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Joseph Edward Masters fonds, 1823-1967, n.d.
Get PDFJoseph Edward Masters (1871-1955), a native of Niagara, was a prominent figure in Niagara-on-the-Lake who served as Town Clerk and Reeve. The son of Joseph and Margaret Keith Masters, he received his education in the public and high schools of Niagara and proceeded to work in the ferrying business. His political career began in 1904 when he was elected to the Public School Board to complete his father's term after his death. In 1913 he was elected to the Town Council, and in 1915 was elected Reeve. In 1919 his work was honoured with the appointment of the Wardenship and he became mayor in 1932. He was also a member of several other groups and organizations, including the Public Library Board, the Hospital Board, the Niagara Historical Society, and St. Mark's Church.Fonds consists of records accumulated by Joseph Edward Masters during his life and career as Reeve and Town Clerk of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Fonds primarily consists of papers and correspondence, but also includes a notebook with personal entries, and ration books and meat tokens from the Wartime Prices & Trade Board. Also included are newspaper clippings and other items relating to Janet Carnochan, a prominent figure in the Niagara community, as well as papers relating to the Niagara Rifle Association
Demonstration of density classification by two 2D probabilistic cellular automata
No full textVideo file with resolution 418x416, 1 min 10 sec duration. Black sites represent 0, blue represent 1. Initial configuration is 100x100 with density 0.501, meaning that there are 5100 sites in state 1 and 4900 in state 0. Periodic boundary conditions are used.
The rule changes after 1000 iterations (approx. in 42 sec.) , and at the end all sites are blue (in state 1), as expected for the initial density > 0.5.Demonstration of the solution of the density classification problem for initial density 0.501, performed by a pair of 2D cellular automaton rules described in H. Fukś, "Solving two-dimensional density classification problem with two probabilistic cellular automata", Journal of Cellular Automata, 10(1--2):149--160, 2015 (also availabe at https://arxiv.org/abs/1506.06653). The rules used are generalized ECA 184 with random "lane changes" and generalized ECA 232 with random "crowd avoidance"
Failure to Engage: Exploring Treatment Initiation Delays for Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among the Canadian Armed Forces
Get PDFDespite the availability of mental health resources available to members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), there are significant concerns regarding post-deployment mental health, including failure to initiate treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a timely manner. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the factors contributing to delays in treatment initiation for combat-related PTSD by examining CAF veterans’ experiences with accessing post-deployment mental health services. The research question that underpinned the study is what are Canadian Armed Forces veterans’ experiences with accessing post-deployment mental health services? The four sub-questions that guided this case study are: (1) How do CAF veterans describe the process of seeking post-deployment mental health services? (2) What factors contribute to seeking post-deployment mental health services? (3) What influences delays in treatment initiation? (4) How are CAF veterans impacted by delays in treatment initiation?
Seven participants were recruited and participated in this study. All participants were veterans of the Canadian Army, had been deployed at least once, received a formal diagnosis of PTSD following their deployment, and had experiences accessing mental health services. The qualitative data, including both published government documents and interview transcripts, were analyzed during a 3-phase analysis process. Analysis highlighted that factors contributing to treatment initiation delays occur at the intrapersonal, community, and systemic levels, with impacts greatly affecting veterans across various realms of well-being, including the physical, mental, social, and spiritual realms. Findings are described using examples from the data and discussed in relation to the literature. Overall, this study provides knowledge to support the developing literature about the lived experiences of military veterans, and offers a comprehensive understanding of the factors that contribute to treatment initiation delays for combat-related PTSD
Exploring the Decision-Making Process Behind the Loss of a Clinical Placement: Second-Year Nursing Students in the Special Care Nursery
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to explore how a Special Care Nursery (SCN) in a southern Ontario hospital decided to stop taking second-year nursing students for clinical placement. A qualitative intrinsic case study approach was utilized to guide and analyze twelve participant interviews. Participants were recruited using both purposeful and snowball sampling. Sharan Merriam (1998) was utilized as a theorist for the methodology and framework of this case study. Additionally, Leah Curtin’s (2014) six-questions for ethical decision-making in nursing management were used to develop the semi-structured interview guide. An overarching theme of Conflicting Messages was found, with three subsequent themes of 1) Contributing Factors, 2) Level that Decisions Happen, and 3) Outcomes of Decision-Making. Findings of this study indicated that the decision to cease placements in the SCN was likely made due to a culmination of factors, but a defined cause and process for decision-making was not found. Factors that were identified by participants as being influential in the loss of this placement included clinical instructors not supporting students, high unit acuity, negative attitudes towards students, uncertainty with the student scope of practice, nurse burnout, and systems issues. There was uncertainty surrounding who was involved in making this decision, which was attributed by participants to a lack of communication and collegiality between frontline staff and those in management positions. This led to unilateral decision-making, and a lack of departmental cohesion. Additionally, preferential placement opportunities were found to be offered to medical learners over nursing students. Implications were identified as wide reaching, including unit recruitment concerns, lack of exposure to the specialty of neonatal nursing, and the inability of nurses to fulfill their professional obligations of knowledge sharing. Ultimately, it was identified that the use of Curtin’s (2014) decision-making model alone lacked a formal process to guide how decisions in nursing management should be made, although it raises context specific questions that aid in understanding an issue at hand. The development of a comprehensive model for decision-making in nursing leadership would be beneficial to provide structure for how important choices are made in healthcare and improve transparency in decision-making
A Teacher/Mother’s Journey Toward Liberation: An Autoethnographic Account
Get PDFThrough my first professional decade as an educator, I simultaneously raised a daughter with special needs. The journey into motherhood challenged what I thought I knew about teaching and learning. This compelled me to move inwards and (re)connect with my body through Yoga. This way of being shifted my ontology and epistemology from positivist into a more interpretive critical standpoint. Researching this shift, I was drawn to autoethnography. It allowed me to understand the socio-cultural context of education in a deeper, more nuanced manner. Weaving the personal and the professional ultimately allowed me to understand the impact of these shifts on my professional identity and classroom practice. Using Freire (1970) and hooks (1994), I draw closer to the potential for liberation in education by placing my own liberation at the center of my practice. My intention in this research is to move more deeply into liberation and to offer my experiences towards the possibility of collective benefit
Mad Dog Nutrition Program Consult: A Qualitative approach to Perceptions of Task and Barrier Self-Efficacy, and Long-term Adherence
Get PDFPast research has demonstrated that neurological populations (i.e., spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis) can benefit from an anti-inflammatory diet (Allison & Ditor, 2015; Allison et al., 2016). Although able to reduce inflammation and improve other health related measures, adherence to the diet was substantially lower one year later (Allison & Ditor, 2018). Investigation into factors impacting adherence was successful in identifying applicable barriers and facilitators (Bailey et al., 2017). Using existing knowledge, a pilot nutrition consult (Mad Dog Consult) was created in hopes of improving adherence to the diet. After the consult and a 1-month intervention period, participants were later interviewed with regard to their experience. Interviews were conducted under a constructivist world view and analysis was guided by reflexive thematic analysis (RTA). This study aimed to 1) determine how the Mad Dog Consultation changed individual perceptions of task and barrier self-efficacy (SE) and long-term adherence, and 2) gather participant feedback regarding effectiveness and delivery of the consultation for future modifications. Resulting themes are as follows. Primary themes: Independent Investigation* and Utilizing Self-Awareness; secondary themes: Learning & Trying New Things, Resources & Tools*, Confidence & Commitment, Support & Cooperation*, Health Concerns & Considerations, Inadequate/Ineffective knowledge*, Emotion & Environment, Sourcing & Expense, Accessibility (Physical Challenges), and Inconvenience; and sub-themes: Small Changes, Weight Loss, and Energy Level & Focus. While these findings confirm the consult’s positive impact on addressed barriers and facilitators, it also indicates the need for booster sessions, further adaptation to “busy lives”, and reinforcing of individual strengths. Therefore, it can be concluded that while the consult was demonstrated to act as a catalyst for healthy change, further investigation is still required
Reporting of adverse events in muscle strengthening interventions in youth: A systematic review
Get PDFTo document the extent to which AEs, resulting from intervention studies targeting
muscle-strengthening training (MST) in youth, are reported by researchers
Lithium and creatine supplementation, alone and in combination, for the promotion of adipose thermogenesis
Get PDFNeutraceutical approaches to enhancing energy expenditure (EE) and adipose browning may provide a method of preventing obesity development. GSK3 has been identified as a negative regulator of UCP1. We have previously observed lithium, an inhibitor of GSK3, to increase UCP1 content and cellular respiration in 3T3-L1 adipocytes (0.5mM) and mice treated with 10mg/kg/day have increased EE, UCP1 and white adipose (WAT) multilocular phenotype. Creatine metabolism is also emerging as a critical regulator of adipose metabolism, and we have previously observed increased mitochondrial markers with creatine monohydrate supplementation. This study aimed to investigate the impact of supplemental lithium, creatine and their combination on EE and adipose tissue form and function. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four experimental groups for 6 weeks: (1) control, (2) lithium-supplemented (200 mg/L), (3) creatine-supplemented (5 g/L), (4) dual-supplemented (n=8 per group). All interventions increased EE and reduced body mass in males. In males, brown adipose (BAT) UCP1 was unaltered with lithium, however several mitochondrial and lipolytic markers were increased as well as inhibitory GSK3 serine9 phosphorylation. Creatine increased BAT UCP1 but had no effect on WAT thermogenic markers and lowered WAT mitochondrial and lipolytic markers. In females, none of the observed effects on EE, body weight and thermogenic proteins observed in males carried through to females. In female WAT, the treatments resulted in lower protein content of select mitochondrial and lipolytic proteins. Lithium supplementation was found to increase markers of BAT thermogenesis which likely contributes to the increased EE and reduced body mass in males. Creatine supplementation had a similar effect on EE and increased UCP1 protein content in the BAT of males. There was however no additive effect of the treatments, and all the results were independent of any evidence for a WAT browning/beinging effect suggesting that BAT is the main target of the treatments. None of the above observed effects of the treatments were translated to the females and could be, at least in part, due to sex differences in the adipose response to the treatments as GSK3 was differentially affected by lithium across sexes and depots
The influence of estrogen on skeletal muscle myosin regulatory light chain phosphorylation, post-tetanic potentiation, work, and power in C57BL/6 mice
Get PDFEstrogen hormones are implicated in influencing skeletal muscle contractile function and specifically, the interactions between myosin and actin that facilitate contraction. Myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) phosphorylation (RLC-p) is highly associated with an increase in the percentage of myosin proteins strongly bound to actin during contractile activity. Myosin RLC-p is also highly associated with post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) i.e. the short-term increase in force observed following tetanic stimulation characteristic of fast-twitch skeletal muscle. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of ovarian hormone deficiency and 17β-Estradiol (E2) replacement, on the PTP of concentric twitch force and myosin RLC-p of mouse fast twitch skeletal muscle. To this end, 4-month-old wildtype C57BL/6 mice were allocated to the ovariectomized (OVX), ovariectomized with E2 replacement (OVX+E), or sham-ovariectomized (SHAM) condition (n=8 mice). Extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were surgically extracted and mounted for in vitro contractile experiments at 25° C involving the use of a brief potentiating stimulus (PS) to induce PTP. The PS, consisting of four equally spaced tetani (400Hz, 100ms) over 10.5s, significantly increased concentric twitch force and myosin RLC-p levels across condition groups. However, no significant differences in PTP, myosin RLC-p, or rates of force development and relaxation were observed between muscles of the OVX, OVX+E and SHAM conditions. A significant drop in relative tetanic force amongst the first and second tetanus within the PS was observed of muscles from OVX mice compared to that of OVX+E and SHAM mice. Specific force, calculated as the ratio of force to muscle PCSA, total work, peak work, and power production, were significantly increased following the PS across conditions, and were significantly less of muscles from OVX mice compared to OVX+E and SHAM, both prior to and following the PS. Data are contrary to the primary hypothesis that E2 influences myosin RLC-p and PTP in fast twitch skeletal muscle, though are suggestive of an influence of OVX and E2 on skeletal muscle quality
PECSperts! Exploring Child and Caregiver Outcomes Following Participation in a Brief Communication Camp
Get PDFChildren with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often have communication impairments. As a result, augmentative and alternative communication systems such as the Picture Exchange Communication System® (PECS®; Frost & Bondy, 2006) are often recommended. Although substantial evidence supports child PECS use, and emerging evidence supports caregiver PECS training, no research specifically explores brief caregiver and child PECS training models. As such, little is known about how to effectively train caregivers and children in an efficient manner. Further, few studies investigate whether caregivers and children generalize and maintain their PECS skills. This study explored child PECS accuracy and caregiver PECS treatment integrity following participation in a brief, 1-week caregiver and child PECS training camp that included caregiver training, child teaching, and caregiver-child coaching. Eight children diagnosed with ASD and their caregivers participated. A pre-post group design was implemented to assess caregiver and child performance in camp-clinic and home settings over time. Results suggest that average caregiver PECS treatment integrity and child PECS accuracy increased from pre- to post-intervention and caregiver treatment integrity remained stable during maintenance assessments. In contrast, child PECS accuracy was variable during maintenance assessments. Results were similar in both the camp-clinic and home settings for caregivers and children. These results indicate that a brief PECS training camp may improve caregiver and child PECS skills in both camp-clinic and home settings