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Sociocultural Factors Affecting Breastfeeding Practices of Mothers During Natural Disasters: A Critical Ethnography in Rural Pakistan
No full textNatural disasters affect the health and well-being of mothers with young children. During natural disasters, this population is at risk of discontinuation of their breastfeeding practices. Pakistan is a middle-income country that is susceptible to natural disasters. This study intended to examine sociocultural factors that shape the breastfeeding experiences and practices of internally displaced mothers in Pakistan. This critical ethnographic study was undertaken in disaster-affected villages of Chitral, Pakistan. Data were collected utilizing multiple methods, including in-depth interviews with 18 internally displaced mothers and field observations. Multiple sociocultural factors were identified as either barriers or facilitators to these mothers’ capacities to breastfeed their children. Informal support, formal support, breastfeeding culture, and spiritual practices facilitated displaced mothers to sustain their breastfeeding practices. On the other hand, lack of privacy, cultural beliefs, practices and expectations, covert oppression, and lack of healthcare support served as barriers to the breastfeeding practices of displaced mothers.The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) [Funding ID 108544-007], Sigma Theta Tau International Small Research Grant (STTI) [Funding ID 13566], and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship awarded to the Principal Investigator Dr Shela Hirani
Gender differences in Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers’ mental health: The role of sexual victimization
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Clinical Psychology, University of Regina. viii, 127 p.The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is Canada’s national police service, comprised of over 19,000 police officers (21.7% women) who work to prevent and solve crime, uphold the law, and ensure the safety and security of Canadian citizens (RCMP, 2021). The paramilitary roots and structure of the RCMP are evident in the organizational culture (Bastarache, 2020; RCMP, 2018). Military and police cultures tend to be hegemonically masculine, suggesting the same is likely true for the RCMP (Angehrn et al., 2021; McCristall & Baggaley, 2019; Prokos & Padavic, 2002; Workman-Stark, 2015). Hegemonic masculinity is a theoretical construct that refers to the normalization of patriarchal structures in society due to idealization of a specific form of masculinity (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005; Donaldson, 1993). Hegemonic masculinity can lead to the oppression of women, gender diverse individuals, and men who do not adhere to the specified idealized notion of manliness (Connell, 1995; Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005; Donaldson, 1993). Research on gender differences in mental health disorder symptoms among RCMP officers remains nascent, as does research regarding the impact of sexual victimization (i.e., sexual assault and sexual harassment) on RCMP officers’ mental health. The current study provides the first in-depth review of sexual victimization among RCMP officers and is the first empirical study conducted to quantify the scope of the issue and assess for related gender differences in RCMP mental health. The current sample comprised 1,324 active-duty RCMP officers (23.5% women; 85.2% White). Data were collected via several self-report measures that were built into a larger study on mental health among RCMP officers. Data were analysed using quantitative between-group analyses and qualitative frequency and thematic analyses. Statistically significantly greater proportions of women participants reported lifetime histories of sexual assault and sexual harassment during the Cadet Training Program (CTP) and while on duty than men participants did. Men and women participants reported experiencing sexual assault more often than would be expected based on the prevalence in the general population. Women participants who reported experiencing sexual victimization during the CTP or while on duty had statistically significantly higher scores on institutional betrayal than their men counterparts. There were no statistically significant gender differences in organizational stressors or mental health disorder symptoms except for alcohol use disorder, with men reporting statistically significantly higher scores. The current results suggest that women RCMP officers are disproportionately sexually victimized, yet there were few gender differences in mental health disorder symptoms. Consistent with expectations, qualitative analyses evidenced a hegemonically masculine organizational culture that may be contributing to women RCMP officers’ disproportionate sexual victimization. Implications for RCMP mental health and for future research are discussed. Results may be used to help determine potential solutions to addressing the issue of sexual victimization among RCMP officers.Studentye
Utilizing Technical Data to Discover Similar Companies in Dhaka Stock Exchange
No full textStock market investment have been an ideal form of investment for many years. Investing capitals
smartly in stock market yields high profit returns. But there are many companies available in a market.
Currently there are more than 345 active companies who have stocks in Dhaka Stock Exchange
(DSE). Analyzing all these companies is quite impossible. However, many companies tend to move
together. This study aims at finding which companies in DSE have a close connection and move
alongside each other. By analyzing this relation, the investors and traders will be able to analyze a
lot of companies’ statistics from a calculating just a handful number of companies. The conducted
experiment yielded promising results. It was found that though the system was not given anything
other than technical data, it was able to identify companies that show domain specific outcomes.
In other words, a relation between technical data and fundamental data was discovered from the
conducted experiment
Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for symptoms of PTSD among public safety personnel: Initial outcomes of an open cohort preference trial of transdiagnostic and disorder-specific therapy
No full textPublic safety personnel (PSP) face high rates of mental health problems and many barriers to care. Initial outcomes of transdiagnostic internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) tailored for PSP are promising, but prior research has not evaluated outcomes of PTSD-specific ICBT among PSP or PSP's preferences for transdiagnostic or PTSD-specific ICBT. The current paper presents the initial outcomes (N = 150) of a mixed-methods observational study designed to (a) investigate preferences for transdiagnostic or PTSD-specific ICBT among PSP with elevated symptoms of PTSD and/or a primary concern with PTSD symptoms and (b) explore potential differences in client engagement, satisfaction, and symptom changes between the two forms of ICBT. PSP completed questionnaires before and after their preferred ICBT program. Mixed-methods analyses included generalized estimating equations, descriptive statistics, and inductive conventional qualitative content analysis. More clients (n = 85; 57 %) selected transdiagnostic ICBT than PTSD-specific ICBT (n = 65; 43 %), but the difference in the number of clients who selected each course was not statistically significant. Clients in both ICBT programs reported similar and favorable treatment satisfaction (e.g., 98 % would recommend the course to a friend), treatment engagement (i.e., 69 % accessed at least four of the five lessons), and pre-post improvement in symptoms (e.g., Hedges' g = 0.81 for reduction in PTSD symptom). Transdiagnostic ICBT resulted in greater reductions in symptoms of panic disorder than PTSD-specific ICBT. Qualitative analyses showed similarities across the ICBT programs in client feedback. The current study provides further evidence supporting the use and outcomes of ICBT for PSP in both transdiagnostic and disorder-specific formats. Implications for the literatures on PSP mental health and ICBT, as well as practical recommendations, are discussed.This work was supported by the Canadian Government's Ministry of
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mental Health Knowledge, Stigma, and Service Use Intentions Among Correctional Workers
No full text©Canadian Psychological Association, [2023]. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly
replicate the authoritative document published in the CPA journal. The final article is available, upon
publication, at: [https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000388]Correctional workers are regularly exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events, which are
associated with mental health disorders. Correctional workers report barriers to mental health service use
due to difficulties recognizing mental health needs and stigma, leading to compromised mental health. The
current study was designed to assess nuances in mental health knowledge, stigma, and service use
intentions among correctional workers and differences based on demographic categories and histories of
mental health disorders. Participants (n = 878) were correctional workers from Ontario, Canada, who
completed the Mental Health Knowledge Scale, the Opening Minds Scale for Workplace Attitudes, and the
Mental Health Service Use Questionnaire. There were statistically significant differences on measures of
mental health knowledge, stigma, and service use intentions across most demographic categories. There
were statistically significant differences on a measure of mental health service use intentions between
participants with and without a history of mental health disorders. Mental health knowledge contributed
significantly to the variation in service use intentions. The current results provide initial baseline data for
correctional workers regarding mental health knowledge, stigma, and service use intentions. The results
evidence demographic differences that may help focus training efforts. The results also suggest experiencing
mental health disorders may be insufficient to overcome mental health stigma, which means additional
individual, organizational, and structural efforts are warranted to increase service use intentions among
correctional workers as part of supporting better mental health
Improvement of weakly compressible moving particle semi-implicit method and its application
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Systems Engineering, University of Regina. xiii, 211 p.Moving Particle semi-implicit method (MPS) is one of the well-known Lagrange particle methods that is advantageous in addressing complex hydraulic engineering problems. Although the accuracy and reliability can be addressed in particle methods, instability arises due to pressure fluctuations from particle clustering and improvements are beneficial for method development.
Particle distribution is an area that requires improvement. In this study, a particle smoothing algorithm was developed and incorporated to the weakly compressible MPS, namely sWCMPS. From the definition and derivation of basic MPS operators, uniform particle distribution is critically important to numerical accuracy. Within the framework of sWCMPS, numerical operators were modified by implementing coordinate transfer and smoothing algorithm. Modification of the numerical operators showed significant improvements resulting in the reduction of particle clustering, smoother pressure distributions and pressure oscillations. To validate the numerical feasibility, several numerical cases were simulated to compare sWCMPS to the weakly compressible MPS (WCMPS), including a pre-defined two-dimensional (2-D) analytical function, Poiseuille’s flow, Taylor Green vortex and a dam break. Simulation results showed a reduction of the error caused by irregular particle distribution with lower particle clustering and smaller pressure oscillation. In addition, the newly developed sWCMPS algorithm can achieve numerical accuracy even by applying a larger courant number, indicating a better computational efficiency.
To improve computational efficiency with a simple algorithm, explicit algorithms have been proposed such as the WCMPS method. Although accuracy can be fulfilled in WCMPS, instability arises due to pressure fluctuations of the moving particles. In this study, an explicit Poisson Pressure Equation (PPE) was introduced to address particle instability by improving the pressure calculation, referred to as the Weakly Compressible Moving Particle Explicit (WCMPE) method. By predicting pressure through the equation of state for WCMPS, divergence-free condition is conserved without the implementation of small time-steps. Several numerical cases were investigated by the WCMPE method, including 2D jet impinging on a solid plate, oscillating drop, lid driven cavity, rolling tank experiment, sloshing tank simulation and jet impinging from the bottom of a tank. In general, simulation results showed smooth pressure distribution and improved particle stability were obtained with the incorporation of WCMPE.
WCMPE method improved the pressure calculation and stability of WCMPS while preserving its coding system with high computational efficiency. The WCMPE method is then extended to multiphase flow simulation. In this study, the multiphase WCMPE method was developed with a simple density smooth technique and interface detection procedure. Several numerical cases were investigated by the multiphase WCMPE method, including Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) instability cases with various density and viscosity ratio conditions, oil spill and oil-water sloshing experiments. Numerical simulation results showed good agreements with analytical solutions. Experimental data obtained in multiphase WCMPE results also exhibited negligible unphysical pressure oscillation and pressure noise points.Studentye
Influence of cultural eutrophication, climate, and landscape connectivity on 3 Kawartha lakes (Ontario, Canada) since the early 1800s
No full textThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Lake and Reservoir Management on 02 Jun 2023, available at https://doi.org/10.1080/10402381.2023.2204061Paleolimnological analyses of 3 lakes within the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) were analyzed 19 to evaluate the role of regional land-use practices (forestry and agriculture), climate change, and 20 landscape position on cultural eutrophication and lake response over the past ~200 years.Kawartha Lakes Stewards Association.Facultyye
Exploring relationships between corticospinal excitability, motor function, and aerobic fitness in multiple sclerosis
No full textBackground: Limitations in motor function experienced by people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) may contribute to physical deconditioning. Here, we explored relationships between measurements of central nervous system function obtained with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), walking and balance motor function, and aerobic fitness in PwMS.
Methods: This ancillary study uses baseline data from an ongoing randomized controlled trial of PwMS. TMS was applied to determine corticospinal excitability and inhibition via active motor threshold (aMT) and cortical silent period (CSP) duration for the tibialis anterior (TA) and first dorsal interosseous (FDI) of the stronger limb. Motor function assessments included the Timed 25-foot Walk Test (T25-FW) and Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest). Aerobic fitness (V̇O2-peak) was determined using a maximal exercise test. Independent-sample, unequal variance t-tests examined differences in motor function and fitness between participants with (TA+) and without (TA−) a response to TMS in the TA muscle. Spearman’s correlations evaluated relationships among measures. As preliminary research, comparisons and correlations yielding medium-to-large effect sizes were noted (Cohen’s d or rho ≥ 0.5).
Results: Baseline data from 16 participants was analyzed (age: 56±10 years; T25-FW range: 4.3-180 s; Mini-BESTest range: 2-22). Compared to TA+ participants (n=9), TA− participants (n=7) demonstrated slower T25-FW times (44.5±73.5 s vs. 8.7±4.6 s, d=0.75, p=0.29) and lower V̇O2-peaks (10.6±2.2 ml/kg/min vs 15.9±3.6 ml/kg/min, d=−1.3, p<0.01). Among TA+ participants, higher TA aMT and longer CSP duration were associated with faster T25-FW performance (rho≥|0.52|, p≤0.15) and greater Mini-BESTest scores (rho≥|0.65|, p≤0.06). There were no relationships between FDI aMT and CSP with T25-FW or Mini-BESTest performance (n=14; rho≤|0.12|, p≥0.70). Both TA and FDI aMT were correlated with V̇O2-peak (rho≥|0.80|, p≤0.01).
Discussion: Corticospinal excitability and inhibition for the TA muscle may be uniquely associated with walking and balance motor function, while corticospinal excitability associations with aerobic fitness may be independent of the muscle tested
Is it okay to tattle? Children’s moral evaluations & reasoning for tattling vs. lying for friends
No full textA Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology, University of Regina. 46 p.Antisocial and prosocial lying are evaluated similarly by typically developing children and children with conduct problems (Zanette et al., 2020). Nevertheless, children's moral reasoning regarding lying in varying social contexts, such as with friends, has not been adequately explored. The current study compared the moral evaluations and reasoning of tattling and lying for friends between children with conduct problems and typically developing children. Child participants (N = 387; 5-13 years old) were asked to evaluate how good/bad it is (moral evaluation) to either tell a lie to conceal a friend’s transgression (e.g., painting on the walls, breaking a vase) or to tell the truth about their friend’s behaviour, and why (moral reasoning). Responses to the moral reasoning question were coded using inductive coding techniques. Children with conduct problems did not differ from typically developing children in their evaluations of tattling and lying for friends: All children rated lying for friends as good and tattling on a friend as bad. However, older children rated lying for friends less favourably and rated tattling less negatively with increased age. When asked to justify why they viewed lying for friends as either good or bad, children with conduct disorder referenced the need for justice significantly less often than typically developing children. Significant differences were also observed based on children’s age. Implications for our theoretical understanding of moral development and for developing interventions to reduce excessive lying will be discussed.Studentn
Efficient estimation for time series models
No full textA Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics, University of Regina. xxi, 146 p.In this dissertation, we discuss the pretest, improved pretest and shrinkage estimators for some time series regression models, such as ARIMA, GARMA, and GARFIMA. We study the asymptotic biases and risks of these estimators and compare their relative performance with respect to the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) analytically and numerically using Monte Carlo experiments and real data examples.
In Chapter 2, we consider the James-Stein shrinkage estimation procedure for the ARIMA regression model when some prior/auxilliary information is available about insignificant covariates in the model. The asymptotic properties of the shrinkage estimators, under local alternatives, are implemented including the derivations of the asymptotic distributional bias and the asymptotic quadratic risk. These results showed the effectiveness of the suggested estimation technique. Monte Carlo experiments were conducted to demonstrate the superiority of the shrinkage estimators over the MLE.
In Chapter 3, we propose the pretest and shrinkage approaches in estimating the regression parameters of the generalized autoregressive moving average (GARMA) model, which are pervasive for modelling binary and count time series data. We want to estimate regression and ARMA parameters when some of the regression parameters may belong to a subspace. We establish the asymptotic distributional biases and risks of the proposed estimators and evaluate their relative performance with respect to the unrestricted maximum partial likelihood estimator. The performance of the proposed estimators is investigated using simulation studies and real-life applications.
Chapter 4 focuses on pretest and shrinkage estimation strategies for generalized autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average (GARFIMA) models when some of the regression parameters can be restricted to a subspace. These estimation strategies are constructed on the assumption that some covariates are not statistically significant for the response. We enlighten the statistical properties of the shrinkage and pretest estimators in terms of asymptotic bias and risk. We show that the shrinkage estimators have a lower relative mean squared error as compared to the UMPLE, when the number of significant covariates exceeds two. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to examine the relative performance of the proposed estimators to the UMPLE. An empirical application is used for the usefulness of our proposed estimation strategies Finally, we summarize the findings of the thesis in Chapter 5. Also, some problems for future research are outlined in Chapter 5.Studentye