Memorial University of Newfoundland

About: Memorial University of Newfoundland is a education organization based out in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 13818 authors who have published 27785 publications receiving 743594 citations. The organization is also known as: Memorial University & Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Comparison of accuracy, precision, and sensitivity in elemental assays of fish otoliths using the electron microprobe, proton-induced X-ray emission, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract: The elemental composition of fish otoliths is of considerable interest to those who wish to reconstruct temperature, migration, or environmental histories of individual fish based on assays of the ...

A Roadmap for Using the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development in Support of Science, Policy, and Action

Abstract: The health of the ocean, central to human well-being, has now reached a critical point. Most fish stocks are overexploited, climate change and increased dissolved carbon dioxide are changing ocean chemistry and disrupting species throughout food webs, and the fundamental capacity of the ocean to regulate the climate has been altered. However, key technical, organizational, and conceptual scientific barriers have prevented the identification of policy levers for sustainability and transformative action. Here, we recommend key strategies to address these challenges, including (1) stronger integration of sciences and (2) ocean-observing systems, (3) improved science-policy interfaces, (4) new partnerships supported by (5) a new ocean-climate finance system, and (6) improved ocean literacy and education to modify social norms and behaviors. Adopting these strategies could help establish ocean science as a key foundation of broader sustainability transformations.

Relationship between hockey skating speed and selected performance measures.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between specific performance measures and hockey skating speed. Thirty competitive secondary school and junior hockey players were timed for skating speed. Off-ice measures included a 40-yd (36.9-m) sprint, concentric squat jump, drop jump, 1 repetition maximum leg press, flexibility, and balance ratio (wobble board test). Pearson product moment correlations were used to quantify the relationships between the variables. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of the dominant vastus lateralis and biceps femoris was monitored in 12 of the players while skating, stopping, turning, and performing a change-of-direction drill. Significant correlations (p < 0.005) were found between skating performance and the sprint and balance tests. Further analysis demonstrated significant correlations between balance and players under the age of 19 years (r = -0.65) but not those over 19 years old (r = -0.28). The significant correlations with balance suggested that stability may be associated with skating speed in younger players. The low correlations with drop jumps suggested that short contact time stretch-shortening activities (i.e., low amplitude plyometrics) may not be an important factor. Electromyographic activities illustrated the very high activation levels associated with maximum skating speed.

CARD15: a pleiotropic autoimmune gene that confers susceptibility to psoriatic arthritis.

Abstract: A recent genomewide scan in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) revealed a susceptibility locus at 16q. This region overlaps CARD15, a susceptibility gene in Crohn disease. The possibility of a common susceptibility gene between PsA and Crohn disease is further supported by epidemiological studies that note an increased incidence of psoriasis in subjects with Crohn. We screened 187 patients with PsA and 136 healthy controls, all from Newfoundland, for the three common, independent sequence variants of CARD15 (R702W, leu1007fsinsC, and G908R), which were detected by polymerase chain reaction by use of allele-specific primers and visualized through gel electrophoresis. In total, 53/187 (28.3%) probands with PsA had at least one variant of the CARD15 gene, compared with 16/136 (11.8%) controls (odds ratio 2.97; 95% confidence interval 1.61–5.47; P=.0005). Allele frequencies of R702W, leu1007fsinsC, and G908R were 10.43%, 3.21%, and 1.61%, respectively, in patients with PsA, compared with 3.31%, 2.57%, and 0.37%, respectively, in the control patients. CARD15 conferred susceptibility to PsA independent of HLA-Cw*0602. Thus, CARD15 represents a pleiotropic autoimmune gene and is the first non-MHC gene to be associated with PsA.