4,517 research outputs found
Prentice Post (Summer 2015)
No full textHighlights the Prentice Institute's activities, initiatives and research affiliations.Inside this issue:
The Prentice Institute does research on
the changing human population and its
potential impacts on social and economic
issues, and communicates its findings
widely.
The Prentice Institute and its research
collaborators seek to understand long-term
changes in the human and economic
environments, within a historical context,
with particular attention to the role human
actions play in influencing those out-comes.
We conduct and integrate research on the
dynamics of Canadian and global demog-raphy
and their impacts on economic well-being
through migration, culture, trade
and natural resource availability.
We communicate widely the output of our
work and that of others to stimulate fur-ther
research and to enable individuals,
governments, and corporations to make
better-informed decisions. We educate
students and future researchers.
Director’s Note & Name our ‘Duck’ 1
Prentice Institute Publication 1
Prentice Institute Post—Docs 2
Prentice Institute News 3-4
Recognitions 5
Book Publications, 2013-2015 6-7
Public Lectures Spring 2015 8
Mission Statement
1
Di rec tor’ s Note
Prentice Post Summer 2015
Prent ice Institute Publicat ion
Summer 2015 is far from a time of fun in
the sun for us in the Prentice Institute. It is
full steam ahead with our many research
and outreach endeavours. Many of us
associated with the Prentice Institute are
giving research papers at various
conferences. And all are busy doing research
and writing up our research for publication.
The reach and recognition of the
Prentice Institute grows each year locally,
nationally and internationally. Our research
is always peer-reviewed and academic. This
gives the research we do a special credibility
and helps build our reputation across the
world. You will get a sense of the breadth
and amount of research we are doing from
checking the URL below. This will take you
to a summary report of our research over
only a two year period. It will be apparent
why the reach and reputation of the
Prentice Institute is growing by leaps and
bounds.
Wishing all our followers and supporters an
enjoyable summer.
~Susan A. McDaniel
Who is the ‘duck’ in
gumboots? Well, let me
introduce this duck, which
is actually a gull. What
everyone in the Prentice
Institute refers to as a
duck, seems to make an
appearance every time I
appear in any news story
that includes a photo. This
is one photogenic ‘duck’ so
we thought maybe she/he
has become our mascot.
She/he may need a name.
Suggestions welcome.
The Prentice Institute has published a summary report
showcasing the outstanding research done by our many
afiliates at the University of Lethbridge, across Canada
and over-seas. Covering the academic years of 2013-
2015, this publication highlights the numerous ways our
affiliates contribute to their diverse fields of study.
Included is how active many of them are in outreach to
their communities and society at large. We are proud to
present our research, please go to: http://issuu.com/
prenticeinstitute/docs/research_affiliate_book
Prentice Post Summer 2015
2
Prent ice Inst itute Post Docs
Prentice Institute Post Doc Dr. Jing Shen says goodbye
Dr. Andrew Patterson joins us from the
University of British Columbia where he
completed his Ph.D. in Sociology. His
research compares the impact of political
regimes on population health. He finds a surprisingly strong relationship
between democratic governance and population health. As part of his post-doctoral
research, he intends to compare more regime types, further
exploring the relationship between democracy, economic prosperity and
health, attempting to discern why neither systems of accountability for
leaders’ decisions nor social inequalities act as mediators. He is very keen
to analyse causes and explanations of the relationship of governance to
population health, relying on an ecological
perspective.
We are sad to see Jing leave our Institute early. She completes her journey here on
April 30th and will return to her husband in Toronto shortly thereafter.
We wish you well Jing, with all your future endeavours!
Dr. Daniel Dutton is currently a Research Associate at The School of
Public Policy, University of Calgary. His training is in population health and
economics and he has a special interest in how policy can change
population-level health outcomes. In the past he worked for the Ontario
Ministry of Finance before moving to Alberta for his Ph.D.
On a side note, in a funny email exchange, Daniel wanted me to mention that
he is very disorganized . I don’t believe it.
The Prentice Institute has two new Post-Docs ~ July 2015
Dr . S e o n g - ge e Um, f o rme r p o s t - d o c t o r a l fe l l ow a t t he P r e n t ic e
In s t i t u t e , i s n o t o n l y c o - a u t h o r wi th S u s a n McDa n i e l o f t h e re ce n t l y
p u b l i s h e d 2 0 1 5 b o o k , S t at e s an d M ark e t s : Pu b l i c Po l i c y i n Can ad a
(Ox f o r d Un i ve r s i t y P r e s s ) , b u t s h e h a s r e c e n tl y b e e n awa r d e d a
p e rma n e nt j o b a s Re se a r c he r wi t h th e We l l e s l e y In s t i t u t e i n
T o r o n t o . h t t p :/ /ww w.we l l e s l e yi n s t i t u t e .c om/
Congratulations Seong -gee!
(We l l e s l e y i s d e d i c a t e d t o u r b a n h ea l t h )
Summer 2015 Prentice Post
@PrenticInst The www.uleth.ca/prenticeinstitute Prentice Institute
3
New a f f i l i at e
He r b Eme r y
Give the gift of reading
A people-to-people initiative to rebuild school
libraries in disaster-affected communities
ReadWorld Foundation has sent over 30 boxes of
donated books to Tacloban City, Philippines to help
rebuild libraries in public schools affected by super
typhoon Haiyan. This was made possible by the
generosity of the Lethbridge community- schools,
students, teachers, parents, colleagues, friends,
residents, and West Lethbridge Lions Club.
Update:
It takes more than 1 box to reconstruct libraries damaged by the strongest typhoon ever recorded. The Lethbridge community has
continued donate books and we need to ship them. We are looking for sponsors to help us send these books to the Philippines.
Shipping cost of 1 standard box (18 x 18 x 33) is $90. Please contact [email protected] if you wish to become a
sponsor. We accept individual, group, and corporate sponsorship.
Prent ice Inst itute News
The Prentice Institute is pleased to welcome
Our Newest Research Affiliate (International)
Dr. Shirley Hsiao-Li Sun, Associate Professor of Sociology, School of
Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Dr. Shirley Hsiao-Li Sun studies family, population and genomic medicine in
global contexts. She was a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Brit-ish
Columbia (UBC) for AY2014-2015, while on sabbatical leave from Nanyang
Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. She is a graduate of New York
University, and the author of Population Policy and Reproduction in Singapore:
Making Future Citizens (Routledge, 2012).
More about her work can be found at http://works.bepress.com/shirleysun.
ReadWorld Foundation
Founding President, Prentice Institute Research Affiliate, Glenda Bonifacio
IS THIS HOW YOU FEEL?
http://isthishowyoufeel.weebly.com/this-is-how-scientists-feel.html (James Byrne)
In the Media
4
News Cont inues
Prentice Post Summer 2015
Gender, Migration and the Work of Care, SSHRC Partnership Project
Sub-Project Title: Demography, Economics and Policy
Domain: Structural Factors a in the Supply & Demand for Care
Under the direction of Susan McDaniel, Sub-project lead and
Co-Investigator of overall project, participants gathered from
across Canada to share ongoing research, discuss
collaborations and set deliverable outcomes.
The Workshop began with a social evening followed by an
intensive day of presentations and round-table discussions. The
major topics included: an overview of the larger project; global
migration, inequality, ageing populations, transnationalism;
temporary foreign workers, low-skilled vs high skilled, human
capital, deskilling; pathways to migration, world system theory,
institutional theory, social network theory; reproductive labour
vs productive labour, comparison research, mutually dependent
care chains; producer lead migration, consumer lead migration,
retirement migration and many others. The working day ended
with renewed connections and clear ideas where the research
and collaborations are.
Front Left - Right
Zenaida Ravanera (Western University), Matthew Kerr (University of Lethbridge), Alex Zanidean (University of Lethbridge), Mon ica van Huystee
(Citizenship and Immigration Canada), Seong-gee Um (University of Montreal), Shirley Hsiao-Li Sun (,Nanyang Technological University) Glenda
Bonifacio (University of Lethbridge)
Standing Left – Right
Teresa Abada (Western University), Peter Kellett (University of Lethbridge), Leanne Little (University of Lethbridge), Susan McDaniel (University of
Lethbridge), John Rietschlin (Employment & Social Development Canada), Ito Peng (University of Toronto)
03.11.2015
Economist and Prentice Institute Research Affiliate Richard E. Mueller from the
University of Lethbridge lectured at UM (Universidad De Montevideo)
On March 11, Richard E. Mueller from the University of Lethbridge visited the UM. He met with authorities and
students and lectured in the cycle of seminars of the School of Economics. Researchers Alejandro Cid, Ana Balsa,
Marcelo Caffera, Ignacio Presno and Daniel Ferrés attended his talk.
He presented his research on access to
post-secondary education and also
reported the attendance rates to university
among children who were immigrants or
were born to immigrant parents. He finds
that these children are more likely to
attend post-secondary education than
non-immigrant youth.
www.um.edu.uy/international/news/148-
economist-from-the-university-of-lethbridge-
at-the-um/
Prentice Post Summer 2015
5
25 years ~ Pamela Winsor, Education
15 years ~ James Graham, New Media - Abdie Kazemipur, Sociology - Heidi MacDonald, History
Richard Mueller, Economics and Wei Xu, Geography
10 years ~ Henning Bjornlund (retired 2015), Economics and Bonnie Lee, Health Science
Retiree Recognition ~ Peter McCormick, Political Science
40 years ~ Reginald Bibby, Sociology, and Peter McCormick
Prentice Institute Research Affiliate Annual Long Service Awards and Retiree Recognition, UofL
May 2015
The sun never sets on the age of e-globalization
Prentice Institute Research Affiliate, Constantine Passaris
troymedia.com
Electronic interconnectedness - e-globalization - is the virtual glue that holds the
contemporary global economy together.
U of L sociologist & Prentice Institute Research
Affiliate Kazemipur wins prestigious book award
Dr. Abdie Kazemipur, a University of Lethbridge professor of sociology and
the University Scholar research chair in social sciences, has been named by
the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) as this year’s recipient of
The John Porter Tradition of Excellence Book Award for his recent book
The Muslim Question in Canada: A Story of Segmented Integration
(2014, UBC Press).
Reg Bibby
6
Please take the time to check out all of our affiliates publications, news releases, conferences and opportunities on the
Prentice Institute website www.uleth.ca/prenticeintsitute
Prentice Post Summer 2015
Book Publicat ions 2013-2015
7
Prentice Post Summer 2015
To be added or removed from the Prentice Institute Newsletter list
please email [email protected]
Summer 2015 Prentice Post
8
For more videos from the Prentice Institute go to the website at ww.uleth.ca/prenticeinstitute or type Prentice Institute on YouTube
We had a well r ounded and infor mative ar r ay of Br own Bag lectur es this last semester and ar e alr eady wor king on
our upcoming sessions. We encourage all of you to watch our webpage for upcoming Brown Bag events.
Friday 9 January 2015
“Canadian Families and Care-Related Expenses”
Karen Duncan, Associate Professor, Department of Family Social Sciences, University of Manitoba
Thursday 5 February 2015
“Host Cities and the Olympics: An Uneasy Relationship?”
Harry H. Hiller, Director of The Cities and the Olympics Project and Faculty Professor of Urban Sociology at the
University of Calgary
Thursday 12 March 2015
“The Resource Curse: The Challenges of Managing an Economy Dependent on Volatile Commodity Prices”
Herbert Emery, Prentice Institute Research Affiliate, Program Director for Health Policy in the School of Public
Policy, University of Calgary and Managing Editor of Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de politiques
Thursday 9 April 2015
“International Development, Poverty, and Income Differentials: A Special Reference to Sub-Saharan Africa”
Alexander Darku, Associate Director, Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy,
Associate Professor, Economics
Department, University of Lethbridge
Wednesday 22 April 2015
“Personalized Medicine and Asian DNA: Pharmacogenomics and Market Forces”
Dr. Shirley Hsiao-Li Sun, Associate Professor, Sociology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
The Prentice Institute
Brown Bag Series – Winter & Spring 2015
On Thursday, March 12, 2015 the Prentice Institute hosted an evening Cafe Conversation discussion panel at
Osho Restaurant. Panelists included Trevor Harrison, Associate Dir ector Pr entice Institute, Pr ofessor of So-ciology,
UofL and Director of Parkland Institute, Herbert Emery, Prentice Institute Research Affiliate, Program
Director for Health Policy in the School of Public Policy, UofC and Managing Editor of Canadian Public Policy/
Analyse de politiques Geoffrey E. Hale, Professor, Department of Political Science, UofL. Moderated by Pamela
Winsor, Pr entice Institute Resear ch Affiliate Pr ofessor , Faculty of Education, Uof
In rural Gambia, do adolescents have increased nutritional vulnerability compared to adults?
No full textAdolescents may be particularly susceptible to malnutrition due to the energy and nutrient costs of the pubertal growth spurt. The aim of this study was to compare differences in selected markers of nutritional status between adolescents and adults in rural Gambia.The Keneba Biobank collects cross-sectional data and samples for all consenting individuals resident in the West Kiang region of The Gambia. For this study, participants between the ages of 10 and 40 years (y) were selected (n = 4201, female 2447). Height, body mass index, body composition, haemoglobin concentration, fasting glucose concentration and blood pressure were compared using linear regression models adjusting for age, parity, season of measurement and residence, across three age groups: early adolescent (10-14.9y), late adolescent (15-19.9y) and adult (20-39.9y).Adolescents, particularly early adolescent girls and boys, were shorter, lighter and leaner than adults. By late adolescence differences were smaller, particularly in girls where, notably, the prevalence of overweight, hypertension and impaired fasting glucose was low. Given the importance of maternal health for reproductive outcomes and intergenerational health, the results of the study, albeit with limited biomarkers available, indicate adolescent girls are no more compromised than adult women or males from the same population
Determinants of appropriate child health and nutrition practices among women in rural Gambia.
No full textHealth education and awareness involves providing knowledge about causes of illness and choices to promote a change in individual behaviour and, thus, improves survival of individuals. Studies have, however, shown that improved knowledge and awareness is not always translated into appropriate actions. This study aimed at exploring the factors determining mothers' choices of appropriate child health and nutrition practices in the Gambia. Eight focus-group discussions (FGDs) were held with 63 women whose children had been seen at the Keneba MRC Clinic within the 12 months preceding the study. The FGDs were analyzed using a thematic framework. Gender inequality, presence or absence of support networks, alternative explanatory models of malnutrition, and poverty were identified as the main factors that would determine the ability of a mother to practise what she knows about child health and nutrition. The findings highlight the need to consider the broader social, cultural and economic factors, including the value of involving men in childcare, when designing nutritional interventions
TV and Inactivity Are Separate Contributors to Metabolic Risk Factors in Children
No full textInterventions against childhood obesity will need to target both excess TV viewing and physical inactivity "separately, yet together," say Prentice and Jebb
Dietary fat intake and obesity : an empirical study in Greek adults.
No full textThe empirical evidence concerning the
associations
between
diet,
particularly
fat intake,
and
obesity is inconclusive.
The aim of the present study was to investigate
cross-sectional
associations
between
general
and central adiposity, and dietary and other
socio-demographic
and
behavioural factors
influencing energy balance. Study subjects were
961
women and
596
men
aged
30-75
years
who participated in the Greek segment of the
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer
and Nutrition (EPIC) Study.
General obesity was evaluated by Body Mass Index
(BMI)
and
central
obesity
by Waist to
Hip ratio (WHR) and Waist Circumference (WC).
Dietary intake
was
estimated
through
a
validated semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire
(FFQ)
obtained
at
baseline. Time
weighted occupational and leisure activities, as well as
socio-demographic
and
behavioural
data were assessed through a life-style questionnaire.
The
methodological
issues
related
to
under-reporting and adjustment for energy
intake have been
considered
in depth.
Obesity indices (BMI, WHR, WC) were
initially
regressed,
separately
for
men
and
women,
on energy intake and energy expenditure, after
adjusting
for the
confounding
effects
of
age,
socio-economic status and smoking
habits
and controlling
for dietary
under-reporting.
Results indicated that increasing physical
activity
is less
effective than
decreasing
energy
intake in reducing BMI. WHR and
WC
were
not affected
by
energy
intake,
whilst
energy
expenditure reduced WHR and WC independently
of
BMI.
Obesity indices (BMI, WHR, WC) were
subsequently
regressed
on
nutrient
intake
after
controlling for the confounding effects
of
energy
intake,
energy
expenditure,
age, socio-
economic status and smoking habits, including
and
excluding under-reporters
of energy
intake. Among women, but not men, the
nutrient
more
strongly
positively
associated
to
BMI
was protein and to a lesser extent mono-unsaturated
and total fat intake. WHR
and
WC
do
not seem to be differentially affected
by
energy
equivalent
amounts
of
energy
generating
nutrients
Save the Date: 2024 Book & Author Event
No full textThe Friends of the Texas Medical Center Library invite you to save the date for the 2024 Book & Author EVENT featuring Jennifer M. Ross-Nazzal, PhD author of Making Space for Women: Stories from Trailblazing Women of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Join us Friday, October8, 20124 at 6:00 pm in the TMC Library. Details and tickets will be available soon: http://library.tmc.edu/friends-event
Verification Conditions are Code
No full textThis paper presents a new theoretical result concerning Hoare Logic. It is shown here that the verification conditions which support a Hoare Logic program derivation are themselves sufficient to construct a correct implementation of the given pre-, post- condition specification. This property is mainly of theoretical interest, though it is possible that it may have some practical use, for example if predicative programming methodology is adopted. The result is shown to hold for both the original, partial correctness, Hoare logic, and also a variant for total correctness derivations
Duration of Adulthood Overweight, Obesity, and Cancer Risk in the Women's Health Initiative: A Longitudinal Study from the United States.
No full textBackgroundHigh body mass index (BMI) has become the leading risk factor of disease burden in high-income countries. While recent studies have suggested that the risk of cancer related to obesity is mediated by time, insights into the dose-response relationship and the cumulative impact of overweight and obesity during the life course on cancer risk remain scarce. To our knowledge, this study is the first to assess the impact of adulthood overweight and obesity duration on the risk of cancer in a large cohort of postmenopausal women.Methods and findingsParticipants from the observational study of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) with BMI information from at least three occasions during follow-up, free of cancer at baseline, and with complete covariate information were included (n = 73,913). Trajectories of BMI across ages were estimated using a quadratic growth model; overweight duration (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), obesity duration (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), and weighted cumulative overweight and obese years, which take into account the degree of overweight and obesity over time (a measure similar to pack-years of cigarette smoking), were calculated using predicted BMIs. Cox proportional hazard models were applied to determine the cancer risk associated with overweight and obesity duration. In secondary analyses, the influence of important effect modifiers and confounders, such as smoking status, postmenopausal hormone use, and ethnicity, was assessed. A longer duration of overweight was significantly associated with the incidence of all obesity-related cancers (hazard ratio [HR] per 10-y increment: 1.07, 95% CI 1.06-1.09). For postmenopausal breast and endometrial cancer, every 10-y increase in adulthood overweight duration was associated with a 5% and 17% increase in risk, respectively. On adjusting for intensity of overweight, these figures rose to 8% and 37%, respectively. Risks of postmenopausal breast and endometrial cancer related to overweight duration were much more pronounced in women who never used postmenopausal hormones. This study has limitations because some of the anthropometric information was obtained from retrospective self-reports. Furthermore, data from longitudinal studies with long-term follow-up and repeated anthropometric measures are typically subject to missing data at various time points, which was also the case in this study. Yet, this limitation was partially overcome by using growth curve models, which enabled us to impute data at missing time points for each participant.ConclusionsIn summary, this study showed that a longer duration of overweight and obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing several forms of cancer. Furthermore, the degree of overweight experienced during adulthood seemed to play an important role in the risk of developing cancer, especially for endometrial cancer. Although the observational nature of our study precludes inferring causality or making clinical recommendations, our findings suggest that reducing overweight duration in adulthood could reduce cancer risk and that obesity prevention is important from early onset. If this is true, health care teams should recognize the potential of obesity management in cancer prevention and that excess body weight in women is important to manage regardless of the age of the patient
Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in relation to gut integrity, growth and cognitive development of rural African children
No full textBackground
and
rationale:
Weaning
foods
fed
to
infants
in
rural
Gambia
are
often
contaminated,
resulting
in
infections
which
contribute
to
initiating
a
persistent
inflammation
of
the
gut.
This
enteropathy,
which
causes
intestinal
damage
and
malabsorption,
is
strongly
associated
with
the
high
degree
of
growth
faltering
seen
in
Gambian
infants.
There
is
evidence
that
supplementary
omega-3
long-chain
polyunsaturated
fatty
acids
(n-3
LCPs)
might
ameliorate
this
damage
by
reducing
gastro-intestinal
inflammation.
Additionally,
n-3
LCPs
have
been
shown
to
benefit
mental
development
and
problem-solving
ability
in
infants,
but
this
has
not
yet
been
tested
in
an
African
population.
Methods:
A
randomised,
double-blind,
controlled
trial
(500mg
combined
n-3
LCPs
per
day
for
six
months)
was
conducted
in
a
population
of
rural
African
infants
aged
3
months
-
9
months.
The
primary
outcomes
were
infant
anthropometric
indicators
and
gut
integrity
(measured
by
urinary
lactulose-mannitol
ratios).
Plasma
fatty
acid
status
(plasma
fatty
acid
profiles),
cognitive
development
(Willatts
Test
and
an
attention
assessment
at
12
months
of
age),
intestinal
mucosal
inflammation
(faecal
calprotectin),
and
daily
morbidities
were
the
secondary
outcome
measures.
Results:
One-hundred
and
seventy-two
Gambian
infants
completed
the
trial.
Except
for
an
increase
in
mid-upper-arm
circumference
z-scores
in
the
intervention
group
(95%
Cl:
0.06,0.56;
p=0.017),
no
significant
differences
between
treatment
groups
were
detected
for
growth
and
lactulose-mannitol
ratios
at
9
months.
At
12
months
mid-upper-arm
circumference
remained
greater
in
the
intervention
group,
and
significant
increases
in
skinfold
thicknesses
were
detected
(pSO.022
for
ali).
Supplementation
resulted
in
a
significant
increase
in
plasma
n-3
LCP
levels
(p<O.001)
and
decrease
in
n-6
LCP:n-3
LCP
ratios
(p<O.OOl).
Plasma
n-6
fatty
acid
levels
were
not
affected.
No
difference
was
detected
for
the
other
secondary
outcomes.
Conclusion:
Fish
oil
supplementation
proved
safe
and
successfully
increased
plasma
n-3
fatty
acid
status,
but
the
results
of
this
trial
do
not
support
the
use
of
supplementary
n-3
LCPs
in
young,
breast-fed,
rural
Gambian
infants
for
improving
overall
growth
performance,
intestinal
integrity,
and
cognitive
development,
or
reducing
intestinal
and
systemic
inflammatio
- …
