scholarly journals Thermal Strain During Open-Water Swimming Competition in Warm Water Environments

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Chalmers ◽  
Gregory Shaw ◽  
Iñigo Mujika ◽  
Ollie Jay
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Thermal Strain ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Warm Water ◽  
Temperature Threshold ◽  
Physiological Strain ◽  
Water Competition ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
And Performance

Open-water swim racing in warm water is associated with significant physiological strain. However, existing international policy that governs safe participation during competition relies only on a fixed water temperature threshold for event cancellation and has an unclear biophysical rationale. The current policy does not factor other environmental factors or race distance, nor provide a stratification of risk (low, moderate, high, or extreme) prior to the threshold for cancellation. Therefore, the primary aim of this Perspectives article is to highlight considerations for the development of modernized warm-water competition policies. We highlight current accounts (or lack thereof) of thermal strain, cooling interventions, and performance in warm-water swimming and opportunities for advancement of knowledge. Further work is needed that systematically evaluate real-world thermal strain and performance during warm water competition (alongside reports of environmental conditions), novel preparatory strategies, and in-race cooling strategies. This could ultimately form a basis for future development of modernized policies for athlete cohorts that stratifies risk and mitigation strategies according to important environmental factors and race-specific factors (distance).

Factors Affecting Healthful Eating Among Touring Popular Musicians and Singers

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Cizek ◽  
Patrick Kelly ◽  
Kathleen Kress ◽  
Mildred Mattfeldt-Beman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Musical Background ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Healthful Food

Maintaining good health is essential for touring musicians and singers. The stressful demands of touring may impact food choices, leading to detrimental effects on health and performance. This exploratory pilot study aimed to assess factors affecting healthful eating of touring musicians and singers. A 46-item survey was used to assess food- and nutrition-related attitudes, knowledge and behaviors, and environmental factors, as well as lifestyle, musical background, and demographic data. Participants (n=35) were recruited from a musicians’ assistance foundation as well as touring musical theater productions and a music festival. Results indicate that touring musicians and singers had positive attitudes regarding healthful foods. Of 35 respondents, 80.0% indicated eating healthful food was important to them. Respondents reported feeling confident selecting (76.5%) and preparing (82.4%) healthful foods; however, they showed uncertainty when determining if carbohydrate-containing foods should be consumed or avoided. Respondents indicated environmental factors including availability and cost of healthy food options and tour schedules limited access to healthful foods. Venues (73.5%), fast food restaurants (67.6%), and airports (64.7%) were the most frequently identified locations in need of offering more healthful food choices. Respondents (52.9%) indicated more support from others while touring would help them make healthier food choices. More research is needed to develop mobile wellness programs as well as performance-based nutrition guidelines for musicians and singers that address the unique demands associated with touring.

ICT-Based Market Information Services (MIS) Projects, Deployment Environment, and Performance

2012 ◽  
pp. 17-30
Author(s):  
Julius Juma Okello
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Information Services ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Transactions Costs ◽  
Market Information ◽  
Agricultural Commodity ◽  
Service Projects ◽  
And Performance

The need to provide agricultural information to farmers has led to emergence of numerous electronic-based MIS projects in developing countries. These projects aim at promoting farmer linkage to better markets. However, experiences from past and present projects show mix cases of success and failure, despite some projects meeting their goals. This study examines how the environments in which such ICT-based MIS are deployed affect their performance. It specifically uses two ICT-based market information service projects, the DrumNet and Kenya Agricultural Commodity Exchange (KACE) projects, to assess how the socio-economic, physical, and institutional environments in such projects are deployed affect the performance of such projects. The study finds that a number of environmental factors related to socio-economic, physical, market, and legal environment affect the performance of ICT-based projects. Some of these factors exacerbate transactions costs thus undermining the performance and even sustainability of ICT-based MIS projects. It discusses policy implications of these findings.

Negotiating human engagement and the fixity of computational design: Toward a performative design space for the differently-abled bodymind

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-193
Author(s):  
Sean Ahlquist
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Structural Optimization ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Cultural Entity

Computational design affords agency: the ability to orchestrate the material, spatial, and technical architectural system. In this specific case, it occurs through enhanced, authored means to facilitate making and performance—typically driven by concerns of structural optimization, material use, and responsivity to environmental factors—of an atmospheric rather than social nature. At issue is the positioning of this particular manner of agency solely with the architect auteur. This abruptly halts—at the moment in which fabrication commences—the ability to amend, redefine, or newly introduce fundamentally transformational constituents and their interrelationships and, most importantly, to explore the possibility for extraordinary outcomes. When the architecture becomes a functional, social, and cultural entity, in the hands of the idealized abled-bodied user, agency—especially for one of an otherly body or mind—is long gone. Even an empathetic auteur may not be able to access the motivations of the differently-abled body and neuro-divergent mind, effectively locking the constraints of the design process, which creates an exclusionary system to those beyond the purview of said auteur. It can therefore be deduced that the mechanisms or authors of a conventional computational design process cannot eradicate the exclusionary reality of an architectural system. Agency is critical, yet a more expansive terminology for agent and agency is needed. The burden to conceive of capacities that will always be highly temporal, social, unpredictable, and purposefully unknown must be shifted far from the scope of the traditional directors of the architectural system. Agency, and who it is conferred upon, must function in a manner that dissolves the distinctions between the design, the action of designing, the author of design, and those subjected to it.

scholarly journals 0298 Sleep at Sea: A Qualitative Examination of Barriers to Sleep and Mitigation Strategies Among Shipboard Sailors

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A112-A113
Author(s):  
E A Schmied ◽  
E M Harrison ◽  
R Dell’Acqua ◽  
G L Glickman ◽  
S L Hurtado
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Disturbance ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Caffeine Intake ◽  
Early Assessment ◽  
Medicine Research ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
And Performance

Abstract Introduction Sleep disturbance is prevalent among service members; however, little is known about factors that impede sleep in unique operational environments, such as aboard naval ships. Given the importance of sleep to health and performance, identifying both causes and potential solutions to sleep disturbance is critical. The objective of this qualitative study was to elucidate barriers to sleep and the strategies U.S. Navy sailors use to improve their sleep and combat fatigue while underway. Methods Interviews were conducted with 22 active duty service members assigned to sea duty. The semi-structured interview guide assessed the experiences of service members sleeping in shipboard environments, including the strategies used to improve sleep and combat fatigue. Interview transcripts were analyzed using applied thematic content analysis by two independent coders. Results Most participants were male (91.8%) and enlisted (95.5%). The most commonly reported barrier to sleep was stress (e.g., job-related stress), followed by rotating schedules, and environmental factors (e.g., noise, light). Many reported prioritizing other activities over sleep when off duty. Though only a few reported specific strategies to improve sleep while underway, strategies that were described primarily included mitigation of environmental barriers (e.g., noise-canceling headphones or sleep masks). However, some participants acknowledged these strategies are not always feasible (e.g., cost, reduced responsiveness to alarms or commands). Notably, few sailors reported using stress mitigation or relaxation strategies to help sleep. Caffeine intake was the only reported strategy for alerting when fatigued. Conclusion Sailors reported many barriers to sleep that are unique to the shipboard environment, yet most did not report using any mitigation strategies. Further, few used alerting techniques (other than caffeine) when fatigued. This at-risk population could benefit from targeted educational interventions covering sleep-promoting behaviors, prioritization of sleep, and fatigue mitigation. Support This work was supported by the Military Operational Medicine Research Program, Early Assessment and Intervention Working Group, under work unit no. N1702.

An Attribution Training Program and Achievement in Sport

1999 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Orbach ◽  
Robert Singer ◽  
Sarah Price
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Future Success ◽  
Failure Feedback ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Attribution Training ◽  
And Performance

This study aimed to investigate the influence of an attribution training program for learners who attribute their sport performance to dysfunctional attributions. Participants were 35 college beginner tennis players who were oriented to attribute their performance in a tennis skill task to controllable, unstable factors; uncontrollable, stable factors; or no specific factors. Participants received fictitious failure feedback over 10 trial blocks administered during four sessions. Dependent variables included attributions, expectations, emotions, persistence, and performance. MANOVA analyses revealed that it is possible to modify attributions in regard to a tennis performance task. More importantly, the new attributions were consistent up to 3 weeks postintervention and were generalized to a different tennis task. In addition, participants who changed their attributions to more functional ones had higher expectations for future success and experienced positive emotions.

scholarly journals Pediatric Thermoregulation: Considerations in the Face of Global Climate Change

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ultraviolet Radiation ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Heat Exposure ◽  
Environmental Stressors ◽  
Physiological Strain ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Face ◽  
And Performance

Predicted global climate change, including rising average temperatures, increasing airborne pollution, and ultraviolet radiation exposure, presents multiple environmental stressors contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. Extreme temperatures and more frequent and severe heat events will increase the risk of heat-related illness and associated complications in vulnerable populations, including infants and children. Historically, children have been viewed to possess inferior thermoregulatory capabilities, owing to lower sweat rates and higher core temperature responses compared to adults. Accumulating evidence counters this notion, with limited child–adult differences in thermoregulation evident during mild and moderate heat exposure, with increased risk of heat illness only at environmental extremes. In the context of predicted global climate change, extreme environmental temperatures will be encountered more frequently, placing children at increased risk. Thermoregulatory and overall physiological strain in high temperatures may be further exacerbated by exposure to/presence of physiological and environmental stressors including pollution, ultraviolet radiation, obesity, diabetes, associated comorbidities, and polypharmacy that are more commonly occurring at younger ages. The aim of this review is to revisit fundamental differences in child–adult thermoregulation in the face of these multifaceted climate challenges, address emerging concerns, and emphasize risk reduction strategies for the health and performance of children in the heat.

scholarly journals Prevalence of and environmental factors associated with aerosolised Aspergillus spores at a zoological park

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000281
Author(s):  
Molly Martony ◽  
Hendrik Nollens ◽  
Melinda Tucker ◽  
Linda Henry ◽  
Todd Schmitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Air Sampler ◽  
Zoological Park

Aspergillus is a significant pathogen in zoological species, although information on environmental variables influencing fungal prevalence in zoological settings are lacking. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of and to identify environmental factors associated with aerosolised Aspergillus spores at a zoological park to advance the understanding of fungal exposure as a first step towards improved mitigation strategies for susceptible animals. Twenty-one locations were sampled for presence of Aspergillus species using the SAS Super 180 Microbial Air Sampler, while twenty-two environmental factors were evaluated every two weeks at SeaWorld of California during two 12-month periods. In each period, the frequency of investigated environmental factors was compared between samples classified as positive or negative for Aspergillus species using logistic regression. Prevalence of Aspergillus was higher (P<0.05) during the second 12-month period (110/525 or 21 per cent), compared with the first period (62/483 or 13 per cent). In both periods, positive Aspergillus samples were associated with indoor sites without high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems and other infection control measures (adjusted OR=4.33 and 5.19, P<0.01) or outdoor sites (adjusted OR=2.50 and3.79, P≤0.05), compared to indoor sites with HEPA filtration systems and other infection control measures, after controlling for season. Burden of airborne Aspergillus can be higher in indoor sites without HEPA filtration systems than in outdoor sites. The use of HEPA filtration systems and other infection control measures can mitigate the burden of Aspergillus. Risk-based surveillance systems that target indoor areas without HEPA filtration systems can be an efficient approach for early detection of high burden of Aspergillus at zoological parks.

A contextual approach to supply chain risk mitigation

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 642-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woojung Chang ◽  
Alexander E. Ellinger ◽  
Jennifer Blackhurst
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Supply Chain Risk Management ◽  
Supply Chain Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Risk Mitigation Strategies ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Research Propositions

Purpose – As global supply networks proliferate, the strategic significance of supply chain risk management (SCRM) – defined as the identification, evaluation, and management of supply chain-related risks to reduce overall supply chain vulnerability – also increases. Yet, despite consistent evidence that firm performance is enhanced by appropriate fit between strategy and context, extant SCRM research focusses more on identifying sources of supply chain risk, types of SCRM strategy, and performance implications associated with SCRM than on the relative efficacy of alternative primary supply chain risk mitigation strategies in different risk contexts. Drawing on contingency theory, a conceptual framework is proposed that aligns well-established aspects of SCRM to present a rubric for matching primary alternative supply chain risk mitigation strategies (redundancy and flexibility) with particular risk contexts (severity and probability of risk occurrence). The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Conceptual paper. Findings – The proposed framework addresses supply chain managers’ need for a basic rubric to help them choose and implement risk mitigation approaches. The framework may also prove helpful for introducing business students to the fundamentals of SCRM. Originality/value – The framework and associated research propositions provide a theoretically grounded basis for managing the firm’s portfolio of potential supply chain risks by applying appropriate primary risk mitigation strategies based on the specific context of each risk rather than taking a “one size fits all” approach to risk mitigation. An agenda for progressing research on contingency-based approaches to SCRM is also presented.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document