identifier: Harvey, Robert Richard <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Harvey=3ARobert_Richard=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Statistical regression models and control charts for the Real Time Water Quality Network in Newfoundland.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The Newfoundland and Labrador Real Time Water Quality (RTWQ) network was established by the Water Resources Management Division (WRMD) of the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Environment and Conservation in 2001. Digital sensors continuously record water temperature, pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen and stage level for the rivers and streams in the network. This technology is still a relatively new and unfamiliar approach to collecting water quality data in the province. This thesis presents the complete findings of research and development carried out to further enhance the WRMD's capability to work with the RTWQ data in new and innovative ways. -- Statistical regression models for predicting water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels are developed for RTWQ stations owned and operated by the WRMD: Humber River, Peter's River, Leary's Brook and Waterford River. A logistic S-shaped model using air temperature can accurately predict water temperature. An exponential model using water temperature can accurately predict dissolved oxygen. Investigations are also carried out into developing statistical regression models using RTWQ data as a surrogate for grab sample chemical concentrations (alkalinity, chloride, etc.). There is more potential to develop these grab sample regression models for urban rivers than there is for rural rivers. -- Investigations are made into designing statistical process control charts for monitoring the RTWQ data. Modifications to the traditional process control chart need to be made so that it can monitor the highly autocorrelated RTWQ data.


identifier: Guo, Jianhan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Guo=3AJianhan=3A=3A.html>   (1996) Relative and equivariant coincidence theory.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: In this thesis, we develop relative coincidence theory on the complement and equivariant coincidence theory. For two maps f and g from one pair of manifolds (X, A) to another (Y, B), a Nielsen number N(f, g; X- A) is introduced which serves as a homotopy invariant lower bound for the number of coincidence points of f and g on X - A. We provide a method for computing the Nielsen numbers N(f, g) and N(f, g; X- A) when gπ is onto and fπ(π₁(X)) ⊂ J(f). These results are also generalized to manifolds with boundary. -- To estimate the number of coincidence points for equivariant maps, some Nielsen type invariants are developed. These invariants are introduced for the general cases first, and then explored further for the special case, when the fixed point set of the action is nonempty. A method is provided to compute these numbers and give an estimate of the number of coincidence points of a pair of equivariant maps. Finally, minimality is discussed for both relative and equivariant cases and we prove in some cases that these numbers are attainable within the appropriate homotopy classes.


identifier: McCue, Joan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/McCue=3AJoan=3A=3A.html>   (1999) Report of a counselling internship at St. Matthew's School, St. John's, Newfoundland including a research project, implementation and evaluation of a divorce program entitled, When Mom and Dad separate.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This internship component of the Masters of Education (School Psychology) degree program at Memorial University was completed at St. Matthew's School, Cowan Heights, St. John's, Newfoundland. This report has two parts: (1) a placement component and (2) a research component. Outlined in the placement component are: (a) the goals and objectives for the internship and (b) a detailed listing of the activities and learning experiences of the intern. In this placement the intern engaged in individual counselling, group counselling, psycheducational testing, case conferencing and a number of other professionally related activities. The research component involved the delivery of a divorce program, When Mom and Dad Separate (Heegard, 1992), to six students at the primary level. A description of the program used and an assessment of its impact and feasibility is offered.


identifier: Fowler, Christopher G. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Fowler=3AChristopher_G=2E=3A=3A.html>   (1998) Robust estimation of limit loads for cracked components.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The problem of stress corrosion cracking in natural gas pipelines in Central and Western Canada has led to a need for quick, efficient methods of evaluating pipeline integrity based on component geometry and operating parameters. The use of high toughness materials in modern engineering practice requires the application of elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, or limit type analysis, to evaluate defects. This thesis demonstrates the application of two robust finite element techniques, the Gloss R-node method and the mα-method, to finding limit loads for cracked components. Each of the methods relies on linear elastic finite element solutions in conjunction with a modulus adjustment scheme to provide a simple, systematic means for determining failure loads. The techniques are initially applied to standard fracture specimens to gage their effectiveness in analyzing crack geometries. The analysis is then directed to pipe geometries containing longitudinal defects (internal and external) of varying depths and culminates in the analysis of multiple defects typical of stress corrosion crack colonies. The robust limit load results are compared to traditional nonlinear finite element analysis results and analytical solutions, where applicable. The robust techniques consistently provide conservative results which compare well to both nonlinear finite element analysis and analytical solutions.


identifier: Jackson Whittle, Glenda <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Jackson_Whittle=3AGlenda=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Report of a counselling internship at Bishops College including research report on the effectiveness of a three-session workshop for parents to help them assist their teenagers with the career development process.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This report provides an overview of an educational psychology internship at Bishops College, Avalon East School Board. The placement component includes a rationale for the choice of internship route, description of internship setting, specific goals and objectives, a description of the internship activities, and the intern's personal reflections on the internship experience. The research component focuses on an evaluation of the effectiveness of a career development program for parents of senior high students, entitled "Parents As Partners in their teen's career development". The hypothesis that parents would become more informed and involved in selected aspects of the career development process of their teenage children by participating in the three participatory workshops was supported by the research findings. Qualitative data provided further support for the hypothesis. Post-assessment evaluations provided support for the overall effectiveness of the program. Recommendations for future research and career development programming are included.


identifier: Downey, Julie A. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Downey=3AJulie_A=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Perceptions and experiences of women who continue vigorous physical activity during pregnancy.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Despite medical evidence suggesting that exercise during pregnancy does not cause any harm to the developing foetus, anecdotal reports would suggest that many pregnant women are reluctant to exercise. The purpose of this project was to explore the experiences of highly active women who continued with vigorous physical activity during their pregnancy(s), to clarify the reactions of and the advice they received from people around them and how they responded to those reactions. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten pregnant women aged between 30 and 45. Detailed analysis of the interview transcripts identified a number of consistent themes. All of the women viewed exercise as a critical part of their lives and demonstrated a strong exerciser identity. They all reported experiencing negative encounters and limitations being placed on them regarding their exercise behavior during pregnancy. However, all of the women reported that they maintained their vigorous activities throughout their pregnancies in spite of these reactions. Many women reported that they felt that their pregnancy experiences were being medicalized and that they felt pressured to follow their physician's advice and to downgrade their activity levels. All of the women reported that a variety of supports were very important to them continuing with their exercise routine including their spouses, other exercising women, encouraging research, and supportive physicians. These results are discussed with reference to pre-natal education for expectant mothers and their spouses and for professional education for health professionals.


identifier: Cunningham, Amanda Leigh <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Cunningham=3AAmanda_Leigh=3A=3A.html>   (2008) "Small" talk: the form and function of the diminutive suffix in northern east Cree.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Diminutivization is a morphological process that is commonly attested among the world's languages. Though it has been studied in numerous languages belonging to a variety of language families, there has been a limited amount of research conducted on the diminutive in Algonquian. This thesis examines the diminutive suffix in Northern East Cree (NEC), a subdialect of Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi which is a Central Algonquian language spoken in Quebec. Comparisons, where possible, are made with other Algonquian dialects for which there is diminutive data. -- The phonological, semantic, and morphosyntactic properties of the particle, nominal, and verbal diminutive in NEC are described. There is a particular focus on the verbal diminutive, the investigation of which analyzes its distribution by identifying what elements of the sentence (subject, object, and/or verb) it modifies within each of the four Algonquian verb classes. The extent to which the Algonquian diminutive behaves like inflectional morphology is also discussed.


identifier: LeDrew, Holly <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/LeDrew=3AHolly=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Psychometric testing of a scale designed to monitor the psychosocial and behavioral impact of genetic testing for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC): a pilot study.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The purpose of this pilot study was to conduct preliminary psychometric testing on the Hereditary Diseases and Genetic Testing (HD-GT) scale, which was designed to monitor the psychosocial and behavioral impact of genetic testing for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) or Lynch syndrome. The pilot was part of a larger study which is using a descriptive correlational design with longitudinal components to develop, validate and evaluate monitoring tools for individuals with genetic-based diseases. The framework for this study was the substantive theory, Confronting and Accepting the Challenges of Living in Families with Genetic-Linked Diseases (Way et al., 2008). -- The target population was individuals at 50% risk for inheriting HNPCC who had participated in genetic testing and were informed of their carrier status. Survey respondents were recruited from population-based probands comprising the Provincial Medical Genetics Program of Newfoundland and Labrador. Study participants (N = 75) were similar to the target population in terms of personal and illness-related characteristics. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews and self-administered surveys between February and May 2008. -- Psychometric testing of the HD-GT scale was based on the work of Ware and Gandek (1998). Preliminary findings are indicative of good data quality and potential usability of the scale under variant administrative conditions. As well, all of the HD-GT subscales met the criteria for Likert scaling assumptions and evidence very good reliability and validity. -- The various subscales of the HD-GT augment what has been reported in the literature and also provide new insights into the psychosocial and behavioral impact of genetic testing for individuals and families with HNPCC. Study findings suggest that the family history of cancer does have a significant impact on decision-making regarding genetic testing. There are also indications that study respondents place high value on having all potentially at-risk family members participate in genetic testing, but are often challenged trying to convince them to accept the need for testing. -- With regard to the genetic testing process, most respondents placed high value on being emotionally prepared for genetic testing and having appropriate information, but not everyone required health care provider or family/friends support. As well, despite experiencing some emotional difficulty while waiting for test results, not everyone required support prior to and during the receipt of results. Most respondents, however, do place high value on receiving a follow-up letter to reinforce their genetic testing results. -- Most respondents understood the importance attached to being proactive in leading a healthy life and participating in cancer screening. They also believed that there was an increased cancer presence among young people in the family. Finally, most family members, young and old alike, wanted information about HNPCC, and were perceived to understand it, but encountered some difficulties in communicating the information to other family members. -- Study findings indicate that the subscales appear to be sensitive enough to measure the wide-range of psychosocial and behavioral implications of genetic testing. However, due to study limitations, generalizability of the findings is cautioned until the larger study is complete. The findings also provide support for previous research and suggest that more research is needed to inform the practice of genetic counseling. There is also a need for further research into the psychological implications of having an inconclusive test result. -- Finally, study findings have important implications for nursing practice. Competencies required for the effective delivery of genetic services need to be built into the scope of professional nursing practice. If nurses are to work effectively with HNPCC families they must have the appropriate knowledge, education and skills to recognize the features of HNPCC, to take thorough patient and family histories, to provide support, and to coordinate care for these individuals.


identifier: Schofield, Gladys Decker <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Schofield=3AGladys_Decker=3A=3A.html>   (2001) Student nurses' perception of caring in their nursing education program.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This qualitative phenomenological study explored and described how ten second year, Canadian Bachelor of Nursing students perceived and experienced caring within their lived experience of their nursing education program. Interpersonal relationships with patients, instructors/faculty, peers, staff and their own parents played a large role in the students' descriptions. From the data collected through open-ended interviews with each of the students who participated in the study, five themes were identified: 1) A variety of relationships create a caring learning environment; 2) it is important to establish a genuine presence within the relationship; 3) these relationships often provide support or help to the individuals involved; 4) time is required for caring; and 5) reciprocity is often a result. The students expressed a range of views on the influence of factors such as gender, previous educational background and their place of origin or geographical location. Students also gave examples of how a caring learning environment improved their learning outcomes.


identifier: Moores, Corwyn E. W. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Moores=3ACorwyn_E=2E_W=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2001) Shaft and blade load measurements on a highly skewed propeller model in ice.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Recent work pertaining to shipping traffic in Arctic and Sub Arctic regions has resulted in an increased understanding of the loading experienced by the propulsion systems of vessels equipped with highly skewed propellers. Testing completed on model propellers using conventional shaft load measurements indicates that the loading experienced in ice is substantially greater than that experienced in open water. -- The research described herein was completed with the intention of determining the loading experienced by an individual highly skewed blade during the ice interaction process. It documents the results of a series of ice milling tests using a highly skewed propeller model. This 4-bladed model was designed to be tested in the ice tank at the National Research Council of Canada's Institute for Marine Dynamics (IMD). In this series of tests, loads experienced by an individual blade, as well as the conventionally measured shaft loads, were recorded. The blade loads were measured using a purpose built, hub-mounted dynamometer to which one propeller blade was mounted. Testing was completed over a range of pitch settings for the controllable pitch blades, including design, reduced and reverse settings. As well, tests at a range of ice cut depths and advance ratios were conducted to observe the effect of each of these on the blade loads. -- Results from the ice milling tests indicated that during the ice milling event the blade attached to the dynamometer experienced maximum peak loads that were substantially higher than 1/4 of the maximum shaft loads. During the tests, the maximum loads in most cases were observed in the design condition. However, relative increases in load due to ice when compared to the open water loads were seen to rise as the pitch was reduced from the design case. Ice loading effects on the maximum resultant bending moment at the blade root, a common design criterion, were also observed to be significantly higher than the open water case. Based on these observations it is concluded that the regulations for propeller design based on the loading experienced during design pitch operation in open water, with allowances for ice interaction, should be reconsidered for a more detailed design based on ice loading tests. -- In addition to the ice milling tests, a series of compression tests were also performed to determine the effect of temperature and strain rate on the model ice used for the model propeller tests. Results from these tests indicate that EG/AD/S model ice follows a similar stress versus strain rate pattern as fresh and salt water ice. This result lends credence to its use as the modeling medium for propeller ice interaction, where strain rates are higher than in other types of ice-structure interaction phenomena.


identifier: Wheeler, Julia A. C. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Wheeler=3AJulia_A=2E_C=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Spruce-seedbed interactions: is there facilitation of recruitment in the boreal forest-alpine tundra ecotone? (Mealy mountains, Labrador, Canada).  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: As climates warm, black spruce (Picea mariana) is expected to expand its range into alpine tundra. Ecological factors such as seedbed and predation may influence recruitment on regional scales. In the boreal forest, seedbed-seedling competition dominates but in the climatically-stressed Mealy Mountains forest-tundra ecotone (Labrador, Canada) the Stress Gradient Hypothesis (SGH) predicts facilitation as the dominant plant interaction. We investigated mechanisms of seedbed facilitation (temperature, water, nutrients, physical structure) in Pleurozium schreberi, Cladina spp., and mineral soil, and examined links between predation and seedbed. Pleurozium seedbeds had strong positive effects on seedling growth (30.9%) and survival (55%). Conversely, seedlings recruited poorly on mineral soil, with lowest growth (20.5%) and survival (26%). Seed emergence was highest on Pleurozium (6.3%), and lowest on Cladina (0.3%). The physical structure of Pleurozium likely protects seedlings from exposure, temperatures extremes and predators. As climates warm and seed availability increases, Pleurozium may facilitate black spruce expansion.


identifier: Staveley, Helene <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Staveley=3AHelene=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Playful citizens: utopian intersections of play, sex and citizenship in contemporary Canadian fiction.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: “Playful Citizens” explores the contemporary novel, especially as written by Canadians, in terms of how it deals with ideas about play, game, and sex, and how it relates these ideas to constructions of civic responsibility. Considered as strategies for human interaction, play, game and sex act within fiction to situate the citizen at a troubled intersection where pleasure challenges responsibility. Playful or “ludic” activities arbitrarily conflate opposites and straddle boundaries because it is diverting, interesting, and vitalizing to do so: “fun.” Ludic activities challenge “responsibilities” almost by definition, and indeed the ludic and the civic test each other’s limits in Margaret Atwood’s Lady Oracle (1981) and Blind Assassin (2000), Nicole Brossard’s Baroque d'Aube (1995) and Desert Mauve (1987), George Bowering’s Caprice (1987), Thomas King’'s Green Grass, Running Water (1993), Gail Scott’s Heroine (1987), Lisa Moore’s Alligator (2005), and in British writer Jeanette Winterson’s PowerBook (2000). The interaction of the ludic with the civic enacts a reconfiguration of power dynamics in these narratives, even as it permits a profusion of alternate fictional worlds to burst into existence. Taken together, the reconfiguration of power and the multiplicity of alternate worlds gesture unmistakably towards the “real” human potential for Utopia. -- The texts of interest for this project are metafictions and künstlerromans, both of which tend to construct the world of human experience as malleable. Similarly, both often model “the human” through figures of writers, readers, and other makers and users of art. The above-listed narratives configure the pressing task of transforming reality and/or the world as “belonging to” the arts as the discipline most likely to inspire change. They also configure the transformative task as volatile given the malleability of the world and the metonymic plasticity of those who shape worlds in art. Deployed exegetically or diegetically, metaphors for interacting with or intervening in world-hood become, variously, sexual in Winterson and Brossard, and playful in Atwood and Brossard; meanwhile, in Atwood, Bowering, King, Scott and Moore, the sexual and the ludic combine to produce a highly-charged trickster aesthetic that governs both artistic and civic worlds. -- When Canadian narratives intertwine ideas about citizenship with ideas about sex and play, they move beyond the agonistic values of the West's individualist cultural models and power economies. The interaction of these ideas produces texts that challenge the limits of narrative and of quotidian political engagement, that interrogate regions of acceptability and of suspicion. Canadian narratives that confront the civic with the ludic explore human experience as reciprocal and inescapably contingent with collective experience. Sketching worlds that play with competitive power dynamics, they re-imagine the dynamics of human interaction as binding critique to hope, producing a volatile, ambivalent, and indelibly ironic Utopian potential.


identifier: Melnik, Mary Edith <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Melnik=3AMary_Edith=3A=3A.html>   (2007) Salmon Net (EfAx-25): an investigation of Groswater material culture stylistic variability in Newfoundland.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This research examines the issue of Groswater material culture stylistic variability in Newfoundland. An excavation of the Salmon Net site, located on the east coast of the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland outside the town of Conche, introduced the possibility that Groswater lithic assemblages could be stylistically mixed and/or more variable than researchers previously proposed. The excavation produced a Groswater lithic assemblage that included a mix of stylistically "typical" and "variant" material culture as well as a unique "Salmon Net-type" of endblade. Prior to this investigation Renouf (2005) first noticed and defined Groswater Palaeoeskimo stylistically variability exclusively as the difference between Phillip's Garden East, which generated a stylistically "typical" Groswater assemblage and Phillip's Garden West, which generated a stylistically "variant" Groswater assemblage. -- Ten Groswater assemblages from Newfoundland were analyzed to determine whether a stylistically "mixed" assemblage like Salmon Net, or stylistically uniform assemblages like Phillip's Garden East or Phillip's Garden West (Renouf 2005), is characteristic of Newfoundland Groswater assemblages. The conclusion is that material culture stylistic variability is a defining feature of Newfoundland Groswater assemblages. Consequently, material culture stylistic variability must factor into our understanding of Groswater society. Three possible explanations for material culture stylistic variability are discussed.


identifier: Perry, Jill Rosamund <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Perry=3AJill_Rosamund=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Phonological/phonetic assessment of an English speaking adult with dysarthria.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis investigates errors made by an English speaking dysarthric adult within a nonlinear phonological framework, assuming a phonetics/phonology interface model. The question to be investigated is how dysarthria fits within linguistic theory, more specifically, within the nonlinear phonetics/phonology interface model. 25 taped-recorded, phonetically transcribed and acoustically analyzed statements served as the database. The subject produced longer voiced fricatives, longer lax, low and [I] vowels. Statement, schwa length and intensity were normal, but the subject produced smaller standard deviations and relative range frequencies (flattened intonational patterns). Weakly articulated consonants were more likely to be voiced and not equally spread among different places or manners of articulation. Consonant omissions were more likely to occur in coda position but this has a phonetic explanation. Dysarthria is a superficial disorder at the level of motor implementation that affects phonological and phonetic implementation rules alike. The output of categorial rules, language-specific phonemic and phonetic rules are equally (and mildly) deviant.


identifier: Hann, Yvonne D. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Hann=3AYvonne_D=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2009) "Royal wench" : investigating gender and power in the Antony and Cleopatra plays of the English Renaissance.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: In 1592, Mary Sidney Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke, published her dramatic version of the Antony and Cleopatra story, Antonius. In fairly quick succession, Samuel Daniel and Samuel Brandon published their own versions, The Tragedie of Cleopatra (1594) and The Tragicomeodi of the Vertuous Octavia (1598), of the ancient and tragic tale of love and politics. This study is an investigation into how these particular plays, using the same source story, illustrate the complex issues of gender and power in early modern England. In particular, I focus on how each writer's construction of the figures of Cleopatra and Antony illuminates how Renaissance cultural constructions of gender and power were made even more complex with the presence of Elizabeth I on the throne. Pembroke's Antonius seeks to subvert the cultural definitions of gender and power. Daniel uses his play to undermine the subversion of gender roles that Pembroke presents by returning to the figures of Antony and Cleopatra the traits with which they were invested in early modern culture. Brandon also resists the alternate reading of gender and power found in Antonius by presenting a positive vision of female power, Octavia, who reasserts the cultural definitions of gender and power. Brandon also explores more intensely the issues of power itself; that is, he moves from issues of gender and power to the issue of a ruler as a private and public person regardless of gender. My study also examines how changes in the power structure affect the use of the Antony and Cleopatra story. William Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra (1606-1608) and Thomas May's The Tragedy of Cleopatra: Queen of Aegypt (1626), and John Dryden's All For Love (1678), all written after the death of Elizabeth I, reveal that the ancient source story continued to be a relevant text for political investigation regardless of the gender of the monarch. By examining the ways in which these plays interact with the cultural constructions of gender and power and how they interact with each other, this study illustrates the complex relationship of literature  and culture as well as literature with literature.


identifier: Robidoux, Michael A. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Robidoux=3AMichael_A=2E=3A=3A.html>   (1999) Power-play : critical considerations of the meaningful universe of professional hockey.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Professional hockey is an industry teeming with paradox: it is a game that is worked; it involves men behaving as boys; and it is where professional development inhibits personal growth. This seven month ethnographic investigation of a professional hockey team enabled me to observe players in their working environment and the manner in which they express themselves in the labour process. The study illustrates that individual success depends on players devoting themselves entirely to the "game" and to their "team," and thus, players voluntarily accede to a system whereby their own labour power is exploited for capitalist gain. It is evident that players are cognizant of their unfavourable predicament within the labour process-which is generally dismissed as being "part of the job"-but they respond accordingly by constructing their own system of meanings within the workplace, allowing them the sensations of power and dominance. -- It is this system of meanings, or this "constructed universe" that is significant, as it serves to create and perpetuate both occupational and personal identities. By constructing this sphere outside of the corporate hegemony, the players have established an exclusive domain where existing behavioural patterns dictate "norms" within the "world of hockey." These norms draw from a physically superior, white, heterosexual male model which discriminates against all other experience: whether it be in terms of ethnicity, gender, class, occupation, or any other classification. As a result, the process of empowerment is essentially a reductive force in the players' lives, undermining any substantial challenge to their compromised position within this occupational community.


identifier: Bromberek, Marek <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Bromberek=3AMarek=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Phase transitions in K₁₋x(NH₄)xH₂PO₄ single crystals.  PhD thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: An apparatus for growing single crystals from aqueous solution by the slow evaporation method was constructed. Mixed crystals of K₁₋x (NH₄) x H₂PO₄ (KADP) with (NH₄)H₂PO₄ (ADP) fractions of 0.021 and 0.12 were successfully grown. Their composition was determined by means of the x-ray powder diffraction method. This analysis also suggests that those crystals are a mixture of two phases even at room temperature. The details of the structure of the additional phase could not be determined. -- The dielectric constant ε of the mixed crystals as well as pure KH₂PO₄ (KDP) was measured along the polar axis in the temperature range from 20 K to 300 K. The frequency range of the applied electric field was from 100 Hz to 10 MHz. The data were analyzed by means of the standard Landau theory of phase transitions with coupling terms reflecting the interaction between the electric and elastic degrees of freedom. The temperature dependence of ε follows a typical Curie-Weiss behavior in the range of approximately 30 K above Tc for all crystals studied. The value of the critical temperature decreases with increasing ammonium ion content in agreement with previously published results. The analysis of the frequency dependence of the dielectric susceptibility clearly indicates the existence of two dispersion processes: resonant and relaxational. The former is attributed to the piezoelectric activity of all the crystals studied. The latter is the result of the response of the permanent dipole moments present in ferroelectric crystals to the applied electric field. In the case of mixed crystals the relaxational dispersion is characterized by a distribution of relaxation times. Its mean relaxation time as well as its width increases with decreasing T. This is a typical behavior for mixed crystals for which the two end members of the solid solution in their pure form undergo ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phase transitions, respectively. This behavior is a result of competing long range interactions. -- New results for the temperature dependence of the CE/66 and CE/11 elastic constants of the crystals were obtained by means of the Brillouin spectroscopy. In addition to that the soft acoustic mode behaviour was also studied by means of the piezoelectric resonance method. Both of them gave qualitatively similar results which also correlate very well with the dielectric measurements. All major differences could be explained by assuming an inhomogeneous distribution of the ammonium ions in the KDP matrix. The Brillouin results were also analyzed by means of the Landau theory. It approximates very well the temperature dependence of the CE/66 elastic constant in the paraelectric phase region for all crystals studied. The measured values of CE/66 below Tc are in general lower than those predicted by the model. The greater the NH₄ content the bigger the discrepancy. -- Moreover, the analysis of the temperature dependence of the CE/66 elastic constant indicates the existence of a new phase in the mixed materials. Its stability region broadens with increasing NH₄ concentration. For the crystal with the highest ammonium concentration studied it coincides with the dielectric plateau region between 70 K and 55 K. At temperatures below the plateau region the K₀.₈₈(NH₄)₀.₁₂H₂PO₄ sample scattered the laser light very strongly. This is most likely caused by defects and sample inhomogeneities but annealing the sample for two hours at 400 K does not result in any significant change.


identifier: Belbin, Victoria Page Sparkes <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Belbin=3AVictoria_Page_Sparkes=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Regional governance and the Newfoundland fishery.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: A problem with the existing governance structure in the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) fishery is the scant opportunity for communities and regional economic development groups to have input into policy and development initiatives (Jentoft & McCay, 1995). Research shows that status quo governance does not appear to be working. The current fisheries governance structure favours key stakeholders: the harvesters (as represented by the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW)) and the processing industry (processors and associations), and does not provide a formal avenue for local innovation and knowledge input. As a result, fisheries policy and fishing industry development continue to evolve, disconnected from long-term regional economic development planning. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and review the historical development and current formal governance structure of NL's fishing industry, its current state, and regional dimensions. Looking to the future, the governance process shows signs of movement toward more of a co-management approach; however, movement is slow and not widely embraced by industry players. Examining two current regional (multi-community) fisheries models from elsewhere (Quebec and Faroe Islands of Denmark) may reveal governance options for the fishery in this province. This examination may show why co-management approach has been slow to take in Newfoundland and Labrador. Due to the fact there is little history of collaboration at the local/community/regional/provincial/federal governance levels, there is no desire to support such partnerships.


identifier: Avery, Jennifer Lea <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Avery=3AJennifer_Lea=3A=3A.html>   (1998) Peripubertal defeminization of hepatic cytochromes P-450 2C11 and 3A2 by testicular steroids in the absence of neonatal defeminization.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: We studied the ability of testicular secretions to either defeminize (represented as an increase in basal specific activity), or masculinize (represented as an ability to respond to adult testosterone administration), the sex-specific P-450s 2C11 and 3A2, in the absence of neonatal defeminization. Neonatal defeminization of these P-450s is suspected to occur via androgen-derived estrogens. Defeminization was successfully prevented by subcutaneous insertion of Silastic™ capsules containing the aromatase blocker l,4,6-androstatriene-3,17-dione (ATD), from day 0 (birth) to day 21 (weaning), in the male rat The testes remained in situ from birth to day 21,35,55, 70, or death. Animals castrated on day 21 or 55 received either testosterone therapy (2 mg/kg/day, s.c, in corn oil) for 14 days, beginning on day 70, or received no testosterone therapy. All animals were killed on day 70 or 84. -- The neonatal ATD treatment blocked the normal increase in basal ethylmorphine demethylase (EMDM), 6β-hydroxylase, 2α-hydroxylase, and 16α-hydroxylase specific activity, seen in adulthood. Although ATD prevented the neonatal defeminization as noted by a permanent increase in basal activity, both P-450 isozymes were responsive to testosterone in adulthood, either partially (EMDM), or completely (6α, 2α-, 16α-hydroxylase). -- The intact testes from birth to death, in the ATD-treated male, effected a permanent increase in the basal activities of EMDM, as well as the 6β-, 2α-, and 16α-hydroxylations on testosterone. This treatment also effected a 100% recovery (i.e. intact male activity) of EMDM activity, when stimulated by testosterone in adulthood. The permanent increase in EMDM basal activity, is most likely completed by day 55, as there was no difference in specific activity between the day 55 castrate, and the day 70 castrate. Of the hydroxylations of testosterone, we demonstrate that castration on day 55 results in significantly higher specific activities of these isozymes, then castration on day 70. -- We also report significant sex differences (males > females) in aniline hydroxylase activity, cytochrome P-450 content, and cytochrome c reductase activity. We do not attribute the above results to differences in P-450 content or reductase activity. The 7α-hydroxylation of testosterone (P-450 2A1) was sexually differentiated (females > males). We demonstrated that the elimination of estrogens throughout the life of the male (ATD treated and castrated on day 21), prevented the feminization (increase in basal activity) of 7α-hydroxylase, following castration. -- These results demonstrate that puberty is a very dynamic process, resulting in changing characteristics of these sex-specific P-450s. Puberty is also a time when these basal enzyme activities, as well as the responsiveness of EMDM to adult testosterone therapy, can be permanently defeminized, in the absence of neonatal defeminization.


identifier: Pira, Rahim S. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Pira=3ARahim_S=2E=3A=3A.html>   (1998) Supporting asynchronous telemedicine : electronic mail vs. the world wide web vs. replicated databases.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Telemedicine has been presented as the "holy grail" for rural and remote regions yet many commercially available applications ignore the limitations faced by clinicians in these areas, in terms of the information carrying capacity of the communication mediums available, or have not considered the user model of the consultation process. This research investigates the development of a robust, efficient, low-data rate teleconsultation application that provides the "best fit" with users' models of the consultation process appropriate for rural and remote regions. The results indicate that teleconsultation applications should adopt an asynchronous operational model where the patient medical data closely resembles the traditional paper-based medical record.


identifier: Pan, Jianhua <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Pan=3AJianhua=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Simplification and error analysis for moving finite element methods.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: In this thesis, the one dimentional moving finite element (MFE) scheme of Miller is analyzed and simplified. -- We show how the MFE scheme can lead to a decoupled system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations for node placement and corresponding amplitude of approximate solution. -- For a scheme with penalty terms, the simplified MFE scheme leads to nonlinear ordinary differential system with respect to mesh points and a separate system of differential equations related to solution values at each mesh point. -- We also establish simplified scheme for Gradient Weighted Moving Finite Element method. The resulting ordinary differential equations are completely decouple, and partly decouple when penalty terms are added into the scheme. -- The error analysis for application of MFE scheme to linear partial differential equations is discussed. An a posteriori error estimate is derived. It provides insight into overall accuracy of the approximate solution. -- We also combine MFE with the moving mesh method of Russell. Specifically, we couple the equation for mesh points from Russell's method with the one for solution of PDE in simplified MFE. This combination allows for the application of the MFE scheme without an explicit selection of a penalty function. -- Finally, results from a set of numerical experiments are presented. These demonstrate both the reduced computational cost and improved stability of the simplified MFE method.


identifier: Hughes, Nicole A. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Hughes=3ANicole_A=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Planning the restructuring of long-term care : the demand, need and provision of institutional long-term care beds in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The demand for long-term care (LTC) services in Canada is increasing because the population is aging. In Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) nursing homes (NHs) and supervised care (SC) facilities provide long-term care. There may be a mismatch between the provision of LTC beds and the needs of clients. To compare the type and annual rate of clients seeking placement to LTC, incident annual cohorts (N=1496) in five provincial health regions within Newfoundland and Labrador were compared using objective measures of disability, the Alberta Resident Classification Scores (ARCS) and the Resource Utilization Groups (RUGs 111). Client's need was assessed using a decision tree and optimal distribution of LTC beds determined. Regional incidence rates by disability of clients were compared, and whether these differences were associated with differences in the rate of supervised care (SC) or nursing home (NH) beds provided. -- Within the four regions of Newfoundland little difference was observed in degree of disability, but Labrador clients differed from the island regions in age, degree and type of disability. Annual rate of presentation for LTC differed by region, with the highest incidence rate of LTC clients in regions with highest rates of supervised care (SC) beds and lowest rates of nursing home (NH) beds. -- Thirty four % of applicants for LTC were referred for supervised care placement and sixty six % for nursing home. However, seven % had no functional disability being independent for activities of daily living, were continent and without cognitive impairment (CI). Fifteen % of clients recommended for nursing home had no indicators for nursing home. A decision tree suggested that optimal placement was seven % to supportive housing, thirty four % to supervised care, 17% to supervised care for cognitive impairment, and 42% to nursing home. -- In NL, a large component of institutional LTC is nursing homes, whereas the major need is for appropriate supervised care for those with modest disability, with or without cognitive impairment. Different approaches to restructuring of long term care in each region are necessary because of differences in rates of presentation for LTC and availability of nursing home and appropriate supervised care beds.


identifier: Adams, Viva <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Adams=3AViva=3A=3A.html>   (1998) Report of an internship conducted at Menihek High School Labrador City, Newfoundland including a research component on the implementation and evaluation of a solution-focused brief counselling program.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This report describes a thirteen week internship completed at Menihek High School, Labrador City, Newfoundland to fulfill the requirements for the completion of a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology. Chapter 1 outlines the internship proposal, which includes the rationale for the internship, a description of the setting, duration of the internship, supervision, and the internship objectives. Chapter 2 provides a description of the activities participated in during the internship. These activities included: individual and group counselling, attending workshops, career counselling and development, consultation with community professionals, case conferences, psycho-educational assessments, computer activities, research and reading, and supervision activities. Chapter 3, the research component, consists of a report of the implementation and evaluation of a Solution-Focused Brief Counselling program. The purpose of the study was to measure the effect of the program on goal attainment and self-esteem. Results indicated that there was significant progression towards goal attainment and an increase in the students' self-esteem. Chapter 4 concludes the report with a summary and recommendations.


identifier: Scott, Mark <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Scott=3AMark=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Phonological sketch of Mushuau Innu (Davis Inlet Naskapi).  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The thesis, using data collected by José Mailhot in 1971, sketches the distribution of phones and their assignment to phonemes in the phonology of Mushuau Innu (Davis Inlet Naskapi), an Algonquian language spoken in north-eastern Labrador, which belongs to the Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi (CMN) language complex. Mushuau Innu phonology is described in linear and non-linear terms: processes are described in Sound Pattern of English-style phonology; feature-geometry and syllable structure are then used to elucidate these processes further. Metrical theory is used to describe stress assignment. The Obligatory Contour Principle is invoked to explain epenthesis. Sonority Sequencing is used to determine the status (segmental versus cluster) of complex phones. Syllable structure and underspecification are used to account for alternation between [n] and [y]; this alternation is then shown to cause optional insertion of [n] before initial /i/ (prothetic [n]). Some comparison between the phonologies of Mushuau Innu and related CMN dialects is given.


identifier: Davis, Michele <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Davis=3AMichele=3A=3A.html>   (1998) Student achievement motivation : single or multiple goals?  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Two hundred senior high students completed a motivation questionnaire. Responses were subjected to a factor analysis which was followed by a series of Pearson correlations between the resultant factor scores and measures of positive and negative emotions, affect, strategy use, perceptions of the classroom environment and preference for challenge. Responses were also subjected to a cluster analysis followed by a series of between-group contrasts with each of the motivational constructs as the dependent variable and cluster membership as the independent variable. The majority of research investigating achievement motivation has used correlation and regression techniques. The use of factor analytic-correlational methodology has provided valuable information regarding the relationship between student motivation and subsequent behavior. Researchers who have used this method have focused on students as pursuing one of two goals - mastery or performance goals. Research (Seifert, 1995; Seifert & Bulcock, 1996) is now suggesting that this focus on correlation and regression techniques tends to ignore the possible interactions of goals. The use of cluster analysis has provided evidence that students are pursuing multiple goals and that these students engage in behaviors specific to their goal pursuits (Meece, 1994; Seifert, 1995). It was argued that evidence for the existence of subgroups of students within the performance orientation is apparent in earlier works examining students' pursuit of mastery and performance goals. Also suggested was the possibility that research on learned helplessness and performance impairment has provided more evidence for the existence of subgroups. The factor analytic-correlational methodology was compared to the cluster analysis with between-groups contrasts to determine if there is agreement between these two methods. Results indicated that the two methodologies yield slightly different interpretations of the data. It was concluded that cluster analysis may provide additional insight into achievement goal theory.


identifier: Khalifa, Mohamed <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Khalifa=3AMohamed=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Selection of an optimal, non-destructive inspection technique for welded components.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The objective of this work is to select an optimum Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) technique and its associated inspection interval for welded components subjected to cyclic loading. -- The objective function (total cost) is formulated as a function of the decision variables (controllable) and condition of the inspected asset (uncontrollable). Total cost consists of inspections cost and repairs cost over the lifetime and risk of failure as a result of the failure to detect a growing crack before it reaches a critical size. The decision variables are the reliability of the NDI technique and the inspection interval. Two main parameters are used to quantify the reliability of the NDI techniques. These are the Probability of Detection function (POD) and the Probability of False Calls, (PFC). Condition of the inspected asset is represented by the probability of the presence of a crack in the inspected asset at inspection time and the expected time to failure. The objective function is minimized for different NDI techniques subject to a safety constraint: that the probability of failure as a result of failure to detect a growing crack before it reaches the critical size does not exceed a predefined limit. The minimum values of the objective functions for all candidate NDI techniques are compared to determine the optimal NDI technique and its associated inspection interval.


identifier: Kelly, Michael C. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Kelly=3AMichael_C=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Sinking food supply : does composition, diversity, or quantity of food supply influence macroinfaunal communities?  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The role that food supply may play in determining patterns of biodiversity of shallow-water benthic macrofaunal communities is not well understood. This work tests the hypotheses that different types, diversity, and amount of phytodetrital material will attract different species and diversity of colonizing fauna. In situ experimental enrichment patches were created on the muddy seafloor at 20 m depth in a small cove in Bonne Bay, Newfoundland. Separate experiments tested the importance of different types and amounts of phytodetritus by gently syringing material onto otherwise undisturbed sediment. Push core samples were collected by divers 1 week and 5 weeks after enrichment and the experiments were repeated during the summer and the fall to test the importance of different seasons. Ambient fauna were also sampled with push cores at approximately two-week intervals through the summer and early fall. A strong seasonal signal was detected within the macrofaunal community with significant abundance increases during the study period, and there was also evidence of a strong recruitment event. Nonetheless, the composition of the phytodetrital food pulses tested had little effect on macrofaunal community diversity, structure and species composition at this site. Varying amounts of phytodetrital pulse showed reduced species diversity with increased enrichment, but this response was rapid and quickly disappeared, suggesting that food patches are rapidly utilized and short lived. The rapid utilization of phytodetrital patches may be characteristic of productive Newfoundland waters, and the absence of a specialized response to phytodetritus by Bonne Bay macrofaunal communities suggests they may be less food limited than many other benthic environments.


identifier: Smith, Duane <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Smith=3ADuane=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Social interaction patterns in classrooms where computers were used extensively : a case study in a predominantly Inuit school.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of social interaction patterns that emerged in schools where there was a predominance of Inuit learners and computers were used extensively. Five high school teachers and their students, selected from a predominantly Inuit school on the north coast of Labrador. Canada, constituted the participants from which the data were collected. Data collection procedures were qualitative in nature and included classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. All data were coded and analyzed. -- An analysis of the variables which influenced the degree of social interaction revealed two general patterns: cooperation and competition. Classrooms where computers were used extensively were predominantly cooperative in nature. The results indicated that there was less teacher-student friction: more individual, teacher attention for students: students helped students, as well as their teachers; teachers helped other teachers: and computers were personified as assistants. However, the sharing of computers by students was found to be a result of necessity. Competition was present because there were too few computers for the number of students in attendance. -- Recommendations were made to give local stakeholders in education an opportunity to facilitate more effective computer utilization in predominantly Inuit schools.


identifier: Rogers, Frederick <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Rogers=3AFrederick=3A=3A.html>   (1999) Prediction of dynamic bending stresses of ships at sea.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: A new method for the prediction of a ship's dynamic bending stresses at sea is presented and examined in this paper. The method uses a ship's heave and pitch motion to determine the dynamic bending moment at a point along the ship's length. This can be combined with the known still water bending moment, and known ship sectional properties to determine deck and keel stresses. A combination of mathematical modeling, the random decrement, and neural network techniques have been used to determine the relationship between ship motion and bending moment, without any prior knowledge of the wave excitation level. -- To test this method, two sets of model experiments have been used. One set from a Great Lakes bulk carrier, the other from a Canadian patrol frigate. In each experiment, the mean and variance of the bending moment have been successfully predicted, demonstrating this method as a valid approach.


identifier: Molloy, Susan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Molloy=3ASusan=3A=3A.html>   (2001) Ship powering prediction using load varying self-propulsion tests.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: A method for predicting full-scale ship power performance from model load-varying test data is presented. It has been named E2001. Although presented here for a conventional twin screw icebreaker, E2001 is also being developed as an alternative to conventional ITTC 1978 based methods for ships fitted with unconventional propulsors, including those using podded propulsion systems. The method uses the load varying tests in isolation of resistance and propeller open water tests. Values of a form factor, a resistance and a thrust deduction fraction are found from an analysis of the under/overload tests. The effects of using different friction lines are included in the analysis. A discussion of the choice of appropriate correlation coefficients is provided. A final form of the method is given for the data used. Comparisons are made between the results of the extrapolation done using both the E2001 and ITTC 1978 methods and the corresponding full-scale trials.


identifier: Huxter, John R. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Huxter=3AJohn_R=2E=3A=3A.html>   (1998) Spatial learning and map orientation in the rat : an investigation of the role of point of entry, visual cues, and path integration, using behavioural probes and place cell recordings.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a stable point of entry (POE) is required for rats to solve a spatial learning problem in a curtain-enclosed environment containing a large visual cue panel, and to use both behavioural measures and place cell recordings to determine the basis of these solutions. Ten of sixteen male Long Evans rats learned to locate the baited corner of a square box, regardless of whether they had a fixed or randomly varying POE through the curtain, suggesting that a fixed POE is not necessary for learning on this type of dry-land appetitive task. Probe trials revealed that the rats could use either their internal sense of direction or the visual cue to locate the goal, but rarely used the cue unless explicit measures were taken to disorient them. Disorientation only led to cue use if the animals were also deprived of access to a view of the room prior to passage through the curtain, suggesting that the rats' orientation was being obtained from room geometry. The rats did not seem to be calling up new maps with an orientation anchored to the POE. Place fields maintained stable positions across trials in the box, unless cue rotation was combined with disorientation, in which case fields rotated by an amount corresponding with the rotation of the cue. These results provide converging lines of evidence that rats prefer to use their internal sense of direction in this type of problem, but are willing to rely on visual cues if they have been perceptibly disoriented.


identifier: Nazir, Muddassir <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Nazir=3AMuddassir=3A=3A.html>   (2007) Quantitative risk assessment of a marine riser: an integrated approach.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This work presents an integrated risk assessment methodology for structural failure of a marine riser and the consequent release of oil causing ecological risks to marine life. -- A simple, but efficient methodology for fatigue reliability assessment of a vertical top-tensioned rigid riser is proposed. The fatigue damage response is considered as a narrow-band Gaussian stationary random process with a zero mean for the short-term behavior. However, non-linearity in a response associated with Morison-type wave loading is accounted for by using a factor, which is the ratio of expected damage according to a non-linear probability distribution to the expected damage according to a linear method of analysis. Long-term non-stationary response is obtained by summing up a large number of short-term stationary responses. Uncertainties associated with both strength and stress functions of the limit state are quantified by a lognormal distribution. A closed form reliability analysis is carried out, which is based on the limit state function formulated in terms of Miner's cumulative damage rule. The results thus obtained are compared with the well-documented lognormal format of reliability analysis based on time to fatigue failure. The validity of selecting a lognormal hazard rate function for fatigue life is discussed. A Monte Carlo simulation technique is also used as a reliability assessment method. A simple algorithm is used to reduce the large uncertainty associated with direct sampling. Uncertainty arises in the direct sampling technique because of using a small number of simulations in calculating small failure probabilities. A worked example is included to show the practical riser design problem based on reliability analysis. -- As a part of the ecological risk assessment, a fugacity-based methodology is presented to predict the multimedia fate of spilled oil in a marine environment. A level IV (dynamic) fugacity-based methodology coupled with weathering processes is presented. A two-compartment system, comprised of water and sediment, is used to explore the fate of oil. During a spill, oil is entrained into the water column due to natural dispersion, which is considered as the primary input source to the water compartment. Direct input to the sediment compartment is assumed negligible. However, the water column acts as a source to the sediment compartment. Unlike the conventional multimedia modelling approach, the impact area is not predefined; rather the oil slick spreading process determines the contaminated area growth. Naphthalene is used as an indicator for oil. To demonstrate the application of the proposed methodology, simulations for a batch spill scenario of Statfjord oil are also presented. The current study suggests that the water compartment response to the chemical input is faster than the sediment compartment. The major fate processes identified are advection and volume growth in water and sediment, respectively. -- The current study has used the U.S. EPA ecological risk assessment (ERA) framework to estimate the effects on marine life due to underwater release of oil and gas from a broken riser. This approach combines the hydrodynamics of underwater blowout, weathering algorithms, and multimedia fate and transport to measure the exposure concentration. Uncertainties related to multimedia input parameters are incorporated in the analysis. The 95th percentile of the exposure concentration (EC95% ) is taken as the representative exposure concentration (as a conservative value). A bootstrapping method is utilized to characterize EC 95% and associated uncertainty. Toxicity data available in the literature are used to calculate the 5th percentile of the 'predicted no observed effect concentration' (PNEC5% ) using bootstrapping. The risk is characterized based on the cumulative distribution of risk quotient (RQ), which is defined as the ratio of EC 95% , to PNEC5%. -- This thesis describes a probabilistic basis for the ERA, which is essential from risk management and decision making viewpoints. Two case studies of underwater oil and gas mixture release, and oil release with no gaseous mixture, are used to show the systematic implementation of the methodology, elements of ERA, and the probabilistic method in assessing and characterizing the risk.


identifier: Aucoin, Lael <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Aucoin=3ALael=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Reclaiming Dinah : a feminist-literary analysis of Genesis 34.1-9.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Patriarchal readings of Genesis 34 have traditionally understood the story of Dinah to be one of "crime and punishment": Dinah is raped because she had the audacity to leave her father's home without permission. While later interpretations of the story are not so blatantly offensive, their misogynism is still evident, albeit in a much more subtle (and potentially more dangerous) form. Feminist biblical scholars, therefore, are presented with the daunting task of redeeming Dinah from centuries of patriarchal interpretation. This thesis explores how such a redemption of Dinah is possible. -- The task of redeeming Dinah is made possible through the interpretation of Genesis 34.1-9 as a "betrothal narrative" whose literary convention suggests a much more positive interpretation. By applying the structural arrangement of a betrothal type-scene as discerned by Robert Alter in Genesis 24 and Genesis 29 to Genesis 34, one can see how the narrative concerning Dinah offers a means of redemption. Dinah is no longer a victim to be blamed but a heroine in her own right a potential wife and mother. The narrative itself, far from condemning Dinah, offers her a means of redemption, a redemption foreclosed by the actions of Simeon and Levi. This thesis, therefore, provides a deeper insight into the apparent rape of Genesis 34, in order that readers can better comprehend Dinah's presence in the text and provide to it new meaning.


identifier: Jones, Marilyn R. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Jones=3AMarilyn_R=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2001) Salient factors influencing experiences encountered by reentry women : a qualitative study.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This qualitative study was conducted to identify salient factors influencing the experiences encountered by women as they reentered post-secondary institutions, the workforce, or both. The study involved 11 women ranging in age from 19 to 40 plus, who were registered with a Center for Women Interested in Successful Employment. These women decided to return after periods of absence. -- The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and personal narratives written by the women. Data analysis adhered to the guidelines outlined by Gay and Airasian (2000). The interviews were audio-taped and transcribed for data analysis. The investigator listened to the audio-tapes several times before transcribing them. The data were broken down and classified using four iterative steps that were interrelated, but did not necessarily follow a linear pattern. The data were read and reread for familiarization and identification of main themes, examined for detailed descriptions of setting, participants, and activities, categorized and grouped into themes, and finally interpreted and synthesized into general conclusions. -- Various career development theories and approaches, developmental theories, and theories of feminist counselling were reviewed and presented. These theories provided a framework for understanding the many variables influencing the experiences of reentry women. -- Recommendations for practice focused on the need for improved counselling services and programs for reentry women and women in general, especially in rural areas. Recommendations for research included further studies on: required supports for reentry women, follow-up to determine continued level of satisfaction with reentry, information on the quality and quantity of available counselling services for reentry women and women in general, preparation necessary for the perceived fears associated with reentry challenges, and occupational choices, and information on how these choices relate to reentry experiences.


identifier: Coates, Michael <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Coates=3AMichael=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Semiempirical modified embedded atom potentials for silicon, silver and gold systems.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: In this work, semiempirical interatomic potentials for silicon, gold, silver and their alloys have been developed, based on the modified embedded atom method (MEAM) formalism. These potentials describe the elastic, thermal, structural, point defect, and binary cluster properties as well as any other empirical potential, and exhibit good agreement with experimental data where available. Specifically, silicon potentials have been compared to the best available first and second nearest neighbour MEAM parameterizations, as well as the Stillinger-Weber, Tersoff, EDIP and HOEP potentials; silver and gold have been compared to first and second nearest neighbour MEAM. In the absence of experimental data, high level density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been used instead. Applications of these potentials for the specific case of microcantilever sensor fabrication and characterization have been outlined, including interfacial stress and surface analyses.


identifier: Callanan, Luke <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Callanan=3ALuke=3A=3A.html>   (2007) Shaping self and world: technology and the structure of space.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Much of human existence is mediated through, if not outright dependent on, technology. This includes our experience of space, not as a scientifically quantified structure containing all things, but rather as a region of action and perception. What I shall call lived space arises through activity and perception in the world; it is thus the result of a constitutive act and not something pre-existing 'out there' in the world. Technology is a way to perceive and act in the world, thus the technology that is available will determine in part how lived space is constituted. But the human is not simply a disinterested user of technology as a tool. There is a feedback effect, whereby the self is shaped through its encounter with technology. By exploring Heideggerian phenomenology of space and technology, I will thus argue that space and self are structured by technology.


identifier: Fost, James Darryl <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Fost=3AJames_Darryl=3A=3A.html>   (1998) Report of an educational psychology internship at the Referral, Education, Assessment, and Development For You Centre, including a research report on factors contributing toward goal completion for adult basic education students : a motivational profile of Referral, Education, Assessment, and Development For You Centre students.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This is a report of an Educational Psychology internship at The REFERRAL, EDUCATION, ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT FOR YOU CENTRE, from April 28 to July 28, 1997. -- The introduction addresses the program options available and why this graduate student considered the internship the most appropriate for him. The introduction also addresses the internship setting, the internship goals, and the supervision and evaluation of the internship. -- Chapter Two describes the activities carried out by the intern to meet the goals. -- The research component, focused on responses selected from a seventy-item questionnaire regarding possible reasons for participation in Adult Basic Education, by twenty- two REFERRAL, EDUCATION, ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT FOR YOU CENTRE students. Data for the research component were collected through the administration of a two-part survey; one was to gather socio-demographic information (refer to Appendix B, Background Information Sheet), and the other consisted of questions which attempted to operationalize the concept reasons for participation (refer to Appendix C, Motivational Profile Questionnaire). -- Responses were separated into four categories: demographic, program, situational, and psychological. Of the four possible variables the research concluded that, for this particular population presently attending the REFERRAL, EDUCATION, ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT FOR YOU CENTRE, both psychological and situational variables were the most instrumental motivating forces toward their return and contribution in Adult Basic Education.


identifier: Barnable, K. Stuart (Kenneth Stuart) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Barnable=3AK=2E_Stuart_=28Kenneth_Stuart=29=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Rattling Brook 1 (DgAt-1) : an examination of middle Dorset inner bay settlements.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis focuses on the investigation of a Dorset site, known as Rattling Brook 1, located in the inner region of Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland. Recent excavations of both a structure and the surrounding features of the site, situated at the mouth of Rattling Brook, are used to examine the settlement and subsistence patterns of the Dorset Paleoeskimo in eastern Newfoundland. Specifically, this thesis will investigate the resource structure of inner bay sites in the context of the yearly subsistence settlement patterns of the Middle Dorset. The thesis will also identify the purpose and timeframe of Dorset occupation at Rattling Brook and the reasons for considering its location. To date, Dorset research in Newfoundland has not been able to identify the full seasonal round of the Dorset. Therefore, the research undertaken at Rattling Brook is capable of expanding our understanding of not only the Dorset, but also their seasonal movements.


identifier: Almudallal, Ahmad Mustafa <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Almudallal=3AAhmad_Mustafa=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Simulation study of a colloidal system under the influence of an external electric field.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: We perform Monte Carlo simulations to study an electrorheological fluid that consists of spherical dielectric particles in a solution of low dielectric constant under the influence of an external electric field. The electric field induces dipole moments in the colloids that align along to the electric field direction. At a sufficiently high electric field, the dipoles attract each other to form long chains along the electric field direction. The system can then be modeled as a 2D system of interacting disks, where each disk represents a chain of hard sphere dipolar particles viewed along the field axis. The disk-disk interaction varies with chain length, but has the general feature of strong short range attraction and weak long range repulsion. We perform simulations of the 2D fluid across a wide range of temperature and area fraction to study its structural properties and phase behaviour. Our model reproduces the clustered structures seen experimentally. -- In addition, a novel void phase has been seen by two experimental groups in a low volume fraction regime (< 1%). The simulations of our model indicate that dipolar hard spheres, even with the addition of Yukawa and van der Waals interactions, do not produce the void phase. Further investigations employing toy potentials reveal qualitative features of the potential that can give rise to voids, but physical mechanisms that may produce these features remain speculative. -- Key Words: Colloids; Dipolar Rods; Monte Carlo Simulation.


identifier: Stoddart, Eleanor <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Stoddart=3AEleanor=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Seventeenth-century tin-glazed earthenware from Ferryland, Newfoundland.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The subject of this thesis is seventeenth-century tin-glazed earthenware excavated from Ferryland, Newfoundland. This type of ceramic was prized during the seventeenth century for the whiteness of its glaze and its similarity to porcelain. No documentation exists which describes tin-glazed earthenware being shipped to Ferryland, but it is found in relatively large quantities in many areas of the site. This thesis considers the identification of forms of vessels, their date and country of manufacture, and the trade partnerships between Newfoundland and Europe which allowed the tin-glazed earthenware to be brought to Ferryland. Historical documentation and artifact analysis were used in conjunction with fieldwork in Portugal, the United States and Canada, to research these topics. 570 different tin-glazed earthenware vessels were identified and classified according to a modified Potomac Typological System and the results indicate the majority of the vessels were used for the presentation and serving of food. Strong economic links with both England and the Iberian peninsula are illustrated by the large proportions of these tin-glazed earthenware found in the Ferryland archaeological record. The importance of Spain and Portugal as trade partners with Ferryland shifted as the seventeenth century progressed, and this is reflected in the changing amounts of tin-glazed earthenware arriving in the settlement. Most of the tin-glazed earthenware which could be dated closely pertains to the Kirke occupation. Trade in these goods to Ferryland appears to have been based on personal connections, and the presence of exotic ceramics in Ferryland can be seen to be more closely related to the presence of a wealthy patron in the settlement than with English trade policies of the seventeenth century.


identifier: Fritz, Lorell C. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Fritz=3ALorell_C=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2001) School-based family resource centres : the village approach, a handbook on school-community partnerships for professionals serving families.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Children are our much-cherished resources and our hope for the future. As Hill (1999) notes: "Children's issues have seldom been far from the headlines in recent years" (p. 7). Current studies (Gordon, 1998; Guy, 1997; McCain & Mustard, 1999; Pickens, 1997) highlight issues such as childhood poverty, child abuse, increasing rates of suicide, drug use, crime and violence among today's youth as examples of needs in today's society. There is much discussion about the need for prevention and early intervention to enhance development of the child. Continued research (Cugmas, 1998; Dwivedi, 1997; Coleman & Wallinga, 1999; Melaville, 1996; Whipple, 1999) has been conducted to ascertain effective interventions in meeting the needs of children, and many of these needs are being addressed. Unfortunately, children and their families are often entwined in a fragmented support system that may result in continued problem-orientation and crises management rather than in capacity-building and prevention. -- The purpose of this project is to develop a handbook for professionals who serve families. It proposes ways in which a Family Resource Centre could provide an integrated, multidimensional, unified system of support for families. By establishing community partnerships and using the school as a hub for delivering services such a centre would benefit students, staff, administration, families and the larger community. The handbook will discuss the following issues: early child development; family support programs; philosophical bases of family resource centres; possible programs at family resource centres; and the benefits of family resource centres. It will also outline how to establish a family resource centre or school-community partnerships of varying levels of complexity and point to resources available for family resource centres. -- This paper is divided into four chapters: Chapter 1 is an introduction that outlines ways that family resource centres may address the issues and stressors that families face today; Chapter 2 is a review of the literature on selected theories of child development, interventions, and school-community partnerships; Chapter 3 is an outline of the methodology; and Chapter 4 is the handbook itself.


identifier: White, Corey Mark <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/White=3ACorey_Mark=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Single-platform stimulated simulators (SPSS).  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Simulating a process control system during the design phase is a key step in ensuring the system is designed correctly and meets the design specifications. There are several methods that are commonly used in industry to simulate process control systems, each selected based on the level of detail of the simulation and the cost. Many Engineering firms will choose a simulation method based on cost rather than level of detail because cost has a higher priority. -- This thesis will look at some of the ways industry currently simulates process control systems and will compare them on Cost, Fidelity (level of detail of the simulation), Implementation and Conversion. As well, an alternate simulation method will be presented that will strike a balance between cost and fidelity.


identifier: Gujar, Shashi Ashok <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Gujar=3AShashi_Ashok=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Role of lymphatic system in the persistence and pathogenesis of woodchuck hepatitis virus infection.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute liver inflammation that apparently resolves completely or advances to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. These differential outcomes of HBV infection are orchestrated to a large extent by the virus-specific T cell responses, which characteristically appear late after exposure to hepadnavirus. In this context, the objective of this study was to delineate the kinetics and understand inter-relationships between virus-specific and non-specific T cell proliferative, humoral as well as innate cytokine responses, along with serological and molecular markers of hepadnaviral infection induced after exposure and re-exposure to liver pathogenic or nonpathogenic doses of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). Our results revealed that infection of woodchucks with either a liver pathogenic (>10³ virions) or nonpathogenic (<10³ virions) dose of WHV induced strong, but delayed, virus-specific T cell responses with comparable kinetics. Interestingly, immediately after exposure to virus, the non-specific proliferative capacity of lymphocytes in response to mitogenic stimulation was heightened and then subsided preceding the appearance of WHV-specific T cell response. This augmented non-specific proliferative reactivity was accompanied by the increased expression of interferon-alpha (IFN-α), interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-2 in circulating lymphoid cells; while its decline was associated with activation-induced cell death of lymphocytes. Importantly, the postponement of virus-specific T cell response coincided with the absence of TNF-α expression, while its rise was marked by synchronously elevated expression of TNF-α, IFN-α, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-12, and IL-10 in lymphoid cells. Nonetheless, the virus-specific T cell responses induced during low-dose (occult) infection, in contrast to infection caused by liver pathogenic dose, did not provide protection against viral hepatitis. -- We conclude that hepadnavirus infections induce delayed virus-specific T cell proliferative responses irrespective of the dose of invading virus and symptomatic or asymptomatic outcome of the infection. This postponement of anti-viral T cell responses is preceded by the aberrant activation of lymphocyte and innate cytokine responses. Such an impaired activation of immune responses following hepadnavirus infection represents a possible mechanism that allows evasion of initial clearance and subsequent elimination of virus, permits its dissemination, and contributes to the establishment of persistence.


identifier: Brown, Marion Isabel <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Brown=3AMarion_Isabel=3A=3A.html>   (2008) She hits like a girl: contexts and constructs of femininity, use of violence and living in group homes.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Public and scholarly interest in youth violence has steadily increased over the past twenty years, as governments and communities strive to address concerns regarding the safety and wellbeing of its citizens. In Canada, the tragic beating death of Reena Virk in 1997 prompted an emphasis on girls' use of violence in particular. Media representations and their resulting public anxiety often represent a chasm between popular and professional understandings of these behaviours and their use by girls, given that outward acting, physically aggressive behaviour conflicts with popular notions of what it means to be female. Further, theoretical constructs for understanding violence have been based on ontological and epistemological positions that take the male experience, literature, and research as normative. -- This qualitative study explored the perspectives and interpretations of 22 young women, ages 14 to 24 years, regarding their experiences of being female, using violence, and living in residential settings. The data suggest that these girls are continually negotiating the terms of what it means to be female, shaping and being shaped by gender stereotypes, role models, interactions with boys, and the ongoing scrutiny of other girls as extensions of themselves. Further, the data suggest that girls fight each other based on principles of loyalty, morality and justice, and to convey specific messages about their relationships with boys, being verbally maligned, and having their personal possessions stolen. Finally, navigating the living space is an ongoing and intricate process for these girls. Understanding the requirements of the physical setting, the formal and informal rules, and the shifting dynamics of staff and residents, ensures that the living context is never fully known. -- Analyzing the data in relation to the literature, this study theorizes that these girls are raised according to discourses of choice yet experience material and discursive constraints; that they are watching and being watched in a state of perpetual surveillance; and that they are continually bargaining femininity, neither resisting femininity nor embracing masculinity in their use of violence.


identifier: Bishop, Charles M. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Bishop=3ACharles_M=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Sensor dynamics of of autonomous underwater gliders.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Over the past decade, underwater gliders have been developed as a new autonomous sampling platform. These gliders are a type of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that can be deployed in the ocean for weeks to months to collect in situ measurements in the world's oceans. Gliders allow us to complement traditional ship sampling by providing continuous spatial data, as opposed to ship-based casts which may be separated in the horizontal by tens to hundreds of kilometers. Oceanographic data is limited, however, by the instrument providing it. -- There are several different types of underwater gliders; the glider used in this research is the Slocum battery-powered glider produced by Webb Research. At a length of 1.5 m and a mass of 52 kg, these vehicles are easily deployed by just two people and make the process of collecting in-situ data quick and cost-effective. By default, the Slocum glider comes with a non-pumped Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) sensor; our research group has also installed an Aanderra Dissolved Oxygen Optode sensor, with future plans of incorporating different types of sensors to extend the platforms usability. An in-depth examination of the science sensors on board the glider must be performed in order to understand the limitations of the data collected. -- Here, we examine the data collected on the Newfoundland Shelf along with a study of the different sensor dynamics problems discovered during our research and field deployments.   There is a well documented history of sensor dynamics issues in operational oceanography to which the Slocum glider is not immune. This work focuses on determining the specific sensor responses of the individual instruments on board the glider, and developing post-processing algorithms for the collected data to ensure all instruments sample at the same time interval. Algorithms developed are verified by testing against other independent sensors and appear to correctly minimize sensor response issues. Also, an analysis of how our local environment (strong winds) affect the operation of our Slocum at the surface is carried out, with an emphasis on the heading data from the Attitude sensor, and GPS location. The Slocum does align with the wind, similar to a weathervane, but wind effects are negligible.


identifier: Liu, Ping <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Liu=3APing=3A=3A.html>   (1998) Preparation and evaluation of alginate-pectin-poly-l-lysine particulates for drug delivery and evaluation of melittin as a novel absorption enhancer.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: I -- Drug delivery particulates were prepared using alginate (ALG), poly-l-lysine (PLL) and pectin (PEC). Theophylline, chlorothiazide and indomethacin were used as the model drugs for in vitro dissolution, and mannitol was used as the model for assessing paracellular drug absorption across Caco-2 cell monolayers. ALG and PEC served as the core polymers; PLL helped to strengthen the particulate and PEC also helped to modulate the release profiles of the encapsulated model drugs. In vitro dissolution tests of ALG-PEC-PLL in acidic and alkaline media showed sustained drug release of the model drugs. In vitro bioadhesive tests indicated that the particulates had good bioadhesive properties.  ALG and PEC also enhanced paracellular absorption of mannitol across Caco-2 monolayers by about three times. Use of ALG-PEC-PLL particulates is expected to combine the advantages of bioadhesion, absorption enhancement, and sustained release.   This particulate system may have potential use as a carrier for poorly absorbed drugs by the oral route of administration. -- II -- In this study, the possibility of using melittin as a novel absorption enhancer was investigated.   The membrane fusion peptide, melittin, is the major active ingredient of honey bee venom. Its action as a membrane fusion peptide on membrane has a strong concentration dependency. By incorporating melittin, which is itself a peptide, along with the drug in a particulate system, such as ALG-PEC-PLL particulates, we anticipate that a sufficient quantity of the drug and the enhancer will be delivered at the absorption site. Caco-2 cell line was used as the model cell line and mannitol was used as the model drug for transport study. MTT assay was performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of melittin. The results indicated that at a concentration below 2.42 μM melittin did not show any cytotoxic effects on Caco-2 cells. Transport study showed that 1.20 - 1.50 μM of melittin was able to increase the absorption of mannitol across Caco-2 cell monolayer by a factor of 3.5. -- Linking part I and II of the project -- The particulate system developed in part lf could be used to carry a drug and melittin (as an enhancer). It is envisaged that the pectin-alginate-poly lysine particulate will protect melittin (a peptide compound) in a biological environment that is 'hostile' to peptide molecules, thus enabling melittin to exercise its action as an absorption enhancer. This is an ongoing project and further work will be done in our laboratory.


identifier: Leslie, Paul <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Leslie=3APaul=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Post-secondary students' purposes for blogging.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The goal of the study was to explore post-secondary students' purposes for blogging with particular attention to the social and instructional purposes. The sample of blogs came from an all-women's college in the United Arab Emirates. Content analysis was conducted on eight blogs using previously tested instruments to identify social presence and knowledge construction. Authors of the blogs participated in a focus group discussion about the purposes for blogging. Findings revealed that the primary use of blogging was for social purposes. Self-disclosure was the most notable purpose for blogging, in addition to sharing emotional responses to learning. The lack of teaching presence may have resulted in students' use of blogging for social rather than instructional purposes.


identifier: Vaters, Jamie P. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Vaters=3AJamie_P=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Photo-induced interfacial biomimetic catalysis on nanocrustalline metal oxide semiconductors.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The study of metal oxides (MOx ) materials began in the 1800's but the metal oxides were very difficult to characterize due to their amorphous and intractable nature. New and powerful experimental techniques whose sensitivity is on a nanometer scale have resulted in extraordinary advances in the field of nanotechnology. The characterization of MOx in terms of size-domain and size-dependent properties has brought about a renaissance and intense interest in metal oxide materials. The versatility of these materials has led to a wide variety of applications from environmental cleanup catalysts to molecular electronics. More specifically, the development of DSSC's (dye sensitized solar cells) where titanium(IV) dioxide films are modified with surface-bound chromophores has shown impressive cost/performance ratios and these are now being used in low-current applications. The work presented in this dissertation includes: the fabrication of surface-derivatized nanoscale TiO₂ colloids for the purpose of photocatalytic insertion of oxygen, similar to that performed via thermally-activated metalloenzymes such as cytochrome P450 and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The development and characterization of TiO₂ foundations, porphyrin/TiO₂ assemblies and resulting proof-of-concept biomimetic photocatalysis is discussed. In addition, the preparation of free-standing TiO₂/Nafion® membranes is presented. -- [Please refer to dissertation for diagrams.]


identifier: Bao, Guanglin <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Bao=3AGuanglin=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Studies toward the synthesis of the kempane diterpene ring system, and some cascade radical cyclizations.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Kempane diterpenes such as 1 and 2, which are isolated from the defense secretions of nasute termite soldiers, are attractive and challenging targets for total synthesis. We have developed a highly stereoselective route, which is referred to as the Dithiane Route, to the kempane diterpene ring system that possesses all of the required stereogenic centers and sufficient  functionality to allow for its conversion to the natural products. Our strategy took advantage of a highly regio- and endo-selective Diels-Alder reaction to construct the benzoindane ring system. 2-[1-[(tert-Butyldimethylsilyl)oxy]vinyl]-6,10-dithia-spiro[4,5]-dec-2-ene reacted with 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone to produce a cycloaddition adduct. The diene was prepared through a sequence that involved an alkylation of a dithiane compound with 2-methyl-2-(2-iodoethyl)-1,3-dioxolane, followed by an acid-catalyzed intramolecular aldol condensation. During the course of assembling the seven-membered ring cyclization precursor, a remarkably regioselective acetylide addition to a seemly more hindered carbonyl group was observed. In subsequent steps, a γ-hydroxyl group in an α,β-unsaturated ketone was cleaved by zinc reduction, followed by epimerization of a resulting decalin ring junction and double-bond isomerization catalyzed by ρ-toluene-sulfonic acid. In order to introduce the required double bond in the seven-membered ring at a later stage of the synthesis, a four-carbon side chain required for the target molecule was designed to be installed in two steps. Despite the failures of our "First Route" and "Diether Route", the Dithiane Route proved to be promising enough for construction of the kempane diterpene ring skeleton and elaboration to the natural products. -- To explore the possibility of introducing a methyl group at C-4 of kempane diterpenes, we investigated an electrophilic reaction of a silyl enol ether with 1,3-dithienium tetrafluoroborate and a cyclopropanation of a silyl enol ether. Model studies showed that indirect methylation of the TBS enol ether was successful, but that the subsequent acetylide addition step gave poor regio- and stereoselectivity. -- During the study of a cascade radical cyclization, a 5-exo-dig, 5-exo-trig tandem process and a 5-exo-dig, 6-exo-trig tandem process were achieved, although in low yield. It had been anticipated that this tandem radical cyclization strategy could provide an efficient approach to polycyclic compounds in high stereoselectivity.