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Functional work disability from the perspectives of persons with systemic lupus erythematosus: a qualitative thematic analysis
Get PDFAbstract Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease symptoms that can significantly restrict work ability and work participation resulting in reduced mental well-being. This study investigates the significant impact of work participation and disability on the mental wellbeing, health-related quality of life, and disease-related outcomes in individuals with SLE. Methods With the objective of creating an SLE-related functional profile rooted in work disability (WD) prevention, 46 SLE patients were purposively recruited from Canadian medical centres. Through semi-structured interviews guided by a WD prevention framework, factors associated with WD and lived experiences of SLE-related WD were qualitatively explored. Braun and Clarke’s six-stage inductive thematic analysis was used to organize the data. Results Most participants experienced some form of work disability across their employment history related to their clinical manifestations of SLE, including hospitalizations, physical limitations, fatigue, and neurocognitive symptoms (e.g. brain fog). Thematic analysis revealed three key themes: (a) the influence of illness experience on work, (b) the stigmatization of illness disclosure, and (c) the availability of workplace resources/accommodations. Participants emphasized the desirability of work with reduced physical and mental demands, increased personal control, and workplace flexibility to prevent WD. Conclusion The study underscores the need for a collaborative, multi-component, and multidisciplinary intervention targeting psychosocial and workplace factors to establish a goal-oriented preventative framework, potentially improving WD outcomes in SLE individuals
Parameter estimation of induction motors from manufacturer data for simulation purposes
Get PDFInduction motors form a major component of power system loads and account for a
significant share of electrical energy consumption. Their operating characteristics influence
power system stability, making simulation studies essential for analyzing performance under
transient and steady-state conditions. To carry out such studies, electromagnetic transient
simulators such as EMTDC/PSCAD™ and RTDS/RSCAD™ provide well-developed
induction motor models that require equivalent circuit parameters as input. However,
manufacturers typically provide only key performance characteristics—such as power factor,
efficiency, and current—on nameplates and in catalog data. The required equivalent circuit
parameters are not readily available to the end user.
This thesis presents a methodology for estimating the equivalent circuit parameters of
three-phase induction motors using readily available manufacturer data. The estimated
parameters are intended for use in electromagnetic transient simulations for power system
studies. Two distinct non-linear optimization techniques are employed: the Nelder-Mead
Simplex method and a variant of Genetic Algorithms. These methods determine equivalent
circuit parameters to ensure that the simulated performance characteristics—such as current,
efficiency, and power factor—closely match the manufacturer-published data. The proposed
approach is applicable to both single-cage and double-cage induction motor models.
The quality of the estimated parameters is assessed by evaluating how closely the
simulated characteristics match the published manufacturer data. While the Nelder-Mead
Simplex method offers computational efficiency and ease of implementation, the Genetic
Algorithm excels in global search capability, reducing the risk of getting trapped in local
minima. Overall, the results establish the effectiveness of the proposed methods in estimating
reliable equivalent circuit parameters for simulation applications.
A key contribution of this work is the integration of the estimation method as an
interactive tool in RSCAD, designed with a flexible data input structure that accommodates
both minimal nameplate data and additional catalog information. This adaptability ensures
compatibility with variations in motor ratings and manufacturer standards, enabling the tool
to be used directly in real-time electromagnetic transient simulations.October 202
Moral foundations underpinning attitudes toward supervised consumption services across Canada’s prairie provinces
Get PDFAbstract Background Although there is indisputable evidence that supervised consumption services (SCS) help to keep people safe and decrease significant harms associated with substance use, the Canadian public often holds divergent and polarized views towards SCS. Polarized perspectives can be resistant to evidence and can prevent productive discourse that might otherwise lead to better public health services and outcomes. Objective The main objective of the study was to determine the degree to which individuals' moral foundations predict attitudes toward SCS and whether attitudes are impacted by stigmatizing views of, and proximity to, people who use drugs. Methods The study was based upon conceptual frameworks related to moral foundations theory (MFT), stigma, and personal experience with people who use drugs (PWUD), using associated instruments to determine alignment with public attitudes towards SCS. A series of hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were employed to identify variables that significantly predict support for SCS. Results The panel sample comprised 2116 participants from the three prairie provinces in Canada (Manitoba, n = 716; Saskatchewan, n = 700; and Alberta, n = 700). Higher scores on the Harm/Care and Fairness/Reciprocity subscales were associated with higher levels of support for SCS. Conversely, higher scores on the Authority/Respect and Purity/Sanctity subscales predicted lower levels of support for SCS. Greater support for SCS was found to be predicted by lower levels of stigma towards people who use drugs. Overall, participants from Alberta and Saskatchewan were less supportive of SCS than those from Manitoba, although Manitoba lacked an SCS at the time of the study. Conclusion The results enhance our understanding of factors that predict support levels for SCS among the public in Canada’s Prairie Provinces. These findings can inform researchers, policy and decision-makers in developing strategies for bringing the public on board to increase the acceptance of SCS in their communities by specifically addressing underlying concerns that may not be overtly articulated by those with opposing views
Refugee resettlement, integration, and access to socio-economic rights, with a focus on the roles of settlement agencies in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Get PDFRefugees are recognized under the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The Convention is a rights-based international instrument that has helped codify the human rights of newcomers at mostly international levels. The emphasis of the convention has been on the protection of refugees, mainly from political persecution, including other forms of persecution that lead to a well-founded fear of being persecuted based on race, religion, nationality or membership of a particular social group or political opinion. This study addresses critical questions like: What are the barriers to refugee resettlement and economic rights? How do refugees perceive their resettlement and reintegration experiences? How can policy and settlement agencies' efforts be improved to promote better outcomes for newcomers? With these key questions, the research proposed actions that best enhance economic inclusion and settlement. The experiences from my practicum at IRCOM indicated that settlement agencies are working tirelessly to address these barriers. However, their efforts are being constrained by limited funding, while there is increasing demand for their settlement services. Policymakers must, therefore, prioritize programs that address the systematic barriers of 1) processes of credential recognition, 2) increased costs of affordable housing, and 3) chronic discrimination and racism in all sectors of the economy. This will enable refugees to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Canada.October 202
Study protocol for assessing the effectiveness, implementation fidelity and uptake of attachment & child health (ATTACH™) Online: helping children vulnerable to early adversity
Get PDFAbstract Background Exposure to early childhood adversities, such as family violence, parental depression, or low-income, undermine parent–child relationship quality and attachment leading to developmental and mental health problems in children. Addressing impacts of early childhood adversity can promote children’s development, giving them the best start in life. Parental reflective function (RF), or parents' ability to understand their own and children's mental states, can strengthen parent–child relationships and attachment and buffer the negative effects of early adversity. We developed and tested ATTACH™ (Attachment and Child Health), an effective RF intervention program for parents and their preschool-aged children at-risk from early adversity. Pilot studies revealed significantly positive impacts of ATTACH™ from in-person (n = 91 observations of 64 dyads) and online (n = 10 dyads) implementation. The two objectives of this study are to evaluate: (1) effectiveness, and (2) implementation fidelity and uptake of ATTACH™ Online in community agencies serving at-risk families in Alberta, Canada. Our primary hypothesis is ATTACH™ Online improves children’s development. Secondary hypotheses examine whether ATTACH™ Online improves children’s mental health, parent–child relationships, and parental RF. Methods We will conduct an effectiveness-implementation hybrid (EIH) type 2 study. Effectiveness will be examined with a quasi-experimental design while implementation will be examined via descriptive quantitative and qualitative methods informed by Normalization Process Theory (NPT). Effectiveness outcomes examine children’s development and mental health, parent–child relationships, and RF, measured before, after, and 3 months post-intervention. Implementation outcomes include fidelity and uptake of ATTACH™ Online, assessed via tailored tools and qualitative interviews using NPT, with parents, health care professionals, and administrators from agencies. Power analysis revealed recruitment of 100 families with newborn to 36-month-old children are sufficient to test the primary hypothesis on 80 complete data sets. Data saturation will be employed to determine final sample size for the qualitative component, with an anticipated maximum of 20 interviews per group (parents, heath care professionals, administrators). Discussion This study will: (1) determine effectiveness of ATTACH™ Online and (2) understand mechanisms that promote implementation fidelity and uptake of ATTACH™ Online. Findings will be useful for planning spread and scale of an effective online program poised to reduce health and social inequities affecting vulnerable families. Trial registration Name of registry: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ . Registration number: NCT05994027. Date of registration: July 22, 2023. Protocol version Version 1
The effects of self-compassion on responses to social stressors among individuals with social anxiety
Get PDFSelf-compassion is a healthy way to interact with oneself in response to difficult situations. Interventions designed to increase self-compassion have focused on individuals writing self-compassionately about past negative events. It remains unclear if self-compassionate writing about anxiously anticipated events can help manage future-oriented distress. One population for whom this approach might prove beneficial are socially anxious people, for whom distress about the future is relevant. Study 1 explored whether describing anxiously anticipated events could elicit distress and whether self-compassionate writing was more effective than control writing in addressing such distress. Socially anxious participants were randomly assigned to write about an anticipated anxiety-provoking event (n = 236) or a neutral event (n = 50). The former group (n = 224) were then randomly assigned to write about that event again, in either a self-compassionate (n = 133) or neutral (n = 91) manner. Writing about the anxiety-provoking event proved effective at eliciting distress. Subsequent self-compassionate writing about the event increased state self-compassion, positive affect and determination to engage in the event. Study 2 evaluated whether writing about an anxiously anticipated task (i.e., the Trier Social Stress Test: TSST) in a self-compassionate manner would promote objective performance on the TSST and a subjective sense of success. Socially anxious university students (n = 85) completed the online study in three phases: 1) baseline self-report measures; 2) random assignment to self-compassionate writing (n =34), control writing (n = 26), or no writing (n = 25), then the TSST, and state self-report measures; and 3) one-month follow-up (e.g., social anxiety). Participants in the self-compassionate writing condition had higher confidence, eye contact, and state self-compassion compared to those in the control writing, but not the no writing condition. Exploratory analyses found that greater levels of fear of the upcoming task attenuated the effect of self-compassionate writing. Overall, results suggest that self-compassionate writing about a future anxiously anticipated event may be beneficial and that a fruitful direction for future research is to elucidate the utility of self-compassion for coping with anticipated difficulties.October 202
Cross-pathogenicity of Fusarium graminearum between wheat and soybean
No full textWheat (Triticum aestivum) and soybean (Glycine max) are threatened by many diseases caused by bacteria and fungi, in addition to insects. Microbial diseases caused by fungal pathogens are among the most important factors limiting wheat and soybean production. Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat and has recently been identified as a causal pathogen of Fusarium root rot (FRR) in soybean. Rotation is one of the major components of FHB management in wheat; however, information about the cross-pathogenicity of F. graminearum between wheat and soybean is scarce. Therefore, it was essential to investigate whether the F. graminearum causing FHB in wheat can contribute to disease in soybeans and vice versa, and how much pathogenic F. graminearum isolates were on their original versus their alternative host. Here, we conducted two separate inoculation experiments, under controlled conditions, using twelve F. graminearum isolates collected from wheat, barley, oat, and soybean to inoculate two different hosts: wheat and soybean. For the latter, we used two wheat cultivars (Prosper and Muchmore, moderately resistant and susceptible to FHB, respectively) and three soybean lines (22-60RY, Th32004R2Y, susceptible, and 24-10RY, moderately resistant). All the isolates from wheat, barley, and oat caused FRR in soybeans, and those from soybeans were able to cause FHB in wheat. A high variability was observed among the isolates obtained from both wheat and soybean when inoculated on their respective original hosts as well as on alternative hosts (wheat and soybean). This led us to investigate whether the aggressiveness or saprophytic fitness (growth rate) of F. graminearum is affected by continued infection on original and/or alternative host plants. All the tested isolates, whether from soybean or wheat, successfully completed six passages (ability to cause FRR on soybean and FHB on wheat). The six passages through either alternative or original host significantly influenced the pathogenic fitness on such host and affected the growth rate of most isolates. Although wheat's defensive mechanisms against the FHB agent F. gramineaum have been thoroughly investigated, no such studies have been documented for soybean. In an attempt to gather more of such information on soybean response in its interaction with F. graminearum, the expression levels of ten defense-related genes PR-2, PR-3, PR-4, NPR1, JAR1, OPR3, AOS2, ICS1, ICS2, and PAL2. are generally associated with the salicylic and/or jasmonic acids defense signaling pathways, were evaluated using qRT-PCR during the interaction of two F. graminearum isolates, varying in their host of origin with two soybean susceptible and moderately resistant lines. Gene expression was assessed at 6,12, and 24 hours post inoculation (hpi). Compared to the susceptible cultivar, the moderately resistant cultivar exhibited more expression of the selective genes in this study. working together, ICS and PAL contribute to soybean defense against F. graminearum, indicating a cooperative role in catalyzing the required defense reactions. F. graminearum is a hemibiotrophic pathogen that initially behaves as a biotroph and later transitions to a necrotrophic lifestyle, which involves signaling pathways mediated by both SA and JA.Libyan Ministry of Education scholarship.October 202
Microvascular monitoring in the ICU using high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy
No full textCirculatory shock, particularly septic shock, is a life-threatening condition characterized by impaired tissue perfusion and a high risk of organ failure. Conventional intensive care monitoring focuses on macro-hemodynamic parameters such as mean arterial pressure (MAP), which may not reflect the state of microvascular perfusion. High-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy (hr-NIRS) enables continuous, non-invasive monitoring of tissue hemoglobin dynamics, offering potential insight into regional microvascular function. This thesis presents two complementary analyses using hr-NIRS in critically ill patients: (1) derivation of optimal MAP (MAPopt) from skeletal muscle autoregulation signals, and (2) wavelet-based quantification of microvascular and cardiac power from NIRS signals. The study included 15 mechanically ventilated ICU patients (MAPopt study) requiring vasopressors, and 43 critically ill patients (wavelet study), along with 14 healthy volunteers recruited from a parallel study. MAPopt was derived using correlation indices between arterial pressure and NIRS signals in both skeletal muscle and brain. Muscle-derived MAPopt values moderately correlated with cerebral MAPopt (r = 0.76, p < 0.001), demonstrating the feasibility of peripheral autoregulation assessment. Notably, most muscle MAPopt values were below the standard clinical threshold of 65 mmHg, suggesting that conventional MAP targets may overestimate optimal perfusion pressure in some patients. Wavelet analysis demonstrated that microvascular power was significantly lower in ICU patients compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001), while cardiac power did not differ significantly. Subgroup analyses revealed no statistically significant differences in microvascular or cardiac power between survivors and non-survivors or between septic and non-septic patients. However, patients receiving vasopressors on day 1 exhibited significantly reduced microvascular power compared to those not receiving pressors (p < 0.05), particularly early in their ICU stay. These findings support the feasibility of deriving MAPopt from skeletal muscle and highlight the value of wavelet-based microvascular metrics in distinguishing physiologic states. Together, these techniques offer a promising framework for individualized hemodynamic monitoring and may enhance resuscitation strategies in critical care.October 202
Can interpretations of self-compassion influence expressions of self-compassion?
No full textSelf-compassion is approaching one’s own difficult situations with kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity. Although defined without references to behaviours, self-compassion has been linked to many positive health behaviours. However, when people try to enact self-compassion, it is unclear if this is the definition they use. It is also unknown whether or how their personal interpretations of self-compassion or self-care affect their behaviours. In Study 1, I surveyed 219 university students online, asking them to first reflect on a difficult experience and report their state self-compassion, and then to indicate eating behaviours they considered as self-compassionate and self-caring from a list of both adaptive and maladaptive behaviours. The eating behaviours participants labeled as self-compassionate and self-caring were mostly adaptive. Participants who were higher in state self-compassion also associated more adaptive behaviours with self-compassion and self-care. In Study 2, after inducing state self-compassion in half of 219 participants, I observed their eating behaviours in a bogus taste test, in which they were provided with both healthy and unhealthy foods to freely eat for 10 minutes. I found that participants interpreted self-compassion as eating more healthy foods than unhealthy foods. The results also showed that participants’ own self-compassion interpretations and food preferences, but not their state self-compassion, predicted their eating behaviours in this situation. Altogether, the results suggest four main conclusions about the relationship between self-compassion and eating: (1) Self-compassionate feelings do not correlate with maladaptive eating or interpretations; (2) They do lead to eating more of what one likes (which tends to be healthy and adaptive choices); (3) These feelings might instill motivations and subsequent actions to be self-caring rather than self-compassionate; and (4) A person’s state self-compassion is highly insufficient to predict their actions, without also taking into account their behavioural interpretations of self-compassion and self-care.Psychology Graduate Fellowship (University of Manitoba, Department of Psychology); GETS award (University of Manitoba)October 202
Food processing has a greater effect than protein restriction or plant-based diets on early kidney disease progression in the pcy mouse model of polycystic kidney disease
No full textMuch controversy surrounds the putative benefits of protein restriction or plant- versus animal-based diets in the prevention and treatment of kidney disease. Meanwhile, ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is increasingly being linked to chronic disease progression. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to examine the effects of, firstly, food processing, protein restriction and plant-based diets made with human foods, and secondly, the highly processed AIN93G standard laboratory rodent diet, on early kidney disease progression in the pcy mouse model of polycystic kidney disease (PKD).
Mice (n=128) were randomly allocated to groups in a 2 [UPF or whole-food (WF)] × 2 (15% or 8% protein by calories) × 2 (animal- or plant-based) × 2 (male or female) design. Each group received three different macronutrient-balanced menus, rotated weekly. The proportion of dietary UPF was within the fourth to fifth quintiles of typical Canadian intake, and the animal-based diets reflected Canadian consumption, where about two-thirds of protein comes from animal sources. An additional pair-weighed group (n=16) received a restricted amount of the UPF, 15% protein, animal-based diet. The final group (n=16) was provided the AIN93G diet, for a total of 160 mice. After 16 weeks, cyst volume was assessed as the primary measure of PKD progression.
Cyst volumes (μL/g lean body weight) were 64% higher in mice provided UPF compared to WF diets, but were not affected by protein level or food source. Further, the urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) marker of tubular injury was 58% higher in mice provided UPF compared to WF diets. Urine protein and osmolality, and serum creatinine, urea, bicarbonate, Na, K, Cl, and P were not correlated to disease, as measured by cyst volume. Food restriction in the pair-weighed group reduced both adiposity and NGAL. Additionally, mice provided the AIN93G versus WF diets had more than 2-fold higher cyst volumes and NGAL, suggesting that the AIN93G may need re-evaluation to provide a healthier diet for experimental studies. In conclusion, food processing has a greater effect than protein level or food source on early kidney disease progression, indicating that increased WF consumption may be recommended for individuals with PKD.October 202