title: Emotion Socialization and Regulation Supporting Adolescent Psychosocial Adjustment to the Covid-19 Pandemic

contributor:
Hollenstein, Tom
Psychology

subject:
Emotion Socialization
Parent-adolescent relationships
Emotion Regulation Strategies
Covid-19

abstract: Emotion-related parenting practices are expected to influence adolescent psychosocial adjustment via the development of emotion regulation. However, the role of emotion regulation strategies as the mechanism through which differences in adjustment occurs has yet to be assessed. Additionally, the role and function of these parenting behaviours in the transition to adolescence remains unclear, despite being a potential source of resilience. Questionnaire data from the first 2 assessments of a 5-year annual longitudinal study as well as an additional timepoint added in response to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic (May-June 2020) was used to assess relevant variables. Emotion-related parenting practices were assessed at Time 1 of data collection, adolescent emotion regulation strategies were assessed at Time 2, and adolescent adjustment was assessed at Time 3 of data collection. Participants were parent-adolescent dyads (N=131), with adolescents aged 11-12 at Time 1. Three multiple mediation analyses were used to evaluate whether four emotion regulation strategies (Reappraisal, Engagement, Rumination, and Suppression) mediated the relationship between three emotion-related parenting practices (Emotion Coaching, Acceptance, and Uncertainty), and adolescent adjustment to the Covid-19 pandemic. An additional analysis was conducted to assess any sex differences in these relationships. Results showed that while both parent’s Emotion Coaching and Uncertainty influenced adolescent’s adjustment, Emotion Regulation Strategies did not mediate this relationship. Emotion regulation strategies do not appear to the mechanism through which emotion-related parenting practices influence adolescent psychosocial adjustment, however suggested alternatives such as emotional lability are explored in the discussion. The present study also highlights the role of parental Emotion Coaching in the development of adolescent psychosocial adjustment or resilience, including to a universal stressor such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE ACCESS FOR UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANT AGRICULTURAL WORKERS IN GREECE

contributor:
Kukreja, Reena
Global Development Studies

rights: Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada

rights: ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

rights: This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States

subject:
Migration
Global Development Studies
Labour exploitation
Racism
Health

abstract: There are an estimated 200,000 Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Indian migrants in Greece, most of whom are undocumented men. Undocumented migrant workers are estimated to make up 90 percent of agricultural labour in Greece. The nature of agricultural work significantly increases risk of injury and illness for workers through demanding physical labour, occupational stress, and exposure to pesticides. Under Greek law, undocumented migrants have access to free public healthcare only in emergency situations but must pay out-of-pocket otherwise.  This project, driven by the political economy of migration and discourses of health, race, and citizenship looks at how health outcomes and healthcare access for undocumented migrant workers in Greece. It asks how social, political and economic structures, including citizenship status, policies of migration governance, healthcare costs, and racism, impact health outcomes and encounters with the healthcare system for migrant workers. Examining the case study of South Asian migrant men working in the fields around the two agricultural towns of Manolada and Megara, this thesis will draw on an intersectional theoretical framework that combines concepts from critical political economy, migration studies, and health anthropology, to demonstrate how migrant workers experience worse health outcomes as a result of the structural vulnerabilities engendered within racial capitalism and their “illegal” citizenship status. These structural vulnerabilities produce and organize the everyday suffering of workers on a through the enacting of labour demands, the enforcement of such demands, and financial pressure, and have been central in upholding the exploitative conditions in which migrants live and work. The disposability of migrant workers is compounded by “illegal” citizenship status, as undocumented workers are denied the rights and protections of the state and are under constant threat of deportation and detention. Both institutional and societal discourses of migrant “illegality” and anti-migrant racism work to reproduce the exploitative labour arrangement and serve to justify the state of disposability and precarity in which migrant workers live.

abstract: M.A.


title: Examining longitudinal bidirectional effects between parent functioning and child functioning across socioeconomic contexts

contributor:
Matheson, Ian
Timmons, Kristy
Education

subject:
Child functioning
Child adjustment
Socioeconomic privilege
Socioeconomic status

abstract: Universality with respect to reliability and validity of psychosocial constructs and models is a key area of inquiry when seeking to leverage scientific findings for the public good, such as in designing policies or interventions. This study seeks to understand whether variance exists in models of bidirectional effects between parent functioning and child functioning across socioeconomic contexts. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten (ECLS-K) 2011 cohort this work examines a five-year period, beginning at the child’s Kindergarten year and ending at their fifth-grade year. Confirmatory factor analysis with longitudinal and multigroup invariance tests was conducted to first assess the appropriateness of the measurement models. Next, cross-lagged panel analysis with multigroup invariance tests were performed to identify whether variations were present according to socioeconomic privilege. Results demonstrated that the measurement model for child functioning, which has been used in previous works of literature, did not fit the group with low socioeconomic privilege, though was appropriate for groups with medium and high socioeconomic privilege. Further study of the medium and high socioeconomic privilege groups demonstrated variant models of bidirectional effects between parent functioning and child functioning. This work underlines and discusses the nuances of comparing populations, both from a measurement perspective and from a qualitative perspective.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Creating Normative Models of Motor Development Using Upper-Limb Robotic Assessments: Identifying Deficits in Motor Control

contributor:
Davies, T. Claire
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Motor control
Motor development
Child development
Robotic assessment
Cerebral palsy
Developmental coordination disorder

abstract:
Development of motor function in children occurs in a non-linear fashion: development is rapid at younger ages and slows as children age. This nonlinearity makes creating normative models more difficult than in adult populations. Normative models of development can facilitate identification of deficits on an individual basis which could help clinicians target and track therapies for patients. Robotic devices can objectively and repeatably measure aspects of motor function and have been used extensively with adults. The goal of this research was to create and assess an algorithm to develop normative models of motor development using robotic assessments.
A systematic review was conducted to identify how robotic devices have been used to quantify motor development in typically developing children. The review highlighted the need for: increased homogeneity of study methods to facilitate meta-analyses; justification of sample size; and reporting of statistical power.
Simulations were used to quantify the accuracy and repeatability of fitting exponential curves to data. The accuracy and repeatability varied across the age range. Confidence intervals in the curve fitting were generated and applied to curves that were fit to experimentally collected data.
Normative models of motor development were created using data collected from typically developing participants. This is the first time that normative models were developed to account for changing variability in the data with age and can be used to identify motor function deficits on an individual basis.
Parameters of motor control that indicated deficits in children with CP and DCD were identified using the normative models and exploratory factor analyses. The EFAs more clearly differentiated participants with CP and DCD from the typically developing population than the normative models of performance.
Normative models of development for other robotic tasks can be undertaken using the algorithm developed. The results from the simulations can be used to generate age-specific confidence intervals on developmental curves. Normative models that map the development of motor function using robotic tasks could allow clinicians to identify deficits on an individual level to better target and track therapies for patients.

abstract: PhD


title: SITUATEDNESS OF WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING ACTIVITIES ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ ORIENTATION TO LEARNING PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES

contributor:
Matheson, Ian
Education

subject:
situated learning theory
college students
international students
work-integrated learning

abstract: Post-secondary institutions have incorporated mandates to expand work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students. Specifically, the Ontario college system has responded to this demand and sought to provide every student with a WIL experience. The uniqueness of these learning experiences, coupled with the connection to the workplace and task authenticity means the learning environment of the WIL activity may impact students’ learning processes and outcomes differently. In this dissertation, I explored how WIL activities influence changes in orientation to students’ conceptions and experiences of learning. Students registered in three WIL activities completed a range of pre- and post-surveys, final course assignments, and post-reflection questions. This exploratory study was grounded in situated learning theory to identify how the physical and social environment, students’ readiness for self-directed learning (SDL), and students’ conception of the words learning and understanding were impacted by participation in a particular WIL activity. Employing a multiple case study methodology, data were collected using the PRO-SDLS survey tool, post-reflection surveys, and final course assignments to better understand the influences of the learning environment, changes in readiness for SDL, and students’ conceptions of learning and understanding post-WIL activity. The data from this research suggested that physical and social aspects of the learning environment influenced students’ learning processes. Students’ perceived readiness for SDL also increased depending on the WIL activity. Lastly, students’ conceptions of the words learning and understanding indicated learning as a process of new skill acquisition leading to the final stage of complete understanding. These findings highlight the importance of ensuring students are ready for a WIL activity within an SDL environment, are exposed to learning environments promoting high task authenticity with a strong connection to the workplace, and are provided assignments that encourage reflection-in-action and demonstration of knowledge and skill to strengthen their professional identities across contexts. By monitoring the authenticity of the learning environment, this will continue to ensure the quality and integrity of the WIL activity remains connected to meeting workplace outcomes.

abstract: PhD


title: The Coming Swarm: Process and Embodiment in the Possibilities of Human Interactions with Military Swarming Technology

contributor:
Murakami Wood, David
Sociology

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

subject:
drone
military technology
surveillance
war
Butler

abstract: A number of states including the United States, China, Israel, Russia and the United Kingdom have been developing swarming drones or anti-swarming capabilities since the late 2000s. In the US, the OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program is gaining traction, with multiple flight and coordination tests which show potential futures of aerial warfare. OFFSET and other future swarming capabilities prompt questions of how humans might interact with, and be changed by, swarming technology and what kinds of militarized legacies swarming technologies might be embedded in from their conception. Engaging primarily with Judith Butler (1999; 2016) and other scholars of process and embodying, this thesis maps a typology of five “becomings” in how humans interact with military swarming technology: becoming hunter; becoming ghostly; becoming cyborg; becoming animal; and becoming disaster. Butler’s work will also be used to investigate another type of becoming: the ways that swarming drones might become or already are gendered. Overall, this thesis attempts a theoretical exercise through the concept of becoming to conceptualize swarming drones as assemblages of entangled human, animal, and machine agency, embedded in broader histories of military technology.

abstract: M.A.


title: Infinitesimal Probability Theory with Amalgamation

contributor:
Mingo, James A
Belinschi, Serban
Mathematics and Statistics

subject: Operator-Valued Infinitesimal Additive Convolutions

subject: Operator-Valued Infinitesimal Cumulants

subject: Operator-Valued Infinitesimal Central Limit Theorems

subject: Operator-Valued Infinitesimal Free Multiplicative Convolutions

abstract:
We introduce the notion of operator-valued infinitesimal independence for the free, Boolean, and monotone cases. We show that operator-valued infinitesimal free (respectively Boolean, monotone) independence is equivalent to the operator-valued free (respectively Boolean, monotone) independence over an algebra of $2\times 2$ upper triangular matrices. Then we construct the corresponding operator-valued infinitesimal cumulants for each notion of independence; moreover, we show that the infinitesimal free (respectively Boolean) independence in the operator-valued framework is equivalent to the vanishing of mixed free (respectively Boolean) cumulants and infinitesimal cumulants. In addition, for each notion of independence, we construct the corresponding operator-valued infinitesimal Central Limit Theorem.

We establish formulas to obtain the operator-valued infinitesimal free (respectively Boolean, monotone) additive convolution. Furthermore, for the free case, we also provide the formula for the operator-valued infinitesimal multiplicative convolution.

abstract: PhD


title: Circadian Rhythmicity of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study

contributor:
Ghasemlou, Nader
Gilron, Ian
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
Circadian Rhythm
Chronic Pain
Chronic Low Back Pain
Pain
Human

abstract: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is defined as pain occurring between the ribcage and buttocks, maladaptively persisting for longer than 3 months. Unfortunately, current treatments are often associated with several negative effects, such as addiction, and may decrease in effectiveness with long term use. Novel therapeutic strategies are therefore needed to help manage chronic pain and improve quality of life. Despite the high prevalence of CLBP, the underlying biological mechanism has not been fully elucidated as differing aetiologies cause varying inflammatory responses between individuals. CLBP is thought to arise from a combination of neuropathic and inflammatory origins, where neuropathic pain follows damage to the nervous system and inflammatory pain is caused by immune infiltration to the site of injury. Interestingly, opposing rhythmic patterns of pain intensity has been identified; whereby an evening peak in pain intensity among individuals with CLBP and identify a potential underlying biological mechanism at the cellular and molecular levels. Electronic pain diaries submitted at 8:00, 14:00, and 20:00 over a 7-day period reveal four distinct patterns in CLBP pain intensity. Observed Constant (Low) and (High) pain groups differ only in mean intensity and remain constant throughout the day, while the Mixed and Circadian group pain scores are highly variable, with an evening peak in pain intensity specific to the Circadian cluster. Several associations were identified between pain intensity, fatigue, and depressive mood. Furthermore, those with Constant (High) CLBP had the lowest mental quality of life and reported greater fatigue, depressive mood, anxiety, and use of opioids and antidepressants relative to all other pain patterns. Lastly, clusters did not differ significantly in either cellular or molecular levels regarding immune cell content or core clock and inflammatory mediator gene expression. While daily variations in pain are evident across CLBP, more work is needed to elucidate underlying biological mechanisms at the protein level. This investigation should inspire the use of circadian concepts to drive novel therapeutic discovery and guide time-specific treatment delivery.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: An Investigation of Neural Responses to the Anticipation and Experience of Pain in Humans, Revealed by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brainstem and Spinal Cord

contributor:
Stroman, Patrick
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Pain
FMRI
Anticipation
Brainstem
Spinal cord

abstract: Pain is a complex, highly subjective phenomenon in humans and the brainstem and spinal cord serve fundamental roles in the processing and modulation of ascending nociceptive signals. Emotional-cognitive factors such as anticipation have been shown to alter the pain experience and research has indicated there may be a dysfunction in pain processing in individuals with fibromyalgia (FM). Further research is needed in order to fully understand the underlying mechanisms involved in FM and how anticipation influences pain at the spinal level in both healthy and diseased states. The first aim of this thesis is to investigate neural responses in regions associated with the descending modulation of pain during anticipation in individuals with FM, compared to healthy controls (HC). FMRI data analyzed from two previous studies revealed no significant differences in neural responses during the anticipation of pain in FM and HC groups, suggesting that heightened pain in FM is not related to altered emotional-cognitive influences. This work indicated that the current understanding of pain is incomplete and led to forming the hypotheses for the following study in which we investigated the neural correlates of pain anticipation in healthy humans. The second aim of this thesis is to characterize functional connectivity associated with the anticipation of pain in healthy individuals. This was accomplished through a comparison of fMRI responses to noxious and innocuous thermal stimuli in time periods before and during stimulation. The results indicated similar functional connectivity during the anticipation of painful and nonpainful stimuli as well as new aspects of connectivity in pain networks during stimulation. Together, the work of the current thesis has revealed new aspects of neural activity and functional connectivity associated with the anticipation of pain in both healthy and diseased states using fMRI of the brainstem and spinal cord.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Numerical Modelling of Exposed Base Plate Connections and Their Influence on System-level Seismic Response

contributor:
Woods, Josh
Civil Engineering

subject:
Base Plate
Steel Structures
Cyclic Loading
Numerical Modelling
Earthquake Engineering

abstract:
Gravity columns with exposed base plate connections are often assumed as pinned in both analysis and design. However, past experiments have shown that base plate connections can provide a significant level of flexural strength and stiffness. This study investigates the influence that the effect of base plate flexural strength and stiffness have on the global seismic response of steel structures. To capture the nonlinear response of exposed base plate connections, a detailed and simplified approaches to model exposed base plate connections are developed. To validate the proposed modelling approach in ABAQUS and OpenSees, it is compared with available experimental data in the literature. The results show that both developed modelling approaches can capture the nonlinear cyclic response of exposed column base connections and that the simplified model is suitable for conducting nonlinear time-history analysis.
To investigate the influence of column base fixity on the system-level response of steel structures, the nonlinear dynamic response of a set of prototype single-story steel concentrically braced frames with flexible roof diaphragms was studied. The buildings are designed for a site in Vancouver, British Columbia and considered structures in regions with different hazard levels, soil classes and building dimensions to provide insight into the influence that the level of seismic demand and building geometry has on their response. Finite element models of each prototype structure were developed in OpenSees and were subjected to a series of ground motion records representative of the regional seismicity in Western Canada. Each prototype structure is subjected to the series of earthquakes with three different assumptions for the degree of base fixity: (1) pinned, (2) fixed, and (3) a realistic base plate connection. The results of the study show that the degree of column base fixity does not have a significant influence on the system-level response of the prototype structures, including maximum drift, residual drift, and maximum ductility demand on the bracing. These results suggest that a pinned base connection is a suitable assumption for single-storey steel braced frame structures.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: FAIRNESS IN CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT: CONCEPTUAL AND EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS

contributor:
DeLuca, Christopher
Education

subject:
Fairness
Justice
Classroom Assessment

abstract:
This study aimed to investigate fairness in classroom assessment conceptually and empirically to contribute to the emerging research in this area. Conceptually, it critically reviewed the current conceptions of fairness in educational and classroom assessment and enriched these conceptions using a broad review of the key conceptions of fairness and justice in philosophy, sociology, psychology, economics, and education.

Empirically, it conducted a two-phase mixed methods study to investigate first year undergraduate students’ perceptions of fairness in classroom assessment in their secondary schools in Ontario, Canada. Phase I included 27 virtual interviews with students that ranged in length from 20-45 minutes and focused on students’ perceptions of un/fairness in classroom assessment. Drawing on the thematic analysis, eight themes were found: (1) overall perceptions of fairness; (2) fairness in groupwork; (3) fairness in exams; (4) fairness in cheating; (5) fairness in grading; (6) fairness in feedback; (7) socio-emotional environment; and (8) responses to perceptions of un/fairness. Overall, these themes coupled with social psychology theory provided the initial foundation to develop the underpinning construct for fairness in classroom assessment.

In Phase II, this underpinning construct were used to develop the Classroom Assessment Fairness Inventory. This inventory included demographic questions as well as five scenarios (i.e., groupwork, exam, grading, cheating, and feedback). The logical validity evidence for this inventory was investigated by collecting reviews from 10 international assessment expert panel and 10 graduate students with previous K-12 teaching experience. The empirical validity evidence (i.e., internal structure, and relationship to other variables) was collected by virtually administering the inventory to 217 participants and analyzing the data using factor analyses and multivariate regression analysis. The factor analyses supported a five-factor model including (a) unfairness in groupwork, (b) fairness in cheating, (c) fairness in grading, (d) unfairness in feedback, and (e) fairness in feedback. The multivariate regression analysis showed evidence linking students’ personal belief in a just world with perceptions of fairness in grading (β = .262, p < .05), fairness in feedback (β = .294, p < .05), and unfairness in feedback (β = -.19, p < .05).

abstract: PhD


title: Characterizing Dwarf and Diffuse Galaxy Populations in the Local Universe

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Astronomy
Radio Astronomy
Galaxies
Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies
Dwarf Galaxies
Galaxy Evolution
Galaxy Formation
Low Surface Brightness Galaxies

abstract: Extragalactic astronomy in the last decade has greatly benefited from significant improvements to (1) astronomical instrumentation and (2) data reduction and analysis techniques. These improvements afford the ability to reveal ever fainter low surface brightness (LSB) dwarf galaxies at optical wavelengths. Thoroughly characterizing these dwarf galaxies is essential in furthering our understanding of how galaxies form and evolve. Accordingly, there have been several concerted efforts to compile and characterize the properties of (1) satellite dwarf galaxies around Milky Way-like systems beyond the Local Group and (2) a subset of large, LSBs known as Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs) whose properties fall at the extreme end of the dwarf galaxy population. In this thesis, I will present studies that aim to illuminate both of these sub-fields by exploiting their neutral hydrogen (HI) gas and star-forming properties. The first of these studies focus on the HI gas content of LSB dwarf galaxy satellite candidates around the nearby spiral, M101, with the aim of obtaining spectroscopic distance estimates to them via their HI content and investigating any potential environmental trends related to their HI content. The second study compares the quenched and star-forming satellite populations from the Satellites Around Galactic Analogs (SAGA) survey to two state-of-the-art zoom-in hydrodynamical simulation suites, APOSTLE and Auriga, in order to understand the relatively low observed quenched satellite fraction. The second half of this thesis presents an extensive HI follow-up survey of optically-detected UDG candidates from the Systematically Measuring Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies (SMUDGes) survey. This follow-up survey aims to confirm SMUDGes UDG candidates as bonafide UDGs by obtaining spectroscopic distances estimates and to place constraints on their formation mechanisms using their HI properties.

abstract: PhD


title: FLUORESCENT SILVER NANOCLUSTERS AND THEIR POTENTIAL AS NEXT GENERATION THERAPEUTIC AGENTS

contributor:
Stamplecoskie, Kevin
Chemistry

subject:
Silver clusters
Materials chemistry
Photonic materials
Photodynamic therapy
Theranostic
Metal nanoclusters
Biological imaging
Fluorescent molecules
Nonlinear optical properties
Physical chemistry

abstract: Combining diagnostics and therapy (theranostics) in a single step approach is at the forefront of cancer research. Gold and silver nanoclusters are an emerging class of optically active nanomaterials that are being investigated as promising theranostic candidates, due to their highly tunable optical and electronic properties. Unlike bulk metals or nanoparticles, nanoclusters behave more like molecules and can emit light and bind selectively to proteins, ions, or other binding sites in the body. Here we investigate the properties of aqueous silver nanoclusters (AgNCs), which have become of interest as a superior metal for these applications, owing to their strong fluorescence, photodynamic activity, and broad chemical diversity. Before clinical use, the exact composition and properties of nanocluster compounds must be elucidated. However, most synthetic routes that lead to the production of AgNCs form complex mixtures, where the identification and characterization of these materials becomes incredibly challenging. Several routes to improve the separation of these clusters have been explored and optimized and will be discussed herein, including separation by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gel electrophoresis, and size exclusion chromatography. The characterization of AgNCs by mass spectrometry has also been investigated, leading to the improvement of identification by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Beyond these efforts, a better means of achieving pure and precise samples is required. Using photochemistry, we have successfully tuned this complex synthetic route to specifically produce and isolate the novel aqueous silvers clusters Ag18(Capt)14, Ag20(Cys)15 and Ag15(SG)13, which are capped with captopril, cysteine, and glutathione ligands, respectively. These clusters were then assessed for their physiological stability, cellular toxicity, and ability to perform photodynamic therapy. By identifying these and other novel AgNCs through these studies and characterizing their exciting optical properties, new classes of silver clusters will be able to be purposefully explored for biological use with an idea of their structure-function relationship. Initial studies probing the biocompatibility and tumour uptake of these clusters, and particularly Ag18(Capt)14, demonstrate promising results for their use as effective therapeutic agents.

abstract: PhD


title: The Effects of High-Power Microwaves on Comminution and Downstream Processing

contributor:
Pickles, Chris
Davis, Boyd
Mining Engineering

subject:
Microwave
BET
Comminution
Leaching
Pilot plant
Roasting

abstract: The incentive for this research was to assess the potential of microwave treatment to fracture ores and improve surface area to reduce comminution energy consumption and improve downstream recovery. Pilot-scale microwave treatment was performed on two ores: a gold ore and a copper-nickel sulphide ore. Three microwave tests were done for each ore: batch tests at low-power (BB) and high-power (BP), and a continuous belt test at high-power (CP). Treatment variables investigated were heating time, microwave power and particle size. Treated ore was then used to assess the impacts on comminution (ore competency and liberation). Additionally, impacts on leaching (gold ore) and roasting (sulphide ore) were studied. Surface area measurements showed improvements for each gold ore treatment; between a 2.5% and 21% increase in m2/g. The sulphide ore reported marginal increases to surface area, although the CP test showed a 7% improvement. While the differential heating improved surface area, comminution energy consumption was unchanged apart from the CP test, which reported a 19% decrease in SAG work index, WSDT. The treatments did not weaken the ore enough to reduce the energy consumption, but still promoted grinding that enhanced surface area. Liberation analysis confirmed this, showing increases to value sulphide liberation, particularly for the high-power tests. Cyanidation showed that enhanced surface area improved the gold recovery. Improvements to gold recovery were proportional to the surface area increases reported. After 6 hours, a 26% increase in gold recovery was reported for the BP test; a 16% increase was reported for the CP test. This confirmed that continuous high-power microwave treatment can improve gold recovery by creating rapid thermal stresses. No significant trend was found between fracture and cyanide consumption. Roasting of the sulphide ore showed no trend with surface area. A lower sulphur content after microwave heating occurred due to oxidation of the sample, prior to entering the roaster. This degree of oxidation from the treatment was proportional to higher heating rates, and showed that the roast of the BP sample was adversely affected. For an industry process with shorter residence times, oxidation from microwave treatment would be less impactful.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: DNA METHYLATION OF CIRCADIAN GENES AND MARKERS OF CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK IN FEMALE HOSPITAL WORKERS:  AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

contributor:
Tranmer, Joan
Aronson, Kristan
Public Health Sciences

subject:
DNA methylation
circadian genes
cardiometabolic risk
cardiovascular disease
night shift work

abstract: Objectives: To investigate if DNA methylation of circadian genes, a potential causal mechanism in the pathway linking night shift work and cardiovascular disease (CVD), is differentially associated with markers of cardiometabolic risk and temporal changes in markers of cardiometabolic risk by shift work status among female hospital personnel. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2019-2020 at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) in Kingston, ON, Canada. Participants were 74 female hospital personnel (38 day workers, 36 night shift workers) who participated in a previous cross-sectional study conducted from 2011-2014 (N = 330) at KHSC. Participants completed a questionnaire to provide data on sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics, as well as lifetime occupational history to assess current and past day and night shift work. DNA methylation levels of circadian genes (1150 cytosine-guanine (CpG) sites across 22 circadian genes) were measured in newly collected fasting blood samples (2019-2020) using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip microarray, while markers of cardiometabolic risk were measured in both newly collected samples and samples collected during the previous study (2011-2014). Multiple linear and quantile regression modeling was conducted to investigate associations between methylation levels at individual CpG sites (β-values) and markers of cardiometabolic risk and changes in markers of cardiometabolic risk over a 5-9 year time period, while considering effect modification by shift work status. The false discovery rate was applied to account for multiple comparisons (q ≤ 0.20). Results: Two CpG sites [cg06758649 (CRY1) and cg06899802 (CSNK1A1)] were differentially associated with waist circumference and body mass index by shift work status, eight CpG sites [cg26103512 (CSNK1D), cg03941313 (CSNK1E), cg18217763 (CSNK1E), cg16682686 (DEC1), cg12061096 (RORA), cg10133825 (RORA), cg19652148 (RORA), and cg22904654 (RORA)] were differentially associated with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration by shift work status, and one CpG site [cg20791744 (NR1D2)] was differentially associated with the change in diastolic blood pressure between 2011-2014 and 2019-2020 by shift work status. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that day and night shift workers experience different associations between DNA methylation of circadian genes and markers of cardiometabolic risk which may contribute to the increased risk of CVD observed among night shift workers.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Investigating Sexual Dimorphism in Murine Bladders and Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Response to BCG and STING Pathway Activation

contributor:
Koti, Madhuri
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
BCG
Sexual dimorphism
Bladder cancer
Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
Ageing

abstract:
The incidence of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) is four times higher in males than females; however, females tend to present with a more aggressive disease, a poorer response to immunotherapy, and suffer worse clinical outcomes. Treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunotherapy is the mainstay for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) treatment. Unfortunately, over 50% of patients do not respond optimally and exhibit recurrence or progression to an invasive disease. Recent findings have demonstrated sexual dimorphism in the tumor immune microenvironment of NMIBC and associated clinical outcomes. However, a significant gap in knowledge remains with respect to the current pre-clinical modeling approaches and, more precisely recapitulating these differences towards therapeutic development.
With similarities in mucosal immune physiology between humans and mice, we evaluated the sex and age-related physiological immune alterations in healthy murine bladders. The plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), the most potent type 1 interferon (IFN1) producers, exhibit sex differences and age-related decline in function. Towards rescuing the deficiency in inducing a potent IFN1 response via synergistic activation of the Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway with BCG, in vitro evaluations of pDCs, from young and old female mice were performed.
Bulk-RNA sequencing and multiplex immunofluorescence based spatial immune profiling of healthy murine bladders from male and female mice of the age groups spanning young to old, showed a highly altered immune landscape that exhibited sex and age associated differences, particularly in the context of B cell associated responses. Spatial profiling using markers specific to macrophages, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, activated dendritic cells, high endothelial venules, inflammatory cells and the PD-L1 immune checkpoint, showed sex and age associated differences. Bladders from older female mice showed a higher number of tertiary lymphoid structures compared to both young female and male equivalents. Bone marrow-derived pDCs from older females secreted higher CXCL10, Il-6, TNF-α, CCL5, MIP-1α, CXCL1, MIP-1β, MIP-2 in response to BCG infection and STING agonist treatment.
These findings support the incorporation of sex and age as factors in pre-clinical modeling of NMIBC and will potentially advance the field of immunotherapeutic drug development to improve clinical outcomes in NMIBC.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Photonic Tensor Machine and Multi-level Encoding and Decoding in Wavelength-Multiplexed Photonic Processors

subject:
Silicon Photonics
Optical Computing
High Performance Computing
Wavelength Division Multiplexing
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence

abstract:
The rapid development in machine learning based algorithms and applications has put more and more emphasis on specialized hardware for heavy parallel computations. Large dense matrix computations, also known as tensor operations, has been the major concern because of its intense demand for fast and efficient computations. Facing the challenge, conventional solutions such as conventional Central Processing Units (CPUs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) fall short because of their limited parallel processing capability and numerical computation power. Therefore, several companies have ventured into developing Application-Specific Integrated Circuit to alleviate the burden placed on current hardware, such as Google’s Tensor Processing Unit and NVIDIA’s tensor core. These attempts have showed a significant improvement in computation speed and efficiency compared to contemporary CPUs and FPGAs and have proved to be highly programmable and adaptable to various machine learning tasks.
In view of recent development of photonic neural networks , the project aims to design a photonic tensor machine by exploiting the parallel processing power provided by photonic integrated circuit. Photonic tensor machine focuses on fast tensor operation that is required in most machine learning and deep learning tasks, such as feedforward network and backpropagation. In addition, its simple but effective functionality will grant the specialized device an extremely high compatibility with various machine learning algorithms and potential application in High Performance Computing tasks.
The design of a photonic tensor machine is based on an on-chip two dimensional array of microring resonators called MRR weightbanks, together with on-chip balanced photodetectors, off-chip wavelength division multiplexer, and off-chip arrayed waveguide grating. Input information to the photonic tensor machine takes either of the two forms: electrical or optical. The optical signal will be generated from off-chip tunable laser sources, and the information is encoded as the amplitude of the laser. The electrical signal encodes information as the magnitude of the modulation current provided to a specific MRR. The multiplication between two inputs is achieved through the electrical signal modulating the optical signal, and the modulation magnitude is determined by the electric signal inputs. Different optical inputs will be distinguished by different wavelengths. Because different wavelengths can propagate in the same waveguide, the photonic tensor machine can process information from different channels simultaneously. Thus, the parallel processing capability gives the photonic tensor machine the advantage of faster speed.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Evaluating CD44-EZRIN Interactions in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Tumourigenesis and Drug Resistance

contributor:
Greer, Peter
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

subject:
breast cancer
metastasis
drug resistance
Ezrin
CD44
Protein-Protein Interaction
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Mouse Models

abstract: When breast cancer is detected at an early localized stage, surgery is often successful in achieving long term survival. However, when breast cancer becomes invasive and progresses to metastatic disease, surgery followed by adjuvant therapies is required, and many patients fail to respond or relapse with treatment resistant metastatic disease. The CD44 cell adhesion molecule and the Ezrin cytoskeletal adaptor protein have emerged as potential drivers of metastasis and drug resistance in cancers of the breast and other organs. Their known ability to physically interact, and their overlapping chemoresistance and metastasis promoting properties suggest they cooperate mechanistically to drive these processes. To study this, we genetically manipulated Ezrin and CD44 in the engraftable MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cell line model. We show that CD44 and Ezrin each play important roles in regulating cancer cell associated processes in vitro such as cell adhesion, clonogenic potential, directional migration, and sensitivity to chemotherapies, as well as in vivo metastatic potential. Using co-immunoprecipitation assays and a split luciferase protein-protein interaction biosensor, we explored the effect of engineered amino acid substitutions in CD44 and Ezrin on their molecular interactions to set the stage for future investigations into the functional consequences of targeting this CD44-Ezrin interaction and developing small molecule inhibitors. Our findings suggest that therapeutic strategies designed to interfere with Ezrin-CD44 interactions may sensitize aggressive breast cancers to chemotherapies and other targeted agents and attenuate their metastatic behaviour.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Word of Mouth: Strange Corridors, Dizzying Syntax, and the Unexpected Echoes of Underwhich Editions

contributor: Film and Media (Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies)

subject:
Experimental Poetry
Publishing & Technology
Sound Poetry
Language & Materiality
Material Histories
Canadian Poetry

abstract:
Underwhich Editions was a publishing collective and music imprint under which a group of Canadian writers, sound poets, and electronic sound explorers released books, chapbooks, postcards, broadsides, one-folds, leaflets, handmade editions, cassettes, microfiche, floppy disks, and CDs. It was a freeform outlet for their interests in linguistic, sonic and visual experiments. Active from 1978 through the ‘90s, Underwhich had a revolving cadre of contributors, including at various times, Michael Dean, Brian Dedora, Paul Dutton, Steve McCaffery, bpNichol,  John Riddell, Rafael Barreto-Rivera, Steven Ross Smith, Susan Andrews Grace, Richard Truhlar, and Mara Zibens. The cohort represented a communal DIY ethos, that acted in collective opposition to mainstream publishing and recording industries. Utilizing affordable and accessible technologies, such as letterpress, home-recording, Letraset, cassette duplication, xerox, and desktop publishing, the artists where able to circumnavigate impervious and top-down industry structures to create and distribute challenging cultural artifacts and objets d’art within a niche, but world-wide network.

 Throughout its lifetime, the group pushed against the boundaries of conventional poetic expression, creating works that utilize nonsense, visual forms, synthesized sound, dysfluent speech, textual appropriation, errors, technical malfunctions, computer code, musical experiments, and consumer electronics. The Underwhich Audiographics Series, which released over 40 albums of sound poetry, electronic and avant-garde compositions, set the endeavour apart from a typical publishing outlet, announcing an interest in expanded poetic form and emergent technologies, both of which define the overall project. Examining the relationship between audio and publishing technologies and their distribution networks, this paper demonstrates the ways in which Underwhich was able to employ the independent spirit and innovative methodologies of both to help disseminate their own releases. The Audiographic Series also links the collective endeavour to the oral tradition of poetry, re-establishing this historical origin, after poetry became mute on the page for much of the 20th Century. To date, no comprehensive bibliography or discography of Underwhich exists, and the inclusion here will be an aid for further research on the collective, or generally on Canadian avant-garde writing, publishing practice, electronic music, and sound poetry.

abstract: M.A.


title: Economic Analysis for the Production of Solid, Microalgae-derived Biofuel

contributor:
Zeman, Frank
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Microalgae
Biofuel
Techno-economic analysis
Renewable energy
Alternative fuel
Cement

abstract: The cement industry is a large-scale emitter of fossil CO2 contributing 6.1% to global CO2 emissions annually. Options for mitigating CO2 emissions from cement plants range from carbon capture to alternative fuel substitution; this work examines the application of a solid, microalgae-derived biofuel as one option for the latter. Based on technologies that have been demonstrated to work at industrial scales, this work examines two potential systems for the production of such a biofuel: in one case yielding a 2-part solid fuel of microalgal biomass (85 wt.%) and water (15 wt.%), with an expected heating value of 18.6 GJ t-1, and in the second yielding a 3-part solid fuel of microalgal biomass (80 wt.%), water (15 wt.%), and limestone dust (5 wt.%), with an expected heating value of 17.4 GJ t-1. A preliminary economic analysis using published literature values for equipment costs and capacities determines the cost of the 2-part fuel to be $34.5 GJ-1 and the cost of the 3-part fuel to be $36.9 GJ-1. These represent more economical approaches to producing biofuel from microalgal biomass than liquid biofuels, the most economically competitive of which is still priced near $48.6 GJ-1. However, these cases also represent a significant cost increase over traditional solid fossil fuels, such as coal at a standard cost of $2.34 GJ-1. Ultimately, applying microalgal biomass to as a thermal energy source in clinker manufacture is expected to cost $241 tCO-2. Some potential avenues for cost-reduction and value recovery are considered.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Zero-Delay Lossy Coding of Linear Vector Markov Sources with Applications to Networked Control

contributor:
Yüksel, Serdar
Linder, Tamas
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Zero-Delay Coding
Stochastic Control
Information Theorey
Markov Decision Process
Stochastic Control

abstract:
In this thesis we study the optimal zero-delay coding (quantization) of $\mathbb{R}^d$-valued linearly
generated Markov sources under quadratic distortion. The structure and existence of
deterministic and stationary coding policies that are optimal for the infinite horizon average
cost (distortion) problem is established. Prior results studying the optimality
of zero-delay codes for Markov sources for infinite horizons either considered finite
alphabet sources or, for the $\mathbb{R}^d$-valued case, only showed the
existence of deterministic and non-stationary Markov coding policies or those
which are randomized. In addition to existence results, for finite blocklength
(horizon) $T$ the performance of an optimal coding policy is shown to approach
the infinite time horizon optimum at a rate $O(\frac{1}{T})$. This gives an
explicit rate of convergence that quantifies the near-optimality of finite window (finite-memory)
codes among all optimal zero-delay codes. In addition, we present an important application of our result to closed loop networked control systems. We show that with predictive encoder the separation principle for the infinite horizon problem holds. Prior results only proved this for finite horizon average cost problem.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Balance Evaluation Using a Markerless Motion Capture System

contributor:
Deluzio, Kevin
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
balance
stance
motion capture
markerless
PCA
markerless motion capture
quiet standing
single limb stance
standing hip abduction
tandem stance
event detection
task identification
principal component analysis
functional assessment circuit
force plate
video-based motion capture
video-based markerless motion capture

abstract:
Balance deficits can lead to injurious falls, early enrollment in long-term care facilities and hospitalization. Multiple clinical tools have been developed to identify balance deficits and direct treatment recommendations; however, they are often based on simple measures which might fail to sufficiently characterize an individual’s balance ability. Force plate systems can be used to evaluate balance in a laboratory setting; however, their non-portability renders them difficult for use in the clinic and in the field. Markerless motion capture is an emerging technology which could bridge the gap between clinical and laboratory assessments of balance by offering clinicians a relatively low-cost and versatile method of obtaining high resolution measurements of balance ability.
This work aims to validate the use of a deep neural network-, video-based markerless motion capture system, Theia3D, to measure aspects of balance which are commonly identified using force plate systems, as well as aspects of postural control which cannot be identified using standard clinical or laboratory tools. Three studies were carried out as part of this thesis: (1) an algorithm was developed to automatically identify distinct balance tasks within a functional assessment circuit, (2) measures of balance performance quantified using Theia3D were directly and indirectly compared with measures from a force plate system, and (3) the relationships between whole-body kinematics and participant age, BMI, and sex and measures from a force plate system during the maintenance of static balance poses were investigated.
Results from these studies demonstrate that Theia3D can be used (1) to automatically identify performances of distinct functional tasks, (2) to measure aspects of balance which are commonly identified using force plate systems, with similar levels of reliability, and (3) to measure whole-body motion to uncover age-, BMI-, and sex-specific mechanisms of balance which would otherwise be unobservable using clinical tools and force plate systems. Together, the studies in this thesis demonstrate how markerless motion capture technology, specifically Theia3D, can be used to augment clinical and laboratory tests of balance.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Infinity in Leibniz's Metaphysics: Substantial Unity and Possibility

contributor:
Miller, Jon
Philosophy

subject:
Leibniz
Early Modern Philosophy
History of Philosophy

abstract: Recent decades in Leibniz scholarship have seen the growing influence of a new interpretation of his metaphysics, based on the understanding and development of his conception of infinity/the infinite. In the early modern period, Leibniz was likely the philosopher who devoted the most attention to the subject of infinity. For this reason, it plays a fundamental role in nearly every aspect of his philosophy. This thesis is a presentation and interpretation of Leibniz’s metaphysics centred around his notion of infinity. It is arranged into two chapters, the first concerning the relation of infinity in Leibniz’s metaphysics to his conception of substance. This idea is fundamental because it ties into (inter alia) Leibniz’s conception of the monad, the idea of substantial unity as contrasted with corporeal body, the composition of the continuum and the actual infinity of monads. The second chapter relates infinity to possibility and impossibility in Leibniz’s metaphysics, under two broad arcs. The first arc of chapter two arrays infinity in relation to the divine will in choosing this ‘best of all possible worlds’, and then demonstrates what qualities this world possesses in relation to necessity and the ‘actual infinite’. The second arc of the second chapter considers arguments for three integral metaphysical notions which Leibniz deems to be impossible [the world soul, infinite number, and knowledge of God’s will], with attention as to how infinity is expressed in the actual infinity which constitutes the entire world. This work focuses on many main philosophical works of Leibniz, as well as 21st century commentary from noteworthy Leibniz scholars like Richard Arthur, Ohad Nachtomy, Gregory Brown, and Samuel Levey.

abstract: M.A.


title: Exploring Early Childhood Educators and Teachers’ Beliefs and Operationalization of Self-Regulation in Ontario Kindergarten Classrooms

contributor:
Matheson, Ian
Education

subject:
Early years education
Kindergarten
Self-regulation
Ontario

abstract:
Self-regulation skills lay the foundation for long-term social, emotional, behavioural, and educational well-being (Zelazo et al., 2016) and develop rapidly between the ages of 3-7 years through direct teaching practices (Dignath et al., 2016). Despite the critical importance of supporting self-regulation capabilities, research shows that few teachers explicitly teach self-regulation skills (Spruce & Bol., 2015) due to a lack of conceptual clarity in empirical and practical literature (Jones et al., 2016). The Kindergarten Program (2016) in Ontario provides an opportunity to capture the voices of early years educators on this topic because of its unique teaching team. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study is threefold: 1) to examine the ways early years educators define self-regulation, 2) to understand the strategies and practices that early years educators use to foster self-regulation development, and 3) to articulate the ways educator training influences teacher beliefs and self-regulation practices in kindergarten.
This study uses a mixed-methods approach to capture the voices from Ontario’s Full Day Kindergarten teaching team. Using an adapted version of the Self-Regulated Learning Teacher Belief Scale (Lombart et al., 2009), early childhood educators (ECEs) and OCT certified teachers provided insight into early years educators beliefs, knowledge, and operationalization of self-regulation. Results from this study demonstrate that both professions hold high beliefs towards the promotion of self-regulation and children’s capabilities to self-regulate. However, ECEs and teachers have different understandings of self-regulation as well as use different strategies and practices to foster self-regulation. For example, this study finds ECEs are more prepared for teaching self-regulation because their training has specifically focused on and highlighted this area of child development, while the majority of teachers did not learn about self-regulation in their professional training. With this finding, we can now look at ways to integrate this information into the training of teachers and potentially reform parts of the teacher training program. Overall, the findings build on existing self-regulation literature and provide a new contribution by including the perspectives of early years educators.

abstract: PhD


title: Closure, Decidability, and Complexity Results for Restricted Variants of Two-Dimensional Automata

contributor:
Salomaa, Kai
Computing

subject:
automata theory
formal language theory
two-dimensional automaton
three-way two-dimensional automaton
two-way two-dimensional automaton
state complexity
decision problems
closure properties

abstract:
A finite automaton is an abstract model of computation that processes and accepts or rejects input data. While this input is traditionally a string of symbols, we can modify the definition of an automaton to allow it to process nonlinear data, such as trees, graphs, or multidimensional arrays.

In this thesis, we consider two-dimensional automata, which process two-dimensional words in a sequential manner; that is, by reading one symbol of the word at a time. Though a two-dimensional automaton can move its input head in four directions, we may restrict input head movements to produce variant models. If we prohibit upward moves, we obtain a three-way two-dimensional automaton, and if we additionally prohibit leftward moves, we obtain a two-way two-dimensional automaton.

Here, we investigate questions about restricted two-dimensional automata. The questions we consider can be organized into four categories: recognition properties (languages an automaton can recognize), closure properties (operations that can be applied to an automaton's language), decidability properties (questions about languages and automata that can be answered by an algorithm), and complexity properties (computational resources needed to decide problems or recognize languages).

We first consider decision problems for restricted variants of two-dimensional automata, establishing time complexity bounds on the emptiness problem. We further prove various decidability and undecidability results for the universality, equivalence, and inclusion problems.

We continue by studying the language operations of concatenation and projection. We obtain novel closure and nonclosure results for row, column, and diagonal concatenation for various automaton models. Furthermore, we establish bounds on the recognition power and space complexity of projections of two-dimensional languages.

We then introduce the notion of "degrees of restriction" for two-dimensional automata, where the input head can make a bounded number of restricted moves. We establish recognition hierarchies for these new models and consider closure properties for some language operations.

Lastly, we study the state complexity of two-dimensional automata. We give upper bounds on the state complexity of certain language operations, as well as upper and lower bounds on the state complexity of projections of language operations.

abstract: PhD


title: How Do You Teach Imagination? A Pedagogical Portrait

subject:
Imagination
Aesthetic Education
Aesthetic Philosophy
Maxine Greene

abstract: The capacity to imagine may very well be the most underdeveloped and underutilized ability the human race has. This research, anchored in the aesthetic philosophy of Dr. Maxine Greene, explored the resulting pedagogy that was developed with a group of four key informants across the continental United States. These key informants were all affiliated with Lincoln Center Institute for Art and Education while Dr. Greene was Philosopher-in-Residence. Focusing on the experience of developing a pedagogy for imagination, including the benefits and challenges of utilizing such an approach, this study invoked the methods described in Lawrence-Lightfoot’s Portraiture to create a distinct written portrait of each of the key informants. Phenomenology as per Merleau-Ponty was also used to highlight the nature of the experience of the key informants and of the primary researcher as well. An application of Charmaz’s Dramaturgical Approach was also used in order to produce a written theatrical script that aims to explore the tenets of aesthetic education and the imagination from the eyes of a child. Key findings from this research include the need to introduce aesthetic literacy and pedagogy to teacher education programs, in addition to nurturing the development of the imagination in teachers currently in the classroom. Both the philosophy and pedagogy allow for a more germane experience of learning, one that permits an environment and the development of empathy. Further research in the area of aesthetic education should be further explored, especially in light of current (as of writing) circumstances internationally pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact that the pandemic has had on education as a whole.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Fluidic Antenna Reconfiguration Methods and Multi-Antenna Systems for Next Generation Wireless Networks

contributor:
Saavedra, Carlos
Electrical and Computer Engineering

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

subject:
Antennas
Fluids
Multiple-input Multiple-output
Distilled water
Reconfigurable antennas
5G
User equipment
Base station
Fluidics
Dielectric fluid
Multi-antenna systems
Next Generation Wireless Networks
Wireless networks
Reconfiguration methods
Fluidic antennas

abstract:
This thesis explores the design of planar reconfigurable antennas (RAs) using novel fluidic methods and further builds upon them to realize multi-antenna systems. Distilled water is utilized as the dielectric fluid (DF). First, a four-state frequency reconfigurable (FR) monopole is demonstrated using a DF-based loading technique. Measurements showed stable radiation patterns (RPs) and the best-in-class performance for fluidic planar antennas, with the impedance bandwidth (IBW), the tuning range (TR), and the antenna efficiency of 29.9%, 20.8%, and 90.4% respectively. Further, the fluidic channel is modified to demonstrate a two-state FR RP-diverse multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna, that serves long term evolution (LTE) bands 42, 43, and 46 with an excellent MIMO performance.
Second, a fluidic microstrip patch RA with the lowest profile is demonstrated with frequency and polarization tuning using DF-tuned stubs. Measurements showed a TR of 7.85% in the linear polarization (LP) mode and 5.76% in the circular polarization (CP) mode. First-time, an equivalent circuit of the proposed antenna is presented using a transmission line model for the fluidically-tuned stubs. Subsequently, a unique fluidic-circuit is conceptualized, for a four-element CP MIMO antenna, obtaining DF-switched CP (left-handed or right-handed CP). It offers simultaneous polarization switching, for all the elements with a single actuation, obtaining a 12 MHz overlapping axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW).
Third, a novel ten-element massive MIMO antenna for user equipment (UE) is demonstrated for fifth generation (5G) sub-6-GHz systems, with some space reserved for legacy antenna systems. A unique combination of an Inverted-F stub mode and a modified loop mode, improves the -6 dB IBW to 63%, and an estimated maximum channel capacity of 53.9 bps/Hz is achieved for a 10 × 10 MIMO link.
Last, a loop-loaded magneto-electric (ME) dipole antenna as a base station (BS) element is demonstrated, to enhance the IBW and the realized gain in the millimeter wave band. Balanced feed is utilized with a coplanar waveguide (CPW) to parallel stripline (PS) transition, feeding the ME antenna with a single point feed. The loop-loading enhances the IBW (75.8%) and the maximum realized gain (10.4 dB), by contributing an extra mode, with the same antenna size, and a simple in-house via-less fabrication.

abstract: PhD


title: A Paleolimnological Assessment of the Response of Trout-bearing Lakes to Climate and Watershed Disturbance in Semi-arid South-Central British Columbia, Canada

contributor:
Cumming, Brian
Biology

subject:
Paleolimnology
fish stocking
aquatic foodweb
British Columbia
diatoms
ENSO
PDO
paleoclimate
Holocene
Medieval Climate Anomaly
ITRAX
Generalized Additive Models

abstract: Water quality and quantity in trout-bearing lakes in the southern Interior Plateau (SIP) of British Columbia is threatened by lake and watershed disturbances of anthropogenic origin, and regional factors including climate change. This was exemplified in Roche Lake, the highest-use recreational fishing lake in B.C., when it experienced its first-recorded winterkill in 2015. However, given the absence of monitoring data, this event raised numerous questions about lake-sensitivity to these multiple stressors. The research presented here utilizes paleolimnological records that span a single century to several millennia to investigate human impacts on lake structure, and to inform possible lake ecosystem trajectories that may occur under a future warm and dry climate. An investigation of trophodynamics in four stocked lakes (including Roche) from the SIP spanning the past ~100 years showed that pronounced early-to-mid 20th century eutrophication, possibly due to the construction of outlet dams, altered foodweb structure in these systems by providing the large and effective grazer Daphnia with increased food availability, and possibly enhanced deep-water refugium. By extending the paleolimnological record to ~11,000 cal yr BP, we showed that water quality and quantity in Roche Lake is sensitive to enhanced aridity; during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM, which was ~2-3°C warmer than present), lake levels were low, and thermal stratification and deep-water anoxia were pronounced.  An additional, high-resolution investigation from Roche Lake over the past ~1800 years revealed that the driest period within this time frame was associated with an increase in primary production, and that changes in diatom species composition and deep-water oxygen were driven primarily by lake-atmosphere energy exchange, as opposed to altered lake-landscape interaction. Finally, by synthesizing additional proxy data from the Pacific Northwest, we demonstrated that external climate forcings (i.e., insolation, solar irradiance) and ocean-atmosphere processes, including the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), can generate changes in water quality and quantity in the SIP on millennial to centennial time scales. Overall, these findings highlight the negative consequences that certain lake-management strategies have on water quality and provides evidence for the importance of developing climate-adaptation strategies to protect economically important fisheries in the future.

abstract: PhD


title: Decentralized Stochastic Control with Many Decision Makers and their Mean-Field Limit

contributor:
Yuksel, Serdar
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Decentralized Stochastic Control
Stochastic Teams
Mean-Field Teams
Information Structures

abstract:
In this thesis, we study large stochastic team problems (known also as decentralized stochastic control problems) with finite as well as countably infinite number of decision makers.

In the first part of the thesis, we introduce sufficient conditions of optimality and characterize existence and structural properties for globally optimal policies. We first establish sufficient conditions of optimality (in terms of regularity and convexity conditions on the cost function) for static teams with a countably infinite number of decision makers. Then, we focus on static and dynamic team problems and their mean-field limits, where the cost function and dynamics satisfy an exchangeability condition. For this class of team problems, by first imposing convexity, we show that an optimal policy exhibits symmetry and then we establish the convergence of optimal policies for teams with $N$ decision makers to the corresponding optimal policies of mean-field teams.  Then, we establish an existence and structural result for convex mean-field teams with a decentralized information structure.  Next, we relax the convexity assumption, and we characterize existence and structural properties of an optimal decentralized policy.

Through our analysis of the aforementioned results, it has been shown that static reduction of dynamic stochastic team problems is an effective method for establishing existence and approximation results for optimal policies. With this relation, in the second part, we classify static reductions into three categories: (i) policy-independent, (ii) policy-dependent, and (iii) static measurement with control-sharing reduction. For the first type, we show that there is a bijection between person-by-person optimal (globally optimal) policies of dynamic teams and their policy-independent static reductions. For the second type, although there is a bijection between globally optimal policies of dynamic teams with partially nested information structures and their static reductions, in general, there is no bijection between person-by-person optimal policies of dynamic teams and their policy-dependent static reductions. We present, however, sufficient conditions under which bijection relationships hold. Under static measurement with control-sharing reduction, the connections between optimality concepts can be established under relaxed conditions. An implication is a convexity characterization of dynamic team problems under static measurement with control-sharing reduction.

abstract: PhD


title: How are families and friends being included in rehabilitation research and programs: An examination of current literature and the experiences of family members of Invictus Games' participants

contributor:
Cramm, Heidi
Rehabilitation Science

subject:
Family studies
Military families
Invictus Games
Family theories

abstract:
Military families face unique stressors including risk of injury or illness (National Defence, 2017), and, when injury or illness occurs, family is important (Ogilvie et al., 2015). Injured and/or ill veterans and serving members have begun turning to competitive adaptive sport as rehabilitation; however, little is known about the family experience of rehabilitation through sport. The purpose of this dissertation was to ascertain:
1. How does a theoretical lens help us understand the experiences of families involved with rehabilitation and recovery following life altering injury or illness acquired in early- to mid-adulthood?
2. How do families of Invictus Games participants experience the journey from the decision to pursue competition to post-competition?
To answer these questions, a scoping review and an interpretive qualitative study were conducted. Eighteen studies were included in the scoping review. Although inconsistently applied over the years, family theories, models, and frameworks were applied in three different ways: comparing life prior to and following injury or illness, the factors which influence adaptation and whether families heal individually or collectively. In the qualitative study, analysis of interviews with family members (n = 6) and friends (n = 1) revealed four main themes: the treatment of families at organizational level and by unaffiliated individuals; the inability to separate the experiences of the families and friends from the competitors; the life- changing experience that occurred; and the community of understanding which came through connecting with like others.
The inconsistent application of family theories, models and frameworks has the potential
to constrain the development of both family studies and rehabilitation and recovery research. ii
Additionally, efforts made to create new theories for families within a rehabilitation setting display a duplication of work. The findings from the interviews contrast previous Work-Family Conflict studies, showing the importance of the norms, intent and the support provided. The findings also parallel military family research with family being seen as increasingly important in their own right, highlighting the growing care for families. Taken together, these studies show the complexities of the family experience of recovery and the need for an ecological approach.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Characterizing the Impact of Dietary Mineral Intake on Secondary Hyperparathyroidism, Vascular Calcification, and Bone Disease Within Experimental Chronic Kidney Disease

contributor:
Adams, Michael
Holden, Rachel
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
Chronic kidney disease
Secondary hyperparathyroidism
CKD-MBD
Dietary mineral intake

abstract: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects an estimated 25 million North Americans and is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and overall mortality.  This is largely a result of systemic dysregulation in mineral metabolism, termed CKD-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD). The aim of this study was to investigate how elevated dietary phosphate (PO4), and further, the resulting decreases in the ratio of calcium (Ca)-to- PO4, contribute to key cardiovascular disease risk factors: mineral bone disorder pathology and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Male rats had CKD induced using dietary adenine, and then were either sacrificed after induction, or challenged with a 12-day dietary intervention. 4 diets were used, assessing a combination of high vs low dietary PO4, and Ca-to-PO4 ratio. All 5 CKD groups, in addition to healthy control animals, were compared with respect to serum mineral and hormone levels, bone microarchitecture, VC, and ex vivo parathyroid gland responsiveness.  For each parameter tested, all 5 CKD groups were shown to be significantly different from controls, with 12 days of dietary intervention producing further changes. Despite similar levels of VC between dietary intervention groups, mineral content of the dietary intervention was shown to have an impact on serum parameters, with low dietary Ca:PO4 ratio, as well as high dietary PO4, regardless of ratio, producing significant elevations in parathyroid hormone and circulating P relative to animals fed normal PO4 with normal ratio. Normal PO4 with normal ratio was also shown to be protective against bone loss, with low ratio and high PO4 groups showing greater loss.  Overall, the findings show that compared to the other diets tested, normal dietary PO4 with normal Ca:PO4 ratio is associated with improved outcomes within CKD.  Increasing dietary PO4, regardless of ratio, as well as lowering the ratio through reductions in Ca, exacerbates the abnormalities in mineral metabolism which develop within CKD and are associated with overall poor clinical outcomes, CVD, and high risk of mortality.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Indigenous-State Relations in the Peruvian Amazon: Between Autonomy, Integration, and the Absent State

contributor:
Lovell, W. George
Geography and Planning

subject:
Indigenous Peoples
Peruvian Amazon
Indigenous autonomy
Territory
Decoloniality
State relations

abstract: On June 5, 2009, a confrontation between police officers and civilians near the town of Bagua, in the department of Amazonas in Peru, ended with 33 fatalities, including five Indigenous Awajún-Wampis. In the context of the Amazonian mobilizations of 2008-2009, the protesters sought to repeal neoliberal executive decrees that aimed to facilitate the further division and commercialization of Indigenous lands. The tragic events at Bagua, known as the Baguazo, catalyzed Awajún conceptualizations of new forms of relating to the state and motivate my central research question: How and to what extent are the Awajún reframing the way the Peruvian nation-state is imagined and operationalized vis-à-vis Indigenous peoples? I depart from previous depictions of the Peruvian colonial, neoliberal state, and posit that anti-colonial Indigenous strategies challenge dominant ideas of a monolithic nation-state. My research focuses on three case studies involving the Awajún people of the northwest Amazon. First, I explore how resource extraction governance structures Indigenous-state relations, highlighting a mining conflict within Awajún territory, as revealed in interviews with central and regional government agents. Second, I explore Awajún ontologies regarding territory, examining the role of territory in the Awajún construction of autonomy. Third, guided by Awajún conceptualizations of tajimat pujut (life in abundance), I investigate Awajún engagement with the local market economy. In these three case studies, I draw on a spatialized interpretation of Modernity/Coloniality/Decoloniality conceptual frameworks, and cull from interviews, participant observation, and close analysis of technical reports. My research contributes to debates about the limits of Indigenous autonomies, framing the Peruvian Amazon as a site of micropolitics beyond views of a colonized space by extractivist forces. Awajún territorial defence and visions of self-government challenge its official territorial organization under a single nation-state. Local market governance converges with Awajún aspirations of a life of productive practices without oppression, engaged in with the sustainability of the forest foremost in mind. This convergence at the local level challenges the established idea of a neoliberal state, but at the risk of reinforcing intragroup inequalities.

abstract: PhD


contributor:
Lord, Susan
Cultural Studies

subject:
Movie theatres
Communities
Independent cinema
Toronto history

abstract: Toronto has long been famous as the film metropolis of Canada, not only because of its production of films but because of its generation of an exemplary form of moviegoing. The formation of its unique filmgoing culture is attributed to the city’s once-flourishing market for film exhibition, which consisted of first-run movie theatres, independent movie theatres, and film festivals. Although first-run, corporate-owned theatres such as Cineplex (which claims a disproportionately large amount of market share) dominate the mainstream market, independent movie theatres have historically and culturally functioned in a unique way and contributed to the city’s vibrant filmgoing culture. Ever since the collapse of Festival Cinema - once the biggest repertory cinema chain in Canada- in 2006, and due to the ascendency of multiplexes and streaming services, independent (indie) cinemas in Toronto have found themselves in crisis, simultaneously facing a major decline in attendance and a dearth of available film content. At the present time, only five indie cinemas remain in business: Fox Theatre, Kingsway Theatre, Revue Cinema, Paradise Theatre and The Royal. This thesis project, which consists of a thesis paper and a documentary film, aims to use the Revue Cinema as a case study. The Revue is the oldest cinema in Toronto and is currently operating as a community-based, not-for-profit organization. This thesis project, Reel Communities: The Contemporary Practice of Independent Movie Theatres in Toronto investigates two major themes: 1) the cultural and social significance of independent cinemas in today’s Toronto; 2) how theatre owners programmers of independent cinemas are adapting their businesses to cope with major shifts in the film industry.

abstract: M.A.


title: A Multiple Perspective Study of Specific Language Impairment and Verbal Communication: Exploring Perceptions of Collaborative Learning

contributor:
Beach, Pamela
Education

subject:
Specific language impairment
Collaborative learning
Phenomenology
Education

abstract: In Canada, a general education classroom teacher will encounter students with speech or language difficulties at some point in their teaching career. As children with disabilities and learning exceptionalities spend more time in inclusive classrooms, it is necessary for general education teachers to expand and modify their instructional and assessment practices as well as differentiate the learning environment to meet a broad range of abilities and needs. The goals of this study were to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and barriers that students with specific language impairment (SLI) encounter during peer collaboration activities, as well as the supports and resources that enable students with SLI to successfully engage and participate in collaborative groupwork. This study utilized a phenomenological approach to explore the perspectives of teachers and speech-language pathologists. The first research question asked: what challenges and barriers do students with SLI encounter during peer collaborative activities in elementary classrooms? The analysis revealed three themes: skill development, impact of social dynamics, and reflections on COVID-19. The second research question posed in this study was: what supports and resources do students with SLI receive from teachers and speech-language pathologists to support verbal communication during collaborative learning? Four main themes were identified: Classroom practices, school and community support, classroom environment, and teacher reflection. Three key suggestions for practice are to develop strong relationships with stakeholders involved in the child’s learning, to provide opportunities for students to build communication skills in a supportive classroom environment, and to use best practices, such as UDL and DI to ensure students’ learning and communication needs are met.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: On the origin, dynamics, and detection of superheavy, ultralight, and composite dark matter.

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject: Dark Matter.

abstract:
In this thesis we explore numerous theoretical and phenomenological ideas in the quest to uncover the nature and workings of dark matter in the universe.

In Chapter 1 we provide a broad introduction to the thesis, introducing many theoretical concepts that will be useful for later chapters.

In Chapter 2 we describe how gravitational fields, specifically those of expanding universes, can lead to the production of particles. This is identified as a mechanism through which dark matter could have been created in the early universe.

In Chapter 3 we explore mechanisms for making very heavy dark matter particles. We identify gravitational wave signatures of such dark matter candidates and motivate gravitational wave detectors as tools for uncovering the fundamental nature of dark matter.

In Chapter 4 we describe how gas clouds located near the center of the Milky Way can act as very sensitive probes of many dark matter candidates, namely milli-charged, dark photon, vector portal, and composite dark matter models. These clouds complement existing terrestrial experiments for dark matter.

In Chapter 5 we show that plastic track detectors mounted on the Skylab space station and underground in the Ohya stone quarry in Japan can help place new constraints on Strongly Interacting Massive Particle models of dark matter. Our work revisits old constraints on such dark matter models and, through a more careful treatment, places stronger constraints on them.

abstract: PhD


title: Art for a N[ot]ation: An Ethics of Curating the Group of Seven and Their Contemporaries

subject:
Group of Seven
Curatorial Studies
Art History
Canadian Art
Curating
Museum Studies

abstract: The familiar and fabled Canadian group of landscape painters known as the Group of Seven and their contemporaries hold a commanding space in a certain national cultural memory. Their legacies are steadily being reconsidered by scholars and curators of Canadian historical art today. This paper deepens the conversations around ethical curating of these canonical Canadian artworks from a settler curator’s perspective. It considers the leading narratives about the Group of Seven, the institutions that supported them, and the exhibitions, programs, and texts that mythologized them. As part of a larger project in research-creation this paper takes an empathic position of not-knowing to responsibly produce an ethical standard for curators of today to proceed in their practices. It does so through a personal investigation of curatorial practice and relationships to modernist Canadian landscape painting by curator Will Boyle who is actively curating an adjacent exhibition called Art for a N[ot]ation (2021). This text presents a series of important moments in the story of the Group of Seven and considers the role of the curator in each rendition. It presents the leading literature on both curatorial methodologies and those curatorial decisions that concern the Group of Seven and other practicing landscape artists of the time. It presents these critical writings in relation to these important moments and meditates on their effect today. It does a deep critical analysis of three fiercely different current and recent exhibitions that in some capacity deal with the legacy of these painters. It does these things to inform the conjunctive exhibition and create a space so that exhibitions of our time can ethically respond to dominant Canadian art histories.

abstract: M.A.


title: Cross-Cultural Cross-Roads: Understanding the Social and Acculturation Experiences of Newcomer Syrian Refugee Students in Toronto, Canada

contributor:
Butler, Alana
Cheng, Liying
Education

subject:
Refugee
Syria
Acculturation
Integration
Social
Language barrier
Child refugee
Education
School
Peer relationship
Discrimination

abstract: Between November 2015 and December 2016, Canada resettled 39,636 Syrian refugees in over 350 communities across the country (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, 2019). In fleeing their home country and resettling in a new sociocultural environment, refugee children cope with many pre- and post-migration stressors and traumatic experiences, must navigate language barriers, and undergo the process of acculturation (Elsayed et al., 2019; Hadfield, Ostrowski, & Ungar, 2017), placing them at risk for developing various mental health problems (Eruyar, Maltby, & Vostanis, 2018). Although supportive peer relationships can help to alleviate such challenges, research indicates that refugee students commonly face peer rejection and social exclusion (Oxman-Martinez et al., 2012), are at risk for victimization and bullying (Scherr & Larson, 2010), and experience frequent racial/ethnic/refugee-based discrimination at school (Li, 2009). Through the bidirectional and bidimensional acculturation perspectives of Sam and Berry (2006) and the acculturation orientations of Berry (1990), this descriptive case study with embedded units sought to understand (1) the social challenges faced by newcomer Syrian refugee students concerning their foreigner/refugee status, race/ethnicity, religion, culture, and linguistic background, (2) factors contributing to their (in)abilities to develop meaningful and supportive school-based peer relationships, and (3) how these social challenges and peer relationship experiences implicated their acculturation and adjustment to school in Canada. Semi-structured independent interviews with four participants, ages 9-14, from a community immigrant resource centre in Toronto, Canada revealed that, although participants felt comparatively happier and safer in Canada than in Syria and previous transit countries, all participants endured significant challenges associated with the language barrier that implicated their social integration and ability to develop friendships with school peers. All participants reported ongoing ethnic/racial and refugee-based bullying and discrimination persisting throughout the first year to two years after resettlement, improving with increased English language proficiency. Three participants reflected characteristics of adopting Berry’s (1990) integration acculturation strategy, with one participant passing through the stages of forced assimilation, separation, and eventual marginalization (Berry, 1990). Study limitations, research implications, and suggestions for educational practice are discussed.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Applications of Remote Sensing for Characterizing Debris Transfer Processes

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

subject:
Terrestrial Laser Scanning
LiDAR
Photogrammetry
Point cloud
Debris flow
Rockfall

abstract:
The transfer of debris by geomorphic processes in mountainous terrain can pose a hazard to the safe operation of linear infrastructure. These geohazards have the potential to cause billions of dollars of economic losses and loss of life. The prediction of occurrence, magnitude, and travel distance of these geohazards still remains a major scientific challenge. An understanding of processes of erosion and deposition during these events are required to better understand these geohazards.

The primary aim of this thesis is to use terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to characterize debris transfer processes along transportation corridors. Long-term TLS scanning campaigns in the Thompson River Valley in British Columbia, Canada was undertaken to investigate these processes and the timeframes over which these cycles can occur.

In the first part of the thesis, a series of three post-glacial river terraces in the Thompson River Valley were investigated. The evolution of these landforms was documented using high-resolution TLS point clouds. Slope process models were then generated of the failure mechanisms contributing to cliff-face failure using change detection across a seven-year TLS record. Depositional patterns and distributions of granular sediment on the talus slope was also investigated.

The second part of the thesis focused on steep catchment monitoring in the White Canyon. A detailed rockfall database of over 72,000 events spanning seven years was generated from TLS change detection. The rockfall database was linked to catchment recharge and transfer processes occurring at this site. The length of the study period was demonstrated to be a key consideration, permitting observations of different periods of heightened geomorphic activity on the study slope. A suite of point cloud tools and techniques were generated to help facilitate these analyses, as reported in the appendices.

The work presented in this thesis has contributed to the need for quantitative field observations in the realm of debris movement research. In addition, this thesis has presented the first work on characterizing the present evolution of post-glacial river terraces in the lower-Thompson River Valley.

abstract: PhD


title: New Approaches for Acoustic Analysis in PICO Dark Matter Searches

rights: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

subject:
Dark Matter
PICO
Bubble Chamber
Acoustic
Statistics
Noise Reduction

abstract: With the search for dark matter well underway among the physics community, the PICO experiment, using superheated fluorocarbons in bubble chambers, has set world-leading limits on the WIMP-proton cross section with multiple detectors. One strength of the PICO experiment is its exceptional background rejection methods, particularly in background events from alpha particles, which produce significantly different acoustic signals than WIMP-like interactions. Furthermore, PICO bubble chambers are almost entirely insensitive to electron recoils, so the majority of background events are caused by neutrons and alphas. This thesis proposes new metrics for acoustic analysis of events for alpha rejection, and introduces new analysis techniques which seek to optimize these metrics. We start by providing motivation for the PICO experiment, as well as for updated monitoring tools for the upcoming PICO40L bubble chamber. The previous acoustic analysis for PICO-60 is covered, motivating new methods in acoustic analysis for alpha rejection. We then introduce relevant metrics for acoustic analysis, as well as new methods for selecting relevant frequencies to optimize these metrics. Finally, a novel attempt to reduce noise levels in the context of alpha rejection is made using spectral filtering.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A Global Investigation of Climate Change and Climate-Related Disasters, Food Insecurity, and Mental Health

contributor:
Davison, Colleen
Public Health Sciences

subject:
Epidemiology
Climate change
Natural disasters
Food insecurity
Mental health

abstract: Background: Climate change is a determinant of both food insecurity (FI) and poor mental health. FI itself also contributes to poor mental health. The relationship among these three variables is poorly understood for adult and youth populations, particularly at the global level. Objectives: Manuscript 1. The objective of this scoping review was to determine how exposure to climate change and climate-related disasters influences the presence of mental disorders among adults in LMICs. Manuscript 2. The objective of this regression analysis was to determine whether climate-related disaster severity modifies the relationship between FI and poor mental health among youth (ages 15-24). Methods: Manuscript 1. We searched the academic and grey literature, using Covidence to facilitate the review. Included studies had an adult-focused LMIC population, climate change or climate-related disaster exposure, and mental disorder outcome. Manuscript 2. Data on FI and mental health came from the Gallup World Poll, a nationally representative survey conducted in 142 countries. Data on climate-related disasters came from the International Disaster Database. Multilevel negative binomial regression was used to calculate relative risk, testing models with and without climate-related disaster severity as a potential interaction term. Results: Manuscript 1. Fifty-eight studies were identified, spanning 11 LMICs. Most found a positive exposure-outcome association. However, several research gaps were identified, including the lack of unexposed group comparisons and underuse of longitudinal designs. Manuscript 2. The sample consisted of 28,292 youth. Those with moderate or severe FI were significantly more likely to report poor mental health compared to those with none/mild FI (moderate: RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.32-1.34; severe: RR 1.60, 95% CI 1.54-1.66). We also observed a very weak yet significant interaction between FI and disaster severity, which suggested that the country-level relationship between FI and poor mental health may be slightly stronger at greater levels of disaster severity. Conclusion: This thesis contributes to a growing field of global health research exploring the conceptual model surrounding climate change, FI, and mental health among adults and youth. As the effects of climate change worsen, a better understanding of this area is essential to ensure that we can support those affected.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Utilizing Knowledge Translation to Enhance Quality Participation in Recreational Sport Programming for Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

contributor:
Latimer-Cheung, Amy
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
quality participation
quality experiences
intellectual disability
developmental disability
sport
knowledge translation

abstract: For children with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD), meaningful inclusion in sport can lead to many physical and psychosocial benefits such as improved motor skills, self-esteem, and social skills. Accordingly, investigators have begun to explore the ways in which sport participation environments should be designed and programs be implemented to promote these valued outcomes for children with IDD. Despite advancements in disability sport research, program providers are not always equipped with the knowledge and resources to ensure they are meeting the needs and participation priorities of children with IDD. To address these needs, our team partnered with Special Olympics Canada – the largest national organization dedicated to providing sport opportunities to persons with IDD – to encourage high-quality, evidence-based sport programming across Canada for children with IDD. Specifically, we engaged in an integrated knowledge translation process to apply and mobilize quality participation evidence to improve the sport experiences of children with IDD participating in Special Olympics Canada Active Start (i.e., ages 2-6 years) and Fundamentals (i.e., ages 7-12 years) sport programs. Informed by the knowledge-to-action framework’s eight-phase action cycle, my thesis work adapted the Canadian Disability Participation Project’s Blueprint for Building Quality Participation to Special Olympics Canada’s context using evidence from a related systematic scoping review as well as insights from Special Olympics Canada provincial Youth Development Coordinators, and Active Start and FUNdamentals program leader training materials. Succeeding this, I assessed the perceived barriers and facilitators of the adapted quality participation knowledge tool from the perspectives of  provincial Youth Development Coordinators. Based on their feedback, two quality participation knowledge tools resulted: (1) the Special Olympics Canada Blueprint for program leader education and (2) the Special Olympics Canada Special Olympics Canada Program Audit and Improvement Tool for program leader self-reflection. Key findings and lessons learned for adapting, assessing and tailoring knowledge are presented to guide future integrated knowledge translation partnerships. By elucidating the phases of the action cycle, we hope to encourage future initiatives geared towards translating knowledge into action in the field of disability and sport.

abstract: M.Sc.