30921 research outputs found
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Discovering and dreaming: long-term care healthcare aide perceptions of structural empowerment
Get PDFBackground and objective: Chronic and emergent care challenges have led to diminished quality of care in many long-term care (LTC) facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Healthcare aides (HCAs) occupy a strategically important role in achieving improved resident care outcomes yet continue to experience disempowerment through authoritarian working conditions. The aim of this study was to develop a robust description of HCA perceptions of how organizational structures empower them and the desired dream state for such structures. Approach: This study used a qualitative descriptive research design informed by Kanter’s theory of structural empowerment within an appreciative inquiry (AI) framework. AI was chosen for its optimistic egalitarian approach towards organization change; it provided a platform for HCA voices to be heard, protected, and valued. Sampling used volunteer participants and involved convenience and snowball sampling. Ten HCA participants were recruited from four Winnipeg LTC sites. Semi-structured virtual interviews were used to gather rich descriptive data, allowing for an understanding of participant perspectives. Findings: Two main themes emerged from the data: i) What is Important to Healthcare Aides; and ii) Challenges. These participants care about their residents, their job satisfaction and team functioning but experience numerous challenges in their work. They lack access to opportunities for education, resources (i.e., staffing and time), and support from managers and organizations; they also endure difficult, stressful, and dangerous working conditions and retention is inadequately prioritized by the LTC sector. Modifiable organizational structures have the potential to improve resident care by empowering healthcare aides and may to be mediated by the functionality of teams and the use of regular healthcare aides. Conclusion: Empowering healthcare aides is a means to improve the well-being and satisfaction of these essential workers and represents a strategy for ensuring these workers have what they need to provide quality care to residents.Irene E. Nordwich Foundation Graduate Student Award; Graduate Nursing Students Association Major Stream Scholarship; Irene E. Nordwich Foundation International Year of the Nurse and Midwife Special Award; Dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Graduate Student Achievement Prize; Manitoba Training Program for Health Services Research Studentship Award; International Student Training and Exchange Project; Winnipeg Foundation Martha Donovan Women’s Leadership Award; University of Manitoba Emerging Leader Award; Canadian Nurses Foundation Dr. Helen Preston Glass Award; Foundation for Registered Nurses of Manitoba Inc. Graduate Scholarship; Peter and Dorothy Saydak Memorial Scholarship; Mona McLeod Award; Manitoba Centre for Nursing and Health Research Graduate Student Research Grant; University of Manitoba Graduate Students’ Association Student Award; Faculty of Graduate Studies Travel Award; College of Nursing Endowment Fund Graduate Student Conference Award; University of Manitoba Graduate Students’ Association Conference GrantMay 202
Imparting bacteria-triggered self-disinfecting properties to a commercial bioengineered collagen-GAG matrix
Get PDFInfectious complications associated with the use of commercial bioengineered collagen-GAG matrices are of concern due to the high incidence of infection, difficulty of accurately discerning the presence of infection, and high cost and delayed wound healing when it becomes necessary to excise infected areas. We modified the collagen layer of a commercial bioengineered collagen- GAG matrix with a ciprofloxacin-based pro-drug “Pro-Cip” anchored to the matrix by a polydopamine layer in a simple one-pot chemistry. An ad-layer coating strategy enriched the surface with Pro-Cip, and various boosters for lipase activity were added to further enhance the antibacterial potency of the coating. The coated bioengineered collagen-GAG matrix exhibited potent antibacterial activity against MRSA and P. aeruginosa, achieving a complete bacterial eradication (no detectable CFU with a detection limit of 33 CFU/mL) within 18 hours at low initial inoculum (~10^4 CFU/mL). When challenged with a higher bacterial burden (10^8 CFU/mL), the coated bioengineered collagen-GAG matrix demonstrated robust antimicrobial efficacy, resulting in 100% (8.0) log reduction in MRSA and P. aeruginosa within 5h contact. Zone of inhibition testing yielded clear zones of up to 25 mm diameter, which highlights the ability of the antibiotic to diffuse into the infected wound after bacteria trigger its release from the coated surface. Furthermore, the surface-modified bioengineered collagen-GAG matrix retained excellent cell- adhesion and proliferation, and cell viability remained at 95% after exposure to membrane elutions compared to the unmodified bioengineered collagen-GAG matrix. The self-disinfecting properties of the modified bioengineered collagen-GAG matrix are anticipated to significantly enhance patient outcomes by mitigating the substantial risk of infections, a critical factor in the management of severe wounds such as burns.Integra LifeSciences
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
University of ManitobaMay 202
External and internal factors affecting emotion regulation
Get PDFEmotion regulation is defined as changing or maintaining one’s emotions. The Selection, Optimization, and Compensation model of Emotion Regulation (SOC-ER) posits that emotion regulation is influenced by external factors, such as properties of a stimulus, and internal factors, such as cognitive processes. The purpose of this series of studies was to distinguish how external and internal factors contribute to emotion regulation. In Study 1, I identified how ambivalence, an external factor, influences emotion regulation choice. I predicted that participants would be more likely to choose to reappraise ambivalent images compared to non-ambivalent images. Studies 2 and 3 examined how internal factors influence emotion regulation ability. In Study 2, I combined brain imaging and behavioural tasks to determine brain activity produced during emotion regulation could be used to predict individual differences in working memory performance. I predicted that differences in brain activity between reappraise and view conditions would predict working memory scores. In Study 3, I used intrinsic network functional connectivity to evaluate whether differences in network connectivity could be used to predict whether one is reappraising or viewing a negative stimulus. I expected network connectivity to predict emotion regulation ability greater than chance, and that networks associated with emotion (salience network), networks associated with cognitive control (attention control network, frontoparietal networks), and the default mode network would make a reliable contribution to significant classification. Our hypotheses for Studies 1 and 2 were supported, and Study 3 was partially supported. This study has contributed new knowledge to the literature on the neurocognitive mechanisms of emotion regulation by testing predictions derived from the SOC-ER model, which can help identify ways to improve one’s emotion regulation.May 202
Eastern Canadian Arctic killer whale demographics, population structure, and ecology
Get PDFCharacterizing the structure, dynamics, and ecology of predator populations is essential for understanding their role in ecosystems and for predicting their potential impact on prey. Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are a genetically and ecologically diverse marine predator with ecosystem-level influence. Globally, they occupy a broad ecological niche, but are often locally specialized and categorized as ecotypes or morphotypes. In the eastern Canadian Arctic, their seasonal presence is apparently expanding and is predicted to negatively impact Arctic-endemic prey, but certain aspects of their demographics have yet to be determined. Further, it is unknown whether genetically distinct populations demonstrate differences in ecology. In this thesis, I use physical and molecular markers to address these questions, investigating the demographics and relative ecology of killer whales in the eastern Canadian Arctic and Northwest Atlantic. First, I used photographic and genetic-identification to assess the abundance and population trend. Mark recapture analysis of photo-identification data estimated an abundance of 217 individuals and a growing population, but genetic-identification data was insufficient to produce reliable estimates. Epigenetic aging suggested a population age structure skewed to juveniles, while the proportion of calves and young juveniles based on group composition in photographs was comparable to other stable or growing populations. Second, I used whole genome sequences and compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids to evaluate genetic and ecological differentiation between killer whale populations in the Northwest Atlantic. Analysis of genetic population structure confirmed two previously identified, genetically-isolated populations in Eastern Canada and Greenland. d13C and d15N of amino acids, used to infer relative distribution and diet, respectively, revealed moderate differences in source carbon values and a considerable difference in trophic level between the two populations. Taken together the stable isotope data show that the two genetic populations differ in ecology, but further research is needed before classification as ecotypes or morphotypes. This work contributes to our knowledge of killer whale demographics and ecology in the eastern Canadian Arctic, with implications for the management and conservation of this population as they expand in the Arctic.May 202
Dose-dependent effects of metformin on the phenotypic and behavioral characteristics of a transgenic mouse model of Rett Syndrome with MeCP2 non-sense mutation
No full textBackground/ Introduction:
Epigenetic mechanisms control brain development. Such mechanisms include DNA methylation with key roles in neuronal maturation. Methyl CpG Binding Protein (MeCP2) is the main protein that binds the methylated DNA in the brain. Mutations in the MECP2 gene cause changes in neuronal structure and problems in normal brain functioning. This leads to development of an X-linked disease called Rett Syndrome (RTT) in which neurite formation and neuronal maturation are impaired. MeCP2 has two protein isoforms: MeCP2E1 and MeCP2E2, with exceptionally abundant expression in the brain. Among MeCP2 protein mutations, the R255X (nonsense mutation) is a common mutation that is recognized to be the 3rd most common RTT-associated mutation, located in the MeCP2 transcription repression domain.
Rationale and hypothesis:
RTT predominantly affects female patients; however, most of the pre-clinical studies have been done on male mice. At present, there is no cure for RTT, and the underlying mechanism of the disease is still not fully understood. Recently, RTT has been categorized as a neurometabolic disorder and a major metabolic pathway that is disturbed in RTT patients and mouse models is glucose metabolism. A commonly used anti-diabetic drug called “metformin” targets gluconeogenesis. Therefore, I hypothesize that administration of metformin in vivo improves RTT-associated symptoms and molecular deficits in R255X RTT mice.
Methodology:
The wild type (WT) and mutant R255X RTT male and female mice were divided into 3 groups: sham (no treatment), vehicle control, and metformin treatment. Drug delivery was done through daily IP injections and over a period of 3 weeks. Mice were monitored for different phenotypic criteria at the end of the treatments.
Results and Conclusion:
Mutant R255X mice exhibit altered body weight, phenotypic deficits and behavioral abnormalities, including change in anxiety, consistent with previous research. Metformin treatment alleviated several phenotypic symptoms in a dose-dependent manner. Anther impacted characteristic was social behavior. Metformin has been an emerging new drug to be considered for improving RTT associated symptoms. Our data may have significant importance for future therapeutic strategies for RTT.University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship (UMGF)
Graduate Enhancement of Tri-Council Stipends (GETS)May 202
The impacts of phenological mismatch on reproductive success in a declining migratory aerial insectivore
Get PDFFaced with the advancement of spring due to climate change, avian species must adjust their phenological timings in response. However, as the mechanisms underlying organisms’ phenology widely vary, responses to altered ecological conditions may differ, which can cause a phenological mismatch resulting in population declines in migratory species. To better understand the mechanisms and effects of these mismatches, I studied the timing of breeding in a long-distance migratory songbird, the purple martin (Progne subis), and compared it to the timing of its key resources. I first investigated whether mistiming between purple martin breeding stages and insect emergence negatively affected reproductive success. I found direct evidence for the impact of phenological mismatch on martins’ reproductive success, where greater misalignment between peak energetic demand of the nest and peak prey availability resulted in lower fledge success. Next, I investigated whether there were fine-scale differences in the environmental phenology of local breeding sites, and if so, were birds able to align the timing of nesting with this variation. I found that while peak insect variability varied widely (0-49 days) at the micro-habitat scale, nest timing did not, suggesting that birds were misaligned with available resources at this scale. Overall, my results show that phenological mismatches negatively affect migratory birds’ reproductive success, and that the lack of synchronization with microhabitat variation may indicate that temperature—shown to influence the timing of egg laying—does not necessarily translate to birds' synchronization with resources at a micro-habitat scale. This rare evidence of direct effects of a mismatch of migratory songbird timing on fitness can help us better understand causes of population declines in purple martin and other aerial insectivores. Future studies should further investigate the mechanisms driving the timing of breeding, such as individual quality and carry-over effects of migration, as well as the population-level consequences of phenological mismatch in martins and other aerial insectivores.May 202
Freeze-thaw cycle, soil moisture, and thawing temperature effects on nitrogen dynamics in a Black Chernozemic sandy loam
Get PDFMany farmers in the Canadian Prairies apply urea during the fall before freezing with the aim to reduce field operational tasks in the spring considering the short growing season and the risk of excess soil moisture delaying field operation and also leverage the lower fertilizer prices in the fall. Farmers are advised to apply fertilizers at a temperature of 5°C or lower to reduce nitrogen (N) losses. This recommendation, however, does not take into account the interaction between temperature and moisture and how that impacts N- dynamics in the soil and the potential impact on N2O. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil freezing and thawing cycle, moisture content (32%, 50%, or 100% water-filled pore space, WFPS) and thawing temperature (4, 8, 12, or 16°C) on N2O emissions from a sandy loam soil, treated with stabilized urea-based fertilizer (SuperU). The results showed that moisture significantly affected N2O emissions under all temperatures, with the highest emissions recorded for 100% WFPS at 16°C. SuperU was not effective in reducing cumulative N2O emissions at 100% WFPS. There was a significant positive correlation between volumetric heat capacity and N2O flux at higher thawing temperatures. The results demonstrate the potential of N2O reduction when urea is applied in bands of 5 cm deep at a temperature of 5°C or lower with soil moisture at or below 50% WFPS. However, spring conditions present a high risk of N losses.May 202
Exploring representation-level augmentation and RAG-based vulnerability augmentation with LLMs for vulnerability detection
Get PDFUsing deep learning (DL) for detecting software vulnerabilities has become commonplace. However, data shortage remains a significant challenge due to the scarce nature of vulnerabilities. A few papers have attempted to address the data scarcity issue through oversampling, creating specific types of vulnerabilities, or generating code with single-statement vulnerabilities. In this thesis, we aim to find a general-purpose methodology that covers various types of vulnerabilities and multiple-statement ones while beating previous methods. Specifically, we first explore traditional mixup-inspired augmentation methods that work at the representation level and show that these methods can be useful, although they cannot beat random oversampling. One possible reason is that mixing samples heavily degrades the integrity of the code. Hence, we introduce VulScribeR, a RAG-based vulnerability augmentation pipeline that leverages LLMs and maintains code integrity, unlike mixup-based methods. We show that VulScribeR outperforms the state-of-the-art (SOTA), oversampling, and representation-level augmentation methods.- Dr. Lorenzo Livi's Support (Initial Supervisor fund)
- FGS Research Completion Scholarship - Award Number: 47255
- International Graduate Student Entrance Scholarship
- Mitacs Accelerate InternshipMay 202
Perspectives of primary care nurses on the organization of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout: a qualitative study
Get PDFBackground: Primary care nurses, including nurse practitioners (NPs), registered nurses (RNs), and licensed practical nurses/registered practical nurses (LPNs/RPNs), play a pivotal role in pandemic management and outbreak planning. There is extensive literature surrounding COVID-19 vaccination efforts in Canada; however, limited research addresses the involvement of primary care nurses, as well as the organization and integration of these efforts into primary care settings. This study aimed to describe the organizational challenges, barriers, and facilitators to primary care nurses’ roles in COVID-19 vaccination.
Methods: As part of a mixed methods case study, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with primary care nurses employed in regions across four Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. During the interviews, nurses described their activities throughout different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, factors that facilitated or impeded their efforts, and potential contributions nurses could have made. We applied a thematic analysis approach and analyzed codes related to the organization of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Results: We interviewed 76 nurses (24 NPs, 37 RNs, and 15 LPNs/RPNs) between May 2022 and January 2023. We identified five overarching components of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout that influenced primary care nurses’ perceptions and experiences: (1) information, (2) training, (3) coordination, (4) integration, and (5) compensation. Participants reported both positive and negative experiences with the vaccine rollout. Rapidly evolving information made it difficult for nurses to stay informed and training for vaccine delivery posed barriers due to time requirements and redundancy. Support was often lacking for new electronic systems, and regional coordination varied, sometimes resulting in miscommunication. Delays in integrating vaccination into primary care, logistical challenges, and disparities in compensation between nurses and physicians also presented challenges.
Conclusions: Findings highlight the critical roles of primary care nurses in mass vaccination campaigns, underscoring the need for targeted information, effective training, streamlined coordination, better integration into primary care, and more equitable compensation. Integrating these services into primary care can enhance future vaccination efforts by leveraging nurses’ expertise to improve vaccine access and delivery.Canada Research Chairs Progra
Modeling and analysis of interactions in grid-forming inverter systems
Get PDFThe grid-forming (GFM) concept is an inverter control method that deploys the inverter’s power modulations to regulate the system voltage and frequency. A variety of GFM controller topologies can be found in the literature. Mainly a GFM controller consists of a layer that mimics synchronous machine characteristics and a current-limiting loop. Depending on the controller topology and parameters, a GFM inverter’s dynamics can spread over a wide bandwidth leading to a wide range of interactions. The full disclosure of the root causes of interactions that can be excited by a GFM inverter is still lacking in the literature. Therefore, in this research small-signal, model-based eigenvalue analysis is conducted on commonly-used GFM controller topologies with different ac- and dc-side system configurations to reveal the full causes of interactions that can happen in a GFM inverter system. The virtual electromechanical interaction between GFM inverters and other GFM inverters and synchronous machines, high-frequency network interactions, and interactions between the dc-side circuitry and GFM controller, LC filter components, and the governor-turbine of synchronous machines are revealed and verified by PSCAD/EMTDC simulations. This comprehensive analysis unfolds the main driving factors behind the critical interactions in GFM inverter systems and proposes effective mitigation methods.University of Manitoba
MITACS
Manitoba Hydro InternationalMay 202