Short-term Measurements Research Articles

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Relationship between Night Time Light and Land Surface Temperature: A Case Study of Beijing, China

Rapid urbanization has triggered significant changes in urban land surface temperature (LST), which in turn affects urban ecosystems and the health of residents. Therefore, exploring the interrelationship between urban development and LST can help optimize the urban thermal environment and promote sustainable development. Based on remote sensing data from 2004–2019 within the sixth ring road of Beijing, this study investigates the spatiotemporal coupling law of night time light (NTL) and LST using an overall coupling model and analyzes the degree of coordination between them using a coordination model. The spatial response law between them was also analyzed using standard deviation ellipses and bivariate spatial autocorrelation. The results show that, from the perspective of spatiotemporal evolution, the spatial distributions of NTL and LST within the sixth ring road of Beijing were closely related from 2004 to 2019, although the overall coupling of NTL and LST was initially decreased and then continuously increased. From the perspective of coordination types, the main types of coordination between NTL and LST deteriorated over time. The increase in LST lagged behind NTL from 2004 to 2009 (heating hysteresis type), while LST increased ahead of NTL from 2014 to 2019 (heating advance type). This suggests that urban development became less efficient, while LST increases became more significant. In terms of correlation, NTL and LST showed significant positive correlation and spatial positive correlation; the correlation coefficient first decreased significantly and then continued to increase. From 2004 to 2009, the temperature increase caused by urbanization was suppressed due to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and related ecological protection policies, resulting in a significant decrease in the correlation coefficient between NTL and LST. From 2009 to 2019, short-term measures taken by Beijing during the Olympic Games were no longer effective, and the opposition between urban development and related policies made the policies increasingly less effective, thereby increasing the correlation coefficient between NTL and LST, and the increase in LST was more significant. This will greatly affect the urban ecological environment and residents’ health and make the previous government investment to suppress the temperature increase all in vain. This study can provide theoretical and practical support for the development of thermal environment optimization schemes and LST mitigation strategies in Beijing and other cities.

Wins and losses in intergroup conflicts reflect energy balance in red-tailed monkeys.

The energetic costs and benefits of intergroup conflicts over feeding sites are widely hypothesized to be significant, but rarely quantified. In this study, we use short-term measures of energy gain and expenditure to test whether winning an intergroup encounter is associated with greater benefits, and losing with greater costs. We also test an alternative perspective, where groups fight for access to large food sources that are neither depletable nor consistently monopolizable: in this case, a group that has already fed on the resource and is willing to leave first (the loser) is supplanted by a newly arrived group (the winner). We evaluate energy balance and travel distance during and after encounters for six groups of red-tailed monkeys in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We find that winning groups experience substantial energetic benefits, but do so to recoup from earlier deficits. Losing groups, contrary to predictions, experience minimal energetic costs. Winners and losers are predictable based upon their use of the contested resource immediately before the encounter. The short-term payoffs associated with these stressful conflicts compensate for any associated costs and support the perception that between-group contests are an important feature of social life for species that engage in non-lethal conflicts.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Intergroup conflict across taxa’.

Gut reaction or rational problem-solving? Teachers’ considerations when coping with classroom disruptions

ABSTRACT Classroom management and coping with disruptions are a primary source of stress for teachers. However, very little is known about teachers’ considerations when facing daily disruptions in their classes. To bridge this gap, seventy-one K-12 teachers were asked to recall such an incident and describe five alternate responses they considered. Did they respond emotionally or were they able to stay calm and adopt a problem-focused approach? Did they focus on the individual, the group, or both? Did they consider immediate or medium-to-long-term actions? Despite their stress, most teachers were able to adopt a problem-focused approach and refrain from expressing their anger towards disruptive students. They mostly directed their actions towards the interfering student and preferred short-term measures. An algorithm is proposed to illustrate their decision-making process and discuss its benefits for adhering to practical and social considerations.

Field Crop Residue burning Induced Particulate Pollution in NW India – Policy Challenges & Way Forward

The study aims to provide insights into the effectiveness of numerous policy interventions to curb FCRB-induced air pollution in NW India. The problem is addressed by examining the trend and co-existence of VIIRS retrieved thermal anomalies in NW states and PM2.5 concentrations in New Delhi during the two harvesting seasons (April-May & Oct-Nov) over the period 2014-2020. The findings reveal that various governmental measures that primarily revolve around sustainable residue management practices cannot holistically curb the stubble burning practice in NW India and the related air pollution in neighboring states. The study suggests that besides the short-term residue management measures, crop diversification or discontinuing dual rice-wheat cultivation is the only long term measure to regulate widespread stubble burning and the deteriorating air quality.

Debate: Unilateral Digital Services Tax In Africa; Legislative Challenges And Opportunities

As the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project attains a significant milestone with 130 Members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)/G20 Inclusive Framework agreeing on international tax rules that address digitalization of the economy (Pillar 2), and the UN globally approving its tax treaty on Article 12(B) on automated digital services, a handful of African countries have joined their international counterparts in deviating from the global approach by developing and imposing unilateral digital services tax (DST) policy and legislation. This article examines the rationale of short-term measures of a unilateral DST, particularly in the African context post the COVID-19 pandemic and critically examines legislative measures imposed by a number of African countries. The article then contrasts general and specific challenges (applicable to African countries) in imposing a unilateral DST with opportunities that digital taxation presents for the continent, particularly in developing policy and legislation, and in implementation by tax administrations. DST, Africa, digital economy, tax, ATAF, OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework, BEPS, Pillar II, permanent establishment, allocation rules

The profitability implications of sales through local food markets for beginning farmers and ranchers

PurposeThe Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 directed the US Secretary of Agriculture to report on the profitability and viability of beginning farmers and ranchers. Many beginning operations use local food markets as they provide more control, or a premium over commodity prices, and beginning operations cannot yet take advantage of economies of scale and subsequently have higher costs of production. Little research assesses the relationship between beginning farmer profitability and sales through local food markets. In this paper, the profitability implications of sales through local food markets for beginning farmers and ranchers are explored.Design/methodology/approachThe authors utilize 2013–2016 USDA agricultural resource management survey data to assess the financial performance of US beginning farmers and ranchers who generate sales through local food markets.FindingsThe results point to four important takeaways to support beginning operations. (1) Local food channels can be viable marketing opportunities for beginning operations. (2) There are differences when using short- and long-term financial performance indicators, which may indicate that there is benefit to promoting lean management strategies to support beginning operations. (3) Beginning operations with intermediated local food sales, on average, perform better than those operations with direct-to-consumer sales. (4) Diversification across local food market channel types does not appear to be an indicator of improved financial performance.Originality/valueThis article is the first to focus on the relationship beginning local food sales and beginning farmer financial performance. It incorporates short-term and long-term measures of financial performance and differentiates sales by four local food market type classifications: direct-to-consumer sales at farmers markets, other direct-to-consumer sales, direct-to-retail sales and direct-to-regional distributor or institution sales.

Air Quality Impact Assessment of a Waste-to-Energy Plant: Modelling Results vs. Monitored Data

The impact of the emissions from a municipal Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant in Northern Italy on local air quality was assessed using the CALMET-CALPUFF atmospheric dispersion modelling system. Model simulations were based on hourly emission rates measured by continuous stack monitoring systems and considered both air quality-regulated pollutants (nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, toxic elements, benzo(a)pyrene), and other trace pollutants typical of WtE plants (dioxins, furans, and mercury). The model results were compared to both long-term observations from the air quality monitoring network and with short-term measurements from dedicated monitoring campaigns in the vicinity of the WtE plant, in both warm and cold season conditions. Modelling and observational results showed that the estimated plant contributions are very limited. This suggests that the observed concentration levels were the result of the contribution of all the sources distributed over the area and that they were not solely driven by the activity of the plant. Estimated contributions from the plant’s emissions were usually at least two orders of magnitudes lower than the ambient levels at the nearest monitoring site and even lower at the farthest sites.

Prediction of personal exposure to PM2.5 in mother-child pairs in rural Ghana.

Background:Air pollution epidemiological studies usually rely on estimates of long-term exposure to air pollutants, which are difficult to ascertain. This problem is accentuated in settings where sources of personal exposure differ from those of ambient concentrations, including household air pollution environments where cooking is an important source.Objective:The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of estimating usual exposure to PM2.5 based on short term measurements.Methods:We leveraged three types of short-term measurements from a cohort of mother-child pairs in 26 communities in rural Ghana: (A) personal exposure to PM2.5 in mothers and age four children, ambient PM2.5 concentrations (B) at the community level and (C) at a central site. Baseline models were linear mixed models with a random intercept for community or for participant. Lowest root-mean-square-error (RMSE) was used to select the best performing model.Results:We analyzed 240 community-days and 251 participant-days of PM2.5. Medians (IQR) of PM2.5 were 19.5 (36.5) μg/m3 for the central site, 28.7 (41.5) μg/m3 for the communities, 70.6 (56.9) μg/m3 for mothers, and 80.9 (74.1) μg/m3 for children. The ICCs (95% CI) for community ambient and personal exposure were 0.30 (0.17, 0.47) and 0.74 (0.65, 0.81) respectively. The sources of variability differed during the Harmattan season. Children’s daily exposure was best predicted by models that used community ambient compared to mother’s exposure as a predictor (log-scale RMSE: 0.165 vs 0.325).Conclusion:Our results support the feasibility of predicting usual personal exposure to PM2.5 using short-term measurements in settings where household air pollution is an important source of exposure. Our results also suggest that mother’s exposure may not be the best proxy for child’s exposure at age four.

MAMÍFEROS DE MÉDIO E GRANDE PORTE EM FRAGMENTO DE CERRADO, MINAS GERAIS, BRASIL

The state of Minas Gerais has already lost more than half of the original Cerrado coverage. Mammals are among the beings most affected by this. Fauna inventories are essential for future conservation actions. In this sense, between July 2018 and December 2020, the richness and composition of medium and large mammals in a Cerrado fragment in the central-west of Minas Gerais were evaluated, using direct visualization methods (464 hours of searches) and camera traps (380 night traps). Were recorded 28 wild species, including seven threatened species, two of which are globally threatened. Carnivora was the most representative order (12 species), followed by Cingulata and Primates (4 each). The richness found was superior to other fragments and similar to nearby protected areas a dozen times larger. The fragment and the high species richness studied, including endangered species and large predators, suffer anthropic pressure, requiring short-term measures for their conservation

Towards The Elimination of Residential Building Structural Failures Through International Best Implementation Practices in Nigeria

Structural failures and the total collapse of mid-rise residential buildings are common phenomena in Nigeria. The rate at which buildings collapse in Nigeria, the frequency of this occurrence, and the magnitude of the losses which are recorded in terms of lives and properties, are becoming alarming. Such incidents are reaching an unprecedented level and have become a major source of concern, not only to the government at all levels but to all stakeholders involved. This paper identifies and examines structural building regulatory implementation and enforcement practices, focusing on stakeholders’ perceptions of building regulatory enforcement and compliance in Nigeria. Quantitative data were captured via a structured questionnaire survey of architects, builders, and engineers, with valid responses received from 378 (63%), and semi-structured face-to-face interviews with industry professionals from different disciplines, such as structural engineers, heads of building departments, site managers, architects, quantity surveyors, builders and project site supervisors, enabled stakeholders’ perceptions of building regulatory enforcement and compliance to be obtained. Using the software SPSS for descriptive and inferential statistical analysis and Nvivo 10 for the qualitative analysis, the quantitative findings revealed that stakeholders’ perceptions of building regulatory enforcement and compliance are that these are very low and unsatisfactory. The qualitative findings yielded a large amount of multiple-interlocking reasons for the lack of compliance, which were anchored in inadequate project supervision, poverty levels, inadequate regulatory awareness, and inadequate professional experience. The findings emphasise the need for the Nigerian house-building sector to adopt international best regulatory implementation practices in order to eliminate mid-rise residential building structural failures through short-term and long-term initiative measures. The sector should focus on systemic and attitudinal change, implementation through capacity building and team work, double-loop feedback learning, and a continual evaluation of the implementation process with a view towards improving residential building construction regulatory practices in Nigeria.

Exploring strategies for management of disasters associated with illegal gold mining in abandoned mines: A case study of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.

Due to many abandoned mines that are not rehabilitated, there will be illegal mining. Although the mining industry and government continue to prevent illegal gold mining in abandoned mines by sealing open shafts, it is not possible to close all the shafts at once due to limited resources. Furthermore, after sealing the shafts, illegal miners often create alternative openings to enter underground workings while little or nothing is being done to stop the surface illegal gold mining. As long as illegal gold mining is there, disasters associated with illegal mining are prevalent. Effective disaster preparedness and response requires a competent strategy. The purpose of this study was to develop a strategy that can be used for emergency preparation and rescue efforts associated with disasters caused by abandoned mines and illegal gold mining. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were held with officials and experts on disaster management from the Council for Geoscience and the City of Ekurhuleni. This study indicates that the safety of illegal miners and communities near abandoned mines depends on several factors including the ability to identify and respond to a disaster. The study identified three interlinked themes within the report as strategies for dealing with disasters related to abandoned mines and illegal gold mining. These themes included emergency countermeasures and short-term measures, roles and responsibilities and communication. These interlinked themes should be validated through further research that involves input from the national disaster response community at large. This study will serve as a model that can be implemented in other areas impacted by illegal mining in South Africa.

Combined GFAP, NFL, Tau, and UCH-L1 panel increases prediction of outcomes in neonatal encephalopathy.

Neuroprognostication in neonates with neonatal encephalopathy (NE) may be enhanced by early serial measurement of a panel of four brain-specific biomarkers. To evaluate serum biomarkers, 40 NE samples and 37 healthy neonates from a biorepository were analyzed. Blood samples were collected at 0-6, 12, 24, 48, and 96 h of life. MRI provided a short-term measure of injury. Long-term outcomes included death or a Bayley III score at 17-24 months of age. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin c-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), and Tau peaked at 0-6 h of life, while neurofilament light chain (NFL) peaked at 96 h of life. These four marker concentrations at 96 h of life differentiated moderate/severe from none/mild brain injury by MRI, while GFAP and Tau showed early discrimination. For long-term outcomes, GFAP, NFL, Tau, and UCH-L1 could differentiate a poor outcome vs good outcome as early as 0-6 h of life, depending on the Bayley domain, and a combination of the four markers enhanced the sensitivity and specificity. Machine learning trajectory analyses identified upward trajectory patients with a high concordance to poor outcomes. GFAP, NFL, Tau, and UCH-L1 may be of neuroprognostic significance after NE. Serial measurements of GFAP, NFL, Tau, and UCH-L1 show promise in aiding the bedside clinician in making treatment decisions in neonatal encephalopathy. The panel of four neuroproteins increased the ability to predict neurodevelopmental outcomes. The study utilized a trajectory analysis that enabled predictive modeling. A panel approach provides the bedside clinician with objective data to individualize care. This study provides the foundation to develop a point of care device in the future.

A Comparison of Healthy and Disordered Voices Using Multi-Dimensional Voice Program, Praat, and TF32

Instrumental voice assessment plays a critical role in identifying vocal issues and for documenting treatment outcomes. The reported voice data, however, are sensitive to the algorithm used by each acoustic analysis software program (AASP) to analyze the corresponding waveform. In the present study, five acoustic measures were compared across healthy speakers and speakers with dysphonia for three AASPs commonly used in research, education, and clinical practice: Multidimensional Voice Program (MDVP) by Computerized Speech Lab, Praat, and TF32. Sustained vowel phonations for the quantal vowels /ɑ/, /i/, and /u/ were analyzed for 80 speakers with organic dysphonia and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Descriptive, inferential, and correlation data are reported for mean fundamental frequency (mean F0), standard deviation of fundamental frequency (SD F0), short-term perturbation measures of jitter and shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR). The present study replicated previous findings of interprogram differences for healthy speakers, with MDVP consistently yielding higher values than Praat and TF32 for SD F0, jitter, and shimmer and lower values for HNR. Similar, but magnified patterns of results were observed for speakers with dysphonia. The variation observed across programs calls into question the validity in comparing voice outcomes reported by one AASP to those previously obtained by another, particularly for acoustic signals with aperiodic components that are commonly present in disordered voices. It is advised that waveforms be visually inspected prior to conducting acoustic analysis, and that voice outcomes not be combined or compared across AASPs.

A review and analysis of personal and ambient PM2.5 measurements: Implications for epidemiology studies.

In epidemiology studies, ambient measurements of PM2.5 are often used as surrogates for personal exposures. However, it is unclear the degree to which ambient PM2.5 reflects personal exposures. In order to examine potential sources of bias in epidemiology studies, we conducted a review and meta-analysis of studies to determine the extent to which short-term measurements of ambient PM2.5 levels are related to short-term measurements of personal PM2.5 levels. We conducted a literature search of studies reporting both personal and ambient measurements of PM2.5 published in the last 10 years (2009-2019) and incorporated studies published prior to 2009 from reviews. Seventy-one studies were identified. Based on 17 studies reporting slopes, a meta-analysis revealed an overall slope of 0.56μg/m3 (95% CI: [0.39, 0.73]) personal PM2.5 per μg/m3 increase in ambient PM2.5. Slopes for summer months were higher (slope=0.73, 95% CI: [0.64, 0.81]) than for winter (slope=0.46, 95% CI: [0.36, 0.57]). Based on 44 studies reporting correlations, we calculated an overall personal-ambient PM2.5 correlation of 0.63 (95% CI: [0.55, 0.71]). Correlations were stronger in studies conducted in Canada (r=0.86, 95% CI: [0.67, 0.94]) compared to the USA (r=0.60, 95% CI: [0.49, 0.70]) and China (r=0.60, 95% CI: [0.46, 0.71]). Correlations also were stronger in urban areas (r=0.53, 95% CI: [0.43, 0.62]) vs. suburban areas (r=0.36, 95% CI: [0.21, 0.49]). Our results suggest a large degree of variability in the personal-ambient PM2.5 association and the potential for exposure misclassification and measurement error in PM2.5 epidemiology studies.

Indoor Radon Levels In Dwellings of Kirklareli, Turkey

The indoor radon concentrations in Kirklareli, Turkey were measured in living rooms of 19 houses during winter in 2019 using Airthings 222 Corentium Home Radon Gas Detector. The short-term and long-term measurements were performed in 1 and 7 days for each house to investigate radioactive radon gas exposure in Kirklareli buildings. The indoor radon concentrations were varied from 23 to 156 Bq m-3 for 1 day period and were varied from 16 to 77 Bq m-3 for 7 days period. The average radon gas concentration was found as 43.5 Bq m-3 and this result is higher than the average of Turkey and the world average. The annual effective doses due to radon gas exposure were also estimated. The annual effective dose rate ranged from 0.61 to 2.94 mSv y-1 with a mean value of 1.09 mSv y-1.

Accuracy Assessment of Recent Global Ocean Tide Models Using Tide Gauge Measurements from the East Sea of Korea

Lee, J.-C. and Lee, D-H., 2023. Accuracy assessment of recent global ocean tide models using tide gauge measurements from the East Sea of Korea. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(2), 354–359. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. The continued rise in average sea level owing to climate change has intensified coastal damage worldwide. Therefore, various studies in the field of oceanography and hydrography including the development of ocean tidal prediction models are in progress. In this study, the accuracy of the recent ocean tide models using the long and short-term tide gauge measurements from seven tidal gauging stations and 10 tidal benchmarks at the coastal area in the East Sea of Korea was assessed. For this purpose, a total of five ocean tide models, DTU10, FES2014, OSU12, NAO99, and TPXO9 were used. The accuracy of the four major tidal components (M2, S2, K1, and O1) were assessed based on the same components determined from direct tide gauge measurements in east coastal area of Korea. The tide gauge measurements used in this study consisted of long-term observation data of over 1.7 years on average from seven permanent tide gauge stations and short-term observation data of about 6.6 months on average from 10 tidal benchmarks. Observation and determination of tidal components were performed by the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency. The accuracy of each ocean tide model was assessed by comparing the amplitude of four major components with those from tide gauge measurements for each location of tide gauge. The lowest accuracy of modelled component values was detected in the M2, S2, K1, and O1 tidal components of NAO99 model. On the contrary, FES2014 was the most accurate in M2, S2 tidal components and TPXO9 was most accurate in the K1, O1 tidal components in the East Sea of Korea.

Air Control Toolbox (ACT_v1.0): a flexible surrogate model to explore mitigation scenarios in air quality forecasts

Abstract. We introduce the first toolbox that allows exploring the benefit of air pollution mitigation scenarios in the every-day air quality forecasts through a web interface. Chemistry-transport models (CTMs) are required to forecast air pollution episodes and assess the benefit that shall be expected from mitigation strategies. However, their complexity prohibits offering a high level of flexibility in the tested emission reductions. The Air Control Toolbox (ACT) introduces an innovative automated calibration method to cope with this limitation. It consists of a surrogate model trained on a limited set of sensitivity scenarios to allow exploring any combination of mitigation measures. As such, we take the best of the physical and chemical complexity of CTMs, operated on high-performance computers for the every-day forecast, but we approximate a simplified response function that can be operated through a website to emulate the sensitivity of the atmospheric system to anthropogenic emission changes for a given day and location. The numerical experimental plan to design the structure of the surrogate model is detailed by increasing level of complexity. The structure of the surrogate model ultimately selected is a quadrivariate polynomial of first order for residential heating emissions and second order for agriculture, industry and traffic emissions with three interaction terms. It is calibrated against 12 sensitivity CTM simulations, at each grid point and every day for PM10, PM2.5, O3 (both as daily mean and daily maximum) and NO2. The validation study demonstrates that we can keep relative errors below 2 % at 95 % of the grid points and days for all pollutants. The selected approach makes ACT the first air quality surrogate model capable to capture non-linearities in atmospheric chemistry response. Existing air quality surrogate models generally rely on a linearity assumption over a given range of emission reductions, which often limits their applicability to annual indicators. Such a structure makes ACT especially relevant to understand the main drivers of air pollution episode analysis. This feature is a strong asset of this innovative tool which makes it also relevant for source apportionment and chemical regime analysis. This breakthrough was only possible by assuming uniform and constant emission reductions for the four targeted activity sectors. This version of the tool is therefore not suited to investigate short-term mitigation measures or spatially varying emission reductions.

Perioperative varus alignment does not affect short-term patient-reported outcome measures following mobile-bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty

BackgroundAlthough favorable long-term survival of Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has been reported regardless of postoperative varus alignment, the effect of degree of varus alignment on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) remains unclear. Furthermore, the Forgotten Joint Score-12 (FJS-12), which has a low ceiling effect, may be useful for such assessment. The objective of this study was to evaluate short-term clinical outcomes after Oxford UKA in knees with a greater degree of preoperative varus alignment focusing on use of the FJS-12.MethodsThis retrospective study involved 66 knees that had undergone primary Oxford UKA. Based on the hip-knee-ankle angle, the knees were divided into two alignment groups: severe varus group (≥ 185° varus alignment) and a mild varus group (< 185° varus alignment). PROMs, including the FJS-12, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, and Knee Society Score, were obtained pre- and postoperatively for assessment of clinical outcomes. In addition, the ceiling effect of the FJS-12 was evaluated.ResultsAll PROMs showed significant improvement after surgery. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the severe varus group and the mild varus group. Moreover, no ceiling effect was found for the FJS-12 in this study.ConclusionShort-term results were good for Oxford UKA in knees with a greater degree of varus alignment and were not significantly different from those in knees with mild varus alignment.

Post-Exercise Cold- and Contrasting-Water Immersion Effects on Heart Rate Variability Recovery in International Handball Female Players.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of water immersion (WI) on cardiac parasympathetic reactivation during recovery from handball training sessions in elite female players during a two-week training camp. On the first three days of both weeks, players completed a crossover design with one of three 60-min delayed post-exercise WI protocols or passive rest (PAS). Recovery interventions consisted of a period of 6-min cold-WI (10°C; CWI6) and two contrasting periods cold- and hot-WI (36°C): one session included 3 min cold + 2 min hot + 3 min cold and the other session 5 × 2 min with cold at the very end. Short-term measures of heart rate variability (HRV) were collected before and after handball training sessions, and after WI. Derived parasympathetic HRV indices collected daily showed lower values post-training compared to pre-training values (p < 0.0001, large ES). Individual handball training sessions revealed similar clear depression of the vagal tone throughout the training camp. The comparison between each WI protocol and PAS revealed significant time × condition interaction particularly for CWI6. All parasympathetic indices revealed higher post-recovery values in CWI6 than PAS (p < 0.001 –p < 0.0001, with large ES ranging from 0.86 to 0.94). Surprisingly, 60-min delayed post-training WI revealed for most of parasympathetic HRV indices higher values than pre-training. This study highlighted that post-exercise parasympathetic disruption was exacerbated in response to handball training, and the 60-min delayed WI recovery interventions improved parasympathetic reactivity. Cardiac vagal tone can be highly improved with CWI6 compared to PAS. For the purpose of HRV modulations, CWI6 is recommended for short-term recovery.

How Do National Cultures Affect Quality of Life in Europe During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the six cultural dimensions of Geert Hofstede that affect perceptions of quality of life in 26 European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020–March 2021): (1) Quality of life, (2) Democracy and trust, (3) Working during COVID-19, (4) Financial situation, (5) Support during COVID-19, and (6) Health care during COVID-19. Many studies are not conclusive on which dimensions of national culture affect the spread and death rate of COVID-19. The researchers, therefore, consider that studying the pandemic from the perception of quality can prevent its spread and contribute to the care and security of people affected by COVID-19. This study may be another way of providing information to those stakeholders. Method: To determine which aspects of culture affect the quality of life of Europeans during the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers analyzed data through stepwise multiple regression analysis to predict the relationship between independent variables (cultural dimensions) and dependent variables (perceptions of the quality of life). Findings: It was found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, countries with higher power distance and higher uncertainty avoidance had a lower quality of life in several dimensions, mainly in Eastern European countries and Latin European countries (France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain). In the Nordic or Scandinavian countries with higher levels of indulgence, people were more satisfied with their quality of life in spite of the COVID-19 epidemic. Novelty/Improvement:The results may inform policy-makers and stakeholders on how national cultures have both positive (i.e., indulgent and long-term) and negative (high power distance and high uncertainty avoidance) effects on the quality of life of Europeans during the COVID-19 pandemic. There should be (1) short-term measures to provide equal economic measures and public health assistance to reduce anxiety (reduce high power distance and high uncertainty avoidance), (2) medium-term measures to promote education and training to prepare people for new modes of working in the future (decrease high uncertainty avoidance), and (3) long-term measures to cultivate cultures to save for the future and to be optimistic and happy, both mentally and physically (increase long term orientation and indulgence). Doi: 10.28991/esj-2022-SPER-02 Full Text: PDF