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A need for speed: Objectively identifying full-body kinematic and neuromuscular features associated with faster sprint velocities
Get PDFSprinting is multifactorial and dependent on a variety of kinematic, kinetic, and neuromuscular features. A key objective in sprinting is covering a set amount of distance in the shortest amount of time. To achieve this, sprinters are required to coordinate their entire body to achieve a fast sprint velocity. This suggests that a whole-body kinematic and neuromuscular coordinative strategy exists which is associated with improved sprint performance. The purpose of this study was to leverage inertial measurement units (IMUs) and wireless surface electromyography (sEMG) to find coordinative strategies associated with peak over-ground sprint velocity using machine learning. We recruited 40 healthy university age sprint-based athletes from a variety of athletic backgrounds. IMU and sEMG data were used as inputs into a principal components analysis (PCA) to observe major modes of variation (i.e., PC scores). PC scores were then used as inputs into a stepwise multivariate linear regression model to derive associations of each mode of variation with peak sprint velocity. Both the kinematic (R2 = 0.795) and sEMG data (R2 = 0.586) produced significant multivariate linear regression models. The PCs that were selected as inputs into the multivariate linear regression model were reconstructed using multi-component reconstruction to produce a representation of the whole-body movement pattern and changes in the sEMG waveform associated with faster sprint velocities. The findings of this work suggest that distinct features are associated with faster sprint velocity. These include the timing of the contralateral arm and leg swing, stance leg kinematics, dynamic trunk extension at toe-off, asymmetry between the right and left swing side leg and a phase shift feature of the posterior chain musculature. These results demonstrate the utility of data-driven frameworks in identifying different coordinative features that are associated with a movement outcome. Using our framework, coaches and biomechanists can make decisions based on objective movement information, which can ultimately improve an athlete’s performance.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada & Brock Library Open Access Publishing Fun
Child-Adult Differences in Discrete Motor-Unit Activation: Insights from sEMG Decomposition
Get PDFThe overall purpose of this thesis was to examine age-related differences in the discrete motor-unit (MU) activation of two muscles, differing by size and recruitment strategy (vastus lateralis (VL) and flexor carpi radialis (FCR)) as well as during contractions where torque was developed at low and high rates. These research objectives were assessed within one research project and reported in three studies. Study 1 (Chapter 3) examined differences in muscle performance and discrete MU activation of the VL (large muscle, broad RT range) between boys and men during moderate-intensity isometric contractions. Study 2 (Chapter 4) examined differences in muscle performance and discrete MU activation of the FCR (small muscle, narrow RT range) between boys and men during moderate-intensity isometric contractions. Lastly, study 3 (Chapter 5) examined differences in discrete MU activation between boys and men during moderate-intensity contractions performed at low and high contraction rates in both the VL and FCR. The collective findings of this work indicate that during moderate-intensity isometric contractions, boys activate smaller MUs that have lower MU firing rates (MUFR) compared with men. Although this general trend was observed in both muscles as well as during slow and fast contractions, the specific age-related differences in discrete MU activation patterns varied between muscles. In the VL, men recruited relatively larger high-threshold MUs compared with boys even when accounting for differences in muscle size. Moreover, lower MUFR in boys was present in low- and high-threshold MUs. On the other hand, in the FCR there were no differences in the relative size of high-threshold MUs between groups, but boys demonstrated a narrower recruitment range which may explain why lower MUFR in boys were especially pronounced among high-threshold MUs. Overall, lower MUFRs in boys compared with men can partly explain age-related differences in size-normalized strength. While our findings provide some support for the notion of lower type-II MU activation in children, other emergent differences in MU activation suggest that there are other explanatory factors contributing to differences in muscle performance between children and adults
Mack Training School for Nurses collection, 1949-2017, n.d.
Get PDFThe Mack Training School for Nurses was a hospital-based school at the St. Catharines General Hospital. It was founded by Dr. Theophilus Mack in 1873 at the St. Catharines General and Marine Hospital, which later became the St. Catharines General Hospital. Students were recruited from Florence Nightingale’s school in England and Dr. Mack’s nursing school became the first in North America following the Nightingale system. The two-year program focused on practical nursing in the hospital, with each student trained by a qualified nurse. In 1879 diplomas were granted to the first graduates of the school.
In 1967 steps were taken towards the establishment of the Mack School of Nursing. The School was affiliated with the Regional Schools of Nursing and operated under the Ministry of Health. In 1969 the last class graduated from the Mack Training School for Nurses and in 1970 the first class graduated from the Mack School of Nursing. In 1974 training for nurses became part of the college system and the Mack School for Nurses was closed.The collection consists mostly of yearbooks for the Mack Training School for Nurses, titled “Mack Data”. Other materials include a graduation program, alumnae association booklet, a centennial program, and a book titled The Spirit of Mack, published for the school’s centennial
An exploratory study evaluating the effectiveness of a data driven approach to identifying coordinative features that are associated with sprint velocity
Get PDFSprint performance is multifactorial in nature and is dependent on a variety of coordination and motor control features. During the sequential phases of a sprint, the athlete completes a series of spatiotemporal coordination strategies to achieve the fastest possible velocity. The overall aim of the study was to leverage wearable sensor technology and data- driven tools to objectively assess the kinematic and neuromuscular determinants of optimal sprint velocity from a large dataset of university-aged sprinters. To achieve this, we recruited participants to run three 60 m sprints as fast as possible, while being outfitted with wireless electromyography (EMG) and a full-body inertial measurement unit (IMU) suit to obtain full- body 3D kinematics. Five strides about peak sprint velocity were selected and used for inputs into a principal components analysis (PCA). Significant stepwise multivariable regression models were generated for both kinematic and EMG features identified using PCA, with the kinematic model outperforming the EMG model as the kinematic model displayed a higher R2 value. This suggests that the kinematic dataset used in this study is a better predictor of sprint performance when compared to the EMG dataset, and that both may be viable options in the development of data-driven objective sprint coaching tools
Diverse Stories: Understanding Recreation and Leisure in Older LGB Lives
Get PDFResearch shows that recreation and leisure can encourage health-promoting behaviours and positive outcomes for older adults (Massie & Meisner, 2019). However, studies report that older LGB adults have unique experiences of recreation and leisure and experience different constraints to their participation, often influenced by experiences of marginalization and prejudice (Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., 2017c). Though research suggests that recreation, leisure, and community support are key to positive health outcomes, the reality is that older LGB adults may fear the service systems that have historically discriminated against them (Brennan-Ing et al., 2014). Therefore, this study sought to answer the following questions: (1) How do older LGB adults continue their recreation and leisure participation throughout their life course?, and (2) What role does community-based recreation services play in supporting recreation participation among older LGB adults? Narrative inquiry methodology was used to explore these questions, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with older LGB adults and practitioners to collect data. Thematic narrative analysis and thematic analysis were used to create a coherent story of participants experiences, to identity patterns and relationships within and across stories (Kim, 2019) and illustrate how older LGB participants storied, lived experiences integrated with perspectives of the practitioners who serve the population. Continuity Theory and the Model of Leisure Constraints were used to understand how the older LGB adults’ recreation and leisure participation continued throughout their life course and the constraints that influenced the continuity of such. The analysis identified three key themes: Adaptation of leisure engagement, Social network augmentation, and Consolidation of interests, values, and leisure. This research highlights how older LGB adults’ leisure engagement is influenced by various constraints related to their identity, both as a sexual minority and as an older adult. Moreover, the findings of this study point to the importance of considering how these needs change and evolve throughout their life course, in order to achieve inclusivity for older LGB adults. Further, this research draws attention to how recreation service providers can intentionally foster opportunities to fulfill identified needs, such as socialization and sense of belonging, while helping to achieve continuity in activities, relationships, and/or environments
The bipartite function of Clade I TGAs: involvement in basal immunity and systemic acquired resistance
Get PDFWhen pathogens attack, each plant cell must mount its defense response against the pathogen. Understanding the process of pathogenic infiltration, detection, signalling, and defense is required to produce more resistant crop species and understand the complexities involved. The transcription factor family TGAs contains two members, TGA1/4, which were found to be basal immunity and systemic acquired resistance in plants by large-scale transcriptomic analysis.
TGA1/4 were found to negatively regulate WRKYs 15, 40, and 48 genes, which are negative regulators of basal immunity involved in the growth and immunity tradeoff controlled by the phytohormone Brassinoteroid. TGA1/4 was found to directly associate with each WRKY gene promoter and negatively regulate their expression. As a proxy to basal immunity, reactive oxygen species were quantified in COL-0 and tga1tga4 double mutant lines, showing a reduction in ROS expression in the mutant lines when treated with the brassinosteroid-pathway inhibitor, brassinazole.
Additionally, TGA1/4 was found to form a repressosome with GRX480 and NPR1 to negatively regulate early-SAR inducible genes, like the SAR marker gene PR-1, by TGA1/4 and GRX480 directly interacting with PR-1 gene promoter.
How TGA1/4 mechanistically regulates basal immunity, and SAR is not entirely known, in part due to the lack of structural information about TGA family members as a whole.
In silico derived TGA1 bZip homodimer-DNA 3D model, developed through molecular dynamics simulations and alanine scanning, identified essential amino acids required for TGA1-DNA association and stabilization. Some residues outside the range of DNA interaction are critical in DNA stabilization, namely Y106, V107 and E111. Through EMSA experiments TGA1 WT and mutant-dsLS7 dissociation constant (KD) values were determined, showing TGA1-DNA K¬D to be about 22 nM, with a melting temperature of 66.5°C. Continued development of the TGA1-DNA model is required. However, the current model was successfully validated.
Taken together, clade I TGAs possess bipartite functions within plant immunity, now being rooted in both the growth and immunity tradeoff and early-SAR induction
(Im)mobilités
Get PDFFive authors of fiction-criticism – Paul Savoie, Angela Cozea, Thomas Ayouti, Alexander Christie, and Nicholas Hauck – explore motifs – urban life, travel, seascapes, illness – developed in a creative-writing piece by Catherine Parayre.
The book illustrations show artworks from a series titled Pseudo-fiction by Canadian artist Shawn Serfas and Catherine Parayre.
Editor: Nicholas Hauck.
In French
Glacial Dynamics and Stratigraphy in the Southern Great Slave Lake Region, Northwest Territories
No full textA detailed stratigraphic study was undertaken on a thick (>20 m) glacial diamicton at a former open pit (M-52) in the north-central part of the Pine Point mining district, adjacent to the southern shore of Great Slave Lake. This research augments the established regional Quaternary stratigraphy and investigates the mechanics of till deposition/emplacement throughout a continuous till sequence to understand better the glacial dynamics for the western margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.
The exposures at pit M-52 sit directly on bedrock, and two visibly distinct tills are exposed, a grey till exposed at the base of the section and brown till in the upper portion. When a complete vertical section was cleared and examined, the contact between the two tills was indiscernible and suspected to be gradational over several metres. The gradational contact is likely a product of extensive glacial inheritance and mixing as glacial dynamics shifted during till accretion.
The study at pit M-52 was correlated with studies conducted at pits K-62 and O-28. While at M-52, the contact was gradational, the studies at K-62 and O-28 had layered stratigraphy indicating that different depositional environments existed near each other, as described in the subglacial till mosaic model.
Micromorphological examination of 25 till samples from pit M-52 show that tills were deposited in a soft subglacial deforming bed. The tills have evidence of multiple generations of deformation beginning with pervasive and transitioning into localized shear strain. Clast fabrics were measured in the section and revealed that the grey till close to the bedrock surface reflects SW ice flow, the upper two clast fabrics display evidence of NW ice flow
Long Term Care Staff's Perspectives of Mindfulness Programs in LTC Homes
Get PDFOlder adults in long-term care (LTC) face numerous physical and mental health challenges, multiple life transitions and changes, and most recently the effects of COVID-19, all of which can have serious negative effects on their mental health. Previous research suggests that mindfulness can reduce feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and perceived pain, while boosting self-esteem and improving sleep quality among older adults. Despite the promising use of mindfulness with older adults there is a lack of empirical research to examine how mindfulness could be used in LTC. The proposed research question that guided this study is: What are LTC staff’s perspectives of mindfulness programs in LTC? The objectives of this study were to understand LTC staff’s knowledge of mindfulness, to explore the feasibility of implementing mindfulness programs in LTC, and, to understand what a mindfulness program might look like in LTC. Using a narrative methodology, I employed semi-structured interviews to explore the perspectives of 11 LTC employees in Ontario. Final analysis and interpretation generated 4 key findings that align with the research question: 1) LTC staff’s perspectives of mindfulness in LTC begins with their own understanding and experience of mindfulness, 2) LTC staff see the benefits of mindfulness practice for themselves and for others in LTC, 3) Implementing mindfulness in LTC, 4) The positive impact of COVID-19 on mindfulness in LTC. These findings suggest that mindfulness practices are not systematically structured within LTC and are instead used in combination with contemplative practices. Staff who teach mindfulness did not mention any formal training in it, but instead, learned from personal experiences. While COVID-19 impacted LTC homes negatively, the findings suggest that the pandemic brought more awareness to mindfulness programming in LTC
Douglas Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Records
Get PDFA special meeting of the Col. Kerby Chapter of the I.O.D.E. was held at the home of Mrs. Kathleen McGill on 27 October 1931. The intention was to form a hospital auxiliary for the Douglas Memorial Hospital in Fort Erie, Ont. It was moved by Miss Vahey and seconded by Miss Graham that the Daughters of the Empire form a hospital auxiliary with the membership restricted to Daughters of the Empire only. Officers elected were Mrs. O.C. Teal, convener, Mrs. N. [Kathleen] McGill, assistant convener, Mrs. F. Rapelje, secretary-treasurer. By 1935 the auxiliary removed the membership restriction and welcomed all women in the community to serve in the auxiliary. In 2001 the auxiliary celebrated 70 years of service.
The Col. Kerby Chapter of the I.O.D.E. was founded in 1914 and named in honour of Col. James Kerby, former collector of customs, postmaster, magistrate and member of the legislative assembly for York.1 microfilm reel
Contents include:
Annual reports
Correspondence
Guest book
Lists of officers and members
Minutes of meeting
Press releases
Roll book
Treasurer’s reports
Work completedDouglas Memorial Hospital Auxiliar