Hear My Cry: Breaking the Code of Silence around Intimate Partner Violence among Black Women in and beyond Midlife

There is a knowledge gap about how the intersections of gender, race, culture, age, income, social class, and other identities shape Black women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). In this qualitative study, we utilized an intersectional approach to examine how IPV is experienced and managed by racialized women, and in particular, our focus was to explore the IPV experiences of Black Nova Scotian women in and beyond midlife and their experiences of seeking support. Participant recruitment was predictably challenging, but we were able to collect in-depth interview data from a Black woman who identified as being in and beyond midlife and who had experienced IPV in the past and from three people who provided support to Black women in a paid capacity. An interpretive narrative approach was utilized to identify five dominant themes: descriptions of the experiences of IPV for Black women; strategies for coping with IPV; strategies in supporting Black women experiencing IPV; barriers in accessing support; and challenges in the delivery of support. The knowledge gained through this research provides important insights about the experiences, barriers faced, and how to address these challenges for Black women who experience IPV in and beyond midlife.

Past, Present, and Future Potentialities of the Nova Scotian Education System

By tracing the long history of the institutionalized racism experienced by Black Nova Scotians within the education system a connection can be drawn to contemporary educational barriers that seek to hold back marginalized students. This article builds its foundation on the substantial history of Nova Scotia’s statewide denial of full citizenship for its Black inhabitants. Whether through informal or formal mechanisms, contemporary Black students continue to face the ramifications of such history, experiencing high rates of suspension, low academic scoring, and disproportionate enrollment into non-university preparatory courses.

Online user comments responding to deemed consent organ donor legislation in Nova Scotia: a divided public or a few loud voices?

Background: The Canadian province of Nova Scotia recently became the first jurisdiction in North America to pass deemed consent organ donation legislation. This change in legislation generated substantial online discussion, which we analyzed to provide insights on public perception. Methods: We performed directed content analysis on 2663 user-generated comments appearing on two widely-shared Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) articles published online in April 2019. We determined levels of support and opposition in comments and described the specific rhetoric used for doing so. We also performed one-way ANOVA and Pearson chi-square tests to determine how the comments were being received and engaged by other users. Results: A range of commentary was present in both support and opposition to the changes in legislation. There were more negative than positive comments, and negative commentary generated more replies. Positive comments were received more positively by other users, while negative comments were received more negatively. The total sum of negative comments was greatly influenced by a small number of very active participants. Negative commentary focused more on broad concepts and principles related to government, power, and individual rights rather than specific issues in the Nova Scotian context. Substantial issues of trust in the government and healthcare system were evident. Conclusions: There were strong positive and negative sentiments expressed in the comments, but the total sum of negativity in the comments was significantly influenced by a small number of commentators. Analysis on the presumed consent concerns can be helpful to inform public outreach efforts.

Food and Nutrient Intakes of Nova Scotian Children in Home and Childcare Environments

Purpose: To describe the energy (E), sodium, saturated fat, sugar, and fibre intakes of a sample of children attending regulated childcare (RCC) in Nova Scotia. Methods: Nutrient analyses from 79 food records were compiled and grouped by intakes in and outside of RCC, age, sex, location of the RCC (urban or rural), and nutrient intake data. Descriptive statistics and independent t tests were conducted. Results: Mean E and macronutrients were within recommended ranges and, for days attending RCC, 45%E was consumed in RCC. Saturated fat intake was 12%E on average. Mean sodium intake exceeded or approached the tolerable upper limit for 3-year olds (1726 mg/day) and 4–5-year olds (1770 mg/day), respectively. Total sugar was 27%E intake and significantly more sugar was consumed outside RCC and by boys compared to girls. Mean daily dietary fibre intake was below recommended levels (15 g/day). Conclusions: On average dietary intakes of children exceeded recommendations for sodium, saturated fat, and sugar with higher intakes outside RCC. The foods provided by RCC have a positive influence on children’s intakes, but given the pervasiveness of sugar and sodium in the food environment and the challenges of feeding children, support is needed for both RCC and families to encourage healthy eating behaviours for positive growth and development.

Low Back Pain in a Nova Scotian Emergency Department: Prevalence and Patient Characteristics in the Older Adult Patient Population

Low back pain is a major cause of disability in older adults, and results in many emergency department visits each year. Characteristics of the older back pain population are largely unknown. We conducted a retrospective study to examine the prevalence and patient characteristics for older (≥ 65 years of age) and younger (16–64 years of age) adults presenting with back pain. Study objectives were to describe the characteristics of older adults with back pain presenting to an emergency department and to identify age-group based differences in management. Older adults were most commonly diagnosed with non-specific low back pain (49%). For older adults with this diagnosis, the length of stay was 2.1 times longer (p < 0.001), and odds of being admitted to the hospital were 5.1 times higher (p < 0.001) than for younger adults. Patterns of management are different for younger and older adults with low back pain; this information can be used to direct future resource planning.

Relative importance of organic- and iron-based colloids in six Nova Scotian lakes

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentrations have been increasing in parts of the northern hemisphere for several decades. This process—brownification—often accompanies increasing iron and aluminum, but the metal–DOM interactions these concurrent trends imply are poorly described. Here we used field-flow fractionation with UV and ICP-MS detection to measure the size distribution of colloidal iron, aluminum, manganese, copper, uranium, and chromophoric DOM in six lakes over six months. Five of these lakes have browned to some degree in the past three decades, with linear increases in organic carbon and color ranging from 0.01 to 0.13 mg C L−1 yr−1 and 0.13–1.94 PtCo yr−1. Browning trends were more pronounced and colloids more abundant in lakes with wetlands in their catchments. Iron and aluminum were present in two primary fractions, sized nominally at 1 and 1000 kDa. The 1 kDa fraction included the primary DOM signal, while the 1000 kDa fraction absorbed minimally at 254 nm and likely represents iron-rich (oxyhydr)oxides. Colloidal manganese was sized at 1000+ kDa, whereas colloidal copper and uranium occurred primarily at 1 kDa. These associations fit with a pattern of increasing DOC, iron, aluminum, and color in the region’s lakes. They represent a significant challenge for drinking water treatment systems, especially those in remote communities. Given that browning trends are expected to continue, monitoring plans would better inform treatment process design and operation by characterizing DOM and iron-rich, primarily inorganic colloids that contribute to adverse water quality outcomes.

A Call for Change in the Public Education System in Nova Scotia

The United Nation’s International Decade for People of African Descent and Nova Scotia’s Ministry of African Nova Scotian Affairs recognize that students of African descent continue to experience inequities. As previous studies indicate, parents of Black learners identified that many educators lack knowledge and experience in understanding students of African descent.This study explored student achievement from the perspective of parents of children of African descent attending public schools in Nova Scotia. Participants included individual interviews and focus groups with parents from rural and urban areas. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory framework, a thematic analysis of the data was conducted, a dominant storyline related to the families’ experiences in school and subsequent themes emerged: we are treated differently; we don’t feel connected; we know there are challenges: the resistance of parents; and we deal with injustices but persevere. These findings provide recommendations to improve the educational success for Black learners. Keywords: African Canadian, academic achievement and success, Black students, education, schooling challenges, students of African descent

Liminal Spaces and the Ecomorphic Self in Alistair MacLeod’s Nova Scotian Narratives

"Liminal Spaces and the Ecomorphic Self in Alistair MacLeod’s Short Stories. Starting from the observation that Cape Breton Island, the distinctive setting of Alistair MacLeod’s fiction, is a “borderland” lying at the intersection of complementary elements (past – present, tradition – individuality, humans – environment), this paper proposes a general discussion of liminality in the author’s work as well as a close reading of two of his short stories, “The Road to Rankin’s Point” and “Island”, with the aim of highlighting how a relational, ecomorphic self-arises in the wake of symbolic encounters that lead to a reassessment of the subject’s position within their biological and cultural milieu. Keywords: Alistair MacLeod, Cape Breton, liminality, borderlands, ecomorphism. "

Fungal symbionts of endangered Crocanthemum canadense (Cistaceae) in Nova Scotia

Crocanthemum canadense (L.) Britt. (Cistaceae) is critically imperiled in Nova Scotia. The decline of Nova Scotian C. canadense is largely due to the loss of the Annapolis Valley sand barrens habitat. Fungal symbionts may aid in nutrient and water acquisition as well as plant defenses. The role of fungal associations with C. canadense is unknown; our goal was to identify fungal symbionts to inform ongoing conservation research. We isolated fungi from eighteen C. canadense plants collected from Greenwood, Nova Scotia. Using ITS rDNA barcoding of fungal cultures, we identified 58 fungal taxa. ITS2 meta-amplicon barcoding of roots and rhizosphere soil revealed 241 fungi with basidiomycetes accounting for 53.8% of reads. Chaetothyriales sp., Mycetinis scorodonius, Acidomelania panicicola, and Scleroderma citrinum were the most abundant root associates based on meta-amplicon data. We quantified percent root colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) using root staining and microscopy. The average AMF colonization rate of the roots was 29.6% (n=18). We provide a foundation for understanding the fungal community in this declining habitat and the first account of fungal symbionts in the above- and below-ground tissues and rhizosphere of C. canadense. Identifying fungi influencing endangered Nova Scotian C. canadense is valuable for developing conservation strategies.