The incidence of falls is common in older adults and becomes more frequent with advancing age. Falls and injuries associated with falls are among the most debilitating and traumatic medical problems encountered by the elderly. There is evidence that indicates there may be a cause and effect relationship between specific gait parameters and falling. If a simple gait test can predict fallers, it could become a valuable tool for identifying individuals at high risk of falling. The purposes of this study were 1) to determine whether performance on the Functional Ambulation Profile (FAP) could accurately predict fallers and non-fallers in a prospective manner and 2) to identify gait parameters within the FAP that would best classify fallers. My hypothesis for this study include 1) the Functional Ambulation Profile (FAP) will accurately predict subjects as fallers and non-fallers and 2) of the five variables that comprise the FAP walking velocity, right and left step length:leg length ratio, step width will be the most powerful predictors of fall status. Two hundred twenty six subjects were evaluated using the GAITRite electronic walkway. Falls surveillance was conducted for 8 months after each participant's specific GAITRite testing date. Average height, weight and BMI were 161.9 �� 8.7 cm, 68.1 �� 16.7 kg, and 25.9 �� 4.1 kg/m��, respectively. Men and women were analyzed separately using analysis of variance, logistic regression and relative operating characteristic curves. There was no difference between fallers and non-fallers for any of the FAP variables for both the men and women. Regression results indicated the overall model for FAP to predict fallers was not statistically significant for either men or women, (p=0.706 and p=0.543, respectively). In addition, none of the five variables that make up the FAP was significant enough to be included in a stepwise logistic model, thus we were unable to develop an alternative model for predicting fallers based on gait variables. A secondary analysis found that the FAP was unable to distinguish multiple fallers (3 or more) from occasional and non-fallers in this same study population. The results of this study indicate that the FAP does not predict falls in independently living men and women over the age of 70. Further, none of the five gait variables that compose the FAP was a significant independent predictor of falls in this same population. Based on the results of this study we conclude that the FAP alone is not sufficient to predict risk of falling among older adults. Because of the complexity of all the physical, psychological and environmental elements that can lead to falling, tests based on only spatial and temporal gait characteristics do not appear to be good fall predictors for independent older adults. / Graduation date: 2003

Background Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a condition with high rates of mortality and morbidity. The diagnosis requires an urgent cerebral computed tomography scan and also a lumbar puncture if the scan fails to demonstrate intracranial blood. In Sweden the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is analyzed by spectrophotometric scanning for the presence of hemoglobin and bilirubin. The aim of the study was to develop a quantitative diazo reagent based analysis of cerebrospinal fluid bilirubin as a replacement for spectrophotometric scanning. Methods The CSF bilirubin assay on an Architect C8000 chemistry analyzer was compared with spectrophotometry using patient samples. Results The method correlates with spectrophotometry, has a good linearity and precision. Conclusions Quantitative bilirubin measurement offers shorter turnaround times, simplifies the interpretation of the results and reduces work load in comparison with spectrophotometry.

El distrès oxidatiu és un desequilibri entre els sistemes oxidants i antioxidants. Aquests es poden alterar en diferents situacions fisiològiques i patològiques degut als RL. En aquest treball s'han estudiat: la insuficiència renal i el tractament amb eritropoetina, la malaltia pulmonar obstructiva crònica, la sèpsia i l'infart agut de miocardi. També l'embaràs i el tractament preventiu de l'anèmia amb ferro, l'envelliment, el gènere i l'estrès psicològic que provoca el període d'exàmens universitaris, juntament amb l'efecte de l'estil de vida en l'estrès oxidatiu.El distrès oxidatiu es quantifica amb la PDO (puntuació del distrès oxidatiu) i inclou la quantificació en sang dels següents biomarcadors: antioxidants de baix pes molecular [glutatió reduït (GSH)], enzims antioxidants [superòxid dismutasa (SOD), catalasa (CAT), glutatió peroxidasa (GPx), glutatió reductasa (GR) i glutatió s-transferasa total, termoestable i % residual (T-GST, TS-GST i RGST)], productes de la peroxidació lipídica [substancies reactives a l'àcid tiobarbitúric (TBARS)], productes de la peroxidació proteica [glutatió oxidat (GSSG)] i marcadors de la susceptibilitat d'oxidació [hemòlisi].Hipòtesi: un model de puntuació global basat en biomarcadors indirectes és capaç de valorar el desequilibri entre els sistemes prooxidants i antioxidants tant en situacions de malaltia com fisiològiques, i permet detectar a què és degut el desequilibri en cada una de les situacions fisiopatològiques estudiades: a una major producció de RLO, a una disminució en la disponibilitat dels antioxidants, o a ambdues.Objectius: Definir, en la població sana, els rangs de normalitat pels biomarcadors sistèmics.Establir el pes dels biomarcadors estudiats en el model de puntuació global que ens ha de permetre valorar el grau de distrès oxidatiu en diferents situacions fisiològiques i patològiques. Aplicar el model de puntuació en diferents situacions fisiològiques i patològiques en desequilibri oxidatiu. I comparar la PDO amb un model estadístic de puntuació de discriminants.En individus control, la PDO es situa al voltant de zero punts, i en individus amb estrès oxidatiu, la PDO és superior a zero. Segons la PDO, els pacients amb IR no sotmesos a diàlisi tenen estrès oxidatiu, i aquest estrès es manté després de sis mesos de tractament amb EPO. També en tenen els pacients amb MPOC. En la sèpsia i l'IAM l'estrès oxidatiu apareix en el moment de l'ingrés hospitalari però no a les 24 i 48 hores, ni en el moment de l'alta. La PDO es manté als zero punts en homes i dones sans de tots els rangs d'edat. Les dones embarassades que prenen ferro tenen estrès oxidatiu a les 26 setmanes de gestació, i aquest és més elevat en les que no tenen anèmia. Els estudiants universitaris obtenen una PDO superior a zero abans i després dels exàmens universitaris, però l'estrès oxidatiu després és superior en els que no tenen hàbits de vida saludables.El test dels discriminants separara correctament els individus en grups utilitzant els paràmetres lligats al distrès oxidatiu i ens diu els biomarcadors que més s'alteren en cada situació estudiada. No obstant, ni indica quin dels grups té més estrès oxidatiu i quin és el grau d'estrès en cada individu, ni obté en un moment concret la puntuació d'estrès oxidatiu d'un sol individu.La PDO és un possible paràmetre clínic a tenir en compte a l'hora d'avaluar l'estrès oxidatiu de manera rutinària i individual, la seva aplicació és possible tant en el context de la malaltia com per al control d'altres situacions, com ara els efectes d'una vida no saludable. En tots dos casos, la informació que ens aporta el nostre mètode obre la porta a una possible prescripció de teràpia antioxidant, ja sigui de tipus farmacològica o dietètica. / Numerous factors are related to oxidative stress (OS) in humans, which is particularly common in individuals with psychological or health problems. The following blood biomarkers were used to determine the oxidative status of healthy individuals: antioxidant enzymes [glutathione Stransferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR)], peptide peroxidation products and low molecular weight antioxidants [reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH, GSSG), GSSG/GSH ratio], lipid peroxidation products [thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)] and oxidizability measurements [haemolysis test]. The relationships between biomarkers were studied in a healthy group of individuals, and used to create a score of oxidative stress (SOS). SOS was clinically validated by applying it to a group of patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sepsis, and acute myocardium infarction. SOS was also applyed in a various groups of healthy individuals and we studied the effect of sex, age, pregnancy, and lifestyle on oxidative stress. SOS was statistically validated with discriminating test. In conclusion, OS biomarkers were strongly related, and SOS was a useful clinical parameter for evaluating the effect of OS on the illness. This may be important in the future for preventing and treating OS with antioxidants.

Claims asserting that abortion harms the mental, physical and emotional health of women have recently gained influence among the judicial and legislative branches of government as well as the general public. While there is a growing body of literature on the place of such women-protective arguments in the contemporary abortion debate, comparatively little has been written on the origins of such claims. This paper traces the role of women-protective claims within the anti-abortion movement from the early nineteenth century to the present, using a variety of primary source material, including medical and scientific texts, legal documents, and lay and popular publications. Special attention is given to the role of physicians in the abortion debate and, accordingly, primary source materials authored by physicians are used extensively. By following these women-protective arguments, this paper shows that while women-protective claims emerged as early as the nineteenth century as part of the first American movement to criminalize abortion, a distinct women-protective strategy was created by anti-abortion activists during the 1980s in an attempt to re-criminalize abortion by both increasing popular resistance to abortion and to posing a legal challenge to Roe v. Wade. In addition, this paper demonstrates that the modern women-protective strategy relied on a depiction of women as helpless victims who needed the government to save them from making their own decisions and restore them to their natural role as mothers.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2004. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-79).

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2003. / Advisor: Dr. Tonya Toole, Florida State University, College of Human Sciences, Dept. of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Sciences. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 23, 2003). Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the relationship between humans and animals in the Hebrew Bible. Although the Hebrew Bible contains a multitude of different perspectives on animals, I argue that there are two basic categories into which these perspectives fall. One group of biblical texts, most notably Gen 1:28, affirms humans’ dominion over animals. Despite the ubiquity of this perspective in scholarly literature, an examination of the entire biblical corpus suggests that these texts represent the minority. A larger group of biblical texts, most notably Job 39:9, depict animals as beyond the dominion of human beings. Rather than attempting to account for every mention of animals in the Hebrew Bible, I will examine a select group of passages that represent each of the two positions. Regarding passages that depict animals as under humans’ dominion, I conclude that while these passages suggest that humans have some authority over animals, that dominion is neither complete nor absolute. Regarding passages that depict animals as beyond humans’ dominion, I will conclude that they in fact indicate that animals are under the direct dominion of God. The Hebrew Bible nowhere grants humans absolute dominion over animals but instead typically presents humans as having little, if any, dominion over animals. In general, the Hebrew Bible presents humans as possessing dominion over domestic animals and lacking dominion over wild animals. This presentation probably reflects the actual relationship that the Israelites had to the animals around them. / Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Humans are not ready for what humanity has created By 2020, chronic diseases will account for almost three-quarters of all deaths worldwide. This is a result of malnutrition in today’s food environment. The food industry takes advantage of predisposed human preferences for sugar, salt, and fat. This creates the necessity for individual willpower and habit control and leads to decision fatigue of healthy food choices in our already busy lives. The critical issue is that we as humans are not biologically ready for what is offered to us today. Situated between nutrition science and human psychology, this project aims to critique the food industry and our interactions with food by reflecting on human weaknesses and habits. A combination of human centered design and critical design allows this project to address this issue through communicating the needs of what might have to happen if our behavior and environment do not change. This project is meant to create a critical reflection around our personal rela­tionship to our own body with the hopes that this may lead to an individual awareness of our own food relationship. How might we enable humans to catch up with the food environment today?

La Unión Europea se distingue especialmente por su ordenamiento jurídico multilingüe que depende de la traducción para su buen funcionamiento. La legislación está disponible en todas las lenguas oficiales y todas las versiones son originales. Puesto que los traductores están incorporados en el procedimiento legislativo, la traducción de la legislación de la UE se debe considerar como parte integrante de la producción del derecho. La concordancia multilingüe, que consiste en expresar el mismo significado en todas las versiones lingüísticas, implica un gran desafío para los traductores que requieren competencias lingüísticas y jurídicas para realizar el trabajo con éxito. La hermenéutica jurídica es una herramienta fundamental para los traductores porque la interpretación y aplicación uniformes de la legislación de la UE son lo que determinan la calidad de la legislación. El Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea recurre a la interpretación multilingüe cuando compara diferentes versiones lingüísticas de un texto para poder interpretar una disposición. Esta tesis persigue tres objetivos principales. En primer lugar, explicar el papel que desempeña la traducción en el desarrollo y aplicación de la legislación de la UE. En segundo lugar, examinar cómo el TJUE resuelve problemas de divergencias entre diferentes versiones lingüísticas, especialmente, qué métodos de interpretación aplica el TJUE para reconciliar textos divergentes. En tercer lugar, evaluar si las divergencias se deben a problemas de traducción o si son diferencias inevitables entre las diversas versiones lingüísticas. Para atender al segundo y tercer objetivo, el estudio adopta una metodología mixta que combina análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo. Triangulamos los datos para estudiar qué métodos de interpretación son utilizados para qué problemas, los tipos de instrumentos donde aparecen las divergencias, y para evaluar las causas de las divergencias lingüísticas. / A distinctive feature of the European Union is that it is a multilingual legal order that relies on translation for its proper functioning. Legislation is available in all official languages and all versions are equally authentic. Since translators are incorporated into the legislative process, translation of EU legislation must be seen as part of lawmaking. Multilingual concordance, i.e. expressing the same meaning in all language versions, poses a big challenge to translators, who need both linguistic and legal competences to succeed in their task. Legal hermeneutics becomes a fundamental tool for translators because uniform interpretation and application of EU legislation are what ultimately determine the quality of translated EU legislation. The Court of Justice of the European Union resorts to multilingual interpretation when comparing different language versions of a text in order to interpret a certain provision. This thesis pursues three main objectives. First, to elaborate on the role that translation has in the development and application of EU legislation. Second, to examine how the CJEU solves problems of divergences between different language versions, namely, how the CJEU applies methods of interpretation to reconcile diverging texts. Third, to assess whether divergences hinge on a translation problem or whether they are inevitable differences between different language versions. To address the second and third objectives, the study adopts a mixed methodology that combines both qualitative and quantitative analysis. We triangulate data in order to study which methods of interpretation are used for which problems, the types of legal instruments where divergences appear, and evaluate the causes for linguistic divergences.

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