Palliative Care In Hospital: Perceptions of Care : A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatu Campus, New Zealand

In New Zealand, as in many other developed countries, a large number of people die in a hospital setting (Broad, Gott & Boyd, 2013). Based on New Zealand’s growing and aging population, this number is expected to increase (Ministry of Health, 2001). Previous studies have investigated how family members perceive palliative care, but there is still a lack of understanding of how families perceive this care in hospital and in particular in a New Zealand context. This research investigated how family members experienced a patient’s palliative care in a medical ward in a New Zealand hospital. Seven participants who were next-of-kin/contact person for an individual who had passed away while on a medical ward in a New Zealand hospital three to 12 months prior took part in semi-structured interviews which were analysed using thematic analysis. As a result of the analysis, five themes were identified: Physical environment, interactions with staff, communication regarding palliative care, identifying and accepting death, and care after death. These results have implications for the way in which palliative care is provided in New Zealand hospitals. Through the consideration of these factors, the experience of next-of-kin/contact people can be improved

Death Prevents Our Lives From Being Meaningful

This article seeks to show that death prevents one’s life from being meaningful on balance. Proponents of what has come to be known as the ‘imperfection thesis’ about life’s meaning claim that it is sufficient for one’s life to be meaningful that one relates to only a non-maximal conceivable value. In many, if not all, contexts, holding the imperfection thesis appears to be the sole reason for supposing that death need not prevent one’s life from being meaningful. Counter to this, it is argued that there is good reason to believe that the imperfection thesis is false, that arguments in favour of the imperfection thesis fail, and that attempts to show that the imperfection thesis can counter the arguments against it in a principled way are unsuccessful. Given this, it can be concluded that the imperfection thesis is false, and so there is no reason for supposing that death need not prevent one’s life from being meaningful

The Potential for Abiotic Methane in Arctic Gas Hydrates

Most methane enclosed in gas hydrates is biotic in origin, formed by microbial degradation of sedimentary organic matter. Increasingly, there is evidence that substantial gas hydrate may also be sourced from thermogenic decomposition of organic matter and subsequent migration of this gas into the gas hydrate stability zone. In addition, there is a third potential source of methane that does not involve organic matter at all— abiotic methane, which can be generated by magmatic processes or gaswater- rock reactions in the crust and upper mantle

Dags in Sheep Grazing Temperate Pastures: Causes and Consequences of Faecal Adhesion to Wool

Dags are the accumulation of faeces on wool in the perianal (breech) region of sheep and are a common problem in sheep fed good quality ryegrass based pastures in New Zealand. Their removal, or prevention, is costly but the consequences of doing nothing are severe. There is a high correlation between dags and flystrike (development of maggots) on sheep with dags, and dags reduce fleece value, live-weight gain and reproductive performance. Information summarised here suggests a range of factors contribute to the incidence of dags: lush (high quality) feeds, high voluntary feed intakes, presence of parasites in the gastro-intestinal tract, ingestion of parasite larvae, ingestion of fungal endophyte and a genetic predisposition to loose faeces. Faecal co elements, dry ground roughage, gums, detergent, serum, lanolin and water and measuring effects on adhesion. Other tests included measurement of faecal form, wool type and diet. Pelleted faeces did not adhere to wool, but interference with faecal form (e.g. mixing faeces) appeared to increase adhesion. It was concluded that faecal form was the most important factor affecting the incidence of dags and although conditions resulting in soft gooey faeces would facilitate their development, the chemical composition of faeces and of pasture were not the principal causes of dag formation. Factors associated with a high incidence of dags may increase the rate of digesta passage through the large intestine and/or alter intestinal function to affect faecal form and the adhesion of faeces to wool

Monitoring dynamic calcium homeostasis alterations by T₁-weighted and T₁-mapping cardiac manganese enhanced MRI (MEMRI) in a murine myocardial infarction model

Manganese has been used as a T₁-weighted MRI contrast agent in a variety of applications. Because manganese ions (Mn²) enter viable myocardial cells via voltage gated calcium channels, manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) is sensitive to the viability and the inotropic state of the heart. In spite of the established importance of calcium regulation in the heart both prior to, and following, myocardial injury, monitoring strategies to assess calcium homeostasis in affected cardiac tissues are limited. This study implements a T₁-mapping method to obtain quantitative information both dynamically and over a range of MnCl₂ infusion doses. In order to optimize the current manganese infusion protocols, both dose dependent and temporal washout studies were performed. A non-linear relationship between infused MnCl₂ solution dose and increase in left ventricular free wall relaxation rate (∆R₁) was observed. Control mice also exhibited significant manganese clearance over time, with approximately 50% decrease of ∆R₁ occurring in just 2.5 hours. The complicated efflux time dependence possibly suggests multiple efflux mechanisms. Using the measured relationship between infused MnCl₂ and ∆R₁, absolute Mn concentration ICP-MS data analysis provided a means to estimate the absolute heart Mn concentration in vivo. We have shown that this technique has the sensitivity to observe or monitor potential Ca²+ handling alterations in vivo due to the physiological remodeling following myocardial infarction. Left ventricular free wall ∆R₁ values were significantly lower (P = 0.005) in the adjacent zone, surrounding the injured myocardial tissue, than healthy left ventricular free wall tissue. This inferred reduction in Mn concentration can be used to estimate potentially salvageable myocardium in vivo for future therapeutic treatment or evaluation of disease progression.M.S.Committee Chair: Hu, Tom; Committee Co-Chair: Rahnema, Farzad; Committee Member: Wang, Chris; Committee Member: Yanasak, Natha

Watching the watchmen:Resisting drones and the “protester panopticon”

The skies as sites of protest are opening up. Protester-operated drones are beginning to appear in the skies above protests: watching the watchmen, installing an additional layer of surveillance, increasing accountability and self-discipline amongst the police. In this way protester drones could be seen as establishing a "protester panopticon", with the police as subjects. This article explores the potential panoptic effect of the gaze upon the police, drawing on sousveillance theory, before using counter-surveillance as a way to explore potential options for police resistance to the gaze of the protester drone. These resistive efforts are broken down into four categories, legislation and regulation, obscuring the gaze, electronic countermeasures and kinetic and physical force

Numerical modelling of the stress regime at subduction zones

The stress regime at subduction zones has been modelled using a visco-elastic, quadratic isoparametric finite element model. An isoparametric model is used because it performs more accurately than constant strain triangular elements (CST) and also allows curved sided elements to be introduced.A method for modelling the frictional sliding on Isoparametric fault elements has been developed by extending Mithen's (1980) CST model. The resulting method is suitable for modelling the deformation on both plane and listric, normal and thrust faults. Graben widths predicted by normal fault models agree with analytic solutions and this implies than Mithen's CST models failed to do so because they were too stiff. Application of this model to subduction zones demonstrates that the slab pull force induces tension in the subducting plate and compression in the overlying plate. Part of the lateral variation in stress which is observed at all subduction zones is therefore inferred to arise from the slab pull force. Differences in the magnitude of these stresses at different subduction zones may therefore be accounted for by local variations in the magnitude or dip of the slab pull force, and also by the extent of the coupling across the plate boundary. Various forces account for the stress regime in back arc regions. Tensional stress is generated by lateral density variations, and the heating and shearing caused by slab induced convection. Compressive stress, arising from the slab pull force, is superimposed upon this. The magnitude of the compression, however, is dependent upon the dip and size of the slab pull force and also the degree of mechanical coupling between the plates at the subduction zone fault. Local variations in the magnitude of the compressive stress may therefore explain why the stress regime is observed to be so variable in back arc regions, and is more commonly tension than compression

The practice of feeling for place: a compendium for an expanded Architecture

This research expands the field of architecture through foregrounding the complexity of place. Activating knowing-through-practising I invoke feeling for place as a political, ethical and aesthetic task. An ‘experimental self’ is identified as an agile condition for reflecting on (performing, presenting and writing about) the practice. Locating the work alongside socially engaged art and critical spatial practices the contribution takes two forms: first, a critique of normative architectural procedures and concepts of agency, instrumental design and disciplinarity, and second, a theorised description of the different techniques developed through the practice. Four ‘tactical ways’ of operating are elucidated providing insight into methods for dynamic, temporary modes of place production

Communication between theory and practice: How student teachers develop theories of teaching

The teaching profession continues to have difficulty in codifying a body of knowledge on which to base pre-service teacher education programs. One problem is the gap between the student teachers’ theoretical beliefs and their practical experiences in classrooms. Student teachers often fail to implement their ideas and instead comply with the status quo in the classroom. Previous research has identified the student as dealing with this dilemma by developing a mind set which places theory in one compartment and practice in another. This paper describes a study of ten student teachers at the end of their training. Their descriptions of their experiences confirm the theory-practice gap but they also demonstrate that they are very much aware of the discrepancy between how they teach and how they would like to teach. It is a situation which they feel powerless to change. Pre-service course objectives need to be aligned with those of professional development programs for practising teachers in order to bring about a convergence of thinking and consequent change in schools

Screening Fresh Forages for Protein Degradation and Nutritive Value

A method has been developed to prepare fresh forages for in sacco and in vitro incubation by freezing and mincing to achieve a particle size distribution of dry matter (DM) similar to in vivo conditions. The method is described and data presented to indicate losses of nitrogen (N) during in sacco digestion and net yield of ammonia from proteolysis in vitro for 22 fresh and conserved forages. Grasses, legumes and herbs were evaluated, with fractional degradation rates of forages ranging from 0.07h-1 with tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) to 0.24 h-1 with chicory (Cichorium intybus). Degradation of protein to ammonia in vitro over 24 h was highest with white clover (Trifolium repens) and about 20% of the nitrogen (N) released during degradation was incorporated into microbial N. These data will assist formulation of forage based total mixed rations for high producing ruminants