Areas Of Ontario Research Articles

Uncovering antagonisms in recovery planning for species at risk: A diagnostic approach

AbstractAmid Earth's ongoing sixth mass extinction event, numerous measures have been proposed to recover the populations of species at risk of extinction. However, the methods and objectives of different species' recovery plans sometimes conflict with each other, causing a conundrum we refer to as recovery–action antagonism. Recovery–action antagonism reduces the cost‐effectiveness of conservation programs and can increase the extinction risk of nontarget species. We describe a method to identify interactions between recovery actions, including antagonisms proposed for different at‐risk species in a given location. The method includes a process to evaluate potential drivers of recovery‐action antagonism and other interaction types using principal coordinates analysis and distance‐based redundancy analysis. We illustrate various applications of the method through case studies performed in Pelee Island and Rouge National Urban Park, two biodiverse areas in Ontario, Canada. Potential antagonism was identified between 1.5% (Pelee) and 5% (Rouge) of the evaluated recovery actions. Although the rate of antagonism was low in our case studies, the method allows the identification of a variety of interactions, which can help to prioritize similar and complementary actions that will benefit a large number of species while minimizing actions that may have competing outcomes.

Together-in-Time

The Anthropocene offers an opportunity to (re)imagine and enact futures that care for the geological and ecological times and temporal rhythms of kin, and to expand beyond human politics of time. This article engages posthumanism to disrupt anthropocentrism and attune to times as embedded within relations of being together-with nonhumans. In this methodological article, I consider what it might look like to be together-in-time(s) with nonhuman kin and offer some possible practices for attuning to nonhuman times and the co-created times of leisure. From these temporal attunements emerge creative and affectively disruptive (re)presentations of being together-in-times with rocks, chipmunks, a shaggy mane mushroom, and a log in two protected areas in Ontario, Canada. (Re)imagining leisure in the Anthropocene as an ethic of togetherness, this article seeks to care for affective, relational, and embodied practices of being-with, knowing-with, and writing-with kin and kin times, and for flourishing more-than-human futures.

Utilization of Shock Team and Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in the Management of Cardiogenic Shock in Northern Ontario

BackgroundDespite advancements in critical care and coronary revascularization, cardiogenic shock (CS) outcomes remain poor. Implementing a shock team and use of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) have been associated with improved CS outcomes, but its feasibility in remote and rural areas remains unknown. MethodsThis retrospective study included patients with CS who required mechanical circulatory support (MCS) at Health Sciences North, Sudbury, Ontario. The analysis aimed to accomplish 2 objectives: first, to review the outcomes associated with use of Impella (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) and, second, to assess the feasibility of establishing a shock team to facilitate the local implementation of VA-ECMO. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. ResultsThe outcomes of 15 patients with CS who received Impella between 2015 and 2021 were reviewed. Their average age was 65 years (standard deviation [SD]: 13), and 8 patients (53%) were female. CS was ischemic in 12 patients (80%). Transfemoral Impella CP (cardiac power) was the most frequently used (93%). Thirteen patients (87%) died during the index hospital stay post-Impella because of progressive circulatory failure. The shock team was established following consultations with several Canadian MCS centres, leading to the development of a protocol to guide use of MCS. There have been 4 cases in which percutaneous VA-ECMO using Cardiohelp (Getinge/Maquet, Wayne, NJ) has been used; 3 (75%) survived beyond the index hospitalization. ConclusionsThis analysis demonstrated the feasibility of implementing a shock team in remote Northern Ontario, enabling the use of VA-ECMO with success in a centre with a sizeable rural catchment area. This initiative helps address the gap in cardiac care outcomes between rural and urban areas in Ontario.

Mineral Prospectivity Mapping for Orogenic Gold Mineralization in the Rainy River Area, Wabigoon Subprovince

Random Forest classification was applied to create mineral prospectivity maps (MPM) for orogenic gold in the Rainy River area of Ontario, Canada. Geological and geophysical data were used to create 36 predictive maps as RF algorithm input. Eighty-three (83) orogenic gold prospects/occurrences were used to train the classifier, and 33 occurrences were used to validate the model. The non-Au (negative) points were randomly selected with or without spatial restriction. The prospectivity mapping results show high performance for the training and test data in area-frequency curves. The F1 accuracy is high and moderate when assessed with the training and test data, respectively. The mean decrease accuracy was applied to calculate the variable importance. Density, proximity to lithological contacts, mafic to intermediate volcanics, analytic signal, and proximity to the Cameron-Pipestone deformation zone exhibit the highest variable importance in both models. The main difference between the models is in the uncertainty maps, in which the high-potential areas show lower uncertainty in the maps created with spatial restriction when selecting the negative points.

Stitching Together My Anishinaabe Research Paradigm: An Approach to Storytelling With Algonquin Ikwewag (Women) and Gender-Diverse People in Mattawa and North Bay, Ontario

This article reviews an Anishinaabe research paradigm that structures a storytelling project with Algonquin Anishinaabekwewag and gender-diverse people from the Mattawa and North Bay area in Ontario, Canada. This Anishinaabe research paradigm contains an ontology, epistemology, methodology, and axiology that are informed by Anishinaabe worldviews and values, participants’ stories, as well as the knowledges and experiences the first author brings to the project as a mixed-ancestry Algonquin Anishinaabekwe. With a ribbon skirt framework of data analysis, analytical approaches from multiple knowledge systems are stitched together to form complex and cohesive stories. The methodology is guided by principles of ownership, control, access, and possession, the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct of Research Involving Humans (Chapter 9), as well as Anishinaabe relational accountability which honours relationships with all of Creation. Axiology is further informed by Mino-Bimaadiziwin and Anishinaabe Original Instructions, and is expressed through Anishinaabe jiimaan (canoe) teachings and values of respect, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility, and reverence. Making space for Anishinaabe research paradigms that prioritize Anishinaabe ways of knowing and living is a powerful way to decolonize the research process and affirm the continuity of Anishinaabe lifeways.

Cellulose-Based Hydrogel Capsules to Address Soil Erosion Following Wildfire

While natural forest fires promote regrowth and restoration within an ecosystem, a major cause for concern in Canada is deforestation due to an increased prevalence of wildfires brought about by industry practices and climate change. This has become even more evident recently with the wildfires burning in remote areas of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, creating smoke-related air pollution observed in many communities throughout Canada and the United States. Entwistle, Alberta, specifically, experienced severe wildfire during late April to early May of this year (2023), leading to numerous resident evacuations while firefighters worked to contain the blaze. Our proposed grassroots initiative involves the use of biodegradable cellulose-based hydrogels to promote water retention and soil health in the fire-ravaged forested areas of Entwistle, Alberta. Cellulose is the most abundant renewable biopolymer and is utilized for the synthesis of bio-based hydrogel. It is a green and sustainable material, giving it a biocompatible advantage over petroleum-based and synthetic hydrogels that possess toxic effects. It is derived from plant material and is fully biodegradable. Soil becomes dehydrated as a result of wildfire, with decreased water content and microbe presence leading to soil erosion and deeply impacting regeneration of forests. This has negative impacts on the broader environment, as well as on humans and non-human animals. The use of hydrogels to restore and maintain soil moisture levels, pH, and microbial environments is a novel approach to better maintain forest health from a One Health perspective.

Resilience in the face of crisis: investigating COVID-19 impacts on urban community gardens in Greater Toronto Area, Canada

PurposeUrban community gardens (UCGs) are important sources of community, food and greenspaces in urban environments. Though UCGs in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Ontario, Canada, were considered essential during the COVID-19 lockdowns and therefore open to gardeners, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and UCG use among garden members and managers is not fully understood.Design/methodology/approachThis was an exploratory qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven managers and eight members of nine gardens in the GTA. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.FindingsThe results suggest that UCGs helped participants be resilient to COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors through the provision of cultural ecosystem services. Therefore, this study supports the current literature that UCGs can help foster resilience during crises. While participants in this study did not end up being food insecure, participants did express concern about community food security.Practical implicationsResults contribute to the current body of literature, and can be used to further update and develop UCG policies, as well as help develop UCG infrastructure and management strategies for future crises.Originality/valueThe impacts of the pandemic on Canadian UCGs are not well understood. This research paper investigated the impact of the pandemic on UCG use and food security, as well as the link between UCG use and increased resilience to COVID-19-related stressors.

Characterizing Risk Factors for Hospitalization and Clinical Characteristics in a Cohort of COVID-19 Patients Enrolled in the GENCOV Study.

The GENCOV study aims to identify patient factors which affect COVID-19 severity and outcomes. Here, we aimed to evaluate patient characteristics, acute symptoms and their persistence, and associations with hospitalization. Participants were recruited at hospital sites across the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Patient-reported demographics, medical history, and COVID-19 symptoms and complications were collected through an intake survey. Regression analyses were performed to identify associations with outcomes including hospitalization and COVID-19 symptoms. In total, 966 responses were obtained from 1106 eligible participants (87% response rate) between November 2020 and May 2022. Increasing continuous age (aOR: 1.05 [95%CI: 1.01-1.08]) and BMI (aOR: 1.17 [95%CI: 1.10-1.24]), non-White/European ethnicity (aOR: 2.72 [95%CI: 1.22-6.05]), hypertension (aOR: 2.78 [95%CI: 1.22-6.34]), and infection by viral variants (aOR: 5.43 [95%CI: 1.45-20.34]) were identified as risk factors for hospitalization. Several symptoms including shortness of breath and fever were found to be more common among inpatients and tended to persist for longer durations following acute illness. Sex, age, ethnicity, BMI, vaccination status, viral strain, and underlying health conditions were associated with developing and having persistent symptoms. By improving our understanding of risk factors for severe COVID-19, our findings may guide COVID-19 patient management strategies by enabling more efficient clinical decision making.

Varicolored Marble in the Central Metasedimentary Belt, Grenville Supergroup. I. Circumstantial Evidence of Melting

Abstract Large expanses of granulite-facies white marble occur in the Central Metasedimentary Belt of the Grenville orogen in western Quebec and in contiguous areas of eastern Ontario and New York. Locally, the white rock is transformed into “varicolored” marble, ranging from pink, orange, yellow, green, gray to blue marble, in some cases closely juxtaposed. We have dissected specimens from three target areas in western Quebec. A powerful analytical workflow including high-resolution ZEISS Atlas 5 large-area imaging was employed in combination with detailed energy-dispersive spectroscopy analyses to create digital map-like online datasets of entire samples to display the textures and characteristics in their entirety. We describe in detail the texture and mineralogy of marble specimens collected from exposures created during the construction of Autoroute 5 near Wakefield and of Autoroute 50 near Grenville-sur-la-Rouge and two specimens collected near Bryson, Quebec. At the inferred pressure and temperature and in the presence of H2O, the white marble seems to have melted. A carbonate melt, a powerful flux, can dissolve silicate wallrocks along a mutual contact. In this way, a marble-derived melt has assimilated wallrocks ranging from peridotite to granite. This melting event may have occurred more than once in the 350-million-year lifespan of the Grenville event; the thermal event associated with the Rigolet stage, during gravitational collapse of the orogen approximately one billion years ago, was the most intense. The marble samples contain no vestiges of older deformed assemblages. Whereas the varicolored marble undoubtedly is metasedimentary, a coeval influx of mantle-derived carbonatitic melt and related fluids from a subjacent complex may have caused localized metasomatism of the marble prior to and after melting.

OAC Stirling soybean

OAC Stirling is a semi-determinate large-seeded food-grade soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivar with high yield potential, high seed protein concentration, and resistance to soybean cyst nematode. OAC Stirling is developed and recommended for soybean growing areas in southwestern Ontario with 3100 or greater crop heat units and has a relative maturity of 2.3.

OAC Union soybean

The OAC Union cultivar of soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is semi-determinate, has large seeds suitable for food-grade purposes, and offers high yield potential with elevated concentrations of seed protein and oil. Additionally, it displays resistance to soybean cyst nematode. OAC Union is developed and recommended for soybean-growing areas in southwestern Ontario with 2800 or greater crop heat units and has a relative maturity of 1.4.

The Use of Web-Based Patient Reviews to Assess Medical Oncologists’ Competency: Mixed Methods Sequential Explanatory Study

Patients increasingly use web-based evaluation tools to assess their physicians, health care teams, and overall medical experience. This study aimed to evaluate the extent to which the standardized physician competencies of the CanMEDS Framework are present in web-based patient reviews (WPRs) and to identify patients' perception of important physician qualities in the context of quality cancer care. The WPRs of all university-affiliated medical oncologists in midsized cities with medical schools in the province of Ontario (Canada) were collected. Two reviewers (1 communication studies researcher and 1 health care professional) independently assessed the WPRs according to the CanMEDS Framework and identified common themes. Comment scores were then evaluated to identify κ agreement rates between the reviewers, and a descriptive quantitative analysis of the cohort was completed. Following the quantitative analysis, an inductive thematic analysis was performed. This study identified 49 actively practicing university-affiliated medical oncologists in midsized urban areas in Ontario. A total of 473 WPRs reviewing these 49 physicians were identified. Among the CanMEDS competencies, those defining the roles of medical experts, communicators, and professionals were the most prevalent (303/473, 64%; 182/473, 38%; and 129/473, 27%, respectively). Common themes in WPRs include medical skill and knowledge, interpersonal skills, and answering questions (from the patient to the physician). Detailed WPRs tend to include the following elements: experience and connection; discussion and evaluation of the physician's knowledge, professionalism, interpersonal skills, and punctuality; in positive reviews, the expression of feelings of gratitude and a recommendation; and in negative reviews, discouragement from seeking the physician's care. Patients' perception of medical skills is less specific than their perception of interpersonal qualities, although medical skills are the most commented-on element of care in WPRs. Patients' perception of interpersonal skills (listening, compassion, and overall caring demeanor) and other experiential phenomena, such as feeling rushed during appointments, is often specific and detailed. Details about a physician's interpersonal skills or "bedside manner" are highly perceived, valued, and shareable in an WPR context. A small number of WPRs reflected a distinction between the value of medical skills and that of interpersonal skills. The authors of these WPRs claimed that for them, a physician's medical skills and competence are more important than their interpersonal skills. CanMEDS roles and competencies that are explicitly patient facing (ie, those directly experienced by patients in their interactions with physicians and through the care that physicians provide) are the most likely to be present and reported on in WPRs. The findings demonstrate the opportunity to learn from WPRs, not simply to discern physicians' popularity but to grasp what patients may expect from their physicians. In this context, WPRs can represent a method for the measurement and assessment of patient-facing physician competency.

Rurality index score and pediatric neuro-oncological outcome in Ontario.

Rapid access to neurosurgical decisions and definitive management are vital for the outcome of neurocritical patients. There are unique challenges associated with the provision of services required to maintain critical infrastructure for rural citizens. Given that a relationship between rurality, marginalization, and health outcomes has been identified as associated with higher mortality rates and higher rates of many diseases, the authors studied whether worse clinical outcomes were associated with rurality in pediatric neuro-oncological disease. Using linked administrative databases, the authors retrospectively analyzed a population-based cohort of patients diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor between 1996 and 2017 in Ontario, Canada. The main variable of interest was the Rurality Index for Ontario (RIO; larger value denotes more rural); the main outcome was survival, while controlling for surgery and tumor type. Of the 1428 patients included, 53.9% were male. Overall survival of all the children (controlling for surgery and tumor type) at 1, 5, and 10 years was 84.7%, 65.1%, and 58.4%, respectively. A total of 11.5% were classified as living in a rural area of Ontario. The distance to the nearest pediatric neurosurgical hospital ranged from 25.6 to 167.4 km. The RIO score was 0 in 38.7% of children, and the majority of patients had a RIO score < 40. A higher RIO score was not a significant factor (continuous p = 0.12/ordinal p = 0.18) associated with length of follow-up, indicating that rurality was not significantly linked to compliance with clinical follow-up. Rurality of the region in which pediatric neuro-oncological patients reside was not associated with patient outcome (HR 0.83, p = 0.39).

A livelihood to feel good about: Enacting values around animals, land, and food outside of the agricultural core

This paper presents and reflects on findings from ethnographic research conducted with small-scale farmers in the Parry Sound district, Ontario, Canada. The research highlights understandings of what it means to be a “good farmer” and explores how farmers enact their personal values and morals in efforts to produce “good food” for their communities. Central issues that emerge include notions of how to ethically care for animals and the land, as well as how to navigate tensions that can emerge while engaged in agricultural livelihoods. In their agriculturally peripheral location, participants point to how they imagine and embody possibilities about “good farming” and “good food” that challenge in various ways the larger-scale agricultural approaches that dominate agricultural core areas in southern Ontario.

Socioeconomic gradient in mortality of working age and older adults with multiple long-term conditions in England and Ontario, Canada

BackgroundThere is currently mixed evidence on the influence of long-term conditions and deprivation on mortality. We aimed to explore whether number of long-term conditions contribute to socioeconomic inequalities in mortality, whether the influence of number of conditions on mortality is consistent across socioeconomic groups and whether these associations vary by working age (18–64 years) and older adults (65 + years). We provide a cross-jurisdiction comparison between England and Ontario, by replicating the analysis using comparable representative datasets.MethodsParticipants were randomly selected from Clinical Practice Research Datalink in England and health administrative data in Ontario. They were followed from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019 or death or deregistration. Number of conditions was counted at baseline. Deprivation was measured according to the participant’s area of residence. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazards of mortality by number of conditions, deprivation and their interaction, with adjustment for age and sex and stratified between working age and older adults in England (N = 599,487) and Ontario (N = 594,546).FindingsThere is a deprivation gradient in mortality between those living in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas in England and Ontario. Number of conditions at baseline was associated with increasing mortality. The association was stronger in working age compared with older adults respectively in England (HR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.56,1.64 and HR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.25,1.27) and Ontario (HR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.66,1.72 and HR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.38,1.40). Number of conditions moderated the socioeconomic gradient in mortality: a shallower gradient was seen for persons with more long-term conditions.ConclusionsNumber of conditions contributes to higher mortality rate and socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in England and Ontario. Current health care systems are fragmented and do not compensate for socioeconomic disadvantages, contributing to poor outcomes particularly for those managing multiple long-term conditions. Further work should identify how health systems can better support patients and clinicians who are working to prevent the development and improve the management of multiple long-term conditions, especially for individuals living in socioeconomically deprived areas.

Rising Up: Collectivizing, Strategizing, and Forging Solidarities among Parents and Caregivers Leading for Racial Justice

This study Expressions in Urban Educationlores the Expressions in Urban Educationeriences of 11 Black parents, one Latinx parent and one Brown (South Asian) parent in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) in Ontario, Canada, who have challenged racial injustices and inequities in schools, districts, and the province. Drawing on counter-storytelling as a methodology of Critical Race Theory, we reframe the activism of Black and racialized parents as the ultimate form of parent engagement and an important example of educational leadership. These strategies include: the energy of collectivizing, powering up, and building cross-racial and cross-community solidarity. We share implications for educational leaders in rethinking parent engagement and anti-racist, educational leadership.

Phytoplankton metabolite profiles from two Lake Ontario Areas of Concern reveal differences associated with taxonomic community composition

Water quality and phytoplankton community composition are important factors that can indicate freshwater ecosystem health. We combined water quality, phytoplankton community, and metabolomic data from algae and water sampled from two embayments in Lake Ontario, Hamilton Harbour and the Bay of Quinte, over ten weeks from August to October in the year 2020. Metabolomics was performed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) to identify changes in intracellular metabolites within algae communities over time, and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) was used to characterize putative isomers of extracellular metabolites at sub-ppb mass accuracy. Results from this study indicate that Hamilton Harbour and the Bay of Quinte are two very different ecosystems with respect to water quality, phytoplankton metabolites, and phytoplankton community composition. Community composition is strongly driven by conductivity and nitrates in Hamilton Harbour, while the opposite is true in the Bay of Quinte. Metabolites including α-aminobutyric acid and glycine were found in larger abundance within algal communities at both locations, while taurine was more predominant in algal communities from the Bay of Quinte. These metabolic profiles could reflect the different communities of phytoplankton, and be alternative indicators of algal bloom growth.

Introducing spatial availability, a singly-constrained measure of competitive accessibility.

Accessibility indicators are widely used in transportation, urban and healthcare planning, among many other applications. These measures are weighted sums of reachable opportunities from a given origin, conditional on the cost of movement, and are estimates of the potential for spatial interaction. Over time, various proposals have been forwarded to improve their interpretability: one of those methodological additions have been the introduction of competition. In this paper we focus on competition, but first demonstrate how a widely used measure of accessibility with congestion fails to properly match the opportunity-seeking population. We then propose an alternative formulation of accessibility with competition, a measure we call spatial availability. This measure relies on proportional allocation balancing factors (friction of distance and population competition) that are equivalent to imposing a single constraint on conventional gravity-based accessibility. In other words, the proportional allocation of opportunities results in a spatially available opportunities value which is assigned to each origin that, when all origin values are summed, equals the total number of opportunities in the region. We also demonstrate how Two-Stage Floating Catchment Area (2SFCA) methods are equivalent to spatial availability and can be reconceptualized as singly-constrained accessibility. To illustrate the application of spatial availability and compare it to other relevant measures, we use data from the 2016 Transportation Tomorrow Survey of the Greater Golden Horseshoe area in southern Ontario, Canada. Spatial availability is an important contribution since it clarifies the interpretation of accessibility with competition and paves the way for future applications in equity analysis (e.g., spatial mismatch, opportunity benchmarking, policy intervention scenario analysis).

Integrating carbon stocks and landscape connectivity for nature-based climate solutions.

Actions to protect against biodiversity loss and climate change will require a framework that addresses synergies between these interrelated issues. In this study, we present methods for identifying areas important for the implementation of nature-based climate solutions and biodiversity conservation by intersecting high-resolution spatial data for carbon storage and landscape connectivity. We explored the spatial congruence of carbon and connectivity in Ontario, Canada and examined effectiveness of current protected areas coverage. We found a weak positive relationship between carbon stocks and landscape connectivity; however, our maps revealed large hotspots, with high values of both indices, throughout the boreal forest and northern peatlands and smaller, isolated hotspots, in the settled landscapes of the south. Location of hotspots varied depending on whether we considered forest or soil carbon. Further, our results show that current protected and conserved areas in Ontario only cover 13% of landscapes with the highest values for both carbon storage and connectivity. Protection or restoration of areas that maximize the co-benefits of carbon storage and connectivity would make significant contributions toward ambitious national targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve biodiversity.

Regional PM2.5 Estimation for Southern Ontario through Geographically Weighted Regression

In this study, a geographically weighted regression (GWR) approach was adopted to forecast regional concentration of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) for the southern Ontario based on both in situ meteorological measurement and Satellite retrievals of aerosol optical depth (AOD). The correlation between monitored concentration of PM2.5 and Satellite-retrieved AOD would be quantified. The ground-level PM2.5 for South Ontario area was then predicted using GWR with AOD and meteorological variables considered as inputs. The results indicated that performance of GWR was slightly better than the ordinary least squares (OLS) model, indicating spatial variations between independent and dependent variables. Consequently, the GWR model can help us to predict the PM2.5 concentration in terms of time or region with satellite data, and also help improve satellite data inversion.