University of Bedfordshire

About: University of Bedfordshire is a education organization based out in Luton, Bedford, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 3860 authors who have published 6079 publications receiving 143448 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Luton.

Campylobacter enteritis associated with the consumption of free school milk.

Abstract: A large outbreak of campylobacter enteritis associated with the consumption of free school milk is described. The outbreak had an abrupt onset, and lasted for about 3 weeks; it involved mainly school children in the 2-4 and 5-7 year old age groups. During this period it was established from epidemiological and microbiological data that some 2500 children were infected. The source of the epidemic was almost certainly contaminated milk, although bacteriological proof could not be obtained. Biotyping of isolates was of considerable epidemiological value and showed the involvement of two distinct strains, one of which was dominant. Epidemiological evidence of limited person to person transmission of the infection was obtained; febrile convulsions as a prodromal sign of the illness was recognized for the first time. Strains of Campylobacter jejuni, and samples of patients' serum collected during this outbreak have enabled subsequent studies to be initiated on the serotyping of the responsible organism, on the serological response of patients infected with the organism, and on experimental infection of the bovine udder which demonstrated its potential as a source of C. jejuni in raw milk. A careful search of the literature suggests that this is the largest documented outbreak of campylobacter enteritis.

Can High Group Cohesion Be Harmful? A Case Study of a Junior Ice-Hockey Team

Abstract: High group cohesion is considered to be beneficial and lead to better performance. This qualitative case study describes a case in which high social cohesion led to a deterioration in a team's performance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships between performance in a team sport and social psychological group phenomena such as cohesion, conformity, groupthink, and group polarization. The participants were members of a junior-league ice-hockey team, consisting of three adult coaches and 22 players aged 15 to 16 years. The data were derived from an interview with the main coach, continuous observation by the principal researcher, and a diary based on observations during one ice-hockey season. The Group Environment Questionnaire was used to assess group cohesion quantitatively. The qualitative data were analyzed by identifying themes that illuminated the research problem. In this study, the team did not perform as expected, and their performance deteriorated during the autumn. Soc...

Book towns as tourism developments in peripheral areas.

Abstract: This paper examines a research and development programme into one of the most novel forms of tourism development in peripheral areas of Europe, the book town, which started in Hay-on-Wye in Wales in 1961 and by the 1990s had spread to Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Norway and Finland. In 1996 the Scottish Tourism Research Unit at the University of Strathclyde, in partnership with Scotland's national development agency, Scottish Enterprise, undertook a programme of research aimed at evaluating the tourism potential of a book town development in Scotland. The results led to the development of a book town in Wigtown, a rural town in the extreme south west of Scotland, which was launched in May 1998. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A new VO2max protocol allowing self-pacing in maximal incremental exercise

Abstract: Introduction The traditional maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max ) protocol has received criticism for being an unnatural form of exercise, lacking ecological validity and producing different VO 2max responses depending on protocol duration and work rate increments. Purpose The purpose of this investigation was to design and test a new VO 2max protocol allowing subjects to self-pace their work rate while maintaining an incremental test structure. Methods 16 untrained subjects completed a self-paced VO 2max protocol (SPV) and a traditional VO 2max test in a counter-balanced, crossover design. The SPV used incremental ‘clamps’ of ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) over 5 × 2-min stages (10-min duration) while allowing subjects to vary their power output (PO) according to the required RPE. Results Subjects achieved significantly higher (p 2max values (40 ± 10 ml/kg/min vs 37 ± 8 ml/kg/min) and peak POs (273 ± 58 W vs 238 ± 55 W) in the SPV. Higher VO 2max values were observed in the SPV even when a plateau (VO 2 –time slope Conclusions As SPV is a closed-loop test (10-min duration) that allows subjects to self-pace their work rate, it disregards the need for experimenters to estimate starting work rates, stage lengths and increments in order to bring about volitional exhaustion in 8–10 min. The observation that the SPV may also elicit higher VO 2max values than a traditional test warrants further research in this area and its consideration as standard measure to elicit VO 2max .