The Consequences of Choking in Sport: A Constructive or Destructive Experience?

Through an empirical phenomenological methodology, the study examined the short- and long-term consequences of choking in sport. Eleven intermediate golfers (10 male, 1 female; age 23–50 years, M = 34.6, SD = 8.9) with handicaps of 6–18 (M = 10.91, SD = 3.98) completed phenomenological interviews that explored the perceived psychological impact of their choking episode(s). While the reported short-term consequences were negative (i.e., collapse in performance standards, limited attention/emotional control, and negative affect), most participants thought the long-term impact of choking was constructive, for it encouraged adversity-related growth. However, a small number of golfers identified the long-term consequences as highly destructive, including a loss of self-confidence, withdrawal from the sport, and, in 1 case, lowered self-worth. The findings of the study extend the choking literature by informing strategies that can be used to encourage constructive, rather than destructive, consequences from any choking episode that athletes may experience

Effect of particle size, coupling agent and DDGS additions on Paulownia wood polypropylene composites

Studies aimed at improving the tensile, flexural, impact, thermal, and physical characteristics of wood–plastic composites composed of Paulownia wood flour derived from 36-month-old trees blended with polypropylene were conducted. Composites of 25% and 40% w/w of Paulownia wood were produced by twin-screw compounding and injection molding. Composites containing 0–10% by weight of maleated polypropylene were evaluated and an optimum maleated polypropylene concentration determined, i.e., 5%. The particle size distribution of Paulownia wood filler is shown to have an effect on the tensile and flexural properties of the composites. Novel combination composites of dried distiller’s grain with solubles mixed with Paulownia wood (up to 40% w/w) were produced and their properties evaluated. Depending on the composite tested, soaking composites for 872 h alters mechanical properties and causes weight gain

New insights into the genetic diversity of Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobiumin Yemen

The file attached is the Published/publisher’s pdf version of the article.© 2015 Sady et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated

Suunnitteluprosessin kehittäminen virheiden näkökulmasta

Opinnäytetyö tehtiin Sweco Rakennetekniikka Oy:lle. Insinöörityön tavoitteena oli selvittää, mitkä tekijät aiheuttavat virheitä ja haasteita raken-nusprosessissa lähinnä rakennesuunnittelijan näkökulmasta. Työssä selvitettiin erilaisia keinoja näiden virheiden välttämiseksi. Työssä käsiteltiin rakennushankkeen osapuolet, hankkeen eri vaiheet ja tavallisimmat ra-kennesuunnittelijan tehtävät eri vaiheissa. Tämän lisäksi tutkittiin rakennusprosessin tyypil-lisimpiä ongelmakohtia ja mietittiin keinoja niiden välttämiseksi. Rakennusprosessin virheitä mietittiin myös esimerkkitapauksen, Laukaan maneesisortuman kautta. Työssä esiteltiin tavallisimmat rakentamisen laadunvarmistusmenetelmät, rakennustuotteiden CE-merkintä sekä vanhojen rakenteiden tarkastusmenettely. Työn tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin aiheeseen liittyviä tutkimuksia, ajankohtaisia lehtiar-tikkeleita sekä kirjallisuutta. Lisäksi insinöörityötä varten tehtiin haastatteluita. Insinöörityö toimii raporttina rakennusinsinöörille. Työstä ilmenee tyypillisimmät haasteita aiheuttavat tekijät rakennusprosessissa sekä tavallisimmat laadunvarmistusmenetelmät. Insinöörityöstä saa myös apua suunnitteluprosessin kehittämiseksi ja virheiden välttämi-seksi.This bachelor thesis was made for Sweco Rakennetekniikka Oy The object of this thesis was to find out which factors causes problems and defects to the construction process. The thesis focuses on how these problems could be avoided. In this bachelor thesis there is also information about the different parties and phases of a building project. The study also contains information about the tasks of a structural engi-neer in different phases of a building project. Typical problems and ways to avoid them were studied. Problems in construction process were also introduced through an example accident case, where a building collapsed in Laukaa. For the background information, or-dinary quality assurance methods, CE marking of construction products and the verifica-tion procedure of old structures were introduced. The research method for this thesis was to review different research related to the topic, current journal articles and various literature. Additionally, some interviews were made. A construction engineer can use this thesis as a report where typical problems and ways to avoid them are introduced. This bachelor thesis also helps developing the process of structural planning

Environmental Risk and Meningitis Epidemics in Africa

Epidemics of meningococcal meningitis occur in areas with particular environmental characteristics. We present evidence that the relationship between the environment and the location of these epidemics is quantifiable and propose a model based on environmental variables to identify regions at risk for meningitis epidemics. These findings, which have substantial implications for directing surveillance activities and health policy, provide a basis for monitoring the impact of climate variability and environmental change on epidemic occurrence in Africa

Clinical impact of double-faecal immunochemical testing following implementation into standard triage and investigation of primary care referrals in patients with lower gastrointestinal symptoms

BackgroundFaecal immunochemical testing has rapidly been established as the first-line triage for patients with symptoms suspicious for colorectal cancer. However, the reported low compliance of test returns issued from primary care is concerning. This article reports the real-world impact of implementation of a double-faecal immunochemical testing pathway for symptomatic referrals into routine clinical practice.MethodsAll eligible referrals between November 2021 and October 2022 were sent two faecal immunochemical tests via the faecal immunochemical testing interface office. Colorectal investigations were instigated if either test result was ≥10 µg haemoglobin per g. Referrals with double-negative results were reviewed by consultants who decided whether symptoms merited further investigation. Cancer registry follow-up data were cross-checked, and a further electronic registry allowed capture of re-referrals.ResultsSome 5425 patients were triaged using double-faecal immunochemical testing, with 5116 (94.3%) completing at least 1 and 4607 (84.9%) both faecal immunochemical tests. The positivity of one test was 20.8%, rising to 27.8% where both tests were completed. The number of referred patients undergoing colorectal investigation fell from 90% before faecal immunochemical testing-directed pathways to 56.6% owing to a reduction in investigating patients with double-negative results. The double-faecal immunochemical testing pathway had a sensitivity of 94.3% for the detection of colorectal cancer, with 37.5% of cancers with a negative first test being detected by the second. Only 3.3% of patients triaged through the double-faecal immunochemical testing pathway were re-referred.ConclusionThe double-faecal immunochemical testing pathway demonstrated high test return rates, a reduction in unnecessary investigations, and colorectal cancer detection rates similar to preimplementation rates

High metabolic potential may contribute to the success of ST131 uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the predominant cause of urinary tract infection in both hospital and community settings. The recent emergence of multidrug-resistant clones like the O25b:H4-ST131 lineage represents a significant threat to health, and numerous studies have explored the virulence potential of these organisms. Members of the ST131 clone have been described as having variable carriage of key virulence factors, and it has been suggested that additional unidentified factors contribute to virulence. Here we demonstrated that ST131 isolates have high metabolic potential and biochemical profiles that distinguish them from isolates of many other sequence types (STs). A collection of 300 UPEC isolates recovered in 2007 and 2009 in the Northwest region of England were subjected to metabolic profiling using the Vitek2 Advanced Expert System (AES). Of the 47 tests carried out, 30 gave a positive result with at least one of the 300 isolates examined. ST131 isolates demonstrated significant association with eight tests, including those for peptidase, decarboxylase, and alkalinization activity. Metabolic activity also correlated with antibiotic susceptibility profiles, with resistant organisms displaying the highest metabolic potential. This is the first comprehensive study of metabolic potential in the ST131 lineage, and we suggest that high metabolic potential may have contributed to the fitness of members of the ST131 clone, which are able to exploit the available nutrients in both the intestinal and urinary tract environments