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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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    Forest transpiration in Brazilian drylands: measurement and validation of a hydrological model
    (Elsevier, 2026) Soares, Nazaré Suziane; de Figueiredo, José Vidal; Costa, Carlos Alexandre Gomes; Rodrigues, Italo Sampaio; de Araújo, José Carlos
    Transpiration, particularly in dryland forests, plays a major role in the water cycle. The one-million km2 Caatinga Biome is a data-scarce region in the Brazilian Semiarid, where rainy and dry season are clearly distinct. This work aims to measure the natural Caatinga vegetation transpiration using sap flow monitoring (between Feb 2016 and Dec 2017) and to validate the hydrological Distributed Catchment Scale Model (DiCaSM). Measured transpiration in situ was on overall average 0.58 mm.day−1 for rainy and transition seasons. There is evidence that sap flow does not provide a good representation of transpiration in dry seasons: sap flow is high, whereas, according to the Literature, actual evapotranspiration is negligible (<0.01 mm.day−1) due to a very low soil water content, and, thus, transpiration should also be negligible. Transpiration estimated by DiCaSM presented a well-defined seasonal variability, with values close to zero during the driest months, in agreement to previous literature. Overall, the findings contribute to better expertise regarding the transpiration rates in a dryland environment and may be used in water resources management contexts, as the transpiration process gives insight into local water use and availability.
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    Effects of floating macrophytes on open-water evaporation in a Brazilian tropical reservoir
    (Elsevier, 2025) Rodrigues, Italo Sampaio; Costa, Carlos Alexandre Gomes; Teixeira, Adunias dos Santos; Lima Neto, Iran Eduardo; Lopes, Fernando Bezerra; de Araujo, Jose Carlos
    This paper aims to estimate the open-water evaporation (from 1990 to 2021) in an urban reservoir in Brazil and assess the relationship between floating macrophyte coverage (MC) and open-water evaporation, as well as their spatial variability. The Surface Energy Balance System for Water (AquaSEBS) provided similar (root mean square error of 0.5 mm/day) results to reference measurements of class A pan (correction coefficient of 0.7). The discharge of sewage into this urban tropical reservoir resulted in a portion of this reservoir being covered by floating macrophytes. During the study period, positive trends of floating MC area were observed. The days with floating macrophytes depicted higher spatial variability over the open-water evaporation. Furthermore, MC was negatively correlated with the open-water evaporation flux (R2 = 0.65) and led on average to a 17 % reduction (varying from 9 % to 35 %) in the estimated evaporation rate in the free water surface. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate the usefulness of remote sensing products to estimate reservoir open-water evaporation and outline the need to better understand the relationship between MC and reservoir open-water evaporation in tropical and semi-arid areas.
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    Artificial intelligence and the Sustainable Development Goals: implications for Canadian nurses and nurse leaders
    (Longwoods, 2026) Kleib, Manal; Vogelsang, Laura
    Artificial intelligence (AI) offers many opportunities for nursing to improve health outcomes and contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals nationally and globally. However, it also presents challenges to meeting these goals and keeping pace with innovation, which nurses must anticipate and mitigate. Canadian nurse leaders are well-positioned to guide transformative change in the nursing workforce, ensuring that nurses have the competencies and resources needed to thrive in AI-supported care environments. This not only allows nurses to better adapt to AI but also leverages new skills to take on more significant roles in improving healthcare on a wider scale.
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    Human lncRNA RMRP interacts with DEAD-box helicases and modulates mitochondrial function
    (National Academy of Sciences, 2026) Pereira, Higor Sette; Luddu, Jason; Veerareddygari, Govardhan Reddy; Sanghvi, Shridhar Kiran; Patel, Priyanshi B.; Robinson, Zachary E.; Siddiqui, M. Quadir; Singh, Harpreet; Patel, Trushar R.
    The human long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) RMRP, initially identified as part of the RNase MRP complex, is linked to various human diseases. However, its structural flexibility and broader cellular roles are not well understood. Here, we offer a comprehensive analysis of RMRP’s structure in solution, its interactions with human proteins, and its mitochondrial functions. Using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we show that RMRP adopts different Mg2+-dependent shapes, shifting from an extended Y-shaped form to a more compact one as Mg2+ levels increase. We identified and characterized interactions between RMRP and the DEAD-box RNA helicases DDX5 and DDX3X, with DDX5 binding strongly and exhibiting ATP-dependent helicase activity on RMRP, while DDX3X mainly acts as an expression regulator. Both helicases are crucial for the proper mitochondrial localization of RMRP, working within a complex regulatory network. Functionally, reducing RMRP levels disrupts mitochondrial stability, leading to membrane depolarization and an increase in reactive oxygen species, without affecting cell growth. Mechanistically, RMRP specifically controls nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins involved in cristae structure (DNAJC11) and respiratory chain function (NDUFS8). Our results position RMRP as a structurally adaptable lncRNA that collaborates with RNA helicases to preserve mitochondrial health through specific gene regulation. These insights provide perspectives on RMRP’s biology and the molecular mechanisms underlying RMRP-related disorders, which could inform future therapies for conditions resulting from RMRP dysfunction.