Voluntary Reduction Research Articles

How individuals make sense of their climate impacts in the capitalocene: mixed methods insights from calculating carbon footprints

Many people want to play their part to tackle climate change, but often do not know where to start. Carbon Footprint (CF) Calculators pose potential for helping individuals situate themselves in climate impacting systems of which they are a part. However, little is currently known about whether and how individuals who complete CF calculators understand their CF in the context of climate change. This article explores how people make sense of their CFs and locate themselves in the capitalocene. It draws on theories of social practices, environmental ethics, valuation, and knowledge-use to analyse data from 500+ Danes who completed a CF calculator (https://carbonfootprint.hi.is) and interviews with 30 Danes who were asked to complete the CF calculator. In this article, we describe how Danes’ CFs are impacted, looking at how survey respondents rate importance of mitigating climate change, importance of personal actions, and importance of public steering, as well as disposable income, living space, and family type. We also show how interviewees reflect over their consumption activities and possibilities. Those with high income nearly always had high CF but felt like they had little agency to change the system and rather justified their high-emitting practices such as flying, while those with low CF felt they had more agency in the system. The results show that high-CF individuals resist voluntary reduction of their emissions despite the presence of environmental ethics. Thus, we conclude that systemic solutions have the foremost capacity to reduce carbon emissions.

Unraveling the role of adapting risk perception during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the behavioral response to reported case numbers changed drastically over time. While a few dozen cases were enough to trigger government-induced and voluntary contact reduction in early 2020, less than a year later much higher case numbers were required to induce behavioral change. Little attention has been paid to understand and mathematically model this effect of decreasing risk perception over longer time-scales. Here, first we show that weighing the number of cases with a time-varying factor of the form ta,a<0 explains real-world mobility patterns from several European countries during 2020 when introduced into a very simple behavior model. Subsequently, we couple our behavior model with an SIR epidemic model. Remarkably, decreasing risk perception can produce complex dynamics, including multiple waves of infection. We find two regimes for the total number of infected individuals that are explained by the interplay of initial attention and the rate of attention decrease. Our results show that including adaption into non-equilibrium models is necessary to understand behavior change over long time scales and the emergence of non-trivial infection dynamics.

Does the source of money determine retirement investment choices?

Using a unique dataset of actual investment choices of Oregon State University employees, we investigate how investment choices differ among (1) the optional retirement plan (ORP) funded by the employer and (2) the investments in 403(b) accounts funded by employees themselves using voluntary salary reduction. We find that the level of risk associated with voluntary, salary reduction investments in 403(b) accounts is lower than the risk these same employees are currently taking in their employer funded 401(a) accounts. We also investigate whether the choice of the provider has a significant impact on the asset allocation chosen by the employees and find that participant investment choices in Fidelity are riskier than the choices made by those in TIAA-CREF.

Restricting social networking site use for one week produces varied effects on mood but does not increase explicit or implicit desires to use SNSs: Findings from an ecological momentary assessment study.

Recent research on the addictive potential of modern technologies such as the internet, smartphones, or social networking sites (SNSs) has suggested that emotional and motivational changes associated with the sudden discontinuation of engagement with the technology mirror the aversive consequences seen when drug use is ceased abruptly. This has been observed even in moderate users and interpreted as a manifestation of withdrawal, an important marker of physical dependence in substance use disorders. On the other hand, a growing literature emphasises the positive effects of "digital detox" on mental health and well-being. Using a battery of affective and motivational measures, both explicit and implicit, the present study tracked the effects of a week of significantly reduced SNS use in moderate to heavy SNS users (N = 51). Our pre-registered analyses showed that the intervention elicited affective changes neither consistent with a general withdrawal syndrome (i.e., increased negative affect and cravings) nor with a general beneficial effect on well-being: While our data indicated some abstinence-related decreases of negative affect and boredom, they also showed a reduction of positive affect. These changes occurred regardless of problematic/addictive use behaviours. Importantly, restricting SNS use for one week had no effect on implicit measures of SNS use motivation (i.e., approach biases, time distortion and effort expenditure for SNS access) nor did it influence explicit cravings and SNS cue-reactivity. Together our findings suggest that restricting SNS use has nuanced and potentially offsetting effects on well-being. These could arise because use reduction may concurrently remove experiences that trigger negative emotions (e.g., upward social comparisons or Fear of Missing Out) but also those that elicit positive emotions (e.g., social approval). The hypothesised lack of a net effect on well-being would be consistent with our finding that voluntary reduction of SNS use does not mitigate or exacerbate SNS-related urges.

Ship schedule recovery with voluntary speed reduction zones and emission control areas

Liner shipping networks often experience disruptions, and shipping lines must implement certain recovery measures. However, environmental concerns have to be considered as well. The implementation of vessel speed reduction incentive programs (VSRIPs) provides monetary incentives to shipping lines for sailing speed compliance in the vicinity of certain ports but, in the meantime, increases delays, since the speed-up option could not be used to the same extent. There is a scarcity of research that focuses on effectively addressing the competing objectives that arise during ship schedule recovery and incorporates emission reduction policies at ports. This study introduces a new multi-objective approach for ship schedule recovery, considering the presence of VSRIPs, emission control regulations, and a variety of recovery options. A customized algorithm inspired by the principles of dynamic secant approximation and the ε-constraint algorithm is developed and validated through extensive computational experiments. Detailed sensitivity analyses provide thorough managerial insights as well.

Carbon emission reduction accounting method for a CCUS-EOR project

It is difficult to quantify and certify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction in the entire process of a project of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)-enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Under the methodological framework for GHG voluntary emission reduction project, the carbon emission reduction accounting method for CCUS-EOR project was established after examining the accounting boundaries in process links, the baseline emission and project emission accounting methods, and the emission and leakage quantification and prediction models, in order to provide a certification basis for the quantification of GHG emission reduction in the CCUS-EOR project. Based on the data of energy consumption, emission and leakage monitoring of the CCUS-EOR industrial demonstration project in Jilin Oilfield, the net emission reduction efficiency is determined to be about 91.1% at the current storage efficiency of 80%. The accounting and prediction of carbon emission reduction for CCUS-EOR projects with different concentrations and scales indicate that within the project accounting boundary, the certified net emission reduction efficiency of the low-concentration gas source CCUS-EOR projects represented by coal-fired power plants is about 37.1%, and the certified net emission reduction efficiency of the high-concentration gas source CCUS-EOR projects represented by natural gas hydrogen production is about 88.9%. The proposed method is applicable to the carbon emission reduction accounting for CCUS-EOR projects under multiple baseline scenarios during the certification period, which can provide decision-making basis for the planning and deployment of CCUS-EOR projects.

Bisphenol A in German watersheds: Part II. FlowEQ model-based characterization of sources and current and future conditions.

Increasing scientific and regulatory concern regarding environmental concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) increases the need to understand the sources and sinks of this chemical. We developed a coupled flow network/fugacity-based fate and transport model to assess the contribution of different emissions sources to the concentration of BPA in surface water in Germany. The model utilizes BPA loadings and sinks, BPA physicochemical properties, a water flow network, environmental characteristics, and fugacity equations. The model considers industrial emissions, leaching from BPA-containing articles, wastewater treatment and bypass events, and emissions from landfills. The model also considers different scenarios that account for changes in the usage profile of BPA. Model predictions compare favorably to measured surface water concentrations, with the modeled concentrations generally falling within the range of measured values. Model scenarios that consider reductions in BPA usage due to government-mandated restrictions and voluntary reductions in usage predict falling BPA concentrations that are consistent with the most recent monitoring data. Model predictions of the contributions from different usage scenarios and wastewater treatment methods can be used to assess the efficacy of different restrictions and waste handling strategies to support efforts to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with actions aimed at reducing BPA levels in the environment. This feature of the model is of particular importance, given current efforts to update the regulations regarding BPA usage in the EU. The model indicates that as the current restriction on BPA in thermal paper works through the paper recycling process, BPA concentrations will continue to decrease. Other actions, such as upgrades to the stormwater and wastewater infrastructure to minimize the frequency of storm-related bypasses, are predicted to provide more meaningful reductions than additional restrictions on usage. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:226-238. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Supervisory stringency, payout restrictions, and bank equity prices

I study investor responses to the 2020 bank stress tests that included restrictions on shareholder payouts. I find that banks subject to the stress tests and payout restrictions experienced both immediate and persistently lower excess stock price returns. In the cross-section, I find that excess stock returns declined with bank size but cannot otherwise be explained by pre-pandemic bank or payout characteristics, suggesting that investors penalized banks likely to experience greater regulatory scrutiny. However, the excess stock return penalties are smaller than those previously estimated in the literature examining voluntary payout reductions that signal bank distress. The results show that using supervisory discretion to take preventative actions in a crisis can be less costly than actions taken once banks are distressed.

Obesity accelerates age defects in B cells, and weight loss improves B cell function

BackgroundWe have previously shown that obesity accelerates age-associated defects in B cell function and antibody production leading to decreased secretion of protective antibodies and increased autoimmunity. We wanted to evaluate if obese adults enrolled in a voluntary weight reduction program had higher protective and lower autoimmune antibody responses similar to those observed in lean adults.MethodsExperiments were performed using blood isolated from an established cohort of female lean adult and elderly individuals, as well as from the blood of female adults with obesity, before and after a voluntary weight reduction program in which their Body Mass Index (BMI) was reduced 10–34% in 12 months. All participants were vaccinated with the Trivalent Inactivated Influenza vaccine. Serum samples were evaluated for the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipokines, vaccine-specific antibodies and autoimmune antibodies. We evaluated the composition of the B cell pool by flow cytometry, the expression of RNA for class switch transcription factors and pro-inflammatory markers by qPCR, the in vitro secretion of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and their capacity to induce pro-inflammatory T cells.ResultsObesity, similar to aging, induced increased serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and autoimmune antibodies, while vaccine-specific antibodies were reduced. In agreement with the serum results, the B cell pool of obese adults and elderly individuals was enriched in pro-inflammatory B cell subsets and was characterized by higher expression of markers associated with cell senescence, higher levels of T-bet, the transcription factor for autoimmune antibodies and lower levels of E47, the transcription factor associated with protective responses to the influenza vaccine. B cells from obese adults and elderly individuals were also able to secrete inflammatory cytokines and support the generation of inflammatory T cells. All these pro-inflammatory characteristics of B cells from obese individuals were significantly attenuated, but not completely reversed, by weight loss.ConclusionsAlthough the results from our small observational study show that obesity-induced dysfunctional B cell responses, similar to those occurring during aging, are ameliorated in some but not all obese individuals after weight loss, the effects of body weight loss on mechanistic pathways are largely missing and deserve further investigation.

A Survey on Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases in Taiwan: Emission Trends, Regulatory Strategies, and Abatement Technologies

Fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), including hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), are used in a variety of applications, but they are potent greenhouse gases (GHGs). Therefore, they have been blanketed into the list of items to be phased out under international protocols or treaties. During the desk research, the updated statistics of Taiwan’s National Inventory Report (NIR) were used to analyze the trends of F-gases (i.e., HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and NF3) emissions during the period of 2000–2020. Furthermore, the regulatory strategies and measures for the reduction of the four F-gas emissions will be summarized to be in accordance with the national and international regulations. With the rapid development in the electronics industry, the total F-gas emissions indicate a significant increase from 2462 kilotons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq) in 2000 to the peak value (i.e., 12,643 kilotons) of CO2eq in 2004. However, it sharply decreased from 10,284 kilotons of CO2eq in 2005 to 3906 kilotons of CO2eq in 2020 due to the ongoing efforts of the regulatory requirements and the industry’s voluntary reduction in time sequence. It was also found that the most commonly used method for controlling the emissions of F-gases from the semiconductor and optoelectronic industries in Taiwan is based on the thermal destruction-local scrubbing method.

Does the stock market provide enough incentives for companies to drive carbon reduction behaviour?

This study observes abnormal returns of stock prices after companies announced the establishment of wastewater and waste heat recovery systems in East Asia from 2000 to 2018. The capital expenditure on the wastewater and waste heat recovery system and the expected impact on revenue are also considered, and the stock market is analyzed to verify whether there is an additional evaluation after the company carries out such carbon emission reduction activity. The study finds that after more than a decade of technological advancement and promoting carbon reduction behaviours, the market has shown more positive reactions to carbon reduction measures, such as wastewater and waste heat recovery systems. However, the additional positive reaction in the markets of developing countries is lower than in developed countries. For developing countries desiring domestic manufacturers to adopt more carbon emission reduction activities, the government may need to offer more policy incentives, which will encourage investors in the market to support manufacturers in actively investing in carbon reduction measures. Certainly, manufacturers will be more motivated to implement or cooperate with voluntary carbon reduction measures. In addition, this study does not consider the possible impact of carbon rights trading and carbon fees on improving manufacturers' active treatment of wastewater and waste heat recovery, which will be a direction worthy of future research.

Building the Population Bomb by Emily Klancher Merchant

This book seems to be about population, but it is really about justice. Merchant’s argument is that population growth is not a barrier to economic and environmental progress. Rather, population growth has been used as a scapegoat for a variety of global ills, thus distracting attention from the distributional injustices rising from the rich world fouling the air and water and using the majority of the earth’s resources despite having a minority of the world’s people. Moreover, she argues that the demography profession not only supported this scapegoating but rose to global prominence on its back. Whether pursuing the “moderate” approach—encouraging voluntary reductions in family size to slow growth—or the more extreme approach—vigorously promoting fertility control to reduce global population—scientists who tout fertility reduction as the crucial method to fight climate change or end poverty do substantial harm by blaming the poor and pushing phantom remedies for real ills.Many earnest and well-meaning scholars and policymakers who measure, and seek ways to manage, fertility will be pained by these arguments. Merchant backs up her view with a detailed history of scientific demography and population policies that plainly shows the profession’s role in emphasizing the dangers of population growth, and in encouraging governments to promote fertility reduction as a pathway to economic development. In the extreme—for example, the “population bomb”—natural scientists and popular writers have warned that failure to control population growth would bring catastrophe.Yet demographers are not entirely mistaken. No country has ever launched itself on the path to eliminating poverty and reaching middle-income status without having fertility fall considerably. Studies of the “demographic dividend” have shown clear benefits from an age structure with more young workers and fewer dependent children, a product of falling fertility. Changes in demographic factors—fertility, age structure, ethnic balances, urban/rural distribution—have proven relevant to patterns of women’s rights, ethnic conflict, and democracy.Merchant’s history is most valuable in making clear the horrific costs of treating population growth as a totemic factor that can change the world. In fact, population issues only have meaning, and can produce coherent policy, when embedded in the details of a local social, political, and economic context. Niger, where women typically have seven children (and fathers profess to desire ten) might benefit from shifting to a smaller average family size, but only in the right context. That is, if women have smaller families to improve their opportunities for meaningful and rewarding work, and to educate their children properly, lower fertility can be part of a comprehensive program to aid development. However, if women lack options for education and employment, their children face only low-paid work, and families depend on kin networks for support, any move toward smaller families will result in further poverty and unhappiness.From eugenics to coercive fertility reduction and erroneous and exaggerated warnings about the harm from population growth, demographers have much to answer for. Merchant beautifully shows how, despite good intentions (where does that road lead?), demographers spent decades promoting policies that visited great harm on people, did little to alleviate poverty or environmental damage, and diverted attention from the abuse of material wealth in rich countries. This valuable, sometimes shocking history should be required reading for all demographers and those interested in population policies.Yet, at the same time, we should note that even if the faults of capitalism are mainly responsible for environmental threats and global inequality, the successes of capitalism allowed the increase in global population to 8 billion not to be a critical problem. Similarly, demographers’ faults in earlier generations should not blot out their great accomplishments in developing measures, models, and data that have contributed enormously to our understanding of population dynamics—a vital part of the integrated policies that will address poverty, health, and the environment in the future.

Estimating Canadian sodium intakes and the health impact of meeting national and WHO recommended sodium intake levels: A macrosimulation modelling study.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the second leading cause of total deaths in Canada. High blood pressure is the main metabolic risk factor for developing CVDs. It has been well established that excess consumption of sodium adversely affects blood pressure. Canadians' mean sodium intakes are well above recommended levels. Reducing dietary sodium intake through food reformulation has been identified as a cost-effective intervention, however, dietary sodium intake and the potential health impact of meeting recommended sodium intake levels due to food reformulation have not been determined in Canada. This study aimed to 1) obtain robust estimates of Canadians' usual sodium intakes, 2) model sodium intakes had foods been reformulated to align with Health Canada's sodium reduction targets, and 3) estimate the number of CVD deaths that could be averted or delayed if Canadian adults were to reduce their mean sodium intake to recommended levels under three scenarios: A) 2,300 mg/d-driven by a reduction of sodium levels in packaged foods to meet Health Canada targets (reformulation); B) 2,000 mg/d to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation; and C) 1,500 mg/d to meet the Adequate Intake recommendation. Foods in the University of Toronto's Food Label Information Program 2017, a Canadian branded food composition database, were linked to nationally representative food intake data from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition to estimate sodium intakes (and intakes had Health Canada's reformulation strategy been fully implemented). The Preventable Risk Integrated ModEl (PRIME) was used to estimate potential health impact. Overall, mean sodium intake was 2758 mg/day, varying by age and sex group. Based on 'reformulation' scenario A, mean sodium intakes were reduced by 459 mg/day, to 2299 mg/day. Reducing Canadians' sodium intake to recommended levels under scenarios A, B and C could have averted or delayed 2,176 (95% UI 869-3,687), 3,252 (95% UI 1,380-5,321), and 5,296 (95% UI 2,190-8,311) deaths due to CVDs, respectively, mainly from ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and hypertensive disease. This represents 3.7%, 5.6%, and 9.1%, respectively, of the total number of CVDs deaths observed in Canada in 2019. Results suggest that reducing sodium intake to recommended levels could prevent or postpone a substantial number of CVD deaths in Canada. Reduced sodium intakes could be achieved through reformulation of the Canadian food supply. However, it will require higher compliance from the food industry to achieve Health Canada's voluntary benchmark sodium reduction targets.

A Comparative Study of Carbon Trading in China and Internationally

With the development of society and industry, global warming has become an important environmental issue, and carbon trading is a powerful tool to limit greenhouse gas emissions, and more and more countries have started to adopt carbon trading systems to decrease carbon emissions and to improve the environment. This paper lists the major carbon trading markets in the world and compares them with China's carbon trading, examining the development status, implementation and achievements of carbon trading in each country. This study investigates the carbon trading mechanisms in the EU, Japan and New Zealand, conducts a detailed study on carbon pricing, voluntary emission reduction, and policy promotion, points out the strengths and weaknesses of carbon trading in China, and makes suggestions for development and improvement. This will be useful for other carbon trading markets as well, and the expansion of the ranges of carbon trading mechanisms employed will further control carbon emissions. There is a need to establish a multi-level emissions trading system using various market-based instruments from central to provincial levels and to maintain the carbon market using more flexible carbon pricing. This paper hopes to establish a solid market system to achieve the goal of combating global warming by improving all aspects of carbon trading.

Differences in science-based target approaches and implications for carbon emission reductions at a sectoral level in Germany

As climate change becomes more apparent, companies increase their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emission, both on a compulsory and voluntary level. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) provides methods and guidelines for companies to align voluntary emission reduction targets with climate goals of the Paris Agreement. Two different approaches are provided: the absolute contraction approach (ACA), which aims for linear reduction in absolute emissions, and the physical intensity convergence approach (PICA), which targets equally reduced emission intensities within sectors. This paper examines how the interplay of ACA and PICA influences reduction targets and overall emission reduction levels. A cross-sectoral analysis is carried out to derive near- and long-term emission reduction targets for sectors specified in the German Climate Change Act. This is followed by a sector-specific analysis for the sectors residential and service buildings. To investigate the interplay of ACA and PICA within these sectors, a case study is carried out. By analysing several sectors, it was found that the combined SBTi budgets of the individual sectors lead to a range of 6.7 % by 2030, which could be as low as 333 MtCO2eq in the best case or as high as 355 MtCO2eq in the worst case. The sum of all sectoral science-based targets developed in the cross-sectoral analysis undercuts the overall emissions budgets for 2030 and 2040 specified in the German Climate Change Act by 16.3 %. The sectoral analysis complements these findings by showing that the interaction of ACA and PICA within a sector can lead to an increase in permitted future emissions, which would result in a slight exceedance of the 2040 emissions budget of 0.2 %. The co-existence of ACA and PICA can also lead to the 2040 emissions budget being undershot by around 24 % in the best case scenario. This paper shows that allowing companies to choose between ACA and PICA to develop emission reduction targets can lead to emissions exceedances. The SBTi should therefore consider approving only one approach for each sector.

A transition support system to build decarbonization scenarios in the academic community

A growing portion of scientists realises the need to not only alert about climate change, but also change their professional practices. A range of tools have emerged to promote more sustainable activities, yet many scientists struggle to go beyond simple awareness-raising to create concrete transition actions. Here we propose a game-based transition support system MaTerre180’, which has been designed to build scenarios of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in the academic community. After providing a common scientific background about the context (global warming issue, its causes and consequences) and setting up a challenge (50% reduction of carbon budget by 2030), the participants belonging to the academic community and its governance bodies immerse themselves into fictional characters, to simulate the behaviour of real research groups. The game has been deployed during the year 2021, with six hundred participants from nine countries and 50 cities. Results explore clear pathways for GHG reductions between 25 and 60%, and a median reduction of 46%. The alternatives allowing the greatest reduction are video communication tools (36%), followed by mutualization of professional activities and voluntary cancellation or reduction, that represent 22 and 14% of reduction, respectively. The remaining 28% of reduction consists of transport alternative, relocation of professional activities, extended duration of some travels, etc. In addition, the analyses pointed out the importance of the guided negotiation phase to bring out some alternatives such as relocation, local partners and computing optimization. An added value of this transition support system is that the information it collects (anonymously) will be used to answer pressing research questions in climate change science and environmental psychology regarding the use of serious games for promoting changes in attitudes and behaviours towards sustainability, and including broader questions on how network structures influence “climate behaviour”, knowledge and the governance of the commons. Modestly, MaTerre180’ offers an innovative game-based transition support system to build scenarios of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in the academic community. It is not simply a question of moving tokens on a virtual gameboard and a playful adjustment of practices, but rather a question of brainstorming about possible and desirable ways of remodelling research and teaching communities and embracing a new paradigm. After tens of workshops, our results show clear pathways for reaching up to 50% GHG reductions and stress the importance of guided negotiations to bring out alternatives to carbonized activities. This first attempt reinforces our belief that scientific engagement is at the heart of the international development agenda and a key approach to tear down the institutional barriers that inhibit the transformation needed to achieve a more sustainable society.

Assault on salt Intake

Assault on salt Intake

Utilizing the RPE-Clamp model to examine interactions among factors associated with perceived fatigability and performance fatigability in women and men.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the interactions between perceived fatigability and performance fatigability in women and men by utilizing the RPE-Clamp model to assess the fatigue-induced effects of a sustained, isometric forearm flexion task anchored to RPE = 8 on time to task failure (TTF), torque, and neuromuscular responses. Twenty adults (10 men and 10 women) performed two, 3s forearm flexion maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVICs) followed by a sustained, isometric forearm flexion task anchored to RPE = 8 using the OMNI-RES (0-10) scale at an elbow joint angle of 100°. Electromyographic amplitude (EMG AMP) was recorded from the biceps brachii. Torque and EMG AMP values resulting from the sustained task were normalized to the pretest MVIC. Neuromuscular efficiency was defined as NME = normalized torque/normalized EMG AMP. Mixed factorial ANOVAs and Bonferroni corrected dependent t tests and independent t tests were used to examine differences across time and between sex for torque and neuromuscular parameters. There were no differences between the women and men for the fatigue-induced decreases in torque, EMG AMP, or NME, and the mean decreases (collapsed across sex) were 50.3 ± 8.6 to 2.8 ± 2.9% MVIC, 54.7 ± 12.0 to 19.6 ± 5.3% MVIC, and 0.94 ± 0.19 to 0.34 ± 0.16, respectively. Furthermore, there were no differences between the women and men for TTF (251.8 ± 74.1vs.258.7 ± 77.9s). The results suggested that the voluntary reductions in torque to maintain RPE and the decreases in NME were likely due to group III/IV afferent feedback from peripheral fatigue that resulted in excitation-contraction coupling failure.

Short-term cold-water immersion does not alter neuromuscular fatigue development during high-intensity intermittent exercise.

Pre-exercise cold-water immersion affects physical performance under ambient environment, however the mechanisms leading to this decrease remains to be elucidated. The purpose was to determine whether short-term lower-body immersion in cold water could induce acute changes in the development of neuromuscular fatigue after high-intensity exercise. Ten participants performed on two separate visits a fatigue task (60 intermittent isometric maximal voluntary contractions maintained over 3s and spaced by 2s of recovery) once after lower-body cold-water immersion (Pre-Cooling, 6min at 8.9°C ± 1.6°C) and another time without prior immersion (Control). Before and after the fatigue task, neuromuscular function was assessed during voluntary or evoked contractions (electrical stimulation performed on the femoral nerve) on contracted and relaxed on knee extensor muscles. No differences in neuromuscular fatigue were measured between Pre-Cooling and Control conditions, despite maximal voluntary contraction reductions (-49 and -48%, respectively, both p < 0.05), peripheral contractile capacities (both -28%, p < 0.05). Additionally, rate of perceived exhaustion increases over time for both conditions (both p < 0.05) with differences in the time course. Lower body immersion in extreme cold water for a short period of time was not a sufficient stimulus to induce a significant disruption of human body homeostasis: neuromuscular function was not significantly altered during a maximum intensity fatigue task.

Characterizing the effect of sodium reduction and monosodium glutamate supplementation on white and multigrain breads.

Sodium overconsumption has become a serious health concern resulting in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishing voluntary sodium reduction guidelines for a wide spectrum of packaged and processed foods. Reducing sodium through the removal of salt may decrease the palatability of foods, thus increasing the need for new approaches to prevent such palatability loss. The objective of this research was to characterize white and multigrain breads with either 43% or 60% reduction in sodium and with and without monosodium glutamate (MSG) using descriptive analysis methodology as well as to identify the drivers of liking for white and multigrain breads of varying sodium contents with and without MSG. Significant differences were identified in the attributes of salty taste and aftertaste, savory aftertaste, and chewy and firm textures in white bread and of salty taste and aftertaste, sweet taste, and density in multigrain bread. By regressing consumer test data of these breads onto their principal component analysis biplots, textural attributes and salty taste and aftertaste were identified as primary drivers of liking in white and multigrain breads. Flavor enhancers such as MSG show promise in mitigating palatability loss that occurs when the sodium content of bread is greatly reduced and thus provide a promising solution to produce breads with an improved nutritional profile. Future research on flavor enhancement in other food matrices would be valuable as well as in other bread and carbohydrate-based food categories. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The findings of our study suggest that texture and a salty taste and aftertaste drive consumer liking of reduced-sodium white and multigrain breads and liking of breads could be improved with the addition of monosodium glutamate. Increasing the acceptance of reduced-sodium food products could help to improve the health of the American population by resulting in a reduced risk of hypertension and subsequently heart attacks and stroke.