Wilfrid Laurier University

Ergonomics and Human Factors (E/HF) practitioners are increasingly engaged in projects meant to centre underserved communities and reduce inequities. The subdiscipline of E/HF that has emerged to explore the application of E/HF in this way is called community ergonomics. In this qualitative-descriptive study, we reflect on the progress made in the field of community ergonomics since its original conceptualisation in 1994. We present six E/HF case studies carried out in North America, South America, and Africa in a variety of community contexts to highlight the challenges of conducting community-based work. From those case studies, we synthesise six lessons learned that can be used to guide future community ergonomics projects. Finally, we provide methodological and epistemological recommendations for doing ethical community-based work, calling for E/HF practitioners to consider how their own ideologies are shaping their interactions with the communities they aim to serve.

This paper uses digitized US trade flows data at the customs district level from 1870 to 1900 to investigate whether trade shocks had an effect on the size and composition of the population of US ports and on their economic activity. I find that trade increased the population of districts, driven principally by growth in urban populations, and that manufacturing activity also increased. However, these results dissipate rapidly with distance: counties adjacent to ports do not see similar gains from trade booms at nearby ports. My results imply that trade was a contributing factor in the structural transformation of America's economy.

COVID-19 has lasting impacts on pharmaceutical companies, and it is crucial for managers to fully understand and monitor the impact areas to prepare for future organizational resilience building and transformation. However, the research on COVID-19 impacts is still discrete and anecdotal. Based on a textual analysis of 447 public pharmaceutical companies’ 10-K annual reports and statistical analysis of their financial data, this research systematically identifies major impact areas experienced by public pharmaceutical companies during COVID-19, the patterns of impacts (distribution and sentiment of impacts), and their association with firm characteristics. A topic modeling analysis reveals four impact areas, including new product development processes, sales and operations, COVID-19 treatment and prevention drug early development, and COVID-19 drug clinical trials. Companies reporting COVID-19 drug clinical trials are the most optimistic in the sample, while companies reporting sales and operations are the most pessimistic. Furthermore, firms exhibit heterogeneity in terms of the impacts they experience. Those whose primary business focus is on research and development are more likely to report impacts related to new product development processes, while those with diverse business focus tend to highlight issues on sales and operations. The impact areas uncovered in this research point out the domain for managers to watch for potential transformation, whereas the findings on firm heterogeneity guide managers to make efforts tailored to their firm characteristics.

The Arabic development of Syrian refugee children (N = 133; mean age = 9;4 at Time 1) was examined over 3 time periods during their first five years in Canada. Children were administered sentence repetition and receptive vocabulary tasks in English and Arabic, and information about age-of-arrival (AOA), schooling in Arabic and language environment factors was obtained via parent report. Older AOA was associated with superior Arabic abilities across time, but regardless of AOA, children showed plateau/attrition patterns in Arabic and shifts to English dominance by Time 3. Increases in English over Arabic were observed for language use at home and language-rich activities overtime. Stronger Arabic Time 3 outcomes were predicted by more Arabic and less English use with siblings, more schooling in Arabic, more frequent listening-speaking and extra-curricular activities in Arabic, and more Arabic use with friends. We conclude that the heritage language can be vulnerable even for first-generation bilinguals.

Background Microbiota of the distal part of the intestine produces Urolithin A (Uro A) as a derivative of ellagitannins hydrolysis. Recently, the mitophagy, anti‐inflammatory, and antioxidant properties of Uro A have focused more attention on its probable beneficial effects on neurodegenerative states. The purpose of this research was to study the impact of Uro A on the histopathology of the cerebellum in a rat model of streptozotocin‐induced Alzheimer’s disease. Methods Young male Wistar rats underwent stereotaxic surgery and infused streptozotocin (STZ; 3 mg/Kg body weight, dissolved in 10 µl vehicle of ascorbic acid‐saline 0.1%), intracerebroventricularly. After that, rats of experimental groups 1 and 2 were administered daily (i.p.) Uro A at two different doses; 10 and 20 mg/kg body weight, respectively. At the end of the experimental period (2 weeks), rats were deeply anesthetized, perfused (10% formalin solution), and decapitated, and their brains were removed and post‐fixed in the same fixator. Then, the cerebellums were separated and processed for histological preparation. Paraffin sections (5 µm thickness) were stained (H&E) and examined under a light microscope. Result The microscopic photos of cerebellum sections of control, negative control, and experimental rats are presented in Figure 1. The photos show that, in comparison with the control, the disruption in the continuity of the Purkinje cell layer, as well as the abnormal morphology and lower density of Purkinje cells are obvious in the negative control section. Conclusion It seems that Uro A treatment could somehow limit the destructive effects of STZ on the cerebellar Purkinje cell layer. Previously, decreased densities of Purkinje cells and notable morphological changes have been reported in the cerebellum of Alzheimer’s patients (Baloyannis et al., 2000).

Long dsRNA induces the expression of type I interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) to establish an antiviral state. When induced prophylactically, this antiviral state can reduce the severity and mortality of viral infections. One of the limiting factors in delivering dsRNA in animal models is the lack of an effective carrier that protects the dsRNA from degradation in the extracellular space. In this study, commercially available cationic liposomes composed of stearylamine, L-α-phosphatidylcholine, and cholesterol were analyzed for their ability to encapsulate and deliver a 621-bp dsRNA sequence. This encapsulated dsRNA was delivered to two Oncorhynchus mykiss cell lines, RTG-2 and RTgill-W1, to activate the IFN pathway and reduce chum salmon reovirus (CSV) infection. EMSA analysis revealed that the liposomes effectively encapsulated 55 and 800 µg/mL doses of dsRNA, remained stable when stored at 4°C and − 20°C, and protected the encapsulated dsRNA from degradation by RNase III. Cell viability assays determined that liposomes loaded with dsRNA were highly cytotoxic after 24 h of exposure. A shorter exposure of 2 h resulted in reduced cytotoxicity and enhanced expression of the ISG Mx1 in both dsRNA alone and dsRNA-liposome-treated cells; however, the elevated Mx1 induction was not sufficient in the dsRNA-liposome treatment group to provide protection against viral infection. Meanwhile, the unencapsulated dsRNA significantly reduced the CSV titer and amount of syncytia formation. Thus, while dsRNA represents an important immune modulator in fish cells, this liposome formulation is too toxic for antiviral applications.

In this paper, we first introduce the concept of symmetric biderivation radicals and characteristic subalgebras of Lie algebras and study their properties. Based on these results, we precisely determine biderivations of some Lie algebras including finite-dimensional simple Lie algebras over arbitrary fields of characteristic not 2 or 3 , and the Witt algebras $\mathcal {W}^+_n$ over fields of characteristic 0 . As an application, commutative post-Lie algebra structure on the aforementioned Lie algebras is shown to be trivial.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of workforce diversity on organizational performance (OP) from the perspective of resource-based view (RBV) theory in the context of the hospitality sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We suggest training and performance appraisal as moderators. Sequential regression analysis was applied, including information from directors, unit managers, supervisors, low-level workers, and customers, as well as financial outcomes from 167 organizations in the UAE (683 full-time employees) in the hospitality sector, including hotels, restaurants, theme parks, travel agents, recreational centers, and museums. This analysis assisted in supporting the hypotheses. The findings confirm that there is a positive relationship between diversity and OP. Additionally, the emphasis on training and performance appraisal will strengthen this relationship and lead to higher organizational performance. This improvement is expected to increase customer satisfaction and sales growth. Researchers have emphasized the necessity of conducting a comprehensive investigation to fully understand the impact of diversity on OP. In this regard, we propose that training and performance appraisal serve as potential tools to enhance OP through diversity.

Research regarding workers’ well-being over time during COVID-19 has primarily used variable-centered approaches (e.g., ANOVA) to explore changes in negative well-being. However, variable-centered approaches provide insufficient information on the different well-being experiences that diverse workers may have experienced during COVID-19. Furthermore, researchers have understudied positive well-being in workers’ general lives and work during COVID-19. We used latent trajectory analysis, a person-centered analysis, to explore diverse well-being trajectories Canadian workers experienced during the first few months of COVID-19 across distress, flourishing, presenteeism, and thriving at work measures. We hypothesized that: H1) Intragroup differences would be present on each well-being indicator at study onset; H2) Different longitudinal trajectories would emerge for each well-being indicator (i.e., some workers’ scores would get better, some would get worse, and some would remain the same); and H3) Factors at different ecological levels (self, social, workplace, pandemic) would predict membership to the different trajectories. Canadian workers ( N = 648) were surveyed March 20-27th, April 3rd-10th, and May 20-27th of 2020. Depending on the well-being indicator, and supporting H1, three to five well-being trajectories were identified. Providing some support for H2, distress and presenteeism trajectories improved over time or stayed stagnant; flourishing and thriving at work trajectories worsened or stayed stagnant. Providing some support for H3, self- (gender, age, disability status, trait resilience), social- (family functioning), workplace- (employment status, financial strain, sense of job security), and pandemic-related (perceived vulnerability to COVID-19) factors significantly predicted well-being trajectory membership. Recommendations for diverse stakeholders (e.g., employers, mental health organizations) are discussed.

In health care and child welfare, clinical records and case notes serve multiple functions. When records are aggregated and processed to create administrative data, they can be analyzed and used to inform policy development and decision-making. To be useful, such data should be complete, accurate, and recorded in a standardized way. However, sources of bias and error can impact the quality of administrative data. During the development of national child welfare data in Canada, child welfare sector partners expressed concerns about the accuracy and completeness of data about children and families. This protocol describes a study that seeks to answer two questions: 1) What individual and institutional factors influence how client data is recorded by child welfare workers in Canada? 2) What data quality issues are created through documentation and case recording practices that may impact the use of clinical case management system data for public health statistics? In this protocol, we describe an exploratory mixed methods study that involves an online survey, interviews with a purposive sample of child welfare workers, and a document review of case recording guidelines. To be eligible for the study, participants must have worked at a child welfare agency or department with clinical documentation responsibilities as a part of their job. We will use descriptive statistics to analyze the survey data and thematic analysis to analyze the qualitative data. This study will help uncover strengths, limitations, and possible sources of bias created through case recording and documentation practices in child welfare. Study results will be shared through presentations to interest holders and will inform the further development of national child welfare data in Canada.

How situations are defined is a social process. This paper examines how users on YouTube make sense of the alleged sexual assault perpetrated by shock rocker Marilyn Manson in the 2007 “Heart Shaped‐Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)” music video. Actor Evan Rachel Wood revealed in a 2022 documentary that she had been “essentially raped” by Manson in the video. Using qualitative media analysis, we collected and analyzed a total of 5466 user‐generated comments on YouTube posted in response to the “Heart‐Shaped Glasses” video after the publication of Wood's allegations. The research question that we explore is: How do users on YouTube understand the “Heart‐Shaped Glasses” video in light of Wood's allegations? Does the video depict a consensual simulated sex scene or is it documentation of a criminal sexual assault? Our analysis and findings reveal that users' interpretations of social cues provided in the video are subject to external forces of narration. Specifically, users draw explicitly and implicitly on both rape myths and on counter‐narratives stemming from the #MeToo movement to justify their support for Manson or for Wood, respectively. Media narratives about the “Heart‐Shaped Glasses” video and the user's orientation to the problem of sexual violence appear to be more salient social cues than the video footage itself in determining how commenters defined the video. These findings offer some insights specifically into how definitional processes, with respect to sexual violence, draw on socially established narratives, like rape myths or pro‐survivor activism. More generally, the findings provide a lens to consider how definitional processes operate in other kinds of situations in which the definition of actions recorded on video is contested. Video Abstract: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo7qxmTwA‐U .

The capacity to regulate emotions is central to children’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being as they develop. The influence of adverse childhood experiences on diminished emotion regulation (ER) has been linked to internalizing and externalizing problem behaviours in both children and adolescents. This cross-sectional study, including 479 Canadian emerging adults aged 17–19 years, examined how exposure to different levels of interparental conflict (IPC) during childhood was associated with ER (i.e., expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal) during emerging adulthood, and how parent-child closeness and parent-child conflict moderated this link. Findings revealed that at higher levels of parent-child closeness, IPC was associated with increased expressive suppression, while there were no significant differences in expressive suppression at lower levels of parent-child closeness. Similarly, IPC was more strongly associated with reduced cognitive reappraisal in the context of high parent-child conflict compared to low conflict. Findings from this work will inform interventional therapeutic and counselling practices to support the well-being of children and families.

Post-secondary mental health has reached crisis levels. Students attending post-secondary institutions such as universities, colleges, and trade schools are facing higher rates of negative mental health symptoms than before the pandemic, and have a higher prevalence of mental illnesses than found in the general population. Barriers to accessing mental health support prove to be a major obstacle for students—many of whom do not seek professional help when they need it. This mental health crisis is particularly poignant within marginalized student populations who face higher rates of mental illness as well as intersecting barriers to accessing support. Examples include cultural norms, chronic stress related to ongoing discrimination, and language barriers. Digital therapy presents a novel method of delivering mental health support and increasing accessibility to students in need. Mental health issues among post-secondary students, the barriers to care that they are facing, and specific digital mental health platforms to increase accessibility are outlined in this article.