The 18th and 19th century Cree landscape of west central Saskatchewan : implications for archaeology

The eighteenth and nineteenth century Crees of west central Saskatchewan are the focus of this thesis. This research has involved obtaining information relating to the cultural landscape of these Crees for the period encompassed by the study. An examination of one aspect of this cultural landscape, the named landscape, has been the primary aim of this research. Information regarding the named landscape of these Crees was obtained from relevant historic documents and ethnographic research. A number of historic documents have been consulted in this study. In particular, much use has been made of the journal accounts of Hudson's Bay Company traders who travelled to the study region in the mid 1700s. Ethnographic fieldwork was undertaken with elders from several of the study region's Cree communities who provided information on the traditional named landscape. The relationship that existed historically between the Crees of west central Saskatchewan and their landscape is the subject of this thesis. How this information relates to archaeological interpretations in the study region has also been considered. Guiding this research has been an approach which considers the cultural landscape as representing a socially construed space. An examination of named localities from the study area indicates that the named landscape of the region's Crees did not significantly change over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This suggests that the relationship of these Crees to their landscape, how they conceptualized, structured and organized this environment, also remained largely unchanged throughout this period

The Impact of Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises on Vocal Function in Singers: Straw Phonation vs. Lip Trill

Singing and acting teachers have used semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTs) for many years to help elicit easier and more efficient vocal production. There is limited research on SOVTs and the application to singers. Straw phonation and lip trills are two of the more common SOVTs utilized. The purpose of this study was to assess the outcomes from lip trill versus straw phonation exercises with adult singers. The study is designed to assess whether lip trill produces as much change as that induced by straw phonation. The primary outcome measures were singing voice-related quality of life as measured by the Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI), singer’s perceived physical functioning of their voice as indexed by the Evaluation of the Ability to Sing Easily (EASE), and auditory-perceptual ratings of overall voice quality on the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V). There were fourteen professionally trained singers in two groups, straw phonation and lip trill. They completed 21 days of exercise with either straw phonation or lip trill completed four times a day in five minute increments spread across the day. They had one meeting a week for a total of three meetings with study personnel who reviewed their completion of the exercises. A 2 x 2 (Time: Pre- vs. Post-exercise; Group: straw phonation vs. lip trill) analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant main effect of Time but not Group for ratings of the physical functioning of the voice (EASE). The interaction effect was not significant. The direction of the change on the EASE indicated a perceived improvement in physical functioning of the voice after completing SOVT exercises. The main and interaction effects for the SVHI were not significant. Ratings from the CAPE-V had unacceptable listener reliability so analysis was not performed on these data. The results suggested that EASE scores improved after three weeks of an SOVT, and there was no difference between the two SOVT groups. Additional study is required to determine optimal dosing and to further explore the acoustic and physiological changes that coincide with the self-rated changes in physical functioning of the voice

Innovative algorithm to evaluate the capabilities of visual, near infrared, and infrared technologies for the detection of veins for intravenous cannulation

Intravenous cannulation is the process of inserting a cannula into a vein to administrate medication, fluids, or to take blood samples. The process of identification and of locating veins plays an important role during the intravenous cannulation procedure to reduce health care costs and the suffering of patients. This paper compares the three technologies used to assess their suitability and capability for the detection of veins to support the cannulation process. Three types of cameras are used in this study; a visual, an infrared, and a near infrared. The collected images, 103 in total, from the three technologies have been analyzed using a wide range of image processing techniques and compared with identification templates to evaluate the performance of each technology. The results show that the near infrared technology supported by suitable LED illumination is the most effective for the visualization of veins. However, infrared thermography is found to be successful when followed by a cold stimulation

Reintubation in critically ill patients: Procedural complications and implications for care

Introduction: In critically ill patients, re-intubation is common and may be a high-risk procedure. Anticipating a difficult airway and identifying high-risk patients can allow time for life-saving preparation. Unfortunately, prospective studies have not compared the difficulty or complication rates associated with reintubation in this population. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a prospective registry of in-hospital emergency airway management, focusing on patients that underwent multiple out-of-operating room intubations during a single hospitalization. Our main outcomes of interest were technical difficulty of intubation (number of attempts, need for adjuncts to direct laryngoscopy, best Cormack-Lehane grade and training level of final intubator) and the frequency of procedural complications (aspiration, arrhythmia, airway trauma, new hypotension, new hypoxia, esophageal intubation and cardiac arrest). We compared the cohort of reintubated patients to a matched cohort of singly intubated patients and compared each repeatedly intubated patient's first and last intubation. Results: Our registry included 1053 patients, of which 151 patients (14%) were repeatedly intubated (median two per patient). Complications were significantly more common during last intubation compared to first (13% versus 5%, P = 0.02). The most common complications were hypotension (41%) and hypoxia (35%). These occurred despite no difference in any measure of technical difficultly across intubations. Conclusion: In this cohort of reintubated patients, clinically important procedural complications were significantly more common on last intubation compared to first

Meeting the Gulf energy challenges for the 21st century

Energy has long been a major factor in the development of countries and their economies. Concerns relating to environmental pollution, economic diversification, and regional competitiveness have recently intensified in the Gulf region, and the area is now attempting to overcome its energy challenges systematically

Energy sector development and carbon abatement challenges in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar

The issue of climate change is high on the global agenda, and the hydrocarbon-rich countries of the Gulf region are no exception. While the Gulf countries initially resisted the drafting of an international climate agreement for many years, they have now finally realized that decarbonization is not only necessary for their continued existence due to the threat of climate change, but that it would assist in reducing their hydrocarbon demand and meeting their economic diversification goals. This research focuses on how Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar could achieve the decarbonization goals of their Paris Agreement (COP 21) pledges by analyzing the potential impact that various carbon reduction frameworks, such as carbon trading, carbon taxation, and command and control regulations, would have on their economic development. The key questions posed in this paper are whether carbon reduction mechanisms could be a viable way to reduce domestic hydrocarbon demand, and if so, which carbon reduction model would be preferable, and how it should be optimally designed to meet the Paris Agreement commitments? These questions are answered by examining the contours of the energy sectors of the three selected countries, the evolution of their negotiating positions during the various international climate negotiations, and an analysis of the various carbon reduction frameworks and how they might best be designed to optimally decarbonize their macroeconomies. My principal findings are that Saudi Arabia and the UAE would be best placed to implement national carbon markets in their respective jurisdictions, due to their large industrial bases and downstream sectors, as well as their relatively mature economies and growing populations. In Qatar’s case, my research discovered that a command-and-control carbon reduction framework would work optimally because Qatar’s small size, both in population and industrial base, would more efficiently allow direct regulation. This research is an important contribution because as it showed that the Gulf countries may have taken a circuitous route to recognize the importance of combatting climate change, but now they are investing billions of dollars in alternative (nuclear+renewable) projects, implementing robust energy efficiency codes, and announcing, in the case of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, ambitious net-zero goals. As a result, understanding how they may arrive at their Paris Agreement pledges is critical for understanding the potential evolution of the region’s development and the contours of the future global energy market. </p