This study addressed five key applications of paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS): (i) comparative analysis of the microporous substrate with the cellulose-based substrate in drug detection; (ii) detection of more than 190 fentanyl analogs with their fragmentation pattern can be implemented in the future reference for quicker, accurate and sensitive determination; (iii) exploring sweat in a fingerprint to be considered an alternate method to recognize non-invasive markers of metabolites, lipids, narcotics, and explosive residues that can be used in forensic testing applications; (iv) extending and improving better, cost-effective and quick real-time monitoring of the diseased stage using biofluid samples to obtain vastly different lipid information in viral infection such as COVID-19; and (v) mass spectral detection in chemical warfare agent (CWA) stimulant gas exposure with microporous structure absorbency capabilities in air quality monitoring. This novel synthetic material is known as Teslin® (PPG Industries), consisting of a microporous polyolefin single-layered silica matrix, can be used for precise, sensitive, selective, and rapid sample analysis with PS-MS. The Teslin® substrate provided longer activation time for samples and an active signal with a higher concentration of ion formation and mobility compared to cellulose-based papers. Direct analysis of multiple samples showed that, besides being more sensitive to the study and highly efficient with less sample size and spray solvent needed, Teslin® had less interaction with paper source molecules. For less than 60 seconds of processing time, PS-MS can be used as a rapid detection tool, with limited sample preparation requiring less than one microgram of the sample. Overall, the data in this analysis indicate the capacity of the PS-MS as an alternative approach for direct chemical analysis in many applications. Specifically, the waterproof and microporosity characteristics of Teslin® have proven its usefulness in detecting a variety of chemical components in liquid, solid, and gaseous phases without requiring any chemical treatment or substrate alteration.

Using ethnographic research methods, I collaborated with the organization Earthworks to conduct a community assessment on the health issues related to the air quality in Karnes County, Texas, an oil and gas community. The research consisted of in-depth interviews with residents on their experiences and knowledge on the health issues associated to air quality. This research is going to be used to inform the community and develop strategies to empower community members in improving their environmental conditions.

No description available.

Cette thèse s’intéresse aux pratiques sociales entourant le mourir des personnes du grand âge en institution gériatrique dans un contexte où le mourir dans la dignité est légiféré (Loi concernant les soins de fin de vie). Elle examine, plus précisément, la façon dont les pratiques entourant le mourir des personnes du grand âge façonnent les trajectoires de fin de vie. Cette thèse repose sur la théorie de la pratique qui explore la façon dont l’action humaine est construite et transformée par les individus dans un monde social donné. La pratique y est définie comme un ensemble de faires et de dires incorporés et partagés. Elle est un produit de l’histoire et de la culture et peut varier en fonction de l’individu qui la concrétise. Une étude ethnographique (observations directes, entretiens formels et informels auprès de soignantes et de proches endeuillés de personnes du grand âge) a été réalisée dans deux institutions publiques montréalaises : en centre d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée (CHSLD) et en unité de gériatrie hospitalière en 2017 et en 2018. Les résultats de cette thèse montrent un contexte institutionnel difficilement compatible avec les besoins des personnes du grand âge en fin de vie, marqué par la rareté des ressources — temporelles et humaines — et par les difficultés à intégrer l’accompagnement du mourir dans leur mission de soins. Malgré ce contexte tendu, trois pratiques entourant le mourir des personnes du grand âge ont été documentées. D’abord, la préservation d’un état limite par la mise en place de dispositifs visant la sécurité et la santé physique de ces personnes sans qu’une attention particulière soit portée à l’individu comme personne sociale. Si les soignantes tentent au mieux de prendre soin, les contextes organisationnels et structurels ne permettent pas toujours une telle prise en charge. Ensuite, la prise de décision ou la négociation du juste et de l’assez rend compte des enjeux éminemment moraux qui modulent « l’accès » aux soins pour l’ultime étape de la fin de la vie et des négociations qui se jouent entre les soignantes, les proches et les personnes du grand âge. Enfin, la mise en scène du mourir, où il est possible de véritablement saisir le soin tel que prodigué par les soignantes, malgré les manques à gagner et la non-incorporation effective des apports de la nouvelle Loi concernant les soins de fin de vie dans l’organisation de soins destinés aux personnes du grand âge. Parallèlement, les trajectoires de fin de vie sont illustrées. Elles ne sont pas linéaires et sont bien souvent synonymes de multiples transitions où plusieurs acteurs (proches, soignants et institutions) négocient différentes possibilités. Enfin, cette thèse propose une définition opérationnelle du mourir, une théorie de la pratique dans ses dimensions sociale, politique et morale et une analyse de la mise en application de la Loi concernant les soins de fin de vie et des enjeux d’exclusion qu’elle soulève auprès des personnes du grand âge en institution gériatrique. / This thesis focuses on social practices surrounding how elderly people die in geriatric institutions in a context in which dying with dignity is legislated (Act Respecting End-of-Life Care). More specifically, it examines the way in which practices surrounding how elderly people die shape their end-of-life trajectories. This thesis is based on the practice theory, which explores how human action is constructed and transformed by individuals in a given social world. Practice is defined as a set of embodied and shared doings and sayings. It is a product of history and culture and can vary according to the individual who carries it out. This ethnographic study (direct observations, formal and informal interviews with caregivers, and bereaved family members of elderly people) was conducted in two public institutions in Montreal: a residential and long-term care centre (CHSLD) and a hospital geriatric unit in 2017 and in 2018. The results of this thesis reveal an institutional context that is not compatible with the needs of elderly people facing the end of their lives, a context marked by a lack of resources—both time and human resources—and by difficulties to include support for those who are dying as part of their care mission. Despite this tense context, three practices surrounding how elderly people die have been documented. First, the preservation of a liminal state, through the implementation of devices designed to ensure the safety and physical health of these people without any particular attention being paid to the individual as a social being. While caregivers try to provide the best possible care, organizational and structural contexts restrict it. Second, decision-making at the end of life, or the negotiation of what is “right” and “enough,” takes into account the eminently moral stakes that modulate “access” to care at the final stage of life and the negotiations that take place between caregivers, family members, and the elderly. Third, the staging of dying, in which it is possible to truly grasp care as it is performed by caregivers, despite the shortfalls and the effective non-incorporation of the contributions of the new law concerning end-of-life care in the organization of care for the dying. At the same time, end-of-life trajectories are illustrated. They are not linear and are often synonymous with multiple transitions where several actors (family members, caregivers and institutions) negotiate different possibilities. Finally, this thesis proposes an operational definition of dying, a practice theory in its social, political, and moral dimensions, and an analysis of the implementation of the Act Respecting End-of-Life Care and the issues of exclusion it raises for elderly people in geriatric institutions.

The main goal of this research has been to investigate elderly people's needs, perceptions, fears, hopes, and expectation regarding elderly care, including ethical issues linked to assistive technologies. As faith seems to take an important place in how some elders face the aging process, the spiritual dimension was also included. Therefore, the research was conducted among 15 church congregants. Results show that most respondents fear the physical and mental decay due to aging, often resulting in becoming a burden to someone else, along with abandonment and lack of financial resources. Most ethnic groups perceive that other cultures take better care of their elders than their own. Faith seems to offer a great support, as it gives the confidence that divine power will always be there for them even beyond death. The respondents in this research suggest that guidance should be provided in a more structured way, more focus should go on the youth and the elderly, more activities should be organized and practical information should be shared. Regarding the ethical issues of assistive technologies, they are not well informed about their possibilities but acknowledge their potential usefulness, combined with human care. They don't want technology to be too intrusive in their daily life, but they are willing to sacrifice (part of) their privacy for more (medical) safety. There is a general concern that the access to qualitative care would be depending on financial resources.

Farm to school programs are becoming a popular intervention to address childhood obesity. The hope is to prevent later chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease that can result from eating high-fat/high-calorie diets that are low in consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. This study explores the impacts of one such program, Farm to Keiki, on students, their families, and teachers at two Native Hawaiian preschools on the island of Kauaʽi, Hawaiʽi. This program combined lessons about plants and nutrition with gardening at school and tastetesting in the classroom. Rooted in critical medical anthropology, this study utilized a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to understand these impacts, as well as the historical and cultural contexts that have contributed to dietary changes among Native Hawaiians. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups, families and teachers described how the program encouraged the children to try new foods and eat more produce, and how the children demonstrated new knowledge about plants and healthy eating. Participants also spoke of ways in which their own knowledge and eating habits changed, and families reported carrying over many of the program's activities at home by gardening and preparing meals together. Additionally, participants offered valuable feedback on ways the program could be improved. This study, which appears to be the first of its kind to involve a Native Hawaiian farm-toschool program, demonstrates that an anthropological approach can provide critical depth and understanding of how programs like Farm to Keiki affect students and the people close to them.

Le mal de ventre chez les enfants est un lieu de métissage et de créolisation traversé par des dimensions sociales et culturelles. Il est construit collectivement au sein des familles nucléaires avec leurs parcours migratoires et leurs souffrances. Par le biais d’entretiens menés auprès de familles haïtiennes vivant à Montréal, nous documentons les trajectoires de ces douleurs, dans lesquelles les perceptions, les explications et les moyens mis en œuvre pour les soulager interagissent d’une manière dynamique. En général, les enfants perçoivent leurs maux de ventre comme une expérience insaisissable, diffuse et ayant un impact sur leur vie sociale, tout en étant tolérés par les enfants et par les mères. Ces familles n’ont pas reçu de diagnostic médical et elles attribuent à ces maux des explications provisoires en constante recomposition. En général, elles ont recours à différentes méthodes de prise en charge des maux de ventre. L’espace familial, les activités réalisées au sein des églises et la médecine officielle sont des espaces thérapeutiques privilégiés. / Belly-stomachaches in children are a space of hybridity and creolization, affected by social and cultural dimensions. These aches are collectively constructed within nuclear families, with their migratory histories and their sufferings. Having interviewed Haitian families living in Montreal, we documented the illness trajectories, the perceptions, explanations and means of relieving the aches, which all interact in a dynamic mode. Generally speaking, the children perceive their belly-stomachaches as an irregular experience that has an impact on their social life, although tolerated by the children and theirs mothers. Families have not received a medical diagnosis and give temporary, changing explanations to the aches, in a constant reformulation. In general, families will use different methods to deal with belly and stomach aches. The family space, church activities, and official medicine are privileged therapeutic spaces.

La présente étude en anthropologie médicale propose d’examiner la dimension socioculturelle des désordres fonctionnels gastro-intestinaux (DFGI) en considérant l’expérience de six familles québécoises francophones où un pré-adolescent souffre de symptômes associés à un DFGI. Le regard anthropologique qui nous a permis d’appréhender ces expériences de douleur s’appuie principalement sur les travaux issus de la psychiatrie transculturelle, de même que sur les influences de l’anthropologie du corps et de la phénoménologie. À travers ce regard, la somatisation est considérée comme une forme de communication de la douleur, modulée de manière importante par le contexte socioculturel et représentative d’une certaine souffrance sociale. Ce langage ponctué d’idiomes de détresse et de métaphores permet aux individus d’exprimer leur souffrance et de mobiliser un soutien social efficace pour la prendre en charge. Dès lors, le corps doit être perçu comme un corps vécu; comme un lieu de marquage du social, mais également comme un instrument de positionnement social et une frontière où des mouvements d’appartenance et de divergence sont exprimés. Par l’exploration, dans chacune de ces familles, des différentes manières de décrire les symptômes, de les interpréter et d’y réagir, nous avons procédé à la reconstruction d’histoires particulières pour voir comment ces symptômes venaient s’inscrire dans la biographie individuelle et familiale. À travers l’analyse de la construction du sens de la douleur et des pratiques adoptées pour la contrôler, la douleur abdominale nous est apparue comme intimement liée à l’expérience sociale et la médicalisation comme une base pour une meilleure appréhension de cette douleur. Par ses maux de ventre, l’enfant exprime ses limites corporelles et sociales. À l’intérieur de la famille, l’expression de cette limite peut être parfois dérangeante, confrontante, et même entraîner des rapports conflictuels. C’est ainsi qu’est « négociée » une approche appropriée à la douleur qui redéfinit les rôles de chacun par rapport à cette dernière. Le ventre devient le médiateur qui permet le compromis nécessaire au « vivre ensemble » ou au « vivre dans le monde ». À l’issue de ii cette négociation qui implique la participation du médecin traitant, les rapports sont parfois reconstruits et la relation au monde et aux autres peut devenir différente. / This study in medical anthropology is an exploration of the sociocultural dimension of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) considering the experience of six frenchspeaking families of Québec where a pre-teenager suffers from symptoms associated with FGID. The anthropological perspective that allowed us to approach these experiences of pain is based mainly on work from tanscultural psychiatry, as well as on the influences of the anthropology of the body and phenomenology. Through this view, somatization is considered to be a form of communication of distress, modulated in an important way by sociocultural context and reflecting social suffering. This language punctuated with idioms of distress and metaphors allows individuals to express their suffering and to mobilize an efficient social support. From then on, the body must be seen as a lived body; as a place of social marking, but also as an instrument of social positioning and a border where movements of belonging and divergence are expressed. By exploring, in each of these families, different ways of describing the symptoms, interpret them and respond to them, we proceeded to the reconstruction of particular stories to find how these symptoms were part of the individual’s and family’s biography. Through the analysis of how those families make sense of the pain and adopte practices to control it, abdominal pain appeared to us as intimately linked to social experience and the medicalization as a basis for a better apprehension of this suffering. While telling his or her pain, the child is also expressing his or her bodily and social boundaries. Within the family, the expression of this limit can sometimes be disturbing, confrontational, even lead to conflict. Thus was “negociated” an appropriate approach to pain that redefines the roles of each in relation to it. The abdomen becomes the mediator who allows the compromises needed to “live together” or to “live in the world”. Following this “negociation” that involves the participation of the attending physician, bonding within the family is sometimes positively transformed and the relation to the world and to the others can become different.

No description available.

Le mal de ventre chez les enfants est un lieu de métissage et de créolisation traversé par des dimensions sociales et culturelles. Il est construit collectivement au sein des familles nucléaires avec leurs parcours migratoires et leurs souffrances. Par le biais d’entretiens menés auprès de familles haïtiennes vivant à Montréal, nous documentons les trajectoires de ces douleurs, dans lesquelles les perceptions, les explications et les moyens mis en œuvre pour les soulager interagissent d’une manière dynamique. En général, les enfants perçoivent leurs maux de ventre comme une expérience insaisissable, diffuse et ayant un impact sur leur vie sociale, tout en étant tolérés par les enfants et par les mères. Ces familles n’ont pas reçu de diagnostic médical et elles attribuent à ces maux des explications provisoires en constante recomposition. En général, elles ont recours à différentes méthodes de prise en charge des maux de ventre. L’espace familial, les activités réalisées au sein des églises et la médecine officielle sont des espaces thérapeutiques privilégiés. / Belly-stomachaches in children are a space of hybridity and creolization, affected by social and cultural dimensions. These aches are collectively constructed within nuclear families, with their migratory histories and their sufferings. Having interviewed Haitian families living in Montreal, we documented the illness trajectories, the perceptions, explanations and means of relieving the aches, which all interact in a dynamic mode. Generally speaking, the children perceive their belly-stomachaches as an irregular experience that has an impact on their social life, although tolerated by the children and theirs mothers. Families have not received a medical diagnosis and give temporary, changing explanations to the aches, in a constant reformulation. In general, families will use different methods to deal with belly and stomach aches. The family space, church activities, and official medicine are privileged therapeutic spaces.