Digital Commons Network^™

Environmental Influences On E-Cigarette Use Among Young People, Zoe O. Askwith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

E-cigarette use is a recent phenomenon that is growing in prevalence among young people. The devices often contain various substances, such as nicotine, tobacco, cannabis, and/or flavouring and other chemicals, which may lead to addiction, respiratory issues, and impact brain development. Recent studies have identified various features of neighbourhood environments that may be associated with e-cigarette use. This thesis explores elements of the neighbourhood environment that may be influential in e-cigarette use. It includes a systematic review that examines how neighbourhood environments influence e-cigarette use among young people. It also includes a geospatial analysis of how e-cigarette retailers are distributed …

Environmental Health And Green Space Equity, Shannon James

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Parks and recreational spaces are places that are critical elements of the built and natural environment known to support health and wellbeing. ParkSeek is a Canadian initiative that aims to collect and disseminate information about the population health impacts of parks, recreational facilities, and protected areas. This infographic gives an overview of the findings of a literature search examining the impacts of environmental health and equity on park access in urban settings.

Exploring The Environmental Factors That Shape The Experiences Of Risk For Older Adults, Bernice Chung

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

When a young adult wants to go mountain climbing, rarely do people think it is “too dangerous”. The same cannot be said for older adults. Although life frequently involves risk-taking, older adults are too often positioned as ‘at risk’ and therefore, in need of protection. The problem lies in the way risk is conceptualized as an individually located phenomenon. This narrow view negates the environmental factors that exist outside the control of older adults and that shape risk in older adulthood. I wanted to address this gap, so my research explored the environmental factors that shape experiences of risk for …

Investigating Gene-Environment Interaction In A Double-Hit Model For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Melvin Maroon

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

With the exponential advancements seen in the field of sequencing technology, the science community has come to identify hundreds of potential genetic risk factors for neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite our knowledge that such risk factors exist, we have yet to understand their specific influences on the behavioral profile of an individual. In addition, maternal infection during pregnancy can have longstanding detrimental outcomes on a child’s development. This is especially impactful with the present threat of viral infection during the pandemic. Our study aims to understand the influence of a specific genetic and environmental factor on a preclinical rodent model’s behavioral development. …

The Right To Repair: (Re)Building A Better Future, Jumana Labib

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The goal of this research project was to take a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary approach to research and examine the Right to Repair movement’s progress, current repair practices, impediments, and imperatives, and the various large-scale implications (environmental, economic, social, etc.) stemming from diminished consumer freedom as a result of increased corporate greed and lack of governmental regulations with regards to repair and the environment. This poster exhibits the highlights of my general research project on the Right to Repair movement over the course of this four month internship, and aims to disseminate information about the movement to the wider public in an …

The Financial And Environmental Viability Of Municipally Operated Hybrid Ambulance Fleets In Ontario: Calculating The Return-On-Investment Of Hybrid Ambulance Assets In Oxford County From 2017-2021, Stephen Edwards

MPA Major Research Papers

On October 26, 2017 Oxford County became the first municipality in Canada to deploy gasoline-electric hybrid ambulances as part of their Community Sustainability Plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting low-carbon transportation. The Oxford solution utilizes aftermarket hybrid electric-gasoline propulsion systems that leverage two primary technologies: regenerative braking, which uses the inertia of the vehicle to store energy in a battery cell during deceleration; and acceleration assist, which uses this stored energy to assist propulsion of the vehicle during acceleration events and thereby reduces gasoline consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Due to high demand for aftermarket hybrid propulsion …

Examining How Children's Gender Influences Parents’ Perceptions Of The Local Environment And Their Influence On Children's Independent Mobility, Alina Medeiros, Andrew F. Clark, Gina Martin, Jamie A. Seabrook, Jason Gilliland

Paediatrics Publications

Physical inactivity among children is a public health concern. Children's ability to travel independently is associated with increased physical activity and social connectedness. Consequently, it is concerning that children's independent mobility has decreased in recent years. Studies have highlighted that rates of independent mobility vary by gender; this study analyzed how correlates of independent mobility vary between boys (n = 476) and girls (n = 618) attending 32 elementary schools in Southwestern Ontario. Hierarchical logistic regression modeling methods were used. All analyzes were stratified by gender. For boys, age was negatively associated with travel with peers. Having one or more …

A Comparative Review Of Climate Change And Sustainable Development In Canada And Nigeria: The Path To A Greener Future., Mary Uchechi Nnabara

Master of Laws Research Papers Repository

Over the years, climate change and sustainable development have become global concerns that have attracted global attention. This is owing to the fact that human activities calculated to bring about economic growth and sustainable development have wrecked great havoc and disrupted the balance that exists between growth and the environment. It has therefore become crucial for nations to work towards a common goal which is to fight against climate change in order to achieve sustainable development.

This can be achieved by reducing activities that contribute to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and to climate change. Also, countries will need to …

Beyond The Barbed Wire: Pow Labour Projects In Canada During The Second World War, Michael O'Hagan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines Canada’s program to employ prisoners of war (POWs) in Canada during the Second World War as a means of understanding how labour projects and the communities and natural environment in which they occurred shaped the POWs’ wartime experiences. The use of POW labourers, including civilian internees, enemy merchant seamen, and combatant prisoners, occurred in response to a nationwide labour shortage. Between May 1943 and November 1946, there were almost 300 small, isolated labour projects across the country employing, at its peak, over 14,000 POWs. Most prisoners were employed in either logging or agriculture, work that not only …

Understanding Global Change: From Documentation And Collaboration To Social Transformation, Karen E. Pennesi

Anthropology Publications

The conclusion to the book situates the chapters within four programs of anthropological research on climate change: (1) documentation of local impacts of and adaptations to climate change, (2) connections to socioeconomic and political contexts, (3) collaborations with nonanthropologists, and (4) activism and social transformation. The final section notes the persistent challenges to creating positive change and meaningful research outcomes. It highlights some examples of success and outlines future directions for politically engaged anthropological work around climate change.

Links Between Environment, Diet, And The Hunter-Gatherer Microbiome, Gabriela K. Fragiadakis, Samuel A. Smits, Erica D. Sonnenburg, William Van Treuren, Gregor Reid, Rob Knight, Alphaxard Manjurano, John Changalucha, Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, Jeff Leach, Justin L. Sonnenburg

Probiotics, Health and Nutrition

The study of traditional populations provides a view of human-associated microbes unperturbed by industrialization, as well as a window into the microbiota that co-evolved with humans. Here we discuss our recent work characterizing the microbiota from the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania. We found seasonal shifts in bacterial taxa, diversity, and carbohydrate utilization by the microbiota. When compared to the microbiota composition from other populations around the world, the Hadza microbiota shares bacterial families with other traditional societies that are rare or absent from microbiotas of industrialized nations. We present additional observations from the Hadza microbiota and their lifestyle and environment, …

Viral Etiology Of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fatima Kudaeva

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Viruses can trigger rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or inflammatory arthritis (IA). Our study provides insight into etiology of RA/IA. We analyzed the evidence relating to the risk of RA after viral infections; estimated the distribution of IA onsets over time; quantified the effect of influenza on the risk of IA.

Results of systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the risk of RA/IA is increased after parvovirus B19 and chikungunya virus. There seems to be a risk of RA after chronic hepatitis C (HCV), but whether it is a true RA or HCV-associated arthritis is not clear.

We estimated the distribution of …

Toward Understanding Person–Place Transactions In Neighborhoods: A Qualitative-Participatory Geospatial Approach, Carri Hand, Debbie Laliberte Rudman, Suzanne Huot, Jason A. Gilliland, Rachael L. Pack

Human Environments Analysis Lab (HEAL)

Background and Objectives

Emerging research regarding aging in neighborhoods emphasizes the importance of this context for well-being; however, in-depth information about the nature of person–place relationships is lacking. The interwoven and complex nature of person and place points to methods that can examine these relationships in situ and explore meanings attached to places. Participatory geospatial methods can capture situated details about place that are not verbalized during interviews or otherwise discerned, and qualitative methods can explore interpretations, both helping to generate deep understandings of the relationships between person and place. This article describes a combined qualitative-geospatial approach for studying of …

Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Analysis Of Evaporation From Unsaturated Soils, Seyed Morteza Mousavi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

ABSTRACT

Estimating evaporation from unsaturated soil is important for many applications including agriculture, climate, hydrology, water resources, saturated and unsaturated groundwater flow, slope stability, and soil covers. As an example, the long term performance of soil covers, which are widely used in mining and landfill applications to protect the environment, strongly depends on evaporation from their surfaces.

Evaporation depends on both moisture flow within an unsaturated soil mass, which is generally coupled with heat flow, and void ratio and hydraulic and air conductivities, which are in turn affected by stress and strain and resulting soil settlement. This makes thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) …

Youth Engagement In Artisanal And Small-Scale Mining In The Upper East Region Of Ghana, Lydia Osei

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Youth unemployment remains a prevalent problem in sub-Saharan Africa and many of its governments are grappling with it. Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), however, is gaining prominence in generating employment avenues for the youth. In fact, ASM provides jobs for thousands of youth and is considered to be ameliorating hardships in many rural areas. ASM has therefore been broadly acknowledged as a ‘poverty-driven’ activity. Given the sector’s contribution (both legally and illegally) to rural livelihoods, governments and development partners interested in poverty reduction are uncertain of how to deal with the growth of ASM. Policymakers and development partners seem confused …

A Systematic Review Of Food Losses And Food Waste Generation In Developed Countries, Paul Van Der Werf, Jason A. Gilliland

Human Environments Analysis Lab (HEAL)

The objective of this systematic literature review was to compile and assess food losses and waste estimates, from developed countries, across the food supply chain. The methodology involved systematically identifying studies and extracting, compiling and analysing their estimates of food losses and waste. Of the 55 estimates extracted, from these studies, the most (43·6%) were from the consumption (average 114·3 (kg/capita)/year) part of the food supply chain. On average, total food losses and waste were 198·9 (kg/capita)/year. While this review revealed a high degree of variability of estimates and inconsistent trends for the independent variables: scope of food waste, geography …

Can We Predict Ectotherm Responses To Climate Change Using Thermal Performance Curves And Body Temperatures?, Brent J Sinclair, Katie E Marshall, Mary A Sewell, Danielle L Levesque, Christopher S Willett, Stine Slotsbo, Yunwei Dong, Christopher D G Harley, David J Marshall, Brian S Helmuth, Raymond B Huey

Biology Publications

Thermal performance curves (TPCs), which quantify how an ectotherm's body temperature (Tb ) affects its performance or fitness, are often used in an attempt to predict organismal responses to climate change. Here, we examine the key - but often biologically unreasonable - assumptions underlying this approach; for example, that physiology and thermal regimes are invariant over ontogeny, space and time, and also that TPCs are independent of previously experienced Tb. We show how a critical consideration of these assumptions can lead to biologically useful hypotheses and experimental designs. For example, rather than assuming that TPCs are fixed during ontogeny, one …

Similar Metabolic Rate-Temperature Relationships After Acclimation At Constant And Fluctuating Temperatures In Caterpillars Of A Sub-Antarctic Moth., Steven L Chown, Tanya M Haupt, Brent J Sinclair

Biology Publications

Temperature compensation in whole-animal metabolic rate is one of the responses thought, controversially, to characterize insects from low temperature environments. Temperature compensation may either involve a change in absolute values of metabolic rates or a change in the slope of the metabolic rate - temperature relationship. Moreover, assessments of compensation may be complicated by animal responses to fluctuating temperatures. Here we examined whole animal metabolic rates, at 0 °C, 5 °C, 10 °C and 15 °C, in caterpillars of the sub-Antarctic moth, Pringleophaga marioni Viette (Tineidae), following one week acclimations to 5 °C, 10 °C and 15 °C, and fluctuating …

Digital Refuse: Canadian Garbage, Commercial Content Moderation And The Global Circulation Of Social Media’S Waste, Sarah T. Roberts

Media Studies Publications

The story of a rogue Canadian garbage barge attempting to offload illegal garbage in the Philippines opens this article on techno-trash, in order to underline both the relationships between countries of the Global North with countries of the Global South in matters of waste, as well as to reframe discussions of techno-trash as one fundamentally tied to material things. The definition of techno-trash is then expanded, to cover digital detritus created through an entirely digital set of practices I term “Commercial Content Moderation.” The attempt to offload mounds of e-waste and the similar ways in which a great deal of …

Context-Dependent Egr1 Expression In The Avian Hippocampus., Stephanie L Grella, Mélanie F Guigueno, David J White, David F Sherry, Diano F Marrone

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

In mammals, episodic memory and spatial cognition involve context-specific recruitment of unique ensembles in the hippocampal formation (HF). Despite their capacity for sophisticated spatial (e.g., for migration) and episodic-like (e.g., for food-caching) memory, the mechanisms underlying contextual representation in birds is not well understood. Here we demonstrate environment-specific Egr1 expression as male brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) navigate environments for food reward, showing that the avian HF, like its mammalian counterpart, recruits distinct neuronal ensembles to represent different contexts.

“Why Would I Want To Go Out?”: Age-Related Vision Loss And Social Participation, Debbie Rudman, Deborah Gold, Colleen Mcgrath, Biljana Zuvela, Marlee Spafford, Rebecca Renwick

Occupational Therapy Publications

Social participation, a key determinant of healthy aging, is often negatively impacted by age-related vision loss (ARVL). This grounded theory study aimed to understand social participation as a process negotiated in everyday life by older adults with ARVL. Interviews, audio diaries, and life-space maps were used to collect data with 21 older adults in two Ontario cities. Inductive data analysis resulted in a transactional model of the process of negotiating social participation in context. This model depicts how environmental features and resources, skills and abilities, and risks and vulnerabilities transacted with values and priorities to affect if and how social …

The Child And Adolescent Scale Of Environment (Case): Further Validation With Youth Who Have Chronic Conditions, Gary Bedell, Janette Mcdougal

Occupational Therapy Publications

Objective: To further validate the Child and Adolescent Scale of Environment (CASE).

Methods: Baseline data (n = 430) were analyzed from a longitudinal study on quality of life for youth with chronic conditions ages 11–17 in Ontario, Canada. Internal consistency and structure, and convergent and discriminant validity were examined via Cronbach’s alpha (α), exploratory factor analyses, correlation analyses and ANOVA.

Results: The CASE had high internal consistency (α = 0.89). A three-factor solution was produced with 55% variance explained: (1) Community/Home Resources, (2) School Resources and (3) Physical Design/Access). CASE total and factor …

'I Am Not Disabled. It's My Environment That Makes Me Disabled': A Critical Ethnography Of Age-Related Vision Loss (Arvl) In Older Adulthood, Colleen E. Mcgrath

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis aims to deepen understandings of how various aspects of the environment shape how older adults with age-related vision loss (ARVL) negotiate and engage in occupation. The thesis further raises critical awareness of the ways in which environmental features, embedded in ageist and ableist assumptions, shape and perpetuate experiences of disability for older adults with ARVL. A critical ethnography was undertaken, informed by theoretical concepts drawn from critical gerontology, environmental gerontology, a critical occupational perspective, and critical disability theory. A total of ten older adults with ARVL participated in three data generation sessions consisting of a narrative interview, semi-structured …

Insects In Fluctuating Thermal Environments., Hervé Colinet, Brent J Sinclair, Philippe Vernon, David Renault

Biology Publications

All climate change scenarios predict an increase in both global temperature means and the magnitude of seasonal and diel temperature variation. The nonlinear relationship between temperature and biological processes means that fluctuating temperatures lead to physiological, life history, and ecological consequences for ectothermic insects that diverge from those predicted from constant temperatures. Fluctuating temperatures that remain within permissive temperature ranges generally improve performance. By contrast, those which extend to stressful temperatures may have either positive impacts, allowing repair of damage accrued during exposure to thermal extremes, or negative impacts from cumulative damage during successive exposures. We discuss the mechanisms underlying …

“We Should Be Listening To Our Elders”: Evaluation Of Transfer Of Indigenous Knowledge Between Anishinabe Youth And Elders, Kassandra Kulmann

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Indigenous knowledge (IK) (knowledge held by Indigenous peoples regarding local environments, ways of life and culture) can potentially improve health and environment conditions. This thesis examines IK transfer between Anishinabe Elders and youth. A knowledge translation intervention was applied to address community concerns regarding decline of IK transfer between Elders and youth.

Youth were hired to participate in a summer school and interview Elders regarding environment and health issues. Qualitative interviews were conducted with youth before and after their internships to evaluate their experiences and IK uptake. The summer school and internships were effective for facilitating IK transfer between Elders …

The Levels Of Analysis Revisited., Scott A Macdougall-Shackleton

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The term levels of analysis has been used in several ways: to distinguish between ultimate and proximate levels, to categorize different kinds of research questions and to differentiate levels of reductionism. Because questions regarding ultimate function and proximate mechanisms are logically distinct, I suggest that distinguishing between these two levels is the best use of the term. Integrating across levels in research has potential risks, but many benefits. Consideration at one level can help generate novel hypotheses at the other, define categories of behaviour and set criteria that must be addressed. Taking an adaptationist stance thus strengthens research on proximate …

Health Conditions And Health-Policy Innovations In Brazil: The Way Forward, Cesar G. Victoria, Mauricio L. Barreto, Maria Do Carmo, Carlos A. Monteiro, Maria Ines Schmidt, Jairnilson Paim, Francisco I. Bastos, Celia Almeida, Ligia Bahia, Claudia Travassos, Michael Reichenheim, Fernando C. Barros

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Epigenetics, Eh! A Meeting Summary Of The Canadian Conference On Epigenetics, David I. Rodenhiser, Nathalie G. Bérubé, Mellissa R.W. Mann

Paediatrics Publications

In May 2011, the Canadian Conference on Epigenetics Epigenetics Eh! was held in London, Canada. The objectives of this conference were to showcase the breadth of epigenetic research on environment and health across Canada and to provide the catalyst to develop collaborative Canadian epigenetic research opportunities, similar to existing international epigenetic initiatives in the US and Europe. With ten platform sessions and two sessions with over 100 poster presentations, this conference featured cutting-edge epigenetic research, presented by Canadian and international principal investigators and their trainees in the feld of epigenetics and chromatin dynamics. An EpigenART competition included ten artists, creating …

Bill 150: The Green Energy Act: An Analysis Of Green Energy Politics In Ontario, Peter Markvoort

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the Green Energy Act (GEA) and the economic circumstances that enabled the bill to become law in Ontario. An analysis of electrical power research, planning, and recommendations over the past forty years was conducted. The findings reveal that a variety of changes led to the approval of the GEA, including an environmentally conscious value shift and the economic recession, and the coincidence of these factors allowed forty years of government funded energy research to culminate in a publicly supported piece of legislation.

Science Advice In Environmental Policymaking: An Examination Of Institutional Barriers In The Canadian Federal Government, Christopher J. Popovich

Digitized Theses

Evident in many Canadian federal government and international publications is the recognition of the underlying importance that scientific knowledge has in evidence-based policymaking. Despite this recognition, academic and empirical research suggests that there are a number of barriers preventing the utilization of science in policy. This thesis examines such barriers in the context of environmental policymaking in the Canadian federal government. It uses a collection of multidisciplinary literature, Canadian federal government documents and interviews with officials from the Canadian federal departments of Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Health Canada, to then make generalizations about the …