Enriching or Discouraging? Competing Pictures of Aging and Paid Work in Later Life

The picture and experience of work and retirement are continuously changing in Canada and will likely continue to change into the future with the aging of the population. There are two pictures of work in older age presented in the literature: a positive and enriching picture and a picture that highlights the challenges facing some older workers. The positive and enriching picture focuses on the experiences of older individuals who are able to continue working if they want to work and are able to work; those who continue working because they are motivated by work rather than pay or new opportunities for growth; and, older workers who are appreciated for their skill and education. However, these positive experiences are not shared by all older workers. For some, working at older ages is motivated by financial survival rather than personal pleasure. This financial insecurity may have occurred due to a work displacement in mid-life or the inability to secure stable and non-precarious employment throughout the life course. Some older workers may find it challenging to find new work if they are unskilled or lack up-to-date skills. Many older workers may want to continue working but are unable to do so as a result of personal health circumstances or disability, lack of accommodations in the workplace, or caregiving responsibilities. Others who want to work may face discrimination in the labour market due to ageism. As the population ages and new generations reach old age with varying work trajectories, alongside changes in policies surrounding public pension plans, the need for a better understanding of new experiences of work and retirement is more important now than ever. The key areas of focus in this report are experiences of employment for older workers and work-retirement transitions. This report addresses the need to redefine the terms “older worker” and “retirement”, due to their shifting meanings over time. The implications of the 2008 recession on older workers are also discussed. The report concludes by discussing the impact of policy reforms on older workers

Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Reports of Thematic Committees

Contains the following reports: Aging and paid work – Ellie Berger Caregiving and social participation – Janet Fast Health over the lifecourse – Amélie Quesnel-Vallée Families – Zheng Wu Immigrants and migrants – Barry Edmonston Aging, lifelong learning and lifecourse flexibility – Paul Bélange

On the Importance of Nanoparticle Necks and Carbon Impurities for Charge Trapping in TiO2

Particle attachment and neck formation inside TiO2 nanoparticle networks determine materials performance in sensing, photo-electrochemistry, and catalysis. Nanoparticle necks can feature point defects with potential impact on the separation and recombination of photogenerated charges. Here, we investigated with electron paramagnetic resonance a point defect that traps electrons and predominantly forms in aggregated TiO2 nanoparticle systems. The associated paramagnetic center resonates in the g factor range between g = 2.0018 and 2.0028. Structure characterization and electron paramagnetic resonance data suggest that during materials processing, the paramagnetic electron center accumulates in the region of nanoparticle necks, where O2 adsorption and condensation can occur at cryogenic temperatures. Complementary density functional theory calculations reveal that residual carbon atoms, which potentially originate from synthesis, can substitute oxygen ions in the anionic sublattice, where they trap one or two electrons that mainly localize at the carbon. Their emergence upon particle neck formation is explained by the synthesis- and/or processing-induced particle attachment and aggregation facilitating carbon atom incorporation into the lattice. This study represents a substantial advance in linking dopants, point defects, and their spectroscopic fingerprints to microstructural features of oxide nanomaterials

On the Importance of Nanoparticle Necks and Carbon Impurities for Charge Trapping in TiO2

Particle attachment and neck formation inside TiO 2 nanoparticle networks determine materials performance in sensing, photo-electrochemistry, and catalysis. Nanoparticle necks can feature point defects with potential impact on the separation and recombination of photogenerated charges. Here, we investigated with electron paramagnetic resonance a point defect that traps electrons and predominantly forms in aggregated TiO 2 nanoparticle systems. The associated paramagnetic center resonates in the g factor range between g = 2.0018 and 2.0028. Structure characterization and electron paramagnetic resonance data suggest that during materials processing, the paramagnetic electron center accumulates in the region of nanoparticle necks, where O 2 adsorption and condensation can occur at cryogenic temperatures. Complementary density functional theory calculations reveal that residual carbon atoms, which potentially originate from synthesis, can substitute oxygen ions in the anionic sublattice, where they trap one or two electrons that mainly localize at the carbon. Their emergence upon particle neck formation is explained by the synthesis- and/or processing-induced particle attachment and aggregation facilitating carbon atom incorporation into the lattice. This study represents a substantial advance in linking dopants, point defects, and their spectroscopic fingerprints to microstructural features of oxide nanomaterials

Identification of regulatory variants associated with genetic susceptibility to meningococcal disease.

Non-coding genetic variants play an important role in driving susceptibility to complex diseases but their characterization remains challenging. Here, we employed a novel approach to interrogate the genetic risk of such polymorphisms in a more systematic way by targeting specific regulatory regions relevant for the phenotype studied. We applied this method to meningococcal disease susceptibility, using the DNA binding pattern of RELA - a NF-kB subunit, master regulator of the response to infection - under bacterial stimuli in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. We designed a custom panel to cover these RELA binding sites and used it for targeted sequencing in cases and controls. Variant calling and association analysis were performed followed by validation of candidate polymorphisms by genotyping in three independent cohorts. We identified two new polymorphisms, rs4823231 and rs11913168, showing signs of association with meningococcal disease susceptibility. In addition, using our genomic data as well as publicly available resources, we found evidences for these SNPs to have potential regulatory effects on ATXN10 and LIF genes respectively. The variants and related candidate genes are relevant for infectious diseases and may have important contribution for meningococcal disease pathology. Finally, we described a novel genetic association approach that could be applied to other phenotypes