Humility Predicts Eudaimonic Well-Being and Compassionate Action in a Daily Experience Sampling Study

Humility predicts greater psychological well-being and prosocial behaviour (Exline & Hill, 2012; Worthington et al., 2017). However, research is largely cross-sectional, and mechanisms underlying these relationships remain unexplored. Further, few studies explore nuances in the relationship between humility and compassion (e.g., motivations for acting compassionately), and none have empirically examined whether humility predicts received compassion. Using the Daily Reconstruction Method (Kahneman et al., 2004), the current study examines the relationship between humility and the following outcome variables: eudaimonic well-being, given compassion, received compassion, and how freely chosen or externally pressured participants felt their compassionate actions were over one week. Multilevel modelling demonstrated that on average, humble individuals report greater well-being, give and receive more compassion, and report more autonomous compassion. Compassion did not mediate the relationship between humility and well-being. These findings suggest humility may be an important individual difference variable with intrapersonal and interpersonal benefits, and implications are discussed

Clarifying the Role of Wildfires and Permafrost Thaw in Brownification in a Shallow Boreal Lake Using Paleolimnological Analyses of Diatom Assemblage Change

Permafrost thaw in discontinuous permafrost peatlands has been linked to enhanced export of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (cDOM) into lakes, reducing water clarity through ‘lake brownification’. In the Dehcho region (Northwest Territories, Canada), diatom (siliceous algae, Class Bacillariophyceae) assemblages in small, shallow lakes have been shown to be structured along a cDOM gradient, indicating that lake brownification can be inferred from subfossil diatoms in lake sediment cores. This thesis presents the results of a diatom-based paleolimnological study of a small, shallow Dehcho lake covering the last ~300 years. Results indicate a shift beginning circa ~1920s from epiphytic and large-sized diatom taxa characteristic of low cDOM lakes (Denticula kuetzingii, Navicula) towards increased abundance of Pseudostaurosira brevistriata and Stauroforma exiguiformis associated with higher cDOM. The timing of this shift coincided with an anomalous sediment geochemical signature potentially indicative of a drought or wildfire that likely initiated an accelerated loss of permafrost

Meaningful Justice Design: A Practical Implementation of Accessible Justice

Traditional legal systems often include barriers to access to justice, and the integration of technology frequently fails to deliver user-centric solutions. This thesis investigates how user-centric design methodologies can optimize technology integration to enhance access to justice while mitigating barriers. It proposes “Meaningful Justice Design” (MJD), a novel methodology aiming to make justice systems responsive to users’ needs for understanding, navigation, and effective problem resolution. This research encompasses a literature review, a meta-analysis of empirical data, and an examination of Canadian and international case studies, revealing that contemporary justice processes often lack genuine user-centricity. MJD is organized around five core tenets: Justice is the Goal, Injustice is the Metric, User-Centricity, One-Size-Fits-Some Resolution Pathways, and Transformative Integration of Technology. MJD provides a framework for systemic justice reform with significant implications, advocating for system designs that are not only procedurally sound but also foster accessible, equitable, and restorative experiences for all users

The effect of elitist fitness-based selection on the escape from local optima

This article is published under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license.Random Search is the baseline that a metaheuristic must improve upon to be worth its added complexity. Random Search, in the form of Hill Climbing, cannot escape from local optima. A key claim of many metaheuristics is that they are able to escape from local optima. However, these claims are poorly tested and often based on imprecise definitions of what it means to escape from a local optimum in continuous domain search spaces. A practical and precise definition for an escape from a local optimum is developed. It is then shown how elitist fitness-based selection can lead to the rejection of exploratory search solutions, and this can cause many popular metaheuristics to degrade into (localized) Random Search in their attempts to escape from local optima. The explosion of new metaheuristics has often been just a repeated re-invention of localized Random Search for the key task of escaping from local optima.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant – RGPIN-2022-04524

The ‘UNFAIR’ refugee agency: UNHCR accountability after protests and violence

This article is published under a Creative Commons CC-BY license.Urban refugees increasingly resort to sit-ins outside United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) offices because they lack avenues for accountability. Our fieldwork reveals their experiences of neglect, mistreatment, and violence and the ways that these are compounded by UNHCR’s responses to protests, generating deep mistrust. Drawing on interviews with refugees in three protest sites and a workshop with legal practitioners, we document disturbing accusations, implicating UNHCR in human rights violations. We reflect on these findings and explore the possibility of transforming the agency’s accountability relations in the context of declining budgets and influence. We argue that the agency must abandon its securitized response to refugee-led protests and adopt a ‘networked accountability’ approach, engaging with the plural authorities that hold legitimacy in refugee protection. Although UNHCR is currently structurally dependent upon major donors and host states, it must embed accountability relations with refugee-led organizations (RLOs), NGOs, and legal practitioners to fulfil its mandate and protect refugees.Fondazione Compagnia di San Paulo provided grant: Traces of mobility, violence, and solidarity: Reconceptualizing cultural heritage through the lens of migration

Data Layout Recommendation for Big Data Systems via Large Language Models

The physical layout of data is critical to the performance of analytical queries, especially in column-store systems like IBM Db2. Among layout strategies, Z-ordering is a popular technique that maps multi-dimensional data to a one-dimensional space while preserving locality. However, tuning Z-order is challenging: users must manually select the columns to include, and most systems assign equal weight to each column, ignoring the varying impact of different columns on query performance. We present LayZ, an LLM-directed advisor for automated data layout tuning in IBM Db2. LayZ analyzes SQL workloads to extract query execution plan features and creates compact prompts that preserve layout-relevant information, thereby reducing inference cost when using large language models. LayZ generates ranked layout configurations, including weighted Z-orderings that adapt bit allocations based on workload characteristics. These configurations are evaluated using a cost model to identify the best candidate layout for the target workload. Our system supports both base tables and materialized views, enabling performance recovery in queries that regress under global physical design. Experimental results on the DSB workload show that LayZ outperforms heuristic and existing layout strategies, improving query performance by up to 90%

Investigating Local and Configural Shape Processing with Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials

Object recognition relies on shape, comprised of both local and configural shape information. Local shape information involves elements such as line curvature and edge angles confined to specific regions and perceived independently, while configural shape information arises from the spatial arrangement of local shape features. Previous research suggests that humans primarily use edges and contours for object recognition and are sensitive to disruptions in configural shape. However, it remains unclear how the human visual system separately encodes local and configural shape information, and whether distinct neural mechanisms underlie these processes. We presented stimuli manipulating local and configural shape information independently to participants while recording EEG responses using a Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials paradigm. Our results reveal that object recognition depends on two mechanisms: one more transient that is sensitive to local shape localized in occipital regions, and one sustained and sensitive to configural shape manipulations localized in right temporal cortex

Toronto Waterfront’s Revitalization: Planning Policy’s Evolution and Commitment to Public Space Over Time

This paper explores public space along Toronto’s waterfront through an evolution of strategies, plans, and reports from 1999 to present day. I discuss the industrial history of the waterfront prior to its redevelopment. Additionally, I examine the fragmented land ownership structure of the waterfront land which has posed unique challenges to its redevelopment due to a lack of consensus or support. There is a particular focus on what public space is and how it can be positively linked to wellbeing and quality of life. My research question aims to understand how the public and private are negotiated in the redevelopment plans of the Toronto waterfront over time, with a focus on the commitment to preserve and enhance public spaces through an examination of language and priorities. Through an analysis of strategies, plans, and reports and conversations with professional planners I developed an understanding of how public space has been prioritized. Throughout this research it has become apparent that public space has always been a primary consideration in planning the waterfront but has shifted in terms of how it is presented. From 1999 to 2023, the language surrounding public spaces has evolved from “green”, “parks”, and “public access” to “wellbeing”, “public realm”, and “gathering places”. This shift demonstrates the way public space is no longer being thought about simply as a park asset with public access, but as a space that is part of a greater public realm made up of connecting streets, parks, sidewalks, and trails that contribute to wellbeing, providing a place for social gathering. Within the last week of completing this paper, the waterfront reached a new milestone, opening Biidaasige Park in Ookwemin Minising, bringing 40 hectares of new parkland with public access

Differential BCAA Metabolism in Tissues of Tumor-Bearing Mice: A Path to Understanding Cancer Cachexia

Cancer cachexia is a complex syndrome marked by muscle and fat loss, often resistant to nutritional support. While branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) stimulate muscle protein synthesis, BCAA-targeted therapies have shown inconsistent results. In this study, a C26 colon cancer mouse model was used to examine how tumor burden alters BCAA metabolism across skeletal muscle, liver, kidney, and adipose tissue. Tumors accumulated BCAAs and showed increased enzymatic activity, whereas peripheral sites displayed widespread BCAA depletion, reduced expression of the amino acid transporter LAT1, and suppression of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling. Notably, the soleus muscle maintained mTORC1 activity despite reduced BCAA availability, suggesting fiber-type–specific adaptations. These findings indicate that tumors act as metabolic sinks, diverting systemic amino acids away from host tissues. Such reprogramming may underlie the limited success of BCAA-based interventions in cachexia and highlight the need for therapies that address both tumor and host metabolism

Education Behind Bars: Understanding Educational Access in Ontario’s Juvenile Detention Centres

This research paper examines the accessibility of secondary school education for youth incarcerated in Ontario’s juvenile detention centres, focusing on why access remains inconsistent despite education being recognized as a legal right and a vital part of rehabilitation. It highlights how educational disparities are shaped not by legislative gaps, but by fragmented and inconsistent implementation across the province. Drawing on original field research, including a comprehensive literature review and in-depth interviews with eight participants from school boards, the Ontario public service, and detention facilities, the study reveals systemic inequities in areas such as French-language instruction, vocational training, online learning, and timely access to student records. The findings indicate that the quality and scope of education provided to incarcerated youth are largely dependent on regional factors, institutional partnerships, and resource allocation. This thesis contends that these disparities undermine the rehabilitative purpose of detention and threaten youths’ rights and chances for reintegration. To address these service gaps, it offers evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at provincial and school board decision-makers, including the implementation of a centralized student record system, expansion of culturally and linguistically relevant programmes, enhancement of vocational and digital learning opportunities, and equipping educators with trauma-informed training. Ultimately, the research calls for a coordinated, province-wide strategy that moves beyond the current patchwork approach and affirms education in custody as a rehabilitative right owed equally to all youth