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Failings of Strong Moral Particularism
No full textIn this paper I will be investigating the possibilities involved with and the consequences of accepting a particularist approach to ethics. Such particularist approaches that reject the use of principles in moral decision making are becoming more popular in contemporary ethical debates underlining modern care ethics, feminist relational ethics, contextualism, and MacIntyre's virtue ethics among others. I will argue that extreme particularism that utterly rejects principles as defended by Jonathan Dancy is an untenable position that does not capture how humans make moral decisions and moreover would remove any hope of being able to discuss morality meaningfully. In order to do this I will look at Dancy's arguments for particularism from his conception of a holism of reasons, and compare them with the arguments by Brad Hooker, Roger Crisp, and Martha Nussbaum that aim to show why particularism is doomed to failure. While I believe Dancy cannot defend his position I will argue that a softer conception of particularism, as can be seen in relational ethics, one that accepts some principles that enforce a situational attentiveness and sensitivity to context and narrative, can be a viable alternative that keeps the advantages of particularism while avoiding Dancy's failings
Poland is Not Yet Lost: Recruitment of North Americans into the Polish Armed Force During the Second World War
No full textRip Currents Within the Canadian Curriculum
No full textViable, Healthy and Safe CommunitiesWith 32 recorded drownings related to rip currents in the Great Lakes in 2017, rip currents are a public health hazard to North American beach users. The purpose of this study is to examine the Canadian curriculum through the Curriculum Documents provided by the Ministry of Education, to observe if and how beach hazards are taught to students 18 and under. This study will also analyze a survey directed to Ontario teachers, about whether they believe there is a need for beach hazards to be incorporated into the curriculum. The primary focus will be the Ontario curriculum, as Ontario citizens are more at risk of drowning in the Great Lakes due to their proximity. Initial evidence from surveys done in 2016 by the University of Windsor suggests that beach users have limited knowledge of rip currents, partially due to the lack of education surrounding beach hazards. Results suggested that the national Canadian curriculum does not incorporate rip current knowledge and many other beach hazards into their lesson plans. However, two programs on water safety are offered to Ontario schools sponsored by the National Lifesaving Society. These program's primary objective is to teach children in grades three and seven how to roll, tread, and swim in deep water. These programs do not incorporate beach hazards in classroom discussions and are not mandatory for students. The goal of this paper is to draw attention to the need for beach hazards to be taught in the classroom to reduce the number of future drownings. Key words: Rip current, Canadian Curriculum, Great Lakes, drowning
Women in Science: WinS for All
No full textViable, Healthy and Safe CommunitiesThe underrepresentation of women in science is an ongoing issue in institutions of higher learning and industry alike. While the number of women in Canadian academia is increasing, there is still a large gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines. The Faculty of Science has undertaken an initiative, spearheaded by three undergraduate students, to quantify and compare gender ratios in the various science programs and faculty rankings in an effort to bring attention to the underrepresentation of women in those fields and devise strategies to reduce gender gaps. Students were tasked with analyzing undergraduate and graduate enrolment data over the last ten years across all Science programs. The data revealed that although the overall gender gap in science graduate programs have decreases, it has remained unchanged at the undergraduate level, with female students least represented in computer science, physics and economic programs. Gender gaps also persist among faculty with the greatest discrepancy at the ranking of full professor. With this data, the Women in Science (WinS) initiative, which seeks to engage students, faculty and staff, raise awareness, and address challenges facing women in science, was created. Initial successes include a new public seminar series launched by guest speaker Dr. Imogen Coe, Dean of Ryerson University, outreach to regional high school students in collaboration with our community partner Build A Dream, and a service learning credit through WinS. Collectively, these efforts encourage young women to pursue education and careers in STEM, while engaging and supporting current science students, faculty and staff. It has also allowed these student researchers to practice civic responsibility and engage in faculty-staff partnerships that empowers them in leadership roles within the scientific community. This study also contributes to future recruitment strategies in the Faculty of Science to boost representation of women and foster diversity
Role of Intramuscular PAI-1 During Aged Skeletal Muscle Regeneration
No full textViable, Healthy and Safe CommunitiesRole of Intramuscular PAI-1 During Aged Skeletal Muscle Regeneration S.A. Angus, F.A. Rahman & M.P. Krause Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada. Primary author: [email protected] Introduction: Skeletal muscle regeneration is a crucial process in returning muscle to its original function following damage. The accumulation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important, yet often overlooked aspect during the regeneration process. With age, there is a decline in the regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle, partly attributed to the accumulation of the ECM, called fibrosis. Therefore, investigation into the contributors of fibrosis, namely plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), is needed to better understand changes in the ECM during regeneration in aged muscle. Methods: Young (3 month old) and aged (18 month old) male C57BL/6J mice were studied (n = 15). Muscle damage was induced via cardiotoxin (CTX) injection to the left tibialis anterior muscle. Mice were sacrificed at 3, 5 and 7 days following damage and muscles were collected. Immunohistochemical (IHC) techniques were used to investigate regenerative capacity, macrophage density, and macrophage-derived PAI-1 expression. A two-way ANOVA was used to determine statistical significance for the results. Results: Myogenic potential of aged skeletal muscle was found to be significantly lower in the 7-day post-damage compared to young (main effect: p < 0.05). In addition, a significant increase in macrophage count at 7-day post-damage in aged skeletal muscle was observed. There was a significant difference in macrophage-derived PAI-1 content throughout the regeneration process between groups (p < 0.05). Discussion: Aged skeletal muscle was observed to have a diminished regenerative capacity as well as an increase in prolonged necrosis following damage. These findings suggest that the implications of macrophage-derived PAI-1 may have a negative effect on the ECM and the regenerative capacity of aged skeletal muscle
The Use of Digital Mobile Technology for Rapid Assessment of Treatment Induced Cognitive Deficits in Multiple Myeloma Patients.
No full textPatients with multiple myeloma may experience subjective changes in baseline cognitive function, which can span across various cognitive domains. Currently, there is limited data about the nature, severity, and temporal evolution of these deficits, as well as their relationship with disease and treatment-related factors. While advances in multiple myeloma treatments continue, few prospective trials have evaluated their impact on cognitive function and quality of life. The objective of this retrospective, cross sectional study is to assess potential cognitive changes in multiple myeloma patients undergoing therapy. This study aims to recruit approximately 60 participants, with 16 presently enrolled. To identify incidence and patterns of cognitive change, patients undergo comprehensive cognitive evaluations such as the International Cognition and Cancer Task Force (ICCTF) battery, National Institute of Health Toolbox (NIB-TB), and the five-minute Montreal Cognitive Assessment screener (MoCA). Data collection and preliminary analysis on 16 participants (median age 72 years, 10/16 on first-line therapy) has revealed global cognitive impairment in 5/16 patients using the ICCTF battery and the NIH-TB, with verbal learning and memory, and executive function being the most affected domains. Future initiatives of this research will focus on expanding study population with the aim to validate preliminary trends in a larger cohort. Larger numbers will allow exploration of correlations between subjective and objective cognitive performance, and the potential differential impact of classes of treatment agents on cognitive function. Results from this study may yield hypotheses for future evaluation and validation in larger, prospective trials
The relationship between the spatial pattern of lakeside wetlands and water quality utilizing UAV hyperspectral remote sensing
Full text linkLakes are one of the most important freshwater resources on the earth, yet water quality in Dianchi Lake (China) has been declining due to increased human usage and alterations to the natural landscape. Wetlands surrounding the lake help buffer it from human impacts, can purify agricultural and other pollutants, and artificial wetlands have been suggested as a solution to improve lake water quality. It is unclear if the efficacy of lakeside wetlands varies and if the spatial pattern of these wetlands is a contributing factor to near shore water quality. Assessing lakeside wetlands characteristics relies upon high-resolution surveys, which is offered by UAV hyperspectral remote sensing as it offers high spatial resolution, strong band continuity and large amount of spectral information and has been widely used for wetland plant classification and physicochemical parameter retrieval. To quantify the relationship between near shore water quality and wetlands pattern, we conducted a hyperspectral UAV survey that characterized land cover classes and their spatial arrangement in 10 different coastal lake sections. Specifically, supervised classification was performed on the preprocessed hyperspectral images and Fragstats was used to calculate multiple landscape composition, connectivity, and configuration. These spatial pattern metrics will be correlated to the 8 measured water quality metrics including temperature(T), dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductance (EC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus(TP),NH3-N,pH and chlorophyll a. Principal components analysis will be used to reduce the water quality data dimensionality. This research provides feasible theoretical and technical support for future wetland ecosystem protection and monitoring
Nurse Practitioner Opioid Prescribing and Educational Requirements in Canada and the Unites States: A Narrative Review
Full text linkIntroduction/Background: Canada and the U.S had the highest level of opioid consumption per capita worldwide in 2015 (Pasricha et al., 2018). Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are authorized to prescribe opioids in both Canada and the U.S.Purpose: This narrative review aims to examine the differences in NP opioid-related educational requirements and prescribing patterns between the U.S. and Canada. Methods: A narrative review was used to synthesize findings from literature obtained through computerized databases, authoritative texts, and hand searches. Discussion: As of 2010, NPs in Canada and the U.S. must hold a master's degree. American NPs must obtain a Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) license to prescribe opioids; the Canadian government authorized NPs to prescribe opioids in 2012, with varying provincial licensure requirements. New American national guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain were released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention in 2016; McMaster University in Canada followed and published 'The 2017 Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain.'. In contrast to Canada, NP opioid prescribing in the U.S. is monitored though the DEA drug monitoring program, and NPs complete a national survey every 5 years regarding all prescribing practices. Canada lacks emergency department (ED) specific opioid prescribing guidelines whereas 24 American states have implemented them. Implications for Future Research: Canadian NP opioid prescribing is under-researched. Further research is needed to provide a more adequate comparison with American data. Additionally, research regarding ED specific guidelines could provide valuable information to guide prescribers in this rapidly changing, high-stress environment
Canada's Role as a Clean Technology Innovator: A Governmental Proposal
Full text linkClean technology innovation and development can play a critical role in climate change mitigation strategies. Targeted at the Canadian government, this paper outlines the important role clean technology can play in achieving Canada’s 2030 emissions reduction targets and recommends strategies to establish the country as an international force in clean technology innovation. This paper evaluates the successes of international leaders in clean technology innovation, identifies hindrances to the progression of clean technology in Canada, and proposes multi-level strategies to overcome the obstacles hampering the Canadian clean technology industry. Lastly, this paper concludes with a call to action for continued research on clean technology innovation. The call to action serves to spark greater awareness of the potential behind the Canadian clean tech sector and encourage further research into methods that can assist Canada in achieving its emissions reduction targets for 2030
Duty of Transnational Oil Corporations in Relation Harm Caused in Countries of Operations: Alternative Mechanism for Effective Compensation
Full text linkBesides contributing to Nigeria's economy and popularity, Transnational Oil Corporations (TNCs) have also contributed to the problems facing the country; for instance, the disturbances and instabilities in the Niger Delta Region. This opposing role eliminates the TNCs from ordinary bystanders and imposes a duty to act; not merely to achieve equitable balance but also to ensure the balance meets with legitimate expectation and international standard. This thesis critically examines the case of Bodo Community and others v Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd.,[1] and finds the lack of agreement on the fundamental issue, unstructured settlement agreement, and lack of follow up have done nothing to improve the life of the community inhabitants. Using critical analysis method, the author advocates the need for TNCs to adopt an Alternative Corporate Resolution Initiative (ACRI) to facilitate the fulfilment of their contractual obligations, respect human rights, own up to their mistakes, provide meaningful remedy, and follow up on it. [1] Bodo Community and others v Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd [2014] EWHC 2170 (TCC