UPEI 1030 Local Research Publications (Winter 2024)

Title: The 2019 Prince Edward Island Provincial Election

Author: Donald Anton Desserud

Publication: Canadian Political Science Review, volume 13, number 1, pages 123-149

Publication Date: 2019

Keywords: PEI, election, minority government, Green Party, electoral reform

Abstract: Prince Edward Island’s 67th General Election was held 23 April 2019. The results were unprecedented, with the Progressive Conservative Party (PCs) winning 12 seats on election night, the Green Party of Prince Edward Island (Greens) winning eight, and the incumbent Liberal Party (Liberals) reduced to just six seats. The New Democratic Party (NDP) was shut out once again. This is PEI’s first minority government, and PEI is now the first province in Canada with a Green Party Official Opposition. Five of the Green’s eight MLAs are women, so this is also the first Official Opposition party in Canada with a majority of females. Liberal premier Wade MacLauchlan, credited with saving the Liberal Party from defeat in 2015, lost his own seat in 2019. The election was also marked by a tragedy: together with his young son Oliver, Green Party candidate Josh Underhay was killed in a canoe accident the Friday before the election. A deferred election was held on 15 July, and was won by the PC candidate, Natalie Jameson. A referendum asking Islanders whether they wanted to adopt a Mixed Member Proportional electoral system was held in conjunction with the general election. The No side won, with 52% of the vote, but winning just 13 of 27 ridings.

Title: ‘At Lightspeed the Nightfield Deepens’: John Smith’s Cosmic Fireflies

Author: David Hickey

Publication: Canadian Poetry: Studies, Documents, Reviews. Special issue on Atlantic Canadian poetry, edited by Thomas Hodd. Number 78, pages 45-66.

Publication Date: 2017

Keywords: Canadian literature; Prince Edward Island; 1900-1999; Smith, John (1927-); poetry

Abstract: [no abstract included; this is a critical analysis of the work of poet John Smith]

Title: Bacterial-Specific Aggregation and Killing of Immunomodulatory Host Defense Peptides

Authors: Nauman Nazeer, Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Lecompte, and Marya Ahmed

Publication: Pharmaceuticals, volume 14, number 9, article 839

Publication Date: 2021

Keywords: Antibacterial peptides; Bacterial flocculation; Nonhemolytic; Immunomodulatory

Abstract: This study involves the design and development of disulfide bridge-linked antimicrobial peptides using the host defense protein Angiogenin 4 (chAng4) as a template. The mini peptides derived from chAng4 (mCA4s) were evaluated for their antibacterial efficacies in various pathogenic bacterial strains, and the role of the oxidation state of thiols in the peptide sequence and its implication on antibacterial properties were explored. A remarkable property of these synthetic mCA4 peptides is their capability to flocculate bacteria and mediate bacterial-specific killing, in the absence of any other external stimulus. mCA4s were further evaluated for their cellular uptake, hemolytic activities, toxicities, and immunomodulatory activities in different eukaryotic cell lines. The results indicate that disulfide bridge-containing cationic amphipathic peptides show superior antibacterial efficacies, are nontoxic and nonhemolytic, and mediate bacterial flocculation and killing, in the absence of external stimuli.

Title: Communities First : Reflections on engaging with Indigenous communities as a foundation for Ph.D. studies

Authors: Neil Forbes, Elder Patsy McKinney, Sharon O'Brien, and Jason Hickey

Publication: Turtle Island Journal of Indigenous Health, volume 1, number 2

Publication Date: 2021

Keywords: Community-based participatory research, decolonization, Indigenous research methodologies, Heartwork

Abstract: Reflections and learnings from a graduate-level independent study course on Community Based Participatory Research with urban Aboriginal community organizations.

Title: Community-Based Learning for International Graduate Students: Impact and Implications

Authors: Linyuan Guo-Brennan, Charlene VanLeeuwen, Mary M. MacPhee, and Michael Guo-Brennan

Publication: Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, volume 26, issue 2, pages 39-69

Publication Date: 2020

Keywords: North America; Universities and colleges--Graduate work; Student service--Analysis; Students, Foreign--Social aspects; Experiential learning--Analysis

Abstract: Integrating community-based learning (CBL) into graduate education has gained attention in higher education during the past decade because CBL allows students to inculcate professional values and ethics, situate academic knowledge and understanding in contexts, and practice academic citizenship through serving communities with disciplinary knowledge and skills. In a North American higher education context, about half of the graduate student population are international students, who have needs in several areas. However, their experiences in CBL are under-investigated and scarcely documented in existing literature and scholarship in either community-based learning or international education. Drawing on international students’ experiences in a graduate program infused with CBL components in Canadian higher education, this mixed methods case study examined the impact of CBL on international students’ developments in five areas: academic, sociocultural, personal, professional, and global citizenship. Through discussions on the benefit, barriers, and implications of providing CBL to international graduate students, this article offers recommendations for improved higher education policy, programs, and praxis to make CBL more inclusive and responsive to international graduate students.

Title: Cultivating Wellbeing: Young People and Food Gardens on Tanna, Vanuatu

Authors: Jean Mitchell, Joan Niras, and Lesbeth Niefeu

Publication: Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning. Themed issue on Community Engagement and the Anthropologies of Health and Wellbeing. Volume 6, number 1, pages 1-17.

Publication Date: 2020

Keywords: Vanuatu; Tanna; youth; traditional knowledge; gardening; food; wellbeing; relationality; care

Abstract: Gardens in Vanuatu, an archipelago in the SW Pacific, materialize the multiple relationships between land, humans, and the more-than-human world that facilitate self-reliance, and wellbeing. This paper analyzes a collaborative project (2016-18) undertaken on the Island of Tanna in Vanuatu. A project for and with youth and their communities, it aimed to train young people to do basic research on customary food gardens and to document Indigenous customary knowledge, practices, and customary stories about food and gardens. The project started after a catastrophic cyclone destroyed gardens and infrastructure, rendering the self-sufficient islanders dependent on food aid at a time of rising rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). There is also concern about the declining interest in traditional knowledge among youth. With about 60% of the population under 30 years of age, this paper argues that youth are critical actors in ensuring the continuity of customary knowledge and practices that are essential for food sovereignty, the maintenance of social relations and wellbeing, all of which are embedded in relational ecologies of care.

Title: Death on the Miramichi: Community Responses to Sick Immigrants in Mid-Nineteenth-Century New Brunswick

Author: Lisa Chilton

Publication: English translation of “Des morts sur la Miramichi : réactions de la population à l’arrivée d’immigrants malades au Nouveau-Brunswick au milieu du XIXe siècle,” which was published in Histoire sociale/Social History, volume 52, number 105, pages 71-91

Publication Date: 2019

Keywords: State (polity); Threatened species; Immigrant population; Typhus; Medicine; Disease medicine; On board; Ill health; Ethnology; History; Immigration

Abstract: Early in the shipping season of 1847, an unanticipated schooner arrived in the Miramichi River, at Chatham. The Looshtauk ought to have gone to Quebec City, but fate intervened in the form of a devastating typhus epidemic on board. Historians have looked closely at the experiences of migrants who arrived at ports in a state of serious ill health during the nineteenth century. Yet to date there has been little discussion of the myriad ways in which the host communities established around immigrant-receiving ports were affected by, and responded to, the arrival of sick and dying newcomers. The arrival of these immigrants threatened communities with contagion, encouraged them to respond to instances of compelling human need, and provided them with opportunities for employment. This paper explores relations between host community and immigrant populations through the 1847 Looshtauk case study.

French abstract: Au début de la saison de navigation de 1847, un schooner inattendu arriva à Chatham, sur la Miramichi. Le Looshtauk aurait dû se rendre à Québec, mais le destin était intervenu à bord sous la forme d'une dévastatrice épidémie de typhus. Les historiens se sont penchés de près sur les expériences des migrants arrivés gravement malades dans des ports au XIXe siècle. À ce jour, pourtant, il a été très peu question des multiples façons dont les communautés d'accueil autour des ports de débarquement d'immigrants ont été touchées par l'arrivée de malades ou de mourants et y ont réagi. L'arrivée de ces immigrants menaçait les populations de contagion, les incitait à réagir devant des besoins criants et leur procurait des occasions d'emploi. Le présent article traite des relations entre les communautés d'accueil et les populations immigrantes à partir de l'étude de cas du Looshtauk, en 1847.

 

Title: Digital Futures: Aesthetic Stability and the Fictional Infrastructure of Hyderabad's Special Economic Zones

Author: Philippe Messier

Publication: Verge: Studies in Global Asia, volume 6, issue 2, pages 139-166

Publication Date: 2020

Keywords: Stability (learning theory); Economic system; Economics; Futures contract; Special economic zone 

Abstract: In Hyderabad, digital videos help produce a “fictional infrastructure” for Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Expanding the concept of “infrastructure as spectacle” to encompass projections of unbuilt and even purely imaginary infrastructures, this article examines how digital online videos and 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI), are the standard means of representing future infrastructures and promoting new developments in the Indian IT sector. Building on Gilbert Simondon's view on “beauty,” I suggest that the aesthetic stability necessary for a technology to operate can also be supported by its fictional creation as something imagined and futural. The videos analyzed here create the aesthetic stability necessary for future infrastructures in Hyderabad's SEZs: the feelings of comfort, safety, cleanliness, efficiency, predictability, and integration sought after by potential investors and workers.

 

Title: Exploring rural landowners' willingness to protect species at risk in Prince Edward Island

Author: H. Carolyn Peach Brown

Publication: Canadian Geographer, volume 63, issue 2, pages 312-325

Publication Date: Summer 2019

Keywords: Rural landowners; Habitat conservation; Wildlife conservation; Land management; Prince Edward Island; PEI; Species at risk; Voluntary stewardship

Abstract: On private land the Species at Risk Act in Canada relies on voluntary stewardship as the preferred approach to protecting species at risk.Private rural landowners in Prince Edward Island have some knowledge of species at risk and feel that they should be protected, but little knowledge of the federal Act.Study participants say they are willing to change their land management practices in order to protect species at risk, and feel that government should provide education about land management practices to protect species and their habitat. The Canadian Species at Risk Act exists to prevent the extinction of species in Canada. However, the Act does not provide protection for species or their habitats on private lands, except for listed migratory birds or aquatic species. Voluntary stewardship is therefore necessary to conserve species at risk on private land, making the willingness of landowners to do this crucial for conservation. This paper presents a case study of rural private landowners in Prince Edward Island and explores relationships between voluntary stewardship activities of private landowners and knowledge and attitudes towards protection of species at risk. Data were collected using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including semi‐structured interviews of rural private landowners and a quantitative questionnaire for farmers. Most participants knew what was meant by the term "species at risk" but had little knowledge of the federal Act. Almost all agreed with the importance of protecting species at risk, particularly their habitat, and most said they would voluntarily change their land management practices to protect them. Many landowners expressed a need for more education and direction from government in managing their land to benefit species at risk.

Title: Fluorescence-based investigations of the host–guest inclusion of anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acids (1,8- and 2,6-ANS) by dimethoxypillar[5]arene in nonaqueous solvents

Authors: Tara A. Misener and Brian D. Wagner

Publication: Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry, volume 100, pages 131-141

Publication Date: 2021

Keywords: Host-guest inclusion; Pillar[n]arenes; Fluorescence; Supramolecular chemistry; Binding constants; Fluorescence enhancement

Abstract: Pillar[n]arenes are a relatively new class of macrocyclic host molecules which have not been extensively studied for their ability to form inclusion complexes. The properties and host–guest inclusion complexes of dimethoxypillar[5]arene (DMPill[5]) hosts with the polarity-sensitive fluorescent probes 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (1,8-ANS) and 2-anilinonaphthalene-6-sulfonic acid (2,6-ANS) as guests were investigated in nonaqueous solvents via fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding properties of DMPill[5] were found to depend significantly on the shape of the guest molecule, as well as on the properties of the solvent. Formation of host–guest inclusion complexes of DMPill[5] with these two fluorescent ANS guests occurred in the polar aprotic solvents acetonitrile, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran. Fluorescence titration experiments were performed to determine the nature and strength of the complexation. In the case of 1,8-ANS, 1:1 host–guest complexation was observed in all three solvents, with average binding constant K values of 408, 1000 and 5500 M−1 in acetone, acetonitrile, and tetrahydrofuran, respectively. This large dependence of the binding constant on solvent provides insight into the nature of the binding in these complexes. In the case of 2,6-ANS, 2:1 host–guest complexation was observed; this difference with 1,8-ANS was explained in terms of the shape and size of these two isomeric guests. These results show that DMPill[5] is an excellent host for these neutral aromatic guests, and shows strong binding abilities even in these nonaqueous solvents. The strength (or lack) of binding in different solvents was found to be dependent on a range of factors beyond solvent polarity, including guest and solvent shape and size, and most importantly, specific solvent–solute interactions.

Title: From Collapse to Relationality Improv: High School Stories in Motion for Justice

Authors: Morgan Gardner and Kate Scarth

Publication: Alberta Journal of Educational Research, volume 63, issue 1, pages 43-62

Publication Date: Spring 2017

Keywords: School stories; High schools; Social justice; Narratives; Metaphor

Abstract: Youth live storied lives (made up of intersecting stories of school, home, peers, and other aspects of lived experience). Therefore, the ways in which youth construct and tell their high school stories are vital for understanding their experiences as first authors (primary creators, constructors, and tellers of their own stories) and protagonists (as active agents of these stories). This paper examines the physical and metaphorical movements that a research team experienced when constructing and sharing their high school narratives related to youth engagement in social justice educational change. Team members went from engaging restricted movements (which we, authors, have called collapse, truncation, or formulaic motions) to expanded motions (designated relationality improv, malleable formations, and the languages of the arts). This transformation reflected members becoming first authors of and meaningful protagonists in their high school stories of social justice and democratic educational change. For educators and researchers striving to support youth voice and engagement in educational change, an emphasis on movement (within youths' story construction and telling processes) affords valuable openings to support youth in identifying and claiming their agency, engagement and change-making in high school.

Title: Governmental policy capacity and policy work in a small place: Reflections on perceptions of civil servants in Prince Edward Island, Canada from a practitioner in the field

Author: Bobby Thomas Cameron

Publication: Journal of Public Administration Studies, volume 5, number 2, pages 79-88

Publication Date: 2020

Keywords: Policy capacity; Government; Civil servants; Islands; Emic; Insider research; Qualitative research

Abstract: The body of public administration literature is missing contributions from practitioners in the field. Emic or insider-led studies of public administration can act as powerful mechanisms to generate new knowledge. This article studies the relationship between place, perceptions and policy work by drawing on the author’s own public administration experience and interviews with civil servants. The results show that societal factors such as political culture and reduced anonymity associated with small place create challenges when developing public policy. However, expedited public engagement and problem identification were perceived by civil servants to be enhanced by a small context. This means that small place can be both limiting and beneficial for high levels of policy capacity. Overall, this article finds that geospatial factors such as smallness impact perceptions of policy work and capacity. Furthermore, this article finds that insider-led studies of public administration can indeed make important and unique contributions to the body of literature and are therefore deserving of more serious methodological consideration.

Title: Highwater mark collection after Post Tropical Storm Dorian and implications for Prince Edward Island, Canada

Authors: Donald E. Jardine, Xiuquan Wang, and Adam L. Fenech

Publication: Water, volume 13, number 22

Publication Date: 2021

Keywords: Dorian; Prince Edward Island; high water marks; storm surge; flooding; wave run-up

Abstract: Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada has been experiencing the consequences of a rising sea level and intense storms on its coasts in recent years. The most recent severe event, Post Tropical Storm Dorian (Dorian), began impacting Prince Edward Island on 7 September 2019 and lasted for over 20 h until the morning of 8 September 2019. The measurement of highwater marks (HWM) from the storm was conducted between 25 September and 25 October 2019 using a high precision, survey grade methodology. The HWM measured included vegetation lines, wrack lines, beach, cliff, and dune morphological features, and tide gauge data at 53 locations in the Province along coastal areas that are exposed to high tides, storm surge, high winds, and wave runup. Photos were taken to provide evidence on the nature of the HWM data locations. The data reveal that Dorian caused extensive coastal floods in many areas along the North and South Coast of Prince, Queens and Western Kings Counties of Prince Edward Island. The floods reached elevations in excess of 3.4 m at some locations, posing threats to local infrastructure and causing damage to natural features such as sand dunes in these areas. The HWM data can provide useful information for community and emergency response organizations as plans are developed to cope with the rising sea level and increased frequency of highwater events as predicted by researchers. As Dorian has caused significant damage in several coastal areas in PEI, better planning using an enhanced storm forecasting and coastal flood warning system, in conjunction with flood stage values, could possibly have reduced the impacts of the storm in the impacted areas. This could help enhance public understanding of the potential impacts in local areas and how they can prepare and adapt for these events in the future.

Title: Horse housing on Prince Edward Island, Canada: Attitudes and experiences related to keeping horses outdoors and in groups

Authors: Megan Ross, Kathryn Proudfoot, Katrina Merkies, Ibrahim Elsohaby, Molly Mills, Kathleen Macmillan, Shawn Mckenna, and Caroline Ritter

Publication: Animals, volume 13, number 2

Publication Date: 2023

Keywords: horse management; horse owner perceptions; motivators and barriers; horse care

Abstract: Limited research has assessed the “human dimension” of horse care. The aims of this study were to (1) understand horse owner attitudes toward horse welfare when kept outdoors versus indoors and in groups versus individually, (2) compare horse owner attitudes toward horse welfare with the ways in which they house their horses, and (3) explore horse owner reasons for and challenges with their horses’ housing. Seventy-six horse owners in Prince Edward Island, Canada completed a questionnaire. Non-parametric tests and quantitative content analysis were used for data analysis. Consistent with the way horses were kept, most (82–96%) owners agreed that horses’ physical health, mental well-being, and natural living were better when kept outdoors and in groups. Fewer (64–68%) participants agreed that the horses’ standard of care was better when kept outdoors or in groups. Results show associations between owners whose attitudes suggest indoor and/or individual housing is better for horse welfare and keeping their horses indoors part-time and/or individually. Two overarching themes were developed from owners’ responses regarding their reasons and challenges related to the ways in which horses were housed: horse-centered and owner-centered care. The results indicate that horse owners’ choices about their horses’ housing correspond to beliefs about improved horse welfare.

Title: The influence of critical consciousness-based education on identity content and perceptions of sexism

Authors: Nia Phillips

Publication: Awry: Journal of Critical Psychology, volume 1, number 1, pages 71-88

Publication Date: 2020

Keywords: Critical consciousness; Gender identity; Perceptions of sexism; Identity content; Conceptions of bias

Abstract: The current study investigates the impact of critical consciousness education on gender identity and perceptions of sexism. Students in women’s studies and personality psychology courses completed measures of gender identification, gender identity content, and perceptions of sexism at the beginning and end of the semester. Results indicate that women’s studies education changes how participants define what it means to be a woman while also leading to broader recognition of sexism. Further, mediation analyses indicate that changes in identity content mediates the relationship between course and perceptions of sexism. These results indicate the impact of critical consciousness-based education on perceptions of the self and society, in conjunction with a need for research that includes content-based analyses of identity as well as varied and diverse conceptions of gender oppression.

Title: Island identities? Comparing the perceptions of islanders towards governing institutions and quality of life

Authors: Suzana Russell, Laurie Brinklow, Thanasis Kizos, Stratis Sentas, and James E. Randall

Publication: Small States & Territories, volume 4, number 2, pages 325-348

Publication Date: 2021

Keywords: Islands--politics and government; Jurisdiction, territorial; Jurisdiction--states, small; Subnational governments; National characteristics; Nationalism; Islands--social aspects; Quality of life

Abstract: In this paper, we seek to shed light on issues related to satisfaction with government institutions and personal quality of life from living on an island, teasing out common themes to determine whether there is a shared identity among islanders, regardless of geography, level of development and size, as it relates to governance. We explore these qualities in six different groups of island residents across ten islands or archipelagos, ranging in size, location and governance features. Half are sovereign states and the rest are subnational island jurisdictions: Tobago (Trinidad & Tobago), Grenada, Prince Edward Island (Canada), St. Lucia, Lesvos (Greece), Cyprus, Newfoundland (Canada), Iceland, Reunion (France) and Mauritius. Using a Likert-type questionnaire, island participants were asked about the factors that constitute “quality of life” on their islands, with a particular focus on governance. The construction of composite indicators from survey questions and cluster analysis allows us to compare the attitudes within and between different groups of islands and stakeholder groups. Results suggest that, despite significant contextual variances among stakeholders and island locations and situations, some common threads run through all groups and all islands, related to the group the respondents were classified in. These threads comprise a rough basis for a deeper understanding of island identities.

Title: Mechanisms accounting for gendered differences in mental health status among young Canadians: A novel quantitative analysis

Authors: M.A. McIsaac, N. King, V. Steeves, S.P. Phillips, A. Vafaei, V. Michaelson, C. Davison, and W. Pickett

Publication: Preventive Medicine, volume 169, article number 107451

Publication Date: 2023

Keywords: Adolescence; Epidemiology; Intersectionality; Mental health; Social determinants; Mediation

Abstract: Adolescent girls consistently report worse mental health than boys. This study used reports from a 2018 national health promotion survey (n = 11,373) to quantitatively explore why such gender-based differences exist among young Canadians.

Using mediation analyses and contemporary social theory, we explored mechanisms that may explain differences in mental health between adolescents who identify as boys versus girls. The potential mediators tested were social supports within family and friends, engagement in addictive social media use, and overt risk-taking. Analyses were performed with the full sample and in specific high-risk groups, such as adolescents who report lower family affluence.

Higher levels of addictive social media use and lower perceived levels of family support among girls mediated a significant proportion of the difference between boys and girls for each of the three mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, frequent health complaints, and diagnosis of mental illness). Observed mediation effects were similar in high-risk subgroups; however, among those with low affluence, effects of family support were somewhat more pronounced.

Study findings point to deeper, root causes of gender-based mental health inequalities that emerge during childhood. Interventions designed to reduce girls' addictive social media use or increase their perceived family support, to be more in line with their male peers, could help to reduce differences in mental health between boys and girls. Contemporary focus on social media use and social supports among girls, especially those with low affluence, warrant study as the basis for public health and clinical interventions.

Title: Migration of Nigerians to Canada for Higher Education: Student Visa as a Pathway to Permanent Residence

Authors: Charles Temitope Adeyanju & Olabimpe Ajoke Olatunji

Publication: Journal of International Migration and Integration, volume 23, pages 105-124

Publication Date: 2022

Keywords: Migration; Nigeria; Canada; International education; Canadian permanent residence; Neoliberalism

Abstract: This study investigates the motivation for Nigerian migration to Canada for undergraduate education, with a focus on parent-sponsored undergraduate Nigerian students in Canadian universities. Using a qualitative research methods approach, the study shows that middle-class and upper-class Nigerians send their children to Canadian universities for undergraduate education because the student visa provides employment opportunities for international students, during and after studies, and Canadian permanent residence upon graduation. It is demonstrated in the paper that migration for higher education fits the neoliberal agenda of the current Canadian immigration policies and practices that target “designer im/migrants,” that is, im/migrants that are young, skilled, highly productive, educated, and self-sufficient. It is claimed throughout the paper that migration for higher education is not fortuitous for the parents and their wards and the Canadian state, as higher tuition paid by international students augments the declining public funding of post-secondary institutions in Canada and avails international students the opportunity of employment and permanent residence in Canada. The study in essence reveals the contradiction in the claim that the neoliberal state is a neutral entity as evidence shows that Canada’s post-secondary institutions implement neoliberal programs with the aid of the Canadian state.

Title: Mixed Reality for Veterinary Medicine: Case Study of a Canine Femoral Nerve Block

Authors: Nicholas Wilkie, Grant McSorley, Cate Creighton, Dana Sanderson, Tammy Muirhead, and Nadja Bressan

Publication: Proceedings of the 42st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) IEEE

Publication Date: 2020

Keywords: Virtual reality; Three-dimensional displays; Solid modeling; Legged locomotion; Headphones; Cameras; Surgery

Abstract: The femoral nerve blockage is a procedure that aims to provide anesthesia to the hip, anterior thigh, and stifle. This procedure presents several challenges when performed in veterinary patients with diverse anatomy and physiology. Successful use of this technique will improve a dog's recovery time after surgery in comparison to the commonly used epidural block. A mixed reality application to guide practitioners in the femoral nerve block procedure was developed in Unity and Visual Studio. A 3D model for use within the application was created from pictures of a cadaver leg using photogrammetry software. The Microsoft HoloLens headset provides the mixed reality hardware platform. This paper presents the workflow used in developing the mixed reality application and custom 3D model, as well as initial results with respect to the utility of the application in guiding an anesthesiologist in the procedure of the femoral nerve block.

Title: Movement Patterns of the Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) in Four Fragmented Landscapes of Prince Edward Island, Canada

Authors: Sheldon B. Opps, Leslie A. Cudmore, and Marina Silva-Opps

Publication: Open Journal of Ecology, volume 10, number 10

Publication Date: 2020

Keywords: Fluorescent powder; Spool-and-line; Fractal; Radius of gyration; Lévy walk; Correlated random walk; Small mammals; Prince Edward Island

Abstract: The analysis of animal movement patterns can provide important information on animals’ responses to habitat features. In this study, the movement paths of eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) were examined in four landscapes, with different levels of habitat fragmentation, using either fluorescent powdering or spool-and-line tracking. Descriptions of the tree and ground vegetation communities were performed in the vicinity of the trail to obtain information on habitat use and habitat selection. Several key movement variables were calculated, including the total path length, net distance, fractal dimension, and radius of gyration. Despite statistically significant differences in some of the movement metrics between the four landscapes, the overall movement patterns were generically the same for all of chipmunk paths examined in this study. The data were compared to trends expected based on random or correlated random walks, as well as Lévy-walk models. The mean squared net displacement did not support the correlated random walk predictions, except at smaller spatial scales, but overall demonstrated Lévy-like super diffusive behaviour. Lévy-like patterns were also confirmed from the move-length distributions that demonstrated truncated-tail power-law behaviour. Although this would suggest invariance of the movement patterns at all spatial scales studied, fractal analysis revealed at least two transitions in movement patterns at scales of around 2 and 5 m. The transition point at 2 m was negatively correlated with the density of small trees, while the transition at ~5 m was positively correlated with the spatial distribution of large trees. As the habitat-preference data showed that small trees are among the least preferred habitat component, while large trees were among the most preferred habitat, chipmunks are likely to alter their movement behaviour to avoid small trees, and attracted towards large trees possibly to avoid predators. Overall, we determined three principal domains of movement: at smaller spatio-temporal scales, foraging activities dominate and the movement is highly correlated but also random; at intermediate spatial scales, chipmunks may be moving to avoid predators, using different environmental cues, and the movement is more directed (but still influenced by vegetation patterns at intermediate scales); at larger spatio-temporal scales, the movement is dominated by long-range/long-term memory and homing to burrows and other key habitat features, such as food caches, drives more directed movement. The fact that scale-dependent movement mechanisms could give rise to LW patterns is consistent with recent studies.

Title: Nietzsche on Honesty and the Will to Truth

Author: Daniel Harris

Publication: Journal of the British Society of Phenomenology, volume 51, issue 3, pages 247-258

Publication Date: 2020

Keywords: Honesty; Nietzsche; Virtue; Will to truth

Abstract: Nietzsche values intellectual honesty, but is dubious about the what he calls the will to truth. This is puzzling since intellectual honesty is a component of the will to truth. In this paper, I show that this puzzle tells us something important about how Nietzsche conceives of our pursuit of truth. For Nietzsche, those who pursue truth occupy unstable ground, since being honest about the ultimate reasons for that pursuit would mean that truth could no longer satisfy the important human needs it satisfies at present. We can pursue truth, or be honest about what in us is served by such a pursuit, but not both. Nietzsche aims to show that understanding and owning up to this instability is the sort of affirmation of human life to which we ought to aspire, and is the price we pay for being free from otherworldly morality.

Title: Nitrogen Oxide (NO_x) emissions as an indicator for sustainability

Authors: Stephanie Shaw and Bill Van Heyst

Publication: Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, volume 15, article number 100188

Publication Date: 2022

Keywords: Sustainability indicator; Nitrogen oxides; NO_x; Decarbonization; Climate change

Abstract: Environmental data and research illustrate that global warming, normally assessed through carbon dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is a critical element in environmental sustainability and that a shift to decarbonized energy sources is necessary to preserve the environment for future generations. The challenge is that overall global sustainability is more complex than solely focusing on global warming or the environment.

As a potential alternative, NOx emissions are explored as a potential surrogate for CO2 and GHG emissions and as an indicator for decarbonization. An added benefit of using NOx is that it has strong correlations with each pillar of sustainability, and therefore can offer a more encompassing view. Global and country specific NOx emissions, between 1990 and 2015, are analyzed in a format paralleling the three pillars. Trends show that, while NOx emissions are increasing, there are improvements in both societal and economic emission intensities. It is also demonstrated that there is no net movement towards decarbonization, and that a paradigm shift will be necessary to achieve the emissions reductions required. As well, human development index appears to be tied to the change in per capita emissions of NOx over the study period. Overall, NOx is demonstrated to be a robust and potentially more effective surrogate for CO2 and GHG emissions in estimating fossil fuel emissions and gauging movement towards decarbonization. The added interconnectedness of NOx with all three pillars makes it an excellent indicator for tracking progress towards overall sustainability.

Title: "No Silver Bullet Solution": Cruel Optimism and Canada’s COVID-19 Public Health Messages

Authors: Christina Holmes, Udo Krautwurst, Kate Graham, and Victoria Fernandez

Publication: Anthropologica, volume 63, number 1

Publication Date: 2021

Keywords: Anthropology of science; Public health; Canada; Cruel optimism; Hope; COVID-19; Vaccines; Diagnostic tests; Proteomics; Neuroscience

Abstract: Science twines through many of the discussions related to hope for a return to normalcy within public discussions of COVID‑19. The framings of techno-scientific solutions for COVID‑19 are similar to those that are presented to address many societal problems. The messy scientific and regulatory underpinnings of this desired silver bullet rarely make it fully into view. Technoscientific-related hope and its associated affects can operate as a kind of “cruel optimism” (Berlant 2010, 2011). It can be an affective response to return to life as “normal” that is psychologically soothing, even as its enactment may replicate destructive social, political, and economic structures. Hope and technoscience thread throughout the interactions between journalists and health officials in the health press briefings in the first wave of the COVID‑19 pandemic. Technoscientific complexity that challenges the desire to return to normal is rarely brought up in Ontario and Nova Scotia public health briefings. But when it is, health officials in this zone of interaction balance explanations of scientific reality and caution, while attempting to not crush hope for a techno-scientifically mediated return to normal. As such, public health discourse obscures or tempers cruel optimism rather than directly confronting it.

Title: Pascal's Wager [begins near the bottom of the first page--look for the title and black line]

Author: Malcolm Murray

Publication: Theism and Atheism: Opposing Arguments in Philosophy, edited by Joseph W. Koterski and Graham Oppy, published by the Gale (Farmington, MI), pages 649-654
(NOTE: this is a section of a book, not a journal article)

Publication Date: 2019

Keywords: Religion--Atheism; Theism; Atheism

Abstract: [none available; this is an entry in a book presenting philosophical arguments related to atheism and theism]

Title: Proposing a Multi-Stakeholder Lens to Examine Global Community-Based Design Projects

Authors: Libby (Elizabeth) Osgood, Nick Landrigan, and Wayne Peters

Publication: International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy, volume 13, number 4, pages 4-20

Publication Date: 2023

Keywords: Case study; Educational toy; Service-learning; Design; Stakeholders; Evaluation tool

Abstract: One implementation of global, community-based, engineering-student design projects invites students to practice design from a distance. Though it may not be possible to bring an entire engineering design class to the international location for students and various stakeholders to interact, a meaningful global experience can be educational and beneficial for all stakeholders. Recognizing that the impact of community-based projects extends beyond the students to numerous stakeholders, this paper proposes a multi-stakeholder lens which examines the roles, interactions, motivations, and responsibilities of stakeholders in a global, community-based design project. The lens was developed in part by a case study of a global design project connecting a first-year Canadian engineering design course, a rural Kenyan preschool, a non-profit organization, and additional Kenyan and Canadian stakeholders. Written by three of the stakeholders in the case study, the course instructor, a Canada-based community partner, and a design student, this paper concludes with recommendations on how to incorporate global projects in a domestic setting. Ultimately, adopting a multi-stakeholder lens transitions a myopic student-centric focus to an inclusive experience for all stakeholders, creating partners in the design and achieving a greater set of objectives.

Title: Quantitative Assessment on the Effectiveness of a Formal Charge Method for Constructing Lewis (Electron Dot) Structures

Authors: Owen J. Curnow and Jason K. Pearson

Publication: Journal of Chemical Education, volume 100, issue 8, pages 2819-3164

Publication Date: 2023

Keywords: Lewis structures; First-year undergraduates; General; High school; Introductory chemistry; Curriculum; Learning analytics

Abstract: The effectiveness of a formal charge method to draw Lewis structures that was developed by Curnow was studied quantitatively by direct comparison of two groups of students: one of which was taught the new formal charge method and another that was taught a traditional method. Students’ marks on a common assessment were found to improve by approximately 5% when taught the formal charge method, and students who used this method were able to identify the correct answer with fewer attempts. These differences were found to be statistically significant.

Title: Rainbow Valley as Embodied Heaven: Initial Explorations into L.M. Montgomery's Spirituality in Fiction

Author: Brenton D.G. Dickieson

Publication: Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies

Publication Date: 2020

Keywords: Embodied cognition; Heaven; Rainbow; Spirituality; Theology; Art

Abstract: Intriguingly, L.M. Montgomery’s generally realistic fiction is filled with fantastic elements. This article argues that by following Montgomery into the heavenly fairyland of Rainbow Valley, readers can discern a joyful, creative, imaginative, and integrated image of spiritual life in the conversations, the characters, and the magic valley itself.

Title: Recognizing the dark side of sustainability transitions

Authors: Katharine McGowan & Nino Antadze

Publication: Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, volume 13, pages 344-349

Publication Date: 2023

Keywords: Sustainability transitions; Energy transitions; Just transitions; Racism; Colonialism; Environmental justice

Abstract: Recent scholarship has revealed that sustainable transitions are not universally positive processes and may not have an equally beneficial impact for all. In this essay, we adopt the definition of the dark side of transformations offered by Blythe et al. (Antipode 50:1206–1223, 2018) to further explore this topic by revisiting our earlier paper—“Moral entrepreneurship: Thinking and acting at the landscape level to foster sustainability transitions”—which was published in Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions in 2017. By critically reflecting on our own work, we want to caution against an insufficient examination of the dark side of sustainability transitions and highlight the need to grapple with and portray the multifaceted nature of past and present transition processes, particularly around the issues of racism and colonialism. The conversations about the dark side of sustainability transitions will help us avoid similar or different types of problems with injustice and inequality as we develop and implement future sustainable transitions.

Title: A situational analysis of registered dietitians' participation in network marketing

Authors: Sarah J. Hewko and Kristen J. Mann

Publication: Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, volume 36, issue 3, pages 932-948

Publication Date: 2023

Keywords: Feminism; Health professional regulation; Multi-level marketing; Neoliberalism; Nutritionists; Qualitative research

Abstract: Registered dietitians (RDs) are allied health professionals with advanced training in nutrition and food science. To practice, RDs must maintain registration with the regulatory body in their jurisdiction. We conducted a situational analysis to better understand: (i) RDs participation as independent sales consultants (ISCs) for network marketing companies and (ii) the role of regulatory bodies in overseeing network marketing participation among RDs. We conducted semi-structured interviews with individuals who had, within the past 5 years, concurrently been an RD and an ISC, and with three representatives of non-RD regulatory bodies in the province of Ontario. Other sources of discursive data included relevant articles published in academic journals and in the mainstream media, documentary series and circulating memes. Our results are depicted in three maps (ordered situational, arenas and positional). Overall, much of what was highlighted in the reviewed articles and expressed in the analytic maps about network marketing remained unsaid in RD interviews (n = 8). RDs who participate in network marketing were often able to achieve a level of personal fulfilment that appeared unattainable through their professional work alone. However, the stigma of network marketing participation appeared to diminish the benefits of ISC work. Consistent, clear guidelines from RD regulatory bodies are desired by RD/ISCs.

Title: A Song for Edward Whelan: Commemoration, Catholicism, and Classical Liberalism in the Afterlife of a Tragic Hero

Author: Edward MacDonald

Publication: Historical Studies, volume 87, pages 23-48

Publication Date: 2021

Keywords: Liberalism; Anniversaries; History; Philosophy and religion; Regional focus/area studies

Abstract: Edward Whelan was one of the popular heroes of Prince Edward Island's Confederation-era "golden age": champion of responsible government, Father of Confederation, brilliant journalist and orator. For over a half-century after his tragic death in 1867, a series of campaigns were launched to erect a public monument to his memory. Despite their pointedly non-partisan, non-sectarian trappings, each ultimately failed to generate broad support. The reasons for that failure hold up a mirror to a post-Confederation Island society in need of heroes but divided by its past, while the story of how the monument was variously justified exposes the fluid and contingent nature of public memory as the real Edward Whelan became a convenient vessel in which to place the values and aspirations of his memory keepers.

Title: Splendour in the Brass: A Legacy of Brass Music

Author: Dale Sorensen

Publication: Reflections on Malcolm Forsyth, edited by Mary I. Ingraham and Robert Rival, published by the University of Alberta Press (Edmonton, AB), pages 197-213 (NOTE: this is a chapter of a book, not a journal article)

Publication Date: 2019

Keywords: Composers--Canada--Biography; Biography & Autobiography--Music; Music--Genres & Styles--Classical; Music--History & Criticism; Music--Individual Composer & Musician

Abstract: Malcolm Forsyth's brass music accounts for over 25 per cent of his entire compositional output and represents a significant contribution to brass solo and chamber music repertoire. Beginning with his Quartet '61 (1961) for trombones, and ending with Rondino & Tiddly Pom (2008) for solo soprano cornet and tenor horn with brass band, Forsyth's extensive catalogue of brass music exemplifies the full stylistic range of his compositional career, from abstract compositional exercises to full-scale expressive explorations, and consists of utilitarian fanfares, music for students and amateurs, recital pieces, and large-scale concert works. Covering the gamut of expression, from introspective to extroverted, solemn to theatrical, tongue-in-cheek to serious, some have become standards in the repertoire. In this annotated list of several of Forsyth's works for brass, I include discussions of the circumstances surrounding their creation, a few of their musical and performance characteristics, and comments on their reception, with the aim of providing an introduction to Forsyth's compositional style and a glimpse into the variety of musical and extra-musical sources that inspired him.

Title: Wonder and Dust in a Hopeful Hamlet

Author: Shannon Murray

Publication: Shakespeare's Guide to Hope, Life, and Learning, by Lisa Dickson, Shannon Murray, and Jessica Riddell, published by the University of Toronto Press (Toronto, ON), pages 161-171 
(NOTE: this is a chapter of a book, not a journal article)

Publication Date: 2022

Keywords: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 > Criticism and interpretation; Hamlet (Shakespeare, William); Hope in literature; Learning and scholarship in literature; Life in literature

Abstract: [none provided, but here is the publisher's description of the whole book]

"What is the most wonderful thing about teaching this play in our classrooms?" Using this question as a starting point, Shakespeare's Guide to Hope, Life, and Learning presents a conversation between four of Shakespeare's most popular plays and our modern experience, and between teachers and learners. The book analyzes King Lear, As You Like It, Henry V, and Hamlet, revealing how they help us to appreciate and responsibly interrogate the perspectives of others. Award-winning teachers Lisa Dickson, Shannon Murray, and Jessica Riddell explore a diversity of genres - tragedy, history, and comedy - with distinct perspectives from their own lived experiences. They carry on lively conversations in the margins of each essay, mirroring the kind of open, ongoing, and collaborative thinking that Shakespeare inspires. The book is informed by ideas of social justice and transformation, articulated by such thinkers as Paulo Freire, Parker J. Palmer, Ira Shor, John D. Caputo, and bell hooks. Shakespeare's Guide to Hope, Life, and Learning advocates for a critical hope that arises from classroom experiences and moves into the world at large.