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The impact of Sanctuary City Policies on healthcare access for immigrants in Winnipeg
Get PDFThis study examines the impact of Sanctuary City Policies (SCPs) on healthcare access for immigrants with precarious status in Winnipeg, focusing on undocumented immigrants, asylum-seekers, and those awaiting legal status determination. It delves into the challenges these individuals face in accessing healthcare due to legal barriers, insurance availability, and fear of deportation, intensified by their heightened health risks and inequities, especially during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper analyzes Canada's health rights framework, including international obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, as well as Winnipeg's Newcomer Welcome and Inclusion Policy (NWIP) and different SCPs experiences both abroad and in Canada. It argues that Canada's SCPs, while aiming to protect undocumented immigrants, fall short of fully addressing the obligations outlined in international treaties, leading to disparities in healthcare access. This research integrates international human rights law, international refugee law, and public policy to propose a more inclusive and effective healthcare strategy for immigrants with precarious status, emphasizing the need for a unified approach that overcomes the legal and jurisdictional complexities of Canada's decentralized healthcare system.May 202
Investigation into the biology and preservation of banded dentine in mosasaur dentitions
Get PDFDentine exhibits micrometre scale growth marks which are due to the daily and weekly growth of bioapatite and associated tissues. It is unknown if banded dentine in fossils, which present colour differences from normal dentine, are formed during tooth development and are evidence of physiological processes, are a result of diagenesis post-mortem, or are a combination of physiology and diagenesis. Through research on mosasaur teeth collected from the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (WIS) of Manitoba using elemental, morphological, optical, textural, and isotopic analyses, the factors leading to banded dentine formation were investigated. Two different mechanisms of banded dentine development became apparent. The first mechanism was caused by diagenetic alteration of the surrounding tubules and dentine layers through the effects of fracturing with high concentrations of secondarily precipitated minerals. Although evidence of diagenetic alteration was present, secondary ion mass spectroscopy stable isotope analysis demonstrated that similar oxygen isotope values to those found in previous studies in the enamel of southern WIS mosasaurs also persisted in northern WIS mosasaurid dentine, suggesting a biological signal was not overprinted. The second mechanism found very little evidence of diagenetic alteration and more evidence of a physiological process generating banded dentine. Through TEM analysis, the structure of normal vs. occluded dentine was documented for the first time in a marine reptile, with potential implications for interpreting palaeopathologies in the fossil record. Each of these studies emphasizes the effects of diagenesis on dental tissues but also shows that physiological processes are preserved, giving insight into the lives of extinct marine reptiles.Geological Society of America
University of ManitobaFebruary 202
Living with nature: blending nature-based solutions with integrated eco-tourism to create climate-resilient coastal shoreline
No full textThe research and exploration through this practicum will lead to a climate-resilient design for stabilizing the shoreline of Kuakata, Bangladesh, and to developing eco-tourism, emphasizing the importance of sustainable and integrated approaches for long-term ecological and environmental stability.
Climate change and increasing human populations along coastal areas drive the demand for sustainable and resilient long-term strategies for coastal disaster risk management and development. Effective approaches are essential for implementing nature-based solutions (NbS) to climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, particularly in regions most affected by environmental changes. Coastal protection strategies are shifting from engineered methods to more ecologically-aligned techniques that work with natural processes and enhance natural habitats. The 2023 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report states that ecosystem-based adaptation can assist communities in adapting to impacts that are already severely affecting their lives and livelihoods, while also protecting biodiversity, improving health outcomes, enhancing food security, providing economic benefits, and increasing carbon sequestration.
This practicum aims to apply various Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as vital tools to design climate-resilient shorelines to combat catastrophic storm damage caused by sea level rise. The proposed design for the coastline of Kuakata, a popular sea beach in coastal Bangladesh, seeks to harmonize the natural environment with the social and economic needs of the local community. Using nature-based solutions, the design emphasizes ecological resilience while addressing the social and economic vulnerabilities of people affected by climate change. By integrating environmental conservation with educational and interactive tourism experiences, the design fosters greater awareness of the vital role of natural elements in coastal protection, livelihood enhancement, and disaster preparedness. This sustainable approach aims to provide long-term benefits to the region by balancing human activities with preserving coastal ecosystems.February 202
Characterization of near infrared dye coloured fabrics using hyperspectral imaging
Get PDFThe near-infrared (NIR) region and the visible spectrum play a pivotal role in military applications by enabling effective camouflage against adversaries in these regions. This study applied NIR-absorption dyes to cotton and nylon fabrics, the predominant fibre materials used in military battledress uniforms (BDUs). The primary objectives were to investigate the underlying fibre responsible for the suboptimal performance of military gear when dyed with NIR-absorption dyes and to assess the efficacy of visible near-infrared (Vis-NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral imaging (HSI) techniques in detecting shade changes in cotton fabric dyed with NIR-absorbing dyes. Variations in dyeing parameters cause undesirable changes in fabric prints, which can adversely impact the camouflage effect of military uniforms, compromising personnel safety. The fabrics were dyed using various concentrations and temperatures of dyes. Both cotton and nylon materials underwent rigorous testing for lightfastness and staining resistance under wet and dry conditions. The experimental results demonstrate that coloured cotton fabric exhibited superior lightfastness and staining resistance performance compared to nylon. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) were used to analyze the extent of shade differences that can be detected by measuring reflectance in the Vis-NIR and SWIR regions. These results establish that differently dyed fabrics can be seen well in the Vis-NIR spectral region, which implies the importance of selecting optimal parameters such as dye concentration and dyeing temperature to produce colours that match the background spectra. Also, all dyed samples (irrespective of colour, concentration, and dyeing temperature) gave similar signatures in the SWIR region, making segregating them difficult. Thus, the experimental design variations do not affect the SWIR region, warranting further investigation. The established classification models find practical utility in modelling spectral variations under various dyeing conditions, particularly in the NIR region, a critical consideration for applications such as military uniform development.February 202
Abnormalities of an operator space
Get PDFA unital operator space is simply a subspace inside some C∗-algebra that contains the identity of . Given a unital operator space , a natural object of interest is the C∗-algebra generated by . Notably, the structure of C∗() is not determined by alone [Arv69]. To resolve this problem, one could instead consider the “smallest” C∗-algebra that can be generated by . The C∗-envelope of is (if it exists) the C∗-algebra generated by a copy of , that satisfies a particular universal property [Pau02]. An intimately related object is the Shilov ideal for which is (if it exists) the boundary ideal that contains every other boundary ideal [Arv69]. Here an ideal is called a boundary ideal when its quotient mapping restricts to a complete isometry on [Arv69]. The existence of these objects has attracted the attention of many: Notable contributions have been made by: Arveson [Arv69] [Arv08], Hamana [Ham79], Dritschel and McCullough [DM05], and Davidson and Kennedy [DK15]. More recently, Kakariadis [Kak13] presented a new proof of the existence. This proof yields a new characterization of the Shilov ideal as the restricted abnormalities of . This thesis is devoted to the examination of the unrestricted abnormalities and studying what they can tell us about the operator space.October 202
‘The eye could literally not follow her’: deviant girlhood, reproduction, and meat animals in twentieth-century American literature and culture
Get PDFThis project follows fictional girls in American cultural texts as they move within and sideways to spaces of meat production and animal agriculture, negotiating their reproductive futures alongside the animal allies they find in these spaces. What might happen when industrial meat production, animal domestication and the girl are held together? I assert that the intimacies between girls and domesticated agricultural animals are sites through which these girls work through not only their fraught relationship with animality but also with America as a white supremacist, patriarchal, and settler-colonial project. I thus ultimately ask how they gesture towards alternate futures at odds with their contemporary American empires.
Chapter One centres Ona who labours in the sausage room and in childbirth to show how her womb troubles the efficiency of meat imagined by Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, which I demonstrate is also intimately tied to reproduction. Chapter Two turns to Tillie Olsen’s Yonnondio From the Thirties to follow Mazie’s coming of age, which takes place sideways to three spaces: the home, the slaughterhouse, and the depleted Prairie landscape. Chapter Three looks to Charles Burnett’s film, Killer of Sheep, to ask how the character of Angela, who first appears in a dog mask in a threshold space, blurs boundaries between the home and the slaughterhouse as well as between dogs, sheep, and humans. Chapter Four moves to occupied Hawai’i, looking to Lovey and Toni, the Japanese Hawaiian girls who narrate Lois-Ann Yamanaka’s Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers and Heads by Harry. I question how both girls negotiate menstruation, pregnancy, and their sexualities alongside domesticated animals violently mounted, killed, and consumed. Chapter Five reads Bong Joon Ho’s film, Okja, for its representation of Mija and Okja’s interspecies intimacy as queer. I also argue that the film positions Mija as a flexible acrobat who transacts herself transnationally. Finally, three interludes punctuate this project to tug at questions of girlhood, domesticated animals, abortion, and American literature. Together, I assemble a chorus of girls and their animal allies who speak across a century of American texts, centring love and care in a landscape of violent empire.UMGF (2019-2023)February 202
Signal and vibration analysis via motion vibration waveforms in video frames
No full textThis thesis explores the analysis of moving objects in video frames by introducing a novel method for motion signal representation and self-similarity detection. The focus is on identifying and characterizing motion signals generated by vibrating objects within the frames, specifically tracking the center of motion and extracting the corresponding row of
pixel values, referred to as the motion signal. Traditional approaches to signal processing often rely on basic pixel-based representations, which can miss the intricate dynamics of vibrating objects. In contrast, the proposed methodology leverages signal modulation, energy calculation, and cross-correlation to analyze the self-similarity of motion signals. The methodology begins by extracting the motion signal from the vibrating object, modulating it to enhance periodic features. Small variations are filtered by applying a threshold, and energy is calculated to assess the object’s dynamics. Limit points, defined as the maximum values on the motion signal, are detected in each frame, and the rate of change (ROC) is calculated based on the variations of these limit points. The cross-correlation method is then employed to determine self-similarity in the signal, focusing on the correspondence between positive and negative lobes. This research advances video signal processing by providing a robust framework for analyzing and comparing motion signals of vibrating objects. The insights gained enhance the understanding of vibration patterns and variations in limit points, with potential applications in detecting uneven mechanical vibrations, monitoring excessive movements in
athletes, or identifying anomalies in vibrating systems.February 202
Lessons learned in measuring patient engagement in a Canada-wide childhood disability network
No full textBackground
The CHILD-BRIGHT Network, a pan-Canadian childhood disability research Network, is dedicated to patient-oriented research, where numerous stakeholders, including patient-partners, researchers, and clinicians are involved at different levels. The Network is committed to continuously improving the level of engagement and partnerships’ impact. Measuring patient engagement is therefore important in reflecting on our practices and enhancing our approaches. We aimed to measure patient engagement longitudinally and explore in greater depth the perceived benefits, barriers and facilitators, and overall satisfaction with patient engagement, from the perspectives of the different stakeholders.
Methods
Patient engagement was measured using online surveys. In a longitudinal study design over a 3-years period (2018–2020) the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) questionnaire was used. To enrich our understanding of patient engagement in Year 3, we employed the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool (PPEET) in a cross-sectional, convergent parallel mixed-method study design. Descriptive statistics and a thematic-based approach were used for data analysis.
Results
The CBPR questionnaire was completed by n = 167 (61.4% response rate), n = 92 (30.2% response rate), and n = 62 (14.2% response rate) Network members in Years 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Ninety-five (n = 95, 21.8% response rate) members completed the PPEET in Year 3. CBPR findings demonstrate a stable and high satisfaction level with patient engagement over time, where 94%, 86%, and 94% of stakeholders indicated that the project is a “true partnership” in Years 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In Years 2 and 3, we noted an improvement in patient-partners’ comfort level in sharing their views and perspectives (92% and 91% vs. 74%). An increase in critical reflective trust (i.e., allowing for discussing and resolving mistakes) from Year 1 to 3 was found, both from the perspectives of patient-partners (51–65%) and researchers (48–75%). Using the PPEET, patient engagement factors (i.e., communications and supports for participation, ability to share views and perspectives) and impact were highly rated by most (80–100%) respondents. PPEET’s qualitative responses revealed several patient engagement advantages (e.g., increased projects’ relevance, enhanced knowledge translation), barriers (e.g., group homogeneity), facilitators (e.g., optimal communication strategies), and solutions to further improve patient engagement (e.g., provide clarity on goals).
Conclusion
Our 3-years patient engagement evaluation journey demonstrated a consistent and high level of satisfaction with patient engagement within the Network and identified advantages, barriers, facilitators, and potential solutions. Improvements were observed in members’ comfort in sharing their views and perspectives, along with an increase in critical reflective trust. These findings underscore the Network's commitment to enhancing patient engagement and provide valuable insights for continued improvement and optimization of collaborative efforts.Plain English summary
The CHILD-BRIGHT Network, a Canadian childhood disability research Network, is dedicated to patient-oriented research. It engages more than 300 diverse stakeholders, including patient-partners, researchers, and healthcare professionals. We conducted a 3-years study aimed to measure patient engagement over time and delve into the perceived benefits, barriers, and facilitators from the perspectives of the different members. We administered the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) questionnaire in Years 1–3 (completed by 167, 92, and 62 members, respectively) and the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool (PPEET) in Year 3 (completed by 95 members). Through the CBPR, we identified in which research processes were Network members involved (e.g., defining the research question, results dissemination), appraised the partnership between researchers and other stakeholders such as patient-partners, and determined the type of trust in this partnership. The use of the PPEET allowed us to explore patient engagement impact and what factors facilitate and limit patient engagement (e.g., communication and supports). CBPR results showed a consistently high satisfaction level with patient engagement, with increased comfort among patient-partners in expressing their views over time, showcasing positive collaborative dynamics. Most stakeholders reported a “true partnership” in their engagement, indicating widespread belief in equitable relationships. Additionally, critical reflective trust, allowing for discussing and resolving mistakes in collaborative working activities, increased over the years, with the highest endorsement in Year 3, demonstrating growing trust among stakeholders. The PPEET findings showed positive ratings for communication, support, and impact of patient engagement. Its qualitative responses identified advantages (e.g., increased project relevance), barriers (e.g., lack of diversity in members’ demographic characteristics), facilitators (e.g., effective communication), and suggested improvements (e.g., ensuring goal clarity). In conclusion, our project showed that the partnership between researchers and patient-partners was beneficial, satisfactory and evolved positively over time. The findings are encouraging provided the breadth of the Network, where hundreds of members are primarily connected virtually. We learned that:
(1) It is possible to measure patient engagement in a large Network, both at one point in time and over time, and multiple tools can be used together to get a better picture.
(2) Regular evaluations are important to optimize the partnership and its impact.
(3) The partnership can be improved and strengthened with time through ongoing collaboration, open communication, and a commitment to address the evolving needs and dynamics of all stakeholders involved
Quantifying mobility impacts of railway grade crossing blockages on vehicular traffic and emergency responders
No full textWith increases in road and rail traffic, there is heightened public concern about the mobility and safety impacts of highway-rail grade (level) crossings. Public transportation agencies need analytical tools to evaluate the efficacy of options available to address these concerns and criteria-based prioritization approaches that support crossing upgrade decisions.
This research presents a series of projects that contribute knowledge by: (1) identifying criteria used when implementing grade separations at grade crossings; (2) quantifying impacts of blocked grade crossings on road traffic operations; and (3) quantifying the risks of blocked grade crossings for the emergency response system.
The first project synthesizes findings from a review of literature and practice on mobility impacts when a train occupies a crossing. This project demonstrates the importance of mobility impacts at blocked crossings, identifies and compares mobility-related decision criteria and actionable thresholds used within prioritization approaches to rank crossings for grade separation, and reveals methods to quantify and monetize delay at blocked crossings.
The second project develops and applies a methodology that incorporates crossing blockage data, conventional traffic data, and vehicle probe data into a network-level traffic microsimulation model designed to quantify the mobility impacts of crossing blockages. The model estimates these impacts under various recovery signal timing plans to measure intersection performance and manage queues. The results demonstrate that adjustments to signal timing plans can improve queue clearance following a crossing blockage. More generally, the microsimulation model can be tailored to evaluate the mobility impacts of operational treatments at grade crossings, which tend to be less costly than grade separation.
The third project develops a probabilistic methodology to quantify the risk of crossings blockages to emergency response (ER) vehicles and ER stations. Through two case examples in Winnipeg, Canada, the analysis finds that 13.2% of the ER vehicles that traversed the studied crossing experienced a crossing blockage delay. Likewise, 0.5% of the ER trips dispatched from the studied station experienced a crossing blockage delay.
Overall, this research contributes new knowledge about mobility impacts caused by crossing blockages and reveals new opportunities to mitigate those impacts to the benefit of communities and society at-large.Mitacs Accelerate Program [Grant No: IT17935], awarded to Dr. Carson Leung,October 202
Correction: An open‑label, parallel‑group, randomized clinical trial of different silver diamine fluoride application intervals to arrest dental caries
No full textFollowing the publication of the original article, the author would like to correct the typo in Figure 1. The flow diagram incorrectly states that at the third visit a second application of SDF/FV was performed. This should not be there. The incorrect and correct Figure 1 are shown in this correction article