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Pre-workout multi-ingredients or carbohydrate alone promote similar resistance training outcomes in middle-aged adults: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial
No full textBackgroundPre-workout multi-ingredients are designed to enhance energy levels and acutely increase exercise performance. This study compared the effectiveness of ingesting an admixture providing caffeinated ingredients and plant-based protein enriched with amino acids versus carbohydrates alone on body composition, hypertrophy and physical performance.MethodsForty-three middle-aged physically active individuals (26 peri- and post-menopausal females and 17 males) completed the study after being randomly assigned to one of the following intervention groups: pre-workout (PREW n = 24, 54 ± 4 years, body mass 77.6 ± 16.0 kg) or a carbohydrate-only comparator (COMP n = 19, 52 ± 4 years, body mass 80.6 ± 16.0 kg). Measurement of fat and fat-free mass (via plethysmography), waist and hip circumferences, muscle thickness (via ultrasound), strength, power output and muscle endurance performance were collected before and after a 6-week resistance training programme performed 3 times per week. Treatment consisted of ingesting 30g of the assigned supplement, mixed with 400mL of plain water, 15min before each workout session.ResultsBoth groups significantly (p ConclusionExcept for waist circumference reduction, ingesting a pre-workout vegan protein-based caffeinated supplement promotes no further resistance training benefits in middle-aged individuals.</p
Conservation from the root: awareness-raising activities to conserve the Endangered Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) in Bangladesh
No full textAbstract
Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) is the only nocturnal primate of Bangladesh, classed as Endangered both regionally and globally. One of the barriers to conserving this species is that its wild behaviour is little known, alongside local people being less aware of it due to its nocturnal habits. As part of our long-term ecological studies of the species, from June 2020 to November 2022, we arranged three awareness programs in three forest patches of northeast and one in southeast Bangladesh to overcome these issues. We visited students in schools adjacent to forests to deliver an ecophilic education program. A total of 251 students (aged between 8-14 years) participated in these awareness programs from four different schools. 126 students were from the Southeast, 125 students were from the Northeast region. Using an auditory and visual approach, we delivered a short talk about the Bengal slow loris via storytelling that included important yet fun and interesting ecological and morphological aspects of the slow loris, combined with a short lecture using a PowerPoint presentation. These aspects were interspersed with kinaesthetic fun games (slow cycle race, quiz, etc.) to reinforce a positive learning experience. To gain feedback, we delivered an oral quiz and found that this species was unknown to many participants, and it was an evil symbol for some. This information is vital for preparing our future outreach activities. Although our awareness program has been a vital first step, we have been able to highlight areas of knowledge that we hope will lead to behaviour change. We recognise that such preliminary education approaches are incredibly helpful to formulate more structured programs.</p
Quantifying market prevalence, abundance, and suitable habitats of bulbuls in Java, Indonesia
No full textNo description supplied</p
Associations between body mass index categories and geriatric assessment tests among older adults with chronic kidney disease
No full textBackground: The optimal body mass index (BMI) among older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in geriatric assessment tests has not been studied. This study investigates the relationship between BMI and Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) parameters among older adults with CKD.Methods: A total of 319 older adults with CKD were included. Demographic and laboratory data and geriatric assessment tests of patients within different BMI categories (18.5–24.9, 25.0–29.9, 30.0–34.9, and >35.0 kg/m2) were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine associations between CGA and BMI categories.Results: The mean age was 84 ± 7 years, the mean glomerular filtration rate was 47 ± 8 ml/min/1.73 m2, and 236 patients (74%) were women. BMI categories of 35.0 included 51 (16%), 119 (37.3%), 88 (27.6%), and 61 (19.1%) patients. A BMI range of 25–35 showed the most favorable results, according to CGA scores for basic and instrumental activities of daily living, the Tinetti scale, Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) among BMI groups. Patients with a BMI of 30.0–34.9 had better scores in Mini Mental State Examination, GDS, and MNA than those with a BMI of 25.0–29.9, whereas other measures were comparable between these two categories.Conclusion: The optimum range of BMI levels for nutrition and cognitive health and mood status in older adults with CKD is 30.0–34.9.</p
Wearable electronic vision enhancement systems for people with age-related macular degeneration
No full textAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects older adults and is the leading cause of registerable Vision Impairment (VI) in the UK. Wearable Electronic Vision Enhancement Systems (wEVES) are assistive technology devices with the potential to support people with VI. This research explores the usefulness of wEVES for individuals with AMD.A scoping review suggested that wEVES can improve visual function and vision-related quality of life (VRQoL). However, existing research evaluated wEVES in mixed populations, regularly comparing to baseline function rather than existing low vision solutions and using study designs with no control group.Qualitative interviews and focus groups with non-users indicated that wEVES were desirable and have broad imagined usefulness. However, participants’ concerns about limitations with their current aids, training needs, and social perceptions tempered their anticipated potential. Non-users viewed a non-enclosed wEVES as the most suitable for an extended home trial. While enclosed devices were reported to offer clearer images and a more straightforward interface, they were hindered by impractical and bulky designs.In a randomised cross-over study of 42 participants with AMD, wEVES improved distance acuity (F(1.28, 52.37)=62.10, pConclusion: wEVES improved visual function and self-reported activity limitation, indicating their potential to support vision rehabilitation for people with AMD, but this promise was not realised in a contemporary device. Short studies which are only evaluated using measures of clinical function, short-term satisfaction, and activity limitation may fail to capture the sustained utility of wEVES. User-led home trials employing a broad mixed-method approach are a necessity to fully understand the usefulness of wEVES for people with AMD.</p
"My mother is a goddess", "I am an inmate here": Male prisoners' attitudes towards women and their perceptions of culpability from Delhi Prison
No full textWhile research on sexual violence in India has considered victim perspectives and policy reforms, offender perspectives remain highly underrepresented in the literature. The aim of this research was to understand the underlying social mechanisms that support and maintain violence against women, and in its extreme form, rape in Indian society. For this purpose, attitudes towards women and perceptions of culpability were examined in a sample of convicted rapists and non-sex offenders from Delhi Prison (N=142). Convicted offenders filled out the short version of Attitudes Towards Women questionnaire (n=122) and also participated in-depth semi-structured interviews (n=20).
Comparison of both groups of offenders did not reflect the popular belief that rapists have more traditional and conservative views towards women as no significant differences were found in the way gender was socialized. Home was the main gender socialization site and the mother was central to this process. At the same time, both groups of offenders differed with respect to their self-perceptions of offending. Rapists referred to themselves as “inmates” and non-sex offenders referred to themselves as “offenders”. Non-sex offenders accepted responsibility for their actions but attempted to justify their intent whereas rapists denied responsibility and attributed blame to the victim. Rapists also used various identity-management mechanisms to reject the label of ‘rapist’. Integration of offenders’ gender and crime narratives led to the development of an empirical model linking traditional attitudes towards women and rapists’ perceptions of culpability.
As one of the first studies examining accounts of convicted rapists in India, this research has implications on policy, social reform and prison research along with contributing to the larger body of literature. The findings are discussed in light of their significance within the unique socio-cultural setup of India along with future recommendations.</p
Is greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet related to higher health-related quality of life among children and adolescents? A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textAdherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has been linked to better physical and mental health outcomes. However, its relationship with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents has not been quantitatively assessed. To examine the association between adherence to the MedDiet and HRQoL in children and adolescents through a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception through November 1, 2024. Observational studies assessing the association between MedDiet adherence and HRQoL in participants aged ≤ 19 years. Only studies using validated tools for both exposure and outcome were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed study quality using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute tool. A random-effects model with a restricted maximum likelihood estimator was applied. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The primary outcome was the Spearman’s correlation coefficient (r) between MedDiet adherence and HRQoL. Twenty-four studies (n = 28,692; weighted mean age = 12.6 years) from ten countries were included. Higher adherence to the MedDiet was associated with better HRQoL (r = 0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13 to 0.30; p Conclusions: Greater adherence to the MedDiet is modestly associated with higher HRQoL in children and adolescents. These findings support dietary interventions as a component of youth well-being strategies, although further longitudinal and interventional research is needed.</p
Climate justice for Africa: 3 legal routes for countries that suffer the most harm
No full textClimate change lawsuits have become a new way for countries to assert their rights against actions that degrade the environment. But African countries have yet to fully exploit this route...</p
The Impact of Statutory Assessments on Writing Instruction in English Primary Schools: An Exploration of Teacher Perceptions and Practices
No full textNo description supplied</p
Neurocognitive processes in mental scene construction: opening editorial
No full textMental scene construction is an important topic that brings together contemporary research in autobiographical memory, mental imagery, episodic simulation, and applied aspects of visuo-spatial cognition such as spatial navigation. In this context, it refers to the neurocognitive processes involved in mentally generating and maintaining complex and coherent scenes or events (Hassabis & Maguire, 2007, 2009; Ladyka-Wojcik et al., 2022; Maguire & Mullally, 2013). Mental scene construction has been implicated during the recall of autobiographical memories (Bernardis et al., 2025; El Haj, 2024) and the imagining of fictitious or future events (Palombo et al., 2018; Schacter et al., 2012). Maguire and Mullally (2013) proposed that the mental construction of spatially coherent scenes is central to hippocampal information processing. Patients with bilateral hippocampal lesions show significant impairment in both autobiographical recall and imagined future thinking (Mullally et al., 2012; Race et al., 2011). Rubin (2020) has argued that this ability to mentally construct scenes is a stable individual difference that is predictive of phenomenological qualities of autobiographical recall such as its vividness, reliving, and emotional intensity.</p
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