Collaborating to develop an online resource for parents

Background The development and evaluation of Online Parent Information and Support (OPIS) involved the creation of a web resource for parents who needed support for the home-based management of their child's chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Reliability of simulated sprint-distance triathlon

To assess reliability of simulated sprint-distance triathlon seven non-elite, male triathletes completed three trials (750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run), using a 25 m pool, an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer and motorised treadmill. Total times (h, min and s) were 1:17:37 ± 0:06:41, 1:18:22 ± 0:08:59 and 1:18:47 ± 0:09:56. Coefficient of variation (CV) for total performance time was 2.7% between trials 1&2 (CI = 1.7-6.0) and 2.3% between trials 2&3 (CI = 1.5-5.1). Performance CV’s for swim, cycle and run phases were also <5% between trials 2&3. These results show that for non-elite, competitive male triathletes, performance time in simulated sprint-distance triathlon is highly reproducible, with a CV comparable to endurance performances of similar duration (<5%)

Physiological correlates of simulated sprint-distance triathlon

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between simulated triathlon performance and physiological variables measured during conventional laboratory tests. Seven non-elite, competitive male triathletes completed incremental cycling and running tests in a random order, in addition to a simulated sprint-distance triathlon trial (750 m swim, 500 kJ bike, 5 km run) using a 25 m pool, an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer and motorised treadmill. There were no significant correlations between overall performance time and either running or cycling incremental tests, however significant correlations were found between triathlon run time and both running and cycling incremental tests (Vpeak, r = -.900, p<0.05; V4mmol, r = -.822, p<0.05; Wpeak, r = -.844, p<0.05). Total simulated triathlon time was highly correlated to cycle time (r = .930, p<0.05) and mean cycling power output (r = -.956, p<0.05), whilst there was no significant correlation between either swim time or run time and overall performance time. For non-elite, competitive male triathletes, a performance assessment which better reflects the demands of the cycle phase of triathlon (i.e. a time-trial protocol) may provide a better indication of simulated sprint-distance triathlon performance in comparison to commonly used incremental laboratory tests. Furthermore, cycling performance appears more important to overall performance in simulated sprint-distance triathlon than swimming or running

Effects of residual fatigue on pace regulation during sprint-distance triathlon running

Introduction: It has been suggested that unique relationships exist between perceived exertion, pacing and physiological responses during triathlon. However, research to date has not clearly established how the interaction of these factors is affected by residual physiological fatigue, particularly during running performance over distances relevant to sprint-distance triathlon. This study therefore investigated the effects of the preceding swim and cycle on pacing strategy, perceived exertion, and physiological status during sprint-distance triathlon running. Methods: Eight amateur male triathletes (mean ± SD: age 36.0 ± 5.7 yrs, mass 75.7 ± 5.3 kg) completed two field-based performance trials. The first was a sprint-distance triathlon (0.75 km swim, 20 km cycle, 5 km run) and the second an isolated 5 km run time-trial, each separated by 7-18 days and utilising the same flat out-and-back road course. Wrist-mounted GPS devices (Garmin 310XT, UK) recorded performance time, running speed (km•h-1) and heart rate during each trial. Participants recorded ratings of perceived exertion (Borg 6-20 scale) every kilometre using a wrist-mounted recording sheet and pen. Core temperature (CorTemp, HQInc, USA), blood lactate concentration (Lactate Pro, Kodak, Japan) and body mass (to 0.1 kg; Seca 875) were also measured immediately prior to, and after, each run. Results: Performance time for isolated running (19:28 ± 00:32) was ~7% quicker than triathlon running (20:48 ± 00:43) (p<0.01), with a similar positive pacing strategy displayed throughout both trials (figure 1). Initial core temperature, blood lactate concentration and heart rate values were all significantly higher for the triathlon run compared to the isolated run (p<0.01), with no differences in final values for these measures. No significant differences were observed for initial RPE, rate of RPE increase, or final RPE between runs. Discussion/Conclusion: Prior swimming and cycling impair performance but do not affect pacing strategy during sprint-distance triathlon running. Reduced performance may be attributed to the residual physiological strain observed at the start of the triathlon run. However, the maintenance of scalar-linear increases in RPE appears to be the primary regulator of pacing strategy during triathlon running, with physiological responses only indirectly related to this process

Visual Persuasion: Issues in the Translation of the Visual in Advertising

This contribution is concerned with the decoding of advertising messages and the question of whether and how such messages are received by members of other cultures. The answers to these questions are important when considering the role of the translator in adapting global campaigns. Most advertisers concentrate on avoiding linguistic pitfalls when adapting advertisements for new markets, but in any advertisement, consumers are primarily attracted by visual elements. It can be said that an advertisement’s potential for triggering a train of connotations in the consumers’ minds is the most important aspect of advertisement design. According to Barthes, images are polysemous, but it is not clear whether all connotations are accessible to viewers in different cultures. The visual in advertising exploits the original and the stereotypical – novelty attracts attention, while the stereotypical serves as a reference to established knowledge. The main design options discussed are layout and directionality, as well as the choice of subject, which also allows a range of visual rhetorical options to be encoded. Decoding depends on practical, cultural and aesthetic knowledge. The challenge to the translator lies in assessing whether the choices made in the original advertisement and its connotation potential can be transferred to a new language market with different cultural practices. The analysis draws on the semiotics of Barthes, and presents more recent approaches from cultural studies. It is illustrated by examples of the strategies adopted for global advertising campaigns by companies operating world-wide and includes a case study on advertising in China.Cette contribution cherche à décoder les messages de la publicité tout en posant la question de savoir comment ils sont accueillis par les représentants de quelques autres cultures. Répondre à cette question devient une tâche urgente lorsqu’on considère la fonction du traducteur dans l’adaptation de campagnes publicitaires mondiales. La plupart des annonceurs publicitaires cherchent à éviter des pièges linguistiques lorsqu’il s’agit d’adapter leur publicité aux besoins de nouveaux marchés, et pourtant la plupart des consommateurs se sentent attirés par les éléments non linguistiques, visuels de la publicité. On pourrait donc affirmer que le but principal du projet publicitaire consiste à activer les connotations visuelles dans la perception des consommateurs. À en croire Barthes, les images sont polysémiques, mais il n’est pas tout à fait clair que toutes les connotations présentes soient réalisées par les spectateurs des différentes cultures. Dans le domaine publicitaire, l’élément visuel s’oriente vers l’originalité et le stéréotype : pendant que la nouveauté attire l’attention, le stéréotype sert de point de repère à la perception conventionnelle. Les principales options du design qui sont discutées ici sont la mise en page et le choix de sujet qui permettent également d’encoder des options rhétoriques. Le décodage dépend de connaissances pragmatiques, culturelles et esthétiques. Le défi que le traducteur doit affronter consiste à décider si les stratégies et les connotations sous-jacentes à l’original peuvent être transposées telles quelles dans le nouveau contexte linguistique régi par des pratiques culturelles différentes. L’analyse présentée ici prend comme point de départ la sémiotique de Roland Barthes qu’elle combine avec des approches plus récentes issues des cultural studies. Elle est illustrée par des exemples qui caractérisent les stratégies des campagnes publicitaires mondiales et comprend une étude modèle de la publicité chinoise

Quantitative Measurements of CME-driven Shocks from LASCO Observations

In this paper, we demonstrate that CME-driven shocks can be detected in white light coronagraph images and in which properties such as the density compression ratio and shock direction can be measured. Also, their propagation direction can be deduced via simple modeling. We focused on CMEs during the ascending phase of solar cycle 23 when the large-scale morphology of the corona was simple. We selected events which were good candidates to drive a shock due to their high speeds (V>1500 km/s). The final list includes 15 CMEs. For each event, we calibrated the LASCO data, constructed excess mass images and searched for indications of faint and relatively sharp fronts ahead of the bright CME front. We found such signatures in 86% (13/15) of the events and measured the upstream/downstream densities to estimate the shock strength. Our values are in agreement with theoretical expectations and show good correlations with the CME kinetic energy and momentum. Finally, we used a simple forward modeling technique to estimate the 3D shape and orientation of the white light shock features. We found excellent agreement with the observed density profiles and the locations of the CME source regions. Our results strongly suggest that the observed brightness enhancements result from density enhancements due to a bow-shock structure driven by the CME.Comment: to be published in Astrophysical Journa

Evaluating Spatial Normalization Methods for the Human Brain

Cortical stimulation mapping (CSM) studies have shown cortical locations for language function are highly variable from one subject to the next. Because no two cortical surfaces are alike and language is a higher order cognitive function, observed variability is attributable to a combination of functional and anatomical variation. If individual variation can be normalized, patterns of language organization may emerge that were heretofore hidden. In order to discover whether or not such patterns exist, computer-aided spatial normalization is required. Because CSM data has been collected on the cortical surface, we believe that a surface-based normalization method will provide more accurate results than will a volume-based method. To investigate this hypothesis, we evaluate a surface-based (Caret) and volume-based method (SPM2). For our application, the "ideal" method would i) minimize variation as measured by spread reduction between cortical language sites across subjects while also ii) preserving anatomical localization of sites. Evaluation technique: Eleven MR image volumes and corresponding CSM site coordinates were selected. Images were segmented to create left hemisphere surface reconstruction for each patient. Individual surfaces were registered to the colin27 human brain atlas using each method. Deformation parameters from each method were applied to CSM coordinates to obtain post-normalization coordinates in 2D space and 3D ICBM152 space. Accuracy metrics were calculated i) as mean distance between language sites across subjects in both 2D and 3D space and ii) by visual inspection of post-normalization site locations on a 2D map. Results: Globally, we found no statistically significant difference between CARET (surface-based method) and SPM2 (volume-based method) as measured by both spread reduction and anatomical localization. Local analysis showed that more than twenty percent of total mapping errors were mapped incorrectly by both methods. There was a statistically significant difference between Caret and SPM2 mapping of type 2 errors

Contingent Faculty Performing Scholarship and Service: Examining Academic Labor and Identity at a Public Flagship University

The faculties of many colleges and universities in the United States are comprised of rising numbers of instructional contingent faculty who are ineligible for tenure. Although these positions generally do not require scholarly or service activities because their primary focus is teaching, the extent to which these faculty members still choose to perform like tenure-line faculty, with at least some kind of balance of teaching, research, and service, is understudied. The current study attempted to address this omission in the literature by collecting data from contingent faculty members at a public flagship university (N = 176) about their engagement with scholarly and service activities. A majority of the respondents (63.1%) had engaged in at least one scholarly activity and in at least one service activity (69.9%). This study adds to our understanding of the lived experiences of contingent faculty and concludes that a majority of these faculty members are, at least in part, building an academic identity based off of traditional expectations and activities for tenure-line faculty

Toll-like receptor signaling in vertebrates: Testing the integration of protein, complex, and pathway data in the Protein Ontology framework

The Protein Ontology (PRO) provides terms for and supports annotation of species-specific protein complexes in an ontology framework that relates them both to their components and to species-independent families of complexes. Comprehensive curation of experimentally known forms and annotations thereof is expected to expose discrepancies, differences, and gaps in our knowledge. We have annotated the early events of innate immune signaling mediated by Toll-Like Receptor 3 and 4 complexes in human, mouse, and chicken. The resulting ontology and annotation data set has allowed us to identify species-specific gaps in experimental data and possible functional differences between species, and to employ inferred structural and functional relationships to suggest plausible resolutions of these discrepancies and gaps