3789 research outputs found
Sort by
Housing and health of asylum aeekers and refugees in Canada: a cross-sectional study
Get PDFAsylum seekers and refugees (ASR) represent a growing global population due to various factors including armed conflicts, political instability, and persecution. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that there are currently over 50.3 million ASR worldwide, the highest number ever recorded. Canada, known for its robust refugee resettlement programs, welcomed over 30,087 ASR in 2019. Despite Canada's efforts to provide support, ASR often face substantial challenges in their new environment, particularly regarding housing and health. While housing is a recognized determinant of health, research specifically exploring the intersection of housing conditions and health outcomes among ASR is limited. Understanding how different housing situations, such as living in social housing or shelters, impact the health and well-being of ASR is essential for developing effective policies and interventions.
Objectives:
This study aims to fill this research gap by examining the association between housing and the quality of life (physical and mental health) of ASR in Canada, with the goal of informing evidence-based practices and improving support systems for this vulnerable population.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study design was employed, using the World Health Organization's Quality of Life - BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) survey to assess health outcomes. The study population consisted of ASR individuals residing in social housing or shelters across Canada. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize sample characteristics, and multiple linear regression models were applied to examine the association between housing and the quality of life of ASR. [...
Forest recovery and conservation, a socioeconomic and environmental alternative for the inhabitants of the community of Yunguilla, Ecuador. Case study
Get PDFThis study investigates the socioeconomic and environmental transformations caused by the recovery and transformation of the forest in a rural community in Ecuador. It attempts to determine if these transformations have improved the quality of life in this community. Yunguilla is located in the Province of Pichincha where there are problems of large-scale mining, massive tourism and deforestation, but its inhabitants, despite having lived through heavy logging processes, have changed their extractive activities for conservation and sustainable economic activities. To carry out this analysis we considered the historical aspects, local development, economy, environment and the impact of COVID 19, using the theory of complex adaptive systems, which allows us to analyze the linkage and the dependence and interdependence of the actors, as well as to identify the hierarchical levels of the system and to have a better understanding of the community dynamics and its different adaptive cycles. Analytical, synthetic, measurement and comparison methods were used, as well as a multi-temporal analysis of vegetation cover, interviews and semi-structured surveys, using the "snowball" technique.
The main results show that the conservation and natural resource management processes based on community governance have been effective. In addition, it shows how the recovery of the forest for more than 25 years has allowed environmental sustainability, fostered community tourism and the creation of social microenterprises as an economic alternative. These initiatives were supported by national and international organizations through cooperation projects, but with the approval of the general assembly. When the pandemic arrived, it generated a strong impact that destabilized the community, but showing resilience, its inhabitants carried out actions to recover, showing an optimistic attitude and believing in a promising future, due to the management and decision making that prioritizes a global approach and social consensus, always prevailing the collective and sustainable approach that improves their living conditions, prioritizing the "Good living"1 . Thus, Yunguilla has exemplified that small actions can be the beginning of positive impacts on a larger scale
Influence of prey type and environment on Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) activity, mercury dynamics, and life histories
No full textUnderstanding food web structure in lentic ecosystems is a requirement for determining
pathways and rates of energy flow, yet predator-prey interactions can be highly dynamic
across space (i.e., between- and within-lakes) and time (e.g., diel daily cycles, seasonal).
Differences in prey availability can influence predator life history traits and behaviours,
though life histories can also vary across environmental gradients. Metabolic theory
predicts that variation in prey and habitat availability affects metabolic rates by
modifications to active behaviours, though the precise conditions controlling variation in
activity have rarely been empirically assessed. Further, the relative influence of activity
via food web structure (compared with environmental characteristics) on life history
traits and contaminant dynamics remain poorly understood. Here, I integrate
information regarding both prey availability and environmental factors to gain novel
insights into their combined effects on Lake Trout activity, contaminant accumulation
and life histories. Using stationary hydroacoustics, I directly observed higher activity in
planktivorous Lake Trout populations that exhibited sustained day-night swimming and
higher active metabolism, which contrasted with piscivorous populations that had
distinct day-night behavioural shifts, including nighttime rest. Planktivorous Lake Trout
maintained faster, more complex swimming paths, exhibited higher oxygen
consumption, and were more frequently observed in suboptimal oxythermal conditions
than piscivorous Lake Trout. Secondly, Lake Trout mercury (Hg) concentrations were
affected by prey availability but not according to classical contaminant food chain length
theory; rather, Hg accumulation slopes against body size were more shallow when Mysis
diluviana was present than when they were absent, independent of overall food chain
length. Increasing dissolved organic carbon concentrations (DOC) were also positively
associated with Lake Trout Hg, and the combined use of prey availability and DOC
proved essential for predicting whether Lake Trout Hg concentrations exceeded
Canadian consumption guidelines for a given size. Lastly, life history traits in Lake Trout
were best explained by models combining both food web structure and environmental
variables; adult length and size-at-maturity generally increased with greater prey
availability, while environmental variables such as lake size and total phosphorus were
key for describing trait variation within categories of prey availability. These findings
provide empirical, field-validated support that prey availability can play as important of a
role as environmental characteristics in shaping the life history traits of predatory fishes,
like Lake Trout, through effects on activity, metabolic rates, and foraging opportunities
Revolutionizing Women’s health: the quest for materials for next-generation, non-hormonal intrauterine devices
Get PDFWith over 200 million users worldwide, copper intrauterine devices (Cu-IUDs) are the world’s most popular, non-hormonal, long-acting, and reversible contraception method. Cu-IUDs cause uncomfortable side effects such as longer and heavier menstruation and cramping, all of which persist for the duration of use and often lead to early removal. With the rise in concern about potential physical and psychological side effects from hormonal contraceptive use, an improvement in non-hormonal contraceptive options is needed to alleviate discomforting side effects and inhibit costs. This perspective article provides an overview of the current state of non-hormonal IUDs and experimental factors to consider when developing new materials that have potential as alternative contraceptives, including copper alloys, zinc, iron, and passive metals. It also explores the sustainability and socioeconomic impact of advancing non-hormonal contraceptive options and considers international policy, cultural factors, and costs that must be considered when developing these options. Overall, the article highlights the interdisciplinary nature of this field, the complexities involved in creating effective non-hormonal contraceptives, and the need for innovation and equity in contraceptive care
The effects of lake acidification on small-bodied fish populations
Get PDFIndustrialization has had adverse effects on the environment. Through mining and burning of fossil fuels, acidic precursors are emitted into the atmosphere creating acid rain. Acid rain is then deposited into freshwater lakes, causing lake acidification which can in turn affect the aquatic ecosystem. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects lake acidification has on small-bodied fish across three lakes that were each subjected to acidification experiments in the IISD Experimental Lakes Area. The effects of acidic deposition on small-bodied fish have not been widely studied. The prediction is that increased acidification in the lakes would lead to reduced small-bodied fish populations. Abundance was measured against lake pH for each species to determine periods of chemical and biological recovery, as well as threshold limits for each fish. The findings show that most of the observed species did experience decline when acidification increased; However, Slimy Sculpin seemed to be more sensitive than the rest, while Northern Pearl Dace abundance increased in response to acidification. Further studies should be performed to determine absolute threshold values for species, including Slimy Sculpin and Pearl Dace based on the findings of this thesis
By no means there yet: centring the voices of Black, Indigenous, and youth of colour climate activists in Ontario
Get PDFThis critical qualitative inquiry delves into the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and youth of
colour activists involved in the climate justice movement. Semi-structured narrative interviews
were conducted with 15 Black, Indigenous and youth in Ontario, aged 18 to 29, engaged with a
climate justice organization for a minimum of six months. Utilizing timeline mapping and semistructured interviews, participants highlighted pivotal life events shaping their justice-oriented
values. Two overarching themes emerged: 1) Deliberately Unheard? Conveying the Challenges
Encountered by BIPoC Youth Climate Activists, and 2) Empowering Echoes: Nurturing Identity,
Shaping Communities, and Forging New Pathways for BIPoC Youth Leaders. Early connections
to the land, familial influences, and the Land Back movement significantly informed participants'
activism, emphasizing the need for intersectional environmentalism. Amidst experiences of
racism within the movement and the predominant whiteness of youth protests, BIPoC youth
navigate a diverse range of climate emotions and advocate for leadership opportunities and
dedicated spaces for youth to foster intergenerational knowledge transfer. The study calls for
systemic change and concludes with recommendations to enhance climate justice education in
schools, offering insights to inspire future generations for a more equitable and sustainable
future, especially for the most vulnerable of peoples
Supporting the executability of R markdown files
Get PDFR Markdown files are examples of literate programming documents that combine R code
with results and explanations. Such dynamic documents are designed to execute easily and
reproduce study results. However, little is known about the executability of R Markdown
files which can cause frustration among its users who intend to reuse the document. This
thesis aims to understand the executability of R Markdown files and improve the current
state of supporting the executability of those files.
Towards this direction, a large-scale study has been conducted on the executability of
R Markdown files collected from GitHub repositories. Results from the study show that a
significant number of R Markdown files (64.95%) are not executable, even after our best
efforts. To better understand the challenges, the exceptions encountered while executing
the files are categorized into different categories and a classifier is developed to determine
which Markdown files are likely to be executable. Such a classifier can be utilized by search
engines in their ranking which helps developers to find literate programming documents as
learning resources. To support the executability of R Markdown files a command-line tool
is developed. Such a tool can find issues in R Markdown files that prevent the executability
of those files. Using an R Markdown file as an input, the tool generates an intuitive list
of outputs that assist developers in identifying areas that require attention to ensure the
executability of the file. The tool not only utilizes static analysis of source code but also uses
a carefully crafted knowledge base of package dependencies to generate version constraints
of involved packages and a Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) solver (i.e., Z3) to identify
compatible versions of those packages. Findings from this research can help developers
reuse R Markdown files easily, thus improving the productivity of developers. [...
Impacts of climate change on the Monarch butterfly in Ontario; a citizen science-based approach
Get PDFThe Monarch butterfly [Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758)], is an iconic
insect native to North America. This butterfly is a migratory insect that flies to an
overwintering site in Mexico every year. It is considered an endangered species
in Canada due to habitat fragmentation and changing temperatures. This study
utilized the maximum entropy modeling (MaxEnt) in conjunction with a research
grade iNaturalist citizen science occurrence data and a Government of Canada
climate dataset (CanDCS-U6) to display how the range of the Monarch butterfly
will be impacted from climate change in Canada. In addition to the historic
conditions the mid-century (2030-2050) and late-century (2080-2100) climate
change scenarios utilized SSP 126, SSP 245 and SSP 585 emissions scenarios
to create the species distribution models. The results showed that under these
climate change scenarios there was northeastwards shift of suitable habitats for
the Monarch butterfly. This can have an impact on future Monarch habitat
affecting their migration and breeding grounds
Energy density of fish within an aquaculture experiment
Get PDFUnderstanding how small-bodied fish are affected by aquaculture is important to
help complete the picture on how aquaculture affects all levels of the ecosystem. I
analysed the energy density for small-bodied fish in the presence of aquaculture. The
experiment was done in a whole lake ecosystem within the boreal shield. This study
focused specifically on finescale dace within two similar lakes; Lake 375 had
aquaculture operating for 5 years and Lake 373 was monitored as a reference lake.
Aquaculture likely had a positive impact on the energy density of finescale dace as they
had access to an increased food source. While the energy density of minnows was
higher in Lake 375 than Lake 373, there was a higher overwinter mortality rate in Lake
375. Based on findings presented here and from information reported elsewhere, I
conclude that previously reported minnow overwinter mortality was largely due to an
increase of predation of minnows from lake trout, rather than due to energetic deficits.
While aquaculture appears to benefit the minnows where they displayed increased
energy density and population densities, overwinter mortality may cause the minnow
population densities to become unpredictable and volatile with an aquaculture
operation
Literature instruction: using a critical and social lens
Get PDFSocial change depends on the actions of the citizens of tomorrow. Without creating
changes to the curriculum and to the perspectives from which we teach, the likelihood of
producing social change is lessened. The main objective of developing this resource guide is to
help educators to teach with a critical lens and encourage students to think beyond the surface of
the texts they read. Critical literacy addresses contemporary issues and challenges students to
consider the perspectives and rights of various groups of people. The purpose is to understand
that texts portray different biases and perspectives and to gain perspective on others’ experiences
An example of this “is critical literacy perspective which, although rooted in language and
literacy education, has the potential for application across the school curriculum and in research
more broadly " (Janks, 2013, p. 227). Janks provides an excellent example of how this lens can
expand into other portions of the curriculum besides language arts. Using theoretical
perspectives of social justice and critical literacy, this guide provides an outline of activities
spanning 5 to 10 weeks that could be adopted or expanded by teachers who are unfamiliar with
these two perspectives to support grade 5 and 6 teachers to begin to integrate critical literacy and
social justice into their classrooms in ways that are accessible to the interests of grade 5 and 6
students