Evaluation of a treatment program for individuals with an intellectual disability who have high risk behaviours

In the past two decades numerous programs have emerged to treat individuals with developmental disabilities who have sexual offending behaviours. There has, however been very few studies that systematically examine the effectiveness of long term treatment with this population. The present research examines the therapeutic outcomes of a multi-modal behaviour approach with six individuals with intellectual disabilities previously charged with sexual assault. The participants also exhibited severe behavioural challenges that included verbal aggression, physical aggression, destruction and self-injury. These six participants (5 males, 1 female) were admitted to a Long Term Residential Treatment Program (LTRTP), due to the severity of their behaviours and due to their lack of treatment success in other programs. Individualized treatment plans focused on the reduction of maladaptive behaviours and the enhancing of skills such as positive coping strategies, socio-sexual knowledge, life skills, recreation and leisure skills. The treatment program also included psychiatric, psychological, medical, behavioural and educational interventions. The participants remained in the Long Term Residential Treatment Program (LTRTP) program from 181 to 932 days (average of 1.5 years). Pre and post treatment evaluations were conducted using the following tools: frequency of target behaviours, Psychopathology Inventory for Mentally Retarded Adults (PIMRA), Emotional Problems Scale (EPS), Socio-Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Assessment Tool (SSKAAT-R) and Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q). Recidivism rates and the need for re-hospitalization were also noted for each participant. By offering high levels of individualized interventions, all six participants showed a 37 % rate of reduction in maladaptive behaviours with zero to low rates of inappropriate sexualbehaviour, there were no psychiatric hospitalizations, and there was no recidivism for 5 of 6 participants. In addition, medication was reduced. Mental health scores on the PIMRA were reduced across all participants by 25 % and scores on the Quality of Life Questionnaire increased for all participants by an average of 72 %. These findings add to and build upon the existing literature on long term treatment benefits for individuals with a intellectual disability who sexually offend. By utilizing an individualized and multimodal treatment approach to reduce severe behavioural challenges, not only can the maladaptive behaviours be reduced, but adaptive behaviours can be increased, mental health concerns can be managed, and overall quality of life can be improved.

The kinetics and induced decomposition on the thermal decomposition of hydroperoxides /

This project is focussed on the thermsLl decomposition of t-butyl hydroperoxide and sec-butyl hydroperoxide at 120°C to 160°C in three alcohol solvents. These are methanol, ethajiol and isopropyl alcohol. The aim of the project was to examine the process of induced decomposition. Thermal decomposition of t-hutyl hydroperoxide and sec-butyl hydroperoxide indicate that these reactions have first-order kinetics with activation energies on the order of 20 to 28 K cal/mole, Styrene was used as a free radical trap to inhibit the induced decomposition. The results permitted calculation of how much induced decomposition occurred in its absence. The experimental resvilts indicate that the induced decomposition is important for t-butyl hydroperoxide in alcohol solvents, as shown by both the reaction rate suid product studies. But sec-butyl hydroperoxide results show that the concerted mechanism for the interaction of two sec-butylperoxy radicals occurs in addition to the induced decomposition. Di-sodium E.D,T.A. was added to reduce possible effects of trace transition metal ion .impurities. The result of this experiment were not as expected. The rate of hydroperoxide decomposition was about the same but was zero-order in hydroperoxide concentration.

The validation of heart rate variability in individuals with spinal cord injury

The current classification system for spinal cord injury (SCI) considers only somatic information and neglects autonomic damage after injiuy. Heart rate variability (HRV) has the potential to be a valuable measure of cardiac autonomic control after (SCI). Five individuals with tetraplegia and four able-bodied controls underwent 1 min continuous ECG recordings during rest, after Metoprolol administration (max dose=3x5mg) and after Atropine administration (0.02mg/kg) in both supine and 40° head-up tilt. After Metoprolol administration there was a 61.8% decrease in the LF:HF ratio in the SCI participants suggesting that the LF:HF ratio is a reflection of cardiac sympathetic outflow. After Atropine administration there was a 99.1% decrease in the HF power in the SCI participants suggesting that HF power is highly representative of cardiac parasympathetic outflow. There were no significant differences between the SCI and able-bodied participants. Thus, HRV measures are a valid index of cardiac autonomic control after SCI.

The effects of yeast inoculation rate and acclimatization to juice on icewine fermentation /

Icewine is an intensely sweet, unique dessert wine fennented from the juice of grapes that have frozen naturally on the vine. The juice pressed from the frozen grapes is highly concentrated, ranging from a minimum of 35° Brix to approximately 42° Brix. Often Icewine fennentations are sluggish, taking months to reach the desired ethanol level, and sometimes become stuck. In 6 addition, Icewines have high levels of volatile acidity. At present, there is no routine method of yeast inoculation for fennenting Icewine. This project investigated two yeast inoculum levels, 0.2 gIL and 0.5 gIL. The fennentation kinetics of inoculating these yeast levels directly into the sterile Icewine juice or conditioning the cells to the high sugar levels using a step wise acclimatization procedure were also compared. The effect of adding GO-FERM, a yeast nutrient, was also assessed. In the sterile fennentations, yeast inoculated at 0.2 gIL stopped fennenting before the required ethanol level was achieved, producing only 7.8% (v/v) and 8.1 % (v/v) ethanol for the direct and conditioned inoculations, respectively. At 0.5 gIL, the stepwise conditioned cells fennented the most sugar, producing 12.2% (v/v) ethanol, whereas the direct inoculum produced 10.5% (v/v) ethanol. The addition of the yeast nutrient GO-FERM increased the rate of biomass accumulation, but reduced the ethanol concentration in wines fennented at 0.5 gIL. There was no significant difference in acetic acid concentration in the final wines across all treatments. Fennentations using unfiltered Icewine juice at the 0.5 gIL inoculum level were also compared to see if the effects of yeast acclimatization and micronutrient addition had the same impact on fennentation kinetics and yeast metabolite production as observed in the sterile-filtered juice fennentations. In addition, a full descriptive analysis of the finished wines was carried out to further assess the impact of yeast inoculation method on Icewine sensory quality. At 0.5 gIL, the stepwise conditioned cells fennented the most sugar, producing 11.5% (v/v) ethanol, whereas the direct inoculum produced 10.0% (v/v) ethanol. The addition of the yeast nutrient GO-FERM increased the peak viable cell numbers, but reduced the ethanol concentration in wines fennented at 0.5 gIL. There was a significant difference 7 in acetic acid concentration in the final wines across all treatments and all treatments affected the sensory profiles of the final wines. Wines produced by direct inoculation were described by grape and raisin aromas and butter flavour. The addition of GO-FERM to the direct inoculation treatment shifted the aroma/flavour profiles to more orange flavour and aroma, and a sweet taste profile. StepWise acclimatizing the cells resulted in wines described more by peach and terpene aroma. The addition of GO-FERM shifted the profile to pineapple and alcohol aromas as well as alcohol flavour. Overall, these results indicate that the addition of GO-FERM and yeast acclimatization shortened the length of fermentation and impacted the sensory profiles of the resultant wines.

Analytical modelling of bacterial migration and accumulation with rate-limited sorption in discrete fractures

An analytical model for bacterial accumulation in a discrete fractllre has been developed. The transport and accumlllation processes incorporate into the model include advection, dispersion, rate-limited adsorption, rate-limited desorption, irreversible adsorption, attachment, detachment, growth and first order decay botl1 in sorbed and aqueous phases. An analytical solution in Laplace space is derived and nlln1erically inverted. The model is implemented in the code BIOFRAC vvhich is written in Fortran 99. The model is derived for two phases, Phase I, where adsorption-desorption are dominant, and Phase II, where attachment-detachment are dominant. Phase I ends yvhen enollgh bacteria to fully cover the substratllm have accllillulated. The model for Phase I vvas verified by comparing to the Ogata-Banks solution and the model for Phase II was verified by comparing to a nonHomogenous version of the Ogata-Banks solution. After verification, a sensitiv"ity analysis on the inpllt parameters was performed. The sensitivity analysis was condllcted by varying one inpllt parameter vvhile all others were fixed and observing the impact on the shape of the clirve describing bacterial concentration verSllS time. Increasing fracture apertllre allovvs more transport and thus more accllffilliation, "Vvhich diminishes the dllration of Phase I. The larger the bacteria size, the faster the sllbstratum will be covered. Increasing adsorption rate, was observed to increase the dllration of Phase I. Contrary to the aSSllmption ofllniform biofilm thickness, the accllffilliation starts frOll1 the inlet, and the bacterial concentration in aqlleous phase moving towards the olitiet declines, sloyving the accumulation at the outlet. Increasing the desorption rate, redllces the dliration of Phase I, speeding IIp the accllmlilation. It was also observed that Phase II is of longer duration than Phase I. Increasing the attachment rate lengthens the accliffililation period. High rates of detachment speeds up the transport. The grovvth and decay rates have no significant effect on transport, althollgh increases the concentrations in both aqueous and sorbed phases are observed. Irreversible adsorption can stop accllillulation completely if the vallIes are high.

Canada/U.S. border crossing: facilitation and constraint

Abstract The aim of this research project is to draw on accounts of experiences ofborder crossing and regulation at the Canada/U.S. border at Niagara in order to illuminate the dynamics of differentiation and inequality at this site. The research is informed by claims that the world is turning into a global village due to transnational flows oftechnology, infonnation, capital and people. Much of the available literature on globalization shows that while the transfer of technology, information, and capital are enhanced, the transnational movement of people is both facilitated and constrained in complex and unequal ways. In this project, the workings of facilitation and constraint were explored through an analysis often interviews with people who had spent a substantial portion oftheir childhood (e.g. 5 years) in a Canadian border community. The interviewees were at the time ofthe research between the ages of 19 and 25. Because most ofthe respondents were 'white' Canadians of working to upper middle class status, my focus was to explore how 'whiteness' as privilege may translate into enhanced movement across borders and how 'white' people may internalize and enjoy this privilege but may often deny its reality. I was also interested in how inequality is perceived, understood, and legitimated by these relatively privileged people. My analysis ofthe ten accounts ofborder crossing and regulation suggests that differentially situated people experience border crossing differently. An important finding is that while relatively privileged border crossers perceived and often problernatized differential treatment based on external factors such as physical appearance, and especially race, most did not challenge such treatment but rather saw it as acceptable. These findings are located within newer literature that addresses the increasing securitization ofborders and migration in western societies.

Far-infrared optical properties of the heavy fermion superconductor UB[E13]

Temperature dependent resistivity, p, magnetic susceptibility, X, and far-infrared reflectance measurements were made on the low Tc superconductor UBe13. Two variants of UBe13 have been proposed, named 'L'- (for low Tc ) and 'H'-type (for high Tc ). Low temperature resistivity measurements confirmed that our sample was of H-type and that the transition temperature was at 0.9 K. This was further confirmed with the observation of this transition in the AC-susceptibility. Low temperature reflectance measurements showed a decrease in the reflectivity as the temperature is lowered from 300 to 10 K, which is in qualitative agreement with the increasing resistivity in this temperature range as temperature is lowered. No dramatic change in the reflectivity was observed between 10 and 0.75 K. A further decrease of the reflectance was observed for the temperature of 0.5 K. The calculated optical conductivity shows a broad minimum near 80 cm-1 below 45 K. Above 45 K the conductivity is relatively featureless. As the temperature is lowered, the optical conductivity decreases. The frequency dependent scattering rate was found to be flat for temperatures between 300 and 45 K. The development of a peak, at around 70 cm-1 was found for temperatures of 45 K and below. This peak has been associated with the energy at which the transition to a coherent state occurs from single impurity scattering in other heavy fermion systems. The frequency dependent mass enhancement coefficient was found to increase at low frequencies as the frequency decreases. Its' magnitude as frequency approaches zero also increased as the temperature decreased.

Heritability of multiple mating by female field crickets, Gryllus integer (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)

The heritability of multiple mating in female Gryllus integer crickets was studied. Two preliminary experiments were conducted to determine when females first mate following the post-imaginal moult and to ascertain whether constant exposure to males affects female mating rate. Female Q. integer first mated at an average age of 3.6 days (S.D. = 2.3, Range = 0-8 days) . Exposing female crickets to courting males 24 hr daily did not significantly alter mating rates from those females in contact with males for only 5 hr per day. A heritability value of 0.690 ± 0.283 was calculated for multiple mating behavior in female Q. integer using a parent-offspring regression approach. Parental females mated between land 30 times (x 9.8, S . D. = 6. 6 ) and offspring matings ranged from 0 to 26 times (x 7 .3, S.D. = 3.4). Multiple mating is probably a sexually selected trait which functions as a mechanism of female choice and increases reproductive success through increased offspring production. Classical theory suggests that traits intimately related with fitness should exhibit negligible heritable variation. However, this study has shown that multiple mating, a trait closely linked with reproductive fitness, exhibits substantial heritability. These results are in concordance with a growing body of empirical evidence suggesting many fitness traits in natural populations demonstrate heritabilities far removed from zero. Various mechanisms which may maintain heritable variation for female multiple mating in wild, outbred Q. integer populations are discussed.

Magnetic properties of the Biâ Srâ CaCuâ Oâ single crystal

The Bi2Sr2CaCu20g single crystal with a superconducting transition temperature equal to 90 ± 2 K was prepared. The irreversibility line of the single crystal for a mgnetic field direction along the c-axis and T* in the ab-plane was determined. The reduced temperature (l - T ) is proportional to H 1.1 for fields below 004 T and proportional to HO.09 for fields above 0.4 T. The zero temperature upper critical field Hc2(0) and coherence length ~ (0) were determined from the magnetization meaurements to be H-lC2=35.9T , H//C2=31.2T, ~c(0)=35.0 A, and ~ab(0)=32.5A,and from the magnetoresistance measurements to be H-lc2 = 134.6T , H//C2=55.5T '~c(0)=38.1 A, and ~ab(0)=2404 A for both directions of the applied magnetic field. The results obtained for Hc2(0) and ~(O) are not reliable due to the rounding that the single crystal exhibits in the magnetization and magnetoresistance curves. The magnetization relaxation of the single crystal was investigated, and was found to be logarithmic in time, and the relaxation rate increases with temperature up to 50 -60 K, then decreases at higher temperatures.

Rate of recession of Niagara Falls /

Includes bibliographical references.

Orientation of Non-Native 2-Monosubstituted and 2,3-Disubstituted 1,4-Naphthoquinones in the A1 binding site of PSI and the effect on the rate of electron transfer : an electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy study

The proce-ss ofoxygenic photosynthesis is vital to life on Earth. the central event in photosynthesis is light induced electron transfer that converts light into energy for growth. Ofparticular significance is the membrane bound multisubunit protein known as Photosystem I (PSI). PSI is a reaction centre that is responsible for the transfer of electrons across the membrane to reduce NADP+ to NADPH. The recent publication ofa high resolution X-ray structure of PSI has shown new information about the structure, in particular the electron transfer cofactors, which allows us to study it in more detail. In PSI, the secondary acceptor is crucial for forward electron transfer. In this thesis, the effect of removing the native acceptor phylloquinone and replacing it with a series of structurally related quinones was investigated via transient electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments. The orientation of non native quinones in the binding site and their ability to function in the electron transfer process was determined. It was found that PSI will readily accept alkyl naphthoquinones and anthraquinone. Q band EPR experiments revealed that the non-native quinones are incorporated into the binding site with the same orientation of the headgroup as in the native system. X band EPR spectra and deuteration experiments indicate that monosubstituted naphthoquinones are bound to the Al site with their side group in the position occupied by the methyl group in native PSI (meta to the hydrogen bonded carbonyl oxygen). X band EPR experiments show that 2, 3- disubstituted methyl naphthoquinones are also incorporated into the Al site in the same orientation as phylloquinone, even with the presence of a halogen- or sulfur-containing side chain in the position normally occupied by the phytyl tail ofphylloquinone. The exception to this is 2-bromo-3-methyl --.- _. -. - -- - - 4 _._ _ _ - _ _ naphthoquinone which has a poorly resolved spectrum, making determination of the orientation difficuh. All of the non-native quinones studied act as efficient electron acceptors. However, forward electron transfer past the quinone could only be demonstrated for anthraquinone, which has a more negative midpoint potential than phylloquinone. In the case of anthraquinone, an increased rate of forward electron transfer compared to native PSI was found. From these results we can conclude that the rate ofelectron transfer from Al to Fx in native PSI lies in the normal region ofthe Marcus Curve.