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Review of Ecologies of a Storied Planet in the Anthropocene by Serpil Oppermann
Get PDFA review of Ecologies of a Storied Planet in the Anthropocene, by Serpil Oppermann
Legislating Trans Lives: An Archival Analysis on Trans Canadian Rights
No full textPrevious research has outlined trans histories within the United States and Europe, illustrating historic transphobia, oppression and the origins of gender identity clinics. This type of historical literature is limited in the Canadian context, with more contemporary research demonstrating that trans people experience significant barriers to accessing healthcare, aversive health outcomes, and high rates of discrimination. Trans activists and advocates have always been and continue to resist these oppressive systems and have worked to improve the social and physical wellbeing of trans people in Canada. Utilizing archival data of trans activism and community mobilizing, I sought to address the gap in Canadian trans history in this dissertation. I approached this gap with two research objectives focusing on the lived experiences of trans Canadians: 1) provide an overview of archival data that highlights how legislation and/or policies policed, criminalized or otherwise restricted trans identities or gender expression in Canada., and 2) use archival data to examine the administration of transition-related healthcare in Canada and the systemic barriers trans people faced when navigating the healthcare system. Using archival methodology, I collected roughly 12,079 pages’ worth of archival data from the Transgender Archives, ArQuives, Digital Transgender Archives and Two-Spirit Archives to understand, from trans activists’ and advocates’ perspectives, the oppressive systems they were working against. These data included court cases, reports, pamphlets, oral histories, photos, correspondence and newspapers. My findings highlight many forms of administrative violence enacted on trans people, such as police inaction to mitigate transphobic violence, restrictive policies for accessing transition-related care, and devaluation and deprioritization of transition-related care across Canada. My findings further illustrate that the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Canada’s first gender clinic, set a precedent for coercive, harmful and transphobic healthcare in Canada. These findings, as well as other forms of administrative violence, are discussed
Measuring Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence Victimization: Scale Development and Validation
No full textTechnology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) has become a prevalent form of violence recently due to the ubiquity of social media and the advancement of technology. One attempt has been made to measure TFSV victimization (TFSV-V; Powell & Henry, 2019). However, we have identified several limitations in the TFSV-V, including variability in the specificity of items, items confounding in-person experiences, items that are ambiguously worded, and the omission of critical TFSV experiences. As such, Study 1 aimed to address the limitations in the TFSV-V by revising the current measure and validating a new 18-item measure, the TFSV-Revised. Scale development methods were also used in Study 1, including an item reduction analysis and factor analyses. Study 2 built on validity testing from Study 1 while exploring TFSV conceptually, in terms of the sources of violence and both psychological and behavioural responses to experiences of TFSV. Results of the present research support both the original TFSV-V and the TFSV-Revised as valid measures of TFSV victimization, but the TFSV-Revised has the benefit of being more comprehensive. Quantitative comparisons between the original TFSV-V and the TFSV-Revised in Study 2 support that the revised scale addressed limitations identified in the original TFSV-V. Study 2 qualitative results also showed what the sources of TFSV were perceived to be, including how perpetrators were encountered and environments in which the experience occurred. Additional exploratory analyses in Study 2 revealed novel insights into how victims respond to experiences of TFSV in terms of threat evaluation, psychological distress, and behavioural response. The present research builds on work by Powell and Henry (2019), supporting the goal of providing reliable prevalence rates and furthering our conceptual understanding of the nature and impacts of TFSV
Comprehensive analysis of environmental particulate matter: Chemical composition and microbial assessment
No full textRapid industrialization and population growth have contributed to a decline in air quality, with particulate matter (PM) posing particular concern. PM originates from both natural and human sources and often contains toxic chemicals and microorganisms, including potential pathogens. Inhalation of PM is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, underscoring the need to characterize better its chemical and biological composition in understudied region - Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The present thesis is a culmination of three main parts. Part 1 will describe the use of the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay to quantify the oxidative potential of PM through DTT consumption of redox-active field PM species. Part II will describe and report details on PM collection from indoor and outdoor sites followed by chemical composition analysis. Part III will examine the biological content of PM using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique to identify general bacterial load, and will use environmental sequencing to identify bacterial, fungal and DNA-genome viral species in the samples. Results demonstrate that during wildfire events, the Particle Into-Liquid Sampler (PILS) captured higher concentrations of water-soluble organic compounds (WSOC) than the Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI), highlighting a predominance of submicron particles. On cleaner days, MOUDI more effectively recovered coarse-mode acid leachable organic compounds (ALOC). DTT assays, ICP-OES, and particle dosimetry modeling revealed size- and iron/copper/ALOC- dependent differences in oxidative potential. Fine particles (0.56-1 μm) showed the greatest reactivity during wildfire smoke event, while particles in the 1-1.8 μm range dominated oxidative potential on cleaner days. Biological analyses showed that PILS samples were more suitable for DNA extraction, qPCR, and sequencing. In contrast, MOUDI was more effective at collecting transition metals and organic compounds. Pathogenic microbes, including bacteria and fungi, were identified in Page | iv Waterloo air, alongside traces of human DNA linked to local activity. These findings point to both exposure risks and opportunities for community engagement on air quality issues. Overall, MOUDI and PILS offered complementary advantages: MOUDI for detailed size-resolved chemical analysis and PILS for operational efficiency and better compatibility with biological assays. Together, they provide a more comprehensive understanding of PM composition, oxidative capacity, and biological relevance. This research delivers the first in depth assessment of PM chemistry and bioaerosols in Waterloo, contributing critical insights for air quality monitoring, health risk assessment, and environmental policy
An Antiviral Response Induced by dsRNA Against Vesicular Stomatitis Virus and Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Bovine Turbinate Cells
No full textCanada is one of the largest beef exporters in the world. Viruses like vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) can negatively impact the cattle industry, and a prophylactic treatment is needed to protect against these viruses. Viruses produce long (L)dsRNA (\u3e30-40bp) during replication that is not found in healthy cells. As such, the innate antiviral immune response, including the RNA interference (dsRNAi) pathway, are stimulated by viral LdsRNA. When low concentrations of LdsRNA are present, the RNAi pathway is triggered resulting in the degradation of viral mRNA of matching sequence, halting specific viral protein production. This project studies sequence-specific LdsRNA to block the replication of VSV and BRSV in bovine turbinate (BT) cells via RNAi. Before antiviral effects of dsRNA were examined, cytotoxicity assays were performed to determine cell viability of BT cells following dsRNA treatment. In vitro transcribed dsRNA molecules encoding the nucleotide (N) protein of VSV and BRSV, and the fusion (F) protein in BRSV, or a mismatched dsRNA sequence (mCherry), which served as a negative control, were synthesized and concentrations low enough to avoid an IFN response was determined. Viral titres were quantified 3-6 days post-infection by 50% Tissue Culture Infectious Dose (TCID50) assays to study antiviral effects of dsRNA. Sequence-specific dsRNAs matching their respective virus were able to limit replication of both viruses in BT cells, while dsRNA-mCherry did not, demonstrating a sequence-dependent antiviral response. In addition, a small molecule RISC inhibitor, called aurintricarboxylic (ATA) was used to further investigate antiviral effects of RNAi. dsRNA was found to not show cytotoxic effects with concentrations up to 5000 ng/mL, and IFN stimulation was not seen in concentrations of up to 2000 ng/mL. Antiviral results showed that there was a sequence-dependent knockdown of viral infection and dsRNA concentrations of 500 ng/mL, but addition of ATA did not provide any confirmation of dsRNAi, but ATA doses need to be further explored. This study will contribute to elucidating the dsRNAi pathway in bovine cells. The RNAi pathway is a novel therapeutic platform to treat virus infections in cattle and livestock
Mental Health Resource Accessibility Among Youth Convicted of an Offence in Canada and the United States: A Scoping Review
No full textThe basis for long-term mental health, well-being and resilience is developed during childhood and adolescence. Youth aged 16-24 experience a multitude of challenges when accessing mental health resources due to their limited autonomy at that age, namely access to the transportation needed to attend in-person resources, access to the internet or technology needed for virtual resources, and familial and community values that may create stigma. Within the youth population, mental health diagnoses are significantly more prevalent among youth convicted of an offence. There is an unequivocal lack of research to review these population-specific barriers and facilitators to mental health resources from the perspectives of youth convicted of an offence, and it is paramount that we consider their impact on access, as a population most affected by this inaccessibility. This scoping review aims to explore and summarize what is currently known about the barriers that youth convicted of an offence face when accessing mental health resources in Canada and the United States, and how these resources can be implemented to provide more equitable access for this population. The reviewed literature identified several key barriers, including: lack of information and misinformation; communication and collaboration; financial challenges; adverse social, peer and familial influences; medical mistrust; limited services; lack of transitional support; racial, ethnic and gender bias; and the institution of juvenile detention. Facilitators to mental health resource access were discussed, such as integrated and individualized care, provider accountability, cultural competency, rehabilitation as a primary goal, adaptive options to access, and building social, peer and familial support. The results of this review have important implications for making mental health resources more accessible to youth and improving the conditions and outcomes of juvenile conviction. This review also highlights the need for more Canadian research on access to mental health resources for youth convicted of an offence
Geographies of Trauma and Healing: Resistance, Resilience, ‘Ustawi wa’, and the Lived Experiences of African Women Refugees from the EHAGL Region in Canada
No full textThis dissertation explores the lived experiences of African women refugees from the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes (EHAGL) region resettled in Ontario, Canada, with particular focus on the complex intersections of trauma, resilience, and healing within global refugee governance. It asks: How do the gendered and spatial dynamics of refugee protection and Canadian settlement systems sustain structural violence against African women refugees, and how do their transnational experiences challenge and reshape dominant frameworks of care, well-being, and institutional response?
Through a multi-scalar analysis—macro (legal governance frameworks), meso (institutional actors), and micro (women’s narratives)—the study explores how trauma is shaped, silenced, and contested across the forced migration trajectory: pre-flight, during flight, and post-flight. Central to this research is the Trauma and Epistemic Justice of Displacement (trauma-EJD) framework, which integrates Black feminist and decolonial epistemologies with a rights-based approach to center African women refugees’ voices, knowledge systems, and lived realities. Situated within the broader landscape of forced migration and global refugee governance, this research foregrounds the invisibility and hyper-visibility of African women refugees, and the epistemic erasure of their experiences within dominant systems.
Methodologically, the study weaves the trauma-EJD framework into a relational and reciprocal ethnographic approach. Ethnographic fieldwork that included 52 in-depth interviews (34 women refugees and 18 key informants and stakeholders [KIS]), combined with legal governance instruments analysis, reveals systemic erasures, gendered violence, racialized gatekeeping, and fragmented care within global refugee governance. In contrast, African women refugees’ testimonies illuminate practices of resistance, spiritual resilience, and collective healing, grounded in culturally rooted understandings of ‘ustawi wa’ and the continuity of ethics of care across borders and time.
The findings articulate the spatio-temporal dynamics of trauma and displacement, offering a re-theorization of care and justice rooted in African women’s lived experiences within global refugee governance. The dissertation calls for structural transformation at global, regional, and national levels—toward trauma-responsive and justice-centered approaches that affirm African women refugees’ epistemic dignity. The trauma-EJD framework offers a roadmap for reimagining refugee governance rooted in dignity, relational care, and lived knowledge
THE BODY’S “Why?”: THERAPISTS’ EMBODIED APPROACHES TO MEANING-MAKING IN TRAUMA AND COMPLEX PTSD
No full textThe challenge of finding meaning in trauma is one that has inspired conversations in psychotherapeutic circles as well as amongst theologians and philosophers. Finding meaning following trauma has been positively associated with growth following the traumatic incident and has been labelled as critical to the progression of healing (Herman, 1992). This study aims to examine the role therapists play in meaning-making with clients who have experienced trauma. The research question is “how do therapists handle meaning of life challenges with traumatized clients?” Ten experienced therapists participated in this qualitative, phenomenological study. Key findings included common therapist responses to client’s “why?” questions, and the role of the nervous system within meaning-related challenges. This study contributes to larger conversations around how therapists can help clients struggling with meaning-making challenges following trauma