University of the Fraser Valley

Poor website accessibility and usability with credible website/information sources can create barriers to the equitable uptake of vaccines. Scarce research investigates how intended users interact with and perceive official COVID-19 websites. We examine how people in Canada interact with official COVID-19 vaccine websites and how they use information to inform their choices regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. Using a qualitative design and talk-aloud (also called ‘think-aloud’) method, we conducted interviews with 50 general population individuals residing in 3 provinces in Canada in July-December 2021, during which they navigated specific government websites and attempted to find information on various aspects of COVID-19. During the interviews, participants were given specific tasks (e.g. searching for specific information on the websites) and asked to ‘think aloud’ while performing them. Thematic content was used to identify positive and negative elements regarding the websites that were stated by participants as they navigated the websites. Our analysis demonstrated that participants appreciated websites that featured user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing designs, had local and updated information, offered links to reputable sources, and dispelled misconceptions. Participants also critiqued sites for using technical jargon, presenting seemingly insufficient information, and potentially having conflicts of interest. These findings underline the need for health authorities to prioritize web-based communication and understand the information needs of their audience. Ignoring user preferences raises potential risks of poor communication, such as leaving their citizens seeking information elsewhere.

The mechanisms of the pectoral girdle transformation at the origin of terrestrial locomotion in vertebrates remain an outstanding problem. The loss of intramembranous bones and the enlargement of endochondral bones resulted in the disarticulation of the pectoral girdle from the skull and the formation of the neck during the fish-to-tetrapod transition. Despite the functional implications of this skeletal shift in the emergence of terrestrial vertebrates, the underlying genetic-developmental alterations have remained enigmatic. Here, we show that in zebrafish pectoral girdle mesodermal cells expressing gli3, a transcription factor gene in the Hedgehog signaling pathway, differentiate into both intramembranous and endochondral bones. Intriguingly, Gli and Hedgehog compound knockout fish exhibited an unexpected combination of actinopterygian fish and stem-tetrapod pectoral girdle characteristics. These ontogenetic and anatomical data suggest that a trade-off between the two distinct ossification pathways is a deeply embedded developmental program in bony fishes and that tuning of this trade-off can generate novel pectoral girdle akin to those of stem-tetrapods at the dawn of vertebrate terrestrialization.

This article questions the extent to which paramedic education is adequate for a changing prehospital and ambulance world and to more advanced forms of professionalism. Paramedic training and education has increasingly moved out of in-service provision. In most Anglophone societies that feature similar models of prehospital medicine, the route to the qualification of new paramedics is through university degree programmes or college certification. This is an important route for professionalizing the paramedic occupation and has served to broaden the scope of practice and to boost the status of the paramedic. There remains much to do, however, in terms of modernizing and strengthening the provision of paramedic education. Drawing on the classic sociological notion of the hidden curriculum, this article argues that reform of paramedic education is an essential element in better preparing the paramedic profession for the future. Paramedic education needs to pivot away from its overwhelming emphasis on biomedical positivism and what we call the tyranny of the bio-psycho-medico in order to develop a more sociologically-informed curriculum that better prepares students for the realities of what they meet on the streets – a reality that better aligns with community paramedicine – in a changing society, and to provide scope for a more Socratic introspection of the nature, culture, structure, and ethics of the paramedic role itself.

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is known for its outstanding strength and durability but is often limited by the high cost of traditional materials, like cement, fine aggregates, and silica fume. This review examines the use of industrial by-products—specifically, iron tailings, steel slag, and desulfurization gypsum—as sustainable alternatives in UHPC mix design. These materials serve as supplementary cementitious components and fine aggregates, helping reduce environmental impacts and production costs. This study highlights the synergistic hydration mechanisms between Portland cement and waste-based materials, leading to improved microstructure and long-term strength. The role of steel fibers in enhancing crack resistance is also discussed. Challenges related to workability, cost, and lack of standardization are addressed, along with opportunities for innovative mix designs, low-carbon binders, and 3D printing. Overall, this paper underscores the potential of industrial by-products to advance sustainable, high-performance UHPC solutions.

Background: Research results are often not communicated to study participants or others with relevant lived experience. Effective communication of research results would help study participants understand their contribution to research and could improve trust in research and likelihood of research participation. Few randomized controlled trials (RCTs), however, have compared the effectiveness of research communication tools, and it is not known which tools work best for different people. We will conduct the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network-Communicating Latest Evidence and Results (SPIN-CLEAR) trial series via the multi-national SPIN Cohort to compare tool effectiveness. Primary objectives of each RCT will be to compare tools based on (1) information completeness, (2) understandability, and (3) ease of use. We will additionally evaluate comprehension of key aspects of disseminated research; likelihood that participants would enroll in a similar future study; and, for all primary and secondary outcomes, outcomes by participant characteristics (gender, age, race or ethnicity, country, language, education level, health literacy). Methods: An advisory team of people with systemic sclerosis (SSc, also known as scleroderma) participated in developing research questions, selecting outcomes, and designing the series of parallel-arm RCTs that will each compare two or more tools or tool variations to a plain-language summary comparator; the common comparator will facilitate across-trial comparisons. In each RCT, people with SSc and researchers will select a recent SSc research study to disseminate. Tools will be developed by experienced tool developers and people with SSc. SPIN Cohort participants (current N eligible = 1522 from 50 SPIN sites in Australia, Canada, France, UK, USA) and additional participants recruited via social media and patient organization partners who consent to participate will be randomized to a dissemination tool or plain-language summary comparator and complete outcomes. Analyses will be intent-to-treat and use linear regression models. Discussion: Each trial in the planned series of trials will build upon knowledge from previous trials. Results will contribute to the evidence base on how to best disseminate results to study participants and others with relevant lived experience. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06373263. Registered on April 17, 2024 (first trial in series).

Tactical air-ground wireless sensor networks (TAG-WSNs) are mission-critical wireless sensor networks (WSNs) that employ airborne sensor nodes (ASNs) to capture aerial sensor data during military operations, thereby overcoming the sensing coverage limitations of the ground network. However, intelligent jamming attacks on the network’s links, coupled with the highly dynamic network topology, disrupt data communication and pose challenges for reliable routing. In this paper, we introduce a cross-layer (MAC-PHY) jamming framework that models the hostile characteristics of TAG-WSNs. Secondly, we propose a scalable federated deep reinforcement learning (FDRL)-enabled routing solution called FedRoute, which enables agents to build a shared routing model. To support jamming-resilient collaborative model training, we use multiple spatially distributed mobile robot nodes (MRNs) as parameter servers. In FedRoute, local DRL models are meta-trained with the routing agents’ exploration data before federated averaging, resulting in meta-optimized regional routing models. Moreover, FedRoute empowers routing agents to discover quick and reliable routes in the presence of jamming attacks on acknowledgment (ACK), negative acknowledgment (NACK), and data packets. Under cross-layer (MAC-PHY) jamming attacks, the proposed scheme is found to outperform cluster-based trusted routing (CTRF) in terms of expected transmission count (ETX) by 11%, packet delivery ratio (PDR) by 6.5%, and end-to-end (E2E) delay by 14.5%. Furthermore, compared to DQN-routing, the proposed scheme improves ETX by 5.9%, PDR by 5.6%, and E2E delay by 32.5%.

Utilizing potassium salt aggregates and waste brine to produce underground cemented filling materials can address the waste storage issue. However, it is essential for the backfill materials to meet specific transport characteristics. This paper examines the transportation characteristics of lime-cemented mine backfill for a potash mine. The parameters were optimized for the cemented backfill process of potash mines through loop experiments and model simulations. Results indicate that the slump and fluidity of the backfill slurry diminished with increasing lime content and solid concentration. Additionally, the growth rate of pressure loss at the bent pipe and the pressure loss per unit distance in a horizontal pipe increased rapidly over transportation time, indicating a decline in the flowability of the backfill slurry. The lime dosage and solid concentration must align with the backfill requirements. When the lime dosage is 0.5%, the solid content is 70–75%; conversely, with a lime dosage of 0.7% and solid content of 65%, the maximum pumpable time extends to 1 h. The compressive strength of the cured backfill material after 28 days exceeds 1.01 MPa, meeting the transportation requirements for 300 m vertical pipes and 5000 m horizontal pipes. In the case study, the actual flow rate of backfill slurry surpasses the calculated critical flow rate. The estimated and measured values of on-site pressure loss per unit distance in a horizontal pipe exhibit a strong correlation. As the pressure loss per unit distance in a horizontal pipe rises, the discrepancy between the calculated and measured values also increases. When the solid content exceeds 65%, the loop test slightly enhances the compressive strength of the lime-cemented backfill. The findings from this article can aid in determining the on-site backfill process parameters with lime as a binder.

Background To determine whether a sample of pre-professionally trained, professional, and retired ballet dancers experienced body dysmorphia, eating disorders (EDs), perfectionism, Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety, depression, substance use, sexual abuse, and injuries within ballet culture. Methods A total of 10 female ballet dancers aged 18–25 years of age participated in a structured interview either in-person or online via Zoom. Interview questions were open-ended to capture the richness of participant responses. The Exercise Science Thematic Analysis Model was utilized to analyze the participant responses. This study used a semantic focus and what has been described as a ‘top-up’ or deductive approach. The purpose of the study was to determine whether body dysmorphia, EDs, perfectionism, OCD, anxiety, depression, substance use, sexual abuse, and injuries were described in the participant narrative. Results Participant responses were organized into the following categories: the overarching theme, themes, sub-themes, level one emerging themes (emergent in > or = 5 participant responses), and level two emerging themes (emergent in < 5 participant responses). The overarching theme was cyclic trauma with two themes: lack of control/inconsistency/instability and perfectionism. Subthemes included body dysmorphia and EDs, mental health, injuries, sexual violence and substance use. The majority of the participants (60%) expressed feeling a of lack of control, instability, and/or inconsistency in the ballet world. Eight out of ten (80%) participants provided responses consistent with perfectionism. All participants stated that the subthemes body dysmorphia/EDs, mental health, and sexual violence were problematic in ballet culture. Injuries emerged as a subtheme in 70% of interviews and substance use was mentioned by 30% of participants although no participants had first-hand experience with substance use in the context of ballet. Complex-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) emerged as a theme which was unexpected and thus, requires further exploration in future research with ballet dancers. Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that ballet environments expose dancers to several health risk factors. Steps should be taken to reduce the risk of harm associated with these health risk factors.

Cellular agriculture is rapidly developing as an alternative protein source yet faces political friction. Research that explores novel pathways for the integration of cellular agriculture into conventional production; open and transparent science; as well as the development of lower cost, small and medium scale production systems can steer the industry in more socially desirable directions.

In cognitive radio networking, spectrum can be utilized by a secondary user while insuring no interference to the primary user of the spectrum. This helps enhancing the utilization of the spectrum while considering the rights of its primary users. Secondary users need to actively detect the existence/absence of the primary user to deploy a cognitive radio network. By cooperating, secondary users can enhance the detection capabilities, especially in environments with fading and noise, thereby increasing the reliability of spectrum sensing. The objective of this work is to employ machine learning with feature extraction and random forest classifier to enhance the individual secondary user energy detection accurateness in presence of a high level of noise power density. Clustering method is used to organize the secondary users for cooperative decision making on the existence of the primary user. The detection probability is analysed based on the ROC, where it reaches approximately 0.95 at a probability of false alarm of about 0.05, indicating a highly efficient detection capability.

There is a drive towards reducing animal experiments and developing robust biologically relevant in vitro models based on cell lines, including those derived from fish. At the time of writing, Cellosaurus, the knowledge base of current cell lines used in research, listed more than 900 fish cell lines in its database. One of the key challenges facing fish cell biology is the lack of fundamental technical information regarding the isolation, culture, and application of cell lines. Researchers often work in silos, encountering similar technical challenges, each spending significant time and resources overcoming the same issues for which solutions may not be readily accessible. Here, we share some of the key considerations for the isolation, culture, maintenance, and application of fish cell lines in toxicology, which we have encountered over our collective decades of experience.