HARVEST

University of Saskatchewan's Repository for Research, Scholarship, and Artistic Work

Welcome to HARVEST, the repository for research, scholarship, and artistic work created by the University of Saskatchewan community. Browse our collections below or find out more and submit your work.

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Recent Submissions

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    Creation of the Indigenous Phenomenological Holistic Health Framework and Methodology: An Innovative Approach Towards Understanding the Holistic Wellness of First Nations Elected Officials
    (2026-09-03) Naytowhow, Sheila Kimowan Victoria; Kirychuk, Shelley; Martin, Wanda; Abonyi, Sylvia
    This thesis develops the Indigenous Phenomenological Holistic Health (IPHH) framework, an innovative phenomenological method integrating Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception, together with the Indigenous Wellness Framework, and centred on Indigenous worldview meanings of experience, to better understand the lived experiences and holistic wellness of First Nations Elected Officials (FNEOs).  The IPHH framework is then applied to better understand the lived experiences and holistic wellness of FNEOs in Saskatchewan by asking what it is like to be an FNEO and how the role affects mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical (MESP) wellness.  Using a qualitative, non-affiliated phenomenological study design, FNEOs participated in semi-structured interviews. Merleau-Ponty’s concepts—including affectivity, orientation, sedimentation, temporal and spatial horizons, corporeality, Spielraum, gaze/objectification, language, existential project, night space, and virtual movement—were used as descriptive tools to examine how experiences were lived through the body, relationships, time, place, perception, and possibility. The Indigenous Wellness Framework then served as a standpoint for considering how those experiences affected MESP wellness. Findings show that FNEOs carry extensive and often unpredictable responsibilities that affect holistic wellness in complex ways. Participants described the pressures of constant availability, stigma, public scrutiny, limited rest, exposure to community trauma, sexism, bullying, grief, and the difficulty of maintaining personal and family life while responding to community needs. These experiences were often carried emotionally and physically through exhaustion, worry, tension, withdrawal, self-doubt, disrupted rest, and, in some cases, serious health impacts. At the same time, participants also described sources of strength, including purpose, cultural identity, spiritual grounding, family, community relationships, land-based practices, ceremony, meaningful conversations, and the desire to support future generations, strengthening spiritual and mental wellness. In many cases, experiences overlapped between all four dimensions of wellness. This thesis developed an innovative Indigenous phenomenological framework and methodological approach that honours first-person experience while attending to the holistic dimensions of wellness, providing a way to describe how leadership experiences are embodied, relational, spatial, temporal, spiritual, and culturally situated. In doing so, this research creates and highlights an innovative framework that embeds Indigenous worldviews to better understand and protect the holistic health of those who serve in elected leadership roles. An outcome of this research also provides future FNEOs with advice, based on participants' lived experiences, on how they may be able to protect their own holistic wellness.
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    Exploring Intestinal Adaptation Using an Intestinal Organoid Model
    (2026-09-02) Hunka, Nolan William; Hall, Amanda; Groot, Gary; Chamberlain, Dean; Wales, Paul; Lukong, Erique
    This item is under an embargo. Access to the abstract and all associated documents will not be permitted until after the embargo date has passed.
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    Influence of Lower Limb and Shoulder Strength Asymmetry on Peak Ground Reaction Force During the Volleyball Spike
    (2026) Moehler, Taryn J.; Duchene, Jada M. A.; Fernandez, Andrea; Friesen, Kenzie B.
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    Using False Front Pages to Improve the User Experience of Loading Time on the Web
    (2026-09-01) Dufresne, Taylan; Gutwin, Carl; Yeh, Allen
    Long page-load time for web applications is a common and frustrating problem for users – and despite substantial advances in web infrastructure, pages still regularly take more than a second to load. To improve the user experience of page loads, we propose the idea of showing users an image of the completed page right away (i.e., a “false front”), and then switching to the real page once it has arrived. False fronts are designed to load quickly and to let users “click ahead” (feedback shows users their click has been received, and clicks are queued for execution when the application becomes available). In two crowdsourced studies, we compared false fronts to traditional representations of loading (an animated spinner and a skeleton screen). Results show that false fronts led to faster task completion, better ratings of responsiveness and speed, and higher preference. Overall, false fronts can improve web application usability.
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    Evaluating the effects of biologically relevant multiple sclerosis stressors on RNA binding protein localization patterns and neurodegeneration in primary mouse embryonic neurons
    (2026-09-01) Larga, Jay Gabriel B; Levin, Michael; Chlan-Fourney, Jennifer; Cayabyab, Francisco; Adebiyi, Olamide
    RNA binding protein (RBP) mislocalization from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in neurons is a common feature of neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), where disrupted RNA metabolism is thought to contribute to neuronal dysfunction. However, the mechanisms initiating RBP mislocalization and its relationship to neurodegenerative changes remain unclear. In this study, primary mouse embryonic neurons were used to examine how MS-relevant stressors influence RBP localization and neuronal structure at different neuronal maturation stages (day 4 (‘days in vitro4’ – DIV4) compared to day 14 (‘days in vitro14’ – DIV14)). Neurons were exposed to excitotoxic (glutamate), oxidative (3-morpholinosydnonimine), and endoplasmic reticulum (thapsigargin) stress. Localization patterns of the RBPs heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1), Fused-in-Sarcoma (FUS), and TAR-DNA Binding Protein 43 (TDP-43) were assessed using immunocytochemistry and two complementary metrics: mean neuronal cytoplasmic RBP signal and fold-change in the number of neurons with mislocalized RBP relative to controls. Glutamate induced minimal changes in the RBP localization patterns of developing DIV4 neurons but triggered significant increase in cytoplasmic RBP levels in mature DIV14 neurons (p < 0.005), consistent with increased glutamate receptor expression in DIV14 neurons. In contrast, oxidative stress produced pronounced RBP redistribution at both DIV4 (p < 0.01) and DIV14 (p < 0.001) neurons, with more substantial changes observed at DIV4. Statistical analysis further revealed that oxidative stress-induced hnRNP A1 and FUS redistribution differed significantly between maturation stages, indicating that neuronal maturity modulates RBP responses to oxidative stress. Lastly, thapsigargin did not induce significant changes in RBP localization patterns in DIV4 neurons across most concentrations with a significant increase observed only at the highest sublethal concentration (p < 0.05). In contrast, DIV14 neurons showed no changes in cytoplasmic RBP levels across all concentrations of thapsigargin despite the activation of ER stress signalling pathways, indicating that ER stress alone is insufficient to drive these changes under the conditions tested. Neurite analyses showed that glutamate induced significant neurite loss in DIV14 neurons (p = 0.0001) but not in DIV4 neurons (p = 0.3485), while SIN-1 caused significant, concentration-dependent neurite degeneration at both DIV4 (p = 0.0198) and DIV14 (p = 0.0322). In contrast, thapsigargin induced neurite loss only at the highest sublethal concentration in DIV4 neurons (p = 0.0239) and did not significantly affect neurite length in DIV14 neurons across all concentrations (p = 0.0939). Correlation analyses identified strong inverse associations between cytoplasmic hnRNP A1 and FUS localization with neurite length (r < -0.800), while multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated that cytoplasmic hnRNP A1 and FUS remained significant independent predictors of neurite length following oxidative stress in DIV4 neurons (all β < -0.017, p < 0.0001) and excitotoxic stress in DIV14 neurons (all β < -0.008, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that RBP mislocalization is closely linked to neurite degeneration independently of stressor concentration, supporting a relationship between disrupted RBP homeostasis and neuronal dysfunction. Mechanistic exploration of upstream receptor signalling, revealed that inhibition of NMDA receptors with MK801 significantly attenuated glutamate-induced increases in cytoplasmic RBP levels and neurite loss (p < 0.05), whereas AMPA receptor inhibition had no significant effect, indicating that these phenotypes are primarily mediated by NMDA receptor signalling. Furthermore, inhibition of nitric oxide synthase with L NNA did not improve mean cytoplasmic RBP levels or neurite loss relative to glutamate-treated controls, suggesting that nitric oxide signalling does not substantially contribute to this response under the conditions tested. Together, these findings demonstrate that RBP mislocalization in neurons is stressor-specific, varies with neuronal maturity, and is most strongly induced by oxidative and excitotoxic stress. The distinct response profiles observed across RBPs suggest differential sensitivities to cellular stress. These results support a model in which RBP mislocalization represents an early, stress-driven event that may contribute to neuronal vulnerability and neurodegeneration in MS.
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    How Well Do “Dr. Google” and “Professor YouTube” Answer Health Questions for Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients and Caregivers?
    (Wiley, 2026-08-11) Burghall, Ashley; Chan, Ryan R. D.; Rosaasen, Nicola; Blydt-Hansen, Tom D.; Beresford, Laura; Cammer, Allison; Davis, Keefe; Flood, Kayla; Goldberg, Aviva; Hamiwka, Lorraine; Haubrich, Kathryn; Laroche, Camille; Phan, Véronique; Ruhl, Michelle; Teoh, Chia Wei; Wichart, Jenny; Mansell, Holly
    Background Pediatric kidney transplant recipients and their caregivers require comprehensive education to support self-management. Increasingly, families supplement clinic teaching with online platforms such as Google and YouTube, yet the quality, readability, and usefulness of these resources are uncertain. Methods Structured searches on Google and YouTube were conducted using patient-style questions and medically oriented key terms across four prioritized topics: healthy eating, exercise, travel, and mental health. Resources were screened for relevance and assessed for accuracy, completeness (defined as including all key facts needed to support recommendations), readability, and actionability (defined as providing clear, practical steps users can follow). Two pediatric transplant healthcare providers independently reviewed each resource. Two researchers assessed understandability and actionability using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), and readability using multiple readability tools. Results Searches yielded 87 Google and 41 YouTube resources; most targeted adult transplant recipients. Healthcare providers assessed 65% of Google and 68% of YouTube resources to be accurate, but only 18% and 5% were factually complete. Actionable recommendations were identified in 42% (Google) and 29% (YouTube). Readability ranged from grade 5 to 17, with only 6 of 82 Google resources meeting the recommended grade 6 or lower. Mean understandability scores were 67% for both platforms. Actionability scores averaged 39% (Google) and 77% (YouTube). Resources suitable for pediatric audiences (n = 28) had similar readability and understandability scores but slightly higher actionability (Google: 43%, YouTube: 81%). Most resources lacked pediatric focus, co-creation, and practical guidance. Conclusions Online searches generated limited high-quality resources tailored to pediatric needs. Healthcare providers should guide families to vetted resources and consider co-creating materials to improve relevance and impact.
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    Academic Buoyancy Measurements in Four First-Year Engineering Cohorts at the University of Saskatchewan
    (Canadian Engineering Education Association, 2026) Abello, Juan; Maw, Sean
    Academic buoyancy is a measure of student ability to handle everyday academic pressure and setbacks. Four academic buoyancy markers were measured for four first-year engineering cohorts. Ordinal logistic regression was used to explore differences in the four academic buoyancy markers between gender, semester, age, and regional background. When considering main effects only, men were more likely than women to report higher buoyancy scores in all four markers, and students were more likely to report higher buoyancy scores in two markers at the end of the year compared to the start. When considering first and second-order effects, women were more likely than men to report higher scores in one buoyancy marker at the end of the year than at the start. There was no difference in any marker between ages or regional backgrounds. These results highlight main and second-order effects of gender and semester in academic buoyancy for first-year engineering students.
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    Trace element bioaccumulation in salmonid-dominated riverine food webs affected by coal mining activity
    (Oxford Academic, 2026) Medinski, Nathan; Formsma, Natasha; McDonald, Stuart; Jardine, Timothy
    Mining has the potential to negatively affect receiving aquatic ecosystems by releasing trace elements such as selenium, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium, but dietary patterns in invertebrates and fish can mask effects of mine releases on their exposure. We compared trace element concentrations in water, benthic invertebrates, and salmonid fish at two coal-mine-affected streams with those from three reference streams in the upper Smoky River basin, Rocky Mountain foothills, Canada. The region has a high natural background concentration of selenium, evidenced by concentrations that exceed guideline values (>1 µg/L in water, > 4 mg/kg in invertebrates, > 11 mg/kg in fish egg/ovary) even at reference streams, but streams affected by upstream coal mining had significantly elevated concentrations in fish muscle (p < 0.05). Stable isotope analysis revealed that fish that were more strongly connected to the terrestrial detrital pathway had lower selenium (p < 0.001) and mercury (p < 0.01) concentrations, suggesting greater uptake from the algae-grazer pathway that is exposed to mine runoff. Selenium and mercury both showed evidence of biomagnification in food webs whereas arsenic and cadmium strongly biodiluted, further explaining differences in fish concentrations among sites. The high concentrations of selenium in fish muscle meant that it was the most important of the four elements in elevating risk to human consumers, and mine-affected streams had the highest hazard quotients. Our findings highlight the importance of characterizing the diets of fish with ecological tracers, such as stable isotopes, when investigating contaminant accumulation and point to the need to carefully consider future coal mine development because of consequences for downstream ecosystems and human health.
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    Engineering Identity and Career Pathways: Insights from Undergraduate Students and Graduates from the University of Saskatchewan
    (Canadian Engineering Education Association, 2026) Chen, Kai; Neufeld, Paul; Maw, Sean
    Attrition rates of engineers have motivated research on engineering identity (EI), and studies have found that EI is related to educational and professional persistence. At the University of Saskatchewan, two independent but related studies examined students' career aspirations, and graduates' (alumni) career outcomes. Several survey questions were matched across these studies to enable comparison. This paper explores patterns in self-reported EI scores of students and alumni, centred on a multi-dimensional research question, to ascertain noteworthy differences. Data from both surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression. While some results align with similar studies, there were unexpected findings. For example, EI scores appeared largely independent of the importance that students and alumni placed on achieving different types of career fulfillment. The greatest differences in EI scores were between practicing and non-practicing alumni, suggesting more significant shifts in EI post-graduation.
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    Primary care for people with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD) and diabetes or hypertension; highlighting current gaps in care
    (Elsevier, 2026) Storseth, Oliver; McNeil, Karen; Hutchinson, Paula; Peterson, Sandra; Correia, Rebecca H.; Thatcher, Alicia; Kooser, Ridhwana; Warren, Marika; Rudoler, David; Lavergne, Ruth
    Background People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at higher risk for chronic conditions (diabetes and hypertension) but may experience barriers to chronic disease management when primary care services are not tailored to their unique needs. Objective This quantitative study examines patterns of primary care service use, chronic disease management, and colorectal cancer screening among people with IDD and chronic disease and explores potential disparities in care. Methods We use population-based linked administrative data from British Columbia to identify people with diabetes and/or hypertension and compare patterns of health service utilization and evidence-informed chronic disease management stratified by recorded IDD diagnosis. Results Among people with diabetes and/or hypertension, people with IDD access outpatient primary care visits (nurse practitioners and general practitioners) at rates slightly higher than people without IDD (11.4 vs 9.2 visits per year), receive emergency department care three times as often (2.1 vs 0.6 visits per year), and are hospitalized four times as often (40 vs 10 hospitalizations per 100 people per year). Despite more frequent health care contact overall, individuals with IDD were less likely to receive recommended lab tests for chronic disease management and colon cancer screening (60.7% among people with IDD vs 75.9%). Conclusions Disparities in chronic disease management and cancer screening, despite more frequent health system contact overall may explain poorer health outcomes for people with IDD and reflect persistent systemic and societal barriers. Addressing current barriers is critical to developing more equitable health systems.