Women’s Human Rights and Health Equality in Clinical Trials in Canada

Le principe des droits de la personne sur la transparence et l’équité doivent servir de guides aux politiques et activités des compagnies pharmaceutiques. Cet article examine la transparence du processus d’approbation des drogues et de l’égalité des sexes dans les essais cliniques. Les auteurs ont révélé un manque de transparence dans les approches de Santé Canada dans les décisions de régulation des médicaments et une sous-représentation des femmes dans les recherches cliniques importantes

Hermitian K-theory via oriented Gorenstein algebras

We show that hermitian K-theory is universal among generalized motivic cohomology theories with transfers along finite Gorenstein morphisms with trivialized dualizing sheaf. As an application, we obtain a Hilbert scheme model for hermitian K-theory as a motivic space. We also give an application to computational complexity: we prove that 1-generic minimal border rank tensors degenerate to the big Coppersmith-Winograd tensor.Comment: 29 pages. v2: Added section 4 on complexity theor

Insights into the ceria-catalyzed ketonization reaction for biofuels applications

The ketonization of small organic acids is a valuable reaction for biorenewable applications. Ceria has long been used as a catalyst for this reaction; however, under both liquid and vapor phase conditions, it was found that given the right temperature regime of about 150-300 °C, cerium oxide, which was previously believed to be a stable catalyst for ketonization, can undergo bulk transformations. This result, along with other literature reports, suggest that the long held belief of two separate reaction pathways for either bulk or surface ketonization reactions are not required to explain the interaction of cerium oxide with organic acids. X-ray photon spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and temperature programmed decomposition results supported the formation of metal acetates and explained the occurrence of cerium reduction as well as the formation of cerium oxide/acetate whiskers. After thermogravimetry/mass spectrometry and FT-IR experiments, a single reaction sequence is proposed that can be applied to either surface or bulk reactions with ceria

THE UNIT MAP OF THE ALGEBRAIC SPECIAL LINEAR COBORDISM SPECTRUM

In the joint work with Elmanto, Hoyois, Khan and Sosnilo, we computed infinite P-1-loop spaces of motivic Thom spectra using the technique of framed correspondences. This result allows us to express non-negative G(m) -homotopy groups of motivic Thom spectra in terms of geometric generators and relations. Using this explicit description, we show that the unit map of the algebraic special linear cobordism spectrum induces an isomorphism on G(m) -homotopy sheaves

Caregiver Experiences with Publicly Funded and Privately Financed Home Care in Ontario

Home care is an integral aspect of Ontarios health care system. Services provided to individuals may allow them to live with independence within the comfort of their own residence. Over the last decade the demand for home care has risen substantially due to a number of factors including: the growing population, the rising share of individuals over the age of 65, the increasing rates of complex and chronic conditions, trends to faster hospital discharge, and advances in treatments/technologies. Simultaneously, the rise in neoliberalism has led to the restructuring of financing and delivery of health care through market-based models. While ostensibly an attempt to reduce public spending, it is more likely a result of an ideological shift away from state-provided care towards market-oriented service provision. In light of this, in the home care area, the state has been able to reduce its financial obligations by enabling privatization in the sector. The significance of policy change in the home care system and the decisions regarding the balance of the public/private scheme, therefore, have had serious implication for the experiences of those who provide the care the unpaid Informal Family Caregivers (IFC). At present, public funding and provision of care have not kept up with the demand for services, thereby, encouraging individuals to turn to the private market if they find inadequacies in the delivery of publicly funded local home care services (McGregor, 2001). In light of this, the purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of IFC who seek services for their relatives from the public home care system as well as from the private marketplace. In doing so, the goal is to understand the circumstances and challenges faced by these caregivers in accessing care in each of these two systems and obtaining respite from their duties. This knowledge is fundamental to the health care system which seeks to prevent the institutionalization of individuals as well as to minimize health care costs associated with the physical and psychological outcomes of caregiving which may differ in quality. This study is influenced by the work of FP economists to explain inequities in health as stemming in part from the unequal division of labour in society by which women must both gain paid employment and carry out household work (cleaning, cooking, laundry, gardening, taking care of children and the elderly etc.). FPE further draws on the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) concept, which considers how the organization, and distribution of resources such as income and health services interact with the social location of gender to impact health outcomes. The qualitative research approach of descriptive phenomenology is employed to convey and understand the lived experiences of IFC with both the publicly funded and privately financed home care systems in and around the Greater Toronto Area. Quantitative analysis is further used to complement the voices of the participants. By illuminating micro-level individual experiences in relation to broader political and economic context, the development of new theories can take place and lead to further investigations pertaining to the phenomenon of interest. By generating knowledge and creating awareness, the ultimate goal is to influence policies of care and service provision to address issues concerning equity and health

Women in clinical trials: a review of policy development and health equity in the Canadian context

Abstract Health equity in pharmaceutical research is concerned with creating equal opportunities for men and women to partake in clinical trials. Equitable representation is imperative for determining the safety, effectiveness, and tolerance of drugs for all consumers. Historically, women have been excluded from participating in clinical research leading to a lack of knowledge regarding drug effects and their consequences. This paper examines the changes made since the implementation of Canadian policies on the representation of women in clinical trials, the analysis of sex and gender, as well as the discourses that are prominent among researchers. A feminist ethics framework is used to examine the structures that endeavor to elucidate women’s involvement in trials, as experienced under extensive patriarchal history. Scholarly literature and Canadian government policy documents are used to explore the development of clinical trials as pertaining to sex and gender. Findings suggest that women continue to be underrepresented or excluded from important research, highlighting ongoing ethical and justice concerns. Improvement recommendations for policies are outlined

Towards conservativity of ????m–stabilization

We study the interplay of the homotopy coniveau tower, the Rost-Schmid complex of a strictly homotopy invariant sheaf, and homotopy modules. For a strictly homotopy invariant sheaf M, smooth k-scheme X and q >= 0, we construct a new cycle complex C* (X, M, q) and we prove that in favorable cases, C * (X, M, q) is equivalent to the homotopy coniveau tower M-(q) (X). To do so we establish moving lemmas for the Rost-Schmid complex. As an application we deduce a cycle complex model for Milnor-Witt motivic cohomology. Furthermore we prove that if M-2 is a strictly homotopy invariant sheaf, then M-2 is a homotopy module. Finally we conjecture that for q > 0, (pi) under bar (0) (M-(q)) is a homotopy module, explain the significance of this conjecture for studying conservativity properties of the G(m)-stabilization functor SHS1 (k) -> SH(k), and provide some evidence for the conjecture