Kern Canyon Fault Quartz Piezometry and Thermometry: How Weak are Rocks in a Deep Fault?

This project is an investigation of the strength of rocks from 10-25 kilometers depth in the Kern Canyon Fault in the Sierra Nevada. When this fault was active, it behaved similarly to the San Andreas Fault in California and the Denali Fault here in Alaska. Deep sections of this ancient fault were brought to the surface of the Earth through erosion. Using a method known as piezometry, I was able to measure the sizes of deformed quartz grains in rock samples, which inversely relates to the amount of stress that the rocks experienced during faulting. I also used a technique known as titanium-in-quartz thermometry (TitaniQ) to determine the temperature of the rocks during faulting deformation episodes. Via the Electron Microprobe in the Analytical Facility at UAF, I was able to measure the amount of titanium present in the deformed quartz grains which directly correlates to the temperature at which these crystals formed. In combining the calculations for stress and temperature of deformation, the strain rate exhibited on these rocks was determined which is used to better understand how weak or strong rocks are at different depths within fault zones

How to Prolong the Career Life of a Practicing Physician: Assessing the Causes and Extent of Physician Burnout in a Primary Care Setting

Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Anchorage in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTHPhysicians report widespread burnout and job dissatisfaction. Institutional and personal changes are necessary for meaningful work and restoration of the joy of the practice of medicine. This practicum project conducted a survey to assess the causes and extent of physician burnout at Tanana Valley Clinic (TVC). The Areas of Worklife Survey-Maslach Burnout Inventory (AWS-MBI) was used to gather data on the causes and extent of physician burnout. Analysis of the AWS-MBI survey data produced by Mind Garden was done by the principal investigator. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) assesses the extent of physician burnout. The Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) reveals causes of burnout and enables directed interventions to help decrease the physician burnout. The data indicate that burnout does exist in two of the three areas of burnout assessed: emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Specific areas in the worklife were identified that cause burnout: workload, control, fairness and value. Suggestion for future direction includes interventions, analysis of those interventions, and an evaluation plan.Signature Page / Title Page / Abstract / Table of Contents / List of Figures / List of Tables / List of Appendices / Chapter One: Introduction / Public Health Problem and Research Gap / Overall Goal / Tanana Valley Clinic / Research Question / Hypothesis / Overall Goal / Key Activities / Impact / Chapter Two: Review of Literature / Work Demands / Burnout / Causes of Burnout / Interventions / Individual Intervention / Organizational Intervention / Chapter Three: Method / Study Design and Theoretical Framework / Sampling / Data Collection / Instrument / Analysis Plan / Timeline / Plan for Protecting Human Subjects / Chapter Four: Results / Aggregate Demographic Breakdown / Histograms of Responses to Individual EE Questions / Histograms of Responses to Individual DP Questions / Histograms of Responses to Individual PA Questions / Cumulative Burnout Data / Aggregate AWS Results / Chapter Five: Discussion / Aggregate Data / Years to Retirement / High Risk Potential for Burnout / Comments / Chapter Six: Impact / Chapter Seven: Strengths and Limitations / Chapter Eight: Public Health Implications / Chapter Nine: Conclusions and Recommendations / Chapter Ten: Future Direction / Recognition / References / Appendice

Does anesthesia type influence breast cancer outcomes?

66 Background: Surgery maintains a central role in the local treatment of Stage 0-III breast cancer. Recent studies suggest patient immunity is altered by general anesthesia (GA), potentially worsening cancer outcomes. A single retrospective case review has concluded that breast cancer patients receiving regional anesthesia with paravertebral block (PVB) anesthesia had better cancer outcomes compared to patients receiving GA, but these conclusions have not been validated. We hypothesized that local regional anesthesia (LRA) would be associated with better cancer outcomes compared to GA. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of Stage 0-III breast cancer patients undergoing surgery in a single center during a nine year period ending 1/1/2010. Patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy or major flap reconstruction were excluded. Data regarding patient, tumor and treatment factors known to influence cancer outcomes were collected. Overall survival (OS), disease free survival (DFS), local regional recurrence (LRR), and ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method with Log-Rank comparison. Results: We analyzed 1,107 patients. Median age was 64 years (range 24-97). Median and longest follow-up were 5.5 and 12.5 years. GA was utilized for 461 (42%) patients, and 646 (58%) received LRA. Initial operation was breast conserving in 796 (72%) and mastectomy in 311 (28%). Forty two patients died from breast cancer (crude mortality 3.8%). LRR occurred in 34 patients (3%). LRA was used more than GA in patients with lower grade and stage, smaller tumors, positive hormone receptor status, and negative nodal status (p&lt;0.001). We identified no differences in OS, DFS, LRR or IBTR in comparison of GA to LRA. Conclusions: Type of anesthesia for breast cancer surgery did not affect cancer outcomes in our institution. This result differs from the only prior published clinical report on this topic. </jats:p