title: The Development and Use of Scientific Software

contributor:
Shepard, Terry
Kelly, Diane
Computing

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subject: Scientific Software

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2008-04-27 11:54:00.268

abstract:
Scientific software, by which we mean application software that has a large computational component, models physical phenomena and provides data for decision support. This can be software that calculates loads on bridges, provides predictions for weather systems, images bone structures for surgical procedures, models subsystems at nuclear generating stations, or processes images from ground-based telescopes.

There is no consensus on what the best practices for the development of scientific software are. We carried out a study at two Canadian universities in which we interviewed scientists and engineers who develop or use scientific software to identify characteristics of current development and usage. Through qualitative analysis, I identified key characteristics of scientific
software development and usage and observed correlations between these characteristics.

The results are a collection of observations about how scientific software is documented and designed; the nature of the scientific software lifecycle; the selection of development languages; approaches to testing, especially validation testing; and sources of risk. I also examine concerns scientists have with commercial software they use to determine what quality factors are of interest to them and also which seem to require special trade-offs. I find that scientific software development and use differs fundamentally from development in most other domains.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Humanitarian Engineering: Addressing the global influence of applied technology in engineering education

contributor:
Hall, Kevin
Civil Engineering

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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: Engineering Education Global Development

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-04-28 14:55:36.248

abstract: The immensity of the social and (natural) environmental impacts that technologies have in today’s global context challenges the existing engineering education curricula. Observational research inspired the notion that the current engineering curricula is inadequately preparing engineers for their increasingly international roles. Observa- tional research was conducted in Morocco, Indonesia and Sri Lanka which highlighted the potential impact of engineering in addressing issues of marginalization. Perspectives from engineering industry and academia were also studied. This re- search conﬁrmed that the future landscape of engineering will require engineering education to focus more signiﬁcantly on non-technical skills and on providing inte- grated and interdisciplinary programs with an international focus. These studies also indicated that there is a need for engineers to both consider the circumstances of low-income communities and to reexamine the philosophies and pedagogy of current engineering programs. The perspectives of students was researched through forums and an engineering course. Five separate forums in April and May, 2006 were presented to engineering students at Queen’s University discuss and debate the idea of curricular reform. A module and pro ject that was based on a more holistic and socially conscious approach to engineering was incorporated into a ﬁrst year engineering course at Queen’s Uni- versity called APSC 190: Professional Engineering Skills. Both the forum and course used observational research methods and questionnaires to determine that Queen’s students were very interested a program with greater focus on social and environmen- tal issues in a global context. Humanitarian Engineering is a proposed program for Queen’s University’s Faculty of Applied Science. This program intends to address the evolving expectations of engineering education in order to respond to the demands of industry, academia, students and society. Humanitarian Engineering is proposed to be a Master’s program and a four-year undergraduate option that is taken collaboratively with the existing engineering disciplines, e.g. Civil, Mechanical, Chemical, etc. It will be built on the philosophies of humility, appreciation and cooperation and will best suit the needs of society if taught through the methodologies of participatory action research (PAR) and biomimicry.

abstract: Dr. Kevin Hall

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Evolution of Fitness After Prolonged Sperm Storage

contributor:
Chippindale, Adam K.
Biology

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subject:
Drosophila Melanogaster
Coevolution
Sperm Storage
Sperm Longevity

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2008-04-28 23:05:42.835

abstract: A series of recent studies using Drosophila melanogaster suggest that while males may benefit from having access to many partners, female fitness is reduced by extended cohabitation and sexual interaction with males. Yet, even if repeated sexual interactions are harmful to females, limited male exposure will ultimately be detrimental due to sperm-depletion and infertility. Females are therefore expected to balance mating opportunities and sperm storage capacity to maximize lifetime reproductive success. I introduced extended mating deprivation as a selective pressure to experimentally evolve lines of D. melanogaster for characters related to mating and postcopulatory sexual selection. Evolution of the mate-deprived lines over several dozen generations demonstrated that restricted sexual access was indeed a potent selective pressure. I consistently found that when males were removed for an extended time period, female fitness declined substantially, suggesting that mate-deprivation over nine days was harmful. Under these conditions, selected-line males responded to mate-reduced conditions and demonstrated a 13% increase in reproductive success compared to controls. Experimental females had a 15% increase in fertility compared to controls. I investigated a series of developmental characteristics that may have been altered by the selection regime, and while there was some evidence of evolved change, these results were not consistent. Although the data at hand do not substantiate a detailed characterization, both sexes in the experimental populations demonstrated increased fitness after extended mate-deprivation, thus evolutionary change appears to have occurred via selection on one or both relevant male ejaculate characteristics: sperm number and survival, and factors affecting female late-life fertility.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Development of a hybrid scaffold for cartilage tissue generation

contributor:
Smith, Reginald W.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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subject:
Biomaterial engineering
Biomedical engineering
Tissue engineering
Cartilage tissue generation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-01 14:28:06.935

abstract:
There exists a need for a biocompatible polymer system of appropriate degradation properties for use in the production of tissue-engineered cartilage replacement implants.  The implant consists of a layer of cartilage grown using autogenous chondrocyte cells on a porous calcium phosphate base for anchoring in situ.  This implant would serve to improve the current treatments for wear and age-related degradation of articular cartilage.
Pilot dissolution studies of the biodegradable polymers Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA), Polycaprolactone (PCL), and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), provided strong evidence supporting the use of PVA and PEG, not PCL, in film preparation.  Results indicate that the dissolution of PVA rapidly exceeds that required for this application while the dissolution of PCL is not fast enough.  The results of a literature review indicate that PEG dissolves faster than PCL, but not PVA.  Consequently, a co-polymer hydrogel film of PVA and PEG, to fully degrade in 10 hours, was prepared to serve as a support for the in vitro seeding of cartilage-producing chondrocyte cells onto the artificial bone scaffold base.
In preparing the film, the concentration of the PVA and PEG stock solutions, the composition of PVA and PEG (by mass % ratio) in the film, and the thickness of the film were defined to be the design variables.  The degradation properties of the film are hypothesized to be influenced by the design variables, such that the degradation rates can be engineered by manipulating these parameters.  A full factorial DOE was applied to determine the significance of the design variables and their interaction on the degradation rate.  To determine degradation rate, in vitro dissolution studies of the hydrogel film were conducted in Earle’s balanced salt solution at 37oC.  Upon optimizing the degradation rate, it was theoretically determined that an optimized film of 50wt% PVA, 50wt% PEG, and thickness of 3mm dissolves by 88.19 % in 10 hours.  Validation testing indicated that the optimized film was prematurely perforated at approximately 22 minutes of immersion in EBS at room temperature suggesting failure by bulk dissolution, which was later confirmed through investigation and identification of a heterogeneous, multi-phase microstructure under transmitting light microscope.

abstract: Octane Orthobiologics & Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE)

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The Annapolis Riddle: Advocacy, Ship Design and the Canadian Navy's Force Structure Crisis, 1957-1965.

contributor:
Gimblett, Richard
English, Allan
History

subject:
Military History
Naval Leadership

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-04 14:14:29.519

abstract:
The General Purpose Frigate was the centrepiece of the Royal Canadian Navy’s fleet planning for over three years, and its cancellation by the newly elected Liberal government in October 1963 set off a divisive and chaotic yearlong debate over what should be built in its place.  After exploring numerous options, such as aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, the navy came to the conclusion that its best option was to pursue a guided missile destroyer program that was similar to the General Purpose Frigate.  What happened next has confounded a number of modern naval historians.  Just as the navy was about to acquire its long sought after guided missile destroyers, a decision was made to build four smaller specialized anti-submarine vessels that would repeat the less sophisticated Annapolis class instead.
Although a number of theories have been put forward to explain this decision, the one common factor among these hypotheses is the notion that an egocentric and dominant defence minister named Paul Hellyer forced the Repeat Annapolis upon a reluctant navy that unanimously despised the concept.   According to these interpretations, both the Repeat Annapolis and General Purpose Frigate were reflective of a larger debate over whether the navy should have the capability to participate in more versatile operations, such as containing limited wars in the Third World, or maintaining a specialised antisubmarine fleet.  Conventional wisdom, therefore, suggest that Hellyer’s selection of the repeat Annapolis was indicative of a minister who gave the navy little choice but to specialize in anti-submarine warfare.  This dissertation, however, challenges this premise by arguing that the navy was far from united over its force structure - a term used to describe the process through which the navy selects the types of ships it requires to fulfil its current and future roles.  Instead, it will show how the birth of the Repeat Annapolis was actually the product of conflicting opinions and struggles from within the navy itself.  Understanding the self-inflicted damage resulting from these conflicts is crucial, particularly since the force structure that emerged from this chaotic period (1957 - 1965) would influence the composition of the Canadian navy for the next forty years.

abstract: PhD


title: Sedimentary Processes and Environmental Signals from Paired High Arctic Lakes

contributor:
Lamoureux, Scott F.
Geography

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subject:
Climate Change
Varves
Hydrology

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-02 12:11:53.483

abstract:
Suspended sediment delivery dynamics in two watersheds at Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada were studied to characterize the hydroclimate conditions in which laminated sediments formed.  Process work over three years determined snow-water equivalence was the primary factor that controlled sediment yield in both catchments.  Cool springs (2003, 2004) enhanced runoff potential and intensity because channelized meltwater was delayed as it tunneled through the snowpack and reached the river channel (sediment supply) within 1-2 days.  In warm springs (2005), meltwater channelized on the snowpack and did not immediately reach the river bed (7-10 days).  Sediment transport was reduced because flow competence was lower and sediment supplies limited.
Sediment deposition in the West Lake depended on surface runoff intensity.  Short-lived, intense episodes of turbid inflow generated underflow activity which delivered the majority of seasonal sediment.  In 2005, runoff was less intense and few underflows were detected compared to the cooler, underflow dominated 2004 runoff season.  As well, grain-size analysis of trapped sediment indicated that deposition rates and maximum grain-size were decoupled, indicative of varied sediment supplies and delivery within the fluvial system.  These decoupled conditions have important implications for paleohydrological interpretations from downstream sedimentary records.
Two similar 600-year varve records were constructed from the lakes at Cape Bounty.  Although these series were highly correlated throughout, time-dependent correlation analysis identified divergence in the early 19th century.  Because the varve records were from adjacent watersheds and subject to the same hydroclimatic conditions, the divergence suggests watershed-level changes, such as increased local active layer detachments.  The varve record from West Lake was highly correlated with lagged autumn snowfall and spring temperature.  Similar relationships between these variables and East Lake were not as strong or significant.
Long-term climatic interpretations should be carefully assessed.  A single record from either of these lakes might lead to autumn snowfall and/or spring-melt intensity reconstructions, given the process work and weather record correlations.  The recent divergence reveals potential changes likely to occur as warming increases variability within the Arctic System.  Multidisciplinary monitoring and observations should continue in order to quantify future variability and evaluate the impact on these systems.

abstract: PhD


title: Radical-mediated modification of polyolefins: investigation of the synthesis of graft copolymers

contributor:
Parent, J. Scott
Chemical Engineering

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subject: Copolymers Radicals

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-06 19:37:13.916

abstract:
A range of strategies exist for the production of polyolefin block copolymers with well-defined morphologies for the compatibilization of immiscible blends; however, high sensitivity to impurities and use of expensive transition-metal catalysts limit their economic viability. An alternative method is the solvent-free coupling of dislike polymers using peroxides and multifunctional coagents. This technique, however, does not distinguish between a blend of gelled homopolymers and the intended copolymer. The use of a solution-based approach, like the one described in this report, for the radical-mediated coupling of polyolefins with dislike polymers allows for the full
characterization of the copolymer without the formation of gel.

A one- and two-step synthesis for the coupling of two homopolymers in solution is
demonstrated using triallyl trimesate. The one-step approach produced a copolymer in low yields due to the differences in reactivity between the homopolymers. The
two-step synthesis consisted of the solvent-free grafting of the coagent to the less
reactive polymer, followed by coupling in solution with the other polymer. Though
this technique demonstrated improved yields over that of the one-step approach, the overall yields were limited due to the dilution effects of the high solvent levels
needed for comiscibility. The coupling of polyethylene with poly(ethylene oxide) had
a maximum graft yield of 9.5%, whereas the coupling between polypropylene and a
thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer was negligible.

It was found that the grafting of allylic ester coagents to polyethylene results in an
uneven graft distribution. Given enough peroxide and coagent, the material will
reach its gel point where there is a small, high molecular weight population with a
disproportionately high graft content, while the remaining chains contained a modest concentration of bound coagent. Furthermore, a survey of the effectiveness of several common coagents in the radical-mediated crosslinking of polyethylene was investigated where it was found that allylic coagents had a greater contribution to the
crosslink density of the resin than vinyl coagents.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Crystal chemistry of the jarosite group of minerals  - solid solution and atomic structures

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

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subject:
Jarosite
Solid solution
Rietveld refinement
X-ray diffraction

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-07 18:21:45.136

abstract:
The jarosite group of minerals is part of the alunite supergroup, which consists of
more than 40 different mineral species that have the general formula AB3(TO4)2(OH,
H2O)6. There is extensive solid-solution in the A, B and T sites within the alunite
supergroup. Jarosite group minerals are common in acid mine waste and there is
evidence of jarosite existing on Mars. Members of the jarosite - natrojarosite –
hydronium jarosite (K,Na, H3O)Fe3(SO4)2(OH)6 solid-solution series were synthesized
and investigated by Rietveld analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data. The synthesized
samples have full iron occupancy, where in many previous studies there was significant
vacancies in the B site. Well-defined trends can be seen in the unit cell parameters, bond
lengths A – O and Fe - O across the solid-solution series in the synthetic samples. Based
on unit cell parameters many natural samples appear to have full iron occupancy and
correlate well with the synthetic samples from this study. In addition, the infrared spectra
of the samples were analyzed. The atomic structure of ammoniojarosite,
(NH4)Fe3(SO4)2(OH)6, has been solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction to wR
3.64% and R 1.4%. The atomic coordinates of the hydrogen atoms of the NH4 group
have been located and it was found that the ammonium group has two different
orientations with equal probability. Samples in the ammoniojarosite – hydronium jarosite
solid-solution series were synthesized and analyzed using powder X-ray diffraction and
Rietveld refinement. It was found that an incomplete solid-solution series exists between
jarosite and plumbojarosite, Pb[Fe3(SO4)2(OH)6]2, based on experimental and
mineralogical data. At the studied synthesis conditions, lead solubility in jarosite is
extremely limited with occupancy of 2% in the potassium site. Increased Pb in the
iv
starting solution resulted in no increased substitution of Pb into jarosite, but an increased
substitution of H3O+. The stable isotope (H) geochemistry of hydronium jarosite,
(H3O,K)Fe3(SO4)2(O,OH)6, and the effect that the presence of hydronium in the crystal
structure has on exchange rates of stable isotope values of jarosite with hydronium
substitution has been investigated in this study.

abstract: PhD


title: Sedimentology and paleoenvironmental indicators in a High Arctic meromictic lake

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subject:
Paleoclimatology
Sedimentology
Varves
High Arctic
Meromictic lake

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-08 13:34:14.044

abstract: High Arctic meromictic lakes are frequently used to generate detailed records of past environmental variability within their sedimentary profiles.  However, without detailed analyses of sedimentation influences over time, their paleoclimate records cannot be accurately interpreted.  This thesis presents a comprehensive examination of the sedimentology and paleoenvironmental records of meromictic Lake A, Ellesmere Island (83°00’N, 75°30’W), including detailed analysis of the sedimentary history, development and evaluation of several paleoclimate records.  The sedimentary record was primarily composed of clastic material but varying inputs of authigenic components from biological and chemical processes in the water column resulted in a complex history of lake sedimentation.  Under chemically stratified conditions during the past millennium, annual laminae (varves) formed and were used to develop a sedimentary chronology.  Sedimentary pellets were most likely formed by ice-rafting processes and were deposited during high melt years in this perennially ice-covered lake.  The pellet frequency record indicated that the twentieth century contained the most frequent reduced ice cover summers during the past millennium, although the 1500s and 1600s were also inferred warm periods.  Comparison with instrumental climate data indicated that varve thickness was primarily related to late summer and autumn snowfall in the previous year, which highlighted the importance of snow availability in spring rather than melt energy in sediment transfer to the lake in this non-glacial catchment.  The varve thickness and grain size records suggested increased flow competency and autumn snowfall particularly during the late-1000s to early-1100s and first half of the 1900s. Paleoenvironmental records from Lake A corresponded well with many regional proxy records and provided a long-term framework within which to examine observed environmental change along the northern Ellesmere Island coast during the past century.  Finally, these analyses would not have been possible without obtaining high quality sediment cores.  This research also investigated the effectiveness of a gel seal method for preserving the fragile sediment-water interface during transport and its results could be useful for other sediment core studies.

abstract: PhD


title: Surface modification of poly(dimethylsiloxane) with a perfluorinated alkoxysilane for selectivity toward fluorous tagged peptides

contributor:
Horton, J. Hugh
Chemistry

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subject: fluorinated Poly(dimethylsiloxane)

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-12 16:49:23.672

abstract:
Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and similar polymers have proved to be of widespread
interest for use in microfluidic and similar microanalytical devices. Surface modification
of PDMS is required to extend the range of applications for devices made of this polymer,
however. Here we report on the grafting of perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane via hydrolysis
onto an oxidized PDMS substrate in order to form a fluorinated microchannel. Such a
fluorinated device could be used for separating fluorous tagged proteins or peptides,
similar to that which has been recently demonstrated in a capillary electrophoresis system,
or in an open tubular capillary column. The modified polymer is characterized using
chemical force titrations, contact angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy (XPS). We also report on a novel means of performing electroosmotic
measurements on this material to determine the surface zeta potential. As might be
expected, contact angle and chemical force titration measurements indicate the
fluorinated surface to be highly hydrophobic. XPS indicates that fluorocarbon groups
segregate to the surface of the polymer over a period of days following the initial surface
modification, presumably driven by a lower surface free energy. One of the most
interesting results is the zeta potential measurements, which show that significant surface
charge can be maintained across a wide range of pH on this modified polymer, sufficient
to promote electroosmotic flow in a microfluidic chip. Matrix-assisted time of flight
mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) measurements show that a fluorous-tagged
peptide will selectively adsorb on the fluorinated PDMS in aqueous solution,
demonstrating that the fluorinated polymer could be used in devices designed forenrichment or enhanced detection of fluorous-labeled proteins and peptides. However,
the non-specific adsorption of other proteins may interfere with the test results. The
adsorption of four different proteins (cytochrome-C, carbonic anhydrase, insulin and
ubiquitin) onto the unmodified, oxidized and fluorinated PDMS surfaces respectively was
studied here with MALDI-TOF MS measurements. The results showed us that when
rinsed in water/methanol solutions of high methanol concentration, cytochrome-C
strongly adheres to the fluorinated surface. Carbonic anhydrase shows the opposite trend.
Retention of ubiquitin on the surface shows relatively little sensitivity to either the nature
of the substrate or the solution composition. Finally, the results using insulin
demonstrated that this protein adheres relatively strongly to the oxidized PDMS surface
as compared to the fluorinated or unmodified PDMS and showed a relative independence
on the composition of the washing solution. The influence of the hydrophilicity of the
protein, the surface and solvents, stability and size of proteins are discussed in the context
of these observations.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Marcona - Mina Justa District, South-Central Perú: Implications for the Genesis and Definition of the Iron Oxide-Copper (-Gold) Ore Deposit Clan

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subject:
Marcona
Mina Justa
IOCG
Peru

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-13 14:39:21.43

abstract:
The Marcona district of littoral south-central Perú represents the largest concentration of iron oxide-copper-gold deposits in the Central Andes. Hydrothermal activity occurred episodically from 177 to 95 Ma and was controlled by NE-striking faults.
	At Marcona, emplacement of massive magnetite orebodies with subordinate, overprinted magnetite-sulphide assemblages coincided with a 156-162 Ma episode of eruption of andesitic magma in the Jurassic arc, but mineralization is hosted largely by underlying, Lower Paleozoic metaclastic rocks. The magnetite orebodies exhibit smoothly curving, abrupt contacts, dike-like to tubular apophyses and intricate, amoeboid interfingering with dacite porphyry intrusions, interpreted as evidence for the commingling of hydrous Fe oxidic and silicic melts. An evolution from magnetite - biotite - calcic amphibole ± phlogopite assemblages, which are inferred to have crystallized from an Fe-oxide melt, to magnetite - phlogopite - calcic amphibole - sulphide assemblages coincided with quenching from above 700°C to below 450°C and with the exsolution of aqueous fluids with magmatic stable isotopic compositions. Subsequent, subeconomic chalcopyrite - pyrite - calcite ± pyrrhotite ± sphalerite assemblages were deposited from cooler fluids with similar δ34S, δ18O and δ13C values, but higher δD, which may record the involvement of both seawater and meteoric water.
	The much younger (95-110 Ma), entirely hydrothermal, Mina Justa Cu (-Ag) deposit is hosted by Middle Jurassic andesites intruded, on a district scale, by small dioritic stocks at the faulted SW margin of an Aptian-Albian shallow-marine volcano-sedimentary basin. Intense albite-actinolite alteration (ca. 157 Ma) and K-Fe metasomatism (ca. 142 Ma) long preceded the deposition of magnetite-pyrite assemblages from 500-600°C fluids with a magmatic isotopic signature. In contrast, ensuing chalcopyrite - bornite - digenite - chalcocite - hematite - calcite mineralization was entirely the product of non - magmatic, probably evaporite-sourced, brines.
Marcona and Mina Justa therefore represent contrasted ore deposit types and may bear minimal genetic relationships. The former shares similarities with other Kiruna-type magnetite (-apatite) deposits. In contrast, the latter is a hydrothermal system recording the incursion of fluids plausibly expelled from the adjacent Cañete basin. Non-magmatic fluids are inferred to be a prerequisite for economic Cu mineralization in the Cu-rich IOCG deposits in the Central Andes and elsewhere.

abstract: PhD


title: Joint Source-Channel Coding Reliability Function for Single and Multi-Terminal Communication Systems

contributor:
Alajaji, Fady
Campbell, L. Lorne
Mathematics and Statistics

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subject: Asymmetric 2-User Source-Channel System

subject: Common and Private Message

subject: Common Randomization

subject: Continuous Memoryless Sources and Channels

subject: Correlated Sources

subject: Discrete Memoryless Sources and Channels

subject: Error Exponent

subject: Excess Distortion Exponent

subject: Feedback

subject: Fenchel Transform

subject: Probability of Error

subject: Probability of Excess Distortion

subject: Fenchel Duality Theorem

subject: Hamming Distortion Measure

subject: Joint Source-Channel Coding

subject: Markov Types

subject: Memoryless Gaussian and Laplacian Sources

subject: Multiple-Access Channel

subject: Reliability Function

subject: Separation Principle

subject: Source Side Information/Squared/Magnitude-Error Distortion

subject: Stationary Ergodic Markov Source/Channel

subject: Tandem Coding

subject: Type Packing Lemma

subject: Broadcast Channel

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-13 22:31:56.425

abstract:
Traditionally, source coding (data compression) and channel coding (error protection) are performed separately and sequentially, resulting in what we call a tandem (separate) coding system. In practical implementations, however, tandem coding might involve a large delay and a high coding/decoding complexity, since one needs to remove the redundancy in the source coding part and then insert certain redundancy in the channel coding part. On the other hand, joint source-channel coding (JSCC), which coordinates source and channel coding or combines them into a single step, may offer substantial improvements over the tandem coding approach.
This thesis deals with the fundamental Shannon-theoretic limits for a variety of communication systems via JSCC. More specifically, we investigate the reliability function (which is the largest rate at which the coding probability of error vanishes exponentially with increasing blocklength) for JSCC for the following discrete-time communication systems: (i) discrete memoryless systems; (ii) discrete memoryless systems with perfect channel feedback; (iii) discrete memoryless systems with source side information; (iv) discrete systems with Markovian memory; (v) continuous-valued (particularly Gaussian) memoryless systems; (vi) discrete asymmetric 2-user source-channel systems.
For the above systems, we establish upper and lower bounds for the JSCC reliability function and we analytically compute these bounds. The conditions for which the upper and lower bounds coincide are also provided. We show that the conditions are satisfied for a large class of source-channel systems, and hence exactly determine the reliability function. We next provide a systematic comparison between the JSCC reliability function and the tandem coding reliability function (the reliability function resulting from separate source and channel coding). We show that the JSCC reliability function is substantially larger than the tandem coding reliability function for most cases. In particular, the JSCC reliability function is close to twice as large as the tandem coding reliability function for many source-channel pairs. This exponent gain provides a theoretical underpinning and justification for JSCC design as opposed to the widely used tandem coding method, since JSCC will yield a faster exponential rate of decay for the system error probability and thus provides substantial reductions in complexity and coding/decoding delay for real-world communication systems.

abstract: PhD


title: A novel series of titanocene dichloride derivatives: synthesis, characterization and assessment of their cytotoxic properties

contributor:
Baird, Michael C.
Cole, Susan P. C.
Jessop, Philip G.
Chemistry

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subject:
Organometallic
Anticancer
Titanocene dichloride

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-14 13:18:28.141

abstract:
Although cis-PtCl2(NH3)2 (cisplatin) has been widely used as a chemotherapeutic agent, its use can be accompanied by toxic side effects and the development of drug resistance. Consequently, much research has been focused on the discovery of novel transition metal compounds which elicit elevated cytotoxicities coupled with reduced toxic side effects and non-cross resistance. Recently, research in this lab has focused on preparing derivatives of titanocene dichloride (TDC), a highly active chemotherapeutic agent, with pendant alkylammonium groups on one or both rings. Earlier results have demonstrated that derivatives containing either cyclic or chiral alkylammonium groups had increased cytotoxic activities.
This research therefore investigated a new series of TDC complexes focusing specifically on derivatives bearing cyclic and chiral alkylammonium groups. A library of ten cyclic derivatives and six chiral derivatives were synthesized and fully characterized. These derivatives have undergone in vitro testing as anti-tumour agents using human lung, ovarian, and cervical carcinoma cell lines (A549, H209, H69, H69/CP, A2780, A2780/CP and HeLa). These standard cell lines represent solid tumour types for which new drugs are urgently needed. The potencies of all of the Ti (IV) derivatives varied greatly (range from 10.8 μM - >1000 μM), although some trends were observed. In general, the dicationic analogues exhibited greater potency than the corresponding monocationic derivatives. Additionally, the cyclic analogues bearing 1,3- and 1,4-substituted pyridines displayed potent cytotoxic activities (IC50> 20 μM). It was also found at concentrations of ~30 μM that the derivatives bearing an ephedrine derived substituent were cytotoxic. Conversely, analogues substituted with piperidinyl, morpholinyl or primary alkylammonium groups were inactive (>200 μM) against the cancer cell lines assayed.

abstract: PhD


title: Teaching Contingencies: Deleuze, Creativity Discourses, and Art

contributor:
Lewis, Magda Gere
Education

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subject:
Visual Art
Creativity
Teaching
Critical Approach

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-16 09:14:08.09

abstract:
This dissertation, flying between aesthetics, visual arts, and political/cultural/historical issues, traverses lines of stratification, and (de/re)territorialization to examine uncertainties in making and teaching art. In keeping with a conviction that nothing is unitary, that everything is always connected to countless others, Deleuze and Guattari’s metaphor of rhizome is the central organizing element in my work. My research questions what is meant by creativity, whether assumed to be a gift, talent, or innate quality, and what is meant by teaching art in university, which assumes creativity can be organized and developed.

Differing discourses of creativity exhibit a general continuity of agreement that creation takes place within chaos, and forms where chaos and order meet each other. I posit that contemporary discourses of creativity hegemonically reinforce capitalism as a system of nomadic power and of constant de/reterritorialization. All, in a capitalist system,  is linked to the construction of the  urge to consume, and therefore  the acceleration of capitalism necessitates  an increase in the rate  at which we manufacture venues for consumption, even in such innovative ways as by making creativity itself a consumable package. How do we resist this?

From a Deleuzian point of view, creation is a becoming event, as destructive as productive. Creativity, which is about freedom, occurs on a plane of immanence which sifts chaos and multiplicity together to break lines. Teaching, however, is on a “plane of organization” where rigid and dichotomous segmentarities of personal and social life operate. I suggest that artistic knowledge can be theorized and taught, in the Schönian sense, but creativity, a matter of “lines of flight,” is fundamentally unrelated to artistic knowledge. I argue that what can be taught is technique, theory, and the material language of media, and that these should be taught as explicit professional objectives, not as “creativity.” We can teach the value of breaking away from the false seriousness of creativity, with reference to Dada. We can teach the enjoyment of chaos and the confrontation of it. We can teach resistance. We can teach a love of complexities. We can teach play.

abstract: PhD


title: Issues in Performance Evaluation of Mathematical Notation Recognition Systems

contributor:
Blostein, Dorothea
Computing

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subject:
Computer Science
Document Image Analysis
Performance Evaluation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-21 15:34:21.966

abstract: Performance evaluation of document recognition systems is a difficult and practically-important problem.  In this thesis, we contribute to the understanding of performance evaluation by studying some issues that arise in evaluation of systems for recognition of mathematical expressions.  Issues that are discussed cover the reported performance evaluation experiments, the code availability, the nature of the mathematical notation, the extent of the coverage of mathematical recognition systems, and the quantification of performance evaluation results.  For each issue, we discuss its impact on performance evaluation, give an overview of the state of the art for addressing it and point out open problems.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Reactivity and Luminescence Study of Platinum and Copper Complexes of 7-Azaindole Derivatives

contributor:
Wang, Suning
Chemistry

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subject:
C-H Activation
Luminescence
7-Azaindole
Pt(II) Complex
Cu(I) Complex
Phosphorscence

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-21 18:10:58.628

abstract:
The objective of this thesis is to explore new reactivities and to improve luminescent properties of 7-azaindole-containing metal complexes. Selectivity for the activation of toluene and ethyl benzene has been investigated with two cationic Pt(II)(N,N-L) complexes, where N,N-L = 1,2-bis(1-N-7-azaindolyl)benzene (BAB) or bis(1-N-7-azaindolyl)methane (BAM). A high regioselectivity toward toluene and ethyl benzene benzylic C-H activation and a distinct diastereoselectivity for ethyl benzene benzylic C-H activation are demonstrated. Detailed mechanistic studies have been performed, leading to the establishment of both the intermediacy of the η3-benzylic Pt(II) complexes in the reactions and the ligand steric impacts as origins for the distinct diastereoselectivity. A PtMe2 complex of 1-N-(pyridin-2-yl)-7-azaindole (NPA) has been synthesized and found to undergo facile transformation at ambient temperature, resulting in the quantitive formation of a neutral Pt4 molecular square. The mechanism of the transformation process has been examined, establishing a distinct intramolecular C-H driven self-assembly process. The geometrical impacts of the BAB and BAM ligands on the structure and stability of their fac-Pt(IV)Me3 complexes has been investigated. The BAB ligand is more effective than the BAM ligand in stabilizing the five-coordinate Pt(IV)Me3 complexes. With the BAB ligand, a five-coordinate fac-Pt(IV)Me3 complex is obtained; with the BAM ligand, two six-coordinate fac-Pt(IV)Me3 complexes are obtained. In solution, the methyl groups in the BAB complex exchange slowly, but those in the BAM complexes exchange rapidly.
Several new 7-azaindolyl derivative ligands via either modifying or altering the BAM and BAB bridging groups have been developed. The syntheses, structures and reactivities of their Pt(II) complexes have been examined, leading to the finding of an unconventional C-Sn oxidative addition reaction. The modification of the NPA ligand via the incorporation of a triarylboron group has been carried out. Several novel Pt(II) and Cu(I) complexes have been synthesized and studied. A Cu(I) complex is found to display exceptionally bright ambient temperature phosphorescence. A series of dinuclear Cu(I) compounds of the 1,2,3,4-tetra(1-N-7-azaindolyl)benzene (TTAB) ligand have been synthesized and examined. The close contacts between the TTAB bridging phenyl ring and the Cu(I) centers are present in the complexes.

abstract: PhD


title: Sedimentary structural indicators of Arctic terrestrial and aquatic processes

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subject: Lacustrine sediment

subject: Varves

subject: Microbially induced sedimentary structures

subject: Arctic

subject: Thermal inversion

subject: Subannual laminae

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-22 09:55:12.184

abstract:
Annually and subannually laminated lacustrine sediments potentially contain a wide range of information that can be interpreted for paleoenvironmental reconstructions.  These laminae are produced by the physical and biological processes that operate in the lake and in the surrounding terrestrial environment.  However, identification of the influences that control laminae production may not be straightforward, and other processes may subtly influence the overall depositional sequence.  This thesis examines two different depositional environments on Colin Archer Peninsula, Devon Island, Canada, with the objective of identifying the factors that influence subannual sediment deposition and how the resultant sedimentary structures can be used as indicators of paleoenvironmental conditions.
	In proglacial Lake R, clastic sediment deposition is controlled primarily by subannual meteorological conditions.  Periods of positive air temperature or large rainfall events produce discernable laminae that, when combined, form a varve sequence.  However, overarching geomorphic controls influence the delivery of sediment to the lake and may reduce or enhance the hydrometeorological signal contained in the varves.
	An additional influence for calibration of the varve record to meteorological observations is the role that melt season thermal inversions have on temperature extrapolation in the High Arctic.  Meteorological stations at sea level may not be representative of the surrounding region, thereby reducing the accuracy of vertical temperature estimation.  Investigation of the inversions in the central Canadian High Arctic demonstrated that melt season inversions are common and increased inversion frequency may potentially have influenced enhanced glacial melt since the late 1980s, with implications for proglacial lake sediment transport and deposition.
	In coastal Lake J, late Holocene sediments record a relatively unusual accumulation of microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS).  Such a record has not been previously described in the circum-Arctic, although they are known to exist elsewhere.  These sediments are produced by the interaction between clastic sedimentation and cyanobacterial growth and production.  Although chronological constraint could not be assigned with certainty to the record, statistical study of the laminated sequence suggested a dominant pattern that is plausibly annual.  A heuristic model of annual sediment accumulation was developed in order to explore the potential for quasi-annual paleoenvironmental interpretations.

abstract: PhD


title: High-energy sedimentary processes in Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory

contributor:
Gilbert, Robert
Geography

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subject:
glacilacustrine sedimentation
turbidity currents

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-22 13:42:20.629

abstract: A lacustrine sedimentary process study was undertaken at Kluane Lake, which is a large, glacier-fed, alpine lake in the southwestern corner of Yukon Territory.  Data from moored instruments, sediment traps, water column profiling, and high-resolution sub-bottom acoustic surveys were collected over the peak melt seasons of 2006 and 2007 in order to document the spatial and temporal lacustrine sedimentation patterns.  A river monitoring station was also established to continuously record the inflow variations of Slims River, which drains meltwater from Kaskawulsh Glacier.  Kluane Lake receives sediment-laden (up to 5 g/l) water from Slims River, which varies diurnally in terms of both discharge and suspended sediment concentration.  While evidence of seasonal sediment exhaustion is present within the system, the diurnal hysteresis relationship between discharge and suspended sediment is either insignificant or more commonly counterclockwise.  The high suspended sediment load delivered by Slims River produces continuous, diurnally fluctuating turbidity currents with maximum velocities in excess of 0.6 m/s at delta-proximal locations, although velocities between 0.2 and 0.4 m/s are more typical.  During peak flow conditions, variations in current velocity can be traced to the deepest portion of the lake, over 4 km from the point of inflow.  The longitudinal changes in the vertical concentration profiles, suspended sediment load, and mass accumulation rates suggest that the flow structure of the turbidity currents changes rapidly along the first several kilometres of flow.  Sedimentation in the Kluane Lake basin is dominated by turbidity currents; overflows occur intermittently and contribute less than 2% to sediment accumulation along the lake bed.  The highest rate of deposition occurs approximately 1 km from the delta and is consistent with an accumulation of approximately 0.4 m/a; closer to the delta, high current velocities appear to inhibit sediment deposition.  The sediment in Kluane Lake is dominated by silt-size particles and contains virtually no sand except in small amounts very close to the delta.  The diurnal pattern of turbidity current activity produces daily rhythmites in sediment traps deployed near the lake bottom, but these laminations do not occur consistently over time or space.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Log File Categorization and Anomaly Analysis Using Grammar Inference

contributor:
Dean, Thomas R.
Cordy, James R.
Computing

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subject:
Anomaly analysis
Log file analysis
Log categorization
Grammar inference
Log file reporting
Robust parsing
Island grammars
Program comprehension

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-22 14:12:30.199

abstract:
In the information age of today, vast amounts of sensitive and confidential data is exchanged over an array of different mediums. Accompanied with this phenomenon is a comparable increase in the number and types of attacks to acquire this information. Information security and data consistency have hence, become quintessentially important. Log file analysis has proven to be a good defense mechanism as logs provide an accessible record of network activities in the form of server generated messages. However, manual analysis is tedious and prohibitively time consuming. Traditional log analysis techniques, based on pattern matching and data mining approaches, are ad hoc and cannot readily adapt to different kinds of log files.

The goal of this research is to explore the use of grammar inference for log file analysis in order to build a more adaptive, flexible and generic method for message categorization, anomaly detection and reporting. The grammar inference process employs robust parsing, islands grammars and source transformation techniques.

We test the system by using three different kinds of log file training sets as input and infer a grammar and generate message categories for each set. We detect anomalous messages in new log files using the inferred grammar as a catalog of valid traces and present a reporting program to extract the instances of specified message categories from the log files.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: School and neighbourhood recreational environments and their impact on physical activity participation among Canadian youth

contributor:
Janssen, Ian
Pickett, William
Community Health and Epidemiology

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subject:
Physical activity
environment

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-22 15:44:36.541

abstract:
Background: Less than half of Canadian youth meet recommended levels of physical activity.  This is of concern given the health burden associated with physical inactivity.  With the limited success of physical activity interventions, research has begun to focus on how physical and sociocultural environments affect physical activity.  Investigation of school and neighbourhood characteristics that facilitate physical activity may identify environmental changes that could increase participation among adolescents.
Objectives:  The objectives of the two studies comprising the thesis were to examine, among youth in grades 6 through 10: 1) the association between school recreational characteristics and physical activity during free-time and class-time at school, and 2) the
effects of perceptions of neighbourhood safety and availability of parks and recreational facilities on physical activity participation outside of school.
Methods: Data from the 2006 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Survey (HBSC) were analyzed.  Multilevel logistic regression was employed to quantify associations between school and neighbourhood characteristics and physical activity.  For the first study, student responses to school-time physical activity scales were dichotomized (≥ 2 vs. <2 hours/week).  A cumulative index that considered together policies, varsity and intramural athletics, presence and condition of fields, and condition of gymnasia was constructed based on principals’ reports.  In the second study, physical activity outside of school was dichotomized (≥ 4 vs. <4 hours/week).  A scale of individuals’ perceptions of safety was constructed.  The number of parks and recreational facilities within a 5 km buffer of schools was abstracted from a geographical information system.
Results: Objective 1. School recreational features were modestly positively related to adolescents’ physical activity at school, particularly that occurring during free-time.  The cumulative effect of school recreational features exerted a stronger effect than any single feature.  Objective 2. Perceptions of safety were associated with students’ physical activity, whereas increased availability of parks and recreational facilities neither prevented nor promoted physical activity.
Conclusions: Objective 1.  High levels of recreational support at schools might promote physical activity among young people.  This could inform educational policies and support funding of school recreational opportunities.  Objective 2. Improving perceptions of safety might promote physical activity participation among youth.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Blood pressure control among Canadians with hypertension, with and without diabetes

contributor:
Pickett, William
Janssen, Ian
Campbell, Norm
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Blood pressure control
Diabetes
Hypertension
Epidemiology

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2013-11-14 09:55:12.161

abstract:
The thesis offers the following contributions to the epidemiology of hypertension in Canada:
1.The first manuscript uses cross-sectional data from the 2007-2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) to compare the prevalence of controlled hypertension between people with and without diabetes. Of the 74% of Canadians with diabetes who had hypertension, 56% (95% CI: 45%-66%) had controlled blood pressure compared to 64% (95% CI: 58%-69%) of Canadians without diabetes.  Among people taking medication, individuals with diabetes were less likely to have controlled hypertension (ORadjusted: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.2-0.6).
2.The objective of the second manuscript was to determine, among Canadians with hypertension, whether individuals with diabetes were less likely than those without to recall health professional advice for healthy behaviours and whether receipt of such advice influences behaviour, using cross-sectional data from the 2009 Survey on Living with Chronic Diseases in Canada (SLCDC).  Canadians with diabetes were more likely than those without to recall advice to control/lose weight (81% vs. 66%), exercise (79% vs. 68%), limit alcohol (78% vs. 55%) and modify diet (70% vs. 61%) but not limit salt (65% vs. 64%). Both groups were equally likely to report following advice, with receipt of advice positively associated with engagement in healthy behaviours.
3. The third manuscript describes knowledge of blood pressure targets in Canadians with hypertension using cross-sectional data from the 2009 SLCDC.  Knowledge of blood pressure targets was low, with 28% and 32% of Canadians with and without diabetes reporting having discussed a blood pressure target and reporting a target in line with clinical practice guidelines.
4.The fourth manuscript validates an existing self-reported blood pressure control question in a sample of 161 patients with hypertension in Kingston.  In people with and without diabetes, the question had sensitivities of 83% ± 11% and 78% ± 10% and specificities of 30% ±19% and 58% ± 21%, respectively.
5.The final manuscript tests a method designed to account for misclassification in epidemiologic studies, using data from the CHMS. The method was found to perform inconsistently in multivariate contexts and introduced bias when minor differential misclassification was ignored.

abstract: PhD


title: Low Temperature Investigations on Asphalt Binder Performance - A case study on Highway 417 Trial Sections

contributor:
Hesp, Simon
Chemistry

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subject:
Asphalt
Pavement cracking
Asphalt mixture
Compaction
Fatigue
Asphalt test

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-26 09:54:23.308

abstract:
This thesis investigates and documents fundamental studies of highway materials (asphalt engineering properties) especially on different modified asphalt binders and mixtures in order to understand failure mechanisms at low temperature and superior performance of such asphalt binders with the aim of preventing premature cracking on Ontario highways. In addition, seven asphalt binders of different compositions were used as a template for study and this research work is tailored towards Superpave® performance-based specification testing with the aim of improving asphalt pavement performance under various conditions and consequently reducing premature cracking in order to achieve long lasting highways.
  Based on the actual applied pattern of Superpave® specification criteria, the mechanical responses of the binders are analyzed by extended bending beam rheometer (eBBR), tensile stress ductilometer (Petrotest DDA3®), compact tension test (Instron AsphaltPro®), double-edge-notched tension and single-edge-notched tension (MTS 810 universal testing machine) protocols. The objective of this study entails establishing and developing of a proper procedure for the testing of binders with the aim of ranking (grading) the performance after validation of laboratory and field experiments.
  Analysis of the results appears to show that the premature distress on the Highway 417 trial sections can be attributed to reversible aging tendency (wax crystallization) at low temperatures coupled with low fatigue resistance of the binders. The results suggest that different polymer modifications had significant influence on the performance of asphalt mix as demonstrated from the results obtained from essential and plastic work of fracture using double-edge-notch-tension test (DENT).  Crack tip opening  displacement (CTOD) parameter consistently show the performing grading of asphalt binder while compact tension test protocol provides plane strain fracture toughness (K1c) which could be used to rank binders with respect to fracture resistance at low temperature. Hence, CTOD is a promising parameter which can be used to establish performance ranking of the binders.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Christian Women Discuss the Influence of Faith on their Career Development

contributor:
Freeman, John G.
Education

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subject:
Career
Women
Christian
Qualitative Research
Faith
Lifeline

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-27 13:40:29.543

abstract:
For many young adults, career decision-making is a challenge that may lead to feelings of disequilibrium, stress, and anxiety. This disequilibrium may be especially problematic for young Christian women. On one hand, their belief system may provide a stabilizing anchor, and embue them with a sense of purpose (Fowler, 1981). On the other hand, distinct Christian values may further perpetuate traditional male-female roles and thus limit their labour force participation (Scott, 2002). To better understand this dichotomy and add to the limited research on this topic, my study explored the relationship between Christian faith and career development with a sample of four women (ages 33 to 51) already established in their careers. Research data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Each interview was preceded by the construction of a lifeline, or timeline of major events in the participant’s life (Campbell & Ungar, 2004). Themes emerging from case and cross analyses were (a) life story, (b) centrality of motherhood, and (c) spiritual grounding. These three themes were first reported for each participant as an individual case, and then in an overview of findings across cases.
Implications for post-secondary career counsellors, based on this study’s results, as well as on relevant literature, focus on incorporating the notion of calling into three traditional career development activities: (a) self-discovery; (b) exploration and research; and (c) formulating a plan. Implications for career development researchers include: (a) creating a comprehensive theory reflecting spiritual and non-spiritual factors in women’s career development; (b) studying this topic with different methodologies; and (c) undertaking a best practices study of career programs integrating calling at secular or non-secular universities. These practical and theoretical implications may provide post-secondary career counsellors guidance on how to direct young women of diverse faith backgrounds to explore and pursue their fields of choice.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: The Iconography of Rembrandt's Depictions of the Holy Family (in a domestic setting)

contributor:
Dickey, Stephanie S.
Art History

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subject:
Rembrandt
Holy Family
Iconography

abstract: Thesis (Master, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-27 17:26:55.126

abstract:
The main topic of discussion in this thesis is the iconography of two etchings and five paintings of the Holy Family in a domestic or domestic/workshop setting.  All of these works were, at one time, attributed to Rembrandt van Rijn.  Although doubt now has been expressed by experts as to the authenticity of at least two of the paintings, namely, the Holy Family at Night (c. 1638/40, Amsterdam) and the Holy Family with St. Anne (1640, Paris), these disputed works are included because of a similarity to the way in which Rembrandt depicted the Holy Family in a non-Biblical context.  If these are not works by Rembrandt’s own hand, they are certainly variants of his ideas, painted by artists in his circle.  The remaining paintings consist of the Holy Family (1634, Munich), the Holy Family with Angels (1645, St. Petersburg), and the Holy Family with the Curtain (1646, Kassel).  The etchings described are the 1632 Holy Family and the 1654 Virgin with the Cat and the Snake.

     Prior to a consideration of the aforementioned works of art, both individually and as a group, and in order to ascertain whether or not Rembrandt was influenced by earlier artists, a brief overview of depictions of the Holy Family in imaginary settings is provided, covering a period from the time of the Renaissance to the beginning of the seventeenth century.  Mention also is made of the influence of restrictions on religious art that followed in the wake of the Reformation, particularly with respect to the art of the north Netherlands.

     Lastly, a look at a few depictions of the Holy Family by Rembrandt’s students and followers gives some indication of the extent to which they emulated his work.  A comparison of the treatment of the same subject by Peter Paul Rubens and Jacob Jordaens, both of whom worked in the Catholic environment of the south Netherlands helps to demonstrate Rembrandt’s ability to meet the requirements of a largely Protestant society through the manner in which he chose to present the Holy Family.

abstract: M.A.


title: Auditory domain speech enhancement

contributor:
Gazor, Saeed
Electrical and Computer Engineering

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subject:
Speech enhancement
Musical noise
Gammatone filter
Meddis inner hair cell model
Cochleagram
Auditory grouping
Perception

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-28 16:11:28.374

abstract:
Many speech enhancement algorithms suffer from musical noise - an estimation residue noise consisting of music-like varying tones. To reduce this annoying noise, some speech enhancement algorithms require post-processing. However, a lack of auditory perception theories about musical noise limits the effectiveness of musical noise reduction methods.

Scientists now have some understanding of the human auditory system, thanks to the advances in hearing research across multiple disciplines - anatomy, physiology, psychology, and neurophysiology. Auditory models, such as the gammatone filter bank and the Meddis inner hair cell model, have been developed to simulate the acoustic to neuron transduction process. The auditory models generate the neuron firing signals called the cochleagram. Cochleagram analysis is a powerful tool to investigate musical noise.

We use auditory perception theories in our musical noise investigations. Some auditory perception theories (e.g., volley theory and auditory scene analysis theories) suggest that speech perception is an auditory grouping process. Temporal properties of neuron firing signals, such as period and rhythm, play important roles in the grouping process. The grouping process generates a foreground speech stream, a background noise stream, and possibly additional streams.

We assume that musical noise is the result of grouping to the background stream the neuron firing signals whose temporal properties are different from the ones grouped to the foreground stream. Based on this hypothesis, we believe that a musical noise reduction method should increase the probability of grouping the enhanced neuron
firing signals to the foreground speech stream, or decrease the probability of grouping them into the background stream. We propose a post-processing musical noise reduction method for the auditory Wiener filter speech enhancement method, in which we
employ a proposed complex gammatone filter bank for the cochlear decomposition. The results of a subjective listening test of our speech enhancement system show that the proposed musical noise reduction method is effective.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Development and Investigation of a Conceptual Model to Understand Knowledge Management

contributor:
McKeen, James D.
Management

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subject:
Knowledge Management
Management Information Systems

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-29 13:03:39.738

abstract:
The realization that knowledge constitutes a key organizational resource and should be managed effectively gave rise to the field of knowledge management (KM). Since then, the field has experienced tremendous growth as measured by the number of research papers, books, conferences, and consulting services. The lack of a theoretical foundation, however, has resulted in the proliferation of KM definitions and models with little underlying coherence among them. This research represents an attempt to address this shortcoming by developing and investigating a theoretically grounded model for KM.

The focus of the research is twofold. First, a conceptual model is developed that combines tenets of evolutionary theory, organizational learning and organizational memory (OM) into a single integrated model. The model proposes that organizational knowledge evolves through four recursive stages. At each stage, a process is required to manage the evolving knowledge, namely, knowledge scanning process, knowledge evaluation process, knowledge transfer process, and knowledge application process. The model further proposes that, as it evolves, knowledge is enabled by and embedded in OM infrastructures namely, individuals, roles, business logic, artifacts and culture.

		Second, the conceptual model is then examined within an organizational setting to gain an understanding of how each of the knowledge processes and OM infrastructures function inter-dependently to contribute to the management of knowledge. Using a case study methodology, an investigation is conducted within the context of new service development in three different lines of business (LOB) (referred to as TM, PD and MM) of a major logistics company. The research shows that the LOBs with enhanced KM capability (i.e., TM and PD) share three dominant aspects: articulable (i.e., their knowledge processes and OM infrastructures are well-defined and well understood at each stage of knowledge evolution); supportive (i.e., their knowledge processes and OM infrastructures at each stage are aligned with the goals of the respective stages); and equifocused (i.e., they are attentive to all the stages of knowledge evolution). In contrast to KM at these two LOBs, KM at MM is lacking in all three key aspects.

abstract: PhD


title: ID Troubles: The National Identification Systems in Japan and the (mis) Construction of the Subject

contributor:
Snider, Laureen
Lyon, David
Sociology

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subject:
ID Card
Identity/Identification
Surveillance
Inclusion/Exclusion
Colonialism
Modernity
Others
Technology
Citizenship
Resistance

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-29 13:58:26.233

abstract:
Modern Japan established three kinds of national identification (ID) systems over its population: Koseki, Alien Registration, and Juki-net. The Koseki system is a patriarchal family registration of all citizens. It began in the 1870s when Japan’s nation-state was developed under the emperor’s rule. Koseki used traditional patriarchal hierarchy and loyalty to construct subjects for the Japanese Empire and reify a fictional unity among the “Japanese” people. Until today, this disciplinary element has functioned as the norm for organizational relations in Japan.
The Alien Registration System requires non-citizens to register and carry an ID card to distinguish “foreigners” from “Japanese”. This system stems from surveillance techniques used over the colonial populations in the early twentieth century: the Chinese in the colony of “Manchuria”, in northeast China, and the Koreans on the Japanese mainland. Although the empire collapsed after World War II, the practice was officially legislated to target Koreans and Chinese who remained in post-war democratic Japan.
Juki-net is the recently established computer network for sharing the personal data of citizens between government and municipal authorities. Juki-net attaches a unitary ID number to all citizens and gives them an optional ID card. Juki-net uses digital technology to capture individual movement, so the system is direct, individualistic, and fluid. It has expanded the scope of personal data and shifts the foundation of citizenship to state intervention.
This thesis examines how these three systems have defined the boundary of the nation and constructed categories for its subjects, which have then been imposed on the entire population. Drawing on the theories of Foucault’s bio-power and Agamben’s bare life, I explain how the national ID card systems enable the state to include and exclude people, use them for its own power, and produce subjects to support the state. Although this process is often hidden, the scheme is a vital part of the current proposal to use national ID card systems in the global “war on terror”. I argue that the national ID card systems impose compulsory classifications on individuals, threaten the public’s rights against state intervention, and spread “bare life” across the population.

abstract: M.A.


title: Voice call quality using 802.11e on a wireless mesh network

contributor:
Hassanein, Hossam S.
Computing

format:
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subject:
Computer Science
Networks
VoIP
Wireless Networks

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-30 09:55:45.535

abstract:
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) provide an affordable solution for last mile network access. They also allow for extension of a network by configuring a Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) where it may otherwise be physically infeasible or cost prohibitive to do so. With the increasing use of real-time applications such as video conferencing and Voice over IP (VoIP), networks are stressed to guarantee Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for these applications. Examples of key requirements include bounded delay and packet loss ratios. Addressing this issue in WLANs, the IEEE 802.11e amendment was proposed to provide a QoS mechanism. However, the performance of 802.11e in meshed environments is yet to be studied.

In this work, we study VoIP call quality in a meshed environment with provisions for QoS. We study the call quality and throughput of background traffic in an experimental WMN testbed in order to test how well the IEEE 802.11e QoS provisions support voice calls. Call quality is tested in different configurations and scenarios. We study the effect of the number of wireless hops on VoIP call quality. In addition, we investigate the number of VoIP calls that can be supported simultaneously for different numbers of wireless hops. We also study how fairly the network treats different calls in different configurations. Then, we look at how much effective bandwidth a VoIP call uses on the network. Finally, we examine the VoIP call quality of different calls when calls have different QoS parameters and study the effect that a busy central node has on traffic passing through it. We provide suggestions to improve call quality on a WMN and hint at possible future work.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Market impacts in major events: an analysis using state price distributions

contributor:
Neave, Edwin
Management

format:
1636421 bytes
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subject:
State price distribution
Behavioural finance
State price density
Options

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-30 13:29:49.85

abstract: For the past two decades, events on the world stage and particularly in the United States have serious implications for the operations of financial markets.  In this study, we will attempt to provide some insights into information dispersion before and after three particular events: the near collapse of Long Term Capital Management in August 1998, the Tech-Bubble Burst in March 2000, and the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.  A study of these events will yield insights into the resolution of information uncertainties in the financial markets.  We estimated state prices and state price densities using Claims-based asset pricing (a la Ross (2000)).  We then used our results to gauge investor sentiments three months before and three months after each event.  We also used two new measures of the level of pessimism in the market during these events: skewness of the state price distributions and the percentages of discount states (with state price densities greater than one).  Our results clearly indicate that different markets reacted differently to the three events, and that there were different levels of information leakage in the markets for each event.  As expected, the impacts from the 9/11 event were immediate but short-lived in both the SPX and NDX markets.  Further, our results show that event impact contamination played an important role in the over- and under-reactions to the three events.  More specifically, our results indicate that the LTCM event was closely related to and was probably precipitated by the Russian Currency Crisis.  As well, the 9/11 event occurred immediately following predictions of a U.S. economic recession, and three months prior to the declaration of the War on Terror.  Our results show lulls and peaks in market expectations which correspond to these separate and yet correlated events.

abstract: PhD


title: Age-related changes in weight and body composition: implications for health in the elderly

contributor:
Janssen, Ian
Kinesiology and Health Studies

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subject:
Body weight
Physical activity
Sarcopenic-obesity
Cardiovascular disease
Body composition

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-30 11:56:03.775

abstract:
The objective of this thesis was to examine age-related changes in weight and body composition as they relate to health in older adults. This thesis was completed in manuscript format and consists of two studies, both of which are based on the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) cohort. The CHS is a prospective cohort study of community-dwelling older (≥65 years) men and women who were followed for 8 years.
	The first manuscript examined whether physical activity (PA) attenuates age-related weight loss in the elderly. Mixed modeling procedures were employed to create body weight trajectory curves for the 8 year follow-up period according to physical activity level in a sample of 4512 CHS participants. Body weight declined over the follow-up period in all physical activity groups, with an accelerated weight loss occurring in the final years of follow-up. Over the 8 year follow-up, body weight was reduced by 2.72 kg in the least active PA quartile. Compared to the least active quartile, weight loss was attenuated by 0.55 kg (20%), 0.80 kg (29%), and 0.69 kg (25%) within the second through fourth physical activity quartiles. Therefore, participation in modest amounts of PA attenuated age-related weight loss by approximately 25%.
	The second manuscript examined whether sarcopenic-obesity is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than either sarcopenia or obesity alone, and whether muscle mass or strength is a stronger marker of CVD risk. CHS participants who were free of CVD at baseline (n=3400) were classified as normal, sarcopenic, obese, or sarcopenic-obese based on measures of waist circumference and either muscle mass or strength. Participants were followed for CVD development over 8 years and proportional hazard regression models were used to compare risk estimates for CVD after adjustment for covariates. When based on measures of waist circumference and muscle mass, CVD risk was not increased in sarcopenic, obese, or sarcopenic-obese groups in comparison to the group with a normal body composition. When categorized based on waist circumference and muscle strength, CVD risk was significantly increased (by 38%) in the sarcopenic-obese group but not in either the sarcopenic or obese groups. Thus, sarcopenic-obesity, based on muscle strength, was associated with increased CVD risk implying that strength is more important than muscle mass for cardiovascular health in old age.
	In summary, the findings of this thesis support the continuation of public health efforts to promote regular PA and balanced nutrition to assist with maintenance of optimal body composition and weight through adulthood and into old age.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Development of a novel screen protocol for the identification of genes causing replication associated genomic instability in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

contributor:
Davey, Scott
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

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subject:
Genomic instability
DNA replication

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-31 22:25:14.009

abstract: Replication fork stalling is a source of potentially tumourigenic genomic instability. The RecQ family helicase, Rqh1, is critical for the prevention of replication fork collapse and the formation of potentially deleterious recombination intermediates following fork stalling. Previous work in our lab with Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast) has shown that rqh10/rqh10 diploids are inherently unstable and show rapid reversion to the haploid state. The current work exploits this characteristic of fission yeast rqh10 mutants in a screen for genes that normally promote replication associated genomic instability. The rqh10rad30 mutant strains employed in this work incorporate the checkpoint deficiency caused by a lack of Rad3, so as to exacerbate the genomically unstable nature of this model. The current work describes the lithium acetate transformation based random mutagenesis by non-homologous integration of the ura4+ selectable marker into the rqh10rad30 fission yeast strains. This random mutagenesis generated extensive (24,500 – 50,000) mutant libraries. The quality of the libraries was assessed by can1 mutant assay, confirming an adequately extensive mutagenesis for the proposed screen. The process to be employed in the screen would involve the crossing of the mutant libraries, with the hope of generating diploids that will have two mutant copies of the same gene. Some of these diploids would appear unusually stable, showing a normal sporulation phenotype. This would indicate the mutation of a gene that normally promotes genomic instability following replication fork stalling. The practicality of the proposed screen of a vast number of diploids was assessed and described in detail in the current work. A technique involving inverse PCR (IPCR) adopted from previous work to identify mutants of interest, was also investigated. The investigation of this technique, and the work of others, suggests that transformation using such selectable marker fragments results in most apparent transformants containing extrachromosomal ura4+ fragments. These fragments are thought to provide the predominant template for IPCR, rendering the process unsuccessful at identifying the mutation in the current screen. However, with the mutant libraries generated, and the screen procedure detailed, the stage is set to conduct the screen once a more appropriate mutation location technique is identified.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A radial basis memory model for human maze learning

contributor:
Browse, Roger
Computing

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subject:
Memory model
Maze
Radial basis functions
Learning
Navigation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2008-06-04 13:39:38.179

abstract: This research develops a memory model capable of performing in a human-like fashion on a maze traversal task.  The model is based on and retains the underlying ideas of Minerva 2 but is executed with different mathematical operations and with some added parameters and procedures that enable more capabilities.  When applied to the same maze traversal task as was used in a previous experiment with human subjects, the performance of a maze traversal agent with the developed model as its memory emulated the error rates of the human data remarkably well.  As well, the maze traversal agent and memory model successfully emulated the human data when it was divided into two groups: fast maze learners and slow maze learners.  It was able to account for individual differences in performance, specifically, individual differences in the learning rate.  Because forgetting was not applied and therefore all experiences were flawlessly encoded in memory, the model additionally demonstrates that error can be due to interference between memories rather than forgetting.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Tetrahydrofuran Hydrate Inhibitors: Ice-Associating Bacteria and Proteins

contributor:
Walker, Virginia K.
Ripmeester, John A.
Biology

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subject:
Antifreeze Protein
Ice Nucleating Protein
Tetrahydrofuran
Gas Hydrate
Memory Effect
Kinetic Inhibitors
Adsorption
Quartz Crystal Microbalance

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-30 15:20:38.749

abstract:
Ice-associating proteins (IAPs) are proteins that interact directly with ice crystals, either by offering a site for nucleation, i.e. ice nucleating proteins (INPs), or by binding to nascent crystals to prevent addition of more water molecules, i.e. antifreeze proteins (AFPs). AFPs have been found to inhibit the formation of clathrate-hydrates, ice-like crystalline solids composed of water-encaged guest molecules. Study of AFP-hydrate interaction is leading to a greater understanding of AFP adsorption and of the mechanism behind the “memory effect” in hydrates, wherein previously frozen crystals reform more quickly after a brief melt. AFP is currently the only known memory inhibitor. Such a low-dosage hydrate inhibitor (LDHI) is of great interest to the oil and gas industry, as hydrate formation and reformation in the field is a huge problem. Bacterial AFPs, though largely uncharacterized, may be the best candidates for large-scale production of hydrate inhibitors, given the difficulties in obtaining AFP from other sources.
The popular kinetic inhibitors (KIs) polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinylcaprolactam (PVCap) were used for points of comparison in experiments exploring the hydrate-inhibition activity of several ice-associating bacteria and proteins. The addition of the soil microbe, Chryseobacterium, increased the average lag-time to tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate formation by 14-fold, comparable to PVP or PVCap. Samples containing Pseudomonas putida, a bacterium having both ice-nucleation protein (INP) and AFP activity, had lag-times double that of the control. Solutions with P. putida and Chryseobacterium sometimes formed hydrate slurries of stunted crystal nuclei instead of solid crystals. No inhibition of memory or nucleation was noted in bacterial assays, however bacteria with INP activity was linked to unusually rapid memory reformation. Quartz crystal microbalance experiments with dissipation (QCM-D) showed that a tight adsorption to SiO2 and resistance to rinsing are correlated with a molecule’s inhibition of hydrate formation and reformation. These results support a heterogeneous nucleation model of the memory effect, and point to the affinity of AFP for heterogeneous nucleating particles as an important component of memory inhibition.

abstract: Possible submission to journals and/or patenting of research

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Long-term heme synthesis inhibition: vascular implications

contributor:
Nakatsu, Kanji
Adams, Michael A.
Pharmacology and Toxicology

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subject:
Heme
Blood pressure

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pharmacology & Toxicology) -- Queen's University, 2008-06-19 12:32:08.686

abstract:
Heme is essential for numerous enzymes involved in the regulation of vascular tone; it is an integral component of nitric oxide synthase and soluble guanylyl cyclase, and is the substrate for heme oxygenase, enzymes critical for vasodilation. Inhibition of heme synthesis is anticipated to result in a deficiency in these hemoproteins, causing disturbances in the tissue’s ability to regulate vascular tone. Hypertension is frequently associated with the morbidity of both porphyria and lead poisoning, two conditions wherein heme biosynthesis is disrupted. The hypothesis tested was, that extended pharmacological inhibition of heme synthesis disrupts normal vascular control and induces hypertension.
Rats were treated with SA, a heme synthesis inhibitor, for two weeks; this depleted heme stores of the liver, kidney, spleen and vasculature by up to 62.2%.  A significant decrease in hematocrit, hemoglobin, urine nitrate levels, NOS activity and sGC activity were also produced, indicating compromised hemoprotein synthesis and function. Ex vivo studies of blood vessels revealed blunted sensitivity to nitric oxide donors. Lastly, SA treatment produced a significant increase in left ventricular mass, which is indicative of altered cardiac output and blood pressure elevation.
Next, telemetry devices were used to determine in vivo blood pressure and salt-sensitivity of blood pressure of rats treated with SA for 33 days. Hemodynamic changes were minimal, yet there was a mild decrease in pressure over two weeks of SA treatment alone. The change from low to high salt diet in SA rats showed no difference compared to control rats. A small increase was observed in 3 mg/kg L-NAME plus high salt compared to high salt alone, while there was no change at this dose in control animals. Heme tissue and blood content was depleted by up to 47%, but was less than two-week experiments. An increase in kidney medulla NOS activity by 19% was observed in vitro compared to controls.
Initial two-week experiments were consistent with the hypothesis above, as heme depletion impaired in vivo activity of NOS and sGC and altered vasodilator function. Nevertheless, in vivo results did not support the hypothesis as hypertension and salt-sensitivity of blood pressure were not observed.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Temperature control instrumentation for scanning tunnelling microscopy

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subject:
Engineering
Scanning tunnelling microscopy
Design
Low temperature
Temperature control
Ultrahigh vacuum
Physics

abstract: Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2008-06-03 12:47:18.808

abstract:
This thesis describes three different design projects that are intellectually connected by the fact that they all involve the development of apparatus to facilitate the precise control of sample temperature in modern microscopes.

The first project is a low-temperature sample stage, for a beetle-type scanning tunnelling microscope. The design for this sample stage, and images taken on it with atomic resolution at 114 K are presented. This stage has the capability for variable-temperature sample cooling, which is also discussed.

The second project is a set of low- and variable-temperature isothermal radiation shields for a new microscope that is currently being designed and assembled by our research group. These shields provide temperature control between 5 K and room temperature, with measured stability better than +/- 0.1 K. Controlled and stable temperature changes at rates up to 1.5 K per minute have been produced. The shields are modular and can easily accommodate future modifications. The design for the shields, along with their cooling and temperature control capabilities, is presented.

The third project is a new stage design for heating, cleaning, and transferring metal and semiconductor samples. Also for use with the new microscope, this stage uses electron bombardment to provide precision temperature control between room temperature to temperatures in excess of 1250 C‰. With this stage, the sample temperature can be determined by measuring the power applied to the sample. The design of this stage, its heating performance, and a method to calculate the sample temperature is presented.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Simultaneous Imaging and Current Clamp Recordings from Hippocampal Slices during Simulated Ischemia

contributor:
Andrew, David
Neuroscience Studies

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subject: Stroke Ischemia

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-25 15:44:07.114

abstract:
Following sudden failure of the Na+/K+ATPase pump, the acute neuronal swelling and dendritic damage that occurs within minutes of stroke onset are consequences of anoxic depolarization (AD). The AD front in our protocol is imaged as an increase in tissue light transmittance (LT) propagating across gray matter of the hippocampal slice preparation. Under current clamp in the single neuron, AD is recorded as a sharp depolarization within 6 min of O2/glucose deprivation (OGD). Simultaneous imaging and current clamp recordings show that the increased LT front and sudden depolarization are coincident. AD onset in CA1 hippocampal neurons is delayed in slices pretreated with 10 μM dibucaine (dib), a local anaesthetic understood to block voltage-gated sodium channels, and 10 to 100 µM carbetapentane (CP), a sigma1 receptor agonist.
We examined if changes to single cell excitability could explain how dibucaine and CP work to inhibit AD. Pretreatment of slices with dibucaine for 30 min had no effect upon resting membrane potential, or whole cell input resistance (n=11). However dib pretreatment consistently raised spike threshold, decreased AP frequency and increased the fast afterhyperpolarization (fAHP). Orthodromic and antidromic APs were also eliminated within 15 min. Intracellular dibucaine application in addition to similar effects upon intrinsic electophysiological properties reduced the peak potential of the fast AD while extending the time until the persistent depolarization of AD reached zero.
In contrast, 30 -100 μM CP had no effect upon orthodromic or antidromic responses, probably because unlike dibucaine it did not markedly raise spike threshold. Also unlike dibucaine, the fAHP was eliminated while the slow AHP was accentuated, resulting in a lowering of the AP frequency during steady depolarization. Both drugs appear to inhibit AD onset by reducing cortical excitability at the level of the single pyramidal neuron, but through strikingly different mechanisms.
Our simultaneous imaging and single cell recording under current clamp allowed for further examination of potential cell recovery after AD in CA1 neurons and astrocytes, as well as confirmation of AD generation in the CA3 region. Indirect evidence for a more robust AD generation and propagation was evident in the transverse slices of dorsal hippocampal CA3 region compared to coronal slices. AD in astrocytes was lower in amplitude and more prolonged, as well as often displaying recovery to near resting potential. This supported our previous imaging experiments showing that astrocytes quickly recover their volume post-AD.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The psychology of partner sexual coercion

contributor:
Quinsey, Vernon L.
Psychology

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subject:
Partner sexual coercion
Individual differences
Cuckoldry risk
Sexual deviance
Psychopathy

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-16 11:13:04.26

abstract: There have been few investigations of sexual coercion in relationships. I conducted several studies to develop a measure of partner sexual coercion and to identify its proximate causes and the relevant personal characteristics of male perpetrators. Community participants’ self-reported propensity to engage in various tactics to obtain sex from a reluctant partner clustered into a subscale relating to sexual coercion and a subscale pertaining to sexual coaxing. These subscales had excellent internal reliability, construct validity, criterion validity, and were used to test predictions in subsequent studies. I tested the application of Lalumière et al.’s (2005) three-path model for the development of sexually coercive behavior in general to sexual coercion in relationships. Self-reported interest in partner sexual coercion in a community sample was significantly related to psychopathy, but not age or neurodeveopmental insults. I confirmed the importance of psychopathy in this model by comparing men who raped their partner to other sex offender groups. Another characteristic of sex offenders, sexual deviance, was tested for its application to partner rapists. Unlike non-partner rapists, men who raped their partner exhibited low sexual arousal to rape scenarios, similar to community controls. Cuckoldry risk, a hypothesized proximate cause of partner sexual coercion, was also tested. Direct cues to cuckoldry risk were related to self-reported propensity for partner sexual coercion, whereas indirect cues of cuckoldry risk were related to sexual coaxing. In a forensic sample, most partner rapists had experienced cuckoldry risk prior to committing their offense, and they experienced more cuckoldry risk events than partner assaulters. A necessary condition of the cuckoldry risk hypothesis is that men should exhibit sexual arousal to cues signaling cuckoldry risk. Men in a community sample exhibited as much sexual arousal to stories depicting partner infidelity as they did to stories depicting consenting sex with their partners, and men who were currently in relationships showed greater arousal to stories of infidelity than consenting sex. Taken together, my results suggest psychopathy and cuckoldry risk are important contributors to partner sexual coercion.

abstract: PhD


title: Hydraulic fracture experiments in a frictional material and approximations for maximum allowable mud pressure

contributor:
Moore, Ian D.
Civil Engineering

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subject:
Directional drilling
Hydrofracture

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-25 14:16:41.951

abstract:
Directional drilling has become a popular construction method used by municipalities, contractors and engineers alike for the construction of new subsurface pipelines while minimizing impact on the surrounding community. Pressurized drilling fluid is used during the advancement of the borehole through granular materials to maintain borehole stability throughout the drill path. It is believed that failure of the soil surrounding the borehole is controlled by the shear strength of this frictional ground and this influences the maximum allowable mud pressure that may be applied to the borehole. While there have been a number of theoretical studies, there have been few if any experimental investigations to examine the efficacy of the proposed design equations.
The basis of this research considers a horizontal directionally drilled borehole and compares the analytical findings with those obtained from a series of smaller and larger-scale laboratory experiments for a uniformly graded sand and layered sand - sand and gravel case. The analytical solutions are considered reasonable for hydrofracture during pullback, but may not be directly applicable to blowout during pilot borehole drilling such as the model researched in the experiments.
During the experiments the downhole mud pressures were continuously monitored and observations of composite drilling fluid and sand material were made. Smaller-scale experiments were carried out to determine the response of the horizontal stresses resulting from internal pressurization acting on the sidewalls of the test cell. During the larger-scale experiments, the surface displacements were measured to better understand the influence of an increase in the soil volume with surface displacement.
iii
Through the course of the research, physical information has been collected regarding the changes that a clean sand undergoes when in contact with a drilling fluid, the ability of a borehole to resist internal loading, and the effectiveness of the various analytical models currently used to estimate the peak allowable internal fluid pressures. In addition, physical data has been collected regarding the displacement of a surrounding material during the introduction of drilling fluid into a horizontally drilled borehole

abstract: M.Sc.


title: An Examination of the Creation and Limitation of Realism in the Elegies of Propertius

contributor:
Griffith, R. Drew
Classics

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subject:
Classical Literature
Latin
Elegy
Propertius
Realism

abstract: Thesis (Master, Classics) -- Queen's University, 2008-06-09 15:40:16.227

abstract: This thesis is an examination of realism in the love elegies of Propertius: of how it is created, how it is limited, and how its limitations increase its effectiveness rather than diminishing it.  The first half analyzes the variety and subtlety of the creation of realism in elegies 1.3, 2.29b, and 4.7, three poems that, because of shared features that link them to each other and set them apart from the rest of Propertius's elegies, represent a case study of realism.  The second half begins by describing how the realism in these poems is limited, and how these limitations intensify the effect of their realism by drawing attention to the poet's agency in creating it.  This effect is then related to larger trends in the creation and limitation of realism in Propertius's remaining love elegies, in which the same pattern is observed, by means of the analysis of recurring techniques.  This examination of aspects of realism in Propertius's poetry provides insight not only into his poetic method, but into his attitude to his genre and its potential.

abstract: M.A.