Rate of perceived exertion as a predictor of physiological variables during jogging

Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was examined as a predictor of physiological values during jogging. [This is an excerpt from the abstract. For the complete abstract, please see the document.

Graduation Ceremonies

Due to the pandemic, many students around the world did not get to attend their own respective graduation ceremonies. MythSoc provided those present a chance to have a real graduation amongst fellows and peers

Vision-related symptoms as a clinical feature of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? Evidence from the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a debilitating disorder, affecting at least 250,000 people in the UK. Marked by debilitating fatigue, its aetiology is poorly understood and diagnosis controversial. A number of symptoms overlap with other illnesses with the result that CFS/ME is commonly misdiagnosed. It is important therefore that significant clinical features are investigated. People diagnosed with CFS/ME consistently report that they experience vision-related symptoms associated with their illness1-3 with some of these reports being verified experimentally. Although vision-related symptoms may represent a significant clinical feature of CFS/ME that could be useful in its diagnosis, they have yet to be included in clinical guidelines

Radiation-Tolerant DC-DC Converters

A document discusses power converters suitable for space use that meet the DSCC MIL-PRF-38534 Appendix G radiation hardness level P classification. A method for qualifying commercially produced electronic parts for DC-DC converters per the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) radiation hardened assurance requirements was developed. Development and compliance testing of standard hybrid converters suitable for space use were completed for missions with total dose radiation requirements of up to 30 kRad. This innovation provides the same overall performance as standard hybrid converters, but includes assurance of radiation- tolerant design through components and design compliance testing. This availability of design-certified radiation-tolerant converters can significantly reduce total cost and delivery time for power converters for space applications that fit the appropriate DSCC classification (30 kRad)

Harnessing the power of genomics and immunoinformatics to produce improved vaccines

The role of cellular immunity as a mediator of protection against disease is gaining recognition, particularly with regard to the many pathogens for which we presently lack effective vaccines. As a result, there is an ever-increasing need to understand the T-cell populations induced by vaccination and, therefore, T-cell epitopes responsible for triggering their activation. Although the characterization and harnessing of cellular immunity for vaccine development is an active area of research interest, the field still needs to rigorously define T-cell epitope specificities, above all, on a genomic level. New immunoinformatic epitope mapping tools now make it possible to identify pathogen epitopes and perform comparisons against human and microbial genomic data sets. Such information will help to determine whether adaptive immune responses elicited by a vaccine are both pathogen-specific and protective, but not crossreactive against host or host-associated sequences that could jeopardize self-tolerance and/or human microbiome–host homeostasis. Here, we discuss advances in genomics and vaccine design and their relevance to the development of safer, more effective vaccines

Mutations in the Sarcoplasmic/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+ ATPase Isoform Cause Darier's Disease

Darier's disease is an autosomal dominantly inherited skin disorder, characterized by loss of adhesion between epidermal cells and abnormal keratinization. ATP2A2 encoding the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA)2 has been identified as the defective gene in Darier's disease. All mutations previously reported occur in the region of ATP2A2 encoding both SERCA2a and SERCA2b isoforms. These isoforms result from alternative splicing of exon 20, with SERCA2b being the major isoform expressed in the epidermis. In this report, we studied a family affected with Darier's disease and identified a deletion (2993delTG) in a region of exon 20 of ATP2A2, which is specific for SERCA2b. This heterozygous mutation predicts a frameshift with a premature termination codon (PTC+32aa) in the eleventh transmembrane domain of SERCA2b. It segregates with the disease phenotype in the family members tested, and functional analysis shows a drastic reduction of the expression of the mutated protein in comparison with the wild-type SERCA2b. Our result suggests that the mutated allele causes the disease phenotype through loss of function of SERCA2b isoform. This finding indicates that SERCA2b plays a key role in the biology of the epidermis, and its defects are sufficient to cause Darier's disease

THE COMPLETE STORY: A POPULATION‐ BASED PERSPECTIVE ON SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND EDUCATIONAL TESTING

All children born in Manitoba in 1984 were tracked for 18 years to assess their grade‐ 12 performance on a provincial examination according to a student’s socio‐economic status. The proportion of youths in families receiving social assistance judged to have passed their language arts exam dropped from 80 per cent to 12 per cent, depending on whether one counts only those in the cohort who took the test on time in 2002 or all youths born in 1984 who should have taken the test in 2002. Getting better data on performance and doing something about the discrepancies should become a Canadian priority. Key words: educational opportunity, exam performance, socio‐economic status, testing, longitudinal studies Tous les enfants nés au Manitoba en 1984 ont été suivis sur une période de 18 ans en vue d’évaluer leur rendement en 12e année lors d’un examen provincial, tenant compte de leur statut socioéconomique. La proportion de jeunes issus des familles recevant de l’aide sociale et considérés comme ayant réussi leur examen au plan des compétences linguistiques passe de 80 % à 12 %, selon que l’on compte seulement ceux qui, dans la cohorte, ont subi l’examen à temps en 2002 ou tous les jeunes nés en 1984 qui auraient dû subir l’examen. En matière d’égalité des chances, la performance du système scolaire actuel au Canada laisse à désirer. Mots clés: possibilités éducatives, résultats d’examen, statut socioéconomique, analyse longitudinale.

The Use of Psychological State Words By Late Talkers at Ages 3, 4 and 5 Years

The use of four types of psychological state words (physiological, emotional, desire, and cognitive) during mother-child play sessions at ages 3, 4, and 5 years was examined in 30 children diagnosed with delayed expressive language at 24-31 months and 15 age-matched comparison children with typical development. The children\u27s mean length of utterance, total words uttered, lexical diversity, and use of propositional complements were assessed. The late talkers used significantly more physiological state words at ages 3 and 4, but the two groups did not differ in their use of physiological state terms at age 5. The late talkers used significantly fewer cognitive words than the comparison children at each age. The mothers of the late talkers made significantly fewer references to cognitive states than the mothers of the comparison children at each age. The delay in the emergence of cognitive state words in the preschool years may affect other aspects of late talkers\u27 cognitive and social development