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Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) affects one in three adults in the US and is characterized by abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. We explored differences in neighborhood conditions and psychosocial factors between men and women across low and high socioeconomic status (SES) groups, and how these differences contribute to the higher risk of MetS in low SES individuals. Our sample included 4,191 individuals aged 45-84 from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds; 3,005 of them were classified as low or high SES for further analyses. We examined the association of MetS with SES for women and men separately using separate Cox proportional hazards models for each group. The mean age was 61 years, 49.2% were women, 43% were White, 9.4% had no health insurance, and 15.2% had less than a high school education. The overall incidence of MetS was 33% for both low and high SES individuals. After adjusting for confounders, low SES women had a 66% higher risk of developing MetS compared to high SES women (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.38 to 2.00). Similarly, low SES men had a 66% higher risk of developing MetS compared to high SES men (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.36 to 2.02). Contrary to expectations, adjusting for these variables did not attenuate the risk, and significant disparities were observed for both men and women across SES groups. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms linking low SES with MetS incidence to address these SES disparities.

The gated community motif occurs frequently within climate and environmental disaster fiction. This thesis investigates its occurrence across three media to establish how the gated community mode of living, as rendered in post-apocalyptic speculative fiction, responds to the threat and consequences of climate and environmental crisis. This thesis combines recent urban studies scholarship with ecocritical theory to analyse the gated communities present in Octavia E. Butler’s novels, The Parable of the Sower and The Parable of the Talents, Neil Blomkamp’s film, Elysium, and Naughty Dog’s video games, The Last of Us and The Last of Us: Part II. Comparative analysis of the motif in each primary narrative reveals how disaster exacerbates the security and segregation this mode of settlement makes possible, resulting in a pronounced Othering of outsiders to these communities. This essay concludes that the boundaries of these speculative gated communities come to symbolise the borders Global North, which rhetorically and physically exclude the migrant Other. As most of the gated communities in these narratives experience catastrophe and collapse at the hands of those they refuse to accept, the texts appear to warn us to expect similar results unless issues of climate justice are not addressed by the Global North today. Grindsamhället (eng. gated community) är ett vanligt förekommande motiv i berättelser om klimat- och miljökatastrofer. Den här uppsatsen undersöker motivet i tre medietyper för att diskutera hur grindsamhället som samhällsform porträtteras i postapokalyptiskt spekulativ fiktion, och hur det ses svara på klimat- och miljö- krisernas hot och konsekvenser. Uppsatsen kombinerar ekokritisk teori med modern forskning inom urbana studier för att analysera grindsamhällen som förekommer i romanerna The Parable of the Sower och The Parable of the Talents av Octavia E. Butler, Neil Blomkamps film Elysium och Naughty Dogs datorspel The Last of Us och The Last of Us: Part II. Komparativ analys av motivet i de primära berättelserna ger vid handen hur katastrofer förvärrar den säkerhet och segregation som samhälls- formen möjliggör, vilket resulterar i en uttalad syn på personer utanför samhällena som Andra. Uppsatsen slår fast att gränserna för de spekulativa grindsamhällena sym- boliserar gränserna mellan det globala nord och syd, vilket retoriskt och fysiskt ute- stänger migranter från syd och konstruerar dem som Andra. Eftersom de flesta grindsamhällen i berättelserna drabbas av katastrof och kollaps på grund av de människor som man vägrar släppa in tycks texterna varna oss för att vi kan förvänta oss något liknande om den globala norden inte ser till att hantera frågor om klimaträttvisa idag.

Intestinal Malrotation is an uncommon entity in the adult population; more so in monozygotic twins, where concordance is expected. In literature, discordant intestinal Malrotation has only been discovered when one twin became symptomatic, and the other was screened. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case of discordant adult type intestinal Malrotation in otherwise asymptomatic monozygotic twins discovered incidentally during Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass (LRYGB).Twins A and B met the NIH criteria for bariatric surgery, neither having symptoms of acute or chronic volvulus or history of intraabdominal surgery. Twin A had a LRYGB performed by a trained bariatric surgeon, noting no anatomic anomalies. 5 months later, Twin B had LRYGB and intestinal Malrotation was diagnosed incidentally.Diagnosis of Intestinal Malrotation is rare in adults, usually discovered after becoming symptomatic or during abdominal imaging for another indication. Two cases of discordant intestinal Malrotation in monozygotic twins have been documented, both discovered when one twin became symptomatic due to acute volvulus, suggesting epigenetic phenomena. When discovered incidentally during surgery, patients can safely undergo their intended procedure, but literature suggests prophylactic division of Ladd's bands, while appendectomy is left to the discretion of the surgeon.Intestinal Malrotation appears to be associated with epigenetic phenomena and if discovered incidentally during surgery, the proposed procedure can be carried out by an experienced surgeon, in addition to division of Ladd's bands and appendectomy.

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology & Health Studies, University of Regina. xxii, 383 p. Background: The underlying causes of low back pain (LBP) have been proposed to be associated with motor control impairments that can result in compensatory movement and spinal instability. The Prone Hip Extension (PHE) Test and the Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR) Test are clinical tools used to test for the presence of these motor control impairments. Movement and muscle activation patterns exhibited during these tests have been proposed to be representative of those employed during gait. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to determine the appropriateness of the PHE Test (Study 1) and ASLR Test (Study 2) in identifying motor control impairments associated with LBP, and to establish the nature of any similarities between each test and the corresponding phase of gait (Study 3). Methods: 50 (PHE) and 44 (ASLR) male and female participants (18-50 years) were recruited and assigned into an LBP or Control group. Motion capture was used to quantify the tri-planar movement of the lumbar spine and pelvis during the performance of each test and the hip extension and flexion phases of gait. Surface electromyography was used to measure the amplitude and timing of activation of the gluteus maximus (GM), hamstrings (HAM), and paraspinal (PS) muscles during the PHE Test; and the amplitude of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), and internal oblique (IO) muscles during the ASLR Test. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) were used to identify which clusters of variables exhibited significant differences between the groups (LBP vs Control) and tasks (Test vs Gait). A post-hoc analysis was performed using univariate analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and discriminant function analyses (DFAs) on the variables identified by the MANOVAs. Logistic regression analyses (LRAs) were used to build predictive models of group membership (LBP vs Control) using the variables identified by the ANOVAs/DFAs. Results: Study 1: The variables that qualified for the LRA were: HAM amplitude, GM amplitude and timing of onset, frontal and transverse plane upper lumbar motion, and transverse plane lower lumbar motion during right leg motion. Significant differences (p < 0.10) in lumbo-pelvic movement patterns were generally within technological margins of error. For the muscle variables, higher activation levels were demonstrated by the LBP group. The final stage of the LRA produced a statistically significant prediction model that correctly classified 86.7% of the Control group and 83.3% of the LBP group. Study 2: The variables that qualified for the LRA were: right EO amplitude, right IO amplitude, and right RA amplitude during right leg motion, and right EO and right IO amplitude during left leg motion. No significant differences (p < 0.10) were detected between the LBP and Control groups in the pelvic motion patterns exhibited. For the muscle variables, higher activation levels were demonstrated by the LBP group. The final stage of the LRA produced a statistically significant prediction model that correctly classified 88% of the Control group and 86.7% of the LBP group. Study 3: Statistically significant differences (p < 0.10) were detected between the PHE Test and hip extension phase of gait in the sagittal plane lumbo-pelvic ranges of motion (ROMs) of both groups. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.10) were detected between the ASLR Test and the hip flexion phase of gait in the frontal plane pelvic ROMs and the sagittal plane pelvic position adopted in the LBP group, but not in the Control group. Although transverse plane ROMs were not significantly different, the direction of motion between the two tasks was opposite in both groups. Conclusions: Studies 1 & 2: During the PHE Test, LBP sufferers do not generally exhibit significantly different lumbo-pelvic movement patterns during the PHE Test, but do exhibit higher GM and HAM activation levels. During the ASLR Test, LBP sufferers do not generally exhibit significantly different pelvic movement patterns, but do exhibit higher RA, EO, and IO activation levels. Assessing the movement or muscle activation patterns as traditionally described during the performance of the tests does not provide clinically meaningful information regarding motor control impairments associated with LBP. However, LBP sufferers appear to exhibit bracing and asymmetrical activation patterns that may be a result of side-dominance. Study 3: There are significant differences in the lumbo-pelvic movement strategies adopted during the PHE Test compared to the hip extension phase of gait, particularly in the transverse plane. The pelvic position adopted during the ASLR Test is significantly different from that of the hip flexion phase of gait; while transverse plane ROMs are similar between the two tasks, the direction of motion is opposite. The motor control strategies used during the tests appear to be quite different than those used during gait, and any inferences regarding the motor control strategies used during gait based on those used during either test are unlikely to be accurate. Student yes

With more and more people using roadways the need for fast and efficient repair work is becoming increasingly important. Lane closures impede traffic flow and result in congestion. To further limit the amount of time lane closures are needed for repair work, calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement concrete has become an increasing popular construction material for its ability to reach adequate strength requirements within four hours. Because of this accelerated repair time, advanced testing methods are needed to verify that the replaced concrete does indeed meet or exceed the minimum compressive strength requirements. The maturity method is one test used to determine if the replaced concrete has met the minimum compressive strength requirements. However, limited research has been done on the effectiveness of the maturity method on rapid-setting CSA concretes. The current work provides a description of an experiment conducted on three different CSA concrete mixtures at four different ambient temperatures. Maturity index curves are generated based on three different types of reference concrete cylinders. Estimated compressive strength of replica concrete pavement repair slabs are compared based on each curve generated by the reference cylinders. The maturity curves generated for each mixture are then evaluated at each ambient temperature to identify limitations of the maturity method. It is concluded that later age (after seven days) maturity index values inaccurately predict the strength of the concrete mixture. It was also determined that special precautions should be in place if CSA concretes are placed at temperatures below 40 °F. Additionally, the total volume of the CSA concrete placed plays a large role in the maturity rate of the CSA.

Membrane-based Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV) have become an important part of modern ventilation systems for commercial and residential buildings due to their high sensible and latent effectiveness. Using ERVs in winter conditions, however, can result in condensation and frost formation. Whereas frost formation requires extremely low temperatures, condensation can occur even in mild winter weather conditions. In this study, a widely used ERV is experimentally tested under various indoor and outdoor operating conditions. Short time tests are used to determine the onset of condensation while long time tests are used to investigate the effect of channel blockage due to condensation on pressure drop and effectiveness of the ERV. The presence of condensation is inferred from visual observation of water in the exchanger, investigation of the sensible and latent effectiveness, and measurements of pressure drop over the exchanger. It is shown that condensation increases the sensible effectiveness of the supply side and decreases the sensible effectiveness of the exhaust side. Additionally, the latent effectiveness of both air streams increases when condensation occurs, although the increase in exhaust side latent effectiveness is more significant. Increasing the relative humidity and temperature of the indoor air increases the possibility of condensation and its rate, while increasing flowrate only increases the rate of condensation and does not affect its onset. Finally, the accumulation of water in the channels significantly increases the pressure drop in the exhaust side while it does not significantly impact the effectiveness.

We aimed to evaluate changes in thyroid gland size during the treatment of malignancies outside the head and neck with chemotherapy and/or external beam radiation. We performed a retrospective review of records of adult patients treated at our institution with external beam radiation to the chest and/or chemotherapy with taxanes, alkylating agents, and/or a topoisomerase II inhibitor. Neck and chest computed tomography (CT) images were used to calculate thyroid gland volume before and after therapy, using Vitrea(®) software or the volumetric ellipsoid method. Thirty-seven patients were included. After treatment, there was a significant reduction in thyroid gland volume of 14.0% (P < 0.01) using Vitrea and 17.1% (P < 0.05) using the volumetric ellipsoid method. Exposure to radiation or chemotherapy was not found to be associated with the degree of thyroid gland reduction, nor was the number of days between CT scans or the stage of the malignancy being treated. Finally, the degree of thyroid gland size reduction did not predict mortality. Our results showed that the treatment of malignancies outside the head and neck with chemotherapy and/or external beam radiation results in a reduction in thyroid gland size. The impact on thyroid gland function remains unknown.

Additional file 1. PRISMA-P Checklist

Inflammation of the bovine uterus in the post-partum period is common. However, a proportion of cows fail to resolve this inflammation by 21 days post-partum (DPP), resulting in cows presenting with purulent vaginal discharge (PVD). PVD inhibits reproductive efficiency in dairy cows internationally however its effects on dairy cows in the Irish pasture-based grazing system are unclear. Our group previously identified that 7 DPP is an important time point in the development of uterine disease. Therefore, we hypothesise that PVD leads to sub-optimal levels of reproduction in the Irish dairy herd and that markers of inflammation at 7 DPP that can predict cows that will present with PVD at 21 DPP. To determine the effects of PVD, a total of 440 mixed-parity Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were assessed for PVD at 21 DPP by vaginal mucus scoring (VMS). Cattle were classified as healthy (VMS 0; clear or no vaginal exudate) or as having PVD (VMS 1-3; presence of purulent material in the vaginal exudate). The 305-day milk kg, milk protein kg and milk fat kg yield prior to and after disease diagnosis, services per conception and the calving-conception period (CCP) were recorded. Healthy cows and cows with PVD had similar milk component yield. Cows with PVD had an 9 day longer calving interval and a 34% higher risk of having a longer calving interval than healthy cows. Odds ratio analysis determined that cows with PVD were more likely to fail to conceive and to have lower conception rates than healthy cows. Cows were retrospectively categorised with “low” or “high” milk yield based on being above or below the median 305-day milk kg yield of the study population (6571 kg) in the lactation prior to vaginal mucus scoring. “High” yielding cows were more likely to present with PVD on 21 DPP, to have impaired fertility and a significantly longer in cows PVD than their healthy counterparts. We hypothesised that the circulating concentrations of vitamin D, a potent immunomodulator, are lower in cows with PVD at 7 DPP and are correlated with the acute phase protein alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) and metabolites ( ß-hydroxybutyrate (ßHB), NEFA and glucose). In total, concentrations of the vitamin D metabolite 25(OH)D3 in 557 mixed-parity Holstein-Friesian at pre-calving, calving, 7 DPP and 21 DPP were measured in blood samples. The only significant difference found was at 7 DPP where healthy cows had higher circulating 25(OH)D3 concentrations than cows with PVD. In high yielding cows, there were no 25(OH)D3 concentration variances between healthy cows and cows with PVD at any timepoint. The 7 DPP concentrations of AGP, ßHB, NEFA and glucose were similar between healthy cows and cows with PVD and there were no correlations between 25(OH)D3 and any marker in healthy cows or cows with PVD. These results reveal that although vitamin D did not modulate the inflammatory markers at 7 DPP, it is apparent that elevated vitamin D consumption occurs in cows with subsequent PVD at this stage. With this knowledge, we hypothesised that a single or a panel of prognostic biomarkers that can accurately predict the onset of PVD is obtainable at 7 DPP. We included the relative abundance of 5 reproductive tract bacterium that are known to be highly expressed in cows with PVD, the quantities of 37 glycoforms of Immunoglobulin G and previous markers for a total of 54 biomarkers. Accuracy was determined using receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curves. At 7 DPP, a combination of IgG glycoforms 6 and 9 could identify cows with PVD at 21 DPP (AUC=0.77). The same combination could distinguish between healthy cows and cows with PVD (AUC=0.88) with an above median 305-day milk yield in the previous lactation. Our results yielded a biomarker combination with an effective ability to identify cows at 7 DPP that will present with PVD at 21 DPP. This promising finding will have positive implications for future herd health and welfare.

Enthalpy exchangers using water vapor perm-selective membranes are used in building ventilation systems due to their small footprint, simplicity, reduced contaminant crossover, and relatively high efficiency. Moisture permeation properties of the membrane media that vary with operating air humidity and temperature lead to significant changes in the performance of an enthalpy exchanger and thus the whole ventilation system, impacting building energy efficiency. Evaluation of the actual energy savings potential of such energy recovery devices in building ventilation systems requires models that account for this variable membrane performance. A theoretical model is developed for current generation asymmetric composite membranes used in enthalpy exchangers. This model predicts the membrane permeability as a function of local values of air humidity and temperature, based on a limited number of kinetic water vapor sorption tests of the membrane material. The membrane model is coupled with a finite-difference model of the conjugate heat and mass transfer in full cross-flow enthalpy exchanger cores. The model predictions are validated against experimental data of a commercial-scale enthalpy exchanger. The model is used to predict the influence of outdoor air parameters (temperature, humidity) on an enthalpy exchanger and the predictions are compared against a baseline case that assumes constant membrane permeability. Such assumption can result in deviations in effectiveness predictions by up to 15%. Depending on the mode of operation, outdoor air relative humidity can increase or decrease the effectiveness of enthalpy exchangers by up to 12%. In contrast, outdoor air temperature appears to have only a minimal influence on effectiveness parameters.

Knowledge regarding complex radiation responses in biological systems can be enhanced using genetically amenable model organisms. In this manuscript, we reviewed the use of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), as a model organism to investigate radiation’s biological effects. Diverse types of experiments were conducted on C. elegans, using acute and chronic exposure to different ionizing radiation types, and to assess various biological responses. These responses differed based on the type and dose of radiation and the chemical substances in which the worms were grown or maintained. A few studies compared responses to various radiation types and doses as well as other environmental exposures. Therefore, this paper focused on the effect of irradiation on C. elegans, based on the intensity of the radiation dose and the length of exposure and ways to decrease the effects of ionizing radiation. Moreover, we discussed several studies showing that dietary components such as vitamin A, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and polyphenol-rich food source may promote the resistance of C. elegans to ionizing radiation and increase their life span after irradiation.