Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer Disease: A Review of the Potential Links

: Diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease are considered the most prevalent diseases in older ages worldwide. The main pathology of Alzheimer’s disease is highly related with accumulation of misfolded proteins that lead to neuronal dysfunction in the brain. On the other hand, diabetes mellitus is associated with alteration of insulin signaling, which could cause the reduction of glu-cose uptake, metabolic prohibition of energy consuming cells, as well as suppression of glucose to fat conversion in the liver. In spite of having seemingly different pathological features, both dis-eases share common underlying biological mechanisms. Besides, the epidemiological and envi-ronmental links between these two diseases should not be overlooked. In this study, we aim to review shared pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes mellitus, including impaired glucose metabolism, increased Amyloid-Beta (Aβ) production, impaired lipid metabo-lism, mitochondrial dysfunction, increased inflammation and elevated oxidative stress. Further-more, we discuss epidemiological/environmental association between these two diseases and also review animal investigations, which have evaluated the potential links between the two diseases.

Developing faithful stewardship for environment through green HRM

Purpose This paper aims to assess the nexus between green human resource management (GHRM) practices, green culture, environmental responsibility and environmental performance (EP). Design/methodology/approach Using a supervisor-subordinated nested design and multi-time data collection approach through convenience sampling, the authors obtained 330 responses from 15 hotels operating in the metropolitan cities of Pakistan. Findings The study results indicate the prominence of GHRM practices toward enhancing hotels’ EP. The authors also found green culture and environmental responsibility as potential mediators in the direct association between GHRM and EP. In addition, the findings suggest that the GHRM and environmental association can be deeper when individuals exhibit green values and showcase green responsibility about their environment. Taken together, the findings of the present study found support for all direct and indirect hypothesized relationships hence, forwarding notable implications for theory and practice. Research limitations/implications This paper forwards both theoretical and practical implications. Drawing upon ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) theory, this paper asserts that GHRM practices shall be used to improve EP through green values and environmental responsibility. The authors specifically suggest that pro-environment personnel practices can nourish green culture and a pro-environment sense of responsibility that facilitates in robust pro-environment results. Originality/value The study advances and addresses gaps found in prior studies to help support organizational scholars, practitioners and pro-environment enthusiasts to understand the interplay of GHRM, culture, responsibility and EP.

Enjeux, pratiques et contraintes pour une mise en valeur agroécologique des terres au Sahara. Cas d’un périmètre péri-oasien dans la Vallée du M’Zab (Algérie).

This article analyzes the adoption of practices face to the ecological and social issues and the constraints perception to agroecological development in the M’Zab Valley. The socioecological approach shows that the current agrosystem is “hybrid”, under the influence of the old oasis model, symbol of ecological balance, and of the conventional model, vector of both a dynamic of innovations and threats on agricultural sustainability. However, the institutional environment is perceived to be very restrictive. The application of multinomial logistic regression to explain the practices adoption and the constraints perception brings out the socio-demographic characteristics (level of education, age, pluriactivity, link with environmental association) which have a positive effect on agroecological practices; the productions (vegetables and breeding) whose effect is ambivalent; and social categories (low level of education, mono-activity, sheep and goat farming) who perceive the institutional environment rather very restrictive to the development of agroecology.

Linking Members to Leaders: How Civic Associations Can Strengthen Members’ External Political Efficacy

Americans’ sense of external political efficacy—their belief in their ability to influence government decisions—has declined precipitously in recent decades, eroding the public’s confidence in our system of representative democracy. Scholars have long argued that involvement in civic associations can help ordinary Americans realize their political efficacy, yet a lack of longitudinal data on association members’ attitudes and behaviors has impeded efforts to test this claim. To collect such a dataset, we partnered with a national environmental association to conduct a unique panel study of members of eight state-level organizations. We show that members who get to know their association’s leaders believe that they have greater influence over government decisions. Our findings suggest that civic associations can strengthen their members’ efficacy by cultivating volunteer leadership and fostering relationships between members and leaders.

Genomic analyses provide insights into peach local adaptation and responses to climate change

The environment has constantly shaped plant genomes, but the genetic bases underlying how plants adapt to environmental influences remain largely unknown. We constructed a high-density genomic variation map by re-sequencing genomes of 263 geographically representative peach landraces and wild relatives. A combination of whole-genome selection scans and genome-wide environmental association studies (GWEAS) was performed to reveal the genomic bases of peach local adaptation to diverse climates comprehensively. A total of 2,092 selective sweeps that underlie local adaptation to both mild and extreme climates were identified, including 339 sweeps conferring genomic pattern of adaptation to high altitudes. Using GWEAS, a total of 3,496 genomic loci strongly associated with 51 specific environmental variables were detected. The molecular mechanism underlying adaptive evolution of high drought, strong UV-B, cold hardiness, sugar content, flesh color, and bloom date were revealed. Finally, based on 30 years of observation, a candidate gene associated with bloom date advance, representing peach responses to global warming, was identified. Collectively, our study provides insights into molecular bases of how environments have shaped peach genomes by natural selection and adds valuable genome resources and candidate genes for future studies on evolutionary genetics, adaptation to climate changes, and future breeding.

PRACTICE-ORIENTED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES OF THE CHILDREN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION AS A TOOL TO FORM THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH-GRADERS’ ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

The Article covers the problem of forming form the seventh and eighth-graders’ environmental responsibility in additional (informal education), which is caused by focus of the modern education on forming the environment-orientated moral personality qualities, which can assure the switching of the society over to the sustainable development; by significant possibilities of the children environmental associations in developing the environmental responsibility, and the lack of scientifically substantiated, approbated practice-oriented programs favoring the solution to this problem. The article is aimed at substantiating the specificity of a goal, content-related, procedural and technological components of the program of activities of the children environmental association “My environmental responsibility: to the co-creation with the nature”; opening of the pedagogical раскрытие педагогического tools of diagnostics of its efficiency, presentation of results of the program implementation in the educational practice. As the leading theoretical methods, simulation and designing were used, which make it possible to develop the key structural components of the program. The basic empirical method of the research is a pedagogical experiment, during which the program efficiency was diagnosed in terms of criteria and indicators of maturity of the environmental responsibility components with 210 members of the children environmental associations at the age from 11 to 14 years old. The article considers the theoretical and methodological basis of the program, which includes the ideas of ecohumanism, coevolution and sustainable development; an axiological, personal-activity and ecopsychological approaches, which provide for an organization of the developing ecology-оriented educational environment of the children association as a tool of forming the environmental responsibility. The article presents the program content, which consists of two components (external and internal components), discusses the succession of forming the environmental responsibility, which includes four stages and substantiates a technology of forming the environmental responsibility in the children association, which is presented by a system of environmentally responsible businesses. The article materials are of practical value to school teachers, additional education teachers, students of pedagogical specialties and advisers of children environmental associations.