Transcending Language and Ethnicity: Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Canonical Erection of the Diocese of Calgary, 1912–1916

Historians have generally presented conflict between the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and Bishop John Thomas McNally of Calgary as a chapter in a national narrative of rivalry between “French” and “Irish” Catholics. However, references to ethno-linguistic rivalry are conspicuously absent from contemporary reports by the Oblate personnel of southern Alberta. These reports indicate that Oblates attributed their conflict with McNally to administrative tensions between episcopal authority and the autonomy of religious orders. Having assembled a multi-ethnic and multilingual missionary corps in response to the rapid influx of Catholic immigrants over the previous three decades, Oblates believed that a secular bishop possessed neither the international connections nor the administrative experience required to assume jurisdiction over such a diverse faith community. They consequently resolved to retain their traditional autonomy and to oppose efforts to concentrate ecclesiastical authority in the office of bishop. Les historiens ont généralement présenté le conflit entre les Oblats de Marie Immaculée et Mgr John Thomas McNally, Évêque de Calgary, comme un chapitre de la narration nationale traitant de la rivalité entre catholiques « français » et « irlandais ». Des allusions à une rivalité ethnolinguistique sont cependant absentes des rapports rédigés à l’époque par le personnel oblat du sud de l’Alberta. Ces rapports indiquent que les Oblats attribuaient leur conflit avec McNally aux tensions administratives entre l’autorité épiscopale et l’autonomie des ordres religieux. Ayant assemblé un personnel multiethnique et multilingue en réponse à l’afflux d’immigrés catholiques durant les trois décennies précédentes, les Oblats se sont convaincus qu’un évêque séculier ne possédait ni les liens internationaux ni l’expérience administrative requis pour assumer la direction d’une communauté si largement diversifiée. Ils décidèrent ainsi de conserver leur autonomie traditionnelle et de résister à toute tentative de concentrer l’autorité ecclésiastique sur la fonction de l’évêque

Older adults, falls and technologies for independent living: a life space approach

This paper draws attention to the need for further understanding of the fine details of routine and taken-for-granted daily activities and mobility. It argues that such understanding is critical if technologies designed to mitigate the negative impacts of falls and fear-of-falling are to provide unobtrusive support for independent living. The reported research was part of a large, multidisciplinary, multi-site research programme into responses to population ageing in Ireland, Technologies for Independent Living (TRIL). A small, exploratory, qualitative life-space diary study was conducted. Working with eight community-dwelling older adults with different experiences of falls or of fear-of-falls, data were collected through weekly life-space diaries, daily-activity logs, two-dimensional house plans and a pedometer. For some participants, self-recording of their daily activities and movements revealed routine, potentially risky behaviour about which they had been unaware, which may have implications for falls-prevention advice. The findings are presented and discussed around four key themes: ‘being pragmatic’, ‘not just a faller’, ‘heightened awareness and blind spots’ and ‘working with technology’. The findings suggest a need to think creatively about how technological and other solutions best fit with people's everyday challenges and needs and of critical importance, that their installation does not reduce an older adult to ‘just a faller’ or a person with a fear-of-falls

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor -β/δ, -γ Agonists and resveratrol modulate hypoxia induced changes in nuclear receptor activators of muscle oxidative metabolism

PPAR-α, PPAR-β, and PPAR-γ, and RXR in conjunction with PGC-1α and SIRT1, activate oxidative metabolism genes determining insulin sensitivity. In utero, hypoxia is commonly observed in Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR), and reduced insulin sensitivity is often observed in these infants as adults. We sought to investigate how changes in oxygen tension might directly impact muscle PPAR regulation of oxidative genes. Following eight days in culture at 1 oxygen, C2C12 muscle myoblasts displayed a reduction of PGC-1α, PPAR-α, and RXR-α mRNA, as well as CPT-1b and UCP-2 mRNA. SIRT1 and PGC-1α protein was reduced, and PPAR-γ protein increased. The addition of a PPAR-β agonist (L165,041) for the final 24 hours of 1 treatment resulted in increased levels of UCP-2 mRNA and protein whereas Rosiglitazone induced SIRT1, PGC-1α, RXR-α, PPAR-γ, CPT-1b, and UCP-2 mRNA and SIRT1 protein. Under hypoxia, Resveratrol induced SIRT1, RXR-, PPAR- mRNA, and PPAR- and UCP-2 protein. These findings demonstrate that hypoxia alters the components of the PPAR pathway involved in muscle fatty acid oxidative gene transcription and translation. These results have implications for understanding selective hypoxia adaptation and how it might impact long-term muscle oxidative metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Copyright © 2010 Timothy R. H. Regnault et al

"Toutes les nations du mond": building a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual faith community in Southern Alberta, 1905-1916

Bibliography: p. 101-109Between 1905 and 1916, southern Alberta was home to a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual community of Catholics from across Europe and North America. This community was remarkable for its cohesiveness and its accommodation of ethno-linguistic diversity. The present study examines clerical efforts to sustain this community. As Alberta developed according to an Anglo-Protestant model, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate endeavoured to keep laypeople in the Catholic fold by providing them with a familiar linguistic and cultural setting. Oblates mastered foreign languages, adopted unfamiliar liturgy and discipline, recruited specialized clergy, and strove to suppress ethno-linguistic partisanship among the faithful. Although the erection of the Diocese of Calgary ( 1912) brought these missionaries into direct conflict with episcopal administration, the clergy remained united in its commitment to nurturing the multi-ethnic and multi-lingual character of the Catholic community

Asthma essentials

Asthma is a chronic, reversible obstructive disease that when in exacerbation can present to the emergency department in a spectrum of severity. Prompt recognition of the potentially severely ill asthmatic requires a careful history and physical exam while considering alternative diagnoses for the presenting symptoms. Early administration of salbutamol and corticosteroids is indicated in almost all patients with other medications such as ipratropium and magnesium and supportive modalities like BiPAP reserved for sicker patients. The global impact of asthma is increasing, especially amongst children. While the benign clinical presentation is most common and mortality has decreased in recent decades due to improved recognition and care, the ubiquity of the condition and frequent lack of regular outpatient management contribute to the disease claiming 250,000 lives worldwide annually. The emergency physician must be prepared to assess and appropriately manage both the young child with a mild wheeze and the adult in respiratory failure

Older adults, falls and technologies for independent living: a life space approach

This paper draws attention to the need for further understanding of the fine details of routine and taken-for-granted daily activities and mobility. It argues that such understanding is critical if technologies designed to mitigate the negative impacts of falls and fear-of-falling are to provide unobtrusive support for independent living. The reported research was part of a large, multidisciplinary, multi-site research programme into responses to population ageing in Ireland, Technologies for Independent Living (TRIL). A small, exploratory, qualitative life-space diary study was conducted. Working with eight community-dwelling older adults with different experiences of falls or of fear-of-falls, data were collected through weekly life-space diaries, daily-activity logs, two-dimensional house plans and a pedometer. For some participants, self-recording of their daily activities and movements revealed routine, potentially risky behaviour about which they had been unaware, which may have implications for falls-prevention advice. The findings are presented and discussed around four key themes : \u27being pragmatic\u27, \u27not just a faller\u27, \u27heightened awareness and blind spots\u27 and \u27working with technology\u27. The findings suggest a need to think creatively about how technological and other solutions best fit with people\u27s everyday challenges and needs and of critical importance, that their installation does not reduce an older adult to \u27just a faller\u27 or a person with a fear-of-falls