Bibliography: leaves 122-138. Investigates the use of microbial inoculants to prevent the onset of acidosis in acutely grain fed animals; and, the most effective combination of virginiamycin and lactic acid utilising bacteria (selenomonas ruminantium subsp. lactilytica and Megasphaera elsdenii) in controlling lactic acid accumulations in vitro.

Logging and forest thinning operations generate large amounts of residues in the form of small trees, branches and foliage that are usually left on the ground to decay or are burned. These resources are readily available, but it is uneconomical to remove them from the forest. The potential utilization of these resources was investigated for western juniper. This species is invading rangeland in the Interior West, altering the ecology of the land, and farmers are being encouraged to remove it. However, limited markets for the wood make removal costly. Developing uses for other parts of the stem could make removal more economically attractive. Western juniper foliage and twigs were steam distilled to obtain essential oils which were tested for their activity against subterranean termites and fungi. Residues from the steam distillation were pretreated with dilute sulfuric acid and digested with enzymes to determine their digestibility. The goal was to determine if an integrated operation involving steam distillation to remove essential oils, followed by enzymatic digestion of extraction residues was feasible. Essential oil recovery from foliage averaged 0.77% wet weight, while yields from twigs were about 0.13% wet weight. Foliage essential oil showed high antifungal and termiticidal activities at the concentrations tested. Total sugar yields from foliage extraction residues (40-55%) were higher than those obtained from branchwood residues (15-25%). The highest yields were obtained at 121°C and 1 hour pretreatment in 1% sulfuric acid. These results show that an integrated operation involving steam distillation of western juniper foliage to remove essential oil and enzymatic digestion of extraction residues is technically feasible. Additional work to determine the optimum distillation and pretreatment conditions for foliage would be needed. / Graduation date: 2012

Emergency departments (ED) provide access to care for large numbers of patients who have nonemergent medical needs. More than half of the patients presenting to the ED at Salem Hospital in Salem, Oregon, were found to be seeking care for nonemergent medical needs. In an effort to provide an alternative location for receiving this medical care, the hospital opened an Urgent Care Center (UCC) a few blocks from the ED. The purpose of this study was to determine who uses the ED, why, and what effect the UCC had on providing an alternative to the ED. My anthropological methodology uses both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Included in the study is a random retrospective chart review of 462 patients who utilized the ED and 183 patients who utilized the UCC. The collected data were analyzed and compared with information found in the literature review. Interviews with hospital staff and patients using the two facilities are integrated into the analysis. My own experience as a nurse allows me a certain insider's perspective which was useful in interpreting data, while doing observation, and during the interview process. Findings from my research show that the Urgent Care Clinic does provide an alternative source of health care to the ED for many people. This is particularly true for those whose usual source of care is unavailable and for those who are unable to find a primary care provider to accept them. The emergency department provides nonemergent care for large numbers of patients, some of whom have psycho-social problems which differ as compared to the general population. Some of these patients have moderate psychiatric dysfunction and/or addiction problems or homelessness as well as underlying medical problems, all of which are barriers to obtaining care in a regular office setting. In some cases, the emergency department provides the best option of available care. / Graduation date: 1999

Best international health practice requires that all people benefit equally from health care services regardless of their socio-economic status and that healthcare payments be based on ability to pay. Although recent household surveys in Malawi show progress in a number of health indicators population averages, many inequalities in health outcomes still exist or are widening among households stratified by socioeconomic and geographical location variables. Inequalities in out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPEs) for healthcare and how they influence utilization of healthcare services are of particular interest to policy makers as they ultimately affect overall health of households. The rationale for this study is that analysis of inequities in healthcare between socioeconomic groups can help to unmask intra-group and between groups' inequities hidden in national population averages. The study's three main papers examined equity in households' out-of-pocket healthcare payments and utilization of medical care. The study adopted the widely used economic frameworks and techniques developed by O'Donnell et al (2008) for analyzing health equity using household data. These economic frameworks focus on the notion of equal treatment for equal need and that payment for healthcare should be according to ability to pay. The Malawi Integrated Household Survey 2(2005) (MIHS2) was the main dataset used in the analysis. The MIHS2 is currently the only dataset that presents inequalities in healthcare expenditures at the household level in Malawi. However, the MIHS2 report does not examine the extent to which these inequalities are inequities. It is in this context that the first study focused on assessing, first, the progressivity of OOPEs for healthcare and second, the redistributive effect of OOPEs for healthcare as a source of finance in the Malawi health system. The progressivity results indicate that OOPEs for healthcare are relatively regressive in Malawi with the poor shouldering the highest financial burden relative to their ability to pay. The study found no evidence of redistributive effect of OOPEs on income inequalities in Malawi. The second study focused on linking OOPEs to use of healthcare using the recommended two-part model (Probit and OLS). The concentration indices were decomposed into contributing factors after standardizing for health need factors, which include age, sex, self-assessed health, chronic illness and disabilities. Probability of use of healthcare and OOPEs were both found to be concentrated among the non-poor while the poor who have higher health need have less use of healthcare. The last study assessed the socioeconomic factors associated with horizontal equity in use of medical facilities and predicted use using logistic regression. General medical facilities use was found to be more concentrated among the non-poor despite the poor having a higher health need. The results showed no significant inequalities in use of public medical facilities and self-treatment between the poor and the non-poor. Overall, inequalities in healthcare utilization and out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures in Malawi are mainly influenced by socioeconomic factors, which are non-need factors than health need factors. Inequalities due to non-need factors suggest presence of inequities, which are avoidable and unjust. This study can help policy makers have a better understanding of the possible effects of OOPEs and help in explaining the factors contributing to inequities in medical care utilization in Malawi. Such information is necessary so that highest priority should be given to the health problems or challenges disproportionately affecting households with varying levels of socioeconomic privilege. / Graduation date: 2012

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Minnesota, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-119). Also available on the World Wide Web as a PDF file.

The present study examines the issue of minority participation in a multi-faceted prevention program for youth with problem behavior. Historically, participation in such research programs has been low (Myers, Alvy, Richardson, Arrington, Marigna, Huff, Main, & Newcomb, 1990; Coie, 1996; Spoth & Redmond, 2001). Targeted prevention programs, which design their interventions for populations that are susceptible to negative outcomes, face more obstacles to participation than most participants of universal prevention programs. Targeted populations, specifically families with children with problem behavior, are usually under great duress, suffer multiple hardships, and have high adversity characteristics, (e.g., low socioeconomic status, insularity, single-parent families, and low levels of education). As has long been documented, minority status is usually associated with this heightened risk status (Prinz & Miller, 1991). A common suggestion in the prevention and therapeutic treatment literature is the use of minority staff members to increase the likelihood of participation of minority parents (Prinz, Smith, Dumas, Laughlin, White & Barron, 2001). This argument is most prevalent in the literature regarding Latino clients (Sue, Fujino, Hu, Takeuchi, & Zane, 1991). This study attempts to predict minority parents' participation quality (PQ) from demographic variables (e.g., level of adversity, ethnicity), participation rate (PR) (e.g., amount of participation measured by minutes and contacts), and ethnic matching. This study also offers insight on how PQ and PR relate to one another. The results of this study imply that PQ and PR relate differently for Latino parents than they do for parents from other ethnicities. The relationship of these variables has implications for frequency of dosages in an intervention, especially for interventions that attempt to reach distinct populations.

An increasing amount of people have their work hours displaced to the night and there are indications that shift work and other irregular working schedules are associated with an increased risk of developing the metabolic syndrome and other pathological conditions. It is therefore important to address the consequences of eating at irregular hours, especially nighttime. Papers I-III refer to a study in which 7 males were given a high-carbohydrate diet (HC) or a high-fat diet (HF), using a cross-over design. Subjects were kept awake for 24 h and food was provided as 6 equally spaced isocaloric meals. Higher energy expenditure and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentration, as well as lower glucose and triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations were observed with the HF-diet, compared to the HC-diet. With the HF-diet, fat oxidation, heat release, heart rate, glucose, NEFA and TAG concentrations differed depending on time of day. The highest postprandial TAG concentrations were seen after the 04.00 meal with both diets. Insulin and leptin responses to meal intake differed with respect to diet and time of day. Time of day affected glucagon, thyroid stimulating hormone, free thyroxin, total triiodothyronine (tT3), cortisol, chromogranin A and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) concentrations. PP’s postprandial increase was greater during 08.00 – 16.00 compared to 20.00 – 08.00. Furthermore, the subjects felt less irritated when eating the HF-diet but hunger was not related to macronutrient composition. Hunger and thirst decreased throughout the 24 h period despite constant activity and energy intake; and were correlated with several endocrine and metabolic variables. In paper IV 7 males were studied twice during 24-h either given 6 isocaloric meals throughout the 24-h period, or 4 isocaloric meals from 08.00 to 20.00, followed by a nocturnal fast. Energy expenditure, glucose, TAG, insulin and glucagon concentrations were lower; and NEFA concentrations were higher during the nocturnal fast compared to nocturnal eating; although no 24 h differences between the protocols were apparent. The subjects were more passive during the fasting period compared to when food was given. Stepwise regression showed that correlations between metabolic variables and hormones differed between daytime and nighttime. The decreased evening/nocturnal responses of cortisol and PP to meal intake suggest that nocturnal eating might have health implications and that the body reacts unfavorably to nocturnal eating. Smaller meals around the clock, however, showed marginally better effects on postprandial TAG concentrations and mental energy compared to larger meals during daytime. Further studies (long term) are needed before dietary guidelines can be given to shift workers, especially regarding the impact of nocturnal eating on gastrointestinal response and cortisol.

Owing to the insufficient varieties of the financial products or the offer of identical financial services or merchandise by banks, Taiwan¡¦s financial environment has resulted in over-banking predicaments. In addition, the financial company managing directors are bewilderedly on the concept of economies of scale so as to consider that the more physical banking chains they construct, the more business deals will be done. Owing to the said reasons, the banks have involved in large scale and intense competition such as applying low margin strategy over the years. In the early days, the banks have established branches, ATM, as well as telephone speech banking to better service their customers. Nowadays, electronic banking, the newest banking service, is undoubtedly included by each bank to provide even better and quick service to answer to customers¡¦ instant demands. By providing 24 hours a day, all yearlong prompt services and convenient access, the electronic banking have considerably increased the banking transactions, largely reduced the operating cost, brought more earnings and created preferable competitive advantage so that it is unquestionably considered as the 21st century¡¦s revolutionary financial service innovation. In theory, owing to its traits of no boundary to territory and time, the electronic banking could ideally contribute to more revenues than that of the physical banking chains. The phenomenon, moreover, stands for that the original electronic banking has reformed from its affiliated role to the banks to the fact that it could successfully compete with the physical banking chains. In retrospect to the early stage of the electronic banking, bank companies have purposely established the electronic banking in attempt to lower the operating cost such as bank account checking service that has obviously consumed a great deal of the manpower and in the hope of transferring those activities from the bank counters or telephone speech banking to electronic or virtual banking. By doing that, the customers could personally check through their accounts from the electronic banking system banks provide. Along with the rapid growth and use of the internet, more and more banks have realized that the electronic banking could contribute more and more innovative banking services and good margin. Through the study, we have found that the major obstacles to the development of the electronic banking are resulted from that the users have very little trust on the internet transaction mechanism. In addition to that, 1) alternatives such as physical banking chains and ATM are easy to access 2) users¡¦ not being able to access to the electronic banking unless certain application is submitted to banks beforehand 3) the interference on banking by government¡¦s regulation 4) banks¡¦ failure to lessen users¡¦ concern of the internet transaction safety through advertisement or propaganda have all dragged the development of domestic electronic banking. By interviewing professionals, here we conclude the following suggestions to solve the issue that very few people using the electronic banking. 1) It is suggested that IC card and card reader to be applied for the verification of users¡¦ identity instead of solely inserting users¡¦ name and password on the internet as a way to lessen users¡¦ perceived risk. 2) It is suggested that the electronic banks should include the tax paying platform. Considering that the low cost electronic bank will substantially surpass the physical banking chains owing to its effortless access, electronic banking executives should come up with revolutionary solutions to enhance the efficiency as well as added value of electronic banking.

Six experiments were carried out with Single Comb White Leghorn laying chickens to assess the effect of feeding a source of direct-fed microbials (Lactobacillus; Lacto) and its carrier [condensed cane molasses solubles (CCMS)] on the retentions of fat, nitrogen and several minerals; on the status of the pH of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract; on the phytase activities in the Lacto and in the crop and in the intestinal contents and intestinal, pancreatic and liver tissues; on the histological and anatomical changes of the GI tract and on the production performance. Feeding 1,100 mg Lacto/kg diet (ppm) and 2,200 ppm Lacto in corn-soya bean meal (C-S) diets to layers stimulated appetite, improved egg production (in Experiment 1 only), egg mass, egg weight, egg size, internal egg quality and fat, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus retentions (P < .05). Production performances were not different between the layers fed the 1,100 ppm diet and those fed the 2,200 ppm Lacto diet. Supplementing Lacto diets with 1 and 3% fat reduced feed consumption, provided better feed conversion, egg production, egg masses, egg size, body weight gains, and nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus retentions. Feeding 1,100 ppm Lacto barley-corn-soya bean (B-C-S) layer diets improved body weight gains and the retentions of fat, phosphorus and manganese and increased the rate of passage of digesta (P < .05). Feeding Lacto C-S and Lacto B-C-S layer diets increased cellularity of Peyer's patches in the ileums of the layers which may stimulate the mucosal immune system. No changes in length and weight of the intestine were observed. Daily feed consumption and body weight gains were improved when pullets were fed 1,100 ppm Lacto from 7 to 19 wk of age (WOA). When these pullets were continued on the Lacto feed during the laying period (20 to 59 WOA), increased feed consumption, egg size, nitrogen and calcium retentions, increased cellularity of Peyer's patches, decreased length and weight of intestine were observed (P < .05). Presence of phytase activity was higher in condensed cane molasses solubles (CCMS)- Lactobacillus premix than the carrier (CCMS). Feeding the CCMS-Lacto diets to layers decreased the pH of the GI tract, increased phytase activities in the GI tract and intestinal tissues and improved shell thickness and phosphorus retention (P < .05). The production performance of layers fed .45% and .25% available phosphorus (AP) diets were not different except for body weight gain. Phosphorus retention was better for layers fed diets containing .25% AP with CCMS-Lacto than the .45% AP control diet. According to these studies, feeding Lacto to pullets and layers improved their performance and the retention of nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen which subsequently reduced the cost of feeding. / Graduation date: 1994

Throughout the world, both producers and consumers of food are critically analyzing and enacting changes away from the globalized, industrial paradigm associated with conventional practices in agriculture and food production/distribution/consumption and towards the localization of food networks. Contributing to growing resistance movements aimed at gaining greater food security and sovereignty, local food discourses are strengthened by a combination of political, socio-economic, ecological, and cultural reasoning. This critical ethnography examines how knowledge and meaning is constructed in the context of an alternative food discourse through the personal and shared experiences of six participants in rural Saskatchewan. Further, the study explores the factors that influence participants sense of personal and/or collective transformation. Data were collected over six months using the methods of participant interviews, a focus group, and observation. Data analysis used temporal sequencing of meaning-making factors or ingredients that were categorized to detail how the creation and affective use of knowledge in transformative learning occurred in the context of localizing food networks in rural Saskatchewan.