and the doctor’s duty of non-maleficence
Get PDFAn abundance of data unequivocally demonstrates that exercise can be an effective tool in the fight against obesity and its associated comorbidities. Indeed, physical activity can be more effective than widely used pharmaceutical interventions. While metformin reduces the incidence of diabetes by 31% (as compared with a placebo) in both men and women across different racial and ethnic groups, lifestyle intervention (including exercise) reduces the incidence by 58%.
In this context, it is notable that a group of prominent medics and exercise scientists recently sent a well-publicised letter to the General Medical Council (GMC) and Medical Schools Council calling for the introduction of evidence-based lifestyle education into all medical curricula. The letter warns that there is a lack of understanding of the impact that exercise and nutrition can have on physical health among doctors. In the absence of an educational overhaul, the signatories warn that the government is likely to fail to reach its goal of preventing tens of thousands of premature deaths from heart disease and cancer by 2020.
While we agree with the need to address this apparent lack of understanding, the ethical justification of doing so is not limited to this broadly beneficence-based justification. There is also a justification grounded in the duty of non-maleficence, that is, the duty to avoid unreasonable harm to patients
The effect of varying plyometric volume on stretch-shortening cycle capability in collegiate male rugby players
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of low and high volume plyometric loads on developing stretch shortening cycle capability in collegiate rugby players. A between- group repeated measures design was used. Thirty six subjects (age 20.3 ±1.6 yrs, mass 91.63 ±10.36kg, stature 182.03 ±5.24cm) were randomly assigned to one of three groups, a control group (CG), a low volume plyometric group (LPG) or a high volume plyometric group (HPG). Data were collected from a force plate, and measures of reactive strength index (RSI) and leg stiffness were calculated from jump height, contact time and flight time. A significant between group × time (F = 4.01, P <0.05) interaction effect for RSI was observed. Bonferroni post hoc analysis indicated that both the LPG training group (P = 0.002) and HPG training group (P = 0.009) were significantly higher than the control group. No significant interaction effect between time × group were observed for leg stiffness (F = 1.39, P = 0.25). The current study has demonstrated that it is possible to improve reactive strength capabilities via the use of a low volume plyometric program. The low volume program elicited the same performance improvement in RSI as a high volume program whilst undertaking a lower dose. This suggests that strength and conditioning coaches may be able to benefit from the ability to develop more time efficient and effective plyometric programs