nÃo hà / A EstaÃÃo EcolÃgica de Aiuaba està situada no municÃpio de Aiuaba, no Estado do CearÃ, entre as coordenadas 6Â36â 01ââ a 6Â44â 35ââ de Latitude Sul e 40Â07â15ââ a 40Â19â19ââ de Longitude Oeste. Ocupando uma Ãrea de 11.525 hectares, encontra-se coberta por caatinga arbÃrea em quase toda sua extensÃo e representada principalmente por relevo plano e por solos litÃlicos. As formas erosivas sÃo mais freqÃentes e os filitos sÃo as rochas predominantes. A estaÃÃo à uma Ãrea de proteÃÃo integral do ecossistema caatinga e devido a sua relevÃncia, os dados ambientais obtidos durante o projeto âEstudos EcodinÃmicos nas EstaÃÃes EcolÃgicas do Nordesteâ foram utilizados para a realizaÃÃo do zoneamento ecolÃgico da Ãrea. A metodologia utilizada buscou interpretar o mapa de vegetaÃÃo existente para a estaÃÃo, procurando identificar os aspectos geolÃgicos, geomorfolÃgicos, os tipos de solo, as classes de relevo e a altimetria presentes na Ãrea ocupada por cada um dos tipos de vegetaÃÃo. Os mapas foram inicialmente transferidos com o uso de âscannerâ para o software CartaLinx e depois transportados ao Idrisi 3.22 para o estudo das unidades geoambientais. Foram definidas sete zonas de manejo, das quais, cinco delas constituem zonas propriamente ditas e duas podem ser consideradas Ãreas especiais. A partir destes resultados foi proposto um plano de manejo que contÃm programas bÃsicos (administrativo, de proteÃÃo, de pesquisa e treinamento, e de educaÃÃo ambiental), de fundamental importÃncia à dinamizaÃÃo da EstaÃÃo EcolÃgica de Aiuaba como espaÃo de grande riqueza natural, que nÃo somente merece ser preservado, mas tambÃm valorizado, utilizado e compreendido pela comunidade em geral. / The Aiuabaâs Ecological Station is located in Aiuaba town, Ceara State, and lies between 6036â 01â to 6Â44â 35â south lattitude and 40o44â 35â to 40Â19â 19â west longitude. In an 11.525ha area, it is covered by arboreal caatinga in almost its total extension and it is mainly represented by flat relief and litolic soils. The erosive forms are more frequent and the phyllite rocks are predominant. The Ecological Station represents an integral protection area of the caatinga ecosystem and because of its importance, the environmental data obteined during the project âEcodynamic Researches in the Brazil Northeastâs Ecological Stationsâ were used to the ecological zoning of the area. The research methodology we used attempted to interpret the Stationâs vegetation map,identifying the geological and geomorphological aspects, the kinds of soil and the altimetry within the area occupied by each sort of vegetation. The maps were initially transferred with a scanner to the Cartalinx software and after moved to Idrisi 3.22 in order to study the geoenvironmental units. We have defined seven management zones, which five of them onstitute real zones and two of them can be considered special zones. From these results, we purposed a management plan that contains basic programs (administrative, protective, of training and research and of environmental education), fundamentally important to make the Aiuabaâs Ecological Station dynamic as a natural wealthy space that deserves not only to be preserved, but also valued, used and understood by general community.

This project explores the contemporary history of segregation in Scottish prisons, focusing on measures of ‘special handling’ particularly the network of small units that was operative between the 1950s and the 1990s. Scotland has a complicated, troubling, idiosyncratic and, to a lesser degree, inspiring tradition of special handling measures, involving generic punishment blocks, anachronistic isolation units, highly innovative specialist units, ‘safe’ and ‘silent’ cells, and more collective segregation spaces such as vulnerable prisoners wings. Such sites have provoked considerable attention across public and political arenas; they have been sources of shame, pride, criticism and confusion; in specific penal moments, they have been experienced by prisoners (and officers) as warzones, sanctuaries, coffins and creative spaces; and, in terms of efficacy, they have both exacerbated and ameliorated the behavioural difficulties of the prisoners contained within them. The objectives of this research are (1) to chronologically map the evolution of key segregation sites, attending to the external pressures that have informed the policies, procedures and rules governing their protean use, (2) to explore the impact of particular environmental factors on the initial design, operation and, subsequently, the closure of these sites, and (3) to reflect on the relationship between space and the ways individuals have understood, coped with, and in various ways ‘acted-out’ their segregated confinement. Deciding who, how and why to segregate prisoners raises questions of a conceptual, operational, political, and moral nature. But deciding where to segregate prisoners situates such questions within the physical constraints and potentialities of space. By adopting a spatial-temporal approach, this research straddles disciplines, utilising the methods of penal history, prison sociology, and – though in a more approximate manner – the steadily burgeoning sub-discipline of carceral geography. Additionally, by marshalling a number of personal testimonies, this history attempts to capture the emotional resonances of segregation – how it feels to actually live and work in ‘prisons within prisons’.

Background: Critical care nurses (CCNs) frequently provide end-of-life care for critically ill patients. CCNs may face many obstacles while trying to provide quality EOL care. Some research focusing on obstacles CCNs face while trying to provide quality EOL care has been published; however, research focusing on family behavior obstacles is limited. Research focusing on family behavior as an EOL care obstacle may provide additional insight and improvement in care. Objective: What are the predominant themes noted when CCNs share their experiences of common obstacles, relating to families in providing EOL care? Methods: A random geographically dispersed sample of 2,000 members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses was surveyed. Responses from a qualitative question on the questionnaire were analyzed. Results: Sixty-seven EOL obstacle experiences surrounding issues with families' behavior were analyzed for this study. Experiences were categorized into 8 themes. Top three common obstacle experiences included families in denial, families going against patient wishes and advance directives, and families directing care which negatively impacted patients. Conclusions: In overcoming EOL obstacles, it may be beneficial to have proactive family meetings to align treatment goals and to involve palliative care earlier in the ICU stay.

We present two metrics to assist the performance analyst to gain a unified view of application performance in a hybrid environment: GPU Computation Percentage and GPU Load Balance. We analyze the metrics using a matrix multiplication benchmark suite and a real scientific application. We also extend an experiment management system to support GPU performance data and to calculate and store our GPU Computation Percentage and GPU Load Balance metrics.

The purpose of this study was to (1) select six vocational areas for Career Exploration Work Simulation Units development, hereafter referred to as CEWSU (2) design mock-up sites for CEWSU construction, (3) specify materials to be used in the mock-up, (4) describe tasks to be completed in the simulation exercises, (5) construct six CEWSU simulation units for placement in junior high school career education programs, (6) gather materials and tools to be used in each of the six CEWSU, (7) develop and program cassette tape instructions and flip charts for the CEWSU, (8) field test the CEWSU, (9) revise the CEWSU according to field test results, (10) publish replicable plans for the construction and operation of each CEWSU. The ultimate goal of this project was to design and develop a product for u s e in the public school system. For the final product to be considered effective it had to meet various criteria. The criteria were as follows: The CEWSU had to be self-instructional. The CEWSU had to provide a hands-on experience. The CEWSU had to provide the experience in a short period of time. The CEWSU had to be inexpensive to operate. The CEWSU had to be readily available to youth. The CEWSU had to simulate an actual work experience. The implications from the results indicated that: Not all of the criteria listed above were met by all of the CEWSU. The CEWSU developed in the present study should be reprogrammed for use with the developmentally disabled child. Many more CEWSU, for career exploration, should be designed and developed in other vocational areas than those covered in the present project.

The primary objective of this study was to find out if changes in chemistry could be used to quantify Pinus radiata compression wood severity or degree of compression wood development. Basic chemical composition and the lignin structure was assessed for a range of different compression wood samples sourced from juvenile wood, mature wood, earlywood, latewood, branches, knots, 2-year and 1-year old Pinus radiata. Fluorescence microscopy was used as the reference method to assess the degree of compression wood development. Lignin structure of compression wood was studied by thioacidolysis, size exclusion chromatography, and thioacidolysis/31P NMR spectroscopy. Variation in the basic chemical composition and lignin structure with compression wood severity was ascertained. Results showed that, as the severity of compression wood changed, progressively from normal through mild to severe, all chemical parameters commonly associated with compression wood changed concurrently. With increasing severity lignin and galactose levels increased while glucose and mannose levels decreased. Lignin structural changes were also associated with changing severity of compression wood. Levels of p-hydroxyphenyl (H) releasable β-ethers increased and guaiacyl (G) releasable β-ethers decreased. Similarly, levels of uncondensed p-hydroxyphenyl units increased, while uncondensed guaiacyl units decreased. Similar proportions of condensed guaiacyl units were present in compression wood and normal wood. Similar trends in chemical composition were observed between the compression wood and related opposite wood in branches, knots and young wood of Pinus radiata. A number of chemical parameters changed linearly with compression wood severity. They were: the amount of lignin and galactose, the galactose/glucose ratio and p-hydroxyphenyl content in lignin. Parameters based on the p-hydroxyphenyl unit content in lignin, the H/G releasable β-ether ratio, releasable p-hydroxyphenyl β-ether units and uncondensed p-hydroxyphenyl C9 units are most suitable indicators of compression wood severity as they spanned a larger range relative to the normal wood levels and were not influenced by the morphological origin of wood samples. Chemical methods for quantifying compression wood severity should focus on the detection and measurement of these parameters. Galactan present in Pinus radiata compression wood was isolated and characterised. Structural investigation by methylation analysis and NMR spectroscopy revealed that this galactan was largely composed of (1→4)-linked β-D-galactopyranose residues. No evidence was found to indicate the presence of any branches. Characterisation of lignin in cell wall fractions of Pinus radiata normal wood revealed that middle lamella lignin has a higher lignin content, a lower amount of releasable β-ethers and a more condensed lignin than the secondary wall lignin. Levels of releasable p-hydroxyphenyl units were not higher in middle lamella lignin. A new method based on thioacidolysis and 31P quantitative NMR spectroscopy for estimation of the degree of lignin condensation of the phenolic and etherified C9 units in in situ wood lignin is described. Using this method it was found that phenolic C9 units in in situ lignin were considerably less condensed than etherified C9 units in both compression wood and normal wood.

Problem investigated: The activation and implementation of the Medical Emergency Team (MET) system. Procedures followed: The ability of the objective activation criteria to accurately identify patients at risk of three serious adverse events (cardiac arrest, unexpected death and unplanned intensive care admission) was assessed using a nested, matched case-control study. Sensitivity, specificity and Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were performed. The MET implementation process was studied using two convenience sample surveys of the nursing staff from the general wards of twelve intervention hospitals. These surveys measured the awareness and understanding of the MET system, level of attendance at MET education sessions, knowledge of the activation criteria, level of intention to call the MET and overall attitude to the MET system, and the hospital level of support for change, hospital capability and hospital culture. The association of these measures with the intention to call the MET and the level of MET utilisation was assessed using nonparametric correlation. Results obtained: The respiratory rate was missing in 20% of subjects. Using listwise deletion, the set of objective activation criteria investigated predicted an adverse event within 24 hours with a sensitivity of 55.4% (50.6-60.0%) and specificity of 93.7% (91.2-95.6%). An analysis approach that assumed the missing values would not have resulted in MET activation provided a sensitivity of 50.4% (45.7- 55.2%) and specificity of 93.3% (90.8-95.3%). Alternative models with modified cut-off values provided different results. The MET system was implemented with variable success during the MERIT study. Knowledge and understanding of the system, hospital readiness, and a positive attitude were all significantly positively associated with MET system utilisation, while defensive hospital cultures were negatively associated with the level of MET system utilisation. Major conclusions: The objective activation criteria studied have acceptable accuracy, but modification of the criteria may be considered. A satisfactory trade-off between the identification of patients at risk and workload requirements may be difficult to achieve. Measures of effectiveness of the implementation process may be associated with the level of MET system utilisation. Trials of the MET system should ensure good knowledge and understanding of the system, particularly amongst nursing staff.

Problem investigated: The activation and implementation of the Medical Emergency Team (MET) system. Procedures followed: The ability of the objective activation criteria to accurately identify patients at risk of three serious adverse events (cardiac arrest, unexpected death and unplanned intensive care admission) was assessed using a nested, matched case-control study. Sensitivity, specificity and Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were performed. The MET implementation process was studied using two convenience sample surveys of the nursing staff from the general wards of twelve intervention hospitals. These surveys measured the awareness and understanding of the MET system, level of attendance at MET education sessions, knowledge of the activation criteria, level of intention to call the MET and overall attitude to the MET system, and the hospital level of support for change, hospital capability and hospital culture. The association of these measures with the intention to call the MET and the level of MET utilisation was assessed using nonparametric correlation. Results obtained: The respiratory rate was missing in 20% of subjects. Using listwise deletion, the set of objective activation criteria investigated predicted an adverse event within 24 hours with a sensitivity of 55.4% (50.6-60.0%) and specificity of 93.7% (91.2-95.6%). An analysis approach that assumed the missing values would not have resulted in MET activation provided a sensitivity of 50.4% (45.7- 55.2%) and specificity of 93.3% (90.8-95.3%). Alternative models with modified cut-off values provided different results. The MET system was implemented with variable success during the MERIT study. Knowledge and understanding of the system, hospital readiness, and a positive attitude were all significantly positively associated with MET system utilisation, while defensive hospital cultures were negatively associated with the level of MET system utilisation. Major conclusions: The objective activation criteria studied have acceptable accuracy, but modification of the criteria may be considered. A satisfactory trade-off between the identification of patients at risk and workload requirements may be difficult to achieve. Measures of effectiveness of the implementation process may be associated with the level of MET system utilisation. Trials of the MET system should ensure good knowledge and understanding of the system, particularly amongst nursing staff.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-102).

This study examined the relationship of holistic scoring with handwriting legibility, spelling accuracy and number of T-units within compositions written by children in grades 3 through 6 using path analysis. A sample of 223 compositions was rated for handwriting legibility and composition quality, and coded for number of T-units and percentage of accurately spelled words. Number of T-units was consistently the strongest predictor of holistic scoring across the four grade levels. Handwriting legibility and spelling accuracy yielded varying results in different grade levels.