"It's a life-altering experience": Examining the role of care environments in the experience of breast cancer care

Ontario’s Regional Cancer Programs provide an organized system of adjuvant treatment and follow-up care in its 13 Regional Cancer Centres. For breast cancer patients in particular, these centres become a part of daily activities, as appointments over five years of cancer care result in patients repeatedly accessing these centres at varying frequencies over their treatment periods. The experience of seeking out and receiving care has grown to incorporate cancer care services that exist on a variety of spatial scales, in both formal and informal environments (e.g. support groups, workshops). This study focuses on the role of geography in health behaviors and care experiences of breast cancer patients. Individual interviews were conducted with patients (n=23) attending the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton, Ontario about their care experiences in their community, and the location and organization of the centre. Rosenstock’s (1966) health belief model and Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory informed the analysis of patient satisfaction and produced attitudes that impact the likelihood of health action. Results demonstrated that patients were generally satisfied with their interactions with health care providers and the design and location of the centre. Parking and perceived disconnect between the centre and community health care providers (e.g. family doctors) were identified as being sources of patient dissatisfaction. Patients made sense of their care experience through ‘routinization’ – fixed times and predictable intervals – of travel and appointment schedules. Satisfaction with accessibility to health care providers when at home (e.g. call-in services) appeared to impact at-home adherence to medication and suggested lifestyle changes. Uptake of community support services depended on patient perceptions of need, suitability and proximity, but went largely unused. Patients’ understanding of their care experiences highlight the need to give greater consideration to geography and the physical care environment in the future planning of breast cancer care services.Master of Arts (MA

Role of thermodynamic and kinetic factors in polymer dissolution in mixed solvents+

A model for polymer dissolution in mixed solvents has been developed with the purpose of explaining the hitherto unexplained maximum in the dissolution rate with the solvent composition. The variation of the interface concentration of both the solvents and the dissolution rate with the composition of the non-solvent in the dissolution medium is predicted. The model predicts an increase in dissolution rate with an increase in low molecular weight non-solvent content of the dissolution medium. However, further increase in the non-solvent content, decreases the dissolution rate. The relative role of kinetic and thermodynamic quality of the solvent is shown to be the reason for this unusual behaviour. The model also predicts reduction in swelling with an increase in non-solvent content of the dissolution medium. The implications of the work in designing mixed solvent systems for microlithography to meet the goal of maximum dissolution rate with minimum swelling are discussed

A long view of liberal peace and its crisis

The ‘crisis’ of liberal peace has generated considerable debate in International Relations. However, analysis is inhibited by a shared set of spatial, cultural and temporal assumptions that rest on and reproduce a problematic separation between self-evident ‘liberal’ and ‘non-liberal’ worlds, and locates the crisis in presentist terms of the latter’s resistance to the former’s expansion. By contrast, this article argues that efforts to advance liberal rule have always been interwoven with processes of alternative order-making, and in this way are actively integral, not external, to the generation of the subjectivities, contestations, violence and rival social orders that are then apprehended as self-evident obstacles and threats to liberal peace and as characteristic of its periphery. Making visible these intimate relations of co-constitution elided by representations of liberal peace and its crisis requires a long view and an analytical frame that encompasses both liberalism and its others in the world. The argument is developed using a Foucauldian governmentality framework and illustrated with reference to Sri Lanka

Competitive diffusion-adsorption of polymers of differing chain lengths on solid surfaces

The process of competitive diffusion-adsorption of polymers of differing chain lengths in porous and non-porous adsorbents is modelled mathematically. The dynamic events are shown to be dictated by several competing factors linked to diffusion, adsorption, disengagement, etc. A striking observation of an intermediate plateau before the final equilibrium in the adsorption curve is attained, is predicted by the model and validated with some very recent experimental data. Some important implications of the work on development of process for polymer fractionation on the basis of differential adsorption based on difference in chain lengths is discussed

Modelling of polyethylene terephthalate reactors-X. A comprehensive model for solid-state polycondensation process

A new comprehensive model for solid-state polycondensation (SSP) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been developed, which interprets a number of hitherto unexplained observations. Degradation and other side reactions which were neglected in the earlier models for SSP process of PET are included. The diffusivity changes due to crystallisation of PET, the true influence of nature of carrier gas and the increase in the reactive chain end group mobility due to the change in the free volume in the presence of an inert gas have been considered. The model predictions have been validated with experimental data reported in the literature. The model can be used for a quantitative prediction of the influence of a variety of parameters on the degree of polymerisation as well as side products formation. The model correctly brings out the true influence of the carrier gas which had remained unexplained so far. It also suggests additional directions for improving the SSP process

Volatile organic compounds in ambient air of Mumbai—India

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a major group of air pollutants which play a critical role in atmospheric chemistry. These contribute to toxic oxidants which are harmful to ecosystem, human health and atmosphere. The variability of pollutants is an important factor in determining human exposure to these chemicals. Data on levels of VOCs in developing countries, including India, are lacking. The present work deals with the estimation of target VOCs at 15 locations of five categories in Mumbai. The categories are residential, industrial, commercial, traffic intersections and petrol refueling stations. The monitoring was carried out during peak hours in the morning and evening, once every month, during May 2001 to April 2002. The study focused on target VOCs as defined by USEPA. Concentrations of benzene, at all the locations, were found to be much above the guidelines values prescribed by World Health Organization (WHO) for ambient air quality. All other VOCs were observed to be below the WHO guideline values. The results show that levels of VOCs in Mumbai were high. There is need for a regular monitoring schedule of VOCs in the urban environment. Variability studies are important to assess the exposure potential of pollutants which are an important parameter for health impact studies. This study also presents the variability of VOCs in the urban area of Mumbai. Variability was divided into measurement spatial, temporal and temporal–spatial interaction components. The temporal component along with temporal–spatial interaction component were the major contributors to variability. VOCs associated with mobile source emissions and emissions from marine source were found to be distributed uniformly in the urban atmosphere in Mumbai. the need for continuous monitoring, to capture short term peak concentrations and averages, is evident

On optimal temperature for dissolution of polymers in hydrogen bonding solvents

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