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Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences facilities

• £1M teaching lab
• an altitude (hypoxia) chamber
• multiple 3D motion analysis labs
• a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) whole body scanner
• exercise testing and rehabilitation labs
• an environmental chamber
• psychology, psychomotor and psychophysiology testing suites
• biochemistry and cell biology labs
• 3 x Psychomotor control/testing labs
• Psychology testing labs 
• 1 x Driving simulator lab
• 1 x Live-in/Social Psychology lab 
• 1 x Water immersion testing lab

Physiology Research Labs

Testing takes place with external clients e.g., we have tested members of the Welsh National Kayaking and Sailing Squads, patients suffering from various conditions – breast cancer, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, renal, diabetes, obesity, members of the fire service, elite athletes, military personnel, and mountaineers to name but a few. The equipment in these labs includes:

• Online Breath by Breath analysers – measure maximal aerobic fitness, energy expenditure, ventilation. They are more a sophisticated version of the Douglas bag system also seen in this lab and the teaching lab.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG) machine – 12 lead suitable for monitoring during exercise or rest. 
• YSI lactate/glucose analyser 
• Treadmill with 30km speed, reverse belt to allow downhill running, safety arch for downhill and sprint running.
• GEM - Blood Gas Analyser - measures gas concentrations in blood e.g. oxygen and carbon dioxide and acids e.g., lactic acid.
• Osmometer: for measuring salt content in urine (hydration status).
• Reflatron – photometer that allows measurement of capillary blood, cholesterol, uric acid, glucose, HDL (high density lipoproteins i.e., good cholesterol).  

Environmental Chamber    

• Temperature can be varied up to 40º and down to -20º, plus 5-95% variations in humidity.
• Used to measure reactions when body going through extreme stress, for example dehydration. Psychological testing can also take place when exercising under stress conditions, for example cognitive functioning when dehydrated.
• Recent testing involved a new method of recording temperatures using sensors/data loggers taped to the skin of subjects which feed data directly to a computer. We also have the capacity to take skin and rectal temperatures while subjects are undergoing testing in the chamber.    

Altitude Chamber

The chamber allows manipulation of the environment from 21% oxygen (0 m) to 7% oxygen (8,900 m, summit of Everest) using a unit which acts as a molecular sieve to remove oxygen from the air. It controls temperature and humidity accurate to 0.1 oC and 1%, respectively. The School also has two portable units with a tent system to allow at home altitude training, sleeping and acclimatisation. By using this chamber in combination with the fMRI scanner (based within Psychology), it is possible to image the brain and determine why people get serious and often life threatening mountain sickness and headaches. Studies combining the use of the chamber with exercise have helped to determine if simulated altitude can help people lose weight. 

• Keystone - more sophisticated version of the lung volume machine (spirometer) in the teaching lab. It measures most lung capacity and volume functions e.g. residual volume (the volume left in the lungs after normal expiration) – measured by re-breathing helium mixed gas, and measures strength of respiratory muscles and efficiency of gas exchange in the lung.
• Haemocue – photometer that measures haemoglobin from capillary blood.
• Physio Flow – stoke volume and cardiac output i.e., how much blood is being pumped by the heart with each beat and each minute.
• Tango - automated blood pressure during exercise.
• + RPE (Ratings of Perceived Exertion) cards – used to assess effort during exercise. Important because perceived exertion controls exercise intensity in athletes and normal people exercising.   

DXA LAB (Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Scanner) 

We were the first Sports Science School in the UK to install a DXA scanner and use it for research. It is able to measure bone density and provide measurements of tissue – fat; lean and mass/muscle composition. Other equipment within the department such as electrical impedance measurement instruments, the underwater weighing tank and skin fold callipers can also assess body composition. 

£1m Canolfan PAWB* Centre (*Physical Activity for Health and Wellbeing) Teaching Lab

This state of the art physiology teaching lab (costing in excess of £1 million) is designed to allow students to effectively develop their practical skills and includes equipment such as:  

• Lung volume machine.
• Douglas Bags for collecting gas during various exercises and a machine to analyse these gases for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide content which is used to determine aerobic fitness levels and energy expenditure.
• Wingate machine – tests maximal anaerobic capacity. Most people who use this will get a build-up of the by-product of exercise (lactic acid).
• Bikes and treadmills – these are used to induce an exercise situation to measure physiological, biochemical and psychological parameters. 
• Two rowing machines – standard rower and kayak machine.
• Blood pressure machines.
• Back/leg dynamometer.
• Skin-fold callipers.
• Teaching ECG system. 

Exercise Testing & Rehabilitation Labs   

• Isokinetic/Isometric Dynamometer – measures all kinds of joint action and muscular strength. The dynamometer can also be used for rehabilitation from injuries and can be used in conjunction with Trunk Flexion Extension. 
• Trunk Flexion Extension – added to the dynamometer to measure back strength and related muscles groups.  
• Electromyography (EMG) machine – 19 channels plus conduction velocity. Measures electrical signals in the muscle, looking at the firing rate of muscles and if they fatigue during exercise. 
• Ultrasound – looks at what goes on in muscles while exercising and will show scar tissue and can measure blood flow in vessels and heart as well can investigate heart function and morphology.
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• Ergometers – Monarch bikes (patient testing bikes), Concept rower. 
• Lode Corival. 

Psychology and Psychophysiology Laboratories

• Electroencephalography (EEG) systems to measure brain activity via recording of the electrical activity on the scalp.
• Biofeedback machines and software to display psychophysiological signals (e.g. brainwaves, heart rate variability) in real-time and help individuals learn how to take control of their psychophysiological state.
• Mobile eye-trackers to measure eye movements during sport and exercise participation.
• Force and accelerometery sensors to measure movement profiles and develop understanding of how technique develops with learning and is impacted by psychological stress.
• High-definition video cameras and high specification computers to monitor human responses in psychology experiments and to allow the completion of online questionnaires about psychological state.

Psychomotor and Motor Control and Learning Laboratories

• There are 5 of these in total and the housed equipment is used to monitor, measure, and understand human movement and action control from simple fine motor skills to full body explosive sports actions; under unlimited psychological, physiological, and environmental manipulations.
• 12 Camera Vicon 3D motion analysis laboratory. 
• Optotrack motion analysis laboratory.
• Upper limb Manipulandum's complete with accelerometers. 
• High resolution 2D Graphics tablets. 
• Mobile eye tracking system to measure eye movements during sport and exercise.
• Occlusion goggles to directly manipulate field of vision in real time during human movement.
• High definition video camera and high specification computers to monitor and analyse skill movement.