Toronto Metropolitan University Open Journals
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Patient experiences of using mental health services in Canada: Scoping review
No full textIntroduction: Research that focuses on patient experiences can provide much needed insight on the strengths and weaknesses of the current mental healthcare system and provide direction for improvement. To give voice to patients, this manuscript focuses on a scoping literature review that was conducted to determine patient experiences of using mental health services in Canada. Methods: Arksey and O’Malley outlined the scoping study methodology that was used for this manuscript. It includes the following five stages: 1) identifying the research question, 2) identifying relevant studies, 3) study selection, 4) charting the data, and 5) collating, summarizing, and reporting the results. Results: The following themes emerged from articles that discussed negative experiences of patients who used mental health services in Canada: 1) discrimination, 2) unmet needs, and 3) invalidation. The following themes emerged from articles that discussed positive experiences of patients who used mental health services in Canada: 1) compassion, 2) validation, and 3) personal autonomy. Conclusion: When patients had negative experiences, it tended to be because they felt discriminated against, their needs were not met, and they felt invalidated. For patients to have positive experiences they need to feel compassion from staff, a sense of personal autonomy, and validation. Sensitivity, empathy, and diversity training could better equip staff to deal with patients with mental illness which could lead to more positive patient experiences of using mental health services. Staff and people with lived experience can educate patients on how to navigate the mental healthcare system to meet their needs which can also lead to more positive patient experiences of using mental health services
Eight Bites of Fat Time: Chrononormativity and Science Fiction
No full textLiterary science fiction has the unique ability to create speculative visions of the future that either challenge or reinforce current cultural anxieties. This is particularly important for groups who desire profound social change (Jenkins & Tulloch, 1995), with the genre able to envision justice and explore liberation from the status quo. With this activist function in mind, there is one significant question for fat studies scholars: where are all the liberated fat women in the future? We are certainly abundant in the present, and yet significant representation of joyous and revolutionary fat women in mainstream science fiction has either been annihilated (Gerbner and Gross, 1976), or our unruly bodies are punished (Hartley, 2001). Have we been contained to the past? Using McFarland et al.’s (2018) assertion that fat bodies are chrononormative failures, I pursue this concept as a possible explanation for the lack of positive representations of fat women in literary science fiction. In particular, I use Carmen Maria Machado’s (2019) science fiction-horror short story “Eight Bites,” from the collection “Her Body and Other Parties,” as a case study to demonstrate how science fiction futures can reinforce notions of hetero- and chrono- normativity. As the unnamed protagonist experiences her body as a fat woman, as a mother, and in relation to her sisters, this analysis puts a spotlight on what it takes to be considered “successful” in a chrononormative timestream and demonstrates how fat women either disappear entirely through reintegration into thin futures, or are rendered unhappy (Bahra, 2018) for daring to exist in a future that limits which normative bodies are supposed to thrive
Deep Horse Thoughts: how a fat woman became friends with a horse
No full textIn Deep Horse Thoughts: How a Fat Woman Became Friends with a Horse, Cindy Baker shares a deeply personal and reflective narrative of her unexpected journey with horses. Not identifying as a "horse girl," Baker recounts how, despite her lack of connection to equestrian culture, she was invited to participate in a horse-centered art project, confronting the societal and personal challenges of being a fat woman. Her encounter with a horse named Taylor becomes an exploration of self-acceptance, vulnerability, and the complex emotions tied to her size, identity, and relationship with animals. Through a day spent bonding with Taylor, Baker navigates her doubts about belonging, the fatphobia within the horse community, and her own insecurities. In the end, the experience brings forth a mix of ambivalence and transformation, leaving Baker with a sense of connection, vulnerability, and emotional growth, even as she recognizes her continued outsider status
Interview: Fat Body Work (2025) with Dr. Charlotte Cooper
No full textOn July 30th, 2025, co-manager of Excessive Bodies, Ramanpreet A. Bahra sat down with Dr. Charlotte Cooper over Zoom to discuss their latest book, Fat Body Work: Somatics, Curiosity, Care and Practice, published through their micro press, 33editions.
Meet the Collective: Guest Editorial Collective
No full textMembers of the Guest Editorial Collective for Volume 2, Issue 2
Resonating Histories: Guaman Poma and Machiavelli in Pixel Art
No full textHawk and Puma (2024) is a critically acclaimed minimalist video game developed with Bitsy by the Chilean studio Niebla Games in collaboration with members of the ÑawpaÑan community in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru. The game invites players to join Guaman Poma de Ayala, the Indigenous Andean chronicler, on a metaphorical journey through his life, writings, and the struggles of his people during the colonial era. A central element of this journey is Guaman’s encounter with Maki, a spirit representing Niccolò Machiavelli. This interplay of figures—one defending Indigenous sovereignty and the other grappling with modern state power—creates resonances that are as historical as they are theoretical, bridging worlds across time and geography. Hawk and Puma has received critical acclaim, including nominations for the Explorer Award at A MAZE./Berlin 2024 and Best Diversity Game and Best Social Issues Game at the Gamescom LATAM / BIG Festival São Paulo 2024.
Thematically, the game explores governance, power, sovereignty, and religion, resonating with Guaman Poma’s First New Chronicle and Good Government and Machiavelli’s The Prince. These figures, while temporally close, are rooted in different temporalities: Guaman Poma observed the collapse of the Inca Empire, while Machiavelli theorized the emergence of the modern state. This tension is represented through Guaman’s use of the chronicle, drawing, and writing to advocate for social and political change for Indigenous peoples, while Maki, as a restless spirit of the early modern European worldview, challenges Guaman\u27s motivations and strategies.
The game’s development is grounded in research-creation, where historical inquiry, decolonial aesthetics, and collaboration converge. Theoretical foundations include Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui’s (2018) concept of ch’ixi and Aníbal Quijano’s (2000) coloniality of power, alongside the referential texts Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno (2002) and The Prince (2004). These frameworks informed the game’s hybrid approach to cultural narratives and guided its design choices, particularly the integration of material metaphors—ink, weaving, and pixels. Guaman’s ink embodies testimony and resistance, Andean textiles signify cultural memory and continuity, and minimalist pixels critique both industry aesthetics and the extractivist underpinnings of digital infrastructures.
Methodologically, the project began as an exploration of Guaman Poma’s work, emphasizing the materiality of ink and weaving as central to his acts of resistance and cultural memory. These material dimensions found resonance in the process of translating Guaman’s illustrations into pixel art, where Bitsy’s (2018) aesthetic evokes the texture of woven threads. Furthermore, Bitsy’s open-source and collaborative nature aligns with the communal practice of weaving, fostering shared experimentation and creation within its constraints. To extend this metaphor of weaving through collaboration, the project evolved into an active partnership with members of the ÑawpaÑan community. This collaboration led to a Quechua translation of the game, ensuring its cultural relevance and accessibility while transforming it into a living archive for local communities. Building on this ethos, the Andean Futures initiative empowers young creators from the Sacred Valley to craft their own narratives using minimal open-source tools, amplifying Indigenous voices and promoting cultural sustainability in digital spaces
The Energy Consumption Required for the Neutralization of Sludge Resulting from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants
No full textThe sludge resulting from water treatment plants, with a very high moisture content (W = 60-70%), can only be disposed of after neutralization. The ash (a final product that is chemically neutral) can contribute to the development of a circular economy. The drying process, carried out using flue gases generated by burning natural gas, is an energy-conserving method. The focus of this study is to define and calculate energy consumption. The high temperature of the drying agent at discharge (200˚C) imposed the implementation of an ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) system for electricity generation, partially compensating for the specific energy consumption of the drying process
Numerical Study of Non-Isothermal Pyrolysis of Thick Biomass Particle
No full textIn the present work, the pyrolysis process of the Tunisian almond shell has been studied through COMSOL Multiphysics. The effect of the most thermochemical parameters on the biomass conversion process (pyrolysis yields) as well as the temperature and mass fraction profiles in spherical shaped particle of 25 mm diameter (dp=25 mm) were analyzed and discussed. At heating rates fluxT ranging from 0.4 to 100 °C/s and for three reactor temperatures (688 K, 736 K and 831 K), the kinetics of non-isothermal pyrolysis were simulated and compared to the reference isothermal case. The distribution of pyrolysis products is obtained by choosing a convenient reaction mechanism scheme. Samples with a smaller geometry demonstrated greater heat transfer during non-isothermal biomass pyrolysis, which resulted in a higher flux of generated vapors. To maximize the operating conditions for the intended yields, the proposed model should be expanded for other biomass samples. Additionally, this study possibly will aid in scaling up the pyrolysis process
A Multi-Layer Neural Network Approach for Solving Fractional Heat Equations
No full textIn this study, a new multi-layer neural network (MLNN) approach designed to solve fractional heat equations (FHEs) is introduced. To handle the fractional derivative, the Laplace transform for approximation was applied. The results of our approach are compared with those obtained using the finite difference method(FDM). The findings highlight the flexibility and computational efficiency of the proposed approach, making it a promising technique for solving FHEs
