Make Yourself Known

Do you remember way back when you began to go to college and some instructor invited you to come to his office whenever you were in hot water over something

It's only words : the crystal meth dilemma

Crystal meth has been an illicit drug for many years but did not surface as a problem until the 1990s. Between 200 and 2006, a number of provincial documents were produced in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan to examine this problem. A shift appeared to have occurred in terms of how to handle this situation. Traditionally, illicit drugs such as crystal meth were dealt with by the criminal justice system; however, in this case, provincial health departments prepared these documents. The intent of this thesis is to examine these documents by providing a discourse analysis and applying concepts from Foucault, vanDijk and Phillips and Hardy. Three questions are asked: (i) who are the voices of these documents? (ii) who is identified as being at risk? and (iii) how is crystal meth socially constructed and what solutions are presented? All three provinces identify the same at risk population, our youth. British Columbia and Saskatchewan construct crystal meth as an educational and health problem, while Alberta focuses mainly on crystal meth as being a criminal problem. This research concludes that the solutions offered by the various experts from these provinces are unrealistic. The social determinants of health such as adequate income, housing and employment opportunities are discussed in these provincial documents however, nothing concrete is provided. Saskatchewan is the only province to commit money to finance new programs to assist with the crystal meth problem

Examination of the expression of the heat shock protein gene, hsp110, in Xenopus laevis cultured cells and embryos

Prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms respond to various stressors with the production of heat shock proteins (HSPs). HSP110 is a large molecular mass HSP that is constitutively expressed in most adult mammalian tissues. In the present study, we have examined for the first time the expression of the hsp110 gene in Xenopus laevis cultured cells and embryos. The Xenopus hsp110 cDNA encodes an 854 amino acid protein, which shares 74% identity with mice and humans. In Xenopus A6 kidney epithelial cells hsp110 mRNA was detected constitutively and was heat inducible. Enhanced hsp110 mRNA levels were detected within 1 h, and remained elevated for at least 6 h. A similar accumulation of hsp70 mRNA was observed, but only in response to stress. Treatment of A6 cells with sodium arsenite and cadmium chloride also induced hsp110 and hsp70 mRNA accumulation. However, while ethanol treatment resulted in the accumulation of hsp70 mRNA no effect was seen for hsp110. Similarly, HSP110 and HSP70 protein increased after a 2 h heat shock and 12 h sodium arsenite treatment. The elevation in HSP110 and HSP70 protein in response to heat was detectable for up to 6 h. Recent studies with mice suggest an important role for HSP110 during development. Analysis of Xenopus embryos revealed that hsp110 mRNA was present in unfertilized eggs, indicating that it is a maternal mRNA, unlike the hsp70 message which was only detectable in response to heat shock. Heat shock-induced hsp110 mRNA accumulation was developmentally regulated, similar to hsp70, since it was not detectable until after the midblastula stage of development. Enhanced hsp110 mRNA accumulation was evident with heat shock at the blastula stage, and levels continued to increase reaching a maximum at the late tailbud stage. Message for the small heat shock protein, hsp27, was not detectable until the early tailbud stage, indicating that this hsp was not present maternally and was developmentally regulated. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that hsp110 mRNA was present in control embryos in the lens placode, spinal cord and somites, but increased upon heat shock in the anterior and posterior region, the lens placode, as well as in the somites and spinal cord. A similar distribution was observed for the hsp27 message, although it was not detectable until the early tailbud stage in control or heat-shocked embryos. The intracellular localization of HSP110 protein in response to stress was also investigated. HSP110 was detected predominantly in the cytoplasm in either a diffuse pattern or in long spindle-shaped fibres. Additionally, HSP110 was present in the nucleus. In heat shocked Xenopus A6 cells, HSP110 localized in distinct patterns surrounding the nucleus and was enhanced in the nucleus after prolonged heat stress. Sodium arsenite-treated cells displayed a similar pattern in which HSP110 localized on opposite ends of the nucleus. In contrast, in response to stress HSP30 was homogeneously distributed in the cytoplasm, moving into the nucleus only upon intense stress. This study presents, for the first time, a characterization of HSP110 in Xenopus laevis, adding to the growing knowledge of HSPs in this important model organism

Connecting the dots for flowering time genes in wheat

There is an urgent need to increase food security. The world’s population is growing, the climate is changing, and yet the annual gains in crop yields are plateauing. To meet the demands of the future, we must take new approaches to improve crop productivity. Plants integrate seasonal progression in daylength and temperature to determine the optimal time to flower and set seed. However, in wheat, we understand very little about this process. The overall aim of this thesis is to understand how the leaf and developing inflorescence of bread wheat detects and responds to the changing seasons, and to investigate crosstalk between these tissues. Using lines containing variant alleles for the key photoperiod gene, Photoperiod‐1 (Ppd‐1), I analysed the molecular processes controlling flowering in the field. I find discrete photoperiod changes cause a step-wise increase in the transcription of FLOWERING LOCUS T1 (FT1) as the major floral activator. This seasonal induction is partially regulated by Ppd-1, which dynamically responds to changes in daylength to control the rate of inflorescence development in a ‘checkpoint’ dependent manner. Photoperiod insensitive alleles of Ppd-1 override this step-wise increase in FT1 expression, resulting in accelerated inflorescence development. Within the developing inflorescence, these leaf-derived signals have a powerful influence over gene expression, with Ppd-1 allelism altering gene expression patterns, amplitude and genome biases. Ppd-1 mediated inflorescence development involves many genes, with large clusters of gene expression focused to each key developmental stage. Investigating the genes involved in these transitions has revealed four previously uncharacterised genes that help regulate inflorescence development. In addition, temperature can influence the rate of these stage transitions, likely through leaf- and inflorescence-based pathways. This research has expanded our understanding of how wheat regulates flowering, providing a strong foundation to increase yield by fine-tuning photoperiod-depended control over spikelet and floret development

Health Inequities and Moral Distress Among Community Health Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

     The core values of community health nursing practice are rooted in the social determinants of health, health equity and social justice.  Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, community health nurses (CHNs) witnessed first-hand the impact on individuals in situations of marginalization. This research inquiry explored how health inequities among client populations contributed to experiences of MD among CHNs in Canada during the pandemic.      A total of 245 CHNs from across Canada participated in an online survey. Participants reported that during the pandemic individuals living in situations of marginalization were disproportionately impacted. CHNs were unable to provide the necessary health promotion interventions and experienced high levels of moral distress. The negative impact of the pandemic on individuals living in situations of marginalization illuminated the intersecting social and structural inequities that drive negative health outcomes and emphasized the need to adopt an equity focus for current and future pandemic planning, response, and recovery.  

Youth–adult partnership and youth civic development: cross-national analyses for scholars and field professionals

Across the world, community-based youth organizations are engaging youth as partners with adults to promote youth civic development. A sample of 528 youth from the United States, Portugal, and Malaysia were surveyed to explore associations between youth–adult partnership (youth voice in decision making; supportive adult relationships) and two key aspects of civic development (youth empowerment; community connections). Multi-level modeling, regression, and profile analysis were used to compare patterns of association across the three national samples. Results indicate that youth are most likely to achieve positive outcomes when they experience the freedom to make decisions, while experiencing trust and power sharing from adults. The results were consistent across the three national samples, suggesting that the influence of partnership may transcend cultures and contexts. Future scholarship should aim to support field professionals in building organizational structures and opportunities that encourage shared dialogue, program planning, and purposeful action among youth and adults

Equipping Extension Professionals to Lead Volunteer Systems: An Evaluation of an Online Course

Extension professionals enter their role with content-specific expertise; however, experience in volunteer leadership and management competencies is often limited. This study focused on the effectiveness of the Achieving the Extension Mission Through Volunteers (AEMTV) course in preparing professionals to use the Identification, Selection, Orientation, Training, Utilization, Recognition, Evaluation (ISOTURE) model to learn and apply volunteer systems concepts in a cohort-based online learning environment. We used quantitative and qualitative methods to assess how the course impacted participants and the programs they lead. Data from 127 participants indicated they increased their knowledge, improved volunteer systems, and influenced the quality of programming delivered in communities. Our research confirmed that the ISOTURE model (Boyce, 1971; Dolan, 1969) continues to be an effective framework for learning and applying volunteer systems management practices. We recommend that Extension collaborates across states to formalize and create additional online professional development relevant to all program areas to elevate Extension’s impact nationally

The Iowa Homemaker vol.16, no.8

Billy Eats, Sleeps and Plays by Barbara Fischer, page 2 Foods for Gods from the Buffet by Helen Miller, page 3 Swing Into Spring! by Beth Johnson, page 4 Color Passports to Spring by Gaynold Carroll, page 5 Teachers Reveal Pets and Peeves by Peggy Schenk, page 6 Awearin’ the Green by Mildred Gauley, page 7 Table Shamrocks by Doris Ingle, page 7 What’s New in Home Economics, page 8 News in the Mail from Graduates by Faithe Danielson, page 10 Glad-irons Replace Sad-irons by Ida Ruth Younkin, page 11 Children Around the World by Mae Louise Buchanan, page 11 Behind Bright Jackets, page 12 Hopes in a Chest by Gwen Griffith, page 13 Spring Inventory by Gay Starrak, page 14 French Cookery Puzzles by Beth Cummings, page 16 Wear Polished Nails by Jane Helser, page 1

TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 regulates height and stem internode length in bread wheat

Regulation of plant height and stem elongation has contributed significantly to improvement of cereal productivity by reducing lodging and improving distribution of assimilates to the inflorescence and grain. In wheat, genetic control of height has been largely contributed by the Reduced height-1 alleles that confer gibberellin insensitivity; the beneficial effects of these alleles are associated with less favourable effects involving seedling emergence, grain quality, and inflorescence architecture that have driven new research investigating genetic variation of stem growth. Here, we show that TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 (TB1) regulates height of wheat, with TB1 being expressed at low levels in nodes of the main culm prior to elongation, and increased dosage of TB1 restricting elongation of stem internodes. The effect of TB1 on stem growth is not accompanied by poor seedling emergence, as transgenic lines with increased activity of TB1 form longer coleoptiles than null transgenic controls. Analysis of height in a multiparent mapping population also showed that allelic variation for TB1 on the B genome influences height, with plants containing the variant TB-B1b allele being taller than those with the wild-type TB-B1a allele. Our results show that TB1 restricts height and stem elongation in wheat, suggesting that variant alleles that alter the expression or function of TB1 could be used as a new source of genetic diversity for optimizing architecture of wheat in breeding programmes