Les effets cardiovasculaires des alpha-2 agonistes, particulièrement importants chez les chiens, limitent leur utilisation en pratique vétérinaire. La perfusion à débit constant (PDC) de ces drogues, comme la médétomidine (MED) permettrait un contrôle plus précis de ces effets. Les effets hémodynamiques de plusieurs doses de MED en PDC ont été évalués chez le chien. Lors de cette étude prospective, réalisée en double aveugle, 24 chiens en santé, ont reçu de façon aléatoire une des 6 doses de MED PDC (4 chiens par groupe). Les chiens ont été ventilés mécaniquement pendant une anesthésie minimale standardisée avec de l’isoflurane dans de l’oxygène. Une dose de charge (DC) de médétomidine a été administrée aux doses de 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.7, 4.0 ou 12.0 µg/kg pendant 10 minutes, après laquelle la MED PDC a été injectée à une dose identique à celle de la DC pendant 60 minutes. L’isoflurane a été administré seul pendant une heure après l’administration d’une combinaison d’ISO et de MED PDC pendant 70 minutes. La fréquence cardiaque (FC), la pression artérielle moyenne (PAM) et l’index du débit cardiaque (IC) ont été mesurés. Des prélèvements sanguins ont permis d’évaluer le profil pharmacocinétique. D’après ces études, les effets hémodynamiques de la MED PDC pendant une anesthésie à l’isoflurane ont été doses-dépendants. L’IC a diminué progressivement alors que la dose de MED augmentait avec: 14.9 (12.7), 21.7 (17.9), 27.1 (13.2), 44.2 (9.7), 47.9 (8.1), and 61.2 (14.1) % respectivement. Les quatre doses les plus basses n’ont provoqué que des changements minimes et transitoires de la FC, de la PAM et de l’IC. La pharmacocinétique apparaît clairement dose-dépendante. De nouvelles expériences seront nécessaires afin d’étudier l’utilisation clinique de la MED PDC. / The cardiovascular effects of alpha-2 agonists, particularly pronounced in dogs, limit their use in veterinary practice. The use of these drugs, namely medetomidine (MED), by constant rate infusion (CRI), could allow more precise control of the cardiovascular effects. The haemodynamic responses of MED CRI at several dosages in dogs were investigated. In a prospective, blinded study, 24 healthy beagles randomly received one of 6 MED CRI regimens (4 dogs per regimen). Dogs were mechanically ventilated to maintain stable low-level isoflurane (ISO) anaesthesia in oxygen. A loading MED infusion was administered at 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.7, 4.0 or 12.0 µg•kg-1 for 10 min, followed by maintenance CRI for 60 min providing identical dose amounts for all dogs (total duration for MED and ISO: 70 min). Isoflurane was then administered alone for an additional hour. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), and cardiac index (CI) were recorded. Blood sampling was performed to establish pharmacokinetic profiles. Based on this study, the hemodynamic effects of MED CRI during ISO anaesthesia were found to be dose-dependent. Baseline CI decreased dose-dependently as MED dose increased by: 14.9 (12.7), 21.7 (17.9), 27.1 (13.2), 44.2 (9.7), 47.9 (8.1), and 61.2 (14.1) % respectively. The four lowest dosages created limited and transient changes in HR, MAP, and CI. Pharmacokinetics were dose-dependent. Further investigations for perioperative use are warranted.

Secondary infusions is a common method to deliver short infusions of intravenous (IV) drugs and fluids. Errors associated with this infusion method have led to patient safety concerns. This study's objective was to empirically evaluate interventions to mitigate secondary infusion risks. Three interventions, including a technology-based intervention (clamp detector on a smart pump), a training-based intervention (educational module), and a practice-based intervention (use of a separate pump for short infusions), were tested in a simulated inpatient unit. The technology-based intervention significantly decreased secondary clamp errors whereas the training-based intervention reduced complex pressure differential errors. The practice-based intervention was the only intervention that significantly decreased both secondary clamp errors and pressure differential errors, but introduced new risks due to mismanagement of residual volume in IV tubing. Study results highlight the need for a combination of mitigation strategies and can help guide the selection of interventions to reduce secondary infusion errors.

Dans cette étude, la stabilité de préparations intraveineuses de cyclosporine (0.2 et 2.5 mg/mL dans NaCl 0.9% ou dextrose 5%) entreposées dans des seringues de polypropylène, des sacs de polypropylène-polyoléfine et des sacs de vinyle acétate d’éthylène a été évaluée. Une méthode HPLC indicatrice de la stabilité à base de méthanol a été développée et validée suite a des études de dégradation forcée. Les solutions évaluées ont été préparées de façon aseptique, puis entreposées à 25°C. La stabilité chimique a été évaluée par HPLC et la stabilité physique a été évaluée par inspection visuelle et aussi par diffusion dynamique de la lumière (DLS). Tous les échantillons sont demeurés stables chimiquement et physiquement dans des sacs de polypropylène-polyoléfine (>98% de cyclosporine récupérée après 14 jours). Lorsqu’entreposés dans des seringues de polypropylène, des contaminants ont été extraits des composantes de la seringue. Toutefois, aucune contamination n’a été observée après 10 min de contact entre la préparation de cyclosporine non-diluée et ces mêmes seringues. Les préparations de 2.5 mg/mL entreposées dans des sacs de vinyle acétate d’éthylène sont demeurés stables chimiquement et physiquement (>98% de cyclosporine récupérée après 14 jours). Toutefois, une adsorption significative a été observée avec les échantillons 0.2 mg/mL entreposés dans des sacs de vinyle acétate d’éthylène (<90% de cyclosporine récupéré après 14 jours). Une étude cinétique a démontré une bonne corrélation linéaire entre la quantité adsorbée et la racine carrée du temps de contact (r2 > 0.97). Un nouveou modèle de diffusion a été établi. En conclusion, les sacs de polypropylène-polyoléfine sont le meilleur choix; les seringues de polypropylène présentent un risque de contamination, mais sont acceptables pour un transfert rapide. Les sacs de vinyle acétate d’éthylène ne peuvent être recommandés à cause d’un problème d’adsorption. / In the present study, the stability of intravenous cyclosporine preparations (0.2 and 2.5 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection) stored in polypropylene (PP) syringes, polypropylene–polyolefin (PP-PO) bags and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) bags was evaluated. A methanol-based high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated to be stability-indicating by stress degradation tests. The test solutions were aseptically prepared and stored at 25 °C. Chemical stability was evaluated by HPLC assay. Physical stability was assessed by visual inspection and a dynamic light scattering (DLS) method. All samples were chemically stable (> 98% of recovered cyclosporine) and physically stable when stored in polypropylene–polyolefin bags for 14 days. When stored in polypropylene syringes, some impurities were leached. However, no leaching was detected when the syringes were exposed to undiluted intravenous cyclosporine for 10 minutes. The preparations of 2.5 mg/mL were chemically and physically stable as stored in ethylene vinyl acetate bags for a period of 14 days (> 98% of recovered cyclosporine), while significant cyclosporine adsorption occurred on the samples of 0.2 mg/mL (< 90 % of recovered cyclosporine) after 14 days. Kinetic study showed that good linear correlations were achieved by plotting the adsorption amount versus square root of contact time (r2 > 0.97). A novel diffusion model was established and successfully predicted long-term drug stability. In conclusion, polypropylene–polyolefin bags were the best choice; syringes were inferior because of leachables. However, they were safe for preparation and transferring undiluted intravenous cyclosporine. Ethylene vinyl acetate bags cannot be recommended due to cyclosporine adsorption.

In mandating new curriculum, state legislatures frequently have opted to require school districts to "infuse" new content rather than adopt a new course. The lack of procedural guidelines in these legislative mandates leaves curriculum specialists to struggle with an "infusion dilemma," the problem of implementing the new curriculum without knowing how it should appear, once implemented. The purpose of this study was to examine interpretations of infusion held by persons responsible for operationalizing an infusion mandate. The interpretations of "infusion" held by people concerned with the implementation of the 1977 Economic Education Act in Texas were investigated. Selected legislators, state agency personnel, curriculum consultants, economics educators, and classroom teachers were interviewed about the concept and process of infusion.

Objetivo: Este estudo objetivou avaliar a precisão de infusões de medicamentos em dois modelos de Bomba de Infusão (BI), de equipo específico do fabricante e de equipo universal, a concordância entre estes dois modelos e sua relação de custo e efetividade. Método: Foi realizado um ensaio clínico randomizado em pacientes internados em um hospital geral universitário de 740 leitos. As unidades de internação foram randomizadas através de sorteio simples para cada modelo de equipamento e os pacientes foram incluídos de acordo com indicação de uso de BI, conforme protocolo institucional. Os tipos de erros e reações adversas foram classificados por meio de algoritmos. Foi calculado o custo de cada sistema de bomba de infusão, pela vida útil da tecnologia. Resultados: Em 55 pacientes foram acompanhadas 310 infusões, 117 no grupo da bomba de infusão de equipo universal e 193 na bomba de infusão de equipo especifico. Houve semelhança (p=0,40) entre o tempo programado e o observado nas infusões por meio da bomba de equipo específico (-2,1 ± 19 min) e universal (0,08 ± 23 min). Percentualmente, também não foi observada diferença (p=0,70) entre a infusão por bomba de equipo específico (-0,15±3,8%) e universal (0,1±6,3%). Foram observados 14 (4,5%) erros de medicação, semelhantes (p=0,58) entre os tipos de BI. Os custos cumulativos entre os dois sistemas de bombas se equivaleram em 30 meses, sendo que após 11 anos, foram significativamente maiores para bomba de equipo específico em 184,29%. Conclusão: Ambos modelos de BI avaliadas mostraram-se igualmente seguras para administração EV de fármacos, sendo o modelo de equipo universal mais vantajoso economicamente ao longo da vida útil dos equipamentos. / Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of drug infusion in two models of infusion pumps (IP), one with a specific IV set and other with universal IV set, the correlation between these two models and their relation of cost and effectiveness. Method: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in hospitalized patients in a university general hospital of 740 beds. The ward units were randomly chosen for each type of equipment, and patients were included according to indication for use of IP, based on institutional protocol. The types of errors and adverse reactions were classified by means of algorithms. The costs of each system for IP, was calculated considering the useful life of the technology. Results: 310 infusions were monitored: 117 in the universal infusion pump group and 193 in the specific equipment group, in 55 patients. The average difference between the scheduled time and the actual one in the infusions was -2.1 ± 19 min. and 0.08 ± 23 min. (p = 0.40) for the universal equipment and specific equipment, respectively, which means an average error of -0.15% ± 3.8% for the universal equipment and 0.10% ± 6.3% for the specific equipment, with no difference between the two types of pump. Fourteen (4.5%) medication errors were observed during the administration of medication, similar between the two types of IP. The cumulative costs between the two pump systems were equivalent in 30 months, and after 11 years the costs were meaningfully higher for the specific equipment pumps in 184,29 %. Conclusion: The infusion pumps do not show meaningful difference in accuracy between scheduled time and the actual one qualifying them as safe for the drugs observed. Cumulative costs were significantly distinct between both pieces of equipment.

Objetivo: Este estudo objetivou avaliar a precisão de infusões de medicamentos em dois modelos de Bomba de Infusão (BI), de equipo específico do fabricante e de equipo universal, a concordância entre estes dois modelos e sua relação de custo e efetividade. Método: Foi realizado um ensaio clínico randomizado em pacientes internados em um hospital geral universitário de 740 leitos. As unidades de internação foram randomizadas através de sorteio simples para cada modelo de equipamento e os pacientes foram incluídos de acordo com indicação de uso de BI, conforme protocolo institucional. Os tipos de erros e reações adversas foram classificados por meio de algoritmos. Foi calculado o custo de cada sistema de bomba de infusão, pela vida útil da tecnologia. Resultados: Em 55 pacientes foram acompanhadas 310 infusões, 117 no grupo da bomba de infusão de equipo universal e 193 na bomba de infusão de equipo especifico. Houve semelhança (p=0,40) entre o tempo programado e o observado nas infusões por meio da bomba de equipo específico (-2,1 ± 19 min) e universal (0,08 ± 23 min). Percentualmente, também não foi observada diferença (p=0,70) entre a infusão por bomba de equipo específico (-0,15±3,8%) e universal (0,1±6,3%). Foram observados 14 (4,5%) erros de medicação, semelhantes (p=0,58) entre os tipos de BI. Os custos cumulativos entre os dois sistemas de bombas se equivaleram em 30 meses, sendo que após 11 anos, foram significativamente maiores para bomba de equipo específico em 184,29%. Conclusão: Ambos modelos de BI avaliadas mostraram-se igualmente seguras para administração EV de fármacos, sendo o modelo de equipo universal mais vantajoso economicamente ao longo da vida útil dos equipamentos. / Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of drug infusion in two models of infusion pumps (IP), one with a specific IV set and other with universal IV set, the correlation between these two models and their relation of cost and effectiveness. Method: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in hospitalized patients in a university general hospital of 740 beds. The ward units were randomly chosen for each type of equipment, and patients were included according to indication for use of IP, based on institutional protocol. The types of errors and adverse reactions were classified by means of algorithms. The costs of each system for IP, was calculated considering the useful life of the technology. Results: 310 infusions were monitored: 117 in the universal infusion pump group and 193 in the specific equipment group, in 55 patients. The average difference between the scheduled time and the actual one in the infusions was -2.1 ± 19 min. and 0.08 ± 23 min. (p = 0.40) for the universal equipment and specific equipment, respectively, which means an average error of -0.15% ± 3.8% for the universal equipment and 0.10% ± 6.3% for the specific equipment, with no difference between the two types of pump. Fourteen (4.5%) medication errors were observed during the administration of medication, similar between the two types of IP. The cumulative costs between the two pump systems were equivalent in 30 months, and after 11 years the costs were meaningfully higher for the specific equipment pumps in 184,29 %. Conclusion: The infusion pumps do not show meaningful difference in accuracy between scheduled time and the actual one qualifying them as safe for the drugs observed. Cumulative costs were significantly distinct between both pieces of equipment.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Calendula is an important plant cultivated in southern Brazil with medicinal properties, therapeutic and for increasing farmers' income. The goals of the study were to estimate the morphological characters like flower height (cm), plant height (cm), number of leaves per plant and diameter of the flower head (cm) of the main stem, also the productive characters as dry mass (g plant-1) and seed mass (g plant-1); ascertain the viability of seed production for the species, the duration of growth periods and development in growing seasons; determine sample sizes for average estimation of the characters mentioned above, with the exception of the seed mass; check the variability of the sample sizes between the characters and evaluation periods and; evaluate the genotoxic and anti-proliferative effects of calendula infusions on the in vivo test system of Allium cepa. It was conducted a field experiment in a randomized block design with three factors which are: growing seasons (August/14, October/14 and April/15), cultivars (Bonina Dobrada Sortida and Bon Bon Yellow) and cropping systems (direct seeding and transplanting seedlings), in a total of twelve treatments. The results indicate greater cycle, flowering period and growth to the period April/15. Cultivar Sortida was superior than Yellow for any combination of seasons and cropping systems for flower height character ranging between 26.84 cm to 39.76 cm. Plants originated by direct seeding demonstrated superiority for flower height for season April/15, regardless of the cultivar. This system was also higher for characters like plant height, leaf number, and dry mass and mass of seeds at the time April/15. For plant height, leaf number and dry weight of the plant growing seasons in August/14 October/14 and April/15 the variety Sortida had the highest averages. In relation to growing seasons, the flower head diameter character had the highest average in the period April/15 of 6.82 cm. Among the cultivars, Sortida differed from variety Yellow by showing 7.03 cm average. The germination percentages of the seeds harvested in three seasons under study were very low for use by the producer. Sample sizes were very different between the characters, and for plant height and number of leaves values were similar in the evaluation performed soon after transplanting and flowering plants. There were necessary smaller sample sizes for morphological characteristics in relation to dry mass production. Evaluation of 190 plants is enough to estimate the mean amplitude of the parameters evaluated for a 95% confidence interval with a maximum error of 20% of the mean estimate. Infusions derived from cut flowers of the season in August/14 showed antiproliferative effect, reducing the mitotic index compared to controls for all infusions, it is not possible to determine whether there are genotoxic effects. / A calêndula é uma espécie cultivada no sul do Brasil com importância medicinal, terapêutica e no incremento de renda dos agricultores. Os objetivos do trabalho foram: estimar os caracteres morfológicos altura do capítulo (cm), altura de planta (cm), número de folhas por planta e diâmetro do capítulo (cm) da haste principal, além dos caracteres produtivos massa seca (g planta-1) e massa de sementes (g planta-1); verificar a viabilidade da produção de sementes da espécie; averiguar a duração dos períodos de crescimento e desenvolvimento em épocas de cultivo; determinar tamanhos de amostra para estimação da média dos caracteres mencionados acima, com exceção da massa de sementes; investigar a variabilidade dos tamanhos de amostra entre os caracteres e épocas de avaliação e; avaliar o efeito genotóxico e antiproliferativo de infusões de calêndula sobre o sistema teste in vivo de Allium cepa. Conduziu-se um experimento em campo no delineamento blocos ao acaso com três fatores: épocas de cultivo (agosto/14, outubro/14 e abril/15), cultivares (Bonina Dobrada Sortida e Bon Bon Yellow) e sistemas de cultivo (semeadura direta e transplante de mudas), totalizando doze tratamentos. Os resultados indicaram maior ciclo, período de floração e crescimento na época abril/15. A cultivar Bonina Dobrada Sortida foi superior em qualquer combinação das épocas e sistemas de cultivo para o caractere altura de flor variando entre 26,84 cm e 39,76 cm. Plantas oriundas da semeadura direta mostraram superioridade para altura de flor na época abril/15, independente da cultivar. Esse sistema também foi superior para os caracteres altura de planta, número de folhas, massa seca e massa de sementes na época abril/15. Para altura de planta, número de folhas e massa seca nas épocas de cultivo agosto/14, outubro/14 e abril/15 a cultivar Bonina Dobrada Sortida apresentou as maiores médias. Em relação às épocas de cultivo, o caractere diâmetro do capítulo apresentou a maior média na época abril/15 com 6,82 cm. Dentre as cultivares a Bonina Dobrada Sortida diferiu da cultivar Bom Bon Yellow, apresentando 7,03 cm de média. As porcentagens de germinação das sementes colhidas das três épocas em estudo foram muito baixas para utilização pelo produtor. Os tamanhos de amostra foram bastante distintos entre os caracteres, sendo que para altura de plantas e número de folhas os valores foram semelhantes na avaliação realizada logo após o transplante e no florescimento das plantas. Verificaram-se tamanhos de amostra menores para caracteres morfológicos em relação ao produtivo massa seca. A avaliação de 190 plantas é suficiente para estimar a média dos caracteres avaliados para amplitude do intervalo de confiança de 95% com erro máximo de 20% da estimativa da média. As infusões oriundas de flores colhidas da época agosto/14 apresentaram efeito antiproliferativo, com redução do índice mitótico em relação aos controles para todas as infusões, não sendo possível determinar se existem efeitos genotóxicos.

A North American university is engaged in a large transformation project involving the wholeorganisation. Students, Lecturers, departments and additional questions from the shared leadership team are engaging in defining the services offered, in particular from the university library and its associated sub-services. It is an exciting time for the University as it seeks to not only define its services but also how these can be created and consumed.There are many aspects to this re-organisation and many items to be addressed. In this report,we look at the current situation at the University, as well as taking into account the aspirations of the stakeholders. We start by drawing out a Rich Picture, part of Soft System Methodology (SSM) (Checkland, 1981) which we use in order to spot opportunities that are available for further exploration. Much of the information that we use comes from material supplied by the University itself as well as interviews with the Head of Library services and Head of Library IT. We look indepth at how SSM assists in this process of evaluation through its focus on participation and how it may assist us to understand the many different perspectives collected in our research. SSM consequently assists in defining problems with solutions to any areas that have drawn our attention. Following the evaluation of collected data, discussions and our own observations, we identify that a digital wall that is being proposed for the redesigned library presents an opportunity to explore possibilities for exploitation of this technology. Further research on other digital walls such as Brisbane’s Cube (Abdi et al, 2014), and Auraria Library’s Discovery Wall(Burch, 2016) shows some of the uses that these walls have been put to and how the Institutions use them. We then use a number of models to evaluate the data that we collected on digital walls and from the North American University and analyse it in order to inform our thinking. These models can be used independently or collectively to evaluate data from different perspectives. As such we were able to look at problems and solutions from the perspective of many of the actors involved in shaping the future library services. These models and results are discussed in the report. Finally, we take our results and make a number of proposals for the North American University digital wall along with the relevant justifications at the end of this report. / <p>This is a report in the Informatics course 5IK501 during the school year of 2016/2017.</p>

L’apprentissage automatique et spécialement l’apprentissage profond se sont imposés ces dernières années pour résoudre une large variété de tâches. Une des applications les plus remarquables concerne la vision par ordinateur. Les systèmes de détection ou de classification ont connu des avancées majeurs grâce a l’apprentissage profond. Cependant, il reste de nombreux obstacles à une compréhension du monde similaire aux être vivants. Ces derniers n’ont pas besoin de labels pour classifier, pour extraire des caractéristiques du monde réel. L’apprentissage non supervisé est un des axes de recherche qui se concentre sur la résolution de ce problème. Dans ce mémoire, je présente un nouveau moyen d’entrainer des réseaux de neurones de manière non supervisée. Je présente une méthode permettant d’échantillonner de manière itérative a partir de bruit afin de générer des données qui se rapprochent des données d’entrainement. Cette procédure itérative s’appelle l’entrainement par infusion qui est une nouvelle approche permettant d’apprendre l’opérateur de transition d’une chaine de Markov. Dans le premier chapitre, j’introduis des bases concernant l’apprentissage automatique et la théorie des probabilités. Dans le second chapitre, j’expose les modèles génératifs qui ont inspiré ce travail. Dans le troisième et dernier chapitre, je présente comment améliorer l’échantillonnage dans les modèles génératifs avec l’entrainement par infusion. / Machine learning and specifically deep learning has made significant breakthroughs in recent years concerning different tasks. One well known application of deep learning is computer vision. Tasks such as detection or classification are nearly considered solved by the community. However, training state-of-the-art models for such tasks requires to have labels associated to the data we want to classify. A more general goal is, similarly to animal brains, to be able to design algorithms that can extract meaningful features from data that aren’t labeled. Unsupervised learning is one of the axes that try to solve this problem. In this thesis, I present a new way to train a neural network as a generative model capable of generating quality samples (a task akin to imagining). I explain how by starting from noise, it is possible to get samples which are close to the training data. This iterative procedure is called Infusion training and is a novel approach to learning the transition operator of a generative Markov chain. In the first chapter, I present some background about machine learning and probabilistic models. The second chapter presents generative models that inspired this work. The third and last chapter presents and investigates our novel approach to learn a generative model with Infusion training.

Mass spectrometry was used to study two disparate transformations: in an applied project, the supposed degradation of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS); and in a fundamental study, the Suzuki-Miyaura (SM) reaction was investigated in detail. The first investigation revealed that published methods to degrade PFOS were ineffectual, with apparent decreases being associated with adsorption onto available surfaces. In the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction, a dynamic series of equilibria were observed, and there is no direct evidence of a single pathway. Instead, there appear to be two mechanisms which are active in different conditions (one fluoride, one aqueous). Studies were initiated into the related SM polycondensation reaction and the hydrolysis of aryltrifluoroborates, the former indicating a step-growth mechanism, and the latter indicating a dynamic series of equilibria which are very sensitive to experimental conditions. Processing and interpretation of mass spectrometric data was a significant part of all of these projects, so a python framework was developed to assist in these tasks and its features are also documented herein. / Graduate / 0488 / 0486 / larsy@uvic.ca