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Engagement Practices of Canadian Academic Libraries for the Advancement of Student Voices
Get PDFStudent engagement is an integral part of the mission and function of academic libraries, with powerful potential to impact decision-making across various facets of governance, operations, services, and space design. Despite its importance, however, “student engagement” is a broad and highly contested term, even within the domain of libraries. While recent efforts have been made to categorize the concept of “student engagement” in this context and numerous case studies exist to highlight individual libraries’ efforts, successes, and challenges, there is a lack of existing studies involving a cohesive exploration across Canadian academic libraries. In response to this gap, this research details a national-level investigation of how academic libraries in Canada are approaching student engagement, with specific attention towards use of student voices as a feedback mechanism for decision-making. Using a combination of a national virtual survey and semi-structured interviews / focus groups with library employees, this study explores specific engagement strategies and processes used by academic libraries, as well as the perceived challenges and benefits of this work. Sample findings indicate that, while library staff are generally enthusiastic about engagement and voice-seeking work, limited time, resources, and complex organizational cultures can limit activities and alienate students. Despite challenges, participants highlighted numerous benefits, including increased proximity and relevance to students, upholding of the key mission and goals of academic libraries, enhanced quality assessment and improvement of library operations through evidence-based decision-making, and bolstered ability to pursue authentic equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) commitments. Feedback mechanisms, student employment, and teaching and learning interactions were the most reported strategies for engagement, though opportunities for other engagement domains remain. Implications of these findings are discussed in the broader context of library and information science and student engagement literature, followed by recommendations for academic libraries to take action via the integration of self-reflective practice, universal design, and care / justice-oriented engagement frameworks
Osteoimmunological Characterization of Borrelia burgdorferi-Induced Bone Loss: From Phenotype to Molecular Mechanisms
Get PDFLyme disease (LD) is one of the most prevalent tick-borne infections in the North American region. The causative organism of LD, Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi), is transmitted to the host (animals or humans) via the bite of Ixodes tick. B. burgdorferi is highly motile and disseminates to various tissues, including bone. B. burgdorferi induces trabecular long bone loss in murine models, but its phenotype and molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Furthermore, it is not known if B. burgdorferi induces loss of alveolar bone (supporting teeth). We first conducted an extensive literature review on the impact of various tick-borne infections on the bone. We reported that LD is the only vector-borne disease for which murine bone loss has been documented in the literature. We then conducted an in-vivo murine study to characterize the bone loss phenotype associated with B. burgdorferi infection at various stages of infection. We demonstrated that significant trabecular long bone loss (males > females) occurred in mice four weeks after infection, but it was resolved by eight weeks. Long bone loss was associated with reduced osteoblast numbers, but not with increased osteoclast numbers or bacterial burden in the bone. We also observed progressive non-transient alveolar bone loss (similar for both sexes) in infected mice. As bacterial burden was not associated with significant long bone loss, we hypothesized that alveolar bone loss could be related to infection-induced systemic inflammation driven by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6). To explore the molecular mechanisms behind non-repairable alveolar bone loss, we conducted another in-vivo study, which demonstrated that although B. burgdorferi was not detected in the alveolar bones, WT infected mice suffered significantly more alveolar bone loss than IL-6 deficient mice post-infection and it was associated with the suppression of osteoblastogenesis rather than increased osteoclastogenesis or bacterial burden. Collectively, these findings suggest that humans infected with B. burgdorferi may experience transient trabecular long bone loss and permanent loss of the alveolar bone. Modulating IL-6-driven bone loss pathways may help preserve alveolar bone integrity and reduce the risk of tooth loss, but clinical studies of periodontitis and alveolar bone loss in humans are warranted.Ph.D
Investigating Adhesion Molecules in Stem Cell - Immune Cell Interactions Using Organoids
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to improve our understanding of how cell adhesion molecules contribute to the dynamics of apical periodontitis in the immature permanent tooth. This was achieved using a collagen based organoid model exposed to either LPS (pro-inflammatory), or IL-4 (anti-inflammatory). It was demonstrated that in the anti-inflammatory condition CD200 on SCAP and CD200R on Macrophages are upregulated at both the gene and protein level. In the pro-inflammatory condition, N-Cadherin gene expression significantly increased, while IL-4 decreased its expression. LFA-1 showed a trend of increased expression in response to LPS, but this result was not significant. ICAM-1 maintained its expression at both the gene and protein levels in response to both LPS and IL-4. These findings provide valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying SCAP-Macrophage interactions and validate the use of collagen based organoid model to potentially inform future therapeutic strategies for enhancing pulpal regeneration and improving clinical outcomes.M.Sc
Measuring Wisdom Universally: Cross-Cultural Predictors and Pathways in China and Canada
Get PDFWisdom is a culturally sensitive construct that has been defined and measured differently across Eastern and Western societies. To address the need for a culturally inclusive approach, the present study developed and used a composite wisdom scale by integrating four well-established wisdom measures originating from both Chinese and Western contexts. Using data collected from university students in China and Canada, this study examined the associations between wisdom and three key psychological variables: mental health, self-reflection, and social orientation. The composite wisdom scale demonstrated high internal reliability across both cultural samples. Correlational analyses revealed that higher levels of wisdom were significantly associated with better mental health, greater self-reflection, and stronger tendencies toward horizontal collectivism, vertical collectivism, and horizontal individualism. Moreover, cultural context shaped the strength of these associations, suggesting that different pathways to wisdom may exist across societies.M.A
Islamophobia and the Politics of the Human in Contemporary German Mediascapes
Get PDFOrientalism, understood as a transhistorical sensibility of interreligious/inter-imperial external enmity and western superiority, plays a key role across German(ic) history, from Frankish clashes with early Islam, to the Crusades, Habsburg-Ottoman rivalry, among others, and later, to the Federal Republic’s transformation into an immigration society that encompasses a considerable Muslim diaspora. In the wake of diasporic populations in Germany predominantly interpellated as ‘Muslim,’ recent cultural discourses focusing on the integration of internal populations have become increasingly overdetermined by a perception of Islamicate epistemes as anti-democratic, essentialist, and governed by extremism and patriarchy. My posthumanist intervention into this more recent permutation of Orientalism interrogates whether contemporary Orientalisms are not, in fact, staging their own innocence by (re)framing cultural essentialism in the humanist language of a naturalized binary between the universal Humanity of the Occident and the particularized Posthumanity of Islamicate Culture.I tackle two recent neologisms coined in German right-wing populist discourse, specifically the compound nouns Kopftuchmädchen (headscarfgirl) and Messermann (knifeman), reading these as condensates of a disproportionally humanist imaginary that conjures the Muslim ‘Other’ as ontologically foreignand not-quite-human, in contrast to a normative, Vitruvian, biocentric fantasy of the integrity of the human (body). My first two chapters re-frame the German (and wider European) headscarf debates, firstly, in terms of their epistemological and ontological crisis potential for Western humanist thought, and, in chapter two, in relation to the teen series Druck, which centers a veiled Muslim character’s navigation of secular body politics. My third chapter argues that a right-wing moniker such as ‘knifeman’ is an expression of a broader, liberal democratic anxiety regarding Muslims’ supposed aberration from liberal political subjectivity. My fourth chapter tackles the Netflix conspiracy thriller Dogs of Berlin, which stages the policing of a fictional Berlin no-go area ruled by a Lebanese crime clan. Here, reconnaissance overlaps with conspiracy theories of Eurabia and of deindividualized Muslims controlled by forces external to national borders, hereby symptomatizing a more fraught relationship between liberal democratic rationality and conspiracist irrationalism than one might expect.Ph.D
Deep Learning for High-Dimensional Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations
Get PDFThe numerical solution of high-dimensional Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations (FBSDEs) is a formidable computational challenge due to the curse of dimensionality, which renders traditional grid-based solvers intractable. This thesis develops and validates the Deep Iterative Method, a deep learning framework designed to solve this class of problems. The method computes the FBSDE solution as the fixed point of a Picard iteration, using deep neural networks to approximate the requisite high-dimensional conditional expectations that arise at each step.
This work presents a systematic methodology for solving a hierarchy of FBSDE classes of increasing complexity. The method is first developed for uncoupled systems, where the forward and backward processes are independent. It is then extended to coupled systems, which require a global iteration to resolve the interdependence of their dynamics. Finally, the framework is advanced to solve McKean-Vlasov FBSDEs, necessitating a two-level iterative scheme to handle the system's dependence on its own probability distribution.
The framework is validated through a comprehensive set of numerical experiments against benchmark problems with known analytical solutions. For the uncoupled case, the probabilistic iterative solver is also benchmarked against the Deep Galerkin Method, an alternative deep learning framework that solves the associated partial differential equation formulation. The result is a unified and scalable computational methodology for the numerical resolution of high-dimensional FBSDEs.M.Sc
Wheelchair Skills Training in Recreational Physical Activity Programming: A Qualitative Descriptive Study
Get PDFWheelchair skills training improves rehabilitation outcomes, self-efficacy, and community participation, yet most clinicians in Canada do not provide it due to barriers like limited time, knowledge, and resources. This study explores the potential for recreational physical activity (PA) professionals to support wheelchair skills training. Ten community-based PA professionals were interviewed about their experiences and knowledge, using a semi-structured format informed by the Quality Participation (QP) framework and the COM-B model. Reflexive thematic analysis produced four themes: (1) Silos or Spectrum? highlights the divide between healthcare, recreation, and sport; (2) Bring It On addresses knowledge and attitudes toward wheelchair skills, emphasizing basic understanding and the value of inclusive, meaningful play; (3) Let Me Try outlines learning preferences; and (4) Technique Matters stresses the importance of detailed skill execution. Findings indicate PA professionals are open to learning and incorporating wheelchair skills into their practice but need training materials suited to recreational contexts.M.A
SCAP in Colorectal Cancer: Target Validation and Assay Development for Drug Discovery
Get PDFColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related death, underscoring the demand of novel therapeutics. Increasing evidence links CRC tumorigenesis to dysregulated SCAP-SREBP-mediated lipogenesis. I hypothesized that inhibiting SCAP-SREBP interaction will stop CRC cell proliferation. The role of sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) cleavage activating protein (SCAP) in CRC cell proliferation was previously validated by Dr. Aisha Al-Naamani. However, SCAP knockdown alone did not suppress the proliferation of DLD1 in vivo. In contrast, the combined treatment of SCAP knockdown and Fluvastatin reduced tumor growth in vivo, suggesting that targeting SCAP under lipid-limited conditions could offer a promising strategy for CRC treatment.Two cell-based assays, SRE reporter assay and NanoBRET assay, were developed to monitor the SCAP-SREBP activity and interaction. With further investigation and optimization, they could serve as reliable and reproducible tools for future high-throughput screening of compounds targeting SCAP.M.Sc
Influence of fine content on the behavior of sandy soils undergoing artificial freezing in triaxial conditions
Get PDFArtificial Ground Freezing (AGF) is used to stabilize loose soils and fractured rocks during tunnel and shaft excavation, ensuring temporary ground stabilization and groundwater control. It is particularly relevant for intermediate soils, where the influence of granulometry on freezing is crucial for effective design. However, existing studies often focus on site-specific materials, limiting broader applicability. This research investigates how fine content influences the freezing behavior of intermediate soils. Sandy soils with varying kaolin content (0% to 15%) are tested under different confining pressures representative of AGF applications.
A modified triaxial apparatus simulated field conditions, applying radial thermal loading to replicate freezing around a pipe.
Results demonstrated a pronounced dependence on kaolin content. Samples with 15% kaolin exhibited significant swelling, whereas soils with lower kaolin content were classified as non-frost-susceptible. Swelling was mitigated by increasing confining pressure. Water drainage was observed during the freezing process, governed by two mechanisms: (1) the expulsion of liquid water from the freezing front as water turned into ice, and (2) cryogenic suction, which drew water toward the freezing front. These findings contribute to a more generalized and quantitative understanding of soil behavior with varying fine content under freezing conditions, facilitating the optimization of AGF applications.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author