Matching Exercise Research Articles

Towards Capturing Human Well-Being-Nature Relationships in Poverty Assessments in Rural Malawi and Rwanda

Despite repeated emphasis on the links between the natural environment and human well-being and the disproportionate and direct dependence of the rural poor on natural resources, these links have not been well addressed in poverty assessments. Common poverty profiles neither reflect the contribution of nature to well-being nor the multiple values and meanings that people ascribe to nature. Building on a conceptual grounding for including environmental components in well-being measures, our work aimed to determine for which components it is legitimate to do so according to the people whose well-being is measured. We developed a focus group discussion protocol to elicit perceptions of environment-well-being relationships in rural settings in Rwanda and Malawi. The protocol included a well-being free-listing exercise, a matching exercise linking the listed items to predefined well-being dimensions, and a discussion of environment-well-being connections. We found that severe environmental degradation, hazards, and conflicts over access to land and forests in these diverse rural areas are deeply and directly linked to well-being. Environmental changes such as flooding or extended drought led to losses of income, crops, and assets, as well as prolonged periods of psychological stress, constrained freedom of choice, and in extreme cases, death. Our results suggest that some environmental components are constituent to well-being. We emphasise the importance of validating the precise environmental components that are considered relevant to well-being in different contexts. Extending poverty measurement with relevant environmental components can help in targeting action towards reducing poverty in a more legitimate, context-specific way.

Difference In Cardiovascular Respose To Water- And Land-Based Cycling At The Matched Exercise Intensity

Difference In Cardiovascular Respose To Water- And Land-Based Cycling At The Matched Exercise Intensity

Associations of cognitive performance with cardiovascular magnetic resonance phenotypes in the UK Biobank.

AimsExisting evidence suggests links between brain and cardiovascular health. We investigated associations between cognitive performance and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) phenotypes in the UK Biobank, considering a range of potential confounders.Methods and resultsWe studied 29 763 participants with CMR and cognitive testing, specifically, fluid intelligence (FI, 13 verbal-numeric reasoning questions), and reaction time (RT, a timed pairs matching exercise); both were considered continuous variables for modelling. We included the following CMR metrics: left and right ventricular (LV and RV) volumes in end-diastole and end-systole, LV/RV ejection fractions, LV/RV stroke volumes, LV mass, and aortic distensibility. Multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the association of each CMR measure with FI and RT, adjusting for age, sex, smoking, education, deprivation, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, prior myocardial infarction, alcohol intake, and exercise level. We report standardized beta-coefficients, 95% confidence intervals, and P-values adjusted for multiple testing. In this predominantly healthy cohort (average age 63.0 ± 7.5 years), better cognitive performance (higher FI, lower RT) was associated with larger LV/RV volumes, higher LV/RV stroke volumes, greater LV mass, and greater aortic distensibility in fully adjusted models. There was some evidence of non-linearity in the relationship between FI and LV end-systolic volume, with reversal of the direction of association at very high volumes. Associations were consistent for men and women and in different ages.ConclusionBetter cognitive performance is associated with CMR measures likely representing a healthier cardiovascular phenotype. These relationships remained significant after adjustment for a range of cardiometabolic, lifestyle, and demographic factors, suggesting possible involvement of alternative disease mechanisms.

Identifying sex differences in neuromuscular fatigue: the challenge of normalizing exercise intensity and interpreting the results between populations.

Identifying sex differences in neuromuscular fatigue: the challenge of normalizing exercise intensity and interpreting the results between populations.

Instructed versus spontaneous entrainment of running cadence to music tempo.

Matching exercise behavior to musical beats has been shown to favorably affect repetitive endurance tasks. In this study, our aim was to explore the role of spontaneous versus instructed entrainment, focusing on self‐paced exercise of healthy, recreational runners. For three 4‐min running tasks, 33 recreational participants were either running in silence or with music; when running with music, either no instructions were given to entrain to the music, or participants were instructed to match their running cadence with the tempo of the music. The results indicated that less entrainment occurred when no instruction to match the exercise with the musical tempo was provided. In addition, similar to the condition without music, lower speeds and shorter step lengths were observed when runners were instructed to match their running behavior to the musical tempo when compared with the condition without such instruction. Our findings demonstrate the impact of instruction on running performance and stress the importance of intention to entrain running behavior to musical beats.

Moving FOCUS – The Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety survey – From research to practice

Introduction: FOCUS, the Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety survey, has evolved from a research to practice enterprise within the United States fire and rescue service. The FOCUS tool was developed through a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Research & Development grant. Then it moved to practice in the field. To date over 35,000 firefighters have participated. A current FEMA Fire Prevention & Safety grant can support FOCUS assessment in up to 1,000 fire departments, with the potential of nearly 120,000 respondents. With each funding cycle, the goal of the FOCUS program is to grow and measure its research to practice impact. Methods: We describe how FOCUS safety culture results are disseminated to fire service stakeholders. By utilizing customized reports and a training curriculum we demonstrate how FOCUS is moving research to practice by: (1) illustrating how survey results can be delivered effectively to practitioners, (2) providing examples of how fire departments are using results, and (3) sharing the reactions of the fire service to the FOCUS instrument, reports, and our flagship data training curriculum – Culture Camp. Results' Conclusions: Qualitative and quantitative data are analyzed to demonstrate the impact and acceptance of the FOCUS report and Culture Camps. Stakeholders reflect on the report and the experience of having quantitative safety culture data. Culture Camps are evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively using a matching game exercise, pre/post-test, a fire department teach back, and a Qualtrics evaluation. Practical Applications: Traditionally, the fire service has focused on reducing negative safety outcomes. FOCUS is helping shift their attention further upstream in the prevention pathway through the measurement of important organizational outcomes. The research to practice evolution of the FOCUS program may hold utility for other occupational groups when considering how to steadily move occupational health and safety research to practice in the field for measurable impact.

Feasibility Of Self-paced Intermittent Hypoxic Exercise As An Exercise Intervention In Obese Populations

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown for a healthy population, that in hypoxic conditions equivalent to 3500 m, self-paced intermittent best effort walking results in ~32 % greater oxygen cost (VO2) compared to matched work steady state walking. By combining a self-paced intermittent protocol with recumbent cycling, suggested to be a more comfortable exercise mode for obese populations, some perceived barriers to exercise (e.g. lack of time, discomfort) could be mitigated against, whilst increasing the exercise stimulus. PURPOSE: To determine if self-paced intermittent recumbent cycling performed in normobaric hypoxia increases oxygen cost and energy expenditure (EE) compared to matched work and duration steady-state exercise, and is a tolerable exercise mode for obese populations. METHOD: Fourteen tier 2 obese participants (4 men; 39 ± 13 yr; 165.1 ± 8.1 cm; 95.2 ± 16.1 kg; BMI: 34.9 ± 5.0 kg/m2) completed 3 exercise trials separated by 7 days. Trials were performed on a recumbent cycle ergometer and in a normobaric hypoxic chamber (FiO2 0.135). After determination of hypoxic ventilatory threshold (VT) and maximal power output (Wmax), participants completed one 20 min steady state (SS) cycle at 90 % VT, and one self-paced intermittent (INT) cycle. During INT, participants performed periods of maximal work at Wmax and could stop and rest as many times as necessary before completing the distance covered during SS. Breath-by-breath data were collected by a metabolic cart, and heart rate and arterial oxygen saturation were monitored throughout. Time to complete SS and INT were compared by Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and physiological data were compared by paired t-test. RESULTS: Time to complete the exercise bouts was similar (SS: 1200 ± 00 s vs INT: 1421 ± 441 s, p = 0.14). INT elicited a 30% higher VO2 (SS: 1779.46 ± 320.19 L; INT: 2553.77 ± 1097.65 L) and EE than SS [0.89 ± 0.38 MJ (212.81 ± 91.47 kcal) vs. 0.62 ± 0.11 MJ (148.29 ± 26.68 kcal)], p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The self-paced INT protocol was completed by all obese participants without incident or complaint, and induced a 30% increase in EE compared to a comparable duration of work performed at 90% VT. Further work is required to compare long-term adherence and weight loss/metabolic responses to this mode of exercise completed in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions.

Nonstandard Employment and Job Satisfaction across Time in China: Evidence from the Chinese General Social Survey (2006–2012)

This study examines the association of nonstandard employment with job satisfaction over time in China. An analysis is carried out using the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), a large cross-sectional survey that collected data from over 3000 workers across different industries, ownership types and regions in China in 2006, 2008 and 2012. The empirical results show that in 2006, nonstandard employment workers, on average, were less satisfied with their jobs than their counterparts in standard employment, all else being equal. However, these differences in job satisfaction became very small and insignificant in 2008 and 2012. The results from the propensity score matching exercise provide a similar conclusion. These findings suggest that improvements in regulations and employment relations in China have increased job satisfaction for nonstandard employment workers.

The Effects Of Match Conditions On The Shaped Elements Of Blood And Iron Level Of Football Players

The conditions of football match and intensive exercise changes the hematological parameters. It is also known that, endurance training causes “sports anemia” which is an athlete specific anemia type. The purpose of our study is to research the effects of pre-match and post-match on the shaped elements of blood and iron level of football players. The study group consisted of 12 volunteer male athletes who are playing football in Turkish A2 League for ‘Erciyes Spor Kulübü’. The volunteers have average age of 19.08 ± 0.36 years old, average height of 1.80 ± 0.02 cm and average weight of 70.16 ± 1.74kg. The pulsations, systolic/diastolic blood pressures, vertical/long jumps and elasticity of participating football players are measured and their blood samples were taken before and after the football match. Statistical analyzes of the data were performed by Paired t-test. There were statistically significant differences between the values of erythrocyte, leukocyte, thrombocyte, iron and iron binding (p<0.05) whereas there weren’t any significant differences between PCT (procalcitonin), RBC (red blood cell ) and MCH ( mean cell hemoglobin) levels (p>0.05) in football players before and after the match. According to our results, match conditions and intensive exercise cause serious increases and decreases in iron levels and shaped elements of blood. We think that it is important to follow regular blood samples in elite footballers, to monitor performances under high physical tension and overload and to provide information about immune systems.

Hydro-mechanical modelling of multiphase flowin naturally fractured coalbed using a multiscale approach

This paper presents a multiscale model developed for the modelling of multiphase flow in fractured reservoirs, particularly in coal seams during coalbed methane recovery (or carbon dioxide storage). The variation of gas content in the matrix induces a shrinkage/swelling of the material which is likely to affect the fractures and thus the permeability of the rock. In addition, the permeability is also sensitive to the effective stress evolution. In order to simulate the reservoir production taking into account the cleat-scale phenomena on their specific length, a cleat-scale model is used for the modelling of the Representative Elementary Volume (REV at microscale). This cleat-scale model is integrated in a multiscale approach using the finite element square method. It consists to localize the macroscale deformation to the microscale by applying appropriate boundaries, then resolve the boundary value problem on the microscale with finite elements, then homogenize the microscale stresses with appropriate averages to compute macroscopic quantities, and finally resolve the boundary value problem on the macroscale with finite elements. This approach has the advantage that it does not require to write some constitutive laws at the macroscale but only at the REV-scale. The model is developed and implemented in a finite element code and then used for reservoir modelling. A synthetic case is first considered to demonstrate the ability of the model to obtain some bell-shape production curves as expected for unconventional reservoirs. Finally, a history matching exercise is carried out.

The Neural Mechanisms of Associative Memory Revisited: fMRI Evidence from Implicit Contingency Learning

The literature describes a basic neurofunctional antagonism between episodic memory encoding and retrieval with opposed patterns of neural activation and deactivation, particularly in posterior midline regions. This has been coined the encoding/retrieval (E/R) flip. The present fMRI study uses an innovative task paradigm to further elucidate neurofunctional relations of encoding and retrieval in associative memory. Thereby, memory encoding is implemented as implicit (non-deliberate) cognitive process, whereas the prior literature focused mainly on explicit encoding. Moreover, instead of defining brain activations related to successful (vs. unsuccessful) memory performance, the task paradigm provides proper no-memory baseline conditions. More specifically, the encoding task includes trials with non-contingent (not learnable) stimulus combinations, while the retrieval task uses trials with a simple matching exercise with no mnemonic requirements. The analyses revealed circumscribed activation in the posterior middle cingulate cortex (pMCC) together with prominent deactivation in the anterior insula cortex (aIC) as core neural substrate of implicit memory encoding. Thereby, the pMCC exhibited positive functional connectivity to the hippocampus. Memory retrieval was related to an activation pattern exactly opposed to memory encoding with deactivation in the pMCC and activation in the aIC, while the aIC additionally exhibited a negative (i.e., arguably inhibitive) functional connectivity to the pMCC. Important to note, the observed pattern of activations/de-activations in the pMCC appears to conflict with prevalent E/R flip findings. The outlined results and their (alleged) discrepancies with prior study reports are discussed primarily in the context of the default mode network’s functioning and its context-sensitive regulation. Finally, we point out the relevance of the present work for the understanding and further investigation of the neurofunctional aberrations occurring during normal and pathological aging.

Governance spending fixation as a tool for reform to improve institutions

There is a consensus in the scientific community that most often the main obstacle to development is the absence of good institutions, however, it is also widely recognised, that this idea is of little use without explanations on how they can be improved and made to self-sustain ‘good equilibrium’. Purpose of this article is to propose such an explanation together with a tool for reform that could potentially address this issue. For this purpose, literature review is conducted to explore links of institutions to economic growth in search for opportunity to have a positive effect to the system through means of reform. Such an opportunity is found exploring governance-corruption-economic growth connection, to exploit which, a simple method is proposed that involves only basic math. A matching exercise between governance spending variables and governance evaluation variables reveals both a best way to judge governance spending and a potential value for orientation that could be used for limiting misallocation of resources in countries with governance overspending. At first glance a modest find may have significant practical implications, as this value could be used as a tool for reform, application of which could be expected to have an effect in two complementary ways: pragmatic – inefficient use of resources could be limited by diverting them to other government sectors; and incentives based, which when looked at through a lens of literature on ‘New institutional Economics’ looks especially promising, as in essence it could potentially enable application of principle of free market in state governance for most of poorly governed post-socialist European countries.

Improving Learning Outcomes: Unlimited vs. Limited Attempts and Time for Supplemental Interactive Online Learning Activities

Research indicates the use of interactive online learning (IOL) instructional strategies such as multiple choice, "drag and drop" matching exercises, and case discussions, in online courses enhances learning and results in better learning outcomes. While some instructors might use interactive resources for regular assessments that only allow for one attempt, this experiment examines whether limiting the attempts and the time to complete IOL instructional strategies significantly improves learning outcomes as measured by performance scores on two required exams. The author posit that students who have limited attempts (2) and limited time (20 minutes) will in fact read the chapters before attempting to complete the interactive online activities, thus increasing the correlation between the interactive online activity scores and exam scores. Unlimited attempts and unlimited time provide students with the opportunity to search the textbook for the answers without reading the assigned chapters.As anticipated, the experimental groups with limited attempts and limited time on the IOL activities did demonstrate a statistically significant relationship to combined exam scores. The findings indicate that limited attempts and limited time on formative assessments correlated with exam scores while those formative assessments without constraints did not.

PBI69 INSIGHTS INTO FUTURE AUTOIMMUNE PRICING DYNAMICS IN EU5 & THE US, USING LEARNINGS FROM RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

The rheumatoid arthritis (RA) market has historically had many ‘disruptive’ events (new products and classes, indications extensions, biosimilar launches and new formulations) influencing pricing. The objective for this project was to take learnings from these historical events and apply to an auto-immune condition to predict future price changes in EU5 and the US. An RA price evolution was conducted for EU5 and the US, highlighting key disruptive events and subsequent impact on price. A ‘matching exercise’ between those in the auto-immune space and analogous RA products allowed formation of price projections in each market. In the US, ∼5% annual list price inflation is expected, with pricing dynamics occurring at the net price level. LoE events or biosimilar introduction in the near term (the next 5-7 years) is not expected to significantly impact net price. Although net price is expected to decline with time on the market and class crowding (∼30% reductions seen with anti-TNFs). Conversely, in European markets, disruptive events are expected to change list pricing dynamics. In France especially, a cross-therapy price convergence is expected, catalysed by biosimilar introduction and LoE events. Originator list price erosions may be as high as 40% in 5 years (seen post-biosimilar launch). Dissociation from biosimilar benchmarks may be possible for new launches by targeting sub-groups with a greater unmet need (with 5-15% price premiums seen in RA), and may have a lower long-term list price erosion. In Germany, list prices are expected to remain stable over time unless a biosimilar launch reaches ∼20% market share, causing a formation of reference price group with the originator; then list price drops are expected. The auto-immune space is set to become more competitive, with products across EU5 and the US providing discounts to remain competitive

Does money have a conservative bias? Estimating the causal impact of Citizens United on state legislative preferences

Recent work has suggested that the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United (2010), eliminating restrictions on independent campaign expenditures, increased the election probabilities of Republican state legislative candidates (Klumpp et al. in J Law Econ 59(1):1–43, 2016). Left unexplored has been whether the Court’s ruling in Citizens United increased not only the number of Republican state legislators, but also the conservatism of their estimated policy preferences, net of any effects on election probabilities. We attempt to distinguish between the possible electoral and preference effects of Citizens United. Our estimates consistently suggest that Citizens United led not only to greater likelihoods of election for Republican state legislative candidates, but also to larger within-district increases in their conservatism. The estimates, which are robust to a series of matching and placebo exercises, may provide support for the claim that more money in elections has contributed to greater conservatism among state-level Republican officeholders.

Muscle oxygenation maintained during repeated-sprints despite inspiratory muscle loading

A high work of breathing can compromise limb oxygen delivery during sustained high-intensity exercise. However, it is unclear if the same is true for intermittent sprint exercise. This project examined the effect of adding an inspiratory load on locomotor muscle tissue reoxygenation during repeated-sprint exercise. Ten healthy males completed three experiment sessions of ten 10-s sprints, separated by 30-s of passive rest on a cycle ergometer. The first two sessions were “all-out’ efforts performed without (CTRL) or with inspiratory loading (INSP) in a randomised and counterbalanced order. The third experiment session (MATCH) consisted of ten 10-s work-matched intervals. Tissue saturation index (TSI) and deoxy-haemoglobin (HHb) of the vastus lateralis and sixth intercostal space was monitored with near-infrared spectroscopy. Vastus lateralis reoxygenation (ΔReoxy) was calculated as the difference from peak HHb (sprint) to nadir HHb (recovery). Total mechanical work completed was similar between INSP and CTRL (effect size: -0.18, 90% confidence limit ±0.43), and differences in vastus lateralis TSI during the sprint (-0.01 ±0.33) and recovery (-0.08 ±0.50) phases were unclear. There was also no meaningful difference in ΔReoxy (0.21 ±0.37). Intercostal HHb was higher in the INSP session compared to CTRL (0.42 ±0.34), whilst the difference was unclear for TSI (-0.01 ±0.33). During MATCH exercise, differences in vastus lateralis TSI were unclear compared to INSP for both sprint (0.10 ±0.30) and recovery (-0.09 ±0.48) phases, and there was no meaningful difference in ΔReoxy (-0.25 ±0.55). Intercostal TSI was higher during MATCH compared to INSP (0.95 ±0.53), whereas HHb was lower (-1.09 ±0.33). The lack of difference in ΔReoxy between INSP and CTRL suggests that for intermittent sprint exercise, the metabolic O2 demands of both the respiratory and locomotor muscles can be met. Additionally, the similarity of the MATCH suggests that ΔReoxy was maximal in all exercise conditions.

Effect of systematic and random flow measurement errors on history matching: a case study on oil and wet gas reservoirs

History matching is the process of modifying a numerical model (representing a reservoir) in the light of observed production data. In the oil and gas industry, production data are employed during a history matching exercise in order to reduce the uncertainty in associated reservoir models. However, production data, normally measured using commercial flowmeters that may or may not be accurate depending on factors such as maintenance schedules, or estimated using mathematical equations, inevitably has inherent errors. In other words, the data which are used to reduce the uncertainty of the model may have considerable uncertainty in itself. This problem is exacerbated for gas condensate and wet gas reservoirs as there are even greater errors associated with measuring small fractions of liquid. The influence of this uncertainty in the production data on history matching has not been addressed in the literature so far. In this paper, the effect of systematic and random flow measurement errors on history matching is investigated. Initially, 14 production data sets with different ranges of systematic and random errors, from 0 to 10%, have been employed in a history matching exercise for an oil reservoir and the results have later been evaluated based on a reference model. Subsequently, 23 data sets with errors ranging from 0 to 20% have been employed in the same process for a wet gas reservoir. The results show that for both cases systematic errors considerably affect history matching, while the effect of random errors on the considered scenarios is seen to be insignificant. Although reservoir model parameters in the wet gas reservoir were not as sensitive to the flow measurement errors as in the oil reservoir, for both cases, the future production forecast was significantly affected by the errors. Permeability was seen to be the most sensitive history matching parameter to the flow measurement errors in the oil reservoir, while for the wet gas reservoir, the most sensitive parameter was the forecast of future oil and gas production. Finally, considering the noticeable effect of systematic errors on both cases, it is suggested that flowmeter calibration and regular maintenance is prioritised, although the subsequent economic cost needs to be considered.

PHYSICAL FITNESS VARIABLES REQUIRED FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS

This study undertaken to identify which physical fitness variables are involved while pre-service primary teachers (PSPT) perform their teaching-learning activity. A qualitative research approach was adopted in this study. Ten classes of PSPT were observed during their internship program. During observations it was documented that PSPT were unknowingly engaged themselves in different physical movements such as- sit-ups, bending, squatting, sitting, standing, sitting on toes, hand raise, walking, dancing movements, and neck movements etc. All of these physical movements everyone performs on regular basis but with quite less frequency and intensity. Those who engaged in teaching-learning process have to do these movements in higher frequency and intensity as observed by the investigator. Consequences of increased frequency and intensity of these movements are physical and mental fatigue which subsequently hampers the performance of PSPT. As every movement is associated with different physical fitness variables, thus a matching exercise with consultation of experts was performed. The most dominant variables were identified as- strength endurance of legs, shoulders, back and calf; flexibility of hip, cervical, spine and shoulders; and coordination of leg & hand. Article visualizations:

Learning and Retaining Technical Vocabulary with Enhancement Activities in an ESP Course

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of vocabulary enhancement activities on vocabulary learning in an ESP course. In designing the activities, technical terms on journal entries were chosen for the acquisition of language necessary for the successful implementation of accounting major’s professional tasks. The desirable difficulty approach and the four strands principle，focused input, meaning-focused output, language-focused learning and fluency development, were guidelines in combining subject matter and English language learning. To test the result of the activities, the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale was employed to measure students’ knowledge of 50 vocabulary items. Subjects of the ESP course in discussion comprised 200 accounting juniors in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China. Half of them in Group A read the texts and did matching exercises and translation exercises. The other half in Group B read the texts and practiced journal entry activity, targeting at accounting concepts and terminologies. The results revealed that Group B gained better results than Group A at a post-test. After the test a reflection on the vocabulary activities was gathered among the participants of Group B. The feedback further proved that the students did benefit from the enhancement activities on selected technical terms.

Youth labor market expectations and job matching in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from school-to-work transition surveys

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we investigate the factors that influence youth labour market expectations and outcomes. We also perform a job matching exercise to understand youth labour market dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our results show that youth education is an influential factor of youth employment expectations and employment, ceteris paribus. Higher educational attainments have a great impact on expecting and securing better jobs, particularly in the technical and professional fields. Youth with low educational attainments, particularly primary education and lower, have a higher tendency to expect to be employed in occupations with low job complexity. Our results indicate a severe job-skill mismatch in all occupational categories, both before and after the youth’s transition into the labour market. Using education as the only selection criterion, we found that less than 10 per cent of employment expectations match with skills required while 55 per cent and 34 per cent are under or over-educated for the jobs expected, respectively. Over and under education is a notable feature in youth labour markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. About 47 per cent of employed youth in the sample are overqualified for their respective jobs while 28 per cent are under qualified.