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Women in Afghanistan
No full textThis zine emerged from an assignment in an English Language Learning and Acquisition class (ELLA 0120-001) with Douglas College instructor Tina Fusco. Students were prompted to create zines inspired by their experiences of coming to Canada and their perceptions of Canadian culture.Not peer reviewedwomen's rightsAfghanistanzine
Isolation, loneliness, and hope among older adults living alone in rural Southern Manitoba
No full textIsolation was commonplace throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but loneliness was not well understood with researchers finding mixed results. Social isolation significantly impacts physical and mental health outcomes, including mortality rates. While social isolation does not equate to loneliness, many people who are isolated are also lonely. People who are isolated also tend to live alone. Even before the pandemic, older adults experienced more loneliness and social isolation than those who were younger. Considered especially vulnerable to severe health outcomes, older adults faced extraordinary daily experiences during the height of the pandemic. Yet, many older adults reported coping well throughout the pandemic. Understanding the unique ways in which older adults navigated these conditions despite adversity was needed. Using a resilience framework, I explored how six older adults who lived alone in rural Manitoba experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-longitudinal multiple case study was conducted to elicit in-depth descriptions about loneliness, isolation, hope, and mental health experiences. Rating scale and qualitative interview data was collected at three different points in time over a one-year period. My results revealed the challenges to maintain hope and well-being despite mounting concerns. Many participants explained unmet needs as they experienced voluntary and involuntary isolation within the context of public health restrictions. Even so, participants reported that loneliness remained unchanged from pre-pandemic levels. Adaptability and negotiating social conditions were described. Participants maintained relationships, shifted their mindset, and used individual coping strategies. This study allowed participants to speak about their experiences during the pandemic while also revealing resilience.
Keywords: isolation, loneliness, resilience, older adults, rural, COVID-19, Canad
Free trade activist history
No full textThis website is devoted to documenting the early history of free trade struggles leading up to the adoption of the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (1988). It contains interviews with activists and related ephemera from the 1980s, documenting Canada's rich history of activism against free trade. You will find information of what motivated activists to organize networks and coalitions across Canada and globally to challenge free trade, as well as an archive of publications and videos, along with a "free trade in Canada" timeline of important dates and events
Oral inflammatory load predicts vascular function in a young adult population: a pilot study
No full textBackground: The periodontium is a highly vascularized area of the mouth, and periodontitis initiates negative functional and structural changes in the vasculature. However, mild oral inflammation, including levels experienced by many apparently healthy individuals, has an unclear impact on cardiovascular function. The purpose of this pilot study is to investigate the effects of objectively measured whole mouth oral inflammatory load (OIL) on vascular function in apparently healthy individuals.
Methods: In this cross-sectional and correlational analysis, we recruited 28 young (18–30 years) and systemically healthy participants (16 male, 12 female). Using oral neutrophil counts, a validated measure for OIL, we collected participant's mouth rinse samples and quantified OIL. Blood pressure, arterial stiffness (pulse-wave velocity) and endothelial function (brachial artery flow-mediated dilation) were also measured.
Results: Only oral neutrophil count significantly predicted flow-mediated dilation % (p = 0.04; R2 = 0.16, β = − 1.05) and those with OIL levels associated with >2.5 × 105 neutrophil counts (n = 8) had a lower flow-mediated dilation % (6.0 ± 2.3%) than those with counts associated with gingival health with less than 2.5 × 105 neutrophil counts (10.0 ± 5.2%, p = 0.05). There were no significant predictors for arterial stiffness.
Conclusion: We found that OIL was a predictor of reduced flow-mediated dilation. An impairment in flow-mediated dilation is an indicator of future possible risk of cardiovascular disease—one of the leading causes of death in North America. Therefore, this study provides evidence for the importance of oral health and that OIL may impact endothelial function.Peer reviewedvascular functioncell countneutrophilsperiodontal diseaseoral inflammatory loadrinse testflow-mediated dilatio
Lithic debitage and reduction strategies at Smokehouse Island (GiSp-001), on the Babine River, north central British Columbia
No full textThe Babine Archaeology Project began in 2010 and since then, many stone artifacts have been recovered. In 2014 and 2015, the project focused on excavations on Smokehouse Island (GiSp-001), on the Babine River. The focus of this thesis is an analysis of a sample of debitage recovered from Unit 8 excavated in 2015. The goal is to determine if differences are evident in how the inhabitants of Smokehouse Island reduced the different stone raw materials. Mass analysis, a modified version of the Sullivan and Rozen technique, and Magne’s scar count method were used to analyze the materials. Results suggest that core reduction is dominant for the two different raw material groups, though tool production is still present for both. Technological mixing impacts the analysis of the different materials
Effects of release size, location, and timing on the freshwater residence and early survival of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytcha) on the west coast of Vancouver Island
No full textHatchery enhancement of declining Pacific salmon populations has long been a foundation of salmon management; however, the influence of hatchery release practices on freshwater residence time and survival to estuarine entry is not well-understood. This study employed Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags to evaluate the relationships between the size of individuals at release, release location, and release timing on the duration of freshwater residence and survival of hatchery-produced Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the 103 km2 Toquaht River watershed, located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Toquaht River mainstem is ~22 km in length, divided into upper and lower sections by the 118 ha Toquaht Lake. A total of 4848 PIT-tagged Chinook salmon smolts were released on three dates (May 23rd, June 9th, June 19th), and during each release, fish were split evenly between three different locations within the watershed (Toquaht Lake: 7.9 km from the detection array; upper river: 11.9 km from the array; and the lower river: 4.1 km from the array). The detection data were analyzed using an integrated model of freshwater residence and capture–recapture fitted using Bayesian inference. The duration of freshwater residence between release and detection ranged from 0.5–60 days, with a mean of 14 days, and exhibited a negative relationship with fish size. The estimated median survival probability for all locations and dates was 0.39, with the highest probability of survival (0.78) found in fish released into the lake on June 19th and the lowest (0.06) for lower-river fish released on June 9th. Changes in streamflow were likely responsible for the observed pattern in survival by date. Survival probability decreased as fish size increased. Overall, the study provides further evidence that hatchery release strategies can significantly influence freshwater residence and survival, and these practices should be well-understood and flexible in the face of changing environmental conditions. The results of this study may have significant implications for the management of Toquaht River Chinook salmon, particularly in the context of ongoing efforts to rebuild the naturally spawning population
Controlling representations of frame matroids
No full textReport on joint work in progress with Dillon Mayhew, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand delivered at the Canadian Discrete and Algorithmic Mathematics (CANDAM) Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba (June 5-8, 2023).
A matroid is an abstract object that generalises both graphs and vector spaces. Matroids are used to model many types of optimisation problems; often modelling a problem using a matroid can lead to an efficient algorithm for finding optimal solutions. Frame matroids are an important type of matroid, and frame matroids can be represented by biased graphs. Unfortunately, understanding all the biased graph representations of a given frame matroids is difficult, and little is known. We present a theorem which provides a rough biased graphical structure for representations of frame matroids that are sufficiently large, and discuss implications for understanding those substructures that cannot occur in any frame matroid.Conference Presentationmatroid theoryframe matroidsbiased graph
Residents’ waste management practices in a developing country: a social practice theory analysis
No full textWaste management has become a growing concern globally and caused rising environmental costs in developing countries. The efficiency of a waste management system depends on many factors, including residents’ waste management practices and a governmental commitment to sustainable waste management. This study employs the social practice theory to qualitatively examine residents’ perspectives on waste management in the context of Vietnam as a developing country where a massive portion of plastic waste originates from household disposal. The research involves conducting twelve focus groups in five different research locations, including two largest cities and three coastal and marine protected areas. Data analysis is performed using inductive and deductive coding principles and an interpretivist approach. The findings reveal residents’ classification of sustainable and unsustainable waste management practices, and the factors that facilitate or impede sustainable waste management practices from residents’ perspectives. According to residents, while adequate technical infrastructures can facilitate sustainable waste management practices, it is the social context that motivates or demotivates and can mould a practice into a habit. The study therefore provides useful implications for sustainable waste management systems that would require the government's effective leadership and coordination of technical infrastructures as well as the orchestral efforts from involved social institutions, including families, communities, businesses, formal and informal waste sectors, and social organisations.social practice theoryresidentswaste managementwaste behavioursdeveloping countryVietnamPeer reviewe
