The effect of low-volume high-intensity interval training on cardiometabolic health and psychological responses in overweight/obese middle-aged men

ABSTRACT

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been proposed as a time-efficient exercise protocol to improve metabolic health, but direct comparisons with higher-volume moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) under unsupervised settings are limited. This study compared low-volume HIIT and higher-volume MICT interventions on cardiometabolic and psychological responses in overweight/obese middle-aged men. Twenty-four participants (age: 48.1±5.2yr; BMI: 25.8±2.3kg·m^?2) were randomly assigned to undertake either HIIT (10 X 1-min bouts of running at 80–90% HR_max separated by 1-min active recovery) or MICT (50-min continuous jogging/brisk walking at 65–70% HR_max) for 3 sessions/week for 8 weeks (2-week supervised + 6-week unsupervised training). Both groups showed similar cardiovascular fitness (VO_2max) improvement (HIIT: 32.5±5.6 to 36.0±6.2; MICT: 34.3±6.0 to 38.2±5.1mL kg^?1 min^?1, p < 0.05) and %fat loss (HIIT: 24.5±3.4 to 23.2±3.5%; MICT: 23.0±4.3 to 21.5±4.1%, p< 0.05) over the 8-week intervention. Compared to baseline, MICT significantly decreased weight and waist circumference. No significant group differences were observed for blood pressure and cardiometabolic blood markers such as lipid profiles, fasting glucose and glycated haemoglobin. Both groups showed similar enjoyment levels and high unsupervised adherence rates (>90%). Our findings suggest that low-volume HIIT can elicit a similar improvement of cardiovascular fitness as traditional higher-volume MICT in overweight/obese middle-aged men.     

The use of cookies in Federal agency web sites: Privacy and recordkeeping issues

On July 27, 2009 the United States Government Office of Management and Budget (OMB) publicized its intent to review the nine-year-old prohibition of web tracking technologies such as cookies on Federal agency web sites. OMB cited its need to continue to protect the public's privacy while visiting Federal Government web sites, while at the same time “making these web sites more user friendly, providing better customer service, and allowing for enhanced web analytics” (Federal Register, 2009, p. 37062). In this paper, we review the history of the Federal government's position on cookies, and describe exactly how the technology works and why this shift in policy toward the use of cookies is logical and necessary for the evolution of electronic-government and government 2.0 services in terms of accessibility and capability. We review two major issues with which Federal agencies must contend related to the use of cookies – privacy, and records management. It is interesting to note that, despite earlier research on the implications of privacy and records management concerning other adopted technologies such as e-mail, these issues continue to be complex and misunderstood. We discuss the implications of cookies as records for future e-Government services and for long-term records management.     

Full- Versus Part-Day Kindergarten for Children With Disabilities: Effects on Executive Function Skills

Responding to a robust body of literature suggesting that children’s early educational experiences are critical, policymakers have implemented and expanded the provision of full-day kindergarten (FDK) in recent decades. Most studies have focused on the effectiveness of FDK on child academic assessments or test scores, but none have examined FDK and the link to executive function skills. Moreover, little work exists on the effectiveness of FDK for children with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to build on these incipient lines of research by estimating the effect of FDK on the executive function skills of children with disabilities. Drawing on data from a nationally representative sample of children with disabilities (n = 2,120) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011, we find significant positive effects of FDK on working memory (SD = 0.14) and cognitive flexibility (SD = 0.14) for children with disabilities in kindergarten. Despite significant immediate effects, the benefits of FDK rapidly fade by the end of 2nd grade. Practice or Policy: Policy implications and directions for future research are addressed.     

Implementing technical refinement in high-level athletics: exploring the knowledge schemas of coaches

This paper explores the approaches adopted by high-level field athletics coaches when attempting to refine an athlete’s already well-established technique (long and triple jump and javelin throwing). Six coaches, who had all coached multiple athletes to multiple major championships, took part in semi-structured interviews focused upon a recent example of technique refinement. Data were analysed using a thematic content analysis. The coaching tools reported were generally consistent with those advised by the existing literature, focusing on attaining “buy-in”, utilising part-practice, restoring movement automaticity and securing performance under pressure. Five of the six coaches reported using a systematic sequence of stages to implement the refinement, although the number and content of these stages varied between them. Notably, however, there were no formal sources of knowledge (e.g., coach education or training) provided to inform coaches’ decision making. Instead, coaches’ decisions were largely based on experience both within and outside the sporting domain. Data offer a useful stimulus for reflection amongst sport practitioners confronted by the problem of technique refinement. Certainly the limited awareness of existing guidelines on technique refinement expressed by the coaches emphasises a need for further collaborative work by researchers and coach educators to disseminate best practice.     

Eliminating the dichotomy between theory and practice in talent identification and development: considering the role of psychology

It is acknowledged that appropriate support and training are essential if talented individuals are to fulfil their potential. The early identification of talented athletes is an increasingly important consideration for researchers and practitioners alike. Once talented individuals have been detected, crucial but limited support resources can be optimally deployed to ensure that their needs are met and that their gifts are developed. However, there is considerable disagreement among experts on what talent is, and which factors can reliably be used within talent identification processes. This paper explores prerequisites to success in sport, and the comparative efficacy of employing these prerequisites within talent identification schemes. It is proposed that talent needs to be reconceptualized so that talent identification and talent development processes are perceived to be dynamic and interrelated. Additionally, the need to place greater emphasis on the capacity of a child to develop in sport and the psychological factors that underpin this process is highlighted. To this end, it is advocated that talent identification and development schemes, while emphasizing the multidimensional nature of talent, need to recognize the essential role of psychology in the ability of individuals to fulfil their sporting potential.     

Communication management in the public sector: Consequences for public communication about policy intentions

Public communication about policy intentions is important but delicate. Government officials are confronted with four main constraints typical of the public sector compared to the private sector: more complicated and unstable environment, additional legal and formal restrictions, more rigid procedures, and more diverse products and objectives. These constraints imply that ministers communicating about policy intentions face specific communication issues such as intensive political and media interferences, need for democratic communication, and more rigid timing and budget constraints.     

Self-employed workers: Returns to education and training

An empirical investigation of human capital returns to owners of unincorporated nonfarm businesses is described, and the results are compared with those for a similar cohort of employees. Data are from the older male cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey. A single-equation semi-log regression model is employed throughout. Results show that human capital returns to self-employed workers are basically consistent with results for employees, but some differences emerge. As hypothesized, returns to general training are somewhat larger and returns to specific training somewhat smaller for self-employed workers. The time path of returns associated with job tenure also differs.