The acute testosterone,growth hormone,cortisol and interleukin-6 response to 164-km road cycling in a hot environment

This study investigated the acute endocrine responses to a 164-km road cycling event in a hot environment. Thirty-four male experienced cyclists (49.1 ± 8.3 years, 86.8 ± 12.5 kg, 178.1 ± 5.1 cm) participating in a 164-km road cycling event were recruited. Blood samples were collected within 0.3–2.0 h before the start (PRE: ~0500–0700 h) and immediately following the ride (POST). Samples were analysed for testosterone, growth hormone (GH), cortisol and interleukin-6 (IL-6). The temperature and humidity during the event were 35.3 ± 4.9°C and 47.2 ± 14.0%, respectively. Based on the finishing time, results for the fastest (FAST, 305 ± 10 min) and the slowest (SLOW, 467 ± 31 min) quartiles were compared. At POST, testosterone concentration was significantly (P < 0.05) lower (PRE, 20.8 ± 8.6; POST, 18.2 ± 6.7 nmol · L^?1), while GH (PRE, 0.3 ± 0.1; POST, 2.3 ± 0.3 µg · L^?1), cortisol (PRE, 661 ± 165; POST, 1073 ± 260 nmol · L^?1) and IL-6 (PRE, 4.0 ± 3.4; POST, 22.4 ± 15.2 pg · mL^?1) concentrations were significantly higher than those at PRE. At POST, GH and cortisol were significantly higher for the FAST group than for the SLOW group (GH, 3.6 ± 2.0 and 1.0 ± 0.8 µg · L^?1; cortisol, 1187 ± 209 and 867 ± 215 nmol · L^?1). Participation in an ultra-endurance road cycling event in a hot environment induced significant acute changes in concentrations of circulating hormones, with a greater augmentation of GH and cortisol in those completing the ride fastest.     

Public procurement and innovation—Resurrecting the demand side

Demand is a major potential source of innovation, yet the critical role of demand as a key driver of innovation has still to be recognised in government policy. This article discusses public procurement as one of the key elements of a demand-oriented innovation policy. The paper starts by signaling the new significance of public procurement for innovation policy strategies at the EU level and in a range of European countries. It then defines the concept of public procurement and embeds this concept within a taxonomy of innovation policies. The rationales and justifications of public procurement policies to spur innovation are discussed, followed by a consideration of the challenges and potential pitfalls as well as appropriate institutional arrangements and strategies, including some recent empirical examples of good practice. It concludes by confronting the public procurement approach with two of the most common objections to it and by considering future prospects.     

E-learning with multiple-try-feedback: Can hints foster students’ achievement during the semester?

Educational technology research and development - E-learning opportunities have become an increasingly important component of university education. Various laboratory studies have shown that...     

Toward a moral economy of money? Money as a creature of democracy

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes a novel approach for understanding money users’ relation to monetary governance institutions. It first describes the stakes involved in monetary governance from a neo-chartalist/MMT perspective. In a second step, it discusses existing contributions on the relation between money issuer and money users, highlighting the literatures on central bank legitimacy and the social construction of money. It argues that neither allows for an analysis of the relation between monetary institutions and money users that takes the latter’s knowledge seriously. It then argues that the concept of moral economy can enrich scholarly analysis. Moral economies of money are defined as collective practices in which money users articulate demands as part of an understanding of money as a public good. Finally, the paper deploys the moral economy of money perspective to reconstruct the changing relation between institutions of monetary governance and money users since the Great Depression in the U.S. It shows how New Dealers silenced a moral economy of money, discusses fragmented moral economies after World War II, and the partial reemergence of such moral economies after the Great Financial Crisis. The paper concludes by discussing political implications and suggestions for further research.     

Fish Oil Supplementation in Pregnancy and Neurodevelopment in Childhood—A Randomized Clinical Trial

A double-blind randomized controlled trial of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LCPUFA) supplementation or matching placebo during third trimester of pregnancy was conducted within the COPSAC₂₀₁₀ mother-child cohort consisting of 736 women and their children. The objective was to determine if maternal n-3 LCPUFA pregnancy supplementation affects offspring neurodevelopment until 6 years. Neurodevelopment was evaluated in 654 children assessing age of motor milestone achievement, language development, cognitive development, general neurodevelopment, and emotional and behavioral problems. Maternal n-3 LCPUFA supplementation during pregnancy improved early language development and reduced the impact of emotional and behavioral problems. The n-3 LCPUFA supplementation was in boys associated with the earlier achievement of gross motor milestones, improved cognitive development, and a reduced impact of emotional and behavioral problems.     

Narrative transportability,leisure reading,and genre preference in children 9–13 years old

Leisure reading behavior is a key predictor of educational success. Transportability is a trait that determines how likely an individual is to become involved in a story, and past research has suggested that involvement may be related to leisure reading behavior. However, available measures of transportability have not been validated with children or related to leisure reading. To address this gap, children 9–13 years old (N = 136) completed a revised version of the Transportability Scale. A 13-item version of the scale was found to be unidimensional, reliable, and predictive of 6% of the variance in leisure reading (above and beyond sex, age, reading ability, and student performance). Transportability was also related to genre preference and several interesting sex differences emerged. The Transportability Scale provides researchers with a psychometrically sound measure of narrative involvement to advance research on leisure reading.     

Reversal of visual discrimination problem and differential frustration effects in dominant and submissive rats

Two experiments are reported comparing performance in dominant and submissive rats as determined by a food-competition procedure. Ss in Experiment I were either trained to criterion or overtrained before being reversed on a visual discrimination task. Although the two groups did not differ significantly in learning the initial task, the dominant Ss were significantly slower on reversal than the submissives. Experiment II, which utilized a tandem runway, showed that when the reinforcer which maintained the running response was not available in the first goalbox, submissive rats responded with a greater increase in running speed in the second runway than dominant rats. These findings were discussed as reflecting motivational differences between dominant and submissive rats.