Substantial numbers of Canadians work shifts. The reasons individuals work shifts are varied and complex. Prior research regarding the relationship between work-family balance, gender, quality of life indicators and health has yielded mixed results. The goal of this research was to examine the association between work-family balance, quality of life indicators and Canadians' overall health status while controlling for socio-economic status, education, family structure and life satisfaction. The two objectives of this study were: 1) to explore how the relationship between work-related characteristics, quality of life and overall health status is different among Canadian male and Canadian female workers, controlling for age, education, socio-economic status, family structure, and life satisfaction and, 2) to examine the relationship between shift configuration and employees' overall health status, controlling for socio-economic status, gender, education, family structure and life satisfaction. This study involved analyses of cross-secional national data from the General Social Survey (GSS) 2006, Cycle 20. The sample for the study included employed men and women who were married or living in common-law relationships, ages 18 through 69. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted to address the stated research objectives. Appropriate survey weights were applied to estimate population characteristeics. To fully account for the survey's complex sample design, mean bootstrap weights were used for variance estimation and calculation of confidence intervals. Findings indicated that for women and shift workers, both work-to-family spillover and family-to-work spillover were predictve of poor self-rated health. Spillover was not a predictor of poor health for men or day workers. Shift configuration was not found to be significantly correlated with poor self-rated health. Analyses should be repeated to test for interaction between shift work and sleep quality as sleep quality was controlled for in this study.

Objectives: The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is on the rise worldwide. The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of nutrient inadequacy and excessiveness in persons with DM2 with and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Study Design: A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence of inadequacy of nutrients with an estimated average requirement; the mean intake of nutrients with an adequate intake; and the proportion of persons not meeting the recommendations for the acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR). Results: Differences were observed in the prevalence of inadequacy of vitamin A and the proportion of persons not meeting the AMDR for total fat, linoleic acid and carbohydrate. Conclusion: The aforementioned nutrients may have a significant role in the progression/development of DPN and should be studied in further detail. We recommend a balanced diet and use of a multi-vitamin for persons with DM2.

Exposure to domestic violence in childhood has serious consequences for children’s health and well-being and is an important predictor of domestic abuse. However, as compared to other forms of domestic abuse, the effects of exposure to domestic violence on the quality of sibling interactions have been relatively underexplored. The major objective of the current study was to examine the impact of exposure to domestic violence on the quality of the sibling relationship, and to better understand the influence of age and gender on sibling aggression. Social learning theory and family systems theory were the guiding frameworks for this study. Participants consisted of 47 school-aged sibling dyads with a history of exposure to domestic violence recruited from the community. Aggressive behaviour was measured by standardized questionnaires completed by mothers and children and by observations of naturalistic sibling interactions. As predicted, analyses of observed aggression which controlled for exposure to domestic violence revealed brothers were significantly more aggressive than sisters or mixed gender dyads. Unexpectedly, analyses of observed aggression found that boys were significantly more aggressive with their siblings than their female counterparts when exposure to maternal violence was taken into account. Findings indicate that children exposed to domestic violence, especially boys, may be at greater risk for aggressive behaviour. Results are expected to be useful for practice and future research.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of using the blade roller for no-till/reduced tillage in organic green manure management. The study was conducted in Carman, Manitoba and Oxbow, Saskatchewan. In the spring, a pea/oat intercrop was seeded as a green manure. The green manure was terminated by rolling, tilling, or a combination of the two. The following spring, spring wheat was seeded. In the year of the green manure, measurements taken included: biomass, soil nitrogen, and ammonia emissions. In the year of the wheat, measurements taken included: soil cover, soil moisture, weed competition, soil nitrate-N, and wheat biomass. Results showed increased soil cover, minimal effect on soil moisture, delayed wheat development, an effect on weed communities, reduced rate of nitrogen release, and reduced wheat yield. No-till green manure management can therefore provide benefits of soil conservation and nitrogen conservation but may result in decreased wheat yield.

This thesis describes phytochemical studies on two medically important plants, Buxus natalensis and Drypetes gossweileri. Chemical investigation on the acetylcholinesterase inhibiting chloroform extracts, obtained at pH 7.0 and 9.5 resulted in the isolation of seven natural products: O10-natafuranamine (123), cyclonataminol A (124), 31-demethylbuxaminol A (125), buxaminol A (126), buxaminol C (127), p coumaroylputrescine (128) and methyl syringate (129). Compound 123 is a member of a rarely occurring class of Buxus alkaloids containing a tetrahydrofuran ring incorporated in its structure. Compounds 123-129 were isolated for the first time from this plant. Structures of compounds 123-129 were elucidated with the aid of NMR and MS spectral data. All of these isolates exhibited different levels of AChE inhibitory activities with compound 123 being significantly active in this bioassay with an IC50 of 8.5 µM compared to the rest of the isolates. Compounds 123-129 were inactive in antimicrobial assays. Phytochemical studies on the crude extract of Drypetes gossweileri resulted in the isolation of a new N-linked aromatic glycoside, N-β-glucopyranosyl-p-hydroxy phenyl acetamide (151), along with two known compounds, p-hydroxy phenyl acetic acid (152) and p hydroxyphenyl acetonitrile (153). Compounds 151-153 exhibited moderate to weak AChE inhibitory activities.

Theoretical mechanical benefits of biarticular muscles include reduced displacements and force potentiating shifts in linear velocities during multi-joint coupled motions. A cadaveric model was developed to compute muscle kinematics of biceps femoris (BFL and BFS) during four classes of coupled knee and hip joint motion, as well as running and walking gait (Six subjects, Vicon Motion Analysis). The examples of the classes of motion were: KEHE-jump (knee extension and hip extension), KFHF-tuck (knee flexion and hip flexion), KFHE-kick (knee flexion and hip extension), and KEHF-paw (knee extension and hip flexion). BFL peak and mean velocity shifts relative to BFS were seen in all four coupling classes (p<0.05) and the majority of the gait subclasses (p<0.05). Muscle displacements were larger in BFL for both KFHE-paw and KEHF-kick (p<0.05), smaller in KFHF-tuck (p<0.05), but not significantly different in KEHE-jump or during most of the running gait subclasses, except for during KFHE-late mid stance and KEHF-mid swing, where they were larger for BFL (p<0.05). The mechanical benefits associated with BFL velocity shift relative to BFs were identified in KFHF, KEHF motions, and certain subclasses of gait. In contrast, there were potential mechanical detriments due to velocity shift relative to BFs in the KEHE-jump, KFHE-paw, and the majority of KEHE and KFHE subclasses in both gait cycles. The possible mechanical benefits associated with displacement conservation of BFL relative to BFs would be realized in KFHF-tuck jump, but not during KEHE-jump and the gait cycle subclasses. The findings of this study reveal both mechanical benefits and detriments of biarticular muscles, and have immediate implications for neural control of biarticular muscles during movement.

Calreticulin (CRT) is a multifunctional Ca2+ dependent chaperone protein, which is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and plays many important biological roles. In addition to its critical role in cardiovascular development, CRT has been reported to be important for cell migration, adhesion and apoptosis. A few studies have also suggested different roles for exogenous CRT in angiogenesis and tumor growth however no direct evidence for the role of endogenous CRT in these processes is available. To study the in vivo role of CRT in angiogenesis and vascular development, we generated a transgenic mouse overexpressing CRT under the control of the Tie2 promoter (referred to as Tie2-CRT) which is active in both endothelial cells and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The main phenotype of these mice is an increased incidence of lung tumors. These tumors have been characterized according to their histochemical properties as being adenocarcinoma with a Surfactant Protein-C positive (SP-CPos) and Clara Cell Protein negative (CC10Neg) phenotype suggesting an alveolar origin for these tumors. We observed that during the early stages of tumor formation, the lungs show signs of increased inflammation as evidenced by congestion, reddish discoloration and the accumulation of inflammatory cells. We have also identified that the early stage tumors contain cells that express exogenous CRT and HSC markers including CD133, Sca-1, and c-Kit. As the tumor progresses to a fully developed adenocarcinoma, these cells lose the expression of exogenous CRT and HSCs markers and gain an alveolar type II phenotype (SP-CPos). In vitro evaluation of tumor progression using lung tumor cells from Tie2-CRT mice demonstrated a differentiation dependent expression of HSC markers by tumor cells supporting the hypothesis that HSCs might be the cells of origin for the lung tumors observed in Tie2-CRT mice. In summary, the results from this study provide evidence that lung tumors from the Tie2-CRT mice are non-epithelial in origin and that the undifferentiated population of tumor cells have HSC characteristics. After differentiation, these cells lose their stem cell phenotype and acquire an epithelial phenotype. This study is the first to examine the potential link between CRT and lung cancer development.

Computer-aided fixture planning (CAFP) is an essential part of Computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) integration. Proper fixture planning can dramatically reduce the manufacturing cost, the lead-time, and labor skill requirements in product manufacturing. However, fixture planning is a highly experience-based activity. Due to the extreme diversity and complexity of manufacturing workpieces and processes, there are not many fixture planning tools available for industry applications. Moreover, existing CAFP methods rarely consider integrating fixture environmental factors into fixture planning. Automatic fixture planning using VR can provide a viable way for industries. This thesis develops automated approaches to fixture planning in a virtual environment (VE). It intends to address two important issues: automatic algorithms for fixture planning, and the VE to support high fidelity evaluation of fixture planning. The system consists of three parts including fixture assembly planning, feasibility analysis of assembly tools, and motion planning for fixture loading and unloading. The virtual fixture planning system provides the fixture designer a tool for fixture planning and evaluation. Geometrical algorithms are developed to facilitate the automatic reasoning. A Web-based VE for fixture planning is implemented. The three-dimensional (3D) model visualization enables the fixture simulation and validation effectively to investigate existing problems. Approaches to construct desktop-based large VEs are also investigated. Cell segmentation methods and dynamic loading strategies are investigated to improve the rendering performance. Case studies of virtual building navigation and product assembly simulations are conducted. The developed algorithms can successfully generate the assembly plan, validate the assembly tools, and generate moving paths for fixture design and applications. The VE is intuitive and sufficient to support fixture planning, as well as other virtual design and manufacturing tasks.

Measurement invariance (MI) is a prerequisite to conduct valid comparisons of Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures across distinct populations. This research investigated the performance of estimation methods for testing MI hypotheses in complex survey data using a simulation study, and demonstrates the application of these methods for a HRQOL measure. Four forms of MI were tested using confirmatory factory analysis. The simulation study showed that the maximum likelihood method for small sample size and low intraclass correlation (ICC) performed best, whereas the pseudomaximum likelihood with weights and clustering effects performed better for large sample sizes with high ICC to test configural invariance. Both methods performed similarly to test other forms of MI. In the numeric example, MI of one HRQOL measure in the Canadian Community Health Survey was investigated and established for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations with chronic conditions, indicating that they had similar conceptualizations of quality of life.

In North America there has been an increasing appreciation for the value of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) as a source of timber. Moreover, trembling aspen stands and the understory vegetation that they support also provide valuable forage for livestock and wildlife. Timber harvesting and cattle grazing are often done on the same area of land in western Manitoba, though not simultaneously. The purpose of this project is to summarize the effects cattle grazing has on regeneration numbers and forest health in post-harvest aspen stands in the Aspen Parkland of western Manitoba.