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A walkable town: adapting for Parry Sound's future through active living revitalization
No full textOntario’s development practices need change. The current housing crisis
in Canada has created a rapid need for development. Parry Sound, a small
northern Ontario town, has been impacted by this. With its current low-density
development and car-centric streets, the town needs housing and transit
solutions. Parry Sound wants to grow but currently lacks a thriving town center
to retain and draw in residents. Implementing walkable interventions can make
Parry Sound more resilient and help meet its needs for future growth. Adapting
the town’s current development can create a day-to-day life that allows
residents to thrive in their neighbourhoods. Key pieces of this transformation
are a new transit system, redesigned streets throughout the town, and the
design of an Active Living Waterfront development. Walkable neighbourhoods
ultimately consist of three key components: dense mixed-use development,
active transit, and pedestrian-first design. This thesis proposes walkable urban
design guidelines to revitalize Parry Sound’s development.Master of Architecture (M.Arch
Effect of copper and nickel on soil microbial activities, abundance, and diversity using the Illumina NovaSeq Platform
No full textThe objectives of the study were to determine the effects of nickel and copper on soil enzymatic activity, and microbial populations in an environmentally controlled setting. Soil samples were incubated for 100 days, then enzyme assayed, and metagenomically profiled using Illumina amplicon sequencing. No differences were found in enzyme activity in samples treated with copper and nickel sulfates compared to the water control. Surprisingly, potassium induced a significant increase in glycine aminopeptidase (GA). The abundance of the top five bacterial and fungal genera relative remained mostly consistent across treatment groups, with only minor changes in rank order. Copper decreased significantly the abundance of the top five most predominant genera, the levels of amplicon sequence variants (ASV) and Shannon Diversity Index values for both bacteria and fungi compared to controls. The decrease induced by nickel was not strong enough to achieve statistical significance. Future studies should focus on assessing the effect of different concentrations, of copper, and nickel, on soil microbe populations, in lab, to determine the threshold concentrations at which copper and nickel has an effect
Mental recovery in cities: supporting mental wellness in the urban environment through biophilic design and social integration
No full textAccess to public green space is widely recognized
as beneficial for improving mental wellness in urban
environments. This is important because urban dwellers
are constantly exposed to environmental stressors that
negatively impact their mental well-being. According to
Public Health Sudbury and Districts, residents who live
in Northern Ontario are at a higher risk of developing
poor mental wellness due to limited services. The city
of Greater Sudbury, in Northern Ontario, is particularly
interesting due to the ecological destruction brought
on by the mining industry. The city has undergone a
major regreening initiative, and although vegetation
now occupies much of the landscape, disadvantaged
neighbourhoods are still restricted in their access to
nature. This thesis focuses on biophilic design principles
to propose urban and architectural interventions at
three nested scales that offer access to nature and
seek to stimulate social interactions in order to support
residents’ mental well-being.Master of Architecture (M.Arch
Exploration des concepts-clés et meilleures pratiques pour orienter, offrir des pistes de réflexion et des outils aux travailleuses sociales qui interviennent auprès des adultes émergents
No full textCette recension des écrits vise à répertorier les notions théoriques pertinentes et les meilleures pratiques concernant la trajectoire des adultes émergents, dans le but d’outiller les travailleuses sociales qui interviennent auprès d’eux. Tout d’abord, certains éléments de la théorie du développement identitaire d’Erikson et des modèles néo-Eriksonien sont exposés en focussant sur la période concernant la vie adulte émergente (18 à 29 ans). En second lieu, la théorie de la vie adulte émergente est présentée avec ses principales caractéristiques et les notions identitaires spécifiques à cette période, suivi d’une brève description de l’adulte émergent d’aujourd’hui, soit la Génération Z. De plus, différents contextes en lien avec cette période, tels que la santé mentale, la famille et la vie sociale, qui inclut les réseaux sociaux, sont développés. En troisième lieu une présentation plus approfondie de l’identité narrative et de ses concepts associés, tels que le récit de vie, la cohérence narrative et l’engagement sont exposés. En terminant, une liste d’outils, sous forme de recommandations et de pistes de réflexion sont mis de l’avant, dans une perspective écologique, afin d’alimenter le processus de relation d’aide. Par ailleurs, différentes approches qui fonctionnent bien avec les adultes émergents sont présentées, soit l’approche narrative, la thérapie d’acceptation et d’engagement ainsi que le développement positif de la jeunesse. Ces approches sont suivies par une brève présentation de quelques approches novatrices, qui semblent prometteuses avec cette population: les pratiques centrées sur la nature et l’aventure, l’activité physique ainsi que le modèle de la transition à l’autonomie
Social work field education supervision: pilot study utilizing MSW teaching assistants as external field education supervisors for 3rd year BSW practicum students
No full textSocial work field education is considered by many the signature pedagogy of social work education as it is how professional knowledge, skills, ethics and practice are taught. There is growing evidence that supports a field education crisis in Canada and globally, resulting from a shortage of field education placements and qualified field education supervisors. The purpose of this study was to understand and evaluate the impact of a pilot project from the perspectives of BSW and MSW students, along with the Field Program Coordinator and MSW Coordinator in the School of Social Work at Laurentian University regarding the implementation, feasibility and challenges of implementing an innovative field education supervision model. This mixed- methods study used a non-probability purposive sample to focus on the program development and evaluation activities of a pilot project that added an innovative field education peer-style supervision component utilizing Master of Social Work (MSW) students with graduate teaching assistant (GTA) positions to provide field education supervision to 3rd year Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students. The findings suggest that the transformational learning that was obtained through this peer-style field education supervision model is a promising way to assist students with the main tenets of field education supervision including theory to practice, socialization to the profession, reflexivity and social work ethics. It also revealed that through training and exposure to field education supervision, MSW participants were more likely and comfortable with providing field education supervision in the future, potentially building field education supervision capacity in the community. This is a promising innovative field education supervision model that deserves attention in social work education and could help ease the crisis in field education supervision.Master of Social Work (MSW
Conceptualizing cultural safety in a clinical setting: how can health professionals implement culturally safe practice with Indigenous patients?
Get PDFDespite emerging research on cultural safety training for healthcare and social services workers, there remains a gap in the literature on ways by which regulated health professionals can practically implement culturally safe practices for Indigenous patients. This scoping review is aimed at conceptualizing different ways by which healthcare professionals can implement cultural safety into their practice. This can be done through human resources, community partnership, engagement, and the manipulation of physical spaces. Within each of the categories, practical examples of cultural safety were identified. The literature search yielded 41 articles and was conducted using key-word searches. Articles were then screened using the inclusion and exclusion criteria to find papers investigating practical implications for culturally safe healthcare. The literature review was divided into four sections: 1) human resources; 2) communication; 3) engagement; and 4) partnership, health services, and physical spaces. In the human resources category, results include incentivizing employees who strive for cultural safety and recruiting local Indigenous community members. The communication, engagement, and partnership search yielded findings such as demedicalizing terms and using family meetings as a means of communication. Findings in the health services portion included delivering health education to patients in the form of circle sharing and including traditional foods in nutritional counseling. Lastly, the physical spaces category produced results such as displaying local Indigenous artwork and making traditional medicines and materials available to patients. Results from the review offered real-life examples that can be used to reduce the gap between cultural safety training and execution of culturally safe health care delivery
Characterising mineralising fluids in carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb sulphide deposits of eastern Canada
Get PDFNova Scotia and Newfoundland are home to Carboniferous- (e.g., Scotia Mine and Walton) and Ordovician- (e.g., Daniel’s Harbour) hosted carbonate-replacement Zn-Pb sulphide deposits. The processes controlling Mississippi Valley-type (MVT), sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX), and Irish-type deposits remain disputed, with significant overlap among the three models. The Scotia Mine, Walton, and Daniel’s Harbour deposits served as case studies to test and refine models of Irish-type, SEDEX, and MVT deposits, respectively. The research approach consisted of detailed petrography followed by a suite of microanalytical techniques (SEM-CL, LA-ICP-MS, and SIMS) whose mutually informing and constraining results will produce valuable insights into the mineralising fluid(s) responsible for each deposit.
The analytical techniques indicated that two-fluid mixing was crucial in the formation of all the deposits, but that sulphate reduction took place either on-site (Scotia Mine) or off-site (Daniel’s Harbour and Walton). As a result, disequilibrium textures (e.g., colloform) were more common at Daniel’s Harbour and Walton due to fluid mixing occurring after sulphate reduction. Thermochemical sulphate reduction was most important at Daniel’s Harbour and Scotia Mine, whereas bacterial sulphate reduction was most important at Walton. Hydrocarbons are of varying importance in regard to mineralisation; however, for all deposits hydrocarbons were a likely reductant and additionally could have been a sulphur and/or metal source at Walton. Higher homogenisation temperatures and the significance of elements such as Ag and In could indicate the influence of magmatism during ore precipitation at Walton. Trace element mapping via LA-ICP-MS shows that zone refining was an important process at Walton but not at Daniel’s Harbour and Scotia Mine and might be a distinguishing feature of at least some SEDEX deposits versus MVT and Irish-type deposits.NSERC Discovery Grants, Harquail School of Earth Sciences (HES
Development of new particles’ concentration and sizing measurement techniques
No full textThe measurement of particles’ velocity, size, and concentration is crucial for a wide range of industrial, environmental, and biological applications. These include particle characterization in metallurgical and chemical processing, aerosol monitoring, dust measurement in air, and flow analysis techniques such as Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Most existing techniques provide measurements for only one parameter, such as size, concentration, or velocity. Some of the most accurate methods, including the Visibility technique and the Phase Doppler technique, rely on optical interferometry. These techniques, use setups similar to those used in LDV and allow simultaneous measurement of velocity, particle concentration, and size, but their high cost limits their use in research applications.
In this thesis, we aim to develop cost-effective techniques for the simultaneous measurement of particles’ velocity and concentration, as well as velocity and size, using laser Bessel beams. Two experimental setups were constructed: One setup was designed to measure solid surface velocity and particle size, using various types of sandpaper with particle sizes ranging from 16 to 192 μm on a linear stage with velocities between 20 mm/s and 60 mm/s. Another setup was developed to measure the velocities and concentrations of moving particles, with a size less than 30 μm, in a water tank fluid flow system giving velocities from 0.88 m/s to 1.16 m/s. The linear stage experiments showed that larger particles produced fewer peaks but higher total intensities in time-intensity signals. In the water stream experiments, higher particle concentrations increased total intensity, confirming the system's effectiveness for concentration measurement.
Numerical simulations and experimental measurements were successfully conducted, demonstrating the proof-of-concept for these techniques
Role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in chemotherapy-induced RNA disruption in tumour cell lines
No full textCancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment often suffer from toxic side effects of the drugs used to
fight their cancers. Cardiac dysfunction, lung damage, neuropathy and cognitive impairment are just some of the
common late effects associated with chemotherapeutic drugs. It is clinically important to have tools that can assess
tumour response early in treatment to enhance survival benefit and reduce toxicity in cancer patients. We have
observed that a variety of chemotherapy agents can induce ribosomal RNA degradation, also known as RNA
disruption within tumour cells. Clinical studies have demonstrated an association between high levels of tumour
RNA disruption during chemotherapy with improved disease-free survival and appeared to be more predictive than
the standard measure of pathologic complete response (pCR). A company (RNA Diagnostics Inc.) is seeking to
bring the RNA disruption assay (RDA) into clinical use as a chemo-response assessment tool. The RDA has the
capability to help health care providers identify A) patients not responding to a specific chemotherapy treatment
earlier in treatment permitting a change to potentially more effective chemotherapeutics, or B) patients responding
well to the current chemotherapeutic treatment who could benefit from dose de-escalation. Numerous chemotherapy
drugs have been shown to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) by disrupting mitochondrial function, or through
mitochondria-independent processes. Our general objective is to gain a better mechanistic understanding of the
processes that underlie chemotherapy agent-induced RNA disruption. In this study, we assessed a variety of
structurally and mechanistically distinct chemotherapy agents for their ability to generate ROS and examined
whether this correlates with their capacity to induce RNA disruption in tumour cell lines. We also then assessed
whether the addition of an antioxidant agent would allow for inhibition of ROS in the tumour cell lines and whether
or not that would reduce the drugs’ ability to induce RNA disruption.
In both A2780 and MDA-MB-231 cells, ROS was induced by a variety of chemotherapy agents, including
DOX. Once these chemotherapy agents were combined with either NAC or vitamin C antioxidants, these
antioxidants reduced RNA disruption most strongly in DOX-treated A2780 cells compared to other chemotherapy
agents. However, the inhibition of ROS via scavenging agents appeared to be strongly dependent on 1) the location
of which the scavenging agent localizes within the cell; and 2) the different mechanisms involved with each of the
chemotherapy agents studied. Collectively, this study has provided a significant and substantial amount of
information regarding the mechanisms involved in RNA disruption by multiple chemotherapy agents that can
possibly contribute to the development of more specific therapeutics to enhance clinical effectiveness of drugs
Complement C5a and adrenal cell function: examining a potential mechanism of adrenal dysfunction in sepsis
Get PDFThe complement system is critically involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis. In particular, complement anaphylatoxin C5a is generated in excess during sepsis, leading to cellular dysfunction. Recent studies have shown that excessive C5a impairs adrenomedullary catecholamine production and release. Currently, the mechanisms by which C5a impacts adrenal cell function are poorly understood. Cellular and molecular techniques were utilized to identify the effect of C5a on a cell culture model employing PC12 cells derived from a rat pheochromocytoma (tumour of adrenal medullary chromaffin cells). This thesis identifies impairment of PC12 cell function following septic-level exposure to C5a, as well as an immediate increase in catecholamine release, followed by a decrease in catecholamine biosynthetic enzyme expression and catecholamine secretion. Furthermore, septic-level C5a induces apoptosis in PC12 cells through C5aR-dependent protein kinase signalling. These results provide insight into the regulation of catecholamine biosynthesis and release and the mechanism of adrenal dysfunction in sepsis