Technologies to Aid Public Understanding in Running Performance

Measurement technologies and visualisation techniques are changing the way public audiences engage with televised coverage of sport. However, the adoption of measurement technologies for broadcast coverage of running—to engage audiences and improve public understanding of performance—has been limited. This might reflect measurement challenges of athletic competition environments; athlete-worn measurement devices can be impractical, and video-based analyses typically require well-defined input videos for analysis (e.g., calibration, etc.). Recently, single-camera and calibration-independent video processing has advanced practical analyses of running performance in sports environments. This paper presents (1) the application of a method to quantify temporal running parameters using broadcast footage of 100 m sprint and 1-mile endurance running, (2) the application of human posture detection to quantify spatial running parameters using hand-held action camera footage and (3) examples of co-developed data visualisations, aimed at improving public engagement and understanding of running performance

Multivariate variance-components analysis of longitudinal blood pressure measurements from the Framingham Heart Study

Multivariate variance-components analysis provides several advantages over univariate analysis when studying correlated traits. It can test for pleiotropy or (in the longitudinal context) gene × age interaction. It can also have more power than univariate analyses to detect a quantitative trait locus influencing several traits. We apply multivariate variance components to longitudinal systolic blood pressure data from the Framingham Heart Study. We find evidence for a polygenic influence on blood pressure (heritabilities at different ages range from 27% to 38%). Tests based on a factor-analytic parameterization of the polygenic variance find significant (p < 2 × 10(-3)) evidence that different genes affect blood pressure at different ages. Still, estimates for the proportion of polygenic variance due to shared genes ran as high as 85% for some trait pairs. Univariate and multivariate linkage analyses replicate previous linkage results on chromosome 17 (maximum LOD scores of 2.2 and 2.4, respectively). In this study, multivariate analysis provides no increase in power; this is likely due to the strong positive correlation in systolic blood pressure measured at different ages

Transcriptomic analysis of autistic brain reveals convergent molecular pathology.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common, highly heritable neurodevelopmental condition characterized by marked genetic heterogeneity. Thus, a fundamental question is whether autism represents an aetiologically heterogeneous disorder in which the myriad genetic or environmental risk factors perturb common underlying molecular pathways in the brain. Here, we demonstrate consistent differences in transcriptome organization between autistic and normal brain by gene co-expression network analysis. Remarkably, regional patterns of gene expression that typically distinguish frontal and temporal cortex are significantly attenuated in the ASD brain, suggesting abnormalities in cortical patterning. We further identify discrete modules of co-expressed genes associated with autism: a neuronal module enriched for known autism susceptibility genes, including the neuronal specific splicing factor A2BP1 (also known as FOX1), and a module enriched for immune genes and glial markers. Using high-throughput RNA sequencing we demonstrate dysregulated splicing of A2BP1-dependent alternative exons in the ASD brain. Moreover, using a published autism genome-wide association study (GWAS) data set, we show that the neuronal module is enriched for genetically associated variants, providing independent support for the causal involvement of these genes in autism. In contrast, the immune-glial module showed no enrichment for autism GWAS signals, indicating a non-genetic aetiology for this process. Collectively, our results provide strong evidence for convergent molecular abnormalities in ASD, and implicate transcriptional and splicing dysregulation as underlying mechanisms of neuronal dysfunction in this disorder

Re-examination of the Reformation in its context of political and theological struggles

With the celebration of the 500 years of Reformation in 2017, unsurprisingly, much has been written about this phenomenon as it unfolded in the 16th-century Europe. Any world-changing event not only deserves the attention of historians and scholars alike, but also merits closer scrutiny, to reveal its important lessons. One of the ways in which to achieve this goal, is the search to understand the event in context. While religious contexts are often discussed within the framework of the 16th-century Reformation, the political contexts have not been sufficiently elucidated to uncover their impact on the theological stances of early reformers. In this study, a re-examination of the early Reformers will reveal that their political contexts greatly affected the outcomes of their theological struggles, mostly causing those Magisterial Reformers who accommodated and collaborated symbiotically with their political partners, to thrive. In short, ideology without ample political muscle has invariably been relegated to the footnotes of history, whereas theology, supported by political patronage, has come to define Reformation historiography. This finding is important in the ongoing ecumenical conversation, as far as all sides have realised that their confessional foundations are perhaps products of their historico-political contexts, thereby removing any entrenched personal grandiosity, to make room for pragmatic humility as part of a constructive dialogue. Through the use of Document Analysis, this study aims to investigate various early Reformers and their political contexts, to determine how the latter swayed the theological leanings of the former. These political contexts include the influence of localised princes, city magistrates, and even peasants, as well as the broader contexts of geopolitical events. A large volume of relevant literature will be used and analysed to ascertain the historical accuracy of accounts surrounding political events, as well as individual Reformers’ theological tenets. Primary sources will be given priority, while secondary sources will be carefully evaluated.Die vyfhonderdste herdenking van die Reformasie (Hervorming) in 2017 het tot gevolg gehad dat menige outeurs oor die Reformasie van die sestiende-eeuse Europa geskryf het. Enige gebeure wat die gang van sake in die wêreld verander, verdien nie net die aandag van beide historici en geleerdes nie, maar ook ’n noukeurige ondersoek om sodoende belangrike lesse daaruit te verkry. Een manier om hierdie doel te bereik is om die gebeure binne konteks te verstaan. Terwyl die godsdienstige konteks waarbinne die sestiende-eeuse Reformasie afgespeel het, reeds menigmaal bespreek is, is die politieke konteks nie genoegsaam behandel nie, veral ten opsigte van die invloed wat dit op die vroeë Hervormers se teologiese posisies gehad het. In hierdie studie wys die in-diepte ondersoek na die vroeë Hervormers uit dat die politieke kontekste waarbinne hulle opgetree het, hulle toelogiese worsteling grootliks beïnvloed het. Dit het tot gevolg gehad dat die gesaghebbende Hervormers wat met hulle politieke eweknieë saamgewerk het, meestal gedy het. In kort, ’n lewensbekouing sonder genoegsame politieke krag word na die voetnote van die geskiedenis verskuif, terwyl teologie wat deur politieke beskerming ondersteun word, die reformatoriese geskiedskrywing sou definieer. Hierdie bevinding is belangrik binne die raamwerk van die voortgaande ekumeniese gesprek, in sover al die partye besef het dat hulle belydenisgrondslag moontlik die produk was van hulle histories-politiese kontekste. Op hierdie wyse kon hulle enige verskansde selfverheffing verwyder en ruimte maak vir pragmatiese nederigheid binne ’n konstruktiewe dialoog. Deur gebruik te maak van Dokument-analise, het hierdie studie ten doel om navorsing te doen oor verskeie vroeë Hervormers en hulle politieke kontekste, om daarmee aan te toon hoe laasgenoemde die Hervormers se teologiese rigtings beïnvloed het. Hierdie politieke kontekste het prinse, dorpslanddroste, en selfs plattelanders ingesluit, asook uitgebreide kontekste van geopolitiese gebeure. Die navorser het ’n groot aantal relevante bronne gebruik en ontleed om die historiese akkuraatheid van die politieke gebeure te verseker en seker te maak van die teologiese leerstellings van die onderskeie Hervormers. Primêre bronne geniet absolute prioriteit, terwyl sekondêre bronne deeglik geëvalueer word.Ka ge go be go ketekwa mengwaga ye 500 ya Diphetogo ka 2017, seo se ilego sa se makatse ke gore, tse ntsi di ngwadilwe mabapi le tiragalo ye ge e be e thomiswa ka ngwagakgolo wa bo 16 ka Yuropa. Tiragalo efe goba efe ye e fetosago lefase ga se ya swanelwa fela go hwetsa sedi ya bangwadi ba tsa histori le ya dirutegi, eupsa gape e hloka go lekodisiswa ka tsinkelo, go utolla dithuto tse bohlokwa tseo re di hwetsago go yona. Ye nngwe ya ditsela tseo ka tsona re ka fihlelelago nepo ye, ke go nyaka go kwesisa tiragalo ye ka seemong sa yona. Le ge e le gore maemo a tsa sedumedi gantsi a a ahlaahlwa ka gare ga tlhako ya Diphego tsa ngwagakgolo wa bo 16, maemo a tsa sepolotiki ga se a lekodiswago ka fao go lekanego, ka nepo ya go utolla seabe mabapi le maemo a tsa sedumedi a batlisadiphetogo ba peleng. Ka mo dinyakisisong tse, tekodisisoleswa ya batlisadiphetogo ba peleng e tla utolla gore seemo sa bona sa tsa dipolotiki se amile kudu dipoelo tsa mathata a bona a tsa sedumedi, gomme se sa baka kudu gore batlisadiphetogo bao ba bagolo bao ba amogetsego le go dirisana le badirisani ka bona ba tsa sepolotiki go atlega. Ka boripana: dikgopolo tsa go hloka maatla a o a lekanego a tsa sepolotiki di beetswe kgakala go histori, mola e le gore sedumedi sona, ge se thekgwa ke maatla a sepolotiki, se ile sa hlalosa Diphetogo go ya ka dinyakisiso tsa histori. Kutollo ye e bohlokwa ka dipoledisanong tseo di tswelago pele tsa kwano ya sekhriste, kudukudu ka ge mahlakore ka moka a lemogile gore metheo ya tumelo ya bona mohlomongwe e bakilwe ke seemo sa bona sa histori ya tsa sepolotiki, go realo e le go tlosa maemo a godimo a batho, ka nepo ya go direla boikobobetso sebaka bjalo ka karolo ya dipoledisano tseo di kgwagalago. Ka go somisa mokgwa wa tshekatsheko ya dingwalwa, dinyakisiso tse di ikemiseditse go nyakisisa ka ga batlisadiphetogo ba peleng ba mehutahuta le maemo a bona a tsa sepolotiki, ka nepo ya go tseba ge eba maemo a a sepolotiki a hueditsego dithuto tsa sedumedi tsa batlisadiphetogo. Maemo a a sepolotiki a akaretsa khuetso balaodi ba kgauswi, bomaseterata ba ditoropokgolo, le ge e ka ba badudi ba maemo a fase, gammogo le seemo ka kakaretso sa ditiragalo tsa dipolotiki mafelong a itsego. Bontsi bja dingwalwa tsa maleba bo tla somiswa le go sekasekwa ka nepo ya go tseba nepagalo ya kanegelo ya histori mabapi le ditiragalo tsa sepolotiki, gammogo le maemo a tsa sedumedi a batlisadiphetogo. Dingwalwa tsa motheo di tla somiswa peleng, mola e le gore dingwalwa tsa tlaleletso di tla sekasekwa ka tlhokomelo.Christian Spirituality, Church History and MissiologyD. Th. (Church History

Microcavity Strain Sensor for High Temperature Applications

A microcavity extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) fiber-optic sensor is presented for measurement of strain. The EFPI sensor is fabricated by micromachining a cavity on the tip of a standard single-mode fiber with a femtosecond (fs) laser and is then self-enclosed by fusion splicing another piece of single-mode fiber. The fs-laser-based fabrication makes the sensor thermally stable to sustain temperatures as high as 800°C. The sensor exhibits linear performance for a range up to 3700 µε and a low temperature sensitivity of only 0.59 pm/°C through 800°C

A 1200 Year Record of Hydrologic Variability in the Sierra Nevada from Sediments in Walker Lake, Nevada

Measurements of the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of the total inorganic carbon (TIC) fraction from cored sediments of Walker Lake, Nevada, were conducted at an average resolution of ∼3 years per sample over the last 1200 years. On the basis of radiocarbon analysis on the total organic carbon (TOC) fraction, a δ18O time series was created to reconstruct changes in hydrologic conditions back to AD 800. The timings of variations in the TIC δ18O record are generally consistent with the tree ring-based Sacramento River flow record spanning AD 869 to 1977, indicating that Walker Lake δ18O contains information about past changes in at least regional hydrologic conditions. Comparison with the δ18O record from Pyramid Lake sediments indicates that both basins have recorded five century-scale oscillations in regional hydrologic conditions since AD 800. Several of these changes in hydrologic conditions appear synchronous with century-scale California Current water temperature changes derived from analysis of sediment cores from the Santa Barbara Basin also attesting to the regional extent of these climatic fluctuations. Nearly synchronous oscillations in the Sierra wetness and the California Current suggest that regional changes in atmospheric circulation may have played an important role in century-scale climate variability over the last millennium

Silicon-organic hybrid thermo-optic switch based on a slot waveguide directional coupler

We propose and demonstrate a passively biased 2 by 2 thermo-optic switch with high power efficiency and fast response time. The device benefits from the highly concentrated optical field of a slot waveguide mode and the strong thermo-optic effect of a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) cladding. The NLC fills the nano-slot region and is aligned by the subwavelength grating inside. The measured power consumption and thermal time constant are 0.58 mW and 11.8 microsecond, respectively, corresponding to a figure-of-merit of 6.8. The proposed silicon-organic hybrid device provides a new solution to design thermo-optic actuators having lower power consumption and fast operation speed