Sunday, January 26, 2020

Effects of Red Bull on Young Adults

Effects of Red Bull on Young Adults Research Proposal Aims The aim of this study is to investigate the acute effects of drinking a can of Red Bull, which includes taurine and caffeine, on heart rate and blood pressure in healthy young adults. It is hoped that this study will lead to the mandatory regulation of the amount of caffeine contained in all energy drinks and the mandatory inclusion of a warning label on every can to hopefully eliminate adverse effects due to the overconsumption of energy drinks. Introduction Energy drinks such as Red Bull ®, V ®, Rockstar ® and Mother ® are caffeinated beverages promoted for improving physical performance, concentration, endurance and also being beneficial in increasing stamina. Young adults, especially students and athletes, are the target of advertising campaigns by companies that manufacture these beverages. Energy drinks account for approximately 20 per cent of beverages sold in Australian convenience stores. The Food Regulation Standing Committee found that energy drinks sales in Australia and New Zealand have increased from 34.5 million litres in 2001 to 155.6 million litres in 2010. Energy drinks contain varying quantities of caffeine (80–500 mg), taurine (1000–2000 mg), guarana, amino acids, sugar and vitamins. Caffeine is the most commonly consumed stimulant drug worldwide, with approximately 90% of adults regularly consuming it, but unlike many other stimulant drugs, it is legal and unregulated worldwide. At the cellular level, caffeine increases intracellular calcium and releases noradrenaline and intensifies dopamine receptors with stimulation of the cardiovascular system as well as the brains respiratory and vasomotor centers. In healthy adults, a caffeine intake of ≠¤400 mg/day is considered safe and not likely to result in any adverse effects. Additional amounts of caffeine are often found in energy drinks through additives, including guarana, cocoa, yerba mate, and kola nut. Guarana is a plant that contains caffeine. 40 to 80 mg of caffeine can be contained in each gram of guarana and it may also have a longer half-life due to interac tions with other plant compounds. However, these ingredients are not required to be listed under the caffeine content by manufacturers thus the actual caffeine dose in a single serving may exceed that listed on the can. Taurine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the human body. It is also naturally present in our diet as it is contained in meat and seafood. Taurine is also synthesized in the liver from the amino acid cysteine, as well as from other sulphur compounds. It is present in relatively high amounts in skeletal and cardiac muscle and it is involved in the formation of bile salt, neuronal excitability, cell membrane stability and the modulation of calcium flow. There is no evidence of adverse effects in humans in short term studies with large daily doses (6000 mg per day for 42 days) of Taurine. Both caffeine and taurine have been shown to have direct effects on cardiac function and hemodynamic status. A pilot study on healthy volunteers in the United States found that one can of Red Bull containing 80 mg of caffeine increased BP compared to 80 mg of caffeine alone. Another study investigated the effects of energy drink consumption on hemodynamic and electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters in healthy young adults and reported a significantly increased heart rate and blood pressure within 4 hours (Steinke and Lanfear). In another study, the influence of a multi constituent energy drink and its individual ingredients on the heart was compared and found that stroke volume and diastolic intake velocity were significantly increased in the red bull group compared to a similar drink that contained caffeine but not taurine. A poisons information line in NSW reported almost 300 cases of toxicity due to energy drink consumption, with the average age being 17 years old and the average number of drinks consumed in one session being 5. The most common physical effects reported included peripheral vasodilation, palpitations, agitation, tremor, insomnia and gastrointestinal upset. 128 people were hospitalized and 21 people had symptoms of serious neurological or cardiac toxicity. Most worrying is the growing trend of young people combining these energy drinks with alcohol. Research from the United States has shown that individuals who combine alcohol and caffeinated energy drinks consume more alcohol more often compared to individuals who don’t consume alcohol and caffeinated energy drinks. It has also shown that that there is a significantly higher prevalence of alcohol related consequences, including alcohol poisoning, impaired driving, physical injury, and sexual victimisation. Energy drinks have previously been classified and marketed as dietary supplements, which have minimal regulation. Canada has recently changed their classification to foods which have tighter regulations. It is time that energy drinks are subjected to greater regulation worldwide, this includes regulating the amount of caffeine in a single serving. Only a few energy drinks have a fine-print warning label, which state that they may not be safe for children, caffeine sensitive individuals, or for pregnant or nursing women however this is not mandatory it is up to the company to add this. It should be noted that, although energy drinks have been sold worldwide for more than a decade, only a few published studies have examined their effects on health and well-being. However, studies have not been conducted on an isolated island population with a defined population such as this. Research Plan/ Methods Participants The participants for this study are healthy young adult Islanders from a virtual environment called The Island. The Island provides a unique sample population. 30 Islanders either gender, aged 18–30 years will be selected at random using a random number generator and asked if they would like to participate in the study. A minimum and a maximum will be entered into the random number generator for the number of towns on the island, the number of houses in the town were and also for the number of residents in the house if more than one resident aged 18-35 years old lives in that particular house. The study will be unblinded. Each resident will be assigned a number from 1-30 with numbers 1-10 receiving the placebo, which contained no caffeine or other stimulant, and thus the control group, numbers 10-20 receiving the 1 Red Bull (80 mg of caffeine) and numbers 20-30 receiving 5 Red Bulls (400 mg of caffeine). Subjects have to meet a set of inclusion criteria obtained by a medical h istory/ task history examination blood pressure < 120/80 mmHg, non-smoking, absence of systemic diseases (including hypertension, diabetes, or vascular disease), evidence of abstinence from caffeine or caffeine beverages, and abstinence from use of any systemic drugs and/or alcohol. Subjects will be excluded if they have blood pressure outside the specified range, are smokers, if they have a systemic disease, if they have recently ingested caffeine, drugs or alcohol. Instruments Brachial artery systemic blood pressure will be assessed by automated sphygmomanometry and pulse rate will be measured using a heart rate monitor. Procedure Three solutions were administered: Placebo and Energy drinks with 80 mg and 400 mg of caffeine. As a control, 10 of the subjects were required to consume 250 mL of water. Of the two groups consuming the energy drinks one group will be required to drink 1 red bull which contains 80mg caffeine and 1000mg Taurine per 250ml and other group will be required to drink 5 Red Bulls which contains 400 mg caffeine and 5000mg Taurine per 1250ml. The reason we chose the two different doses of Red Bull are due to claims by Red Bull that 1 can of Red Bull contains the same amount of caffeine as a regular cup of coffee, which is 80mg. An extensive review of the scientific literature on caffeine was conducted by Health Canada. They concluded from the review that if the general population of healthy adults limit their consumption of caffeine to 400 mg per day they will not be at risk of any potential adverse effects thus we decided to use a maximum dose of 5 Red Bulls even though there is a warning to not have more than two 250ml cans per day. Measurements of BP and pulse rate were performed before (resting baseline) and after (30, 60, 90 min) ingestion of each of these solutions. Statistical Analysis The results for all subjects for each group, at each time point, will be combined and presented as the means  ±standard deviation, to allow for statistical comparison. A one way analysis of Variance (ANOVA) will be used to see if there is any difference between all the measured variables. Statistical analysis of the data was performed with SPSS 16.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). P-values less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Significance It is expected that both doses of red bull will increase heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure when compared to the control group however a larger response is expected in the group who consumed 5 cans of red bull. . It is hoped that this study will lead to the mandatory regulation of the amount of caffeine contained in all energy drinks and the mandatory inclusion of a warning label on every can to hopefully eliminate adverse effects due to the overconsumption of energy drinks. References Franks AM, Schmidt JM, McCain KR, et al. Comparison of the effects of energy drink versus caffeine supplementation on indices of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. Ann Pharmacother 2012; 46:192-199. Gunja N and Brown JA. Energy drinks: Health risks and toxicity. Med J Aust 2012; 196:46-49. Koczwara K. Moms talk: Are energy drinks safe for teens? Fountain Valley Patch, April 26, 2012. Knowler W. Energy drinks must now carry warnings. Independent Online, May 3, 2012. Szotowska M, Bartmanska M, Wyskida K, et al. Influence of energy drinks on the blood pressure and the pulse rate in healthy young adults. J Hypertension 2012; 30: e369. Wolk BJ, Ganetsky M, Babu KM. Toxicity of energy drinks. Curr Opin Pediatr 2012; 24:243-251. FINER Feasible This study is feasible as it has an adequate number of subjects and as the sample size is small, the cost of the trial is reduced. This study also has adequate expertise in the field as all staff members have been instructed by experts in the field on how to use the instruments used to measure heart rate and blood pressure. A nurse will also be present during all experimental procedures to ensure the health and safety of all the subjects. James Baglin who is a statistician at RMIT will be assisting with the statistical analysis of the results. The scope of the study is manageable as the experimental procedure only goes for 90 minutes therefore subjects do not have to do repeat testing after this time. Islanders are also easy to contact and find on the Island. This study will be funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council thus lack of funding will not be an issue. Interesting The study will be hopefully be able to shine a light on the dangers of caffeine in energy drinks in a sample population which is of great benefit to researchers and experts alike and also to the community. Novel Only a few published studies have examined the effects of energy drinks on health and well-being. However, studies have not been conducted on an isolated island population with a defined population such as this. Ethical All of the studies participants are healthy young adults aged between 20-35 years who have consented to be in our study. No children, disabled, senior, mentally or physically ill Islanders have been included in the study. There also aren’t any vulnerable islanders or islanders in dependant relationships in this study. This study is categorised as risk 2 –non invasive project as the subjects will be receiving either red bull or placebo and heart rate and blood pressure will be measured over a period of 90 mins. Participants are also not payed in this study. Relevant It is hoped that this study will lead to the mandatory regulation of the amount of caffeine contained in all energy drinks and the mandatory inclusion of a warning label on every can to hopefully eliminate adverse effects due to the overconsumption of energy drinks.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

The Impact of Tourism on Benidorm

Map of Benidorm Before the tourist hype Benidorm was a small fishing village, with a relatively small population – whose main income was obtained through fishing the local coast, the Costa del Sol – but quickly became Spain's biggest holiday resort for people from foreign countries, and at its peak, it was attracting four million tourists each year.Benidorm in the 1960’s Between 1930 and 1970 it became one of the most visited tourist destinations. The fact that it’s in one of the most southern regions of Spain and is faces the sun is one of the many reasons so many people were drawn to Benidorm. Another reason it became so popular is the fact that it is only a 2-3 hour flight from most places in Europe and it’s cheap and affordable for most families. For the majority of the local people tourism is their income in one way or another, with 85% of income being from tourism. Benidorm is the most affluent area of Spain due to tourism. There is loads of work for the local people and most are flexible due to their nature. There is also a sense of globalisation as people get to get a taste of a different culture for example eating in foreign food restaurants. Overcrowding in Benidorm There is however some major negative impacts of tourism in Benidorm, for example it is overcrowded, the population has increased from 700,000 to 110,000,00. A lot of the negative impacts effect the local environment such as hardly any of the beach is natural and is constantly having to be replenished due to erosion mainly due to humans. There is also too much rubbish to deal with and roads are congestion due to too many cars and too little busses. Local people who aren’t that wealthy may also struggle to fins houses as house prices have increased due to the high demand for second homes, people are also reliant on tourism and there is a loss of independence. Over the last few years Benidorm has been trying to shake of the â€Å"lager lout† reputation it became to develop mainly due to amount of British tourist go there just to party and become disorderly. Tourism officials decided they did not want that label and wanted to make it more family friendly and are determined to shake the bad reputation they have developed due to the amount of drunken people. There are plans to build more 4-5 star hotels to regain the tourist they had started to lose due to their bad reputation

Friday, January 10, 2020

The Pain of Definition Argument Essay Examples

The Pain of Definition Argument Essay Examples Definitions of Definition Argument Essay Examples What's more, a verbal argument often focuses on who's right regarding a particular issue, even though a well-written, researched argument essay focuses on what's the most suitable side of a specific matter. The intent is to convince the reader your essay has covered all the most important arguments about the problem and that your primary premise is the ideal position on the problem. Argumentative essays are also called position papers due to their justification of the side of the issue they are written in support of. In most instances, you're going to be defining terms your readers will already have a simple comprehension of. It's better to understand what the distinction is between somebody with an OCD disorder and a drug addict. Rephrase the key areas of the definition and make certain you summed up everything you planned on saying. If a person is uber rich, the middle class lo oks poor. Each piece has certain characteristics and belongs in a certain place to create the entire picture. The Importance of Definition Argument Essay Examples Obviously, here, you'll discover a wide selection of topics and essay ideas. Books, obviously, are the ideal source of helpful information. The introduction comprises an explanation of the problem, background info, and the author's position. Be certain that you read online essay writing service reviews in order to know what sort of material you are spending for. It's very helpful to obtain the use of the word in media, for instance, in movies, magazines. It's important to continue to keep your reader always interested. At the start of the paper, you can mention something catchy and intriguing rather than the normal dictionary details. You may download the example at any moment and from any location. An argumentative essay presents either side of a problem. It is a type of essay that presents arguments about both sides of an issue. It has the same structure as other types of essays. It is crucial to note an argumentative essay and an expository essay could possibly be similar, but they vary greatly concerning the quantity of pre-writing and research involved. In a definition essay, there are a few fundamental guidelines that you are going to have to follow. Once you have decided on an exciting topic or the one which you get a strong opinion about, make an argument essay outline. The conclusion closes the essay and attempts to close the situation. 1 such topic you might have been requested to compose an essay about is that of marriage. Simply speaking, an argument essay has to be logical from starting to end. Whether it's an argumentative or expository essay that you're writing, it is crucial to develop a clear thesis statement and a very clear sound reasoning. You are able to get your essay written in a few hours after you made a purchase. It is very important to check reviews about essay writing services in order to be confident they can deliver your task before the deadline. Such sort of writing does not require a normal thesis. You may grow to be a word artist with the assistance of your pen or computer only! You are going to learn how to compose a definition essay, how to decide on the topic you love the most, how to deal with defining the intricate provisions. Whatever the case, it's much better to fulfill your vocabulary by looking for its me aning and revealing new knowledge in a different sort of academic writing definition essay. Conversely, abstract notions are a great deal more difficult to explain. Should you do, paraphrase the offered definition to prevent issues with plagiarism. Regardless of the statistics, though, a lot of people feel that homosexuality isn't right and shouldn't be acknowledged as marriage due to the inherent immorality. It's important to select the word which provides you enough to research and write about. Use enough words to clearly show your private opinion, provide some examples from the true life, and tell the significance of the expression. The most important aim of your work is to provide the readers the comprehensive definition of the specific term. A definition essay outline will be different in length depending on the term one is describing. There are many ways to define a term. It is crucial that you select a word that will supply you with plenty to write about, and there are a couple standard tactics you'll be able to utilize to elaborate on the term. The Pain of Definition Argument Essay Examples There are an endless number of words which can be defined in the period of an essay. A background information isn't obligatory just check whether every individual idea has a distinct paragraph and stick with the structure below. Writing about widespread problems such as national or global problems is often unmanageable in only two or three pages. You may incorporate both to find the complete credit.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Term Structure Of Interest Rates - 1302 Words

Contents: 1. Introduction 2 2. Method 2 3. Data 3 4. Results 4 5. Limitations 5 6. Suggested improvements 5 7. References 7 Introduction The term structure of interest rates describes the empirical relationship between the yields on fixed income securities and their term to maturity (Poitras, 2005). The yield curve is the term structure’s graphical representation, plotting the yields of fixed income securities as a â€Å"function of their maturity† (Stander 2005, Cochrane, 2005). Yield curves are widely used in pricing and valuation techniques, supporting subjective and objective decision-making processes. Yield curves offer information that assists practitioners in determining the current level of market†¦show more content†¦In this respect, the following model will be employed: y_i=a+bM_i+cM_i^2+dM_i^3+e_i where: y_i≠¡yield to maturity of the bond M_i≠¡bond^ s time to maturity a,b,c,d≠¡parameters to be estimated e_i≠¡the deviation of the actual yield from the fitted yield The input data will consist of yields to maturity and respective time to maturity of the sample bonds. The independent (explained) variable in this model will be the yield to maturity. The explanatory variables will consist of the bonds’ time to maturity at the power of 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Since the sample data provides the maturity dates of each bond, the bond’s time to maturity (M_i) is calculated using the following formula: M_i=(maturity date of bond i-today^ s date)/(number of days in a year) Today’s date is assumed to be 14/11/2014; number of days in a year are assumed to be 365.25 thus, allowing for leap years to be taken into account. Subsequently M_i^2 and M_i^3 are also calculated for each bond in the sample. The model will be estimated using OLS regression method. The regression parameters are being estimated employing Excel’s regression function. The yield to maturity of the new bond is being estimated by substituting the bond’s time to maturity (M_i) into the estimated yield curve equation: (y_i ) Ì‚=a Ì‚+b Ì‚M_i+c Ì‚M_i^2+d Ì‚M_i^3 From the definition of yield to