MSpace

MSpace is the University of Manitoba’s Institutional Repository. The purpose of MSpace is to acquire, preserve and provide access to the scholarly works of University faculty and students within an open access environment.

 

Recent Submissions

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Open Access
Living on the margins of society: exploring the traumatic experiences of deportee migrants in Ghana within the contexts of community cohesion, political stability, social exclusion and mental health
(2025-01-30) Kodom, Richard; Fuchs, Don (Social Work); Wilkinson, Lori (Sociology and Criminology); Satzewich, Victor (Sociology, McMaster University); Baffoe, Michael
While the deportation of migrants from around the world to Ghana is a common phenomenon, its socio-economic and political impact has not received considerable attention in policy and research. It is for this purpose that I set out to explore the traumatic experiences of deportee migrants within the contexts of community cohesion, social exclusion, mental health and political stability in Ghana. I adopted the constructivist paradigm in addition to critical race, structural social work and structuration theories to guide the study. The research used a qualitative research design. The study was carried out in the Ashanti, Bono and Greater Accra regions of Ghana. To recruit forty-one (41) participants, I used snowball sampling technique. The findings were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using phenomenological hermeneutic method. Overall, this study shows that reasons for migration, family and community expectations, process of deportation and reception upon arrival in country of origin characterize how deportee migrants name and explain deportation. It further reveals the factors that influence social inclusion or exclusion of deportee migrants in their receiving communities. The results indicate that deportation influences the mental health of deportees during the process of deportation and attempt to participate in normal life in their receiving communities. The findings also show that the family, social networks and nongovernmental organizations remain the largest social support system for deportees. The discussion draws out points of convergences and disagreements between the results, literature review and the theoretical frameworks. This study contributes to the gaps in the literature on deportation and offers a significant contribution that helps in the development of policy initiative on return migration and influences social work education and practice in Ghana.
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Open Access
Methodological reflections on using photovoice and photo elicitation: Family members assess their perception of spaces in long-term care units
(2025-01) Roger, Kerstin; Borges, Barbara; Funk, Laura; Kelly, Christine; Dunn, Nicole; Guse, Lorna W.; Mallory-Hill, Shauna ; Porter, Michelle
Photovoice is frequently used to engage participants of all ages on a wide range of social and community-based issues, yet few studies to date employ photovoice for the purpose of research on older adults and long-term care. In this study, we used an adapted version of photovoice combined with photo elicitation to investigate family members’ perceptions of special care unit spaces for residents with advanced dementia, as part of a broader evaluation of these units. Findings demonstrate the value of this methodology in the context of long-term care and design. The discussion reflects benefits and limitations, as well as making recommendations for next steps.
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Open Access
Early childhood caries risk prediction using machine learning approaches in Bangladesh
(BMC, 2025-01-08) Hasan, Fardous; Tantawi, Maha E.; Haque, Farzana; Foláyan, Moréniké O.; Virtanen, Jorma I.
Abstract Background In the last years, artificial intelligence (AI) has contributed to improving healthcare including dentistry. The objective of this study was to develop a machine learning (ML) model for early childhood caries (ECC) prediction by identifying crucial health behaviours within mother-child pairs. Methods For the analysis, we utilized a representative sample of 724 mothers with children under six years in Bangladesh. The study utilized both clinical and survey data. ECC was assessed using ICDAS II criteria in the clinical examinations. Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) and Random Forest (RF) was applied to identify the optimal subsets of features. Random forest classifier (RFC), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), support vector machine (SVM), adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), and multi-layer perceptron (MLP) models were used to identify the best fitted model as the predictor of ECC. SHAP and MDG-MDA plots were visualized for model interpretability and identify significant predictors. Results The RFC model identified 10 features as the most relevant for ECC prediction obtained by RFE feature selection method. The features were: plaque score, age of child, mother’s education, number of siblings, age of mother, consumption of sweet, tooth cleaning tools, child’s tooth brushing frequency, helping child brushing, and use of F-toothpaste. The final ML model achieved an AUC-ROC score (0.77), accuracy (0.72), sensitivity (0.80) and F1 score (0.73) in the test set. Of the prediction model, dental plaque was the strongest predictor of ECC (MDG: 0.08, MDA: 0.10). Conclusions Our final ML model, integrating 10 key features, has the potential to predict ECC effectively in children under five years. Additional research is needed for validation and optimization across various groups.
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Open Access
Residency training programs to support residents working in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities
(BMC, 2025-01-28) Rashid, Marghalara; Nguyen, Julie; Clark, Wayne; Foulds, Jessica L.; John, Ida; Chan, Ming-Ka; Whalen-Browne, Molly; Roach, Pamela; Morris, Melanie; Forgie, Sarah
Abstract Background To gain culturally appropriate awareness of First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis Health, research suggests that programs focus on sending more trainees to First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis communities Working within this context provides experiences and knowledge that build upon classroom education and support trainees’ acquisition of skills to engage in culturally safe healthcare provision. This study examines residents' and faculty members' perceptions of how residency training programs can optimize First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis health training and support residents in gaining the knowledge, skills, and experiences for working in and with First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis communities. Methods A qualitative approach was used, guided by a relational lens for collecting data and a constructivist grounded theory for data interpretation. Theoretical sampling was used to recruit 35 participants from three main study sites across two western Canadian provinces. Recruitment, data collection, and analysis using constructivist grounded theory occurred concurrently to ensure appropriate depth of exploration. Results Our data analysis revealed five themes: Five themes were generated: Complexity of voluntourism as a concept; Diversity of knowledge representation required for developing curriculum; Effective models of care for First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis health; Essential traits that residents should have for working in First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis communities; and Building relationships and trust by engaging the community. Conclusions First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis Health should be prioritized within Canadian postgraduate medical education. Equipping trainees to provide holistic care, immersing in and learning from First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis communities is essential for developing the next generation of clinicians and preceptors. We present educational recommendations for residency programs to optimize First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis health educational experiences and provide residents with skills to provide effective and culturally safe care.
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Open Access
Factors associated with the dental service utilization by enrollees on the Lagos State health insurance scheme, Nigeria
(BMC, 2025-01-03) Abodunrin, Olunike R.; Adebayo, Ezekiel T.; Adewole, Ifeoluwa E.; Olagunju, Mobolaji T.; Ekeh, Chibueze; Samuel, Ibitoye O.; Zamba, Emmanuella; Gbaja-Biamila, Titilola; Akinsolu, Folahanmi T.; Eleje, George U.; Tantawi, Maha E.; Ezechi, Oliver C.; Foláyan, Morẹ́nikẹ́ O.
Abstract Background Despite assumptions that insurance coverage would boost oral healthcare utilization in Nigeria, there is insufficient evidence supporting this claim. This study investigates the associations between residential location, awareness of the oral health insurance scheme, history of dental service utilization, and acceptance of oral health insurance among individuals benefiting from the Ilera Eko Scheme; a scheme that integrates preventive and curative oral health care into the state health insurance scheme. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to November 2023 recruiting from a database of 1520 enrollees aged of 18 and 72-years-old who had been on the scheme for at least three months. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from participants living in five regions of Lagos State. The dependent variable was dental service utilization. The independent variables were awareness about Ilera Eko health insurance scheme, history of oral health problem, residential location of the respondents (Lagos Island, Badagry, Epe, Ikorodu and Ikeja), and perception about the scheme. The confounding variables were the age at last birthday, sex at birth (male or female), educational level (no education, primary, secondary, and tertiary education), level of income (< 50,000, 50,000–10000, 150,000–200,000, > 200,000), employment status (employed, self-employed and unemployed), marital status (single, married, divorced. widow/widower) and duration on the scheme (< 6 months, 6–12 months, > 12 months). A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the associations between the dependent and independent variables, controlling for confounders. Results The study recruited 485 participants of which 31 (6.4%) had used the oral health care services. Respondents with oral health problems had higher odds of using the scheme (AOR:21.065; p < 0.001). Residents in Ikeja had significantly lower odds of using the scheme when compared with residents in Lagos Island (AOR: 0.174; p = 0.005). Conclusion Respondents with oral health problems had higher odds of using the oral health insurance scheme. Innovative approaches are needed to drive the utilization of free dental service packages on health insurance schemes in Lagos State, especially for preventive care.
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Open Access
Navigating ethics in HIV data and biomaterial management within Black, African, and Caribbean communities in Canada
(BMC, 2025-01-16) Souleymanov, Rusty; Akinyele-Akanbi, Bolaji; Njeze, Chinyere; Ukoli, Patricia; Migliardi, Paula; Larcombe, Linda; Restall, Gayle; Ringaert, Laurie; Payne, Michael; Kim, John; Tharao, Wangari; Wilcox, Ayn
Abstract Background This study explored the ethical issues associated with community-based HIV testing among African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) populations in Canada, focusing on their perceptions of consent, privacy, and the management of HIV-related data and bio-samples. Methods A qualitative community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was employed to actively engage ACB community members in shaping the research process. The design included in-depth qualitative interviews with 33 ACB community members in Manitoba, Canada. The study was guided by a Community Guiding Circle, which contributed to study design, data analysis, and interpretation. A diverse sample was recruited through community agencies, social media, and flyers, with considerations for variations in age, gender, sexual orientation, and geographical location. The study employed iterative inductive thematic data analysis. Findings Participants expressed significant concerns about the collection, sharing, and use of HIV data from healthcare encounters, revealing mistrust towards institutions like police, child welfare, and immigration accessing their health information. Their worries centered on the handling of biological samples, data misuse, potential human rights violations, HIV criminalization, deportations, challenging consent, privacy, and bodily autonomy principles. While open to contributing to medical research, they unanimously demanded greater transparency, informed consent, and control over the secondary use of their health data. Conclusions The study underscores the need for culturally safe approaches in HIV testing and ethical governance in healthcare for ACB communities. It highlights the importance of prioritizing participant empowerment, ensuring transparency, practicing informed consent, and implementing robust data security measures to balance effective HIV information management with the protection of individual rights.
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Open Access
A graph neural network approach for hierarchical mapping of breast cancer protein communities
(BMC, 2025-01-21) Zhang, Xiao; Liu, Qian
Abstract Background Comprehensively mapping the hierarchical structure of breast cancer protein communities and identifying potential biomarkers from them is a promising way for breast cancer research. Existing approaches are subjective and fail to take information from protein sequences into consideration. Deep learning can automatically learn features from protein sequences and protein–protein interactions for hierarchical clustering. Results Using a large amount of publicly available proteomics data, we created a hierarchical tree for breast cancer protein communities using a novel hierarchical graph neural network, with the supervision of gene ontology terms and assistance of a pre-trained deep contextual language model. Then, a group-lasso algorithm was applied to identify protein communities that are under both mutation burden and survival burden, undergo significant alterations when targeted by specific drug molecules, and show cancer-dependent perturbations. The resulting hierarchical map of protein communities shows how gene-level mutations and survival information converge on protein communities at different scales. Internal validity of the model was established through the convergence on BRCA2 as a breast cancer hotspot. Further overlaps with breast cancer cell dependencies revealed SUPT6H and RAD21, along with their respective protein systems, HOST:37 and HOST:861, as potential biomarkers. Using gene-level perturbation data of the HOST:37 and HOST:861 gene sets, three FDA-approved drugs with high therapeutic value were selected as potential treatments to be further evaluated. These drugs include mercaptopurine, pioglitazone, and colchicine. Conclusion The proposed graph neural network approach to analyzing breast cancer protein communities in a hierarchical structure provides a novel perspective on breast cancer prognosis and treatment. By targeting entire gene sets, we were able to evaluate the prognostic and therapeutic value of genes (or gene sets) at different levels, from gene-level to system-level biology. Cancer-specific gene dependencies provide additional context for pinpointing cancer-related systems and drug-induced alterations can highlight potential therapeutic targets. These identified protein communities, in conjunction with other protein communities under strong mutation and survival burdens, can potentially be used as clinical biomarkers for breast cancer.
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Open Access
A prospective multi-site study to evaluate the performance and usability of an oral fluid-based HIV self-test in Canada
(BMC, 2025-01-11) Galli, Richard A.; Maraj, Darshanand; McBain, Kristin; Lo Hog Tian, Jason M.; McFarland, Abbey; Tharao, Wangari; Nkala, Nontobeko P.; Chan, Arlene; da Silva, Mark; Thomas, Rejean; Vassal, Anne-Fanny; Lepage, Martin; Ireland, Laurie; Payne, Mike; Starr, Jared; Fraser, Chris; Selfridge, Marion; Loutfy, Mona; Halpenny, Roberta; Jeyarajah, Nirubini; Tran, Vanessa; Mazzulli, Tony; Rourke, Sean B.
Abstract Background Blood and oral fluid-based HIV self-tests are important for reaching the undiagnosed living with HIV. The study objectives were to evaluate the oral fluid-based OraQuick® HIV Self-Test (HIV-ST) performance in comparison to laboratory reference testing; determine if laypersons can correctly perform the HIV-ST; document if intended users can successfully interpret pre-made contrived positive, negative, and invalid results; and document if intended users can understand the key messages in the product labeling. Methods This prospective study enrolled consenting adult intended users of HIV self-testing from six community health centres in four Canadian provinces between June 2022 and January 2024. Positive and negative agreement was determined by comparing the results of the HIV self-tests with the results of the laboratory-based “gold standard” Abbott Alinity HIV Antigen/Antibody Combo test. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize usability self-test procedure steps. Results Overall, 951 participants were recruited and consented with 911 available for all analyses. With respect to sociodemographics: 84% of participants were between 18–45 years of age, 73% had at least a college education, 48% were Cis-male, 45% were employed; and 26% identified as White, 23% as African, Caribbean or Black, 5% as Indigenous [First Nations, Métis or Inuit], 33% as Asian, and 6% as LatinX. Primary efficacy analysis on the 911 who completed HIV-ST revealed a single confirmed positive participant and a negative percent agreement of 100% (880/880, 95% CI: 99.9–100%) with the comparator method. For usability determination, the average success rate for “critical” steps for completing the test was 94.1%. Approximately 97% of participants found the instructions easy to follow and 98% of participants reported they would use the test again. Of the 465 participants who interpreted the strong positive, weak positive, negative, and invalid pre-made contrived results, the average of correct interpretations ranged from 59–97% Conclusions A licensed oral fluid-based HIV self-test in Canada can present an accurate, easy-to-use, and less invasive alternative to blood-based HIV testing. The addition of an oral-fluid self-test along with the current licensed blood-based HIV self-test could help reach the undiagnosed with HIV in Canada and positively impact HIV testing rates overall by offering individuals a choice of self-testing devices.
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Open Access
A park-based group mobility program for older adults with difficulty walking outdoors: a qualitative process evaluation of the Getting Older Adults Outdoors (GO-OUT) randomized controlled trial
(BMC, 2025-01-08) Kokorelias, Kristina M.; Ripat, Jacquie D.; Barclay, Ruth; Jones, C. A.; Mayo, Nancy E.; Grant, Theresa; Scodras, Stephanie; Alsbury-Nealy, Kyla; Ryder-Burbidge, Charlotte; Salbach, Nancy M.
Abstract Background The Getting Older Adults Outdoors (GO-OUT) randomized controlled trial showed that a workshop and 10-week park-based outdoor walk group (OWG) was superior to the workshop and 10 weekly reminders (WR) with increasing walking capacity, but not outdoor walking activity, health-promoting behavior, or successful aging, among older adults with difficulty walking outdoors. The objective of this planned process evaluation was to explore participants’ perceptions of mechanisms of impact of and contextual factors influencing experiences with the interventions to help explain the observed intervention effects on study outcomes. Methods A qualitative descriptive study involving semi-structured interviews conducted at 6-months post-baseline was conducted. A directed content analysis was undertaken. Participants We interviewed 27 adults (52% male, 48% female, mean age 76 years) from the OWG (n = 13) and WR group (n = 14). Results We identified two themes including: “Holding Me Accountable to Walk More Frequently”, and “We Walked Farther, With More Ease and Confidence, and We Felt Better”. Participants in both groups described how the OWG and WR programs provided some degree of structure and accountability to others that increased their motivation to walk outdoors. Participants described how the OWG led to improved walking capacity (e.g., increased walking distance) and confidence. Interacting with people during OWG sessions led to a sense of enjoyment, and well-being. Conclusions Community programs that incorporate structure, accountability, and opportunities for social interaction, can help improve motivation to increase outdoor walking activity and a sense of belonging for older adults with difficulty walking outdoors. Park-based OWG programs appear to convey additional important benefits related to improved physical function and well-being. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03292510 Date of registration: September 25, 2017.
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Embargo
Distributed six-port reflectometer based vector network analyzer with multiple measurement techniques and applications for microwave imaging
(2025-01-23) Hashir, Muhammad; Mojabi, Puyan (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Isleifson, Dustin (Electrical and Computer Engineering); LoVetri, Joe; Gilmore, Colin
This thesis presents the design and measurement of a distributed six-port reflectometer-based vector network analyzer. The design has been proven to operate with two independent RF power sources. This novel approach makes our system the first-of-its-kind in the world having the capability for accurate phase measurements of distant antennas and other devices which previously required long coaxial cables incurring high-cost and loss of accuracy due to resulting long cable losses. The specific distributed network analyzer reported on herein has a bandwidth of 0.6-1.2 GHz. The study also evaluates three characterization-based measurement techniques, and two calibration-based measurement techniques reported in the literature and draws a comparison based on their performance when used with the current hardware. A test case has been proven for applications of the current hardware to measure the path characteristics in Microwave Imaging applications. A novel approach for determining the reflection and transmission coefficients of the device under test (DUT) has been introduced and validated, utilizing two characterization-based techniques based on non-linear optimization and a geometrical solution. The results were confirmed using a simulation software (ADS) as well as full experimental results using a custom-built measurement hardware. The novel approach allows accurate S-parameter measurements while increasing computational efficiency and using a lesser number of calibration loads as compared to many previously proposed techniques. Although measurement techniques requiring the full S-parameters of the six-port circuit as well as those not requiring the full S-parameters have been tested, our study found that the characterization-based techniques using S-parameters to be more accurate when performed using our custom measurement hardware.