The benefits of regular physical exercise may well extend beyond the reduction of chronic diseases risk and augmentation of working capacity, to many other aspects of human well-being, including improved cognitive functioning. Although the effects of moderate intensity continuous training on cognitive performance are relatively well studied, the benefits of interval training have not been investigated in this respect so far. The aim of the current study was to assess whether 7 weeks of interval running training is effective at improving both aerobic fitness and cognitive performance. For this purpose, 8 young dinghy sailors (6 boys and 2 girls) completed the interval running program with 200 m and 2,000 m running performance, cycling maximal oxygen uptake, and cognitive function was measured before and after the intervention. The control group consisted of healthy age-matched subjects (8 boys and 2 girls) who continued their active lifestyle and were tested in the same way as the experimental group, but did not complete any regular training. In the experimental group, 200 m and 2,000 m running performance and cycling maximal oxygen uptake increased together with improved results on cognitive flexibility tasks. No changes in the results of short-term and working memory tasks were observed in the experimental group, and no changes in any of the measured indices were evident in the controls. In conclusion, 7 weeks of interval running training improved running performance and cycling aerobic power, and were sufficient to improve the ability to adjust behavior to changing demands in young active individuals.

The objective of this study was to estimate sex-specific effects in the test-retest cross-reliability of peripheral and central changes in nonlinear and linear measures of a surface electromyography signal during a brief (5 second) and sustained (2minute) isometric maximal voluntary contraction, combined with superimposed electrical stimulation involving the ankle plantar flexors over five identical trials. In this study, we repeated the testing protocol used in our previous study of 10 women (age 20.9, SD=0.3 years) (Bernecke et al., 2015) in a group of 10 men (age 21.2, SD=0.4 years). Despite the central (sex effect; p<0.05, ηp2>0.71, SP>70%) and peripheral fatigability (sex effect; p<0.01, ηp2>0.8, SP>90%) during sustained isometric maximal voluntary contraction, and lower reliability for central activation ratio during brief (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.95 for men and ICC=0.82 for women) and sustained maximal voluntary contraction (ICC>0.82 for men and ICC>0.66 for women) over ankle plantar flexors expressed in women more than in men, all the ICCs of all indices measured by tests assessing neuromuscular function across the five identical test-retest trials were found as meaningful (correlation significance of p<0.05 was reached) and no significant differences were found between trials for any of the measured variables. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated greater central and peripheral fatigue for female participants following sustained (2minute) isometric maximal voluntary contraction of the plantar flexor muscles for all repeated trials and indicated an acceptable agreement between measurements of the characteristic variables made using the three different devices (dynamometry, electrical stimulation, and surface electromyography) over time for both sexes.

Background and Objectives: Information on how psychomotor speed is associated with the risk of falling is scarce, even in older adults. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between falls and psychomotor speed in older adults with sarcopenia and frailty. Materials and Methods: A total of 204 subjects (aged 83 (77–87) years) participated in this study: 161 women (78.9%) and 43 men (21.1%). The history of falls was assessed by asking whether the subject had experienced a fall in the past 12 months. Psychomotor speed was evaluated by reaction time and frequency of movement. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the EWGSOP2 criteria. Frailty was confirmed if the participants met ≥3 criteria according to the Fried frailty criteria. The relationship between falls and psychomotor speed was measured using partial correlations. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess if psychomotor speed had an impact on falls. Results: Sarcopenia was confirmed in 93 (45.58%) and frailty in 91 (44.6%) subjects. Both sarcopenia and frailty were present in 62 (30.39%) participants. In the sarcopenia and frailty group, falls were related to simple reaction time (r = 0.444, p = 0.002), hand movement frequency in 10 s (r = −0.352, p = 0.014), and in 60 s (r = −0.312, p = 0.026). In women with sarcopenia and frailty, there were relationships between falls and simple reaction time (r = 0.68, p = 0.002), complex reaction time (r = 0.406, p = 0.004), hand movement frequency in 10 s (r = −0.614, p = 0.001), and in 60 s (r = −0.584, p = 0.001). In regression analysis, it was found that each millisecond increase in reaction time was associated with a 1.5% higher fall risk in the participants with sarcopenia (OR: 1.015 [1, 1.031], p = 0.048). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that slower psychomotor speed, particularly reaction time, is linked to a higher risk of falls in older adults with sarcopenia and frailty, especially in women

The main aim of our study was to determinate whether a repeated bout (RB) (vs. first bout [FB]) of sprint interval cycling exercise (SIE) is sufficient to mitigate SIE-induced psychological and physiological biomarker kinetics within 48 h after the exercise. Ten physically active men (age, 22.6 ± 5.2 years; VO2max, 44.3 ± 5.7 ml/kg/min) performed the FB of SIE (12 repeats of 5 s each) on one day and the RB 2 weeks later. The following parameters were measured: motor performance (voluntary, electrically induced and isokinetic skeletal muscle contraction torque, and central activation ratio [CAR]); stress markers [brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine]; inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α); metabolic markers (glucose and lactate); muscle and rectal temperature; cycling power output; and psychological perceptions. The average cycling power output and neuromuscular fatigue after exercise did not differ between the FB and RB. There were significant decreases in cortisol and BDNF concentration at 12 h (P < 0.05) and 24 h (P < 0.001) after the FB, respectively. The decrease in cortisol concentration observed 12 h after exercise was significantly greater after the RB (P < 0.05) than after the FB. The immune-metabolic response to the RB (vs. FB) SIE was suppressed and accompanied by lower psychological exertion. Most of the changes in psychological and physiological biomarkers in the FB and RB were closely related to the response kinetics of changes in BDNF concentration.

Šis vadovėlis skiriamas aukštųjų mokyklų socialinių mokslų edukologijos, psichologijos, sociologijos, antropologijos, viešosios komunikacijos, ekonomikos, viešojo administravimo, vadybos ir politikos mokslų krypčių sudijų studentams.

Vadovėlis „Takas“ skirtas B1 lygio lietuvių kalbos gebėjimams ugdyti. Jį sudaro 8 pamokos – „žingsniai“, – apimantys svarbias šiam lygiui leksikos temas ir dalį gramatikos. Ši knyga – rinkinys įvairių žanrų, skirtingo sudėtingumo tekstų, kad tiek studentai, tiek jų mokytojai galėtų lanksčiai, kūrybingai ir efektyviai naudotis pateikta medžiaga. Tekstų įvairovė – bandymas atsižvelgti į skirtingų mokymosi stilių, pomėgių, socialinių sričių ir interesų besimokančiųjų poreikius. Apskritai vadovėlio išeities taškas – autentiški tekstai ir natūrali kalbos vartosena. Knyga gausiai iliustruota paveikslais ir fotografijomis, atspindinčiomis įvairias gyvenimo realijas, apimančias įvairius socialinius bei kultūrinius lietuvių kalbos vartojimo ir gyvenimo aspektus. Kiekvienoje pamokoje galima rasti ir smulkiosios tautosakos bei sakytinės kalbos, neformaliosios kalbos pavyzdžių. Dalis gramatikos taisyklių pateikta pamokose kaip aktyvios užduotys. Daugiau informacijos ir gramatikos taisyklių pateikta gramatikos priedo įklijoje, kuri suskirstyta ne pagal pamokas, o pagal kalbos dalis. Šią informaciją galima naudoti skirtingose pamokose, kai tik kyla klausimų dėl tinkamos žodžio formos. Atmintuke rasite kiekvienos pamokos koliažus, kuriuos galima rodyti išmaniojoje lentoje interaktyvioms užduotims, klausymo įrašus ir visus vadovėlio tekstus, kad mokytojas panorėjęs galėtų išradingai juos panaudoti kurdamas savo užduotis. Pajuskite, kaip žingsnis po žingsnio lietuvių kalba ir kultūra jums tampa suprantamesnė, įdomesnė, gal net artimesnė.

Šiuolaikinei organizacijai, norinčiai sėkmingai dirbti rinkoje, būtinos marketingo komunikacijos. Jos yra vienas pagrindinių šiuolaikinio marketingo aspektų. Tai svarbus bet kokios organizacijos veiklos elementas, leidžiantis organizacijai bendrauti su klientais. organizacijos turi mokėti koordinuoti, integruoti, planuoti savo komunikaciją – išmokti naudoti tokį galingą marketingo įrankį kaip marketingo komunikacijos. Mokomoji knyga parengta remiantis marketingo komunikacijų tema parašytais lietuvių ir užsienio autorių darbais ir vadovėliais, taip pat internetu pasiekiamais šaltiniais.

Socialinė psichologija yra mokslas apie santykius tarp žmonių, todėl kiekvienas esame savo kasdienio gyvenimo socialiniai psichologai. Kiekvienas turime savo supratimą apie tai, kodėl mums svarbūs žmonės elgiasi taip, kaip jie elgiasi, ir spėjimą, kaip jie elgsis ateityje. Šios knygos paskirtis yra glaustai apžvelgti socialinės psichologijos problematiką ir pagrindines sukauptas žinias apie šį mokslą. Svarbiausi santykių tarp žmonių principai ir dėsniai apibendrinti taip, kad skaitytojas galėtų pritaikyti juos savo kasdieniame gyvenime. Knygoje aptariamos temos – nuo emocijų ir įvaizdžio iki meilės, manipuliacijos ir lyderystės – sudomins kiekvieną skaitytoją, norintį išmokti efektyviau bendrauti ir sukurti geresnius santykius su kitais žmonėmis.

This teaching aid has grown out from the course Introduction into English Linguistics which I have been teaching at Vytautas Magnus University for a number of years. Its aim is to present students with a concise and up-to-date discussion of some of the main topics that mod-ern linguistics addresses. The teaching guide is provided with exercises for each topic (graded from less difficult to advanced), and questions for discussion. All the exercises have been tested in class. The teaching guide also includes a glossary of the most important terms which students have to know and be able to use not only in this course but also in the other linguistic courses that they take in the programme of English Philology.

Šiuolaikinei organizacijai, norinčiai sėkmingai dirbti rinkoje, būtinos marketingo komunikacijos. Jos yra vienas pagrindinių šiuolaikinio marketingo aspektų. Tai svarbus bet kokios organizacijos veiklos elementas, leidžiantis organizacijai bendrauti su klientais. organizacijos turi mokėti koordinuoti, integruoti, planuoti savo komunikaciją – išmokti naudoti tokį galingą marketingo įrankį kaip marketingo komunikacijos. Mokomoji knyga parengta remiantis marketingo komunikacijų tema parašytais lietuvių ir užsienio autorių darbais ir vadovėliais, taip pat internetu pasiekiamais šaltiniais.

This text serves as an introduction to critical analysis of crime fiction in English. After a brief review of the pre-history of crime fiction in English, the principal focus is on sub-genres such as Golden Age detective stories, American noir thrillers, thrillers in general and police procedurals. For each sub-genre a list of characteristics is provided. Some major authors like Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Ian Rankin and Kathy Reichs are given closer attention. In addition, newer trends in crime fiction are discussed. Exercises for students and advice in carrying out research on crime fiction are also given.

The idea to write this book primarily came from our intention to share what we have discovered about one of the greatest childhood miracles – play. For a number of years we have explored this phenomenon, yet its profound and extraordinary nature still continues to surprise us. Promotes development and, at the same time, is the greatest achievement of the child. Keeping this in mind, we designed our monograph for a few purposes. First, we wanted to present the results of the three-year project “Development of Self-Regulation in Play” attained in play research laboratory of the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences. Second, we sought for the first time to discuss in Lithuanian language the theory of play based on cultural – historical psychology. Our objective was to formulate and present the key principles of the development of self-regulation through play activities. Finally, we aimed to describe the steps of practical use of joint (adult-child) play activities that help a child to develop a self-regulatory behavior during play. Why did we choose to focus on the development of self-regulation through play activities? Simply that a large number of worldwide studies show (Elkind, 1982, 2007; Singer, Singer, D’Agostino, DeLong, 2008; Frost, 2010) that children’s imaginary play is vanishing and that their imagination and self-regulation skills have deteriorated. Another observed trend is a clear opposition between play and academic learning (Miller & Almon, 2009; Nicolopoulou, 2010). Surveys reveal that currently selfregulation and executive functions are in the center of researchers’ attention worldwide and are among top ten studies in progress. [...]

This paper gives the main definitions relating to dependability, a generic concept including as special case such attributes as reliability, availability, safety, integrity, maintainability, etc. Security brings in concerns for confidentiality, in addition to availability and integrity. Basic definitions are given first. They are then commented upon, and supplemented by additional definitions, which address the threats to dependability and security (faults, errors, failures), their attributes, and the means for their achievement (fault prevention, fault tolerance, fault removal, fault forecasting). The aim is to explicate a set of general concepts, of relevance across a wide range of situations and, therefore, helping communication and cooperation among a number of scientific and technical communities, including ones that are concentrating on particular types of system, of system failures, or of causes of system failures.

Land Use Regression (LUR) models have been used increasingly for modeling small-scale spatial variation in air pollution concentrations and estimating individual exposure for participants of cohort studies. Within the ESCAPE project, concentrations of PM(2.5), PM(2.5) absorbance, PM(10), and PM(coarse) were measured in 20 European study areas at 20 sites per area. GIS-derived predictor variables (e.g., traffic intensity, population, and land-use) were evaluated to model spatial variation of annual average concentrations for each study area. The median model explained variance (R(2)) was 71% for PM(2.5) (range across study areas 35-94%). Model R(2) was higher for PM(2.5) absorbance (median 89%, range 56-97%) and lower for PM(coarse) (median 68%, range 32- 81%). Models included between two and five predictor variables, with various traffic indicators as the most common predictors. Lower R(2) was related to small concentration variability or limited availability of predictor variables, especially traffic intensity. Cross validation R(2) results were on average 8-11% lower than model R(2). Careful selection of monitoring sites, examination of influential observations and skewed variable distributions were essential for developing stable LUR models. The final LUR models are used to estimate air pollution concentrations at the home addresses of participants in the health studies involved in ESCAPE.

Estimating within-city variability in air pollution concentrations is important. Land use regression (LUR) models are able to explain such small-scale within-city variations. Transparency in LUR model development methods is important to facilitate comparison of methods between different studies. We therefore developed LUR models in a standardized way in 36 study areas in Europe for the ESCAPE (European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects) project. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were measured with Ogawa passive samplers at 40 or 80 sites in each of the 36 study areas. The spatial variation in each area was explained by LUR modelling. Centrally and locally available Geographic Information System (GIS) variables were used as potential predictors. A leave-one out cross-validation procedure was used to evaluate the model performance. There was substantial contrast in annual average NO2 and NOx concentrations within the study areas. The model explained variances (R2) of the LUR models ranged from 55% to 92% (median 82%) for NO2 and from 49% to 91% (median 78%) for NOx. For most areas the cross-validation R2 was less than 10% lower than the model R2. Small-scale traffic and population/household density were the most common predictors. The magnitude of the explained variance depended on the contrast in measured concentrations as well as availability of GIS predictors, especially traffic intensity data were important. In an additional evaluation, models in which local traffic intensity was not offered had 10% lower R2 compared to models in the same areas in which these variables were offered. Within the ESCAPE project it was possible to develop LUR models that explained a large fraction of the spatial variance in measured annual average NO2 and NOx concentrations. These LUR models are being used to estimate outdoor concentrations at the home addresses of participants in over 30 cohort studies.

Methods. We pooled data from 14 population-based mother–child cohort studies in 12 European countries. Overall, the study population included 74 178 women who had singleton deliveries between Feb 11, 1994, and June 2, 2011, and for whom information about infant birthweight, gestational age, and sex was available. The primary outcome of interest was low birthweight at term (weight <2500 g at birth after 37 weeks of gestation). Mean concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2•5 μm (PM2•5), less than 10 μm (PM10), and between 2•5 μm and 10 μm during pregnancy were estimated at maternal home addresses with temporally adjusted land-use regression models, as was PM2•5 absorbance and concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides. We also investigated traffic density on the nearest road and total traffic load. We calculated pooled effect estimates with random-effects models. Findings. A 5 μg/m3 increase in concentration of PM2•5 during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of low birthweight at term (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1•18, 95% CI 1•06–1•33). An increased risk was also recorded for pregnancy concentrations lower than the present European Union annual PM2•5 limit of 25 μg/m3 (OR for 5 μg/m3 increase in participants exposed to concentrations of less than 20 μg/m3 1•41, 95% CI 1•20–1•65). PM10 (OR for 10 μg/m3 increase 1•16, 95% CI 1•00–1•35), NO2 (OR for 10 μg/m3 increase 1•09, 1•00–1•19), and traffic density on nearest street (OR for increase of 5000 vehicles per day 1•06, 1•01–1•11) were also associated with increased risk of low birthweight at term. The population attributable risk estimated for a reduction in PM2•5 concentration to 10 μg/m3 during pregnancy corresponded to a decrease of 22% (95% CI 8–33%) in cases of low birthweight at term. [...].

This paper gives the main definitions relating to dependability, a generic concept including as special case such attributes as reliability, availability, safety, integrity, maintainability, etc. Security brings in concerns for confidentiality, in addition to availability and integrity. Basic definitions are given first. They are then commented upon, and supplemented by additional definitions, which address the threats to dependability and security (faults, errors, failures), their attributes, and the means for their achievement (fault prevention, fault tolerance, fault removal, fault forecasting). The aim is to explicate a set of general concepts, of relevance across a wide range of situations and, therefore, helping communication and cooperation among a number of scientific and technical communities, including ones that are concentrating on particular types of system, of system failures, or of causes of system failures.

Land Use Regression (LUR) models have been used increasingly for modeling small-scale spatial variation in air pollution concentrations and estimating individual exposure for participants of cohort studies. Within the ESCAPE project, concentrations of PM(2.5), PM(2.5) absorbance, PM(10), and PM(coarse) were measured in 20 European study areas at 20 sites per area. GIS-derived predictor variables (e.g., traffic intensity, population, and land-use) were evaluated to model spatial variation of annual average concentrations for each study area. The median model explained variance (R(2)) was 71% for PM(2.5) (range across study areas 35-94%). Model R(2) was higher for PM(2.5) absorbance (median 89%, range 56-97%) and lower for PM(coarse) (median 68%, range 32- 81%). Models included between two and five predictor variables, with various traffic indicators as the most common predictors. Lower R(2) was related to small concentration variability or limited availability of predictor variables, especially traffic intensity. Cross validation R(2) results were on average 8-11% lower than model R(2). Careful selection of monitoring sites, examination of influential observations and skewed variable distributions were essential for developing stable LUR models. The final LUR models are used to estimate air pollution concentrations at the home addresses of participants in the health studies involved in ESCAPE.

Estimating within-city variability in air pollution concentrations is important. Land use regression (LUR) models are able to explain such small-scale within-city variations. Transparency in LUR model development methods is important to facilitate comparison of methods between different studies. We therefore developed LUR models in a standardized way in 36 study areas in Europe for the ESCAPE (European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects) project. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were measured with Ogawa passive samplers at 40 or 80 sites in each of the 36 study areas. The spatial variation in each area was explained by LUR modelling. Centrally and locally available Geographic Information System (GIS) variables were used as potential predictors. A leave-one out cross-validation procedure was used to evaluate the model performance. There was substantial contrast in annual average NO2 and NOx concentrations within the study areas. The model explained variances (R2) of the LUR models ranged from 55% to 92% (median 82%) for NO2 and from 49% to 91% (median 78%) for NOx. For most areas the cross-validation R2 was less than 10% lower than the model R2. Small-scale traffic and population/household density were the most common predictors. The magnitude of the explained variance depended on the contrast in measured concentrations as well as availability of GIS predictors, especially traffic intensity data were important. In an additional evaluation, models in which local traffic intensity was not offered had 10% lower R2 compared to models in the same areas in which these variables were offered. Within the ESCAPE project it was possible to develop LUR models that explained a large fraction of the spatial variance in measured annual average NO2 and NOx concentrations. These LUR models are being used to estimate outdoor concentrations at the home addresses of participants in over 30 cohort studies.

Background: Evidence is growing for the beneficial impacts of natural outdoor environments on health. However, most of the evidence has focused on green spaces and little evidence is available on health benefits of blue spaces and about possible mediators and modifiers of such impacts. We investigated the association between natural outdoor environments (separately for green and blue spaces) and health (general and mental) and its possible mediators and modifiers. Methods: Cross-sectional data fromadults interviewed in Catalonia (Spain) between 2010 and 2012 as part of the Catalonia Health Surveywere used. The collected data included sociodemographic characteristics, self-perceived general health, mental health, physical activity and social support. Indicators of surrounding greenness and access to natural outdoor environments within 300 m of the residence and degree of urbanization were derived for residential addresses. Associations were estimated using logistic regression and negative binominal models. Results: Green spaces were associated with better self-perceived general health and better mental health, independent of degree of urbanization. The associationsweremore consistent for surrounding greenness than for access to green spaces. The results were consistent for different buffers, and when stratifying for socioeconomic status. Slightly stronger associations were found for women and residents of non-densely populated areas. No association was found between green spaces and social contacts and physical activity. The results for blue spaces were not conclusive. Conclusion: Green spaces are associated with better general and mental health across strata of urbanization, socioeconomic status, and genders. Mechanisms other than physical activity or social support may explain these associations.