University of Guelph-Humber

Brendel E.B., Alzubi A., Rai S., Mariathasan C., Snook L.A., Monk J.M.

The development of scientific literacy (SL) skills is critical in the life sciences. A flipped classroom reverses traditional learning spaces such that foundational knowledge is acquired by students independently through recorded lectures and/or readings in advance of the lecture period and knowledge is consolidated through active learning activities in the classroom. A flipped classroom learning environment can promote critical skill development and knowledge application, and therefore, could enhance SL skill development. The objectives here were to (a) determine the effect of a flipped classroom learning environment on SL skill development in second‐year kinesiology students enrolled in a research methods course and (b) reassess SL skills 4 months later. SL skills were assessed using the validated test of scientific literacy skills (TOSLS) questionnaire at the start and end of the semester (n = 57) and reassessed 4 months later after the summer semester break (n = 46). During the flipped classroom semester, practical SL skills (TOSLS scores) were increased by 16.3% and TOSLS scores were positively correlated with the students' final grade (r = 0.526, P < 0.001). Four months later, average TOSLS scores significantly decreased compared to the levels at the end of the flipped classroom learning experience. Importantly, retention of SL skills (i.e., 4 months later TOSLS scores) were related to learning approach scores and were positively correlated with deep learning approach scores (r = 0.298, P = 0.044) and negatively correlated with surface learning approach scores (r = −0.314, P = 0.034). Therefore, SL skill retention was higher in students utilizing a deep learning approach (e.g., engaged, self‐regulation in learning, and seeking a deeper understanding of concepts) and lower in students utilizing a surface learning approach (e.g., limited engagement, rote memorization of concepts). Collectively, the results demonstrate the value of a flipped classroom in promoting SL skills while highlighting the role of students' learning approach in critical skill retention.

Bannerman G.

Teixeira A.L., Gangat A., Millar P.J.

A single high-fat Western meal transiently reduces endothelium-dependent vasodilation at rest but the interaction with sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity during exercise remains unknown. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that a single high-fat Western meal would impair the ability of contracting skeletal muscle to offset vascular responsiveness to sympathetic activation during exercise, termed functional sympatholysis. In 18 (10F/8M) healthy young adults, forearm blood flow (Doppler ultrasound) and beat-to-beat arterial pressure (photoplethysmography) were measured during lower-body negative pressure (LBNP; -20 mmHg) applied at rest and simultaneously during low- (15% maximum contraction) and moderate-intensity (30% maximum contraction) rhythmic handgrip. The magnitude of sympatholysis was calculated as the difference of LBNP-induced changes in forearm vascular conductance (FVC) between handgrip and rest. Experiments were performed preprandial and 1h, 2h, and 3h after a high- or low-fat meal. In the preprandial state, LBNP decreased resting FVC (∆-54±10%), and these responses were attenuated during low- (∆-17±7%) and moderate-intensity handgrip (∆-8±6%). Following a high-fat meal, LBNP induced attenuated decreases in resting FVC (3h postprandial: ∆-47±10%, P=0.002 vs. preprandial), and blunted attenuation of FVC during low- (3h postprandial: ∆-23±8%, P=0.001 vs. preprandial) and moderate-intensity handgrip (3h postprandial: ∆-16±6%, P<0.001 vs. preprandial). The high-fat meal attenuated the magnitude of sympatholysis during low- (preprandial: 38±7% vs. 3h postprandial: 23±8%, P<0.001) and moderate-intensity handgrip (preprandial: 46±11% vs. 3h postprandial: 31±10%, P<0.001). The low-fat meal had no impact on these responses. In conclusion, a single high-fat Western meal modulates sympathetic vasoconstriction at rest and during low- and moderate-intensity handgrip exercise in young healthy adults.

Balas B., Sandford A., Ritchie K.

Reeves A.

This Ontario-based study utilized modified grounded theory to consider the potential burden of chronic stressors on parents of young children during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as parental experiences of coping and resilience. Cross-sectional interviews at a single point in time do not reveal change and adaptation during an evolving pandemic; for this reason, this study conducted one interview at the end of the first wave of the pandemic in Ontario and a second interview a year and a half later. Twenty parents participated in two interviews, and findings are presented using Bonanno's (2004, 2005) mental health trajectory model following life disruption. The recovery trajectory details parental stressors and challenges that returned to baseline; the chronic stress trajectory notes parental experiences of unremitting stressors; and the resilience trajectory describes helpful behaviors, beliefs, and conditions that supported parental mental wellness across both interviews. Findings reveal that the resilience and recovery trajectories were dominant among this cohort, and descriptions of both problem-based and emotional-based coping through creativity and parental innovation are presented, as well as unforeseen positive impacts of the pandemic on families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Mahamid F., Chou P., Sarhan A., Bdier D.

The Postpartum-Specific Anxiety Scale (PSAS) is an international measure designed to evaluate anxiety experienced by mothers in the postpartum period from one day to six months; the scale was translated into Arabic and validated within Palestinian context to test postpartum anxiety among Palestinian women. The current study aimed to test the psychometric properties and the factorial structure within the Arabic language in a Palestinian context using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The sample of this study consisted of 475 Palestinian women recruited from health centers in the West Banks of Palestine using a convenience sample. 61% were of ages 20–30 years and 39% percent ages 31–40 years. The PSAS showed good validity and reliability indicators in assessing postpartum anxiety within Palestinian context. Results of CFA showed a stable construct of a four-factor structure in assessing postpartum anxiety among Palestinian mothers: (1) competence and attachment anxieties, (2) infant safety and welfare anxieties, (3) practical baby care anxieties and (4) psychosocial adjustment to motherhood, which is consisting with the original four-factor structure of the scale. The PSAS showed good validity indicators within Palestinian context. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct similar studies with clinical and non-clinical groups in the Palestinian society. The PSAS can be a useful measure to assess anxiety levels among women during the postpartum months; which will enable mental health providers to provide psychological interventions for mothers whose anxiety levels are high.

Boukydis O.

Teixeira A., Gangat A., Millar P.

Introduction: A high-fat diet increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. During exercise, sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction is dampened in active skeletal muscle due to the counteracting vasodilatory effects of metabolic by-products from muscle contraction. This phenomenon, termed functional sympatholysis, plays a critical role in the redistribution of cardiac output to contracting skeletal muscles to meet the metabolic demands of exercise. Whether a high-fat meal modulates the magnitude of sympatholysis is currently unknown. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that a high-fat meal would acutely impair functional sympatholysis in young healthy adults. Methods: In a randomized, controlled, and cross-over design, 14 healthy adults (8 women, 26±4 years), consumed either a high- (1030kcals, 91g fat) or a low-fat (1006kcals, 1g fat) meal on two separate days. Forearm blood flow (FBF; Doppler ultrasound) and beat-to-beat mean arterial pressure (MAP; finger photoplethysmography) were measured during sympathetic activation induced by -20 mmHg lower-body negative pressure (LBNP) applied at rest and simultaneously during rhythmic handgrip exercise at 15% and 30% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Measurements were taken pre-meal and at 1-, 2-, and 3-hours post-prandial. Forearm vascular conductance (FVC) was calculated as FBF/MAP and the magnitude of sympatholysis as the difference of LBNP-induced changes in FVC between handgrip and rest. Results: Prior to the high-fat meal, LBNP decreased resting FVC (Δ-57±10%), and this response was attenuated during exercise at 15% (Δ-18±8%) and 30% MVC (Δ-9±7%). After the high-fat meal, LBNP induced smaller decreases in resting FVC (1h: Δ-43±12%, 2h: Δ-45±12%, 3h: Δ-49±8%, all P≤0.01 vs. pre), but during exercise greater decreases in FVC were observed at both 15% (1h: Δ-22±10%, 2h: Δ-23±8%, 3h: Δ-25±8%, all P≤0.04 vs. pre) and 30% MVC (1h: Δ-15±8%, 2h: Δ-15±6%, 3h: Δ-16±6%, all P≤0.04 vs. pre). As a result, the high-fat meal decreased the magnitude of sympatholysis during rhythmic handgrip exercise at 15% (pre-prandial: 39±8%, 1h: 20±10%, 2h: 21±8%, 3h: 24±7%, all P≤0.001) and 30% MVC (pre-prandial: 48±11%, 1h: 28±10%, 2h: 30±11%, 3h: 33±8%, all P≤0.001). The low-fat meal did not change the magnitude of sympatholysis at either 15% (pre-prandial: 37±6%, 1h: 39±6%, 2h: 38±7%, 3h: 37±8%, all P≥0.07) or 30% MVC (pre-prandial: 45±10%, 1h: 47±8%, 2h: 47±9%, 3h: 46±7%, all P≥0.39). Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the capacity of a high-fat meal to acutely impair the ability of contracting skeletal muscle to offset the vascular responsiveness to α1-adrenoreceptor activation during low- and moderate-intensity rhythmic handgrip exercise. Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada Discovery Grant (P.J.M) This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Balas B., Sandford A., Ritchie K.

Face images depicting the same individual can differ substantially from one another. Ecological variation in pose, expression, lighting, and other sources of appearance variability complicates the recognition and matching of unfamiliar faces, but acquired familiarity leads to the ability to cope with these challenges. Among the many ways that face of the same individual can vary, some images are judged to be better likenesses of familiar individuals than others. Simply put, these images look more like the individual under consideration than others. But what does it mean for an image to be a better likeness than another? Does likeness entail typicality, or is it something distinct from this? We examined the relationship between the likeness of face images and the similarity of those images to average images of target individuals using a set of famous faces selected for reciprocal familiarity/unfamiliarity across US and UK participants. We found that though likeness judgments are correlated with similarity-to-prototype judgments made by both familiar and unfamiliar participants, this correlation was smaller than the correlation between similarity judgments made by different participant groups. This implies that while familiarity weakens the relationship between likeness and similarity-to-prototype judgments, it does not change similarity-to-prototype judgments to the same degree.

Lai H., Gao X.

Linear mixed-effects models are widely used in applications to analyze clustered, hierarchical, and longitudinal data. Model selection in linear mixed models is more challenging than that of linear models as the parameter vector in a linear mixed model includes both fixed effects and variance component parameters. When selecting the variance components of the random effects, the variance of the random effects must be non-negative and the parameters may lie on the boundary of the parameter space. Therefore, classical model selection methods cannot be directly used to handle this situation. In this article, we propose a modified BIC for model selection with linear mixed-effects models that can solve the case when the variance components are on the boundary of the parameter space. Through the simulation results, we found that the modified BIC performed better than the regular BIC in most cases for linear mixed models. The modified BIC was also applied to a real dataset to choose the most-appropriate model.

Chao H., Wnuczko M., Kennedy J.M.

In Piaget's 3-mountains task, 3D objects – a cube, cone and sphere – sit on a square tabletop. They are portrayed in 2D pictures as elevations (projections to the sides) such as one with a square on the left, a triangle in the middle and a circle on the right. Three objects offer six elevations, of which four are possible and two impossible. The possibles are elevations from the sides of the table – front, left, right and rear. In the impossibles, an object in the corner of the table is shown in the middle of an elevation. Sighted, sighted-blindfolded, early- and late-blind adults judged the elevations as to side of the table or impossible. The results suggest similar spatial abilities across groups. The impossible options had mid-range accuracy for all groups, with reaction times like possible options. The sighted and blind participants may consider possible and impossible options sequentially, one item at a time.

Chen V., Sandford A., LaGrone M., Charbonneau K., Kong J., Ragavaloo S.

The world-wide pivot to remote learning due to the exogenous shocks of COVID-19 across educational institutions has presented unique challenges and opportunities. This study documents the lived experiences of instructors and students and recommends emerging pathways for teaching and learning strategies post-pandemic. Seventy-one instructors and 122 students completed online surveys containing closed and open-ended questions. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted, including frequencies, chi-square tests, Welch Two-Samples t-tests, and thematic analyses. The results demonstrated that with effective online tools, remote learning could replicate key components of content delivery, activities, assessments, and virtual proctored exams. However, instructors and students did not want in-person learning to disappear and recommended flexibility by combining learning opportunities in in-person, online, and asynchronous course deliveries according to personal preferences. The paper concludes with future directions and how the findings influenced our planning for Fall 2021 delivery. The video abstract for this article is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F48KBg_d8AE.

Sherman P.

Daisaku Ikeda (1928–) is a Buddhist philosopher, peacebuilder, educator, author and poet. He is the founding president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and founder of the international networ...

Mahmid F., Bdier D., Chou P.

The current study aimed to test the correlation between problematic Internet use, eating disorder behaviors, and well-being among Palestinian university students. To examine the relationship between the study variables, a correlational study was conducted. The geographical representation of the study sample showed that 48.1% of participants were from urban populations, 48.1% were from rural villages, and 3.8% were from internally displaced people’s camps. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to test the relationship between problematic Internet use, eating disorder behaviors, and well-being. Results showed that problematic Internet use was negatively correlated to well-being (r = − .32, p < .01), and positively correlated to eating disorder behaviors (r = .39, p < .01). The regression analysis found that problematic Internet use contributes statistically and significantly towards explaining variance in eating disorder behaviors (B = .46, SE = .08, β = .32). Moreover, well-being contributed in a way that was statistically significant towards explaining variance in eating disorders behaviors (B = − .39, SE = .09, β = − .25). The results of our study support previous studies that indicated that problematic Internet use was significantly and positively correlated with eating disorder behaviors, while it was significantly and negatively correlated to well-being among Palestinian university students. Further studies testing this relationship will be crucial in developing interventions to both reduce problematic Internet use and eating disorder behaviors and increase well-being among university students.

Talebi A., Rezania D., Bragues G.

Public institutions need to find solutions to various civic issues by stimulating the links between start-ups, innovation, and co-creation. They often turn to project management as a method of inte...