title: Structural, Mineralogical, Geochemical and Geochronological Investigation of the Barry Gold Deposit, Abitibi Subprovince, Canada

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

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subject:
greenstone gold
Abitibi
Archean gold
geochronology
mineralogy
geochemistry

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-12 17:18:25.925

abstract:
The Barry gold deposit is an example of an Archean greenstone-hosted lode gold deposit located in the Urban-Barry greenstone belt in the Abitibi subprovince of Québec, Canada. Auriferous zones are spatially associated with NE-trending ductile shear zones with moderate south-easterly dip. Gold mineralization occurs within albite-carbonate-quartz veins that are straight N64ºE/64ºSE and folded N20ºE/60ºSE and within the surrounding carbonate-quartz-pyrite and locally biotite-carbonate alteration zones of the host mafic volcanic rocks. The deposit has gold resources indicated at 52,300 oz (385,000 mt at 4.23 g/t Au) and inferred at 126,600 oz (966,000 mt at 4.07 g/t Au).

The host mafic volcanic rocks are part of the 2717 Ma Macho Formation that exhibit a geochemical signature transitional between mid-ocean and island arc. They are cut by pre-ore diorite, pre- and post-ore quartz-feldspar porphyry (QFP), and quartz monzonite dikes and plugs interpreted to have formed in a volcanic arc to syn-collisional setting.

The auriferous veins comprise 5-15% volume of the mafic volcanic rocks, are 1-5cm wide, and locally pinch and swell or are boudinaged. Although the volcanic units strike N55-60ºE and dip 40ºSE, the ore envelope (>2 g/t Au) is constrained from surface to 30m depth in an antiformal shape. Free gold is found in albite-carbonate-quartz veins, syn-mineralization altered host rocks, and locally within quartz veins cutting early QFP dikes.
The timing of gold mineralization at the Barry deposit is well constrained by U-Pb zircon dating of pre-mineralization diorite and post-mineralization QFP dikes. Analyses of single zircon grains by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) give concordant and overlapping data with indistinguishable ages, yielding an average age of 2697 ± 0.6 Ma that is interpreted as the age of gold mineralization at the Barry deposit. This date indicates that gold mineralization was coeval with regional deformation and magmatism, and is, to our knowledge, the most precise age yet established for Archean lode gold mineralization. This confirms that the Barry lode gold deposit formed during an earlier, pre-2686, deformational period in the late Archean, similar to what was documented in the Kiena, Norlartic and Siscoe (Main Zone) mines in the Southern Abitibi greenstone belt.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The Other Cold War: Canadian Military Assistance in the Developing World

contributor:
English, Allan
History

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

subject:
Military
Assistance
Canadian Forces
Development

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-12 17:21:17.163

abstract:
This thesis explains how Canada, and the Canadian Forces, became involved with the delivery of military assistance to the developing world from the post-war period until the election of Pierre Trudeau as prime minister in 1968.   Military assistance, in effect the provision of equipment, advice or training to the armed forces of a recipient country, was an area in which Canada and the Canadian Forces became significantly, if somewhat haphazardly involved with, after 1945.

The thesis argues that the number of military personnel deployed overseas for military assistance purposes was very small compared to Canada’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization and United Nations contributions.  Nevertheless, those Canadians involved in training and advising foreign militaries were highly trained senior officers and non-commissioned officers who provided invaluable advice and assistance.  Furthermore, and as requests from the developing world for military assistance increased, Ottawa had little choice but to create the Interdepartmental Military Assistance Committee in 1964 in an effort to coordinate Canada’s previously ad hoc military assistance efforts.  Lastly, while Prime Minister Diefenbaker and his successor, Lester Pearson, were willing to offer military assistance to Commonwealth countries in the post-colonial period, Prime Minister Trudeau was not.  Believing that any sort of military assistance was ill-advised, he would ultimately work towards ending all Canadian efforts in this regard soon after his election in 1968.

The thesis concludes that Canada became engaged in the business of military assistance on an ad hoc basis.  There was no master plan to offer military assistance to foreign countries as a means to boost domestic armaments production, spur on wider development activities in the receiving countries or to gain greater international political influence for Canada. Furthermore, when the Canadian government began sending military advisors around the globe in the 1960s, the need to check communist influence often determined which countries received Canadian military help.  Finally, Trudeau’s decision to end Canada’s military assistance efforts was a sound one given the domestic and international political situation at the time.

abstract: PhD


title: Monitoring the use of chair backrest and forearm support during computer work with and without a workplace Butterfly board attachment

contributor:
Dumas, Geneviève A.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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subject: Office Ergonomics

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-14 17:02:19.36

abstract: In this thesis, a new method is proposed for monitoring the use of backrest and forearm support during computer work on a standard workstation and the same workstation with a Butterfly board attachment. The developed techniques measure the effect of using the Butterfly board on the resting duration and the pressure on the back and forearms while resting. Novel™ pressure sensor mats were used to measure pressure applied by resting against the chair back rest and the arm rests. To ensure that the back mat is not moving, a new technique of mapping the back points of contact with the backrest is used. A video camera, synchronized with the pressure measurement system, is used to identify the location where the forearms were resting (work surface or chair arm rests).

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Evidence Linking the Structure and Function of the Internal Pudendal Artery  to Erectile Function: Impact of Aging, Hypertension, Antihypertensive Treatments and Lifestyle Modifications

contributor:
Adams, Michael A.
Pharmacology and Toxicology

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subject:
erectile dysfunction
hypertension
aging
internal pudendal artery
antihypertensive treatments
lifestyle modifications

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Pharmacology & Toxicology) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-19 12:55:30.469

abstract:
Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease share etiologies, and commonly
coexist. One unifying concept is that the arterial insufficiency in hypertension is also the
primary basis for blunted sexual responses. The objective of these studies was to
characterize the age-related changes in the structure and function of the pudendal artery
(the main resistance vessel) in young and old normotensive and hypertensive animals in
relation to erectile function. In addition, we assessed the impact of antihypertensive
treatments and lifestyle modifications, such as exercise and/or caloric restriction, on
erectile responses and the structure and function of the pudendal artery.
In 30 week old hypertensive rats or following re-challenges at 50 and 70 weeks,
antihypertensive treatment (enalapril or hydralazine) did not prevent the age-related
decline in erectile function. Experiments involving cross-over kidney transplantations
between treated and untreated young hypertensive rats revealed that changes in penile
vasculature and not the level of arterial pressure were important for normalizing erectile
responses. In addition, intervention with exercise and caloric restriction showed that
these treatments substantially improved erectile responses in normotensive and
hypertensive rats.
The pudendal artery in young normotensive rats was found to have a thick medial
layer but a relatively small lumen. With age, the pudendal lumen didn’t change, but all
components of the medial layer were markedly increased. Of interest, the smooth muscle
cells within the pudendal medial layer became more disorganized with aging, although
iii
contractions were similar. In contrast, endothelium-dependent relaxation decreased with
age.
Young hypertensive rats also had an increased wall thickness, but not lumen
diameter or extracellular matrix. Antihypertensive therapy significantly decreased the
pudendal wall thickness. In aging hypertensive rats, the pudendal artery walls were even
thicker, lumen decreased and extracellular matrix greatly enhanced compared to younger
rats. In addition, there were numerous regions of intimal thickening associated with
marked disruptions of the internal elastic lamina. Moreover, pudendal smooth muscle
cells bordering the intima and in the neointima were round in shape, and electron
microscopy confirmed their synthetic state.
Taken together, these findings provide key evidence of the importance of the
structure and function of the pudendal artery in facilitating erectile responses.

abstract: PhD


title: An Evaluation of Turbulence Models for the Numerical Study of Forced and Natural Convective Flow in Atria

contributor:
Oosthuizen, Patrick H.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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subject: CFD Turbulence

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-21 16:21:27.82

abstract:
A demand for methods that can be used in the numerical analysis of three dimensional air flow in large buildings has developed as more buildings are being designed with large atriums using a solar loading that leads to complex flow.  The flow in such buildings is almost always turbulent which means that turbulence models that are accurate but which do not require undue computer resources have to be selected.  As a result, a numerical study of natural convective heat transfer and turbulent flows in large atria, specifically part of the Atria in the EV building at Concordia University, has been completed.  Experimental work on turbulence modeling and atria design has been studied and compared with the numerical results obtained here to gain confidence in the modeling techniques used in the study.  The flow has been assumed to be steady, and the Boussinesq approximation has been used. The governing equations have been numerically solved using the CFD solver FLUENT.
	The three-dimensional air flow in the Concordia-like atria used the following parameters: forced flow vent inlet angle; forced flow vent velocity; date and time (for solar radiation purposes).  The case with adiabatic floor and ceiling conditions was examined and compared to the case with isothermal floor and ceiling conditions.  Several models were studied to compare the effect of turbulent modeling in the atria, including the following: (1) K-Epsilon; (2) K-Omega; (3) Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) model; (4) Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model.  Further study was completed after it was noted the flow was completely based on natural convection when the velocity of the inlet flow was set to zero.
	In addition, experimental results were available and this situation was modeled using similar parameters to the work explained above.  Comparing these results supported the accuracy of the work done on the Concordia Atrium.  Experimental work on the Annex 26 Atrium in Yokohama Japan was also compared to numerical results to gain confidence in techniques used in the present study and results were obtained that were in good agreement.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The Utility of DNA Microsatellite Markers in Conservation of a Namibian Population of the Black Rhinoceros (Diceros Bicornis)

contributor:
Lougheed, Stephen C.
Biology

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subject:
Black Rhinoceros
Diceros Bicornis
Microsatellites
Pedigree

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-01 10:18:14.064

abstract: Massive declines in the latter half of the 20th century left black rhinoceros populations perilously close to extinction with only approximately 3600 individuals remaining, in contrast to estimated census numbers of over 100,000 individuals in 1900. While Diceros bicornis bicornis is the second most abundant subspecies of black rhino, behind D. b. minor, relatively few genetic studies have focused on this taxon. I used polymorphic DNA microsatellite markers to describe population structure in this subspecies. Using these genetic markers, the goals of this study were: i) to characterize the genetic variability of D.b. bicornis individuals (n = 170) found in Etosha National Park, Namibia, using seven DNA microsatellite markers, ii) to determine if there is population structure within Etosha National Park, using both traditional Wright’s F-statistics and a Bayesian model that requires no a priori population assignment, iii) to determine relatedness amongst founding and newly introduced black rhinoceroses held in private game farms throughout Namibia, using moment estimators of relatedness; and iv) to determine parentage of game farm rhinos with partial or no pedigree data available, using likelihood-based methods. I found that: i) the levels of genetic diversity in D.b. bicornis from Etosha National Park are consistent with previously published studies using microsatellite markers, and are relatively high; ii) the population structure within Etosha National Park is ambiguous using traditional F-statistics, but can be subdivided into three diagnosable clusters (western, central and eastern) using a Bayesian approach; iii) a relatively high degree of relatedness exists among founding members of game farm rhinos; and iv) assignments of parentage had greater success when there were fewer candidate parents and support the notion that black rhinoceroses are polygynous.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Mathematical Modelling of DNAPL Source Zone Remediation

contributor:
Kueper, Bernard H.
Civil Engineering

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subject: DNAPL Remediation ISCO SEAR bioremediation modelling

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-21 08:55:04.491

abstract:
Mathematical modelling was utilized to evaluate trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source zone remediation in the subsurface environment.  Semi-analytical solutions were derived, tested, and employed to evaluate the benefits of source zone concentration reduction and solute degradation mechanisms on the evolution of plumes in porous media and fractured rock domains.  Simulations of treatment in complex DNAPL source zones using different remedial technologies were completed with a numerical model that was developed, tested, calibrated, and applied to nine idealized heterogeneous porous media sites.
     Analytical modelling revealed that, in domains dominated by matrix diffusion, aggressive and moderate source zone concentration reduction may have similar effects on the leading edge of the plume.  The tailing (near source) edge of the plume may be more responsive to aggressive concentration reduction, particularly when diffusion processes are negligible.  Both the near-field (near-source) and far-field plume responses were strongly influenced by the matrix decay half-life for both transient and steady-state conditions.  The degradative capacity of the matrix largely dictated plume extent and life-span for the fractured bedrock site considered here.
     Numerical simulations of in situ source zone treatment with chemical oxidation (ISCO), enhanced bioremediation (ISEB), and surfactants (SEAR) were compared and contrasted.  Treatment efficacy was site specific, with benefits observed at some sites, and detrimental impacts observed at others.  Each technology demonstrated some degree of performance enhancement relative to dissolution only (no treatment).  The maximum DNAPL mass depletion enhancement factors for ISCO, ISEB and SEAR, were 1.44, 2.91, and 2.70 after 10 years, respectively.  Similarly, the maximum boundary mass flux enhancement factors for ISCO, ISEB and SEAR were 9.78, 3.32, and 3.97, respectively.  While notable enhancements were observed for many sites during active treatment, the long-term performance of pre-maturely terminated ISCO and ISEB, and to a lesser degree SEAR, was similar to dissolution.  Overall, the partial depletion of DNAPL mass from source zones produced on-going persistent boundary mass flux signatures.  Only the complete removal of DNAPL mass, which was attained for one site with SEAR, successfully eliminated downgradient boundary mass flux.

abstract: PhD


title: Holy Mount: Identity, Place, Religion, and Narrative at New Lebanon Shaker Village 1759-1861

contributor:
Godlewska, Anne
Geography

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subject:
Shaker
Historical Geography
Religion
Narrative
Place
New Lebanon Shaker Village  (NY)
Covenant
Antebellum

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-21 09:32:07.477

abstract: While the Shakers are associated in North American with simplicity and communalism, an examination of Shaker history reveals a dynamic and complex society. Shaker life was structured by a powerful metanarrative: the Shakers were the ‘Chosen People of God,’ who lived in ‘His Promised Land.’ This narrative, which is profoundly geographical due to its intertwining of people with place, was not static in its interpretation. Nevertheless, it served as the basis for the discourses concerning the most appropriate means to live in the World, but not be of it. Few geographers have examined religiosity and spirituality systematically. This research highlights the interaction between religiosity, identity, place, and narrative as an essential element of the  human condition. Religiosity is expressed through narratives and rituals and buttresses a sense of identity and belonging in place. Particular expressions of the Shaker covenantal narrative were shaped by the places in which the Shakers existed. This work examines the Shaker experience at New Lebanon Shaker Village (New York) focusing on the antebellum period. It examines the context in which the Shakers existed, the shifts in the interpretations of the Shaker covenantal narratives, and the means by which the Shaker leadership disseminated their ideas.

abstract: PhD


title: Living in a "Different World": Experiences of Racialized Women in the Criminal Justice System

contributor:
Levine-Rasky, Cynthia
Sociology

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subject:
Criminalization of Women
Canadian Criminal Justice System
Racialization

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-21 12:25:50.747

abstract: The criminalization of women is an area of study that has intrigued many researchers.  Using critical race theory, multiracial feminist theory, and radical feminist theory, this research attempts to explain this phenomenon.  Through the use of personal interviews with women who are currently reintegrating back into society after being incarcerated, I attempt to uncover the factors which influence female criminality, and analyze the experiences women encounter when confronted by the Canadian criminal justice system.  A key hypothesis that fuels this study is that discriminatory practices exist within the Canadian criminal justice system which negatively impact women of colour and Aboriginal women.  I argue that the criminalization of women of colour and Aboriginal women occurs as a result of failing to take into consideration the intersectionality of race, class and gender in women who commit criminal acts.  This phenomenon occurs due to patriarchal and classist biases that seek to maintain current power structures and relationships by continually oppressing those who do not fit within their group.  The findings that emerged from the interviews support my hypothesis and confirm that changes within the criminal justice system are imperative in order to ensure women are treated fairly.

abstract: M.A.


title: The Experiences of Racialized Female Faculty at Queen's University

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subject:
Racism
Sexism
Racialized Female Faculty
Queen's University
Critical Race Feminism
Critical Whiteness Studies
Critical Race Theory

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-21 12:54:47.649

abstract: Racialized female faculty frequently experience discrimination in the academy.  However, few scholars have attempted to understand such experiences.  This study helps to fill this void by exploring the experiences of racialized female faculty within the university.  More specifically, in this study, I interviewed racialized female faculty from Queen's University and asked them to discuss their experiences with discrimination on campus.  I was interested in conducting this study at Queen's due to The Henry Report (2004) which examined the experiences of racialized faculty at Queen's and found that the university suffers from a 'culture of whiteness'.  Moreover, I also wished to conduct this study at Queen's with racialized female faculty specifically because of the difficulties the university has in retaining these women, due to their experiences with racism on campus.  From the interviews, I was able to conclude that racialized female faculty experience both racial and sexual discrimination at Queen's.  Moreover, I was also able to conlude that this university still suffers from a 'culture of whiteness' and racism, and needs to make greater efforts to confront these issues or continue to have difficulties retaining racialized female faculty.

abstract: M.A.


title: Adiposity and Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: Relationships With Activities of Daily Living, Secondary Complications, and Subjective Well-Being

contributor:
Latimer, Amy
Kinesiology and Health Studies

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subject:
Spinal Cord Injury
Paraplegia
Paraplegia
Tetraplegia
Activities of Daily Living
Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors
Adiposity
Secondary Complications
Subjective Well-Being

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-28 11:40:32.574

abstract:
The purpose of this thesis was to examine coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors and secondary complications in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). In particular, this thesis was organized around the central theme of adiposity, which is a prevalent complication following SCI.

Study 1 focused on understanding the relationships between activities of daily living (ADL) and CHD risk factors including central adiposity, lipoproteins, and triglycerides. Using generalized linear models, while controlling for pertinent covariates such as sex, age, and leisure time physical activity (LTPA), it was found that Mobility ADL (wheeling and transferring) were negatively associated with total and LDL-cholesterol.

Study 2 examined whether individuals who considered themselves to be overweight subsequently had less favourable subjective well-being, and were more likely to report specific secondary complications than individuals who did not consider themselves to be overweight. Logistic regression analysis and partial correlations controlling for pertinent covariates such as sex, age, and injury severity, revealed that individuals who considered themselves to be overweight reported greater pain, depression, overuse injuries, and fatigue, and less satisfaction with life than individuals who did not consider themselves to be overweight.

In summary, the findings suggest that a) participation in specific types of ADL (i.e. Mobility ADL) are associated with a lower CHD risk and should be further explored and that b) elevated perceived adiposity is associated with specific secondary complications and lower subjective well-being. Overall thesis findings support the overwhelming evidence of the benefits of daily physical activity and maintaining a healthy bodyweight in the SCI population.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Polymer Electrochemical Light-Emitting Devices and Photovoltaic Cells

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subject:
Polymer electronics
Electrochemical doping

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-25 13:06:45.646

abstract:
Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) are solid state polymer devices operating through the formation of a light-emitting p-n
junction by in situ electrochemical doping. The LEC film contains a luminescent polymer and a polymer electrolyte. A sufficiently high voltage bias initiates the electrochemical p-doping reaction at the anode interface and n-doping reaction at
the cathode interface. With time the doped regions expand in volume until they make contact to form a light-emitting p-n junction.

In this thesis, I present my original research on both the light-emitting and photovoltaic properties of LECs. I discovered
that continued doping after p- and n-doped regions have made first contact accounts for most of LEC turn-on time. I showed that because the electronic charges must be injected from an external circuit for
the electrochemical doping to occur, the LEC turn-on response is limited to no faster than milliseconds. I also demonstrated that the lifetime of LECs can be affected by various factors such as stress temperature, stress current, substrate thermal conductivity, and luminescent polymer end group. With the right combination of
substrates and materials, LECs exhibit a remarkable half lifetime on the order of hundreds of hours when stressed at a current density of 1A/cm2. I also observed that an as-formed p-n junction can even relax into a p-i-n junction upon the removal of applied voltage bias. A p-i-n junction LEC exhibits more efficient electroluminescence due to less photoluminescence quenching in the
quasi-intrinsic emission zone. Frozen p-i-n junction LECs also exhibit a much improved photovoltaic response. By carefully
controlling the relaxation (dedoping) temperature and duration, I have demonstrated p-i-n junction photovoltaic cells with record-high open-circuit voltage of 2.25V and short-circuit current density in
excess of 10mA/cm2 under simulated sunlight of ~300mW/cm2. By optimizing film thickness and electrolyte content, I have achieved a thirty-fold increase in power conversion efficiency of p-i-n junction photovoltaic cells. My results demonstrate that a
polymer homojunction such a p-n or a p-i-n junction is a promising device concept that has potential application in high performance
polymer-based photonic devices.

abstract: PhD


title: Numerical Studies of the Combined Effects of Interactions and Disorder at Metal-Insulator Transitions

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subject:
Interactions
Disorder
Metal-Insulator Transition
Hartree-Fock
AC conductivity
Anderson-Hubbard model

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-26 02:20:04.652

abstract:
We first study noninteracting electrons moving on corner-sharing tetrahedral lattices, which represent the conduction path of LiAlyTi2−yO4. A uniform box distribution type of disorder for the on-site energies is assumed. Using the Dyson-Mehta Delta-3 statistics as a criterion for localization, we have determined the critical disorder (Wc/t = 14.5 ± 0.25) and the mobility-edge trajectories.

Then we study the Anderson-Hubbard model, which includes both interactions and disorder, using a real-space self-consistent Hartree-Fock theory. We provide a partial assessment on how the Hartree-Fock theory approximates the ground states of the Anderson-Hubbard model, using small clusters which can be solved exactly. The Hartree-Fock theory works very well in reproducing the ground-state energies and local charge densities. However, it does not work as well in representing the spin-spin correlations. To find the ground state, one needs to allow maximum degree of freedom in spins. Evidence of screening of disorder by the interactions is provided.

We have applied the Hartree-Fock theory to large-scale three-dimensional simple cubic lattices. For a disorder strength of W/t = 6, weak interactions (U/t ≤ 3) enhance the density of states at the Fermi level and the low-frequency conductivity. There are no local magnetic moments, and the AC conductivity is Drude-like. With stronger interactions (U/t ≥ 4), the density of states at the Fermi level and the low-frequency conductivity are both suppressed. These are accompanied by the presence of local magnetic moments, and the conductivity becomes non-Drude-like. A metal-to-insulator transition is likely to take place at a critical Uc/t ≈ 8 – 9. We find that (i) the formation of magnetic moments is essential to the suppression of the density of states at the Fermi level, and therefore essential to the metal-insulator transition; (ii) the form of magnetic moments does not matter; and (iii) these results do not depend on the type of lattice or the type of disorder.

abstract: PhD


title: Pursuing Tikkun Olam in Business Pedagogy: An Investigation of Business Faculty Perspectives of Social Justice in Business and Education

contributor:
Lewis, Magda Gere
Education

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subject:
Social Justice
Business Pedagogy
Critical Pedagogy
Tikkun Olam
Business School

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-26 14:50:22.335

abstract:
Starting with the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam and framed by Critical Theory, this paper investigates business faculty perspectives of social justice in Israel and Canada. Eight purposefully-selected participants were interviewed. Their narratives form the basis of this qualitative study. The research participants revealed that there were ideological and structural forces present in the business programmes investigated that appeared to prevent social justice motives from being realized in the culture of business schools. The participants suggested that the hegemonic forces driving business programs were: profit-driven business ideologies, the particular character of MBA programs, and business programs’ quantitative research bias. These forces were found to be affecting the way in which the participants made-meaning of social justice, and the way in which they could teach and research within their respective business schools.
The results of this study illuminate the types of cultural and asymmetrical relations that are affecting business pedagogical constructs and the future for social justice within them. This is important as how university faculty make meaning of social justice within business paradigms will not only shape how curricula and ideological changes evolve in business schools, they will have a significant impact on how and what students learn (Fernandez & Stiehl, 1995). The paper concludes with recommendations for Critical Communication and Critical Management Education to be employed within business schools as a process-oriented approach to social justice based on critical dialogue and communication: thus pursuing a Tikkun Olam in business pedagogy.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Le Canada anglais de Jacques Ferron (1960-1970). Formes, fonctions et représentations

contributor:
Hayward, Annette
Inkel, Stéphane
French

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subject: literature Québécois

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, French) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-26 16:29:41.609

abstract:
Jacques Ferron (1921-1985), one of the most influential Québécois writers of the 20th century, declared near the end of his life that he wrote his books not for the world but for an “unfinished country” like him, a country that would have liked to become sovereign, just as he would have liked to have become a truly accomplished writer. The author’s individual search for identity is thus inextricable from that of the Québécois nation. Strangely enough, however, Ferron’s polyvalent and prolific oeuvre abounds with references, both textual and paratextual, to English Canada, the English language, and literature in English.
	This thesis shows how this English Canadian intertextuality in Ferron’s work plays an essential role in his representation of the search for the Québécois identity, both personal and collective. The different manifestations of this intertextuality as they appear in a representative sampling of texts published during the author’s most productive period (1960 to1970) are therefore analyzed with a view to assessing their role in the production of meaning.
Given the strong autobiographical imprint of Ferron’s work, Chapter 2 examines the author’s formative encounters with English and English Canada. Chapters 3 and 4 then study the implications of his first two English Canadian dedicatees, Scott Symons (La tête du roi, 1963) and Peter Dwyer (Le salut de l’Irlande, 1970), exposing the complex relationship between these English Canadians and the works in which they appear. The bulk of the thesis, however, is devoted to the “Scot cycle”, a series of three novels (La nuit, La charrette, et Le ciel de Québec) that feature a protagonist whose model is the well-known English Canadian jurist and poet, Frank R. Scott.  After reviewing in Chapter 5 Ferron’s personal relationship with Scott and his representation in various polemical articles, Chapter 6 analyses the complexity and importance of the English Canadian literary code in La nuit. A study of the metamorphoses of the character inspired by Frank Scott throughout the “Scot cycle” (Chapters 7 through 9) further illustrates the extent to which the English Canadian is a necessary element for the depiction of the Québécois.

abstract: PhD


title: Domestications and Disruptions: Lesbian Identities in Television Adaptations of Contemporary British Novels

contributor:
Bongie, Christopher
English

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subject:
Lesbian Visibility
Queer Theory
Contemporary Literature
British literature
Film Adaptation Theory
Television Adaptation
Sarah Waters
Jeanette Winterson
Andrew Davies
BBC

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-27 11:26:42.504

abstract: The first decade of this century marked a moment of hypervisibility for lesbians and bisexual women on British television.  During this time, however, lesbian hypervisibility was coded repeatedly as hyperfemininity.  When the BBC and ITV adapted Sarah Waters’s novels for television, how, I ask, did the screen versions balance the demands of pop visual culture with the novels’ complex, unconventional – and in some cases subversive – representations of lesbianism?  I pursue this question with an interdisciplinary methodology drawn from queer and feminist theories, cultural and media studies, and film adaptation theory.  Chapter Two looks back to Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (BBC 1990).  I examine this text – the first BBC television serial to feature a lesbian protagonist – to establish a vocabulary for discussing the page-to-screen adaptation of queer identities throughout this dissertation.  Chapter Three investigates Waters’s first novel Tipping the Velvet (1998) and its complex intertextual relationship with Andrew Davies’s serialized version (BBC 2002).  I also examine responses to the serial in the British press, tracing the ways in which dominant cultural forces seek to domesticate non-normative instances of gender and sexuality.  Chapter Four examines Waters’s novel Fingersmith (2002) in relation to Peter Ransley’s adaptation (BBC 2005) to situate adaptations of Waters’s retro-Victorian texts amid the genre of television and film adaptations of Jane Austen novels.  I argue that Ransley’s serial interrogates the notion of Austen as a “conservative icon” (Cartmell 24) and queers the Austen adaptation genre itself.  To conclude this study I address Davies’s television film (ITV 2008) of Waters’s second novel Affinity (1999).  In this chapter I examine how the adaptation depicts the disruptive lesbian at the centre of the text.  I argue in particular that by casting an actress who does not conform to dominant televisual norms of femininity, the adaptation is able to create a powerful audiovisual transgendered moment which adds to the novel’s destabilization of Victorian hierarchies of gender and class.  This chapter considers, finally, how Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith and Affinity have contributed to lesbian visibility on British television.

abstract: As recommended by the Thesis Examining Committee for publication purposes.

abstract: PhD


title: Analysts' Selective Provisions of Cash Flow Forecasts

contributor:
Salterio, Steven
Management

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subject:
Analysts
Earnings forecasts
Cash flow forecasts
Signaling games

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-27 16:20:09.248

abstract: In this thesis, I examine the factors associated with analysts’ voluntary practice of issuing cash flow forecasts and earnings forecasts on the same day. I draw on Hughes and Pae’s (2004) management partial disclosure equilibrium and predict how an analyst decides to issue a cash flow forecast revision along with and according to her bad news and good news earnings forecast revision. In particular, I predict that analysts strategically choose to supplement earnings forecasts with positive cash flow news when they deliver bad news earnings forecasts. Consistent with my prediction, I find that analysts are more likely to issue cash flow forecast revisions in the opposite direction to their earnings forecast revisions when they issue downward earnings forecast revisions than when they issue upward earnings forecast revisions. The results suggest that analysts may not make their decisions to issue cash flow forecasts as objectively as they ought to do in their role as independent information intermediaries. Rather, analyst decisions to issue cash flow forecasts are akin to managers’ strategic decisions to voluntarily disclose supplemental information to affect investors’ confidence in their primary news (earnings forecasts).

abstract: PhD


title: Synthesis and Characterization of Siloxane-terminated Liquid Crystals and Photochromic Fulgide Dopants for Liquid Crystal Photonics Applications

contributor:
Lemieux, Robert P.
Chemistry

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subject:
liquid crystal
photochromic
siloxane
fulgide
photonics

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-28 12:46:13.992

abstract:
The goal of this thesis is to design both liquid crystal hosts and photochromic dopants terminated with short siloxane oligomers in order to produce homogeneous liquid crystal mixtures containing a photochromic component for liquid crystal photoswitches.  Some of the liquid crystals terminated with short siloxane oligomers were also found to form 'de Vries'-type SmA phases, which minimize the formation of chevrons and zigzag defects that severely degrade the quality of electro-optic devices.
In the first part of the thesis, siloxane-terminated phenylpyrimidine liquid crystals were synthesized and characterized.  They form SmC phases and, in some cases, SmA phases. Addition of a terminal halogen substituent on the alkoxy side-chain broadens the SmA temperature range. It was shown that combining a structural element that promotes the formation of a SmC phase with one that promotes the formation of a SmA phase in a mesogen with a 2-phenylpyrimidine core results in a maximum layer contraction of 1.6% for 2-(4-(11-(1,1,1,3,3,5,5-heptamethyltrisiloxanyl)undecyloxy)phenyl)-5-(1-chlorooctyloxy)pyrimidine (33a), which may be considered a ‘de Vries’ material.
As an extension of the result obtained in the first project, siloxane-terminated biphenyl benzoate and phenyl benzoate liquid crystals were synthesized and their phase behavior studied. They form SmC phases and, in some cases, SmA and SmI phases. Addition of a terminal chloro substituent on alkoxy side-chain results in a broader SmA temperature range and, in some cases, also affects the nature of the mesophase formed. The compound 4-[6-(1,1,1,3,3,5,5-heptamethyltrisiloxanyl)hexanoyloxy]phenyl 4-(8-chlorooctyloxy)benzoate (40b) is characterized by a maximum layer shrinkage of only 1.7%, which may be considered to possess some ‘de Vries’ character.
Finally, siloxane-terminated fulgide derivatives were designed as photochromic dopants for liquid crystal photoswitches. Compound 41 was designed and synthesized and proved to be an oil at room temperature. Solid fulgide precusors 42, 43a and 44b were then assessed as photochromic dopants in terms of fast switching and high quantum yield requirements of a photoswitch, and their photophysical properties were studied in solution. The isomer composition at the photostationary state suggests that the competition from E-Z isomerization is likely too high for compounds 42, 43a and 44b to be suitable as photochromic dopants for photoswitches.

abstract: PhD


title: Why is a robin’s egg blue? Exploring the evolution of egg colour in birds

contributor:
Montgomerie, Robert
Biology

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subject:
blue egg colour
sexual selection
Turdus migratorius

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-28 13:21:06.941

abstract: A recent hypothesis for explaining blue-green eggs in birds suggests that they may be a sexually selected signal of female (and thus nestling) quality that males use to make parental investment decisions. Although this hypothesis has found mixed correlational support in a few species, well-controlled experimental support has been lacking in non-cavity-nesting species with vivid blue eggs. In this study, we isolate the influence of egg colour on male behaviour by replacing natural American robin Turdus migratorius clutches with four artificial eggs (all of the same colour) representing extremes in natural colour intensity. After incubation, three unrelated nestlings were fostered into each experimental nest immediately after the normal incubation period and parental behaviour was monitored when nestlings were 3, 6, and 9 days old. For the youngest nestlings, male provisioning rate significantly increased in the dark egg treatment, but the effect of egg colour disappeared at the older nestling stages.  This result remains significant when controlling for variation in female behaviour. Male feeding rate at unmanipulated nests was also significantly related to natural egg colour. These results suggest that blue-green egg colour acts as post-mating signal of female quality in at least some cup-nesting species, but does not exclude the possibility that the blue-green pigment also serves other adaptive purposes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Design and Implementation of a  Cloth-Based Computing Interface, with Applications

contributor:
Vertegaal, Roel
Computing

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subject: Computing HCI

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-28 13:45:12.459

abstract: We present an interactive graphical user interface for textile displays. While electronic displays are emerging in a variety of domains their interfaces have not kept pace with their use. Our work has resulted in an intuitive interface on cloth, a common surface present in numerous user settings, including a wide variety of medical settings. In addition to using cloth as a display mechanism, our interface allows interaction with the interface, by direct manipulation of the cloth. Interaction gestures flow from the cloth metaphor, and include natural actions such as pinching and stretching the cloth surface, as well as more traditional interactions such as touch. We discuss the design and development process behind creating our prototype interface, and treat in significant detail the development of our gestured interactions. We go on to describe applications for our system, which include applications for every-day users, as well as expert users in the medical domain. Finally we include user feedback on our interface, and with this feedback we discuss our conclusions and examine areas for future work.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Watching the War and Keeping the Peace: the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in the Middle East, 1949-1956

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subject:
Peacekeeping
Arab-Israeli Conflict
United Nations

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-28 14:21:45.625

abstract:
By virtue of their presence, observers alter what they are observing. Yet, the international soldiers of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) did much more than observe events. From August 1949 until the establishment of the United Nations Emergency Force in November 1956, the Western military officers assigned to UNTSO were compelled to take seriously the task of supervising the Arab-Israeli armistice, despite the unwillingness of all parties to accept an actual peace settlement. To the extent that a particular peacekeeping mission was successful – i.e., that peace was “kept” – what actually happened on the ground is usually considered far less important than broader politics. However, as efforts to forge a peace settlement failed one after another, UNTSO operations themselves became the most important mechanism for regional stability, particularly by providing a means by which otherwise implacable enemies could communicate with each other, thus helping to moderate the conflict.
	This communication played out against the backdrop of the dangerous early days of the Cold War, the crumbling of Western empires, and the emergence of the non-aligned movement. Analyses of the activities of the Mixed Armistice Commissions (MACs), the committees created to oversee the separate General Armistice Agreements signed between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, particularly those during the 1954 to 1956 tenure as UNTSO chief of staff of Canadian Major-General E.L.M. Burns, best evaluate both UNTSO effectiveness and Arab-Israeli interaction.

abstract: PhD


title: Modeling of Molecular Weight Distributions in Ziegler-Natta Catalyzed Ethylene Copolymerizations

contributor:
McAuley, Kimberly B.
McLellan, P. James
Chemical Engineering

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subject:
Mathematical Modelling
Molecular Weight Distribution
Ziegler-Natta Catalyst
Estimability Analysis
Design of Experiments
Polyethylene
Parameter Estimation

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-28 20:43:58.37

abstract:
The objective of this work is to develop mathematical models to predict molecular weight distributions (MWDs) of ethylene copolymers produced in an industrial gas-phase reactor using a Ziegler-Natta (Z-N) catalyst. Because of the multi-site nature of Z-N catalysts, models of Z-N catalyzed copolymerization tend to be very large and have many parameters that need to be estimated. It is important that the data that are available for parameter estimation be used effectively, and that a suitable balance is achieved between modeling rigour and simplification.
In the thesis, deconvolution analysis is used to gain an understanding of how the polymer produced by various types of active sites on the Z-N catalyst responds to changes in the reactor operating conditions. This analysis reveals which reactions are important in determining the MWD and also shows that some types of active sites share similar behavior and can therefore share some kinetic parameters. With this knowledge, a simplified model is developed to predict MWDs of ethylene/hexene copolymers produced at 90 °C. Estimates of the parameters in this isothermal model provide good initial guesses for parameter estimation in a subsequent more complex model.
The isothermal model is extended to account for the effects of butene and temperature.
Estimability analysis and cross-validation are used to determine which parameters should be estimated from the available industrial data set. Twenty model parameters are estimated so that the model provides good predictions of MWD and comonomer incorporation. Finally, D-, A-,and V-optimal experimental designs for improving the quality of the model predictions are
determined. Difficulties with local minima are addressed and a comparison of the optimality criteria is presented.

abstract: PhD


title: Structural and Functional Studies of Escherichia coli Kinases and Phosphatases

contributor:
Jia, Zongchao
Biochemistry

subject:
Protein structure
Prokaryotic Kinases Phosphatases

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Biochemistry) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-29 11:41:41.832

abstract:
Phosphorylation/dephosphorylation is likely the most crucial chemical reaction taking place in all
living organisms. It is the basis for the regulatory control of many diverse biological events
triggered by extracellular effectors. Moreover, it is a ubiquitous element of intracellular signal
transduction pathways that regulates a wide range of processes. While protein phosphorylation has
been extensively characterized in eukaryotes, far less is known about its emerging counterparts
in prokaryotes. This study involved determination of the crystal structures and functional
characterization of two protein kinases, YihE and AceK (also a protein phosphatase), and two
nucleotide pyrophosphatases, YjjX and YhdE. X-ray crystallographic structure determination
combined with bioinformatics analyses, mutageneses and biochemical experiments, both in vitro
and in vivo, were utilized for the functional characterization of each protein. YihE was found to
be a previously unknown kinase component of a new type of bacterial phospho-relay mechanism,
thus adding kinase activity as another response to the Cpx sensing system that functions to
maintain cellular homeostasis. AceK, which possesses both kinase and phosphatase activities,
modifies isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) to regulate the flux of isocitrate into the glyoxylate
cycle. The structures of Acek alone and in complex with its substrate, ICDH, provided us with
information to explain the mechanisms underlying its bifunctionality and its molecular switch.
Through structural comparison and, particularly, functional characterization, we revealed that
YjjX is a novel ITPase/XTPase responsible for the removal of non-canonical nucleotides from
the cell during oxidative stress in Escherichia coli. YhdE, identified as a novel dTTPase, was
observed to retard cell growth and form a filamentous phenotype when overexpressed in the cell,
suggesting that YhdE is involved in the control of cell growth and division by regulating the cell
nucleotide pool for DNA synthesis. In summary, this research has made a substantial
ii
contribution to the investigation of bacterial phosphorylation and dephophorylation systems that
respond to various environmental conditions.

abstract: Some results have not been published and we have competitions.

abstract: PhD


title: Guilty Until Proven Eligible: Welfare Surveillance of Single Mothers in Ontario

contributor:
Snider, Laureen
Sociology

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subject: welfare inequality poverty gender

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-29 16:36:00.676

abstract: Since the commencement of welfare state restructuring in the mid 1990’s under the Harris government in Ontario, significant cuts to social assistance, or what symbolically became ‘Ontario Works’, have fundamentally altered how assistance is managed and delivered. Accompanying these financial reforms was the increased surveillance of individuals and families receiving social assistance in the province of Ontario. The central focus of this project examines the technological, task force-oriented and community surveillance practices administered by Ontario Works. Based on primary research of policy documents, legislation, regulations and directives, the thesis argues that through the multitude of surveillance technologies, Ontario Works has made living on social assistance increasingly more demoralizing, in addition to the added difficulty of obtaining welfare benefits. Finally, since an overwhelming majority of recipients are single mothers, the thesis addresses the substantial gender and class dimensions attached to Ontario Works’ surveillance practices and further questions the neoliberal policies such as the ‘war on fraud’ which justified the increased surveillance of poor mothers.

abstract: M.A.


title: Structural Behaviour of Plastered Straw Bale Assemblies Under Concentric and Eccentric Loading

contributor:
MacDougall, Colin
Civil Engineering

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subject: Plastered Straw Bale Assembly Structural Testing and Analysis

subject: Analytical Modelling of Plastered Straw Bale Assemblies

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-29 13:34:53.867

abstract:
The use of plastered straw bale walls in residential construction is growing as builders and owners seek environmentally friendly alternatives to typical timber construction practices.  Straw has excellent insulation properties and is an agricultural bi-product which is annually renewable, and is often considered a waste product of grain production.
This thesis presents new models for predicting the compressive strength of plastered straw bale assemblies subjected to concentric and eccentric load.  A constitutive model for lime-cement plaster is adapted from a stress-strain model for concrete, available in the literature.  Twenty-two cylinder tests on plasters typically used for straw bale construction were used to verify the constitutive model.
The models for plastered straw bale assemblies were verified by testing plastered straw bale assemblies under concentric and eccentric compressive loads.  An innovative steel frame test jig was designed to facilitate fabrication and testing of the specimens.  Using this jig, 18 specimens of height 0.33 m, 0.99 m, 1.05 m or 2.31 m were subjected to concentric or eccentric compressive load until failure.  The experimental strengths of the assemblies ranged from 23 kN/m to 61 kN/m, depending on the eccentricity of the load, the plaster strength, and the plaster thickness.  Results indicated that the specimen height did not significantly influence the strengths of the specimens.
The models predicted the ultimate strength of the assemblies to be, on average, 6% less than the experimentally determined strengths, with a standard deviation of 13%.  The models were also used to predict the theoretical ultimate strengths for a number of plastered straw bale wall assemblies described in the literature.  The fabrication techniques for these specimens were more representative of conventional straw bale construction techniques, and it was found that the experimental results were 30% of the theoretical strengths for assemblies with plaster strength less than 10 MPa and 6% of the theoretical strengths for assemblies with plaster strength greater than 10 MPa.  Thus, to account for construction imperfections and potential alternative failure mechanisms, a reduction factor of no more than 0.3 for plaster less than 10 MPa is suggested in order to predict the strength of plastered straw bale walls constructed using conventional construction techniques.
The results presented herein provide support for the use of plastered straw bale walls in residential construction and indicate the applicability of models based on the compressive behaviour of lime-cement plaster for modelling the behaviour of plastered straw bale walls under eccentric and concentric compression.

abstract: PhD


title: Laboratory study of geosynthetic clay liner shrinkage when subjected to wet/dry cycles

contributor:
Rowe, Kerry
Civil Engineering

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subject: gcl shrinkage geosynthetics

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-31 22:58:36.59

abstract:
Geosynthetic Clay Liners (or GCLs) are often used in conjunction with a geomembrane for landfills and heap-leach pads, where their function is to minimize leakage that may occur through holes in the geomembrane.  GCLs are installed with overlapping panels and powdered bentonite placed between the overlaps to provide a better seal.
Recent field exhumations of GCLs installed beneath a geomembrane left exposed to solar radiation have shown panel shrinkage; in some cases, this shrinkage was enough to leave exposed areas unprotected by the GCL.  One hypothesized cause of this shrinkage is cyclic wetting and drying of the GCL.
To investigate the hypothesis that wet/dry cycles have the potential to cause irrevocable shrinkage of GCL panels, a total of 8 different products were tested under idealised conditions in the laboratory.  Shrinkage was measured using both hand measurements and digital image correlation techniques.  A number of variables were tested for their effects on panel shrinkage, including mass per unit area, size and aspect ratio, restraint, moisture content and wetting conditions, and GCL type.  Wet/dry cycles were found to cause sufficient shrinkage to explain the shrinkage observed in all but one field case.  The shrinkage of any particular product was found to be variable.  In particular the shrinkage was found to be sensitive to the distribution of the mass of bentonite within a specimen with the highest shrinkage being observed when there was the greatest variability in mass distribution.  It is shown that some GCL products are more prone to shrinkage than others.
Consideration is also given to the potential effectiveness of heat-tacking of GCL seams to reduce panel shrinkage in the field.  Specimens of GCL which had been heat-tacked in the field were tested under similar cyclic conditions as used in the abovementioned laboratory tests, and the shrinkage response noted.  The results indicate that such a technique has promise as a method of inhibiting shrinkage of the two products found to exhibit loss of panel overlap in published field situations. However, more work is required to confirm that this does not create other problems.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A Dissertation on the Nature and Educational Value of Induction

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subject:
Induction (Logic)
Learning, Psychology of

abstract: Thesis (PhD, Education) -- Queen's University,1912

abstract: PhD


title: The preparation of teachers in Ontario and the United States

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abstract: Thesis (PhD, Education) -- Queen's University,1916

abstract: PhD


title: Characterization of the fhod-2 gene in Caenorhabditis elegans

contributor:
Chin-Sang, Ian D.
Biology

subject: Biology Genetics

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-05 17:24:18.205

abstract: Formins are a family of proteins responsible for a vast array of cellular functions such as cell shape, adhesion, cytokinesis and morphogenesis.  Formin regulation of actin is a highly regulated process and is conserved from yeast to mammalian systems.  Previous studies have shown that formins alone are necessary and sufficient for proper recruitment, polymerization and nucleation of actin filaments in the cell.  The Chin-Sang lab is interested in studying development in C. elegans.  In particular, one area of our research focuses on trying to understand different pathways and their related genes that ultimately determine cell shape changes and cell movements.  This is an important area of research as many genes found in C. elegans have homologous counterparts in the human system.  Studying these simple nematode worms may provide us insight into how the much more complex human body functions.  Ultimately, research may provide clues or strategies for future treatments such as gene therapy. The focus of my research is on the fhod-2 gene.  fhod-2 (Formin HOmology Domain) is a member of the formin family.  Our lab has previously shown that this gene may be involved in early embryo development.  Through characterization of a fhod-2 deletion mutant, I have been able to further elaborate on this work.   Through the use of over-expressing lines, RNAi, protein expression and DIC microscopy I have identified defects caused by this mutation. fhod-2 is necessary for a variety of cellular functions both early in the embryo and later for proper development of the organism.  FHOD-2 in situ antibody staining revealed expression in the pharynx and leading/seam cells, western blots of FHOD-2 over-expressing lines also detect higher amounts of FHOD-2 protein in embryos suggesting an embryonic function. I have provided evidence that fhod-2 is a maternal effect lethal gene with defects seen in cytokinesis, gastrulation and elongation. DIC imaging of maternally rescued fhod-2 mutants reveal a plethora of defects affecting the head, gonad and excretory canal cell. Lastly through the use of florescence reporter constructs, fhod-2 mutants have neuronal defects displaying over-extension, early termination or branching of neurites.

abstract: The results of this work is going to be published.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Assessment in Outdoor Education

contributor:
Colgan, Lynda
Education

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subject:
Assessment
Outdoor Education
Authentic Assessment

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-08 14:39:20.455

abstract:
This thesis reports on a qualitative study of the assessment practices in an outdoor education program at an independent school in Ontario.  This thesis focuses on the experiences of students with assessment in the outdoor education context, including the range of assessment practices experienced by the students, the students’ perceptions of assessment, and the impacts of assessment on the students’ experiences in the outdoor education program.
This study was conducted from October to December of 2008. Using a case study research design, data were collected through observations of class activities, interviews with teachers and students, and assessment documents and student journals.  The study found that a wide range of assessment practices were used by the teachers in the study, with an emphasis on student-centered assessment practices such as self assessment, peer assessment, group debriefing, and authentic assessment.  These assessment practices fostered a culture of assessment that students perceived to be fair and supportive of their learning. The findings of the study indicate that these types of assessments helped to create a community of learners within the classroom, encouraged the development of self-confidence among students, and promoted transfer of learning. The conclusions of the study suggest that the student-centered assessment practices used in this outdoor education program can provide a model for teachers aiming to develop a positive culture of assessment in their classrooms.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Ascertaining the Factors Responsible for the Phenomenon of Organized Crime in Canada and India

contributor:
Freedman, David
Law

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subject:
Criminal Law
Organized Crime

abstract: Thesis (Master, Law) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-08 16:02:33.66

abstract:
This thesis ascertains the factors that are responsible for the phenomenon of organized crime in Canada and India and suggests necessary measures for combating the same. The thesis explores the concept of organized crime, its history, threat perception, experience of the two countries and analyzes the effectiveness and critique of the legislations adopted in the direction. The thesis also analyzes the whole scenario in Canada and India in order to determine the factors behind the phenomenon.

In the process, available literature as well as statistical data and information available on the web addresses of concerned governmental departments and agencies is reviewed to arrive at an understanding of the scenario from perspective of a developed and a developing country.

The thesis concludes that ineffective legislative measures coupled with corruption and the social reality that there is a market for illegal products is responsible for the phenomenon of organized crime in Canada and India. Moreover, overemphasis on legislative and enforcement measures has been ineffective as a solution for the problem.

The factors responsible for the phenomenon in the two countries can be classified into legislative inadequacies, societal preferences and secondary factors such as lack of study of political corruption, criminalization of politics, lack of political will, lack of research initiative in the area and abuse of provisions. Apart from overcoming the shortcomings of legislative measures, it is necessary to adopt a holistic approach to fight the phenomenon. The measures in the said direction include emphasis on preventive measures, creating public awareness to obligate public policy, overhauling of criminal justice system, revising and improving enforcement agencies’ training manuals, and revising the pay scales of police personnel.

abstract: LL.M.


title: Reciprocal Regulation of E-Cadherin and SHP2 by the Extracellular CA2+-Sensing Receptor in Colonic Epithelial Adenocarcinoma Cells

contributor:
MacLeod, John R.
Physiology

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subject: E-Cadherin CaSR

abstract: Thesis (Master, Physiology) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-09 17:56:44.843

abstract: Colon cancer is characterized by the progressive loss of E-cadherin, a Ca2+-dependent adherens junction component and epithelial marker.  Furthermore, inhibition of the phosphatase SHP2, essential in the cell survival signaling via the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway, has been shown to upregulate E-cadherin in breast cancer cell lines.  This suggests that unregulated increases in SHP2 may promote a cancer cell phenotype.  The aim of this study was to define molecular mechanisms by which dietary Ca2+ is chemoprotective against colon cancer.  The extracellular Ca2+-sensing receptor (CaSR) has been implicated in this process and we speculated that there was a relationship between CaSR activation and E-cadherin and SHP2 expression levels on colonic epithelia.  A colonic adenocarcinoma cell line which lacks endogenous E-cadherin expression, SW480, was used as a model cell.  CaSR levels were manipulated by transient transfection and E-cadherin and SHP2 expression levels were determined by Western blotting.  The E-cadherin expression pattern was also assessed with RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry.  We found that after CaSR activation via Ca2+ or other known CaSR agonists (neomycin sulphate, spermine), E-cadherin expression was increased and SHP2 expression was decreased.  However, the E-cadherin expression pattern was altered in the presence of a dominant-negative CaSR (R185Q).  Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of p38 MAPK inhibited CaSR-mediated increases of E-cadherin protein in SW480 cells.  Inhibition of p38 MAPK had no effect on CaSR-stimulation of E-cadherin transcript or promoter activity.  SHP2 decreases usually seen after Ca2+-treatment were reduced after pharmacological inhibition of JNK in the presence of high Ca2+.  CaSR activation also increased cell-cell adherence as assessed by electronic cell sizing and this adherence was lost when both CaSR-mediated changes in E-cadherin and SHP2 expression were inhibited.  We conclude that CaSR activation in colonic epithelial cancer cells stimulated E-cadherin increases, through a mechanism involving p38 MAPK, as well as inhibited SHP2 expression, through a JNK-mediated mechanism.  Further, these protein changes post-CaSR activation cause an increase in cell-cell adherence.  Our results suggest that the chemoprotective nature of dietary Ca2+ supplements may involve reciprocal regulation of E-cadherin and SHP2 via the CaSR.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Effects of Pregnancy and Physical Activity on Angiogenesis and Endothelial Function: Implications for the Development of Preeclampsia

contributor:
Tschakovsky, Michael E.
Kinesiology and Health Studies

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subject:
Angiogenesis
Vascular function
Exercise
Pregnancy
Preeclampsia
Physical activity

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-11 12:41:53.466

abstract: Prospective epidemiological studies indicate that regular exercise during the year prior to conception reduces preeclampsia risk, whereas exercise during affects pregnancy reduces preeclampsia risk only at specific dosages, or in specific subpopulations. The risk of severe preeclampsia is increased among women who exercise for more than 270 minutes/week in early pregnancy. Physiology studies are needed to identify mechanisms through which regular exercise may influence preeclampsia risk. This dissertation examined the effects of pregnancy (30-36 weeks gestation), and regular exercise participation, on two important pathophysiological features of preeclampsia; circulating anti-angiogenic markers, represented by soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin (sEng), and endothelial dysfunction. The results demonstrate that regularly exercising, pregnant non-smoking women have higher levels of serum placental growth factor (PlGF), lower levels of serum sFlt-1 and sFlt-1:PlGF, and are less likely to experience high serum sEng levels, than sedentary women. The effects of exercise on PlGF and sFlt-1:PlGF are more pronounced among women exercising less than 270 minutes/week in pregnancy. Anti-angiogenic changes that could contribute to preeclampsia were not observed immediately after short-duration, moderate-intensity exercise in the third trimester. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and the shear stimulus for FMD are not affected by pregnancy, however the time to peak FMD was increased in pregnancy. Regular exercise did not affect FMD or its shear stimulus in healthy pregnant or non-pregnant women. FMD and its shear stimulus were positively correlated in active, but not inactive, pregnant and non-pregnant women. Pregnancy and physical activity do not affect radial artery low flow-mediated constriction (L-FMC). L-FMC is artery dependent, occurring in the radial, but not the brachial, artery of healthy pregnant and non-pregnant women. The positive correlation between L-FMC and FMD suggests that L-FMC and FMD are not independent measurements. The results of this thesis suggest that physical activity and exercise may reduce preeclampsia risk by reducing concentrations of angiogenic markers. Although exercise participation did not affect conduit artery vascular function in healthy pregnant women, future studies should investigate the effects of exercise on vascular function in women with endothelial dysfunction, or risk factors for preeclampsia.

abstract: PhD


title: Back Analysis of a Tunnelling Case Study in Weak Rock of the Alpine System in Northern Greece: Validation and Optimization of Design Analysis Based on Ground Characterization and Numerical Simulation

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

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subject:
Convergence-Confinement
Weak Rock Masses
Tunnel Convergence
Linear Displacement Profile (LDP)
3D Numerical Modelling
Greece Geology

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-01 08:46:30.537

abstract:
The backdrop for this research paper is the tunnelling that is currently nearing completion in the Epirus region of Northern Greece, as part of the Egnatia Odos Highway construction. Highly deformed and altered sediments and low grade rock masses dominate the near surface environment creating a variety of technical challenges for tunnelling. Accurate equivalent rock
mass performance reductions for tunnels in these materials is complicated by geomorphologic peculiarities such as those found in Flysch materials. The mechanisms of rock-support interaction related to face or near-face reinforcement systems are poorly understood at this time. As well, the
mechanics of weak rock materials in the complex deformation regime in advance of a tunnel face are not robustly integrated into current 2D design models. Design decisions are currently possible using empirical techniques and simplified models, but a true optimized and mechanicsbased design process for the various support technologies are not fully developed. This research addresses elements of such issues, such as: use of the Longitudinal Displacement Profile (LDP)
of the Convergence-Confinement method of tunnel design, relating 2D numerical models to their distance from the face using the size of the plastic zone as an indicator, near face tunnel support analysis in weak rock masses, boundary condition assessment for numerical modelling of such weak rock masses, the influence of plasticity zones surrounding tunnel excavations, and
modelling optimization techniques for weak rock tunnelling in order to optimize the design of such underground structures and better predict near-face deformation and yield development. This work involved the use of 2D and 3D numerical models of tunnel sequencing for numerical simulation of composite material behaviour and sequential tunnel deformation response.

abstract: PhD


title: Dye decolourization by immobilized laccase and impact of auxiliary chemicals on dye decolourization

contributor:
Ramsay, Juliana A.
Chemical Engineering

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subject:
Dye Decolourization
Lignin-Degrading Enzyme
Laccase
Enzyme Kinetics
Wastewater Treatment

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-16 16:58:47.753

abstract: Textile dyes are molecules designed to impart a permanent colour to textile fabrics. They pose an environmental problem because they are toxic and they decrease the aesthetic value of rivers and lakes. Current technologies for dye removal cannot remove all classes of dyes and two or more technologies are usually combined to achieve statisfactory decolourization efficiencies. Lignin-degrading enzymes like laccases are potential technologies for dye decolourization and decolourization with immobilized laccase has been intensively investigated. The majority of those studies however have focused on dye disappearance and several reported that significant dye adsorption had occured during the dye removal, making the role of the enzyme unclear. Moreover, textile wastewaters contain auxiliary chemicals that can impact enzymatic dye decolourization and very few studies have evaluated the impact of those substances on laccase. This research evaluated the feasibility of treating dye-contaminated textile wastewaters with an immobilized laccase system.  The first sub-objective was to examined the decolourization of Reactive blue 19 (an anthraquinone dye) by Trametes versicolor laccase immobilized on controlled porosity carrier (CPC) silica beads and the second was to analyze the kinetic effects of a non-ionic surfactant Merpol, sodium sulfate, and sodium chloride on laccase decolourization of Reactive blue 19. Decolourization of Reactive blue 19 by immobilized laccase was mainly enzymatic although dye some adsorption occurred.  Decolourization led to less toxic by-products from azo and indigoid dyes whereas increased toxicity was observed for anthraquinone dyes. The feasibility of immobilizing laccase on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) through its sugar residues with a simple procedure was demonstrated and the mass of enzyme immobilized compared well with other commercial acrylic supports. The decolorization of Reactive blue 19 by laccase was inhibited by the non-ionic surfactant, Merpol by substrate depletion.  A model describing this inhibition was developed and was validated by a saturated equilibrium binding experiment. While sodium sulfate (ionic strength) had no effect on either ABTS oxidation or dye decolourization, sodium chloride inhibited laccase during dye decolourization and the type and nature of the inhibition depended on the substrate. With ABTS, the inhibition was hyperbolic non-competitive whereas it was parabolic mixed with Reactive blue 19.

abstract: PhD


title: Parallel Progressivist Orientations: Exploring the Meanings of Progressive Education in Two Ontario Journals, The School and The Canadian School Journal, 1919-1942

contributor:
Bruno-Jofré, Rosa
Education

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subject:
Progressive Education
Ontario
History of Education
Educational Reform
Progressivist
Humanist
Developmental Psychology
Meliorism
Social Efficiency
Institute of Child Study
Rhetoric
Critical Realism
Duncan McArthur
William Blatz
Herbert Kliebard
Child Study
Interwar
The School Journal
The Canadian School Journal
Active Learning
Individualized Instruction
School and Society

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-14 19:00:04.184

abstract:
This dissertation arose from a need to derive an inclusive model for describing the historical meanings of progressive education.  It considers reform rhetoric published in two widely distributed and accessible journals in Ontario, The School and The Canadian School Journal, between 1919 and 1942.  These sources brought together a wide variety of educationists in the province, including teachers, school board representatives, members of the Department of Education, inspectors, and the staff of teacher training institutions, and were forums for the exploration of new and progressive educational ideas.  Various conceptions and interpretations of what progressive education would entail were published side by side, in parallel.
This dissertation describes the rhetoric of progressive education, which concerned three domains—active learning, individualized instruction, and the linking of schools to contemporary society—and considers the distinctions within this language.  Further, this dissertation argues that progressivist ideas were interpreted and represented in different ways according to conceptual orientation and context.  Three distinct interpretations of progressive education are described in this thesis.  The first progressivist orientation was primarily concerned with child study and developmental psychology; the second concerned social efficiency and industrial order; the third concerned social meliorism and cooperation.  Hence, I draw not only on three different domains of progressivist rhetoric, but also on three distinct orientations to reform.  What emerges is a description of how different progressivists understood and represented Ontario’s transforming schools, in a context affected by the forces of modernity, world war, and economic depression.

abstract: PhD


title: Identifying Monetary Policy in Open Economies

contributor:
Smith, Gregor
Economics

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subject:
Monetary Policy
VAR Model

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Economics) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-15 15:59:13.04

abstract:
This thesis estimates the effects of monetary policy shocks by employing vector
auto regressions (VAR). I argue that to the extent the central bank and the private sector
have information not reflected in the VAR, the measurement of policy innovations
is contaminated. These incorrectly estimated policy shocks then generate misleading
results about the effects of monetary policy. This thesis first attempts to figure out
the variables indeed observed by central banks to make monetary policy decisions and
then formulates the monetary policy reaction function by using those variables. Having
identified more realistic monetary policy functions in VAR models, I conclude that
most of the previous puzzling results about the effect of monetary policy shocks might
be due to incorrectly identifying the monetary policy reaction function.

abstract: PhD


contributor:
Reynolds, James
Neuroscience Studies

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subject: FASD Epilepsy

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-07-23 16:38:17.17

abstract:
The Prevalence of Epilepsy and Seizures in Subjects with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. MSc Thesis, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, May 2009.

OBJECTIVE: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is the umbrella term that describes the range of adverse developmental outcomes that occur in offspring as a consequence of maternal drinking during pregnancy. FASD has been associated with a large number of co-morbidities, including neurological disorders such as epilepsy. Epilepsy occurs in 0.6% of the population in Canada. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of epilepsy or seizure disorders in people who have been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS) or Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND). METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on all active charts (N=1063) at St. Michael’s Hospital (Toronto) and Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital (Edmonton) FASD clinics. A total of 425 subjects between the ages of 2 to 49 were included in the analysis. The relationship between FASD diagnosis and other risk factors for co-occurrence of epilepsy and seizures (e.g. extent of exposure to alcohol and other drugs, type of birth, maternal history, and trauma) in subjects with FASD was also examined. Chi-square tests and multivariate multinomial logistic regression were used. RESULTS: Twenty-five (5.9%) individuals with FASD had a confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy, and 50 (11.8%) had at least one documented seizure episode, yielding an overall prevalence of 17.7% with a history of seizures in this population. Those with epilepsy or seizures were two times (Odds Ratio=2.27, 95% Confidence Interval=1.14-4.51, p<0.05) more likely to have an unnatural birth and those with epilepsy were three times (OR=3.41, 95% CI 1.11-10.5, p<0.05) more likely to have had an unnatural type of birth (breech, caesarean, forceps or vacuum) than those subjects with no history of seizures. None of the other risk factors examined were associated with a greater prevalence of epilepsy or seizures in subjects with FASD. These results indicate a remarkably high prevalence of epilepsy/seizures in the FASD population of two specialized FASD clinics compared with the general population.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: "The perennial dramas of the East": Representations of the Middle East in the Writing and Art of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt

contributor:
Bongie, Christopher
English

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subject:
Pre-Raphaelites
Orientalism
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel
Hunt, William Holman

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-16 15:46:17.016

abstract:
This dissertation studies depictions of the Middle East in the works of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. My discussion focuses on two prominent members of the Brotherhood—Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt—and utilizes an interdisciplinary approach that examines the poetry, prose, unpublished correspondence and journals, sketches, watercolours, and oil paintings that they produced prior to 1856. I argue that Rossetti and Hunt make use of the Middle East as a repository for and reflection of the ambiguities and ambivalences of their own positions as avant-garde artists and authors.

Chapters Two and Three focus on the work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Chapter Two examines Rossetti’s juvenilia in order to trace the ways in which the young author-artist uses the Middle East as a platform from which to work out the interplay between narrative and image, the conceptualization of the role of the author and artist, and the use of realistically depicted elements in religious painting. Chapter Three continues this discussion of Rossetti through an investigation of the 1850 edition of his poem “The Burden of Nineveh,” which centres on an encounter with an ancient Assyrian statue, and I argue that Rossetti links this artifact to the P. R. B. and uses it to critique the artistic ideals of mid-nineteenth-century England.

The next two chapters shift to an investigation of William Holman Hunt’s first visit to the Middle East in 1854-6, a journey that became a focal point of the author-artist’s career. Chapter Four makes extensive use of Hunt’s unpublished diaries and letters from his sojourn in the Holy Land to destabilize the widespread conception of the artist as a staunch imperialist and the foremost English religious painter of the nineteenth century. Building on this foundation, Chapter Five looks back to the three months that Hunt spent in Egypt in 1854 and investigates the ways in which the complex experiences that the author-artist describes in his unpublished letters from this period filter into the watercolours, sketches, and oil paintings that he executed in Egypt.

abstract: PhD


title: The Epidemiology of Physical Activity in Canada

contributor:
Katzmarzyk, Peter T.
Kinesiology and Health Studies

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subject:
Leisure-Time Physical Activity
Physical Activity Guidelines

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-18 16:18:44.998

abstract: The four studies of this thesis provide an overview of the epidemiology of physical activity in Canada. In the first study two methods of coding activities used in estimating leisure-time physical activity energy expenditure (LTPAEE), from a questionnaire including 21 specific activities, and up to three “other” activities were compared. The authors assessed whether the assignment of activity intensity for “other” activities has an effect on LTPAEE and the classification of respondents as physically active versus inactive. The results indicate that the population classification of activity level is not affected by the intensity code; however, individual level LTPAEE is under-estimated from light and vigorous activities and over-estimated from moderate activities using the current method. In study two the proportion of Canadians meeting Canada’s physical activity guidelines for moderate and vigorous activities was estimated. The prevalence of adults reporting no activity has not changed since 1994/95 and the prevalence of meeting the guidelines has increased by about 11%. Men, younger adults, those with higher income and lower body mass index (BMI) meet the guidelines more often than their peers. The epidemiology of walking among Canadians between 1994 and 2007 was assessed in the third study. Walking was the most popular activity, regardless of age, sex, BMI or income group; however, only 30% of walkers walked regularly. Women, older adults, those with lower BMI and lower household income walk regularly more often than their counterparts. Women, older adults and lower income Canadians tended to derive 100% of their total LTPAEE from walking. An evaluation of whether meeting the guidelines for physical activity was associated with lower odds of chronic conditions and reporting fair/poor health was undertaken in study four. After adjustment for covariates, the odds of type 2 diabetes, obesity and reporting fair/poor health were significantly higher among those not meeting the guidelines for both sexes and for high blood pressure among women. Together these findings provide an understanding of the limitations of estimating LTPAEE, provide estimates of the proportion of Canadians meeting the guidelines for physical activity and provide insight into the relationship between meeting the guidelines and chronic conditions.

abstract: PhD


title: Moderate Ethanol Consumption by the Pregnant Guinea Pig Increases Ethanol Preference in Offspring

contributor:
Reynolds, James
Brien, James
Pharmacology and Toxicology

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subject:
Ethanol Teratogenicity
Pharmacology

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pharmacology & Toxicology) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-19 10:26:40.229

abstract: Ethanol teratogenicity involving the developing brain is the leading preventable cause of mental deficiency in the Western world. Chronic prenatal ethanol exposure (CPEE) may be a risk factor for ethanol abuse and altered responsiveness to nicotine in postnatal life. Previous studies in our laboratory have utilized maternal oral administration of a high-dose (4 g ethanol/kg maternal body weight/day) ethanol regimen that induces structural and functional deficits in the fetus and postnatal offspring. The objective of this thesis was to test the hypotheses that moderate CPEE produces in postnatal offspring: (i) structural and functional teratogenic effects; (ii) increased ethanol preference; (iii) altered responsiveness to acute nicotine; and (iv) increased nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) in forebrain structures, namely the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Pregnant Dunkin-Hartley-strain guinea pigs were given 24-h access to aqueous ethanol solution (5%, v/v) sweetened with sucralose (1g/L) or aqueous sucralose solution (1g/L) throughout gestation. Spontaneous locomotor activity in an open field was measured in offspring on postnatal day (PD) 10. Beginning around PD 40, ethanol preference in the offspring was determined using a two-bottle-choice paradigm. Each animal was given 2-h daily access to aqueous ethanol solution (0 - 3%, v/v) and water over 33 days of testing. Subsequently, hippocampal and frontal cortical tissues were obtained for the measurement of nAChR population by radioligand binding. Moderate maternal consumption of the aqueous ethanol produced growth restriction in postnatal offspring of both sexes, and increased spontaneous locomotor activity in male offspring only. These postnatal outcomes are similar to the teratogenic effects produced by a high-dose, binge-type ethanol regimen. Compared with control, offspring from mothers that consumed ethanol throughout gestation exhibited greater preference for aqueous ethanol, and a decrease in the concentration of nAChRs in the frontal cortex, but not the hippocampus. These data demonstrate that, in the guinea pig, moderate maternal consumption of ethanol is a useful model for studying ethanol neurobehavioural teratogenicity; and chronic prenatal exposure to ethanol enhances ethanol preference in young adult offspring and altered expression of nAChRs in the frontal cortex.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Compulsory Laptop Programs: Teachers' Responses to the Adoption and Implementation Process

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subject:
Laptop Programs
Technology Implementation
Teacher Professional Development
1-to-1 computer programs
Educational Technology

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-22 16:55:43.987

abstract:
This thesis presents a multiple-method investigation of teachers’ responses to the adoption and implementation of a compulsory laptop program (CLP).  It reports on the beliefs, opinions, and behaviours of teachers responsible for translating a CLP into classroom-based reality.  The study is based on data collected from 18 interviews, 2 focus groups, and classroom observations of 5 teachers obtained from teachers and administrators at one Canadian independent school, as well as an online survey data from educators at nine independent schools across Canada.

The purpose of the research was to investigate the impact of adopting and implementing a planned change initiative by examining teachers’ responses to a school-wide mandated curriculum initiative by focusing on their perceptions of (a) requisite participation, (b) essential components, and (c) changing roles when implementing a CLP.

The findings of the study include four supports for teachers trying to implement a CLP into teaching practices.  First, clearly communicate and revise shared, benchmark-driven policies on an ongoing basis to assist in unifying an understanding of the program.  Second, address teachers’ self-imposed pressures within a CLP by ensuring individual teachers’ intrinsic motivation and affective needs are respected and addressed.  Third, provide teachers with job-embedded learning opportunities to work individually and in small groups, and with access to knowledgeable resources in order to connect technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, to meet just-in-time needs.  Fourth, adopt an implementation model that is fluid and addresses elements affecting a teacher to provide a more inclusive and realistic method for explaining and supporting what may occur when teachers engage in implementing a CLP.

abstract: PhD


title: Prioritizing SNPs for Disease-Gene Association Studies: Algorithms and Systems

contributor:
Shatkay, Hagit
Computing

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subject:
computational biology
population genetics

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-22 15:26:14.061

abstract:
Identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are involved in common and complex
diseases, such as cancer, is a major challenge in current molecular epidemiology.
Knowledge of such SNPs is expected to enable timely
diagnosis, effective treatment, and, ultimately, prevention of human disease.
However, the tremendous number of SNPs  on the human genome, which is estimated at more than eleven million,
poses challenges to obtain and analyze the information of all the SNPs.

In this thesis we address the problem of selecting representative SNP markers for supporting effective disease-gene association studies.
Our goal is to facilitate the genotyping and analysis procedure, associated with such studies, by providing effective prioritization methods for SNP markers based on both their allele information and functional significance.
However, the problem of SNP selection has been proven to be NP-hard in general, and current selection methods impose certain restrictions and use heuristics for reducing the complexity of the problem.
We thus aim to develop new heuristic algorithms and systems to advance the state-of-the-art, while relaxing the restrictions.
To address this challenge, we formulate several SNP selection problems and present novel algorithms and a database system based on the two major SNP selection approaches: tag SNP selection and functional SNP selection. Furthermore, we describe an innovative approach to combine both tag SNP selection and functional SNP selection into one unified selection process.
We demonstrate the improved performance of all the proposed methods using comparative studies.

abstract: PhD


title: Messenger RNA Expression of the ABCA3 Transporter and Vascular Nitrite Distribution in Rat Aorta After Treatment with Glyceryl Trinitrate

contributor:
Bennett, Brian M.
Pharmacology and Toxicology

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subject: Glyceryl Trinitrate

subject: ABCA3

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pharmacology & Toxicology) -- Queen's University, 2009-06-23 14:18:16.122

abstract: ABCA3, a 150 kDa protein belonging to the ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily, has been shown to play a role in surfactant production in humans. However, in bacteria, ABC transporters are known to mediate the flux of nitrite. Biotransformation of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), a drug used in the treatment of heart conditions such as angina pectoris and heart failure, yields the inorganic nitrite anion, and the intracellular oxidation of this ion may lead to the formation of tyrosine-nitrated proteins and cellular damage. Immunohistochemical studies indicate the presence of ABCA3 in rat aortic smooth muscle and endothelial cells. My objective was to assess whether changes in either ABCA3 mRNA expression or nitrite accumulation occur during chronic exposure to GTN. Accordingly, male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 0.4 mg/hr GTN for 48 hours to induce GTN tolerance, and the aortas removed. Nitrite and ABCA3 mRNA levels were assessed using the Greiss colorimetric assay, and real-time or semi-quantitative RT-PCR, respectively. In control aortas, endothelium removal resulted in an apparent 25-35% decrease in ABCA3 mRNA levels, indicating that the transporter is expressed in endothelial cells more abundantly than in smooth muscle cells since the ratio of endothelial cells to smooth muscle cells in the rat aorta is approximately 10:1. Furthermore, ABCA3 mRNA levels were decreased by 70% in aortas from GTN-tolerant animals, whereas the mRNA levels of a related transporter, ABCA1, remained at control levels. An inverse correlation between nitrite and ABCA3 mRNA levels occurred after the induction of GTN tolerance, with an apparent redistribution of nitrite to endothelial cells. These findings indicate that chronic GTN exposure results in altered expression of ABCA3, and that this is associated with altered nitrite distribution in blood vessels from GTN-tolerant animals.

abstract: M.Sc.