An overview of New England's economic performance in 2007

New England’s economy showed bright signs of growth in 2007, but residential real estate cast a shadow. Job growth was moderate and on par with that of the nation, but the region fared better with an unemployment rate lower than the national average. Exports from the region rose in value, but at a lesser pace than seen in the nation. Although the region remained the richest in per capita income, growth in total personal income in New England was slower than in the nation. Declining home prices, a significant reduction in housing permits, and spikes in foreclosures rounded out a generally dismal real estate picture. But no matter how dreary, the overall picture for New England may be a little brighter than that for the nation.Economic conditions - New England

An overview of New England's economic performance in 2008

Like most of the nation, New England suffered economically in 2008. Job losses, rising unemployment, and slumping real estate markets were all factors in one of the worst years for the region’s economy. Nevertheless, while the recession certainly took its toll, it did not affect New England as much as it did the nation as a whole.Economic conditions - New England

City of Cape Town Solar Water Heater By-law: Barriers to Implementation

The study of implementation has had tremendous importance for the study of policy. It opened up the black box of ‘after-a-formal-decision’ politics and demonstrated, among other things, that the political process continues all the way through to the final output of the policy process (Bardach 1977). It addressed the complexity of achieving policy goals, offered new insights into the importance of lower-level actors in policy, and attended to the effects that clients and extra-government groups had on the policy result (Schofield 2001). It became one of the most important sources for the development of new perspectives that tried to capture how policy processes cross the public-private divide, as evidenced by the new focus on governance (Rhodes 1997) or networks (Marin and Mayntz 1991). Implementation research has been particularly valuable in two somewhat contradictory ways

The phytochemical content and bioavailability of beetroot (Beta Vulgaris L.) and its application as a recovery intervention following strenuous exercise

Athletes and practitioners are continually looking for new strategies that could minimise the negative effects of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) and hasten the recovery process. One strategy that has shown promise in recent years is the use of functional foods rich in phytonutrients. A functional food that has attracted a lot of attention recently, although primarily for its performance enhancing effects, is beetroot (Beta Vulgaris L.). In addition to displaying a range of physiological effects that may benefit athletic performance, beetroot also exhibits antioxidant (AOX) and anti-inflammatory effects, both of which could be of benefit for reducing secondary damage and enhancing exercise recovery. Nonetheless, the effect of beetroot on exercise recovery is yet to be systematically investigated in the literature. Thus, the overarching aim of this thesis was to test the efficacy of beetroot supplementation, in the form of beetroot juice (BTJ), as a recovery intervention following strenuous exercise. The series of investigations that set out to address this aim have led to many novel and interesting findings. To start with, study 1 was the first to show that a commercially available BTJ is a rich source of phytonutrients and therefore possesses a high AOX capacity in comparison to several other fruit and vegetable juices. Secondly, and perhaps the most novel finding in this thesis, was that BTJ showed promise as an efficacious recovery intervention following some bouts of muscle-damaging exercise. Although not a consistent finding throughout this thesis, BTJ was able to improve the recovery of dynamic muscle function and reduce muscle pain after eccentric-heavy exercise. Another important finding was that BTJ, despite being rich in AOXs, did not adversely affect the acute adaptive response to exercise, as measured by the repeated bout effect (RBE). In contrast to the findings in the earlier studies, however, BTJ was not found to be beneficial for recovery after long distance running. Importantly, the final study in this thesis provided the first evidence that BTJ is more beneficial than sodium nitrate (SN) for enhancing some aspects of recovery. This study highlighted the importance of the phytonutrients in BTJ other than nitrate on recovery after exercise. In summary, the collective findings of this thesis provide new information on the potential application of a phytonutrient rich functional food, in BTJ, for recovery from strenuous athletic performance

Distinct ligand binding sites in integrin alpha3beta1 regulate matrix adhesion and cell-cell contact.

The integrin alpha3beta1 mediates cellular adhesion to the matrix ligand laminin-5. A second integrin ligand, the urokinase receptor (uPAR), associates with alpha3beta1 via a surface loop within the alpha3 beta-propeller (residues 242-246) but outside the laminin binding region, suggesting that uPAR-integrin interactions could signal differently from matrix engagement. To explore this, alpha3-/- epithelial cells were reconstituted with wild-type (wt) alpha3 or alpha3 with Ala mutations within the uPAR-interacting loop (H245A or R244A). Wt or mutant-bearing cells showed comparable expression and adhesion to laminin-5. Cells expressing wt alpha3 and uPAR dissociated in culture, with increased Src activity, up-regulation of SLUG, and down-regulation of E-cadherin and gamma-catenin. Src kinase inhibition or expression of Src 1-251 restored the epithelial phenotype. The H245A and R244A mutants were unaffected by coexpression of uPAR. We conclude that alpha3beta1 regulates both cell-cell contact and matrix adhesion, but through distinct protein interaction sites within its beta-propeller. These studies reveal an integrin- and Src-dependent pathway for SLUG expression and mesenchymal transition

Antioxidant-rich beetroot juice does not adversely affect acute neuromuscular adaptation following eccentric exercise

This study examined the effects of beetroot juice on the repeated bout effect (RBE) to eccentric exercise. Twenty-nine recreationally active males performed two bouts of 100-drop jumps, separated by 14–21 days. Using a double-blind, independent groups design, participants consumed either a higher dose beetroot juice (H-BT; 250 ml, n = 10), a lower dose beetroot juice (L-BT; 125 ml, n = 9) or an isocaloric placebo (PLA; 250 ml, n = 10) for 3 days after bout 1; no drinks were consumed after bout 2. Maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC), countermovement jump (CMJ), pressure-pain threshold (PPT) and creatine kinase (CK) were measured pre, post, 24, 48 and 72 h following both bouts. In bout 2, CMJ and MIVC recovered quicker and CK activity was attenuated (versus bout 1) (P < 0.05) in all groups, demonstrating an RBE. At 24 h post bout 1, MIVC was 84.1 ± 16.1, 83.6 ± 11.6, 79.7 ± 15.1% relative to baseline values in the H-BT, L-BT and PLA groups, respectively; at 24 h post bout 2, MIVC recovered to 90.7 ± 13.7, 92.9 ± 6.9, 87.8 ± 6.9, in the H-BT, L-BT and PLA groups, respectively. These findings suggest that supplementation with antioxidant-rich beetroot juice does not adversely affect acute adaptations to a bout of eccentric exercise

Effects of Beetroot Juice on Recovery of Muscle Function and Performance between Bouts of Repeated Sprint Exercise

This study examined the effects of beetroot juice (BTJ) on recovery between two repeated-sprint tests. In an independent groups design, 20 male, team-sports players were randomized to receive either BTJ or a placebo (PLA) (2 × 250 mL) for 3 days after an initial repeated sprint test (20 × 30 m; RST1) and after a second repeated sprint test (RST2), performed 72 h later. Maximal isometric voluntary contractions (MIVC), countermovement jumps (CMJ), reactive strength index (RI), pressure-pain threshold (PPT), creatine kinase (CK), C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), protein carbonyls (PC), lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH) and the ascorbyl free radical (A•−) were measured before, after, and at set times between RST1 and RST2. CMJ and RI recovered quicker in BTJ compared to PLA after RST1: at 72 h post, CMJ and RI were 7.6% and 13.8% higher in BTJ vs. PLA, respectively (p 0.05). BTJ reduced the decrement in CMJ and RI following and RST but had no effect on sprint performance or oxidative stress