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New opportunities for innovative student engagement
Get PDFThis report is based on an advanced practicum placement which was completed with
YouthREX’s New Opportunities for Student Engagement Program. This program is designed to
create learning opportunities about research and social change for young people through a
strengths-based approach, which supports youth in building relationships and preparations for
post-secondary education. The program teaches young people the power of research using
hands-on experiential learning. Ultimately this program focuses on empowering youth to
become advocates in their community for the betterment of their community. In completing this
placement, I set out to acquire skills and knowledge about group work with youth. Within this
report, how to implement group work with youth is expanded on through knowledge gleaned
from the literature as well as on my experience of this placement. I also desired to further
develop my clinical skills by critically reflecting upon the implementation of group work during
my practicum. Finally, through this placement, I observed youth learn and grow as they
developed projects designed to address the social issues faced by their communityMaster of Social Work (MSW
Trauma and homelessness among Indigenous people in northern Ontario: a narrative study
No full textHomelessness has been rising over the last 20 years. The literature outlines the need for further
study of the experiences of trauma among Indigenous people who experience homelessness.
Social work research and front-line practice underscore the significance of trauma as a
contributing factor leading to homelessness. This thesis examines the narratives of an Indigenous
man (Fred) and an Indigenous woman (Kim) who have experienced similar life events, despite
their origins in geographically dispersed communities—a remote northern Cree First Nation and
an urban centre in western Canada. The main themes emerging from an examination of their
narratives reveal common sets of experiences linked to Indigenous heritage. Results of narrative
analyses of their life stories show that both Kim and Fred experienced early childhood trauma
leading to parallel experiences of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Kim and
Fred both identified disconnection from their culture, oppression, early childhood trauma,
seeking safety, substance misuse, marginalization and homelessness in their lives. These
experiences were compounded by seemingly cumulative effects, leading to a cycle of repeating
adverse experiences. The results of this study indicate that social workers should focus on
education in rural communities to offer more strategies to prevent early childhood and ongoing
trauma in adulthood. The results also revealed a need for social workers to develop specialized
training in substance misuse treatment that targets the reduction of and recovery from trauma
symptoms. The study also uncovered the need for more strategies for decolonization practices
and solutions to overcrowding in housing in First Nations communities.Masters of Social Work (MSW
Antibacterial activity of freshwater green microalgae isolated from water bodies near abandoned mine sites in Ontario, Canada
No full textProgress of modern medicine relies on the discovery of new antibiotics. The increasing
threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria, leading to an increase in morbidity and mortality of patients
previously considered low risk, has highlighted the serious need for the expansion of antibiotic
research and development. Historically, natural products have been the most successful source of
antibiotics as they have complex and unique chemical structures and modes of action. Since most
available antibiotics are originally a result of the secondary metabolism of bacteria and fungi,
microorganisms from diverse environments capable of producing secondary metabolites have
been and currently are being investigated for antibacterial production. Green microalgae are eukaryotic microorganisms that can be found in a very wide range of
habitats, including extreme environments. These microorganisms are known to produce a series
of commercially valuable compounds as a result of their secondary metabolism. The central aim
of this thesis was to determine the potential of green microalgae as antibiotic producers collected
(bioprospected) from water bodies near abandoned mine sites in Ontario, Canada. These water
bodies exhibited a variety of chemical profiles, including high metal concentrations and low pH. Forty species of green microalgae were subsequently isolated and their extracts tested
against various bacteria. The findings showed that 37.5% of these microalgae produced
antibacterial compounds that seem to specifically inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, in
particular the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. This was a higher success rate than
any previous study on green microalgae. In addition, the evaluation of crude extracts of
Chlamydomonas sp., the most common isolated species, demonstrated variation in antibacterial activity during cell growth. The highest antibacterial activity from this species was found in the
exponential phase.
Furthermore, green microalgal extracts exhibiting antibacterial activity also decreased the
cell viability of malignant cells, particularly the rapidly dividing human ovarian carcinoma
A2780 cells. However, the extracts did not decrease the cell viability of non-malignant cells.
Taken together, the results of this thesis reveal that freshwater green microalgae from water
bodies near abandoned mine sites are potential sources of antibacterial compounds against Grampositive
bacteria and should be further investigated against rapidly dividing malignant cells
An analysis of primary and secondary sector employment in Canada in relation to the distribution of median income
No full textThe Canadian economy continues to become more ‘advanced’ and is shifting towards
more service jobs; tertiary, quaternary, and quinary. As a result, the Canadian job market now
focusses less on direct resource and manufacturing employment. These changes are occurring in
the context of globalization where productivity is continually being improved upon and higher
education is greatly valued. This study addresses employment activity in the primary and
secondary sector in Canada. This analysis is done to get a better understanding of the continued
importance of these employment activities in a country that is focussing on more professional
and service jobs. In order to analyze the primary and secondary sector in Canada, three variables
have been used. The three variables are: 1) mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; 2)
agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting; and 3) manufacturing. ArcMap has been used in this
study to provide a visual representation of the spatial distribution of each of these three variables
by according to a low, middle, and high range of industry activity. Locations in Canada that are
categorized as low, middle and high in terms of industrial activity are also compared by median
income. This research indicates that primary and secondary sector activity in Canada is still very
important to the national economy as well as numerous local economies in Canada.Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Geograph
The role of bile acids in overcoming resistance to chemotherapy
No full textIn the context of cancer therapy, resistance to chemotherapy agents is a serious threat to
patient welfare. In these circumstances, patients can either present with cancers that are naturally
resistant to conventional therapy, referred to as innate resistance, or with cancers that become
resistant following treatment, referred to as acquired resistance. In this thesis, we address the
phenomenon of acquired drug resistance, involving cell lines selected for resistance to the
anthracycline, doxorubicin. In the first study, we examined the role of the aldo-keto reductases
AKR1C3 and AKR1B10 in doxorubicin resistance, enzymes that can hydroxylate doxorubicin to
a less toxic form (doxorubicinol). Additionally, these enzymes can function to promote estrogen
biosynthesis from estrone, which can have significant effects on cell growth and survival. We
demonstrated in the first study that AKR1C3 and AKR1B10 are expressed at higher levels in
doxorubicin resistant MCF-7 cells than their isogenic control counterparts. This change in
expression correlated very well with increased estrogen synthesis. siRNA-mediated reduction in
AKR1C3 and/or AKR1B10 transcript expression had no major effect on doxorubicin resistance,
suggesting that these enzymes are not sufficient to mediate the doxorubicin resistance phenotype
and that other mechanisms of doxorubicin resistance exist in these cells. We did, however, note that a pharmacological inhibitor of AKR enzymes (a bile acid termed β-cholanic acid) was
effective in reversing doxorubicin resistance in doxorubicin-selected cell lines. This prompted a
second study to investigate the mechanism for this reversal. We observed that β-cholanic acid
strongly reduced doxorubicin resistance in cell lines that express the ABC transporter ABCC1,
including doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7 breast tumour cells and H-69 lung cancer cells. Reversal
of doxorubicin resistance was also observed in HEK293 cells transfected with ABCC1
expression vectors. Subsequent experiments confirmed that β-cholanic acid and another bile acid that does not inhibit the aldo-keto reductases was able to inhibit ABCC1-mediate doxorubicin
efflux from tumour cells, thereby providing a mechanism for the reversal of doxorubicin
resistance. Bile acids thus represent an important new class of compounds that could prove
useful in improving the effectiveness of doxorubicin chemotherapy in cancer patients,
specifically in recurrent tumours overexpressing the ABCC1 transporter
Metabarcoding soil microarthropods for soil quality assessment: importance of integrated taxonomy, phylogenetic marker selection and sampling design
No full textSoil microarthropods are ubiquitous and ecologically significant in terrestrial environments.
Collembola and Oribatida are the two most abundant and diverse representatives of
microarthropods and are commonly targeted biological indicators of soil quality. Traditional
methods for studying these groups have provided taxonomic and functional data for individuals
but are inefficient for large scale biomonitoring applications. The adoption of molecular methods
like metabarcoding is predicted to improve the efficiency of biomonitoring microarthropods but
can be limited by the availability of reference specimens in sequence databases, and the
importance of barcode selection and sampling design for this approach in plot-level experiments
has not been explored. Demonstrated here, the inclusion of locally derived specimen barcodes to
reference libraries significantly improved the quality of metabarcoding data. Also, targeting two
barcodes (18S and COI) improved microarthropod richness estimates, and 10 samples with >10
m separation between each is recommend to increase the proportion of diversity detected
Les difficultés d’apprentissage en éducation physique et sportive: une étude de trois cas d’enseignement de la course de haies au Bénin
Get PDFLa présente étude a exploré le fonctionnement du système didactique
in-situ pour attirer l’attention sur les difficultés des élèves de la 3e année du
niveau secondaire qui exécutent les tâches et activités proposées par des
enseignants d’éducation physique et sportive (EPS) lors du processus
enseignement-apprentissage. Dans la logique de la ternarité du système
didactique (Amade-Escot, 2008 ; 2003), les enseignants et leurs élèves en
interaction ont été les sujets d’étude. Pour répondre aux besoins de
triangulation (Leutenegger, 2009 ; Van Der Maren, 1996), plusieurs
techniques de collecte de données furent utilisées : une analyse
documentaire, des entretiens anté-séance, post-séance, post-cycle, et des
enregistrements audio-visuels des séances d’enseignement. Des concepts
mobilisés par la théorie anthropologique du didactique (Chevallard, 1992) et
la théorie de l’action didactique conjointe (Sensevy, 2007) ont été utilisés
pour analyser et interpréter les résultats dont les plus saillants révèlent que
les élèves ont des difficultés au franchissement et à la reprise de la course
après la haie. La course inter-haie n’est pas régulière. Ce sont des difficultés
déjà relevées par Lamote (2002) et Aubert (1994). Dans notre milieu
d’investigation, le méli-mélo au niveau des contenus du programme, le peu
de nombre de séances (03) consacré au cycle d’enseignement/apprentissage
de cette APS, la qualité du matériel utilisé et le rapport personnel des
interactants permettent d’expliquer les difficultés des élèves
Examining the critically reflective approach and the use of self in practice with older adults living with mental ill-health
Get PDFThe following advanced practicum document reviews my social work practice experience
on both the In-Patient Psychogeriatric Unit as well as the Out-Patient Geriatric Behaviour
Response Team within Grey Bruce Health Services (GBHS) hospital in Owen Sound, Ontario.
Through the course of this practicum I was able to engage in various direct practice and
assessment opportunities within both a medical and community setting. Through these
opportunities I was able to engage in critical reflective practice and examine my use of self
within a therapeutic setting with older adults, living with dementia. A comprehensive literature
appraisal was conducted in order to demonstrate the rationale and increased need for working
with the older adult population. As well, it highlighted the role that critical reflection of self
plays within ethical social work practice, and details the positive and challenging nature in
engaging in this form of reflective practice.
This document goes on to detail various aspects of my advanced practicum experiences
and the opportunities I was afforded at GBHS. During my time with both the in-patient and outpatient teams, I was able to work within a multidisciplinary, medical team setting. This in turn,
provided complex and unique lenses in relation to my practice reflections and the various
dynamics of power between professional roles as well as with client and their families. Lastly
this document reflects on my own personal journey through the course of this advanced
practicum and how it in turn has enhanced my personal life, social work practice and clinical
assessment skills.Master of Social Work (MSW) Progra
Using provider perspectives to understand what makes obesity and diabetes prevention programs for children living in a First Nations Community in Northern Ontario effective
No full textDiabetes is a disease that is highly prevalent in Indigenous communities at rates that exceed the
general population by up to four times. This research will explore the efficacy of an obesity and
diabetes screening and prevention program for children and youth that was self-initiated in a
First Nations community. Eight staff employed at the health and wellness centre were
interviewed using semi structured interviews. It was found that the program experienced much
success over the years due in part to the use of incentives, culturally appropriate programming
and dedicated staff. The program’s growth over the years led staff to conclude that time and
human resources were major limitations to the program. This research highlights key areas that
should be addressed when implementing a program and provides valuable insight for other
communities wanting to implement a program like this
Blubbering on: representations of whale identity in literature, film, and science
No full textRepresentation of nonhuman animals is a complex and multifaceted subject. Through the act of
representation, it is important for us to consider the impact humans have on constructing the
identity of nonhuman animals. Due to the variety of ways humans engage in the act of
representation, this project looks at how three representative modes (literature, film, and science)
shape our understanding of whales and construct a whale’s identity in the process. The study is
based on a human-animal studies framework and uses Vinciane Despret’s notion of agencement
to deal with the subject of nonhuman identity