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Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health (BEAM): study protocol for a hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial of the BEAM app-based program for parents with clinical mental health problems
Get PDFAbstract Background Children are highly sensitive to adversity during their first five years of life, with exposure to chronic parental mental illness (MI) consistently linked to socio-emotional impairments and mental health problems in children. Children born during the COVID-19 pandemic were exposed to unprecedented levels of parental distress, with parental MI reported at three times the pre-pandemic rates. This situation underscored a pressing need for scalable solutions to foster positive mental health and developmental outcomes for a generation of children. In response, we developed the Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health (BEAM) program, an innovative mobile health (mHealth) solution for parents of young children. Clinical trials to date evaluating BEAM have shown promising results, demonstrating reductions in parent depression, suicidality, anxiety, and harsh parenting practices. This trial involves an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design with co-primary aims of (1) determining BEAM’s effectiveness in improving parent mental health, and (2) evaluating the implementation of BEAM in the community through metrics such as feasibility, acceptability, and uptake. This trial’s secondary aim is to measure BEAM’s effectiveness in improving short-term child mental health and developmental outcomes using primary data and long-term psychosocial family outcomes using administrative data. A final exploratory aim of this trial will measure the cost-utility of delivering BEAM relative to extant health programming. Methods A single arm trial with repeated measures will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the BEAM intervention in the community with a sample of 400 parent participants with a child aged 24–71 months. Participants must self-report moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, parenting stress, and/or anger at time of enrolment (T0) and live in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Individuals will be recruited through four streams including the (1) Manitoba Crisis Response Services, (2) primary care offices (paediatricians and/or general practitioners), (3) Manitoba family community organizations and child care centres, and (4) social media. Study participants will complete 12 weeks of psychoeducation modules, with access to an online social support forum and check ins with a peer coach. Assessments of parent and child mental health symptoms will occur at pre-test before BEAM begins (T1), immediately after the last week of the BEAM intervention (post-test, T2), 6-month follow-up (T3), and 12-month follow-up (T4). Discussion The BEAM program offers a promising solution to address elevated parental mental health symptoms, parenting stress, and related child functioning concerns. The present implementation trial aims to extend the groundwork established by an open pilot trial and RCT of the BEAM program, in a next step of testing BEAM’s readiness for nationwide scaling. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06455397. Registered on June 11, 2024
Evaluating zooplankton community responses to aquaculture wastewater using eDNA metabarcoding and morphological identification
Get PDFInland aquaculture wastewater (AWW) is nutrient-rich due to the high stocking densities of cultivated organisms and intensive feeding inputs. Finding sustainable wastewater management strategies is critical as aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production system globally. Using aquaculture wastewater as a fertilizer for wild rice cultivation presents a potential solution since wild rice requires high nitrogen and phosphorus for sufficient growth. However, this raises concerns about possible impacts on aquatic ecosystems within the wild rice system or on receiving environments of the flooded paddy drainage. For instance, the high nutrient concentration of AWW can contribute to eutrophication and deterioration of water quality, and ammonia and metals within the AWW can result in significant toxicological effects. This research assessed the ecological effects of AWW on ecosystem health, using zooplankton communities as biological indicators within mesocosms planted with wild rice. Three experiments were conducted in different simulated Northern wild rice (Zizania palustris) ecosystems: established wild rice wetlands (UM-EW), natural wild rice stands (UM-WR), and commercial paddies (R&L). AWW was applied to treatment mesocosms across a gradient of loadings. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding was used to analyze the zooplankton communities and was compared to standard morphological identifications to determine the efficacy of this emerging method. At environmentally relevant AWW loadings, the effects on zooplankton communities were minimal. However, calanoid copepods in the R&L study exhibited a significant sensitivity to AWW exposure. In high AWW loading treatments, increased eutrophication and declining water quality led to shifts in zooplankton community dynamics. Ammonia and metal toxicity were not identified as primary drivers of these changes. Using eDNA metabarcoding proved highly effective in achieving significant taxonomic depth of the zooplankton taxa present. While community composition results did vary between methods, similar trends and responses were observed. Additionally, using designed targeted primer sets rather than a universal primer provided a more comprehensive assessment of the zooplankton community. This research advances our understanding of AWW impacts on aquatic ecosystems and demonstrates the potential of eDNA metabarcoding for biodiversity monitoring. These findings will help inform future wild rice-AWW systems of acceptable nutrient loadings to minimize ecosystem impacts.October 202
Sedimentary processes and organic matter dynamics of Late Cretaceous fluvial floodplains, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada
Get PDFFluvial floodplain deposits preserve evidence of autogenic processes and allogenic signals, providing insights into paleoenvironments and paleoclimates. However, compared to channel deposits, these are underexplored, and studies of sedimentary organic matter within floodplains has been underutilized for extracting information about local processes and allogenic signals.
The Upper Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation (DPF) in Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP), Alberta, provides an ideal setting to explore organic matter dynamics and their paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic implications. This thesis uses exposures from DPP to contribute to answering the overarching research question: can fossil sedimentary organic matter from fluvial rocks reveal detailed paleoenvironments and paleoclimates? This question is divided into two sub-research questions with hypotheses and objectives in the DPF context.
The first sub-research question was: can palynofacies discriminate floodplain sub-environments? The hypothesis is that low-thermal maturity floodplain sediments preserve kerogen assemblages reflecting floodplain depositional processes. Objectives included characterizing kerogen distributions within a DPF floodplain sequence, developing a lithofacies-coupled palynofacies model, resolving ambiguities in fluvial palynofacies interpretations, and refining paleoenvironments in the DPF. Results indicated that the section preserved different organic matter assemblages with varying abundance. This understanding, together with sedimentary indices, helped extract floodplain sub-environments, such as levees, swamps, and proximal-distal floodplains, contributing to establishing a lithofacies–palynofacies model for meandering fluvial environments. The model, compared with modern and paleo-fluvial systems, demonstrates compatibility, highlighting organic matter's potential to reveal fluvial paleoenvironments while confirming the hypothesis.
The second sub-research question was: can δ13C from floodplain organic matter serve as a chemostratigraphic tool for correlating Upper Campanian terrestrial deposits globally? The hypothesis is that organic matter in floodplain deposits records global carbon cycling processes. Objectives included obtaining an δ13CTOC record from a DPF floodplain sequence and comparing it with global δ13C curves. The δ13CTOC record from the lower DPF aligned with global δ13C trends, capturing the Late Campanian Event, a negative δ13C excursion. This confirms the hypothesis and highlights floodplain deposits as valuable archives of global carbon cycle processes. Recognizing the deposition of DPF during a global carbon cycle disruption helps future studies understand the impact of Earth system disturbances on dinosaurs and other contemporary groups.University of Manitoba
Canadian Energy Geoscience AssociationMay 202
Analyzing Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) trajectories and the impact of COVID-19 on prostate cancer screening and diagnosis in Manitoba
Get PDFBackground:
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men, yet PSA-based screening remains controversial due to concerns on over diagnosis. Despite this, PSA testing plays a key role in early detection and disease monitoring. While many studies have linked PSA levels to cancer outcomes, few have examined longitudinal PSA trajectories from diagnosis through treatment and recurrence. This study addresses this gap by analyzing PSA trajectories in high-risk men and assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PSA screening and prostate cancer diagnosis.
Objectives:
1) Identify distinct PSA trajectories and associated factors;
2) Examine relationships between trajectories and cancer occurrence, aggressiveness, and recurrence;
3) Evaluate COVID-19’s impact on screening and diagnosis.
Methods:
The primary cohort included 856 high-risk men aged 40+ in Winnipeg who underwent prostate biopsies in 2019. Longitudinal PSA data (2008–2023), biopsy results, and treatment information were analyzed. For pandemic-related analyses, all PSA tests performed in Manitoba from 2016 to 2023 were considered. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) identified PSA patterns, and model selection was guided by BIC and clinical relevance. Multinomial logistic regression assessed associations between predictors and trajectory classes, while generalized linear models examined links to cancer outcomes. Time-series analysis and Wilcoxon rank sum tests evaluated changes in screening and diagnosis rates across pandemic periods.
Results:
Five PSA trajectory classes were identified, reflecting varied PSA progression patterns. Classes 1 and 2 (49.4%) showed post-biopsy declines, indicating effective intervention and strong associations with cancer diagnosis, resection, and recurrence. Class 3 (45.6%) exhibited a rebound after initial decline, suggesting partial treatment response. Classes 4 and 5 (5.1%) displayed aggressive or severe disease characteristics. Trajectory class was significantly associated with demographic, clinical, and socioeconomic factors, and with cancer aggressiveness. During the first COVID-19 wave, PSA screening dropped by 41%, with only partial recovery, and biopsy positivity rates increased—suggesting delayed diagnoses.
Conclusion:
PSA trajectory analysis offers clinically meaningful insight into prostate cancer progression and treatment. The study highlights the need for trajectory-informed screening strategies and the importance of addressing socioeconomic disparities and healthcare disruptions in cancer management.October 202
Protecting plants against the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum using host-induced gene silencing
Get PDFSclerotinia sclerotiorum is a fungal pathogen that affects Canadian crops every year. Brassica napus (canola) is particularly vulnerable. Chemical fungicides are widely used to control S. sclerotiorum. However, with increasing concerns about resistance and ecological effects, it is necessary to develop new and improved control methods. Host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) is an RNA interference technology that has the potential to be harnessed to create transgenic, pathogen-resistant crops. In this study, I analyzed the effectiveness of four independently transformed lines of Arabidopsis thaliana expressing RNA to silence the NOB1 gene (SS1G_07873) in S. sclerotiorum. Three of the lines expressed double-stranded (ds)RNA while the fourth line expressed paperclip (pc)RNA, a novel RNA structure which folds over itself on both ends to protect it from nucleases. The analysis was done through detached-leaf lesion assays and transcript knockdown analysis of the NOB1 target gene as well as three known interacting genes. Though improvements are required, the lesion assays show significant decreases in lesion size. Transcript knockdown analysis revealed insignificant changes in NOB1 expression. The interacting genes analyzed showed a significant reduction in transcript abundance, indicating that further experiments are required to understand the processing of foreign RNA in the plant. With further testing to optimize HIGS using SS1G_07873, this technology has the potential to be replicated in crop plants as a means of protection against S. sclerotiorum
Lasting legacy: re-designing Montréal’s 1976 Olympic Park for future flexibility in a new era of Olympic urbanism
Get PDFLasting Legacy: Re-Designing Montréal’s 1976 Olympic Park for Future Flexibility in a New Era of Olympic Urbanism will examine how a neglected Olympic Park can be re-designed to become an accessible public space that actively engages and connects with its context. Although some consideration for an infrastructural and programmatic legacy was a part of the planning in the years leading up to the 1976 Olympic Games, the burden of delayed construction, political shifts, and impeding controversy over rising costs diverted attention from the park’s future and prevented Montréal from benefiting from a positive legacy. As a consequence, this practicum seeks to demonstrate how proposing to re-host the Olympic Games can serve as a catalyst for re-designing Montréal's Parc Olympique to serve a more favourable and adaptable legacy that's appropriate for its long-term life. This re-design aims to provide a framework for how the spaces that make up Parc Olympique should be restructured and how they should be linked into the surrounding context. As a secondary focus, the re-design will also honour the heritage value of the park through preservation, conservation, and renovation of its original character elements to heighten its position as a Canadian Heritage landscape. As a historically significant landscape, the 1976 Montréal Olympic Park should be preserved by increasing relevance and flexibility in its function as an urban park to establish a lasting legacy for the city. The idea of a new era in Olympic urbanism references new thinking toward re-use and retrofit of existing venues which the current Paris 2024 and LA 2028 editions of the games have adopted and applies this thinking to existing Olympic Parks.May 202
1/6th scale grain cart
Get PDFThis project aimed to design and build a 1/6th scale HaulMaster 2500 grain cart for Elmer’s Manufacturing. A grain cart is an agricultural vehicle designed to transport grain from the field to a storage truck or facility. This vehicle features several subsystems including the tank, mainframe, auger, and hitch which all aid in the main functions of the grain cart. The scaled-down grain cart will be used as a showpiece by Elmer’s Manufacturing to allow for easy visibility of internal features and will help to reduce hesitancy in farmers regarding purchasing new machinery. The grain cart will also be used to increase convenience in software testing done by Elmer’s Manufacturing. The final 1/6th scale grain cart is required to closely resemble the full-scale HaulMaster 2500, in both aesthetics and functionality.
The first project objective was to redesign the grain cart by scaling down subsystems and creating them on Autodesk Inventor, a 3D computer-aided design (CAD) software. This led to challenges associated with changing load capacities, unscalable components, and manufacturability. Features that could not be scaled-down were replaced with components – such as sensors and actuators - that fit the redesigned model. All subsystems were scaled down to closely resemble the full-scale model. The mainframe features a redesign of the undercarriage and steering system, and all moving components besides the steering system, have been replaced with fixed pieces. The secondary project objective was to build and assemble the scaled-down grain cart. The team has fully completed the building of the scaled-down grain cart and has conducted tests to ensure they meet all target specifications discussed with the client, such as a dimension, weight, and mobility specifications. The final dimensions of the grain cart are 6.74’x3.43’x3.71’ with a final empty cart weight of 308.8lbs.
For the continuation of this project, the team primarily recommends replacing the fixed pieces to be able to implement the moving components, integrating the electrical system to power the moving components, and optimizing and improving upon the build process.
In conclusion, this project successfully modelled and assembled a scaled-down version of the HaulMaster 2500 grain cart. This will support Elmer’s Manufacturing in software testing and demonstrating their product’s features, helping farmers gain confidence in adopting modern agricultural technology
Precise measurement of photomultiplier tube non-linearity for the MOLLER Experiment
Get PDFThe MOLLER (Measurement of a Lepton-Lepton Electroweak Reaction) experiment is an international collaboration formed to achieve unprecedented precision in measuring the parity-violating asymmetry in electron-electron scattering to probe the weak mixing angle, and to explore potential physics beyond the Standard Model. A critical component of this measurement is the use of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) operating in integration mode within the main detector array. Accurate characterization of PMT non-linearity is essential to minimize systematic uncertainties.
This study develops and validates a robust methodology for measuring the non-linearity of PMTs under conditions replicating those of the MOLLER experiment. A novel bench-top apparatus integrating UV-LED light sources, optical chopper, neutral density (ND) filters and a light diffuser was designed to generate controlled light signals mimicking the experimental environment. Automation techniques were leveraged heavily when implementing the data collection to efficiently evaluate over 300 PMTs while achieving the stringent MOLLER's PMT non-linearity precision goal of ±0.1%.
The results demonstrate that PMT non-linearity (differential) remains below the critical threshold of 0.5%, confirming their suitability for the MOLLER experiment. These findings provide confidence in the integrity of the detector system and ensure the precision required for the measurement of parity-violating asymmetry. Beyond its immediate application, this study contributes to the broader field of experimental particle physics by advancing methods for detector characterization and by setting a benchmark for similar high-precision measurements.University of Manitoba - Fellowship for Education PurposesMay 202
An introduction to statistical models used to characterize species-habitat associations with animal movement data
Get PDFAbstract Understanding species-habitat associations is fundamental to ecological sciences and for species conservation. Consequently, various statistical approaches have been designed to infer species-habitat associations. Due to their conceptual and mathematical differences, these methods can yield contrasting results. In this paper, we describe and compare commonly used statistical models that relate animal movement data to environmental data. Specifically, we examined selection functions which include resource selection function (RSF) and step-selection function (SSF), as well as hidden Markov models (HMMs) and related methods such as state-space models. We demonstrate differences in assumptions while highlighting advantages and limitations of each method. Additionally, we provide guidance on selecting the most appropriate statistical method based on the scale of the data and intended inference. To illustrate the varying ecological insights derived from each statistical model, we apply them to the movement track of a single ringed seal (Pusa hispida) in a case study. Through our case study, we demonstrate that each model yields varying ecological insights. For example, while the selection coefficient values from RSFs appear to show a stronger positive relationship with prey diversity than those of the SSFs, when we accounted for the autocorrelation in the data none of these relationships with prey diversity were statistically significant. Furthermore, the HMM reveals variable associations with prey diversity across different behaviors, for example, a positive relationship between prey diversity and a slow-movement behaviour. Notably, the three models identified different “important” areas. This case study highlights the critical significance of selecting the appropriate model as an essential step in the process of identifying species-habitat relationships and specific areas of importance. Our comprehensive review provides the foundational information required for making informed decisions when choosing the most suitable statistical methods to address specific questions, such as identifying expansive corridors or protected zones, understanding movement patterns, or studying behaviours. In addition, this study informs researchers with the necessary tools to apply these methods effectively
Inequities in child protective services contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents in one Canadian province: a retrospective population-based study
Get PDFAbstract Background Parental contact with child protective services (CPS) has been linked to deteriorating health among parents. Capturing rates of CPS contact among parents is therefore important for understanding inequities in exposure and their potential role in amplifying racial inequities in health and wellbeing. Though an extensive body of research in North America has provided population-level analyses of CPS contact among children, a disproportionate percentage of whom are Indigenous, no studies to date have extrapolated estimates to account for contact in parent populations, leading to a fragmented view of the system’s reach and impact beyond the child-level. In order to advance health equity-oriented research in this domain, our study calculated previously unexplored population-level estimates of CPS contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents. Methods We used whole-population linked data from Manitoba (Canada) to identify 119,883 birthing parents (13,171 First Nations; 106,712 non-First Nations) who had their first child between 1998 and 2019. We calculated prevalence rates, rate differences, and rate ratios of parental contact with different levels of CPS by First Nations status (categorization used in Canada for Indigenous peoples who are members of a First Nation), including ever had an open CPS file for child(ren), ever had out-of-home placement of child(ren), and ever had termination of parental rights (TPR). Results Overall, 49.6% of First Nations parents had a CPS file open for their child(ren) (vs. 13.1% among non-First Nations parents), 27.4% had out-of-home placement of their child(ren) (vs. 4.7% among non-First Nations parents), and 9.6% experienced TPR (vs. 1.8% among non-First Nations parents). Conclusions CPS contact was high among parents and prevalence was almost 4 times higher among First Nations parents, where 1 out of 2 were intervened upon by CPS. Findings reinforce significant concerns about the system’s scope and the crucial importance of considering its role in compounding health inequities and sustaining colonialism in Canada. First Nations-led interventions are needed to reduce CPS disruption to the lives of First Nations peoples