University of the 3rd Age (U3A): Coming to Calgary

The purpose of this descriptive case study is to promote understanding of the University of the Third Age (U3A) as an approach to facilitating lifelong learning opportunities for and with older adults.  This case study is specific to the development of a University of the Third Age in Calgary (U3A Calgary).  The benefits of lifelong learning for older adults and communities are described.  The benefits are followed by the articulation of the work done by the project team in moving the U3A Calgary from an idea to reality

Three-dimensional kinematics of the lumbar spine during gait using marker-based systems: a systematic review.

To review the current scientific literature on the assessment of three-dimensional movement of the lumbar spine with a focus on the utilisation of a 3D cluster. Electronic databases PubMed, OVID, CINAHL, The Cochrance Library, ScienceDirect, ProQuest and Web of Knowledge were searched between 1966 and March 2015. The reference lists of the articles that met the inclusion criteria were also searched. From the 1530 articles identified through an initial search, 16 articles met the inclusion criteria. All information relating to methodology and kinematic modelling of the lumbar segment along with the outcome measures were extracted from the studies identified for synthesis. Guidelines detailing 3D cluster construction were limited in the identified articles and the lack of information presented makes it difficult to assess the external validity of this technique. Scarce information was presented detailing time-series angle data of the lumbar spine during gait. Further developments of the 3D cluster technique are required and it is essential that the authors provide clear instruction, definitions and standards in their manuscript to improve clarity and reproducibility

Fitness Training As a Body-Centered Hobby: the Serious Leisure Perspective for Explaining Exercise Practice

Physical exercise is an activity whose health-related benefits have been promoted by health professionals and social institutions. However, given that the levels of practice are not ideal, the subjective variables - that give meaning, provide continuity and may increase exercise adherence - need to be studied in depth. In this sense, fitness training is analyzed as a form of serious leisure, a body-centered hobby - a way to practice and relate to the activity that leads its practitioners to adhere more to it, orienting them towards a career in acquiring and expressing skills, knowledge and experience. In total, 1,134 people (588 men, 546 women) doing fitness training, aged between 18 and 70 years old (M = 34.7, SD = 13.06), answered a questionnaire about time dedicated to exercise as serious leisure and its derived and complementary benefits. Student's t Coefficient and ANOVA were used to show the significance of the differences among the scores obtained for the rewards related to exercise and the other variables of the study. The results highlight that exercise as serious leisure is an activity whose weekly time investment makes it to acquire a central role when rewarded by sense of accomplishment, contact with others, improved health and being outdoors with the family. To conclude, this study enhances that characterizing fitness training as a body-centered hobby - which shares the principles of serious leisure - implies a new approach to the analysis of exercise while also suggesting new ways of promoting it

Sweet cherry varieties in Oregon

All sweet cherry varieties, except Stella and some Stella crosses, are self-incompatible and must be cross-pollinated for satisfactory yields. Royal Ann (Napoleon), Bing, and Lambert are cross-incompatible as are some other combinations of varieties.Published May 2003. This publication was replaced by OSU Extension publication EM 9056. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Choosing pear rootstocks for the Pacific Northwest [1988]

When you establish a new pear orchard, the proper choice of rootstock is as important as the choice of variety and site. This is true because the rootstock is involved in determining two key factors: your variety's susceptibility to several serious diseases, and your tree's performance in your climate and on your orchard site.Published December 1988. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Cosmic Shear of the Microwave Background: The Curl Diagnostic

Weak-lensing distortions of the cosmic-microwave-background (CMB) temperature and polarization patterns can reveal important clues to the intervening large-scale structure. The effect of lensing is to deflect the primary temperature and polarization signal to slightly different locations on the sky. Deflections due to density fluctuations, gradient-type for the gradient of the projected gravitational potential, give a direct measure of the mass distribution. Curl-type deflections can be induced by, for example, a primordial background of gravitational waves from inflation or by second-order effects related to lensing by density perturbations. Whereas gradient-type deflections are expected to dominate, we show that curl-type deflections can provide a useful test of systematics and serve to indicate the presence of confusing secondary and foreground non-Gaussian signals.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures; PRD submitte

Technical feasibility of small-scale oilseed and on-farm biodiesel production: A Vermont case study

This article investigates the technical feasibility of small-scale oilseed production and on-farm processing of biodiesel and livestock feed using primary data from two Vermont farms. Results indicate that small-scale production of sunflowers, canola, and soybeans, and on-farm processing of livestock feed and biodiesel are technically feasible, but yields depend on many factors. Increased local expertise, information-sharing among the farm and Extension communities, and improved access to harvesting and processing equipment can improve productivity and efficiency. Additional experience in seed drying and expeller pressing techniques should reduce fat content in the seed meal, improve meal value, and improve oil production efficiency. © Extension Journal, Inc

Third eye

40 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-40)."The function of the parietal eye in four species of western North American lizards was investigated by surgical removal of the 'eye' (parietalectomy) and by covering the 'eye' with aluminum foil. The species studied were Sceloporus occidentalis, S. undulatus, Uta stansburiana, and Uma inornata; the first two species were investigated most intensively. A population of Sceloporus occidentalis in Berkeley Hills, California, was studied from September, 1955, to June, 1957. Marked parietalectomized and sham-operated individuals were returned to the field to original points of capture, and their subsequent behavior was observed. The two surgical types were always introduced in equal numbers. Other lizards were studied in photothermal gradients in the laboratory. The following results were obtained: 1. Individuals of all four species increased their exposure to sunlight (or artificial light in the laboratory) following removal of the parietal eye. There was prolongation of the time spent exposed on the surface of the ground and greater use of high-intensity illumination. 2. Although these lizards are heliotherms, depending directly on the sun for elevation of their body temperature to desired levels, no differences were found between the parietalectomized and control lizards in body temperatures recorded during the period of surface activity. Both in the field and laboratory, however, the parietalectomized lizards extended the length of time spent at the thermal levels of 'normal activity.' 3. The increased exposure to sunlight following parietalectomy is accompanied by increased locomotory activity, as judged by the restive behavior of captives and the shifts in position of surgically treated lizards released in the field. The parietalectomized animals average three times greater displacement from previously determined home ranges than the sham-operated animals. 4. The parietalectomized lizards were less inclined to retreat upon the approach of the observer than were the sham-operated ones. The pronounced heliothermism perhaps works antagonistically to the normal retreat reaction. 5. The thyroid gland of parietalectomized lizards tended to show hypertrophy and loss of colloid, which suggests that there is a relationship between thyroid and the behavioral changes observed. 6. That sunlight is the stimulus to the parietal eye seems indicated by the increased heliothermism that occurred following the use of aluminum foil shields over the 'eye.' In experiments with foil, the parietal eye was left intact. 7. Parietalectomized lizards deprived of food appeared to be less viable than sham-operated lizards. Increased metabolism probably resulted in more rapid exhaustion of their energy reserves. Additional work is, however, required before this point can be fully documented. 8. Microsections of the parietal eye of Sceloporus failed to reveal any nerve connection between the 'eye' and the brain. The retina of the 'eye' appears to be secretory, and its activity probably fluctuates with the intensity of solar radiation to which the eye is exposed. It may be concluded that the parietal eye in the diurnal lizards studied functions in helping to regulate the amount of exposure to sunlight. After a period of exposure, the length of time probably varying with changes in the duration and intensity of sunlight and the physiological condition of the animal, inhibition to activity begins. Because exposure to sunlight is required to maintain normal activity levels, parietal-eye inhibition may function to prevent metabolic excesses and to insure the maintenance of energy reserves. The 'eye' thus may influence the intensity and perhaps also the duration of the life of the animal"--P. 35-36