WASHINGTON Authentic Keanu Neal Jersey , Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- People who play Americanfootball before the age of 12 are more likely to have impaired moodand behavior later in life, a U.S. study said Tuesday.


Researchers from the Boston University studied 214 formerAmerican football players, including 43 who played only throughhigh school and 103 who played only through college.


The average age of the former players at the time of the studywas 51.


Participants received telephone-administered cognitive tests andcompleted online measures of depression, behavioral regulation,apathy and executive functioning such as analyzing, planning, andorganizing tasks.


The study showed that participation in youth football before age12 increased the risk of problems with behavioral regulation,apathy and executive functioning by two-fold.


These participants also had more than three times the odds fordepression.


"Overall, our study provides further evidence that playingAmerican football before age 12, and being hit in the headrepeatedly through tackle football during a critical time of braindevelopment, is associated with later-life problems with mood andbehavior," said Robert Stern, the corresponding author of thestudy.


The researchers were surprised to find no association betweenage of first exposure and cognitive function such as reasoning,memory, and attention, but they noted that this may have had to dowith how they gathered their data.


Cognition was measured by using a brief test that wasadministered over the telephone, rather than a more thorough,in-person neuropsychological examination, such as that used inprevious research, said Stern.


The researchers cautioned that the findings cannot begeneralized beyond to female players or other contact sports.Because this is a cross-sectional observational study, it does notallow for conclusions about cause and effect.


"More research on this topic is needed before anyrecommendations on policy or rule changes can be made," Sternadded.


The findings were published in the open access journalTranslational Psychiatry. Enditem


The Introduction of Electronic Engine Controls



Electronic Computer Control Systems make it possible for vehicle manufacturers to comply with the tougher emissions and fuel efficiency standards mandated by State and Federal Governments.



As a result of increased air pollution (smog) in large cities, such as Los Angeles, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set new regulations and air pollution standards to deal with the problem. To further complicate matters, the energy crisis of the early 1970s caused a sharp increase in fuel prices over a short period. As a result, vehicle manufacturers were not only required to comply with the new emissions standards, they also had to make their vehicles more fuel-efficient. Most vehicles were required to meet a miles-per-gallon (MPG) standard set by the U.S. Federal Government.



Precise fuel delivery and spark timing are needed to reduce vehicle emissions. Mechanical engine controls in use at the time (such as ignition points, mechanical spark advance and the carburetor) responded too slowly to driving conditions to properly control fuel delivery and spark timing. This made it difficult for vehicle manufacturers to meet the new standards.