Scholarship@Western

Karamally, Talib

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
November 2022 
Mindfulness Meditation as a Predictor of Pro-Environmental 
Leadership 
Talib Karamally 
tkaramal@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Karamally, Talib, "Mindfulness Meditation as a Predictor of Pro-Environmental Leadership" (2022). 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 
272. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/272 
 
 What might motivate corporate leaders to increase their financial investments in 
corporate environmental responsibility (CER) initiatives? Although many interventions might 
inspire leaders to invest in such initiatives, my research will explore whether leaders who 
undergo a mindfulness meditation intervention will be more likely to invest in CER initiatives 
than leaders in a control condition. As part of the methodology, I will recruit students who will 
play the role of a corporate leader of a fictitious organization. After these leaders undergo the 
mindfulness intervention, I will ask them to complete a budget allocation task; they will be 
asked to invest money in various business initiatives, including CER initiatives. Thus far, 
research confirms that participation in a mindfulness meditation intervention increases one’s 
propensity to engage in eco-friendly behaviours (e.g., recycling). As such, I expect leaders who 
undergo the intervention to invest more in CER initiatives than those who do not. 


English

Mindfulness Meditation as a Predictor of Pro-Environmental Leadership

Madueno Alvarez, Saul Arturo

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
November 2022 
Law as an Instrument of the Common Good 
Saul Arturo Madueno Alvarez 
Western University, smadueno@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Madueno Alvarez, Saul Arturo, "Law as an Instrument of the Common Good" (2022). Inspiring Minds – A 
Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 278. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/278 
It is important to make a distinction between what is generally understood as an instrumental use 
of the law –e.g., laws used for particularistic interests– and instrumentality of the law as an 
inherent quality of it –i.e., that laws are always instrumental. The recognition of this quality as 
essential to the law lets us notice its teleological character, where the common good is its proper 
end. This approach is based on an Aristotelian conception of the nation as a political community 
(not founded by contract –à la Hobbes– but by nature –human being as zoon politikon) whose 
telos is the good of its constituents, which is the reason why we ‘agree’ to be ruled by laws and 
not by the whims of any individual. My purpose then is to make explicit the inherent 
instrumentality of the law and how it serves as a vehicle to that telos. 


Law as an Instrument of the Common Good

Abdrabou, Moataz

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
November 2022 
Partial upgrading of bitumen oil to transportable fuel 
Moataz Abdrabou 
The University of Western Ontario, MABDRAB@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Abdrabou, Moataz, "Partial upgrading of bitumen oil to transportable fuel" (2022). Inspiring Minds – A 
Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 287. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/287 
Moataz Abdrabou 
 1 
 
Canada rank as the fourth-largest oil producer and exporter in the world. Yet it seems to have a 
major difficulty in satisfying the surging energy demand within the country, especially after the pandemic. 
This is because more than 50% of Canada’s oil production is in the form of heavy “bitumen”. Bitumen is 
a highly viscous fluid; thus, its transportation via pipelines is a major challenge. Since the oil demand is 
increasing with time, the traditional production and transportation methods stand inefficient to cover this 
substantial energy gap. Therefore, the partial upgrading of bitumen is a crucial solution. Partial upgrading 
is a technology that brings bitumen to a state resembling a medium-heavy crude that can be easily 
transported at a lower cost while generating much lower GHG emissions. This approach not only will be 
more economically viable, but will also generate substantial gains in employment, labour income, exports, 
and governmental revenue.  
  


Partial upgrading of bitumen oil to transportable fuel

Kane, Lauren L

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
November 2022 
Conceptualizing the lived experiences of pain and fatigue in 
persons living with neurological conditions 
Lauren L. Kane 
Western University, lkane5@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Kane, Lauren L., "Conceptualizing the lived experiences of pain and fatigue in persons living with 
neurological conditions" (2022). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, 
Scholarship and Creative Activity. 295. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/295 
Conceptualizing the lived experiences of pain and fatigue in persons living with neurological 
conditions 
Lauren L. Kane 
Pain and fatigue and their effect on daily living and life course of individuals with multiple sclerosis, 
cerebral palsy, and Parkinson’s disease is often misunderstood. The aim was to describe the 
experience of these non-motor symptoms and their relationship within and across conditions. A 
new phenomenological approach guided by van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological method 
was adopted; and data was collected via online semi-structured interviews and analyzed 
inductively using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Three emergent themes were 
synthesized: (1) negative perceptions expressed in terms of cognitive impairment, tiredness, 
symptoms being constant and limiting daily life; (2) coping strategies used to help manage pain and 
fatigue; and (3) a lack of understanding of the phenomena by patients, clinicians, and others. Study 
findings may inform clinicians and researchers with the practical knowledge of adult’s experiences 
of pain and fatigue to reduce their daily and lifelong impact and improve quality of life and overall 
well-being. 
 


Conceptualizing the lived experiences of pain and fatigue in persons living with neurological conditions

McMenamin, Julia

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
November 2022 
How can space exploration teams help us prepare for the future 
of work? 
Julia McMenamin 
Western University, jmcmenam@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
McMenamin, Julia, "How can space exploration teams help us prepare for the future of work?" (2022). 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 
319. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/319 
Julia McMenamin
As a teamwork researcher, I want to understand how people collaborate most effectively in a 
rapidly changing world of work in which teams are increasingly multi-disciplinary, embedded 
with technology, and working remotely.
To prepare for future challenges, we can look to those working at the edge of what’s possible 
today. Planetary and space exploration takes the combined effort of individuals from many 
institutions, and diverse areas of expertise, such as robotics and geology. Conducting in-depth 
interviews with teams engaged in the robotic exploration of remote areas of Earth in 
preparation for missions to the Moon and Mars, allows me to identify and address gaps in our 
knowledge of team functioning. What I learn about the challenges faced by these multi-
disciplinary teams using rapidly advancing technology across multiple locations, and how they 
adapt and thrive, will help teams within this unique setting and more broadly as the future of 
work unfolds. 


How can space exploration teams help us prepare for the future of work?

Fournier, Dale E.

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
November 2022 
Exploring the Course of Atypical Bridges along the Spine 
Dale E. Fournier 
The University of Western Ontario, dfourni6@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Fournier, Dale E., "Exploring the Course of Atypical Bridges along the Spine" (2022). Inspiring Minds – A 
Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 325. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/325 
 
Exploring the Course of Atypical Bridges along the Spine 
 
 
Atypical bridges between the bones of the spine in diffuse idiopathic skeletal 
hyperostosis (DISH) cause severe pain and restrict spine motion. Yet, diagnosis of 
DISH is limited to late stage disease. To this end, my project focuses on learning the 
course of atypical bridging to find and treat DISH early. 
 
Up to 2-3 million people in Canada over 50 years of age may be living with DISH. The 
cause of DISH is unknown and there are no current treatments beyond surgery to 
remove the atypical bridges. This poor knowledge and unmet need inspire my research. 
 
As such, to raise awareness of the early features of DISH I have teamed with a hospital 
in the United States to access over 1,600 spine images to enable a new report of the 
course of DISH from early to late stages. 
 
 
 
 
 
Dale E. Fournier 
M.PT./Ph.D. Candidate 
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Physical Therapy, Musculoskeletal Health 
Research) 
The University of Western Ontario  
London, ON, Canada, N6A 3K7 
 


Exploring the Course of Atypical Bridges along the Spine

Deighton, Holly

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
November 2022 
Drivers of soil carbon dynamics in the boreal forest along a soil 
textural gradient 
Holly Deighton 
hdeight@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Deighton, Holly, "Drivers of soil carbon dynamics in the boreal forest along a soil textural gradient" (2022). 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 
333. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/333 
Drivers of soil carbon dynamics in the boreal forest along a soil textural gradient 
 
The boreal forest has historically been regarded as the largest terrestrial belowground 
carbon sink. However, increased soil organic matter decomposition by microbes due to climate 
change and silviculture (e.g., harvesting, site preparation) may shift boreal forests from being 
carbon sinks to carbon sources. My research seeks to understand how carbon is incorporated into 
mineral soils in the boreal forest, specifically looking at both abiotic and biotic processes that 
regulate microbial carbon use efficiency. I will use an established, stand-scale, experimental 
study to identify how silviculture influences soil carbon dynamics at three boreal forest sites 
varying in mineral soil texture in Ontario, Canada. This work will: 1) quantify carbon stocks and 
carbon storage potential over a 20-year period, 2) identify the biological underpinnings of how 
carbon is stabilized in soils, and 3) improve carbon storage estimates by quantifying microbial 
carbon use efficiency under warming and different mineral soil textures. 


Drivers of soil carbon dynamics in the boreal forest along a soil textural gradient

Wang, Eric Z

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
November 2022 
Understanding and preventing early endothelial changes in 
diabetic complications 
Eric Z. Wang 
Western University, ewang55@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Wang, Eric Z., "Understanding and preventing early endothelial changes in diabetic complications" (2022). 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 
347. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/347 
Eric Wang 
 
 
Diabetes and its complications are leading causes of death globally. In diabetes, high levels of 
sugar in the blood causes damage to internal organs, leading to alterations in function, and 
ultimately resulting in failure. This destructive process starts with the blood vessels, which are 
constantly exposed to excess sugar in the blood. In my research, I focus my investigations on 
endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels. It is my belief that if we can understand, target, and 
resolve the earliest occurrences in diabetic complications, we may be able to alleviate or perhaps 
even prevent the downstream outcomes. I have taken a two-pronged approach to achieving my 
research goals. First, I compared the effects of high glucose on endothelial cells from various 
organs, highlighting organ-specific differences and major commonalities. Second, I identified and 
experimentally manipulated a previously overlooked molecular regulator in order to prevent key 
early diabetic changes. 


Understanding and preventing early endothelial changes in diabetic complications

Potts, Emilie A

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
November 2022 
Into the Concussed Brain - Biomechanical Damage, Biological 
Repercussions? 
Emilie A. Potts 
Western University, epotts3@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Potts, Emilie A., "Into the Concussed Brain - Biomechanical Damage, Biological Repercussions?" (2022). 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 
353. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/353 
Into the Concussed Brain - Biomechanical Damage, Biological Repercussions? 
 
Emilie Potts  
 
When you are ae young and you get a concussion, you don't think much about the long-term 
effects. Everyone assumes after you’ve recovered from a concussion as a young person, you return 
to normal. But do you? A concussion can change biological attributes within the brain, and these 
changes are very similar to those found in neurodegenerative diseases. So, does this mean a 
concussion in your early adulthood can raise the risk of Alzheimer's or Parkinson’s disease later 
in life? Maybe. That is where my research comes in, I am looking at the biomechanical to 
biological connections between these two life events as without such head impact(s) the brain 
should have remained healthy. And if found, the goal is to determine if there is a way to stop or 
slow the irreversible damage linked to the development of neurodegenerative disease.   
 


Into the Concussed Brain - Biomechanical Damage, Biological Repercussions?

Inscription: TO HONOUR THE SERVICE GIVEN BY MR & MRS HERBERT W ALEXANDER & MRS CATHERINE McEWNE AND WITH GRATEFUL APPRECIATION OF THEIR FRIEND MR. JOHN WIGLE.
Location: West wall, 2nd from entry.
Lead investigator: C. Cody Barteet (cbarteet@uwo.ca).
Photograph: Katie Oates.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/chriswallis_stainedglass_on_london_elmwood/1016/thumbnail.jp

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