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Being, becoming, and belonging: a constructivist grounded theory study describing the process of social norm formation of nurses working in groups
Get PDFCOVID-19 exacerbated the worldwide shortage of nurses. The Registered Nurses
Association of Ontario reported that the number of vacancies among registered nurses in the
province has more than quadrupled since the beginning of 2016 and has more than doubled since
the start of the pandemic. Reasons identified by researchers contributing to nurses leaving the
profession have included lack of support from peers and management, little input from nurses
into their practices, increasingly heavy patient loads, and increasing patient acuity. The purpose
of this constructivist grounded theory study was to develop a theory to explain the process of
social norm formation of nurses working in groups and to identify the factors limiting or
facilitating their development. Group social norms, or rules, contribute to the environment in
which nurses practice. [...
Components and impact of Canada's wood pellet industry - a literature review
Get PDFWood Pellets are biofuels made from compressed wood fibre and they can be
used to generate electricity or for heating applications. They are often produced from
mill residues like sawdust and shavings. Wood pellets have many parameters that
influence how much energy they can produce. These parameters are measured to ensure
that they meet the standards set by the Pellet Fuel Institute (PFI) which is used in North
America and the European Union standard. Wood pellets are a less environmentally
damaging alternative to fossil fuels due to their renewable nature and lower greenhouse
gas emissions. Many countries like the United Kingdom have introduced policies and
incentives to increase the use of clean energy such as wood pellets. This has led to
Canada becoming the second largest exporter of wood pellets behind the United States.
To meet the demand for wood pellets, Canadas production of wood pellets has
increased. The production process for wood pellets has many steps and there can be with
issues with storage and transportation as degradation and energy density issues can
occur. This review will collect all relevant literature pertaining to the impacts and
components of Canada’s wood pellet industry
Cost-benefit analysis of scarification in the boreal forest
Get PDFSoil scarification is a site preparation method that improves growing
conditions for seedlings. The practice has associated benefits and costs putting its feasibility into question within the boreal forest. The costs include aspects of environmental degradation in that it causes increased runoff impacting
hydrological features and decreases microbial activity within the soil.
Additionally, there are economic costs associated with the practice being the
cost to purchase, maintain, and fuel scarification machinery, as well as operator wages. This is offset by greatly increased success rates of regeneration.
Seedlings experience expedited growth in both the short and long term as well as decreased mortality rates. Ultimately, the benefits of scarification do outweigh the cost in the majority of scenarios within the boreal forest making it a feasible practice. Sites where the benefits may be expected to be dampened include
sites with shallow soils, thin organic layers, excessive slope, or sites
implementing natural regeneration rather than seeding or planting
Fundamental studies of microalgal biofilm formation and microalgalbacterial membrane photobioreactors
Get PDFMicroalgae is one of the photoautotrophic microorganisms that has attracted significant
attention in wastewater treatment and biofuel production. Although researchers claimed that
microalgae cultivation in wastewater treatment has a very high potential for nutrient removal and
economic benefit from downstream production, microalgae brought drawbacks such as extra cost
and energy consumption due to diluted concentration, lower effluent quality because of suspended
biomass, and risk of contamination by bacteria. Biofilm cultivation is considered an alternative to
overcome the prementioned disadvantages. Furthermore, involving membrane technology in
biofilm cultivation could further promote biomass harvesting efficiency and effluent quality. Thus,
the new biofilm membrane bioreactors such as membrane carbonated microalgal biofilm reactor
(MCMBR), and extractive membrane microalgal biofilm reactor (EMMBR) should have great
prospects in sewage treatment. [...
Fish and fishing practices in the upper severn river watershed: listening to stories and exploring changes over time
Get PDFThe effects of environmental change and proposed mining in remote northern Ontario has
created an immediate need for the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Tribal Council (KOTC) member
communities of the Upper Severn River watershed to situate fish as supporters of health and
well-being through fish-people-land relationships and fishing practices. While fish are often
viewed as a nutritional health support, this research aims to explore fish-people relationships as a
determinant of health, while exploring how fishing practices and relationships with fish have
changed over time using community-based research methodology and Indigenous
methodologies, gathering and analysing qualitative data with the KOTC member communities of
the Upper Severn River watershed. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 18 participants with
historic or current experience fishing in the Upper Severn River watershed. Perspectives, stories,
and experiences of participants were collected through conversational interviews designed to
facilitate storytelling. Interview data was analysed using thematic network analysis resulting in
three global themes: 1) Interactions Between Fish, Fishing, Health and Well-being; 2) Influences
On, and Effects of Changes Surrounding Fish and Fishing; and 3) The Future of Fish and
Fishing, as well as 9 organizing themes and 24 basic themes. Findings identify positive effects of
fish and fishing on health and well-being and the involvement of fish and fishing in relationships
with family, community, and the land. Interconnections of changing needs for fish, fish health
and behaviour, environment, available fishing methods, and land-based knowledges are also
outlined. This research emphasizes that First Nations Peoples’ health and more-than-human
relations are linked. Initiatives which increase First Nations communities’ ability to engage with,
and the health of more-than-human relations, such as the land and fish, increase communities’
health and well-being through supporting reciprocal relationships with the more-than-human
Formation and nanoscale characterization of self-assembled molecular structures on Au(111) and Ag(111) surfaces
No full textThe growing interests in nanomaterials stem from remarkable properties arising from
reduced dimensionality. On-surface synthesis utilizes surface/nanoscale science techniques to
design and make nanomaterials through a bottom-up approach. The overall research objective of
the present thesis was to create and characterize different molecular nanostructures on surfaces,
and to investigate the chemical phenomena involved in the process. This research reports the
formation of a variety of nanomaterials including self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and surface-
confined self-assembled molecular networks (SAMNs) on Au(111) and Ag(111).
The nanoscale formation of SAMs on Au(111)/mica was performed through solution
chemistry methods to anchor thiol molecules to gold surface atoms. Three thiols with different
alkyl chain and terminating functional group (carboxyl, trimethylammonium) were studied to form
SAMs on Au(111)/mica. Investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the thiolated SAMs with the end group of a tertiary ammonium
serve as a stable molecular scaffold. The thiolated SAM was further studied for the adsorption of
a stable prototype organic radical, Tris(8-carboxyl-2,2,6,6-tetra(2-(1-hydroxyethyl))-benzo[1,2-
d:4,5-d’]bis(dithiole-4-yl)methyl sodium salt, known as OX063, interacting with the carboxyl
groups of OX063. Our findings can be used to create spin-based materials for future integration
in devices. This will create the foundation for future determination of how the characteristic of
spin sites might change depending on whether they are surrounded by other molecules in solutions,
directly placed on the surface, or located with a distance to the surface. [...
The development and content validation of an injured worker stigma scale
Get PDFIndividuals who experience workplace injuries or illnesses also experience societal stigma
related to their injured identity. Such stigmatization takes place in the form of stereotyping,
prejudice from others, and unethical actions and often occurs in multiple facets of an injured
worker’s life. The injured worker can also internalize the pervasive stigma; self-stigmatization
has been linked with adverse outcomes such as reduced help-seeking, increased shame, impeded
recovery, raised stress levels, lowered self-efficacy. However, there is currently no reliable
measure that accurately measures internalized stigma within injured workers. The current study
generated an initial item pool based on content from within the stigma and injured worker
literatures as well as interviews with six injured workers. Seven knowledgeable individuals
assessed the relevance and representativeness of the items. Item-level content validity index
values ranged from .14 to 1.00 (.09 to 1.00 when corrected for chance agreement with Polit’s
modified kappa). Qualitative feedback indicated a need for simplified language, trauma informed
questions, and further emphasis on the structural nature of stigma. Given this feedback and a
scale-level content validity index value of .55, further revisions are needed to develop a valid
measure of internalized injured worker stigma
Design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel aurora kinase inhibitors for cancer diagnosis and therapy
No full textCancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Advances in cancer diagnosis and
therapeutics plays a critical role in global health and a patient’s life. Aurora kinases, as mitotic
kinases, regulate multiple mitotic events. Their oncogenic properties have made them attractive
targets for cancer diagnosis and therapy for two decades. A variety of AURKA/B selective
inhibitors and pan-Aurora inhibitors have been developed. Many of these inhibitors have been
proven to have effective antitumor properties in both in vitro studies using cell lines and in vivo
studies with murine xenografts. However, no inhibitors have been approved for human use.
Discovering novel inhibitors that are highly selective and potent represent the task ahead. Such
compounds will also serve to derive a better understanding of the biological functions of Aurora
kinases. The aim of this thesis is to study the structural mechanism of subtype selective Aurora
kinase inhibitors and develop novel radiotracers and inhibitors targeting Aurora kinases for cancer
diagnosis and therapeutics.
Chapter 1 summarizes the mitotic functions, oncogenic properties and structural characteristics of
Aurora kinases and the progress in Aurora inhibitors development. The Aurora kinase family has
three members Aurora kinase A, B and C. They are highly conserved with high sequence and
structural similarities but differ in their subcellular locations and amplification characters of
different cancer types. Inhibiting Aurora kinase A may have long-term effects which lead to a
secondary tumor. Targeting Aurora kinase B with highly selective inhibitors is potentially a less
toxic anti-cancer strategy. However, the use of the highly selective Aurora kinase B inhibitor is
underdeveloped, and most of them have overlapping activity with Aurora kinase C. Therefore, this
thesis focuses on developing subtype selective Aurora B/C inhibitors. [...
Understanding the barriers and facilitators to engaging in a physical activity prescription program from the perspectives of health care providers and recipients using the capability, opportunity, and motivation (COM-B) framework
Get PDFPrescription-based physical activity, a method in which healthcare providers write specified movement recommendations to patients, is an emerging health promotion strategy being applied to combat systematic healthcare crises. This approach, deemed effective for increasing physical activity adherence, is especially vital due to declining activity rates seen since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prescription-to-Get-Active (RxTGA) is an Alberta-based, not-for-profit physical activity prescription program that seeks to increase movement among Canadians and attenuate the risk for adverse health effects associated with not meeting national guidelines. While RxTGA has been in operation since 2011 and is well regarded in Alberta as a viable program to promote physical activity and health among recipients, its effectiveness to date has not been determined empirically. A reduction in prescriptions written and redeemed since the pandemic’s onset has been observed making a formal evaluation timely. Because physical activity is an important strategy to promote physical, mental, and social health, an investigation into the barriers and facilitators to prescription physical activity is needed to optimize engagement in the RxTGA program. Limited studies have sought to understand this phenomenon in a Canadian context and no studies have investigated these constructs from the perspectives of both the healthcare providers who write the prescriptions, and those who receive them. Similarly, no studies have assessed factors that impede or promote participation specific to RxTGA and done so through the lens of the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation Model for Behaviour Change (COM-B): a behaviour analysis tool that allows researchers to break down complex decisions into smaller ones that can be more efficiently studied. [...
Functional lignin for coating and 3D printing
No full textThe abundance of lignin, aromatic structure, and multifunctional groups uniquely appeal for use in advanced sustainable functional materials. Currently, the available lignin is not derived from a lignin-first strategy; instead, it is a byproduct of the paper and pulp industry, where the primary focus is on cellulose, resulting in structural alterations. Consequently, lignin exhibits variable structural characteristics and includes impurities that restrict its valorization for diverse applications. This thesis employed functionalization and fractionation combined with functionalization to leverage lignin in advanced applications, including functional coatings, composite films, and 3D printing.
The initial portion of this thesis focuses on the eco-friendly grafting of a silsesquioxane chain onto kraft lignin to produce a homogeneous superhydrophobic and flame-retardant lignin. A detailed study was conducted on the chemical interaction between softwood kraft lignin and aminopropyl/methyl silsesquioxane. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements validated the transformation of hydroxyl groups in kraft lignin to Si-O-C by polycondensation. The resulting lignin was employed with an aluminum phosphate binder to dip-coat a stain-grade pine wood species. The second study concentrated on integrating lignin-silsesquioxane copolymer at an elevated concentration with water-based polyurethane (PU) polymer. Sulfoethylated lignin was employed as a dispersant in the lignin-PU composite formulation to enhance the dispersion of the lignin-silsesquioxane polymer in PU. In both studies, the functionalized lignin surpassed unfunctional lignin in hydrophobic and thermal properties, endowing coated wood with superhydrophobic characteristics and flame-retardant features. The functionalized lignin incorporation in PU at a higher concentration (>50) was possible while improving the hydrophobic, thermal, and flame-retardant characteristics of PU. A reduced concentration of functionalized lignin (10%) enhanced the surface, mechanical, and thermal characteristics of pure PU compared to unfunctionalized lignin at an equivalent concentration. This is related to the improved properties of lignin due to functionalization. The optimization conditions derived from the initial investigation were employed in the third study, whereby lignin was functionalized using a
fluoro silsesquioxane agent, effectively incorporating lignin into natural rubber latex. [...