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Geriatric and gerontological physiotherapy in focus: a cross-sectional survey of education, clinical practice, and service availability across world physiotherapy member nations
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) appliesBackground
The ageing global population necessitates specialised geriatric/gerontological physiotherapy services (GPTS) to address age-related conditions. We explored the current state of geriatric/gerontological physiotherapy (GPT) academic programmes and clinical practice among World Physiotherapy member nations (WPMNs) and identified factors, including socioeconomic indicators, that predicted the GPTS globally.
Methods
We conducted an online cross-sectional survey between April 1 and September 19, 2024, inviting official representatives of the 128 WPMNs to answer questions relating to GPT academic programmes and clinical services and practices. We also extracted the Human Development Index (HDI), life expectancy, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita for each WPMN from the United Nations Development and World Bank databases. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, a map, bubble charts, and logistic regression models.
Results
Sixty-seven countries (67/128, 52.3% response rate) completed the survey. Among them, 34 (50.7%) and 19 (28.4%) reported having geriatric/gerontology modules in their entry-level and graduate-level physiotherapy programmes, respectively. Additionally, 20 (29.9%) and 13 (19.4%) reported having entry-level geriatric/gerontology clinical placement and graduate-level clinical training, respectively. Physiotherapists were members of interdisciplinary geriatric/gerontological teams in Africa (9/11, 81.8%), Asia Western Pacific (10/16, 62.5%), Europe (15/27, 55.6%), North America Caribbean (4/7, 57.1%), and South America (5/6, 83.3%), but they can only lead the teams in few countries: Africa (1/11, 9.1%), Asia Western Pacific (4/16, 25.0%), Europe (5/27, 18.5%), North America Caribbean (2/7, 28.6%), and South America (2/6, 33.3%). GPTS were more common in countries with graduate-level geriatric physiotherapy academic programmes (OR = 33.47, 95% CI: 1.36, 822.39, p = 0.032) GPT Availability in Practice Act (OR = 41.93, 95% CI: 1.66, 1059.78, p = 0.023), and higher HDI (OR = 5.32e + 07, 95% CI: 49.78, 5.67e + 12, p = 0.003). Europe and North America Caribbean regions had lower older-adult-to-physiotherapist ratios and a higher life expectancy, HDI, and GPTS availability than other World Physiotherapy regions.
Conclusion
Geriatric/gerontological PT education and clinical practice are evolving, especially at the entry-level training across WPMNs; however, extra effort is required to enhance graduate specialization to cater to the emerging ageing population.Ye
Canadian psychologists' and psychology graduate students' perceptions of psychedelic therapy
No full textThe field of psychedelics has seen a revival in recent years that has yielded preliminary evidence for their therapeutic benefits. As clinical trials of psychedelic therapy increase, it is essential to understand psychologists' perceptions of this treatment, as these are likely to influence the future implementation and accessibility of psychedelic therapy. The current study aimed to explore the perceptions and knowledge of psychedelic therapy among psychology graduate students and registered psychologists, and to assess how perceptions varied based on registration status, knowledge, and demographic factors. An online survey was employed to gather data on 137 participants’ perceptions and knowledge of psychedelic therapy. Results revealed a general consensus on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, with no significant differences between students and psychologists. Participants highlighted a notable lack of formal education on the subject, yet most expressed a desire for psychedelic therapy to be included in psychology training. The findings also revealed that higher levels of knowledge were associated with more favourable perceptions of psychedelic therapy. Personal experience with psychedelics was associated with both more favourable perceptions and higher levels of knowledge. Gender did not significantly impact perceptions or knowledge. These insights emphasize the need to address the shortage of trained providers and incorporate psychedelic therapy into psychology curricula so that that future psychologists are well-equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to incorporate this emerging field into their practice. The current findings provide important insights into the current understanding and attitudes toward psychedelic therapy within the field of psychology, particularly in Canada
Montane seasonal and elevational precipitation gradients in the southern Rockies of Alberta, Canada
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-NC 4.0) appliesModelling precipitation inputs in mountainous terrain is challenging for water resource managers given sparse monitoring sites and complex physical hydroclimatic processes. Government of Alberta weather station uncorrected and bias-corrected precipitation datasets were used to examine elevational precipitation gradients (EPGs) and seasonality of EPGs for six South-Saskatchewan River headwater sites (alpine, sub-alpine, valley). January EPG from valley to alpine sites (730 m elevation difference) using uncorrected precipitation was 19 mm/100 m. Corrected EPG was approximately three times greater (61 mm/100 m). The valley received more precipitation than the alpine (inverse EPG) in late spring and summer. A seasonal signal was present whereby all sites demonstrated 50%–70% lower summertime precipitation relative to winter months, with the greatest seasonal variance at the alpine site. Winter watershed-level spatialized precipitation volume was compared to modelled snow water equivalent (SWE) associated with two late-winter airborne lidar surveys. Uncorrected volumes (2020: 64.0 × 106m3, 2021: 63.2 × 106m3) were slightly higher than modelled mean SWE (2020: 51.6 × 106m3, 2021: 44.2 × 106m3) whereas bias-corrected (2020: 120.5 × 106m3, 2021: 119.7 × 106m3) almost doubled the estimate. Corrected precipitation is assumed closer to the true value. Cumulative sublimation, evaporation and snowmelt losses result in ground-level snowpack yield that deviates from total atmospheric precipitation in an increasingly negative manner. The 2020/2021 simulations suggest wintertime atmospheric precipitation exceeds late-winter snowpack accumulation by up to 57% and 63%, respectively. A loss of 16 × 106m3 (7%) watershed SWE from the alpine zone was partially attributed to redistribution downslope to the treeline-ecotone. Physical snowpack losses from sublimation and melt, or modelling uncertainty due to precipitation correction and alpine snow-density uncertainties can also contribute to observed discrepancies between in situ SWE and cumulative precipitation. Ignoring bias-correction in headwater precipitation estimates can greatly impact headwater precipitation volume estimates and ignoring EPG seasonality is likely to result in under-estimated winter and over-estimated summer yields.Ye
On the evolution of Pyrenophora tritici-repentis
No full textPyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr) is a globally distributed and economically important plant pathogen causing tan spot, a destructive foliar disease of wheat. The relatively recent emergence of Ptr provides a unique opportunity to better understand how necrotrophic pathogens evolve in modern agricultural systems. In this thesis, a variety of genomic and bioinformatic techniques were employed to examine the genomes of a large set of geographically diverse isolates with representatives from all of the established virulence races. These races contain different combinations of Ptrs three primary necrotrophic effectors: ToxA, ToxB, and ToxC. Comparison of total gene content between isolates found that Ptr possesses an open-pangenome, with a high accessory gene content (57%), and significant differences between pathogenic and non-pathogenic races. Putative effectors were found to be primarily accessory in nature, while carbohydrate-active enzymes associated with plant cell wall degradation were conserved. Gene distances and evolutionary rates suggest that the genomic architecture of Ptr is that of a ‘one-compartment’ genome despite having a high proportion of transposable elements (~18 to 25% of the genome). Significant chromosomal rearrangements were observed between isolates including the translocation of ToxA and the presence of ToxB within an accessory region. The translocation of ToxA, along with a 143 kbp region, was facilitated by the Starship transposon Horizon. Within Horizon, was nested the ToxhAT transposon which was responsible for the horizontal transfer of ToxA into Ptr. The accessory region which contains ToxB contained several Starship cargo genes but lacked other defining Starship characteristics, namely the requisite tyrosine recombinase. This region may be an accessory chromosomal arm, an ancient derelict Starship, or the beginning of genome compartmentalization. Detailed examination and extensive manual alignments between ToxB containing isolates revealed the presence of a Helitron-like transposable element, ToxB-HLE, which is replicating the ToxB gene in some isolates. Furthermore, two independent Copia retrotransposon insertions were found to be responsible for the disruption of ToxB thereby creating two of the known inactive toxb haplotypes. Finally, a genome wide association study revealed single-nucleotide polymorphisms significantly associated with the ToxC phenotype (-log(p) = 5.5). The nature of ToxC is unknown, and this analysis provides a number of candidate genes which may be involved in ToxC biosynthesis, secretion, or regulation. This body of work represents one of the most extensive examinations of the Ptr genome and its necrotrophic effectors preformed to-date and has shown that the pathogen exhibits high genome plasticity through not only through rearrangements but gene gains and losses as well. It also shows that transposons play a significant role in the evolution and adaptability of this global plant pathogen by mobilizing, replicating, and disrupting virulence genes
Ovule defects in Arabidopsis thaliana PIN localization pathway mutants lead to reduced seed set
No full textChapter 1:
Auxin is a plant hormone that is essential for a wide range of growth and developmental processes in plants. The coordinated, polar transport of auxin through plant tissues is crucial for proper development and function. The asymmetric localization of PIN-FORMED (PIN) proteins determines the directionality of auxin transport between cells and across a tissue, creating an auxin gradient that can influence gene expression and development. It is well known that auxin gradient establishment is vital for vegetative development, including leaf and root formation, but the involvement of auxin in reproductive development is less-well studied. The plasma-membrane localization of PIN proteins to direct auxin transport between cells is a critical process that involves a complex vesicle transport pathway and is regulated by a diverse set of genes. This review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the roles of PIN proteins during the development of the reproductive structures of a flower, the gynoecium and androecium, and describes some of the genes that have been proposed to function in this PIN localization pathway. Mainly, the importance of PIN1 localization and PIN1-mediated auxin transport for the development of the gynoecium, including the carpel tissue, ovary, ovules, and female gametophyte, is described in detail, emphasizing the importance of these processes during reproductive development in plants.
Chapter 2:
The formation of the gynoecium, including the stigma, style, transmitting tract, ovary, ovules, and female gametophytes requires the correct establishment of auxin gradients across a tissue directed by polar transport. PIN-FORMED (PIN) proteins are crucial for establishing local cellular auxin gradients that establish spatially organized auxin maxima and minima. PIN1 vesicle transport is tightly regulated by various genes that play a role in vesicle formation, transport, uncoating, and membrane localization. SCARFACE/VASCULAR NETWORK DEFECTIVE 3 (SFC/VAN3), FORKED1 (FKD1) & FORKED-LIKE (FL) Group 1 genes, COTYLEDON VASCULAR PATTERN 2 (CVP2) and CVP2-LIKE 1 (CVL1), PINOID (PID), and ROTUNDA3 (RON3) have all been proposed to be key players in the regulation of PIN1 vesicle trafficking. Mutations to these genes have been shown to disrupt PIN1 localization and lead to developmental defects such as impaired root development and vein formation. However, the role of these genes has not been previously characterized in gynoecium development, despite mutants showing severe reductions to seed set. This study examines the underlying causes of the seed set reductions present in fkd1/fl1-2/fl2/fl3, sfc-40, and cvp2/cvl1 mutants by analyzing reproductive development. Through manual pollination experiments, observation of pollen tube growth, and the analysis of ovule defects and pPIN1:PIN1-GFP expression during ovule development, I identified that reduced seed set in these mutants results from a gynoecium defect. Specifically, a reduced seed set involves altered ovule development, and I suggest that the observed morphological defects are consistent with alterations to PIN1 localization during early ovule development stages (2 ii-iii) in these mutants. This study suggests, for the first time, that SFC, FKD1, FL1, FL2, FL3, CVP2, and CVL1 play an important role in reproduction during ovule development.NSERC CGSM
Alberta Society of Professional Biologists
Western Grains Research Foundation
University of Lethbridg
The role of online communities for Canadian immigrants: knowledge and support systems provided by Reddit
No full textThis research study examined how Canadian newcomers seek and share settlement information on Reddit. Applying a transformative consumer research (TCR) lens, the research study explores motivational factors behind information sharing on social media within the context of the Canadian immigrant community on Reddit. The key hypothesized factors for immigrants’ motivations to share information regarding the Canadian immigrant settlement process on Reddit include empathy, sense of community, and advocacy and activism. The study analyzed 10 Reddit discussion threads obtained through data scraping, with a total of 691 comments after data cleaning, using qualitative content analysis as well as some quantitative analyses for hypothesis testing. The results of the study revealed a significant expression of shared experience and advocacy and activism within the Reddit conversations, as well as a small positive correlation and statistically significant relationship between empathy and shared experience. The findings also revealed that many immigrants tend to seek informal information and supports from Reddit, rather than through formal settlement support organizations such as government and non-profit organizations. Overall, this research study provides a better understanding of how settlement information is sought and shared by existing and prospective Canadian immigrants through Reddit discussion forums. These findings can benefit those engaged in transformative service research and social marketing efforts to facilitate immigrant settlement in Canada
Alkylamido lutetium complexes as prospective lutetium imido precursors: synthesis, characterization and ligand design
No full textOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC 3.0) appliesMixed alkylamido lutetium complexes, LiPrLu(CH2SiMe3)(NHCPh3) (7CPh3) and LiPrLu(CH2SiMe3)(NHDipp) (7Dipp) (LiPr = 2,5-[iPr2P = N(4-iPrC6H4)]2C4H2N−), were synthesized by addition of a bulky primary amine, NH2R (R = CPh3, Dipp) (Dipp = 2,6-iPr2C6H3) to the dialkyl complex LiPrLu(CH2SiMe3)2 (6). Unlike complexes supported by the related pincer ligand LPh (LPh = 2,5-[Ph2P = N(4-iPrC6H4)]2C4H2N−) these species proved resistant to C–H cyclometalative processes. Attempts to access lutetium imdes via addition of 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) to 7CPh3 and 7Dipp promoted disproportionation, affording 0.5 equivalents of the corresponding bisamide complexes LiPrLu(NHCPh3)2 (8CPh3) and LiPrLu(NHDipp)2 (8Dipp), respectively, as well as 0.5 equivalents of LiPrLu(CH2SiMe3)2, which decomposed in the presence of DMAP. Incorporation of internal Lewis bases was accomplished by replacing the N-aryl substituents in LiPr with 4,6-dimethylpyrimidine groups (LPm, 11). The correspondng dialkyl lutetium complex LPmLu(CH2SiMe3)2 (12) was prepared, from which loss of SiMe4 occured over a period of hours in benzene-d6 solution.Ye
The effects of generation anxiety on post-secondary mental health outcomes: Implications for service providers and educators
No full textDespite increased access to mental health services, Generation Z reports the highest rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. Guided by Life Course Theory, this study examined how environmental, technological, and socioeconomic conditions influence youth mental health, with a focus on generation-specific anxieties related to climate change, artificial intelligence, and financial concerns. A mixed-methods design was employed, drawing on quantitative data from 586 post-secondary students using standardized mental health and anxiety scales, along with qualitative responses to open-ended questions. Pearson correlations and stepwise linear regressions revealed that financial anxiety was the strongest predictor of depression, anxiety, and stress. Eco-anxiety and AI anxiety also contributed to mental health outcomes in nuanced ways. Although proposed moderators did not significantly alter these relationships, factors such as social isolation, social support, and daily internet use were independently associated with mental health outcomes. Qualitative data reinforced these findings, with students expressing concern about financial insecurity, environmental degradation, and the impact of AI on job security. These findings highlight the need for clinicians, educators, and policymakers to develop targeted supports and policy responses that address the broader structural pressures affecting the psychological well-being of Generation Z
Factors predicting internet gaming disorder: the role of congruent communication
No full textPrevious research has highlighted separate associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), family satisfaction, emotion regulation, psychological distress in relation to Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). However, the role of communication was under-examined. Further, the specific pathways and interactions among relevant variables remain under-explored. This study aims to introduce congruent communication as a new variable and its role in internet gaming disorder and determine its relationship with other salient variables found in earlier studies correlated with IGD. This cross-sectional study recruited 179 Canadian emerging adults (ages 18–29) identified as at risk for IGD who were examined for ACEs, family satisfaction, psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, and congruent communication. Pearson correlation analyses revealed that higher ACE scores were significantly associated with greater emotion dysregulation, psychological distress, congruent communication, and lower family satisfaction. IGD severity (GAS-7) was positively correlated with emotion dysregulation and negatively associated with congruent communication and psychological well-being. Multiple regression analysis showed that the combined model of psychosocial predictors significantly accounted for variance in IGD severity, R² = .094, F (5, 173) = 3.575, p = .004. However, only congruent communication was a significant predictor of IGD severity, suggesting an interactive effect of variables and the importance of congruent communication in predicting IGD. These findings suggest that while ACEs and emotion dysregulation factors are significantly associated with IGD, their predictive power may operate in complex, overlapping ways with family dissatisfaction, psychological distress, and congruent communication. The result of this study indicates that congruent communication is a potentially significant variable for IGD in addiction counselling