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Review of Hanged in Medicine Hat: Murders in a Nazi Prisoner-of-War Camp, and the Disturbing True Story of Canada’s Last Mass Execution by Nathan M. Greenfield
Get PDFReview of Hanged in Medicine Hat: Murders in a Nazi Prisoner-of-War Camp, and the Disturbing True Story of Canada’s Last Mass Execution by Nathan M. Greenfiel
No. 18: Refugee Protection and Food Security in Kampala, Uganda
No full textThis study proposes strategies to better recognize and protect the food security needs of Kampala’s refugee population. Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee host, with a policy approach that has been widely lauded for its flexible settlement provisions and commitment to durable solutions. However, growing refugee populations and underfunding have led to serious pressures, severely exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Food insecurity in designated refugee settlements is at critical levels: 75% of residents are food insecure. One unique aspect of Uganda’s refugee governance approach is the allowance of refugee populations to self-settle outside of designated camps, in the capital city, Kampala. This research takes a governance approach to explore what is being done to support the food security of this group, by who, and how this could be improved. Interviews with refugees living in two of Kampala’s large informal settlements (Kisenyi II and Namuwongo) and with a range of policy stakeholders were carried out in May 2023. Overlapping formal and informal services and programs are offered by multiple levels of government and the NGO sector, accessible to different populations living in settlements. This paper points to gaps and limitations, linked to resources, coordination, difficulties identifying vulnerable populations, locating political responsibility, and weak policy implementation, and suggests governance strategies to better respond to refugee and asylum seeker’s food security needs. Key recommended responses are to overhaul the refugee registration system, recognize and protect urban food security, and improve policy actor coordination through collaborative strategies which move beyond awareness of the crisis to setting specific targets and timelines to address it
Fishes in murky waters: Effects of total suspended solids on fish gills and performance
Get PDFTotal suspended solids (TSS) naturally occur in aquatic habitats, but climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances can lead to increased levels. Exposure to high levels of TSS has the potential to damage fish gills through abrasion, leading to impairment of gill function and fish physiology. However, little work has been done exploring the linkages between TSS-induced gill damage and animal performance. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that TSS damages gill structure, causing gill dysfunction and reducing swimming performance. We exposed salmonids (rainbow trout, brook trout and cutthroat trout) and non-salmonids (fathead minnow and longnose dace) to different TSS concentrations (0-1000 mg/L) for four days in a static exposure system. We assessed gill morphometrics indicative of gill damage, expression of genes and proteins involved in ion regulation [ Na+/K+-ATPase and vacuolar-type proton pump], ionocyte distribution, and markers of animal swimming performance [critical swimming speed (Ucrit), oxygen consumption rate (ṀO2) and aerobic capacity [standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR) and aerobic scope (AS)]]. At 100 mg/L and higher, TSS increased lamellae thickness due to increase in epithelial lifting and oxygen diffusion distance. These changes corresponded with a reduced respiratory surface area in rainbow trout, leading to a reduction in ṀO2 and Ucrit. While ṀO2 did not change in fathead minnows, the MMR was reduced, and they also showed a reduction in Ucrit. TSS did not affect the gene and protein markers in the gills. Overall, elevated TSS damages gill structure, leading to impaired aerobic metabolism and swimming performance of fish
Review of “Four Colour Combat: Canadian Forces in War Comics” by Cord A. Scott
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Review of “A Different Track: Hospital Trains of the Second World War” by Alexandra Kitty
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Modulation of persistent inward currents with changes in posture and cutaneous sensory input
No full textSpinal motor neuron (MN) persistent inward currents (PIC) increase and sustain the MN output. PIC is amplified by descending monoamines and reduced by afferent inhibition. There is strong coupling between plantar cutaneous sensory input and lower limb MNs. Given that monoaminergic drive is altered with postures and motor tasks, our purpose was to assess posture-dependent plantar cutaneous sensory modulation of tibialis anterior (TA) MNs. We hypothesize that: 1) a supine position will suppress PIC, 2) removing the load from the bottom of the heel will inflate PIC, and 3) cutaneous stimulation of the plantar aspect of the heel will reduce PIC. We developed a novel dynamometer that allows for isometric dorsiflexion without any material in contact with the heel. Thirteen participants (6 female) performed isometric dorsiflexion contractions with and without heel pressure in seated upright and supine body positions with the hip, knee, and ankle at 90°. Cutaneous electrical stimulation (5x1ms pulses at 333Hz at randomized intervals of 0.5-0.8s, 2x perceptual threshold) was applied to the heel during half of these contractions. Intramuscular EMG was recorded from the TA, and surface EMG from the TA and SOL muscles. PIC was estimated using the paired motor unit technique, and post stimulus time histograms were used to quantify the amount of TA MN inhibition elicited via cutaneous electrical stimulation. We found no effect of posture (p=0.857), or of electrical stimulation (p=0.473). However, ∆F estimates of PIC were lower with heel pressure (3.87 ± 1.67pps) than without heel pressure (4.70 ± 1.91pps). Lower PIC with heel pressure could not be attributed to differences in TA or antagonist (SOL) muscle activity. We speculate that lower PIC with heel pressure was due to plantar cutaneous afferent inhibition. This study may contribute to our understanding of top-down and bottom-up regulation of spinal MN excitability during different tasks. This may improve our understanding of motor deficits associated with injury, ageing, and neuromuscular pathologies
Predictors of Canadians’ Psychological Well-Being in Retirement: A Mixed Methods Approach
Get PDFIn prior decades, retirement research focused on the negative effects of the life transition—such as negative psychological well-being caused by factors such as difficulties adjusting to retirement, feelings of a role loss, or the financial effects of retirement. However, there is considerable agreement across recent research studies that post-retirement years are marked by positive psychological well-being due to a variety of factors. For example, retirees often spend more time in roles (such as volunteer positions) that provide life satisfaction. The present study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine factors related to well-being in retirement among individuals living in Canada. A sample of 136 participants between the ages of 54 and 86 years old was recruited to complete a survey that measured psychological well-being using Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D10; Radloff, 1977) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson & Clark, 1992) and measured life satisfaction using Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, et al., 1985). In addition, the quantitative portion of the survey targeted other aspects of life in relation to well-being including physical health, satisfaction with roles (e.g., marital), financial security, and the social role of volunteering. Of the 136 participants, 113 participants completed an optional phone interview. Phone interview responses were coded for future time perspective (FTP) with the hypothesis that FTP is correlated with overall well-being in retirement. The mixed methods approach supported by several theoretical approaches explored in this proposal is novel in retirement study data in that very few studies pertinent to retirees living in Canada examine psychological well-being during retirement with in-depth analyses of qualitative data in conjunction with quantitative data. Qualitative data was utilized to examine the experience of retired Canadians by detailing their “deeper thoughts and behaviours that governed their [quantitative] responses” (Creswell & Poth, 2018, p. 46), specifically investigating gender differences and differences in the experience of a planned versus unplanned retirement on the impact of their well-being. Quantitatively, results indicate that: an unplanned retirement still provides challenges for retirees as seen through reports of lower levels of life satisfaction and family satisfaction, retirees are cognizant of the importance of physical health, volunteering is positively correlated to psychological well-being, and financial income predicts satisfaction with life regardless of an unplanned or planned retirement. Qualitative results indicate that retirees are resilient even with a forced/unplanned retirement, retirees are extremely active and conscious of preventative physical and mental healthcare, and for the most part, retirees’ expectations of retirement met their reality
Effect of Rare Earth Element Mixtures on Daphnia magna
Get PDFRare earth elements (REEs) are increasingly being used in modern technologies and as such, there is an increasing concern for the potential environmental risk associated with anthropogenic contamination. In addition to there being very little data available for individual REEs, there is also a lack of knowledge concerning mixtures. The objective of my study was to investigate the chronic effects of lanthanum (La) and yttrium (Y) as well as the acute effects of neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr) and Y as a single metal and as a mixture to Daphnia magna. Standard 21-d chronic tests and 48-h single metal acute tests following U.S. EPA and Environment and Climate Change Canada methods were conducted in an artificial soft water medium with a hardness of 50 mg CaCO3/L and a pH of 6.8 with no added bicarbonate at 21°C. Daphnia neonates (\u3c24h old) were used with immobility (acute), growth and reproduction (chronic) as endpoints. Mixture exposures were designed using a toxic unit (TU) approach, based on converting the EC50 concentrations to toxic units and applying a matrix isobologram approach. The dissolved 48-h EC50 for Y was 0.699 mg/L (95% CI of 0.602-0.802 mg/L), for Pr it was 0.689 mg/L (95% CI of 0.530 - 0.916 mg/L), and for Nd it was 0.332 mg/L (95% CI of 0.265 - 0.408 mg/L). The total 21-d EC10 and EC20 values were 35.42 µg/L and 44.83 µg/L for La and 32.62 µg/L and 56.37 µg/L for Y. Chronic mixture tests used combinations of 0.2 (EC10) and 0.4 (EC20) TUs and acute tests used combinations of 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 (EC30) TUs to observe whether the responses would follow an additive interaction. La and Y had similar toxicities at chronic levels and La-Y mixture tests elicited a less than additive interaction. Nd had a significantly higher toxicity than Pr or Y and the ternary mixture of Nd, Pr, and Y elicited additive and more than additive mixture interactions. This project contributes data towards the knowledge available on the toxicity of REEs individually and as a mixture in aquatic environments
LEADERSHIP AND EMERGENT FAITH COMMUNITIES IN CANADA: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to explore how participants within emergent faith communities in Canada experience leadership. Through a phenomenological approach, members from five emergent faith communities across Canada have been interviewed in a semi-structured format. Emerging themes of transformational leadership, community along with belonging, and possible future areas of research will be discussed
