HARVEST
University of Saskatchewan's Repository for Research, Scholarship, and Artistic Work
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PHARMACISTS’ ROLES IN DIABETES CARE IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN SASKATCHEWAN
(2025-06-18) Ejie, Izuchukwu Loveth; Vatanparast, Hassan; Mansell, Kerry; Lane, Ginny; Yee, Jarron; Froehlich Chow, Amanda; Labrecque, Mary Ellen
Diabetes mellitus presents a significant and growing public health burden globally and in Canada, with Indigenous peoples experiencing disproportionately higher prevalence and poorer outcomes due to systemic, social, and historical inequities. Pharmacists, given their accessibility and expertise in medication management, chronic disease prevention, and health promotion, are uniquely positioned to support diabetes care in underserved Indigenous communities. However, there is limited evidence on their specific roles and experiences in this context within Canada. This research aimed to identify knowledge gaps in the literature, assess pharmacists’ current roles in Indigenous diabetes care in Saskatchewan, and explore the barriers and facilitators influencing their service delivery. This study employed a critical review of existing literature and an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, consisting of a cross-sectional survey and qualitative interviews. The critical review synthesized international evidence on pharmacist involvement in Indigenous diabetes care and was guided by the Two-Eyed Seeing Framework and the Framework for Diabetes in Canada. A cross-sectional survey of Saskatchewan pharmacists captured the scope of services provided, perceived barriers and facilitators, and professional characteristics. Qualitative interviews with selected participants provided greater insight into pharmacists’ lived experiences and contextual understanding and were guided by the Framework for Diabetes in Canada. Three major findings were identified. First, the critical review highlighted pharmacists’ involvement in medication management, patient education, and interprofessional collaboration, while also revealing a lack of Canadian-based research. Second, survey findings showed pharmacists frequently provide diabetes-related services: 83% (39/47) “Often/Always” counsel on the use of blood or continuous glucose monitors, and 88.6% (39/44) “Often/Always” provide dietary counseling. Key barriers included patient receptiveness (72.1%; 31/43) and access to communities (65.1%; 28/43), while facilitators included positive patient/community feedback (78.6%; 33/42) and personal commitment (76.2%; 32/42). Third, qualitative interviews revealed pharmacists’ roles in device education, medication management, lifestyle counseling, and management of hyperglycemia and related conditions. Barriers were categorized into four themes: patient-related, systemic and workforce limitations, accessibility challenges, and interprofessional barriers. Facilitators included pharmacist empowerment, patient engagement, improved access, and trust-building within communities. Recommendations for future policy, practice, and research include expanding pharmacist involvement in Indigenous health, enhancing cultural competency training, and supporting interprofessional collaboration. In conclusion, pharmacists play a valuable role in diabetes care for Indigenous peoples in Saskatchewan, but systemic reforms and culturally responsive strategies are essential to maximizing their impact.
Impacts of Salinity on Germination, Growth, Oxalate and Inorganic Ion Relations
(1992-04) Abouguendia, Zoheir Mohammed
Kochia (Kochia scoparia (L. ) Schrad.), an introduced annual herb with a wide geographical distribution, has a potential as a high yielding forage plant for saline soils. However, the autecology of kochia in general, and the Saskatchewan populations in particular, is virtually unexplored.
Germination and early seedling growth responses of different populations of kochia to salinity and water stress were studied under controlled conditions. Populations from saline habitats exhibited greater reduction in germination with increased salinity than those from nonsaline habitats. Kochia from Texas was more tolerant of water stress at the germination stage than Saskatchewan populations. Both Saskatchewan and Texas populations were tolerant of low temperature at the germination stage, but the northern population maintained greater seedling growth under low temperature, particularly at high salinity.
Kochia responded to salinity by reduced plant water and osmotic potentials, increased stomatal resistance, and maintained turgor pressure. It also responded to soil-induced water stress by decreased plant water potential and increased stomatal resistance. The Saskatchewan populations had similar water relations in response to soil-induced or atmosphere-induced water stress. Kochia from a Saskatchewan saline habitat was more resistant to water loss from its leaf tissues in response atmosphere-induced water stress than that from Texas.
Growth room and field investigations were conducted to determine the ionic relations and growth response to salinity of a number of kochia populations. Kochia accumulated oxalate in all plant parts, with highest levels in mature leaves and lowest in roots, and intermediate levels in young leaves and stems. Water-soluble oxalate levels exceeding the safe limits for ruminants were found in mature leaves.
Leaf oxalate correlated positively with soil osmotic potential but negatively with soil sulphate, chloride, total cations, and matric potential. Oxalate levels were also significantly correlated with plant ion concentrations. The growth room experiments showed generally similar relations
but also indicated interpopulation variations in the capacity to accumulate oxalate.
Kochia responded salinity by increased internal inorganic ion concentration, with highest accumulation in mature leaves. Ion levels in kochia varied with the concentration and composition of ions in the external medium. In contrast to most halophytes which accumulate sodium even under low salinity, K+ was the principal cation in kochia plants under nonsaline or low salinity conditions. High Mg and Na depressed K+ and total Ca++, but increased soluble Ca++ levels in the plant.
Sulphate and Mg++ levels in shoots exceeded their safe limits for livestock. Total Cats concentrations were high in kochia, but the soluble Catt levels were below the animal nutritional requirements.
Early growth response to salinity of a lowland and an upland populations was comparable, but the latter was more tolerant to salinity than the former during a more advanced growth stage. Kochia from a saline habitat in Saskatchewan was more salt tolerant than kochia from Texas. Yield reduction was related to external salinity and to mature leaf succulence. The two populations showed also some differences in ionic relations.
Improvements in bison semen cryopreservation
(2025-06-17) Yang, Steve; Adams, Gregg; Anzar, Muhammad; Dadarwal, Dinesh; Benson, James; McCorkell, Robert; Ferrari, Maud; Thundathil, Jacob
The abstract of this item is unavailable due to an embargo.
The Functional Properties and Digestibility of Round and Wrinkled Pea Flour in Swine
(2025-06-17) Bentley, Bria Emily; Beaulieu , A. Denise; Columbus , Dan; Newkirk, Rex; Ai, Yongfeng
Round and wrinkled peas are both a source of starch, but their starches differ in the proportion of amylose and amylopectin. Wrinkled peas have a higher proportion of amylose due to the deficiency of the starch branching enzyme I (SBEI). In contrast, round peas have a lower proportion of amylose and higher total starch content. A higher proportion of amylose content may result in decreased starch digestibility and increase hindgut fermentation, potentially altering the availability of energy. Extrusion is a processing method that causes the starch granule to swell and become gelatinized, thereby altering its structure and digestibility. This thesis evaluated the effect of extrusion and the amylose to amylopectin ratio of round or wrinkled peas on starch digestibility, gut microbial characteristics and glycemic response in pigs. Starch digestibility, short-chain fatty acid content, and microbial diversity was determined in pigs fed round (RPF) or wrinkled pea flour (WPF) that were either unprocessed or extruded using barrows fitted with an ileal cannula, enabling the assessment at both ileal and total tract level. Ileal starch digestibility in pigs fed RPF was increased compared to WPF (P < 0.05). Conversely, pigs fed RPF had the lowest total tract digestibility of starch compared to other three treatments (P < 0.05). There was no effect of extrusion on ileal or total tract digestibility of starch (P > 0.05). There was no effect of treatment on SCFA production in the ileal digesta (P > 0.05). However, regardless of pea type, extrusion resulted in decreased acetic and isobutyric acid concentration in feces, while valeric and hexanoic acid concentrations increased in pigs fed WPF compared to those fed RPF (P < 0.05). The Shannon index, measure of microbial diversity within a sample, revealed that WPF-E fed to pigs decreased microbial diversity compared to those fed RPF-E (P < 0.05) in ileal samples. There was no significant difference in Shannon index among treatments from fecal samples. In the second experiment, glycemic response in response to a bolus of either ground round (RP) or wrinkled peas (WP) that were either unprocessed or extruded indicated extrusion of either RP or WP affected time to peak (TP) and peak height (PH), with pea type having no effect. Extruded peas led to a quicker rise to maximum blood glucose levels following a bolus given to pigs compared to non-extruded peas (48.7 vs 77.8 min; P < 0.05). Additionally, pigs given a bolus of extruded RP or WP had higher concentration of blood glucose compared to non-extruded peas (8.2 vs 7.1 mg/L; P < 0.05). In summary, ileal digestibility in the first experiment indicating RPF with lower amylose content resulted in increased starch digestibility. However, this effect was not observed in the second experiment, where higher glucose release into the bloodstream was expected. This discrepancy may be attributed to a number of factors, including differences in physiological process, feed matrix vs. purified ingredient or the delivery method of starch to the pigs.
Arousal from hibernation increases blood oxygen saturation in 13-lined ground squirrels
(The Company of Biologists, 2025-04-28) Duffy, Brynne M.; Ivy, Catherine M.; Staples, James F.
Hibernating Ictidomys tridecemlineatus, 13-lined ground squirrels, are considered models of ischaemia–reperfusion tolerance, as both tissues and isolated mitochondria withstand anoxia followed by rapid re-oxygenation in vitro. This tolerance is likely adaptive, protecting against damage during the numerous arousals from torpor throughout the hibernation season. O2 availability is likely low during torpor, but suppressed metabolism lowers O2 demand, potentially mitigating hypoxic stress. During arousal to interbout euthermia (IBE), heart rate, blood pressure and ventilation increase rapidly, suggesting increased O2 availability, but tissue oxygenation has not been measured during arousal or IBE in 13-lined ground squirrels. Using pulse-oximetry collars, we characterized dramatic increases in O2 availability during arousal; carotid artery O2 saturation rose from as low as 35% early in arousal to 87% during IBE. These changes closely followed rising heart rate. Our results demonstrate that hibernating 13-lined ground squirrels survive profound O2 deprivation early in arousal and rapid O2 influx as arousal progresses.
Using Nonvascular Water Storage to Characterize Controls of Rainfall and Condensation on Understory Evapotranspiration in a Mature Jack Pine Stand
(2025-06-13) Riis, Nathan; Helgason, Warren; Ireson, Andrew; Davison, Bruce; Stewart, Katherine
This study examined the contribution of a moss and lichen understory to the total ecosystem evapotranspiration (ET) of a mature jack pine forest in the boreal plains ecozone of central Saskatchewan, Canada. Using laboratory-calibrated electrical impedance sensors to estimate the water-storage of three nonvascular forest floor cover types—lichen-dominant, moss-dominant, and mixed lichen and moss—this study made observations in a boreal stand from June through October, 2023, to observe the understory response to rainfall and condensation as well as a relationship to below-canopy ET determined using eddy covariance. Additionally, the controls on the contribution of the lichen and moss mat understory exerted by its water storage were characterized, demonstrating the importance of nonvascular processes in boreal hydrology. The hydrology of nonvascular plants is a poorly understood topic. Despite their importance and contribution to ET, lichens and mosses are often poorly represented in models or not included at all. Fire prediction and hydrologic modelling would greatly benefit from measurements of such a key water storage, especially in the use of those measurements to examine fluxes of water between the atmosphere, understory vegetation, and soil.
Observations using impedance sensors showed wetting responses to rainfall and condensation events as well as drying during periods of high ET. This sensitivity allowed for comparisons of response to different types of events. The lichen and moss understory showed similar wetting behaviour during rainfall and condensation, though the latter served mostly to keep the understory wet by regular dampening from morning dew and the former served to more heavily saturate it. Days without condensation exhibited consequential drops in below-canopy ET while longer-duration rainfall events resulted in higher contribution of the understory to total ecosystem ET for longer after rainfall. Moss-dominant understory ground cover showed the highest water storage and lichen-dominant the least.
Below-canopy ET contributed 51% of ET observed above the canopy. Understory contribution was highest 2-8 hours after last rain at 62%. Early understory ET was suppressed by rainfall interception of the lichen and moss mat and decreased thereafter with time after rainfall to a minimum of 29% after one week. Though understory ET followed a diurnal cycle, it showed no notable relationship to shallow soil water. Contrastingly, above-canopy ET was independent of time after rainfall and more dependent on soil moisture and vapour pressure deficit. This was consistent with the ability of the overstory to uptake soil water through roots while the understory depended on atmospheric water directly in the form of rainfall and condensation. The understory ET responded more quickly than that above due to a greater nonvascular capacity to transpire in the presence of canopy interception storage. Due in part to its high interception capacity, the lichen and moss understory also showed wet conditions for longer than the overstory or leaf wetness measurements made below the canopy. Long-duration rainfall events resulted in higher saturation of the understory which allowed it to remain wet for longer, a phenomenon exacerbated by regular condensation which the nonvascular lichens and mosses could absorb. This maintenance of understory wetness by frequent wetting events was mirrored in energy partitioning and understory ET alike. Latent heat fluxes dominated during wet conditions and lasted longer after rainfall below the canopy than above. Similarly, contribution to total ecosystem ET stayed higher for longer after long-duration wetting and was reduced after an absence of morning condensation.
The lichen and moss understory influenced ET through water storage mechanisms which behave differently from a vascular canopy. Nonvascular ET was shown to be dependent on differing water sources, to have different evaporation and transpiration controls, and exhibit different partitioning of latent and sensible heat fluxes. This study affirms the need to account for nonvascular vegetation and its distinct properties in our understanding of boreal hydrology.
Hydrothermal Carbonization of Biomass: Pelletization and Catalytic Gasification
(2025-06-13) Seraj, Somaye; Azargohar, Ramin; Dalai, Ajay; Zhang , Lifeng; Acharya, Bishnu; Tabil, Lope; Ghosh, Supratim; Tyler, Robert; Mahinpey, Nader
The abstract of this item is unavailable due to an embargo.
Whole Exome Sequence Analysis for Inborn Errors of IL-12/IFN-γAxis in Patient with Recurrent Typhoid Fever
(Wiley, 2023-02-17) ul Hassan, Faaiz; Aljeldah, Mohammed; Fozia, Fozia; Hussain, Mubbashir; Khan, Taj Ali; Ahmad, Ijaz; Qasim, Muhammad; Khan, Imran; Giesy, John; Aboul-Soud, Mourad
Background. The IL-12/IFN-γ axis pathways play a vital role in the control of intracellular pathogens such as Salmonella typhi.Objective. The study is aimed at using whole exome sequencing (WES) to screen out genetic defects in IL-12/IFN-γ axis inpatients with recurrent typhoid fever. Methods. WES using next-generation sequencing was performed on a single patientdiagnosed with recurrent typhoid fever. Following alignment and variant calling, exomes were screened for mutations in 25genes that are involved in the IL-12/IFN-γ axis pathway. Each variant was assessed by using various bioinformatics mutationalanalysis tools such as SIFT, Polyphen2, LRT, MutationTaster, and MutationAssessor. Results. Out of 25 possible variations inthe IL-12/IFN-γ axis genes, only 2 probable disease-causing mutations were identified. These variations were rare and includemutations in IL23R and ZNFX I. Other pathogenic mutations were found, but they were not considered likely to cause diseasebased on various mutation predictors. Conclusion. Applying WES to the patient with recurrent typhoid fever detects variantsthat are not much important as other genes in the IL-12/IFN-γ axis. Results of the current study suggest that a largepopulation sizes would be needed to examine the functional relevance of IL-12/IFN-γ axis genes with recurrent typhoid fever.
Aqueous Geochemical Controls on the Sestonic Microbial Community in Lakes Michigan and Superior
(MDPI, 2023-02-17) Rani, Asha; Ranjan, Ravi; Bonina, Solidea M.C. ; Izadmehr, Mahsa; Giesy, John; Li, An; Sturchio, Neil; Karl J. Rockne; Rockne, Karl
Despite being the largest freshwater lake system in the world, relatively little is known about the sestonic microbial community structure in the Laurentian Great Lakes. The goal of this research was to better understand this ecosystem using high-throughput sequencing of microbial communities as a function of water depth at six locations in the westernmost Great Lakes of Superior and Michigan. The water column was characterized by gradients in temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, and other physicochemical parameters with depth. Mean nitrate concentrations were 32 μmol/L, with only slight variation within and between the lakes, and with depth. Mean available phosphorus was 0.07 μmol/L, resulting in relatively large N:P ratios (97:1) indicative of P limitation. Abundances of the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Thaumarchaeota, and Verrucomicrobia differed significantly among the Lakes. Candidatus Nitrosopumilus was present in greater abundance in Lake Superior compared to Lake Michigan, suggesting the importance of ammonia-oxidating archaea in water column N cycling in Lake Superior. The Shannon diversity index was negatively correlated with pH, temperature, and salinity, and positively correlated with DO, latitude, and N2 saturation. Results of this study suggest that DO, pH, temperature, and salinity were major drivers shaping the community composition in the Great Lakes.
Delphine von Schauroth, Corinna-Sister
(Cambridge University Press, 2024-02-22) Lalonde, Amanda
Despite her current marginal position, the nineteenth-century pianist and composer Delphine von Schauroth (1813–1887) once ranked among the most prominent virtuosos of the nineteenth century and had connections with Fanny Hensel, Ferdinand Hiller, Josephine Lang, Franz Liszt, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann and others. Drawing on large body of music criticism, as well as compositions, letters, images and literary works, this article presents a portrait of Schauroth as an artist, with an emphasis on the role of improvisation and the improvisatory in her pianism. In particular, the article fleshes out Robert Schumann's characterization of Schauroth as a ‘Corinna-sister’, a reference to the improvising poetess of Madame de Stäel's novel Corinne, or Italy. The article suggests that Schumann's comparison highlights key facets of Schauroth's status and character as a pianist and composer. Firstly, like Corinne, Schauroth was widely renowned as an eminent performer and was celebrated as a genius by critics, which was particularly notable for a woman musician in the early nineteenth century. Secondly, Schauroth was received as a creator, not only for her compositions, but also for her performances: in the late 1820s and early 1830s, in particular, critics responded to these performances with images of magical creation and an emphasis on the newness of her performance over the composer's work. Thirdly, Schauroth displayed a varied practice of improvisation, and her compositions were understood as having an improvisatory character.