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.
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Donor-stabilised fluorido cations of groups 15 and 16
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 2025) O'Donnell, Felix; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Gerken, Michael
The fluoride-ion donor properties of the strong Lewis-acids SbF5 and AsF5 were investigated. In the presence of the bidentate nitrogen base 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) SbF5 and AsF5 were found to autoionise generating [PnF4(phen)][PnF6] (Pn = As or Sb) salts; this is the first time that SbF5 has demonstrated the ability to act as a fluoride-ion donor. In the presence of the more flexible nitrogen base 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy), SbF5 was again found to autoionise yielding [SbF4(bipy)][SbF6], whereas AsF5 forms the neutral adduct (AsF5)2·bipy. In the presence of the tridentate base 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine (terpy) SbF5 autoionises to form [SbF4(terpy)][SbF6]; the [SbF4(terpy)]+ cation is the first structurally characterised fluorido Sb(V) complex with a coordination number of seven and adopts a heavily distorted pentagonal bipyramidal geometry. The structure and bonding in these unique systems was studied using a combination of spectroscopic, crystallographic and computational techniques.
The [SF3]+ cation forms 1:1 adducts with pyridine and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) which adopt different structures. Whereas pyridine coordinates in the axial position of the seesaw-geometry, DMAP is located in the equatorial position. The latter structure leads to facile dismutation to the [SF2(dmap)2]2+ cation and SF4, while [SF3(py)]+ is stable towards dismutation. Further dismutation afforded the square-pyramidal [SF(dmap)4]3+ cation. Attempts to form adducts of [SF3]+ cation with triphenylphosphine oxide, resulted in deoxofluorination.
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Democratic legitimacy through the lens of national identity: the Basque Country and Spain
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Political Science, 2025) Ayotte, Francis; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Kerr, Stephanie
In the decades emerging after the creation of the liberal multicultural thesis in the 1990s, it has become increasingly apparent that various obstacles have greatly obstructed the development of pluralist and multicultural policies with Western liberal democratic states. Such policies have largely stagnated or regressed, and there has been a noticeable reemergence of majority nationalism and what has been termed ‘majority backlash.’ On the other side, these issues have only increased the sense of illegitimacy of these states from the perspective of minority communities, especially national minorities in multinational states. This thesis utilizes poststructural and agonistic democracy theories to consider and theorize how liberalism’s insistence on impartiality and rationality makes it struggle to account for tensions which emerge symbolically around identity, primarily in this case, national identity. This thesis highlights how these tensions around identity manifest in the real world by conducting a discourse analysis on two distinct national groups within one nation-state – Spain and the minority Basque nation. Examining diverging narratives regarding the constitution of the demos and the characteristics assigned to it during this period underscores the problematic assertion of universality in liberal democratic theory by first outlining the significance of the symbolic dimension of democratic representation and legitimacy. It is thus argued that the role of majority nationalism in liberal democracies cannot be sidestepped or ignored in multicultural and pluralist theories of democracy due to its foundational role in legitimating liberal democratic order.
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Behavior analysis of catching using 3D pose estimation
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Neuroscience, 2025) Mazrouei, AmirHossein; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Whishaw, Ian; Mohagerani, M. H.
Catching, a complex and fundamental prehension task, is crucial for daily life yet remains understudied despite its implications for robotics, rehabilitation, and neuroprosthetics. This thesis investigates the intricate sensorimotor coordination involved in human catching, building upon theories like the Dual Visuomotor Channel (DVC) and Multiple Motor Channel (MMC) to understand how the brain orchestrates dynamic hand movements.
Ten right-handed participants engaged in externally thrown, self-thrown, and visually guided "pretend" catches using four ball sizes. Behavior was recorded with three GoPro cameras, and 3D pose estimation was performed via FreeMocap (Matthis & Cherian, 2022), leveraging MediaPipe (Zhang et al., 2020) for 2D analysis and triangulation for 3D reconstruction. Three primary kinematic metrics were quantified: 1) Euclidean distance between the thumb tip and other fingertips (opposable distance); 2) Perpendicular distance from each fingertip to the palm plane (prehensile distance); and 3) The hand's rotation angle in the X-Z plane, derived from the palm's normal vector.
Results revealed Maximum Pregrasp Aperture (MPA) scaled linearly with ball diameter, indicating anticipatory hand shaping. Distinct grasping strategies emerged for different ball sizes: larger balls elicited "precision catches" characterized by significant finger splay and thumb-pinky opposition, while smaller balls often resulted in "power catches" with minimal thumb involvement and greater finger flexion into the palm. Self-catches further highlighted the interplay of anticipatory and feedback control. These findings enhance understanding of human prehension, providing quantitative data valuable for advancing motor control models, developing adaptive robotic systems, and improving human-machine interfaces.
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Intersectional impacts of sex and gender on employment outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dhillon School of Business, 2025) Okeowo-Grant, Maryam A.; University of Lethbridge. Dhillon School of Business; Runté, Mary
Abstract
Background
More than 33 million people worldwide suffer from Atrial Fibrillation (AF) (Chugh et al., 2014; Goren et al., 2013). The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore the research question: How does sex and gender impact employment outcomes in adult patients with atrial fibrillation?
Methods
A systematic search was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines using keywords and MeSH terms related to atrial fibrillation, employment, sex and gender. Studies were included if they presented sex or gender-specific outcomes or employment outcomes for adults with AF. Data was presented in forest plots and using I² statistics.
Data Synthesis and Analysis
A fixed-effects meta-analysis was conducted using R software. Results were expressed as Odds Ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). The I² statistic was used to assess statistical heterogeneity. Forest plots were generated to represent effect sizes and heterogeneity visually
Results
A total of twenty studies met the inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis, and eight were included in the quantitative meta-analysis. Pooled data indicated that males with atrial fibrillation (AF) had 24% lower odds of unemployment compared to females (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.65–0.86). Unemployment was associated with a 44% increased risk of AF (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.29–1.59). Shift work was linked to an 11% higher risk of incident AF (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05–2.17), although heterogeneity was substantial (I² = 90.59%). Many studies conflated sex and gender.
Conclusions
The findings from this study suggest that structural inequities tied to sex and gender exacerbate employment challenges and health risks for AF patients. Policies that provide flexible scheduling, caregiving support, and equitable labour conditions may reduce the socioeconomic and cardiovascular burdens associated with AF.
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Sociodemographic determinants of mobility decline among community-dwelling older adults: findings from the Canadian longitudinal study on ageing
(SpringerNature, 2025) Onyeso, Ogochukwu K.; Alumona, Chiedozie J.; Odole, Adesola C.; Victor, Janice; Doan, Jon; Awosoga, Olu A.
Background
Mobility is fundamental to healthy ageing and quality of life. Mobility decline has been associated with functional impairment, falls, disability, dependency, and death among older adults. We explored the sociodemographic determinants of mobility decline among community-dwelling older Canadians.
Methods
This study was a secondary analysis of a six-year follow-up of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Ageing (CLSA). Our analysis was based on 3882 community-dwelling older adults 65 years or older whose mobility was measured using timed-up and go (TUG) and 4-meter walk (4MWT) tests at baseline and follow-ups 1 and 2 after three- and six-year intervals, respectively. We analysed the cross-sectional and longitudinal association, main and interaction effects of the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics on mobility decline using chi-square, Pearson’s correlation, mixed-design repeated measures ANOVA, and bivariate and multivariate linear regression tests.
Results
At baseline, 52% of the participants were female, 70.4% were married, and the average age was 68.82 ± 2.78 years. Mean TUG and 4MWT scores were 9.59 ± 1.98 s and 4.29 ± 0.95 s, respectively. There was a strong positive longitudinal correlation between TUG and 4MWT (r = 0.65 to 0.75, p < 0.001), indicating concurrent validity of 4MWT. The multivariate linear regression (for TUG) showed that older age (β = 0.088, p < 0.001), being a female (β=-0.035, p < 0.001), retired (β=-0.058, p < 0.001), Canadian born (β=-0.046, p < 0.001), non-Caucasian (β=-0.063, p < 0.001), tenant (β = 0.050, p < 0.001), having no spouse/partner (β=-0.057, p < 0.001), household income of $50,000-$99,999 (β = 0.039, p < 0.001), wealth/investment lower than $50,000 (β=-0.089, p < 0.001), lower social status (β=-0.018,p = 0.025), secondary education and below (β = 0.043, p < 0.001), and living in certain provinces compared to others, were significant predictors of a six-year mobility decline.
Conclusion
Our study underscored the impact of modifiable and non-modifiable sociodemographic determinants of mobility trajectory. There is a need for nuanced ageing policies that support mobility in older adults, considering sociodemographic inequalities through equitable resource distribution, including people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds.