Training Effectiveness Analysis Of Osha Silica And Excavation Safety Standards For Construction

ABSTRACT TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF OSHA SILICA AND EXCAVATION SAFETY STANDARDS FOR CONSTRUCTION by BEDEL DESRUISSEAUX May 2019 Advisor: Dr Mumtaz Usmen Major: Civil Engineering Degree: Master of Science As construction safety and health standards evolve due to changing industry practices and stakeholder expectations, and the mandates get stronger on compliance with these standards, the need for training programs become more pronounced. The proposed paper covers the training material development and program delivery and evaluation efforts associated with two OSHA standards applicable to construction; one on Respirable Crystalline Silica (29 CFR 1926.1153) and other on Excavation and Trenching (29 CFR 1926 Subpart P). The work reported were undertaken through federally funded grants under the auspices of OSHA’s Susan Harwood program. The training materials developed consisted of PowerPoint instructional modules; pretests and posttests to measure incremental knowledge gain; exercises to support better understanding of the training contents; and survey instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of the training materials and training delivery systems used in implementing the programs. Trainees included employees and employers representing various trades (operating engineers, laborers, masons, facilities personnel and others). The delivery was performed by an instructor led traditional lecture method for the Silica standard, while a combination of instructor led traditional lecture and independent self-spaced online methods was implemented for the Excavation and Trenching standard. Training material and program delivery details and the acquisition and analysis of all the data pertaining to training effectiveness analysis and evaluation based on Kirkpatrick levels 1 and 2 are described and discussed in this thesis

La Cour itinérante au nord du 49e parallèle : un espace de négociations politiques sur l’autodétermination judiciaire autochtone entre le Québec et les communautés cries et inuit (1970-1989)

En octobre 1974, dans le contexte de la crise de la Baie James, le gouvernement de Robert Bourassa crée le premier tribunal itinérant chargé de rendre les services judiciaires accessibles à la population résidante au nord du 49e parallèle du Québec. Depuis, la Cour itinérante du district judiciaire d’Abitibi est amenée à se rendre notamment dans les communautés cries et inuit pour résoudre des litiges juridiques. Or, dès sa mise en œuvre, le système judiciaire s’avère inadapté, inefficace et de plus en plus illégitime aux yeux des populations autochtones nordiques. Face à cette réalité, les administrations régionales et les municipalités cries et inuit entreprennent des démarches en vue de reprendre en charge la justice communautaire dans une perspective de revalorisation identitaire, de revitalisation culturelle et d’autodétermination politique. Dans le cadre de ce mémoire de maîtrise, nous observons les négociations menées entre les gouvernements régionaux et les conseils municipaux cris et inuit, les membres de la Cour itinérante, le ministère de la Justice et le Conseil des ministres de Robert Bourassa au cours des années 1970 et 1980. En effet, à partir d’un fonds d’archives privé regroupant l’ensemble des documents de travail du juge coordonnateur de la Cour itinérante, Jean-Charles Coutu, nous analysons la posture adoptée par les membres de l’administration judiciaire à l’égard des revendications des dirigeants cris et inuit au moment de la mise en œuvre du système judiciaire. Le cadre temporel de l’analyse est circonscrit entre l’élaboration des principes sous-jacents au système judiciaire nordique (1970) et le premier projet de réforme de cette approche (1989). Alors que l’historiographie actuelle observe le rapport entre les leaders autochtones et les membres de la fonction publique en mettant en évidence leurs divergences, les sources à l’étude nous permettent de nuancer notre compréhension de la situation. En effet, suivant les discussions initiées par les autorités cries et inuit, nous constatons que Jean-Charles Coutu et quelques autres membres de l’administration judiciaire ont mis à profit leur position d’intermédiaire pour contribuer à l’aménagement d’un espace de négociation avec le ministère de la Justice et le Conseil des ministres de Robert Bourassa. Tout en étant limités par leur devoir de réserve, plusieurs fonctionnaires rattachés à la Cour itinérante ont cherché à faciliter le transfert de certains pouvoirs judiciaires à des comités de justice locaux en vue de mieux adapter la procédure à la réalité des peuples autochtones. Bien que ces négociations aient donné peu de résultats observables au sein des communautés cries et inuit au sortir de la décennie, elles restent significatives dans la mesure où elles ont façonné la première politique d’intervention de l’appareil judiciaire en milieu autochtone au Québec (1989)

Perspectives on Adipose Tissue, Chagas Disease and Implications for the Metabolic Syndrome

The contribution of adipose tissue an autocrine and endocrine organ in the pathogenesis of infectious disease and metabolic syndrome is gaining attention. Adipose tissue and adipocytes are one of the major targets of T. cruzi infection. Parasites are detected 300 days postinfection in adipose tissue. Infection of adipose tissue and cultured adipocytes triggered local expression of inflammatory mediators resulting in the upregulation of cytokine and chemokine levels. Adipose tissue obtained from infected mice display an increased infiltration of inflammatory cells. Adiponectin, an adipocyte specific protein, which exerts antiinflammatory effects, is reduced during the acute phase of infection. The antiinflammatory regulator peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) is downregulated in infected cultured adipocytes and adipose tissue. T. cruzi infection is associated with an upregulation of signaling pathways such as MAPKs, Notch and cyclin D, and reduced caveolin-1 expression. Adiponectin null mice have a cardiomyopathy and thus we speculate that the T. cruzi-induced reduction in adiponectin contributes to the T. cruzi-induced cardiomyopathy. While T. cruzi infection causes hypoglycemia which correlates with mortality, hyperglycemia is associated with increased parasitemia and mortality. The T. cruzi-induced increase in macrophages in adipose tissue taken together with the reduction in adiponectin and the associated cardiomyopathy is reminiscent of the metabolic syndrome

Trypanosoma cruzi Utilizes the Host Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor in Invasion

Trypanosoma cruzi, an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease in humans and results in the development of cardiomyopathy, is a major health problem in endemic areas. This parasite can invade a wide variety of mammalian cells. The mechanisms by which these parasites invade their host cells are not completely understood. Our study highlights, for the first time, that the Low Density Lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) is important in the invasion and the subsequent fusion of the parasitophorous vacuole with host lysosomes. We demonstrate that T. cruzi directly binds to LDLr, and inhibition or disruption of LDLr significantly decreases parasite entry. Additionally, we have determined that this cross-linking triggers the accumulation of LDLr and phosphotidylinositol phosphates in coated pits, which initiates a signaling cascade that results in the recruitment of lysosomes, possibly via the sorting motif in the cytoplasmic tail of LDLr, to the site of adhesion/invasion. Studies of infected CD1 mice demonstrate that LDLs accumulate in infected heart and that LDLr co-localize with internalized parasites. Overall, this study demonstrates that LDLr and its family members, engaged mainly in lipoprotein transportation, are also involved in T. cruzi entry into host cells and this interaction likely contributes to the progression of chronic cardiomyopathy

Olendon – Les Feugres

Les nombreuses prospections effectuées au lieu-dit « Les Feugres » ont livré, outre quelques bifaces trapus de grande taille qui avaient été rapportés à l’Acheuléen, des éclats pouvant se rapporter au Paléolithique moyen. Mais c’est la découverte par l’un d’entre nous (J.-L. Piels-Desruisseaux) sur une surface restreinte (environ 100 m2) d’artefacts allongés blanc/crème et surtout beige à brun qui a motivé la conduite d’un sondage visant à évaluer la surface concernée par cette nappe de vesti..

Optimizing end-labeled free-solution electrophoresis by increasing the hydrodynamic friction of the drag-tag

We study the electrophoretic separation of polyelectrolytes of varying lengths by means of end-labeled free-solution electrophoresis (ELFSE). A coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation model, using full electrostatic interactions and a mesoscopic Lattice Boltzmann fluid to account for hydrodynamic interactions, is used to characterize the drag coefficients of different label types: linear and branched polymeric labels, as well as transiently bound micelles. It is specifically shown that the label's drag coefficient is determined by its hydrodynamic size, and that the drag per label monomer is largest for linear labels. However, the addition of side chains to a linear label offers the possibility to increase the hydrodynamic size, and therefore the label efficiency, without having to increase the linear length of the label, thereby simplifying synthesis. The third class of labels investigated, transiently bound micelles, seems very promising for the usage in ELFSE, as they provide a significant higher hydrodynamic drag than the other label types. The results are compared to theoretical predictions, and we investigate how the efficiency of the ELFSE method can be improved by using smartly designed drag-tags.Comment: 32 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Macromolecule

COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Therapy: Long-term Implications

BACKGROUND: The long-term effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acute treatments on postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC) is unknown. The CONTAIN-Extend study explores the long-term impact of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) therapy on postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) symptoms and general health 18 months following hospitalization. METHODS: The CONTAIN-Extend study examined 281 participants from the original CONTAIN COVID-19 trial (CONTAIN-RCT, NCT04364737) at 18 months post-hospitalization for acute COVID-19. Symptom surveys, global health assessments, and biospecimen collection were performed from November 2021 to October 2022. Multivariable logistic and linear regression estimated associations between the randomization arms and self-reported symptoms and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scores and adjusted for covariables, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, disease severity, and CONTAIN enrollment quarter and sites. RESULTS: There were no differences in symptoms or PROMIS scores between CCP and placebo (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] of general symptoms, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.54-1.67). However, females (aOR, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.73-5.34), those 45-64 years (aOR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.14-6.23), and April-June 2020 enrollees (aOR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.10-5.19) were more likely to report general symptoms and have poorer PROMIS physical health scores than their respective reference groups. Hispanic participants (difference, -3.05; 95% CI, -5.82 to -0.27) and Black participants (-4.48; 95% CI, -7.94 to -1.02) had poorer PROMIS physical health than White participants. CONCLUSIONS: CCP demonstrated no lasting effect on PASC symptoms or overall health in comparison to the placebo. This study underscores the significance of demographic factors, including sex, age, and timing of acute infection, in influencing symptom reporting 18 months after acute hypoxic COVID-19 hospitalization

Thromboxane A2 is a key regulator of pathogenesis during Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Chagas' disease is caused by infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. We report that infected, but not uninfected, human endothelial cells (ECs) released thromboxane A2 (TXA2). Physical chromatography and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry revealed that TXA2 is the predominant eicosanoid present in all life stages of T. cruzi. Parasite-derived TXA2 accounts for up to 90% of the circulating levels of TXA2 in infected wild-type mice, and perturbs host physiology. Mice in which the gene for the TXA2 receptor (TP) has been deleted, exhibited higher mortality and more severe cardiac pathology and parasitism (fourfold) than WT mice after infection. Conversely, deletion of the TXA2 synthase gene had no effect on survival or disease severity. TP expression on somatic cells, but not cells involved in either acquired or innate immunity, was the primary determinant of disease progression. The higher intracellular parasitism observed in TP-null ECs was ablated upon restoration of TP expression. We conclude that the host response to parasite-derived TXA2 in T. cruzi infection is possibly an important determinant of mortality and parasitism. A deeper understanding of the role of TXA2 may result in novel therapeutic targets for a disease with limited treatment options