Physiological Considerations of Heat Intolerance in People with Multiple Sclerosis

Up to 80% of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience Uhthoff’s phenomenon, which is characterised by a temporary worsening of neurological symptoms and a concomitant onset of fatigue during exercise and/or with exposure to a hot environment. In order to understand the best strategies to mitigate the onset of heat-related MS symptoms and associated fatigue, we need to closer examine the underlying physiological mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon. The purpose of the present thesis was to explore the potential thermo-physiological mechanisms responsible for Uhthoff’s phenomenon in heat-sensitive MS patients during rest and exercise in hot (up to 35°C) environments. Specifically, study 1 sought to determine whether resting core temperature and metabolic rate was elevated in people with relapsing-remitting MS and to assess whether an elevated resting core temperature was associated with subjective measures of physical, cognitive and psychosocial fatigue. Study 2 sought to determine whether a contributing factor to heat intolerance in MS patients, was in part, a greater rise in core temperature by virtue of a blunted thermoregulatory response during exercise in warm (30°C) and hot (35°C) environments. This study measured deep core temperature, alongside sweating and skin blood flow responses in people with relapsing-remitting MS, compared to healthy controls while cycling in climate-controlled chamber. Finally, study 3 assessed whether ingestion of cold-water during exercise in a warm environment could prolong exercise tolerance in heat-sensitive people with MS

Impaired thermoregulatory function during dynamic exercise in multiple sclerosis

INTRODUCTION: Impairments in sudomotor function during passive whole-body heating have been reported in multiple sclerosis (MS), a demyelinating disease of the CNS that disrupts autonomic function. However, the capability of the thermoregulatory system to control body temperature during exercise has never been assessed in MS. Thus, the aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that thermoregulatory function is impaired in MS patients compared to healthy controls (CON) exercising at similar rates of metabolic heat production. METHODS: Sweating and skin blood flow responses were compared between 12 individuals diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS (9 females, 3 males) and 12 sex-, age-, mass- and BSA-matched healthy controls during a single bout of cycling exercise (rate of metabolic heat production: ~4.5 W/kg) for 60 min in a climate-controlled room (25 °C, 30% RH). RESULTS: Individuals with MS exhibited an attenuated increase in cumulative whole-body sweat loss after 30 min (MS: 72 ± 51; CON: 104 ± 37 g, p=0.04) and 60 min (MS: 209 ± 94; CON: 285 ± 62 g, p=0.02), as well as lower sweating thermosensitivity (MS: 0.49 ± 0.26; CON: 0.86 ± 0.30 mg/cm2/min/°C, p=0.049). Despite evidence for thermoregulatory dysfunction, there were no differences between MS and CON in esophageal or rectal temperatures at 30 or 60 min time points (p>0.05). Cutaneous vasculature responses were also not different in MS compared to CON (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Taken together, MS blunts sweating responses during exercise while cutaneous vasculature responses are preserved. Altered mechanisms of body temperature regulation in persons with MS may lead to temporary worsening of disease symptoms and limit exercise tolerance under more thermally challenging conditions.Accepted manuscrip

Identifying significant contributors to milk production in the absence of the Herd Size Effect

Prior to the commencement of deregulation from 1 July 2000, the Australian Dairy Research and Development Corporation conducted a large-scale telephone survey of 1826 Australian dairy farms to examine the current on-farm management practices in relation to milk production and farm and farmer demographics. The questionnaire results from the 214 dairy farms in the sub-tropical region of South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales were analysed (Zamykal et al. 2007) to uncover those significant inputs that affect milk production

The influence of temperature, inoculum level and race of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense on the disease reaction of banana cv. Cavendish

Cavendish banana plants were grown in soil infested with different levels of microconidia of races 1 and 4 of Fusarium oxyspomm Schlect. f. sp. cubense (E.F. Smith) Snyd. & Hans. The 4-week-old plants were incubated at 20¦ and 28¦C in temperature controlled cabinets subject to natural light fluctuations. Race 1, which does not normally infect Cavendish in the field, infected the plants at both temperatures, as did race 4. Results indicated that temperature was primarily affecting plant growth rather than influencing the aggressiveness of the pathogen. Inoculum levels were also found to influence disease severity with a minimum of 4.5 x l04 microconidia/g dry weight of soil required before macroscopic symptoms were observed. The suitability of month-old tissue culture derived plants for screening for resistance and the evolution of the Cavendish attacking race 4 strains are discussed in the light of these findings

Online learning in a time of COVID disruption? The experiences of principals from New South Wales rural and disadvantaged primary schools

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Schooling in a time of disruption : the impact of COVID-19 from the perspective of five New South Wales (Australia) secondary principals

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Your success is our goal: An intervention for failing students

More diversity is now shown in students gaining admission into universities, many who are ill-equipped for first-year studies and assessment writing. This can result in a failing grade for some, which can impact their success and progression. This study contributes to the student success literature by reporting on the six-step one-on-one targeted intervention strategy devised to support the 33 out of 500 students who were unsuccessful in their first university assessment and its resubmission. The study also details the theoretical framework that underpinned the subject—Carol Dweck’s growth mindset, Mezirow’s transformative learning theory, and the maxim “Your success is our goal”! The study determined that: i) the intervention was successful for the 33 students who each passed the assessment; ii) a pre- and post-intervention writing skills assessment showed an improvement of +0.67 to give an average of 3.48, where 3 is a pass, and iii) at interview, students (76.9%) reported their improved writing abilities and that the intervention support was helpful. The study concluded that failing students can be successful when they are encouraged to use a growth mindset and individually supported to develop their writing skills

Temperature in the hot spot: oesophageal temperature and whole body thermal status in patent foramen ovale

Temperature in the hot spot: oesophageal temperature and whole body thermal status in patent foramen oval

Uplifting leadership for real school improvement—The North Coast Initiative for School Improvement: An Australian telling of a Canadian story

This paper reports on a preliminary Australian adoption and adaptation, in the North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, of the Townsend and Adams’ model of leadership growth for school improvement in Alberta. The Australian adaptation of this Alberta model has been named the North Coast Initiative for School Improvement (NCISI). The participants comprise nine university academics and almost one hundred regional school leaders. Leadership is developed through continuing and regular collaborative-inquiry and generative-dialogue meetings between the academics and school leaders. The aim is to improve school leadership with the primary purpose of improving student outcomes. Provisional evaluation records significant positive changes in school leadership across the region. Convergence and divergence of the Australian and Canadian models are explored. The Australian adaptation requires some modification to suit local education processes and context. In particular, there has been the development of some divergence in approaches, especially in working in individual schools or clusters of schools. While the program has only been running for a comparatively short time, and therefore formal program evaluation is only commencing, preliminary evidence suggests significant traction and success in the Australian context. The paper concludes with some tentative implications for the future development of this model in the Australian context: how can the model be conceptualised and delivered to a wider audience in the years ahead.Cet article porte sur l’adoption et l’adaptation préliminaire du modèle de Townsend et Adam sur le développement du leadership pour l’amélioration des écoles en Alberta. Ce modèle albertain a été mis en œuvre dans la région de la côte nord de la Nouvelle-Galles du Sud en Australie et nommé North Coast Initiative for School Improvement (NCISI). Les participants comptent neuf universitaires et presque cent dirigeants d’écoles régionales. Des réunions continues et régulières, reposant sur la recherche collaborative et le dialogue génératif, ont lieu entre les universitaires et les dirigeants d’école pour avancer le développement du leadership. L’objectif d’améliorer le leadership scolaire vise principalement le rehaussement du rendement des élèves. Les résultats provisoires de l’évaluation révèlent des changements positifs significatifs dans la direction des écoles de toute la région. Nous explorons les points de convergence et de divergence des modèles australien et canadien. L’adaptation australienne nécessite certaines modifications de sorte à convenir aux procédés et au contexte éducatif locaux. Plus particulièrement, une certaine divergence s’est développée dans les approches, notamment quant au travail dans les écoles particulières ou dans les groupements d’écoles. Le programme étant en œuvre depuis une période relativement courte, l’évaluation formelle en est à ses débuts, mais les résultats préliminaires portent à croire qu’il gagne du terrain et connait un succès dans le contexte australien. L’article conclut en présentant des retombées préliminaires pour le développement à l’avenir de ce modèle en Australie, notamment par rapport à sa conceptualisation et sa prestation à un plus grand public