Notwithstanding the prominent focus on inclusion in the discourse of special education, students with significant intellectual disabilities in North America continue to receive a part of their education in segregated contexts (G. L. Porter, 2008; Schwartz, Mactavish & Lutfiyya, 2006; P. Smith, 2010). This situation creates an interesting and perplexing anomaly that I attempt to reconcile through an examination of the discursive conceptualizations of these students in Canadian introductory special education textbooks. My study is framed within (a) the academic field of disability studies, which re-imagines disability using new perspectives (Linton, 1998; Oliver, 1996), and (b) new philosophical concepts of “personhood”, which critique traditional definitions of personhood based on intellectual ability (Carlson, 2010; Carlson & Kittay, 2009; Nussbaum, 2006). Situated within social constructionism and discourse theory (Laclau & Mouffe, 2001), this analysis examines how students with significant intellectual disabilities are depicted in these textbooks. The language used in portraying these students suggests a discourse of individual pathology, medicalization and professionalization, distancing students with significant intellectual disabilities from other students because of their perceived lack of abilities, needs and behaviours. This discourse relies heavily on traditional understandings of people with significant intellectual disabilities as lacking in value. There is little discursive evidence to suggest that these students are presented in ways that challenge either historical or modern conceptualizations.

Superheated steam (SS) drying of distillers’ spent grain (DSG) is a more energy efficient alternative to conventional hot air drying. SS drying at sub-atmospheric pressure (also referred to as low pressure) can prevent burning and lowering the quality of the food product. The objective of this study was to design, fabricate, and test a SS drying system that could operate at sub-atmospheric pressure for drying DSG. After the custom designed system was constructed, major problems associated with the system were identified. A number of tests were carried out and modifications were made to the system to resolve technical problems. Distillers’ spent grain was then successfully dried using the system under various levels of temperature from 95 to 115°C and pressure of either -25 or -20 kPa, with a SS velocity from 0.100 to 0.289 m/s.

In diabetes hyperglycemia and lack of insulin signaling are key factors in the induction of diabetic sensory neuropathy. The combination of these factors in diabetes may enhance oxidative stress and trigger distal nerve damage in the peripheral nervous system. The link between elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and nerve degeneration is not clear. We tested the hypothesis that elevation of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) induced by oxidative stress in diabetes impairs mitochondrial activity and axonal regeneration in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Also, we investigated the association between mitochondrial dysfunction and altered mitochondrial proteome in the axons of streptozotocin–induced diabetic rats. Research design and methods. Cultured adult rat DRG sensory neurons were treated exogenously with 4-HNE, and cell survival, axonal morphology, and level of axon outgrowth assessed. Western blot and fluorescence imaging were used to determine changes in the levels of adducts of 4-HNE and abnormalities in the mitochondria. Proteomic analysis using stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) determined expression of proteins in the mitochondria. Results. 4-HNE impaired axonal regeneration, mitochondrial activity and induced aberrant axonal structures along the axons, which mimicked axon pathology observed in nerve isolated from diabetic rats and replicated aspects of neurodegeneration observed in human diabetic neuropathy. Proteins associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative phosphorylation and biosynthesis were down regulated in diabetic samples. The axons of diabetic neurons exhibited oxidative stress and depolarized mitochondria. CNTF and resveratrol reversed abnormalities in the mitochondrial membrane potential induced by diabetes and treatment of neurons with 4-HNE. CONCLUSIONS. Elevation of 4-HNE levels in diabetes was associated with impaired mitochondrial function and might be an important link between increased ROS levels and nerve degeneration in diabetic neuropathy. Abnormal mitochondrial function correlated with a down-regulation of mitochondrial proteins, with components of the respiratory chain targeted in lumbar DRG in diabetes. The reduced activity of the respiratory chain was associated with diminished superoxide generation within the mitochondrial matrix and did not contribute to oxidative stress in axons of diabetic neurons.

Mothers with mental illness are in need of support as they struggle to cope with competing demands of their illness and those of parenting. Health professionals’ attitudes and experiences have been shown to affect how clients with mental illness are assessed and what resources are provided. The purpose of this research was to explore and describe experiences of Public Health Nurses (PHNs) in Manitoba who visited families in the postpartum period. Qualitative data were collected via focus groups consisting of PHNs within the city of Winnipeg. Emerging themes, “Dealing with where they’re at”; “Treasure hunting”; “I kept wanting more”; “You can only do so much” together aimed at a common theme, “Helping Moms succeed”. Results suggested that PHNs wanted to provide the best resources for mothers to succeed at parenting. PHNs provided recommendations for the needs of families and changes in practice to help improve service to families.

Despite growing evidence that anxiety can be a significant problem in late-life, information regarding the use of mental health services by older adults for anxiety is lacking. The current research project consists of three studies focusing on this issue. The first study examines the rates of mental health service use among older adults with anxiety disorders and high levels of anxiety symptoms, as well as individual characteristics associated with this use. The second study examines various aspects of social support as correlates of anxiety disorders in older adults, and the role of social support as an enabling resource for mental health service use. Finally, the third study examines three important outcomes of service use among older adults: treatment satisfaction, perceived treatment effectiveness, and dropout. The data for these studies came from the Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-Being (CCHS 1.2), a national population-based survey that includes 12,792 respondents aged 55+ years. This research found that older adults with significant anxiety were less likely to use services than those with mood disorders, and that indicators of need for services were the strongest predictors of use. Lower levels of functional social support were related to the presence of anxiety disorders among older adults, and lower levels of perceived emotional/informational support and positive social interactions predicted greater use of services for adults throughout the lifespan. Finally, older adults were generally satisfied with services, perceived them as helpful, and were likely to remain in treatment. Analyses indicated that individual characteristics likely play only a small role in these outcomes. In general, this project provides new and important information that can inform policy, clinical work, and future research regarding late-life anxiety.

Historically, the Inuit of Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake) have expressed strong opposition to uranium mining in their territory, in part due to concerns that it would be detrimental to their harvesting practices. During these struggles, the Inuit of Qamani’tuaq had the support of various Inuit Organizations. The first decade of the 2000s saw the relevant Inuit Organizations change their policies from ones which opposed uranium mining to ones which support it. This thesis is an attempt to understand if Inuit at the community level have changed their opinions about uranium mining and, if so, why. During my time in Qamani’tuaq, it became apparent that the shift in policy has been followed by a gradual change in perspective among some members of the community. While opposition to uranium mining is by no means dead, the seemingly united stance the community previously held has become fragmented. This change is due to a number of factors, including an increased astuteness on the part of the mining industry, certain aspects of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and ongoing economic dependency upon the market economy.

In 1999, the discovery of the Steroid Receptor RNA Activator (SRA) was unprecedented in the field of steroid receptor co-regulator research. It was the first time that an RNA molecule was demonstrated to function similarly to its protein counterpart and modulate the activity of steroid receptors. This peculiar steroid receptor co-activator thus attracted the attention of numerous research groups. Over the years, studies were reported deciphering SRA mechanisms of action, its role in co-regulating nuclear receptors and its possible implication in human diseases. While SRA was originally thought to exist solely as a non-coding RNA, our laboratory has identified longer SRA RNA isoforms with the theoretical capacity to encode for a protein. This discovery impelled us to investigate the existence of a Steroid Receptor RNA Activator Protein or SRAP. In this thesis, we first demonstrated the existence and function of endogenous evolutionary conserved SRA proteins. Based on these results we further explored SRAP expression in breast tumors. Interestingly, Western blot analysis of a small cohort of estrogen positive breast tumors suggested that SRAP expression correlates with a better overall survival in patients treated with tamoxifen. This observation prompted us to explore the biological role of SRAP. We found that MCF-7 cells stably expressing coding SRA isoforms had lower ligand dependent estrogen receptor alpha transcriptional activity. In order to dissect the function of the protein independently of its RNA counterpart, we separated the functions of the protein by introducing extensive silent mutations into the RNA sequence. Using this model, we established that SRAP, independent of its RNA counterpart, enhances estrogen receptor alpha activity in a ligand and response-element dependent manner. Furthermore, we showed for the first time that SRAP physically interacts with multiple transcription factors and is recruited to specific promoter regions. Moreover, by artificially recruiting SRAP to the promoter of a luciferase reporter gene under the control of the strong transcriptional activator VP16, we observed a decrease in transcription. These latter results suggest that SRA could function as a repressor through direct association with promoters. Overall, we believe that SRA is a very peculiar example of a bi-faceted system consisting of a functional RNA and its corresponding protein. Altogether our data suggest that SRAP, similarly to its RNA counterpart, is involved in many critical pathways that directly participate in gene expression regulation.

Abyss Creations has been creating and selling extremely life-like silicone dolls designed primarily for sex known as Real Dolls since 1996. Since 2001, The Doll Forum has provided an online space where users of Real Dolls are able to connect with one another and discuss a myriad of issues relating to the use of Real Dolls. This thesis explores the specific ways in which members utilize The Doll Forum as a space to discursively construct gender, sexuality, and relationships as they pertain to the use of Real Dolls. Utilizing the theory of performativity, I engage in a Critical Discourse Analysis of one month of posts from The Doll Forum. I argue that through the discussions and images which members post within The Doll Forum, they discursively work to both reinforce and challenge current constructions of gender, sexuality, and relationships. By doing so, members of The Doll Forum use the space to normalize their sexual behaviour, as well as reinforce the performative nature of these constructions.

Human Herpes Simplex viruses and Simian Herpes Simplex viruses share a high degree of genome homology, but despite this, important differences arise when the viruses are compared at the level of gene expression and virulence in non-host primates. In Human Herpes viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2); 5 genes (RL02, US01, RS01, UL54 and US12) are expressed with an immediate early kinetics, i.e. their transcriptional activation does not require de novo synthesis of host or viral factors. The five immediate early (IE) genes regulate the cascade of expression of the other early and late HSV genes. Literature indicates that in HSV-1 infections, ICP4, ICP27 and to a lesser extent, ICP0, are mandatory for the full expression of the early and late gene classes. In contrast, our data on the Simian simplexviruses SA8, HVP-2 and B virus indicate that ICP0 (RL2) is the only gene with true IE kinetics. It is possible that in Simian Herpes viruses, ICP0 is necessary for the expression of all other viral genes, and to test this hypothesis I have cloned and expressed in Vero cells the ICP0 protein for the simian simplexvirus SA8 and studied its effect on the SA8 genes that are homologous to the immediate early genes in HSV. Results demonstrate that ICP0 does not appear to be sufficient to activate the transcription of the other IE genes but it is likely that ICP0 functionality is a necessary component in the activation process.

Tobacco has a long-standing history within Aboriginal culture, with many Aboriginal people believing that tobacco is sacred. For First Nations people, tobacco is deeply connected with ceremonial, spiritual and cultural aspects of First Nations beliefs, and holds a historical place as a traditional substance for First Nations people. At the same time tobacco misuse among other Aboriginal groups, including the Metis, is significantly higher than in the general population. While it is recognized that the relationship First Nations peoples have with tobacco is sacred, it is unknown whether Metis people share this cultural perspective of tobacco and whether this perspective may influence misuse. Accordingly, an interpretive descriptive was conducted to provide insight into the meaning of tobacco and tobacco control from the unique perspective of Metis people living in Manitoba. Through the use of a framework for Aboriginal-guided decolonizing research that is in keeping with oral tradition, this study explored the perspectives of seven Metis adults living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to examine the role that tobacco has in the lives of Metis peoples. Ages of participants ranged from 35 to 62 years. Two of the participants were male and five were female. Annual incomes ranged from $20,000.00 to $40,000.00 for five of the participants to $40,000.00 to $60,000.00 for two of the participants. Six of the participants currently misuse tobacco, and all except one of the participants also use tobacco for traditional purposes. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Eight themes ultimately emerged from the data and have been identified as: (1) between two worlds; (2) memories in smoke; (3) first times; (4) to quit or not to quit; (5) where are we now?; (6) the role of tobacco in the lives of Metis peoples; (7) sacred ground: using tobacco traditionally; and (8) who is in control?: feelings about tobacco control policy in Canada. These findings provide some insight into the beliefs and values that Metis people may have towards tobacco use and misuse, and the role that tobacco plays in the lives of these Metis participants. Based on the findings presented, recommendations for future research, nursing practice, and policy and programming development are made.