Acute effects of inspiratory pressure threshold loading upon airway resistance in people with asthma

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2009 Elsevier B.V.Large inspiratory pressures may impart stretch to airway smooth muscle and modify the response to deep inspiration (DI) in asthmatics. Respiratory system resistance (Rrs) was assessed in response to 5 inspiratory manoeuvres using the forced oscillation technique: (a) single unloaded DI; (b) single DI at 25 cmH2O; (c) single DI at 50% maximum inspiratory mouth pressure [MIP]; (d) 30 DIs at 50% MIP; and (e) 30 DIs at 50% MIP with maintenance of normocapnia. Rrs increased after the unloaded DI and the DI at 25 cmH2O but not after a DI at 50% MIP (3.6 ± 1.6 hPa L s−1 vs. 3.6 ± 1.5 hPa L s−1; p = 0.95), 30 DIs at 50% MIP (3.9 ± 1.5 hPa L s−1 vs. 4.2 ± 2.0 hPa L s−1; p = 0.16) or 30 DIs at 50% MIP under normocapnic conditions (3.9 ± 1.5 hPa L s−1 vs. 3.9 ± 1.5 hPa L s−1; p = 0.55). Increases in Rrs in response to DI were attenuated after single and multiple loaded breaths at 50% MIP

Correspondence: British Thoracic Society guideline on pulmonary rehabilitation in adults: Does objectivity have a sliding scale?

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. Copyright © 2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Thoracic Society. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 3.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is noncommercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/No abstract available (Letter

The Woodlands School, 1950-1980

This thesis examines the history of the custodial training school, Woodlands School. Located in New Westminster, British Columbia, Woodlands operated under various names. The institution originally opened in 1878 as the Provincial Asylum for the Insane, where it housed ‘lunatics’ and confronted mental diseases. In 1950 the facility underwent a transition to a custodial training school that focused on the care of ‘feeble-minded’ children, along with children who exhibited various physical and behavioural issues. That year its name changed to Woodlands School to better align with its new focus on special education and occupational therapy. This thesis uses patient, parent, and staff perspectives to offer unique insights into how Woodlands operated and how it is remembered. Additionally, it relies on a blend of archival materials including newspaper articles, newsletters, sessional reports, tour reports, and three texts concerning Woodlands’ history produced by former staff member, Val Adolph. First, this thesis grounds Woodlands in the context of British Columbia and Canada, then examines the factors and problems associated with transitioning the Asylum for the Insane to Woodlands as a custodial training school. Secondly, I explore Woodlands’ context through a special education lens alongside the experiences of a former resident. Thirdly, I consider how activist mothers influenced the closure of Woodlands School. Overall, the history of Woodlands is complex and multi-faceted, spanning decades and generations of different experiences, yet still has significant commonalities with other custodial training schools in Canada

Recent experiences using finite-element-based structural optimization

Structural optimization has been available to the structural analysis community as a tool for many years. The popular use of displacement method finite-element techniques to analyze linearly elastic structures has resulted in an ability to calculate the weight and constraint gradients inexpensively for numerical optimization of structures. Here, recent experiences in the investigation and use of structural optimization are discussed. In particular, experience with the commercially available ADS/NASOPT code is addressed. An overview of the ADS/NASOPT procedure and how it was implemented is given. Two example problems are also discussed

Implementation of a Supply Chain Management Intern for a Day Program

This program was developed to send students to local corporations to attain a better understanding of a business professional environment and the Supply Chain Management departments at those companies. Students were sent to Therma Tru Doors, in Maumee, Ohio to be interns for a day . They received the chance to shadow employees in all aspects of the Supply Chain field and learn about what their day to day job responsibilities entail. There are many benefits to this externship program for both the students and Therma Tru. Students gain valuable experience and knowledge while Therma Tru gains access to some of our best and brightest students. This program is focused in the Supply Chain Management department, but can easily be replicated in other specializations in Business, as well as other majors. This Intern for a Day program was successfully carried out this April in 2017 and was considered a success by both the company, and the students who participated

From Baby Babble to Childhood Chatter: Predicting Infant and Toddler Communication Outcomes Using Longitudinal Modeling

The importance of early communication development for later literacy, school achievement, and social interaction cannot be understated, according to a large body of literature. There is a consensus in the field of childhood communication that intervention could be applied earlier to prevent developmental delays from becoming disabilities. The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) measures Gestures, Vocalizations, Single Word Utterances and Multiple Word Utterances in infants and toddlers. Important information to be gained from the ECI is how key skills may predict themselves of other skills at later measurements on the ECI, which would give information to when would be the best window of intervention for children. Kansas Early Head Start programs administered the ECI quarterly to 4445 non-disabled children as part of an accountability program. Multiple imputation procedures were done on the data to recover key information. Longitudinal structural equation modeling lends itself well to this type of developmental data. Univariate panel models were applied to each of the key skills, a multivariate panel model was applied to all of the key skills integrated into a complete model, and a growth curve was used to model the growth in Total Communication (composite ECI score). Key skills predicted significantly to themselves at subsequent time points in the univariate panel model, and to themselves and others in the multivariate panel model. Total communication growth between the ages of 6 and 15 months was a significant predictor of status at 42 months. Limitations and future directions are discussed

DIMINISHING MARGINAL VALUE

The notion of diminishing marginal value has had a profound impact on the development of neoclassical theory. Early neoclassical scholars had considerable difficulty convincing contemporaries of the new paradigm's value until political economists, including Jevons and Walras, used the critical assumption of diminishing marginal value to link utility and demand. While diminishing marginal value remains a key component of modern economic intuition, there is surprisingly little empirical verification of its existence or level. This paper gathers field data across a myriad of subject pools--from undergraduate students to PTA members to sportscard enthusiasts--to examine several aspects of preferences in both price and exchange institutions. Examining behavior of nearly 900 subjects across several treatments, we find strong evidence of diminishing marginal value.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

The design of a gamma‐ray burst polarimeter

The study of the polarization properties of the gamma‐ray bursts is the one remaining unexplored avenue of research which may help to answer some of the fundamental problems regarding the nature of these mysterious objects. We have designed an instrument to measure linear polarization in cosmic gamma‐ray bursts at energies ≳50 keV. Here we describe the design of this instrument, which we call the Gamma‐ray Burst Polarimeter Experiment (GRAPE)

Acute cardiorespiratory responses to inspiratory pressure threshold loading

This is a non-final version of an article (under the working title "Acute cardiovascular and ventilatory responses to inspiratory pressure threshold loading") published in final form in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 42(9), 1696-1703, 2010 .Purpose: We tested the acute responses to differing pressure threshold inspiratory loading intensities in well-trained rowers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate 1) how the magnitude of inspiratory pressure threshold loading influences repetition maximum (RM), tidal volume (VT), and external work undertaken by the inspiratory muscle; and 2) whether the inspiratory muscle metaboreflex is activated during acute inspiratory pressure threshold loading. Methods: Eight males participated in seven trials. Baseline measurements of maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax), resting tidal volume (VT), and forced vital capacity (FVC) were made. During the remaining sessions, participants undertook a series of resistive inspiratory breathing tasks at loads corresponding to 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% of PImax using a pressure threshold inspiratory muscle trainer. The number of repetitions completed at each load, VT, heart rate (fc), and measures of arterial blood pressure was assessed continuously during each trial. Results: A standardized cutoff of 10% FVC was used to define the RM, which decreased as loading intensity increased (P < 0.05). This response was nonlinear, with an abrupt decrease in RM occurring at loads ≥70% of PImax. The most commonly used inspiratory muscle training regimen of 30RM corresponded to 62.5% ± 4.6% of PImax and also resulted in the highest external work output. Tidal volume (VT) decreased significantly over time at 60%, 70%, and 80% of PImax (P < 0.05), as did the amount of external work completed (P<0.05). Conclusions: Although all loads elicited a sustained increase in fc, only the 60% load elicited a sustained rise in mean arterial blood pressure (P = 0.016), diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.015), and systolic blood pressure (P = 0.002), providing evidence for a metaboreflex response at this load