Canada's immigration policy is based on the notion that increased levels of immigration will bring economic prosperity to the nation and its citizens. However, some immigrants and refugees face a number of challenges in finding adequate employment which has contributed to their living in low socio-economic conditions. Using a document analysis, I investigated the structural and historical contexts and the accountability mechanisms of Canada’s immigration policy under the lens of critical political studies theory and critical race theory to gain some insight as to what some of the dynamics are which could account for the discrepancy between the expected economic outcomes and the actual experiences of new Canadians. I learned that the policy is driven by hegemonic economic forces. From this perspective, I have concluded that immigration is a policy tool used to support the nation’s economic policy resulting in settlement and integration practices favouring the industry that immigration has created rather than the interests and needs of immigrants.

This qualitative study includes a comparison of the perceptions of students with and without intellectual disabilities regarding the opportunities they have to make decisions during the school day and school year. The data from the student groups were shared with adults in the school who then explored their perspectives regarding reasons for any similarities or differences in the perceptions of the student groups. Within-case and cross-case analysis of the data obtained from the three student focus groups, one teacher focus group, one educational assistant focus group and an interview with an administrator resulted in the identification of three major themes: structure of the system, role of adults and safety. Various ways that each of these can facilitate or limit opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities to make decisions during the school day and school year are discussed

Our fast-paced and seemingly ever-changing world is reflected in the transformations that are occurring in our school systems. Meeting the dynamic needs of all stakeholders in a school building’s ecosystem falls on the shoulders of the school principals. Employing capable leaders in this role is vital yet many countries do not require candidates for the position to have special qualifications. In addition, training programs that do exist have been subject to much criticism. Recently, suggestions for reform have been implemented and this study explored a newly mandated school leader training program to assess its perceived effectiveness. This qualitative research study contributes a missing link to current research into educational leadership training programs world-wide which tends to focus on educational reforms in Canada, the United States and Australia. Twelve Hungarian school principals, or directors as they are termed in their native land, were interviewed for this research and asked to share their personal formal and informal pre-service preparation and training experiences. The directors were also asked to provide their opinions regarding the relative value of different components of their compulsory School Leaders’ Training program. Findings support the theories presented in existing literature regarding effective school leader training programs using methods specifically targeted toward adult learners and add to the call for mandatory school administrator training and preparation.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada, responsible for accreditation of residency programs, prescribe ‘The Four Principles of Family Medicine’ and the 27 competencies derived from them, as the curricular framework for Canadian family medicine residencies. The literature reveals little about the development of the Four Principles of Family Medicine. This study was conducted to determine the degree to which each competency was considered relevant to clinical practice and learned by recent graduates of the University of Manitoba Family Medicine program. For the 27 competencies, the ratings of graduates were similar to those of family medicine experts as the competencies were generally viewed as moderately important and frequently used. Graduates reported being well prepared in most of the competencies. This supports the use of the Four Principles of Family Medicine as a curricular framework for family physician trainees in Canada.

The metabolic syndrome is characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. It has also been suggested that hepatic steatosis and inflammation should be added to the classical components of the metabolic syndrome. Previous research on obesity and insulin resistance has examined the effects of many different fats and oils, however, the effects of canola oil on metabolic syndrome parameters have yet to be investigated. It is hypothesized that in a diet induced obese (DIO) rodent model, the combination of canola and flax oils will reduce the severity of metabolic syndrome parameters and favorably alter hepatic phospholipid (PL) and triacylglycerol fatty acid composition. The objective of the study was to investigate the biological effects of a 12 week dietary intervention with high fat diets based on various vegetable oils (high oleic canola, canola, canola/flax (3:1; C/F), safflower and soybean) and lard in 6 week old obese prone rats with regards to obesity, insulin resistance, lipidemia, hypertension, inflammation, hepatic steatosis, hepatic fatty acid composition and markers of hepatic fatty acid oxidation and synthesis. Overall the C/F diet attenuated more of the components of the metabolic syndrome, including obesity, glycemia, lipidemia, inflammation and hepatic steatosis, than the other high fat diets in DIO rats. However, each of the dietary treatments attenuated various components of the metabolic syndrome suggesting that all dietary fats and oils have their role in the prevention of different components of the metabolic syndrome. Additionally, the C/F diet led to increased eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid concentrations in hepatic PL suggesting that α-linolenic acid can be efficiently converted to its very long chain derivatives in DIO rats. Thus, the addition of flax oil to conventional canola oil, in the C/F diet, appeared to enhance the beneficial effects of canola oil on metabolic syndrome parameters.

The safety of antipsychotic use in elderly persons has recently been questioned. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) (extrapyramidal syndromes (EPS), cerebrovascular and cardiac events, and all-cause mortality) in the elderly users of first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) and second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) was compared. Risks of AEs in antipsychotic-exposed persons and non-exposed individuals were also assessed. A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted in the elderly Manitoba residents who received their first antipsychotic medication between April 1, 2000 and March 31, 2007. Cox proportional hazards models were built to compare risks of AEs in FGA and SGA users, as well as in non-exposed subjects. SGAs were associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 0.683, 95% CI 0.577–0.809) and a higher risk of myocardial infarction (1.614 [1.024–2.543]) compared to FGAs. No significant differences between FGAs and SGAs were found for cerebrovascular events, cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure (CHF) but a higher incidence of EPS was observed for FGAs compared to risperidone. Both FGA and SGA users were at a higher risk of cerebrovascular events (FGAs 1.415 [1.114–1.797]; SGAs 1.611 [1.388–1.869]) and CHF (FGAs 1.228 [0.893–1.689]; SGAs 1.242 [1.003–1.536]) compared to non-exposed subjects. Only FGA-users were at a higher risk of death compared to non-exposed subjects (FGAs 1.387 [1.065–1.805]; SGAs 0.824 [0.708–0.959]). Both FGA and risperidone use were associated with a higher risk of EPS (FGAs 3.503 [2.271–5.403]; risperidone 1.733 [1.214–2.472]). Both classes of antipsychotics might lead to potentially life-threatening AEs. Neither FGAs nor SGAs seem to have a superior overall safety profile. Antipsychotic pharmacotherapy should be prescribed in elderly persons after careful consideration of all risks and benefits.

This research includes two areas, with the first area focusing on supermarket food purchasing decisions by consumers in China. A probit model, using consumer food survey data indicates that supermarket food purchases are related to shopping habits, supermarket and food attributes, and demographics. This information should be helpful for those businesses attempting to market food within the Chinese supermarket supply chain. The second part of the study attempts to identify and analyze non-tariff barriers for food and agriculture, with a focus on China. These can include for example, import regulations, such as food safety regulations, food standards, labeling requirements, inspections, import licenses, and SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary conditions), and they are sometimes used by food importing countries to restrict imports. These results show that there are a number of significant non-tariff barriers regarding China – Canada food trade.

The objective was to devise a simulation model that could economically compare two group-housing systems for sow operations, a conventional system (CONV) that uses partial-slatted concrete flooring and an alternative system (ALT) that uses straw-covered concrete. Further, the research aimed to determine the optimal parity in which to terminally cull sows. Data were collected on 121 sows between two experimental barns for 7 parities. These data were used to estimate a production function and a culling function. These functions, along with economic data, were used to create an economic simulation model. Production was best predicted by parity and lactation feed intake, and culling was best predicted by parity, weight, and gait score. Optimal terminal culling occurred after parity 6 in ALT and after parity 7 in CONV. Overall, ALT was more profitable than CONV.

The practice of education planning across Canada is established for the manifest purpose of guiding school improvement. In Manitoba, the planning process is reportedly intended to improve linkages that will increase efficiency and enhance communication, thereby improving educational outcomes for all students (Manitoba Education, 2004, 2007). The problem arises in a practical sense, however, in determining whether the education planning process creates the necessary linkage between strategic intentions and activities, or whether the planning process exists simply as a bureaucratic requirement or condition (Meyer and Rowan, 1983). This research study was designed to determine whether there were systemic features of school division planning for Student Services, which would result in improved linkages between educational intentions and related actions, making the process more effective and functional. In order to respond to the questions posed in this study, I focused on a concrete aspect involved in planning for students with challenging learning behaviours. With the assistance of school divisions participating in the study, I collected data from structured interviews with key personnel, and from planning templates or other selected documentation. The information was compiled and examined through a conceptual framework, derived from the review of literature, which served to organize and analyze the school division data. A process of analytic abduction was used to define similarities and variances in planning practices, according to the conceptual framework. The information was summarized and a synthesis of effective planning practices was created as a result. The findings informed the development of a new framework detailing the archetypes of effective and functional planning practices for Student Services at the school division level, a process more likely to set the stage for organizational improvement and change.

Mammalian reovirus (MRV) is a prototype virus of Reoviridae family. MRV virions are composed of two concentric protein capsids that surround a genome of 10 segments of dsRNA. It has been shown that MRV can manipulate host gene expression and further induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in various cell lines. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms by which MRV regulates the expression of host cells are largely unknown. P53 is an important transcriptional factor which modulates the expression of more than 130 genes controlled in cell stress-response. We aimed to examine the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of MRV infection on the expression of host genes and the possible role of p53 in the interaction of MRV and host cells. Prototype serotype 3 reovirus strain Dearing (T3D) and serotype 1 strain Lang (T1L) were used to infect different cell lines, respectively, H1299 (p53-null and p53 positive), HT1080 (p53 mutant and p53 positive) and HCT116 (p21 deficient and 14-3-3σ deficient). By comparing the virus replication curve of T1L and T3D in these cell lines, we found that MRV can replicate with a similar pattern in both p53-defective and p53-positive cell lines which indicated that p53 does not have significant impact on MRV replication in these cell lines. We further found that the level of Bcl-xL protein, which has been shown to be able to inhibit apoptosis, was increased in H1299 cell lines (both p53-null and p53 positive) infected by T3D, but decreased in the same cell lines infected by T1L. A similar change of Bcl-xL protein was not observed In HCT116 and HT1080 cell lines with MRV infection. Fifty four T1L×T3D reassortants were used to map which gene or gene combination was responsible for the changes of Bcl-xL protein. We found that the expression of Bcl-xL protein in H1299 cell line infected by MRV was majorly controlled by the S1 gene segment which encodes the σ1 cell attachment protein and the σ1s non structural protein, while minorly controlled by L3 gene segment of MRV.