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OPUS: Open Ulethbridge Scholarship

Open ULeth Scholarship (OPUS) is the University of Lethbridge's open access research repository. It contains a collection of materials related to research and teaching produced by the academic community.

Self-archiving your research in OPUS is one way to meet Open Access policies of granting agencies. It is important to retain your final, post-peer-reviewed drafts for submission to OPUS, as this is often the only version publishers will allow to be archived. Click here for information on the U of L Open Access Policy.

Check here for more information about OPUS.

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Recent Submissions

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    Molecular epidemiology of tick Rhabdoviruses and molecular identification of tick species in Canada
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 2025) Tran, Kenning V.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Patel, Trushar R; Shahhosseini, Nariman
    Ticks are important vectors of pathogens that pose significant threats to human and animal health in Canada. With the onset of climate change, tick geographic ranges are changing and expanding in Canada, raising concerns for increased disease burden of tick-borne pathogens and highlighting the need for continued comprehensive surveillance of endemic tick species and circulating pathogens. This thesis reports the identification of two novel tick-rhabdoviruses circulating in Dermacentor andersoni and Ixodes auritulus tick populations, respectively, in western Canada, and the first documentation of Ixodes scapularis, the primary Lyme Disease vector of eastern Canada, found off migratory birds on Vancouver Island. These findings contribute to our understanding of tick ecology and pathogen transmission dynamics, informing future public health and wildlife disease management strategies and emphasize the importance of a comprehensive surveillance system in Canada.
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    Embryonic exposure to the flame retardant, 1,2,5,6-Tetrabromocyclooctane (TBCO) inhibits MIH-induced oocyte maturation and alters gene expression and DNA methylation in adult Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Biological Sciences, 2026) Olawoore, Sodiq A.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Wiseman, Steve
    Oocyte maturation, the final stage of oogenesis, occurs when maturation-inducing hormone (MIH) binds to its membrane progestin receptor (mPR). A previous study demonstrated that reduced fecundity of female Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) exposed as embryos to maternally transferred 1,2,5,6-Tetrabromocyclooctane (TBCO), an endocrine-disrupting chemical, was caused by impaired MIH-induced oocyte maturation. However, the molecular mechanism(s) of this effect are unknown. The objective of the present study was to investigate the molecular basis of decreased oocyte maturation leading to decreased fecundity in Japanese medaka exposed as embryos to maternally deposited TBCO. Sexually mature F0 females were fed 100 or 1000 µg TBCO/g diet for 21 days, and F1 embryos were reared to adulthood in clean water. F1 fecundity was decreased by 11.3% and 31.4% relative to the control. Using an ex vivo assay, MIH-stimulated maturation of fully grown stage IX oocytes to stage X matured oocytes was decreased by 16.1% and 22.3% relative to the control. To investigate the mechanistic underpinnings of this decreased oocyte maturation, mRNA sequencing and enzymatic methyl sequencing (EM-Seq) were used to compare the transcriptome and methylome of stage IX oocytes that matured to stage IX oocytes that failed to mature, from control and TBCO-exposed females. Pathway analysis revealed enrichment of the MAPK, insulin, GnRH, and oocyte-meiosis signalling pathways that are known to regulate oocyte maturation. Several genes that encode proteins in the AC/cAMP/PKA and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways had either gene body hypomethylation or altered transcript abundance. These changes likely explain the impaired MIH-induced oocyte maturation, leading to decreased fecundity, in medaka exposed to maternally transferred TBCO. This study provides novel insight into how early life exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals can lead to altered later life reproductive performance of fish.
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    The provision of person-centred care in mental health care settings through recreation therapy professionals
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2025) McNeill, Devan Mark Joseph; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Caspar, Sienna
    This manuscript-based thesis explores the complex dynamics that shape the practice of recreation therapy (RT) within mental health care settings in Western Canada, focusing on person-centred care (PCC), patient privileges, and the staffing practices of RT professionals. It aims to clarify how these factors interact to shape the quality of care and the experiences of both RT professionals and patients. In the first manuscript, a concept analysis was conducted to define and analyze the concept of PCC. This analysis identified five key attributes of PCC: care tailored to the person, active engagement, clear communication and active listening, a holistic perspective, and empathy and compassion. These findings emphasized the importance of fostering an environment that prioritizes personhood, highlighting the need for increased time with patients and the promotion of active listening. The second manuscript utilized institutional ethnography (IE) as a method of inquiry to examine how institutional practices surrounding patient privileges impact RT professionals’ work. By analyzing data from institutional texts and 18 in-depth interviews, this research revealed that institutional practices around patient privileges influence RT professionals’ ability to engage with patients and maintain therapeutic effectiveness. The study identified that variations in practices impacted patient and professional autonomy, privilege assignment, and patient attendance in RT programs. In the final manuscript, IE was used as a method of inquiry to investigate managerial structures and staffing practices that influence the work of RT professionals. Findings from this study suggest that managerial support, well-defined roles, and consistent staffing are essential to improving both the work environment for RT professionals and the quality of care provided to patients. Together, findings from these studies highlight the need for integrated approaches to mental health care that prioritize PCC, ensure clear and consistent institutional practices around patient privileges, and address staffing challenges. This thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of how organizational and relational dynamics in mental health care can be optimized to improve both patient outcomes and professional well-being.
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    Virtual reality based cognitive-motor training and metabolomics: a potential protocol for rehabilitation and enhancement
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Neuroscience, 2025) Witbeck, Carter J.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Metz, Gerlinde A. S.; Montina, Tony
    Virtual reality (VR)-based cognitive-motor training has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing cognitive and motor functioning. Its underlying cellular metabolic mechanisms remain poorly understood, however. This thesis investigated (1) whether a virtual reality (VR)- based cognitive-motor learning (CML) intervention improves cognitive-motor speed efficacy (CMSE) by enhancing processing speed and/or decision-making, and (2) the urinary metabolomic response to VR training in healthy young adults. Sixty-two participants, assigned to experimental and control conditions, completed a 12-week VR-based CML protocol consisting of a baseline assessment, eight weekly training sessions, a post-test, and a transfer test. Performance was evaluated using response time, decision accuracy, CMSE, and composite indices. Urine samples were collected bi-weekly and analyzed using 1H-NMR spectroscopy with univariate and multivariate methods. The experimental group demonstrated CML, whereas controls showed only practice effects. Learning gains transferred to a similar task and were driven primarily by faster response times rather than improved decision-making. Both groups exhibited significant metabolomic shifts from baseline to training end, with females showing greater alterations; moreover, sex-dependent metabolic changes persisted at transfer. Key disrupted pathways involved carbohydrate, butanoate, and amino acid metabolism. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of a novel CML protocol in promoting processing speed and decision-making. Moreover, VR training induced measurable urinary metabolomic changes reflecting energy and oxidative stress regulation, with distinct sex-dependent adaptations. Together, they provide a foundation for future applications of biomarkers for monitoring cognitive-motor learning and personalized strategies in athletic performance optimization and neurorehabilitation.
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    Investigating the impact of programming styles to improve code quality using machine learning and sociolinguistic features
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science, 2025) Abdullah, Deen Mohammad; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Rice, Jacqueline E.
    In this research we investigated whether sociolinguistic factors such as gender, region, and expertise influence programming styles and code quality. We collected and processed over 700,000 C++ programs from GitHub and Codeforces to build data sets for training Random Forest and BERT models to classify programmer groups. While capturing stylistic patterns, experimental results showed that context-based models outperform metrics-based models. To measure code quality, we combined the Maintainability Index and difficulty metrics to label code as compliant or non-compliant. We further fine-tuned the T5 model for code transformation to generate stylistically improved code. However, due to the limitations of encoder–decoder LLMs, the generated code samples were non-executable. To address this, we developed a CodeBERT-based recommendation model that generates targeted, metric-driven guidance to improve code quality. Finally, we implemented a prototype tool that combines classifications, code quality, and improvement suggestions, providing pedagogically meaningful feedback for learners and researchers.