Digital Commons Network^™

Bee Cities And More-Than-Human Communities: Protecting Pollinators In The Anthropocene, Jennifer Marshman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Grounded in political ecology and the ecological humanities, the aim of this research is to examine the Bee City movement as a conservation engagement strategy at the municipal level. While pollinator research occurs from a variety of perspectives – biology, entomology, phylogeny, ecology, and agricultural sciences - social engagement strategies and the human dimensions of pollinator conservation have yet to be widely investigated. This research questions if these strategies put in place, and contribute to, important political and socio-ecological mechanisms in the local context. Through a collective case study methodology, this research points to the Bee City movement as a …

Alpine Shrub Tundra Water Storage And Runoff Dynamics In The Mackenzie Mountains, Sahtú Territory, Nt, Geoffrey Kershaw

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Alpine regions receive large volumes of precipitation and are important to local and regional water balances, particularly during baseflow periods of winter cold and summer drought when the larger basin area is frozen and/or water limited. Alpine headwaters in western Canada are expected to warm and receive more precipitation during the coming decades, with implications for groundwater recharge and streamflow generation within these systems and the regional river networks to which they contribute. Throughout the North, thawing peat plateaus and other ice-rich permafrost features are resulting in an increased extent of thermokarst and wetland land cover. This transition places infrastructure …

Impacts Of Changing Permafrost Conditions On Vegetation Productivity In The Northern Boreal Forest, Emily Ogden

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Vegetation productivity across the boreal forest has increased over the past several decades. However, at a regional scale there is large variation from increased (greening) to decreased (browning) productivity and large areas with no measured change. Some of this variation can be explained by disturbances, such as wildfire, or by increased climate variability. In northern regions underlain by permafrost, the interactions between climate, disturbance, and vegetation productivity may be more complex. For my thesis, I used a time-series of ground thermal data from permafrost monitoring sites established by the Geological Survey of Canada along a latitudinal transect of the Northwest …

Exploring Visitor Perceptions And Behaviours Related To Ticks And Lyme Disease Risk In An Ontario Protected Area, Ryan Brady

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne zoonosis in North America and over the past decade, reported cases of the disease have been rapidly increasing in many regions throughout Canada. The relative novelty of this public health threat presents nature-based tourism and recreation organizations with a range of policy and management challenges. Currently, there is a limited understanding of public perceptions and behaviours associated with tick and Lyme disease risk, especially within a Canadian parks and protected areas visitation and visitor experience context. To address this practical and scholarly knowledge gap, this study utilized in-situ surveys to explore visitor perceptions, …

Biyyaa Baanus Biyyi Nu Keessaa Hinbaatu: Changing Gender Norms And Traditional Mediation Impacts On Marriage Among Ethiopian Immigrants In Three Southwestern Ontario Cities, Dinku Korsa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract Immigrant spouses face culture shock in the host countries because they are disconnected from their social fabric and, at the same time, must adhere to the host countries' lifestyles. One of the immigrants' spouses' challenges is the marital conflicts that arise because of changing gender norms in the host countries and the absence of family support to solve their conflicts. The purpose of this study is to examine changing gender norms and traditional meditation's impact on marriage among Ethiopian immigrants living in Kitchener, Waterloo and Guelph. The study asks overarching research question: what is the impact of changing gender …

The Untended Garden: How Adoptees Navigate Relationships With First Family Members, Dawn Michele Mccormick Tracz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research explores how people who were adopted over the age of 6 years old in open adoption arrangements navigate ongoing relationships with first family members. It explores perceptions of how a connection with both adoptive and first family members impacts self-concept. Using an interpretivist-constructivist lens, the narratives of four women are presented and analyzed. In addition to qualitative interviews, each participant was invited to create images that represented relationships with significant family members. The narratives are re-presented in detail adhering closely to the teller’s organization and emphases. In the analysis, themes related to relationships with first family members and …

From A “Cheli” In Nepal To A “Khadama” In The Arabian Gulf Countries: The Local-Global Entanglements And Gendered Labour Migration Governance, Hari Kc

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation explores: In what ways does gender operate as a governing code in Nepal’s labour migration governance? This question is answered in three specific ways. First, it explores how the gender codes in the Nepali society conjoin global forces to create structural conditions for women’s transnational labour migration. Second, it examines how the Nepali state – within the regional/global geopolitics – embraces the gendered labour migration policy to produce, reproduce, and perpetuate the gender codes. Third, it explicates the ways in which women migrating for domestic work in the Arabian Gulf countries resist and subvert the gender codes while …

“The System Is Not Set Up For Individuals With Fasd”: Lived And Caregiver Perspectives Regarding Current And Ideal Housing Supports For Canadian Adults With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Siann Gault

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Past work has demonstrated adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) often require lifelong support with daily life activities. However, very little is understood regarding daily living supports for adults with FASD, and current research has heavily relied on proxy-reports rather than lived experiences. To promote self-determination in the provision of support for adults with FASD, the current study highlights both the perspectives of Canadian adults with FASD living in a variety of arrangements as well as caregivers who support adults with FASD to examine: 1) current ways adults with FASD are supported with daily life activities, and 2) ideal …

An Exploration On The Barriers To Accessing Mental Health Services Among South Asian Youth, Oeishi Faruquzzaman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research in Canada and the United States has found that South Asians routinely underutilize mental health services, however research on the barriers experienced by South Asians is limited, especially research regarding the experiences of South Asian youth (Inman et al., 2014; Islam et al., 2017; Karasz et al., 2016). Through a series of semi-structured interviews (N=20) with South Asian youth between the ages 16 to 27 in the Greater Toronto Area, the present study explores South Asian youths’ experiences accessing mental health services and the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and service use. Thematic analysis of interview data reveal …

When A Seat At The Table Is Not Enough: A Participatory Action Research Study On Collaborative Partnerships In Ontario Developmental Services Organizations, Kaylagh Vanwyck

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Historically, Ontario’s developmental services (DS) has evolved largely guided by the knowledge and direction of non-disabled service providers and government. However, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities promotes the participation of people labeled with disabilities in decision-making processes about the programs and policies that impact their lives. Existing theories and literature reveal the importance of collaborative partnerships where power is shared with service users through participatory decision-making, shared leadership, and opportunities to participate with influence. Four self-advocates labeled with developmental disabilities collaborated as co-researchers in this participatory action research study to explore what model of collaborative …

The Role Of Ovarian Hormones In Appetite-Regulation: Examining The Post-Exercise Appetite Response In Pre- Vs Post-Menopausal Females, Jessica A.L. Tucker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

INTRODUCTION: Appetite fluctuates across the menstrual cycle, suggesting ovarian hormones are involved in the regulation of appetite hormones and energy intake. Exercise is another regulator of appetite with higher intensity exercise generating a greater and more consistent suppression. Considering there is limited evidence investigating the role of ovarian hormones in appetite regulation, menopause represents a stage of life where ovarian function declines, thus providing an opportunity to further explore the role of ovarian hormones in the appetite-regulatory response to exercise. PURPOSE: To examine the role of ovarian hormones on appetite-regulating hormones in pre- and post-menopausal females following a …

Diversity And Evolution Of Inflorescences In Cuscuta, Morgan Glofcheskie

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cuscuta (dodder) includes ca. 200 species of plant obligate stem parasites with both ecological and economical significance. Inflorescences have been historically used in Cuscuta for species descriptions and identification keys, but no comprehensive study exists to date. The main objective of this study was to survey the diversity of inflorescences, and to understand their evolution and possible form-function relationships. The inflorescence architecture of 132 Cuscuta taxa was analyzed using herbarium specimens, and eight species were grown to study their inflorescence development. Inflorescence traits were mapped into a genus phylogeny obtained from a combined analysis of nuclear ITS and plastid trnL-F …

Examining Harm Reduction In Housing First For Youth Experiencing Homelessness And Concurrent Mental Health And Substance Use Issues, Victoria Rozycki

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Purpose: Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) is a youth-focused adaptation of the well-established Housing First (HF) program model to housing and service provision for individuals experiencing homelessness. Given that the experience of youth homelessness is associated with an increased likelihood of substance use issues, a central tenet of the HF4Y framework is the use of a harm reduction approach to substance use and addictions. However, research on HF4Y programming has yet to examine how harm reduction is specifically being implemented in these settings. The purpose of this thesis was to examine how the principles and philosophies of harm reduction are …

Adaptive Capacity And Mobility In The Bahamas: Examining The Social Costs Of Displacement In Response To Hurricane Dorian, Kearney Coupland

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In 2021, over 30 million people were displaced by disasters, most of which were weather related and nearly half of which were the result of storms. While research on disaster displacement has provided broad observations of post-hurricane human mobility and the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics that influence displacement, few studies examine the factors that influence household mobility decisions after a disaster. My dissertation uses a primarily qualitative research approach to empirically investigate the relationship between mobility and the capacity of displaced households to cope and adapt to the impacts of hurricanes through a detailed examination of Hurricane Dorian displacement in …

B-Sure (Bereavement Support Research): The Differential Experiences Of Peer And Professional Support In Grief, Andrea Crowley

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

The project aimed to investigate the differential experiences of those who have received peer or professional support for grief and bereavement. Although much is known with regards to the perceived impacts of peer and professional support in general, there is little research surrounding these support types in the context of grief and bereavement, the potential for these support types to be complementary, and how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the experiences of those receiving these forms of support. The main goal of this project was to address a significant gap in the literature by investigating the following questions: …

Community Stress And Resilience During Covid-19: Assessing The Emotional Profile Of The City Of Hamilton Using A Social Media Analysis, Senyo Agbeyaka

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigated stress and resilience at the neighbourhood level in Hamilton Ontario in pre- and peri-pandemic conditions using a social media analysis. Sentiment analysis of geo-located Twitter posts produced within Hamilton census tract boundaries was conducted using Stresscapes and EMOTIVE, validated software that extract and code emotional information from human language expressions about stress and hope (a proxy for stress), respectively. Baseline levels of both emotions were measured using aggregate scores at the census tract level in Hamilton from tweets produced during two pre-pandemic periods (March 2019 to July 2019; and August 2019 to February 2020), with a replication …

Air Quality: Assessment Of Pollutant Levels And Chemistry In Kitchener, On Using Multisensor Pods, Wisam Mohammed

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Air quality is a growing concern amongst governmental bodies worldwide. A large number of scientific studies accumulated over the past 25 years suggest that poor ambient air quality is attributed to adverse health effects, especially in vulnerable communities that exhibit pre-existing conditions. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported around 600 000 deaths globally in children under the age of 5 as a result of acute lower respiratory infections caused by poor air quality. With the current statistics on air quality impacts, it is clear that more needs to be done. This MSc work aims to put into perspective the …

Fertility, Immigration, And Public Support For Parenting, Eleanor Brown, Naomi Cahn, June Carbone

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Toxicity Of The Technology Critical Elements Germanium And Yttrium To Daphnia Magna And Hyalella Azteca And The Influence Of Toxicity Modifying Factors, Rashid Shah

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Technology critical elements (TCEs) are increasingly used in high and green technologies but there is little aquatic toxicity data for TCEs, particularly in fresh water. The objective of this study was to investigate the toxicity of two TCEs, Ge and Y, to Daphnia magna and Hyalella azteca and to understand the role of natural organic matter and cations on toxicity modification. Testing followed standard methods. The 48 h EC50 for D. magna was 11.6 (95% CI of 9.64-13.8) mg Ge/L based on measured dissolved concentrations at test end. The addition of NOM at 10 mg DOC/L resulted in a significant …

Marketing Authorization At The Fda: Paradigms And Alternatives, Adam I. Muchmore

Faculty Scholarship

In many critical industries, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) marketing authorization decisions determine the range of products available in the United States. Because of the broad scope of the FDA’s marketing authorization responsibilities, the existing scholarship focuses on individual product categories, or small groups of product categories, regulated by the agency. This Article identifies how the existing literature has overlooked important connections between the FDA’s different marketing authorization programs. These connections suggest both explanations for existing programs and strategies for potential reforms.

The Article sets forth a two-level framework for analyzing the FDA’s marketing authorization role. At the first …

Decitizenizing Asian Pacific American Women, Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, Margaret Hu

Faculty Scholarship

The Page Act of 1875 excluded Asian women immigrants from entering the United States, presuming they were prostitutes. This presumption was tragically replicated in the 2021 Atlanta Massacre of six Asian and Asian American women, reinforcing the same harmful prejudices. This Article seeks to illuminate how the Atlanta Massacre is symbolic of larger forms of discrimination, including the harms of decitizenship. These harms include limited access to full citizenship rights due to legal barriers, restricted cultural and political power, and a lack of belonging. The Article concludes that these harms result from the structure of past and present immigration laws …

Drug Supervision, Jacob Schuman

Faculty Scholarship

Critics of harsh drug sentencing laws in the United States typically focus on long prison sentences. But the American criminal justice system also inflicts a significant volume of drug-related punishment through community supervision (probation, parole, and supervised release). Over one million people are under supervision due to a drug conviction, and drug activity is among the most common reasons for violations. In an age of “mass supervision,” community supervision is a major form of drug sentencing and drug policy.

In this Article, I analyze the federal system of supervised release as a form of drug policy. Congress created supervised release …

Stat3 Gain-Of-Function Syndrome, Tiphanie P Vogel, Jennifer W Leiding, Megan A Cooper, Lisa R Forbes Satter

2020-Current year OA Pubs

STAT3 gain-of-function (GOF) syndrome is a multi-organ primary immune regulatory disorder characterized by early onset autoimmunity. Patients present early in life, most commonly with lymphoproliferation, autoimmune cytopenias, and growth delay. However, disease is often progressive and can encompass a wide range of clinical manifestations such as: enteropathy, skin disease, pulmonary disease, endocrinopathy, arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, and rarely neurologic disease, vasculopathy, and malignancy. Treatment of the autoimmune and immune dysregulatory features of STAT3-GOF patients relies heavily on immunosuppression and is often challenging and fraught with complications including severe infections. Defects in the T cell compartment leading to effector T cell accumulation …

The Effects Of A Combination Treatment With Mesenchymal Stem Cell And Platelet-Rich Plasma On Tendon Healing: An Experimental Study, İlker Uyar, Zeynep Altuntaş, Siddika Findik, Mehmet Emi̇n Cem Yildirim, Serhat Yarar, Murat Aktan, Ahmet Avci

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/Aim: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects that the application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) following tendon repair have on the strength and healing of the tendon and also to examine the possible mechanisms of action that take place. Materials and methods: The Achilles tendons of 80 rats were repaired and divided into eight groups. Following the repairs, MSCs obtained from humans were injected into the rat tendons in groups 1 and 2, a combination of MSCs from humans and PRP from rats was injected into the tendons in groups 3 and …

Could Computed Tomography Histogram Analysis Add Value To The Diagnosis Of Cholesteatoma?, Nursel Yurttutan, Nagi̇han Bi̇lal, Betül Kizildağ, Adem Doğaner

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To investigate the potential role of computed tomography (CT) histogram analysis in differentiating cholesteatoma (CHS) and non-cholesteatoma (NCHS). Materials and methods: We evaluated 77 temporal bone CT images (from November 2016 to February 2020) that were obtained pre- operatively (mean age, 37.10±17.27 years in CHS; 36.72±16.08 years in NCHS group). Histogram analyses of the resulting XML files were conducted using the R Project 3.3.2 program. ROC analysis was used to find threshold values, and the diagnostic efficiency of these values in differentiating CHS-NCHS was determined. Results: The CT images of 41 CHS (53.25%) and 36 NHCS cases (46.75%) were …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

No abstract provided.

A High-Fat And High-Fructose Diet Lowers The Cecal Digesta's Weight And Short-Chain Fatty Acid Level Of A Sprague-Dawley Rat Model, Etik Sulistyowati, Dian Handayani, Setyawati Soeharto, Achmad Rudijanto

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: This study aimed to analyze the effect of a high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFFD) on the digesta weight and short- chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels of cecal digesta in rats. Materials and methods: This study was an experimental study with a posttest-only control group design with male Sprague-Dawley strain rats as the samples. A total of 36 rats were divided into two groups with normal diet (N) and modified HFFD. The data of energy intake, nutrients and fiber, body weight, Lee index, abdominal circumference, digesta weight, and SCFA levels of cecal digesta were collected. Results: The results showed an …

Patterns Of Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy In Clinically Node-Positive Breast Cancerpatients With Pathologically Negative Lymph Nodes After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Mutlay Sayan, Irina Vergalasova, Mridula George, Maria Kowzun, Lindsay Potdevin, Shicha Kumar, Bruce Haffty, Nisha Ohri

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To analyze postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) utilization and its association with overall survival (OS) in patients presenting with node-positive breast cancer who are pathologically node-negative (ypN0) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Materials and methods: Using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), we identified patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2013 with clinical T1-4 node-positive nonmetastatic breast cancer who received NAC and underwent mastectomy with pathologically negative lymph node sampling. Multivariable regression models identified factors associated with PMRT use. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate predictors of mortality. Results: The study included 8766 clinically node-positive patients who met the …

Extensive Thiol Profiling For Assessment Of Intracellular Redox Status In Cultured Cells By Hplc-Ms/Ms, Jiandong Wu, Anna Chernatynskaya, Annalise Pfaff, Huari Kou, Nan Cen, Nuran Ercal, Honglan Shi

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Oxidative stress may contribute to the pathology of many diseases, and endogenous thiols, especially glutathione (GSH) and its metabolites, play essential roles in the maintenance of normal redox status. Understanding how these metabolites change in response to oxidative insult can provide key insights into potential methods of prevention and treatment. Most existing methodologies focus only on the GSH/GSH disulfide (GSSG) redox couple, but GSH regulation is highly complex and depends on several pathways with multiple redox-active sulfur-containing species. In order to more fully characterize thiol redox status in response to oxidative insult, a high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry …

More To Less (M2l): Enhanced Health Recognition In The Wild With Reduced Modality Of Wearable Sensors, Huiyuan Yang, Han Yu, Kusha Sridhar, Thomas Vaessen, Inez Myin-Germeys, Akane Sano

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Accurately recognizing health-related conditions from wearable data is crucial for improved healthcare outcomes. To improve the recognition accuracy, various approaches have focused on how to effectively fuse information from multiple sensors. Fusing multiple sensors is a common choice in many applications but may not always be feasible in real-world scenarios. For example, although combining bio signals from multiple sensors (i.e., a chest pad sensor and a wrist wearable sensor) has been proved effective for improved performance, wearing multiple devices might be impractical in the free-living context. To solve the challenges, we propose an effective more to less (M2L) learning framework …