Low-dimensional filiform lie superalgebras

The aim of this paper is to give a classification up to isomorphism of low dimension filiform Lie superalgebras.The aim of this paper is to give a classification up to isomorphism of low dimension filiform Lie superalgebras

The Relationship of Catalase Activity to the Trade-Off Between Reproduction and Lifespan in the Giant Waterbug, Belostoma flumineum

Senescence is the process by which organisms age and ultimately die. Life history theory suggests that the allocation of energy into growth and reproduction is necessarily associated with a decrease in energy available for the maintenance of the soma. Many studies have shown that early or increased rates of reproduction are often correlated with a decrease in longevity, but few studies have investigated physiological correlates to this event. Catalase is an enzyme involved in the removal of oxygen free radicals implicated in damaging cellular components that contribute to senescence. A decrease in catalase activity with age could increase the organism\u27s maintenance cost and lead to an increased rate of senescence. This study investigated the possibility that changes in catalase activity are related to the energy trade-off between reproduction and longevity in the giant waterbug, Belostoma flumineum. This species is a good model for this type of investigation because both males and females contribute a significant amount of parental investment. Waterbugs were collected as fifth instar nymphs and maintained under controlled laboratory conditions. Males and females were randomly allocated to either virgin or breeder reproductive treatments. Waterbugs were assayed for catalase activity at ages of 10, 60, 100, and 150 days. Catalase activity/ g bug was shown to increase with chronological age in male and female virgins, but not in breeders of either sex; most of this change was early in life (0-60 days). Virgin bugs also had higher catalase activity I g bug than those that were allowed to breed. This might suggest that waterbugs that breed are less protected from free radical damage than virgins, and could help explain the shortened life span of breeders relative to virgins

The Impact of Amputation on Body Image

There is a lack of history regarding appearance-related concerns in healthcare. There are roughly two million people living with limb loss in the United States with nearly 185,000 amputations occurring each year. Alterations in body image are due to individuals being unable to adapt to appearance change and can take them far from their ideal body image. It has previously been discovered that amputees generally disclose negative feelings regarding their bodies. The sample included 207 adults aged 21 years and older with lower-limb amputations. The participants completed a survey composed of demographics and the Amputee Body Image Scale. Statistical analysis was computed using a one-way ANOVA. Participants with two lower limb amputations versus one lower limb amputation experienced lower body image [F (1, 205) = 4.150, p = 0.043]. A significant difference existed in length of time since loss of limb. Participants were more dissatisfied with their body image six to ten years after amputation as opposed to other time frames [F (4, 202) = 4.316, p = 0.002]. Among people who reported losing their limb, there was a statistically significant relationship between vascular and other causes [F (5, 194) = 2.86, p = 0.016]. Amputees need emotional support. It is crucial that nurses encourage patients to confront their injuries and expose disfigurements because this can have a positive effect when helping patients adjust. The findings confirm that patients undergoing amputation experience psychological distress related to altered body image

Arterial distensibility in adolescents: the influence of adiposity, the metabolic syndrome, and classic risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis develops from childhood, but the determinants of this preclinical stage remain uncertain. We examined the relations of classic coronary risk factors, adiposity and its associated metabolic disturbances, to arterial distensibility (a marker of early arterial disease) in 13- to 15-year-olds, some of whom had previously been studied at ages 9 to 11 years. METHODS AND RESULTS: Brachial artery distensibility was measured by a noninvasive ultrasound technique in 471 British children in whom measures of adiposity, blood pressure, fasting blood lipids, and insulin had been made. All adiposity measures showed strong graded inverse relationships with distensibility. Inverse associations with distensibility were also observed for insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment), diastolic pressure, C-reactive protein, and the number of metabolic syndrome components present, which had a graded relation to distensibility. Total and LDL cholesterol levels were also inversely related to distensibility, but less strongly than adiposity; homocysteine had no relation to distensibility. Although the relations of total and LDL cholesterol and diastolic pressure to distensibility had been present at 9 to 11 years of age, those of adiposity and insulin resistance were only apparent at 13 to 15 years. CONCLUSIONS: Adiposity and its metabolic consequences are associated with adverse changes in the arterial wall by the teenage years. The graded relation with increasing adiposity was stronger than that for cholesterol and was seen at body mass index levels well below those considered to represent "obesity." This emphasizes the importance of population-based strategies to control adiposity and its metabolic consequences in the young

‘Helping People Make Better Choices’: exploring the behaviour change agenda for environmental sustainability

This paper examines the emergence of market-orientated approaches to public participation in environmental issues through an exploration of recent empirical research into ‘sustainable lifestyles’ as a practical tool for encouraging pro-environmental behaviour. Using the notion of ‘sustainable lifestyles’, current social marketing policies seek to encourage behaviour change amongst citizens by identifying population segments with similar commitments to environmental practices as the basis for behaviour change initiatives. However, the use of static ‘lifestyle groups’ implies that that citizens replicate sustainable practices across different consumption contexts and this paper explores this line of argument through the use of data collected as part of a recent UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) funded research project on sustainable lifestyles and climate change. Through a series of focus group discussions, participants explored notions of sustainable practices using the home and leisure contexts as framing devices to explore issues of environmental responsibility and climate change. The emphasis placed on practices and context reveal that the comfortable notions of environmental responsibility and sustainable consumption in the home are often in conflict with the discourses of consumption reduction associated with climate change in leisure and tourism contexts. In many cases, these ‘paradoxes’ are explicitly referred to, reflected-upon and discussed by participants who demonstrate that notions of sustainable practice are mediated by practice and spaces of consumption. Accordingly, the paper argues that in conceptualising market-based approaches to behaviour change around the notion of ‘sustainable lifestyles’, researchers and policy makers need to address the role of context and recognise the importance of consumption spaces and the conflicts that may arise between these