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Recent Submissions

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    Exploring the Preferred Knowledge Mobilization Formats to Enact Climate Action Among Canadian Municipal Staff
    (University of Waterloo, 2026-06-03) Dion, Karlyn
    Canadian municipalities are central to climate action but often face capacity, resource, and knowledge barriers that limit implementation. This study examines which knowledge mobilization formats are preferred among Canadian municipal staff to determine how to best enact climate change by integrating survey data with semi structured interview data. Results show a strong preference for collaborative, people centred formats, such as peer to peer discussions, coaching, and interactive webinars, alongside practical, implementation ready tools including templates, worksheets, guidebooks, and repositories. Capacity constraints significantly shaped feasibility, with staff favouring flexible, low burden formats that fit limited time and capacity. Several previously undocumented formats emerged, including concierge style support, monthly calls, and resource sharing networks, extending current knowledge mobilization literature. Statistical analyses revealed no meaningful differences across municipality sizes, suggesting broadly shared learning needs. These findings highlight the importance of hybrid models, community specific tailoring, and sustained human support in strengthening municipal climate capacity and offer new directions for researchers and practitioners designing knowledge mobilization strategies.
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    From the ground up: Global nitrous oxide sources are constrained by stable isotope values
    (Public Library of Science, 2015-03-26) Snider, David M.; Venkiteswaran, Jason J.; Schiff, Sherry L.; Spoelstra, John
    Rising concentrations of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere are causing widespread concern because this trace gas plays a key role in the destruction of stratospheric ozone and it is a strong greenhouse gas. The successful mitigation of N2O emissions requires a solid understanding of the relative importance of all N2O sources and sinks. Stable isotope ratio measurements (δ15N-N2O and δ18O-N2O), including the intramolecular distribution of 15N (site preference), are one way to track different sources if they are isotopically distinct. ‘Top-down’ isotope mass-balance studies have had limited success balancing the global N2O budget thus far because the isotopic signatures of soil, freshwater, and marine sources are poorly constrained and a comprehensive analysis of global N2O stable isotope measurements has not been done. Here we used a robust analysis of all available in situ measurements to define key global N2O sources. We showed that the marine source is isotopically distinct from soil and freshwater N2O (the continental source). Further, the global average source (sum of all natural and anthropogenic sources) is largely controlled by soils and freshwaters. These findings substantiate past modelling studies that relied on several assumptions about the global N2O cycle. Finally, a two-box-model and a Bayesian isotope mixing model revealed marine and continental N2O sources have relative contributions of 24–26% and 74–76% to the total, respectively. Further, the Bayesian modeling exercise indicated the N2O flux from freshwaters may be much larger than currently thought.
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    High intensity interval and endurance training have opposing effects on markers of heart failure and cardiac remodeling in hypertensive rats
    (Public Library of Science, 2015-03-24) Holloway, Tanya M.; Bloemberg, Darin; da Silva, Mayne L.; Simpson, Jeremy A.; Quadrilatero, Joe; Spriet, Lawrence L.
    There has been re-emerging interest and significant work dedicated to investigating the metabolic effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) in recent years. HIIT is considered to be a time efficient alternative to classic endurance training (ET) that elicits similar metabolic responses in skeletal muscle. However, there is a lack of information on the impact of HIIT on cardiac muscle in disease. Therefore, we determined the efficacy of ET and HIIT to alter cardiac muscle characteristics involved in the development of diastolic dysfunction, such as ventricular hypertrophy, fibrosis and angiogenesis, in a well-established rodent model of hypertension-induced heart failure before the development of overt heart failure. ET decreased left ventricle fibrosis by ~40% (P < 0.05), and promoted a 20% (P<0.05) increase in the left ventricular capillary/fibre ratio, an increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein (P<0.05), and a decrease in hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha protein content (P<0.05). In contrast, HIIT did not decrease existing fibrosis, and HIIT animals displayed a 20% increase in left ventricular mass (P<0.05) and a 20% decrease in cross sectional area (P<0.05). HIIT also increased brain natriuretic peptide by 50% (P<0.05), in the absence of concomitant angiogenesis, strongly suggesting pathological cardiac remodeling. The current data support the longstanding belief in the effectiveness of ET in hypertension. However, HIIT promoted a pathological adaptation in the left ventricle in the presence of hypertension, highlighting the need for further research on the widespread effects of HIIT in the presence of disease.
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    Depth profilometry via multiplexed optical high-coherence interferometry
    (Public Library of Science, 2015-03-24) Kazemzadeh, Farnoud; Wong, Alexander; Behr, Bradford B.; Hajian, Arsen R.
    Depth Profilometry involves the measurement of the depth profile of objects, and has significant potential for various industrial applications that benefit from non-destructive sub-surface profiling such as defect detection, corrosion assessment, and dental assessment to name a few. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of depth profilometry using an Multiplexed Optical High-coherence Interferometry MOHI instrument. The MOHI instrument utilizes the spatial coherence of a laser and the interferometric properties of light to probe the reflectivity as a function of depth of a sample. The axial and lateral resolutions, as well as imaging depth, are decoupled in the MOHI instrument. The MOHI instrument is capable of multiplexing interferometric measurements into 480 one-dimensional interferograms at a location on the sample and is built with axial and lateral resolutions of 40 μm at a maximum imaging depth of 700 μm. Preliminary results, where a piece of sand-blasted aluminum, an NBK7 glass piece, and an optical phantom were successfully probed using the MOHI instrument to produce depth profiles, demonstrate the feasibility of such an instrument for performing depth profilometry.
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    A controlled quasi-experimental study of an educational intervention to reduce the unnecessary use of antimicrobials for asymptomatic bacteriuria
    (Public Library of Science, 2015-07-16) Irfan, Neal; Brooks, Annie; Mithoowani, Siraj; Celetti, Steve J.; Main, Cheryl; Mertz, Dominik
    Background Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) should only be treated in cases of pregnancy or in-patients undergoing urologic procedures; however, unnecessary treatment of ABU is common in clinical practice. Objective To identify risk factors for unnecessary treatment and to assess the impact of an educational intervention focused on these risk factors on treatment of ABU. Design Quasi-experimental study with a control group. Setting Two tertiary teaching adult care hospitals. Participants Consecutive patients with positive urine cultures between January 30th and April 17th, 2012 (baseline) and January 30th and April 30th, 2013 (intervention). Intervention In January 2013, a multifaceted educational intervention based on risk factors identified during the baseline period was provided to medical residents (monthly) on one clinical teaching unit (CTU) at one hospital site, with the CTU of the other hospital serving as the control. Results During the baseline period, 160/341 (46.9%) positive urine cultures were obtained from asymptomatic patients at the two hospitals, and 94/160 (58.8%) were inappropriately treated with antibiotics. Risk factors for inappropriate use included: female gender (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.3), absence of a catheter (OR 2.5, 1.2-5), bacteriuria versus candiduria (OR 10.6, 3.8-29.4), pyuria (OR 2.0, 1.1-3.8), and positive nitrites (OR 2.2, 1.1-4.5). In 2013, only 2/24 (8%) of ABU patients were inappropriately treated on the intervention CTU as compared to 14/29 (52%) on the control CTU (OR 0.10; 95% CI 0.02-0.49). A reduction was also observed as compared to baseline on the intervention CTU (OR 0.1, 0.02-0.7) with no significant change noted on the control CTU (OR 0.47, 0.13-1.7). Conclusions A multifaceted educational intervention geared towards medical residents with a focus on identified risk factors for inappropriate management of ABU was effective in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use.