No description available.

Burnout and staff turnover among correctional officers can be the result of low well-being. These are problems that can be devastating for both the individual, his or her colleagues, the inmates and the organization if not prevented. Well-being among correctional officers is an important and well-researched subject. However, the majority of all studies are made in American prisons, and very few consider jail specifically. Jails are often smaller workplaces than prisons in terms of number of employees, which makes them more exposed to staff turnover. In addition, they have difficulty competing with other organizations in terms of high salary and other benefits, and must therefore invest extra hard in a healthy work environment that promotes well-being among their employees. This study is based on a web survey and made in about half of all jails in Sweden. The purpose is to explore, with support of the Self-Determination Theory, how correctional officers in jail are experiencing well-being at work, and if there may be any correlation between perceived well-being and individual factors. The results show that the well-being are generally good, although some weaker aspects are identified, such as percieved autonomy. No significant differences between men and women were found when it comes to work related well-being. Factors that, on the other hand, seems to have a slight impact on the perceived well-being is tenure, education and age.

The purpose of this research has been to explore the native monorhamnolipid (mRL) mixture produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, as well as newly- synthesized monorhamnolipid diastereomers (R,R)-Rha-C10-C10, (R,S)-Rha-C10-C10, (S,S)-Rha-C10-C10 and (S,R)-Rha-C10-C10, to understand their aggregation and phase behavior in aqueous solution. This work is in response to the consideration that biosurfactants offer a "greener" alternative to conventional surfactants. Relationships between chemical structure of the diastereomers and surface activity were studied using surface tension measurements. It was found that the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) values are lower for deprotonated (R,S)-Rha-C10-C10 and higher for protonated (R,S)-Rha-C10-C10 compared to the other diastereomers or the native mRL mixture. Furthermore, the 1:1:1:1 diastereomeric mixture has the overall lowest cross-sectional area for deprotonated rhamnolipids. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to study the hydrodynamic radii (Rh) of the mRL aggregates and the four diastereomers in aqueous solution. In all five surfactants studied, each observed at pH 8.0 and 4.0, three aggregate populations were observed. For all deprotonated rhamnolipids the micelle, at a hydrodynamic radius of ~2 nm, was found to be in the highest abundance where the two lower abundant other population take on a lamellar aggregate structure. Data to support this were collected using fluorescence probing techniques. For the surfactants in the protonated state, pH 4.0, it was found that all form primarily lamellar structures, also confirmed using fluorescence probing. The average aggregation numbers (Nagg) of the micelles for the deprotonated native mRL mixture and the four diastereomers were studied using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence quenching measurements. Somewhat unexpectedly, the Nagg values were observed to be a strong function of the rhamnolipid concentration for all systems. At low concentrations, pre-micellar aggregates with aggregation numbers too small for micelles were observed. A critical concentration is identified at which a critical aggregation number is defined; this is proposed to be the smallest fully-formed micelle in solution with values of ~25-30 molecules/micelle for the native mRL mixture and all four diastereomers. Thus, the aggregation properties of the native mRL mixture and the four diastereomers are generally similar at this critical concentration. However, the increase in aggregation number above this critical point varies for all the surfactants, where the (R,R)-Rha-C10-C10 diastereomer has the greatest increase in monomers with concentration and the (S,S) and (R,S) diastereomers have the lowest. The increased observed aggregation number is consistent with the computational work showing increased growth with concentration for the deprotonated rhamnolipid micelles. Furthermore, these computations have confirmed the ability of protonated rhamnolipids to form lamellar structures in solution. Fluorescence probing work was also used to study rhamnolipid phase behavior as a function of varying solution conditions, such as ionic strength, solution pH, surfactant concentration, and temperature. Steady-state fluorescence methods are utilized to probe the surfactant microenvironment using the polarity-sensitive dyes prodan and laurdan. By dissolving the dye within the rhamnolipid aggregates and observing their solvatochromic behavior, all surfactants studied are known to form more micellar aggregates at high pH and low surfactant concentration, whereas elongation of the micelle is observed at low pH and moderate to high surfactant concentration.

No description available.

The Republic of South Sudan’s independence on 9 July 2011 revived the possibility of secession as means of self-determination. The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyse and assess the implication of secession on the African environment, with reference to South Sudan. The qualitative research approach enabled the researcher to draw parallels between literature and opinions of experts involved in South Sudan’s secession. Driving the secessionist approach are ideologies and greed of elites and peoples in power, religious differences and the unequal distribution of wealth and resources that exacerbate tensions between the fortunate peoples enjoying opportunities to develop and the excluded, utterly poor peoples just surviving. National and international attitudes sanction or veto the possibility to secede. Although secession could terminate continued disarray, it should only be considered if both states, as parties to the secession, could ensure the delivery of statehood responsibilities to their citizens and neighbouring communities.

Inicialmente foi investigada a possibilidade de separar o germânio, contido em baixas concentrações em solução aquosa, por meio de extração com solventes orgânicos, empregando técnica simples que permitisse trabalhar com pequenos volumes de amostra. Extração eficiente foi obtida com metil-isobutil-cetona, a partir de soluções contendo acido clorídrico em teor correspondente a 7,5 N. O coeficiente de extração, determinado para uma faixa de concentração de 0,25 a 200 µg de Ge/ml, foi de, aproximadamente, 96% tendo sido ainda comprovado que, por meio de três extrações sucessivas, é possível conseguir a recuperação completa do germânio existente no meio aquoso, mesmo quando em grande diluição. Com o objetivo de promover, no próprio extrato orgânico, uma reação quantitativa do germânio que se prestasse à determinação colorimétrica, foi estudada, nesse meio, a reação com molibdato e elaborado um método em que, após a formação do ácido germanomolibdico e sua separação na camada cetônica, é feita a redução do mesmo com ácido ascórbico dissolvido em etilenoglicol, sendo o meio homogenizado com álcool etílico. As soluções azuis assim obtidas, com máximo de absorção em 785 mµ, são extremamente estáveis, em contraste com soluções aquosas análogas, obtidas com o mesmo reagente. A região mais favorável para a determinação corresponde ao intervalo de 1,0 a 2,5µg Ge/ml (concentração considerada na solução submetida à medida espectrofotométrica). Foi feito estudo minucioso das interferências, tendo-se conseguido eliminar a maioria das mesmas por meio de tratamento preliminar com cupferron e extração com a própria metil-isobutil-cetona. A interferência devida a ions fosfato é removida pela precipitação prévia com nitrato de zirconila. As(V) que também interfere é reduzido a As(III) com hidrogenossulfito na presença de iôdo e a interferência indireta de fluoreto e evitada pela adição de cloreto de alumínio. Um segundo método, mais sensível, foi também elaborado, baseado na reação do germânio com fenilfluorona diretamente na fase orgânica, após a extração com metil-isobutil-cetona de solução 7,5 N em HCl. O produto da reação, perfeitamente solúvel no meio orgânico empregado, proporciona soluções com máximo de absorção em 504 mµ e muito estáveis. A reação é instantânea e, nas condições estudadas, permite alcançar uma sensibilidade analítica duas vêzes maior do que quando é realizada em meio aquoso. A região de concentração mais favorável para a determinação, referida à solução utilizada na medida espectrofotométrica corresponde ao intervalo compreendido entre 0,08 e 0,30 µg Ge/ml. A eliminação da maioria das interferências é feita, também neste caso, por tratamento prévio com cupferron e extração com metilisobutil-cetona. As interferências devidas a W(VI) e Nb(V) são evitadas por extração preliminar com o mesmo sol vente, na presença de excesso de tiocianato, em meio redutor. Foi também estudada a possibilidade de aplicar ambos os métodos elaborados à determinação de baixos teores de germânio, contidos em materiais complexos. O primeiro método foi empregado com bons resultados na determinação do elemento em fuligens, do tipo das provenientes de chaminés de usinas termoelétricas, contendo teor de aproximadamente 0,04% Ge. O segundo método, por ser cêrca de dez vezes mais sensível, foi usado também na determinação em carvões, com teor de cêrca de 0,001% Ge. Em todos os casos o material foi desagregado por fusão alcalina. Foi verificado que os métodos são aplicáveis sem prévia eliminação de sílica, desde que o material não contenha mais do que 50% de SiO2. A técnica usada permite empregar, na grande maioria dos casos, amostras de apenas 50 a 100 mg. / Abstract not available.

Thesis advisor: Lisa Patel / The participatory project described here is framed by the theories of Tribal Critical Race Theory and Red Pedagogy and describes a series of focus groups that included six Mashpee Wampanoag community members who used cultural values that they identified themselves to outline the educational needs of their Tribal youth in order to contribute to the process of developing a culturally-based strategic plan to serve Tribal students. The project was an act of self-determination for the participants who chose to commit to the work of making positive changes for the future of their community in a way that only they could as insiders in their community. Participants compiled a list of skills they felt were necessary to the health and success of their young people, separated into categories of "life skills," "academic skills" and "traditional skills." Also discussed are issues of insider research in Tribal communities, Indigenous connections land, Tribal identity, and aboriginal rights. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The purpose of this thesis is to present Ernst Cassirer's philosophy of science and to show its relation to Kantian philosophy. In the first chapter, the basic theme of transcendental philosophy, the concept of unity, is developed. Then, finally, the se of "transcendental" and "empirical" is explained with respect to Kant's theory of experience. Here it is pointed out that the experience is an immanent mixture of transcendental and empirical elements. Experience and self-consciousness are systematically interconnected. The transcendental concepts serving as the ground of empirical determination merely represent the inherent unity of consciousness [TRUNCATED] / 2031-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death. It is also one of the major factors resulting sudden deaths in exercises. Blood pressure (BP) is one of the vital diagnostic parameters to reflect the functionality of cardiovascular system and evaluate the conditions of CVD. However, current BP measuring devices usually require the occlusion of cuff that causes inconvenience to users during measurement. They are neither suitable nor practical for long-term monitoring. Pulse transit time (PTT), the duration for a pressure pulse wave to travel from one arterial site to another, has been proposed as a potential parameter for cuffless BP measurement in recent decades. Because of its cuffless and non-invasive measuring features, the aim of the present study is to develop a novel PTT-based BP estimation for cuffless and non-invasive monitoring of BP under resting and exercise conditions. / The accuracy of proposed method for continuous BP monitoring has been evaluated on seventeen subjects during cycling. Brachial BP was measured by FinapresRTM (Fin. BP) and a trained nurse (Nur. BP). In approximate 22000 beats, the differences between predictions and Fin. BP were 1.3+/-13.0 mmHg for SBP and -1.5+/-6.1 mmHg for DBP respectively. The intermittent BP measurements using the proposed method were compared to the readings from FinapresRTM and nurse separately. The differences between proposed method and Nur. BP were 0.9+/-9.9 mmHg for SBP and -1.2+/-5.2 mmHg for DBP respectively. The differences between proposed method and Fin. BP were -0.1+/-12.6 mmHg for SBP and -1.4+/-5.9 mmHg for DBP respectively. The predictions using the proposed method were more consistent with the nurse readings. Furthermore, thorax impedance signal was proposed for cuffless BP estimation and it was examined on twenty-two subjects. The results illustrated that proposed parameters, measured from Q wave of electrocardiogram to the peaks of thorax impedance signal and its derivative, were highly correlated with BP. They were potential parameters to provide non-invasive and cuffless BP estimation. / To conclude, the accuracy of proposed method was comparable to the cuff-based approaches under resting and exercise conditions. This work is potential to solve the problems due to prevalence of CVD and rising aging population. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / Wong, Yee Man. / Adviser: Y. T. Zhang. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: B, page: 3650. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Multicellular organisms arise from a single fertilized zygote, which must contain all information necessary to develop. As the embryo divides, the cells adopt distinct functional characteristics, and as they do so, they become committed to these fates, unable in most cases to convert from one identity to another. Though it has been well known and described for over a century now this year, this latter process, in this work referred to as cell fate restriction, is not well understood. In this thesis, I aim to contribute to the understanding of this developmental phenomenon. The tool I use is the ectopic expression of a terminal fate specifying transcription factor, CHE-1. This transcription factor normally functions to specify the fate of a pair of gustatory neurons in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. If ectopically expressed early in development, it is able to induce expression of its target genes, but by adulthood, most cells are refractory to its transcriptional activation, evidence of developmental cell fate restriction in most tissues of the animal. I first describe the work of Tulsi Patel to which I contributed, in which an RNAi screen revealed that PRC2 complex is responsible for preventing CHE-1 activity in the germline cells of C. elegans. I then describe a semi-clonal genetic screen in which I found many more mutants with a similar phenotype affecting germline cells, and cloned another gene that is able to induce expression specifically in the epidermis of the animals: usp-48, a highly conserved ubiquitous nuclear deubiquitinating enzyme. Next, I describe another screen where I ectopically express CHE-1 specifically in the adult epidermis, in which I found and cloned an additional six mutants: ogt-1, dot-1.1, pmk-1, sek-1, nhr-48, and C08A9.6, here named epco-1. In this screen I also isolated but was unable to clone an additional four mutants that likely represent an additional four genes. I discuss the nature of these genes and their potential roles in restricting cell fate. Lastly, I describe the optimization of a tissue-specific transcriptional profiling protocol, INTACT, for use in the characterization of the mutants. With this optimized protocol, I was able to perform detailed RNAseq on two individual neuron types from the animal, as well as wild-type epidermis. This optimized protocol will be used to characterize the mutants in the future. Together, these results tie unexpected genes to the function of cell fate restriction in the C. elegans epidermis, which will aid in our understanding of this fundamental developmental phenomenon.