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Climate Change Vulnerability Analysis: A Case Study of the Town of Lincoln, Ontarion, Canada
Get PDFUsing a mixed-methods approach, this study examines the Town of Lincoln's vulnerability to climate change. Exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity are evaluated from 2019 to 2022 using quantitative indicators and qualitative insights. The Town's vulnerability index increased from 0.413 to 0.523, according to the quantitative analysis. Notable increases in exposure (from 0.084 to 0.12) and sensitivity (from 0.164 to 0.181) also indicated an increased risk from extreme weather occurrences. Despite this, there is an improvement in adaptive ability, however, not enough to counteract the increasing vulnerabilities.
Qualitative data from community surveys emphasize the need for increased community participation and infrastructure resilience by highlighting how the local community views the effects of climate change and the efficacy of current adaption methods. The study's conclusions highlight the urgent need to strengthen the Town’s resilience through focused adaptation initiatives and the need for an integrated strategy that incorporates empirical data and community insights. The present study provides significant contributions to the knowledge of the dynamics of climate vulnerability. It also provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and resolving the issues that the Town is facing. It serves as a foundation for strategic planning and informed decision-making with the goal of enhancing the community's resistance to potential climate hazards
The Susceptibility of Medically Important Mosquito Species to Insect-Specific Virus Infection
Get PDFArthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) cause disease in humans and animals throughout the world. Many factors exacerbate the risk of virus transmission over time, including climate change and global transport. Developing methods to control their transmission is of interest, and insect-specific viruses (ISVs) pose a novel avenue for biocontrol of arboviruses at the vectorial level.
Cell-fusing agent virus (CFAV) (Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) is an insect-specific flavivirus that has been seen to influence the replication of arboviruses in vitro and in vivo. The maintenance of this virus within a persistently infected colony of Aedes aegypti was investigated. Between 2022 and 2023, the colony infection rate decreased. The capacity of the virus to be horizontally transmitted through cohabitation was also assessed with Ae. aegypti, by housing infected mosquitoes with uninfected mosquitoes for 7 days. No horizontal transmission was observed. The use of CFAV-infectious cell culture to infect Ae. aegypti larvae was also tested. Infection was successful in low proportions. These results gave insight into CFAV transmission pathways and raised questions about the factors that can affect stability of CFAV over time.
Negev virus (NEGV) and Piura virus (PIUV) are part of a recently discovered genus called Nelorpivirus. Not much is known about their transmission or their effects on arboviruses. Here, Ae. aegypti and Culex pipiens larvae were successfully infected via infectious cell culture. There were higher infection rates in Ae. aegypti. Both species were able to vertically transmit PIUV while only Cx. pipiens could transmit NEGV to offspring. These results demonstrate that both medically important mosquito species are susceptible to infection by NEGV and PIUV. This is also the first experimental evidence of their capacity for vertical transmission
Understanding the Dimensions of Climate Change Misinformation
Get PDFClimate change misinformation (CCM) is emerging as one of the most pressing barriers to climate action. Referring to false or inaccurate information about climate change, CCM threatens to cast confusion on both the severity and existence of climate change. As CCM has permeated into mainstream news and social media platforms, it can now reach larger audiences and decrease support for climate change mitigation practices and policies. To combat CCM effectively, more work is needed to understand it as one unified concept. This major research paper focuses on filling this gap by identifying the dimensions of CCM through an inductive content analysis of peer-reviewed literature. Utilizing an inductive approach, five overall dimensions of CCM were synthesized: attributes, psychology, politics, disinformation, and responses. These dimensions establish the necessary foundation to understand CCM as one concept, increase global resiliency to CCM, and develop strategies that focus on eliminating CCM in the future
A Report on the Capacity of Ontario’s Post-Secondary Institutions to Support Open Educational Practices
Get PDFBrock University’s Inclusive Education Research Lab and eCampusOntario have released On a Path to Open, a new report detailing key results from a study conducted with Ontario’s publically-supported colleges, universities, and Indigenous institutes about their capacity to support open educational practices (OEP)
Physically Active Leisure with (and Beyond) Limits: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Mothers of Autistic Children
Get PDFMothers of autistic children have been shown to be more vulnerable to high levels of stress, poor health outcomes, and reduced engagement in leisure, as compared to fathers of autistic children or to parents of neurotypical children. While research has demonstrated the contribution of physically active leisure (PAL) to supporting well-being, including that of mothers, little is known about the experiences of mothers of autistic children. The purpose of this research was to explore the lived experiences of mothers of autistic children who engage in PAL to understand its meaning in their lives and how these experiences impact their well-being. This was a qualitative study that included 10 mothers (Mage = 39.3 years) who had one or more autistic children (Mage = 9.3 years). Each mother took photographs that reflected her experiences engaging in PAL (e.g., how they engage in PAL, how PAL affects them, and the meaning of these experiences to them), and participated in a one-on-one interview to discuss these photographs and broader experiences of PAL. Data was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis techniques. Two main themes were developed from the data that collectively capture the lived experiences of participants engaging in PAL. The first theme demonstrates how domestic commitments hinder mothers’ engagement in PAL, and how these are exacerbated by additional challenges related to the specific needs of autistic children (e.g. limited independence, unmet educational and health service needs). The second theme illustrates the ways in which engagement in PAL was empowering for mothers and supported their well-being. Specifically, engaging in PAL helped mothers cope with their life challenges and provided an opportunity for them to confront gender norms associated with womanhood and motherhood, either by resisting or reproducing these norms. This research has implications for informing health and leisure professionals and researchers and providing direction for the development of interventions and strategies for enhancing engagement in PAL for mothers of autistic children and improving their well-being
GNN-based Handover Management in 5G Vehicular Networks
Get PDFThe rapid advancement of 5G technology has transformed vehicular networks, delivering high bandwidth, low latency, and faster data rates for real-time applications in smart vehicles and smart cities. This enhances traffic safety and the quality of entertainment services. However, challenges remain, such as 5G's limited coverage range, which requires the installation of additional base stations, and frequent handovers, known as the "ping-pong effect," that can cause network instability, especially in high-mobility environments.
Traditional reactive methods struggle to manage these issues effectively. In this study, we propose TH-GCN (Throughput-oriented Graph Convolutional Network), which optimizes handover management in dense 5G environments using graph neural networks (GNNs). TH-GCN predicts optimal connections and the best handover choices by modeling vehicles and towers as nodes in a dynamic graph, with connections depicted as edges and incorporating features like signal quality, vehicle mobility, throughput, and tower load. By shifting from a purely user-centric to a combined user equipment and base station-centric approach, our method provides a comprehensive view of the network and enhances adaptability in real-time handover decisions.
After conducting several batch tests in our Simu5G simulator, the results showed significant improvements, including up to a 78% reduction in handovers and a 10% improvement in signal quality compared to state-of-the-art methods. TH-GCN effectively reduced handovers while maintaining optimal levels of throughput and latency, particularly in high-density, high-mobility scenarios
American Reports on the War of 1812, 1813-1817
Get PDFAssorted published American reports on the War of 1812. One set of reports is bound with missing covers
Snap-shots, Port Colborne
Get PDFThe album is attributed to the Reid family of Port Colborne. The 1921 Census of Canada lists a Reid family in Port Colborne living on Charlotte Street. Some of the homes in the background of the photographs appear similar to homes on Charlotte Street in 2024. At this time, it is unknown who the members of the family are.
The newspaper clippings are from the New York Times picture section, August-September 1918. The clippings show the Allied efforts in France, Italy and Palestine.
Photographs include family and friends of the Reid family of Port Colborne and include an engineer on the new [fourth] Welland Canal. Other locations include Niagara Falls, Nickel Beach, Port Colborne High School and various points along the fourth Welland Canal. Photographs include early aviation and a train wreck in Port Colborne, automobiles, family pets, bicycles, schools, early telephone switchboard, swimming, children’s picnics, Maple Leaf Mills, Welland Canal construction, cottages and beach images.Photo album and scrapbook containing many World War I era newspaper clippings and family photographs. The black and white photographs are of various subjects including the building of the Welland Canal, Niagara Falls, early aviation near Port Colborne, Nickel beach, homes in Port Colborne, and a photograph of an unknown engineer on the new Welland Canal. The photographs also include three individuals in black face.
Please note: This collection contains imagery that reflects the time period when it was created and the view of its creator(s). This can include offensive and negative language, references, and stereotypes that are no longer used or appropriate today. The item(s) retain their original content to ensure that attitudes and viewpoints are not erased from the historical record. The Archives & Special Collections are actively working on including more respectful and representative language in our own descriptions now and into the futur
Body Composition and Inflammatory Cytokine Responses to a Pilot Intervention of Resistance Training Combined with a Dietary ‘Bulk and Cut’ Program in Untrained Men
Get PDFThis study aimed to pilot a body-building program consisting of resistance training combined with a dietary bulk-and-cut protocol in middle-aged males. To this end, five untrained males with obesity (34.0 ± 3.5 years) participated in a 24-week resistance training intervention combined with a dietary protocol including 12-week cycles of bulking and cutting, respectively. To confirm the feasibility of this pilot intervention, compliance to the 24-week training intervention and adherence to each 12-week dietary cycle were calculated. Venous blood samples, and measurements of body composition (BodPod), muscle strength, and VO2max (cycle ergometer) were collected three times; at baseline (week 0) and following the bulking (week 12) and cutting (week 24) cycles. Circulating inflammatory cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were analysed in serum. Compliance with the 24-week training was 96.7 4.3 % and adherence to the bulking and cutting cycles was 93.75.1 % and 94.53.0 %, respectively. Results showed improvements in body composition with an increase in fat-free mass, and a decrease in body fat percentage over the 24-week intervention (+4% and -8%, respectively, p<0.05). Muscle strength increased over time for all exercises with the largest increase in the deadlift (+56%, p<0.001) and the squat (+93%, p<0.001). IL-6 decreased from post-bulking to post-cutting (-26%, p<0.05) while IL-10 and TNF-α decreased from baseline to post-cutting (-19% and -9%, respectively, p<0.05). These preliminary results suggest that resistance training combined with cycles of dietary bulking and cutting is feasible to implement and can lead to improvements in body composition and inflammation status in untrained adult males
Does the HEXACO Indirectly Link Victimization and Individual Wellbeing?
Get PDFBullying victimization is a current, growing problem among adolescents in school settings. Bullying can lead to the development of emotional problems, such as anxiety and depression. But is this link between bullying and wellbeing influenced by individual differences such as personality? To answer this question, I chose to use the HEXACO personality model to examine whether it indirectly linked wellbeing and bullying victimization. I used data from an ongoing longitudinal study which looked at adolescents’ peer relationships. My sample consisted of 564 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 (M = 14.88 years; SD = 1.41). Participants completed self-report and peer-nomination surveys and responded to questions regarding their demographics, engagement in antisocial behavior, personality and descriptions of other students in their grade. My results show that, as predicted, victimization was positively associated with Emotionality and emotional problems and that higher Emotionality indirectly linked victimization with emotional problems. In addition, other personality traits indirectly linked victimization with higher emotional problems, including lower Honesty-Humility, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness. My results also show that friendships are highly, positively related to Extraversion and negatively associated with victimization. Lower levels of Extraversion indirectly linked victimization to fewer friendships. My findings reinforce the established links between victimization and poorer wellbeing, including fewer friendships and more emotional problems. They also add the nuance that individual differences in personality might serve as indirect links between victimization and poorer wellbeing. This suggests that future research and interventions should consider individual differences in personality when addressing victimization and wellbeing