Older adults are prone to experiencing more frequent pain due to surgeries, age-associated diagnoses, and/or accumulated injury. Opioids are the most effective treatment for pain, but negative side effects and age-associated pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics changes limit their safe use in older adults. Endomorphins (EMs) are endogenous opioid ligands whose analogs show improved analgesic properties with fewer side effects. This study examines the antinociceptive properties and motor side effects of an EM analog at a high dose in young animals and in isolated (IH) and environmentally enriched (EE) housed older animals. Young mice given high doses of Morphine (MS) and EM analog experienced ¬equal antinociception, but when compared to vehicle animals the MS mice were significantly impaired on a test of motor coordination (rotarod) while the EM animals were not. In older animals, possible stress-induced analgesia (SIA) was observed in IH animals while not in EE animals. An overall main effect of housing was detected at p≤.0.05, and the effect of SIA began as soon as 7 days after housing assignment. Animals in IH or EE given an EM analog were statistically different at p≤0.01, while the difference between IH and EE animals given MS reached only p≤0.05. In older adults, participants who attended a day program with scheduled activities showed significant decreases from Time 1 to Time 2 in pain intensity and number of medications, and scores were trending toward significance pain control. By Time 2, patients attending the day program had significantly lower scores of pain intensity compared to adults who received in-home services only. Loneliness and isolation decreased in groups receiving either in-home services or attending the day program. In general, adults who increased services experienced the greatest decreases in pain and psychosocial variables. This study suggests that the response to EE is similar in both humans and rats and that a careful increase in stimulation is the best practice in activity planning for older adults. Policy requirements for EE in older adults residential and day facilities may positively impact the pain medication consumption in this growing population. / 1 / Penny Roberts

The emission of the platinum group elements Pt, Pd and Rh (PGE) from automobile catalytic converters has led to rapid increases in Pt, Pd and Rh concentrations in roadside media. The vast majority of previous research examining autocatalyst-derived PGE in the urban environment has been performed in Europe or North America. Although catalytic converters became mandatory on all new cars sold in Australia from 1986, no prior studies have focussed on urban platinum group element (PGE) concentrations in Australian environments. In general, the results of previous studies suggest a limited post depositional mobility of catalyst derived PGE. However, these findings are from research conducted in cool-temperate climate zones with regular rainfall and from environments where soils and sediments differ from the typically coarse grained, sandy soils with low levels of organic matter found in Perth. The relevance of European and North American findings to other regions with different climates and soils is therefore unclear and where the climate regime and properties of soils and sediments are not comparable to those previously studied, the potential exists for different geochemical behaviour of autocatalyst-derived PGE. Through investigations of spatial and temporal distribution and the identification of some of the main factors controlling transport and fixation, the principal aim of the research presented in this thesis was to elucidate aspects of the post depositional geochemical behaviour of autocatalyst derived PGE in selected roadside environments in Perth, Western Australia. The quality of some of the reported PGE data has been questioned by a number of workers. Possibly the most intractable diffculty in the determination of low concentrations of PGE in environmental samples by ICP-MS is the control of interferences from common matrix components. To ensure accurate and reliable data in this research, prior to the analysis of environmental samples, the optimal instrumental conditions for PGE determination and two commonly applied matrix separation methodologies (tellurium coprecipitation and ion-exchange) were investigated. The most effective matrix separation technique for the accurate determination of PGE in the environmental samples applicable to this study, such as road dusts and roadside soils, was found to be cation exchange. The lack of knowledge regarding urban PGE concentrations in an Australian context was addressed through examinations of PGE levels in road dusts, roadside soils and infiltration basin and wetland sediments. Data show significant elevation of all three PGE above local background and average upper crust values. PGE ratios in surface road dusts and soils were consistent with known catalytic converter compositions and while Pt and Rh concentrations are comparable with European studies, Pd levels were generally higher in these Australian samples. The effect of climate on PGE levels in roadside environments was investigated by repeat sampling of road dusts and roadside soils over a twelve month period. Both sample media exhibited seasonal variations. The presence of seasonal variability in PGE concentrations in roadside soils suggests that this environmental compartment does not represent a long term accumulative matrix for autocatalyst-derived PGE. Further examination of spatial distribution revealed that the PGE exhibit greater vertical mobility in the soils of Perth than has previously been reported, with elevations above local background concentrations occurring at depths of 14-20cm. Neither small scale spatial variability nor vertical mobilisation were of su±cient magnitude to explain the observed temporal variability. Based on the pattern of seasonal PGE distribution and that of rainfall, temporal fluctuations are attributed to transport by stormwater. The mobilisation of PGE by stormwater is thought to occur principally via the water-mediated transport of PGE bearing particulates. However, PGE fractionation leading to a greater post-depositional mobility of Pd may occur during transport through the urban stormwater system. In the urban environment of Perth, infiltration basin and wetland sediments represent a sink for autocatalyst-derived PGE. Based on the examination of PGE ratios, and the vertical distribution of PGE in infiltration basin sediments, Pt and Rh remain associated, whereas Pd may be differentially mobilised. For both soils and infiltration basin sediments, variation in pH was limited and does not show any correlation with vertical profiles of PGE, suggesting that pH does not act as a major control on PGE mobility. The role of organic matter is less clear, and although no straightforward relationships were apparent, where high levels of organic matter were present, profiles suggest an increased mobilisation of Pd. This differential mobilisation of Pd may therefore be caused by the formation of an organo-metallic species. Temporal fluctuations in PGE levels in road dusts and roadside soils indicate that inputs of PGE to aquatic environments are likely to occur as seasonal pulses. The routing of road runoff into urban wetlands therefore represents a major pathway by which aquatic ecosystems may be exposed to autocatalyst-derived PGE. The impact of such inputs is unclear, however, as other recent studies have shown that a portion of autocatalyst-derived PGE, and especially Pd is bioavailable, the potential for ecosystem degradation due to PGE contamination represents a major avenue for further research.

In this thesis, I investigate the influence of environmental values on the work of environmental policy advisors in a regional council in New Zealand and the influence on the institutional values of their work environment on their personal environmental values. Values are relatively stable concepts of socially acquired beliefs and norms that influence the perception and behaviour of humans and are organised in interdependent and dynamic structures that can be changed through social experiences. Environmental values are partly responsible for environmentally friendly behaviour, which encompasses a variety of activities and even lifestyle choices. People, who have chosen to work in the environmental sector are exposed to environmental values through working for institutions that represent environmentally friendly principles. By working in an environmental context, environmental values can get changed by social interaction, which can lead to an adjustment or approximation to the dominant notion of environmental values within the workplace (Finegan, 2000) Although policy advice is expected to be a neutral and objective task, statements are still written by persons with an individual opinion that, although suppressed, represents the values of the writer (Heineman, Bluhm, Peterson, Keary, 2002). It is therefore likely that the whole process of evaluating information and preparing a policy recommendation is influenced by the values of the policy advisor. My findings indicate that environmental values of employees get adjusted to the institution's environmental values through their work. This happens through a merging of their private environmental values into their professional values, through processes of adjustment. This change not only results in identification with the job but also presents a way to circumvent possible value conflicts in the work environment. The policy process involves a number of stages where information is re-evaluated and discussed to fit the formal and structural requirements of policy making under the Resource Management Act, which is done in collaboration with others. This leads to a social construction of values that are represented in collaboratively developed policy recommendation. In my conclusion, I show that policy advisors at regional government level use. in New Zealand have environmental values, use them for environmental protection, and adjust them to work more efficiently for the environment within a public service organisation. The use of their environmental values by the participants show that they are environmentalists and do what environmentalists do, but in a quiet, unobtrusive way.

No description available.

This dissertation investigates the ways in which the human encounter with place has an active role in shaping personal identity. I commence the study with an examination of the appearing of place in the life of the subject. This begins with a consideration of intentionality through the philosophies of Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty. I then identify several characteristics of place including: place as unselfconsciously intended and tacitly known, place's bleeding boundaries, the intimate connection between the self and environment, and place's affectivity on the emplaced subject. Edward Casey, E.C. Relph, and J.E. Malpas are key influences in the development of these characteristics. <br>The dissertation continues to employ the narrative identity theory of Paul Ricoeur as he develops a sense of self-identity that is founded neither in the subject as posited in the Cartesian cogito, nor in Nietzsche's deconstruction of the subject. While Ricoeur's narrative identity is a helpful means of understanding the concept of personal identity, nevertheless, I argue that Ricoeur's framework manifests a significant oversight. In his attention to time and action, he misses the vital role of environment in the development of one's narrative. I reconsider Ricoeur's work giving attention to the way that the appearing of place in experience is effectual in shaping the self's story and thus the formation of identity. <br>I then turn to explore the question regarding why place is overlooked in everyday experience, in the work of Ricoeur, and throughout much of the history of philosophy. In the consideration of the veil of place, I utilize the inconspicuity of the ready-to-hand tool in Heidegger's Being and Time. However, I argue that to remain hidden is not necessarily the fate of place. I endeavor to exhibit the ways in which place is (and can be) self-consciously experienced. Finally, to demonstrate the ways in which place is a significant aspect of identity formation, I turn to the fictional works of author Wendell Berry and the later philosophy of Martin Heidegger. Through Berry and Heidegger I explore the themes the self's relationship with place, the effects of displacement, and the role of place-based memory. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts / Philosophy / PhD / Dissertation

Objectives of the study were to evaluate if calves fed 6 L of high protein milk replacer (HPMR; 1135 g/d, 28% crude protein (CP), 20% fat) had improved performance and health as compared to calves fed 4 L of a conventional milk replacer (CMR; 454 g/d, 20% CP, 20% fat) in heat stress and non heat stress environments. Holstein bull calves (n=52) <3 d of age were assigned to a 2 x 2 factorial trial based on initial BW, physical health score, and total serum protein levels. One half of each nutrition group was housed indoors with temperature control, non-heat stress (NHS) environment and one half was housed outside under a shaded barn in subjecting them to a heat stress (HS) environment. The study was conducted for 56 d from June 18 to August 13, 2010. Average thermal heat index (THI) was calculated for each day using the average of 24 recorded temperatures and relative humidity (RH%). The 56 d average, low, and high range THI for the HS was 79, 67, and 86, respectively, while THI for the NH was 69, 66, and 74, respectively. Weekly measurements of body weight (BW) in kg, body length (BL), hip width (HW), wither height (WH), heart girth (HG), and hip height (HH) in cm were collected and average daily gain (ADG) was calculated. Water consumption (WC) in mL and starter intake (SI) in grams was measured daily. Feed conversion (FC) was also calculated for each nutritional treatment and environment. Fecal scores (FS) of 1 to 4 (1=hard, firm, 2=soft, firm, 3=no form, and 4=watery) were recorded daily. Calves with a FS of >3 were considered to have diarrhea and required treatment. Respiration rates (RR) were recorded at 0630 (AM) and 1830 (PM) to monitor respiratory challenges while rectal temperatures (RT) were also measured using a digital thermometer daily in AM and PM to monitor febrile events. If RT was greater than 39.2 degrees C for NHS calves and 39.7 degrees C for HS calves, they were treated for febrile events (FE). Data was analyzed using PROC MIXED (SAS 9.2). HPMR had a greater (P &lt; 0.01) WH, HG, BL, HH, ADG, WC, and FS than the CMR (0.15 vs. 0.11, 0.37 vs. 0.28, 0.27 vs. 0.22, 0.21 vs. 0.14, 0.82 vs. 0.58, 4235 vs. 2656, and 2.05 vs. 1.73, respectively). HS had a greater (P &lt; 0.01) WC than NHS (4365 vs. 2526, respectively). CMR had a greater SI and FC (P &lt; 0.05) than HPMR (0.942 vs. 0.437, and 1.99 vs. 1.78, respectively). HS had a higher RT AM, RT PM, RR AM, and RR PM (P&lt;0.01) than NHS (38.87 vs. 38.77, 39.03 vs. 38.79, 35.79 vs. 32.77, and 55.73 vs. 38.57, respectively. Calves in NHS had a higher FE (P&lt;0.01) than the HS calves (6.24 vs. 2.33). There was no significant difference in growth parameters in HS or NHS in calves of like feeding strategies. The results show calves in HS experienced higher RT AM, RT PM, RR AM, and RR PM. The increased protein and energy fed to the HPMR calves resulted in greater FS and increased growth.

No description available.

Chapter One: When is Free Trade Good for the Environment? This paper provides the conditions under which free trade reduces the emission of pollution. In this paper, we construct a computable general equilibrium model of free trade and environment. Using data from different countries with different characteristics with respect to the stringency of their environmental and trade policies and factor endowments, we simulate a reduction on import tariffs and measure the impact on the volume of emission. Our main findings show that, for a combination of relatively high capital to labour ratio and low level of protectionism, if a country exports the polluting good then, trade liberalization increases the level of emission. Whereas if the country exports the clean good, then the effect of an import tariff reduction on the emission level is positively related to the variation in the producer’s price of the polluting good. Furthermore, we find that under a relatively low level of capital endowment for a country that exports the polluting good, the impact of free trade on the environment depends on the degree of protectionism. // Chapter Two: Ageing and the Environment in an Overlapping Generations Model. We empirically investigate the impact of population ageing on the environment using an overlapping generations model. We decompose the impact into scale, composition, and cohort effects. Using data from the Canadian economy, we simulate the impact of demographic shock on the volume of emission. Population ageing results mostly from a baby bust that follows a baby boom. The demographic transition is characterized by an increase then a decline in the population growth rate. Under the first part of the transition, we find that the scale effect generates more pollution. However, if young generations are more concerned about the environment, an increase in the population growth rate may improve the environment via the composition effects. On the other hand, a decline in the population growth rate (population ageing) creates the opposite results. We further find that cohort effect is positively related to the environment when there is a higher degree of awareness towards a cleaner environment. By comparing scale to both composition and cohort effects, we find that scale dominates both effects, so population ageing causes the level of pollution to fall. // Chapter Three: Does Population Ageing in the North Leads to More Pollution in the South? We construct a two-country model: a rich country (the North) with relatively high level of capital endowment and stringent environmental policy and a poor country (the South) with less stringent environmental policy. Both countries produce a clean and a polluting good and both have access to an exogenous abatement technology. The paper has three main foci. First, it provides an empirical test for the pollution haven and the factor endowment hypotheses. Second, it introduces the issue of population ageing in the North into the question of trade liberalisation and the environment. Finally, it investigates the impact of demographic and trade shocks on the level of emissions in both countries. Results from simulations suggest that an increase in the population growth rate increases the volume of emission in the long run. However, population-ageing generates an opposite effect. In the short term, the scale dominates the composition effect. Empirical evidences show that the level of emission is positively related to the size of population. With respect to trade, pollution increases in the North and falls in the South. Also, we find that demographic changes dominate trade liberalization. Finally, worldwide free trade is bad for the environment, but its effect is marginal.

The main concern of this dissertation is exploring and elucidating the nature and the relationship of religion/spirituality and ethics in the context of environmentalism, within the larger arena of liberal, technological society. It is driven foremost by a need for clear understanding of not only what these terms mean and what they represent, but also what it all means for where we stand today as ethical and spiritual beings. For in pursuing this topic, one must necessarily ask larger questions, namely: What does it mean to be ethical in technological society? What does it mean to be ‘spiritual’ in a ‘secular’ society? Are either of these things even possible? These questions form the backdrop of my particular focus on environmentalism. Through analysis of my own ethnographic research with members of the Sierra Club of Canada, and through use of the theoretical frameworks provided by four primary thinkers (Juan Luis Segundo, Alasdair MacIntyre, Charles Taylor and Jacques Ellul), I conclude that environmentalism, though far from problem-free, represents a ‘healthy’ form of ethical and spiritual expression in modern technological society. Part of this conclusion is the position that we are still very much ethical beings in technological society, and very much spiritual beings in secular society (though the latter is far more dependent on individual definitions of this term), and that in fact these two things relate directly.

Greenhouse gas emissions have been a growing concern throughout the world, particularly in the Western society. Agriculture has been identified as both a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and a potential solution in mitigating emissions through carbon sequestration. Changing agriculture current production practices (called conventional production system) to an organic production system can reduce the need for synthetically produced agricultural inputs, and thereby reduce these emissions. However, this may generate other co-benefits (or costs) to the society. The focus of this study was to evaluate the implications of converting conventional agriculture production system to an organic one for greenhouse gas emissions, level of agricultural production, farmer net income, regional and national level changes (in terms of gross domestic product, household income, and employment levels). The scope of the study was limited to the Prairie Provinces in Canada. This area was selected because it contained a majority of area under organic production system in Canada. Since there are several types of changes resulting from the conversion, a trade-off analysis was used to evaluate the overall desirability of the two options - conventional production system and the organic production system.<p> Multiple models were used to estimate various criteria. These included: the Canadian Regional Agriculture Model (CRAM), the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Model (GHGEM), and the Canadian Agriculture Regional Development Input-Output Model (CARDIOM).<p> The study concluded that converting land under conventional production system to an organic production system reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves regional gross domestic product, household income, and employment. However, it results in a reduction in quantity of agricultural production, national gross domestic product, national household income, and national employment.