Ecology of urban lawns under three common management programs

Turfgrass lawns are a central part of urban and suburban landscapes throughout North America and are often managed using repeated applications of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These inputs are expensive and may negatively affect ecological processes in lawns. Therefore, we evaluated the influence of three most common lawn care programs on ecological characteristics of turfgrass lawns. Twenty-eight home lawns, separated into 3 groups based on the lawn care program (professional, do-it-yourself [DIY], and no-input), were studied. Data on lawn quality, weed and insect infestation, disease incidence, soil nematode community, soil nitrogen pools, microbial biomass (MBN), and soil organic matter (SOM) were collected. Results indicated that professional lawn care resulted in the highest aesthetic lawn quality mainly due to better weed control, compared to DIY and no-input programs. However, professional and DIY programs negatively affected MBN and SOM pools and enhanced disease (rust) severity. No significant differences in soil nematode population and nematode community indices across the three programs were found, indicating no differences in net ecosystem productivity among the three programs. Overall, soil nematode food web in turfgrass lawns represented a disturbed food web compared to natural grasslands and forest ecosystems, irrespective of the lawn care program used.     

An assessment of soil nematode food webs and nutrient pools in community gardens and vacant lots in two post-industrial American cities

In the midst of the current economic crisis, there is renewed interest in transforming vacant lots into food-producing gardens. This study analyzed whether vacant lots are suitable for food production, by comparing the soil nematode food webs and nutrient pools of vacant lots and community gardens in two post-industrial U.S. cities, Akron and Cleveland, Ohio. Twelve vacant lots and 12 community gardens were examined in the two cities. All six Akron community gardens were established just prior to the initiation of this study, whereas the six in Cleveland were 15–30 years old. Soil pH, texture, moisture, organic matter, mineral nitrogen content, microbial biomass, and nematode communities were measured in both cities. Soil decomposition rate was also measured in Cleveland. Results show that the soils of vacant lots surpassed those of the newly-established Akron gardens and were equal to the soils of the well-established Cleveland gardens in the amount of ammonium-nitrogen, total nematode population, genus diversity, and maturity and structure indices. The soils of the vacant lots were lower than the community gardens in the amounts of soil moisture, organic matter, and nitrate-nitrogen, which we associate with the addition of water, compost, fertilizer, and tilling in the gardens. No significant difference was found between community gardens and vacant lots in microbial biomass, decomposition rate, or nematode enrichment index, which seems to indicate that vacant lots are equal to community gardens in nutrient availability and nutrient cycling. We conclude that barring any contamination, the soil in vacant lots maybe suitable for the establishment of food gardens, which can provide many desirable ecosystem services and enhance human well-being. We also find that the disturbance associated with tillage and conversion of a vacant lot into a community garden has short-term ramifications for both nematode food webs and mineral-nitrogen content.     

Quantifying soil health and tomato crop productivity in urban community and market gardens

Food production in cities offers a framework for local self-reliance and resilience. However, there are concerns about urban soil quality and a general lack of data on productivity in urban gardens. This study investigated soil health via a comprehensive nematode food web analysis and crop productivity via tomato fruit yield in community and market gardens in Cleveland, Ohio, USA over a two-year period. Results revealed that market gardens had significantly higher soil organic matter (SOM) and NH₄-N than community gardens in 2011. While there was no difference between market gardens and community gardens in terms of nematode abundances (except bacteria-feeding nematodes in 2011), market gardens had higher nematode combined maturity index than community gardens in 2011. However, plant-parasitic index was lower in market gardens than in community gardens in 2011. There was no difference in tomato fruit yield in either year between the garden types, but tomato growth responses including leaf dry weight ratio, and plant surface area differed between market and community gardens in 2012. Different weather and related soil and growing conditions likely contributed to the large variation observed between 2011 and 2012; still, soils in market gardens tended to support greater growth and yield than community gardens. Regardless, there was no direct evidence that the gardens were nutrient limited, thereby minimizing the potential for nutrient limitations to contribute to yield differences. Overall, fruit yield ranged from 1.47 to 15.72 kg/m², which is consistent with U.S. national average for commercial production systems.     

Diversity,abundance, and species composition of ants in urban green spaces

Urbanization threatens biodiversity, yet the number and scope of studies on urban arthropod biodiversity are relatively limited. We sampled ant communities in three urban habitats (forest remnants, community gardens, vacant lots) in Detroit and Toledo, USA, to compare species richness, abundance, and species composition. We measured 24 site characteristics to examine relationships between richness and composition and habitat patch size, vegetation, and urban features. Ant richness was higher in forests (26) than in gardens (14) and intermediate in vacant lots (20). Ant richness in gardens and vacant lots negatively correlated with abundance of an exotic ant species (Tetramorium caespitum); thus this ant may affect native ant richness in urban habitats. Ant composition differed with habitat type, and abundance was lowest in forests. Site characteristics varied with habitat type: forests were larger, had more woody plants, higher woody plant richness, more branches, and leaf litter whereas lots and gardens had more concrete and buildings. Vacant lots had taller herbaceous vegetation, and gardens had higher forb richness, density, and more bare ground. Differences in vegetation did not correlate with ant richness, but several vegetation factors (e.g. patch size, number and size of trees, leaf litter, and amount of concrete and buildings) correlated with differences in ant species composition. Additional factors relating to soil, nests, or microclimatic factors may also be important for urban ant communities. Implications for biodiversity conservation in urban ecosystems are discussed.     

Can urban greening increase vector abundance in cities? The impact of mowing,local vegetation,and landscape composition on adult mosquito populations

Worldwide, cities are investing in greenspace to enhance urban quality of life and conserve biodiversity. Cities should ensure these investments do not unintentionally result in ecosystem disservices. Municipal management decisions regarding urban greenspaces, such as mowing frequency, could influence mosquito communities and public health. We examined how mowing, resultant vegetation characteristics, and landscape context influenced adult mosquito abundance in urban vacant lots. We sampled adult Culex and Aedes mosquitoes in a network of vacant lots within eight Cleveland, Ohio, USA neighborhoods in 2015 and 2016 using CO₂-baited light traps and grass-infused gravid traps. For each lot, we quantified vegetation characteristics, including plant diversity, bloom area, and biomass, as well as the surrounding landscape composition at radii of 60 and 1000 m. We found that periodic mowing did not significantly affect mosquito abundances. However, vacant lots with more diverse plant communities were associated with a greater light trap capture of both Culex and Aedes. Both mosquito genera declined in light trap catches with increased impervious surface at 60 m. Similarly, Culex (gravid trap) declined with the amount of built infrastructure at 1000 m. In contrast, Aedes (light trap) increased with the concentration of buildings in the landscape at 1000 m. Our findings indicate that reducing the frequency of mowing within vacant lots will not necessarily increase adult mosquito abundance. Nonetheless, mosquito surveillance and management should be considered when planning conservation-focused greenspaces, as vegetation design choices and the landscape context of a site do influence vector abundance and potentially disease risk.

     

Local and landscape drivers of arthropod abundance,richness, and trophic composition in urban habitats

Urban green spaces, such as forest fragments, vacant lots, and community gardens, are increasingly highlighted as biodiversity refuges and are of growing interest to conservation. At the same time, the burgeoning urban garden movement partially seeks to ameliorate problems of food security. Arthropods link these two issues (conservation and food security) given their abundance, diversity, and role as providers of ecosystem services like pollination and pest control. Many previous studies of urban arthropods focused on a single taxon (e.g. order or family), and examined either local habitat drivers or effects of landscape characteristics. In contrast, we examined both local and landscape drivers of community patterns, and examined differences in abundance, richness, and trophic structure of arthropod communities in urban forest fragments, vacant lots, and community gardens. We sampled ground-foraging arthropods, collected data on 24 local habitat features (e.g., vegetation, ground cover, concrete), and examined land-cover types within 2 km of 12 study sites in Toledo, Ohio. We found that abundance and richness of urban arthropods differed by habitat type and that richness of ants and spiders, in particular, varied among lots, gardens, and forests. Several local and landscape factors correlated with changes in abundance, richness, and trophic composition of arthropods, and different factors were important for specific arthropod groups. Overwhelmingly, local factors were the predominant (80 % of interactions) driver of arthropods in this urban environment. These results indicate that park managers and gardeners alike may be able to manage forests and gardens to promote biodiversity of desired organisms and potentially improve ecosystem services within the urban landscape.     

Management mitigates the impact of urbanization on meadow vegetation

Urban regions often contain remnants of ecologically valuable habitats. Whilst meadow habitats have been recognized as ecologically important and much studied, little attention has been given to meadow assemblages of urban locations. We studied the effects of meadow type, urbanization level, and management on vascular plant species richness, field layer diversity and soil chemistry in 18 grassland sites in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (60°E, 25°N), on the southern coast of Finland during the summer of 2007. We recorded a total of 252 species, though the average number of species per m² was only 12.6. The negative effects of urbanization on forbs seemed to result in particular from increased soil nitrate (NO₃^- -N) concentration. The highest NO₃^- -N and Fe concentrations and ratios of total inorganic nitrogen (N_tot) to phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), were recorded from the soils of urban rocky meadows. Management by mowing decreased soil NO₃^- -N and Fe concentrations, ratios of N_tot:P and N_tot:K, and increased species richness and diversity. Elevated NO_x deposition is considered as a major driver of urbanization effects on vegetation, though changes in soil pH and metal concentrations, such as zinc (Zn), may also negatively affect the frequency of both forbs and grasses. This study shows that regular management by mowing and removal of hay mitigates these effects. We also recommend increasing the provision of dry meadows and maintaining more areas of supplementary semi-natural grassland habitats in urban green space as concrete measures for the conservation of dry meadow assemblages and urban biodiversity.     

Urban development in the southern Great Plains: effects of atmospheric NO<Subscript>x</Subscript> on the long-lived post oak tree (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus stellata</Emphasis>)

Concentrated human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels have resulted in chronic nitrogen (N) additions to urban ecosystems. We predicted that urban development in North Texas (NTX; the largest “megapolitan” region in the Great Plains) would be positively correlated with atmospheric concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and with the leaf tissue quality (lower C:N ratio) and herbivory of the long-lived native tree, post oak (Quercus stellata). Data from air monitoring stations were used to calculate distance-weighted estimates of atmospheric NO_x for 11 sites of differing urban development across NTX. Soil samples were collected at each site along with post oak leaves, estimates of herbivory, and measurements of tree size. Percent urban development was strongly positively correlated with atmospheric NO_x concentrations, though there was no correlation between atmospheric NO_x and soil N. There was a positive relationship between soil N and leaf tissue quality, but only where atmospheric NO_x was relatively low, possibly due to factors that covary with urban development. Herbivory was not significantly correlated with leaf tissue quality, but leaves from the two most urban sites had the greatest amount of insect herbivory. The NO_x concentrations in NTX were lower than other industrialized cities, which may be due to climate and topography differences or the relatively young age of this urban area. This study adds to the expanding body of literature examining how urban ecosystems are affected (or not) by N deposition and suggests that interactions among NO_x, soils, and plants are complex and sometimes, counterintuitive.     

Differences in soil chemical properties with distance to roads and age of development in urban areas

The main objective of this study was to characterize variation in soil chemical properties with length of urbanization period and distance to roads. Urban boundaries from 1920’s (old), 1960’s (middle) and 2000’s (new) were identified for three cities in northeast Ohio: Massillon, Wooster and Canton. Within each identified historic boundary, soil samples were collected from two road-side and two interior lawns in one public school site in each city. Thus, there were three urban age and two distance-to-roads classes. Soil particle composition and basic chemical properties including pH, available phosphorus (P), exchangeable potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), cation exchange capacity (CEC), nitrate, total carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and soil organic matter (SOM) were measured. Two notable spatio-temporal patterns appeared repeatedly in the data set. First, total C, total N and SOM were higher in the soils of old (>50 years) urban sites than of newly developed sites. Similar, but not always significant, trends in soil pH, and exchangeable Ca were also observed. Second, road-side soils had higher pH, Ca, total C and N than interior sites regardless of urban age. These data indicate that key soil chemical properties can vary in predictable ways with urban age and distance-to-roads classes. Such variations in key soil chemical properties may influence or reflect soil biota and biogeochemical processes in urban soils.     

Agroecological and social characteristics of New York city community gardens: contributions to urban food security,ecosystem services,and environmental education

There is growing public interest and participation in food-producing urban community gardens in North America, yet little research has examined agricultural production and ecological processes in these spaces. We describe the agroecological and social characteristics of 61 food-producing gardens in New York City, drawing on gardener interviews, land-use maps, plant species inventories, arthropod scouting, and soil sampling and analysis. Gardens contained agricultural crops, food production infrastructure, ornamental plants, and recreational areas in varying proportions, indicating that gardens serve multiple and distinct purposes depending on community needs and interests. On average, gardeners devoted the greatest proportion of garden area (44 %) to food production, and supplied a large share of their households’ produce needs from their community gardens. Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, and Cucurbitaceae crops dominated food crop areas, hindering effective crop rotation to prevent disease and pest problems. Most gardeners grew crops in raised beds constructed with clean fill and compost. These soils generally had sandy textures, low water-holding capacity, high organic matter levels (with a large proportion from recent inputs) and excessive nutrient levels. Soil water content at field capacity increased exponentially with total soil carbon, suggesting that organic matter enhances water-holding capacity. Insect pest densities greatly exceeded action thresholds in nearly all gardens for aphids and whiteflies on Brassica crops, aphids on Cucurbit crops, and two-spotted spider mites on tomatoes. Predator and parasitoid densities were generally low (less than one per plant on average), perhaps partially due to low floral and woody perennial cover in most gardens (12 % and 9 % on average, respectively). Dominant groups of natural enemies were minute pirate bugs, spiders, and parasitoid wasps. A wide variety of people of differing experience levels, incomes, and ethnicities participate in community gardening in NYC, and most gardens host multiple languages. Promising directions for urban gardening research, education, and practice include: 1) Cover cropping to improve soil quality and nutrient management, and diversify crop rotations; 2) Improving access to soil testing and guidance on appropriate use of soil amendments, 3) Enhancing habitat for arthropod natural enemies that provide biological control of insect pests with floral and woody perennial plantings; and 4) Incorporating ecological knowledge and inquiry-based approaches into gardening workshops, educational materials, and technical support, and offering these resources in multiple languages.     

Extremity injuries and dementia disproportionately increase the risk for long-term care at older age in an analysis of German Health Insurance routine data for the years 2006 to 2010

Background

Extremity injuries (EI) and dementia are important causes of long-term care (LTC), but they can also cause each other and are often present concurrently. Mobility-limiting EI can increase the risk of dementia, and dementia increases the risk for falls, which are often the cause of EI. When EI and dementia are present together, they can increase their negative effect on long-term care risk. This study aims to assess the strength of this interaction and the role of different body regions and severities of EI regarding LTC risk.

Methods

We use Cox proportional-hazard models on LTC as dependent variable. EI (primarily fractures) and dementia (all types) are the central independent variables. We control for age, sex, rehabilitation and 18 relevant comorbidities. Analyses are based on health claims records for 2004–2010 for a random sample of about 122.000 insurants of Germany's largest public health insurance "AOK" aged 65+, about 25.000 of whom entered LTC.

Results

Without concurrent dementia, non-severe EI (NSEI) of the lower and both extremities and all kinds of severe EI (SEI) increase LTC risk (HR: hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval. Lower NSEI: HR?=?1.09 [1.05–1.14]; both NSEI: HR?=?1.36 [1.29–1.44]. Lower SEI: HR?=?1.67 [1.57–1.79]; upper SEI: HR?=?1.27 [1.19–1.37]; both SEI: HR?=?1.94 [1.81–2.07]). Dementia alone increases LTC risk more than fourfold (HR?=?4.23 [4.11–4.35]).Taking the interaction of EI and dementia into account, the concurrent presence of EI and dementia tends to increase the LTC risk more than expected for lower as well as upper NSEI and SEI. Summarily, when lower or upper EI and dementia are both present, the LTC risk tends to be higher than expected, suggesting synergistic effects.

Conclusions

EI and dementia are important independent risk factors for long-term care. When lower or upper EI and dementia are present together, the resulting long-term care risk is increased disproportionately. Since the concurrent presence of both conditions increases the risk for care need, and a working treatment for dementia is not in sight, preventing EI, lessening the impact of EI and improving the outlook after an EI could help to reduce LTC need in the coming decades.

     

Civil society challenges the global food system: the International Monsanto Tribunal

ABSTRACT

The global food system has severe implications for human health, soil quality, biodiversity, and quality of life. This paper provides an analysis on how transnational alliances challenge the global food system. We illustrate this by focusing on the activities and hearings of the International Monsanto Tribunal (IMT), held in the Hague in 2016. The IMT provided a platform for civil society and enabled transnational alliances to demand attention for local struggles and legal disputes in relation to Monsanto’s products. With the involvement of independent and renowned experts, the knowledge exchange between local victims and civil society was enhanced, and the IMT reinforced social movement’s goals towards demanding justice for the negative effects associated with the global food system. The advisory opinion determined that Monsanto’s practices are in violation with human rights standards. The IMT exemplified that there is an immediate need for structural change in the current global food system.     

Environmental consequences of exurban expansion in an agricultural area: the case of the Argentinian Pampas ecoregion

Exurban land use growth has been documented for at least thirty years in various regions around the world. Land use planners and land use/land cover change researchers have been concerned about the low-density residential developments scattered on a natural or agricultural matrix, due to their ecological and environmental impacts. In this paper, exurban sprawl in the Pampas ecoregion (Buenos Aires province, Argentina), is characterized and assessments are taken of the magnitude of two important consequences: agricultural land conversion, and excess CO₂ emission resulting from commute. The exurban developments concentrate between 50 and 70 km from Buenos Aires city, mainly at walking distances from compact towns, from 1 to 6 km of main roads, and no further than 25 km from them. Most of the exurban developments are located on the higher elevations in the study area (25 to 30 m above sea level). Even though exurban land use covers a very small proportion of land, the results show a tendency for conversion of land in the highest soil productivity capacity classes. While the best agricultural lands accounted for 29% of the land in the study area, it accounted for 54% of the exurban development. Preference of exurban land use conversion for good quality agricultural soils is observed even in those counties with a scarcity of good soils. However, there are great differences among counties in the relative proportion of land converted to exurban land use in each soil productivity capacity class. At the county level, from 0 to 100% of the highest production capacity lands have been converted to exurban uses, regardless of the proportion of land in each soil productivity capacity class for individual counties. Excess CO₂ equivalents emission was calculated for both the actual and the potencial number of households in the exurban developments. According to the automobile marque, range and fuel type, the actual emission ranges from 81,065 to 190,446 tons/year, and the potential from 296,643 to 696,908 tons/year. The excess emission per household is higher than that produced by domestic energy consumption within the Buenos Aires city during the same time period. The amount of CO₂ emitted in a year by personal vehicle transportation, in the study area, is equivalent to that captured by 16,000 ha of temperate forests or 27,600 ha of temperate grasslands during the same time period.

Dog-park soils: Concentration and distribution of urine-borne constituents

Off-leash dog parks are very popular locations that allow pets to freely exercise and eliminate wastes in a controlled environment. Although dog park rules require that solid waste be removed by the pet’s owner, urine-borne constituents in dog-park soils have received little attention. This study focused on the soils within two small-dog, off-leash dog parks in Fargo, North Dakota (USA) with the objective to better understand the concentration and distribution of extractable NH₄-N, NO₃-N, PO₄, soluble salts, and pH values in surface soils (0–10 cm) within these two dog parks. Concentrations of soil variables varied widely within each park and were distributed as both gradient and ‘hot-spots.’ The geospatial model types for each soil parameter were more dependent on park than on the constituents themselves. Flow accumulation was correlated with both nitrate-N and P but due to the lack of topography at these parks the flow accumulation was not helpful in describing most of the soil constituents. The results from this project indicate that location of parks, daily/annual use of parks, flow accumulation, and location of park entries may all influence the concentration and distribution of urine-borne constituents.     

The Class Politics of Alternative Food: Informing Public Health Policy and Remedying Health Inequality

The past decade has witnessed an interesting coupling between alternative ways to produce and consume food (farmers' markets, Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares, and urban gardens to name a few) and individual health‐seeking. While much of this activity rests on an ideological rhetoric of individual choice and “lifestyleism” strongly correlated with social class, there have also been a host of very different government and policy efforts aimed at improving poor food environments and the vulnerable populations that inhabit them in the name of public health. Efforts such as zoning against fast food franchises, placing stipulations on what benefit programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can be used for, and taxing foods deemed unhealthy are sparking public debate because they cut to the heart of many American socio‐political debates: the tension between individual liberties and government intervention. Based on existing scholarship of alternative food, health, and bodies, and the author's insights gleaned from ethnographic research, this article sheds light on the potential ineffectiveness of such public health efforts despite positive – and often times class‐conscious – intentions. Such an acknowledgement raises critical questions about who benefits and who misses out in alternative food projects. While this article situates these questions squarely in the American context, it also highlights the need for other situated studies that emphasize other countries' particular political, cultural, and economic contexts that shape contemporary food systems, and their accompanying moral politics.     

Dietary assimilation and health among hispanic immigrants to the United States

Three important findings emerge from this study using New Immigrant Survey data to examine dietary change and health among Hispanic immigrants. First, individuals who have been in the United States longer report a greater degree of dietary change. Second, after controlling for behavioral characteristics and preexisting diet-related conditions (diagnoses of high blood pressure and diabetes prior to coming to the United States), more dramatic levels of change in diet are associated with higher measures of body mass index. Based on respondents' comparisons of their current health to their health just prior to their most recent trip to the United States, change in diet as a result of immigrating to the United States is positively correlated with both better health and worse health. Among individuals reporting greater levels of dietary change, those with worse health have been in the United States for longer and are more likely to report the use of English at work than those reporting better health, factors that indicate acculturation and exposure to broader U.S. society.     

Health outcomes of elementary school students in New Brunswick. The education perspective

With data from the New Brunswick School Climate Study (N = 6,883 students from 147 schools), this study examined individual differences in and school effects on health outcomes of students. Results of hierarchical linear modeling showed that females reported experiencing more physical health problems, eating less healthy food, and doing fewer exercises than males. Students of high socioeconomic status (SES) reported eating more healthy food and doing more exercises than students of low SES. Native students reported experiencing more physical health problems and eating less healthy food than nonnative students. Students of single parents reported eating more healthy food and exercising more than students of both parents. Schools showed effects on health outcomes over and above the effects of students. Students in schools with high SES and positive disciplinary climate reported fewer physical and mental health problems. Students in large schools reported less healthy food intake and fewer physical exercises.     

Emotional intelligence: a moderator of perceived alcohol peer norms and alcohol use

This study investigated the roles of emotional intelligence and perceived alcohol peer norms in relation to alcohol use. Two hundred and forty-two undergraduates completed the Campus Survey of Alcohol and Other Drug Norms (Core Institute, 1997) and the Emotional Intelligence Scale (Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, & Cooper, 1998). Contrary to emerging research findings, emotional intelligence (EI) was not directly associated with the study's alcohol-use variables. However, the moderating role of EI was supported in the relationship between perceived alcohol peer norms and students' alcohol use. Among college students with lower EI, there was a significantly stronger association between these variables, compared to students with higher EI.     

Effects of 10-week walking and walking with home-based resistance training on muscle quality,muscle size,and physical functional tests in healthy older individuals

Background

Older individuals have been shown to present muscle atrophy in conjunction with increased fat fraction in some muscles. The proportion of fat and connective tissue within the skeletal muscle can be estimated from axial B-mode ultrasound images using echo intensity (EI). EI was used to calculate the index of muscle quality. Walking, home-based weight-bearing resistance training, and its combinations are considered simple, easy, and practical exercise interventions for older adults. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of walking and walking with home-based resistance training on muscle quality of older individuals.

Methods

Thirty-one participants performed walking training only (W-group; 72?±?5?years) and 33 participants performed walking and home-based resistance training (WR-group; 73?±?6?years). This study was a non-randomized controlled trial with no control group. All participants were instructed to walk 2 or 3 sets per week for 10?weeks (one set: 30-min continuous walking). In addition, the WR-group performed home-based weight-bearing resistance training. EI was measured as a muscle quality index using axial B-mode ultrasound images of the rectus femoris and vastus lateralis of the mid-thigh. We further averaged these parameters to obtain the EI of the quadriceps femoris (QF). Participants further performed five functional tests: sit-ups, supine up, sit-to-stand, 5-m maximal walk, and 6-min walk.

Results

QF EI was significantly decreased in both groups after training (W-group 69.9?±?7.4?a.u. to 61.7?±?7.0?a.u., WR-group 64.0?±?9.5?a.u. to 51.1?±?10.0?a.u.; P?<?0.05), suggesting improved muscle quality. QF EI was further decreased in the WR-group compared with the W-group. The sit-up test in both groups and the sit-to-stand and 5-m maximal walk tests in the W-group were significantly improved after training.

Conclusion

These results suggest that training-induced stimulation is associated with a decrease in EI in some thigh regions. Furthermore, the addition of home-based resistance training to walking would be effective for a greater reduction of EI.

     

Promoting the Health of Young Adults in Urban Public Universities: A Case Study From City University of New York

Abstract

Changing demographics of college students and new insights into the developmental trajectory of chronic diseases present universities with opportunities to improve population health and reduce health inequalities. The reciprocal relationships between better health and improved educational achievement also offer university health programs a chance to improve retention and graduation rates, a key objective for higher education. In 2007, City University of New York (CUNY), the nation's largest urban public university, launched Healthy CUNY, an initiative designed to offer life-time protection against chronic diseases and reduce health-related barriers to educational achievement. In its first 5 years, Healthy CUNY has shown that universities can mobilize students, faculty, and other constituencies to modify environments and policies that influence health. New policies on tobacco and campus food, enrollment of needy students in public food and housing assistance programs, and a dialogue on the role of health in academic achievement are first steps towards healthier universities.