Occupational Cancer Mortality In A Ten Percent Sample Of Males In The Canadian Labour Force, 1965-1979: The Establishment Of A Monitoring System

This study involved the establishment of a system for monitoring occupational cancer mortality in a ten percent sample of males in the Canadian labour force. The system was designed to detect associations between occupations and industries, and specific cancer sites, which merit more detailed study.;Occupational histories of approximately a ten percent sample of the Canadian labour force from 1965 to 1971 were linked to the Canadian mortality data base maintained by Statistics Canada to determine the mortality experience of the cohort between 1965 and 1979, using computerized record linkage. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated for each occupation and industry code, for 33 cancer categories, with the total cohort as the reference population. In addition, occupations were grouped into four social classes so that the mortality for individual occupations could be compared to all occupations in the same social class. This provided an indirect method of controlling for confounders, on the theory that people in similar economic circumstances have similar lifestyles. The mortality of the ten percent sample was also compared to that of the Canadian population as a whole.;The file for analysis consisted of 415,316 males, of whom 41,196 had died by the end of 1979. Statistically significant results (P {dollar}\u3c{dollar} 0.05, 1 sided) with at least five observed deaths in the ten percent sample were compared with four other analyses of occupational cancer mortality, and five reviews of occupation-cancer associations. The results of the 10 percent sample were assessed according to specific criteria e.g. strength, and consistency. The strongest findings included the associations of plumbers and pipefitters with lung cancer, truck drivers with lung cancer, waiters and bartenders with cancer of the buccal cavity and pharynx, and carpenters with stomach cancer.;It was concluded that the above findings, as well as several others merit more detailed study in order to quantify risks and recommend preventive measures. Further follow-up of the ten percent sample would be valuable because the cohort was still relatively young as of 1979, and longer latent periods may be necessary to detect some occupation-cancer associations

Development and assessment of novel methods of exercise testing during treadmill gait in incomplete spinal cord injury

The main study of this thesis monitors changes in cardiopulmonary fitness, peak voluntary force and CAR of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles, and lower limb BMD in two incomplete SCI subjects who participated in a 20-week BWS treadmill training (BWSTT) programme. The main outcomes of the BWSTT study were: a substantial improvement in performance parameters (training work rate, peak work rate (WRpeak) and the distance walked in 15 minutes), an overall increase in VO2peak and peak heart rate (HRpeak), a substantial decrease in ?VO2/?WR and a decrease in the VO2 and HR associated with a step increase in work rate. Accurate identification of an LT, tVO2, and the voluntary peak force and CAR was not established. An increase in lower limb BMD was not identified in the subject who was 2 years post injury. However, encouragingly an increase was shown in the trabecular BMD of the right and left tibia of the subject who was 14.5 years post injury. A novel non-robot-assisted treadmill IET which incorporated nonlinear, equally smooth increases in both speed and gradient was also developed and assessed. The benefits of BWSTT in those with an incomplete SCI have been highlighted in this thesis. It has also been shown that cardiopulmonary exercise testing can potentially be utilised in this population. Whether or not the IETs assessed throughout this thesis provide a true indication of the subjects’ actual cardiopulmonary capacity is debatable due to limitations in their gait pattern and lower limb muscle fatigue. Therefore, the accurate detection of an LT and tVO2 may be key to determining improvements in cardiopulmonary fitness in this population. It is therefore suggested that further study in a larger subject group be carried out to determine the repeatability and reliability of the outcome measures obtained

Making Education Work For Latinas in the U.S.

This study examines the existing knowledge base about promoting Latina educational success, defined as completing high school and then going on to secure a college degree. It also adds to existing research by examining two large data sets - one national, and one California-based for predictors of successful educational outcomes for representative samples of Latina youth who have recently been in high school and college. Finally, after identifying important predictors of success from the existing literature, and the examination of current data, the study incorporates case studies of seven young Latinas who illustrate pathways of women who are finding their way to educational success through high school, community college, and four year universities. Their stories provide a deeper understanding of the challenges that young Latinas encounter in our culture, as well as the promise they represent

Accidental feminists? Recent histories of South African women

This article reviews Helen Scanlon's book, "Representation and reality", and Nombonisa Gasa's "Women in South African history", and locates each against the historiography of South African women's histor

Review of Partnership Working in NHS Scotland

[Abstract unavailable

Not-for-Profit Boards Need to Be More Diverse

Women have made great strides in being represented on not-for-profit boards. But board members from different ethnic backgrounds and visible minorities have made much less progress. Boards with greater diversity are the most effective.York’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit provides services and funding for faculty, graduate students, and community organizations seeking to maximize the impact of academic research and expertise on public policy, social programming, and professional practice. It is supported by SSHRC and CIHR grants, and by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation. [email protected]