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From Rootlessness to Rootedness: The Role of Indigenous Housing and Community Well-Being
No full textCanada faces a deepening homelessness crisis in which Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately impacted by historic and ongoing colonial harms. As such, Indigenous-led responses are required. This community-driven research was initiated, guided, and co-analyzed with Brantford Native Housing (BNH) to address BNH’s priorities and generate findings that can be applied in practice and advocacy. This study uses a postcolonial framework to ask how Indigenous-led approaches are (or are not) embedded in municipal housing strategies and how Indigenous clients describe what an Indigenous-led housing model should provide in Brantford.
This research employs two interconnected phases. Phase one analyzes 46 housing strategies from 44 communities to identify where Indigenous ways of knowing and doing are meaningfully included and where they are absent. Findings emphasize the need to move beyond tokenistic language toward concrete action.
Phase two is a predominantly qualitative survey, developed and administered with BNH, to capture Indigenous clients’ experiences and needs across outreach, transitional, and rent- geared-to-income housing, and cultural programming. Clients’ perspectives illustrate how housing, cultural connection, and relational care intersect and underscore a strong preference for Indigenous-led, culturally grounded supports.
Together, the systems-level scan and community-level survey offer a comprehensive view of Indigenous-led housing as both policy and practice response. This thesis contributes to scholarship by clarifying the importance of embedding Indigenous leadership in housing systems and practices, while calling for policies and practices that align with Indigenous governance and the timelines required for real change
Wounds that Mend: Rebecca Belmore’s Fringe and the Healing of the Earth and Body
No full textThis essay was written for the course “TH530A-A: God and Theological Reflection,” taught by Mary (Joy) Philip at Martin Luther University College, Fall 2025
Dominion or Destruction: Rereading Genesis in an Age of Melting Ice
No full textThis essay was written for the course “TH530A-A: God and Theological Reflection,” taught by Mary (Joy) Philip at Martin Luther University College, Fall 2025
Forgiveness
No full textBook Review Forgiveness Hiro Kanagawa (Text) and Cindy Mochizuki (Illustrations) Based on the memoir Forgiveness: A Gift from My Grandparents by Mark Sakamoto Playwrights Canada Press, 202
AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep: Leading and Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
No full textBook Review AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep: Leading and Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Sean O’Callaghan and Paul A. Hoffman Baker Publishing Group, 202
Review of “Onto Civvy Street: Canada’s Rehabilitation Program for Veterans of the Second World War” by Peter Neary
No full textReview of Onto Civvy Street: Canada’s Rehabilitation Program for Veterans of the Second World War by Peter Near
Velocity-Dependent Neural Strategies of Explosive Force Production: Insights from Motor Unit Behaviour and Velocity-Based Training
No full textVelocity-Dependent Neural Strategies of Explosive Force Production: Insights from Motor Unit Behaviour and Velocity-Based Training
By
Jesse Collins
PhD Candidate
Wilfrid Laurier University
DISSERTATION
Submitted to the Department/Faculty of Kinesiology
in partial fulfillment of requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
© Jesse Collins 2025 Abstract
The overarching purpose of this dissertation was to identify the neuromuscular mechanisms that contribute to explosive strength gains following velocity-based training (VBT). VBT prescribes training loads and intensities based on the speed of movement during an exercise, using real-time velocity feedback to adjust effort and optimize training outcomes. This approach aims to develop high-velocity force production, which may be particularly effective for enhancing explosive athletic tasks (e.g., sprinting and jumping) that are too brief in duration to reach peak torque. This work provides insight on how the nervous system controls force development across a wide range of contraction velocities and assesses how VBT might modify neural strategies, specifically, motor unit firing rates of the prime movers and patterns of antagonist and synergist muscle activation. This dissertation includes three studies which each address a key objective. The first objective (Study 1) was to investigate how motor unit (MU) firing behaviour is modulated during dynamic isokinetic contractions across a wide range of movement velocities, to better understand the neural control of rapid force production. A secondary aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using multi-electrode surface array electromyography decomposition to measure MU behaviour during high-velocity dynamic tasks. This study demonstrated that while decomposition is feasible during dynamic movement, limitations in detecting high-frequency discharges, specifically during the early-phase of the contraction (first 50ms), highlights the need for more sensitive methods to fully characterize neural drive during explosive tasks. The second objective (Study 2) was to assess how MU firing behaviour adapts to produce different contraction velocities during isotonic movements. Our results revealed that the muscle activation strategy changed over the course of the contraction. Specifically, during the early phase (first 50 ms), motor unit firing rates and the speed at which units were recruited varied based on the intended movement velocity. In contrast, during the later phase of the contraction, firing rates increased primarily in proportion to the torque being produced. Additionally, velocity-dependent modulation of antagonist and synergist muscle activation was observed during jumps at different velocities which suggests that coordinated adjustments in intermuscular control may be used to match specific task demands. The third objective (Study 3) was to assess whether velocity-specific neural strategies, such as motor unit firing characteristics and patterns of antagonist and synergist muscle activation, are trainable. Twenty-one resistance-trained athletes completed a four-week VBT intervention. which resulted in improvements in early-phase rate of force development (RFD) and synergist muscle activation Although we did not observe group-level changes in MU discharge rates, individual performance gains were correlated with increases in initial rate of force development and increased motor unit firing rates following training. This highlights inter-individual variability in adaptations to VBT. All together these studies show how VBT influences neuromuscular control of force during dynamic movement with evidence that both muscular adaptations (e.g., increased rate of twitch force development) and neural mechanisms (e.g., increases in motor unit firing rates associated with performance gains) contribute to these effects. This provides mechanistic insight into how the nervous system and musculature may adapt to velocity-specific training interventions. These results may also have practical implications for designing individualized training and rehabilitation programs that optimize rapid force production by targeting both neural timing and mechanical output under specific velocity constraints
Effectuation and Causation in New Product Development: Bridging Entrepreneurial Behaviour, Strategy, and Performance
No full textEffectuation theory offers a valuable lens for understanding entrepreneurial action under uncertainty, yet its role in new product development (NPD) remains underexplored. Two challenges stand out in research at the intersection of effectuation and NPD: (1) a lack of systematic consideration of the role of strategy, and (2) limited insight into how entrepreneurial actions (effectuation and causation) relate to performance over time. This dissertation positions NPD as an entrepreneurial process shaped by the interplay between strategy and action. It comprises two essays that examine how effectual and causal actions in NPD influence performance in young technology firms: one at a configurational level, the other at a temporal level.
The first essay investigates how firms combine strategic orientations (entrepreneurial orientation and market orientation) with effectual and causal NPD actions to drive innovation performance. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis on 100 Canadian ventures, five high-performing configurations are identified. While entrepreneurial orientation consistently emerges as a core condition, effectual and causal actions play a more supportive role when combined with other elements in the configuration.
The second essay shifts to a longitudinal perspective. It analyzes a two-year panel of the same firms to examine the dynamic relationship between effectual NPD actions and firm performance, measured by the ability to attract capital (AAC). Using an auto-regressive cross-lagged model, the study finds a reciprocal, time-sensitive relationship between effectuation and AAC, moderated by the firm’s commercialization strategy (CS). Distinct patterns emerge depending on the CS pursued, with complex, time-dependent effects evident in firms adopting Greenfield Competition or Ideas Factory strategies.
Together, this dissertation advances understanding of effectuation in NPD by integrating configurational and temporal perspectives. It demonstrates how strategy and NPD behaviour jointly shape innovation and performance outcomes. By framing effectual and causal actions as interdependent and context-sensitive, it offers insights into how entrepreneurial firms strategically navigate innovation. Theoretical and managerial contributions are discussed throughout, alongside implications for future research
Link to Full Issue at Imaginations Journal
No full textClick here to be directed to the full issue hosted by Imaginations // Cliquez ici pour accéder au numéro complet hébergé sur Imaginations : https://imaginationsjournal.ca/index.php/imaginations/issue/view/1961
