Bone markers and cytokines in response to low-impact, high-intensity exercise

A low-impact, high-intensity interval exercise (HIE) bout was used to determine whether an association exists between cytokines and bone turnover markers following an acute bout of exercise. Twenty-three recreationally active males (21.8±2.4yr) performed a single HIE bout on a cycle ergometer at 90% relative intensity. Venous blood samples were collected prior to exercise, 5-minutes, 1-hour, and 24-hours post-exercise, and were analyzed for serum levels of pro-inflammatory (IL-6, IL-1α, IL-1β, and TNF-α) and anti- inflammatory cytokines (IL-10) and markers of bone formation (BAP, OPG) and resorption (NTX, RANKL). Significant effects were observed with all bone markers, especially 5-minutes post-exercise with BAP, OPG, and RANKL increasing from baseline (p<0.05). Significant effects were also observed for IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α (p<0.00, p=0.04, p=0.03, p<0.00). In addition, post-exercise changes in NTX, BAP, and OPG were significantly correlated pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting that an interaction exists between the immune and skeletal response to exercise.

Evaluation of a treatment program for individuals with an intellectual disability who have high risk behaviours

In the past two decades numerous programs have emerged to treat individuals with developmental disabilities who have sexual offending behaviours. There has, however been very few studies that systematically examine the effectiveness of long term treatment with this population. The present research examines the therapeutic outcomes of a multi-modal behaviour approach with six individuals with intellectual disabilities previously charged with sexual assault. The participants also exhibited severe behavioural challenges that included verbal aggression, physical aggression, destruction and self-injury. These six participants (5 males, 1 female) were admitted to a Long Term Residential Treatment Program (LTRTP), due to the severity of their behaviours and due to their lack of treatment success in other programs. Individualized treatment plans focused on the reduction of maladaptive behaviours and the enhancing of skills such as positive coping strategies, socio-sexual knowledge, life skills, recreation and leisure skills. The treatment program also included psychiatric, psychological, medical, behavioural and educational interventions. The participants remained in the Long Term Residential Treatment Program (LTRTP) program from 181 to 932 days (average of 1.5 years). Pre and post treatment evaluations were conducted using the following tools: frequency of target behaviours, Psychopathology Inventory for Mentally Retarded Adults (PIMRA), Emotional Problems Scale (EPS), Socio-Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Assessment Tool (SSKAAT-R) and Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q). Recidivism rates and the need for re-hospitalization were also noted for each participant. By offering high levels of individualized interventions, all six participants showed a 37 % rate of reduction in maladaptive behaviours with zero to low rates of inappropriate sexualbehaviour, there were no psychiatric hospitalizations, and there was no recidivism for 5 of 6 participants. In addition, medication was reduced. Mental health scores on the PIMRA were reduced across all participants by 25 % and scores on the Quality of Life Questionnaire increased for all participants by an average of 72 %. These findings add to and build upon the existing literature on long term treatment benefits for individuals with a intellectual disability who sexually offend. By utilizing an individualized and multimodal treatment approach to reduce severe behavioural challenges, not only can the maladaptive behaviours be reduced, but adaptive behaviours can be increased, mental health concerns can be managed, and overall quality of life can be improved.

Grade nine teachers' perception of how teachers, parents, peers, administrators, and community members affect the development of the grade nine student /

The purpose of this study was to examine grade nine teachers' perception of how teachers, parents, peers, administrators, and community members influence the overall development of grade nine students. Ten grade nine teachers (four male and six female) participated in the study which consisted of the completion of a one hour, tape-recorded interview. The central findings were as follows: 1) the grade nine student has evolved; 2) peers have an important impact on the four developmental areas (physical, emotional, social, and academic) of the grade nine student; and 3) the role of the grade nine teacher appears to have dramatically changed over the last seventeen years. Suggestions and recommendations for future research in this field are based on findings related to the enhancement of the secondary school experience for the grade nine adolescent.

Adolescent girls and mathematics: classroom performance, attitudes toward mathematics and perceptions of parental attitudes /

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which gender differences exist in student attitudes toward mathematics and in their performance in mathematics at the Grade Seven and Eight level. The study also questioned how parents influence the attitudes of this grade level of male and female students toward mathematics. Historically, the literature has demonstrated gender differences in the attitudes of students toward mathematics, and in parental support for classroom performance in mathematics. This study was an attempt to examine these differences at one senior public school in the Peel Board of Education. One hundred three Grade Seven and Eight students at a middle school in the Peel Board of Education volunteered to take part in a survey that examined their attitudes toward mathematics, their perceptions of their parents' attitudes toward mathematics and support for good performance in the mathematics classroom, parental expectations for education and future career choices. Gender differences related to performance levels in the mathematics classroom were examined using Pearson contingency analyses. Items from the survey that showed significant differences involved confidence in mathematics and confidence in writing mathematics tests, as well as a belief in the ability to work on mathematics problems. Male students in both the high and low performance groups demonstrated higher levels of confidence than the females in those groups. Female students, however, indicated interest in careers that would require training and knowledge of higher mathematics. Some of the reasons given to explain the gender differences in confidence levels included socialization pressures on females, peer acceptance, and attribution of success. Perceived parental support showed no significant differences across gender groups or performance levels. Possible explanations dealt with the family structure of the participants in the study. Studies that, in the past, have demonstrated gender differences in confidence levels were supported by this study, and discussed in detail. Studies that reported on differences in parental support for student performance, based on the gender of the parent, were not confirmed by this study, and reasons for this were also discussed. The implications for the classroom include: 1) build on the female students' strengths that will allow them to enjoy their experiences in mathematics; 2) stop using the boys as a comparison group; and 3) make students more aware of the need to continue studying mathematics to ensure a wider choice of future careers.

Petrography and geochemistry of the McArthur Township area, Ontario /

The McArthur Township area in the Archean Abitibi Belt of northeast Ontario contains northwesterly trending volcanic rocks which are located on a limb of a large syncline. The axial trace of the syncline passes through the adjacent Douglas Township. The Archean volcanic rocks and associated sedimentary rocks are intruded and deformed by two large plutons and a few smaller hypabyssal intrusions. A petrographic and geochemical study of the Precambrian rocks exposed 1n the study area was undertaken in order to investigate the metamorphic grade and geochemical characteristics of the rocks. All the samples were studied with the microscope and analysis of 20 major and trace elements were determined on a selection of the less altered specimens by x-ray fluorescence. Three different periods of igneous activity have occurred in the study area. The first two periods were dominated by volcanic extrusive rocks accompanied by gabbroic sills. The third cycle is the diapiric intrusion of the granitic plutons and subsequent metamorphism of the older rocks to the low to medium grade. Two periods of sedimentation are also recognized in the study area which occurred after the first and second cycle of volcanism. Chemically, the lavas are subdivided into three main associations: (1) The komatiitic association is characterized by high MgO, high Ni, low Ti02 and a low FeO*/(FeO* + MgO) ratio. They occupy the base of each volcanic cycle and some of the flows exhibit spinifex textures. (2) The tholeiitic association displays distinct iron and titanium enrichment trends in the intermediate membersor -i r (3) The calc-alkaline association contains low FeO* and TI02 and high Ni contents relative to modern calc-alkaline types. They are formed at the end of each cycle of volcanism and overlie the tholeiitic flows. All three associations of the first volcanic cycle are exposed in the study area, while the second cycle is represented by a komatiltic sequence. The volcanic rocks were possibly formed by multiple partial melting of the Archean mantle to produce parental magmas under various P - T conditions.

Structural, stratigraphic and geochemical studies of the Horwood Peninsula - Gander Bay Area, Northeast Newfoundland /

The Horwood Peninsula - Gander Bay area is located at NE Newfoundland in the Botwood Zone (Williams et a1., 1974) or in the Dunnage Zone (Williams, 1979) of the Central Mobile Belt of the Newfoundland Appalachians. The area is underlain by Middle Ordovician to possible Lower Silurian rocks of the Davidsville and Indian Islands Groups, respectively. Three conformable formations named informally : the Mafic Volcanic Formation, the Greywacke and Siltstone Formation and the Black Slate Formation, have been recognized in the Davidsville Group. The Greywacke and the Black Slate Formations pass locally into a Melange Formation. From consideration of regional structure and abundant locally-derived mafic volcanic olisto- 1iths in the melange, it is considered to have originated by gravity sliding rather than thrusting. Four formations have been recognized in the Indian Islands Group. They mainly contain silty slate and phyllite, grey cherty siltstone, green to red micaceous siltstone and limestone horizons. Repetition of lithological units by F1 folding are well-demonstrated in one of formations in this Group. The major structure in this Group on the Horwood Peninsula is interpreted to be a synclinal complex. The lithology of this Group is different from the Botwood Group to the west and is probably Late Ordovician and/or Early Silurian in age. The effects of soft-sediment deformation can be seen from the lower part of the Davidsville Group to the middle part of the Indian Islands Group indicating continuous and/or episodic slumping and sliding activities throughout the whole area. However, no siginificant depOSitional and tectonic break that could be assigned to the Taconian Orogeny has been recognized in this study. Three periods of tectonic deformation were produced by the Acadian Orogeny. Double boudinage in thin dikes indicates a southeast-northwest sub-horizontal compression and main northeast-southwest sub-horizontal extension during the D1 deformation. A penetrative, axial planar slaty cleavage (Sl) and tight to isocJ.ina1 F1 folds are products of this deformation. The D2 and D3 deformations formed S2 and S3 fabrics associated with crenulations and kink bands which are well-shown in the slates and phyllites of the Indian Islands Group. The D2 and D3 deformations are the products of vertical and northeast-southwest horizontal shortening respectively. The inferred fault between the Ordovician slates (Davidsville Group) and the siltstones (Indian Islands Group) suggested by Williams (1963, 1964b, 1972, 1978) is absent. Formations can be followed without displacement across this inferred fault. Chemically, the pillow lavas, mafic agglomerates, tuff beds and diabase dikes are subdivided into three rock suites : (a) basaltic komatiite (Beaver Cove Assemblage), (b) tholeiitic basalt (diabase dikes), (c) alkaline basalt (Shoal Bay Assemblage). The high Ti02 , MgO, Ni contents and bimodal characteristic of the basaltic komatiite in the area are comparable to the Svartenhuk Peninsula at Baffin Bay and are interpreted to be the result of an abortive volcano-tectonic rift-zone in a rear-arc basin. Modal and chemical analyses of greywackes and siltstones show the trend of maturity of these rocks increasing from poorly sorted Ordovician greywackes to fairly well-sorted Silurian siltstones. Rock fragments in greywackes indicate source areas consisting of plagiogranite, low grade metamorphic rocks and ultramafic rocks. Rare sedimentary structures in both Groups indicate a southeasterly provenance. Trace element analyses of greywackes also reveal a possible island-arc affinity.

Anxiety and learning / response behaviour in the context of intellectual problem solving by young children

Twenty-eight grade four students were ca.tegorized as either high or low anxious subjects as per Gillis' Child Anxiety Scale (a self-report general measure). In determining impulsivity in their response tendencies, via Kagan's Ma.tching Familiar Figures Test, a significant difference between the two groups was not found to exist. Training procedures (verbal labelling plus rehearsal strategies) were introduced in modification of their learning behaviour on a visual sequential memory task. Significantly more reflective memory recall behaviour was noted by both groups as a result. Furthermore, transfer of the reflective quality of this learning strategy produced significantly less impulsive response behaviour for high and low anxious subjects with respect to response latency and for low anxious subjects with respect to response accuracy.

Physical volcanology, sedimentology, stratigraphy and petrochemistry of the Berry Creek metavolcanics: an Archean calc-alkaline complex, Lake of the Woods, Ontario

The steeply dipping, isoclinally folded early Precambrian (Archean) Berry Creek Metavolcanic Complex comprises primary to resedimented pyroclastic, epiclastic and autoclastic deposits. Tephra erupted from central volcanic edifices was dumped by mass flow mechanisms into peripheral volcanosedimentary depressions. Sedimentation has been essentially contemporaneous with eruption and transport of tephra. The monolithic to heterolithic tuffaceous horizons are interpreted as subaerial to subaqueous pumice and ash flows, secondary debris flows, lahars, slump deposits and turbidites. Monolithic debris flows, derived from crumble breccia and dcme talus, formed during downslope collapse and subsequent gravity flowage. Heterolithic tuff, lahars and lava flow morphologies suggest at least temporary emergence of the edifice. Local collapse may have accompanied pyroclastic volcanism. The tephra, produced by hydromagmatic to magmatic eruptions, were rapidly transported, by primary and secondary mechanisms, to a shallow littoral to deep water subaqueous fan developed upon the subjacent mafic metavolcanic platform. Deposition resulted from traction, traction carpet, and suspension sedimentation from laminar to turbulent flows. Facies mapping revealed proximal (channel to overbank) to distal facies epiclastics (greywackes, argillite) intercalated with proximal vent to medial fan facies crystal rich ash flows, debris flows, bedded tuff and shallow water to deep water lava flows. Framework and matrix support debris flows exhibit a variety of subaqueous sedimentary structures, e.g., coarse tail grading, double grading, inverse to normal grading, graded stratified pebbly horizons, erosional channels. Pelitic to psammitic AE turbidites also contain primary stru~tures, e.g., flames, load casts, dewatering pipes. Despite low to intermediate pressure greenschist to amphibolite grade metamorphism and variably penetrative deformation, relicts of pumice fragments and shards were recognized as recrystallized quartzofeldspathic pseudomorphs. The mafic to felsic metavolcanics and metasediments contain blasts of hornblende, actinolite, garnet, pistacitic epidote, staurolite, albitic plagioclase, and rarely andalusite and cordierite. The mafic metavolcanics (Adams River Bay, Black River, Kenu Lake, Lobstick Bay, Snake Bay) display _holeiitic trends with komatiitic affinities. Chemical variations are consistent with high level fractionation of olivine, plagioclase, amphibole, and later magnetite from a parental komatiite. The intermediate to felsic (64-74% Si02) metavolcanics generally exhibit calc-alkaline trends. The compositional discontinuity, defined by major and trace element diversity, can be explained by a mechanism involving two different magma sources. Application of fractionation series models are inconsistent with the observed data. The tholeiitic basalts and basaltic andesites are probably derived by low pressure fractionation of a depleted (high degree of partial melting) mantle source. The depleted (low Y, Zr) calc-alkaline metavolcanics may be produced by partial melting of a geochemically evolved source, e.g., tonalitetrondhjemite, garnet amphibolite or hydrous basalt.

Algal and protozoan response to Holocene climate change and anthropogenic impact: a case study from Sluice Pond, MA

Sluice Pond is a small (18 ha) and deep (Zmax 20.0 m) partially meromictic, pond in Lynn, Massachusetts that contains a diverse dinocyst record since the early Holocene. High dinocyst concentrations, including morphotypes not previously described, as well as the preservation of several specimens of cellulosic thecae are attributed to low dissolved oxygen (DO) in the basin. The fossil protozoan record supports the interpretation- thecamoebians were unable to colonize the basin until the middle Holocene and only became abundant when the drought-induced lowstand oxygenated the bottom waters. Protozoans tolerant of low DO became abundant through the late Holocene as water levels rose and cultural eutrophication produced a sharp increase in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) beginning in the 17th century. Recent sediments contain a dominance of Peridinium willei, indicating cultural eutrophication and the planktonic ciliate Codonella cratera and the thecamoebian Cucurbitella tricuspis in the deep basin. Above the chemocline however, a diverse difflugiid thecamoebian assemblage is present.

Investigating the Contribution of Personality and Neurological Disruption to Postinjury Outcome in Athletes with Mild Head Injury

Despite the increase in research regarding mild head injury (MHI), relatively little has investigated whether, or the extent to which, premorbid factors (i.e., personality traits) influence, or otherwise account for, outcomes post-MHI. The current study examined the extent to which postinjury outcome after MHI is analogous to the outcome post-moderate or- severe traumatic brain injury (by comparing the current results to previous literature pertaining to individuals with more severe brain injuries) and whether these changes in function and behaviour are solely, or primarily, due to the injury, or reflect, and are possibly a consequence of, one’s preinjury status. In a quasi-experimental, test-retest design, physiological indices, cognitive abilities, and personality characteristics of university students were measured. Since the incidence of MHI is elevated in high-risk activities (including high-risk sports, compared to other etiologies of MHI; see Laker, 2011) and it has been found that high-risk athletes present with unique, risk-taking behaviours (in terms of personality; similar to what has been observed post-MHI) compared to low-risk and non-athletes. Seventy-seven individuals (42% with a history of MHI) of various athletic statuses (non-athletes, low-risk athletes, and high-risk athletes) were recruited. Consistent with earlier studies (e.g., Baker & Good, 2014), it was found that individuals with a history of MHI displayed decreased physiological arousal (i.e., electrodermal activation) and, also, endorsed elevated levels of sensation seeking and physical/reactive aggression compared to individuals without a history of MHI. These traits were directly associated with decreased physiological arousal. Moreover, athletic status did not account for this pattern of performance, since low- and high-risk athletes did not differ in terms of personality characteristics. It was concluded that changes in behaviour post-MHI are associated, at least in part, with the neurological and physiological compromise of the injury itself (i.e., physiological underarousal and possible subtle OFC dysfunction) above and beyond influences of premorbid characteristics.