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This practicum project explores the intersection of interior design, social forms, and the needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through the adaptive reuse of the Odd Fellows Home. An Educational and Communal Hub was designed to explore how interior design can play a role in creating inclusive environments not only for children diagnosed with ASD but also for neuro-typical children. Drawing on theories by Pallasmaa and Zumthor, as well as strategies from Gaines et al and Patron-Wildes, the project proposes a design approach focused on creating flexible, mindful, and accommodating spaces within the Hub. By considering sensory experiences and incorporating soothing elements, such as colours, lighting, and textures, the design aims to promote well-being, learning, and development for children with ASD. This project emphasizes the importance of understanding and accommodating the specific needs of these individuals to foster their full potential. Ultimately, it advocates for interior design to be a tool to create inclusive and memorable environments that cater to the multisensory experiences of individuals, both in built and natural settings.

The world is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, increasing by the week. On top of this, extraordinarily disruptive events capable of altering humanity’s status quo are occurring with increasing frequency. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is one such event, and its disruptive effects on the psychological capital of manager-leaders and their followers in organizational settings during the first 18 months of the pandemic is the focus of this research. Psychological capital comprises four first-order constructs: hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism. A pragmatic mixed-methods study of phenomenological interviews of 21 participants, from frontline support staff to Chief Executive Officers of various organizations, was conducted between May and October 2021. Two quantitative assessments supported these qualitative interviews. Several important findings regarding the effects of disruption on the psychological capital of the workers emerged from the data: 1) The disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic affected all 21 interviewees, but the effects varied widely in meaningful ways. 2) All interviewees reported experiencing multiple significant adverse effects attributed to the pandemic, but almost all could relate at least one substantial positive outcome they ascribed to the pandemic. 3) Individuals in the study who exhibited the highest levels of psychological capital not only described experiencing significantly less negative stress than individuals with the lowest levels of psychological capital, they also tended to view the pandemic disruption as a rare opportunity for individual growth and advancement, as well as a strategic opportunity for their organizations. 4) The specific circumstances and context of each individual significantly affected their level of psychological capital while their psychological capital was simultaneously affecting their circumstances and context in a bi-directional and mutually influential dynamic. Finally, this study contri, 2024-06, 2024-01-17T16:24:15Z

Digitalization has changed the leadership paradigm for public-sector information technology (IT) leaders, requiring them to shift from being back-office managers to becoming effective C-suite strategic leaders. As the Ontario Government addresses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, IT capabilities are key levers to improve service effectiveness and to maximize value for money. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study is to investigate the leadership competencies and character dimensions that improve the effectiveness of public-sector IT leaders in today’s digital environment. The competencies are the ability to Anticipate environmental changes, the willingness to Challenge status quo, the ability Decide on investment strategies, the ability to Align with stakeholder values and the willingness to build a Learning culture. The character dimensions are Judgement, Accountability and Collaboration. Using a combination of strategic leadership and character dimension questions, a survey of 2,554 IT staff was completed from January to March of 2021. An exclusive data collection strategy using convenient and random sampling was used and 475 usable surveys were obtained. CFA and PLS-SEM were used for data analysis, and it was found that only the independent variables Decide, Align, Collaboration, Accountability and Judgement have significant impact on the dependent variable Effective Leadership in a digital environment. No statistical evidence was found to suggest that Anticipate, Challenge and Learn significantly impacted Effective Leadership. Additionality, the results suggest that during times of emergency management, character dimensions are more valued than leadership competencies for effective IT leadership. The findings have practical implications to support the recruitment and development of public-sector IT leaders through more deliberate emphasis on character dimensions and context-based emphasis on competences. The study is therefore a contribution to, 2022-06

Introduction: Canadians are exposed to cold environments much of the year. Cold affects participants in athletic, recreational, commercial and military activities. Cold exposure may change peripheral and/or central temperature, and this may have positive or negative consequences on human physiology and performance. Applied health sciences (AHS) practitioners should understand the wide-ranging consequences that cold exposure has on performance and recovery, and methods for reversing maladies caused by excessive cold exposure (e.g., hypothermia). Methods: Study one: corticospinal and spinal excitability were assessed via transcranial magnetic stimulation (motor cortex) and electrical stimulation (cervicomedullary junction) following skin cooling and rewarming. Results reveal the effects cooling has on areas of signal transmission involved in voluntary movement. Study two: three 30-min recovery strategies were performed between two identical sets of 3x30-s Wingate tests. Recovery periods included; leg cycling in cold or thermoneutral water, or sitting passively in thermoneutral water. Study three: shivering was pharmacologically inhibited in hypothermic participants following cold water immersion. The efficacy of three rewarming strategies were studied: electric heat pad, forced air warming blanket, and spontaneous rewarming. Results: In cold participants spinal excitability is facilitated by reduced skin or core temperature, while corticospinal excitability remains unchanged. Increases in spinal excitability may contribute to shivering, and may compensate for unchanging, or even decreasing corticospinal excitability. Active recovery in cold water successfully decreased core temperature and blood lactate, and likely maintained muscle temperature above baseline values. However, small significant post-recovery decreases in peak and average power occurred. Finally, in 2 hypothermic, non-shivering participants, there were no differences between either active warming method

The increase in global life expectancy continues to grow, with predictions that individuals over the age of 60 will reach 2 billion by 2050. In light of this, we must consider that elderly individuals are at a higher risk of encountering age-related diseases including those that are difficult to treat. Improving health later in life is an important objective to avoid social and economic challenges. The physiological dysfunction and increased susceptibility to disease that accompany aging are often due to a decrease in the functionality and resilience of key cell types in the body. Decline in mitochondrial function can be one of the triggers of cellular aging, and therefore one of the causes of the detrimental effects of aging. It may be difficult to link the function of a small cellular organelle to the overall function of the body, but mitochondria are the main source of cellular energy. Mitochondrial function relies on over 1000 proteins, most of which are encoded within the nucleus and imported from the cytosol. Among these, are DNA methyltransferases, enzymes that participate in DNA epigenetic modifications. Although, DNA epigenetic regulation in the mitochondria is still a controversial subject, mounting evidence suggests that it plays an important role in mitochondrial function. Therefore, the main goal of the research program is to determine how mitochondrial protein import and specifically the import of DNA methyltransferase into mitochondria, ultimately affect mitochondrial function, in an aging organism. To pursue this goal, African turquoise killifish will be use as the main experimental model. This fish is currently the shortest living vertebrate in captivity. They offer the advantage of short lifespans associated with invertebrate models while maintaining many aging characteristics reported in classical vertebrate models as well as humans. Together, these features have made this animal one of the most interesting models in the field of aging research. W

The transnational border justice movement in Arizona, U.S. and Sonora, MX is responding to violence and death. The U.S.-Mexico borderlands have become burial grounds; the remains of 2,908 persons have been found in Arizona since 2000 (Derechos Humanos, 2015). The border justice movement engages in many different activities to prevent this loss of life. Activists on both sides of the border offer humanitarian aid, protest border and policing policies, and develop advocacy efforts on the militarized U.S.-Mexico border. This ethnographic research in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands is born from the peacebuilding experiences of the researcher and explores identities and peacebuilding in a transnational social movement and considers alternative narratives of the border justice movement from the perspectives of women, people of color, and members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community. Drawing from diverse voices, this analysis fills in current gaps in social movement literature on transnational social activism in the Sonoran-Arizona border context. Furthermore, this scholarly endeavor illustrates how agency is shared among movement actors to build a more sustainable peace. This study creates new connections in the fields of Peace and Conflict Studies and social movements and draws attention to what is currently under-theorized in peacebuilding—how racialized and gendered power imbalances manifest and operate on multiple levels in peacebuilding activities. This research illustrates the constraints of racialized and gendered peacebuilding in transnational social activism at the U.S.-Mexico border while also highlighting the potential of using ritual and cross-border actors to strengthen peacebuilding efforts.

A family of interwoven molecular inorganic knots, shaped like the 'Star of David', was prepared by the employment of naphthalene-2,3-diol in 3d/4f-metal cluster chemistry; the isoskeletal dodecanuclear compounds exhibit slow relaxation of the magnetization and magnetocaloric properties, depending on the metal ion.

A new family of isomorphous [Cu4Ln] clusters (LnIII = Gd, Tb, Dy) with a ‘propeller’-like topology was obtained from the use of naphthalene-2,3-diol in CuII/LnIII chemistry; all complexes are ferromagnetically-coupled and display either magnetocaloric properties or SMM behavior depending on the central Ln ion.

The presentation interrogates the recognition of pluralism and interculturality in Peru. It shows how the recognition of rights amongst Andean and Amazonian populations are historically constructed and how these have generally been limited to competencies at the margin of the State (notably the administration of justice). Particular attention is paid to the peasant patrols (Rondas campesnias). These Andean organizations have been formally recognized for mediation and justice, but have had a harder time being recognized as popular representative organizations in the context of mining conflicts (cf. the conflict around the Conga mining project). Furthermore, the political participation of these populations in decision-making concerning the use of territory and the set-up of extractive industry is limited. The paper identifies five fields (legal, technical, rhetorical, political and in the streets) where these citizenship struggles are played out simultaneously. The paper shows how social actors (peasant organizations, common defense fronts, NGOs and local politics), make use of varied tools to voice their opposition within these diverse registers, while institutionalized participation is refused to them.

Il y a plus d’un demi siècle, au cœur d’une Europe encore marquée par la tragédie de la seconde guerre mondiale, Chaïm Perelman et Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca publiaient leur Traité de l’argumentation (1958). Les auteurs faisaient le constat de l’échec des conceptions traditionnelles de la preuve et de l’argumentation à munir les citoyens d’outils efficaces pour lutter contre le dogmatisme et le fanatisme. De façon remarquable, c’est alors vers la rhétorique qu’ils se tournaient. Aujourd’hui, nous entendons renouer avec une approche humaniste de la rhétorique (Danblon :2013) à travers deux projets phares. Le projet « Archives Perelman », s’appuyant notamment sur la correspondance de Perelman avec des figures majeures de la pensée du XXème siècle, est une enquête sur l’atmosphère intellectuelle dans laquelle le philosophe a tenté de faire de la rhétorique le fondement d’une éducation humaniste. Le projet « Exercice de rhétorique :raison pratique, citoyenneté, créativité » vise à adapter les traités de rhétorique antique à la pédagogie contemporaine. L’objectif de nos trois communications sera de partager les enjeux théoriques, politiques et les premières découvertes de nos projets.Loïc Nicolas présentera l’originalité de l’approche de l’argumentation chez Perelman et Olbrechts-Tyteca et, en particulier, leur conception du désaccord. Alors que les approches normatives de l’argumentation (i.e. la pragma-dialectic, l’informal logic, le critical thinking) offrent des protocoles de résolution des désaccords, la rhétorique offre les outils nécessaires à apprivoiser le désaccord. Ainsi, comme le montrera Victor Ferry, le projet « exercice de rhétorique » accorde une importance particulière aux dissoi logoi, exercice de renversement des points de vue. Cet exercice, pour être subversif (il s’agit, pour l’élève, de défendre une opinion et son contraire), pourrait être un détour nécessaire pour l’apprentissage de la citoyenneté (Pearce) et, plus particulièrement, pour la gestion des, info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

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Emotionally charged stimuli have been reported as efficient distractors during visual search (e.g., Eastwood, Smilek, Merikle, 2001; Hansen & Hansen, 1988; Öhman, 2002; Öhman, Flykt, & Esteves, 2001; Öhman & Soares, 1993). The extensiveness and specificity of the influence of such distractions for attention and performance beyond the context of their presentation were currently investigated. Of interest was whether prior experiences of distraction from such stimuli influence spatial attention during a subsequent visual event. General and location-specific bases of such effects and the role of memory in modulating these were investigated. Over a series of trials, participants performed a target localization task during a prime event involving exposure to an emotionally charged distractor, or only neutral distractors. Subsequently, performance at the same task was measured when only neutral distractors were presented during a probe event. During each event, one of four shapes had to be identified and responded to as a target. Distractor images were presented within each shape outline. Whether or not the shapes were the same or different across the prime and probe event of a trial was manipulated as a test of the role of memory in modulating effects across the events of a trial. Earlier findings of immediate impairments to attention based in exposure to emotionally charged stimuli were replicated. The current study also revealed the occurrence of robust performance impairments during the probe event subsequent to the disruption of attention during the prime event. Evidence was limited in suggesting that the impairments depended on which location the emotional stimulus occupied during the prime event. Strong evidence, however, was observed for global impairments on attention across visual events, conditional on task demands being similar during both. An account of the findings which incorporates memory was suggested, whereby retrieval processes engaged during the probe

Recent research has showed that advertising deception not only has a negative effect on consumers’ responses to subsequently encountered similar products and sources, but also carries over onto other unrelated advertisements. This research shows through one online and three lab experiments that social exclusion attenuates this carryover effect. These negative attitudes towards subsequent advertising are expected to be the least likely to occur when the subsequent advertising conveys high permeability of joining a group. In addition, this research shows that the effects of exclusion do not wash out the initial negative attitude towards the deceptive advertisement, only the carryover effect.

The overall purpose of this research was to investigate barriers to and opportunities for adaptive co-management of artisanal fisheries in coastal Uruguay, with comparisons to Paraty (Southeastern Brazil). Following a qualitative approach, two case studies were developed; one in the Piriápolis area (Río de la Plata coast) and one in Praia Grande/Ilha do Araújo (Rio de Janeiro State), the former with more depth than the latter. Findings indicate that, first, artisanal fisheries have been under a social-ecological crisis (e.g. catches have been declining; fishing effort has increased; relationships among fishers have been eroded), opening windows of opportunity for alternative management. Second, a multilevel social capital analysis conducted by studying the relationships embedded in the bonding, bridging, and linking networks among fishery stakeholders (artisanal fishers, fish buyers, unions, universities, NGOs, government agencies) enabled the identification of more barriers than opportunities for co-management. For example, fishers are only weakly organized, and these bonding connections at the local level were undermined by conflict-laden linking relationships. Third, fishers from the two sites stated that they would like to be involved in resource management, and the proposed fisheries law in Uruguay (before the Parliament) would be an enabling policy for a consultative degree of participation, through the creation of national and zonal councils. Nevertheless, the negative impact that external agents have had on fishing communities are among the causes of low fisher participation. Fourth, findings from a participatory research initiative involving fishery stakeholders in Piriápolis (creating a multi-stakeholder body, POPA) showed that this approach can help overcome some of the barriers to co-management. These barriers include conflict-ridden relationships between fishers and the fisheries agency; stakeholders’ lack of capacity; and weak fisher organization. More

Between 1907 and 1932/33 Francis Gano Benedict, director of the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory, made seven extended tours of European metabolism laboratories. Benedict compiled extensive reports of these tours, which contain detailed descriptions and hundreds of photographs of the apparatus, laboratories and people that Benedict encountered. The tours took place during significant decades for physiology, covering the rise of American physiology, the effect of the First World War on European laboratories and the emergence of an international community in metabolismstudies. This essay provides an introduction to Benedict’s Reports of Visits to Foreign Laboratories and their central themes, situating them within the history of American physiology and the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory. It concludes with an assessment of these volumes as a source for the history of early twentieth-century nutrition physiology.Key words: Francis Gano Benedict, physiology, laboratory history, Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory, metabolism research., Between 1907 and 1932/33 Francis Gano Benedict, director of the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory, made seven extended tours of European metabolism laboratories. Benedict compiled extensive reports of these tours, which contain detailed descriptions and hundreds of photographs of the apparatus, laboratories and people that Benedict encountered. The tours took place during significant decades for physiology, covering the rise of American physiology, the effect of the First World War on European laboratories and the emergence of an international community in metabolism studies. This essay provides an introduction to Benedict’s Reports of Visits to Foreign Laboratories and their central themes, situating them within the history of American physiology and the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory. It concludes with an assessment of these volumes as a source for the history of early twentieth-century nutrition physiology.Key words: Francis Gano Benedict, physiology, laboratory history, Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory, metabolism research.

Suicide bereavement is a significant public health problem, with an estimated 48 to 500 million individuals bereaved by suicide every year. Accurate measurements of suicide bereavement related health is an essential component to understanding this public health problem and organizing appropriate resources for prevention and intervention. Spousal suicide bereavement is thought to be associated with poor health outcomes due to its substantial impact on the surviving partner. There are limited theoretical frameworks to better understand the relationship between suicide bereavement and associated health, therefore to address these limitations we proposed an integrative risk framework that is testable using administrative data. The overall goal of this research was to determine if spouses bereaved by suicide have greater rates of mental disorders as compared to spouses bereaved by other sudden deaths. To achieve this goal, 7 manuscripts were written in the areas of theory, methodology, policy, and four related studies using longitudinal population-based administrative data to examine rates of mental disorders among spouses bereaved by suicide, sudden natural death, and unintentional injury. These cohorts were examined both individually as compared to matched non-bereaved spousal samples and then comparatively where suicide bereaved spouses were compared to spouses bereaved by sudden natural death and unintentional injury death using advanced statistical modeling. The overall findings of this research demonstrate that while spousal bereavement seems to be a time of poor mental health, when comparing bereavement cohorts, suicide bereaved spouses appear to be doing more poorly overall. The findings from this body of research support the need for future studies in numerous areas. First, research is needed to examine the impact of the deceased’s pre-death health on the surviving spouse to determine if caregiver stress helps explain the elevated pre-bereavement rates of mental

Sustainability, the work of building a world that is ecologically, socially and economically just, is essentially a learning process. To move more effectively toward this goal, a deeper understanding of learning is necessary. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have come to play a significant role within the sustainability project, and thus form the context for much learning toward sustainability. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) are a significant but understudied segment of the NGO family. This research investigates learning among individuals within FBOs doing environmental and development work in Kenya, using the framework of Mezirow’s transformative learning theory. The identity and function of these FBOs is profiled, highlighting the key role churches and faith-based agencies can play in effecting sustainable and holistic change in Global South countries, due to their rootedness in the community, the social capital they help produce, and the respect they receive from local people. Learning for sustainability is examined through interviews with participants from two case FBOs: A Rocha Kenya and Rural Service Programme of the East Africa Yearly Meeting of Friends. Attention to the context these organizations provide for learning highlighted the influence of supportive community, mentor relationships, teamwork, and training and evaluation structures. Learning outcomes covered a broad range of areas, with the highest proportion fitting within environment/conservation (e.g., linking faith and environmental concerns, and agriculture and birding skills) and community work (e.g., relating to people, managing groups, teaching and facilitation) umbrellas. Some transformative learning was experienced, mostly through learning in the instrumental domain. Key learning processes included observation and experience, training, practical application and learning from each other, highlighting the importance of embodied learning processes. Applying learning through action, both a

Cellular stress resistance is generally associated with longevity, but the mechanisms underlying this phenotype are not clear. In invertebrate models there is a clear role for heat shock proteins (Hsps) and organelle-specific unfolded protein responses (UPR) in longevity. However, this has not been demonstrated in vertebrates. Some Hsp amino acid sequences are highly conserved amongst mammals and birds. We used antibodies recognizing conserved regions of Hsp60 (primarily mitochondrial), Hsp70 (primarily cytosolic), GRP78 (Bip) and GRP94 (endoplasmic reticulum) to measure constitutive levels of these proteins in brain, heart and liver of 13 mammalian and avian species ranging in maximum lifespan from 3 to 30 years. In all three tissues, the expression of these proteins was highly correlated with MLSP, indicating higher basal levels of Hsp expression are characteristic of longer-lived species. We also quantified the levels of Hsp60, Hsp70 and GRP78 in brain and heart tissue of young adult (6-7 month old) Snell dwarf mice and normal littermates. Snell dwarf mice are characterized by a single gene mutation that is associated with an ∼50% increase in lifespan. However, neither Hsp60, nor Hsp70, nor GRP78 levels were elevated in brain or heart tissue from Snell dwarf mice compared to normal littermates.

Previous studies have shown that longevity is associated with enhanced cellular stress resistance. This observation supports the disposable soma theory of aging, which suggests that the investment made in cellular maintenance will be proportional to selective pressures to extend lifespan. Maintenance of protein homeostasis is a critical component of cellular maintenance and stress resistance. To test the hypothesis that enhanced protein repair and recycling activities underlie longevity, we measured the activities of the 20S/26S proteasome and two protein repair enzymes in liver, heart and brain tissues of 15 different mammalian and avian species with maximum lifespans (MLSP) ranging from 3 to 30 years. The data set included Snell dwarf mice, in which lifespan is increased by ∼50% compared to their normal littermates. None of these activities in any of the three tissues correlated positively with MLSP. In liver, 20S/26S proteasome and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) activities correlated negatively with body mass. In brain tissue, TrxR was also negatively correlated with body mass. Glutaredoxin (Grx) activity in brain was negatively correlated with MLSP and this correlation remained after residual analysis to remove the effects of body mass, but was lost when the data were analysed using Felsenstein's independent contrasts. Snell dwarf mice had marginally lower 20S proteasome, TrxR and Grx activities than normal controls in brain, but not heart tissue. Thus, increased longevity is not associated with increased protein repair or proteasomal degradation capacities in vertebrate endotherms.

The African slender lungfish, Protopterus dolloi, is highly adapted to withstand periods of drought by secreting a mucous cocoon and estivating for periods of months to years. Estivation is similar to the diapause and hibernation of other animal species in that it is characterized by negligible activity and a profoundly depressed metabolic rate. As is typically observed in quiescent states, estivating P. dolloi are resistant to environmental stresses. We tested the hypothesis that P. dolloi enhances stress resistance during estivation by upregulating intracellular antioxidant defences in brain and heart tissues. We found that most of the major intracellular antioxidant enzymes, including the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, cytosolic superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, were upregulated in brain tissue of lungfish that had estivated for 60 days. Several of these enzymes were also elevated in heart tissue of estivators. These changes were not due to food deprivation, as they did not occur in a group of fish that were deprived of food but maintained in water for the same period of time. We found little evidence of tissue oxidative damage in estivators. Products of lipid peroxidation (4-hydroxynonenal adducts) and oxidative protein damage (carbonylation) were similar in estivating and control lungfish. However, protein nitrotyrosine levels were elevated in brain tissue of estivators. Taken together, these data indicate that estivating P. dolloi have enhanced oxidative stress resistance in brain and heart due to a significant upregulation of intracellular antioxidant capacity.

Mitochondrial redox metabolism has long been considered to play important roles in mammalian aging and the development of age-related pathologies in the major oxidative organs. Both genetic and dietary manipulations of mitochondrial redox metabolism have been associated with the extension of lifespan. Here we provide a broad overview of the circumstantial evidence showing associations between mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, aging and longevity. We address most aspects of mitochondrial ROS metabolism, from superoxide production, to ROS detoxification and the repair/removal of ROS-mediated macromolecular damage. Finally, we discuss the effects of dietary manipulations (e.g. caloric restriction, methionine restriction), dietary deficiencies (e.g. folate) and dietary supplementation (e.g. resveratrol) on mitochondrial ROS metabolism and lifespan.

The free radical theory of ageing posits that accrual of oxidative damage underlies the increased cellular, tissue and organ dysfunction and failure associated with advanced age. In support of this theory, cellular resistance to oxidative stress is highly correlated with life span, suggesting that prevention or repair of oxidative damage might indeed be essential for longevity. To test the hypothesis that the prevention of oxidative damage underlies longevity, we measured the activities of the five major intracellular antioxidant enzymes in brain, heart and liver tissue of 14 mammalian and avian species with maximum life spans (MLSPs) ranging from 3 years to over 100 years. Our data set included Snell dwarf mice in which life span is increased by approximately 50% compared to their normal littermates. We found that CuZn superoxide dismutase, the major cytosolic superoxide dismutase, showed no correlation with MLSP in any of the three organs. Similarly, neither glutathione peroxidase nor glutathione reductase activities correlated with MLSP. MnSOD, the sole mitochondrial superoxide dismutase in mammals and birds, was positively correlated with MLSP only for brain tissue. This same trend was observed for catalase. For all correlational data, effects of body mass and phylogenetic relatedness were removed using residual analysis and Felsenstein's phylogenetically independent contrasts. Our results are not consistent with a causal role for intracellular antioxidant enzymes in longevity, similar to recent reports from studies utilising genetic modifications of mice (Pérez et al., Biochim Biophys Acta 1790:1005-1014, 2009). However, our results indicate a specific augmentation of reactive oxygen species neutralising activities in brain associated with longevity.

In mammals, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is positively correlated with adult body mass, in comparisons made within a given species. In mice, IGF-1 deficiency is associated with dwarfism, whereas IGF-1 overproduction in transgenic animals causes gigantism. Surprisingly, the opposite is true in an inter-species context. We collected published plasma total IGF-1 data for adults of 36 mammalian species and analyzed it with respect to body mass. In contrast to the intra-species observation, this analysis revealed a significant negative correlation of plasma IGF-1 with body mass. Interestingly, IGF-1 is negatively correlated with longevity, and suppression of IGF-1 signalling in worms, flies and mice increases lifespan. Smaller mouse strains, for example, tend to have lower plasma IGF-1 levels and to be longer-lived. However, when plasma total IGF-1 was analyzed relative to the maximum lifespans of the 36 species examined here, there was no statistically significant correlation. Low plasma IGF-1 levels in larger mammalian species may be physiologically significant, considering the roles of this hormone in metabolism, tissue regeneration, and cancer incidence.

We use an impulse response methodology to analyse the effects of U.S. macroeconomic news announcements on the volatilities of three major exchange rates (Euro, Pound Sterling and Yen). Our data consist of 5 minute returns on exchange rates as well as the times of news announcements. In the definition of impulse responses, we allow for different types of news, and consider two categories in the application: those considered positive or negative for the U.S. economy. Using a multivariate GARCH model with exogenous news effects, we find that the initial impact of positive news on the volatility of the Pound is higher than that of the Euro, whereas the persistence of shocks is highest for the Yen. For negative news, we find that an important part of the impact on the Yen and Pound is induced by volatility spillover from the Euro.

Hibernating mammals exhibit oxidative stress resistance in brain, liver and other tissues. In many animals, cellular oxidative stress resistance is associated with enhanced expression of intracellular antioxidant enzymes. Intracellular antioxidant capacity may be upregulated during hibernation to protect against oxidative damage associated with the ischemia-reperfusion that occurs during transitions between torpor and arousal. We tested the hypothesis that the 13-lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), upregulates intracellular antioxidant enzymes in major oxidative tissues during hibernation. The two major intracellular isoforms of superoxide dismutase (MnSOD and CuZnSOD), which catalyze the first step in superoxide detoxification, were quantified in heart, brain and liver tissue using immunodetection and an in-gel activity assay. However, no differences in SOD protein expression or activity were found between active and hibernating squirrels. Measurements of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, which catalyze hydrogen peroxide removal, were not broadly upregulated during hibernation. The activity of catalase, which catalyzes an alternative hydrogen peroxide detoxification pathway, was higher in heart and brain of torpid squirrels, but lower in liver. Taken together, these data do not support the hypothesis that hibernation is associated with enhanced oxidative stress resistance due to an upregulation of intracellular antioxidant enzymes in the major oxidative tissues.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is in relatively close proximity to reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from spontaneous superoxide formation during respiration. As a result, it sustains oxidative damage that may include base modifications, base loss, and strand breaks. mtDNA replication past sites of oxidative damage can result in the introduction of mutations. mtDNA mutations are associated with various human diseases and can manifest as loss of bioenergetic function. DNA repair processes exist in mitochondria from apparently all metazoans. A fully functional DNA base excision repair (BER) pathway is present in mitochondria of vertebrates. This pathway is catalyzed by a number of DNA glycosylases, an AP endonuclease, polymerase gamma, and a DNA ligase. This chapter outlines the step-by-step protocols for isolating mitochondrial fractions, from a number of different model organisms, of sufficient purity to allow mtDNA repair activities to be measured. It details in vitro assays for the measurement of BER enzyme activities in lysates prepared from isolated mitochondria.

Dermal fibroblasts from long-lived Snell dwarf mice can withstand a variety of oxidative and non-oxidative stressors compared to normal littermate controls. Here, we report differences in the levels and activities of intracellular antioxidant and DNA repair enzymes between normal and Snell dwarf mice fibroblasts cultured under a variety of conditions, including: 3% and 20% ambient O(2); the presence and absence of serum; and the addition of an exogenous oxidative stress. The only significant difference between normal and dwarf cells cultured in complete medium, at 20% O(2), was an approximately 40% elevation of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in the mutant cells. Serum deprivation elicited increases in GPx in both genotypes, but these activities remained higher in dwarf mouse cells. Dwarf mouse cells deprived of serum and challenged with exposure to paraquat or hydrogen peroxide showed a generally greater upregulation of catalase and DNA base excision repair enzymes. As these toxins can interact with mitochondria to increase mitochondrial ROS production, we explored whether there were differences in mitochondrial metabolism between normal and dwarf mouse cells. However, neither mitochondrial content nor the apparent mitochondrial membrane potential differed between genotypes. Overall, the results suggest that superior hydrogen peroxide metabolism and a marginally greater DNA base excision repair capacity contribute to the stress resistance phenotype of Snell dwarf mouse fibroblasts.

trans-Resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene; RES), a polyphenol found in particularly high concentrations in red wine, has recently attracted intense interest for its potentially beneficial effects on human health. Here, we report the effects of long-term exposure to micromolar concentrations of RES on antioxidant and DNA repair enzyme activities in a human cell line (MRC-5). RES had either no effect on, or reduced the activities of glutathione peroxidase, catalase and CuZn superoxide dismutase (SOD), in treatments lasting up to 2 weeks. RES failed to induce activities of the DNA base excision repair enzymes apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease and DNA polymerase beta. However, it dramatically and progressively induced mitochondrial MnSOD expression and activity. Two weeks exposure to RES increased MnSOD protein level 6-fold and activity 14-fold. Thus, long-term exposure of human cells to RES results in a highly specific upregulation of MnSOD, and this may be an important mechanism by which it elicits its effects in human cells.

A weekly crawl of websites of major institutions, governments and organizations in the Niagara area focusing on the varied responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Further, there are also one-time crawls of newspaper articles focused on Niagara centric COVID-19 news., A weekly crawl of websites of major institutions, governments and organizations in the Niagara area focusing on the varied responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Further, one time crawls of newspaper articles focused on Niagara centric COVID-19 news.

A weekly crawl of websites of major institutions, governments and organizations in the Niagara area focusing on the varied responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Further, there are also one-time crawls of newspaper articles focused on Niagara centric COVID-19 news., A weekly crawl of websites of major institutions, governments and organizations in the Niagara area focusing on the varied responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Further, one time crawls of newspaper articles focused on Niagara centric COVID-19 news.