The effect of three types of water-based training protocols on thymus atrophy and specific indicators of cellular immune senescence in aged male rats.

The collective detrimental impact of aged naive lymphocytes and thymus atrophy on the aging of the immune system can be mitigated by exercise. Hence, this research aims to explore the effects of three methods of water-based exercises on immune system aging and thymus atrophy in elderly rats. Thirty-two 24-month-old rats, with an average weight of 320 ± 5 g, were randomly allocated into four groups of endurance training (n = 8), resistance training (n = 8), combined training (n = 8), and control (n = 8).

Sharing images of children on social media: British motherhood influencers and the privacy paradox.

This study examines the extent to which popular British motherhood influencers infringe on their children's privacy by posting images of them online. We conducted a content analysis of 5,253 Instagram posts from ten UK-based influencers, supplemented by self-reported data from these influencers. This represents the first comprehensive analysis of actual sharing practices in the British motherhood influencer industry, linking observed behavior with self-reported perceptions.

Prevalence of anxiety and depression in former elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To summarise the evidence regarding the prevalence of anxiety and depression in former elite athletes compared with the general population.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.CRD42022347359.

Evaluating the use of electromyography in UK and European gait laboratories for the assessment of cerebral palsy and other neurological and musculoskeletal conditions.

Background: Electromyography (EMG) can estimate the magnitude and timing of muscle activation during walking in those with gait disorders. Despite the potential of EMG use in assessment and clinical decision-making, there are reports of declining use of EMG within gait laboratories. Technical and educational barriers to EMG usage in clinics in Italy were recently suggested.

An expert consensus statement on biomarkers of ageing for use in intervention studies.

Biomarkers of ageing serve as important outcome measures in longevity-promoting interventions. However, there is limited consensus on which specific biomarkers are most appropriate for human intervention studies. This work aimed to address this need by establishing an expert consensus on biomarkers of ageing for use in intervention studies via the Delphi method.

Evidence-base for urban green-blue infrastructure to support insect diversity.

Unlabelled: Green-blue urban infrastructures potentially offer win-win benefits for people and nature in urban areas. Given increasing evidence of widespread declines of insects, as well as their ecological importance, there is a need to better understand the potential role of green-blue urban infrastructure for insect conservation. In this review, we evaluated 201 studies about the ability of green-blue infrastructure to support insect diversity.

Development of a work systems stress questionnaire to predict job burnout: A mixed methods study based on a macroergonomics approach.

Job burnout is a stress-related phenomenon that is a significant threat to the health and performance of organizations and employees. Interventions to ameliorate potentials for burnout have been limited by the lack of a comprehensive tool that considers work system stressors. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire for predicting job burnout based on the macroergonomics work system approach.

Multi-scale influences on Escherichia coli concentrations in shellfish: From catchment to estuary.

Sustainability of bivalve shellfish farming relies on clean coastal waters, however, high levels of faecal indicator organisms (FIOs, e.g. Escherichia coli) in shellfish results in temporary closure of shellfish harvesting beds to protect human health, but with economic consequences for the shellfish industry.

Trajectory priming through obstacle avoidance in motor imagery - does motor imagery comprise the spatial characteristics of movement?

Motor imagery and execution often indicate a similar trend in the temporal characteristics of movements. This finding supports the notion of functional equivalence, whereby imagery and execution use a common neural representation. However, there is comparatively limited evidence related to the spatial characteristics of movements; no doubt owing to the absence of an actual spatial trajectory during imagery.

Alterations to the Kinetic Chain Sequence After a Shoulder Injury in Throwing Athletes.

Background: Kinetic chain (KC) sequencing is essential for efficient energy translation through the body in overhead-throwing sports. A sequencing breakdown can result in injuries to the throwing shoulder and thus the management of athlete recovery in an attempt to minimize the impact on both training and performance.

Purpose: To determine kinematic differences in KC sequencing, imperative for the prevention and rehabilitation of a shoulder injury, during maximal throwing in overhead athletes with and without a shoulder injury.

Sensing spatial inequality of socio-economic factors for deploying permanent deacons in the UK.

Integrating spatial inequality perspectives in strategic decision-making can ensure positive impacts on resource distribution for public welfare and sustainable development. This study aims to apply evidence-based approaches in deploying permanent deacons. The empirical case study has been conducted at the St Helens denary of the Liverpool archdiocese, UK.

The application of a return-to-performance pathway for a professional footballer recovering from a surgical repair of an isolated lateral collateral knee ligament rupture. A case report.

Objectives: Isolated rupture of the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) of the knee is extremely rare in professional football, and there is a paucity of literature describing the rehabilitation for this injury. This case report demonstrates the use of a return-to-performance (RTP) pathway that is time-independent, has clear criteria, and progressive phases to help inform decisions made by a multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Methods: A 25-year-old professional footballer sustained an isolated LCL rupture following a tackle by an opposing player, forcing his knee into excessive varus motion.

Non-contact lower limb injuries in Rugby Union: A two-year pattern recognition analysis of injury risk factors.

The cause of sport injuries are multifactorial and necessitate sophisticated statistical approaches for accurate identification of risk factors predisposing athletes to injury. Pattern recognition analyses have been adopted across sporting disciplines due to their ability to account for repeated measures and non-linear interactions of datasets, however there are limited examples of their use in injury risk prediction. This study incorporated two-years of rigorous monitoring of athletes with 1740 individual weekly data points across domains of training load, performance testing, musculoskeletal screening, and injury history parameters, to be one of the first to employ a pattern recognition approach to predict the risk factors of specific non-contact lower limb injuries in Rugby Union.

Sensitivity analysis of human error in the steel industry: exploring the effects of psychosocial and mental health risk factors and burnout using Bayesian networks.

Introduction: Human error and the high rates of fatalities and other occupational accidents in the steel industry are of significant global relevance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of psychosocial, mental health, and burnout risk factors on human error probabilities in an industrial environment using Bayesian networks.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023.

Understanding the effect of occupational stress on sleep quality in firefighters: the modulating role of depression and burnout.

Objectives: Sleep quality of firefighters can be negatively affected by occupational stressors. A cross-sectional investigation was conducted to understand how work-related stress, post-traumatic stress, burnout and depression collectively contribute to sleep quality.

Methods: Professional firefighters in Northern Iran completed a survey comprised of demographic information, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, HSE's Stress Indicator Tool, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, Maslach's Burnout Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory during a work rest break.

Evaluating the benefits of urban green infrastructure: Methods, indicators, and gaps.

Green infrastructure (GI) offers a promising solution for mitigating the adverse effects of climate change, but evaluating its effectiveness necessitates a comprehensive understanding of how that has been quantified in the literature. This study aims to review the methods (monitoring, remote sensing, and modelling) employed to assess the effectiveness of GI in urban areas for three ecosystem services: heat mitigation (cooling of air temperature), thermal comfort control, and air quality mitigation. The objectives include evaluating the suitability of these approaches across diverse scales, categorising the essential parameters, and identifying the strengths and limitations inherent in each method.

Airflow Modeling for Citrus under Protective Screens.

This study explores the development and validation of an airflow model to support climate prediction for Citrus Under Protective Screens (CUPS) in California. CUPS is a permeable screen structure designed to protect a field of citrus trees from large insects including the vector that causes the devastating citrus greening disease. Because screen structures modify the environmental conditions (e.

Examining the Equivalence Between Imagery and Execution-Does Imagery Comprise the Intended Spatial Trajectory?

The functional equivalence model suggests a common internal representation initiates both imagery and execution. This suggestion is supported by the mental chronometry effect, where there is a positive relation between task difficulty (as defined by the Index of Difficulty; ID) and imagined movement time. The present study extends this logic by examining whether imagery captures the spatial trajectory.

Application of proteomics for novel drug discovery and risk prediction optimisation in stroke and myocardial infarction: a review of in-human studies.

The use of proteomics in human studies investigating stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) has been increasing, prompting a review of the literature. This revealed proteinaceous biomarkers of stroke from thrombi, brain tissue, cells, and particles, some of which cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Several proteins were also implicated in coronary artery disease (CAD), which often underlies MI, cholesterol transportation, and inflammation.

Data from a survey of coffee cultivation in lowland and highland areas to support agriculture during climate change.

This survey aimed to acquire and generate significant information on coffee cultivation in high and low elevations to support agriculture during climate change. This survey dataset helps understand coffee cultivation in highland and lowland areas with diverse climates and environmental conditions for coffee researchers to use this data to improve cultivation and production techniques. In the business scope, this dataset provides a critical vision on the value proposition of the coffee business to maintain conservation and wealth creation of the coffee chain.

The role of facial distinctiveness in the prioritisation of targets in disjunctive dual-target face search.

Two experiments explored the search for pairs of faces in a disjunctive dual-target face search (DDTFS) task for unfamiliar face targets. The distinctiveness of the target was manipulated such that both faces were typical or distinctive or contained one typical and one distinctive target. Targets were searched for in arrays of eight faces.

Advancements in Textile-Based sEMG Sensors for Muscle Fatigue Detection: A Journey from Material Evolution to Technological Integration.

Textile-based surface electromyography (sEMG) electrodes have emerged as a prominent tool in muscle fatigue assessment, marking a significant shift toward innovative, noninvasive methods. This review examines the transition from metallic fibers to novel conductive polymers, elastomers, and advanced material-based electrodes, reflecting on the rapid evolution of materials in sEMG sensor technology. It highlights the pivotal role of materials science in enhancing sensor adaptability, signal accuracy, and longevity, crucial for practical applications in health monitoring, while examining the balance of clinical precision with user comfort.