A4_5 Harvesting the Gas Giants

The four gas giants in the solar system contain more than 80% hydrogen. This report examines the possibility of using this as a fuel source in the future by harvesting it with a spacecraft descending into their atmosphere.   Â

A study of neutral pion production from charged-current muon-neutrino interactions in the T2K near detector (Tracker + ECal)

Tokai to Kamioka (T2K) is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment, whose beam is produced at the J-PARC accelerator complex in Tokai, Japan. This beam is sampled by a near detector, ND280, 280 m from the beam origin and a far detector, Super-Kamiokande, 295 km from the beam origin. The primary systematic uncertainties dominating the oscillation analyses for T2K are related to the neutrino beam flux, cross-section and final state interaction uncertainties. Within this thesis, a first attempt is made to develop an analysis in the ND280 highland2 analysis framework which selects muon-neutrino induced charged-current events containing at least one Pi0. In order to investigate potential differences in the conversion channels of the Pi0 decays, exclusively those which finally convert in the Tracker + ECal regions of the ND280 are considered. The analysis presented selects muon-neutrino CCPi0 inclusive events in the ND280, reconstructed in the Tracker + ECal regions, with an efficiency of 3.2 +/- 0.06% and a purity of 71.7 +/- 0.71%. The analysis detailed within was carried out using data taken from the T2K run periods 2 - 4, which corresponds to 55.19 X 10^19 protons on target (P.O.T). This leads to a prediction of 262.1 +/- 32.8 (Stat. + Det. + Flux + Model Error) events being selected for the NEUT Monte-Carlo (MC), and a total of 316 +/- 17.8 events being selected within the real data. These figures imply general agreement between Monte Carlo and real data. A number of suggestions for future work are described. It is expected that the implementation of these will allow a total CC1Pi0 inclusive final state cross-section measurement and also allow this work to be used in data samples used to constrain future T2K oscillation analyses. Secondarily, a portion of this thesis describes work completed by the author which focused on the implementation of a software solution to a hardware problem, which arised during construction of the ECal modules which form part of the ND280

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing? Patients' and Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of Oxygen Therapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Background: Despite emerging evidence and guidelines, poor prescribing and administration of oxygen therapy persists. This study aimed to explore healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) and patients’ perceptions of oxygen. Design: Semi-structured interviews with 28 patients and 34 HCPs. Findings: Three master themes uncovered: oxygen as a panacea, the burden of oxygen, and antecedents to beliefs. Patients used oxygen for breathlessness and as an enabler; they were grateful to oxygen and accepted it as part of the disease. HCPs used oxygen because it helps patients; it works; and it makes HCPs feel better. But oxygen is not benign and a burden is evident with potential antecedents to beliefs revealed. Summary: The findings suggest that a set of fixed beliefs regarding oxygen exist, influenced by several impacting factors. The perception that oxygen is a universal remedy presides, but is, at times, contradictory. These findings will raise awareness of entrenched cultures, influence future educational and research strategies, and inform policy

Volunteer Researchers: Moving Beyond Cooperators

Engaging volunteer cooperators to perform field research presents a new approach to conducting applied research. We enlisted Extension Service users to conduct research. This allowed for an increased sample size and expanded study area than was possible using traditional approaches. Cooperators received comprehensive training that briefed them on the subject and research protocols. Data were collected via research workbooks and informal written surveys. We obtained acceptable data for demonstrating the efficacy of rodenticide treatment under operational conditions. Unexpectedly, cooperators favored one control method and indicated they would use it in the future, despite no statistical difference between treatment methods

Exploring land-sea interactions: Insights for shaping territorial space

The interactions between land and sea are fundamental to human wellbeing. Within Europe, the 2014 Directive establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning (MSP Directive), which requires EU coastal member states to have marine spatial plans in place by 2021, also requires that MSP authorities should explicitly take into account land-sea interactions. This has stimulated a new phase of investigation into land-sea interactions in Europe. This paper aims to contribute to marine and coastal planning debates by reflecting on one of these investigations, the Maritime Spatial Planning and Land Sea Interactions (MSP-LSI) project. The paper starts by providing a historical overview of the growing attention being paid to LSI within the context of European policy making. This sets the context for the MSP-LSI project and the approach to exploring land-sea interactions it developed is outlined. The paper then uses examples from the project’s case study investigations to highlight and illustrate some of the wider insights the project revealed, both in relation to the extensive spatial footprint associated with selected maritime sectors and how marine space is being shaped by, and contributing to landward activity and governance agendas. It concludes by presenting a case not only for adopting a ‘one space’ perspective in MSP, but in territorial spatial planning and management regimes more generally.</jats:p

Genetic Variants in Immune Related Genes as Predictors of Responsiveness to BCG Immunotherapy in Metastatic Melanoma Patients.

Adjuvant immunotherapy in melanoma patients improves clinical outcomes. However, success is unpredictable due to inherited heterogeneity of immune responses. Inherent immune genes associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may influence anti-tumor immune responses. We assessed the predictive ability of 26 immune-gene SNPs genomic panels for a clinical response to adjuvant BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) immunotherapy, using melanoma patient cohorts derived from three phase III multicenter clinical trials: AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) stage IV patients given adjuvant BCG (pilot cohort; n = 92), AJCC stage III patients given adjuvant BCG (verification cohort; n = 269), and AJCC stage III patients that are sentinel lymph node (SLN) positive receiving no immunotherapy (control cohort; n = 80). The SNP panel analysis demonstrated that the responder patient group had an improved disease-free survival (DFS) (hazard ratio [HR] 1.84, 95% CI 1.09-3.13, p = 0.021) in the pilot cohort. In the verification cohort, an improved overall survival (OS) (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.07-2.67, p = 0.025) was observed. No significant differences of SNPs were observed in DFS or OS in the control patient cohort. This study demonstrates that SNP immune genes can be utilized as a predictive tool for identifying melanoma patients that are inherently responsive to BCG and potentially other immunotherapies in the future

Model-Based Prediction of the Patient-Specific Response to Adrenaline

A model for the cardiovascular and circulatory systems has previously been validated in simulated cardiac and circulatory disease states. It has also been shown to accurately capture the main hemodynamic trends in porcine models of pulmonary embolism and PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) titrations at different volemic levels. In this research, the existing model and parameter identification process are used to study the effect of different adrenaline doses in healthy and critically ill patient populations, and to develop a means of predicting the hemodynamic response to adrenaline. The hemodynamic effects on arterial blood pressures and stroke volume (cardiac index) are simulated in the model and adrenaline-specific parameters are identified. The dose dependent changes in these parameters are then related to adrenaline dose using data from studies published in the literature. These relationships are then used to predict the future, patient-specific response to a change in dose or over time periods from 1-12 hours. The results are compared to data from 3 published adrenaline dosing studies comprising a total of 37 data sets. Absolute percentage errors for the identified model are within 10% when re-simulated and compared to clinical data for all cases. All identified parameter trends match clinically expected changes. Absolute percentage errors for the predicted hemodynamic responses (N=15) are also within 10% when re-simulated and compared to clinical data. Clinically accurate prediction of the effect of inotropic circulatory support drugs, such as adrenaline, offers significant potential for this type of model-based application. Overall, this work represents a further clinical, proof of concept, of the underlying fundamental mathematical model, methods and approach, as well as providing a template for using the model in clinical titration of adrenaline in a decision support role in critical care. They are thus a further justification in support of upcoming human clinical trials to validate this model

Occupational Health and Safety Issues in Ontario Sawmills and Veneer/Plywood Plants: A Pilot Study

A pilot study was conducted within the Ontario sawmill and veneer/plywood manufacturing industry. Information was collected by postal questionnaire and observational walk-through surveys. Industrial hygiene walk-through surveys were conducted at 22 work sites, and measurements for wood dust, noise, and bioaerosol were taken. The aim of the study was to obtain data on the current status regarding health and safety characteristics and an estimate of wood dust, noise, and bioaerosol exposures. The occupational exposure to wood dust and noise are similar to what has been reported in this industry in Canada and elsewhere. Airborne wood dust concentration ranged between 0.001 mg/m3 and 4.87 mg/m3 as total dust and noise exposure ranged between 55 and 117 dB(A). The study indicates the need for a more comprehensive industry-wide study of wood dust, noise, and bioaersols