College adjustment, depressive symptoms and peer support among undergraduate university students

Background: College adjustment is a developmental milestone that can be stressful and may lead to mental health problems such as depression. Support during this adjustment period is seen as essential, however it is unknown if informal peer support from fellow students has any impact on either college adjustment or depressive symptoms. Aim: To identify levels of social and personal college adjustment, depressive symptoms and peer support among students, and to examine the relationship between the variables. Design: A quantitative correlational design was used Instruments: Data were collected using two subscales of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire; the Centre for Epidemiology Depressive Symptoms Scale and a subscale of the Peer Support Evaluation Inventory. Sample: The sample consisted of 417, first (n=188), second (n=134) and fourth (n=94) year nursing and midwifery students from one University in Ireland. Findings: The findings indicated that 20% of participants were poorly personally adjusted and 9% poorly socially adjusted. Furthermore, 34% of participants experienced significant depressive symptoms. Most students had good levels of peer support. Statistically significant relationships were found between all key variables, the strongest of which were between personal adjustment and depressive symptoms and social adjustment and depressive symptoms. Differences in adjustment and depressive symptom scores were found based on year of study, with second year students experiencing more depressive symptoms and having poorer personal adjustment scores. Participants who had poor relationships with their father’s experienced greater depressive symptoms and had more difficulties personally and socially adjusting to college. The alcohol consumption of participants had a statistically significant correlation with college adjustment, depressive symptoms and peer support, with higher consumption having a positive impact on the variables.

Self-neglect: development and evaluation of a self-neglect (SN-37) measurement instrument

Aim: To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument for the measurement of self-neglect (SN).Conceptual Framework: An elder self-neglect (ESN) conceptual framework guided the literature review and scale development. The framework has two key dimensions physical/psycho-social and environmental and seven sub dimensions which are representative of the factors that can contribute to intentional and unintentional SN. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted to achieve the research aim. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved the development of the questionnaire content and structure. Phase 2 focused on establishing the psychometric properties of the instrument. Content validity was established by a panel of 8 experts and piloted with 9 health and social care professionals. The instrument was subsequently posted with a stamped addressed envelope to 566 health and social care professionals who met specific eligibility criteria across the four HSE areas. A total of 341 questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 60% and 305 (50%) completed responses were included in exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Item and factor analyses were performed to elicit the instruments underlying factor structure and establish preliminary construct validity. Findings: Item and factor analyses resulted in a logically coherent, 37 items, five factor solution, explaining 55.6% of the cumulative variance. The factors were labelled: ‘Environment’, ‘Social Networks’, ‘Emotional and Behavioural Liability’, ‘Health Avoidance’ and ‘Self-Determinism’. The factor loadings were >0.40 for all items on each of the five subscales. Preliminary construct validity was supported by findings. Conclusion: The main outcome of this research is a 37 item Self-Neglect (SN-37) measurement instrument that was developed by EFA and underpinned by an ESN conceptual framework. Preliminary psychometric evaluation of the instrument is promising. Future work should be directed at establishing the construct and criterion related validity of the instrument.

Food preservation using antifungal lactic acid bacteria

Fungal spoilage of food and feed prevails as a major problem for the food industry. The use antifungal-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) may represent a safer, natural alternative to the use of chemical preservatives in foods. A large scale screen was undertaken to identify a variety of LAB with antifungal properties from plant, animal and human sources. A total of 6,720 LAB colonies were isolated and screened for antifungal activity against the indicator Penicillium expansum. 94 broad-spectrum producers were identified through 16S rRNA sequencing with the majority of the population comprising Lactobacillus plantarum isolates. Six broad-spectrum isolates were consequently characterised. Pedicococcus pentosaceous 54 displayed potent anti-mould capabilities in pear, plum and grape models and may represent an ideal candidate for use in the beverage industry. Two antifungal Lb. plantarum isolates were assessed for their technological robustness and potential as biopreservatives in refrigerated foods. Lb. plantarum 16 and 62 displayed high levels of tolerance to freeze-drying, low temperature exposure and high salt concentrations. Both lactobacilli were introduced as supplements into orange juice to retard the growth of the spoilage yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Furthermore the isolates were applied as adjuncts in yoghurt production to successfully reduce yeast growth. Lb. plantarum 16 proved to be the optimal inhibitor of yeast growth in both food matrices. To date there is limited information available describing the mechanisms behind fungal inhibition by LAB. The effects of concentrated cell-free supernatant (cCFS), derived from Lb. plantarum 16, on the growth of two food-associated moulds was assessed microscopically. cCFS completely inhibited spore, germ tube and hyphal development. A transcriptomic approach was undertaken to determine the impact of antifungal activity on Aspergillus fumigatus Af293. A variety of genes, most notably those involved in cellular metabolism, were found to have their transcription modulated in response to cCFS which is indicative of global cellular shutdown. This study provides the first insights into the molecular targets of antifungal compounds produced by LAB. The genome sequence of the steep water isolate Lb. plantarum 16 was determined. The complete genome of Lb. plantarum16 consists of a single circular chromosome of 3,044,738 base pairs with an average G+C content of 44.74 % in addition to eight plasmids. The genome represents the smallest of this species to date while harbouring the largest plasmid complement. Some features of particular interest include the presence of two prophages, an interrupted plantaricin cluster and a chromosomal and plasmid encoded polysaccharide cluster. The sequence presented here provides a suitable platform for future studies elucidating the mechanisms governing antifungal production.

Accommodating interruptions: a grounded theory of young people with asthma

Background: Accommodating Interruptions is a theory that emerged in the context of young people who have asthma. A background to the prevalence and management of asthma in Ireland is given to situate the theory. Ireland has the fourth highest incidence of asthma in the world, with almost one in five Irish young people having asthma. Although national and international asthma management guidelines exist it is accepted that the symptom control of asthma among the young people population is poor. Aim: The aim of this research is to investigate the lives of young people who have asthma, to allow for a deeper understanding of the issues affecting them. Methods: This research was undertaken using a Classic Grounded Theory approach. It is a systematic approach to allowing conceptual emergence from data in generating a theory that explains behaviour in resolving the participant’s main concern. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with young people aged 11-16 years who had asthma for over one year. Data were also collected from participant diaries. Constant comparative analysis, theoretical coding and memo writing were used to develop the theory. Results: The theory explains how young people resolve their main concern of being restricted, by maximizing their participation and inclusion in activities, events and relationships in spite of their asthma. They achieve this by accommodating interruptions in their lives in minimizing the effects of asthma on their everyday lives. Conclusion: The theory of accommodating interruptions explains young people’s asthma management behaviours in a new way. It allows us to understand how and why young people behave the way they do in order minimise the effect of asthma on their lives. The theory adds to the body of knowledge on young people with asthma and challenges some viewpoints regarding their behaviours.

Structural carpentry in medieval Ireland: continuity and change

The study of medieval carpentry is probably one of the most neglected aspects of archaeological research in Ireland. The principal difficulty is the nature of the evidence, in that timber, unless the conditions are right, rarely leaves a trace above ground. The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that not a single medieval timber-framed building has survived in Ireland. Nevertheless, in recent years, in addition to the medieval roof of Dunsoghley, which up to quite recently was thought to be the only surviving roof structure in Ireland, a further eight medieval roof structures have been identified. Furthermore, an extensive corpus of early medieval mills, with evidence for advanced Roman carpentry techniques, has been excavated, while evidence for Viking houses, on what is probably the largest extant Viking settlement in Europe, have also been recovered. Although post and wattle structures dominate the archaeological record of the Viking period, nevertheless, it will be shown that the Roman tradition of carpentry, evidenced in the early medieval mills from the early seventh century, continued in use in the wider Gaelic community. And it is one of the pivotal points of this study, that with the takeover of Dublin by the Gaelic Irish in the late tenth century, this Roman carpentry tradition was gradually assimilated into the carpentry tradition of the Viking towns, which were now largely inhabited by a mixed population of Hiberno-Norse. Evidence for this Gaelic influence can be seen not only in the gradual replacement of the Viking post and wattle house by timber houses with load-bearing walls, but more importantly by the evidence for waterfront structures founded on baseplates with mortise and tenoned uprights on the pre-Norman waterfront in Cork. Furthermore, it will be shown, that the carpentry techniques used to build the Wood Quay revetments, shortly after the Anglo-Norman conquest in AD 1170, supports this contention.

Optical micro- and nanofibres: Higher mode generation and particle manipulation studies

This thesis is centred on two experimental fields of optical micro- and nanofibre research; higher mode generation/excitation and evanescent field optical manipulation. Standard, commercial, single-mode silica fibre is used throughout most of the experiments; this generally produces high-quality, single-mode, micro- or nanofibres when tapered in a flame-heated, pulling rig in the laboratory. Single mode fibre can also support higher transverse modes, when transmitting wavelengths below that of their defined single-mode regime cut-off. To investigate this, a first-order Laguerre-Gaussian beam, LG01 of 1064 nm wavelength and doughnut-shaped intensity profile is generated free space via spatial light modulation. This technique facilitates coupling to the LP11 fibre mode in two-mode fibre, and convenient, fast switching to the fundamental mode via computer-generated hologram modulation. Following LP11 mode loss when exponentially tapering 125μm diameter fibre, two mode fibre with a cladding diameter of 80μm is selected fir testing since it is more suitable for satisfying the adiabatic criteria for fibre tapering. Proving a fruitful endeavour, experiments show a transmission of 55% of the original LP11 mode set (comprising TE01, TM01, HE21e,o true modes) in submicron fibres. Furthermore, by observing pulling dynamics and progressive mode-lass behaviour, it is possible to produce a nanofibre which supports only the TE01 and TM01 modes, while suppressing the HE21e,o elements of the LP11 group. This result provides a basis for experimental studies of atom trapping via mode-interference, and offers a new set of evanescent field geometries for sensing and particle manipulation applications. The thesis highlights the experimental results of the research unit’s Cold Atom subgroup, who successfully integrated one such higher-mode nanofibre into a cloud of cold Rubidium atoms. This led to the detection of stronger signals of resonance fluorescence coupling into the nanofibre and for light absorption by the atoms due to the presence of higher guided modes within the fibre. Theoretical work on the impact of the curved nanofibre surface on the atomic-surface van der Waals interaction is also presented, showing a clear deviation of the potential from the commonly-used flat-surface approximation. Optical micro- and nanofibres are also useful tools for evanescent-field mediated optical manipulation – this includes propulsion, defect-induced trapping, mass migration and size-sorting of micron-scale particles in dispersion. Similar early trapping experiments are described in this thesis, and resulting motivations for developing a targeted, site-specific particle induction method are given. The integration of optical nanofibres into an optical tweezers is presented, facilitating individual and group isolation of selected particles, and their controlled positioning and conveyance in the evanescent field. The effects of particle size and nanofibre diameter on pronounced scattering is experimentally investigated in this systems, as are optical binding effects between adjacent particles in the evanescent field. Such inter-particle interactions lead to regulated self-positioning and particle-chain speed enhancements.

Urbanization effects on welfare and income diversification strategies of peri-urban farm households in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: An empirical analysis

Urban areas in many developing countries are expanding rapidly by incorporating nearby subsistence farming communities. This has a direct effect on the consumption and production behaviours of the farm households but empirical evidence is sparse. This thesis investigated the effects of rapid urbanization and the associated policies on welfare of subsistence farm households in peri-urban areas using a panel dataset from Tigray, Ethiopia. The study revealed a number of important issues emerging with the rapid urban expansion. Firstly, private asset holdings and consumption expenditure of farm households, that have been incorporated into urban administration, has decreased. Secondly, factors that influence the farm households’ welfare and vulnerability depend on the administration they belong to, urban or rural. Gender and literacy of the household head have significant roles for the urban farm households to fall back into and/or move out of poverty. However, livestock holding and share of farm income are the most important factors for rural households. Thirdly, the study discloses that farming continues to be important source of income and income diversification is the principal strategy. Participation in nonfarm employment is less for farm households in urban than rural areas. Adult labour, size of the local market and past experience in the nonfarm sector improves the likelihood of engaging in skilled nonfarm employment opportunities. But money, given as compensation for the land taken away, is not crucial for the household to engage in better paying nonfarm employments. Production behaviour of the better-off farm households is the same, regardless of the administration they belong to. However, the urban poor participate less in nonfarm employment compared to the rural poor. These findings signify the gradual development of urban-induced poverty in peri-urban areas. In the case of labour poor households, introducing urban safety net programmes could improve asset productivity and provide further protection.

Transitions: From novice participation to expertise, pre-school 'matters' in an Irish pre-school community

This in depth, qualitative, participant observer study tracks children's transition experiences from novice to experienced membership of their pre-school community. It also considers adult roles in mediating this process in the context of the recent introduction of a universal free-pre-school year for children growing up in Ireland. Participation and the space to negotiate a participatory identity is understood in this study as a key element of positive experiences of early years transitions, within pre-school and beyond. The underlying theoretical framework is socio-cultural. This approach shifts from a scientific positivist view of thinking and learning as an individual inside the head process and asserts the historical, social, cultural as well as the situated context of learning and meaning making All participants, including myself as researcher, are recognised, explored and valued as embedded in the cultural context studied. In a sense, this approach tilts the worlds being observed through participation in them and reflects them in new light. The aim is to interpret and reflect the multiple realities constructed in this context rather than seek a truth out there waiting to be found. Special efforts are made to be invited in to and acknowledge children's expertise in the cultural worlds they negotiate with peers and adults in pre-school. The aim is to better understand what children may find motivating, interesting or problematic as they interpret reproduce and transform meaning within their play and learning worlds. My aim is for an honest rendering of the voices of stakeholders in pre-school communities from teachers, parents, and policy makers to children themselves. It makes visible constraints; potentials and possibilities within everyday Irish pre-school practices in the situated context studied as well as the broader societal, legislative and macro policy influences it reflects. Casting light on the taken for granted opens the possibility of adaptation or transformation. Transition itself can act as a tool to meet the changing needs of children on their developmental pathways across the life cycle

Public evaluations of novel food technologies: a qualitative citizen-scientist deliberative discourse approach

This qualitative research expands understanding of how information about a range of Novel Food Technologies (NFTs) is used and assimilated, and the implications of this on the evolution of attitudes and acceptance. This work enhances theoretical and applied understanding of citizens’ evaluative processes around these technologies. The approach applied involved observations of interactive exchanges between citizens and information providers (i.e. food scientists), during which they discussed a specific technology. This flexible, yet structured, approach revealed how individuals construct meaning around information about specific NFTs. A rich dataset of 42 ‘deliberate discourse’ and 42 postdiscourse transcripts was collected. Data analysis encompassed three stages: an initial descriptive account of the complete dataset based on the top-down bottom-up (TDBU) model of attitude formation, followed by inductive and deductive thematic analysis across the selected technology groups. The hybrid thematic analysis undertaken identified a Conceptual Model, which represents a holistic perspective on the influences and associated features directing ‘sense-making’ and ultimate evaluations around the technology clusters. How individuals make sense of these technologies is shaped by: their beliefs, values and personal characteristics; their perceptions of power and control over the application of the technology; and, the assumed relevance of the technology and its applications within different contexts. These influences form the frame for the creation of sense-making around the technologies. Internal negotiations between these influences are evident and evaluations are based on the relative importance of each influence to the individual, which tend to contribute to attitude ambivalence and instability. The findings indicate the processes of forming and changing attitudes towards these technologies are: complex; dependent on characteristics of the individual, technology, application and product; and, impacted by the nature and forms of information provided. Challenges are faced in engaging with the public about these technologies, as levels of knowledge, understanding and interest vary.

The early years in Irish multigrade classes: trajectories of practice and identity

This study investigates how the experiences of Junior Infants are shaped in multigrade classes. Multigrade classes are composed of two or more grades within the same classroom with one teacher having responsibility for the instruction of all grades in this classroom within a time-tabled period (Little, 2001, Mason and Doepner, 1998). The overall aim of the research is to problematize the issues of early childhood pedagogy in multigrade classes in the context of children negotiating identities, positioning and power relations. A Case Study approach was employed to explore the perspectives of the teachers, children and their parents in eight multigrade schools. Concurrent with this, a nation-wide Questionnaire Survey was also conducted which gave a broader context to the case study findings. Findings from the research study suggest that institutional context is vitally important and finding the space to implement pedagogic practices is a highly complex matter for teachers. While a majority of teachers reported the benefits for younger children being in mixed-age settings alongside older children, only a minority of case study school teachers demonstrated how it is possible to promote classroom climates which were provided multiple opportunities for younger children to engage fully in classrooms. The findings reveal constraints on pedagogical practice which included: time pressures within the job, an increase in diversity in pupil population, meeting special needs, large class sizes, high pupil/teacher ratios, and planning/organisation of tasks which intensified the complexities of addressing the needs of children who differ significantly in age, cognitive, social and emotional levels. An emergent and recurrent theme of this study is the representation of Junior Infants as apprentices in their ‘communities of practice’ who contributed in peripheral ways to the practices of their groups (Lave and Wenger, 1991, Wenger, 1998). Through a continuous process of negotiation of meaning, these pupils learned the knowledge and skills within their communities of practice that empowered some to participate more fully than others. The children in their ‘figured worlds’ (Holland, Lachiotte, Skinner and Caine 1998) occupy identities which are influenced by established arrangements of resources and practices within that community as well as by their own agentive actions. Finally, the findings of the study also demonstrate how the dimension of power is central to the exercise of social relations and pedagogical practices in multigrade classes.

Counterstories: who counts as lesbian?

Coming out midlife is a profound and life‐changing experience—it is an experience of self‐shattering that entails the destabilisation of identity, and of family relationships. Entailing a displacement from social insider to outsider, it is a difficult, but also exhilarating, journey of self, and sexual, discovery. This thesis is an examination of the experiences of nine women who undertook that journey. This dissertation is very much a search for understanding—for understanding how one can be lesbian, and how one can not have known, following a lifetime of heterosexual identification—as well as a search for why those questions arise in the first place. I argue that the experience of coming out midlife exposes the fundamental ambiguity of sexuality; and has a significance that ranges beyond the particularity of the participants’ experiences and speaks to the limitations of the hegemonic sexual paradigm itself. Using the theoretical lens of three diverse conceptual approaches—the dynamic systems theory of sexual fluidity; liminality; and narrative identity—to illuminate their transition, I argue that the event of coming out midlife should be viewed not merely as an atypical experience, but rather we should ask what such events can tell us about women’s sexuality in particular, and the sexual paradigm more generally. I argue that women who come out midlife challenge those dominant discourses of sexuality that would entail that women who come out midlife were either in denial of their “true” sexuality throughout their adult lives; or that they are not really lesbian now. The experiences of the women I interviewed demonstrate the inadequacy of the sexual paradigm as a framework within which to understand and research the complexity of human sexuality; they also challenge hegemonic understandings of sexuality as innate and immutable. In this thesis, I explore that challenge.

Monstrative acts and becoming-monster: on identity, bodies, and the feminine other

Using two examples of literary monsters, the Creature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), and Grendel’s Mother in Beowulf, this thesis demonstrates the bearing fictional identities have on “real” bodies, through an examination of two further literary texts, David Henry Hwang’s play, M. Butterfly (1986) and J. M. Coetzee’s novel, Disgrace (1999). Western definitions of Being have historically divided body and mind, favouring the mind as formative of subjective experience and denigrating the body as secondary and impure. This thesis demonstrates that this mind/body binary is symptomatic of the masculine ontological imperative to disown the body and its effects on Being, simultaneously ridding itself of the feminine it believes is its irrational opposite. Using recent feminist reviews of the canon, which emphasise the body’s importance to ontology and demonstrate the conceptual association between the feminine and the corporeal, this thesis links performative identity practices to theories of monstrosity, explaining how fictional qualities adhere to monstrous bodies by proposing a new theoretical category, the “monstrative.” The monstrative is a performative force that makes the Other into a living sign of Otherness; however, unlike earlier theories of Othering, the monstrative accounts for the Other’s being other to herself. This thesis also attempts to read the misrepresented body of the Other as a possible site for more empowered identity performances, where the monstrous “I” is interpreted as a potentially positive model for identity practice, through the conceptualisation of identity as a process of Becoming rather than Being. The transferal from a noun to a verb not only emphasises the performativity of identity, but also suggests fluidity and multiplicity in identity practice, which always already indicates a monstrosity at work. Thus, while monstrative acts constitute bodies as monstrous, Becoming-monster is an empathetic response to the Other’s monstrosity.

Canon Ulick Bourke: cultural nationalism, popular politics and the Knock apparition

Accounts of the Knock Apparition, academic and devotional, always start by relating that the Virgin Mary, St Joseph, and St John the Evangelist appeared to fifteen people on a rainy Thursday evening at the south gable of Knock chapel, Co. Mayo, on 21 August 1879. They usually mention that the Land War was in progress. Despite the fact Knock supposedly receives one and a half million visitors a year, until three decades ago no scholar had examined accounts of the apparition. Recent work has sought to define the Knock Apparition in light of the Land War, the ‘devotional revolution’, which took place in Irish Catholicism in the quarter century prior to the apparition, and the influence of the parish priest, Archdeacon Bartholomew Cavanagh. This thesis acknowledges these factors, but contends that the single greatest force in shaping accounts of the apparition was Canon Ulick Joseph Bourke, one of the three priests on the commission of investigation into Knock. Furthermore, this thesis proves that Bourke’s role as a central figure in influencing the later Gaelic revival has been overlooked by scholars of cultural nationalism. By examining Bourke’s cultural nationalism and views on antiquity and language, as well as his politics and reaction to the Land War, this thesis argues that Bourke sought to create an orthodox version of the apparition which could be reconciled to his views on Irish Catholic identity, while serving as a bulwark against threats to the temporal power of the clergy. In addition to influencing accounts of the apparition through his role in interviewing the witnesses and recording their testimony, Bourke further shaped the narrative of the apparition by controlling its dissemination, to the extent that all accounts of Knock are based on a text largely created by him.

Career choice in medicine

Background: Career Choice in Medicine is an important and problematic topic. Medical education has been framed as professional identity development, yet career choice has not been viewed as a matter of identity. My primary aim was to offer new insights by exploring career choice using Figured Worlds theory, a socio-cultural theory of identity. Graduate retention is a challenge for many countries, including Ireland. My secondary aim was to address a gap in the data on postgraduate trainees in Ireland and to use the Irish case to illustrate points transferable to other contexts. Methodology & Methods: This was a predominantly qualitative Mixed Methods programme of research. My qualitative studies were oriented towards social constructionism. I collated existing data from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) and HSE-MET to describe trainees and their career paths. I surveyed Basic Specialist Training trainees (n=333) about their career plans. I surveyed new trainees (n=527) about their expectations of training and all RCPI trainees about their experiences of training (n=1246). I conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 medical students and doctors. A subgroup (n=6) provided longitudinal data. Figured Worlds theory and Gee’s discourse tools were used for analysis. Results: I have used the case of medical training and career choice in Ireland to explain how social, political and cultural context, and day to day experiences in the cultural world of medicine, shaped doctors’ career choices. My qualitative findings described a unifying model of career choice, consisting of priming, exposure, positioning and open-endedness, which can guide the design of interventions to shape and support career choice. Conclusion: My original contribution has been to demonstrate the fruitfulness of framing career choice in terms of identity development. This represents a turn in the conversation about career choice, which brings new starting points and moves the dialogue forward.

Effects of Aging and Moderate Calorie Restriction on the Reproductive Axis of the Male Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta)

Calorie restriction (CR) has been established as the only non-genetic method of altering longevity and attenuating biological changes associated with aging. This nutritional paradigm has been effective in nematodes, flies, rodents, dogs and possibly non-human primates. Its long history notwithstanding, little is known regarding the exact mechanism(s) of CR action or its potential impact on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. The objectives of this project were to: 1) analyze neuroendocrine changes to the HPG axis that occur with aging and 2) evaluate the effects of moderate CR on reproductive function in male rhesus macaques. Pituitary gene expression profiling, semi-quantitative RT-PCR (sqRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry showed circadian clock mechanism components present in three age categories of macaques, demonstrated age differences in expression for Per2, indicated differential expression of Per2 and Bmal1 at opposing time points and revealed daily rhythmic expression of REV-ERBα protein. These data indicate the ability of the macaque pituitary to express core-clock genes, their protein products, and to do so in a 24-hour rhythm. Young Adult CON and CR pituitary gene expression profiles detected potential differential expression in <150 probesets. A decline in>TSHR and CGA was detected in CR macaques as measured by sqRT-PCR. Other genes investigated showed no diet-induced changes. Young Adult CON and CR testicular gene expression profiles detected potential differential expression in <300 probesets although mRNA expression was not altered based on sqRT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR. Age-related>and/or diet-induced changes in HSD17β3, INSL3, CSNK1E and CGA were observed in a separate experiment with CGA in Old Adult CR subjects returning to youthful levels. Semen samples were collected from Young Adult CON and CR macaques. Normal spermiogram measures, ZP-binding, AR assay and SCSA^® were conducted and indicated no differences between CON and CR-treated animals. Both groups exhibited similar daily testosterone profiles with no differences in mean or maximum levels; however, daily minimum testosterone levels were lower in CON animals. It appears that moderate CR had limited impact on neuroendocrine or reproductive function in male rhesus macaques based on our selected endpoints. Thus, advantageous CR health benefits can be achieved without obvious negative consequences to the HPG axis.