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Reframing queer teacher professionalism: A critical ethnography of queer teacher's experiences in Canadian schools
No full textThis critical ethnographic study examined how queer K-12 and adult education (non-post-secondary) teachers across Canada navigate heteronormative professionalism. The research investigated how these educators conceptualize professional identity and challenge institutional expectations that marginalize non-normative identities within schools. While many faced discrimination, professional isolation, and institutional silencing that forced extensive self-monitoring behaviors, others thrived within supportive administrative environments and queer colleague networks. Teachers employed diverse resistance strategies to disrupt traditional school hierarchies. Rather than viewing their queerness as a professional liability, participants positioned it as a pedagogical resource that enhanced their teaching effectiveness. They deployed agentic professionalism to challenge traditional forms of normalizing power. Findings demonstrate that supportive environmental conditions create important impacts on teacher agency. The research suggests that fostering inclusive schools requires systemic interventions including administrative education and development of supportive professional communities. The research indicates that supporting queer teachers’ authentic professional practice benefits entire school communities through enhanced pedagogical innovation and expanded possibilities for educational transformation
The effects of fermentation on the functional properties and flavor profile of chickpea (cicer arietinum) flours for use in plant-based cheese, and the use of a mechanist model and machine learning as a tool to predict fermentation outcomes
No full textPulses are valuable sources of plant-based protein and lipids, making them candidates for sustainable food systems and plant-based product development. Nonetheless, their application is limited by anti-nutritional factors and undesirable off-flavor compounds. This thesis explores the potential of controlled fermentation as a pre-treatment to improve the nutritional, functional, and sensory qualities of chickpea flour. Using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus, whole chickpeas were fermented for up to 9 hours, with significant reductions in beany off-flavor volatiles such as 2,4-decadienal and 2-pentylfuran observed. The pre-treated flour was then used to develop five plant-based cheese alternatives, which were then evaluated for physical properties and consumer acceptability using a nine-point hedonic scale. Results revealed significant improvements in water holding capacity, water absorption, and flavor profiles, with specific formulations approaching commercial standards in texture and pH. To improve food development of pulse alternative products, machine learning models were used to predict key fermentation variables such as pH and lipase
activity. These models showed high predictive power, suggesting a valuable role for AI in improving food development life cycles. This multidisciplinary approach shows that fermentation and predictive modeling as effective strategies to improve the nutritional quality, sensory appeal, and development efficiency of chickpea-based food products
That was me then: How undergraduate students' experiences in residence shape narrative identity
Full text linkPostsecondary campus residence can be an environment that either enhances or hinders students’ academic success, social development, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Residence is as much a place to learn and grow as it is a place to sleep for students. It is the role of student affairs educators to provide not only a safe and comfortable environment, but through mentorship, the experiences to nurture personal growth as they move through emerging adulthood, transition to university, and navigate independence. The experiences during this phase, and more importantly how students make sense of them, play a critical role in healthy identity development. Using methods of campus tours, interviews, and online engagement, this narrative inquiry explored how five senior undergraduate students retold and reflected on how their first-year residence experiences shaped their identity making through a narrative lens. The stories the participants shared, and more importantly how they made sense of their experiences, showed evidence of personal development and higher learning. The findings suggest that student affairs educators working in Residence Life could employ a narrative identity development approach to working with emerging adults living on campus, which would align with the developmental tasks they are grappling with during their undergraduate years. Implementing such an approach requires a philosophical stance that student affairs practitioners are educators who contribute to the educational mission of the university and have a responsibility to support students to navigate the transition to adult life
Rivalry and Enmity in Q
Full text linkQ is a site of tension, some of which is preserved from the time of Q’s composition and redaction, and some of which goes back to the historical Jesus. “This generation” , which mistreats prophets, is one of the most interesting points of tension in Q. Q’s Jesus draws on martyr discourse to situate John the Baptist’s apocalyptic message within the noble lineage of past ill-treated prophets vindicated only in hindsight. Q repurposes this discourse to lend gravitas to Jesus’ own death, as well as to actively construct what makes “a good Jew."
Determining the use and non-use factors of smartwatches
Full text linkIntroduction: A smartwatch is a wearable device that can monitor variables associated with CSEP’s 24-hour movement guidelines (i.e., physical activity, sedentary time, sleep). The aims of this study were to explore the reasons for acquiring a smartwatch, reasons for early use cessation, and determine barriers of smartwatch adoption. Methods: Participants consisted of 299 individuals from a rural community. Data was collected using an online Qualtrics survey with fifteen, 5-point Likert scale questions (1 strongly disagree – 5 strongly agree). Results are shown as Means (M) and Standard Deviations (SD) and groups were compared using a t-test (p < 0.05). Results: 206 (70%) were current wearers, 33 (11%) were previous wearers, and 56 (19%) were non-wearers. The main reason for purchasing a smartwatch was to track physical activity (M = 4.5, SD = 1.6). The most common reasons for discontinuing smartwatch use were losing interest (M = 3.1, SD = 1.3) and finding it uncomfortable (M = 3.1, SD = 1.4). Previous wearers (M = 2.8, SD = 1.3) did not feel the smartwatch simplified their daily life as much as current wearers (M = 3.7, SD = 1.1), t(227) = 4.40, p < 0.001. The most common barrier for those who want a smartwatch but do not have one is the cost (M = 4.2, SD = 1.1). Conclusions: Future research should focus on reducing barriers to smartwatch adoption, advancing facilitators to encourage extended use, and promoting the use of these devices for health tracking features
Reliability of mNIRS-based determination of lactate thresholds in runners
Full text linkLactate thresholds (LTs) represent distinct physiological transitions as a function of exercise intensity and
have therefore found popular application for endurance sport. Traditionally determined through invasive
and repetitive blood lactate sampling during incremental exercise, both the first (LT1) and second lactate
thresholds (LT2) have alternatively been estimated from rates of respiratory gas exchange (e.g., ventilatory
thresholds 1 and 2) via expired air analysis during exercise. Even more convenient that expired air
analysis, muscle near infrared-spectroscopy (mNIRS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive means of
estimating LTs from changes in muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) during exercise. The purpose of this
study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the mNIRS-based approach to LT1 and LT2
determination in endurance athletes. Thirteen varsity distance runners (7 men; 6 women) completed
incremental treadmill running tests for determination of LTs on two separate occasions. For each test,
SmO2 (Moxy NIRS monitor) and heart rate (HR) were continuously monitored, while blood lactate
concentration (BLC) was measured at the end of each incremental exercise stage. Average HR at running
speeds corresponding with LT1 and LT2, respectively, determined from both mNIRS and blood lactate-
based approaches were compared between the two exercise tests (test-retest). Bland-Altman analyses were
used to assess agreement between the test and retest differences between approaches. NIRS-determined
LT2 demonstrated strong test-retest reliability (Bias = 2.39, SD of bias = 9.01), while NIRS-determined
LT1 demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability (Bias = 4.69, SD of bias = 14.49). While perhaps
confounded by varying time between tests (22.8 ± 15.6 weeks), the within-test relationships between LT
determination approaches were stronger than test-retest relationships for each approach, further supporting
the validity of mNIRS-based approach to LT estimation
Today’s Road to Resources in the Canadian Arctic: An Analysis of the Grays Bay Port and Road Project
Full text linkThe Grays Bay Port and Road Project (GBPR) is an ambitious and decades-long proposal to construct a deep-water port at Grays Bay on the Northwest Passage, along with an all-season road connecting it to Yellowknife through the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. This mega-infrastructure project would unlock rich mineral deposits in the Slave Geological Province that could be exported to global markets from the Canadian Arctic coastline. Originally conceived as the Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project, the GBPR has undergone five iterations over the past thirty years. The GBPR has gained some traction at the local level by framing benefits like food security, affordability, and employment opportunities for local Inuit. At the same time, this project presents potential drawbacks, such as risks to terrestrial and marine wildlife stocks, and increased substance abuse, which causes both concern and hesitation among Kitikmeot residents.
As the project progresses and operates within the Canadian Arctic’s current political, economic, and legal landscapes, common challenges to Arctic development — specifically, high capital costs, a lack of human capital, and local opposition — are identified as the primary factors hindering the GBPR and its predecessors. However, these hurdles can possibly be overcome with six policy recommendations, including creating Inuit-owned business opportunities through a comprehensive impact benefit agreement, developing a wildlife mitigation and monitoring plan, providing accurate cost estimates, designing multi-purpose and multi-user infrastructure applications, securing reliable and long-term federal funding, and establishing an efficient and competitive regulatory process in the Canadian Arctic. These policy prescriptions could overcome the challenges and move forward on building what seems to still be a long road ahead
Development of marine antifouling performance in hard fouling-release coatings
Full text linkMarine biofouling is a substantial economic and environmental issue. Hard fouling-release coatings present a promising solution, combining fouling-release characteristics with durability. This study tested proprietary hard fouling-release prototype coatings from GIT Coatings, Inc. alongside uncoated controls, colour controls, and commercial performance standards. Three successive experiments combined static and dynamic flow conditions at one or more sites in Nova Scotia. Initially, biofouling percent cover and cleanability for prototype coatings were comparable to untreated controls. By the final experiment, prototype coatings had significantly lower percent covers than both uncoated controls and the durability performance comparison (Ecospeed). Furthermore, several prototype hard fouling-release coatings had comparable percent cover (and possibly cleanability) to the fouling-release performance comparison (Intersleek). The results indicate that hard fouling-release coatings with potentially greater durability and longevity can achieve similar fouling-release performance as commercial fouling-release coatings. Further tests are needed to determine if unintended toxicity contributes to the antifouling effects
Cleantech ventures : entrepreneurial success probability and valuation premium
No full textThe research looks into two primary concerns surrounding entrepreneurial cleantech firms, seeking to answer: (1) Are cleantech entrepreneurial firms more or less likely to succeed than those in other industries? (2) Do cleantech entrepreneurial firms have higher valuations compared to those in other industries? For this analysis, we utilize a dataset from PitchBook containing over 261,971 firms across 197 countries from the year 2000 to 2020. We apply several regression techniques, including Probit, Logit, OLS, and fixed-effects models, to determine success probabilities and assess valuation premiums
Letter from Christian Campbell to Malcolm McGregor, June 11th, 1822
No full textLetter from Christian Campbell to Malcolm McGregor discussing the health of the family, a death in the family, the state of Scotland, the economy, and why she has not visited