410 research outputs found
The influence of propagule pressure on community diversity and invasion success in an aquatic protist system:
No full textPropagule pressure, the size and frequency with which invaders enter an area, may influence many aspects of invasion. Using a bacterivorous protist model system, this study examines the effect of propagule pressure on the diversity of established communities, the success of invaders, and the effect invaders have on the established community. Increasing propagule size and frequency significantly increased diversity and species richness and decreased dominance in three experimental protist communities. Propagule pressure also significantly influenced invasion. Increasing propagule pressure promoted establishment and invasion success, and reduced probability of stochastic extinction, of slow-growing invaders. Increasing propagule pressure also enhanced the growth of fast-growing invaders, but only up to a point. Further increase in propagule pressure diminished growth. Propagule size and frequency interacted in influencing invasion, with the outcome related to the invader’s growth rate. Fast-growing protist invaders achieved the greatest success when introduced in one large inoculation, while the success of the slow-growing invaders was enhanced by high propagule frequency. In this study, high values of propagule pressure enhanced the coexistence of protist species, established and invasive, and might therefore create a positive regional diversity-invasibility relationship in natural protist communities.Invasion success might be described by a general Gaussian dose-response curve, the placement of specific propagule pressure values on the curve determined by a species’ realized growth rate. Slow-growing invaders reach saturation at high values of propagule size and frequency, while fast-growing invaders show saturation at much lower values. In this system, propagule pressure has a strong indirect influence on the growth of individual established species and the degree to which invasion affects community diversity, richness, and evenness. Invaders have a particularly strong effect on slow-growing established species. Fast-growing invaders have especially powerful effects on established species. The effect the invader has on the specific species composing the community determines species richness and evenness, and ultimately, community diversity. In this way, propagule pressure plays an important role in the complex interaction of factors that influence the effect invasion has on the established community.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical references (p. 303-314)by Caroline Alexandra Maie
Proposition et validation d’un nouveau modèle sur l’intention de quitter des omnipraticiens
No full textLa pénurie de médecins est une problématique que partagent plusieurs pays. Le Canada et particulièrement la province de Québec ne font pas exception à cette pénurie. Cette situation nous a amené à vouloir mieux comprendre le processus de la rétention des médecins, en particulier chez les omnipraticiens. La littérature ne semble pas suggérer de modèle sur la rétention en lien avec une population de médecins. Cette thèse comble, entre autres, cette lacune en suggérant une extension à un modèle de base sur le stress (Job Demands-Resources : JD-R) en y ajoutant le conflit travail-famille (CTF) et en l’appliquant à l’intention de quitter des omnipraticiens. Cette thèse vise donc à comprendre les phénomènes qui expliquent les relations entre le CTF, les exigences et les ressources au travail et l’intention de quitter chez les omnipraticiens. Le premier article de thèse est une recension des écrits sur les sujets du modèle JD-R, du CTF et de l’intention de quitter des médecins, menant à la proposition du nouveau modèle : Conflit exigences-ressources (CE-R). Dans le deuxième article, l’utilisation de modélisation par équations structurelles permet de vérifier la performance du nouveau modèle proposé et confirme les relations significatives entre les exigences/ressources au travail, le CTF et l’intention de quitter. L’effet structurel des exigences au travail sur l’intention de quitter l’emploi chemine en premier lieu à travers le CTF, puis à travers l’engagement et l’épuisement. De plus, les résultats soulignent l’importance de la satisfaction au travail et du CTF dans le modèle CE-R sur l’intention de quitter des omnipraticiens. Le troisième et dernier article propose l’élaboration d’une typologie sur l’intention de quitter qui se base sur le CTF et les ressources au travail comme dimensions expliquant ce phénomène. Les régressions logistiques multinomiales permettent de suggérer que la satisfaction reliée aux exigences en emploi, l’épuisement, l’environnement de travail, l’âge et le fait d’avoir des enfants contribuent à expliquer de façon significative la probabilité que les médecins se retrouvent dans le groupe affichant une intention de quitter la plus faible.The shortage of physicians is a problem faced by many countries. Canada and particularly the province of Quebec are no exceptions to this shortage. This situation has led us to want to better understand the process of physician retention, particularly among general practitioners. The literature does not seem to suggest a specific model for this population. This thesis fills this gap by suggesting an extension to an existing model based on stress (Job Demands-Resources: JD-R) by adding work-family conflict (WFC) and applying it to the intent to leave of general practitioners. Therefore, this thesis aims to understand the phenomena that explain the relationship between WFC, demands and resources at work and the intent to leave of general practitioners. The first paper of the thesis is a literature review on the subjects of the JD-R model, WFC and the physicians’ intent to leave, leading to the proposal of a new model: Demands-Resources Conflict (D-RC). In the second paper, the use of structural equations modeling allows us to verify the performance of the new proposed model and confirms the significant relationship between job resources and job demands, WFC and intent to leave. The structural effect of the job demands on the intent to leave this job travels first through WFC, then through commitment and exhaustion. In addition, it suggests the importance of job satisfaction and of WFC in the D-RC model on the intent to leave of general practitioners. The third and last paper proposes the development of a typology on the intent to leave based on the WFC and the satisfaction of job resources as dimensions explaining this phenomenon. Multinomial logistic regressions allow us to suggest that satisfaction related to job demands, to exhaustion, to the work environment, to age and to having children help significantly explain the likelihood that physicians will end up in the group showing the lowest intent to leave
En systematisk översiktsartikel
No full textSahlgrenska Academy
at University of Gothenburg
Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition
Abstract
Title: A vegetarian diet, a possible treatment complement for relief of symptoms of
rheumatoid arthritis? A systematic review.
Author: Alexandra Ahlsén and Caroline Forsberg
Supervisor: Mette Axelsen
Examiner: Anna Winkvist
Programme: Dietician study programme, 180/240 ECTS
Type of paper: Examination paper, 15 hp
Date: May 22, 2012
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic remitting polyarthritis that is relapsing.
Symptoms are inflammation of the joints with pain, stiffness and degradation of joint tissue.
In some cases, also other parts of the body are involved. The treatment consists of
medications to reduce pain, inflammation and degradation of joint tissue. Today, the offered
nutritional treatment is primarily focused on meeting energy requirements and nutrient needs.
The diet has also been discussed as symptomatic treatment, and one of the factors believed to
influence the symptoms is meat.
Objective: To assess the evidence as to whether a vegetarian diet affects the symptoms of
rheumatoid arthritis, and if so, to suggest how it can be implemented in practical dietetics
work.
Search strategy The databases used in the literature search was PubMed, Scopus, and AMED.
The search words used were: "rheumatiod arthritis", "vegetarian", "vegan", "diet", "meat" and
"animal protein".
Selection criteria: Studies investigating a vegetarian diet on the symptoms of RA were
included. Only RCT, clinical trial, controlled clinical trial, human studies and original articles
in English or Swedish were included. Studies that only studied fasting or elemental diet were
excluded.
Data collection and analysis: Two studies matched the above mentioned inclusion criteria
and had moderate study quality. The conclusions were graded according to GRADE on the
following outcome measures: pain, number of tender joints, duration of morning stiffness, and
the inflammation markers ESR and CRP.
5
Main results:
There is no basis for the effect of vegetarian diet on pain in patients with RA (very
low evidence strength).
A vegetarian diet might perhaps reduce the number of tender joints, the duration of
morning stiffness nor the inflammation markers ESR and CRP in people with RA
compared to an omnivore diet (low evidence strength).
Conclusions: As one study points to significant positive effect, and another study on
insignificant results of vegetarian diet on symptoms of RA, it is concluded that vegetarian diet
may affect the symptoms. However, based on the documentary evidence, this is not
recommended as a general treatment for all patients with RA, but should not be discouraged if
the patient is interested in this as a complement to traditional treatment.Sahlgrenska Akademin
vid Göteborgs universitet
Avdelningen för invärtesmedicin och klinisk nutrition
Sammanfattning
Titel: Vegetarisk kost, ett möjligt behandlingskomplement för symtomlindring vid
reumatoid artrit? En systematisk översiktsartikel.
Författare: Alexandra Ahlsén och Caroline Forsberg
Handledare: Mette Axelsen
Examinator: Anna Winkvist
Linje: Dietistprogrammet, 180/240 hp
Typ av arbete: Examensarbete, 15 hp
Datum: 2012-05-22
Bakgrund: Reumatoid artrit (RA) är en kronisk förlöpande polyartrit som går i skov.
Symtomen är inflammation i leder med smärta, stelhet och nedbrytning av ledvävnad. I vissa
fall engageras även andra delar av kroppen. Behandlingen utgörs av olika läkemedel för att
minska smärta, inflammation samt lednedbrytning. I dagsläget är den kostbehandling som
erbjuds främst fokuserad på att tillgodose energi- och näringsbehov. Kosten har dock även
diskuteras som symtomlindrande behandling, och en av de faktorer som tros kan inverka på
symtomen är kött.
Syfte: Att undersöka det vetenskapliga underlaget för om en vegetarisk kost kan påverka
symtomen vid ledgångsreumatism och föreslå hur det i så fall kan implementeras i det
praktiska dietistarbetet.
Sökväg: De databaser som användes vid litteratursökningen var PubMed, Scopus och AMED.
De sökord som användes var: "rheumatiod arthritis", "vegetarian", "vegan", "diet", "meat"och
"animal protein".
Urvalskriterier: Studier inkluderades som studerat en vegetarisk kosts påverkan på RA. RCT,
clinical trial, controlled clinical trial, humanstudier samt orginalartiklar på svenska eller
engelska var andra inklusionskrav. Studier exkluderades som enbart studerat fasta eller
elementalkost.
Datainsamling och analys: Två studier matchade ovanstående inklusionskrav samt uppnådde
medelhög studiekvalitet. Slutsatser evidensgraderades enligt GRADE med avseende på
effektmåtten smärta, antal ömma leder, morgonstelhetens varaktighet samt
inflammationsmarkörerna ESR och CRP.
Resultat
Det saknas underlag för effekten av vegetarisk kost på smärta vid RA (mycket låg
evidensstyrka).
Vegetarisk kost tycks eventuellt minska antalet ömma leder, morgonstelhetens
varaktighet eller inflammatiosmarkörerna ESR och CRP, hos personer med RA
jämfört med omnivor kost (låg evidensstyrka).
Slutsats: Då en studie pekar på signifikant positiv effekt och en annan studie på osignifikanta
resultat av vegetarisk kost på symtom vid RA, dras slutsatsen att vegetarisk kost eventuellt
kan påverka symtomen. Baserat på detta underlag kan dock inte detta rekommenderas som en
generell behandling till alla patienter med RA, men bör inte avrådas ifrån om patienten är
intresserad av detta som ett behandlingskomplement
Changes in students’ achievement motivation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A function of extraversion/introversion?
No full textAbstract: Students’ mental health has been an increased concern since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, academic outcomes have received very little attention. In this study, changes in students’ achievement motivation are investigated using an expectancy–value framework. Partici- pants (n = 90) were high school students (grades 9 and 10) who reported on their expectancy and value perceptions in regard to learning before and during the pandemic (i.e., January and Novem- ber 2020). Changes over time and as a function of extraversion/introversion were analyzed using repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs). Most perceptions were found to be stable with the exception of interest in learning, which increased as a function of extraversion. Results are discussed in light of relevant pre-pandemic evidence
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on French-Canadian adolescents' academic motivation : a follow-up study
No full textWe previously shared results suggesting that the academic motivation of a sample of French-Canadian adolescents remained stable from few weeks before the first wave to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We here examine if this pattern persisted using data collected at a third time point
French as a Second Language (FSL) Storytimes: Fostering Language, Literacy and Lifelong Love of Reading
No full textCanada is a unique country with two official languages. While the majority of Canadian children are brought up in the Anglophone school system, they are still taught French at school in the form of core French classes, French immersion, or extended French programs. Storytimes at the public library have a time-honoured tradition of introducing children to books, developing early literacy skills, and fostering a lifelong love of reading. Combining research on the positive role of storytimes in the development of a child’s reading proficiency and success at school with literature on second language instruction, such as French immersion programs, the author explores the value of French as a Second Language (FSL) storytimes in public libraries. FSL storytimes emerge as a tool for introducing children to the French language through fun activities, including stories, songs, rhymes, and games. The author discusses early observations based on the experience of running an FSL storytime program on a trial basis in a mid-sized public library in Ontario. She also makes a number of practical suggestions about the evaluation of the program effectiveness in the future. The author hopes that this article will benefit other library practitioners seeking to create educational and entertaining reading programs and activities for their youngest clients and start a dialog on integrating FSL storytimes into library programming
The impact of copyright and the creative industries : analysis, strategic use of policy, and education within commercial design
No full textIntellectual property policy and surface design have been closely linked since the beginning
of mass manufacturing and the commercialization of the earliest protectable applied art –
printed textiles. This paper humbly attempts to explore the history of both and the undeniable
impact on the current state of copyright law that it has had. Furthermore, the author suggests
how the individual creator or organization can strategically protect itself within the
framework of existing policy, as well as the importance of increasing ones own education on
the subject of maintaining and exploiting ones own intellectual property.
Here it is theorized, that much of the cause of both infringement and missed opportunities for
fear of infringement, has to do with a general misunderstanding of intellectual property law
within the creative professional community. It is felt that by advancing education of the topic
specific to its industry needs, those who are designing or creating said products would be
more proactive in prevention
Linking high school students' achievement goal orientations with their competence beliefs and their perception of teachers' emotional support during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textAbstract : Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents have experienced limitations in their
everyday activities. Consequently, their mental health has become an area of concern.
However, there has been much less of a focus on the factors and mechanisms
contributing to how they have approached their various academic activities during
the pandemic. The current study fills this gap by investigating associations between
adolescents’ competence beliefs and perception of teachers’ emotional support and
their achievement goals (mastery, performance, and work avoidance) at the onset of
the second wave of this pandemic in Canada. Participants were 90 Canadian high
school adolescents in grades 9 and 10 and they were surveyed in November of 2020.
Data were analyzed using multiple regression and mediation analyses. Among the most
salient results, competence beliefs were found to predict achievement goals, above and
beyond teachers’ emotional support, and these beliefs were significantly and positively
associated with mastery and performance orientation, and marginally and negatively
associated with work avoidance orientation. Results also showed that competence
beliefs mediated the association between teachers’ emotional support and the mastery
goal orientation. These findings are discussed in light of relevant pre-pandemic evidence
about the role of competence beliefs and teachers’ emotional support on achievement
goal orientations
Intersectionality in the Canadian Courts: In Search of a Decolonial Politics of Possibility
No full textThis critical examination of intersectionality in the context of Canadian anti- discrimination cases outlines the Lockean foundations of identity construction in the courts. By framing Jasbir Puar’s articulation of intersectionality as an invitation to create more complex cartographies, the author challenges the hegemony of certain kinds of knowledge production in sites of institutional power.
Résumé
Cet examen critique de l’intersectionnalité dans le contexte des affaires de lutte contre la discrimination au Canada souligne les fondements lockiens de la construction de l’identité devant les tribunaux. En formulant l’articulation de l’intersectionnalité par Jasbir Puar comme une invitation à créer des cartographies plus complexes, l’auteure conteste l’hégémonie de certains types de production des connaissances dans les lieux de pouvoir institutionnel
Conformational dependence of through-space tellurium-tellurium spin-spin coupling in peri-substituted bis(tellurides)
No full textThe work in this project was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). M.B. wishes to thank EaStCHEM and the University of St Andrews for support.Three related series of peri‐substituted bis(tellurides) bearing naphthalene, acenaphthene and acenaphthylene backbones (Nap/Acenap/Aceyl(TeY)2 (Nap=naphthalene‐1,8‐diyl N ; Acenap=acenaphthene‐5,6‐diyl A ; Aceyl=acenaphthylene‐5,6‐diyl Ay ; Y=Ph 1 ; Fp 2 ; Tol 3 ; An‐p 4 ; An‐o 5 ; Tp 6 ; Mes 7 ; Tip 8 ) have been synthesised and their solid‐state structures determined by X‐ray crystallography. Molecular conformations were classified as a function of the two C9‐C‐Te‐C(Y) dihedral angles (θ); in the solid all members adopt AB or CCt configurations, with larger Te(aryl) moieties exclusively imposing the CCt variant. Exceptionally large J(125Te,125Te) spin–spin coupling constants between 3289–3848 Hz were obtained for compounds substituted by bulky Te(aryl) groups, implying these species are locked in a CCt‐type conformation. In contrast, compounds incorporating smaller Te(aryl) moieties are predicted to be rather dynamic in solution and afford much smaller J values (2050–2676 Hz), characteristic of greater populations of AB conformers with lower couplings. This conformational dependence of through‐space coupling is supported by DFT calculations.Peer reviewe
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