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Exercise is a key component of a healthy lifestyle as it helps maintain a healthy body weight and reduces the risk of various morbidities and co‐morbidities. Exercise is an acute physiological stress that initiates a multitude of processes that attempt to restore physiological homeostasis and promote adaptation. A component of the stress response to exercise is the rapid release of hormones from the adrenal gland including glucocorticoids, the catecholamines and aldosterone. While each hormone targets several tissues throughout the body, skeletal muscle is of interest as it is central to physical function and various metabolic processes. Indeed, adrenal stress hormones have been shown to elicit specific performance benefits on the muscle. However, how the acute, short‐lived release of these stress hormones during exercise influences adaptations of skeletal muscle to long‐term training remains largely unknown. Thus, the objective of this review was to briefly highlight the known impact of adrenal stress hormones on skeletal muscle metabolism and function (Old Dog), and critically examine the current evidence supporting a role for these endogenous hormones in mediating long‐term training adaptations in skeletal muscle (New Tricks).

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The purpose of the current study was to investigate if a significant relationship exists between ethnicity, sex, and short dental roots. The hypotheses are: 1. Hispanics have a higher prevalence of short dental roots than Caucasians, African Americans, and Asians; and 2. Females have a higher prevalence of short dental roots than males. The experimental groups consisted of 30 Caucasians, 30 Hispanics, 30 African Americans, and 26 Asian subjects who presented to University of Illinois Department of Orthodontics for treatment. Actual root length (mm) and relative root length were measured on periapical radiographs, for the maxillary and mandibular central and lateral incisors, and second premolars. The results showed that Asians had the shortest dental root lengths for all teeth measured, except the maxillary second premolar. Significant differences in relative root length values between the ethnic groups were found for the maxillary central incisor and second premolar. Females had shorter roots than their male counterparts within each ethnic group.

Urban modification of precipitation regimes is well documented in the urban climate literature. Studies investigating urbanization and non-convective precipitation, specifically winter precipitation, are limited. The theoretical framework here argues that the collective influence of urbanization extends beyond traditional city limits and the surrounding rural areas and can impact regional climate in non-adjacent cities. This paper utilizes the weather research and forecasting model (WRF-ARW) to simulate a cold-season synoptic system over the Northeastern United States over a variety of urban land surface scenarios. This case study centers on the potential boundary layer urban heat island effect on the lower troposphere and its ability to impact winter precipitation type at the local to regional scales. Results show a significant reduction in temperatures near the modified surface and subtle reductions over adjacent urban areas. When surface wind speeds are less than 5 ms−1, the boundary layer heat island increases air temperatures on the order of 3–4 °C at altitudes up to 925 mb. When combined with encroaching warm air near 850 mb during transitional precipitation events, the boundary layer heat island increases the thickness of the melting layer and consequently exposes falling hydrometeors to longer melting duration and phase change. Model simulations also show regional connections through remote temperature and relative humidity changes in urban areas removed from reforested areas.