University of Lethbridge
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Visual illusion in Paradise lost
No full textThis paper reports the staging process of Paradise Lost, Erin Shields’s adaptation of John
Milton’s work, performed at the Theatre of the University of Lethbridge in 2025. Beyond set
design, this project was an exploration of space—how space interacts with text, and how
scenography can integrate into the play rather than stand apart from it. Given Shields’s bold
narrative structure and the subversive choice to portray Satan as a female character, I wanted my
design to feel as if it came from the devil’s own hands. I enjoyed the idea of being the “villain,”
breaking the rules, and creating an unsettling experience for the audience.
This paper outlines my thought process, from conceptual development to execution. It
examines how I interpreted M.C. Escher’s artistic principles and how I used geometric
compositions, lighting effects, and projections to create a constantly shifting theatrical space. By
combining historical stage aesthetics with visual art, and using illusion and spatial fluidity as
storytelling tools, I explored new ways of engaging with Shields’s vision and reimagining
Paradise Lost through scenography transformation
Navigating informed consent: ethical challenges in addiction treatment
No full textThis project explores issues related to informed consent processes in the context of addiction
treatment. Substance use disorder presents unique ethical challenges for informed consent. While
the topic of informed consent in psychotherapy has been addressed in academic literature, this
project shows that there is limited information specific to informed consent in addiction settings,
as well as a lack of guidance for same in Canadian codes of ethics. To establish the relevance of
this issue, a fictional ethical dilemma is presented to illustrate how such concerns can arise in
professional practice. This is followed by an in-depth analysis of the history of informed consent,
the essential components of informed consent, and factors that influence the process. The project
then provides a foundational overview of substance use disorder treatment facilities, the types of
professionals who work in addiction treatment contexts, and different ways of conceptualizing
addiction. Finally, the initial ethical dilemma is revisited, along with actionable suggestions for
navigating informed consent in substance use disorder treatment. The aim of this project is to
address gaps in the literature and ethical standards of practice on informed consent in addiction
treatment settings and to provide practical guidance for supporting client autonomy through
ethical, client-centred care
Groups of familiar male rats form unstable partner preferences when play fighting during the juvenile period
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0) appliesRats are social animals living in large groups. Within these groups, juveniles engage in vigorous rough-and-tumble play. Despite their natural ecology, most current studies of their play behavior involve pairs not groups. To investigate play under more naturalistic settings, we examined the play of eight groups of juvenile male rats, with each group comprising six, same-aged peers that lived together. Each group was tested on multiple days over the peak play period (30–40 postnatal days). On any given day, rats showed partner preferences for certain individuals in the group, however, preferences varied from day to day. Despite changes in partner preferences, rats chose to play with partners that engaged in more turn taking and with partners with whom they had more symmetrical play relationships. That some individuals within the group were consistently preferred as play partners while others were consistently avoided may have developmental consequences, with those who are favored gaining greater benefits from their juvenile play experiences.Ye
A manner of hermeneutics
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY 3.0) appliesThis article explores the interrelated notions of being, openness, and experience to engage a manner of hermeneutics as more than method, rather, as a way of being. A disposition to be present and attentiveness to learning is foundational for those who take up a hermeneutic stance. Through illustrative examples of hermeneutic pondering, the writing evokes a sensibility that positions hermeneutics as attuned to the nature of being, rather than bound to procedural method. It invites interpretation as a search for the essence of phenomena worthy of attention, while also recognizing that meaning may dissipate when concepts are abstracted from the situated immediacy of the present moment.Ye
Photoredox decarboxylative 3-fluoroallylation of α-amino acids
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0) appliesThe photocatalytic decarboxylation of α-amino acids is an effective route to α-aminoalkyl radicals, which is also amenable to the derivatization of peptides through selective CC bond formation at the C-terminus. It is reported that, in the presence of an iridium photocatalyst, allylic difluorides are suitable radical traps to capture α-aminoalkyl radicals produced from α-amino acids, ultimately amounting to a defluorinative 3-fluoroallylation reaction. The catalytic system is applied to the derivatization of a wide breadth of N-protected amino acids and dipeptides in high yields, and the transformation displays great functional group tolerance. α-Amino acids of all substitution levels at the α-carbon led to the desired products in high yields. Post-functionalization of the monofluoroalkene-containing products reveals the potential to attain fluorine-containing organic compounds of greater complexity.Ye
A cross-sectional study on Indigenous nurses’ knowledge and perceptions toward planetary health challenges
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) appliesBackground: Planetary health challenges—such as climate change and vector-borne diseases—not only threaten human health, but also jeopardize food and water security, ecosystems, economic stability, and social well-being. Registered nurses play an integral role in supporting populations affected by planetary health challenges. Purpose: The purpose of the larger cross-sectional study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of registered nurses in Canada related to climate sensitive vector-borne diseases. This manuscript presents findings of the Indigenous participants from the larger study. Methods: A national self-administered digital survey was distributed to practicing registered nurses in Canada. Results: Of the 382 survey respondents, 35 respondents declared as Indigenous, Metis, or Inuit. Results indicated that most worked as frontline care providers, and several were nurse educators. Study findings revealed enhanced knowledge of climate change and vector-borne diseases, as well as increased awareness of, confidence toward, preparedness, and experiences with vector-borne diseases in practice demonstrated by Indigenous, Metis, and Inuit participants. The greater knowledge and confidence of Indigenous, Metis, and Inuit nurses toward climate change and vector-borne diseases may be attributed to intergenerational knowledge transfer, which has provided them with the knowledge to observe and adapt to climate-related concerns, such as the changing vector landscape. Conclusion: Indigenous nurses are well-positioned to lead the nursing profession to a decolonization of nursing knowledge, where Indigenous knowledge is used to educate and prepare nurses to address planetary challenges in practice and assume a greater role in leading change to advocate for a climate-resilient future.Ye
The zombification of the principalship: the learning mindset in a system guided by achievement
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0) appliesSchool leaders are expected to plan and execute change and growth to address the ongoing social and pedagogical transformation required in schools. The purpose of this article is to initiate a robust conversation and broaden the discourse about instructional leadership. Attention is placed on the challenge that principals face to remain open-minded and focused on learning (as an action) while providing leadership within the context of a dynamic system pieced together from standards and constructs. Policymakers, educational leaders, and leadership training educators might broaden their concept of leadership by viewing the topic through the lens of zombification. This conceptual inquiry contemplated whether leaders cultivate the learning (again, as an action) community simply by knowing what to do or whether they must actively facilitate a lively enactment of learning. The article contends that the leader of learning must have specific knowledge, attitudes, and attributes to understand the theoretical considerations properly and translate the act of leading learning into a practical reality. The metaphor of zombification is utilized to describe how a principal might lose sight of learning and instead focus on meeting and achieving standards and system outcomes.Ye
Behavior analysis of catching using 3D pose estimation
No full textCatching, a complex and fundamental prehension task, is crucial for daily life yet remains understudied despite its implications for robotics, rehabilitation, and neuroprosthetics. This thesis investigates the intricate sensorimotor coordination involved in human catching, building upon theories like the Dual Visuomotor Channel (DVC) and Multiple Motor Channel (MMC) to understand how the brain orchestrates dynamic hand movements.
Ten right-handed participants engaged in externally thrown, self-thrown, and visually guided "pretend" catches using four ball sizes. Behavior was recorded with three GoPro cameras, and 3D pose estimation was performed via FreeMocap (Matthis & Cherian, 2022), leveraging MediaPipe (Zhang et al., 2020) for 2D analysis and triangulation for 3D reconstruction. Three primary kinematic metrics were quantified: 1) Euclidean distance between the thumb tip and other fingertips (opposable distance); 2) Perpendicular distance from each fingertip to the palm plane (prehensile distance); and 3) The hand's rotation angle in the X-Z plane, derived from the palm's normal vector.
Results revealed Maximum Pregrasp Aperture (MPA) scaled linearly with ball diameter, indicating anticipatory hand shaping. Distinct grasping strategies emerged for different ball sizes: larger balls elicited "precision catches" characterized by significant finger splay and thumb-pinky opposition, while smaller balls often resulted in "power catches" with minimal thumb involvement and greater finger flexion into the palm. Self-catches further highlighted the interplay of anticipatory and feedback control. These findings enhance understanding of human prehension, providing quantitative data valuable for advancing motor control models, developing adaptive robotic systems, and improving human-machine interfaces
Air and surface temperature modelling across a temperate mountain landscape: an investigation of microclimatic influences on surface offsets viewed within the context of epigaeic arthropod thermal habitat
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0) appliesDevelopment of high-resolution temperature models in mountain environments must include consideration of the influence of complex topography and seasonality on thermal distribution across horizontal and vertical scales. Small-bodied organisms, including arthropods, in montane and alpine ecosystems inhabit environments for which local microclimate and heat transfer is especially important. We developed and applied high-resolution air and surface temperature models for a remote mountain environment using in-situ data for interpolation procedures in ArcGIS Pro. This approach requires recording directional and time-period specific lapse rates to aid in the development of air temperature models. Also examined is the offset between air temperature and surface temperature and to what extent air temperature alone is a reliable indicator of ground-level thermal conditions. We describe an environmentally inclusive surface temperature modelling method that allows for the addition of explanatory layers (landcover, elevation, aspect, slope, and topographic position index) aiding in the interpolation process. These models are used to delineate thermally defined ecological zones and model unique thermal properties of relevance to arthropods across the southern Alberta study area.Ye
On the occurrence, behaviour, and fate of naphthenic acid fraction compounds in aquatic environments
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0) appliesNaphthenic acids and naphthenic acid fraction compounds (NAFCs) are associated with production of unconventional petroleum resources, especially the Athabasca Oil Sands of Alberta, Canada. This complex mixture of acidic organic compounds is toxic to a variety of taxa, and so represents an important environmental management challenge. Thus, there is clear motivation to better understand the occurrence and characteristics of NAFCs in aquatic environments, their chemical behaviour, and environmental fate. Empowered by modern high-resolution mass spectrometry analyses, improved descriptions of the environmental occurrence of NAFCs have emerged. These studies include spatiotemporal survey studies describing the characteristics and quantities of NAFCs, as well as forensic methods working towards reliable source differentiations. Work has also proceeded in earnest to advance mechanistic understandings of how NAFCs are affected by passive phenomena, such as soil and sediment sorption, and chemically reactive mechanisms such as photolysis and biodegradation. Further advances describe the environmental fate and behaviour of NAFCs as they are transported and transformed across environmental compartments. In the context of Canadian oil sands, the available data describe NAFCs as a dynamic compound class that both affects and is affected by their receiving environment. By working towards a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour and fate of NAs and NAFCs, we might better anticipate the extent to which residual toxic effects may persist in reclaimed landscapes.Ye