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Exploring Hong Kong Newcomer Post-Secondary Students' Perceptions of Their Mental Health and of Mental Health Services and Supports in the Ottawa-Gatineau Region
No full textBackground: The purpose of this research study was to explore the perceptions of Hong Kong newcomer post-secondary students of their mental health and of mental health services and supports in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Existing research indicates that Hong Kong newcomers experience challenges in their host countries but are reluctant to seek mental health services and support. This study seeks to answer the following overarching research question: How do Hong Kong newcomer post-secondary students perceive their mental health and the mental health services and supports in the Ottawa-Gatineau region? As part of this overall objective, the study aimed to understand a) the challenges and stresses the students encountered since coming to Canada that could impact their mental health, b) their utilization of mental health services available to them in the Ottawa-Gatineau region and beyond, c) the strategies they used to alleviate mental health challenges, and d) the recommendations they had regarding mental health services in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
Methods: A qualitative study based on 10 semi-structured interviews with Hong Kong newcomer post-secondary students was conducted. The transcripts were analyzed using a combination of inductive and deductive approaches based on Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-step thematic analysis process.
Results: Participants shared and elaborated on their post immigration experiences and on their perceptions of their mental health. Common immigration challenges upon arrival included language, financial and social challenges. Most participants had never sought mental health care for various reasons including fear of stigma and lack of awareness of available services. Participants generally relied on their existing social networks to obtain mental health support and suggested the need to increase awareness of services to encourage help-seekers.
Conclusion: The participants' responses largely agreed with existing research findings, but also highlight the importance of considering unique individual experiences, which can vary vastly. The findings from this study can help policy makers, health providers and managers make informed decisions for improving mental health care experiences for Hong Kong newcomer students
SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and infant outcomes in the first year of life: a retrospective cohort study
No full textAbstract Background There are known maternal and obstetrical risks following SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy, but the impact on offspring is not well known. The objective of this study was to examine offspring risks of hospitalization and emergency department visits in the first year of life following SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada of infants born from March 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021 using health administrative databases. The exposure group was defined by a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test in pregnancy, while the comparator group included pregnancies without a positive test recorded. The primary outcomes included all-cause offspring hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits in the first year of life. Poisson regression was used to adjust for maternal sociodemographic factors, medical and obstetrical history, and health behaviours. The main secondary outcome was risk of infections (including respiratory, gastrointestinal and otitis media infections) in the first year of life. A sensitivity analysis was conducted in which individuals with a negative SARS-CoV-2 test served as the comparator group. Results There were 222,448 live births during the study period; following matching 45,958 pregnancies were included. Cases were matched on maternal age, geography, and last menstrual period date in a 10:1 ratio. The exposed group included 5,291 pregnancies and the comparator group included 40,667 pregnancies. There was no significant difference observed between groups in risk of hospitalization (aRR (95% CI): 1.10 (0.99–1.22)). Small increases in risk of both ED visits (aRR 1.12 (1.06–1.17)), and infections (aHR 1.16 (1.11–1.21) were observed in the exposed group. When the comparator group was limited to pregnancies with a negative SARS-CoV-2 test, there was no difference in risk of ED visits, but the increased risk of infections persisted. Conclusions A positive SARS-CoV-2 test in pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of hospitalization in the offspring’s first year, which may be reassuring to parents and healthcare providers. However, there may be a small increased risk of offspring infections
Multi-Kinetic Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology Applied to Resolving Thermal Histories of Sedimentary Basins and Crystalline Bedrock
No full textUnderstanding mountain building processes requires insight into the mechanisms and timing of exhumation. The integration of innovative radiometric dating techniques with field-based structural observations has significantly improved our ability to constrain the rates and timescales at which different exhumation processes operate.
This thesis investigates exhumation histories in two tectonically contrasting orogens: the Peel Plateau, adjacent to the Mackenzie Mountains which are actively undergoing crustal shortening in the Canadian Cordillera, and the Tauern Window in the Eastern Alps, where regional strain evolved from N-S compression to E-W extension during the Cenozoic. Apatite-fission track (AFT) dates are traditionally interpreted as cooling ages. For AFT dates resolved from samples that have undergone protracted cooling or comprise of apatite grains with variable annealing kinetics the ages resolved can instead represent a partial annealing date or reflect mixed age-populations and may not have be geologically significant. Herein, apatite grain-specific chemistry was used to calculate the kinetic proxy rₘᵣ₀, and was incorporated into thermal history models to test whether this innovative approach could reveal new information regarding the study area's upper crustal exhumation histories. Additional work in the Tauern Window documented an earlier stage of exhumation, from middle to upper crustal levels, which focussed on detailed structural analysis and deformation dates resolved via white mica ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology.
Overall, results from the Peel Plateau suggest that although erosion remains the dominant unroofing mechanism, spatially, the localized cooling can be explained by the reactivation of underlying structures. In the Tauern Window, results suggest exhumation began much earlier than previously proposed and was facilitated by tectonic unroofing along a newly discovered detachment system. Upper crustal exhumation in the core of the Tauern Window is mostly driven by erosion, whereas results from deeper structural units record an earlier onset of cooling which may be associated to tectonic unroofing. This work demonstrates that rₘᵣ₀ captures the variability of apatite's annealing kinetics within AFT samples, and incorporating this kinetic proxy into thermal models produces more refined results.
Collectively, this research exemplifies the complex interplay between different exhumation processes and underscores the value of integrating advanced radiometric techniques with detailed structural analysis
Investigation of the Mechanical Response of Monolithic Shearwalls with Openings
No full textThe current research project presents a study combining numerical analyses and experimental campaigns to evaluate the structural performance of cross-laminated timber (CLT) shearwalls with openings.
The results of an extensive numerical analysis using a validated Finite Element model is presented with the aim to investigate the influence of the geometrical and mechanical properties of lintel beams and parapets on the stiffness and strength of multi-storey CLT shearwalls with symmetric door or window openings. The influence of construction techniques, where the opening is cut out of the panel or constructed using separate elements is investigated. The results of the analysis show that in general, monolithic models resulted in significantly higher strength and stiffness values compared to those obtained from models assuming segmented shearwalls. The study particularly highlights the importance of the parapet in the overall behaviour and failure mechanism, even though no structural function is typically associated with it.
A comprehensive experimental campaign involving 36 beams with vertical outer layers and two different lay-ups was conducted to evaluate the applicability of analytical models originally developed for beams with horizontal outer layers. The experimental results reveal significant differences between 3-ply and 5-ply specimens, indicating an inverse correlation between bending strength and lamination thickness, and successfully verifying the adapted analytical models against both newly obtained data and existing literature.
Furthermore, the study addresses an identified gap in the literature regarding panel failure modes in monolithic CLT shearwalls with cut-out openings. An experimental investigation on 12 full-scale shearwalls designed to reach failure within the CLT panel showed that all tested specimens initiated cracking in the lintel or parapet, with ultimate failure occurring at the holddowns. The numerical predictions corresponded well with the experimental load-displacement curves and the observed failure patterns, underscoring the models' capacity to capture the complex failure mechanisms of CLT shearwalls.
This study advances the understanding of how construction methodology interacts to influence the kinematic behaviour and failure modes in CLT shearwalls with openings, providing valuable insights for both the design and analysis of such structural elements
Your Love is Qing: Women in the Dangai Drama Word of Honor
No full textSince the reinforcement of censorship on homosexual content in China's mainstream media, dangai dramas - online series adaptations of male-to-male romance danmei fiction - have utilized queer subtext as a compromised representational strategy. This thesis analyzes the 2021 dangai drama entitled Word of Honor by employing Eve Sedgwick's concept of male homosocial desire and the Chinese literary concept of qing (情). The study's contribution is twofold. First, it challenges the Western binaries that Sedgwick identifies in nineteenth-century English literature - homosexual versus homosocial. Second, it develops a new and culturally specific theoretical framework - queer qing - for the analysis of subtextual male bonds in censored Chinese dangai dramas.
By analyzing three pivotal scenes meticulously selected through a systematic filtering process, this research traces how Gu Xiang facilitates the articulation and circulation of qing between the male protagonists, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu. As the drama's only major female character, Gu resembles a younger sister to Wen and Zhou. Rather than serving as a barrier or romantic rival, Gu Xiang performs a unique narrative and affective role: she mediates, interprets, and enables the development of queer qing between the two men all at once. In doing so, she legitimizes queer male bonds within heteronormative narrative constraints and reveals how Word of Honor transforms censorship into a site of creative negotiation
Social Representation of Body in Individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder-Like Symptoms: The Effects of Social Media and Social Groups
No full textBackground: Body concerns are prevalent among Canadian youth, considering social media, peers, and family playing a significant role in shaping these representations. This study investigates the social representations of body among youth with and without Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)-like symptoms. By using Social Representation Theory, the study investigates how sociocultural factors contribute to body concerns and explores the differences in how these factors influence individuals with various levels of BDD-like symptoms.
Method: A mixed-method approach was utilized, including two phases. Phase 1 employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative analyses to asses the prevalence of BDD-like symptoms across socio-demographic factors and to investigate the social representations of the body. To assess associations between BDD symptoms and demographic variables, a chi-square tests and logistic regression were used, while verbal association tasks, frequency-rank analysis was performed to examine the central and peripheral elements of body representations. In phase 2, semi-structured interviews have been conducted to compare the social representation of body between participants with and without BDD-like symptoms. In the qualitative section, thematic analyses were performed to investigate the meanings behind the units that form the social representations of the body, with word clouds visualizing how these representations were anchored. In the quantitative analysis, chi-square tests examined the associations between BDD-like symptoms and theme sub-categories. SRT concepts such as anchoring and objectification were used to analyze the data.
Results: Results from article 1 showed significant differences in SR structures between the two groups. Participants with BDD-like symptoms exhibited a more appearance-focused and negative view of body, while those without BDD-like symptoms demonstrated a broader, more positive perspective. In article 2, qualitative findings revealed that individuals with BDD-like symptoms were more influenced by external factors, such as social media, family, and peers, while those without BDD-like symptoms attributed their representation of body to internal factors, including cultural values and personal thought processes. These results indicate that individuals with BDD-like symptoms are more susceptible to societal pressures regarding appearance, which play a critical role in shaping their representation of body. Social media, peers, and family were found to be key contributors to these representations, with social media having the strongest impact on participants with BDD-like symptoms. In article 3, the outcomes extend these insights by exploring the implications of SRT for social work practice. Social work interventions that emphasized media literacy, body positivity, and community support were identified as critical for transforming negative representations into adaptive, health-oriented frameworks. These findings highlight the transformative potential of integrating SRT into social work interventions to address body dissatisfaction and BDD-like symptoms among youth.
Conclusion: The study shed light on meaningful differences in how people with and without BDD-like symptoms perceive their bodies, emphasizing the role of societal influences in shaping social representation of body. To help individuals with BDD-like symptoms, interventions should emphasis on re-anchoring individual’s body representations in health and functionality, rather than appearance. Promoting media literacy and fostering a positive body representation through family and peer support can mitigate the negative effects of societal beauty ideals. By integrating SRT into practice, social workers can help individuals with BDD-like symptoms re-anchor their body representations in positive, health-oriented frameworks rather than appearance-focused ideals
Mobility Trace Analysis in the Design of Vehicular Networks
No full textVehicular networks have emerged as a promising technology for efficient data communication in transportation systems and smart cities. At the same time, the popularization of devices with attached sensors has allowed obtaining a large volume of data with spatiotemporal information from different entities. In this sense, we face a significant amount of vehicular mobility data (mobility traces) being recorded. Those traces provide unprecedented opportunities to understand the dynamics of vehicular mobility and provide data-driven solutions. For instance, we can observe the nature of the network topology or propose routing protocols by looking at the historical movements of vehicles in a city.
In this work, we delve into the practical applications of mobility traces in the design of vehicular networks. We start by identifying the key characteristics of publicly available vehicular mobility traces, using a list of criteria and performing a characterization. We also address the issue of inconsistencies in traces, proposing two solutions that not only repair these inconsistencies but also demonstrate their impact on the design of vehicular networks. Additionally, we propose two frameworks for generating high-quality bus mobility traces, which can be invaluable in simulating vehicular networks and urban mobility studies.
Moreover, we aim to identify the peculiarities of the vehicular network topology obtained from real-world mobility traces. To this end, we perform several analyses showing the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches that consider a dynamic network standpoint. We reveal and model how mobility dynamics impact vehicular networks composed of buses and the formation of vehicular clouds.
Last but not least, we develop routing protocols that consider characteristics extracted from vehicle mobility in the message-routing process on the network. Through simulations based on realistic mobility traces, we show the applicability and viability of these protocols in terms of latency, delivery rate, and overhead
Hippocampus Cognitive Map: Enacting Cosmologic Scene Imagery of Human Origins from Haida Gwaii within an Experimental Digressive Assemblage
No full textThe ability to be affected by the Northern Raven's vital materiality in the Yukon Boreal Forest of Canada prompted my creative desire to explore a novel digressive approach to the plot of human origins, specifically from the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ). This tectonic plate boundary extends from Northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino, California. As part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the CSZ has experienced significant geological activity, which is evident in recent archeological records showing that villages along the coast were abandoned and submerged approximately 3,000 years ago during the late Holocene due to earthquakes and tsunamis. To challenge our perception of cosmological myths, I focus on two ancient stories from the oral tradition of Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), as recorded by John Reed Swanton: "Raven discovered many people inside a cockle" (Boas and Swanton 1905b, 320), and "Sing 7agang qiidaraagan - How Shining-Heavens caused himself to be born" (Swanton 1905b, 26). From a cognitive evolutionary perspective, two visual scenes highlight these stories: (1) the ocean-to-land transition of protohumans, as observed in the intertidal zone at Rose Point (Nai-koon) and Kaisun, and (2) the niche construction by organisms and the co-evolution of their ecological roles. Given the significance of oral tradition in a specific ecological niche on Earth, I hypothesize that sequentially ordered narrative events are interwoven within a hippocampal cognitive map, which supports long-term episodic memory. To explore this cognitive map, I will correlate visual scene imagery with recent studies on the emergence of cellular life (approximately 4.2 billion years ago), the development of cellular sentience and cognition, the niche construction by organisms, the neural substrates involved in encoding long-term episodic memory, and the crucial role of the hippocampus in imagination and cognition
L'idéal de la grandeur selon le néothomisme québécois comme réponse au problème politique de l'irascible et de la magnanimité
No full textNotre thèse cherche à comprendre comment les passions agressives peuvent jouer un rôle dans la grandeur morale des citoyens et des dirigeants, alors qu'elles peuvent aussi constituer une menace pour la paix sociale. Elle porte sur la conception de la magnanimité et de l'irascible de Thomas d'Aquin. Nous étudierons ces notions du point de vue de la philosophie politique des philosophes néothomistes québécois Martin Blais, Félicien Rousseau, Louis Lachance et Charles De Koninck. L'interprétation de la magnanimité de R.A. Gauthier qui est centrée sur l'espoir est aussi prise en compte tout au long de la recherche. Nous montrerons que la volonté individuelle tend naturellement à la fois à l'excellence individuelle et collective. Les passions irascibles déploient une agressivité qui peut nuire à la capacité de la volonté de réaliser la grandeur si elles ne sont pas éduquées, mais qui peuvent au contraire y contribuer si elles le sont. Elles sont unifiées par une passion fondamentale, l'espoir. La magnanimité a une relation essentielle avec l'espoir, qui est la passion de l'honneur. Les magnanimes sont des mobilisateurs. Nous verrons que le désir de grandeur peut causer de nombreux dérèglements qui incluent la discorde, la sédition et la tyrannie. Toute la modernité politique est fondée sur une primauté de la raison productive (technique) sur la prudence qui tantôt exacerbe, tantôt paralyse les passions irascibles. Grâce à leur usage exemplaire des honneurs, les magnanimes peuvent canaliser l'espoir des citoyens de façon à donner une juste mesure à leur agressivité. Il en résulte une amitié civique dynamique qui permet à l'humain de retrouver le sens de sa propre grandeur
CFD and Experimental Investigation of Dense Jet Interaction with Cross-Flows for Sustainable Coastal Outfall Design and Environmental Impact Mitigation
No full textThe scarcity and security of freshwater are becoming critical global concerns. Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination is a promising solution to supply clean water sustainably; however, it produces hypersaline by-products that need to be safely disposed of in ambient environments. The direct discharge of dense effluents can lead to significant environmental issues, including water quality degradation and marine life disruption. A widely accepted method for mitigating these impacts is to use submerged offshore diffusers designed to rapidly dilute effluents to near-background levels, thus minimizing environmental harm. For an optimal design, it is essential to understand the influence of the ambient hydrodynamic forces and discharge characteristics on their performance.
Realistic coastal environments are dynamic and dominated by flowing currents, turbulence, and shear, which complicate the interaction between buoyant discharges and cross-flow currents. This interaction, known as buoyant jet in cross-flow (JICF), highlights the need for accurate predictions of jet flow behavior and mixing while presenting considerable challenges. Therefore, a deeper understanding and more precise design guidelines for these outfalls are crucial. This thesis represents the first attempt to experimentally and numerically simulate dense discharges with various source inclinations, issuing perpendicular cross-flow currents with 3D trajectories.
First, a comprehensive review of the developments and applications of buoyant JICFs and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of outfall discharges was conducted to identify existing knowledge gaps. The review revealed deficiencies in understanding the combined effects of different flowing current strengths and nozzle inclinations on the discharge performance, warranting further investigation. Although CFD methods for simulating outfall discharges have advanced, their application to buoyant JICFs is still in the early stages, presenting significant opportunities for further research.
Second, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) experiments were conducted to examine the effects of the flowing current strength and nozzle inclination on dense jets discharging perpendicular to the cross-flows. Nozzle angles of 30°, 45°, and 60° and various cross-flow Froude numbers (uᵣF, where uᵣ is the ratio of ambient cross-flow to jet velocity and F is the jet-densimetric Froude number) were studied to assess the 3D jet trajectories and concentration distributions. Empirical equations describing the jet dilution and geometrical characteristics were derived. The findings showed that the 60° jet achieved dilutions of over 50% and 20%, on average, more than those of the 30° and 45° jets, respectively, due to its longer trajectory and greater expansion. These results challenge previous reports that dilution is insensitive to nozzle angles between 40°-70° in stationary ambient water and highlight the 60° jet's sensitivity to changes in uᵣF compared to shallower angles.
Third, a numerical study was conducted using the OpenFOAM finite-volume model. The accuracy of the model was verified by comparing the results from four Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations - standard k-ε, realizable k-ε, k-ω shear stress transport (SST), and Launder-Reece-Rodi (LRR) - with experimental data from the literature. The realizable k-ε and LRR schemes showed strong potential for simulating the flow behavior and dilution performance of dense JICFs due to their incorporation of realizability assumptions and Reynolds stress transport equations, respectively. In addition, the modeling approach successfully visualized the evolution of a time-averaged counter-rotating vortex pair (CRVP) along the jet trajectory.
Fourth, the large eddy simulation (LES) modeling technique with OpenFOAM was used to reproduce our LIF experimental results for the 60° dense jets, which demonstrated superior mixing performance. Simulations were extended to a broader range of cross-flow Froude numbers, identifying three regimes: jet-dominated, regular cross-flow, and strong cross-flow-dominated. The LES results aligned well with the experimental data, confirming LES as a reliable method for capturing the complex flow behavior and dilution characteristics of dense JICFs.
This research provides valuable insights for protecting coastal water bodies and improving the design and operational efficiency of submerged dense outfall systems. It underscores the importance of understanding the interaction between varying current strengths and discharge inclinations to optimize outfall performance in dynamic environments. Furthermore, the research discusses and highlights the capabilities of different CFD modeling approaches for outfall engineering design