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While it is widely accepted that texture is a multimodal in nature, little research has been published regarding how we use senses other than touch to assess texture. In beverages, humans use texture (i.e. viscosity) information to estimate calories and expected satiety. This study was designed to compare and contrast the sensitivity of humans to changes in viscosity and their ability to estimate satiety through different sensory modalities. Milk samples of varying viscosities were constructed, and 49 participants were asked to perform a series of 2-alternative forced choice tests and identify which sample was thicker. Sensitivity to viscosity changes across different sensory modalities was determined by having each participant consume the samples, listen to the samples pouring, and observe clear vials of the samples. Using vision, participants were notably less sensitive to changes in viscosity when compared to hearing or oral tactile sensations. Interestingly, oral tactile sensations and hearing were almost identical in their viscosity difference thresholds (0.346 cP and 0.360 cP, respectively). Similar patterns were observed when the participants were asked to estimate how full they expected to be after consuming beverage stimuli varying in viscosity. Expected caloric values and satiation were found to change with thickness level when participants were assessing the stimuli through the auditory or tactile modalities. However, these measures of expected caloric value and satiation did not change as a function of viscosity for visual assessment, suggesting the assessment of caloric density and satiation are linked to specific sensory modalities’ ability to detect viscosity. This study highlights the relative importance of vision, auditory, and touch to forming our sensory judgements regarding viscosity and subsequent satiety estimations.

Chandler, PT, Pinder, SJ, Curran, JD, and Gabbett, TJ. Physical demands of training and competition in collegiate netball players. J Strength Cond Res 28(10): 2732–2737, 2014—We investigated the physical demands of netball match play and different training activities. Eight collegiate netball players participated in the study. Heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and accelerometer player load (PL) data were collected in 4 matches and 15 training sessions. Training sessions were classified as skills, game-based, traditional conditioning, or repeated high-intensity effort training. Accelerometer data were collected in 3 planes and were normalized to match play/training time (PL per minute, forward per minute, sideward per minute, and vertical per minute). Centers had a higher PL per minute than all other positions (effect size; ES = 0.67–0.91), including higher accelerations in the forward (ES = 0.82–0.92), sideward (ES = 0.61–0.93), and vertical (ES = 0.74–0.93) planes. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between positions for RPE and peak HR. Skills training had a similar PL to match play. However, the mean HR of skills training was significantly lower than match play and all other modes of training (ES = 0.77–0.88). Peak HR for skills training (186 ± 10 b·min−1) and traditional conditioning (196 ± 8 b·min−1) was similar to match play (193 ± 9 b·min−1). There were no meaningful differences in RPE between match play and all modes of training. The center position produces greater physical demands during match play. The movement demands of netball match play are best replicated by skills training, whereas traditional conditioning best replicates the HR demands of match play. Other training modes may require modification to meet the physical demands of match play.

Schools have been identified as one of the appropriate settings for addiction prevention since it is the place where pupils may come into contact with drugs for the first time, may experiment them, getting the possibility of becoming addicted. To be effective, school-based drug education must be firmly based on knowledge of oneself and knowledge of the effects of various addictive substances. Biology education is then an essential part of school-based drug education. The aim of this work was to compare the approach taken towards addictive substances in textbooks within 16 countries involved in the European project “BIOHEAD-CITIZEN”. We used a specific part of the project grid for substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs) concerning three major indicators: physical effects, psychological effects and social effects. Generally, in all 16 countries, the educative approaches taken in their textbooks include the three dimensions. Textbooks mainly employ text rather than visual images, and some countries’ textbooks have only text. Moroccan and Mozambican textbooks do not mention tobacco and other drugs, respectively. The comparative analyses highlighted that the Finish textbook is the most comprehensive; the only country, in the study, to have a specific Health Education teaching module., Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - “Análise de manuais escolares” (PTDC/CED/65224/2006). European project FP6 “Biohead-Citizen” CIT2-CT-2004-506015., European project FP6 “Biohead-Citizen” CIT2-CT-2004-506015

The benefit of antidepressant treatment in human neuropathic pain is now well documented, but the effect is limited and slow to appear. It has been demonstrated that the association of a 5-HT(1A) antagonist and a serotoninergic antidepressant reduced the delay of action and increases the thymoanaleptic effect of the drug. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the combination of an antidepressant and a 5-HT(1A) antagonist in animal models of chronic neuropathic pain. We studied the antinociceptive effect of the co-administration of clomipramine and a 5-HT(1A) antagonist (WAY 100,635) in a pain test applied in normal rats and in two models of neurogenic sustained pain (mononeuropathic and diabetic rats). The results show an increase in the antinociceptive effect of acutely injected clomipramine due to WAY 100,635 in these models, which is majored when the two drugs are repeatedly injected. The 5-HT(1A) antagonist reduced the delay of onset and increased the maximal antinociceptive effect of clomipramine. These new findings argue for using the combination of an antidepressant and a 5-HT(1A) antagonist in human neuropathic pain therapy.