Creation of Pair Test Online Application

This project researches, analyzes, designs and implements a software application to provide the ability for the PAIR Test to be automated. Currently, the PAIR Test is only available in an offline/manual format. The offline process is not efficient and the data collected does not get stored into a database. The goal of this project is to enable the PAIR Test to become more efficient and have the ability to store results of the testing process into a database for future data analysis. The system will also remove the manual scoring and relationship profile creation by automating this process, resulting in the automatic creation and population of a Portable Document Format (PDF)

J. A. Leo Lemay (1935–2008), A Remembrance

My first semester in graduate school at the University of Delaware I took J. A. Leo Lemay’s Edgar Allan Poe seminar. Writing a seminar paper on the subject of Poe’s use of frontier imagery in his short fiction, I happened to read Prof. Lemay’s essay “The Frontiersman from Lout to Hero” (Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society 88 [1978]: 187-223). In terms of its breadth of knowledge and depth of insight, I found this essay astonishing. As an undergraduate I had read much about the American frontier, a special interest of mine, but Prof. Lemay’s essay was the single best treatment on the subject I had ever read. I started reading more of his work and realized that the frontiersman essay was typical of Prof. Lemay’s approach: to pick a topic; put it within its historical, literary, and cultural contexts; and treat it exhaustively. In the coming semesters I would take several more classes from Prof. Lemay; his writings would form a sizeable part of my personal library

Development of a simulated round of golf

Purpose The aim of this study was to develop a laboratory-based treadmill simulation of the on-course physiological demands of an 18-hole round of golf and to identify the underlying physiological responses. Methods Eight amateur golfers completed a round of golf during which heart rate (HR), steps taken, and global positioning system (GPS) data were assessed. The GPS data were used to create a simulated discontinuous round on a treadmill. Steps taken and HR were recorded during the simulated round. Results During the on-course round, players covered a mean (±SD) of 8,251 ± 450 m, taking 12,766 ± 1,530 steps. The mean exercise intensity during the on-course round was 31.4 ± 9.3% of age-predicted heart rate reserve (%HRR) or 55.6 ± 4.4% of age-predicted maximum HR (%HRmax). There were no significant differences between the simulated round and the on-course round for %HRR (P = .537) or %HR max (P = .561) over the entire round or for each individual hole. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the two rounds for steps taken. Typical error values for steps taken, HR, %HRmax, and %HRR were 1,083 steps, ±7.6 b·min?1, ±4.5%, and ±8.1%, respectively. Conclusion Overall, the simulated round of golf successfully recreated the demands of an on-course round. This simulated round could be used as a research tool to assess the extent of fatigue during a round of golf or the impact of various interventions on golfers

A COMPARISON OF HAND FORCE AND STARTING BLOCK-BASED RESPONSE TIMES IN THE SPRINT START

This study provided a method comparison of sprint start response times (RTs) obtained using a custom designed hand force plate with block response-times (RT) from anInternational Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) approved automatic start control system (IAAF RT). Twenty national and international sprinters completed sprint trials under simulated race conditions. The athletes’ hand forces were obtained using the hand force plate, which was electronically synchronised with the IAAF approved system. The results showed that in all trials, the hand plate RT occurred significantly before the IAAF RT with an average difference of 64 ms. The consistent differences in RT’s suggested that the two systems measured separate events. A re-evaluation of false start detection technology based on measuring hand RT is recommended

Bidirectional ventricular tachycardia in cardiac sarcoidosis.

A 73-year-old man with history of pulmonary sarcoidosis was found to have runs of non-sustained bidirectional ventricular tachycardia (BVT) with two different QRS morphologies on a Holter monitor. Cardiac magnetic resonance delayed gadolinium imaging revealed a region of patchy mid-myocardial enhancement within the left ventricular basal inferolateral myocardium. An 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) showed increased uptake in the same area, consistent with active sarcoid, with no septal involvement. Follow-up FDG-PET one year later showed disease progression with new septal involvement. Cardiac sarcoidosis, characterized by myocardial inflammation and interstitial fibrosis that can lead to conduction system disturbance and macro re-entrant arrhythmias, should be considered in differential diagnosis of BVT. BVT may indicate septal involvement with sarcoidosis before the lesions are large enough to be detected radiologically

A METHOD COMPARISON STUDY OF ACCELEROMETER BASED BLOCK RESPONSE TIMES IN SPRINTING

This study aimed to provide a method comparison of a rail mounted accelerometer for detection of block response-times (RT) with an International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) approved automatic start control system (IAAF RT). Twenty national and international sprinters completed sprint trials under simulated race conditions. An accelerometer was placed on the block rail of blocks and RT was determined using visual inspection of the accelerometer signal and using a 3SD threshold method. On average, the visual method detected the RT event 7 ms before, and the 3SD method detected RT 1 ms after the IAAF RT. The results indicated close agreement between the 3SD threshold method and the IAAF RT, however, this highlights the need for further re-examination of threshold-based detection algorithms which may delay the detection of the RT event