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Open Access
Development of the 10-question household foodwork interactional assessment questionnaire (FIA-Q10)
(BMC, 2024-11-28) Cahill, Leah E.; Kirkpatrick, Sharon I.; Mah, Catherine L.; Protudjer, Jennifer L.; Kendell, Cynthia; Jung, Mary E.; Wong, Helen; Crumley, Ellen T.; Day, Meghan; Tang, Karen T. Y.; Huang, Yan; Sihag, Jyoti; Brady, Laura; Tennankore, Karthik K.; Tangri, Navdeep; Mollard, Rebecca; Mackay, Dylan
Abstract Background Public health nutrition recommendations and clinical dietary interventions emphasize eating healthy food at home, implicitly requiring household foodwork. Household foodwork is defined as the physical and mental tasks a household does for eating meals and snacks. Because no tools exist to measure it, how much time people spend doing household foodwork and the foodwork barriers they experience remain unknown. The objective of the present research was to develop the first stand-alone household foodwork assessment tool. Methods Through informal interviews with partners with lived experience, clinicians, and researchers, a literature review, a stakeholder meeting of advisors, and a two-round electronic Delphi process including face/content validation by expert panelists (n = 21), we developed the 10-question household foodwork interactional assessment questionnaire (FIA-Q10). An optional accompanying module was developed to collect self-identified demographic data to provide context for understanding how social-structural positionality factors may interact to influence foodwork. Results The FIA-Q10 assesses the domains of household composition, frequency of eating at home, special diets within a household, foodwork stress intensity, foodwork barriers, desired supports related to foodwork, and time use for foodwork. The FIA-Q10 measures time use for four subdomains of foodwork among individuals and their households: (1) planning, (2) getting, (3) preparing/cooking, and (4) cleaning up food. In the second Delphi round, the FIA-Q10 scored 95% for language appropriateness, 67% for visual appropriateness, 95% for relevance, 95% for representativeness, and 95% for distribution. Suggested improvements were implemented. All Delphi panelists (100%) reported they would consider using the FIA-Q10. Conclusions The FIA-Q10’s development is the first step towards a standardized assessment of foodwork, enabling examination of challenges in foodwork that may impact nutrition and nutrition equity. Future research will focus on FIA-Q10 validation in multiple populations.
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Open Access
Avian influenza virus circulation and immunity in a wild urban duck population prior to and during a highly pathogenic H5N1 outbreak
(BMC, 2024-11-22) Wight, Jordan; Rahman, Ishraq; Wallace, Hannah L.; Cunningham, Joshua T.; Roul, Sheena; Robertson, Gregory J.; Russell, Rodney S.; Xu, Wanhong; Zhmendak, Dmytro; Alkie, Tamiru N.; Berhane, Yohannes; Hargan, Kathryn E.; Lang, Andrew S.
Abstract Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b viruses were first detected in St. John’s, Canada in late 2021. To investigate the patterns of avian influenza virus (AIV) infection and immune responses subsequent to the arrival of H5N1, we sampled the wild urban duck population in this area for a period of 16 months after the start of the outbreak and compared these findings to those from archived samples. Antibody seroprevalence was relatively stable before the outbreak (2011–2014) at 27.6% and 3.9% for anti-AIV (i.e., NP) and H5-specific antibodies, respectively. During the winter of 2022, AIV-NP and H5-specific antibody seroprevalence both reached 100%, signifying a population-wide infection event, which was observed again in late February 2023 following a second H5N1 incursion from Eurasia. As expected, population-level immunity waned over time, with ducks seropositive for anti-AIV-NP antibodies for approximately twice as long as for H5-specific antibodies, with the population seronegative to the latter after approximately six months. We observed a clear relationship of increasing antibody levels with decreasing viral RNA loads that allowed for interpretation of the course of infection and immune response in infected individuals and applied these findings to two cases of resampled ducks to infer infection history. Our study highlights the value of applying both AIV surveillance and seroprevalence monitoring to provide a better understanding of AIV dynamics in wild populations, which may be crucial following the global dissemination of clade 2.3.4.4b H5Nx subtypes to assess the threats they pose to both wild and domestic animals, and to humans.
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Open Access
L’éducation artistique dans les écoles francophones et d’immersion française au Manitoba : le vécu des enseignants généralistes (de la maternelle à la 6e année)
(2024-12-11) Mongeon-Ferré, Julie; Lupien, Claudine (Éducation); Stark, Jody (Music); Cormier, Gail
Cette étude qualitative examine l’expérience vécue de cinq enseignantes généralistes de la maternelle à la 6e année des programmes français et d’immersion française au Manitoba à l’égard de l’éducation artistique. Dans le contexte minoritaire francophone, les arts et la culture sont indispensables à l’épanouissement des communautés francophones, conséquemment, l’éducation artistique doit avoir une place de choix dans le milieu scolaire. Parallèlement aux spécialistes des arts, les enseignants généralistes sont appelés à jouer un rôle dans la mise en œuvre de l’éducation artistique. Cette étude phénoménologique de cas multiples inspirée par une approche axée sur les arts donne une voix à cinq enseignantes généralistes et permet d’explorer et de comprendre leur expérience, leurs perceptions et leurs croyances, ainsi qu’à clarifier leur rôle et leurs besoins d’apprentissage professionnel dans ce domaine. Des recommandations pour l’administration scolaire, le ministère de l’Éducation, les facultés d’éducation des universités et les organismes artistiques ont émergé à partir des réflexions des participantes et de l’analyse des données de cette étude axée sur le Programme français et le Programme d’immersion française au Manitoba. This qualitative study examines the lived experience of five Kindergarten to Grade 6 generalist teachers in Manitoba's Français and French immersion programs in relation to arts education. Arts and culture are essential to the flourishing of minority Francophone communities, and consequently, arts education must be prominent in the school environment. Alongside arts specialists, generalist teachers are called upon to play a role in providing arts education. This phenomenological multiple case study, inspired by arts-based methodology, gives a voice to five generalist teachers, and allows for exploration and understanding of their experiences, perceptions, and beliefs, along with the clarification of their teaching role and professional needs. Recommendations for school administrators, the Department of Education, University Faculties of Education, and arts organizations emerged from the participants' perspectives and the data analysis from this study that focused on the Français and French Immersion programs in Manitoba.
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Semaphorin3E is a novel regulator of IgE through regulation of germinal center responses in a mouse model of allergic asthma
(2024-12-10) Sedaghat, Fatemeh; Marshall, Aaron (Immunology); Murooka, Thomas (Immunology); Soussi Gounni, Abdelilah
Semaphorin3E (Sema3E) is a protein that plays a critical role in immunity to diseases, including asthma, by regulating cell migration, proliferation, and angiogenesis. Little is known about the role of Sema3E in immunoglobulin E (IgE) regulation. Recent data showed that Sema3e-/- mice have a significantly higher serum level of total and allergen-specific IgE in allergic asthma. These results strongly indicate a crucial involvement of Sema3E in modulating IgE production. In my project, we hypothesised that Sema3E negatively regulates IgE levels through germinal center (GC) responses. To investigate the regulatory role of Sema3E in IgE production and GC formation, Sema3e-/- and WT mice underwent an acute HDM challenge. Flow cytometry was performed to investigate the number of GC B cells, T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, and inflammatory cells. The antibodies and inflammatory cytokines levels were detected by ELISA and Mesoscale, respectively. Immunofluorescence (IF) staining and H&E staining were performed to investigate GC formation and lung inflammation, respectively. Additionally, to check if Sema3E plays a role through the ICOS/ICOS-L pathway, GC formation was blocked by intraperitoneal administration of anti-ICOS-L or rat IgG as an isotype control. The results demonstrated that at the steady-state, Sema3e-/- mice had a significantly higher baseline number of GC B cells, Tfh cells, plasmablasts, plasma cells, and serum IgE and IgG1 than the WT counterparts. Interestingly, baseline expression of IgE and IgG by B cells is regulated by Sema3E, and Sema3e-/- mice demonstrated higher expression of IgE and IgG1 in their B cells. Upon immunization with HDM, Sema3e-/- mice exhibited enhanced GC responses, IgE production, and lung inflammation. We demonstrated that the deletion of Sema3E in mice led to an increase in the expression of ICOS on CD4+ T cells and disruption of ICOS/ICOS-L signalling, remarkably reducing the number of inflammatory cells, plasma cells, serum levels of IgE and IgG1, and lung inflammation indicating the importance of ICOS/ICOS-L signalling pathway in Sema3E regulatory effect. In conclusion, Sema3E plays a critical regulatory role in GC response and IgE production at the steady-state and post-immunization through ICOS/ICOS-L signalling, suggesting the critical negative regulatory role of Sema 3E in allergic inflammation.
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Open Access
État des lieux des approches de counseling scolaire favorisant la réussite éducatives des jeunes d'une école francophone d'Iqaluit (Nunavut)
(2024-12-09) Bertrand-Bourgeois, Maude; Barrett DeWiele, Corinne (Éducation); Ruest, Joël (Éducation); Archambault, Hélène
Sur le territoire du Nunavut, terre des Inuits se retrouve une seule école francophone, située à Iqaluit, la capitale du territoire. Cette école offre un programme d’éducation en français, de la maternelle à la 12e année, aux enfants d’un parent ayant droit. En raison de son emplacement particulier et de son système d’éducation fondé sur les valeurs Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (valeurs sociétales inuites), les approches de counseling scolaire de cette école sont uniques et adaptées à l’environnement de l’élève. Ainsi, cette recherche qualitative essentiellement exploratoire présente un état des lieux des approches de counseling scolaire favorisant la réussite éducative des jeunes d’une école francophone d’Iqaluit (Nunavut). Les données recueillies auprès de huit (8) participants, à l’aide d’entrevues semi-dirigées en mode virtuel, permettent d’exposer les particularités de l’approche de counseling scolaire globale en milieu inuit, ainsi que les défis que présente la dispense de programmes et services de counseling scolaire en contexte minoritaire francophone.
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Open Access
Characterization of microstructure and high strain rate deformation response of C250 maraging steel fabricated by directed energy deposition process
(2024-11-22) Guo, Lulu; Wu, Nan (Mechanical Engineering); Khoshdarregi, Matt (Mechanical Engineering); Medraj, Mamoun (Concordia University); Ojo, Olanrewaju; Andersson, Joel
C250 maraging steel, known for its high strength and good toughness, is ideal for applications requiring exceptional high strain rate properties. Its carbon-free composition is suitable for the directed energy deposition-arc (DED-Arc) method, an additive manufacturing (AM) process with a low cost and high deposition rate. However, the thermal cycles in DED-Arc significantly impact the microstructure of C250 alloy. This could lead to undesirable high strain rate properties, necessitating post-fabrication heat treatment. Research gaps remain in understanding the microstructure and dynamic deformation response of DED-Arc fabricated C250 steel. Besides, AM enables fabricating complex geometries, but accurate constitutive models governing the stress-strain relationship of materials are essential for reliable finite element analysis (FEA) predictions of dynamic deformation. Yet, no reliable models have been proposed to predict the dynamic deformation behaviors of DED-Arc built C250 alloy. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the microstructure and dynamic deformation responses of DED-Arc built C250 steel at different strain rates and temperatures and to develop appropriate constitutive models based on the observed flow behavior. Microstructure analyses indicate the absence of strengthening precipitates and the presence of retained austenite phase in as-built DED-Arc C250 steel, leading to inferior dynamic mechanical performance compared to heat-treated wrought C250 alloy. However, commercial heat treatment significantly improves the dynamic mechanical performance of heat-treated DED-Arc C250 steel, making it comparable to that of the heat-treated wrought C250 alloy. This substantial improvement is mainly attributed to the formation of nano-sized, needle-shaped, and coherent Ni3Mo strengthening precipitates during the heat treatment. Modifications are made to the Johnson-Cook constitutive models to predict the dynamic deformation behaviors of as-deposited and heat-treated DED-Arc C250 alloy, respectively. These modifications consider the variable thermal softening effects and coupled effects of strain rate and strain in the flow behavior of the as-deposited specimen. In the heat-treated condition, the modified model accounts for the combined effects of strain rate and strain, as well as joint influences of strain rate and temperature on the flow behavior at elevated temperatures. The enhanced predictive capability of the modified Johnson-Cook models is further validated through verification tests under new dynamic compression conditions.
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Open Access
Synthesis and exploration of boron-containing heterocycles as potential PARP inhibitors
(2024-12-06) Berk, Ahmet Burak; Sorensen, John (Chemistry); Marzban, Lucy (Pharmacy); Tranmer, Geoffrey
The 18 members of the poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase (PARP) family of enzymes are involved in a variety of biological processes, such as apoptosis and DNA repair. The PARP enzyme consumes NAD+ as a substrate, and competitive inhibitors are used to mimic the natural NAD+ substrate and prevent PARylation. Inhibiting PARP is therapeutically utilized in anticancer treatment. These inhibitors have the potential to function as sensitizers, so they can increase the effectiveness of anticancer therapies, including radiation therapy and chemotherapy medications. Since PARP inhibitors cause synthetic lethality in homologous recombination-dysfunction cells, they are also used as single-agent treatments in individuals with BRCA-deficient breast, ovarian, or prostate cancer. Organoboron compounds can be described as Lewis acids due to their empty p-orbital, which accepts lone pair electrons (Lewis Base) and changes hybridization. This unique feature makes organoboron compounds preferred drug candidates, leading to an increase in the number of functional groups, including boronic acid, in medicinal chemistry. Boron-containing heterocyclic rigid structures improve drug-enzyme interactions based on forming tertiary complexes between boronic acids and responsible amino acids such as serine. For this reason, we created a boron-containing heterocyclic library that includes 21 benzoxazaborinin derivatives, and their yields range from 20% to 99%. Those compounds are characterized by utilizing NMR spectroscopy and HRMS and tested with a PARP-1 screening assay, which is cost-effective and does not require special laboratory equipment. This assay quantifies leftover NAD+ substrate by converting it to a fluorophore group that makes excitation (372 nm) and emission (444 nm). Overall, we were able to synthesize benzoxazaborinin-based PARP inhibitors, with the lowest IC50 value of 31 M for structure 15A.
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Open Access
Late-life mental health, substance use and addiction service needs in Manitoba
(2024-12-06) Dudok, Stephanie Ann; Mackenzie, Corey (Psychology); Roos, Leslie (Psychology); Funk, Laura (Sociology and Criminology); Heisel, Marnin (Western University); Reynolds, Kristin
Adults ages 65+ may experience mental health or substance use / addiction (‘SUA’) challenges that can endanger their quality of life, health, and longevity. Yet mental health and/or SUA services are often unavailable or inaccessible for adults 65+, which can perpetuate unmet needs. Services become more accessible when they reflect the needs and priorities of intended users; however, few studies have engaged individuals who use and deliver late-life mental health and/or SUA services to better understand their needs and priorities. The primary objective of this mixed-methods research was to describe the mental health and SUA service needs and priorities of adults 65+ and those who deliver services to adults 65+. A secondary objective was to explore adults’ 65+ SUA literacy (i.e., knowledge of how to recognize and manage SUA problems and find and access SUA services and information). Six adults 65+ who had tried to access services participated in two virtual focus groups, and six service leaders and providers participated in a separate two-part focus group series, to discuss service and research needs, and define and set service priorities. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four main themes described adults’ 65+ experiences of services: 1. “What you need just isn’t there”; 2. “Where do I go?”: Knowing about and finding services; 3. “Roadblocks” along pathways to services; 4. COVID-19 “forced” new ways of connecting with people and services. Four additional themes reflected service leader and provider perspectives. Priority-setting was achieved with each group using a modified nominal group technique. Emergent priorities were then built into an online survey for validation with a convenience sample of community-living adults 65+ (n = 138). Respondents selected protection and advocacy services for older adults as a top priority, followed by more involvement of caregivers in treatments and care teams. The survey was also used to examine differences between respondents’ SUA and mental health literacy (analyzed using a paired samples t-test), and sociodemographic and psychosocial predictors of SUA literacy (analyzed using hierarchical linear regression). Low to moderate SUA literacy (M = 3.1, SD = 0.97) among the adult 65+ sample was significantly lower than their mental health literacy, t(137) = -3.30, p = .001, and both older age and limited SUA lived experience were significant predictors of lower SUA literacy. Findings inform future selection, funding, and delivery of services that are targeted to the needs of aging populations and recommend clarifying pathways into them.
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Open Access
The 1967 Paraplegic Games in Winnipeg: a history of the origins and impacts of Canada’s first international para sport competition
(2024-12-09) Moyer, Colleen; Hansen, Nancy (Disability Studies); Yi, Kyoung (David) (Kinesiology and Recreation Management); Field, Russell
In 1967, Winnipeg, Manitoba, hosted the Pan American Games. Not included in written histories of this event is the subsequent “Paraplegic Games (Pan Am 1967)” hosted one week later using many of the same venues. The Paraplegic Games were the first international wheelchair sport competition in Canada. Men and women competed in nine different sports over five days. Two contemporary articles, published in medical journals, highlighted the medical aspect of disability rather than the actual Games themselves. These are the only scholarly analyses of the event, as it remains absent from Canadian sport history and histories of Para sport, both in Canada and internationally. This qualitative research project collected data on the Paraplegic Games from five different archives, as well as the personal documents on another researcher. Three oral history interviews supplemented the archival research. In pursuing the study’s research questions -- how did the Paraplegic Games come to fruition? and what were some of the impacts of the Paraplegic Games? – three topics emerged. The first explores the organization of the Paraplegic Games, including why the Pan American Games were approached to host Canada’s first international wheelchair sport competition. The second considers the impacts of the Paraplegic Games at the local, national, and international level. The final topic examines the way the organizers approached the event; in the early years of Para sport, sport was used strictly for rehabilitation and was very medicalized. The organizers for the Paraplegic Games saw sport as an opportunity for social change, to show society that people with disabilities were “strong and capable” rather than “weak and helpless.” The 1967 Paraplegic Games marks the first documented wheelchair competition of sport being used for social change rather than rehabilitation.
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Open Access
Genres as perspectives
(2024-12-01) Madden, Ivy; Martens, Rhonda (Philosophy); Toles, George (English, Theatre, Film and Media); Matheson, Carl
Genre serves an important function for agents involved in artistic practices. Not only do genres serve as a pre-evaluative lens for the works, but genres also play an important role in interpretation and evaluation of artworks. This project will provide a survey of the current literature on genre as well as evaluate each view for adequacy. I will argue that none of the views in the literature can meet my criteria for a genre’s adequacy. As an alternative, I will provide a novel conception of genre: genres as perspectives. On my view I argue that genres are modes of interpretation adopted by agents who engage in artistic practice. This view is motivated by my intuitions about genres can do, rather than solely what genres are.