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Heat stress does not induce wasting symptoms in the giant California sea cucumber (Apostichopus californicus)
No full textOceanic heatwaves have significant impacts on disease dynamics in marine ecosystems. Following an extreme heatwave in Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada, a severe sea cucumber wasting event occurred that resulted in the mass mortality of Apostichopus californicus. Here, we sought to determine if heat stress in isolation could trigger wasting symptoms in A. californicus. We exposed sea cucumbers to (i) a simulated marine heatwave (22 °C), (ii) an elevated temperature treatment (17 °C), or (iii) control conditions (12 °C). We measured the presence of skin lesions, mortality, posture maintenance, antipredator defences, spawning, and organ evisceration during the 79-hour thermal exposure, as well as 7-days post-exposure. Both the 22 °C and 17 °C treatments elicited stress responses where individuals exhibited a reduced ability to maintain posture and an increase in stress spawning. The 22 °C heatwave was particularly stressful, as it was the only treatment where mortality was observed. However, none of the treatments induced wasting symptoms as observed in the Nanoose Bay event. This study provides evidence that sea cucumber wasting may not be triggered by heat stress in isolation, leaving the cause of the mass mortality event observed in Nanoose unknown.Peer reviewedarticl
Grade seven teachers’ experiences using 2SLGBTQQIA+ inclusive lessons for physical and health education
No full textThere is a provincially mandated physical health education (PHE) curriculum in British Columbia (BC) that specifically outlines learning standards related to 2SLGBTQQIA+ concepts. Many teachers in BC are reluctant to implement this required curriculum. In response to this issue, the researcher of this study created a 2SLGBTQQIA+ classroom resource for three grade seven teachers who self-identified as not being comfortable with implementing the provincial health curriculum. The focus of this phenomenological research study was to examine the lived experiences and perceptions of these three teachers as they utilized this prepared 2SLGBTQQIA+ inclusive resource. Prior to the participants teaching with the resource, the researcher conducted semi-structured pre-interviews to gather data on their views regarding the PHE curriculum. The participants then participated in two 45-minute professional development sessions during which they learned how to use the new resource. After piloting the 2SLGBTQQIA+ inclusive resource in their classroom for a minimum of three lessons, the participants reflected on their experiences teaching with the resource in a semi-structured post-interview. This study used a phenomenological methodology. Data was collected through pre- and post-interviews was analyzed using descriptive and process coding. The findings of this study are organized into three major themes of equity, challenges, and support. Study recommendations include 1) providing 2SLGBTQQIA+ inclusive professional development; 2) introducing a PHE curriculum helping-teacher for the school district; and 3) revising the administrative procedures to eliminate the opt-out option for 2SLGBTQQIA+ lessons.2SLGBTQQIA+physical and health educationPHEinclusive educationteacher experiencesphenomenologycurriculumresourcesLGBT
Snake
No full textA short poem about the various roles and interpretations that snakes have filled throughout history and contemporary literature
The role of brief interventions and motivational interviewing in alcohol reduction for adult women in primary care
No full textAlcohol use is a widely accepted part of Canadian society, however the prevalence of use among Canadian women is increasing. Evidence supports that long-term alcohol related risk and harms escalate more dramatically and at lower doses than that of men, yet research is limited on appropriate interventions for adult women not otherwise captured within obstetric care. Although adult women are frequent users of primary care, screening, and early intervention for problematic drinking is lacking. The purpose of this integrative review is to appraise the existing evidence to determine the role of brief interventions and motivational interviewing in reducing alcohol consumption for adult women in the primary care setting. Recent guideline updates in Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health (Paradis, 2023) to reduce health impacts of alcohol on women, as well as the sex and gender related factors that contribute to health effects of alcohol on women demonstrate the importance of prevention and early intervention. Brief interventions and motivational interviewing have shown limited effectiveness for improving awareness of health effects of alcohol on women and reducing alcohol intake in a patient centered care model.
Further research is recommended to improve the quality of evidence and generalizability of practice standards of alcohol use health care related to adult women for primary care providers such as nurse practitioners, family physicians and other allied health professionals
Phase Identification of Smart Meters Through a Fourier Series Compression
No full textAccurate labeling of phase connectivity in electrical distribution systems is important for maintenance and operations but is often erroneous or missing. In my project, we presented a process to identify which smart meters must be in the same phase using a statistical clustering method on voltage time series data. The data set was the hourly voltage of~2000 smart meters across California over a 3-month period. To improve accuracy, we compress the data and reduce the size by using Fourier series – ultimately, we used an approximation that was 2% in size but still retained 80% of the original features
Winter roosting ecology of silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) in southern British Columbia
No full textMany animals spend a considerable amount of time within a shelter, and shelter availability can influence the distribution, abundance, and diversity of animal populations. Shelters used during winter, when ambient temperatures are low (< 0°C), must provide animals with adequate protection to survive through months of adverse conditions. For bats, shelters (roosts) used during winter must also provide microclimates that support energetic requirements for hibernation. Silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) are a tree-roosting species that are migratory throughout much of their range. In parts of northwestern North America, however, they may hibernate locally. Hibernation sites (hibernacula) in regions where winter temperatures are below freezing are typically caves, underground mines, or rock crevice features, as these protect bats from cold temperatures and provide a humid environment that prevents dehydration. In a forested area near Beasley in southern British Columbia, silver-haired bats use an abandoned mine, rock crevices, and trees as roosts during winter. The use of trees as roosts during winter in cold regions (average temperatures < 0°C) is poorly understood. I sought to investigate the winter ecology of tree-roosting silver-haired bats in southern British Columbia. In Chapter 2, I described the characteristics of trees used as hibernacula by silver-haired bats. I hypothesize that bats select winter roost trees non-randomly, and differently across seasons. In Chapter 3, I investigated microclimates and torpor patterns inside silver-haired bat mine, tree, and rock crevice hibernacula. I hypothesize that microclimates vary among winter roost types, and because of these differences, torpor, arousal and movement patterns will differ among tree, rock crevice and mine winter roosts. A majority (66.7%, n = 22) of silver-haired bats used trees as winter roosts during the study. Winter tree roosts were selected non-randomly, and compared to summer roosts, bats used features that provided insulation, such as, cavities in large-diameter,
low-decay trees in areas of low canopy closure. Winter trees roosts were colder but more humid compared to the mine and rock crevice roosts. Bats switched among roosts throughout winter depending on ambient conditions but did not alter torpor patterns among roost types. Bats typically used humid roosts (trees) on drier days, and less humid roosts (mine) on more humid days. Further, bats used the well-insulated mine on colder days, and poorly insulated trees and rock crevice roosts on warmer days. Despite this, bats showed more tolerance for colder roost temperatures than expected, remaining in trees during periods of cold (-9°C) temperatures. I conclude that there may be a trade-off between roost humidity and temperature, with bats using multiple hibernacula to optimize energetic benefits in the context of ambient conditions. Trees are an important part of silver-haired bat winter ecology. The use of trees as hibernacula needs to be better understood to inform forest management decisions that better support silver-haired bat conservation by protecting important winter roost
Educators or leaders of learning? : perceptions from CIC officers about their non-traditional role in the Canadian Armed Forces
No full textCadet Instructor Cadre (CIC) Officers are commissioned Officers of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Reserve Force, with an occupational specialty in youth development and instruction. CIC Officers are the adult leaders of the Cadet Program; a nationally directed, extracurricular Canadian youth program for 52 000 Cadets from ages 12-18 that promotes citizenship, leadership, physical fitness, and an interest in the sea, army, and air activities of the CAF. CIC Officers function between professional identities: the prototypical military role and the youth educator role, yet no peer-reviewed scholarship exists about CIC Officer identity or their occupational training. This study explores the following research questions: How do CIC Officers perceive their role? Does their training support or challenge that perception? This study uses qualitative methods of phenomenology to gather perceptions of CIC Officers who work with Cadets. Data was gathered from seven participants from across Canada through a one-hour semi-structured video interview. Analysis of the data included in vivo and values coding to gather the essence of attitudes, values, and beliefs. Two themes emerged from data: roles perceived to align with CIC Officer training, which include the educator, leader, manager, and guide/ mentor; and roles perceived to misalign with CIC Officer training. The findings highlight the complexity of the occupation and non-prototypical nature of CIC Officer roles in the CAF.CadetCanadian Armed ForcesCIC Officereducatorexperienc
An agriprecision decision support system for weed management in pastures
No full textPastures are a vital source of dairy products and cattle nutrition, and as such, play a significant role in New Zealand’s agricultural economy. However, weeds can be a major problem for pastures, making it a challenge for dairy farmers to monitor and control them. Currently, most of the tasks for weed management are done manually, and farmers lack persistent technology for weed control. This motivated us to design, implement, and evaluate a Decision Support System (DSS) to detect weeds in pastures and provide decisions for the cleanup of weeds. Our proposed system uses two primary inputs: weeds and bare patches. We created a synthetic dataset to train a weed detection model and designed a fuzzy inference system to assess a pasture. We also used a neuro-fuzzy system in our DSS to evaluate our fuzzy model and tune its parameters for better functioning and accuracy. Our work aims to assist dairy farmers in better weed monitoring, as well as to provide 2D maps of weed density and yield score, which can be of significant value when no digital and meaningful images of pastures exist. The system can also support farmers in scheduling, recommending prohibitive tasks, and storing historical data for pasture analysis, collaborated by stakeholders.fuzzy systemsobject detectionpasture managementdecision makingdecision support systemsfuzzy neural networksPeer reviewe