cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
The case for introducing specific ethical standards for legislative drafters.
Creators: name: MacNair, Deborah M.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2000
Subjects: subject: Law.

description: In this thesis I examine the question of whether there should be specific ethical and related professional standards adopted within an existing code of professional conduct, such as the Canadian Bar Association's Code of Professional Conduct, for those who are responsible for drafting legislation and regulations in Canada. There are no such provisions in Canada at present. Some provincial law societies, including Alberta and Nova Scotia, have examined the issue of separate ethical rules for public sector practitioners but their professional codes are silent with respect to any specific obligations on those drafting legislation or regulations. Using the examples of conflict of interest, the duty of confidentiality, the obligation to safeguard solicitor-client privilege and lobbying, I argue that specific standards are necessary because it is necessary to maintain uniform professional standards. While the focus of my research will be the situation in Canada, I am including limited comparative information from the United States. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Impact of sinus surgery in people with cystic fibrosis and chronic rhinosinusitis in the era of highly effective modulator therapy: Protocol for a prospective observational study
Creators: name: Goss C.H.
name: Smith T.L
name: Hwang P.H
name: Chowdhury N.I
name: Getz A.E
name: Beswick D.M.
name: Fischer J.L
name: Kimple A.J
name: Soler Z.M
name: Alt J.A
name: Bodner T.E
name: Taylor-Cousar J.L.
name: Saavedra M.T.
name: Mace J.C
name: Liu C.M
Publisher: name: Public Library of Science
Year: 2024

description: Introduction Cystic fibrosis (CF) is commonly complicated by chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Despite highly effective management options, CRS in people with CF (PwCF+CRS) may be refractory to medical therapy, eventually requiring endoscopic sinus surgery. The impact of sinus surgery on pulmonary, quality of life (QOL), and other outcomes in PwCF+CRS in the expanding era of highly effective modulator therapy has not been fully elucidated. This study aims to determine if endoscopic sinus surgery can offer superior outcomes for PwCF+CRS when compared to continued medical treatment of CRS. Methods and analysis This multi-institutional, observational, prospective cohort study will enroll 150 adults with PwCF+CRS across nine US CF Centers who failed initial medical therapy for CRS and elected to pursue either endoscopic sinus surgery or continue medical treatment. To determine if sinus surgery outperforms continued medical therapy in different outcomes, we will assess changes in pulmonary, CF-specific QOL, CRS-specific QOL, sleep quality, depression, headache, cognition, olfaction, productivity loss, and health utility value after treatment. The influence of highly effective modulator therapy on these outcomes will also be evaluated. This study will provide crucial insights into the impact of endoscopic sinus surgery for PwCF+CRS and aid with development of future treatment pathways and guidelines. Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by each institution’s internal review board, and study enrollment began August 2019. Results will be disseminated in conferences and peer-reviewed journals.
Wnt signaling contributes to vascular calcification by induction of matrix metalloproteinases
Creators: name: Freise, Christian
name: Kretzschmar, Nadja
name: Querfeld, Uwe
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Matrix metalloproteinases
subject: Vascular calcification
subject: Chronic kidney disease
subject: Vascular smooth muscle cells
subject: Wnt pathway
subject: MOVAS-1
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Background Vascular calcifications such as arteriosclerosis, which is characterized by a calcificiation of the tunica media, represent major comorbidities e.g. in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). An essential step during the development of arteriosclerosis is the transdifferentiation/calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) resembling osteogenesis. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and −9 were shown to promote these VSMC calcifications and their inhibition is of therapeutic value to prevent arteriosclerosis in preclinical studies. Aiming for an understanding of the underlying regulatory mechanisms of MMPs we here investigated, if the MMP-mediated VSMC calcification involves altered signaling of the Wnt pathway, which is known to impact osteogenesis. Methods We used an experimental in vitro model of vascular calcification. Transdifferentiation/calcification of murine VSMC was induced by elevated calcium and phosphorus levels. Calcification was assessed by calcium and alkaline phosphatase measurements. Activation/activity of the gelatinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 was assessed by conversion of fluorescence-labelled substrates. Activation of the Wnt pathway was analysed by a reporter gene assay. Results Besides pro-calcifying culture conditions, also activation of Wnt signaling by a specific agonist (under normal culture conditions) stimulated VSMC-calcification accompanied by enhanced expression and secretion of the gelatinases MMP-2 and −9. Vice versa, recombinant MMP-2 and −9 induced a time-delayed activation of Wnt signaling after 72 h in VSMC but showed no direct effects after 24–48 h. These effects were blocked by pharmacological inhibition of MMPs or of Wnt signaling. Conclusions Our study suggests that the pro-calcifying environment in CKD induces Wnt signaling in VSMC which in turn contributes to the induction of MMPs which then foster the development of arteriosclerosis. Thus, besides MMP inhibition, the inhibition of Wnt signaling in VSMC might represent a therapeutic target for the prevention of vascular calcifications.
Strength and ductility of concrete columns reinforced with welded wire fabric and/or rebars.
Creators: name: Abdulkadir, Ramzi I.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1991
Subjects: subject: Engineering, Civil.

description: Research was carried out to investigate the characteristics of concrete confined by welded wire fabric. The column reinforcement consisted of only welded wire fabric, without the use of any reinforcing bars. The increase in confinement was relatively small. The ductility enhancement was also limited. It was concluded that, unless special size welded wire fabric was used to have adequate percentage of steel, the standard size mesh was not suitable for use as column reinforcement. The test results were compared against analytical predictions obtained from the use of Saatcioglu and Razvi model for confined concrete. Having established the validity of the model, a parametric study was carried out to establish the significance of confinement parameters for columns reinforced with welded wire fabric, reinforcing bars, and a combination of the two. It was found that the combined use of reinforcing bars and welded wire fabric offered the optimum solution, where the bars formed the main reinforcement, and the mesh provided superior concrete confinement. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
title: Rationalizing Racism
title: Racial Structure and Individual Racial Sense-Making in Mathematics Education
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Raabe, Lucca Ruth
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Whiteness
subject: Higher Education, Private
subject: Mathematics
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: Mathematics Education
subject: Racism or Race Relation

description: Despite growing racial justice projects in STEM Education, Mathematics continues to fall behind other hard sciences. Moreover, existing literature centers STEM students in general, failing to explain why mathematics specifically continues to disengage in racial justice projects. I focus on the student experience to understand the relationship between math students’ individual racial ideologies and department-level racial structure. I conduct 15 in depth interviews enriched by ethnographic observations of 4 different mathematics classrooms, and various department events and community spaces. I center the mathematics department at Brandeis as a case study to understand how racial inequality is reproduced in mathematics education. I outline the Norm of Assumed Knowledge, Norm of Correcting, and Norm of Limited Time as three institutional norms which have disparate racialized effects. These meso-level institutional norms alongside institutional processes which render mathematics as “distinct” from other fields, inform the way individuals cultivate what I theorize to be their Mathematics Identity. I find that students rely on this necessarily colorblind Mathematics Identity to find belonging in the department, positioning the “ideal” mathematician as raceless, despite their belief that diversity is generally valuable. I theorize Racial Generalization and Racial Individuation as the two processes students use to rationalize their often contradictory colorblind and diversity ideologies. Interestingly, these two processes are precisely informed by the logics of math itself, revealing that while math equips students with the logics for understanding and thinking through structural racism, it is the mathematician who disengages.
Innovative Strategies to Develop Chemical Categories Using a Combination of Structural and Toxicological Properties
Creators: name: Batke, Monika
name: Gütlein, Martin
name: Partosch, Falko
name: Gundert-Remy, Ursula
name: Helma, Christoph
name: Kramer, Stefan
name: Maunz, Andreas
name: Seeland, Madeleine
name: Bitsch, Annette
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: non-animal methods
subject: QSAR
subject: read across
subject: Predictive Clustering Tree (PCT) method
subject: toxicological and structural similarity
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Interest is increasing in the development of non-animal methods for toxicological evaluations. These methods are however, particularly challenging for complex toxicological endpoints such as repeated dose toxicity. European Legislation, e.g., the European Union's Cosmetic Directive and REACH, demands the use of alternative methods. Frameworks, such as the Read-across Assessment Framework or the Adverse Outcome Pathway Knowledge Base, support the development of these methods. The aim of the project presented in this publication was to develop substance categories for a read-across with complex endpoints of toxicity based on existing databases. The basic conceptual approach was to combine structural similarity with shared mechanisms of action. Substances with similar chemical structure and toxicological profile form candidate categories suitable for read-across. We combined two databases on repeated dose toxicity, RepDose database, and ELINCS database to form a common database for the identification of categories. The resulting database contained physicochemical, structural, and toxicological data, which were refined and curated for cluster analyses. We applied the Predictive Clustering Tree (PCT) approach for clustering chemicals based on structural and on toxicological information to detect groups of chemicals with similar toxic profiles and pathways/mechanisms of toxicity. As many of the experimental toxicity values were not available, this data was imputed by predicting them with a multi-label classification method, prior to clustering. The clustering results were evaluated by assessing chemical and toxicological similarities with the aim of identifying clusters with a concordance between structural information and toxicity profiles/mechanisms. From these chosen clusters, seven were selected for a quantitative read-across, based on a small ratio of NOAEL of the members with the highest and the lowest NOAEL in the cluster (< 5). We discuss the limitations of the approach. Based on this analysis we propose improvements for a follow-up approach, such as incorporation of metabolic information and more detailed mechanistic information. The software enables the user to allocate a substance in a cluster and to use this information for a possible read- across. The clustering tool is provided as a free web service, accessible at http://mlc-reach.informatik.uni-mainz.de.
The validity of the SF-12 and SF-6D instruments in people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya
Creators: name: Patel, Anik R.
name: Lester, Richard T.
name: Marra, Carlo A.
name: Van Der Kop, Mia L.
name: Ritvo, Paul
name: Engel, Lidia
name: Karanja, Sarah
name: Lynd, Larry D.
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2017

description: Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and health state utility value (HSUV) measurements are vital components of healthcare clinical and economic evaluations. Accurate measurement of HSUV and HRQoL require validated instruments. The 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) is one of few instruments that can evaluate both HRQoL and HSUV, but its validity has not been assessed in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in east Africa, where the burden of HIV is high. Methods: This cross-sectional study used baseline data from a randomized trial involving PLWHA in Kenya. Data included responses from a translated and adapted SF-12 survey as well as key demographic and clinical data. Construct validity of the survey was examined by testing the SF-12’s ability to distinguish between groups known in advance to have differences in their health based on their disease severity. We classified disease severity based on established definitions from the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and WHO, as well as a previously studied viral load threshold. T-tests and ANOVA were used to test for differences in HRQoL and HSUV scores. Area under the receive operator curve (AUC) was used to test the discriminative ability of the HRQoL and HSUV instruments. Results: Differences in physical component scores met the minimum clinically important difference among participants with more advanced HIV when defined by CD4 count (4.3 units) and WHO criteria (compared to stage 1, stages 2, 3 and 4 were 2.0, 7.2 and 9.8 units lower respectively). Mental score differences met the minimum clinically important difference between WHO stage 1 and stage 4 patients (4.4). Differences in the HSUV were statistically lower in more advanced HIV by all three definitions of severity. The AUC showed poor to weak discriminatory ability in most analyses, but had fair discriminatory ability between WHO clinical stage 1 and clinical stage 4 individuals (AUC = 0.71). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the Kiswahili translated and adapted version of the SF-12 could be used as an assessment tool for physical health, mental health and HSUV for Kiswahili-speaking PLHWA. Trial registration Clinical trials.gov identifier: NCT00830622 . Registered 26 January 2009.
title: Gynecologic oncologist involvement in rural ovarian cancer patient care
title: exploring disparities in surgery, chemotherapy, and survival outcomes in the Midwestern United States
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Weeks, Kristin Susan
Publisher: name: University of Iowa
Year: 2024
Subjects: public abstract

description: Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States. One-third of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer do not receive National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline-recommended surgical care from a gynecologist oncologist (i.e., a physician that specializes in treating cancers associated with the female reproductive system). Receiving surgery from gynecologic oncologists is important because they are the most likely to provide recommended care. NCCN guidelines also recommend chemotherapy consultation from gynecologic oncologists, but the impact of this is under investigated. Gynecologic oncologists predominately provide their services in urban, tertiary hospitals. Consequently, rural patients may be less likely to receive guideline-recommended care. However, the impact of rurality on ovarian cancer care has been understudied. This dissertation constitutes a significant epidemiological investigation exploring critical health service questions and rural-urban differences in outcomes. It aimed to determine if rural ovarian cancer patients are less likely to have a gynecologic oncologist surgeon and chemotherapy provider. Secondly, the independent impact gynecologic oncologists have on treatment, outcomes and survival was examined, while considering the importance of rurality. This dissertation analyzed two population-based cohorts of ovarian cancer patients (diagnosis range: 2010-2016) from the Midwestern United States. Special datasets were created through medical record abstraction and enhanced cancer surveillance. We found that rural patients are less likely to have a gynecologic oncologist surgeon and chemotherapy provider, and gynecologic oncologist-directed surgery was associated with improved surgical outcomes and survival for rural patients. These results will help prioritize ovarian cancer research and interventions.
Breakpoint: an R package to detect multiple change-points in continuous and count data via the croS-en-tropy method
Creators: name: Weerasinghe Jayawar, Madawa
name: Sofronov, G.
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: The Cross-Entropy (CE) method is an evolutionary stochastic optimization method that was originally developed to estimate probabilities of rare events. Later with the advances of the CE method, it could be used to solve dicult combinatorial optimization problems (COPs) as well. A change-point problem may fall under the broader category of COPs but it may also be considered within control theory. We de ne the change-point (or break-point) problem as the process of detecting the location where a distributional change has occurred in an observed sequence of data. Thus, it is a mixture of both estimation and optimization problems. In real life scenarios, there can be more than one change-point in a process. Therefore, a successful procedure should be able to detect both the the number of change-points and their locations simultaneously with a high level of sensitivity. The breakpoint" R package, which is available on CRAN, can be used to solve these two types of problems. It uses the CE method in the optimization step to obtain the locations of the change-points. An information criterion is used to obtain the number of change-points. The calculations can be carried out both sequentially and in parallel with the use of multiple-cores. In this study, we assess the di erent functionalities of the package with multiple data sources. At rst, a comprehensive simulation study was carried out to detect both the number and the locations of change-points in continuous as well as count data. The results are compared with some of the popular methods that are available in the literature. Finally, we applied the procedures to real data originated from di erent scienti c streams. Our results suggest that the proposed methods in the breakpoint" package are e ective in detecting both the number and locations of change-points in continuous and count data.
Self-assembly of Octahedral DNA Origami and its Growth in Crowded Environments
Creators: name: Li, Shengkai
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2024
Subjects: DNA origami
Self-assembly
Crowded environment
Crystallization

description: DNA origami represents a revolutionary nanotechnology that harnesses the programmability of single stranded DNA to construct complex and precisely controlled nanostructures. Through complementary base pairing, single-stranded DNA is folded into predefined shapes using a DNA scaffold strand and many shorter staple strands. This level of nanometer-scale precision enables the creation of custom shapes, patterns, and even intricate three- dimensional structures that have implications across diverse scientific disciplines, including drug delivery and biological research. Octahedral DNA origami, known for its robustness and expanded surface area, holds promise for multifunctional applications. In our study, we explore the self-assembly dynamics of octahedral DNA origami within complex environments similar to blood vessels, utilizing polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a mimetic polymer solution. PEG, valued for its biocompatibility and stability, provides an optimal setting for investigating DNA origami behavior under crowded conditions. Our experiments involve varying PEG polymer sizes and concentrations, mimicking the complex conditions of biomolecules and macromolecules found within biological systems. By probing the dynamics of octahedral DNA origami nucleation and crystal growth, we aim to uncover the intricate processes governing its self-assembly. This enhanced understanding holds the potential to transform nanoscale device design and propel DNA nanotechnology towards innovative frontiers.
Mechanical properties of concrete at early ages.
Creators: name: Zhao, Jianwei.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1990
Subjects: subject: Engineering, Civil.

description: Modern construction techniques enable reinforced concrete structures to be constructed in a very short time. The loads occurring due to the construction process on the partially completed structure can be larger than the design service load. The available strength of the immature partially completed structure is dependent upon the available concrete strength which may be less than the specified strength. Failure would occur if the available strength is less than that required to support the construction loads. The construction loads can also cause significant immediate deflection due to concrete cracking and its low early age modulus of elasticity. Because of the high applied stress/developed strength ratio and shrinkage, the time dependent deflection may be unacceptably large. This thesis examines the early age behaviors of concrete tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, concrete shrinkage and creep, and develops prediction equations which are demonstrated to be more appropriate than the current code equations.
Motion control of an autonomous vehicle with loss of wheel-ground contact avoidance using dynamic model based predictive control.
Creators: name: Kim, Bumsoo.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2001
Subjects: subject: Engineering, Mechanical.

description: Autonomous motion of vehicles requires an operational space control approach which is able to generate and correct the trajectory of the vehicle in order to avoid collisions with unexpected obstacles and takes into account the contact forces between the wheels and the ground such that the slippage and tip-over of the vehicle can be avoided. A dynamic model of the autonomous vehicle is required for such a control approach in order to verify continuously wheel-terrain contact stability. For achieving autonomy, the dynamics based control approach is formulated for a three-wheeled vehicle with front wheel driving and steering. Exact input-output linearization of the vehicle dynamics facilitates the design of the operational space control and permits the enhancement of the autonomy of the vehicle. However, the sufficient smoothness condition for applying feedback linearization has to be continuously observed and this requires the avoidance of actuators torque saturation, wheel-ground longitudinal and lateral slippage and tip-over of the vehicle for motion on horizontal plane as well as inclined surfaces. In this thesis, first is presented a complete three dimensional kinematic and dynamic model of a three-wheeled autonomous vehicle built in our laboratory. Newtonian dynamics was used for developing the dynamic model of the autonomous vehicle. It continues with the path planning algorithm using the Timoshenko's 4th order differential slender beam equation and the analysis of the two part control scheme. The control scheme contains an external loop for a linear controller, a path planner in operational space, and an inner loop exact input-output linearization controller in curvilinear space (s-delta). A dynamic model based predictive control is proposed for avoidance of the violation of the smoothness condition for exact linearization, while at the same time conserving path planning results by modifying the input commands.
title: Sensitivity of HOXB13 as a Diagnostic Immunohistochemical Marker of Prostatic Origin in Prostate Cancer Metastases
title: Comparison to PSA, Prostein, Androgen Receptor, ERG, NKX3.1, PSAP, and PSMA
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Kristiansen, Ilka
name: Stephan, Carsten
name: Jung, Klaus
name: Dietel, Manfred
name: Rieger, Anja
name: Tolkach, Yuri
name: Kristiansen, Glen
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: prostate cancer
subject: metastasis
subject: immunohistochemistry
subject: detection
subject: PSA
subject: PSAP
subject: PSMA
subject: NKX3.1
subject: prostein
subject: HOXB13
subject: ERG
subject: AR
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Aims: Determining the origin of metastases is an important task of pathologists to allow for the initiation of a tumor-specific therapy. Recently, homeobox protein Hox-B13 (HOXB13) has been suggested as a new marker for the detection of prostatic origin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity of HOXB13 in comparison to commonly used immunohistochemical markers for prostate cancer. Materials and methods: Histologically confirmed prostate cancer lymph node metastases from 64 cases were used to test the diagnostic value of immunohistochemical markers: prostate specific antigen (PSA), Prostatic acid phosphatase (PSAP), prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), homeobox gene NKX3.1, prostein, androgen receptor (AR), HOXB13, and ETS-related gene (ERG). All markers were evaluated semi-quantitatively using Remmele's immune reactive score. Results: The detection rate of prostate origin of metastasis for single markers was 100% for NKX3.1, 98.1% for AR, 84.3% for PSMA, 80.8% for PSA, 66% for PSAP, 60.4% for HOXB13, 59.6% for prostein, and 50.0% for ERG. Conclusions: Our data suggest that HOXB13 on its own lacks sensitivity for the detection of prostatic origin. Therefore, this marker should be only used in conjunction with other markers, preferably the highly specific PSA. The combination of PSA with NKX3.1 shows a higher sensitivity and thus appears preferable in this setting. View Full-Text
title: INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT THROUGH AN EVOLUTIONARY LENS ACROSS THREE DOMAINS OF WOMEN’S HEALTH
title: DEPRESSION, SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, AND SUBSTANCE USE
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Smith, Caroline Benning
Publisher: name: Washington State University
Year: 2025
Subjects: Evolution & development

description: Human fitness relied heavily on social relationships in the ancestral past, yet it is often the case that a behavior which increases fitness for one individual may cause a fitness cost for another, resulting in interpersonal conflict. This dissertation uses an evolutionary lens to explore the relationship between interpersonal conflict and women’s health. Paper 1 draws on the hypothesis that male-male physical conflicts in the ancestral past resulted in the sexual dimorphism in upper body strength. In a population sample of US men and women we found tradeoffs between strength and immune function and a positive relationship between strength and short-term and long-term mating success. The sexual selection hypothesis predicts that the effect of strength on mating success will be greater for men than for women, and this prediction was exceptionally well-supported for partnered status and numbers of lifetime partners, suggesting the hypothesis applies to both short-and long-term mating success.
description: Paper 2 uses an evolutionary bargaining framework, which argues that depression is an adaptation that evolved to credibly signal need in adversity, and to coerce help during conflicts with powerful social partners by withholding valuable benefits. In a population sample of US adults, we found that grip strength is negatively associated with depression and propose that the sex difference in upper body strength is a candidate evolutionary explanation for some of the sex difference in depression.
description: Finally, paper 3 uses a mixed-methods approach to understand the reasons breastfeeding women choose to consume cannabis. In a sample of women from the US Pacific Northwest, the majority reported consuming cannabis to treat or manage a medical condition, especially mental health conditions, and most reported receiving no helpful guidance about cannabis consumption for their healthcare providers. This supports an evolutionary perspective on substance use as a form of self-medication.
description: These papers are related through an evolutionary understanding of the ubiquity of interpersonal conflict and its impact on human health and behavior. Future public health work can draw on the evolutionary medicine framework and related models to make novel predictions and solutions regarding burdensome global health issues including those related to mental health, substance use, and sexual behavior.
Advancing team-based primary health care: a comparative analysis of policies in western Canada
Creators: name: Suter, Esther
name: Mallinson, Sara
name: Misfeldt, Renee
name: Boakye, Omenaa
name: Nasmith, Louise
name: Wong, Sabrina T.
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2017

description: Background: We analyzed and compared primary health care (PHC) policies in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan to understand how they inform the design and implementation of team-based primary health care service delivery. The goal was to develop policy imperatives that can advance team-based PHC in Canada. Methods: We conducted comparative case studies (n = 3). The policy analysis included: Context review: We reviewed relevant information (2007 to 2014) from databases and websites. Policy review and comparative analysis: We compared and contrasted publically available PHC policies. Key informant interviews: Key informants (n = 30) validated narratives prepared from the comparative analysis by offering contextual information on potential policy imperatives. Advisory group and roundtable: An expert advisory group guided this work and a key stakeholder roundtable event guided prioritization of policy imperatives. Results: The concept of team-based PHC varies widely across and within the three provinces. We noted policy gaps related to team configuration, leadership, scope of practice, role clarity and financing of team-based care; few policies speak explicitly to monitoring and evaluation of team-based PHC. We prioritized four policy imperatives: (1) alignment of goals and policies at different system levels; (2) investment of resources for system change; (3) compensation models for all members of the team; and (4) accountability through collaborative practice metrics. Conclusions: Policies supporting team-based PHC have been slow to emerge, lacking a systematic and coordinated approach. Greater alignment with specific consideration of financing, reimbursement, implementation mechanisms and performance monitoring could accelerate systemic transformation by removing some well-known barriers to team-based care.
Three Essays in Applied Microeconomics with Policy Implications on Safety and Environment in Transportation Sectors
Creators: name: Sugiarto, Wisnu
Publisher: name: Washington State University
Year: 2024
Subjects: wildlife crossing structures
Salmon Safe tires
traffic stops
resource allocation
Microeconomics
Transportation

description: This collection of essays explores safety and environmental concerns within transportation sectors through applied microeconomics lenses, offering practical policy insights.
description: The first essay examines the effectiveness of wildlife crossing structures in mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions, utilizing Washington state crash data from 2011 to 2020. Employing a difference-in-differences methodology, the study reveals that these structures lead to a reduction of one to three collisions per mile per year. The estimated annual benefits per structure range from $235,000 to $443,000 in 2021 U.S. dollars.
description: The second essay measures consumer demand for environmentally friendly, “Salmon Safe”, tires drawing on survey data collected from 695 vehicle owners in California, Oregon, and Washington. This stated preference study indicates that the median respondent is willing to pay approximately 10% more, or $76, for a set of four reformulated tires. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the mode of information presentation – whether through a narrated video or static text and images – does not affect comprehension, and forced deliberation does not alter consumers’ willingness to pay.
description: Lastly, the third essay evaluates the efficiency of public resource allocations in urban traffic stops and car accidents, utilizing comprehensive datasets from the Seattle Police Department and the Washington State Department of Transportation. Employing Instrumental Variables (IV) Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) and IV Poisson Generalized Method of Moments (GMM)
description: approaches, the findings suggest that more traffic stops lead to fewer accidents. Additionally, there is geographic heterogeneity in the impact of increasing traffic stops on areas with at least one accident. Downtown locations and areas with higher daily traffic are associated with larger reductions in accidents, while more affluent areas are related to fewer reductions. This study highlights the importance of targeted resource allocation strategies, contributing to the discussions on place-based policies.
EXPLORATION OF MICROPLASTIC FIBERS TRANSPORT DYNAMICS IN POROUS MEDIA USING A COMBINATION OF PHYSICAL EXPERIMENTS AND NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS
Creators: name: Fouty, Tyler T.
Publisher: name: Washington State University
Year: 2024
Subjects: Microplastic Fibers
Porous Media
Transport

description: The existence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment has been a growing concern for two and a half decades, having now been found in remote areas, ocean sediment, deserts, and mountain peaks. MPs in the environment are a concern because they can impact soil properties and organisms. Research has determined that MPs can affect aquatic organisms in two forms: 1.) mechanical- MPs can attach to the body of the organism and impact their movement and 2.) chemical- the leaching of chemicals from the MPs can be absorbed by the organisms, both of these impact forms can lead organisms to experience inflammation, stress, death, and reproduction decline. The impact on human health is limited but assumed to see the same impacts as aquatic organisms. The largest MP type by mass found in the environment is microplastic fiber (MPF). Scientists understand where MPs come from and where they end up (large-scale movement), the missing aspect is how they move. This research gap is missing due to the transport mechanics occur at the pore scale which is difficult to capture. The mechanisms of MPFs transport have been proposed numerically but have not been validated. This research collected MPF transport data in a 2D laboratory model to understand the transport dynamics in porous media of three different lengths 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 cm and microbeads to act as a passive tracer, modeling MPF transport with existing simulation tools (ADE equation) and validate the only MPF distributed simulation model to date. Videos captured the trajectory of the fiber and beads, and the trajectory data was used to generate breakthrough curves. The experimental data found that fibers tumble/roll during their transport through the model, that fibers traveled much slower than expected, and longer fibers would travel slower. It was observed that fibers would have an abrupt change in velocity and became stuck then re-mobilized. This paper refers to this dynamic as “trapping”. Comparisons to
description: the ADE (i.e. advection-dispersion models) equation and the distributed simulation model (DSM) were unable to simulate MPF transport, which leads to the question of what dynamics are missing from the models. ADE simulation was unable to capture the correct shape of the curve, with particles arriving sooner than the experiments. The DSM can simulate the transport of beads but nothing else. This suggests that the missing dynamics result in a retention or trapping process, but the design of these experiments cannot determine the precise mechanism. However, two upscaled representations of the trapping process were able to significantly improve the agreement of the experimental and numerical results.
Effect of electrolyte concentration during solution plasma on copper nanoparticle size
Creators: name: Al Anbouri, M. H. S.
name: Yii, B. W. M.
name: Yek, P. N. Y.
name: Julaihi, M. R. M.
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: This research was conducted to investigate the effect of electrolyte concentration of solution plasma on copper nanoparticles size. Copper nanoparticles with the size between 1-100 nm have received a huge interest because of their optical, catalytic and electrical conducting properties. Electrolysis via solution plasma method has many advantages such as its cost effectiveness, simplicity, eco-friendliness, and less energy requirements compared to other methods. To synthesize copper nanoparticles via solution plasma, two wires of copper and platinum as cathode and anode respectively were immersed in a glass beaker of 300 ml of two electrolyte solution (K2CO3 and NaOH) with three different concentrations (0.1 M, 0.5M and 1M), and electrical current was applied similar to an electrolysis process. The images of the nanoparticles were obtained using scanning electron microscopy and their sizes were analyzed using ImageJ software. It was found that when the concentration of K2CO3 increased, the size of copper nanoparticle also increased. However, the size of copper nanoparticles decreased when the concentration of NaOH was increased. This research shows the potential of easily controlling size of copper nanoparticles by changing the electrolyte concentration used during solution plasma process.
Genome-wide meta-analysis associates HLA-DQA1/DRB1 and LPA and lifestyle factors with human longevity
Creators: name: Joshi, Peter K.
name: Pirastu, Nicola
name: Kentistou, Katherine A.
name: Fischer, Krista
name: Hofer, Edith
name: Schraut, Katharina E.
name: Demuth, Ilja
name: Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2017
Subjects: subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Genomic analysis of longevity offers the potential to illuminate the biology of human aging. Here, using genome-wide association meta-analysis of 606,059 parents’ survival, we discover two regions associated with longevity (HLA- DQA1/DRB1 and LPA). We also validate previous suggestions that APOE, CHRNA3/5, CDKN2A/B, SH2B3 and FOXO3A influence longevity. Next we show that giving up smoking, educational attainment, openness to new experience and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels are most positively genetically correlated with lifespan while susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD), cigarettes smoked per day, lung cancer, insulin resistance and body fat are most negatively correlated. We suggest that the effect of education on lifespan is principally mediated through smoking while the effect of obesity appears to act via CAD. Using instrumental variables, we suggest that an increase of one body mass index unit reduces lifespan by 7 months while 1 year of education adds 11 months to expected lifespan.
Interactive weekly mobile phone text messaging plus motivational interviewing in promotion of breastfeeding among women living with HIV in South Africa: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Creators: name: Zunza, Moleen
name: Cotton, Mark F.
name: Mbuagbaw, Lawrence
name: Lester, Richard T.
name: Thabane, Lehana
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2017

description: Background: South Africa recently phased out access to free formula milk in the public sector in support of breastfeeding for women living with HIV. Few women living with HIV in South Africa choose breastfeeding and among those who do, many stop breastfeeding early. We sought to explore the feasibility of using mobile phone text messaging coupled with motivational interviewing to enhance adherence to breastfeeding practices. Methods and design: A randomized, parallel group, single-center pilot trial. Electronic sequence generation and random allocation will be done centrally. Women of low socioeconomic status, from Cape Town, South Africa will be randomly assigned within 24 h of giving birth at a primary healthcare clinic to a structured weekly text message plus motivational interviewing and usual standard of care, using a permutation of different block sizes. Criteria for feasibility success will include: five participants recruited per week (over 12 weeks), about 75% of all eligible participants consent for study participation, complete evaluation of outcomes in at least 70% of all recruited participants, breastfeeding adherence rates of at least 70% in the intervention group, six months after delivery. Participants will be evaluated soon after giving birth and post-delivery at weeks 2, 6, 10, and 24. Primary analysis will follow the “intention-to-treat” principle. Sub-group analysis will be used to assess sub-group effects. Discussion: This pilot trial will evaluate the feasibility of conducting a larger trial on communication and support approaches to improve adherence to breastfeeding by HIV-infected women. Text messaging and motivational interviewing are simple interventions which may allow participants to access personalized adherence advice and support. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02949713 . Registered on 26 October 2016; Pan African Clinical Trial Registry PACTR201611001855404 . Registered on 8 November 2016.
AfricArxiv - the State of Open Access in Africa and its Implication on Researchers (webinar)
Creators: name: Aldirdiri, Osman
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Africa, Open Access, Preprint, Repository, Archive

description: Presentation slides used to introduce AfricArxiv during the webinar "the State of Open Access in Africa and its Implication on Researchers" organized by TCC Africa.
Wavelength-dependent polarization dependent loss and polarization mode dispersion measurements in fiber-optic devices.
Creators: name: Zhu, Yihong.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1999
Subjects: subject: Engineering, Electronics and Electrical.

description: Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) is a fundamental characteristic of singlemode optical fibers and fiber-optic components that describes their propensity to split an optical signal into two orthogonal polarization modes with different propagation velocity, resulting in a different propagation time in each mode, called the differential group delay (DGD). Polarization Dependent Loss (PDL) refers to the maximum change in the power transmitted by an optical component or device as the input state of polarization (SOP) is varied over all possible polarization states. The measurement of PDL/PMD, and especially the characterization of its wavelength dependence in wavelength selective optical components such as fiber gratings becomes critically important for system design and evaluation. In the thesis, an overview of fiber gratings, including theoretical background, fabrication techniques and their applications in optical fiber telecommunication systems are presented to help the readers fully understand fiber gratings' properties, behavior, and the importance of their characterization. Three calculational tools, i.e., the Jones calculus, the Mueller calculus, and the Poincare sphere, as well as the concept of the principal state of polarization, are introduced to quantitatively describe the interaction of light with optical devices. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Australia Felix: Immersive visions of the Great Southern Land
Creators: name: Stainsby, Daniel
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024

description: This research investigates how New Media is utilised to develop Virtual Reality experiences for immersive interactive landscape photography. Together the artefact and the exegesis explore how technology can shape our various relationships with the environment. The artefact is an online experiential gallery of panoramic images of the Australian landscape. The exegesis reflects upon the aesthetics of the natural world in the digital milieu. It utilises the theoretical prism of ecocriticism. The research draws together insights into creativity as knowledge, the importance of a love of nature and the impact of new technologies.
PhD by Artefact and Exegesis
INO80 regulates chromatin accessibility to facilitate suppression of sex-linked gene expression during mouse spermatogenesis
Creators: name: Magnuson T
name: Chakraborty P
Publisher: name: Public Library of Science
Year: 2024

description: The INO80 protein is the main catalytic subunit of the INO80-chromatin remodeling complex, which is critical for DNA repair and transcription regulation in murine spermatocytes. In this study, we explored the role of INO80 in silencing genes on meiotic sex chromosomes in male mice. INO80 immunolocalization at the XY body in pachytene spermatocytes suggested a role for INO80 in the meiotic sex body. Subsequent deletion of Ino80 resulted in high expression of sex-linked genes. Furthermore, the active form of RNA polymerase II at the sex chromosomes of Ino80-null pachytene spermatocytes indicates incomplete inactivation of sex-linked genes. A reduction in the recruitment of initiators of meiotic sex chromosome inhibition (MSCI) argues for INO80-facilitated recruitment of DNA repair factors required for silencing sex-linked genes. This role of INO80 is independent of a common INO80 target, H2A.Z. Instead, in the absence of INO80, a reduction in chromatin accessibility at DNA repair sites occurs on the sex chromosomes. These data suggest a role for INO80 in DNA repair factor localization, thereby facilitating the silencing of sex-linked genes during the onset of pachynema.