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A comparison of physical performance during one- and two-person simulated casualty drags
No full textThe ability to drag a casualty to safety is critical for numerous physically demanding occupations. This study aimed to establish whether the pulling forces during a one-person 55 kg simulated casualty drag is representative of a two-person 110 kg drag. Twenty men completed up to 12 × 20m simulated casualty drags using a drag bag (55/110 kg) on a grassed sports pitch, with completion times and forces exerted measured. Completion time for the one-person 55 and 110 kg drags were 9.56 ± 1.18s and 27.08 ± 7.71s. Completion time for the 110 kg two-person drags for forwards and backwards iterations were 8.36 ± 1.23s and 11.04 ± 1.11s. The average individual force exerted during the one-person 55 kg drag was equivalent to the average individual contribution during the two-person 110 kg drag (t = 3.3780, p < 0.001); suggesting a one-person 55 kg simulated casualty drag is representative of the individual contribution to a two-person 110 kg simulated casualty drag. Individual contributions can however vary during two-person simulated casualty drags. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Review of : Covid-19 Collaborations: Researching Poverty and Low-Income Family Life during the pandemic, Kayleigh Garthwaite, Ruth Patrick, Maddy Power, Anna Tarrant and Rosalie Warnock (eds), Bristol UK, Policy Press, 228 pp., ISBN 9781447364481, £27.99 (p/b)
Get PDFCriterion validity and reliability of an instrumented mouthguard under pendulum impactor conditions
Get PDFThe popularity of instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) use to measure head impact kinematics in contact sports is growing. To accurately compare between systems, mouthguards should be subjected to standardised laboratory validation testing. The study aimed to establish the validity and reliability of a mouthguard system under independently collected pendulum impactor conditions. A NOCSAE anthropometric testing device with attached mouthguard was impacted in four different locations (front, front boss, rear, rear boss) at four target linear accelerations (25, 50, 75 and 100 g) with two different impactor caps (padded and rigid). Peak linear acceleration, peak rotational velocity and peak rotational acceleration values from the mouthguard were compared against the reference data with a battery of statistical tests, namely R squared values, Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficients and Bland Altman analysis. Results indicate the iMG produces valid and reliable data comparable to that of the anthropomorphic testing device reference, with all measured variables reported ‘excellent’ intraclass correlation coefficients above 0.95; concordance correlation coefficients above 0.95; minimal average bias with Bland Altman analysis and R squared values above 0.92 for all measured variables. Results indicate the iMG is appropriately valid and reliable enough to next establish on-field validity
Maximising power-network utility with delivery contracts in energy peer-to-peer trading
No full textAs passive energy consumers increasingly become active prosumers, quantifying the benefits of engaging in the energy market has been crucial. An example is by estimating the level of satisfaction a prosumer derives from selling its excess energy generation units. This economic theory is usually referred to as utility and could be an incentive to motivate prosumers in distributed energy generation. This paper studies the maximising power-network utility for small-scale energy prosumers engaging in peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading with delivery contracts. We formulate these as an optimisation problem and solve the same using dual decomposition, which involves a distributed algorithm to decouple the trading variable. To ensure the feasibility of the proposed model, we consider small sets of P2P energy traders formed into virtual clusters (referred to as virtual microgrids) using communication infrastructure for easier management. Results show that the utility derived by prosumers depends on the certain weights assigned to the formulated utility model. We attribute the "psychological" interpretation of these weights to the prosumer willingness to sell the excess energy generated. Index Terms-delivery contract, distributed energy trading, network utility maximisation, peer-to-peer energy trading, smart grid, virtual microgrids (VMG)
Bournemouth Amateur Golf Weeks in the 1930s
Get PDFThere were multiple factors that motivated local corporations to invest resources into the development of public municipal golf courses. However, for the seaside towns this included meeting the corporation’s objective of providing new and popular amenities that attracted new segments of tourists into the resorts. Consequently, the first municipal course in England was laid out at Meyrick Park in Bournemouth in 1894. The hosting of Bournemouth’s Amateur Golf Weeks demonstrates how they increased demand for and further broadened the nature of golfing participation, for locals and visitors alike, by helping to break down the traditional social and cultural barriers associated with the game. In comparison, in Scotland, while the majority of golf courses at the turn of the century were private members clubs, there was a greater propensity in the provision of pay and play municipal courses. A contemporary account, identified that, in Scotland, municipal golf enterprises were commonplace, but only a few rare exceptions were found in England. While these were popular with the local golfers, they also attracted considerable numbers of golfing tourists who journeyed to play. These golfing tourists would stay in the local hotels and spend money in the resort during their visit contributing to the local economy, thus justifying the corporation’s financial investment. To achieve this review, an analysis of the participants in the men’s section of the Bournemouth Amateur Open Golf Tournaments from 1936 - 1939 was undertaken. The records for these four years revealed the magnitude and the countrywide origins of the golfing tourists. A socio-economic analysis of the occupation, class and the age of the visiting players identify they were broadly representative of the typical 1930s club golfer. However, some advances in terms of class and gender participation were present amongst the golf tourists who visited Bournemouth
Why do music students attend counselling? A longitudinal study of reasons in one UK conservatoire
Get PDFMusic students in tertiary education struggle with a range of health-related problems. We investigated students’ self-referrals for counselling at a UK conservatoire in order to explore trends in students’ attendance at counselling sessions over time, and identify their reasons for seeking and continuing to attend counselling. We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected from 645 students by two in-house counsellors at the conservatoire between 2000 and 2016. We obtained analogous data on all students registered during the same period for comparison, running chi-square and non-parametric tests of association between groups. A total of 645 students attended a mean of eight (Mdn=4) counselling sessions over the 16-year period: 63% were female, 79% were from the UK, and 72.5% were undergraduate students. The percentages of students attending counselling increased from two (1%) in 2000-2001 to 71 (13%) in 2015-2016. The presenting concerns of almost one in ten students who sought counselling were related to self-esteem, self-confidence, ego strength and coping ability. Their main reasons for continuing to attend counselling were also to do with self and identity, relationships, academic concerns, loss, abuse, and anxiety. Female students, postgraduate students, and those studying singing were most likely to attend counselling sessions
Using indigenous sport and games for sustainable community tourism in Barbados
No full textSustainable tourism development in the Caribbean is inhibited by several challenges, such as diseconomies of scale and scope and other structural and resource constraints. These challenges are further exacerbated by the heavy prominence of transnational conglomerates. As a result, many Caribbean islands do not appropriate the full value from tourism with the majority of the revenues and profits accruing to companies based outside the region. Many tourists who visit these islands do not venture into the local communities as they are encouraged to stay in the all-inclusive enclaves. Researchers have long recognised that indigenous sports tourism can be a tool that would allow marginalised communities to achieve greater control of their livelihoods. This chapter will focus on sports and games that are deeply rooted in Barbadian culture and history. Using a case study approach, the authors will show how they can be monetised and fused with other aspects of community culture to attract a different type of tourists who will venture into the local communities and spend their money there
Isocaloric Supplements of Whey Protein and Carbohydrate on Responses of Cardiorespiratory and Metabolic Systems and Blood Glucose Levels during Acute Progressive Exhaustive Exercises
Get PDFIsocaloric Supplements of Whey Protein and Carbohydrates on Responses of Cardiorespiratory and Metabolic Systems and Blood Glucose Levels during Acute Progressive Exhaustive Exercises. JEPonline 2023;26(3):1-14. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of isocaloric supplements of whey protein and carbohydrate on physiologic functions and performance. Three separated randomized ingestions of whey protein (PRO), carbohydrate (CHO), and mixing of PRO-CHO (MIX) were provided to healthy males prior to performing progressive exercises to exhaustion. Blood glucose levels and physiological variables of the cardiorespiratory and metabolic functions were determined. Higher blood glucose was detected only in the ingestion of CHO. Most of gas exchange and cardiorespiratory variables measured during exercise were similar in all trails, except for the lower diastolic BP in PRO than in CHO and MIX throughout the test. MIX induced a higher VO2 peak than did the other trials. In conclusion, immediate isocaloric ingestions of CHO, PRO, and MIX had exerted no impact on cardiorespiratory functions during high physical demands. Only the ingestion of CHO showed metabolic changes via blood glucose level; whereas, the ingestion of MIX induced a higher endurance performance on VO2 peak
Perspectives of efootball players and staff members regarding the effects of esports on health – a qualitative study
Get PDFBackground: Recently, esports have been argued to impact esports players' health, particularly for those competing at higher levels. Esports are a relatively new phenomenon, and an inside perspective regarding esports players' needs and experiences is essential to promote adequate health support for this population. Thus, in this qualitative study, we explored the perspectives of elite esports players and staff members regarding the effects of esports participation on health. Ten semi-structured interviews were performed with members of the Portuguese FIFA (i.e., FIFA EA Sports®) eFootball National team (i.e., five elite electronic football players, one world-class electronic football player, two national team coaches, and two members of the esports department). Data analysis was undertaken following the principles of thematic analysis.
Results: We identified four major superordinate themes: health definition (1), factors of esports that impact mental (2) and mental health (3), and strategies to improve esports players’ health (4). Esports-related factors such as gaming, competition, and performance were said to impact mental health, while equipment, facilities, and esports-related sitting time affect physical health. To minimise those risks, four main strategies were suggested: optimising and scheduling esports training, improving lifestyle habits with an emphasis on physical health, enhancing facilities and equipment, and improving health support, particularly with a mental health professional.
Conclusion: Esports players and staff members are concerned and aware of esports' mental and physical demands. Understanding what esports players need and perceive about their health, complemented with the view of staff members, and their proposed strategies for health promotion might help define and prioritise healthcare needs, which could help players and the broad esports community
Lightweight Multi-Hop Routing Protocol for Resource Optimisation in Edge Computing Networks
Get PDFData transmission over power line communication (PLC) infrastructure will proliferate lightweight Internet of Things (IoT) nodes in 5G and 6G networks. Consequently, a corresponding lightweight multi-hop routing protocol (LMRP) with reduced path loss and computational complexities will be required at the edges of PLC networks to connect the cloud sinks. Using a multi-layered system architecture, we present an LMRP for optimal routing and highlight the components of a smart PLC network comprising edge power pool orchestration, edge layer service provisioning, fog latency layer, and cloud resilient backbone. The LMRP reduces path loss and node failure states at the edge while optimising throughputs, minimum cost flow, and signal stability. A multi-hop deterministic testbed is designed and applied in three different locations to estimate path loss leveraging TelosB IoT node, Raspberry Pi (RPI) with NesC, and Java scripted logger application. Three different testbeds of varying path loss characteristics at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) are used while the analysis was completed at Manchester Metropolitan University engineering LAB. The result of PL mitigation in Location 1 (sonic FUTO) shows 33.89%, 33.25%, and 32.77% with genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimisation (PSO), and the proposed LMRP, respectively. In Location 2 (Old SEET Complex, FUTO), the PL obtained are 33.81%, 33.57%, and 32.62%, while Location 3 (New SEET Complex, FUTO) yields 33.65%, 33.41%, and 32.74% in PL mitigation for GA, PSO, and LMRP, respectively. Despite improved PL mitigation, the results also show that the proposed scheme offers a lightweight routing performance of at least 76.30% compared to similar schemes