Scholarship@Western

Kheshti, Mohammadreza/Hooman

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
Healing Hips: A Journey into Joint Health 
Mohammadreza/Hooman Kheshti 
mkheshti@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Kheshti, Mohammadreza/Hooman, "Healing Hips: A Journey into Joint Health" (2024). Inspiring Minds – 
A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 544. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/544 
Healing Hips: A Journey into Joint Health 
Mohammadreza “Hooman” Kheshti 
Imagine waking up one day with a nagging pain in your hip, making even simple movements 
difficult. This is the reality for many suffering from femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), a 
condition that leads to early osteoarthritis. My research aims to change that story. Using cutting-
edge robotic technology, we recreate human hip movements with remarkable precision, testing 
cadaveric hips to understand how different surgical techniques affect joint health. We measure the 
bone pressures and soft tissue deformation on the hip joint before and after surgery to discover 
which methods work best. This journey into the biomechanics of the hip not only helps surgeons 
improve their techniques but also brings hope for better recovery and pain-free lives. By combining 
science with a passion for healing, we strive to rewrite the story of hip pain and offer a future 
where mobility is restored and life is lived fully. 
 


English

Healing Hips: A Journey into Joint Health

Bulavko, Iana

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
Running toward healthy hearts: maternal exercise reduces 
congenital heart disease 
Iana Bulavko 
ibulavko@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Bulavko, Iana, "Running toward healthy hearts: maternal exercise reduces congenital heart disease" 
(2024). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative 
Activity. 558. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/558 
Running toward healthy hearts: maternal exercise reduces congenital heart disease 
Congenital heart disease (CHD) remains a global problem, affecting over 3 million newborns annually and 
causing significant hardship for families and society. One of the mechanisms impairing normal heart 
development is oxidative stress, which includes free radicals that damage cellular structures and lead to 
cardiac abnormalities. Unfortunately, our physiological antioxidant system often proves insufficient to 
cope with oxidative stress.  Studies have shown that maternal exercise reduces the incidence of CHD by 
up to 35% by lowering oxidative imbalance. In our lab, we use various mouse models to investigate how 
maternal exercise influences molecular pathways that affect oxidative status and promote healthy 
embryonic heart development in offspring. Specifically, endothelial nitric oxide synthase is a molecule for 
cardiac protection, expressed in the heart from the early stages of embryogenesis. We believe that 
implementing maternal exercise is a promising therapeutic approach for preventing CHD. 


Running toward healthy hearts: maternal exercise reduces congenital heart disease

Oldham, Alan C

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
Fairness, Inclusion, and Safety: Exploring sport's ethical principles 
Alan C. Oldham 
Western University, aoldham2@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Oldham, Alan C., "Fairness, Inclusion, and Safety: Exploring sport's ethical principles" (2024). Inspiring 
Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 559. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/559 
Oldham, Alan C. 
2024 submission a) 
Fairness, Inclusion and Safety in Sport 
Sport is a human right. This declaration—attested to by a growing chorus of influential organizations 
including the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and various arms of the United Nations (UN) as 
well as supra-governmental federations such as the European Union (EU)—aims to enable, ensure and 
enhance access to the benefits of sport for people the world over. Yet, a question looms: by what 
principles ought participation in and facilitation of this human right (sport) be deemed ethically 
acceptable? Besides the well established seven ‘fundamental principles of Olympism’ or the broadly 
applicable ‘four principles of medical bioethics’—beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice—
sport scholars are increasingly discussing a three-principle model: fairness, inclusion, safety. As a field-
first investigation into their ethical foundations, my research explores the relationship amongst these 
three principles of sport and the ways in which they intersect with the two other dominant principal 
frameworks most often applied to sport. 


Fairness, Inclusion, and Safety: Exploring sport\u27s ethical principles

Buckley, Gabrielle

Kaur, Jaspreet

Cairns, Ewa

Barra, Lillian

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
Investigation of a Novel Rheumatoid Arthritis Specific Treatment 
in Arthritic Mice 
Gabrielle Buckley 
Western University 
Jaspreet Kaur 
Western University 
Ewa Cairns 
Western University 
Lillian Barra 
Western University 
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Citation of this paper: 
Buckley, Gabrielle; Kaur, Jaspreet; Cairns, Ewa; and Barra, Lillian, "Investigation of a Novel Rheumatoid 
Arthritis Specific Treatment in Arthritic Mice" (2024). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s 
Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 567. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/567 
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease affecting the body’s moveable joints. 
Disease initiates when an individual’s immune system attacks modified joint proteins, 
severely damaging the joint structures. While we know immune responses are built against 
these RA-associated proteins, there is an absence of disease-specific therapies or cures. 
Therefore, our lab developed a novel mouse model that expresses one of the greatest 
genetic risk factors associated with RA development. Immunization of this model with the 
modified proteins enables RA-specific immune response formation and associated 
damage. Utilizing this model, we are currently testing an RA-specific treatment generated 
by our lab. This treatment is designed to prevent the destructive immune responses built 
against the RA-associated proteins during disease onset and progression, thus inhibiting 
further damage and pain. Confirmation of the treatment’s success in mice will allow testing 
of the novel therapy on patients with the goal of enhancing their quality of life.  


Investigation of a Novel Rheumatoid Arthritis Specific Treatment in Arthritic Mice

Salama, Ramez

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychosis 
Ramez Salama 
Western University, rsalama5@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Salama, Ramez, "Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychosis" (2024). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 614. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/614 
Childhood is a critical period for development. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) growing 
up can lead to many negative health conditions. But what are ACEs? Abuse and neglect are 
common forms of ACEs, but also, lack of housing, poverty, divorced or violent parents, 
residential schools, and discrimination. All these experiences affect brain structure and increase 
the risk of psychosis, a serious mental illness characterized by changes in the perception of 
reality. My research focuses on the relationship between ACEs and psychosis at the population 
level. This topic is important to me because I am an advocate for upstream prevention efforts 
such as improving housing, providing basic income, and free healthcare and education, all of 
which would reduce ACEs. The results of my research indicated that experiencing more 
adversities led to a higher risk of psychosis, and the best way to tackle childhood adversity is to 
address the root causes. 


Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychosis

Ferrucci, Giada, Ms

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
Networks of Resistance: a regional analysis of extractive conflicts 
in Central America 
Giada Ferrucci Ms 
gferrucc@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Ferrucci, Giada Ms, "Networks of Resistance: a regional analysis of extractive conflicts in Central America" 
(2024). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative 
Activity. 615. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/615 
This dissertation explores the impacts of mining and the evolution of anti-mining activism 
through three key case studies in Central America: El Escobal in Guatemala, El Dorado in El 
Salvador, and Inversiones Los Pinares in Honduras. Using a comparative empirical analysis, it 
highlights diverse activist strategies, such as community-based communication, challenging 
mining companies' CSR initiatives, and countering smear campaigns and criminalization. 
Grounded in Environmental Justice, the study underscores the role of community members, civil 
society organizations, and scholars in resistance efforts. Drawing on fieldwork, interviews, and 
focus groups, it documents the violence faced by activists and the emergence of cross-scalar 
"networks of resistance." By emphasizing strategic interventions like protests and 
communication campaigns, the research highlights a shift towards horizontal global solidarity. 
Additionally, it examines the Central American Alliance on Mining (ACAFREMIN) as a model of 
resistance, illustrating the global battle against mining and the crucial role of resistance 
networks. 


Networks of Resistance: a regional analysis of extractive conflicts in Central America

Farasat, Nima, Mr.

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
Tunnelling in soft saturated granular soils 
Nima Farasat Mr. 
The University of Western Ontario, nfarasat@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Farasat, Nima Mr., "Tunnelling in soft saturated granular soils" (2024). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 624. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/624 
The Inspiring Minds 2024 
 
Dear Reader 
 
My Ph.D. research delves into the complexities of tunneling in soft saturated and unsaturated granular soils 
using advanced drum centrifuge technology at Western University. By meticulously investigating the 
behavior of unsaturated soils and the influence of dilation angle in both 2D and 3D settings, I aim to address 
significant gaps in geotechnical engineering knowledge. This research integrates scaled physical modeling 
in the Western University centrifuge with comprehensive numerical simulations, providing a holistic 
understanding of the mechanical response of these challenging soil conditions. The findings promise to 
enhance the safety, operational efficiency, and long-term sustainability of tunneling projects by offering 
practical solutions for mitigating risks related to ground settlement, instability, and structural failure. 
Ultimately, my research aspires to contribute valuable design tools and insights to the tunneling industry, 
improving infrastructure resilience, ensuring safety, and supporting the development of more robust and 
sustainable underground construction practices. 
 
Sincerely 
Nima Farasat 
 


Tunnelling in soft saturated granular soils

Feltham, Hunter

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
Studying titanium metal and oxide for a more durable future 
Hunter Feltham 
Western University, Hfeltha@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Feltham, Hunter, "Studying titanium metal and oxide for a more durable future" (2024). Inspiring Minds – A 
Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 631. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/631 
In an age of prioritizing cost and convenience over material lifespan, the need for durable, long-
lasting materials in critical applications is crucial. The key question in material construction 
should be, “How long will this item last?”. Despite a global shift towards disposable items with 
short lifespans, a sector remains focused on longevity. This trend towards single-use items 
challenges environmental sustainability, making the development of durable materials like 
titanium essential. Unlike the much more common iron, titanium forms a protective shell when it 
"rusts," preventing further corrosion. There are a variety of places where maximizing the lifespan 
of a material is ideal: inaccessible for replacement, consequences for failure, and cost of 
replacement being prohibitively high. Maximizing material lifespan is crucial in inaccessible 
areas, where failure has significant consequences and replacement costs are high. Titanium 
perfectly addresses these needs, offering unparalleled durability. Studying titanium paves the 
way for a more sustainable future. 


Studying titanium metal and oxide for a more durable future

Rodrigues, Anthony

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
The next generation of Opera Stars: Passing the torch in Opera at 
Western’s ‘Opera and Musical Theatre Gala’ 
Anthony Rodrigues 
Western University, arodri69@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Rodrigues, Anthony, "The next generation of Opera Stars: Passing the torch in Opera at Western’s ‘Opera 
and Musical Theatre Gala’" (2024). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, 
Scholarship and Creative Activity. 634. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/634 
The next generation of Opera Stars: Passing the torch in Opera at Western’s ‘Opera and Musical 
Theatre Gala’ 
 
Students come into the Voice Performance program with varying levels of experience. My job 
as the stage director is to audition the singers, choose selections for the program, coach them 
in lyric diction, musical style, stage craft and acting while building their appreciation and 
passion for the art form that has led my professional and academic career. This year we took a 
new level of pride in our Gala performance where students collaborated with me to develop 
impressive choreography, sing in more difficult languages and styles and ensure a deeper 
responsibility from every singer involved. The result was a truly captivating program that 
showcased their talents in a way that left the performers inspired to pursue their next 
performance opportunity and left the public eagerly waiting to hear where these singers’ bright 
futures will take them! 
 


The next generation of Opera Stars: Passing the torch in Opera at Western’s ‘Opera and Musical Theatre Gala’

Wang, Na

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2024 
Corrosion of copper in contact with bentonite and deliquescent 
salts from bentonite under DGR-relevant conditions 
Na Wang 
nwang334@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Wang, Na, "Corrosion of copper in contact with bentonite and deliquescent salts from bentonite under 
DGR-relevant conditions" (2024). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, 
Scholarship and Creative Activity. 635. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/635 
Corrosion of copper in contact with bentonite and deliquescent salts from bentonite under DGR-
relevant conditions 
Na Wang1, James J. Noël1 
1Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, N6A 5B7 
Canada’s plan for the safe and long-term management of spent nuclear fuel involves sealing it in copper-
coated steel containers (UFC) and burying it surrounded by highly compacted bentonite clay (HCB) blocks 
at least 500 m underground in a deep geological repository (DGR). The DGR conditions will be initially 
warm and dry, due to the radioactive decay of the used fuel, and over time it will become cool and wet. 
During the early dry period, the heat produced by the decay of the used nuclear fuel will be absorbed by 
the bentonite, causing sections of the HCB to become desiccated, leading to shrinkage. This will create 
gaps between the bentonite and the copper surface, leaving behind bentonite residue on the copper surface. 
Consequently, the copper surface will later be exposed to humid air which will lead to water uptake and 
non-uniform corrosion will be possible since the bentonite contains traces of mineral salts. This research 
investigates the atmospheric corrosion of O-free, P-doped wrought copper (SKB-Cu) and cold-sprayed 
copper (CS-Cu) in the presence of various forms of bentonite (compacted, powder, and slurry) for different 
experimental exposure periods. All samples have been exposed to humid air at 75°C and 75% RH. The 
corroded surfaces were then characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), 
Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The thickness of corrosion product 
layers was also measured by the analysis of FIB-cut cross sections.  
Based on optical microscopy and SEM, samples covered with different forms of bentonite exhibited 
different corrosion features. Raman spectroscopy and XPS analysis showed the formation of CuO and Cu2O 
on both SKB-Cu and CS-Cu surfaces that were in contact with both HCB and bentonite slurry, while the 
control samples and the Cu samples covered by the bentonite powder only exhibited Cu2O. Atmospheric 
corrosion tests for the duration of 1 or 5 months, analyses of FIB-cut cross sections showed a significantly 
thinner corrosion layer on the samples exposed to HCB than on those exposed to other forms of bentonite. 
Based on the studies completed to date, no major difference has been observed between the corrosion 
behavior of SKB-Cu and that of CS-Cu, with specimens covered with HCB exhibiting a lower corrosion 
rate than specimens exposed to the other forms of bentonite. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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