123129 research outputs found
Sort by
Cannabivarin and Tetrahydrocannabivarin Modulate Nociception via Vanilloid Channels and Cannabinoid-Like Receptors in Caenorhabditis elegans
Get PDFCannabis has attracted growing interest for its therapeutic potential, especially in pain management. This study explores the antinociceptive effects of two promising non-psychoactive cannabinoids, cannabivarin (CBV) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a nematode model that expresses homologs of mammalian cannabinoid and vanilloid receptors. Thermotaxis assays were employed to quantify the antinociceptive effects of CBV and THCV in C. elegans. Wild-type animals were exposed to increasing concentrations of each compound to establish dose-response relationships. To investigate potential molecular targets, additional experiments were performed using mutant strains deficient in vanilloid receptor homologs (OCR-2 and OSM-9) and cannabinoid receptor homologs (NPR-19 and NPR-32). Mass spectrometry-based proteomics combined with network biology analyses were used to identify the biological pathways associated with drug response. Results confirmed that both compounds elicit dose-dependent antinociceptive effects. Mutant analyses support the involvement of vanilloid and cannabinoid signaling pathways in mediating these responses. These findings highlight the potential of CBV and THCV as non-psychoactive analgesic agents and support further research into their mechanisms of action and translational relevance for mammalian pain management.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
The Transition Experience of International Students from China in Canada: The Role of Cosmopolitan Capital
Get PDFInternational students play a crucial role in diversifying Canadian higher education by contributing their unique talents, supporting host institutions financially, and becoming highly skilled workers who benefit the local community and beyond. Despite recent efforts to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in research concerning traditionally underrepresented groups, the nuanced experiences of Chinese international students are rarely examined in the literature, where nationality is often the sole distinguishing factor. This phenomenological study, based on 20 semi-structured interviews, reveals how prior exposure to cosmopolitanism influences student transition. Grouping participants by their cities of origin, I found that although most criticized the university selection process in China, used their networks creatively to adapt to the new environment, and felt more confident navigating the globalized world, those from more cosmopolitan cities went abroad mainly driven by personal preferences, acclimated to Canadian life more quickly, and valued flexibility over stability.M.A
The Effects of Palatal Expansion on Speech Articulation in Children with Unilateral vs. Bilateral Cleft Lip and Palate: A Prospective Cohort Study
Get PDFIntroduction: Children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) often require palatal expansion before secondary alveolar bone grafting (SABG). As individuals with CLP frequently experience speech disorders, the expander may further impact speech due to the space it occupies intraorally. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of expansion and cleft type on speech outcomes. Methods: Speech recordings and self-perception questionnaires were collected from 30 patients (16 bilateral and 14 unilateral CLP) at six time points: before expansion (T1), after expander insertion (T2), during expansion (T3), during retention (T4), after expander removal (T5), and after SABG (T6). Results: Significant changes in speech ratings were observed over time (p < 0.01), while cleft type had no effect. Both time and cleft type significantly influenced consonant spectral means and high vowel formants (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Palatal expansion adversely affected self-perceived and acoustic speech measures, with cleft type further influencing some acoustic outcomes.M.Sc
Between Inclusion and Exclusion: Neoliberal Multiculturalism in Tamil Toronto
Get PDFScarborough, an inner-city suburb in Toronto, is home to almost 25% of the Tamil Canadian Diaspora. While Canada and the City of Toronto present themselves as benevolent safe havens that have accepted Tamil refugees on “compassionate grounds”, I argue that first-generation Tamil refugees migrating and settling in Scarborough undergo and experience a distinct racial, socio-spatial condition. I apply a neoliberal political economy and neoliberal governmentality lens, rooted in Marxist and Foucauldian perspectives, that detail how neoliberal political economy contributed to the large settlement of Tamils in Scarborough and how neoliberal governmentality expands on the governance of Tamil refugees after they have settled. By engaging with a neoliberal analysis, I aim to reveal the dialectical process of inclusion and exclusion that refugees experience in relation to the national imaginary due to their racial, socio-spatial occupation and presence in Scarborough. I also aim to disrupt and challenge notions of a benevolent Canada that has “accepted” Tamil refugees and immigrants on “compassionate grounds” by intervening with critical perspectives on multiculturalism, immigration, and neoliberalism.M.A
Driver State Classification: Identifying High Cognitive Load and Drowsiness Through Driver Performance and Physiology
Get PDF© 2025 IEEE. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial intelligence and similar technologies. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission. See https://www.ieee.org/publications/rights/index.html for more information.This study investigates the effect of high cognitive load and drowsiness on driving performance (speed, lane position, steering wheel movement) and driver physiology (cardiac activity, skin conductance) and uses these measures in classifying high cognitive load, alert, and drowsy driver states. A within subject driving simulator experiment was conducted with twenty-seven participants (14 females, mean age: 36.7). High cognitive load was induced via the n-back task (1-back, 2-back), a commonly used auditory-verbal recall task. Drowsiness was induced by monotonous driving (i.e., extended periods of low cognitive load), and was rated by trained observers. Mixed linear models were used to analyze the differences between the driver states, while machine learning models were used for multi-class classification. Compared to alert driving with no additional cognitive load, high cognitive load was associated with greater physiological arousal and speed variation and reduced speed and standard deviation of lane position (SDLP). Drowsiness was associated with lower physiological arousal and increased speed, SDLP, and standard deviation of steering wheel angle. Tree-based ensemble models (i.e., random forest, XGBoost) performed the best in classification. With simple features such as the average and SD, high cognitive load, drowsiness, and alert states were classified with up to 76% average accuracy. These measures could differentiate high cognitive load states with around 85% AUC and drowsiness with around 79% AUC within one model. These findings can help in the selection of metrics for driver monitoring systems that can differentiate driver cognitive overload and underload and inform the design of real-time intervention systems.Hitachi Solutions, Japan
10.13039/501100000038-Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canad
A Roll-to-Roll Mechanism for the Scalable Fabrication of Aligned Collagen Scaffolds for Load-Bearing Tissues
Get PDFCollagen is the primary structural component of the extracellular matrix and is critical to the mechanical integrity of load-bearing tissues such as tendon, bone, and blood vessels. In these tissues, collagen is often highly aligned, with fibers oriented in the direction of physiological loading. The Guenther lab previously developed a wet-spinning approach to generate ultrathin collagen sheets with physiologically relevant alignment; however, this approach is limited in the amount of sheet it can produce, posing a barrier to the fabrication of human scale constructs. In this thesis, we present a roll-to-roll manufacturing approach for the scalable production of aligned collagen sheets, achieving an order-of-magnitude increase in length and enabling the possibility of fabricating human scale tissues. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of roll-to-roll processing for planar, wet-spun biomaterials manufacturing. Additionally, we demonstrate the rolling of these sheets with deposited collagen hydrogel layers into heterogenous tubular structures.M.A.S
Effects of quercetin ingestion on neuromuscular system following single session of resistance exercise at differing intensities in older adults
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to investigate whether quercetin ingestion increases the decline in muscle contractile capacity due to a single resistance exercise session at differing intensities. Thirty-eight older adults took part in this study. They were divided into three intensity groups: low- (LI), moderate- (MI), and high-intensity (HI) groups. Each participant completed two single resistance exercise sessions of resistance exercise at 40 (LI), 60 (MI), or 80 (HI) % of maximal voluntary contraction. Before each session, they ingested either a placebo or quercetin glycoside (500 mg). Motor unit behavior and electrically elicited contraction torque were measured by high-density electromyography and neuromuscular electrical stimulation at pre-ingestion, post-ingestion, and post-exercise. Quercetin ingestion decreased the motor unit recruitment thresholds from pre- to post-ingestion (pThe 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
Non-Invasive Molecular Status Differentiation of Pediatric Low-Grade Gliomas From Magnetic Resonance Images Using Machine Learning
Get PDFPediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG), the most prevalent central nervous system tumor in childhood, is often driven by one of two genetic alterations: BRAF Fusion or BRAF Mutation. Identification of genetic status is critical for optimal prognostication and treatment of pLGG. Genetic status is typically determined through biopsy, which has associated risks, and in some cases is not possible due to tumor location. A prior study showed that machine learning (ML) approaches could potentially detect pLGG genetic status non-invasively from MR images, reducing the need for surgery. Through three key studies, this thesis aimed to make progress towards a clinically deployable imaging-based pLGG genetic status prediction ML model.
When published, the study featured in Chapter 2 provided the most robust evidence available on the ability of ML to distinguish between patients with pLGG driven by BRAF Fusion and Mutation using radiomic features, such as shape or texture, extracted from manually segmented tumor regions of MR images. Strong performance was achieved using a larger cohort and more robust statistical methods than earlier works, verifying the potential of ML-based BRAF status prediction. Additionally, to help encourage clinical uptake, an uncertainty quantification framework and nomogram were developed and validated.
The study Chapter 3 was based on expanded beyond hand-crafted radiomics features to investigate an additional method of classifying medical images, deep learning (DL). This study focused on the more realistic task of grouping pLGGs into three categories: BRAF fusion, BRAF mutation, and non-BRAF altered, unlike most earlier studies which ignored cases in the latter class. A comprehensive ML framework combining DL and radiomics proved optimal, outperforming either approach on its own.
Chapter 4 introduced a segmentation-free approach, eliminating dependency on manual or automated tumor segmentations. Instead, whole-brain MR images were directly analyzed. A novel in-domain pretraining regimen was used to build tumor segmentation information into classification models. The segmentation-free framework achieved classification accuracy similar to a manual segmentation-based pipeline, without requiring tumor segmentations as an input.Collectively, the findings of this thesis demonstrate the potential of ML to enable non-invasive pLGG genetic profiling, which could help improve outcomes for patients with pLGG.Ph.D
Braiding Voices: The Hybrid Musical Identity of Inuk Soprano Deantha Edmunds
Get PDFThis dissertation investigates the musical identity of Inuk soprano, Deantha Edmunds. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has issued Calls to Action for Indigenous language and culture, which extend to music institutions. Western art music academies hold a hegemonic power over the telling of Canadian music history and performance practice, effectively gatekeeping music at the highest academic level. Consequently, Edmunds’ music has been periodically met with confusion. Therefore, this study focuses on Edmunds’ hybrid musical identity, demonstrating the significance and resistance of her compositions and performances. As an embedded case study, this dissertation centres on Edmunds’ performance career, studying how her performances question early music performance practice and challenge Western art music listeners. This qualitative methodology illustrates that Edmunds enacts Calls to Action through her compositions and performances, a claim which is triangulated by personal interviews with Edmunds conducted by the author, literature reviews of the history and music of the Moravian Inuit, Indigenous sound studies, identity politics, and the music aesthetics of Truth and Reconciliation. Edmunds consistently uses her talent and position to uplift Inuit music traditions, and this research amplifies Edmund’s aspirations for Truth and Reconciliation through music.
Key findings reveal that Edmunds’ compositions and performances reclaim and redefine the colonial construct of music performance. Her compositions, such as her album Connections (2022) and her song-cycle Angmalukisaa 2024, braid Indigenous aesthetics into Western art music, reaffirming historically discounted Inuit voices. For authentic Inuit translations, Edmunds turns to Inuit Elders for guidance, deepening her connection to her community and furthering her efforts for language revitalization. Her music and storytelling are rooted in Indigenous history, promoting Truth and Reconciliation.
This research was made possible by Edmunds’ generous engagement with non-Indigenous listeners. This dissertation argues that Edmund’s music effectively reorients the definition of performance in Western art music. Leveraging her positionality, Edmunds creates a pathway to resilience for future Indigenous generations, especially her daughter Annabelle, whom she includes in her performances. In this way, Edmunds creates a living legacy that incites further research on listening positionality, performance theories, music scholarship, and Indigenous studies.D.M.A
Pregnancy Outcomes in Individuals with Heart Disease
Get PDFThe hemodynamic stress of pregnancy can pose a risk for individuals with heart disease. This thesis investigates the impact of maternal heart disease on pregnancy outcomes through three interrelated studies using data from the Cardiac Disease in Pregnancy (CARPREG) cohort. The analysis explores how atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors (ASCVD-RF), preeclampsia, and fetal heart disease influence pregnancy outcomes. We found that individuals with heart disease and ASCVD-RF have significantly higher rates of adverse cardiac events, preeclampsia, and fetal complications. Those with coronary artery disease seem to be at higher risk of developing preeclampsia. We also found that those who develop preeclampsia, have increased maternal cardiac complications and postpartum readmissions. Finally, pregnancies where both the mother and her offspring have heart disease exhibit higher rates of adverse fetal and neonatal outcomes, supporting a “two-hit” hypothesis. The findings from these studies underscore the importance of early and individualized risk stratification, appropriate preconception counseling to inform individuals of their pregnancy risks, and the need for integrated CardioObstetric care to address these complex multidisciplinary cardiac issues. Ultimately, incorporating these new risk predictors (ASCVD-RF, preeclampsia and fetal cardiac status) into risk stratification will help identify those individuals at highest risk during pregnancy and help care teams develop tailored care pathways for this high-risk population.M.H.Sc