30921 research outputs found
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Refugee youth refelections on their middle school education experiences in Winnipeg,Canada - Are they simply left to sink or swim?
Get PDFRefugee children face distinct educational challenges that differ significantly from those experienced by other immigrant groups and mainstream Canadian students. Despite this, limited research exists on the educational experiences of children affected by war-particularly how their pre-migration and transmigration experiences influence their post-migration education in host countries. This qualitative study employed an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach to explore the lived experiences of refugee youth from conflict-affected East African countries who immigrated to Canada as children between 2012 and 2018 and had become young adults at the time of the study. Participants reflected on their middle school education across three contexts: their countries of origin, refugee camps, and Canadian schools. Data collected through semi-structured interviews with nine refugee youths and three middle school educators in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The findings illuminate the educational journeys of these youth, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities they encountered as a refugee child. The study examines how prior educational experiences-whether in their home countries or refugee camps-
impacted their academic performance in Canadian middle schools. Using critical social work and an ecological systems framework, the study explores the interplay of various social and institutional factors that shaped participants’ academic and social development. Key themes include experiences of trauma, discrimination, and xenophobia within Canadian schools; the lack of adequate systemic support; and the critical role of after-school programs, parental involvement, faith, and cultural values in fostering resilience and academic success. While participants acknowledged the improved educational resources available in Canada, they expressed concerns about the age-oriented entrance assessment procedures that do not consider their previous education and experience. This study offers valuable insights from both students and educators, shedding light on the systemic barriers refugee children face in host country education systems. It also emphasizes the role of social work in facilitating smoother transitions for refugee students and calls for further research that includes diverse stakeholder perspectives and advocates for policy reform.February 202
Governing through testing: the history, implementation, and impact of English language proficiency policy in Canadian immigration and higher education
Get PDFThis dissertation critically examines the role of standardized English language proficiency testing in Canadian immigration and higher education policy. While language tests such as International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP), and Duolingo are often framed as objective measures of communicative ability, this research interrogates their use as political and institutional tools of governance. Drawing on theories of governmentality, neoliberalism, and linguistic imperialism, the dissertation explores how language proficiency testing requirements shape access to education, geographic, academic, and socioeconomic mobility, and citizenship.
The study is presented in a grouped manuscript format and consists of three related papers. The first manuscript offers a historical policy analysis of Canadian immigration language requirements from the 1960s to the present. Using archival documents and government records, it shows how standardized language testing emerged as a strategic policy instrument to manage immigrant selection and align with shifting national economic priorities. The second manuscript analyzes language policy developments at the University of Manitoba from 1959 to 2023. It draws on institutional records and academic calendars to trace the university’s move from internal assessments to reliance on external standardized tests. This transition is shown to reflect broader pressures related to internationalization, marketization, and institutional risk management. The third manuscript presents findings from a qualitative study involving interviews and artifact elicitation with 12 international students. Through thematic analysis, it documents students’ emotional, financial, and academic challenges related to language testing, while highlighting their strategies of resistance and critique.
Together, these three studies offer a multi-scalar perspective on the evolution, implementation, and lived effects of English language proficiency testing in Canada. The dissertation concludes that language testing policies are not neutral or purely academic instruments, but mechanisms that reflect and reproduce global inequalities and neoliberal governance logics. It calls for more equitable, context-sensitive approaches to language assessment in both immigration and higher education and contributes to ongoing scholarly efforts to reframe language requirements policy through a critical, justice-oriented lens.February 202
In-utero exposure to maternal diabetes and DNA methylation alterations in the Next Generation birth cohort
Get PDFIntroduction: The incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in youth is increasing and in-utero exposure to maternal diabetes is a known risk factor, with higher risk associated with pregestational T2D exposure compared to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) exposure. We hypothesize this differential risk is reflected in DNA methylation (DNAm) changes induced by differential timing of in-utero exposure to maternal diabetes, and that exposure to diabetes throughout pregnancy (T2D) compared to exposure later in development (GDM), induces different DNAm signatures and different T2D risk to offspring. This study presents an epigenome-wide investigation of DNAm alterations associated with in-utero exposure to either maternal pregestational T2D or GDM, to determine if the timing of prenatal diabetes exposure differentially alters DNAm.
Methods: We performed an epigenome-wide analysis on cord blood from 99 newborns exposed to pregestational T2D, 70 newborns exposed to GDM, and 41 unexposed to diabetes in-utero from the Next Generation birth cohort. Associations were tested using multiple linear regression models while adjusting for sex, maternal age, BMI, smoking status, gestational age, cord blood cell type proportions and batch effects.
Results: We identified 27 differentially methylated sites associated with exposure to GDM, 27 sites associated with exposure to T2D, and 9 common sites associated with exposure to either GDM or T2D (adjusted p value 0.01). One site at CLDN15 and two unannotated sites were previously reported as associated with obesity. We also identified 87 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) associated with in-utero exposure to GDM and 69 DMRs associated with in-utero exposure to T2D. We identified 23 DMR sites that were previously associated with obesity, three with T2D and five with in-utero exposure to GDM. Furthermore, we identified six CpG sites in the PTPRN2 gene, a gene previously associated with DNAm differences in blood of youth with T2D from the same population.
Conclusion: Our findings support that in-utero exposure to maternal diabetes is associated with DNAm alterations in offspring. Moreover, the timing of maternal diabetes in-utero exposure (GDM or T2D) produces overlapping but distinct DNAm patterns, suggesting that the window of exposure to maternal diabetes produces different molecular modifications and may reflect, at least in part, the difference in risk for youth-onset T2D in offspring. We also identified sites in this study that have been previously associated with T2D or obesity, which may serve as potential early-life biomarkers of exposure and/or risk, warranting further investigation in longitudinal studies
Connectivity of Newfoundland forage fish using otolith chemistry
Get PDFConnectivity refers to the movement and exchange of individuals of the same species among regions, linking individuals across different regions of their geographic range. Forage fish species, such as capelin (Mallotus villosus) and sand lance (Ammodytes dubius), serve as critical prey for numerous commercially and ecologically important marine predators, yet their dispersal patterns, natal origins, and connectivity in the Northwest Atlantic (NWA) remain poorly understood and studied. Identifying the natal sources of forage fish and understanding the scales at which their early life stages disperse are essential for assessing population structure and for effective management. However, the larval phase, which is the dominant phase of dispersal, remains notoriously difficult to study. Otolith chemistry can be used as a tool to infer movement and natal origins, but its effectiveness varies across species. This thesis investigated the potential of otolith chemical signatures to uncover natal origins and connectivity patterns of capelin and sand lance on the Newfoundland Shelf in eastern Canada. We quantified age/stage-specific otolith concentrations of a variety of trace elements (strontium, barium, manganese, magnesium) using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry for larval capelin and adult sand lance (aged 1) to determine whether otolith chemical signatures can be distinguished across regions. For larval capelin (Chapter 2), chemical signatures in the otolith pre-hatch region varied among sites within bays, and this fine spatial scale variation decreased the classification success at broader-scales, evidenced by low-moderate classification success of chemical signatures among Newfoundland bays (2023: 31.3-73.3%; 2024: 5.9-61.1%). These patterns demonstrated that site-specific environmental conditions experienced during early life history stages of capelin may limit the ability to distinguish natal bays of adult capelin. For sand lance (Chapter 3), near-core chemical signatures showed minimal distinctions between inshore and offshore regions, consistent with larval mixing or shared water masses during larval dispersal. By contrast, post-settlement otolith chemistry exhibited more clear regional distinctions, supporting strong site-fidelity after settlement. Together, these results demonstrate the merits and challenges of using otolith chemistry to determine natal origin and connectivity of marine fish, emphasizing the need for careful interpretations when examining the pre-hatch region of the otolith when attempting to assign adults to their natal origins.February 202
Epidemiological analysis of long-term sequelae of Ebola virus disease survivors in Sierra Leone: a cross-sectional study six to eight years post recovery
Get PDFThe unprecedented number of survivors from the 2013-2016 West African Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic have raised questions about the long-term mental health impacts of EVD survivorship and the capacity to meet these needs. Sierra Leone was the most affected country during this epidemic, given this large scale survivor population, understanding the long-term health effects and future medical needs of survivors is a public health priority. This thesis explored one overarching hypothesis, that there are continued negative effects on the overall health, reproductive health, stigma and mental health experienced by EVD survivors. This was assessed through a cross-sectional study of 595 EVD survivors and 403 close contacts (n=998) from Sierra Leone via survey between November 2021 to March 2022. It involved simultaneous recruitment and surveying across all affected districts.
Findings from this study showed most overall health symptoms were no longer elevated compared to controls. However, frequent urination, eye discomfort, and ear pain persisted. Female EVD survivors reported significantly different menstrual patterns compared to close contacts with association of EVD survival to irregular periods and decreased interest in sexual intercourse. While minimal associations with EVD survival existed for male EVD survivors. A majority of EVD survivors reported that they continued to experience stigma and females were disproportionately affected. EVD-associated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was reported by half of EVD survivors. With all mental health outcomes higher than baseline rates for the region of Africa.
Concerningly, several overall health symptomologies, female reproductive health, stigma and mental health disorders remain present six to eight years after recovery for EVD survivors in Sierra Leone. These findings highlight the need for improving access to clinical care and mental health care for EVD survivors.Canada Graduate Scholarship - Masters (CIHR)
Manitoba Medical Services Foundation
Canada Research Chairs - Tier 2February 202
Community acceptability of cardiovascular risk screening in faith centres in the Kassena-Nankana districts of Northern Ghana: a qualitative study
Get PDFPurpose: This study explored the community acceptability of a faith-based screening programme for cardiometabolic risk factors, specifically type 2 diabetes and hypertension, among faith congregation members in Northern Ghana.
Methods: The research team conducted 18 in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews and 10 focus groups, with a total of 123 participants, between October 2022 and February 2023 to discuss the acceptability of a proposed faith-based screening programme. Participants included faith leaders, congregation member nurses, and other congregation members from six religious organizations in the Kassena-Nankana East Municipality and West District in the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana. The study population ranged from 18 to 85 years old. The analytical process involved a combined inductive and deductive thematic analysis to identify key themes related to community acceptability of cardiovascular risk screening.
Results: Participants’ comments on the acceptability of the proposed screening programme centred on four key themes: (1) Awareness and perception of type 2 diabetes and hypertension, (2) Perceptions of current screening services, (3) Challenges in Implementation, (4) Implementation strategies (what might work). All participants expressed a willingness to participate in the programme, though its success was deemed contingent on the provision of free screening services, access to treatment, and addressing certain challenges: stigma surrounding diagnosis, and concerns about treatment affordability. Solutions included support from congregation health professionals in delivering screenings, access to diabetes treatment, and assurances of maintaining patient confidentiality.
Conclusions: The findings highlight community acceptability and willingness to participate in the screening programme, contingent upon addressing key challenges identified through both focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. These challenges included concerns about treatment affordability, the need for comprehensive community education, maintaining confidentiality, and ensuring screening services are convenient and time efficient. Participants emphasized the importance of leveraging congregation-based health professionals, providing pre- and post-screening counselling, and offering follow-up support for those diagnosed. These insights demonstrate that while faith-based centres present a promising platform for health interventions. The findings highlight the need for multi-sectoral collaboration to ensure equitable access, referral, and follow-up across health and community systems, addressing these barriers is crucial for successful implementation and sustainability
Correlates of residential detoxification completers and non-completers in Alberta
Get PDFObjectives: We aimed to identify factors correlated with completion, non-completion and cycling between completion and non-completion among clients admitted to Alberta Residential Withdrawal Management Services.
Methods: The study included data on clients from a provincial database (N = 20,020) admitted to residential withdrawal management units across Alberta between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2022. We collapsed admission-level data into client-level data, where each individual's information is captured as a unique record. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to investigate correlates of completion, non-completion, and multiple cycles of completion and non-completion. Clients in these three categories were compared in their socio-demographics, primary substance of concern, and other program variables of admission count, length of stay, transition to treatment, facilities utilized, days of discharge, and years of admission.
Results: The study sample included 39,952 admissions, with an average of two per client. Overall, 55.8% (n = 11,170) of discharged clients completed the program, 25.5% (n = 5,106) were non-completed, and 18.7% (n = 3,744) cycled between completion and non-completion. Regression analysis indicated that clients who used a single substance, primarily alcohol, cocaine and marijuana, completed post-secondary education, were employed or had unstable employment, and were married had lower odds of non-completion. Other variables related to higher odds of completion were urban residence, multiple admissions to a facility, and longer lengths of stay. Conversely, clients who primarily used amphetamines, barbiturates, crystal meth, opiates, and tranquillizers had higher odds of non-completion. Female gender, being discharged on Saturday and Sunday, using detoxification as a standalone service without transitioning to residential treatment and admission to two or more facilities also correlated with higher odds of non-completion.
Conclusion: Results indicated that the type of substances, gender, education, marital status, employment, place of residence, and transition to residential services were associated with detoxication outcomes. These findings can inform the customization and allocation of services, targeted support, service intensity and areas requiring additional attention and investment to improve treatment outcomes
A Review of Chemically Induced Intercalation and Deintercalation in Battery Materials
Get PDFIntercalation is the fundamental process underlying lithium-ion batteries and related technologies. While intercalation is electrochemically induced in batteries, it can also be performed with chemical redox agents. In principle, the two processes are equivalent, although there can be differences, such as rate control, side reactions, and charge transfer mechanisms. Chemically induced intercalation can be used where electrochemical methods are impractical or impossible and continues to inspire innovative applications. This chemistry is important in synthesis and pretreatment of intercalation materials, with novel impactful applications emerging that range from lithium recycling to intercalation material-based redox flow batteries. This review summarizes the use of chemical intercalation and serves as a resource for selecting and optimizing methods specific to material and application. Covering the whole life cycle of intercalation materials: development, synthesis, use, and finally recycling, it can be expected that these reactions will continue to have great impact on the path toward efficient and cheap energy storage
Automating intron landscaping for fungal mitochondrial genomes
No full textIntron landscapes in mitochondrial genomes play a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression and overall mitochondrial function. However, the complexity and variability of intron structures across different fungal species present significant challenges for manual annotation and analysis. This thesis presents an automated approach for intron landscaping in fungal mitochondrial genomes, leveraging advanced computational tools to streamline the identification, characterization, and classification of introns. By integrating a combination of computational tools that are used in different areas of the identification of Group I Introns, my pipeline, HMMER Infernal Pipeline (or HIPipeline), enhances the accuracy and efficiency of intron detection, significantly reducing the need for labor-intensive manual curation. Indeed, our results on 25 mitochondrial genomes of fungi has shown high levels of sensitivity and precision for the positions of the introns. We validate the approach using a diverse set of fungal mitochondrial genomes, demonstrating its robustness in capturing intron subtype identification and positions. This automation not only accelerates the annotation process but can also facilitate comparative genomic studies and functional analyses of mitochondrial introns across different fungal species.February 202
Factors associated with the dental service utilization by enrollees on the Lagos State health insurance scheme, Nigeria
No full textAbstract Background Despite assumptions that insurance coverage would boost oral healthcare utilization in Nigeria, there is insufficient evidence supporting this claim. This study investigates the associations between residential location, awareness of the oral health insurance scheme, history of dental service utilization, and acceptance of oral health insurance among individuals benefiting from the Ilera Eko Scheme; a scheme that integrates preventive and curative oral health care into the state health insurance scheme. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to November 2023 recruiting from a database of 1520 enrollees aged of 18 and 72-years-old who had been on the scheme for at least three months. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from participants living in five regions of Lagos State. The dependent variable was dental service utilization. The independent variables were awareness about Ilera Eko health insurance scheme, history of oral health problem, residential location of the respondents (Lagos Island, Badagry, Epe, Ikorodu and Ikeja), and perception about the scheme. The confounding variables were the age at last birthday, sex at birth (male or female), educational level (no education, primary, secondary, and tertiary education), level of income ( 200,000), employment status (employed, self-employed and unemployed), marital status (single, married, divorced. widow/widower) and duration on the scheme ( 12 months). A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the associations between the dependent and independent variables, controlling for confounders. Results The study recruited 485 participants of which 31 (6.4%) had used the oral health care services. Respondents with oral health problems had higher odds of using the scheme (AOR:21.065; p < 0.001). Residents in Ikeja had significantly lower odds of using the scheme when compared with residents in Lagos Island (AOR: 0.174; p = 0.005). Conclusion Respondents with oral health problems had higher odds of using the oral health insurance scheme. Innovative approaches are needed to drive the utilization of free dental service packages on health insurance schemes in Lagos State, especially for preventive care