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Palliative care consultation teams in long-term care: a descriptive retrospective cohort study
(2025-03-22) Tam-Tham, Helen; Persaud, Nadine; Arya, Amit
Abstract Purpose Given the wide prevalence of advanced illness and frailty among residents in long-term care (LTC), a palliative approach to care can support comfort and quality of life. Yet, significant gaps exist with the provision of palliative care in LTC settings. We aim to describe a palliative care consultation team designed to address this need. Methods A single-centre retrospective cohort study was conducted at a LTC home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We included residents referred to the palliative care consultation team between February 1, 2021, to February 1, 2023, with at least six-months of follow-up time. We used a descriptive quantitative approach to examine access to the palliative care consultation team, changes to advance care plans, and hospital transfers. Results Eighty-seven residents were referred and seen by the palliative care consultation team. The mean age was 85 years, 71.3% were female, and 48.3% had three to four comorbidities. Most residents were seen once (55.2%). Among residents that died (n = 53), 41.5% were referred with greater than three months of survival time. Among residents that had advance care plans documenting “Transfer to Hospital” (n = 41) and “Full Code” status (n = 17), 53.7% adjusted to “Do Not Transfer” and 76.5% to “Do Not Resuscitate” orders, respectively. The hospitalisation rate was one per 1000 resident-year. Conclusions At this LTC home, palliative care consultation teams represented an important service to improve the provision of palliative care particularly around facilitating advance care planning discussions. The findings of this study may inform further research on palliative care interventions for LTC residents.
Exploring Perceptions of the BIPOC Acronym in Canadian Social Discourse
(2025-02-28) Natynczyk, Evangelina Vanesa; Adorjan, Michael; McLean, Scott; Holden, William; Kazemipur, Abdie
This thesis examines perceptions of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) acronym within Canadian social discourse through a qualitative lens grounded in critical race theory. It offers insights into how professionals engaged in anti-racism efforts and diversity initiatives, along with the broader online community, navigate this terminology using semi-structured interviews and social media analysis. The study employs a multi-method approach, including content analysis of interviews and publicly available social media data, with a focus on X (formerly Twitter) to investigate the discourse surrounding the BIPOC acronym. This research highlights nuances influencing understandings of racial equity and inclusion under such umbrella terms and ‘fast-terminology’, considering emerging power dynamics associated with their use. Through this exploration, the findings contribute significantly to informed dialogue regarding equitable representation amidst evolving sociocultural landscapes, where language plays a pivotal role in shaping identity politics. It enhances the critical understanding of the societal implications of the BIPOC acronym, informing discussions around inclusive language, representation, and racial equity. The findings underscore the complexity of using racial and ethnic umbrella terms and emphasize the importance of contextualizing their usage within specific communities, contexts, and localities.
The Influence of Substrate Surface Roughness Parameters on the Frictional and Adhesive Properties of Graphene Monolayers
(2025-03-05) Macdonald, Malcolm Geoffrey; Egberts, Philip; Kim, Seonghwan; Badv, Maryam
2D lubricating materials, such as graphene, are becoming more prevalent in micro and nanoscale technology. As this technology continues to advance and become smaller, it is likewise becoming important to understand the material properties of graphene at the micro and nano scale. As a solid lubricant, graphene is deposited onto surfaces to reduce friction between parts that rub together. Therefore, it is important to understand how substrate surface parameters, such as roughness, influence the frictional and adhesive properties of graphene. This thesis investigates load-dependent friction analysis and phase change analysis experiments using AFM on graphene, which was deposited onto silicon oxide wafers. There were four different combinations of scratched and heated silicon oxide wafers with graphene monolayers mechanically exfoliated onto them. Load-dependent friction analysis revealed that samples that had negative skewness were shown to reverse the effect that heat had on the graphene silicon substrate. A model to explain this behaviour is proposed wherein graphene on a heated substrate will conform to the shape of a valley caused by scratching the silicon substrate. As an AFM tip slides into the valley, more contact between the tip and graphene occurs, which potentially allows for more puckering between the graphene and the tip as the tip emerges from the valley. This potential puckering decreases the conformity between the graphene and the silicon. Additionally, scratched samples were shown to increase the chances that graphene monolayers would fold. Tapping mode experiments investigating substrate surface adhesion found that increased substrate surface roughness was correlated with an increase in phase change. This is thought to be caused by graphene poorly conforming to unheated samples—which will result in higher phase changes—and conforming well to heated samples—which will result in lower phase changes. Heating the samples was shown to decrease the phase change and the variance of the phase change. At higher roughness', the phase change of heated samples would also increase. This is thought to be because there may be many regions of suspended graphene between the peaks of highly rough surfaces, which result in a greater phase change measurement.
Impact of Lifestyle on the Gut Microbiota of Middle-Aged Adults: Insights from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
(2025-03-14) Shah, Shrushti; Shearer, Jane; Reimer, Raylene; Buzatto, Adriana Zardini
Background: The escalating prevalence of obesity and its related comorbidities emphasizes a significant need for novel studies to address this growing health crisis. Recognizing the pivotal role of gut microbiota in shaping metabolic health, it is crucial to understand how lifestyle affects the composition and function of the gut microbiota. Objectives: This dissertation investigates the connections between lifestyle and host-microbiota-metabolic axes in mediating the effects of physical activity, Mediterranean diet, and high blood pressure (BP) in middle-aged adults enrolled in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project. Objectives were to: 1) investigate the association between physical activity and hand grip strength on the gut microbiota, 2) examine the influence of healthy dietary patterns on the gut microbiota and its functions, and 3) determine how hypertension-induced alterations in gut microbiota contribute to low-grade chronic systemic inflammation in middle-aged women. Methods: A total of 443 participants aged 38-64 years were recruited from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project. Fecal and serum samples were collected for microbiota and metabolome analyses. For Study 1, participants with normal and overweight body mass index (BMI) were classified into low (<150 min/week), moderate (150-500 min/week) and high (>500 min/week) physical activity groups. Study 2 involved classifying individuals into four quartiles based on a modified Mediterranean Diet Score ranging from 0 (least healthy) to 9 (most healthy). In Study 3, women diagnosed with hypertension (systolic BP >120 mmHg, diastolic BP >80 mmHg) were compared to those with normal BP (<120/80 mmHg). Comprehensive, multi-omics analyses were performed to investigate the connections between gut microbiota and associated variables. Results: 1) Physical activity-induced alterations in gut microbiota were found to be BMI-dependent, with the most significant benefits observed in individuals with normal BMI. 2) Increased consumption of plant-based foods augmented the composition of microbiota associated with carbohydrate metabolism and microbial-derived dietary metabolites. 3) Hypertension in middle-aged women altered tryptophan metabolism and lowered indole-producing bacteria. Conclusion: This dissertation highlights the intricate connections between lifestyle factors and the gut microbiota in shaping metabolic health. It emphasizes that physical activity, Mediterranean diet, and hypertension all influence gut microbiota composition and function, with significant implications for managing obesity-related comorbidities in middle-aged adults.
Performance Enhancement of Cement Paste Using Biosilica Nanoparticles Derived from Agricultural Crop Residues
(2025-03-14) Alhalsa, Sohaib; Khoshnazar, Rahil; Nassar, Nashaat; Mwesigye, Aggrey; Hassanzadeh, Hassan
Common disposal practices of agricultural crop residues can pose significant environmental challenges, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and hazardous leachate generation. Incorporating these residues into concrete can reduce the landfill volume of residues and enhance the performance of concrete. Most of the existing studies to incorporate crop residues into concrete employed biosilica extracted at high temperatures, leading to substantial energy consumption and GHG emissions. This study, to the best of our knowledge, utilized biosilica nanoparticles obtained from wheat and rice husks using an advanced extraction technique at temperatures below 200 °C for the first time. The extracted biosilica was fully characterized and used in as-extracted and acid-treated forms in cement paste at 1, 3, and 5% by weight of cement. The pastes were tested for compressive strength, heat evolution, microstructure, and rheological behavior. The results showed that all cement pastes incorporating biosilica nanoparticles exhibited higher compressive strength than that of the reference paste at all the testing ages ranging from 3 to 91 days. The highest improvement in the compressive strength (48% compared to the reference sample) was observed for cement paste incorporating 3 wt% acid-treated biosilica from rice husk. This paste exhibited the highest hydration peak intensity and cumulative heat over the 7-day testing period. Moreover, all pastes containing biosilica nanoparticles had less alite and belite and more amorphous content the reference paste beyond 3 days. These pastes also contained low portlandite and high bound water contents at all ages. These findings highlight the cement hydration acceleration and pozzolanic reactivity of the biosilica nanoparticles in cement paste, which contributed to the enhanced compressive strength of the paste. Adding biosilica nanoparticles also increased the viscosity and yield stress of the cement paste although these effects varied based on the characteristics and content of the biosilica nanoparticles.