Changing Tactics: Rehabilitating Canadian Justice for Traumatized Veterans

This thesis examines how military members and veterans with Operational Stress Injuries are treated by Canadian justice systems. It suggests a correlation between mental injuries sustained on operations by military personnel and propensities for military and societal misconduct. By comparing civilian and military processes with American justice counterparts, a plan to improve the existing Canadian legal landscape is proposed. Using an analysis of the underlying philosophy and purpose of military justice, a problem solving diversionary court is recommended, along with legislative and policy amendments. The use of a consent-based Treatment Standing Court Martial would place military justice officials parallel to civilian justice alternative measures programs, and in a better position to break the cycle of recidivism among veterans by addressing root causes. Education to reduce stigma along with military-civilian partnerships are also advocated to enhance the detection of mental illness and to foster early treatment for military personnel and veterans. The overall goals of the work include: reducing recidivism, improving operational efficiency and taking care of military members, veterans and their families

Na+/K+ - ATPase ACTIVITY IN NORMAL AND SICKLE CELL ERYTHROCYTES

Na+/K+ - ATPase activity, was found to be highest in HbSS, followed by HbAS and then HbAA in all the samples analyzed. The enzyme activity was found to increase with increase in temperature and then optimum temperature was found to be 40oC in all the genotypes. The enzyme was also found to obey hyperbolic kinetics. The Km of the enzyme was found to be 0.38mM, while the Vmax was 305.8 µmol Pi/Mg Pr/hr. The enzyme also had activation energy (Ea) of 0.14 Kcal/mol. The differences in the enzyme activity for the various genotypes tested would mean that the rate of Na+, K+ uptake by the active transport mechanism would be in the order, HbSS > HbAS > HbAA. Keywords: Na+/K+ - ATPase, Enzyme, Genotypes, Activation Energy, Kinetics, Temperature, Vmax, Km

Demographic Amplification of Climate Change Experienced by the Contiguous United States Population during the 20th Century

Better understanding of the changing relationship between human populations and climate is a global research priority. The 20th century in the contiguous United States offers a particularly well-documented example of human demographic expansion during a period of radical socioeconomic and environmental change. One would expect that as human society has been transformed by technology, we would become increasingly decoupled from climate and more dependent on social infrastructure. Here we use spatially-explicit models to evaluate climatic, socio-economic and biophysical correlates of demographic change in the contiguous United States between 1900 and 2000. Climate-correlated variation in population growth has caused the U.S. population to shift its realized climate niche from cool, seasonal climates to warm, aseasonal climates. As a result, the average annual temperature experienced by U.S. citizens between 1920 and 2000 has increased by more than 1.5°C and the temperature seasonality has decreased by 1.1°C during a century when climate change accounted for only a 0.24°C increase in average annual temperature and a 0.15°C decrease in temperature seasonality. Thus, despite advancing technology, climate-correlated demographics continue to be a major feature of contemporary U.S. society. Unfortunately, these demographic patterns are contributing to a substantial warming of the climate niche during a period of rapid environmental warming, making an already bad situation worse

Pulmonary vein thrombosis secondary to tuberculosis in a non-HIV infected patient

Tuberculosis has been suggested as an independent risk factor for thromboembolism due to a hypercoagulable state induced by changes in clotting factors, protein C and vascular endothelium. Pulmonary vein thrombosis (PVT) is a rare, potentially serious and life-threatening condition that can be caused by tuberculosis. Its rare occurrence is due to a rich network of venous collateral vessels that drain the lung. PVT can also occur following lobectomy for malignancy, lung transplantation, radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation, sclerosing mediastinitis and following metastatic cancer, such as liposarcoma. Pulmonary vein thrombosis is difficult to diagnose clinically and requires a combination of conventional diagnostic modalities. Systemic anticoagulation, treatment of the predisposing pathology and monitoring of the thrombosis are parts of management of pulmonary vein thrombosis. We present a case of pulmonary vein thrombosis due to tuberculosis. Our patient is a 67-year-old Caucasian male with a past medical history significant for hypertension and hyperlipidemia who came to our hospital with hemoptysis, cough and shortness of breath 1-month duration. He also noticed around 20 pounds of weight loss and night sweats but had no fever. He had no history of travel outside the USA and has never been incarcerated before, but he endorsed that his son has been in Jail before but the son has never been diagnosed with TB. He quit smoking 2 months ago. He was tachycardic, tachypneic and had decreased air entry with crepitation in the right side of the posterior chest. Chest x ray showed multiple cavitary lesions in the right upper lobe area. CT scan of the chest with contrast showed pulmonary venous partial thrombosis in the right upper lobe with multiple cavitary lesions with hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Sputum AFB was positive for mycobacterium tuberculosis and was sensitive for rifampicin. Patient was treated with systemic anticoagulation and anti-tuberculosis medications. Patient’s hospital course was complicated by development of elevated liver enzymes at which time the anti-TB medications were stopped to be restarted one by one with a follow up of his liver enzymes and liver function tests. Our case shows that presentation of patients with PVT is non-specific and needs a very high index of suspicion for proper diagnosis and management to prevent further complications as it is associated with limb and life-threatening complications. It also illustrates the importance of considering PVT in a patient with tuberculosis

Governance capacity and collaborative action in Hong Kong : the structure and dynamics of district level community building

published_or_final_versionPolitics and Public AdministrationMasterMaster of Public Administratio

Démarche d’implantation de l’approche Lean dans la gestion de l’éducation : vers de meilleurs services à moindres coûts?

L’article porte sur l’implantation d’une approche de type Lean visant l’amélioration de certains processus de gestion dans une commission scolaire québécoise. Les approches de type Lean sont caractérisées par la participation active des employés et la réduction des gaspillages. Deux projets d’amélioration sont présentés, l’un portant sur la gestion des factures des établissements d’enseignement et l’autre sur la gestion des archives. La méthodologie de déploiement utilisée est décrite et les résultats partiels sont présentés. Les résultats observés à ce jour montrent une amélioration de l’organisation du travail,une réduction des délais, une amélioration de la satisfaction pour les personnes impliquées et des économies budgétaires

Progress on the CO2 Removal and Compression System

The Carbon Dioxide Removal and Compression System (CRCS) is designed to perform both the Carbon Dioxide(CO2) removal and compress CO2 for further processing. The CRCS was designed as a lower power requirement option to the one currently being used on the International Space Station (ISS). This paper describes the final design, fabrication, assembly, and testing of the integrated CRCS. Initial results indicated that the spiral heaters used did not yield uniform heating within both the adsorption and compression beds. In addition, the heaters for the compression bed were insufficient and an additional HVAC jacket was employed to provide heat to the bed

Detection of Giardia and helminths in Western Europe at local K9 (canine) sites (DOGWALKS Study)

Background Intestinal parasite contamination from infected dogs can place other dogs and humans at risk. A study was initiated to estimate the prevalence of canine intestinal parasitism by collecting fecal samples in cities across Western Europe. Methods Fresh fecal samples were collected from 2469 dogs visiting 164 parks in 33 cities across 12 countries. Each owner responded to a questionnaire focusing on their dog’s signalment and recent anthelmintic treatment history. The collected samples were examined for hookworms, whipworms, ascarids and Giardia using a coproantigen diagnostic immunoassay and microscopy following centrifugal flotation. Results Nematodes or Giardia were detected in at least one sample from 100% of cities and in 93.3% of parks. Nematodes were detected in 57% of parks. Overall, 22.8% of dogs tested positive for an intestinal parasite, with Giardia being the most commonly identified parasites (17.3% of dogs, 83.5% of parks). For nematode infection, 7.6% of all dogs tested positive, with 9.9% of dogs aged  1 month had passed since the previous dose. Conclusions The prevalence estimates of intestinal parasite infections in dogs reported here highlight the need for owner education concerning guidelines for regular testing and treatment, even in older dogs. Failure to adhere to guidelines can result in ongoing transmission of these infections, including those with zoonotic potential. Combining coproantigen immunoassay with centrifugal flotation for diagnostic testing and regular anthelmintic treatment are important measures for ensuring optimal intestinal parasite control