Cape Breton University

This study explores the potential of cricket meal and black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) as alternative protein sources in broiler chicken diets. With the use of the substitution method, using diatomaceous earth as an external marker, we investigated the nutrient availability and apparent metabilizeable energy content of oven-dried full-fat cricket meal (OD-CM), freeze-dried full-fat cricket meal (FD-CM), and defatted BSFLM in a feeding trial involving 320 Ross 308 broilers housed in 32 pens (8 replicates / treatment; 8 birds / pen). Feed intake, daily weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were measured between days 15 and 21. Excreta collected on days 19, 20, and 21 were analyzed for nutrient content. Both cricket treatments were high in crude protein. Additionally, FD-CM demonstrated the highest fat content, surpassing OD-CM. OD-CM displayed a significantly higher apparent digestibility coefficient for crude protein compared to BSFLM ( ). FD-CM had the highest apparent digestibility coefficient for gross energy ( ). The nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy of OD-CM and FD-CM were significantly higher than that of BSFLM ( ). Furthermore, OD-CM exhibited a significantly higher available crude protein content compared to BSFLM and FD-CM ( ). This research sheds light on the potential of OD-CM and FD-CM as valuable alternative protein sources for broiler chickens, providing critical insights for the poultry industry’s sustainable future. This research is important as the apparent digestibility coefficients, as well as available nutrients calculated for the three ingredients may be used to accurately formulate poultry diets on an available nutrient basis.

Successful gene therapy relies on carriers to transfer genetic materials with high efficiency and low toxicity in a targeted manner. To enhance targeted cell binding and uptake, we developed and synthesized a new gene delivery vector based on graphene oxide (GO) modified by branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) and folic acid (FA). The GO‐PEI‐FA nanocarriers exhibit lower toxicity compared to unmodified PEI, as well as having the potential to efficiently condense and protect pDNA. Interestingly, increasing the polymer content in the polyplex formulation improved plasmid transfer ability. Substituting graphene oxide for PEI at an N/P ratio of 10 in the HepG2 and THP1 cell lines improved hIL‐12 expression by up to approximately eightfold compared to simple PEI, which is twice as high as GO‐PEI‐FA in Hek293 at the same N/P ratio. Therefore, the GO‐PEI‐FA described in this study may serve as a targeting nanocarrier for the delivery of the hIL‐12 plasmid into cells overexpressing folic acid receptors, such as those found in hepatocellular carcinoma.

This paper proposes and tests a new conceptual framing for franchisee performance that draws on institutional complexity to explore the interaction of corporate, market, and relational logics of performance. Extant research draws on corporate and market logics to explain performance; however, this does not explain individual franchisee performance in complex institutional environments such as Base‐of‐the‐Pyramid (BoP) markets where relational logics may be more important, thereby limiting explanations of how franchisee outlets perform. Drawing on data from a network of 58 franchise outlets in the context of Kenya, we conduct a configurational analysis related to sales outcomes. We leverage fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to map out the conditions under which franchisees exhibit higher sales performance. Results show that three distinct configurations can lead to increased sales performance. Our results paint a nuanced picture of combinations of factors that result in franchisee success with relevance to the BoP context and beyond.

Culturally sensitive approaches in sexual violence prevention (SVP) refer to the proactive measures and strategies designed to address unique cultural circumstances impacting SVP. It focuses on fostering a culture of consent, respect, and equity and creating a safe and supportive environment for all individuals regardless of your identity. Increasing cultural diversity on university campuses poses unique challenges in preventing sexual violence (SV). Cultural diversity brings different perspectives, norms, and values regarding sex, sexuality, and gender roles. It can contribute to varying understandings of consent, differing attitudes toward SV, and diverse victimization experiences. These differences can create barriers to effectively addressing and preventing SV. The multiphase Culture and Perspectives on Sexual Assault Policy study, conducted at four universities in Eastern Canada, employed a qualitative research design involving focus groups with culturally diverse student participants. The findings revealed a strong desire for more education on sex, sexuality, SVP, and the intersections of culture. Additionally, the findings emphasize the importance of education and comprehensive prevention efforts that consider cultural differences, challenge gender normativity, debunk rape myths, and address the shame and secrecy associated with experiencing SV. These insights have significant implications for promoting a sense of community ownership, increasing the effectiveness and sustainability of prevention efforts, and helping to create a campus environment where all students feel safe, supported, and valued.

The thickness of the thin wetting film depends on disjoining pressure forces, and it evolves with pH evolution due to brine acidification at the physical and chemical conditions of geological carbon dioxide storage becoming thinner in response to dewetting. In the literature, molecular dynamic simulation (MDS) studies have been employed to understand the effect of pressure/capillary pressure on the thin wetting film evolution. In this paper, a theoretical approach based on the Frumkin–Derjaguin Equation (FDE), models of electric double layer repulsion, and van der Waals forces have been used for the calculation of the wetting film thickness. The approach excluded hydration forces contribution to disjoining pressure forces due partly to its poorly understood nature, and partly to the high salinity conditions encountered in geological carbon storage. Due to its promising global storage capacity compared to other lithologies, the carbon dioxide–brine–silica systems was chosen to simulate sandstone saline aquifers. The validation of the model benefited much from literature resources on data and a universal model of carbon dioxide–brine interfacial tension. Calculated results confirm pH-induced dewetting and they follow trends controlled by pH and pressure as found in the literature. The novelty of the paper can be seen from the fact that it has demonstrated a theoretical supplement to MDS studies in addition to justifying the fundamental utility and versatility of the FDE. Moreover, the paper links for the first time, a transcendental equation to the thin wetting film theory encountered in the carbon dioxide–solid–brine system found in geological carbon storage.

Forty-two ethnoculturally and gender-matched student focus groups in Nova Scotia Canada were convened at four predominantly white postsecondary institutions to discuss university sexual violence policies and services. We present qualitative data relating to participant perspectives on how campus sexual violence responses should address race, racism, ethnicity, or ethnocentrism shared by students belonging to five racialized cultural communities. All participants cited demonstrated concern about racial or ethnic bias, however their views about the institutional or interpersonal practices that would signal fair rather than biased treatment varied. Practices associated with cultural responsiveness, including ethnocultural matching, were widely advocated. Some participants favoured explicitly race-aware communication from sexual violence responders, consistent with currently dominant anti-racism. In contrast, others preferred that responders not introduce topics of race or racism, instead practicing what might be referred to as colour-blindness. Suggestions linked to the African philosophy of Ubuntu and to cultural humility were also advanced. In conclusion, to address students’ concerns about racism and ethnocentrism, we outline a toolkit approach to the intercultural communication that occurs in the implementation of campus sexual violence policy.

Objective The objective of the study was to determine if there would be statistically significant differences or trends among apolipoprotein E genotypes (2/2, 2/3, 2/4, 3/3, 3/4, and 4/4) for each member of the cluster of seven associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The cluster of seven includes abdominal obesity, hypertension, platelet hyperaggregability, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia (decreased plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and increased plasma levels of triglycerides)), increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, and increased inflammation. Methods Forty-six patients with well-controlled T2D participated in the study. Abdominal obesity (assessed by waist circumference), hypertension (measured by manual sphygmomanometry), platelet hyperaggregability (measured by bleeding time), hyperglycemia (by enzymatic kit and spectrophotometry), decreased plasma levels of HDL-C and increased plasma levels of triglycerides (by enzymatic kit and spectrophotometry), increased LDL oxidation (measured by LDL conjugated dienes using spectrophotometry) and increased inflammation measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) (by EIA kit) were determined. Results All genotypes, except 2/2 were found in the population studied. Abdominal obesity did not vary significantly across the five genotypes. However, glucose levels trended progressively higher going from 2/3 to 2/4 to 3/4 to 4/4. Systolic blood pressure was higher in 3/4 compared to 2/4 and trended higher in 3/4 compared to 3/3. Diastolic blood pressure trended higher in 3/3 vs 2/4 and significantly higher in 3/4 compared to 2/4. Triglycerides trended higher in 3/4 vs 3/3 while HDL-C came close to trending downward in 4/4 compared to 2/4. Bleeding time was unaffected by genotype. Plasma LDL conjugated dienes trended higher in 3/4 vs 2/4 and were significantly higher in 3/4 vs 3/3. CRP trended higher in 4/4 vs 2/3. Conclusion We can conclude that those with at least one 4 allele in the presence of another allele being 2, 3 or 4 is potentially (in the case of trends) deleterious or is deleterious in terms of hyperglycemia, hypertension (systolic and diastolic blood pressure), dyslipidemia, LDL conjugated dienes and CRP levels.

Recent longitudinal research by others analyzing the relation between racial-ethnic diversity and individualism-collectivism in the 50 American states over the period 2000-2018 suggests that racial-ethnic diversity promotes individualism. The present study used a cross-sectional approach based on 2013 data to determine whether a relation mirroring the longitudinal pattern exists between racial-ethnic diversity and individualism-collectivism across the 50 states. Two measures of state racial-ethnic diversity were related to four measures of state individualism-collectivism using Pearson correlation and partial correlation controlling for state socioeconomic status. All correlations between diversity and individualism were negative and all those between diversity and collectivism were positive. The absolute magnitudes ranged from .43 to .68 for the Pearson correlations and from .43 to .67 for the partial correlations. Contrary to the earlier longitudinal findings, the current results show that states with higher racial-ethnic diversity are less individualistic and more collectivistic.

Review of: The Little Mermaid , Rob Marshall (dir.) (2023), USA: Walt Disney Pictures

Artificial Intelligence is the creation of intelligent computers and smart computer algorithms that help machines understand human intelligence (IBM Cloud Education, 2021). Artificial Intelligence is created by analyzing behavior and patterns of big data. Artificial intelligence has existed since the 1950s (Song et al, 2019) but during recent times application of AI in various sectors like healthcare, business, entertainment, education, weather, and geology has picked up momentum. To cite a few well-known examples of Artificial Intelligence technology that are used by almost everyone in our day-to-day activities are advanced Google searches, YouTube recommendations, and Alexa (Song et al, 2019). The advent of technology has brought about innovation and transformation to every aspect of the business world, including the retail industry. The shift in the retail sector becomes obvious when big brick-and-mortar retailers scale down their physical shops and gradually move part of their business online. Consumer attitudes toward online shopping can vary based on demographics, perceived risk, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness. Demographic characteristics can further be classified as sex, age, educational qualification, household income, and relationship status, to name a few. In this study, the aim is to identify artificial intelligence applications and their use in online retail by Chinese consumers. A model has been developed to test the relationships between artificial intelligence applications used for online shopping and customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Electrochemical removal of uranium from water is an emerging topic that addresses the treatment of drinking water, remediation of contaminated sites, and mining from seawater. Electrochemical strategies compare favorably to conventional processes, such as adsorption and coagulation/flocculation, with advantages in speed and efficiency, materials regeneration, uranium recovery, and recycling. This review assesses all published work on electrochemical techniques for uranium extraction from water, including capacitive deionization (electrosorption), electrodeposition, electrodialysis, and electrocoagulation. This work compares these approaches with conventional techniques and discusses their applicability in different use cases. Environmental and economic considerations are discussed, as well as the current outlook and opportunities for engagement in this emerging field.

Ageism in healthcare is related to poor outcomes for older patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between ageism and various aspects of the psychological well-being of healthcare professionals in Atlantic Canada. In 2023, an online survey of 294 healthcare professionals from various disciplines was conducted. This survey included items to measure expectations of aging, stress, burnout, emotional dissonance, and well-being. Results indicated that aging expectations were significantly related to burnout, perceived stress, well-being, and emotional dissonance. With the use of a path analysis, emotional dissonance partially mediated relationships between burnout and well-being with stress. However, aging expectations did not significantly predict emotional dissonance. Differences were found across professional groups on ageism. Conclusions support the need for increased awareness to the relationship between ageist attitudes and professionals’ well-being, as well as the need for education and interventions to reduce false expectations about the aging process.

There has been an upsurge in e-commerce businesses during the past decade which exceeded unexpectedly during Covid-19. Using the social identity perspective and the country of origin (COO) effect, this research has focused on understanding how consumers'’ perceptions and assessments lead to consequent purchase choices. The proposed model has examined the impact of consumer e-purchase behavior to facilitate practitioners in developing robust strategies after understanding the behavioral patterns of consumers, particularly after the Covid period. For testing the hypothesized model, quantitative research methods were integrated and data were collected from consumers from developing countries including India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Data were collected via Google Forms from 470 respondents who had extensive experience with online shopping and structural equation modeling was computed for generating results. The results indicated a negative impact of consumer ethnocentrism on e-buying attitude towards foreign products implying that a lower ethnocentric level leads to a positive attitude towards foreign products. Moreover, the country of origin's image was found to be positively associated with perceptions toward foreign products. Further, e-buying attitude towards foreign products was positively associated with willingness to pay and willingness to accept perceptions. The research provides a novel perspective to understand the individual characteristics of consumers while evaluating the impact of the product's label specifically when there are unusual circumstances. The findings are likely to add value to digital marketing and consumer behavior domains by illustrating the essential selection criteria for consumers during online shopping which is one of the growing fields within global businesses, particularly after the Covid period.

Introduction Previous research on parental influences on sexuality has found that parenting styles influence contraceptive use and risky sexual behaviours. However, no studies have examined the effect of parenting styles on the sexual well-being (SWB) of emerging adults more broadly. The aim of the study was to examine the SWB of emerging adults and to explore the relationship between parenting styles and SWB in emerging adulthood. Methods A sample of 152 Canadian emerging adults 18 to 25 years of age completed an online survey administered via social media from January to February 2021. Participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and measures of parenting styles, parent-child sexual communication, and SWB. Results Emerging adults were found to have healthy sexual well-being (e.g., high sexual satisfaction, low sexual distress). Authoritative parenting was associated with more positive, higher quality parent-child sexual communication, and more positive sexual well-being in emerging adults compared to other parenting styles. Policy Implications and Conclusions Although more research on this topic is needed, results indicate that parenting styles can affect the sexual development of emerging adults beyond sexual risk. Therefore, parental figures need to be actively involved in educating their children about sexuality and should provide enough support to foster positive sexual development in emerging adulthood.

This is the first study to determine the capacity of state-level IQ and Big Five personality to predict total, male, and female state labor force participation rates (LFPRs). It is based on residents aged 20–64 years in the 48 contiguous American states from 2013 to 2017. Five state environmental variables—White population percent, urban population percent, per capita personal income, political preference, and age distribution—were statistically controlled. Multiple regression analysis revealed that IQ independently predicted total, male, and female LFPRs with β coefficients of 0.67, 0.71, and 0.59, respectively. Neuroticism also independently predicted total LFPRs and male LFPRs with βs of − 0.20 and − 0.29. As well, lower Openness to Experience and higher liberal political preference were associated with higher female LFPRs, producing βs of − 0.37 and 0.47, respectively. No other variables emerged as independent predictors. Regarding total LFPR variance, the six dispositional variables jointly accounted for 23.0% with the five environmental variables controlled and 74.2% without. Corresponding values were 25.9% and 74.3% for male LFPRs, and 19.6% and 66.5% for female LFPRs. With the six dispositional variables controlled, the five environmental variables together could only account for 11.0% in total LFPRs, 10.8% in male LFPRs, and 16.5% in female LFPRs. Spatial autocorrelation was tested and found to be nonsignificant. These previously overlooked dispositional predictors of state LFPRs are especially important given the salience of LFPRs in economic functioning, declines in American LFPRs since 2000, and the 35th-place standing of the USA on LFPRs among nations by 2022.

We use a constructive method to obtain all but finitely many 𝑝-local representation zeta functions of a family of finitely generated nilpotent groups M n M_{n} with maximal nilpotency class. For representation dimensions coprime to all primes p < n p<n , we construct all irreducible representations of M n M_{n} by defining a standard form for the matrices of these representations.

Maskwio’mi (Mi’kmaw language for “oil made from birch bark”) is a traditional topical skin medicine of the Mi’kmaq people of Atlantic Canada and is produced in a torrefaction process by heating birch bark (Betula papyrifera, paper birch) inside a metal container in a fire. The resulting viscous, oily mixture is traditionally mixed with goose fat or bear grease to create a topical salve that is subsequently applied to affected skin areas. When birch bark is exposed to high temperatures, pyrolytic chemical processes produce a complex mixture of pharmacologically active compounds including potentially harmful side products such as ortho-, meta- and para-cresol. This study discusses the qualitative and quantitative GC-MS analysis of cresols found in maskwio’mi and the challenges of the complex organic matrix. Using caffeine as an internal standard, ortho-, meta-, and para-cresol in birch bark extract were determined to be in the approximate order of 50 to 1,500 ppm range with 3.24 ± 0.09 × 102 ng mg-1 (324 ppm), 8.7 ± 1.0 × 102 ng mg-1 (87 ppm) and 12.4 ± 1.6 × 102 ng mg-1 (1,240 ppm), respectively, and thus suitable by Health Canada and FDA cosmetics regulation standards when the extract is coformulated in creams to concentrations of 0.1 to 5 wt% for topical use.