An HPLC method for simultaneous determination of residual benomyl and MBC on apple foliage without cleanup

A simple High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) method has been developed to identify benamyl (methyl 1- (butylcarbamoyl)-2-benzimidazole carbamate) and MBC (methyl 2-benzimidazole carbamat~ residues on apple leaves without cleanup. Sample leaves are freeze dried in a Mason jar and residues are then extracted by tumbling them in chloroform containing 5,000 microgram per milliliter of n-propyl isocyanate (PIC) at 10 C. To the extract, n-butyl isocyanate (BIC) was added at 5,000 microgram per milliliter and 20 microliter of this mixture injected onto the HPLC system. Separation is accomplished by the use of a Brownlee LiChrosorb silica gel column with a guard column and' operated with a mixed mobile phase consisting of chloroform and hexane (4:1) saturated with water. MBC, a degradation product of benomyl is identified if present as methyl l-(npropyl carbamoyl)-2-benzimidazole carbamate (MBC-n-PIC). Both benomyl and MBC-n-PIC can be detected with aKUltraviolet (UV) detector (280nm) at a concentration as low as 0.2 microgram per milliliter in apple leaves. The fate of benomyl on apple foliage after spray application of benomyl (Ben late 50 per cent wettable powder) was investigated by the method thus described. Benomyl quickly dissipated during the first 3-7 days, but the dissipatio'n sltowed down thereafter. In contrast, the concentration of MBC in leaves gradually increased after repeated applications of Benlate.

Investigating the effects of arousal state on cognitive performance in individuals with and without mild head injury

We examined the cognitive and emotional sequelae following mild head injury (MHI; e.g., concussion) in high-functioning individuals and whether persons with MHI pre~ent, both physiologically and via self-report, in a manner different from (i.e., underaroused) that of persons who have no history of head injury. We also investigated the effect arousal state ~as on the cognitive performance of this population. Using a quasiexperimental research design (N = 91), we examined changes in attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility (subtests ofthe WAIS-III, 1997,WMS-III, 1997, & DKEFS, 2002) as a function of manipulated arousal (i.e., induced psychosocial stress/activation; reduced activation/relaxation). In addition to self-reported arousal and state anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; Speilberger, 1983a) measures, physiological indices of arousal state (i.e., electrodermal responsivity, heart rate, and respiration activity) were recorded (via Polygraph Professional Suite, 2008) across a 2.5 hour interval while completing various cognitive tasks. Students also completed the Post-concussive Symptom Checklist (Gouvier et aI., 1992). The results demonstrate that university students who report a history ofMHI (i.e., "altered state of consciousness") experience significantly lower levels of anxiety, were physiologically underaroused, and were less responsive to stressors in their environment, compared to their non-~HI cohorts. As expected, cognitive flexibility (but not other neuropsychological measures of cognition) was advantaged with increased stress, and disadvantaged with reduced stress, in persons with reported MHI, but not for those without reported MHI which provided limited support for our hypothesis. Further, university students who had no complaints related to their previous MHI endorsed a greater number of traditional post-concussive symptoms in terms of intensity, duration and frequency as compared to students who did not report a MHI. The underarousal in traumatic brain injury has been associated with (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) VMPFC disruption and may be implicated in MHI generally. Students who report sustaining a previous MHI may be less able to physiologically respond and/or cognitively appraise, stressful experiences as compared to their no-MHI cohort and experience persistent, long-lasting consequences despite the subtle nature of a history of head injury.

Problem children with and without communication delays : the changes in their parents' report of challenging behaviour, parental hassles and family conflict over a two -year period

The goal of this study was to examine the change, over a two year period, in mothers' reports of children's challenging behaviour and family conflict as they relate to change in parenting hassles (stress) among families who have preschool children with and without communication delays. Forty-four parent-child dyads participated in this Family Resource Project study that was funded by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network. Thirty-one ofthese families had preschool children with communication delays and 13 children were identified as not having communication delays. Child behaviour was evaluated using the Oppositional Subscale and ADHD Index of the Conners Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-R:S), the Conflict Subscale ofthe Family Environment Scale was used to examine family conflict, and the Parent Hassles Scale was used to examine parental stress. Results showed that change in mothers' daily hassles was influenced by change in their preschool children's ADHD behaviour and change in family conflict. Change in child oppositional behaviour did not predict change in mothers' hassles scores.

The Influence of Arousal on Moral Decision-making for Individuals with and without Mild Head Injury

Recent research has shown that University students with a history of self-reported mild head injury (MHI) are more willing to endorse moral transgressions associated with personal, relative to impersonal, dilemmas (Chiappetta & Good, 2008). However, the terms 'personal' and 'impersonal' in these dilemmas have functionally confounded the 'intentionality' of the transgression with the 'personal impact' or 'outcome' of the transgression. In this study we used a modified version of these moral dilemmas to investigate decision-making and sympathetic nervous system responsivity. Forty-eight University students (24 with MHI, 24 with no-MHI) read 24 scenarios depicting moral dilemmas varying as a function of 'intentionality' of the act (deliberate or unintentional) and its 'outcome' (physical harm, no physical harm, non-moral) and were required to rate their willingness to engage in the act. Physiological indices of arousal (e.g., heart rate - HR) were recorded throughout. Additionally, participants completed several neurocognitive tests. Results indicated significantly lowered HR activity at baseline, prior to, and during (but not after) making a decision for each type of dilemma for participants with MHI compared to their non-injured cohort. Further, they were more likely than their cohort to authorize personal injuries that were deliberately induced. MHI history was also associated with better performance on tasks of cognitive flexibility and attention; while students' complaints of postconcussive symptoms and their social problem solving abilities did not differ as a function of MHI history. The results provide subtle support for the hypothesis that both emotional and cognitive information guide moral decision making in ambiguous and emotionally distressing situations. Persons with even a MHI have diminished physiological arousal that may reflect disruption to the neural pathways of the VMPFC/OFC similar to those with more severe injuries.

Acyclic 5-Choosability of Planar Graphs Without Adjacent Short Cycles

The conjecture claiming that every planar graph is acyclic 5-choosable[Borodin et al., 2002] has been verified for several restricted classes of planargraphs. Recently, O. V. Borodin and A. O. Ivanova, [Journal of Graph Theory,68(2), October 2011, 169-176], have shown that a planar graph is acyclically 5-choosable if it does not contain an i-cycle adjacent to a j-cycle, where 3<=j<=5 if i=3 and 4<=j<=6 if i=4. We improve the above mentioned result and prove that every planar graph without an i-cycle adjacent to a j-cycle with3<=j<=5 if i=3 and 4<=j<=5 if i=4 is acyclically 5-choosable.

Animals without Borders: Farmed Animal Resistance in New York

While billions of farmed animals are immobilized within agribusiness, every year some of these animals manage to break free. This thesis examines the stories of those who flee slaughterhouses and the public response to these individuals. My objective is to understand how animals resist and the role that their stories play in disrupting the ways that humans, particularly as consumers, are distanced from the violence of animal enterprises. Included are six vignettes that allow for an in-depth case study of those who have escaped within New York State. Located in the interdisciplinary field of critical animal studies, my inquiry draws upon new animal geographies, transnational feminisms, and critical discourse analysis. This contribution provides discussion of farmed animal resistance in particular and compares experiences and representations of their resistance from both the “view from below,” which is learned through the animals’ caretakers, and a “view from above,” which is gleaned from their representations in corporate-driven mainstream media.

Teachers Without Borders: Exploring Experiences, Transitions, and Identities of Refugee Women Teachers from Yugoslavia

Prior to September 11 2011, Canada was recognized as a leading advocate of international refugee protection and the third largest settlement country in the world. University educated refugees were admitted to the country in part on the basis of their education, but once in Canada their credentials were often ignored. The purpose of this study was to explore, through a transnational feminist lens, immigrant and settlement experiences of refugee female teachers from Yugoslavia who immigrated to Canada during and after the Yugoslav wars; to document the ways in which socially constructed categories such as gender, race, and refugee status have influenced their post-exile experiences and identities; and to identify the government's role in creating conditions where the women were either able or unable to continue in their profession. In this study, I employed both a transnational feminist methodology and narrative inquiry. The analysis process included an emphasis on the storying stories model, poetic transcription, and concentric storying. The women’s voices are represented in various forms throughout the document including individual and collective narratives. Each narrative contributed to a detailed picture of immigration and settlement processes as women spoke of continuing their education, knowing or learning the official language, and contributing to Canadian society and the economy. The findings challenge the image of a victimized and submissive refugee woman, and bring to the centre of discourse the image of the refugee woman as a skilled professional who often remains un- or underemployed in her new country. The dissertation makes an important contribution to an underdeveloped area in the research literature, and has the potential to inform immigration, settlement, and teacher education policies and practices in Canada and elsewhere.

ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT DEVELOPMENTAL COORDINATION DISORDER

The purpose of this study was to determine whether children with potential developmental coordination disorder (p-DCD) demonstrate increased arterial stiffness and thickness compared to age and school matched controls (mean age 14.7 yrs). We also assessed whether these measures differed by sex. Compliance, distensibility, and intima-media thickness (IMT) were measured at the common carotid artery for 28 children with p-DCD and 47 controls. ECG-R-wave-toe pulse wave velocity (PWV) was also measured for 29 children with p-DCD and 45 controls. We found that compared to controls males with p-DCD had significantly higher PWV (3.8±0.2 vs. 4.1±0.3, p=0.001) and lower distensibility (0.82± 0.19 vs. 0.70± 0.17, p=0.034) while females showed no significant differences (p=0.523 and p=0.123 respectively). As a result, it is apparent that sex differences exist with respect to arterial health within this population and that children with p-DCD may be more likely to develop cardiovascular disease later in life.

Educational Qualification Without Suitable Employment: Exploring Immigrant Engineers' Personal Narratives

This qualitative study investigated the experiences of immigrant professional engineers in Canada, 81% of whom are unable to secure employment in their field despite arriving under the auspices of the Canadian government’s skilled workers program. The study sought to identify factors that impede such qualified engineers’ opportunities within the Canadian job market. Because global economic competition demands that qualified professionals contribute to technological innovation, Canada must develop transitional programs that acknowledge credentials and prior work experience in order to address the underutilization of these qualified professionals and allow immigrant engineers to gain employment within their field. To this end, the study examined personal narratives of immigrant engineers who have experienced unemployment despite high levels of educational attainment, and circumstances that contribute to immigrant engineers’ unemployed status. The paper presents a discussion and recommendations for future research in the area of qualification without suitable employment.  

The Association of Energy Intake with Body Mass in Children With and Without Probable Developmental Coordination Disorder

Objective To determine if there is an association between energy intake (EI) and overweight or obesity status (OWOB) in children with and without probable developmental coordination disorder (p-DCD). Methods 1905 children were included. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency was used to assess p-DCD, body mass index for OWOB, and the Harvard Food Frequency Questionnaire for EI. Comparative tests and logistic regressions were performed. Results Reported EI was similar between p-DCD and non-DCD children among boys (2291 vs. 2281 kcal/day, p=0.917), but much lower in p-DCD compared to non-DCD girls (1745 vs.. 2068 kcal/day, p=0.007). EI was negatively associated with OWOB in girls only (OR: 0.82 (0.68, 0.98)). Conclusions Girls with p-DCD have a lower reported EI compared to their non-DCD peers. EI is negatively associated with OWOB in girls with p-DCD. Future research is needed to assess longitudinally the potential impact of EI on OWOB in this population.

A Life without Gluten: Dietary Adherence, Physical Activity and Motives

The purpose of this study was to look at individuals living on a gluten-free diet (GFD), their dietary adherence, PA levels and the reasons why they engage in these lifestyle behaviours consistent with Organismic Integration Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002). Participants (N = 202; Mage = 42.35 years, SDage = 12.43 years) completed a series of online questionnaires. GFD adherence (74.7%) across the previous week was consistent with existing literature (Dowd et al., 2013), but participant physical activity scores were higher than reported normative values (p = .00; Wilson et al., 2010). Specific motives predicted gluten-free dietary adherence (i.e., integrated and identified regulations) and PA (i.e., intrinsic and identified regulations; p < .05). Findings may be used by health professionals to inform behavioural interventions consistent with OIT (Deci & Ryan, 2002).