Search results for "WALKING"
showing 10 items of 443 documents
Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy modifies skeletal muscle composition and function: a study with monozygotic twin pairs
2009
We investigated whether long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with mobility and lower limb muscle performance and composition in postmenopausal women. Fifteen 54- to 62-yr-old monozygotic female twin pairs discordant for HRT were recruited from the Finnish Twin Cohort. Habitual (HWS) and maximal (MWS) walking speeds over 10 m, thigh muscle composition, lower body muscle power assessed as vertical jumping height, and maximal isometric hand grip and knee extension strengths were measured. Intrapair differences (IPD%) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The mean duration of HRT use was 6.9 ± 4.1 yr. MWS was on average 7% (0.9 to 13.1%, P = 0.019) and muscle…
Mechanical and neural stretch responses of the human soleus muscle at different walking speeds
2009
During human walking, a sudden trip may elicit a Ia afferent fibre mediated short latency stretch reflex. The aim of this study was to investigate soleus (SOL) muscle mechanical behaviour in response to dorsiflexion perturbations, and to relate this behaviour to short latency stretch reflex responses. Twelve healthy subjects walked on a treadmill with the left leg attached to an actuator capable of rapidly dorsiflexing the ankle joint. Ultrasound was used to measure fascicle lengths in SOL during walking, and surface electromyography (EMG) was used to record muscle activation. Dorsiflexion perturbations of 6 deg were applied during mid-stance at walking speeds of 3, 4 and 5 km h(-1). At eac…
Respiratory Muscle Strengths and Their Association with Lean Mass and Handgrip Strengths in Older Institutionalized Individuals
2020
The study of reduced respiratory muscle strengths in relation to the loss of muscular function associated with ageing is of great interest in the study of sarcopenia in older institutionalized individuals. The present study assesses the association between respiratory muscle parameters and skeletal mass content and strength, and analyzes associations with blood cell counts and biochemical parameters related to protein, lipid, glucose and ion profiles. A multicenter cross-sectional study was performed among patients institutionalized in nursing homes. The respiratory muscle function was evaluated by peak expiratory flow, maximal respiratory pressures and spirometry parameters, and skeletal m…
To what extent do our walking and cycling behaviours relate to each other, and do we cycle as well as we think we do? Piloting the Walking and Cyclin…
2022
Greater uptake of active transport has been argued as necessary for the transport system to achieve relevant sustainability and public health goals; however, the research tools used to investigate behaviour when using these modes are far less well-developed than those used to investigate driving behaviour. This study takes two self-report behavioural measures, the Walking Behaviour Questionnaire (WBQ) and the Cycling Behaviour Questionnaire (WBQ), and pilots them in the UK. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with data from 428 respondents revealed factor structures different to those described in the limited number of previous studies that used the CBQ and WBQ. Across both questio…
Large body size variation is linked to low communication success in tandem running ants
2019
AbstractDiversity in animal groups is often assumed to increase group performance. In insect colonies, genetic, behavioral and morphological variation among workers can improve colony functioning and resilience. However, it has been hypothesized that during communication processes, differences between workers, e.g. in body size, could also have negative effects. Tandem running is a common recruitment strategy in ants and allows a leader to guide a nestmate follower to resources. A substantial proportion of tandem runs fail because leader and follower loose contact. Using the ant Temnothorax nylanderi as a model system, we tested the hypothesis that tandem running success is impaired if lead…
Psychosocial and environmental correlates of active commuting for university students.
2009
Abstract Objective To examine psychosocial and environmental correlates of active commuting to university (ACU) and explore its association with overall physical activity among college students. Methods The sample included 518 students (mean 22.4 years; 59.7% female) from two universities in Valencia, Spain. Weekly estimations of energy expenditure from ACU and total physical activity were obtained. Socio-economic status, self-efficacy, barriers to active transport, access to car and motorbike, access to public transport, walking and cycling facilities and distance to university were assessed. Data were collected April and May of 2009, using a self-administered survey. A structural equation…
Walking tourism in urban destinations: some preliminary results from a survey in Malaga with gps-based technologies
2018
Walking tourism in urban destinations can be defined as a sequence of day visits and/or a sequence of walking tours. In this work, GPS tracking data on spatio-temporal behaviour of walking tourists in Malaga are reported as case study. Malaga is a booming tourist destination characterized by a city centre, particularly suitable for a pedestrian visit. From 22nd January to 19th March 2018 for a total period of 41 days, a survey was carried out with a specific protocol: 103 interviews were conducted and 101 GPS valid tracks were collected. Walking tourists were systematically sampled, starting from the population of all tourists staying in the surveying day at some selected hotels in the city…
Genetics of maximal walking speed and skeletal muscle characteristics in older women.
2008
AbstractThe aim of this study was to examine whether maximal walking speed, maximal isometric muscle strength, leg extensor power and lower leg muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) shared a genetic effect in common. In addition, we wanted to identify the chromosomal areas linked to maximal walking speed and these muscle characteristics and also investigate whether maximal walking speed and these three skeletal muscle characteristics are regulated by the same chromosomal areas. We studied 217 monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) female twin pairs aged 66 to 75 years in the Finnish Twin Study on Aging study. The DZ pairs (94) were genotyped for 397 microsatellite markers in 22 autosomes and X-chr…
Indicators for sustainable pedestrian mobility
2012
Pedestrians walk everyday to satisfy their basic necessities. They need an environment that reflects their requirements and expectations, in other words "liveable" as much as possible. So we should offer tools that could allow a complete and clear evaluation of the existing walking environment, taking into account both pedestrian requirements and urban environment schemes. To measure pedestrian mobility performance we usually use indicators, which measure performances and grant a quick estimation of progress. Indicators are universally acknowledged synthetic and standard parameters that should help policy makers gauge whether things are going in the right direction or not. They should be ou…
Realizacja zasad zrównoważonego rozwoju na przykładzie wybranych osiedli mieszkaniowych Opola
2020
W artykule poddano analizie cechy osiedli mieszkaniowych w kontekście rozwoju zrównoważonego. Główny celem artykułu jest stwierdzenie, czy zasady rozwoju zrównoważonego są realizowane zwłaszcza w nowej i starej przestrzeni mieszkaniowej. Autorka próbowała ocenić opolską przestrzeń mieszkaniową w kontekście zrównoważonego osiedla mieszkaniowego. Dokonała porównania nowego i dawnego budownictwa mieszkaniowego uwzględniając kontekst zrównoważonej przestrzeni określanej za pomocą tzw. walking distance.