Thesis (M.A.)--University of San Carlos, 1967. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. [105]-108).

Chlorine gas bleaching was a common method used in pulp industries. As a consequence, significant amounts of chlorine were discharged into surrounding aquatic ecosystems, affecting the biota. Chlorinated organic pollutants are formed when chlorine react with organic material. Octadecanoic acid (stearic acid) is one of the most common saturated fatty acids in aquatic biota. In a naturally occurring process two and four chlorine atoms, respectively, are added over the unsaturated bonds, forming 9,10-dichloro octadecanoic acid and 9,10,12,13-tetrachloro octadecanoic acid. These are the chlorinated fatty acids (ClFA) under investigation in this Bachelor’s Thesis. The methodological framework for measuring ClFA is investigated in this essay. The scope is to evaluate the method of isolating and quantifying the compounds as described in Åkesson-Nilsson’s (2004) dissertation. The method includes: extraction of the lipid, transesterification (where the fatty acids, including the ClFAs, are separated from the lipids and transformed into their respective methyl esters through two methods, acidic catalysis with BF3 or H2SO4), separation (by solid phase extraction) and determination of ClFA concentration with a halogen specific detector (GC-XSD/MS). Furthermore, the scope is to investigate collected fish samples (from Norrsundet) with the abovementioned method. By making a dilution series with known concentrations it was possible to establish calibration curves, to give in an indication of the effectiveness of the method. BF3 is in need of updating due to being experienced as slower and less stable than the H2SO4-method. However, it was concluded that the H2SO4-method was more effective on the standard samples and that the BF3-method was more effective on the fish lipid samples. In one of the lipid samples (lavaret transesterified with BF3) a detectable concentration of 9,10,12,13-tetrachloro octadecanoic acid was discovered. Therefore, we question SEPAs decision to cancel investigations in Norrsundet. Our results could indicate that ClFAs are still an issue that could affect the ecosystem’s biota.

Behavioral isolation is an important barrier to gene flow, contributing to the formation and maintenance of animal species. Nevertheless, hybridization occurs more commonly than is generally recognized, occurring in over ten percent of animal species in the wild. Although the genetic consequences of hybridization are of considerable interest given their evolutionary implications, the reasons that animals choose to mate with other species are less clear. I apply mate choice theory to the question of hybridization, using wood warblers (family Parulidae) and swordtail fishes (genus Xiphophorus) as study systems. Over half of the 45 species of North American wood warbler have produced hybrids. Using comparative methods, I address the questions: Do ecological and demographic factors predict hybridization in this family? Similarly, how do phylogeny, song similarity, and sympatry with congeners correlate with hybridization? As with North American wood warblers, behavioral isolation is also considered of primary importance in isolating sympatric species of swordtail fishes. Two species, X. birchmanni and X. malinche, hybridize in several locations in the wild. Through experimentation with these and other Xiphophorus species, I investigate some of the factors that cause female mate choice to vary, possibly contributing to hybridization. Specifically, I address the following questions: Do females become less choosy when predation risk is high, or encounter rates with conspecifics are low? Are female preferences for conspecifics innate, or can they be modified by experience? And, do female preferences for conspecifics vary among species, populations, or experiments? These studies illustrate the utility of treating hybridization as just another possible outcome of variation in mate choice. I find that warbler hybridization correlates with ecological and other variables, that female swordtails become more responsive to heterospecifics when mate choice is costly, and that female preferences for conspecifics are species- and context-dependent. As animal hybridization can have important evolutionary consequences, studying the factors that contribute to this variation can enhance our understanding of the evolutionary process. / text

Heart transplantation is, for certain types of cardiovascular disease, the only form of treatment resulting in patient survival. Its clinical application is, however, limited by the shortage of donor organs. This shortage is largely due to the inability to consistently preserve adequate myocardial function over prolonged ischemic periods. It is the goal of this research to provide information which may contribute to techniques for heart preservation, thus improving graft survival following preservation and transplantation. Current methods for myocardial preservation generally involve the arrest and immersion of the heart in cold cardioplegic solution, the composition of which is designed to provide for the reduced metabolic demands of the cold, arrested muscle. These methods have extended the preservation period to approximately 6 hours; however, hearts cannot be held longer than this period because, although metabolism has been slowed by hypothermia, alterations take place which compromise functional recovery upon reperfusion. A variety of perfusates and perfusion techniques have been developed to protect the myocardium from the damage thought to occur as a consequence of ischemic storage of the isolated heart. However, a consistently successful technique for long-term preservation of the heart remains undefined. A growing body of knowledge has led to the hypothesis that injury to the microcirculation may result in myocardial ischemia during preservation and decreased contractile function following preservation. To test this hypothesis, standard Langendorff techniques for the measurement of left ventricular function were combined with biochemical, histological and morphological techniques to determine: (1) whether loss of microvascular function occurs in isolated hearts hypothermically perfused with an oxygenated solution; (2) the impact of microvascular dysfunction during the preservation period on the functional recovery of hearts; and (3) which mechanisms contribute to decreased microvascular function during preservation. This experimental approach will allow for characterization of the role of the microvasculature in decreased contractility of preserved hearts and will provide information regarding the contribution of specific mechanisms to the compromised contractility of preserved hearts. Systematic evaluation of mechanisms thought to be responsible for decreased contractility of isolated hearts could contribute to improved myocardial preservation techniques that can be applied to clinical transplantation.

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H σεισμική μόνωση στις γέφυρες συνδυάζει δύο φαινόμενα: (α) αύξηση της θε-μελιώδους ιδιοπεριόδου του συστήματος, και (β) προσθήκη αυξημένης απόσβεσης στο σύστημα. Το πρώτο επιτυγχάνεται με την εισαγωγή εύκαμπτων εφεδράνων ή εφεδράνων ολίσθησης στην επιφάνεια μόνωσης. Το δεύτερο επιτυγχάνεται είτε με την εισαγωγή α-ποσβεστήρων με ιξώδη συμπεριφορά, είτε με τη χρήση ελαστοπλαστικών μονωτήρων, είτε με τη χρήση εφεδράνων αυξημένης ικανότητας απόσβεσης (π.χ. εφέδρανα με πυρή-να μόλυβδου LRB, εφέδρανα τριβής με επίπεδη ή σφαιρική επιφάνεια - FPS, εφέδρανα με ελαστομερή υψηλής απόσβεσης - HDRB). Σε πολλές χώρες υψηλής σεισμικότητας και υψηλής στάθμης αντισεισμικής τε-χνολογίας (π.χ. στην Ιταλία) δεν συνηθίζεται, ούτε επιτρέπεται, η χρήση κοινών ελαστομερών εφεδράνων για την επίτευξη του πρώτου από τα δύο ανωτέρω φαινόμε-να/αποτελέσματα. Μάλιστα, η σεισμική μόνωση θεωρείται ότι πρέπει να συνδυάζει και τα δύο φαινόμενα/ αποτελέσματα με χρήση ειδικών προς τούτο συσκευών. Αντίθετα, στις ΗΠΑ και στην Ελλάδα συνηθίζεται, και επιτρέπεται, η χρήση κοινών ελαστομεταλλικών εφεδράνων για την επίτευξη του πρώτου αποτελέσματος, με ή χωρίς πρόσθετη απόσβεση μέσω ειδικών αποσβεστήρων. Γενικότερα, η σχέση μεταξύ των δύο φαινόμενων δεν προσδιορίζεται στους κα-νονισμούς, παρόλο που επηρεάζει τόσο την ασφάλεια της κατασκευής όσο και την απο-τελεσματικότητα του συστήματος μόνωσης. Για τον λόγο αυτό διενεργήθηκε μια σειρά δοκιμών, με την ψευδοδυναμική μέθοδο, γεφυρών μονωμένων με διάφορα εύκαμπτα ε-φέδρανα (ειδικά ή κοινά). Τα κοινά εφέδρανα δοκιμάσθηκαν με ή χωρίς πρόσθετη από-σβεση μέσω ειδικών αποσβεστήρων. / -

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Kalėjimas yra visuomenės atspindys. Keičiantis bausmės sampratai ir ideologijai, keičiasi ir kalėjimo architektūrinė išraiška. Baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjamas modernaus kalėjimo ir dabartinės bausmės ideologijos santykis, socialiniame, urbanistiniame, psichologiniame ir architektūriniame kontekste. Remiantis analizės išvadomis, kalėjimas projektuojamas miesto principu. Kuriama iliuzinė tikro miestelio atmosfera. Kalinys turi savo namą, dirba darbą, mokosi mokykloje, turi kaimynų. Tai tarsi labai didelė kompleksiška mokykla, bandanti ugdyti kalinio, kaip piliečio ir miestelėno savimonę. Visas miestas įkastas į žemę, todėl iš visų miestelio perspektyvų kalinamasis mato betoninę sieną. Taip išreiškiama bausmė. Šiaurinėje dalyje, siena pradeda trūkinėti. Pro kelis įtrūkimus, kaliniui atveriamas fiksuotas vaizdas į šlaitą ir į toliau esantį mišką–į laisvą pasaulį. Taip išreiškiama laisvė. Įkastas į žemę miestas neslepia savo funkcijos, bet garsiai apie ją nešaukia. Taip jis tampa „kažkuo“, tarp požemio ir žemės, „kažkuo“,kas nematoma bet jaučiama. Darbą sudaro 7 dalys: įvadas, analitinė dalis, vietos tyrimai, variantinis projektavimas, išvados, projektas. / The prison is the reflection of the society. Ideology of punishment is changing along with the prison image. The research is based on relation between a modern prison and contemporary punishment ideology in the social, urban, psychological and architectural context. According to the results of the research, the prison is designed as a city. The illusion of a real city is created. The prisoner has his own house, he goes to work in the morning, studies at school, has his own neighbors. This is a sort of a very big complex school, which tries to cultivate the inmate‘s self awareness of being a real citizen. The whole city is dug into the ground. The retaining wall becomes the prison cities enclosure. From all the cities perspectives the inmate sees only this concrete wall. That is punishment. The northern part of the wall becomes discontinuous. These few openings focus the view to the slope, to the forest, to real life. That is freedom. The project consists of 7 parts: introduction, analytical research, situation analysis, experimental design and the project.

Isolation of those ill with contagious disease has been a fundamental infection control concept for hundreds of years. However, recent studies suggest that fewer than 50% of health—care workers comply with their hospitals' isolation precaution policies and that efficacy of some of those policies is questionable. In response, two new systems, based upon fundamentally different goals, were promoted. The Centers for Disease Control, prompted by health—care worker& concerns about occupational risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a growing number of patients with acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome (AIDS), issued formal guidelines in 1987. This formed the basis for Universal Precautions (UP), a unifying strategy for precautions with all patients regardless of diagnosis intended to reduce risk to hospital staff members. Also in 1987, one hospital issued guidelines for Body Substance Isolation (BSI), hygienic precautions to be used with all patients based on recognition that colonized body substances are important reservoirs for cross—infection to both patients and staff members. These new strategies have been promoted widely, but there have been no formal assessments to reconcile controversies they raised nor to confirm their effectiveness. Further, necessary assessment tools have not been validated. This thesis provides new tools and new information to address three vital questions: Have hospitals adopted Universal Precautions or Body Substance Isolation? Do their staff members use the new system of precautions in daily practice? Has reliable use of a new system led to decreased risk of infection? A confidential mailed survey of all acute—care Canadian hospitals was conducted to measure rates of guideline receipt and adoption. It also obtained information on motivations for and perceived effectiveness of strategies adopted. A self—selected group of responding hospitals subsequently participated in standardized covert observation of their nurses infection control practices, then had the observed nurses complete a test examining their knowledge and beliefs. Employee health records were also examined to determine whether needlestick injury rates had changed since adoption of a new infection control strategy. Most Canadian hospitals adopted and modified new strategies based upon reasonable but unproven extensions of logic to protect health—care workers from HIV. 74% claimed UP (65%) or BSI (9%) but only 5% of 359 claiming UP and 0 of 50 claiming BSI adopted all policies expected. Many hospitals had not received key guideline publications. Guideline source, hospital size, and other variables were significantly associated with receipt. Nurses in 35 hospitals were observed to wear gloves during only z60% of procedures in which gloving was expected; rates varied widely among hospitals. Direct examination of sharps disposal containers confirmed compliance with a policy to not recap used needles (taken as recapping rate of 25%) in only 47% of 32 hospitals. Paired analysis of needlestick injury rates in 11 hospitals during comparable 90—day periods before versus after implementing UP/BSI showed no significant difference. 489 nurses completing a written test achieved their highest scores and least discordance among questions regarding procedural issues established long before UP/BSI, and lower scores or greater discordance on UP/BSJ concepts of philosophy, risk recognition and newer procedures. Positive correlation between knowledge and practice was not evident. UP and BSI now mean different things in different hospitals and have not been effective in harmonizing health—care workers’ infection control practices. Carefully standardized assessment methods are needed to guide their evolution to cost—effectiveness.

Accessibility is a key tenet of the Canadian health care system. As many older persons, age 60 years and older, are managing ongoing chronic health conditions as part of their everyday lives, issues of access to health services are particularly important. Vancouver has a substantial number of older Korean immigrants, yet little is known about their experience and perceptions about accessing Primary Health Care (PHC) services. This study explored issues related to PHC access by older (aged 60 years and older) Korean immigrants. This qualitative study employed purposive sampling and interpretive description methodology. Open-ended interview data and field notes were gathered from 10 older Korean immigrants (five male and five female) recruited in Vancouver from mid-October 2006 to April 2007. The findings revealed that older Korean immigrants have had difficulty gaining access to appropriate PHC services because of the shifts in their social positioning and other barriers which contributed to an inappropriate use of PHC services, delays in care and lack of continuity in PHC. Also, the data revealed a number of ways the PHC system is unresponsive to the health care needs of older Korean immigrants. This study offers insights that may assist health care professionals to understand the nature of the challenges older Korean immigrants face when seeking health care and how they seek to resolve them. The analysis proposes a number of interventions that respect the older Korean immigrants’ values and interventions that may improve their access to PHC.