Edinburgh Napier University

About: Edinburgh Napier University is a education organization based out in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 2665 authors who have published 6859 publications receiving 175272 citations.

Carbohydrate-gel supplementation and endurance performance during intermittent high-intensity shuttle running

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a carbohydrate (CHO) gel on performance after prolonged intermittent high-intensity shuttle running. Seven male soccer players performed 2 exercise trials, 7 d apart. On each occasion, participants completed five 15-min periods of intermittent variable-speed running, interspersed with periods of walking (Part A), followed by an intermittent run to exhaustion (Part B). Participants consumed either a CHO gel or placebo (PLA) immediately before exercise (0.89 mL/kg body mass [BM]) and every 15 min thereafter (0.35 mL/kg BM). In addition, water was consumed at a rate of 5 mL/kg BM before and 2 mL/kg BM every 15 min during exercise. Blood glucose levels were higher (P < 0.05) at 15, 30, and 60 min of exercise and at exhaustion in CHO than in PLA. During Part B, run time to exhaustion was longer (P < 0.05) in the CHO trial (CHO 6.1 ± 1.3 min vs. PLA 4.2 ± 1.2 min). These results indicate that ingesting a CHO gel, along with water, improves performance after prolonged intermittent running in healthy male subjects, possibly by maintaining blood glucose levels during exercise.

Photo-Realistic Facial Details Synthesis From Single Image

Abstract: We present a single-image 3D face synthesis technique that can handle challenging facial expressions while recovering fine geometric details. Our technique employs expression analysis for proxy face geometry generation and combines supervised and unsupervised learning for facial detail synthesis. On proxy generation, we conduct emotion prediction to determine a new expression-informed proxy. On detail synthesis, we present a Deep Facial Detail Net (DFDN) based on Conditional Generative Adversarial Net (CGAN) that employs both geometry and appearance loss functions. For geometry, we capture 366 high-quality 3D scans from 122 different subjects under 3 facial expressions. For appearance, we use additional 163K in-the-wild face images and apply image-based rendering to accommodate lighting variations. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate that our framework can produce high-quality 3D faces with realistic details under challenging facial expressions.

The evolution of local economic development in South Africa: The case of Stutterheim and social capital

Abstract: Local economic development and promoting racial reconciliation have been key foci in addressing the legacy of apartheid in South Africa. This article examines what is arguably the most well-established example of local economic development in South Africa, namely a local government and community-led development initiative in the small rural town of Stutterheim. As the project has evolved over a decade, it has changed its development focus to reflect the changing context and various internal constraints. The study reveals that even though the project has had difficulties, its sheer survival and ability to adapt in a rapidly changing society have been important. More general lessons include the significance of key social entrepreneurs and the development of social and human capital in concert with physical and business infrastructure.

Nutrients, diversity, and community structure of two phytotelm systems in a lower montane forest, Puerto Rico

Abstract: Summary 1 Bromeliad and heliconia phytotelmata in the same forest area were compared in terms of their animal assemblages, nutrient inputs, and plant architecture 2 For all major elements, nutrient inputs from canopy-derived debris and rainfall in bromeliads were significantly lower than those derived from decaying flower parts and plant secretions in heliconia bracts Bromeliads contained significantly fewer organisms per unit volume of water and unit dry weight of organic matter than did heliconia inflorescences They also contained a significantly lower animal biomass (199 mg DW from 15 bromeliads, 527 mg DW from 15 heliconia inflorescences) 3 Species richness was independent of abundance, demonstrating that, at least for small container habitats, higher abundance does not necessarily lead to a greater species richness Communities were remarkably similar in patterns of relative abundance and species richness (23 spp in bromeliads, 21 spp in heliconia), probably due to functional similarities in plant architecture, with the two most abundant species comprising 60–62% of the total community Coefficients of similarity were low because of marked differences in species assemblages 4 Some taxa were phytotelm generalists but most showed a preference for one particular habitat, indicating differential selection in the choice of oviposition sites and larval development within the forest ecosystem In common with many island communities, species richness was lower than that reported for these phytotelm habitats in mainland central and south America