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Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
A physical fitness profile of state highway patrol officers by gender and age
J. Jay Dawes1,2,
Robin M. Orr2,
Richard R. Flores1,
Robert G. Lockie3,
Charlie Kornhauser4 &
Ryan Holmes4
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine volume 29, Article number: 16 (2017) Cite this article
Law enforcement officers perform physically demanding tasks that generally remain constant as they age. However, there is limited population-specific research on age, gender and normative fitness values for law enforcement officers as opposed to those of the general population. The purpose of this study was to profile the current level of fitness for highway patrol officers based on age and gender and provide percentile ranking charts unique to this population.
Retrospective data for six-hundred and thirty-one state troopers (♂ = 597; mean age = 39.52 ± 8.09 yrs; mean height = 180.72 ± 7.06 cm; mean weight = 93.66 ± 15.72 kg: ♀ = 34; mean age = 36.20 ± 8.45 years; mean height = 169.62 ± 6.65 cm; mean weight = 74.02 ± 14.91 kg) collected in 2014–2015 were provided for analysis. Data included demographic (age), anthropometric (height and weight), and select fitness (VJ, push-ups, sit ups, isometric leg/back strength, isometric grip strength and 20 m shuttle run test) information.
There were generally significant differences between genders for all anthropometric and fitness measures, most consistently in the 30–39 age groups. While there was a general decline in push-up and shuttle run performance in female officers, these results did not reach significance. For male officers, there were significant differences between the 20–29 year-old age group and the 30–39, 40–49 and 50–59 year-old groups with the younger group performing better in VJ, push-ups, sit ups and number of shuttle runs than the older groups. There were no differences in isometric grip strength and leg back dynamometer measures between age groups.
Male officers tended to be heavier, taller and perform significantly better than female officers in all measures bar sit-ups. While there appeared to be a general decline in certain physical characteristics across genders with increasing age the notable differences were between the youngest male age group (20–29 years) and all other male age groups with a potential reason being the lack of fitness requirements once typically younger cadets leave the academy. Percentile rankings for the assessed measures were found to have elements very specific to this population when compared to the general population and those provided in this paper can be used to inform future profiling and research in this population.
Law enforcement officers (LEOs) can be called upon, at a moment's notice, at any hour of the day to serve the citizens they have sworn to protect [1]. Provision of this service can see LEOs perform physically and mentally demanding tasks in an occupation that is often spent in a sedentary position punctuated with bursts of physical exertion [1, 2]. These demanding tasks may include, but are not limited to, pursuing and apprehending a suspect, forcing entry during a search warrant, close encounter hand-to-hand combat, lifting heavy objects, and maneuvering quickly on foot to a situation [1]. As such, performance of these tasks require the officer to possess an adequate base of cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness in order to perform these duties in an effective manner [3]. In addition to these abrupt physical exertions, LEOs can spend a good portion of their work shifts sitting in a patrol car or at a desk completing reports [1]. The combination of this sedentary behavior, and potential for the associated negative impact on physical fitness, coupled with near maximal exertions may increase ones risk for injury, morbidity, and mortality. It is therefore not surprising that LEOs have been found to be twice as likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease as the general population [4]. Therefore, the need to attain and maintain physical fitness is imperative to an officer's overall health and ability to perform job-tasks safely and effectively throughout their career [1]. Furthermore, it is suggested that LEOs need to be more physically fit than the general population [5].
Spitler et al. [3] measured and evaluated oxygen uptake, body composition, and muscular strength, endurance and power for 12 police officers. The researchers discovered that the officers displayed average to above average rankings in health and physical fitness when compared to age and gender based norms in their respective age groups [3]. While the small sample size in this study limits inferences to the larger law enforcement population, this work is supported by other research [6, 7]. For example, a study by Dawes et al. [7] observed that LEOs generally maintained their push-up ability as they aged, notably increasing their capability above that of the general population age comparative norms. In this study increases in percentage of body fat, which increased with age, was the most strongly negatively correlated (r = -.540, p < .001) factor for push-up performance decline as opposed to age alone (p = .330). There is however conflicting research. Sorensen et al. [1] found that Finnish LEOs decreased significantly decreased in push-up ability over a 15-year period (mean difference -3.4, p < .001) as well as VO2max, pull up and sit up performance. Furthermore, Sorensen et al. [1] suggested that high levels of stress and a lack of physical fitness in LEOs may lead to a decline in health and fitness over the course of their career.
Acknowledging these conflicting findings, it is imperative to appreciate that as an officer ages the physical demands of patrolling and performing essential job tasks generally remain constant. As such, regardless of age, maintenance of fitness is critical to ensure safety for the officer, their teammates, and the public [8, 9]. On this basis, minimal research has examined the physical and physiological characteristics of police officers with a large enough sample size to establish normative, or reference, data within this population.
Establishing population-specific normative values will allow for the comparison of LEO officers to the general population and may also provide greater insight into population-related differences in fitness. Furthermore, through establishing normative values, greater insight for developing strength and conditioning programs to improve, or maintain, fitness over the course of an officer's career can be gained. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to profile the current level of fitness for highway patrol officers based on age and gender and provide percentile ranking charts unique to this population.
Retrospective data for six-hundred and thirty-one state troopers (♂ = 597; mean age = 39.52 ± 8.09 years; mean height = 180.72 ± 7.06 cm; mean weight = 93.66 ± 15.72 kg: ♀ = 34; mean age = 36.20 ± 8.45 years; mean height = 169.62 ± 6.65 cm; mean weight = 74.02 ± 14.91 kg) were provided for analysis. This data were collected in 2014–2015 as part of the agencies normal yearly fitness assessment. Prior to the analysis, approval for the use of the data was obtained from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Institutional Review Board (IRB 15-074) for human subjects and the Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee (RO 1927).
This data included demographic (age) and anthropometric (height and weight) information as well as select fitness measures (VJ, push-ups, sit ups, isometric leg/back strength, isometric grip strength and 20 m shuttle run test), and was collected by the state patrol training staff.
Age, height and weight
Age (yrs), height (in) and weight (lbs) measurements for incumbents were self-reported by the state troopers. All imperial measures were subsequently converted to metric values for analysis.
Vertical jump
Vertical jump (VJ) height provides an indirect measure of lower-body power [10], and thus features in many testing batteries for LEOs [2, 11,12,13,14,15]. VJ height was measured using a Just Jump (ProBotics Inc, Huntsville, Al) electrical contact operated system. The Just Jump Mat is a 27-in. x 27-in. mat that calculates VJ height by measuring vertical displacement time. Vertical jump height for this device was calculated by measuring the amount of time the feet are not in contact with the mat. All troopers were instructed to step on the mat, and when ready perform a countermovement arm swing and jump as high as possible. This score was used to determine the VJ height of each trooper. The best of 3 attempts were taken and maximal jump height was recorded to the nearest 0.5 in. before being converted into metric units.
1-Minute push-ups
The 1-min push-up test is commonly completed by law enforcement officers and provides a measure of endurance for the upper-body muscles [11,12,13,14, 16]. This test also provides an indication of relative strength and the ability to move the body weight [17, 18]. In this test, all troopers had been required to begin the test in the standard "up" position with the body rigid and straight, the hands positioned slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and the fingers pointed forward. A partner then placed a fist on the floor directly under the individual's chest. On the "go" command, the tester began the stopwatch and the participant would bend their elbows, lowering themselves until their chest was in contact with their partner's fist and then extend the elbows until back in the "up" position. The troopers then proceeded to perform as many push-ups as possible in the time allotted using this technique. Troopers were allowed to rest in the straight-arm position, as long a neutral trunk position was maintained. The test was terminated when a trooper was unable to perform this movement with proper technique, or when the one-minute time limit expired.
1-Minute sit-ups
All troopers were required to begin the assessment lying in a supine position, with the knees bent, feet flat on the ground and the arms positioned in front of the body with arms wrapped across the chest and each hand on the opposite shoulder. Once in position the participant will flex the trunk, elevating the shoulders off the floor until the elbows touch the knees. During this assessment each trooper had a partner anchor their feet in place to assist in keeping the feet flat on the floor throughout the exercise movement. On the "go" command, the tester began the stopwatch and the participant began the assessment. The troopers then proceeded to perform as many sit-ups as possible in 1-min using this technique.
Isometric leg/back strength
Although potentially not as precise an isometric mid-thigh pull on a force plate, the leg/back chain dynamometer does provide the advantage of being less expensive, more efficient, and easily transportable, and still capable of providing quantitative data [19]. This assessment has been used as a measure of strength in athletic populations [20]. Considering this, isometric a leg/back chain dynamometer (Medico Inc., Phoenix, Az.) was used to measure the strength of the legs and lower back. The chain, which connects the scale on one end and a handle on the other, was adjusted so that the trooper's knees were bent at approximately 110°. While maintaining good spinal posture, straight arms and feet flat on the base of the dynamometer, the troopers pulled the handle upward as hard as possible by extending through the hips and knees. This dynamometer was calibrated within .05 kg using an industrial portable digital hanging scale prior to use. Troopers were allowed a single trial and their score to the nearest pound was recorded.
Dominant hand grip strength was measured using a handgrip dynamometer (Takei Scientific Instruments, Japan). The dynamometer was adjusted so that the base of the first metacarpal and the middle four fingers were in contact with the handle. Troopers were then instructed to squeeze the handle as hard as possible. One attempt was allowed and the sore was recorded to the nearest kilogram.
20 Meter Multi-Stage Fitness Test (20 m-MSFT)
Troopers were required to run back and forth between two lines marked on the ground spaced exactly 20 meters apart. The speed of running for this test is standardized by pre-recorded auditory cues (beeps). The initial speed for the test is set at 8.5 km/h and increases by 0.5 km/h with each additional stage. This test is scored according to the final stage and shuttle (e.g. Stage 5.5) the participant is able to achieve before being unable to run at the speed required. The test was terminated when the participant was unable to reach the next line twice in a row in accordance with the auditory cues. Final scores by stage and shuttle were converted for total number of shuttles completed.
Data management and statistical analysis
The retrospective data were divided into five separate age groups in order to compare trooper fitness scores on push-ups, sit-ups, grip strength and aerobic fitness to age and gender norms in the general population. These groups consisted of 1: 20–29 years. (n = 89); Group 2: 30–39 years. (n = 218); Group 3: 40–49 years. (n = 226); Group 4: 50–59 years. (n = 57); and Group 5: 60–69 (n = 5). The data were analyzed both by gender, to identify any gender specific differences, but also as pooled data to investigate absolute age based requirements regardless of gender. Using the SPSS 23.0 software package, a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to determine mean fitness scores for the entire sample with independent samples t-tests used to compare results by gender and by gender within each age grouping. Additionally, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with pairwise comparisons was used to compare mean differences in fitness scores between age categories within gender. If a significant difference between groups was found within the ANOVA, a Bonferroni post hoc adjustment was used to determine where the significance lay. The level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.01 to control for family-wise error. In addition, SPSS was used to create percentile charts for future comparison. Due to the small size of Group 5, the data from this group were excluded from statistical analysis and provided for future reference only.
Not all officers performed every fitness test due to individual injury status and willingness to participate. Descriptive data and all fitness tests for the entire sample and by gender are displayed in Table 1. As there were only 5 participants in Group 5 (male only) their data were removed for inferential analysis. While there were no significant differences between gender groups in age (p = 0.021) or sit up repetitions (p = 0.064), there were significant differences across all other measures (Table 1). When considered by age groups there were significant differences between genders with some exceptions. In the oldest group, 50–59 year olds, there were no significant differences between genders while in the 20–29 year and 40–49-year age groups there were no significant differences in sit up performance (p = 0.425 and p = 0.775 respectively), and shuttle run performance (p = 0.11 and p = 0.113 respectively). In addition, no significant differences between genders were noted in VO2 between the 40–49-year-old age group (p = 0.79). Of note, the only age group where there were significant differences between genders for all measures were the 30–39-year-old age group) (See Table 2).
Table 1 Descriptive data and fitness test results by gender
Table 2 Descriptive data and fitness test results by gender stratified by age
When comparing each gender by their own age group (Table 2) there were no significant differences between anthropometric or performance results for any of the female age groups. While some general trends towards a reduction in performance did appear, for example a general reduction in push-up and shuttle run performance, these declines in performance did not reach significance. It should also be noted that female grip strength did approach the stringent level significance required for this study (p = 0.042) with the older group (Group 5: 50–59 years, n = 38) increasing in strength. However significant differences did exist across all age groups in VJ (p < 0.001), push-up (p < 0.001), sit up (p < 0.001), shuttle run (p < 0.001) and VO2 (p < 0.001) results for male officers. In addition, while significant differences did exist in weight among male officers (p < 0.001) the Bonferroni post hoc assessment identified that the differences in weight existed only between the 20–29-year-old group and both the 40–49-year-old (p < 0.001) and 50–59-year-old (p = 0.006) groups.
Given the lower number of female participants, especially when stratified across age groups, percentile ranking charts were constructed for only male police officers. The percentile ranking charts VJ (see Table 3), grip strength (see Table 4), push-ups (see Table 5), sit-ups (See Table 6), leg back dynamometer (see Table 7) and number of shuttles (See Table 8) are shown below.
Table 3 Percentile ranking of male police officer VJ ability (cm)
Table 4 Percentile ranking of male police officer grip strength ability (kg)
Table 5 Percentile ranking of male police officer push-up ability (repetitions)
Table 6 Percentile ranking of male police officer sit up ability (repetitions)
Table 7 Percentile ranking of male police officer leg back dynamometer ability (kg)
Table 8 Percentile ranking of male police shuttle run ability (number of shuttles)
The purpose of this investigation was to profile the current level of fitness for highway patrol officers based on age and gender and provide percentile ranking charts unique to this population. With regards to the between-gender comparisons, it was discovered that, on average, male officers, were heavier, taller and displayed greater lower limb power, dominant hand grip strength, upper limb muscular endurance and metabolic fitness than female officers. No significant differences were found between genders in trunk muscular endurance except between the 30–39-year age groups. For the age analysis, there was a general decline in mean performance between male officer age groups in weight, VJ, push-ups, sit ups and number of shuttles completed. However, these differences were generally only significant between those between 20–29 years of age and age groups ranging from 30 to 59 years of age. In contrast to this, the performance of the female officers did not vary significantly across the different age range groups.
When investigating the results by gender there were significant differences in height and body weight between male and female police officers, which is to be expected given previous research investigating gender differences in height and body weight [21]. Given that males tend to have greater skeletal muscle mass [21] and that greater muscle mass is a major factor in gender-related differences in strength [22, 23], the differences in strength (leg/back dynamometer, grip strength), strength endurance (push-ups) and strength influenced movements (e.g. leg power for VJ) observed between the genders in this study are not unexpected. This is reflected in the significant differences between genders in the performance tests measured in this study, including the VJ, leg/back dynamometer, maximum push-ups in 1-min, and grip strength. With the one exception of the 30–39-year-old age group, there were no significant differences between the genders in the sit-up test. This result was not surprising given that some research investigating trunk flexion strength-endurance differences between genders failed to find significant differences when assessing two different trunk flexion exercises [24]. In this study, relatively smaller female sample sizes may have been a notable factor in the differences in findings. Male officers also reported significantly higher MSFT results and a higher predicted VO2 max when compared to the female officers. These results was again expected as males tend to display greater aerobic power and work efficiency when compared to females [25], both of which would positively contribute to MSFT performance.
These gender difference findings are epitomized by fitness requirements of tactical populations that are normalized for gender. For example, in the Australian Army, males are required to complete a higher number of push-up repetitions and complete an aerobic run of 2.4 km in a faster time [26]. Conversely, there are no differences in sit up requirements between genders [26].
When considering the impact of age on performance, it is known that body weight has a tendency to increase with advancing age in the general population [27]. In this study, there appeared to be a similar trend in male officers with body weight increasing with age. However, these increases in body weight with age were only significant in two cases, being the 40–49 and 50–59 year groups being heavier than the 20–29-year group. When comparing mean ages of other research samples in law enforcement, the demographic profiles in this study were similar. For example, in research conducted with male police academy cadets mean ages of 23.7 years [28], 24.6 years [29], and 27.4 years [12] mean weights were reported as being 82.1 kg [28], 82.4 kg [29], and 85.4 kg [12] respectively with the mean male weight in this study for the 20–29 year old age group being 84.85 kg. Likewise, in research including incumbent officers, demographic samples included mean ages of 37.0 year [30], 37.1 year [29], and 37.9 years [31] with a mean mass of 88.7 kg [31], 90.2 kg [30], 94.6 kg [29], respectively compared to a mean weight of 91.4 kg in the 30–39 year age category in this study. Furthermore, research including specialist police (e.g. Special Weapons and Tactics [SWAT] team) mean ages were 33.3 years [32], 34.7 years [33] and 36.5 years [2] with mean body weights of 89.2 kg [32], 91.5 kg [33] and 93.3 kg [2]; again comparative with the findings of this study.
However, it should be noted that in these aforementioned comparative studies, age was not stratified. In the only other known study of LEOs that included body weight by age stratification, no significant differences in weight across the age groups was found (20–29 years = 87.9 ± 12.86 kg: 30–39 years = 91.27 ± 14.56 kg: 40–49 = 93.15 ± 15.26 kg: 50–59 years = 88.26 ± 11.09 kg) with the body weights by age stratification being similar to those of this study [7]. Furthermore, in this study by Dawes et al. [7], there was no significant association between body weight and age (r = .046, p = .296). One potential reason for the differences in findings between the study by Dawes et al., and this study is the larger standard deviation in body weights reported across all age categories in this study. As such, while body weight may generally increase with age it may not necessarily be by a significant amount in a law enforcement population.
In this study, there was a general decrease in VJ height across age for both genders, although this decrease was only significant in the 20–29-year-old male group. A decrease in VJ height with increasing age is noted in the literature. As an example, in one study Korhonen et al. [34] found that sprint-trained older men performed more poorly in the VJ when compared to younger sprinters (18–33 year group: 52.5 ± 1.62 cm; 40–49 year group: 42.0 ± 0.97 cm; 50–59 year group: 33.1 ± 0.89 cm). A reduction in VJ ability, and hence power, can be linked to the reductions in Type II muscle fiber size, muscle force output, and rate of force development that can occur with aging [34, 35]. Considering this, the results of VJ performance in this study mirror the results associated with body weight and aging whereby the significant difference occurred only with the youngest group (20–29 years). A potential reason for this similarity can be the association between body weight and VJ performance. While percentage of body fat, lean muscle mass and fat mass were not determined in this study, a study by Dawes et al. [36] did find a strong and significant correlation between these composition measures and VJ performance (-.566, .391, and − .369 respectively). Based on these findings, Dawes et al. [36] recommended that increasing lean body mass and decreasing body fat could both positively influence VJ performance. For the female officer population there did appear to be a general decline in VJ performance as age increased, but there were no significant differences. A potential reason for this lack of difference with aging lies in research suggesting that older females may be able to maintain stretch-shortening function better than men [35], a physiological function which could benefit VJ performance.
For the push-up assessment, similar results were found whereby the 30–39, 40–49, and 50–59 year groups for the males all performed significantly fewer repetitions than the 20–29-year group. These results contrast the findings of Dawes et al. [7], who found that 1-min push-up performance did not vary with age in male LEOs. However, this may have occurred because the 30–39, 40–49, and 50–59 year groups from this study performed fewer repetitions than the corresponding age groups in the study by Dawes et al. [7] (30–39 years: 44.65 ± 15.57 repetitions; 40–49 years: 43.92 ± 15.74 repetitions; 50–59 years: 43.71 ± 15.09 repetitions) while the 20–29 year old group performed more repetitions than those in the study by Dawes et al. [7] (44.48 ± 15.47 repetitions). Although not reaching significance, there was a general decline in the female LEOs groups with increasing age. Given this strong trend a lack of significance may have been due to the small sample size of female LEOs across the stratified age groups. This same trend was evident in the sit-up results. For male LEOs there was a trend towards fewer sit-up repetitions across the age group with significant differences only observed between the 20–29-year-old group and all other groups. Likewise, there were no significant differences in sit ups between female officer age groups with a leveling of performance over the age of 30 year.
When considering the aerobic capacity of the male officers, as measured by the MSFT, the 30–39, 40–49, and 50–59 year groups performed significantly poorer than the 20–29-year group. As for several of the other tests, there was a general decline in the MSFT performance and VO2 max for the females, without any significant interactions. On the surface, these results appear to be indicative of the age-related declines that occur in cardiorespiratory function [37]. There could potentially, however, be other limiting factors in the endurance running performance of older LEOs. Anecdotally, many of the older LEOs noted that a limiting factor in the MSFT was not their aerobic fitness, but rather previous injury or joint stress (e.g. knee pain) that caused cessation of the test. Increased body mass and occupations that involve heavy lifting (such as law enforcement work) can lead to joint degeneration and osteoarthritis later in life [38]. This factor could limit the value of using estimated VO2 from this assessment as a measure in this population.
In this study, performance in the isometric strength tests (isometric leg/back pull and grip strength) was similar across all age groups for the male and female officers. As isometric strength can have a tendency to decrease with age [39], it is notable that LEOs appear to be able to maintain this capacity across the different age ranges. Although the requirement for LEOs to have a measure of isometric strength to perform occupation-specific tasks (e.g, including pushing, pulling, dragging, carrying, grappling, defensive tactics, etc [13, 40] may provide a reason for the maintenance of this type of strength, confirmation of these findings and reasons for this isometric strength maintenance require further investigation.
To inform future research as well as provide an interim profile of law enforcement officers, one aim of this research was to provide percentile ranking charts unique to this population. The importance of developing a law enforcement specific profile is clearly identified when the percentile ranking results of this law enforcement population are compared to the percentile rankings of the general population [41]. For example, in the push-up assessment the law enforcement 15th percentile ranking (see Table 5) is equivocal to that of the 50th percentile for the normative populations being: Group 20–29 = 33 repetitions, Group 30–39 = 27 repetitions; Group 40–49 = 21 repetitions and Group 50–59 = 15 repetitions. On this basis, using normative percentile data to guide conditioning and reconditioning of law enforcement may be notably underestimating law enforcement fitness. Consider an injured 35-year-old police officer undergoing reconditioning for return-to-work who can complete 27 push-ups. While this would stand the officer on the 50th percentile of the general population, this officer would only be at a level just below the 20th percentile of his specific population. Conversely, there were very little differences between the general population in sit-up performance with the 50th percentile for the general population generally being in the 45th–50th percentile of police officers. For VJ jump results were in-between with the 50th percentile for the general male population ranking from 15th Percentile (40–49 year old and 50–59 year old groups) to the 35th percentile (30–39 year old group) of male police officers.
There were certain limitations for this research that should be noted. Only select physiological characteristics were analyzed in this research: lower-body power, isometric grip of the dominant hand and back/leg strength, upper-body and abdominal strength endurance, and aerobic fitness. It would be of benefit to further analyze the influence of age on other capacities, such as maximal upper- and lower-body strength measured via repetition-maximum tests (e.g. bench press and squat), sprinting speed, and flexibility. This study was cross-sectional in design, and future studies employing a longitudinal approach would be of benefit to better inform impacts of aging on a LEO population. Although typical of LEO and police research [11, 12, 5], there were a limited number of female officers in this sample and as such additional research studies or larger cohorts are needed to support the finding presented in this study.
The findings of this study suggest that, on average, male LEOs tended to be heavier, taller and displayed greater lower limb power, dominant hand grip strength, upper limb muscular endurance and metabolic fitness than female officers with no consistent differences in trunk muscular endurance. Furthermore, across both genders it appears that certain physical characteristics may decline with age in LEOs. This included lower-body power, upper-body strength endurance, and aerobic capacity as measured by the MSFT. Based on these findings, and within the context of the limitations, an initial profile of male and female LEOs across different age ranges: 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60–69 years of age was established.
Percentile rankings, which were found to have elements very specific to this population when compared to the general population, were provided based on the data, including VJ, hand grip strength, number of push-ups and sit-ups completed in 1-min; leg/back chain dynamometer; and number of MSFT shuttles. These population specific percentile rankings can be used to inform expectations of performance above those generated for the general population in an LEO population.
ANOVA:
cm:
lbs:
Law Enforcement Officer
MSFT:
Multi-Stage Fitness Test
SPSS:
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
VJ:
VO2:
Volume of Oxygen consumed
yrs:
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Janssen I, Heymsfield SB, Wang Z, Ross R. Skeletal muscle mass and distribution in 468 men and women aged 18–88 yr. J Appl Physiol. 2000;89(1):81–8.
Frontera WR, Hughes VA, Lutz KJ, Evans WJ: A cross-sectional study of muscle strength and mass in 45- to 78-yr-old men and women. J Appl Physiol (Bethesda, Md : 1985) 1991, 71(2):644-650.
Miller AEJ, MacDougall JD, Tarnopolsky MA, Sale DG. Gender differences in strength and muscle fiber characteristics. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1993;66(3):254–62.
Evans K, Refshauge KM, Adams R. Trunk muscle endurance tests: reliability, and gender differences in athletes. J Sci Med Sport. 2007;10(6):447–55.
Pate RR, Kriska A. Physiological basis of the sex difference in cardiorespiratory endurance. Sports Med (Auckland, NZ) 1984, 1(2):87-98.
Tofari PJ, Laing Treloar AK, Silk AJ. A Quantification of the Physiological Demands of the Army Emergency Responder in the Australian Army. Mil Med. 2013;178(5):487–94.
Williamson DF. Descriptive epidemiology of body weight and weight change in U.S. adults. Ann Intern Med. 1993;119(7 Pt 2):646–9.
Lagestad P, Van den Tillaar R. A Comparison of Training and Physical Performance of Police Students at the Start and the End of Three-Year Police Education. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(5):1394–400.
Boyce R, Jones G, Llyod C, Boone E. A Longitudinal Observation of Police: Body Composition Changes Over 12 Years with Gender and Race Comparisons. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online. 2008;11(6):1–13.
Dempsey PC, Handcock PJ, Rehrer NJ. Impact of police body armour and equipment on mobility. Appl Ergon. 2013;44:957–61.
McGill S, Frost D, Lam T, Finlay T, Darby K, Cannon J. Can fitness and movement quality prevent back injury in elite task force police officers? A 5-year longitudinal study. Ergonomics. 2015;58(10):1682–9.
Carlton SD, Carbone PD, Stierli M, Orr RM. The Impact of Occupational Load Carriage on the Mobility of the Tactical Police Officer. J Australian Strength Cond. 2014;22(1):32–7.
Keeler JM. The Effect of Tactical Tasks and Gear on Muscle Activation of SWAT Officers. Theses and Dissertations-- Kinesiology and Health Promotion Doctoral Thesis, University of Kentucky; Kentucky: USA 2014.
Korhonen MT, Cristea A, Alén M, Häkkinen K, Sipilä S, Mero A, Viitasalo JT, Larsson L, Suominen H. Aging, muscle fiber type, and contractile function in sprint-trained athletes. J Appl Physiol. 2006;101(3):906–17.
Lindle RS, Metter EJ, Lynch NA, Fleg JL, Fozard JL, Tobin J, Roy TA, Hurley BF. Age and gender comparisons of muscle strength in 654 women and men aged 20–93 yr. J Appl Physiol. 1997;83(5):1581–7.
Dawes JJ, Orr RM, Siekaniec CL, Vanderwoude AA, Pope R. Associations between anthropometric characteristics and physical performance in male law enforcement officers: a retrospective cohort study. Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2016;28(1):1.
Jackson AS, Sui X, Hébert JR, Church TS, Blair SN. Role of lifestyle and aging on the longitudinal change in cardiorespiratory fitness. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(19):1781–7.
Lau EC, Cooper C, Lam D, Chan VN, Tsang KK, Sham A. Factors associated with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee in Hong Kong Chinese: obesity, joint injury, and occupational activities. Am J Epidemiol. 2000;152(9):855–62.
Danneskiold-Samsoe B, Bartels EM, Bulow PM, Lund H, Stockmarr A, Holm CC, Watjen I, Appleyard M, Bliddal H. Isokinetic and isometric muscle strength in a healthy population with special reference to age and gender. Acta physiologica (Oxford, England) 2009, 197(Suppl 673):1-68.
Orr R, Stierli M, Hinton B, Steele M. Grip strength is associated with marksmanship and defensive tactics, but not injuries, in police recruits. Presentation at the Australian Physiotherapy Association Conference: New Moves. Melbourne: Australia 17 - 20 October 2013: Conference proceedings pg. 133.
Cooper Institute: Physical Fitness Assessments and Norms Booklet. TX:USA: Cooper Institute,; 2009.
No funding was received for this research.
As the data is drawn from a law enforcement population, the data and materials will only be made available upon specific request made to the corresponding author who will seek approval from both the law enforcement agency and the Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee prior to the provision of any data.
JD: Developed the research plan, sought ethics approval (US), collated the data, assisted in the analysis and manuscript preparation. RO: Obtained ethics approval (Australia), assisted in, and finalized, the statistical analysis and interpretation of the data and edited the manuscript. RF: Collated the data, analysed the results and drafted the paper. RL: Assisted in the drafting and final preparation of the manuscript. CK & RH: Assisted in the collection and preparation of the data, reviewed the manuscript and obtained departmental approvals for the study and release of information. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Ethics approval for this study, employing retrospective non-identifiable data, was provided the University of Colorado: Colorado Springs Institutional Review Board (IRB 15-074) for human subjects and the Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee (RO 1927). Gatekeeper approval for use of third party data was provided by the law enforcement organization where this study took place as part of the ethics committee approval process. As this data were retrospective and non-identifiable, it met the pre-requisites for a waiver of participant consent as there were no means through which the participants could be identified and consent gained.
Department of Health Sciences, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, 1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy, Colorado Springs, CO, 80918, USA
J. Jay Dawes & Richard R. Flores
Tactical Research Unit, Bond University, Robina, Gold Coast, 4226, QLD, Australia
J. Jay Dawes & Robin M. Orr
Department of Kinesiology, Cal State Fullerton University, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, CA, 92834, USA
Robert G. Lockie
Colorado State Highway Patrol, Training Academy, 700 Kipling Street, Lakewood, CO, 80215, USA
Charlie Kornhauser & Ryan Holmes
J. Jay Dawes
Robin M. Orr
Richard R. Flores
Charlie Kornhauser
Ryan Holmes
Correspondence to Robin M. Orr.
Dawes, J.J., Orr, R.M., Flores, R.R. et al. A physical fitness profile of state highway patrol officers by gender and age. Ann of Occup and Environ Med 29, 16 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-017-0173-0
Occupational fitness


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The Best GTA 5 Mods With Installation
By Aaron April 17, 2022 7 Mins Read
Since GTA V's first release in 2013 a plethora of hundreds of thousands of modifications have been made to support the game. The community of modders is among the most dedicated gamers and that's the case for the latest Rockstar Games creation. But, considering that GTA V is the studio's most successful game to date, it's easy to understand that GTA V would have the most mod-friendly support.
The main issue that many players face with mods is understanding how to download and install them in order that they function in game. It can be a bit confusing for players who may not be the best at technology. There's also the issue of figuring out what modifications to download in 2022 nearly 9 years since the game initially launched. Below, players will be able to see the exact steps to download mods for GTA V and which ones they should first consider installing.
Mods downloadable in GTA V
Before players know the mods to install, they must be aware of how to download the mods. It's important to know that players are only able to use mods for single-player play, as Rockstar Games had forbidden the use of mods in GTA Online. If players try to join GTA Online with mods enabled the game will be at risk of being banned.
There are a variety of steps involved in download mods for GTA V. The first part of the process is outlined below.
Go to OpenIV.com and press the Download Now green button on the homepage.
Download the application from your browser, and then follow the steps to install the application provides.
Once the installation is completed, open OpenIV and choose Windows in the Grand Theft Auto V box
Enter the file path for the game directory of GTA V (should look like C:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto V\)
Continue pressing and then the Tools box that is located on in the upper taskbar on OpenIV
Choose ASI Manager. Install ASI Loader as well as OpenIV.ASI. If you are prompted, select Yes.
What this process gives players is the ability where they can download, and then manage GTA V mods. The players can launch the OpenIV application anytime to monitor whether their modifications are in good condition and uninstall the mods, or change their settings. The next step in the process is to locate physical mods that can be downloaded.
Go to best-modding.com
Select a mod that you wish to download. You can choose a specific category of mods in the top menu bar of the website . Then, sort them from the most recent to the most well-known mods within that category.
After a mod is selected Click on the box, then press the green Download button.
Certain mods will download a .rar download file for your web browser. Other mods will direct you to an Github page that contains the most recent version of the mod available to download the file.
If the mod downloaded is a .rar file, you'll require another program for opening it like 7-Zip File Manager. It is available from the Microsoft Store
When your .rar open file has been opened you'll likely get a ReadMe document that you can open in Notepad. It will provide you with instructions on how you can download the mod
If the mod is available on an Github page and you want to download the latest version, then download it. The mod will be downloaded in a zip file which you must extract to a different location on your computer.
After the files have been extracted Copy or paste it in the Mods folder on the system's GTA V game directory. This is the same directory you have entered into the path to the files for the OpenIV application.
Start GTA V once you've copied and pasted the contents of your file in your GTA V directory or followed the instructions to open the .rar file
This process is not limited to the general mods available for download, there are mods that make use of scripts. This requires a second mod, called Script Hook for it to function.
Download Community Script Hook V .NET, by Alexander Blade
Start the file and extract the contents to another folder on your computer.
Paste the contents of the file into the directory for games in GTA V, but don't put them in a particular folder.
Create a brand new folder in the game directory
Visit best-modding.com and choose an option to download a script modification (these typically are marked with .net)
Start the zipped mod file then extract it again.
The contents should be copied and pasted into the newly created folder in your GTA V directory.
Start GTA V and make sure that you follow the instructions for the mod's use from the mod's creator. The instructions is available in the best-modding.com page about the mod
After all these actions are done Once all of those steps are completed, players can begin using mods without restriction after which they can begin to use mods GTA V.
Best mods available in GTA V
When searching for mods for download, the options could be overwhelming. There are many types of categories, and 1000s of mods available to choose from within these categories. Each player's preferences regarding their experience with mods are going to differ, we've put together five of the top GTA V mods as of 2022.
1. GTA 5 Car Pack:
This pack includes 200+ cool cars as well as modern and advanced vehicles. It is the most impressive GTA 5 car pack that has ever been released. It includes realistic cars from the real world. It is likely to be the most stylish GTA mods for cars and vehicles. engaging interactivity and stunning stories mode cars. It could make lots of GTA fans happy. Just take a look. This is likely to be the most efficient choice for you.
Users have the option of downloading GTA 5 realistic car pack from best-modding.com.
2. GTA 5 Biggest Replacement Car Pack:
There are 220+ GTA 5 Cars (Biggest Replacement Car Pack) that appears in traffic. Selected by me a lot of them have optimized textures. Many models have been edited. They include Modern luxury, Sports and super Fastest Cars in GTA 5… It's an incredible GTA 5 car pack mod and you must definitely test it.
The players can get this biggest replacement GTA 5 car pack on best-modding.com.
3. CooooL GTA 5 Graphics Mod:
The GTA 5 Graphics Mod is perfect for players who wish to experience enhanced images within GTA 5 despite having low-end PCs. This is the most popular option for many playersas the upgraded visuals that this mod delivers feel most real. I would suggest downloading this mod (Full Download Free).
The players are able to download Cooool GTA 5 graphics mod from best-modding.com.
4. GTA Vice City Remastered Map 2.0 – GTA 5 Mod:
GTA Vice City Remastered Map 2.0 The map is a complete version from Vice Cry for GTA 5 running as a DLC and featuring several new features that give an authentic Vice City experience. One of the top textures of high-quality GTA 5 map mods, Therefore, I recommend you consider it as it will give you the most immersive experience GTA Vice City, with top graphics and a remastered map.
The players can get their copy of the GTA Vice City remastered map 2.0 from best-modding.com.
5. The Biggest GTA 5 Garage – Near Michael's House:
This is the Biggest GTA 5 Garage – near Michael's house: This is the right place for you because it's the sole GTA 5 Garage that will offer additional spaces that include motorbikes, cars, planes, helicopters and even jetpacks, even an oppressor. It's insane that you'll need to put it in place and manage your car's collection and not leave Michael's house.
Gamer's have the option of downloading GTA 5's biggest GTA 5 garage on best-modding.com.
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Next Up Jordyn Woods Slays As Little Red Riding Hood With BF Karl As The Big Bad Wolf
October 30, 2021 12:02AM EDT
'RHOP' Reunion Trailer: Nicki Minaj Interrogates The Cast In Epic 1st Look — Watch
View Gallery View Gallery 8 Photos.
Nicki Minaj makes her grand debut in the first trailer for the four-part 'Real Housewives of Potomac' reunion! Watch it here.
The first trailer for the four-part Real Housewives of Potomac reunion is here, and it does not disappoint. Rapper and Housewives fan Nicki Minaj makes her grand debut in the trailer released by Bravo on Friday, Oct. 29, gleefully declaring "I'm here, bitches!" as she enters the room with a bottle of liquor. The stars, which include Gizelle Bryant, Karen Huger, Robyn Dixon, Ashley Darby, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Wendy Osefo, Mia Thornton, and a "friend of" Askale Davis, excitedly squeal at the grand entrance.
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The cameo actually doesn't occur until the end of the trailer, which begins with the women hurling insults at each other before host Andy Cohen gets to the nitty gritty of it. "Jamal owes $800,000 in taxes," the host says to Gizelle, referencing her ex-husband Jamal Harrison Bryant. Andy later narrows in on another husband, Candiace's Chris Bassett, and questioned him about hookup allegations previously made by Mia. "Did you try and holler at Mia?" he asks, prompting the others to accuse Mia of lying.
Towards the end of the teaser, Nicki makes her grand debut, going through security and riding in an elevator as dramatic music plays in the background. Don't expect the "Super Bass" rapper to go soft on the women. The beginning of the teaser features soundbites from Nicki, one of which where she says, "We're not getting away with that nonsense today, baby." Nicki's cameo comes after she expressed her desire to host the reunion on social media in July. Luckily, the network and longtime host Andy were up for it.
Nicki Minaj in the 'Real Housewives of Potomac' reunion (Bravo)
Nicki Minaj's Hottest Looks Of All-Time -- Photos
A source previously told HollywoodLife that the rapper really went in on Candiace. "She came hard for Candiace and read her," the source said. "It was an epic moment." Andy also appeared to confirm this during his interview with Entertainment Tonight on October 19. "She says sh*t that I could never say and it's fantastic," he said. "She's a huge fan of the show and this wasn't about what she stands for, this was about an exciting moment in the history of the show and the women were thrilled to be there with her."
Part 1 of the four-part reunion will air on Bravo on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m.
Nicki Minaj	The Real Housewives Of Potomac
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British Drama 'Bit By Bit' Needs Your Help with Financing
Talented Brit actress and film director Juliet Ellis (It's A Free World, "Coronation Street") is developing her first feature film BIT BY BIT, a highly original and contemporary British drama set in the gangster milieu of gritty working class Sheffield, and she needs your help with financing.
Bit By Bit is about Aidan, a petty gangster and small-time drug dealer who works the security in a massage parlor. He is forced to look more deeply at the consequences of his lifestyle when his 12-year-old daughter, Karly comes to live with him. While Karly desperately seeks to find a place of security in a world that has utterly betrayed her, Aidan finds himself caught up in a volatile and dangerous confrontation between the prostitutes and their pimps. With tensions mounting and events swirling out of his control, Aidan is forced to make choices that will profoundly affect the lives of those around him and determine the fate of his daughter. Actresses Maria Ballesteros and Carla Henry have recently joined the cast.
But as Ellis describes on her IndieGoGo crowdfunding page, Bit By Bit is moreso:
…A deeply felt tale of the need for love [it's] both a harrowing journey into the heart of familial dysfunction and an ultimately uplifting and compassionate story of redemption and love…The film is about having to face the consequences of your decisions and hopefully learn from them bit by bit. Capturing the characters personal quests in the film through private moments of observation, reflection, gestures and responses, forms the emotional heartbeat of the film., evoking the feeling of honesty and realism.
The trailer has a great look to it – very raw yet very strong much like Ellis' existing film projects. Check out the trailer below and to help fund this project go to Bit By Bit's IndieGoGo page right HERE.
You an see more of Ellis' work on www.julietellis.com and www.facebook.com/bitbybit.film


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Billy McNeill
Celtic will give Billy McNeill 'an amazing goodbye' says Jozo Simunovic
The Lisbon Lion passed away on Monday, and will be honoured at Celtic Park tomorrow
Jozo Simunovic expects Celtic to give Billy McNeill "an amazing goodbye" after the legendary captain's death this week.
The former defender, the first British man to lift the European Cup, passed away on Monday after a battle with dementia, and will be honoured at Celtic Park tomorrow.
Speaking ahead of the Kilmarnock game, the man who currently wears his iconic Celtic number 5 paid tribute to McNeill.
Celtic fans could give Billy McNeill 67 seconds of applause on Saturday
"My first impression was I was very sad because Celtic lost a guy who was a massive part of the club's history, an amazing player and an amazing guy," Simunovic said.
"To wear his number is a big pleasure and I am very thankful for that.
"I always remembered the guy who won the trophy in 1967. It is always nice to see the statue of him at the stadium, to see that he wears number five.
"That makes me happy. It is a massive loss for us but we need to keep going.
"We are going to honour him before the game and give him an amazing goodbye from us as he was an amazing guy for the club."


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Client Spotlight | 04.02.2019
Client Success in Action: Carousel Helps Town of Babylon Migrate to Cloud
Kelly Santos Director, Content & Communications | Carousel
Another state and local government organization has turned to Carousel to help it modernize its aging communications system in the name of improved capability, reliability, ease of use, and lower costs.
The town of Babylon, NY (Long Island) has partnered with Carousel to replace its 15-year-old legacy, copper-based phone system to a fiber-optic, cloud-based system at Town Hall to deliver significantly improved service to its 12,000 residents, while also reducing operational costs. New phones have been or are in progress of installation at a local animal shelter, at the town's parks and recreation building, and at the senior center. This switchover in all facilities is expected to be completed by year's end and will save the town more than $1 million over the next decade, the town reports.
Ready to drive better efficiencies and ultimately a better experience for your customers? Learn more about Carousel's leading solutions and services.
Excluding fax machines, the town currently has 430 phone numbers throughout Town Hall and 18 other facilities. Those numbers are spread out among four different systems, with separate servers, using three service providers: Broadview Networks, Verizon, and Optimum. Currently, operational costs exceed $34,000 a month in usage and almost $4,000 a month in repairs and maintenance, said town spokesman Kevin Bonner.
The new system implemented by Carousel will cost $36,000 a month for the first three years, including maintenance, hardware and installation. After that, the monthly cost will be reduced to $25,000, resulting in cost savings of more than $1.1 million over 10 years, Bonner said.
Besides reducing costs, the new system will deliver greater reliability and efficiency, which will be particularly important in the event of bad weather in the form of hurricanes and winter storms, not uncommon events on Long Island. Currently, employees have limited caller ID and cannot see missed calls. They also cannot transfer calls to other town facilities, but will have that capability with the new Carousel system.
Client Success Feature: The City of Williamsburg, Virginia Increases Reliability, Decreases Capital Expenditure with Cloud-Based Phone System
"Our existing system is not the easiest system to work with," said Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez. "The new system will be more intuitive, more user-friendly."
"Projects like these are particularly gratifying to the Carousel team because they involve increasing public safety and making people's everyday lives more efficient. You can see the fruits of our labor very quickly," said Diane Slevin-Boyle, the Carousel account executive leading this project.
To read more about this installation, read the original news article here.
Kelly Santos
Director, Content & Communications | Carousel
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Carousel partners with a wide range of technology partners so that we can recommend solutions that make the most sense for answering each of our clients' particular technology needs. As part of our exploration of the SD-WAN marketplace, we selected products and offers most relevant to our customer base and arrived at Viptela as one […]
Surviving the IT Talent Deficit: Build a Bridge to Success
It's long been documented that attracting, retaining, and nourishing IT talent is the biggest barrier to a CIO's success. In fact, according to Gartner's 2017 CIO report, CIOs across the board identify lack of skills and other human resources as their No. 1 barrier to success. The IT talent deficit is among the most pressing […]
Client Kudos: Oral Roberts University CIO Wins CIO 100 Award
Duke Lamb Account Executive | Carousel
Today we congratulate Carousel client and technology innovator, Michael Mathews, Oral Roberts University CIO and EVP of Innovation and Technology, for being, selected for the prestigious CIO 100 Award by CIO Magazine. For nearly three decades, CIO has celebrated the innovative use of technology to deliver genuine business value. As Carousel clients, partners, and employees […]
A Very IT School Vacation
Michael Elson District Technology Coordinator | South Amboy Public Schools
Unlike some seeking R&R during school vacation week, I didn't jet down to Florida to visit Mickey Mouse, binge watch Netflix, or tackle the ever-growing list of projects around the house. As district technology coordinator for South Amboy Public Schools, in South Amboy, NJ, I instead spent my break working with the fine folks at […]
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'Karma Is A B**CH' Better.com CEO Vishal Garg Taking Time Off After Firing 900 Employees
Updated on Dec 11, 2021, 14:29 IST
· 3 min read ·848 Shares
By Gavin George
Photo: © Vishal Garg (Main Image)
"Karma Is A B**CH": Better.com CEO Vishal Garg Taking Time Off After Firing 900 Employees
Vishal Garg, the chief executive officer at Better.com is still reeling from the aftermath of his decision to lay off 900 employees without any warning, over a zoom call.
vishal garg,
"Blundered the execution" is what Garg admits to after facing flak from all quarters of the internet. He also said in a letter,"I realize that the way I communicated this news made a difficult situation worse."
The CEO seems to have had some sense knocked into him after his public display of apathy was captured by an unnamed employee at Better.com, having shared the video of their Zoom-based lay off on Tiktok, where it went viral.
According to reports, the disgraced leader has taken time off with immediate effect. According to reports, the NYU alumnus' decision was made after an email from the company's board conveyed their unanimous decision to temporarily relieve him of his responsibilities. The email read, "Vishal and the Board wanted to provide Better employees an update given the very regrettable events over the last week. Vishal will be taking time off effective immediately."
© Vishal Garg
Present chief financial officer, Kevin Ryan has been made in charge of running the company on a day-to-day basis, albeit with the board's supervision. Reportedly, a third party firm has also been onboarded by Better.com to ensure a "a leadership and cultural assessment" is done.
The digital mortgage company was founded in New York in 2016 after becoming the go-to platform for many to avail insurance products via its innovative platform. It still remains to be seen how this controversy affects Better.com's plan to go public via their merger with Aurora Acquisition Corp. The deal was reportedly valued at $ 7.7 billion.
The leadership and cultural audit may be able to iron out the kinks prevalent within the company's working environment, as exposed by Vishal Garg's very public faux pas. The board of directors said, "The recommendations of this assessment will be taken into account to build a long-term sustainable and positive culture at Better. We have much work to do and we hope that everyone can refocus on our customers and support each other to continue to build a great company and a company we can be proud of."
Hopefully, this entire incident serves as a reminder, and a warning, to cutthroat corporates who discard their employees without the slightest hesitation, all under the guise of 'profit-seeking'.


Now is the time to practice the basics: sit, stay, come, and most importantly to "check in" with you. Start with short training sessions (15 minutes) twice a day in a distraction-free area. Initially, you will likely need to use small pieces of a high value treat to shape and reward the desired behavior. Having trouble? Consider enlisting the services of a trainer now, to avoid issues and disappointment later.
Gradually introduce distractions in your training sessions; strange people, sounds, and sights can make a seemingly trained dog lose their focus…not something you want to worry about on your wedding day! You may also want work your dog's socialization (here's a great article on how to socialize your dog successfully).
If possible, bring your dog to your chosen venue and let him/her have a bit of a look around. If it is not possible, then make sure you're keeping up with his/her training and socialization. It's also time for another assessment. If they are not progressing, are showing signs of anxiety or stress when meeting new people, it may mean they aren't suited to participate in your wedding and you may have to consider taking photos before the ceremony, with friends/family that your dog feels comfortable with.
Decide who in your wedding party will be responsible for taking care of your dog's needs at the ceremony and photos. At this point, your dog should be able to listen and respond reliably despite a variety of distractions.
Pack a small bag with water/bowl, treats, food, doggy bags, and anything else your dog might need, while they're away from home.
Finally, your hard work will pay off today. Your dog should be ready to share this memorable occasion with you!


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Eighteen. Assisi, Italy. At the cathedral where St. Francis once knelt in prayer.
Leaving Assisi, our next stop is Pompeii on a wet and slippery day. Walking up a hill I see a small cluster of tourists gathering around an elder woman who is part of my travel group. She lies muddy on the ground.
Palms tingling, I stop where I am. I follow my instructions; turning palms upward, reciting my simple prayer, effortlessly finding the proper file drawer in the stars. I watch my instructions play out on the glowing page.
Shuddering at the idea of all these strangers passing judgment on what I am about to do, I let St. Francis' rich voice remind me to be humble.
With a deep breath, and a quick eye roll to heaven, I step right into the center of the circle, plopping down cross-legged by my travel companion. Placing my hands on her head as I had been shown, I watch the blood and rain pour from her temple making sticky trails in her hair.
"She slipped on the wet stones and hit her head there," says a woman in the crowd, pointing to a low wall.
I press the center of my right palm, fiery hot, tight against the gash on her forehead.
In moments I take my hand away. I discover that the cut has not just stopped bleeding, it has simply stopped being. There is only a small, neat line where the bleeding wound had been. Someone takes a Band-Aid out of her purse. I ask for a tissue, and gently wipe the blood away. I cover the thin scar with the Band-Aid.
I look around from beneath my lashes, afraid the circle of tourists will make some kind of fuss – but they are milling off to continue their own explorations now. I help my friend to her feet, and steady her on the slick cobble stones as we head back to the bus.
Later, tall trees flashing by as we drive a winding narrow road, I see her rubbing her head. My palms begin to tingle. I glance around nervously; sure others can tell, expecting some sort of judgment about this odd new behavior.
"Well, say your prayer," he says, nudging me to turn over my hands.
Opening the proper file drawer, I let the glowing page instruct me.
Placing my now burning hands as instructed, I feel a powerful flow of searing white energy move from my right palm through her head, to be caught with my left, then cleared, cleaned and drained away.
Now her head feels calm to me, cool. She sighs softly. She closes her eyes. I lift my hands and walk back toward my seat.
My dad gently tugs on my arm, pulling me down for a hug. "My San Francina" he whispers in my ear.
Saren Lightsong is a lifelong intuitive healer, providing spiritual direction, holistic counseling, and energy healing. Delighting in her work with those who have done great personal healing and are looking for someone who can take them beyond all that they already know, she specializes in Transformational Kinesiology: a soul-centered healing modality that is sure to get you unstuck! Want to live your Truth with joyful integrity here and now? Call, email and visit Saren's website!
Thank you for the great article Saren! Your wisdom comes from such deep and vast places. For those of you who might need a healer, Saren is the real deal. I have worked with Saren and had very posative, deep and lasting results from our work.
I too had a healing with Saren. It was a very beautiful, deep experience that helped to heal my wounded knee, as well as calm my fears about continuing problems with it. I recommend her whole heartedly for physical, emotional and spiritual concerns. She is a gifted healer.


We are a French instrumentation company, expert in identifying and analyzing chemical compounds in very low (trace) to high (%) concentrations. We have been present in the analysis industry since 2005, designing and manufacturing two key products: BTrap and TDflash. Those devices enable a very precise analysis of chemical compounds for many applications: car exhaust emissions, material degradation, indoor air analysis and so on.
Our team is composed of instrument engineers and analytical chemists, who are specialists in the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) detection field.
Partnership with the CNRS laboratory of chemistry and physic (LCP).
AlyXan started as a spin-off from the French national center for scientific research, when a team from the Physical Chemistry Laboratory (LCP) in Orsay, University of Paris XI, developed a new solution : BTrap. Being specialists in gas phase ion physics, they had the idea to combine miniaturized mass spectrometry with Proton Transfer Reaction (PTR) chemical ionization.
The creation of the BTrap prototype was awarded in 2003 and 2004 by the French Ministry of Research, and by the Essonne County Council.
In 2009, AlyXan won a call for tender from the French army (DGA) that needed to modernise their former thermal desorber. We redesigned and improved the product, leading to the development of our current high performance TDflash instrument.
Further research on the BTrap innovation led to the launch of the BTrap in 2012, enabling real-time and on site analysis of VOCs.
In 2013, the company released the TDflash thermal desorber on the market. This device is dedicated to Gas Chromatography technology.
Today, we have a comprehensive offering for VOCs analysis, with both on site and laboratory devices. We have been working with a number of companies and research centres such as BASF, DCNS, or CERTAM.
Click on the following pictures to read the full article (only available in French).


text:
package com.company;

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
import java.util.Map;

public class Serbian {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));

        LinkedHashMap<String, LinkedHashMap<String, Integer>> venues = new LinkedHashMap<>();

        String input = reader.readLine();
        while (!input.equals("End"))
        {
            String[] inputArr = input.split("@");

            String name = inputArr[0];
            if (name.charAt(name.length() - 1) != ' ') {
                input = reader.readLine();
                continue;
            }

            String[] venuePrice = inputArr[1].split(" ");
            if (venuePrice.length < 3) {
                input = reader.readLine();
                continue;
            }

            String venue = "";
            for (int i = 0; i < venuePrice.length - 2; i++) {
                venue += venuePrice[i] + " ";
            }
            venue = venue.trim();

            int ticketCount = 0;
            int ticketPrice = 0;
            try {
                ticketCount = Integer.parseInt(venuePrice[venuePrice.length - 1]);
                ticketPrice = Integer.parseInt(venuePrice[venuePrice.length - 2]);
            } catch (Exception e) {
                input = reader.readLine();
                continue;
            }

            //Method for add all data in LinkedHashMap<String, LinkedHashMap<String, Integer>>
            AddVenuesSingerMoney(venues, venue, name, ticketCount, ticketPrice);

            //Reading again till input is equal on "End"
            input = reader.readLine();
        }

        //Method for printing result
        PrintResult(venues);

    }

    private static void AddVenuesSingerMoney(LinkedHashMap<String, LinkedHashMap<String, Integer>> venues, String venue, String name, int ticketCount, int ticketPrice) {
        if (!venues.containsKey(venue)) {
            venues.put(venue, new LinkedHashMap<>());
        }
        if (!venues.get(venue).containsKey(name)) {
            venues.get(venue).put(name, 0);
        }

        int ticketsSum = ticketCount * ticketPrice;
        int oldSumValue = venues.get(venue).get(name);
        int newSum = oldSumValue + ticketsSum;
        venues.get(venue).put(name, newSum);
    }

    private static void PrintResult(LinkedHashMap<String, LinkedHashMap<String, Integer>> venues) {
        //Printing the place
        for (Map.Entry<String, LinkedHashMap<String, Integer>> v : venues.entrySet()) {
            System.out.println(v.getKey());

            //Print Name and Sum sorted by sum Descending.
            //If two singers have the same amount of money, keep them
            //>>>in the order in which they were entered. they r in LinkedHashMap<>
            v.getValue().entrySet().stream()
                    .sorted((t1, t2) -> t2.getValue().compareTo(t1.getValue()))
                    .forEach(entry -> {
                        System.out.println(String.format("#  %s -> %d", entry.getKey().trim(), entry.getValue()));
                    });
        }
    }
}

//===================================
//Input for ExAMPLE
//-----------------------------------
//Lepa Brena @Sunny Beach 25 3500
//Dragana @Sunny Beach 23 3500
//Ceca @Sunny Beach 28 3500
//Mile Kitic @Sunny Beach 21 3500
//Ceca @Sunny Beach 35 3500
//Ceca @Sunny Beach 70 15000
//Saban Saolic @Sunny Beach 120 35000
//End
//====================================

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub