VIURRSpace (Royal Roads University and Vancouver Island University)
Not a member yet
25170 research outputs found
Sort by
Caught in the Crossfire: Exploring Impacts on Young Adults in Russo-Ukrainian Conflict Zones
No full text2025This study explores the psychological, socio-economic, and cultural impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on young adults (aged 18-40), with a focus on how these factors influence resilience and coping mechanisms. Through a comprehensive literature review, semi-structured panel interviews with seventeen participants, and a survey with forty-seven respondents. The research identified how war disrupts the lives of young adults and the role of resilience in their adaption. Survey results show that 94% of respondents reported significant stress and anxiety, aligning with trauma models that highlight emotional distress during prolonged conflict. Many respondents, particularly those displaced within Ukraine or to neighbouring countries, also faced job insecurity and disrupted education, compounding their socio-economic challenges. Despite these hardships, most demonstrated resilience, supported by strong family and community networks. This study also highlighted the gendered nature of the conflict, with young men disproportionally affected by conscription pressures.This research fills critical gaps in the literature by examining how societal perceptions of mental health, government policies on displacement and education, and the availability of psychological support systems all play a critical role in shaping young adults resilience, factors that remained largely underexamined in Ukrainian contexts prior to the Russian invasion in 2022. It also contributes to a deeper understanding of the unique socio-political and cultural context of Ukraine, comparing fragmented governmental response to recent efforts for a more integrated approach. Focusing on resilience within the Ukrainian context, this study provides important insights into the challenges young adults face in conflict zones and the need for targeted interventions in mental health, education, and economic recovery
Analyzing the Role of Fast Charging Infrastructure on EV Adoption in Multi-Unit Residential Buildings: An Analysis Using Structural Equation Modelling
No full text2025At the request of the author, this work is not available to view until April 23, 2026
This study examines the impact of charging infrastructure on electric vehicle (EV) adoption, focusing on the utilization of Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs) among residents of multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) and non-MURBs in the City of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Using structural equation modelling, three models were tested to determine how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control influence EV adoption and DCFC utilization. Data were gathered through an online survey of 2,599 respondents. The findings show that the use of DCFC positively impacts the intention to adopt EVs, however, attitudes toward EVs appear to have a higher influence on the intention to adopt an EV, particularly among MURB residents. For DCFC utilization, perceived behavioural control emerges as a key factor, having a dominant effect on MURB and non-MURB residents. The study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to increase attitudes and perceived behavioural control among MURB and non-MURB residents
Death in the Curriculum: A Terror Management Theory Assessment of Emotions and Mortality Reminders in Post-Secondary Interdisciplinary Environmental Education Courses at Selected Canadian Universities
No full text2024Interdisciplinary Environmental Education (IEE) has been designed to provide students with knowledge, awareness, skills, and motivation for environmental stewardship. Educators are responsible for building their students’ action competence to engage in environmental/climate action and effectively solve ecological problems. However, Terror Management Theory (TMT) researchers have found that mortality awareness triggers deep-rooted psychological defenses that may prompt unexpected and unwanted reactions and behaviors that counter pro-environmental objectives. We aim to understand the interaction between mortality salience reminders (MSR) and emotions in the Canadian post-secondary IEE curriculum. Content analysis of faculty interviews and curricular materials revealed Fear as the prevalent emotion associated with death-thought prompts and an overall negative emotional load within eight courses taught in two post-secondary case studies. Our analysis also indicated that some educators do not intentionally provoke a particular affective climate, while others deliberately instill hope and confidence when addressing environmental issues
Efficacy of Nest Boxes for Wild Bumblebees as a Supplemental Pollination Strategy in Highbush Blueberry
Get PDF2025Commercial highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L) growers use managed honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies as the primary pollination strategy, yet in many respects wild bumblebee species (Bombus spp. L) are better suited. Studies on the use of nest boxes to augment wild bumblebee populations are limited and have focused solely on nest box occupation, without determining whether there is any subsequent increase in bumblebee visitation to flowers in the field. This two-year study evaluated the use of nest boxes in blueberry production systems in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia (BC), Canada. I measured both nest box occupation as well as the rate of bumblebee visitation on flowers and the impact of land use on both outcomes. I found 10% nest box occupation in 2022 and 18% occupation in 2023. Semi-natural habitat had a contrasting effect on both box occupation and in-field observations. Occupied boxes had a positive effect on bumblebee observations in 2023 when there were fewer bees present overall, pointing to potential for mitigating pollination deficits
A Comparative Analysis of Plastic Pollution Distribution in Costa del Este in Panama and Central American countries: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua
Get PDF2025Mangroves are essential for coastal communities' economies and ecological services, including shoreline protection, preventing erosion, and water filtration. However, pollution poses a significant threat. My study investigated the impacts of marine plastics, mangrove conservation practices, and waste management practices in Panama, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Field data were gathered from the Costa del Este district in Panama, along with responses to a digital Survey Interview Questionnaire distributed to conservation organizations, non-governmental organizations, and researchers in English and Spanish. Key pollutants included plastic bottles and packaging, causing severe contamination in mangrove areas. Compounding threats included corruption and inadequate funding for conservation and waste management. Recommendations include enhancing inter-institutional communication, promoting educational programs, revising waste management plans, and initiating a national mangrove restoration program in Panama. Coordinated efforts are essential to reduce plastic pollution and enhance mangrove management, safeguarding crucial ecosystems in Central America and Panama
Optimized machine learning approaches to combine surface-enhanced Raman scattering and infrared data for trace detection of xylazine in illicit opioids
No full textThis article was originally published as: Marten, R.R., Gozdzialski, L, Newman, E., Gill, C., Wallace, B., & Hore, D.K. (2025). Optimized machine learning approaches to combine surface-enhanced Raman scattering and infrared data for trace detection of xylazine in illicit opioids. Analyst, 150(4), 700-711. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4an01496kInfrared absorption spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy were integrated into three data fusion strategies—hybrid (concatenated spectra), mid-level (extracted features from both datasets) and high-level (fusion of predictions from both models)—to enhance the predictive accuracy for xylazine detection in illicit opioid samples. Three chemometric approaches—random forest, support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbor algorithms—were employed and optimized using a 5-fold cross-validation grid search for all fusion strategies. Validation results identified the random forest classifier as the optimal model for all fusion strategies, achieving high sensitivity (88% for hybrid, 92% for mid-level, and 96% for high-level) and specificity (88% for hybrid, mid-level, and high-level). The enhanced performance of the high-level fusion approach (F1 score of 92%) is demonstrated, effectively leveraging the surface-enhanced Raman data with a 90% voting weight, without compromising prediction accuracy (92%) when combined with infrared spectral data. This highlights the viability of a multi-instrument approach using data fusion and random forest classification to improve the detection of various components in complex opioid samples in a point-of-care setting
Cities in the lead on climate action: A cross-border comparison (part 2)
Get PDFThis article was originally published as: Alexander, D. (2025). Cities in the lead on climate action: A cross-border comparison (part 2). Planning West, 67(1), 18-19.In "Cities in the Lead on Climate Action: A Cross-Border Comparison (Part l)" I examined the record of the City of Portland in its work on climate action, as seen through the lenses of 'doughnut economics' and 'biophilic cities: In this second part, I'll examine the record of a much smaller city - my hometown ofNanaimo on Vancouver Island
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted the Organizations and Agencies that Support People Experiencing Homelessness in Calgary, Alberta During the First Wave: A Case Study
No full text2025The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted the organizations and agencies that support people experiencing homelessness in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, during the first wave. Previous literature discussed social vulnerability theory and how marginalized populations are disproportionately impacted by disasters and emergency events, however few focused on homelessness related topics specifically. Through interviews and focus groups, this research project investigated how participants managed initial pandemic-related disruptions to their organizations, their services, and their people. Key findings included the need for strong business continuity planning, interagency collaboration and cooperation, outreach and education, greater investment in sheltering spaces and housing, and the importance of trauma-informed care. These findings will contribute to the literature for disaster and emergency management, business continuity, and social vulnerability and non-profit sectors
Reaching Constituents in the Digital Age
No full text2025Canadian politicians have long been tasked with how best to communicate with their constituents, with new digital communications tools being utilised as they have become available. Constituency communications as currently practised offers an alternative to and exists in tension with the centralization of communications within parties, a centralization that has come with the shift to a brand-focused, political marketing approach to political communication. Such centralization complicates an MP's capacity to communicate with constituents in a way aligned with the MP's own values and authenticity. In their constituency communication, MPs already have an opportunity to deploy two-way symmetrical communications methods and foster communicative rationality; moreover, such communications offer part of the solution to the democratic deficit. Based on interviews with MPs and office staff, as well as a survey of MPs across the federal parties, what emerges is a draft of a potential new model for constituency communication, one thus to actualize the potential already available in such MP-to-constituent contact at the riding level. This model, the Constituency First Communications model, would among other benefits de-mystify the role of the politician by making them more accessible to their constituents and less of a “party-mouthpiece” who repeats talking points
Asssessment and evaluation of groundwater potential zone mapping models: A geospatial approach
No full textThis study explores various analytical methods for groundwater potential (GWP) mapping in Sindhudurg District using a geospatial approach. For the first time, a multi-method approach is applied, integrating traditional, statistical, and machine learning techniques to model groundwater levels. The research employs Analytical Hierarchy Process-Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (AHP-MCDA), Ordinary Least Squares Regression (OLSR), Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), and Random Tree Regression (RTR) to analyze groundwater-influencing variables. A dataset comprising eight continuous (NDVI, TWI, elevation, slope, slope length, distance from lineaments, distance to streams, rainfall) and four categorical variables (geomorphology, geology, land use, soil), was used to evaluate groundwater potential