University of Saskatchewan Research Archive
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Cultural Dimensions and Individual’s Attitude Toward Cultured Meat
No full textThe present study investigates how consumers make decisions regarding food, particularly in the context of novel foods where there are abundant uncertainties and unknown factors, focusing on the concept of cultured meat. With the growing global population and the associated concerns regarding resource scarcity and greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock sector, cultured meat offers a promising solution. However, consumer acceptance and the high production cost remain significant obstacles for the time being. To address these challenges, the study proposes a conceptual framework that combines multi-attribute theory and cultural dimensions to examine consumers' attitudes and preferences towards cultured meat based on their cultural orientation. By understanding the cultural influence on consumer behavior, this study aims to provide insights into marketing strategies for cultured meat. The study utilizes a mixed methodology, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, to gather data from the English-speaking Canadian population. The findings reveal that individuals with a collectivistic mindset, a long-term orientation, and high uncertainty avoidance are more likely to have positive attitudes and higher willingness to try and purchase cultured meat. Furthermore, younger participants exhibit a higher liking for cultured meat compared to older participants. These results emphasize the importance of considering psychographic factors, demographic characteristics, and pricing strategies in promoting cultured meat as a sustainable alternative. Overall, this study contributes to the development of a more sustainable food system by examining the intersection of consumer behavior, cultural orientation, and sustainable food choices
Alumni Insights on Facilitators of Social Accountability at Christian Medical College, Vellore, India: A Strengths-based Mixed Methods Exploration
No full textThe abstract of this item is unavailable due to an embargo
A Saskatchewan Case Study of Canada’s Federal and Provincial Immigrant Entrepreneur Immigration Policies
No full textImmigration continues to be a significant factor in the demographic and economic growth of Canada. Canadian provinces and territories work hard to attract and retain skilled newcomers to their cities and communities to participate in the labour market by filling job vacancies and investing into new and existing business in sectors and communities. Skilled immigrants are responsible for a significant portion of the overall population job growth in the Canadian economy and play an outsized role in entrepreneurship in communities across the country. They establish businesses that serve the distinct and growing needs of Canada’s expanding cultural communities, purchase existing businesses from Canada’s aging and retiring entrepreneur class, invest in and operate innovative firms in such diverse fields as new communications technology to agri-business. Despite the strategic importance of immigration in the demographic and population growth of Canada and the significant role immigrant entrepreneurs play in the establishment and ongoing operation of businesses, there is little analysis of the public policy mechanisms that work to attract and retain skilled immigrant entrepreneurs. Using the province of Saskatchewan as a case study, this research provides an historic overview of the existing public policy mechanisms created to attract skilled immigrant entrepreneurs to Canada and more effectively distribute them to provinces, territories, and communities of all sizes across the country. It also explores why there has been little academic scrutiny of immigration policy related to immigrant entrepreneurship, the federal and provincial policy mechanisms in place to facilitate these activities, and the outcomes of these processes
VARIATION IN NEST DEFENCE AND INCUBATION BEHAVIOUR IN MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS (SIALIA CURRUCOIDES) IN RELATION TO NEST PREDATION
Get PDFThe predation of nestlings represents a high cost to birds that during the incubation and nestling stage of their development. Consequently, predation likely shapes various aspects of parental behaviour in birds that exhibit parental care.
Within any given species, parent birds defend their nests with different levels of intensity. Previous studies have examined several hypotheses for this variation by examining factors such as morphological characteristics of parents and characteristics of the brood, but few have controlled for multiple factors simultaneously. Here I examined a broad range of factors that may influence the nest defence behaviour of Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia currucoides), including morphology of adults (sex, age, plumage colour, body size, and body condition) and characteristics of broods (size, hatch date, and stage of offspring development). An essential aspect of parental behaviour in birds is the incubation of eggs. Maintaining the eggs at a suitable temperature for embryonic development requires time and energy and this must be traded-off with requirements for foraging and self-maintenance. I examined how exposure to a nest predator altered the incubation rhythms of female Mountain Bluebirds and for how long such variation lasted.
I studied the intensity of nest defence behaviour and incubation rhythms breeding pairs of Mountain Bluebirds in response to a model nest predator in the central interior of British Columbia. Parental aggression was triggered using a taxidermy mount of an american red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), which is the main predator of eggs and nestlings in the study area. My research had two main objectives: 1) to test whether one sex generally invests more effort in nest defence and whether an individual's investment is related to characteristics of the brood and/or the parents. ), and; 2) to examine whether the incubation rhythms of females change in response to predation risk and how long these changes may last.
I found no relationship between nest defence and the morphological characteristics of adults that I quantified, but the intensity of nest defence was positively correlated with the stage of offspring development, clutch size, and hatch date consistent with parental investment theory. Males also defended nests more strongly than females, consistent with the premise of the renesting hypothesis that males have fewer future opportunities to breed and, therefore, are more invested in the current brood. My results provide strong support for parental investment theory and renesting as the primary drivers of nest defence intensity in breeding birds.
I found that following exposure to a model nest predator, incubating females reduced the number of times they left the nest, consistent with the hypothesis that they were minimizing the risk of attracting the attention of a nest predator. At the same time, they increased the length of recesses to potentially forage enough to maintain an energy balance. These changes in incubation rhythms were relatively short-lived with the female resuming normal incubation behaviour two days after exposure to a model nest predator. The constancy of incubation (% of time on nest) did not significantly change before or after the predator trial, suggesting that female Mountain Bluebirds place a high priority on regulating the temperature of the eggs even during the threat of nest predation. The incubation rhythms were not influenced by the age and body condition of the female. The external ambient temperature did not affect any aspect of incubation behaviour before exposure to the model predator. However, there was a negative correlation between constancy and ambient temperature after the model predator was presented.
My study is among the first to test the parental response regarding nest defence and incubation rhythms to the risk of predation while controlling for multiple factors at the same time. The results of this study suggest that these aspects of parental behaviour were driven primarily by the sex of parent and reproductive value of the brood rather than the morphological characteristics of the parents. My results also suggest that incubating females minimized their activity around the nest following exposure to a model nest predator without significantly altering constancy on the nest
The Role of CREB3L1 in the Regulation of Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer Cells
No full textThe abstract of this item is unavailable due to an embargo
PREDISPOSING FACTORS FOR EUROPEAN FOULBROOD DISEASE IN HONEY BEE COLONIES POLLINATING BLUEBERRIES
No full textThe abstract of this item is unavailable due to an embargo
The effects a rehabilitation dog has on walking balance and fear of falling in individuals with an incomplete spinal cord injury
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Individuals with an incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) may experience gait instability and falls. Falls can result in injuries, a fear of falling, and reduced balance confidence which can lead to restriction of activities of daily living. Rehabilitation dogs are specially trained and certified to assist individuals with mobility impairments and have been shown to benefit walking for individuals with neurological conditions. The effects of a rehabilitation dog on walking, fear of falling, and balance confidence in individuals with an iSCI has yet to be assessed.
METHODS: In this quasi-experimental research study, five individuals with an iSCI (3 females: 43-54 years; 2 males: 42-69 years) and five age- and sex- matched neurotypical individuals (control group: 3 females: 42-55 years; 2 males: 42-68 years) were recruited to participate. Participants completed normal and tandem walking trials, with and without the rehabilitation dog, while their eyes were open and closed. Outcome variables included stride velocity, relative double support time (%DS), step length, step width, mediolateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) margin of stability (MOS) average (Av). Variability was assessed for all the outcome variables using standard deviation (SD). The Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (MiniBESTest), Activity Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC Scale), Falls Efficacy Scale – International questionnaire (FES-I), and additional questions added to the ABC and FES-I questionnaire were used to examine balance, balance confidence, and fear of falling, respectively. Visual analog scales (VAS) were included to measure participants’ perceptions of walking with the rehabilitation dog.
RESULTS: Without the rehabilitation dog, participants with iSCI walked slower and with shorter steps, a smaller AP MOS Av, and a higher %DS, %DS SD, and wider steps than controls. It appeared individuals with an iSCI showed some improvements with the rehabilitation dog while the control group showed worsening when the dog was added. For iSCI participants, the rehabilitation dog reduced the impact of the eyes closed condition while walking compared to without the rehabilitation dog by decreasing their %DS (mean and SD) to a value similar to controls.. Tandem walking with the rehabilitation dog resulted in similar AP MOS Av between groups, but overall, the rehabilitation dog had minimal impact on tandem walking. The group with iSCI had a lower balance control (iSCI 17.2±9.34, control 26.8±0.80), balance confidence (iSCI 67.6±15.3, control 92.4±2.78), and increased fear of falling (iSCI 28.6±7.16, control 20.6±1.51) compared to the control group as expected. Responses to the additional questions for the ABC and FES-I suggest walking with the rehabilitation dog improved balance confidence and decreased fear of falling for individuals with an iSCI. VAS results showed both groups felt subjective improvements walking with the rehabilitation dog.
CONCLUSION: Walking with the rehabilitation dog appeared to improve measures of gait and confidence in the participants with iSCI including objective (kinematic) and patient-reported outcomes. Further research is required with a larger number of participants to explore how a more experienced rehabilitation dog walk with an iSCI population and other neurological conditions
Crying for Care, Not Wolf: Exploring the Journey of Those Who Frequently Seek Mental Health Care in the Emergency Department
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Trauma-Informed Lawyering: Practicing Emotional Acknowledgment
Get PDFThis thesis seeks to improve the lives of lawyers and people who use legal systems by exploring complex human needs which can be masked, ignored, and even infringed upon by the legal system. As such, trauma-informed lawyering skills requires a commitment not just to the acquisition of skills, but also to the embodiment and practice of these skills with one’s self as much as with others. This thesis seeks to illustrate how fragmentation and disconnection of the self from one’s emotions impairs, rather than improves the lawyer’s ability to advocate in the best interests of their clients. The true integration and internalization of such trauma-informed and emotional acknowledgment skills is a process that invites transformative change.
In order to achieve these outcomes, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of what trauma is, including its history and prevalence. Two types of trauma, intergenerational trauma and indirect trauma, will be discussed. The legal sector’s connection to trauma – the way that trauma is embedded in legal practice - will be explored, with a focus on experiences of emotional suppression and detachment and how these can exacerbate trauma in legal work. The consequences of emotional suppression and detachment are also discussed along with recommendations for individual lawyers to address these. To benefit clients and lawyers, trauma-informed practice must become a mandatory dimension of legal work, rather than an optional skillset. Turning to the organizational level of legal practice, the current efforts of law societies to educate on trauma-informed practice are explored and analyzed. Although progress has been made, including the Université de Sherbrooke’s Phase I Research Report surveying the psychological health determinants of legal professionals in Canada, more needs to be done to prepare lawyers to better respond to the challenges embedded in their work, and the impact on their own internal emotional lives. The thesis concludes with recommendations for organizations such as interdisciplinary research on trauma in law and creating accountability for how legal employers impact or exacerbate lawyers’ mental health. Recommendations for future research on this topic include actively measuring the impacts of legal culture and legal systems as well as adjusting the priorities of such research towards well-being and social improvements rather than focusing solely on economic or productivity levels
Cell wall appositions associated with glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) modification contributes to penetration resistance in Arabidopsis against fungal pathogen invasion
No full textThe abstract of this item is unavailable due to an embargo