identifier: Said, Mohamed Essam Abdelazim Ahmed <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Said=3AMohamed_Essam_Abdelazim_Ahmed=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Finger-joint optimization of spruce lumber using finite element and statistical modelling.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The primary objective of this thesis was to investigate and explore the feasibility of using a numerical 3-D finite element analysis (FEA) and statistical design of experiment methodology (DOE) to optimize finger-joint (FJ) configuration. This thesis provides guidelines to achieve structural behaviour of finger-joined elements that approaches non-finger-joined (NFJ) lumber. The optimum configurations will improve strength, save time, and money.
A numerical 3-D finite element model was established using Abaqus FEA to simulate the interface between the two FJ adherent parts. The model was verified with experimental tests of actual FJ samples which showed a close agreement with the corresponding numerical model.
An optimization of FJ lumber in horizontal, vertical and slope orientations were carried out to obtain the FJ geometry that achieves maximum structural performance of such lumber. A Reduced Quadratic Response Surface Model (RSM) and a Modified Two-Factor Interaction (2FI) experimental design were then used for both Normal and Inclined FJ categories, respectively. The statistical model were set up to assess the effect of the main factors: FJ-length, FJ-pitch, and FJ-tip width (tip thickness) and their interactions values on the stiffnesses. One additional parameter, FJ-Slope of three-levels was added with the Inclined FJ category. The obtained results showed clearly the potential of increasing FJ resistance by optimizing its geometry. In addition, it was observed that FJ in vertical orientation achieved higher structural performance close to the NFJ lumber comparing to the FJ in the horizontal orientation.
Regression analysis was used to develop a design equations per each joint orientation (horizontal and vertical). The predicted equations will be useful to determine the optimum FJ geometry directly without the need to use a trial and error approach to achieve structural behaviours close to the NFJ lumber.
Finally, enhancing these properties impact the behaviour and capacity of finger-joined elements at the serviceability and ultimate limit states.


identifier: Garmsiri, Mahyar <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Garmsiri=3AMahyar=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Towards a measure of your acquaintanceship with your leader: preliminary conceptual and empirical evidence.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: Employees often leave workplaces because of a manager, not the job. Embedded in the leadership literature is the assumption that relationships between managers and employees are confined to a workplace. In this thesis, I challenge this assumption and address a conceptual gap in how research has traditionally investigated the extent that leaders and followers become acquainted with one-another. A theoretical argument is made for introducing an acquaintanceship measure from social psychology into business research. Measures of leader-follower relationships currently used in organizational behavior and leadership research are compared against acquaintanceship to avoid the problem of reintroducing an already existing construct with a new label. A survey study is also conducted for the purposes of empirical examination of a revised acquaintanceship measure and an exploratory factor analysis was conducted. The results empirically corroborate the theoretical conclusions of the construct analysis and suggest the revised Personal Acquaintance Measure retains some psychometric rigor in a business context. Potential contributions of this acquaintanceship measure and future research directions are outlined.


identifier: McCardle, Meagan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/McCardle=3AMeagan=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Examining the administration of youth interrogation rights: a field study of Canadian police practices.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The delivery of legal rights in interrogations (N = 31) with youth suspects, and behaviours surrounding delivery of interrogation rights (e.g., whether or not police interrogators checked, verified, and sought evidence that youth comprehended their rights) were examined. The interrogation rights were delivered in full for approximately one-third of interrogations. The rights were delivered verbally in all interrogations, and youth were asked to read along as the rights were delivered in less than 10% of interrogations. Verification of youth’s comprehension was attempted rarely, and interrogators asked the youth to explain each right in their own words in less than 10% of interrogations. The implications of these findings for youth comprehension of interrogation rights and the administration of justice are discussed.


identifier: Jafari, Maryam <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Jafari=3AMaryam=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Application of Hansen solubility parameters in fabrication of molecularly imprinted polymers for detection of PAHs from water samples.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are smart polymers for selective recognition of target analytes. This work focuses on developing MIPs for aquatic contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in seawater. MIPs are generally prepared with a monomer, cross-linker, template or pseudo-template, and solvent (porogen). As with most porous adsorbents, MIPs exhibit high surface area and porosity, controlled pore size and mechanical stability. It has been recognized that the solvent system plays a key role in the pore generation, influencing the shape, size and volume of pores in MIPs. Rather than taking a trial-and-error approach, Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) are used in this work to develop a model to predict the suitability of porogen for the formation of MIP films with specified porosity. Hansen solubility parameters help to predict the ther-modynamic compatibility of a porogen with the prepolymerization components, which is a good estimate of the propensity to form a polymeric network with required characteris-tics.
MIPs fabricated using the systematic method based on Hansen solubility parameters were combined with GC-MS to determine the concentration of naphthalene, fluorene, phenan-threne and pyrene in water samples. The porous MIPs were also used to extract and de-termine the concentration of PAHs in produced water which is a byproduct generated along with the production of oil and gas from on shore and offshore platforms. This is the first report of a predictive model for porogen selection in the preparation of porous MIP monoliths.


identifier: Trainor, Mark William Thomas <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Trainor=3AMark_William_Thomas=3A=3A.html>   (2018) "Mercy we will take, and mercy we will give:" protests and justice in early nineteenth century Newfoundland.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The protests that occurred in the Conception Bay region of Newfoundland, specifically Harbour Grace, Carbonear, St. John’s and Port de Grave, between the years 1815 to 1840 indicate underlying tensions. Newfoundland’s working population collectively resisted the local officials’ decisions in response to their economic, political, social and legal conditions. The residents’ concerns were exacerbated by major changes that occurred in Newfoundland’s society, particularly the decline of the island’s fishery in 1815 after the end of the Napoleonic War and in 1832 after England granted the residents Representative Government. At the same time, Newfoundland’s working population protested the island’s legal authorities’ actions because the fishing servants and families were frustrated that the judges viewed them as criminals. The protests included in this discussion are an anonymous petition that stopped the extermination of dogs in St. John’s, a series of servant marches against merchants in Harbour Grace, a sealer’s strike against the truck system in Carbonear, a demonstration against the gibbetting of Peter Downing’s corpse in Harbour Grace and a rally to reclaim Catherine Snow’s corpse from Edward Kielley in Port de Grave. The protestors successfully stopped Newfoundland’s judges from fulfilling their responsibilities because they did not support the authorities’ actions. Each of these protests demonstrates that groups conflicted with one another in early 19th century because they did not agree with one another over how justice was defined and how it should be implemented.


identifier: Zaeem, Muhammad <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Zaeem=3AMuhammad=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Assessment of a novel soil nutrient imaging technique, forage productivity and the soil health status of silage corn and forage soybean cultivated as mono or intercrop under cool climatic conditions.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Inadequate supply and inferior forage quality are major challenges facing Newfoundland and Labrador dairy industry. Therefore, dairy farmers have to depend on substantial forage imports from mainland. To overcome forage shortage, there is an increasing trend to add silage corn as a high biomass producing crop in existing forage production systems in the Province by using different nutrient management practices including the application of nutrient laden dairy manure (DM) or inorganic fertilizers (IF) for sustainable forage production. Therefore, I investigated the effects of silage corn and forage soybean cultivated as monocropping (MC) or intercropping (IC) on total forage production, forage nutritional quality, and soil health status. I further evaluated the effects of different DM and IF applications on the spatial distribution and quantification of essential nutrients in the root rhizospheres by employing a novel approach consisting of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Three forage soybean varieties (Big Fellow RR, Game Keeper RR, Kester’s Bob White Trailing Soybean) were IC with two silage corn genotypes (Yukon-R and DKC26‒28RIB) using a random complete block design (RCBD). Study results revealed that corn-soybean IC enhanced the agronomic performance, forage production and nutritional quality compared to MC. The land equivalent ratio surpassed 1, expressing IC had advantages over MC. IC reduced the RS-pH with a concomitant increase in RS-APase activity, that was affiliated with an increase in RS-Pavailable compared to corn and soybean MC. The soil active microbial community composition was also improved in IC systems compared to MC. Superior quality forage nutritional quality was observed in the IC treatment and included higher crude proteins, essential minerals, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and reduced fiber contents compared to MC. Furthermore, LA-ICP-MS imaging revealed major variation in the spatial distribution of essential minerals in the soil A horizon, and quantitative differences in amounts of nutrients present in the root rhizospheres following different nutrient management practices. Collectively, these finding suggested that silage corn and forage soybean IC could be a viable approach to increase forage production with improved nutritional quality, enhanced the soil chemical or biological activities with better nutrient availability in the plant root zone following cultivation under cool climates in boreal ecosystem characteristic of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.


identifier: Saqlain, Nadeem <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Saqlain=3ANadeem=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Provision of a comprehensive curriculum to rural high school students through technology: a case study of a provincial virtual school in Canada.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This study examined the nature of the Center for Distance Learning and Innovation
(CDLI) in Newfoundland and Labrador. The purpose of this case study was to describe
the genesis and evolution of the online distance program provided by CDLI. The primary
goal of this research was to investigate how CDLI has attempted to equalize educational
opportunities for rural high school students in the province.
Data were collected through interviews and document analysis. This dissertation reports
on a case study involving 14 participants purposely selected in order to gain a better
understanding of the case. The study’s participants were representative of all areas of
CDLI. The data in this study were also generated through document analysis. The
documents for analysis included the official CDLI website, and reports and papers
published on CDLI in the past.
The data were analysed by using NVivo software. Findings were presented in themes.
Seven themes were presented and included the genesis of CDLI, pilot year, growth and
development, evolution of technology, E-teachers, pedagogy, and continuing challenges.
The themes were further divided into categories.
Future research is needed to investigate students' perceptions on learning through CDLI,
to understand how students are selected for CDLI courses, to examine the impact of
CDLI students on fellow classmates, to investigate the responsibilities of m-teachers, to investigate the issues host schools face due to CDLI courses and, finally, to examine the
effectiveness of CDLI courses.


identifier: Llovet, Neus Campanya i <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Llovet=3ANeus_Campanya_i=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Biodiversity and food web patterns in the deep sea: why food quality matters.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Despite multiple drivers of ocean change, few studies have addressed the role of food quality in structuring deep-sea benthic communities and food webs, and therefore its role in ecosystem processes (functioning). Based on a review of published data, I showed that food quality (i.e., nitrogen, pigment, lipid, carbohydrate, protein content) alters marine trophic guild composition, and thus food web structure, differently. In sampling heterogeneous submarine canyon and chemosynthetic ecosystems as model environments for food web and biodiversity studies, I found that patchy food quality distribution in Barkley submarine canyon influenced macroinfaunal community structure more strongly at smaller spatial scales (10’s of m), whereas major stressors (i.e., oxygen/depth) acted over larger scales (100’s of m). Increased food patchiness at a hydrate outcrop site (Barkley Hydrates), compared to sites located 20 and 600 m away, was related to increased macroinfaunal trophic diversity. Food quality explained substantial variation (~ 33 %) in macroinfaunal community structure, but H₂S toxicity likely explained much of the remaining variation. Increasing spatial resolution of analysis (i.e., ≤ 10 m) indicated a 9-15 m influence radius around the most methane-active site (i.e., more depleted δ13C, indicative of chemosynthesis). Macroinfaunal total abundance at Barkley Hydrates tracked temporal changes in chemosynthetic organic matter, however, some taxa (i.e., Ampharetidae) apparently matched recruitment to phytodetrital pulses, much like the background community. An in situ enrichment experiment demonstrated modest differences in infaunal community species and functional trait composition in food patches enriched with either Chaetoceros calcitrans (a diatom) or Nannochloropsis oculata (a lipid rich eustygmatal alga). Megaepifaunal visits to the enrichment patches increased in N. oculata over the first two weeks of the experiment, perhaps responding to increased abundance of potential infaunal prey. This research demonstrates a structuring role for food quality both in benthic communities and in food webs, with different effects on organisms of different sizes (e.g., macrofauna and megafauna).


identifier: Heydari, Nasser <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Heydari=3ANasser=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Cohomology of quotients in real symplectic geometry.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Abstract not available.


identifier: Zargarpour, Nicola <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Zargarpour=3ANicola=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Underwater video as a tool to examine American lobster (Homarus americanus) trapping behaviour and interactions with invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas).  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Species invasions pose a global threat to marine biodiversity, but their impacts can be complex and nonlinear. The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is a marine invasive species present in nearshore waters of insular Newfoundland (NL). While the negative impact of green crab on eelgrass (Zostera marina) – a habitat-forming species – is well-understood, their direct impact on local fisheries is unclear. The collapse of American lobster (Homarus americanus) catch rates in green crab-invaded systems in Placentia Bay, NL led industry to suspect that the invasive species may be interfering with the ability of lobster traps to catch their target species. In this thesis, I examine whether green crab in and around lobster traps affect catch and retention rates of lobster using underwater video to observe traps as they fished. Our results from 2015 showed little co-occurrence between lobster and green crab in both catch and video data. However, this research provided the information necessary to design future quantitative studies involving the impact of invasive green crabs on the catchability of lobster, which we examined during a second field season in 2016. During this field study we conducted an in situ experiment in which we tethered green crabs in lobster traps, and assessed impacts on gear performance using scuba divers, underwater cameras, and by comparing catch rates of traps. Our primary finding was that crabs tethered in traps reduced lobster entry rates into the gear, but that the effect occurred both with invasive and native crabs.


identifier: Abu-Labdeh, Razan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Abu-Labdeh=3ARazan=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Deflation-based preconditioners for stochastic models of flow in porous media.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Numerical analysis is a powerful mathematical tool that focuses on finding approximate
solutions to mathematical problems where analytical methods fail to produce
exact solutions. Many numerical methods have been developed and enhanced through
the years for this purpose, across many classes, with some methods proven to be well-suited
for solving certain equations. The key in numerical analysis is, then, choosing
the right method or combination of methods for the problem at hand, with the least
cost and highest accuracy possible (while maintaining efficiency). In this thesis, we
consider the approximate solution of a class of 2-dimensional differential equations,
with random coefficients. We aim, through using a combination of Krylov methods,
preconditioners, and multigrid ideas to implement an algorithm that offers low cost
and fast convergence for approximating solutions to these problems. In particular, we
propose to use a "training" phase in the development of a preconditioner, where the
first few linear systems in a sequence of similar problems are used to drive adaptation
of the preconditioning strategy for subsequent problems. Results show that our algorithms
are successful in effectively decreasing the cost of solving the model problem
from the cost shown using a standard AMG-preconditioned CG method.


identifier: Brushett, Rebecca D. E. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Brushett=3ARebecca_D=2E_E=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Mapping socio-ecological values: the use of geospatial tools to make informed decisions on the marine and coastal management areas surrounding Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Marine and coastal environments are highly complex integrated systems. While it is recognized these aquatic environments offer valuable ecosystem services, there is a paucity of information on how these systems are structured and how they function. Moreover, there are few tools available to assist in the management of these natural resources. Marine and coastal environments are not only important to the stability of the ocean but also to the socio-cultural, ecological and economic well-being of coastal communities. Many important biological areas are vulnerable to “agents of change” which include but are not limited to, commercial fishing, oil and gas activities, tourism and aquatic invasive species (green crab and membranipora specifically) and, climate change. This study will use expert informed GIS (xGIS) as a management tool to highlight the socio-ecological areas of importance and perceived impact in the coastal and marine areas surrounding Gros Morne National Park, western Newfoundland, Canada. This research used a family of decision-making protocols to promote effective stakeholder participation, allowing exploration and evaluation of multiple attributes where cost benefit analysis was inappropriate. The geospatial tool created for this study will serve as a management tool that can help: 1. identify geospatial hotspot areas of importance and impact from various ‘agents of change’ in the coastal and marine management areas surrounding the Gros Morne Region of western, Newfoundland; 2. construct a tool that can be used to aid in the creation of responsible marine plans for Newfoundland and areas bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrence and; 3. identify socio-ecological and justified areas valued for protection under a National Marine Conservation Area around Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland.


identifier: Altarawneh, Rakan Mohammad <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Altarawneh=3ARakan_Mohammad=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Product distributions and efficiencies for ethanol oxidation in proton exchange membrane electrolysis cells.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Ethanol is an attractive fuel for direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). In comparison with other organic fuels, ethanol has a high energy density. Therefore, direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) are considered to be highly attractive power sources for electronic devices and vehicles. In addition, ethanol can be oxidized in an ethanol electrolysis cell (EEC) to produce hydrogen for use in fuel cells. Although ethanol has a high energy density and DEFCs have a high theoretical efficiency (98%), these are based on complete oxidation of ethanol to CO₂, while the main products from DEFCs and EECs are acetic acid and acetaldehyde. A good understanding of what happens during ethanol oxidation in fuel cell hardware is therefore a crucial step in the evolution of these technologies. It is particularly important in the development of new catalysts to improve cell efficiencies and performances by facilitating the complete oxidation of ethanol.
The methods reported here provide information on the efficiency and product distribution for ethanol oxidation in a DEFC or EEC. They are based on polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology. In comparison with those reported in the literature, our methodologies are shown to have advantages over them by detecting the fuel itself and reaction products from both the anode and cathode exhausts. The amounts of ethanol consumed and acetic acid and acetaldehyde produced were determined by proton NMR spectroscopy while CO₂ was measured with a non-dispersive infrared CO₂ monitor. The efficiencies of these cells are dependent on the cell potential, crossover of ethanol, and stoichiometry of the ethanol oxidation reaction (i.e. the average number of electrons transferred per ethanol molecule). The stoichiometry of the EOR (ethanol oxidation reaction) was determined by using different methods in this work: an electrochemical method, analysis of the amount of ethanol consumed (ΔC) and from the product distribution (faradaic and chemical). It was found that the results from these methods were in a good agreement.
In addition, the effects of fuel and product crossover were closely examined. It was shown that analysis of only the anode exhaust solution leads to an underestimation of ethanol and products due to crossover through the membrane to the cathode. To obtain accurate product distributions, the anode and cathode exhausts were combined. In addition, the chemical reaction between ethanol and oxygen that occurs in a DEFC was avoided by making measurement in an EEC with N₂ gas at the cathode.
The stoichiometry, efficiency, and product distribution for ethanol electrolysis in fuel cell hardware has been determined at 80°C for various anodes prepared with commercial Pt/C, PtRu/C, and PtSn/C catalysts. Also, synergetic effects between these catalysts were studied by using mixed and bilayer electrodes. It was found that bilayer electrodes increased the overall efficiency of the cell by increasing the faradaic efficiency while maintaining high potential efficiency.
An octahedral PtNi catalyst was prepared by using a literature method and tested in our system. In comparison to a Pt, this catalyst was shown to increase selectivity towards complete oxidation (to carbon dioxide) at low potentials and thereby increase efficiency. These results are contrary to those reported in the literature for this catalyst in a conventional electrochemical cell, and demonstrate the importance of the new methodologies in the evaluation and study of new catalysts for ethanol oxidation.


identifier: Aboagye, Sylvester Boadi <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Aboagye=3ASylvester_Boadi=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Energy efficiency optimization in millimeter wave backhaul heterogeneous networks.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Within the last few years, there has been a massive growth in the number of wireless
devices and internet connections. This is expected to continue during the next
few years. To satisfy the resulting high data traffic demands, dramatic expansion of
network infrastructures as well as fast escalation of energy demands are expected.
Meanwhile, there has been a growing concern about the energy consumption of wireless
communication systems and their global carbon footprint. To that end, future
wireless systems must satisfy three main requirements. Firstly, they must provide
users with very high throughput. Secondly, they must be able to provide seamless
connectivity as well as ubiquitous access to the expected enormous number of users.
Finally, they must achieve the first two points with less energy consumption. The requirements
can be summarized into the joint optimization of energy efficiency (EE),
user association and backhaul (BH) flow assignment, which remains a fundamental
objective in the design of next generation networks.
This thesis consists of two studies on EE maximization in heterogeneous networks
(HetNets). In the first study, it is assumed that each user has already been associated
to a single base station (BS). Under this setting, We consider enforcing a strict
throughput demand on all user equipment (UEs), called joint EE, power, and flow
control (JEEPF), versus allowing an acceptable range of demands for each, called joint
EE, power, flow control, and throughput (JEEPFT). This minor change causes a drastic difference in the formulation of both problems. JEEPF is convex while JEEPFT is
quasiconvex, for which we propose a bisection method-based approach. In the second
study, the problem of user association is added to the joint optimization of EE, power
and BH flow control, and an energy efficient user association, power and flow control
(EEUAPF) algorithm is proposed. The original EEUAPF optimization problem is a
non-convex mixed integer programming problem, and therefore NP-hard. We show
how this non-convex problem can be tailored into a form that can be approached
using a classical mathematical programming technique called column generation and
convex programming to derive the optimal solution with a low complexity.
Simulation results are used to demonstrate the EE gains of the proposed approaches
in both studies.


identifier: Pile, Stephanie C. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Pile=3AStephanie_C=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Monolingual language acquisition in a mixed language community: a case study of Northern East Cree.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This thesis examines the effects of English language contact on the acquisition of Northern East
Cree. Specifically, I examine the productions of one child, code-named Billy, whose language
development was documented longitudinally (between the ages of 04;06 and 06;00) as part of the
Chisasibi Child Language Acquisition Study. Billy's language productions are of particular
interest because he was raised in a largely monolingual Cree-language household, with minimal
contact with English language speakers.
I describe both qualitatively and quantitatively the distribution of English-origin forms in Billy’s
productions. Billy produces English-origin word forms within his Cree-language utterances,
which are characterized by both a majority of Cree morphology and a minority of English
morphological markers. Billy also produces "bare" English-origin forms without inflectional
morphology. Overall, Billy appears to have acquired a grammar for the Cree language that is
largely devoid of English rules or structures. Although Billy produces English-origin nouns,
verbs, adjectives, and nominal morphology, there is little evidence in the dataset that he has
acquired a productive grammatical system for English.
This case study provides insight into how language contact phenomena can impact the language
acquisition of an Indigenous language. It also suggests that, in Billy's case, his language has
developed into a grammatical system that essentially corresponds to that of Cree, with minor
insertions of English lexical forms and grammatical markers.


identifier: Breslin, Samantha <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Breslin=3ASamantha=3A=3A.html>   (2018) The making of computer scientists: rendering technical knowledge, gender, and entrepreneurialism in Singapore.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This dissertation explores the making of computer scientists in Singapore. I explore how transnational computer science epistemologies and Singaporean state policies work to render the world into technical problems that computer scientists can manipulate and solve. Computer science knowledge and practice is thereby presented as mobile, while masking the colonization of places like Singapore by specifically rendered and gendered American computer science. I also map out the diffractive effects of these transnationally mobile renderings. This research is based on participant observation and interviews centring on an undergraduate computer science program in Singapore. Singaporean and technology media, Singaporean government policies, and university and computer science curricula are also analyzed.
I first show how students learn to model and render “reality” into technical frames, creating naturalized computing “worlds,” but ones wherein magic is real and computer scientists are the magicians. Heteronormative binary renderings of gender are (re)produced within these worlds through narratives about algorithms and computing “problems” that constitute a transnational, but US-centric, tradition and that govern the possible ways for students and professors to think about and do computer science. I also show how students themselves are “rendered technical” and their lives and identities “torqued” as they are summoned to inhabit gender norms and hegemonic values of neoliberal competition, passion, and entrepreneurialism. In particular, the performance of passion by certain students works to create a gendered benchmark against which all students come to measure themselves, but which often turns to promoting over-work and exploitation in the name of career development and innovation.
Moreover, while some students perform situationally dependent and fluid gender identities, I argue that the predominance of research reducing gender to the question of “women in” computing limits the possibilities both for research on and enactments of gender in computer science and works both to mask and reproduce gender inequalities. Yet, I also show how – in the space produced through conflicting intra-actions of different norms and values – students’ performances of self complicate binary renderings of gender and disrupt the hegemonic status of neoliberal passion and entrepreneurialism, suggesting new possibilities for becoming/being a “good” computer scientist.


identifier: Chowdhury, Sharmeen Jalal <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Chowdhury=3ASharmeen_Jalal=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Infant feeding mode and its association with the use of healthcare services in the first year of life.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This research had two goals. First, a systematic review was conducted to examine the relationship between mode of infant feeding and risk of hospitalization due to respiratory tract infections in healthy full-term infants. Second, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern Region of Newfoundland and Labrador to evaluate differences in healthcare use by feeding mode in infants in the first year of life. Chapter one includes an introduction and chapter four provides a summary and discussion of the findings. Chapters two and three include versions of the systematic review manuscript and the cross-sectional study manuscript, respectively. The systematic review demonstrated breastfeeding reduced the risk of hospitalization due to a respiratory tract infection in the first year of life and the cross-sectional study revealed that exclusively formula-fed infants had significantly more emergency department and hospital visits compared to exclusively breastfed infants or mixed-fed infants in their first year of life.


identifier: Ansah, Solomon Kwabena <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Ansah=3ASolomon_Kwabena=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Geostatistical estimation of a paleoplacer deposit with hard geological boundary: case study at Tarkwa Gold mine, Ghana.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Geostatistical estimation requires the definition of geological domains by using geologic variables or structural information. The misclassification of the estimation domains may have a significant effect on the resource estimate such as dilution, oversmoothing, undersmoothing of gold grades.
In this project, detailed geological modelling coupled with statistical analysis is carried out to aid in the definition of 3 geological domains with hard boundaries. A hard boundary is characterized by an abrupt variation of grade along the boundary between two lithological contacts. The A1 reef in Akontasi east of the Tarkwa Gold mine concession was investigated out of the 7 stratified reefs. The drillhole data considered were obtained by reverse circulation and diamond drilling with ordinary kriging being the preferred estimator for the deposit.
Semi-variograms were generated for all 3 domains and estimation within the domains were cross validated and results showed a high Correlation Coefficient. An alternative case was also analyzed, where all three domains were combined and showed a low Correlation Coefficient. Results indicate that the division of the orebody into separate homogenous domains produce accurate results with a high level of confidence.


identifier: Saha, Srabani <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Saha=3ASrabani=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Impact of field application of liquid mink manure on Fannia canicularis L. (Fannidae, Diptera) population in Cavendish, NL.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The Cavendish mink fur producer was blamed by area residents for causing a severe annoyance of lesser housefly (Fannia canicularis L). To address the problem, the farm had installed a mechanized liquid mink manure production system in 2014 which significantly lowered the number of flies. The community’s concern then shifted to the application of the resulting liquid manure to fertilize fields to grow grass (mink bedding). The aim of this project includes assessments of the attraction of F. canicularis to a liquid manure applied field. I explored two hypotheses: i) does liquid manure attract F. canicularis to the field, and ii) does liquid manure enable these flies to breed in the field? A demonstration strip plot in which fly populations were assessed using initially yellow (in 2015), and, thereafter in 2016 with yellow, blue and transparent sticky cards. SLAM traps were deployed throughout both sampling seasons. Soil samples were surveyed for evidence of F. canicularis breeding. Only 22 F. canicularis were trapped in sticky cards during 2015 and zero in 2016. In SLAM traps only two in 2015 with none captured in 2016. There was no evidence of breeding in the manure-treated field. This near absence in 2015 and complete absence in 2016 negated a need for statistical analyses or further assessments of F. canicularis activity using a more powerful experimental design. However, a de novo technique was introduced in chapter 3: stratification of strips via Autocorrelation function which permitted the development of a rigid statistical model to analyze the treatment effects on frequently captured flies during seven sampling periods in 2015. Results showed significant interaction effects among treatments and sampling periods for overall flies, Anthomyiidae and Muscidae. For Fannidae, the interaction effect was not significant whereas treatment effects were. Overall fly numbers especially Anthomyiidae increased after liquid manure application, with declining abundance thereafter. However, in conclusion, liquid mink manure will be safe for field application neither will be an issue in breeding or attracting F. canicularis nor any other group of flies.


identifier: Yalcin, Semra <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Yalcin=3ASemra=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Biodiversity responses to global changes.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Anthropogenic global changes are the main drivers of global, regional, and local biodiversity changes. Measuring and predicting accurate species range shifts in response to these anthropogenic influences is important to developing practical conservation strategies. In my thesis chapters, I first present a comprehensive literature synthesis of the most common published methods and metrics used to define species ranges and quantify species range shifts. Methods for measuring species range shifts included observation studies, grid-based mapping, convex hull, kriging, species distribution modelling, and hybrid methods. Each method is associated with a diversity of metrics that have different opportunities, assumptions, and constraints. Second, I use extensive empirical land-cover, climate and breeding bird species data in the boreal forest belt of Ontario (Canada) between the late 1980s and early 2000s to measure the relative and combined impacts of land-cover and climate change on species occupancy dynamics. I found that land-cover and climate change were top predictors of local colonization for ~ 1/3 of species considered each but that climate change was the top predictor of local extinction for ~ 2/3 of species considered. Moreover, the interspecific variations in bird responses to global changes were not well captured by species traits such as body size, migration pattern, and habitat preference. Finally, using the same empirical data as Chapter 2, I quantify the changes in local and regional bird species composition (i.e., beta diversity) over time and space and determine the influence of land-cover and climate change on changes in avian community composition. Bird communities experienced high temporal community turnover (i.e., temporal beta-diversity) and changes in their uniqueness in terms of species


identifier: Albishi, Tasahil <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Albishi=3ATasahil=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Bioactivities of wood polyphenols: antioxidants and biological effects.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The phenolic and polyphenolic compounds present in date palm, oak, quibracho, banana, and pine wood play a crucial role in the development of natural antioxidants. This study provides structural information on the phenolic compounds isolated from wood obtained from a series of old date palm (OPW), seedling date palm (SPW), oak (OW), quibracho (QW), banana (BW), and pine (PW) and their associated products. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), tannin content (TC) as well as the antioxidant activity of wood extracts was studied by employing in vitro assays using the free radical scavenger 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and iron chelatiom methods. The antioxidant activity and phenolic content of SPW extract, as determined by the DPPH assay, TPC and TC were higher than those of the other wood extracts. Analysis of wood extracts revealed a high amount of phenolics and tannins suggesting a possible role of wood phenolics as a source of natural antioxidants. These studies clearly indicate that the SPW had a significant antioxidant activity. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of soluble- and insoluble-bound phenolics of wood extracts was examined, as well as their bioactivities such as inhibition of oxidation of LDL cholesterol and DNA strands breakage. The results so obtained also confirmed the fact that antioxidant potential and oxidation inhibitory activities were much higher for the SPW compared to other wood extracts. Furthermore, in this study, the date palm wood was used to generate smoke that was subsequently used to prepare smoked salmon, using maple wood as a commercial standard. Prominent volatile compounds released during the smoking process were adsorbed using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and were then identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The oxidative stability of the smoked salmon was evaluated in terms of development of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Regardless of the wood type, volatile compounds were mainly methoxyphenols, with the highest contribution from eugenol, followed by guaiacol and their corresponding derivatives.
The phenolic composition of OPW, SPW, OW, QW, BW, and PW were studied using conventional analytical methodologies. In addition, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI- TOF/TOF-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analyses were used to examine the structures of various phenolics, tannins, and lignin compounds. The results showed that OPW, SPW, OW, QW were rich in the classes of compounds tested. Both condensed tannin and hydrolyzable tannins were present in high amounts in SPW, OPW, and OW and their phenolics present showed the highest antioxidant values compared to QW, BW, and PW.


identifier: Ashiq, Waqar <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Ashiq=3AWaqar=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Evaluating the potential of biochar in mitigating greenhouse gases emission and nitrogen retention in dairy manure based silage corn cropping systems.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions from the agriculture sector have been accelerating global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensities (GHGI). About 8 % of GHG emissions in Canada are contributed by the agriculture sector mainly through methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Out of these emissions, 50 % is contributed by manure and fertilizer application to land. Biochar (BC), a stable carbon-rich product has been observed to reduce GHG emissions from soil, increase soil pH, improve soil moisture, enhance nutrient retention in soil and increase biomass production in many crop plants. However, these effects are not constant across all soil types, environmental and climatic conditions, and cropping systems. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of BC on GHGs emissions, soil nitrate and ammonium retention, soil pH, plant nitrogen concentration and dry matter production in dairy manure (DM) based silage corn cropping system in western Newfoundland, Canada. Two sources of dairy manure (DM₁, DM₂), inorganic N (IN), their combination with BC (DM₁+B, DM₂+B, and IN+B), and control (N₀) were used as experimental treatments. Results showed that BC application to DM₁, DM₂ and IN reduced cumulative CO₂ emission by 16, 25.5 and 26.5 %, CH₄ emission 184, 200 and 293 %, and N₂O emission by 95, 86 and 93 %, respectively. BC treatments exhibited significantly higher soil moisture (SM) contents at all sampling points than non-BC treatments. It also reduced the GWP by 24.9, 34.5, and 37 %, and GHGI by 30, 37.5, 43.4 %, respectively. Furthermore, BC enhanced the NO3⁻ and NH₄⁺ retention in topsoil (decreased their leaching to deep soil) which improved plant N concentration and dry matter yield of silage corn crop. Conclusively, BC application to soil exhibited to be a promising tool for the mitigation of GHGs emissions, GWP, GHGI and to enhance soil fertility and crop dry matter yield simultaneously.


identifier: Yousef, Yousef Abdulhafed <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Yousef=3AYousef_Abdulhafed=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Offshore pipeline leak modeling using a computational fluid dynamics approach.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Pipelines laid over long distances in the harsh offshore environment may be affected by excessive straining, corrosion, scouring, iceberg and other third-party damages. Small chronic leaks may cause severe safety and environmental effects if left undetected for a long time. A CFD model of a subsea leaking pipeline is developed to predict the pressure and temperature profiles around the pipe’s leak surroundings. The developed CFD model is used to study a pipeline section with a leak on the top. It considers the fluid inside the pipeline as well as the fluid surrounding the pipeline and does a combined simulation of the system. In addition, a hydrodynamic model is used to evaluate the parameters of a full-scale 150 km long-distance pipeline. This hydrodynamic model is developed to find the most critical section of the proposed long pipeline system. Furthermore, the hydrodynamic model provides the boundary conditions for the CFD model. The developed model was used to perform parametric studies to understand the impact of leaks on the surrounding water. The present study will help pipeline operators to select the most appropriate leak detection technology with the right specifications for the pipeline systems; especially to optimize Fiber Optic Cable (FOC) based Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) Solutions.


identifier: He, Yunhui <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/He=3AYunhui=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Local Fourier analysis for saddle-point problems.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The numerical solution of saddle-point problems has attracted considerable interest in
recent years, due to their indefiniteness and often poor spectral properties that make
efficient solution difficult. While much research already exists, developing efficient
algorithms remains challenging. Researchers have applied finite-difference, finite element,
and finite-volume approaches successfully to discretize saddle-point problems,
and block preconditioners and monolithic multigrid methods have been proposed for
the resulting systems. However, there is still much to understand.
Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) models the flow of a charged fluid, or plasma, in
the presence of electromagnetic fields. Often, the discretization and linearization of
MHD leads to a saddle-point system. We present vector-potential formulations of
MHD and a theoretical analysis of the existence and uniqueness of solutions of both
the continuum two-dimensional resistive MHD model and its discretization.
Local Fourier analysis (LFA) is a commonly used tool for the analysis of multigrid
and other multilevel algorithms. We first adapt LFA to analyse the properties of
multigrid methods for both finite-difference and finite-element discretizations of the
Stokes equations, leading to saddle-point systems. Monolithic multigrid methods,
based on distributive, Braess-Sarazin, and Uzawa relaxation are discussed. From
this LFA, optimal parameters are proposed for these multigrid solvers. Numerical
experiments are presented to validate our theoretical results. A modified two-level
LFA is proposed for high-order finite-element methods for the Lapalce problem, curing
the failure of classical LFA smoothing analysis in this setting and providing a reliable
way to estimate actual multigrid performance. Finally, we extend LFA to analyze the
balancing domain decomposition by constraints (BDDC) algorithm, using a new choice
of basis for the space of Fourier harmonics that greatly simplifies the application of
LFA. Improved performance is obtained for some two- and three-level variants.


identifier: Yi, Zili <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Yi=3AZili=3A=3A.html>   (2018) From rule-based to learning-based image-conditional image generation.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Visual contents, such as movies, animations, computer games, videos and photos, are
massively produced and consumed nowadays. Most of these contents are the combination
of materials captured from real-world and contents synthesized by computers. Particularly,
computer-generated visual contents are increasingly indispensable in modern entertainment
and production. The generation of visual contents by computers is typically conditioned on
real-world materials, driven by the imagination of designers and artists, or a combination
of both. However, creating visual contents manually are both challenging and labor intensive.
Therefore, enabling computers to automatically or semi-automatically synthesize
needed visual contents becomes essential. Among all these efforts, a stream of research
is to generate novel images based on given image priors, e.g., photos and sketches. This
research direction is known as image-conditional image generation, which covers a wide
range of topics such as image stylization, image completion, image fusion, sketch-to-image
generation, and extracting image label maps. In this thesis, a set of novel approaches for
image-conditional image generation are presented.
The thesis starts with an exemplar-based method for facial image stylization in Chapter
2. This method involves a unified framework for facial image stylization based on a single
style exemplar. A two-phase procedure is employed, where the first phase searches a dense
and semantic-aware correspondence between the input and the exemplar images, and the
second phase conducts edge-preserving texture transfer. While this algorithm has the merit
of requiring only a single exemplar, it is constrained to face photos. To perform generalized
image-to-image translation, Chapter 3 presents a data-driven and learning-based method. Inspired by the dual learning paradigm designed for natural language translation [115], a
novel dual Generative Adversarial Network (DualGAN) mechanism is developed, which
enables image translators to be trained from two sets of unlabeled images from two domains.
This is followed by another data-driven method in Chapter 4, which learns multiscale
manifolds from a set of images and then enables synthesizing novel images that mimic
the appearance of the target image dataset. The method is named as Branched Generative
Adversarial Network (BranchGAN) and employs a novel training method that enables unconditioned
generative adversarial networks (GANs) to learn image manifolds at multiple
scales. As a result, we can directly manipulate and even combine latent manifold codes
that are associated with specific feature scales. Finally, to provide users more control over
image generation results, Chapter 5 discusses an upgraded version of iGAN [126] (iGANHD)
that significantly improves the art of manipulating high-resolution images through
utilizing the multi-scale manifold learned with BranchGAN.


identifier: Adepeju, Ibrahim Zainab <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Adepeju=3AIbrahim_Zainab=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Managing climate risks in Africa: insights from South Africa and Ethiopia.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Climate change undermines the development progress and prospects of developing countries, and this is particularly true for many African countries whose long-term objective has been achieving economic growth and development. Climate change poses many risks to the social, economic, and environmental well-being of these countries and will worsen poverty and inequality, reduce agricultural productivity, exacerbate water stress in water scarce countries on the continent which will in turn threaten hydropower generation. The double challenge facing many African countries is adapting to climate change impacts while growing their economies. Adaptation has been described as “development in a hostile climate”, and development labelled as a form of adaptation. Many African countries recognising the far-reaching consequences that climate change will have on development agendas have begun to merge development and climate change considerations in responding and planning for adaptation. This thesis provides insights into climate change adaptation in some of these countries- South Africa and Ethiopia by exploring three crosscutting issues- adaptation planning, institutions and governance of climate change, and climate (adaptation) finance.


identifier: Abad, Abrehem A. Hmed <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Abad=3AAbrehem_A=2E_Hmed=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Importance of minor components to the oxidative stability of camelina, chia, and sophia seed oils.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Camelina, chia, and sophia seed oils were evaluated for their fatty acid composition, triacylglycerol (TAG) profile, oxidative stability, and tocol contents, before and after the removal of their minor components. Samples were stripped of their minor components by using column chromatography or stripped by silicic acid-charcoal (stationary phase; 2h). All tested samples contained significant levels of α-linolenic acid and total tocol content. However, all stripped oils were devoid of any tocopherol or pigment. The oxidative state of the oils indicated that stripped oils were significantly less stable than their unstripped counterparts. Meanwhile, the photooxidative stability of oils indicated that stripped oils were more stable than their original counterparts. Involvement of chlorophylls as photosensitizers appears to be exerting a dominant effect. Therefore, these oils, similar to extra virgin olive oil, must be protected from light by using tin containers or dark bottles in order to retain their health promoting effect and prevent off-flavour development.


identifier: Hassan, A B M Enamol <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Hassan=3AA_B_M_Enamol=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Rethinking the participatory approach in community-based forest management to strengthen community sustainability in rural Bangladesh: a case study.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Community forestry, underpinned by decentralization policies, holds promise as a viable
approach to forest conservation and community development. The rise of community forestry
represents a means to address pressing environmental and economic issues such as deforestation,
encroachment, and resource degradation. In theory, devolution or decentralization of rights,
responsibilities, and authority from the state to forest communities should provide for increasing
forest productivity, greater control over the resource, and more significant share of benefits.
Subsequently, community forestry has become a popular concept in many countries of South
Asia, Europe, and North America to ensure community sustainability in terms of environment,
social, economic, and human capital aspects. Strategically, community forestry follows a robust
participatory approach along with more integrated management processes. Consequently,
community-based forest management (CBFM) strives to incorporate all stakeholders in
participation and collaboration with a view to ensuring community existence and well-being of
the local poorest people. Therefore, the general purpose of this research is to examin the
integrating processes of stakeholders through participation and collaboration in communitybased
forestry. In addition, I analyze issues of sustainability in communities and examine
constraints that limit the processes of integration. I use a qualitative approach along with a case
study as the strategy of inquiry in this research focusing on Comilla Sadar South Upazila (CSSU)
located in Comilla district, Bangladesh. Data were collected through face to face interviews with
semi-structured questionnaires and field notes following purposive sampling technique. The
results of this study reveal that the main integration process in community forestry in CSSU are
participation and collaboration. Hence, beneficiaries, Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), and
Union Parishad (UP) come together as leading actors through the participatory approach, but
existing community forest management ignores the inclusion of NGOs and business
entrepreneurs which are also main actors of this kind of integrated management process.
However, BFD is working as the central administrative actor whereas beneficiaries work as a
responsible actor to nurse and protect the forest resources. On the other hand, UP is pledged to
provide various kinds of legal support in favor of community forestry. Furthermore, a significant
number of respondents want to revive NGOs' involvement and to incorporate local business
entrepreneurs in CBFM for logistic support. Stakeholders actively participate in CBFM in terms
of sharing responsibilities like decision making, cost-sharing, motivation and coordination to make community forestry more efficacious. Furthermore, they collaborate with each other in
maintaining communication, consensus building, and in learning processes that ensure
accountability, equality, and efficiency. The practice of an integrated management approach
contributes to community sustainability including environmental viability, stronger social
networks, economic prosperity, and human capacity.While community forestry offers an
alternative model of management, there are some crucial constraints that limit its success in
Bangladesh, notably political influence, financial crisis, lack of professionalism, and syndicate
culture. Nevertheless, the role of community forestry is praiseworthy in strengthening
community sustainability.


identifier: Parzanini, Camilla <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Parzanini=3ACamilla=3A=3A.html>   (2018) An integrated approach to studying the trophic ecology of a deep-sea faunal assemblage from the Northwest Atlantic.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Despite being the largest ecosystem on Earth, the deep sea is still poorly known. Since the study of food webs allows a better understanding of ecosystems, the current research aimed to provide new insights into trophic relationships and element cycling within a deep-water faunal assemblage sampled in deep-sea areas of eastern Canada (Northwest Atlantic). The faunal assemblage consisted of a broad array of deep-sea taxa (143 species representing 8 phyla) collected within a tight window in space and time (100 km radius, 7 days), but across a large depth range (~1000 m) off insular Newfoundland. Functional diversity was studied along the bathymetric gradient. The integrated use of stable isotope, lipid, elemental, morphometric, and gut content analyses was crucial in obtaining an overall picture of the food web analyzed. Specifically, two major trophic pathways were recognized within the faunal assemblage: a pelagic pathway, relying on sinking organic matter (OM) as the primary food source; and a benthic pathway, in which settled OM constituted the base. A key role in energy and nutrient cycling was highlighted for pelagic vertical migrators and deep-water benthic communities. Vertical migrators actively provide inputs of food to benthic communities; benthic communities bioaccumulate certain energetic and nutritive compounds, and transfer them along the food web. Moreover, type and amount of lipids reflected not only dietary sources, but also environmental conditions typical of the deep sea. Large proportions of wax esters detected in certain species likely provide them with long-term energy reserves in a food-depleted environment. In addition, while the unsaturation level of phospholipid fatty acids increased, sterols diminished along the bathymetric gradient. This finding was interpreted to reflect adaptations of deep-water organisms to cope with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature with depth. Lastly, a preliminary analysis of the literature showed the existence of latitudinal trends in the isotopic and fatty acid composition of deep-sea benthic organisms, which exhibited lower C isotope ratios and higher
proportions of ω3 fatty acids at temperate and polar latitudes than at tropical ones. This investigation raises concerns about potential effects of global climate change on deep-water communities, and about standardizing analytical methods to enable comparisons.


identifier: Persaud, Donny Harry <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Persaud=3ADonny_Harry=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Behind breakdown: the case of the MV Veteran.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Infrastructure as a topic of research has seen much attention within geographic and
Science and Technology Studies literature. Frequently, studies of infrastructure explored
the implementation of new infrastructures or the effects of infrastructural breakdowns on
the relations sustained by these systems carrying the implicit assumption that
infrastructures function seamlessly and disruptions constitute aberrations from a working
norm. Recent works have problematized this assumption exploring the everyday practices
of infrastructure’s users and the practices of repair and maintenance which sustain
infrastructural systems. This thesis examines breakdown, repair, and maintenance of a
new passenger ferry operating in a rural island community off Newfoundland’s north
coast. This thesis extends current observations on emerging repair and maintenance
literature from the situated activities of maintainers to the decision-making processes
governing repair and maintenance. In doing so, this thesis illustrates how space,
commonly held as a neutral surface on which these practices are undertaken, comes to
influence how the passenger ferry is repaired and maintained as well as used by the
islands’ residents.


identifier: Rutta, Evodius Waziri <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Rutta=3AEvodius_Waziri=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Towards sustainable forest management in Tanzania: analysis of the effectiveness of the national forest policy and its implications for the forests and people of United Republic of Tanzania: a case study of Rufiji District, Southern Tanzania.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Sustainable forest management (SFM) is crucial for the socio-economic development of forest-rich communities. Given its abundance of forest resources, Tanzania has adopted forest policy strategies that aim to enhance SFM through the active engagement of rural communities in forest management. Despite policy progress, Tanzania’s forest sector continues to face several institutional and policy implementation challenges. Using a qualitative case study approach and the DPSIR framework, this study critically examined forest policy gaps impeding sustainable forest management in the Rufiji district of Tanzania. Data were obtained through document reviews, a workshop and semi-structured interviews with experts in the forest sector. The study found that existing forest management strategies do not adequately address key drivers of forest loss thereby hindering SFM progress in the country. Additionally, although the forest sector offers enormous opportunities to improve livelihoods and local economies, the lack of market-based policy instruments is a major barrier.


identifier: Lambert, Rachel Danielle <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lambert=3ARachel_Danielle=3A=3A.html>   (2018) A phenomenological study exploring the effects arts-infused learning has on increasing self-regulation to support student learning.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Arts infused learning allows a student to learn alternative approaches to increase selfregulatory
skills and promote student learning. It was hypothesized that students who are
involved in arts pathways have knowledge and skills that promote self-reflection, and
increase their awareness of the importance of learning self-regulatory strategies. Through
the duration of this study, students who were enrolled in the arts infused pathway of
learning improved in areas of academics, attendance, and self-control. Responses of
students who are currently funded under the Alberta Exceptional Grant List as having a
severe emotional behavioral disorder were compared to the perception of the educational
assistants that were assigned to work with them. The study showed that there was a
significant increase in student involvement, academic growth, and behavioral incidents
declined in comparison to previous years.


identifier: Warford, Paul <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Warford=3APaul=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Now that I think about it.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

title: Now that I think about it

abstract: “Now That I Think About It” is a hybrid of memoir and fiction that employs magic realism to explore the shifts between childhood, adolescence and a very reluctant acceptance of adulthood. The narrator, who bears the same name as the author, details the current state of his life. Paul Warford is living a hermit-like existence dominated by sadness, marijuana and videogames. The narrator laments who he is versus who he was and tries to explain the juxtaposition between his past and current self. Recounting earliest childhood memories and the events leading up to the death of his best friend, Paul Warford seeks, if not necessarily happiness, a sense of wholeness or completion, which he hopes to find during the sometimes funny, sometimes difficult struggles to become a comedian and writer. Paul Warford seeks a reconciliation with his former selves, and the self he has become through the writing, by the memoir’s end, offering reflections on the mistakes he’s made and the insights and discoveries that surround him in the present.


identifier: Lewis, Leanna <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lewis=3ALeanna=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Can the food-entrainable oscillator ameliorate the deleterious effect of circadian rhythm disruption in an animal model of social jet lag?  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Today’s society fosters circadian rhythm disruptions. In particular, individuals often
experience “social jet lag” (SJL), resulting in differences between weekday and weekend
sleep schedules, and disruption of their light-entrainable oscillator (LEO). The current
study investigated the interaction between the LEO and the food-entrainable oscillator
(FEO) by implementing a novel animal model of SJL, the “social jet lag manipulation”
(SJM). Particularly, the impact of SJL on retention and acquisition of hippocampal-dependent
and non-hippocampal-dependent tasks was investigated. During Experiment
One, while receiving one (FEO access) or many (no FEO access) meals per day, rats
were trained under a 12:12 light-dark cycle, then exposed to the SJM. SJM and Control
rats retained the tasks equally, yet rats with FEO access retained hippocampal-dependent
tasks better than rats without FEO access. During Experiment Two, while receiving one
or many meals per day, rats were exposed to the SJM during hippocampal-dependent and
non-hippocampal-dependent task training. SJM and Control rats acquired the tasks
equally. However, rats with FEO access acquired the hippocampal-dependent task faster
than rats without FEO access. While no detrimental impact of the SJM was apparent,
actograms suggested that the SJM induced free-running activity. Previous shift work
models have induced free-running activity, causing hippocampal-dependent learning and
memory deficits. It is, therefore, possible that the hippocampal-dependent tasks used in
the current study were not sensitive enough to display hippocampal deficits. Nonetheless,
the current findings displaying the benefit of FEO access for learning and memory
indicate the need to further investigate this oscillator and its potential benefits.


identifier: Deb, Pulok Kanti <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Deb=3APulok_Kanti=3A=3A.html>   (2018) A finite volume approach for the numerical analysis and solution of the Buckley-Leverett equation including capillary pressure.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The study of petroleum recovery is significant for reservoir engineers. Mathematical models
of the immiscible displacement process contain various assumptions and parameters, resulting
in nonlinear governing equations which are tough to solve. The Buckley-Leverett equation is
one such model, where controlling forces like gravity and capillary forces directly act on
saturation profiles. These saturation profiles have important features during oil recovery.
In this thesis, the Buckley-Leverett equation is solved through a finite volume scheme, and
capillary forces are considered during this calculation. The detailed derivation and calculation
are also illustrated here. First, the method of characteristics is used to calculate the shock speed
and characteristics curve behaviour of the Buckley-Leverett equation without capillary forces.
After that, the local Lax-Friedrichs finite-volume scheme is applied to the governing equation
(assuming there are no capillary and gravity forces). This mathematical formulation is used for
the next calculation, where the cell-centred finite volume scheme is applied to the Buckley-
Leverett equation including capillary forces. All calculations are performed in MATLAB. The
fidelity is also checked when the finite-volume scheme is computed in the case where an
analytical solution is known. Without capillary pressure, all numerical solutions are calculated
using explicit methods and smaller time steps are used for stability. Later, the fixed-point
iteration method is followed to enable the stability of the local Lax-Friedrichs and Cell-centred
finite volume schemes using an implicit formulation. Here, we capture the number of iterations
per time-steps (including maximum and average iterations per time-step) to get the solution of
water saturation for a new time-step and obtain the saturation profile. The cumulative oil
production is calculated for this study and illustrates capillary effects. The influence of
viscosity ratio and permeability in capillary effects is also tested in this study.
Finally, we run a case study with valid field data and check every calculation to highlight that
our proposed numerical schemes can capture capillary pressure effects by generating shock
waves and providing single-valued saturation at each position. These saturation profiles help
find the amount of water needed in an injection well to displace oil through a production well
and obtains good recovery using the water flooding technique.


identifier: Alacoque, Daniel <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Alacoque=3ADaniel=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Combustion properties of reclaimed used engine lubricating oil blended with salmon fish oil and woody pyrolysis oil.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Biofuels from animals and plants are being investigated as substitutes for petroleum fuel. In remote locations, fish and wood waste are recycled into biofuel and used engine lubricating oil (UELO) is recycled as fuel when re-refining is unavailable. This work focused on blending reclaimed UELO (R-UELO) with unrefined salmon oil from fishmeal process and pyrolysis oil from fast pyrolysis of woody biomass. Physical, chemical, and thermal properties were determined for nine mixtures of R-UELO, fish oil, and pyrolysis oil to screen blends for combustion. R-UELO/fish oil blends showed promising miscibility, viscosity, and heating values. R-UELO/pyrolysis oil blends showed poor miscibility, high water content, and low heating values. R-UELO, fish oil, and a 50% R-UELO/fish oil blend were combusted in a pilot-scale multi-fuel furnace and demonstrated straightforward ignition and combustion. Emissions were analyzed with GC-TCD. Implications of this study are optimistic for UELO generators in proximity to fish processing plants.


identifier: Fan, Fuqiang <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Fan=3AFuqiang=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Sulfate reducing bacteria, nitrate reducing bacteria and their interactions in a souring offshore oil reservoir.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The troublesome souring issues, especially those occurred in offshore oilfields, have plagued petroleum and environmental industries for decades. To control reservoir souring, the nitrate addition have been noticed in recognition of their safety and operational effectiveness. The interactions between sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and nitrate reducing bacteria (NRB) are key mechanisms in the nitrate-mediated souring control. However, much is still unknown towards the effective profiling of SRB and the detailed NRB-SRB interactions. Although NRB produced biosurfactants might be promising bio-agents affecting NRB-SRB interactions, very limited studies tackled the production of biosurfactants by natural NRB strains. Systematic investigation of their unique roles in enhancing NRB competence over SRB was not documented. This thesis targeted on filling the above stated gaps and examined SRB, NRB and their interactions in a souring offshore oil reservoir system.
A method based on phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling of microbial communities in offshore produced water was developed and optimized. The developed method was further applied to profile microorganisms and trace SRB. Biosurfactant producing NRB was isolated and the associated biosurfactant product was used for tracking NRB-SRB-biosurfactant interactions.
The outputs of this thesis include: (1) the established PLFA based protocol for profiling SRB in offshore reservoirs; (2) the successful isolation and identification of biosurfactant producing NRB coupled with subsequent biosurfactant generation and characterization; and (3) the findings to confirm, for the first time, that NRB-produced biosurfactants could significantly strengthen SRB inhibition by NRB. The thesis has resulted in promising products and scientific observations for aiding souring control in the challenging offshore reservoir environments.


identifier: Phillips, Jennifer <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Phillips=3AJennifer=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Maternal and neonatal risk factors for type 1 diabetes mellitus among children in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This population-based case-control study was carried out to investigate mother and
infant risk factors for diabetes among children aged 0 to 15 years. Maternal risk factors of
interest included mother’s age, delivery method, marital status, education, mother’s T1DM
status and hypertension. Infant risk factors included birth order, prematurity or full-term
birth, size-for-gestational-age and birth weight.
Diabetes cases were identified using the Newfoundland & Labrador Diabetes
Database (NLDD) for childhood diabetes maintained by the Janeway Pediatric Research
Unit. The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information’s Live Birth
System (LBS) was used to obtain mother’s demographic and clinical data related to the
pregnancy and birth. Two-hundred and sixty-six cases identified from the NLDD were
linked to the LBS. Three control subjects were selected for each case.
Multivariate conditional logistic regression was carried out to assess the risk
factors associated with the development of T1DM. C-section delivery was associated with
increased risk of T1DM (HR 1.41, p=0.015) when birth weight and gestational age were
included in the regression model.
This study presented a unique opportunity to use clinical and administrative data to
examine risk factors associated with T1DM, a health issue of great significance in
Newfoundland and Labrador. Findings may have an impact on health practice, health
care planning and future research related to T1DM among children.


identifier: Baker, Krista Jennifer Joy <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Baker=3AKrista_Jennifer_Joy=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Characterization of Paris in Drosophila melanogaster.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that affects 1 to 2% of
the human population over the age of 65. This prevalent disease has characteristics including
resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability due to the loss of dopaminergic
neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta in the brain. Mitochondrial dynamics play a
significant role in PD with a balance between surveillance and biogenesis being key. The newly
discovered gene Paris has been proposed to be central in the coordination of mitochondrial
processes. These processes seem to be controlled by a number of PD associated genes. We have
identified CG15436 as an excellent candidate to carry out studies on the Paris function in
Drosophila melanogaster. Knockdown of CG15436 reduces longevity and locomotor ability
overtime to produce a Paris dependent Drosophila model of PD. As well, CG15436 RNA
interference negatively influences neurodevelopment when expressed in the eye. Interestingly,
overexpression of CG15436 produces similar results to knockdown of CG15436 in longevity and
locomotor assays as well as eye phenotypic expression. Alterations to the expression of the Paris
candidate, either through ectopic expression or knockdown seem to result in a suboptimal set of
conditions that lead to potential models of PD. As such, CG15436 seems to fulfill the conditions
to indicate that it functions as Paris in the Drosophila model system.


identifier: Butt, Michelle J. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Butt=3AMichelle_J=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Contextual control of aversive and avoidance responding in a flavor learning paradigm in rats.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Contextual control over aversive responding was examined in two experiments where rats were trained on a context discrimination task; a saccharin solution was paired with lithium chloride (LiCl) in one context but paired with saline in a different context. In Experiment 1, rats drank significantly less in the danger context than in the safe context, and showed aversive orofacial responses in the danger context. Contextual control transferred to a novel solution. Ten extinction trials, where rats were exposed to the danger context, produced a strong reduction in contextual control over aversive responding and a weak reduction in avoidance of the trained flavor. In Experiment 2, additional groups were added to the group described above. One group received tap water rather than saccharin solution during discrimination training, while another group did not receive fluid in the training context. Again, contextual control transferred to a novel flavor and all groups showed aversive responding in the danger context and avoidance of the danger context on a place choice test. Post-extinction tests revealed that context avoidance was weakest in the group trained with saccharin solution, even though that group showed the slowest extinction of the contextual control over consumption. Additionally, differential gaping was slower to appear and faster to extinguish than chin rubbing in all groups, suggesting that these responses have different underlying mechanisms. Associative mechanisms underlying contextual control over aversive and avoidance responses are discussed.


identifier: Feng, Poo Ching <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Feng=3APoo_Ching=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Variation in the use of innovative katakana in a Japanese corpus.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This study assesses writer’s use of innovative katakana forms in texts in a corpus of written
Japanese and examines the effects of linguistic and social factors on the use of innovative katakana.
Focusing specifically on innovative katakana that represent sequences including /w/ and /v/
phones, one of the aims of the study is to investigate whether the presence of /w/ in the native
phonological system encourages the use of innovative /w/ forms in sequences that do not appear
in native lexical items. This is in contrast to forms containing /v/ which lack native counterparts in
any context in the Japanese phonological system. Another objective of this paper is to investigate
whether the likelihood of using innovative katakana is affected by position within a word. Also,
this research applied the framework of variationist sociolinguistics to identify which social factors
significantly affect the innovative writing behavior.
To answers these questions, this study uses the data collected from the Chunagon database
for descriptive analysis and multivariate analysis. The Chunagon corpus is a written corpus
compiled by the National Institution of Japanese Language and Linguistics which contains
approximately 100 million words and includes texts published between the 1970's and the 2000's.
The results show that the presence of native phones triggers a higher usage of innovative katakana
in loanword forms containing /w/ as compared to /v/ forms. The findings also indicate that
innovative /w/ and /v/ forms occurred more often in word-initial position than in medial and final
positions. Concerning the social factors, the multivariate results show that there is no effect for age
and gender for the /w/ variable but for the /v/ variable, there is an effect of gender. Only the /v/
variable showed expected innovative preference in informal (webs and books) genres whereas the
/w/ variable showed an unanticipated higher innovative usage in a formal register which comprises
governmental and legal genres. In sum, this study has presented some significant findings of
showing linguistic reasons (the presence of native phone and the positional effect) that would
enhance the use of innovative katakana in written texts.


identifier: Wen, Peng <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Wen=3APeng=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Solving the problem of water impact in waves by improving a constrained interpolation profile based method.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This thesis presents numerical solutions to water impacts on two-dimensional
and three-dimensional objects entering calm water as well as regular waves. The
highly nonlinear water entry problems which are governed by the Navier-Stokes equations
were solved by a Constrained Interpolation Profile (CIP)-based finite difference
method on fixed Cartesian grids. The advection calculations were solved by the CIP
method. A pressure-based algorithm was applied for the non-advection calculations.
The highly violent water surface was determined by using color functions and the
tangent of hyperbola for interface capturing scheme with weighed line interface calculation
method (THINC/WLIC). A three-dimensional numerical wave tank (NWT)
with a damping zone was developed. A parallel computing algorithm based on the
message passing interface (MPI) was implemented to speed up the computations.
Validation studies of the present method were carried out for several two-dimensional
and three-dimensional bodies entering calm water symmetrically and asymmetrically
with prescribed velocities and free-fall motions. The predicted impulsive impact,
motions and free surface were compared with the experimental results. Satisfactory
agreement was demonstrated.
Furthermore, this work systematically studied the influence of regular waves on
the slamming impacts. Prior to it, a NWT was formed and validated by generating
regular waves and by solving the impact underneath a fixed deck. The predicted
impact force was in good agreement with the experimental data. The water entry of
a wedge in regular waves was then investigated. The slamming forces and the pressure
distributions were predicted and compared with calm water solutions. A thorough study was also conducted to examine how the slamming impact can be affected by
various factors, such as wave properties (the wave length and the wave height), the
wave heading, the entry velocity and the location of entry. It was found that waves
resulted in obvious horizontal slamming force and asymmetrical pressure distribution
on the wedge bottom. The entry location and the entry velocity had a significant
effect on the slamming forces. Increased local pressure on the wedge bottom may
occur due to the presence of waves.


identifier: Rombough, Ria <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Rombough=3ARia=3A=3A.html>   (2018) A good mentor is hard to find: examining the frequency, depth and conditional effects of mentoring relationships in a faculty-in-residence program.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Student-faculty interaction is thought to be an important factor in students’ engagement with their post-secondary institution, but the benefit to students usually correlates with the quality of the relationship. Faculty-in-residence programs have been championed as a way to encourage both intentional and casual out-of-the-classroom interactions between students and faculty. McGill University’s Faculty-Mentor-In-Residence program was designed to provide conditions for meaningful connections between students and faculty to take place, but the frequency and depth of interactions had not been evaluated. Using Cox and Orehovec’s (2007) typology of student-faculty interaction to analyze participant responses, this study sought to determine whether the program increased meaningful mentoring relationships, and for whom. Most participants interacted with faculty, but the students who formed the deepest relationships were white and cis-gendered, while students who hold systemically marginalized identities experienced more superficial interactions.


identifier: Ayoub, Sarah <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Ayoub=3ASarah=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Understanding intermolecular interactions in organic heterojunction devices with the use of density functional theory.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: In the past two decades, the field of organic semiconductors has gathered immense attention and development due to their remarkable advantages in the applications in devices such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic solar cells (OSCs). The performance of these devices has significantly improved after the introduction of heterojunction structures which combine donor and acceptor type conjugated materials. Experimental studies suggest that, in addition to electronic and optical material properties, intermolecular interactions are critical for determining the efficiency of such devices. However, a detailed understanding of the impact of these intermolecular interactions is still lacking. In this thesis, I employ dispersion corrected density functional theory (D-DFT) methods to investigate the properties of these interfacial regions in the various promising (monomer/monomer and monomer/fullerene) combinations that are used in OLEDs and OSCs. I analyze binding energies and employ DFT (B3LYP) to obtain the electronic offsets of gas phase and interacting D-DFT monomers and fullerenes combinations. For the various pairings used in OSCs, I first assess the accuracy of D-DFT methods and then I investigate their properties and the effect of alkyl side chains on their interfacial interactions. My study shows that B97-D3 and B3LYP-D3 methods yield the most accurate electronic and absorption results. My results highlight useful (general) trends in electronic, structural, and intermolecular properties and side chains effect of these combinations that are well correlated with the experimentally determined efficiencies. In particular, I determine common factors that lead to achieving the best device performance for combinations of fluorene-based polymers in OLEDs and the highest experimental efficiency (over 10%) for combinations of quaterthiophene-based polymers and fullerenes in OSCs. For example, monomer/fullerene pairings that have some of the highest OSC efficiencies exhibit the lowest interfacial LUMO offset and largest ratio of open-circuit voltage (as determined by interfacial band gap) to monomer’s energy gap. For fluorene-based dimers used in OLEDs, I found monomers that have well-matched chain-lengths and HOMO-LUMO energy gaps exhibit the best device performance. I hope this thesis (which connects theory with the experimental data) will expedite the process of finding promising materials for organic heterojunction devices to improve their efficiencies.


identifier: Li, Xixi <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Li=3AXixi=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Biosurfactant enhanced soil bioremediation and associated microbial community analysis.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The nutrient and rhamnolipid biosurfactant enhanced soil bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) and the associated microbial communities were investigated in this thesis. A systematic factorial design was conducted, and a response surface reduced quadratic model was developed to determine the effects of the nutrients and two surfactants (i.e., rhamnolipids and Tween 80) in the degradation of PHCs within 36 days. A significant effect as a result of nutrient addition and a 92.3% removal of PHCs was achieved by applying rhamnolipids at a concentration of 150 mg/kg and a 1000 μL nutrient solution in every 30 g of soil. Rhamnolipids resulted in higher metabolic activities of indigenous soil microorganisms to assimilate hydrocarbons than Tween 80 based on kinetic investigation. Using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, three different total biomass transformation patterns were observed when the soils were treated by natural attenuation, by rhamnolipid aided bioremediation or Tween 80 aided bioremediation, respectively. As indicated by PLFA biomarkers of the Gram-negative bacterial populations (cy17:0, cy19:0, 16:1ω7c and 18:1ω7c), Gram-negative bacteria are closely correlated with the total amount of soil biomass and are the sources of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms. The physiological status of the indigenous microorganisms was also evaluated using PLFA compositional characteristics to indicate environmental stress and elucidate biodegradation mechanisms linked to different soil treatments.


identifier: Li, Yimeng <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Li=3AYimeng=3A=3A.html>   (2018) The effect of dominant index finger fatigue on the force production of contralateral homologous muscle and biceps brachii.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Non-local muscle fatigue (NLMF) has been examined but the literature is inconsistent.
Differences in the protocols contribute to the inconsistent results. Most NLMF studies focus on
large muscle groups only (elbow flexors or knee extensors), with few NLMF studies involving
small muscles as either fatigued or tested muscles. Furthermore, the NLMF effect from a small
fatigued muscle to a larger heterologous muscle is unknown. Hence, the objective of the present
study was to examine the effect of small muscle fatigue on the force production and activation of
contralateral homologous and a larger heterologous muscles.


identifier: Hoque, Zakia Nahim <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Hoque=3AZakia_Nahim=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Effectiveness of workplace health and safety programs in university settings.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: A study was conducted among the faculty members, staff, graduate students and researchers of Memorial University (MUN) through well-designed surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of the health and safety programs provided by the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Unit at MUN. To establish a benchmark and to understand Memorial’s environmental health and safety programs relative to other institutions, we have reviewed the health and safety programs of ten universities across Canada and performed a comparative study with Memorial’s safety programs based on the publicly available information on university webpage. We have conducted two identical online surveys of MUN employees and graduate students on their knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding health and safety in October, 2016, and in April, 2017. A quantitative analysis was done to understand the health and safety awareness with reference to different demographic factors and the effect of the dissemination of the health and safety information on knowledge, attitude, and behavior of employees and graduate students. Our survey results were compared with the result of a previous survey, conducted in 2013 on safety culture of Memorial University. The surveys were followed by Key Informant Interviews (KII) of eight officials of Memorial University to understand the causes of some of the findings from the surveys and get the views of the university administration on some of the comments made by the survey respondents. Overall, the survey results show that Memorial University has progressed significantly in communication and in the use of online tools to manage the environment, health, and safety. Also, Memorial has a good health and safety policy in place, and the health and safety program is at par with other Canadian universities.


identifier: Malek, Shahrazad <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Malek=3AShahrazad=3A=3A.html>   (2018) Thermodynamic and structural anomalies of water nanodroplets from computer simulations.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Liquid water nanodroplets are valuable for studying supercooled water because they
resist nucleation well below the bulk freezing temperature and conveniently selfpressurize
in the interior. These features make nanodroplets good candidates for
studying the properties of liquid water and for probing the liquid-liquid critical point
(LLCP) in water hypothesized to exist in the deeply supercooled state at high pressure,
at which a distinct low density liquid (LDL) phase becomes distinct from a high
density liquid (HDL) phase.
We conduct extensive molecular dynamics computer simulations to study the
properties of water nanodroplets using the TIP4P/2005 potential over a wide range
of size and temperature. In order to improve the sampling of independent microstates,
we conduct “swarms” of independent simulations, in which we monitor the approach
to equilibrium from the potential energy autocorrelation function. After a swarm
of this size attains equilibrium, the ensemble of final microstates from each run is
sufficient to evaluate equilibrium properties and their uncertainties in the shortest
real time.
In order to study the possibility of recovering bulk properties using nanodroplets,
we evaluate the Laplace pressure inside the nanodroplets from direct evaluation of
the local pressure tensor. We use a modification of a coarse-graining pressure tensor
method that calculates the components of the microscopic pressure tensor as a function of radial distance r from the centre of a spherical water droplet. The pressure
tensor beneath the surface region becomes approximately isotropic and constant
with r. From this region where the components of the pressure tensor are equal, we
determine the Laplace pressure of the droplets.
Defining the pressure and the density inside the nanodroplets enables us to probe
the properties of liquid water nanodroplet cores. We find that the bulk properties
and related anomalies are present in the nanodroplets, such as the appearance of a
density maximum. We simulate water nanodroplets under extremly low temperature
conditions that have not been investigated thoroughly before. At such low temperatures,
the nanodroplets show interesting emergence of structural complexity in the
interior which may be linked to the LLCP and may indicate a HDL-like to LDL-like
transformation in the nanodroplets.
We also study the surface tension of water nanodroplets using different approaches.
When employing the thermodynamic route to calculating surface tension, we find that
the Tolman correction is small and can be neglected. Therefore, the surface tension
of nanodroplets can be approximated by the planar surface tension. We also observe
a sudden increase in the planar surface tension at low temperature on crossing the
Widom line, which may signal the emergence of a LDL-like network in the interior of
water nanodroplets.