The Model American Foundation Officer: Alan Gregg and the Rockefeller Foundation Medical Divisions

From 1919 to 1951, Alan Gregg and his mentor, Richard Pearce, directed the Medical Education and Medical SciencesDivisions of the Rockefeller Foundation. Although they oversaw the expenditure of millions of dollars, today they are forgotten. Yet, the system that Gregg administered became the model for the funding of biomedical research after the Second World War. This paper draws on the records of the Rockefeller Foundation to assess Gregg and his impact on biomedicine and philanthropy.     

John Marshall and the Humanities in Europe: Shifting Patterns of Rockefeller Foundation Support

John Marshall is best remembered asthe first resident director of the RockefellerFoundation's Study and Conference Center atBellagio. Yet, his influence on knowledge,thought, and practice rivalled that of any ofhis contemporaries at the Rockefeller. Thispaper describes how he `went about hisbusiness' as a Foundation officer, and examineshis contribution to the creation of atransatlantic community of like-mindedtheorists and practitioners of communications.     

Evolving wireless access technologies for municipal broadband

In recent years, the landscape for wireless technology has changed substantially, with profound implications for the evolution of last-mile access infrastructure. This paper provides a high-level introduction to emerging trends in wireless technology, with a special focus on how these are impacting municipal broadband deployments. Also discussed are some of the key architectural and design choices for wireless networking systems and their implications for cost and system performance. In addition, examples are provided regarding how the new wireless technologies are being deployed by municipalities in a variety of contexts, with reference to wireless technologies currently available from vendors. The policy implications of these trends are discussed further in a companion paper in this issue.     

Esports players,got muscle? Competitive video game players’ physical activity,body fat,bone mineral content,and muscle mass in comparison to matched controls

BackgroundEsports players, like traditional athletes, practice for long hours and, thus, are vulnerable to the negative health effects of prolonged sitting. There is a lack of research on the physical activity and the health ramifications of prolonged sitting by competitive players. The purpose of this study was to investigate activity levels, body mass index (BMI), and body composition in collegiate esports players as compared to age-matched controls.MethodsTwenty-four male collegiate esports players and non-esports players between 18 and 25 years of age signed a written consent to participate. Physical activity was examined using daily activity (step count) with a wrist-worn activity tracker. A questionnaire assessing physical activity was also administered. Secondary outcomes included body-fat percentage, lean-body mass, BMI, and bone mineral content measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry.ResultsThe step count in the esports players was significantly lower than the age-matched controls (6040.2 ± 3028.6 vs. 12843.8 ± 5661.1; p = 0.004). Esports players exhibited greater body-fat percentage (p = 0.05), less lean body mass (p = 0.003), and less bone mineral content (p = 0.03), despite no difference in BMI between the esports and non-esports players.ConclusionAs compared to non-esports players, collegiate esports players were significantly less active and had a higher body-fat percentage, with lower lean body mass and bone mineral content. The BMIs showed no difference between the 2 groups. Esports athletes displayed significantly less activity and poor body composition, which are all correlated with potential health issues and risk of injury. BMI did not capture this difference and should not be considered as an accurate measure of health in competitive esports players.