title: Reduced power output in skeletal muscles devoid of skMLCK: RLC phosphorylation contributes to peak performance

subject:
Potentiation
Power output
RLC Phosphorylation
skeletal muscle

abstract: Regulatory light chain (RLC) phosphorylation in fast twitch muscle is catalyzed by skeletal myosin light chain kinase (skMLCK), a reaction known to increase muscle force, work, and power. The purpose of this study was to explore the contribution of RLC phosphorylation on the power of mouse fast muscle during high frequency (100 Hz) concentric contractions. To determine peak power shortening ramps (1.05 to 0.90 Lo) were applied to Wildtype (WT) and skMLCK knockout (skMLCK-/-) EDL muscles at a range of shortening velocities between 0.05-0.65 of maximal shortening velocity (Vmax), before and after a conditioning stimulus (CS). As a result, mean power was increased to 1.28 ± 0.05 and 1.11 ± .05 of pre-CS values, when collapsed for shortening velocity in WT and skMLCK-/-, respectively (n = 10). In addition, fitting each data set to a second order polynomial revealed that WT mice had significantly higher peak power output (27.67 ± 1.12 W/ kg-1) than skMLCK-/- (25.97 ± 1.02 W/ kg-1), (p < .05). No significant differences in optimal velocity for peak power were found between conditions and genotypes (p > .05). Analysis with Urea Glycerol PAGE determined that RLC phosphate content had been elevated in WT muscles from 8 to 63 % while minimal changes were observed in skMLCK-/- muscles: 3 and 8 %, respectively. Therefore, the lack of stimulation induced increase in RLC phosphate content resulted in a ~40 % smaller enhancement of mean power in skMLCK-/-. The increase in power output in WT mice suggests that RLC phosphorylation is a major potentiating component required for achieving peak muscle performance during brief high frequency concentric contractions.


title: Alleviating Negative Spillover of a Brand-Harm Crisis: Sensegiving vs. Sensehiding in a Competitor’s Denial Response Strategy

subject:
sensegiving
sensehiding
brand-harm crisis
spillover
brand relatedness

abstract: A brand-harm crisis not only affects the scandalized brand, but may also influence competing brands. Thus, marketers of competing brands need to develop response strategies for reducing negative spillover effects. This research takes a competitor’s perspective and introduces two types of response strategies used to convey a sense of denial: sensegiving and sensehiding. It also investigates how the effects of response strategies are contingent upon brand relatedness and individual thinking styles. The results from three experimental studies show that using a sensegiving strategy reduces negative spillover effects more than using a sensehiding strategy. Additionally, the studies suggest that the observed difference in the effects of response strategy tends to be greater when the level of brand relatedness is high than when it is low. However, individual thinking styles (holistic vs. analytic) seem to have little impact on consumers’ responses to the two denial strategies. This research contributes to the brand-harm crisis literature and provides novel insights into a competitor’s response to potential negative spillover effects.


title: The Ligand and Membrane-binding Behaviour of the Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Proteins (PITPa & PITPb)

subject: Lipid transfer proteins, dual polarization interferometry, fluorescence resonance energy transfer

abstract:
Human Class I phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) exists in two forms: PITPα
and PITPβ. PITPs are believed to be lipid transfer proteins based on their capacity to transfer
either phosphatidylinositol (PI) or phosphatidylcholine (PC) between membrane compartments
in vitro. In Drosophila, the PITP domain is found to be part of a multi-domain protein named
retinal degeneration B (RdgBα). The PITP domain of RdgBα shares 40 % sequence identity
with PITPα and has been shown to possess PI and PC binding and transfer activity.
The detailed molecular mechanism of ligand transfer by the human PITPs and the
Drosophila PITP domain remains to be fully established. Here, we investigated the membrane
interactions of these proteins using dual polarization interferometry (DPI). DPI is a technique
that measures protein binding affinity to a flat immobilized lipid bilayer. In addition, we also
measured how quickly these proteins transfer their ligands to lipid vesicles using a fluorescence
resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based assay.
DPI investigations suggest that PITPβ had a two-fold higher affinity for membranes
compared to PITPα. This was reflected by a four-fold faster ligand transfer rate for PITPβ in
comparison to PITPα as determined by the FRET assay. Interestingly, DPI analysis also
demonstrated that PI-bound human PITPs have lower membrane affinity compared to PC-bound
PITPs.
In addition, the FRET studies demonstrated the significance of membrane curvature in
the ligand transfer rate of PITPs. The ligand transfer rate was higher when the accepting vesicles
were highly curved. Furthermore, when the accepting vesicles contained phosphatidic acid (PA)
which have smaller head groups, the transfer rate increased. In contrast, when the accepting
vesicles contained phosphoinositides which have larger head groups, the transfer rate was
diminished. However, PI, the favorite ligand of PITPs, or the presence of anionic lipids did not
appear to influence the ligand transfer rate of PITPs.
Both DPI and FRET examinations revealed that the PITP domain of RdgBα was able to
bind to membranes. However, the RdgBα PITP domain appears to be a poor binder and
transporter of PC.


title: The Effects of Magnetic Dilution and Applied Pressure on Several Frustrated Spinels

subject:
Spinel
Magnetic Frustration
Spin Glass

abstract:
The effects of magnetic dilution and applied pressure on frustrated spinels GeNi2O4, GeCo2O4, and NiAl2O4 are reported. Dilution was achieved by substitution of Mg2+ in place of magnetically active Co2+ and Ni2+ ions. Large values of the percolation thresholds were found in GeNi(2-x)MgxO4. Specifically, pc1 = 0.74 and pc2 = 0.65 in the sub-networks associated with the triangular and kagome planes, respectively. This anomalous behaviour may be explained by the kagome and triangular planes behaving as coupled networks, also know as a network of networks. In simulations of coupled lattices that form a network of networks, similar anomalous percolation threshold values have been found. In addition, at dilution levels above x=0.30, there is a T^2 dependency in the magnetic heat capacity which may indicate two dimensional spin glass behaviour. Applied pressures in the range of 0 GPa to 1.2 GPa yield a slight decrease in ordering temperature for both the kagome and triangular planes.

In GeCo(2-x)MgxO4, the long range magnetic order is more robust with a percolation threshold of pc=0.448. Similar to diluted nickel germanate, at low temperatures, a T^2 magnetic heat capacity contribution is present which indicates a shift from a 3D ordered state to a 2D spin glass state in the presence of increased dilution. Dynamic magnetic susceptibility data indicate a change from canonical spin glass to a cluster glass behaviour. In addition, there is a non-linear increase in ordering temperature with applied pressure in the range P = 0 to 1.0 GPa.

A spin glass ground state was observed in Ni(1-x)MgxAl2O4 for (x=0 to 0.375). Analysis of dynamic magnetic susceptibility data yield a characteristic time of tau* = 1.0x10^(-13) s, which is indicative of canonical spin glass behaviour. This is further corroborated by the linear behaviour of the magnetic specific heat contribution. However, the increasing frequency dependence of the freezing temperature suggests a trend towards spin cluster glass formation.


title: Investigating the Contribution of Personality and Neurological Disruption to Postinjury Outcome in Athletes with Mild Head Injury

subject:
Mild head injury
Sport-related concussion
Personality
Physiological arousal
Premorbid status

abstract: Despite the increase in research regarding mild head injury (MHI), relatively little has investigated whether, or the extent to which, premorbid factors (i.e., personality traits) influence, or otherwise account for, outcomes post-MHI. The current study examined the extent to which postinjury outcome after MHI is analogous to the outcome post-moderate or- severe traumatic brain injury (by comparing the current results to previous literature pertaining to individuals with more severe brain injuries) and whether these changes in function and behaviour are solely, or primarily, due to the injury, or reflect, and are possibly a consequence of, one’s preinjury status. In a quasi-experimental, test-retest design, physiological indices, cognitive abilities, and personality characteristics of university students were measured. Since the incidence of MHI is elevated in high-risk activities (including high-risk sports, compared to other etiologies of MHI; see Laker, 2011) and it has been found that high-risk athletes present with unique, risk-taking behaviours (in terms of personality; similar to what has been observed post-MHI) compared to low-risk and non-athletes. Seventy-seven individuals (42% with a history of MHI) of various athletic statuses (non-athletes, low-risk athletes, and high-risk athletes) were recruited. Consistent with earlier studies (e.g., Baker & Good, 2014), it was found that individuals with a history of MHI displayed decreased physiological arousal (i.e., electrodermal activation) and, also, endorsed elevated levels of sensation seeking and physical/reactive aggression compared to individuals without a history of MHI. These traits were directly associated with decreased physiological arousal. Moreover, athletic status did not account for this pattern of performance, since low- and high-risk athletes did not differ in terms of personality characteristics. It was concluded that changes in behaviour post-MHI are associated, at least in part, with the neurological and physiological compromise of the injury itself (i.e., physiological underarousal and possible subtle OFC dysfunction) above and beyond influences of premorbid characteristics.


title: Major Sport Event Operational Planning Issues and Strategies:  A Multi-Case Delphi Study

subject:
Delphi
Major sport events
Issues
Strategies
Best practices

abstract: This study examined the operational planning, implementation and execution issues of major sport events, as well as the mitigation and management strategies used to address these issues, with the aim of determining best practices in sport event operational planning. The three Research Questions were: 1) What can previous major sport events provide to guide the operational management of future events? 2) What are the operational issues that arise in the planning and execution of a major sport event, how are they mitigated and what are the strategies used to deal with these issues? 3) What are the best practices for sport event operational planning and how can these practices aid future events? Data collection involved a modified Delphi technique that consisted of one round of in-depth interviews followed by two rounds of questionnaires. Both data collection and analysis were guided by an adaptation of the work of Parent, Rouillard & Leopkey (2011) with a focus on previously established issue and strategy categories. The results provided a list of Top 26 Prominent Issues and Top 17 Prominent Strategies with additional issue-strategy links that can be used to aid event managers producing future major sport events. The following issue categories emerged as having had the highest impact on previous major sport events that participants had managed: timing, funding and knowledge management. In addition, participants used strategies from the following categories most frequently: other, formalized agreements and communication.


title: Effects of Plyometric and Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Neuromuscular Function in Young Adolescent Soccer Players

creator:
McKinlay, Brandon
Wallace, Phillip
Long, Devon
Dotan, Phillip
Falk, Bareket

subject:
Adolescents
Strength
Isokinetic
Isometric
Electromyography
Resistance training
Plyometrics

abstract: This study examined the effect of 8-weeks of resistance (RT) and plyometric (PLYO) training on maximal strength, power and jump performance compared with no added training (CON), in young male soccer players. Forty-one 11-13 year-old soccer players were divided into three groups (RT, PLYO, CON). All participants completed 5 isometric knee extensions at 90° and 5 isokinetic knee extensions at 240°/s pre- and post-training. Peak torque (PT), peak rate of torque development (pRTD), electromechanical-day (EMD), rate of muscle activation (Q30), muscle cross-sectional area (mCSA) and jump performance were examined. Both RT and PLYO resulted in significant (p < 0.05) increases in PT, pRTD and jump performance. RT resulted in significantly greater increases in both isometric and isokinetic PT, while PLYO resulted in significantly greater increases in isometric pRTD and jump performance compared with CON (p < 0.05). Q30 increased to a greater extent in PLYO (20%) compared with RT (5%) and CON (-5%) (p = 0.1). In conclusion, 8-weeks of RT and PLYO resulted in significant improvements in muscle strength and jump performance. RT appears to be more effective at eliciting increases in maximal strength while PLYO appears to enhance explosive strength, mediated by possible increases in the rate of muscle activation.


title: Volunteering and Social Capital: A Case Study of Older Hospital Volunteers in Southern Ontario

subject: older adults, volunteers, hospitals, social capital, active aging

abstract: Volunteering as a form of social activity can facilitate older adults’ active aging through community engagement. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the views on older adults’ volunteerism in a community hospital network in Southern Ontario. Utilizing in-depth interviews with 10 older volunteers (over the age of 65), document analysis, and a key informant interview, I explored their experiences of volunteering and social capital development at six hospitals in the network. Data analyses included open and axial coding, and conceptualization of the themes. Four major themes emerged from the data: reasons to volunteer, management’s influence, negative experiences of volunteering, and connections with others. The findings of this research emphasized older volunteers’ strong commitment and enthusiasm to support the hospital in their own communities, the power of volunteering to enhance the development of bonding, bridging, and linking social capital, and the influence of two major contextual factors (i.e. the Auxiliary Factor and the Change Factor) to facilitate or hinder older volunteers’ social capital development in the hospitals. Future research directions should focus on further unpacking the different degrees to which each type of social capital is developed, placing emphasis on the benefits of social capital development for volunteers in healthcare settings. The implications for practice include the targeted recruitment of older adults as healthcare volunteers while creating volunteer positions and environments in which they can develop social capital with their peer volunteers, hospital staff, patients, and people in surrounding communities. To sustain their existing dedicated long-term volunteers, in particular their Auxiliary groups, the community hospital network can enhance facilitating factors such as the Auxiliary Factor while mitigating the negative effects of the Change Factor. By developing social capital through volunteering in their own communities, older adults can engage in active aging, while participating in the development of an age-friendly community.


title: ‘Designer Vaginas': The Representation of Female Genitals on Canadian Cosmetic Surgeons' Websites

contributor: Social Justice and Equity Studies Program

subject:
Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery (FGCS)
Labiaplasty
Vaginoplasty
Cosmetic Surgery Websites
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)

abstract: This thesis critically examines the online marketing tactics of 10 (English language) Canadian cosmetic surgery clinics’ websites that offer Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery (FGCS), specifically, labiaplasty (labial reduction) and vaginoplasty (vaginal tightening). Drawing on a qualitative Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) and a feminist-informed social constructionist framework (Lazar, 2007), I examine how FGCS discourses reiterate and reinforce heteronormative sexual scripts for women, and impose restrictive models of femininity through the pathologization of genital diversity and the appropriation of postfeminist and neoliberal discourses of individual choice and empowerment. I explore feminist analyses of the links between FGCS and contemporary Western women’s postfeminist subjectivity, and the reconfiguration of women’s sexual agency, to better understand what these contemporary shifts may mean for women’s sexual anxiety and expression. My analysis highlights several discourses that organize the online marketing material of Canadian FGCS websites, including: the pathologization of genital diversity; restrictive models of femininity; heteronormative sexual scripts; neoliberal and post-feminist rhetorics of individual choice and empowerment; and psychological and sexual transformation. Overall, these discourses undermine acceptance of women’s genital diversity, legitimize the FGCS industry and frame FGCS as the only viable solution to alleviate women’s genital and sexual distress despite the lack of evidence regarding the long-term benefits and risks of these procedures, and the recommendations against FGCS by professional medical organizations.


title: Role of Phosphorylation of the Oxysterol Binding Protein (OSBP) in (PI(4)P) and Sterol-Containing Membrane Recognition and Binding

subject: OSBP, PI4P, cholesterol, lipid transfer protein

abstract:
Studies have demonstrated that the oxysterol binding protein (OSBP) acts as a phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP)-sterol exchanger at membrane contact sites (MCS) of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi. OSBP is known to pick up phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI(4)P) from the ER, transfer it to the trans-Golgi in exchange for a cholesterol molecule that is then transferred from the trans-Golgi to the ER. Upon further examination of this pathway by Ridgway et al. (1), it appeared that phosphorylation of OSBP played a role in the localization of OSBP. The dephosphorylation state of OSBP was linked to Golgi localization and the depletion of cholesterol at the ER. To mimic the phosphorylated state of OSBP, the mutant OSBP-S5E was designed by Ridgway et al. (1).
 The lipid and sterol recognition by wt-OSBP and its phosphomimic mutant OSBP-S5E were investigated using immobilized lipid bilayers and dual polarization interferometry (DPI). DPI is a technique in which the protein binding affinity to immobilized lipid bilayers is measured and the binding behavior is examined through real time. Lipid bilayers containing 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and varying concentrations of PI(4)Ps or sterols (cholesterol or 25-hydroxycholesterol) were immobilized on a silicon nitride chip. It was determined that wt-OSBP binds differently to PI(4)P-containing bilayers compared to OSBP-S5E. The binding behavior suggested that wt-OSBP extracts PI(4)P and the change in the binding behavior, in the case of OSBP-S5E, suggested that the phosphorylation of OSBP may prevent the recognition and/or extraction of PI(4)P.
 In the presence of sterols, the overall binding behavior of OSBP, regardless of phosphorylation state, was fairly similar. The maximum specific bound mass of OSBP to sterols did not differ as the concentration of sterols increased. However, comparing the maximum specific bound mass of OSBP to cholesterol with oxysterol (25-hydroxycholesterol), OSBP displayed nearly a 2-fold increase in bound mass. With the absence of the wt-OSBP-PI(4)P binding behavior, it can be speculated that the sterols were not extracted.
 In addition, the binding behavior of OSBP was further tested using a fluorescence based binding assay. Using 22-(N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino)-23,24-bisnor-5-cholen-3β-ol (22-NBD cholesterol), wt-OSBP a one site binding dissociation constant Kd, of 15 ± 1.4 nM was determined. OSBP-S5E did not bind to 22-NBD cholesterol and Kd value was not obtained.


title: Dynamics in large scale networks

subject:
large social network analysis
dynamic network analysis
graph motif
vertex/node removal networks
Motifs in the Barabási–Albert Algorithm

abstract:
In this thesis we study the properties of two large dynamic networks, the
competition network of advertisers on the Google and Bing search engines and
the dynamic network of friend relationships among avatars in the massively
multiplayer online game (MMOG) Planetside 2. We are particularly interested
in removal patterns in these networks. Our main finding is that in both of
these networks the nodes which are most commonly removed are minor near
isolated nodes. We also investigate the process of merging of two large
networks using data captured during the merger of servers of Planetside 2.
We found that the original network structures do not really merge but rather
they get gradually replaced by newcomers not associated with the original
structures. In the final part of the thesis we investigate the concept of motifs
in the Barabási-Albert random graph. We establish some bounds on the
number of motifs in this graph.


title: Properties and Algorithms of the KCube Interconnection Networks

subject:
Parallel Computing
Interconnection Networks
Graph theory
Parallel Processing

abstract:
The KCube interconnection network was first introduced in 2010 in order to exploit the
good characteristics of two well-known interconnection networks, the hypercube and the
Kautz graph. KCube links up multiple processors in a communication network with high
density for a fixed degree. Since the KCube network is newly proposed, much study is
required to demonstrate its potential properties and algorithms that can be designed to solve
parallel computation problems.
In this thesis we introduce a new methodology to construct the KCube graph. Also,
with regard to this new approach, we will prove its Hamiltonicity in the general KC(m; k).
Moreover, we will find its connectivity followed by an optimal broadcasting scheme in
which a source node containing a message is to communicate it with all other processors.
In addition to KCube networks, we have studied a version of the routing problem in the
traditional hypercube, investigating this problem: whether there exists a shortest path in a
Qn between two nodes 0n and 1n, when the network is experiencing failed components. We
first conditionally discuss this problem when there is a constraint on the number of faulty
nodes, and subsequently introduce an algorithm to tackle the problem without restrictions
on the number of nodes.


title: Drivers of Local Firms’ Focus on Internal R&D in Emerging Economies and Their International Performance

subject:
resource-based view
internal R&D
external R&D
international market success
emerging market
China

abstract: Grounded on the resource-based view of the firm, the study of this thesis investigates the effect of four internal and external factors – engineer intensity, location, affiliation with the government, government funding – on Chinese firms’ decision to either invest in internal R&D activities or external R&D and the effect of this decision on the firms’ international market success. In addition, the moderating role of the presence of foreign firms in China is examined. To understand these relationships, the thesis’ theorization focuses on the issue of how firms can combine optimally the two options – “internal R&D” and “external R&D”. In this regard I juxtapose internal R&D and external R&D and compare their advantages and disadvantages. To test my model, I apply panel data from the Annual Industrial Survey Database provided by the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics. My results show that three of the four investigated factors affect Chinese firms’ resource allocation decisions; and effective resource allocation decisions lead effectively to international market success, strengthened by the presence of foreign firms in China. Moreover the findings bear several theoretical and managerial contributions. First I propose the last dimension of the “VRIO framework” – “organization” – as an endogenous component of the VRIO framework, as my study investigated how firms can effectively combine resources to generate a competitive advantage in terms of international market success. Previous academic literature so far focused on examining whether internal and external R&D are complements or substitutes. My study fills a gap in the literature by investigating the determinants of the efficient combination of the two strategies and the outcome of the combination. One of the managerial implications is that Chinese firms can learn from foreign companies that are present in China.


title: Investigating Formative Assessment: Exploring the Impact on the Self-Efficacy and Motivation of Mathematics Students

contributor: Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education

subject:
Formative Assessment
Self-Efficacy
Motivation
Mathematics Classroom
Secondary School

abstract: This is a study of the implementation and impact of formative assessment strategies on the motivation and self-efficacy of secondary school mathematics students. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was implemented where quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed sequentially in 2 different phases. The first phase involved quantitative data from student questionnaires and the second phase involved qualitative data from individual student and teacher interviews. The findings of the study suggest that formative assessment is implemented in practice in diverse ways and is a process where the strategies are interconnected. Teachers experience difficulty in incorporating peer and self-assessment and perceive a need for exemplars. Key factors described as influencing implementation include teaching philosophies, interpretation of ministry documents, teachers’ experiences, leadership in administration and department, teacher collaboration, misconceptions of teachers, and student understanding of formative assessment. Findings suggest that overall, formative assessment positively impacts student motivation and self-efficacy, because feedback is provided which offers encouragement and recognition by highlighting the progress that has been made and what steps need to be taken to improve. However, students are impacted differently with some considerations including how students perceive mistakes and if they fear judgement. Additionally, the impact of formative assessment is influenced by the connection between self-efficacy and motivation, namely how well a student is doing is a source of both concepts.


title: Diversity Discourse and the Ontario Educator: The Understandings of Race and Whiteness Among New White Ontario Teachers

subject:
diversity
teacher education
whiteness
race
discourse

abstract: As a recent teacher education graduate, I have been left with more questions than answers about how to create and maintain an equitable and antioppressive classroom. These complicated questions of equity laid the groundwork for this study, which explored how new teachers understood diversity, specifically whiteness, and how they connected these perceptions to their course-related experiences in their teacher education program. Using a qualitative approach, this study problematized the lack of critical discussions around diversity taking place in Ontario teacher education courses. Through purposive, homogenous sampling, 7 new Ontario educators participated in a semistructured interview that focused on their experiences as teacher candidates and new teachers and their understandings and ideas regarding diversity, race, and more specifically, whiteness. The findings suggest that the greater Canadian discourse surrounding multiculturalism impacts the everyday diversity talk of the participants, and that problematic ideas of acceptance and tolerance are common. The findings also show a strong discomfort and unfamiliarity among the participants with the terms whiteness and white privilege. Finally, the results also revealed that new teachers have limited experience in their teacher education to discuss and learn about diversity, particularly critical discussions about race and privilege. Through this investigation, I aimed to bring attention to the necessity of having these critical, albeit difficult, discussions around diversity and whiteness in order to support new, predominately white, teachers.


title: High-Spin and Emissive Molecular Materials: Synthesis and Characterization of New Polynuclear Ni(II) Complexes from the Use of Aromatic Schiff Bases as Bridging Ligands

subject:
polynuclear Ni(II) complexes
schiff bases

abstract:
The employment of the bridging/chelating Schiff bases, N-salicylidene-4-methyl-o-aminophenol (samphH2) and N-naphthalidene-2-amino-5-chlorobenzoic acid (nacbH2), in nickel cluster chemistry has afforded eight polynuclear Ni(II) complexes with new structural motifs, interesting magnetic and optical properties, and unexpected organic ligand transformations. In the present thesis, Chapter 1 deals with all the fundamental aspects of polynuclear metal complexes, molecular magnetism and optics, while research results are reported in Chapters 2 and 3. In the first project (Chapter 2), I investigated the coordination chemistry of the organic chelating/bridging ligand, N-salicylidene-4-methyl-o-aminophenol (samphH2). The general NiII/tBuCO2-/samphH2 reaction system afforded two new tetranuclear NiII clusters, namely [Ni4(samph)4(EtOH)4] (1) and [Ni4(samph)4(DMF)2] (2), with different structural motifs. Complex 1 possessed a cubane core while in complex 2 the four NiII ions were located at the four vertices of a defective dicubane. The nature of the organic solvent was found to be of pivotal importance, leading to compounds with the same nuclearity, but different structural topologies and magnetic properties.
The second project, the results of which are summarized in Chapter 3, included the systematic study of a new optically-active Schiff base ligand, N-naphthalidene-2-amino-5-chlorobenzoic acid (nacbH2), in NiII cluster chemistry. Various reactions between NiX2 (X- = inorganic anions) and nacbH2 were performed under basic conditions to yield six new polynuclear NiII complexes, namely (NHEt3)[Ni12(nacb)12(H2O)4](ClO4) (3), (NHEt3)2[Ni5(nacb)4(L)(LH)2(MeOH)] (4), [Ni5(OH)2(nacb)4(DMF)4] (5), [Ni5(OMe)Cl(nacb)4(MeOH)3(MeCN)] (6), (NHEt3)2[Ni6(OH)2(nacb)6(H2O)4] (7), and [Ni6(nacb)6(H2O)3(MeOH)6] (8). The nature of the solvent, the inorganic anion, X-, and the organic base were all found to be of critical importance, leading to products with different structural topologies and nuclearities (i.e., {Ni5}, {Ni6} and {Ni12}). Magnetic studies on all synthesized complexes revealed an overall ferromagnetic behavior for complexes 4 and 8, with the remaining complexes being dominated by antiferromagnetic exchange interactions. In order to assess the optical efficiency of the organic ligand when bound to the metal centers, photoluminescence studies were performed on all synthesized compounds. Complexes 4 and 5 show strong emission in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Finally, the ligand nacbH2 allowed for some unexpected organic transformations to occur; for instance, the pentanuclear compound 5 comprises both nacb2- groups and a new organic chelate, namely the anion of 5-chloro-2-[(3-hydroxy-4-oxo-1,4-dihydronaphthalen-1-yl)amino]benzoic acid. In the last section of this thesis, an attempt to compare the NiII cluster chemistry of the N-naphthalidene-2-amino-5-chlorobenzoic acid ligand with that of the structurally similar but less bulky, N-salicylidene-2-amino-5-chlorobenzoic acid (sacbH2), was made.


title: The association between maternity insurance, residence status and selected perinatal outcomes among Chinese women

subject: maternity insurance, residence, perinatal outcomes, Chinese women, cohort study

abstract:
Objective: To investigate the impact of maternity insurance and maternal residence on birth outcomes in a Chinese population.
Methods: Secondary data was analyzed from a perinatal cohort study conducted in the Beichen District of the city of Tianjin, China. A total of 2364 pregnant women participated in this study at approximately 12-week gestation upon registration for receiving prenatal care services. After accounting for missing information for relevant variables, a total of 2309 women with single birth were included in this analysis.
Results: A total of 1190 (51.5%) women reported having maternity insurance, and 629 (27.2%) were rural residents. The abnormal birth outcomes were small for gestational age (SGA, n=217 (9.4%)), large for gestational age (LGA, n=248 (10.7%)), birth defect (n=48 (2.1%)) including congenital heart defect (n=32 (1.4%)). In urban areas, having maternal insurance increased the odds of SGA infants (1.32, 95%CI (0.85, 2.04), NS), but decreased the odds of LGA infants (0.92, 95%CI (0.62, 1.36), NS); also decreased the odds of birth defect (0.93, 95%CI (0.37, 2.33), NS), and congenital heart defect (0.65, 95%CI (0.21, 1.99), NS) after adjustment for covariates. In contrast to urban areas, having maternal insurance in rural areas reduced the odds of SGA infants (0.60, 95%CI (0.13, 2.73), NS); but increased the odds of LGA infants (2.16, 95%CI (0.92, 5.04), NS), birth defects (2.48, 95% CI (0.70, 8.80), NS), and congenital heart defect (2.18, 95%CI (0.48, 10.00), NS) after adjustment for the same covariates. Similar results were obtained from Bootstrap methods except that the odds ratio of LGA infants in rural areas for maternal insurance was significant (95%CI (1.13, 4.37)); urban residence was significantly related with lower odds of birth defect (95%CI (0.23, 0.89)) and congenital heart defect (95%CI (0.19, 0.91)).
Conclusions: whether having maternal insurance did have an impact on perinatal outcomes, but the impact of maternal insurance on the perinatal outcomes showed differently between women with urban residence and women with rural residence status. However, it is not clear what are the reason causing the observed differences. Thus, more studies are needed.


title: Ligand Design for Dual Property Single Molecule Magnets

subject: single molecule magnets, multifunctional materials, calixarenes, chiral ligands, lanthanides, nickel, cobalt

abstract:
This thesis describes two different approaches for the preparation of polynuclear clusters with interesting structural, magnetic and optical properties. Firstly, exploiting p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene (TBC4) macrocycles together with selected Ln(III) ions for the assembly of emissive single molecule magnets, and secondly the preparation and coordination of a chiral mpmH ligand with selected 3d transition metal ions, working towards the discovery of chiral polynuclear clusters.

In Project 1, the coordination chemistry of the TBC4 macrocycle together with Dy(III) and Tb(III) afforded two Ln6[TBC4]2 complexes that have been structurally, magnetically and optically characterized. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that both complexes contain an octahedral core of Ln6 ions capped by two fully deprotonated TBC4 macrocycles. Although the unit cells of the two complexes are very similar, the coordination geometries of their Ln(III) ions are subtly different. Variable temperature ac magnetic susceptibility studies reveal that both complexes display single molecule magnet (SMM) behaviour in zero dc field and the energy barriers and associated pre-exponential factors for each relaxation process have been determined. Low temperature solid state photoluminescence studies reveal that both complexes are emissive; however, the f-f transitions within the Dy6 complex were masked by broad emissions from the TBC4 ligand. In contrast, the Tb(III) complex displayed green emission with the spectrum comprising four sharp bands corresponding to 5D4 → 7FJ transitions (where J = 3, 4, 5 and 6), highlighting that energy transfer from the TBC4 macrocycle to the Tb(III) ion is more effective than to Dy. Examples of zero field Tb(III) SMMs are scarce in the chemical literature and the Tb6[TBC4]2 complex represents the first example of a Tb(III) dual property SMM assembled from a p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene macrocycle with two magnetically derived energy barriers, Ueff  of 79 and 63 K.

In Project 2, the coordination of both enantiomers of the chiral ligand, α-methyl-2-pyridinemethanol (mpmH) to Ni(II) and Co(II) afforded three polynuclear clusters that have been structurally and magnetically characterized. The first complex, a Ni4 cluster of stoichiometry [Ni4(O2CCMe3)4(mpm)4]·H2O crystallizes in a distorted cubane topology that is well known in Ni(II) cluster chemistry. The final two Co(II) complexes crystallize as a linear mixed valence trimer with stoichiometry [Co3(mpm)6]·(ClO4)2, and a Co4 mixed valence complex [Co(II)¬2Co(III)2(NO3)2(μ-mpm)4(ONO2)2], whose structural topology resembles that of a defective double cubane. All three complexes crystallize in chiral space groups and circular dichroism experiments further confirm that the chirality of the ligand has been transferred to the respective coordination complex. Magnetic susceptibility studies reveal that for all three complexes, there are competing ferro- and antiferromagnetic exchange interactions. The [Co(II)¬2Co(III)2(NO3)2(μ-mpm)4(ONO2)2] complex represents the first example of a chiral mixed valence Co4 cluster with a defective double cubane topology.


title: Unpacking the relationship between knowledge-sharing efforts and creativity: The critical roles of relationship quality and perceived organizational politics

subject: Creativity; knowledge sharing; relationship quality; organizational politics

abstract: This thesis contributes to creativity research by investigating the link between employees’ knowledge-sharing efforts and creativity and how this link is moderated by two aspects of relationship quality (informality and emotional openness) and the belief that organizational decision making is marked by destructive political games. It proposes that the usefulness of knowledge-sharing efforts for stimulating creativity is higher when employees maintain informal relationships with their colleagues and feel comfortable expressing a diverse range of emotions with them. In addition, extensive knowledge-sharing efforts are less likely to enhance creativity when employees believe that organizational decision making is guided by destructive political games. Finally, the harmful effect of perceived organizational politics on the knowledge-sharing efforts–creativity relationship is mitigated when employees can rely on high levels of relationship quality. This research holds useful implications for organizations regarding the circumstances in which the application of employee knowledge to the generation of novel solutions to problem situations is most effective.


title: A Scalability Study and New Algorithms for Large-Scale Many-Objective Optimization

subject:
Multi-objective Optimization
Many-objective Optimization
Computational Intelligence
Pareto Optimality
Optimization Algorithms

abstract: Many real-world optimization problems contain multiple (often conflicting) goals to be optimized concurrently, commonly referred to as multi-objective problems (MOPs). Over the past few decades, a plethora of multi-objective algorithms have been proposed, often tested on MOPs possessing two or three objectives. Unfortunately, when tasked with solving MOPs with four or more objectives, referred to as many-objective problems (MaOPs), a large majority of optimizers experience significant performance degradation. The downfall of these optimizers is that simultaneously maintaining a well-spread set of solutions along with appropriate selection pressure to converge becomes difficult as the number of objectives increase. This difficulty is further compounded for large-scale MaOPs, i.e., MaOPs possessing large amounts of decision variables. In this thesis, we explore the challenges of many-objective optimization and propose three new promising algorithms designed to efficiently solve MaOPs. Experimental results demonstrate the proposed optimizers to perform very well, often outperforming state-of-the-art many-objective algorithms.


title: The Use of Remote Sensing to Map and Monitor Coastal Dune Vegetation Change at Southampton, Ontario, Canada

contributor: Environmental Sustainability Research Centre

subject:
Great Lakes
coastal dunes
NDVI
change detection
vegetation mapping

abstract: Coastal dune ecosystems in the Great Lakes Basin are fragile, rare ecosystems that are under increasing threat due to anthropogenic and natural forces. The Chantry Dune system in Southampton, Ontario is one of five major dune systems along the eastern shores of Lake Huron. The dune complex provides habitat for a diverse range of vegetation species, some of which are endemic, rare, and threatened. This research mapped and monitored dune vegetation change at the Chantry Dune system from 2005-2012 using multi-temporal normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) images produced from QuickBird and GeoEye-1 imagery acquired in 2005 and 2012, respectively. Next, a post-classification comparison change-detection technique was applied to determine the patterns of change in vegetation cover. Finally, the maximum-likelihood classifier (MLC) was applied to the GeoEye-1 data to produce a land-use/land-cover map. Results revealed that increased vegetation growth occurred throughout the dune system while NDVI values remained unchanged or increased slightly from 2005-2012. Application of the MLC resulted in a map output with an overall classification accuracy of 97%. The results and outcomes of this research will provide much needed baseline information, which can be used by local stakeholders and authorities to improve dune management practices.


title: Attention capture: Stimulus, group, individual, and moment-to-moment factors contributing to distraction

subject: Attention Distraction Mind-wandering Reliability Capture

abstract:
Over four studies, some containing multiple experiments, attention capture is explored in a variety of experimental contexts. The over-arching goals were to better understand attention capture at the stimulus level (Chapter 2), the group and the individual-differences level (Chapters 3 and 4), and in terms of moment-to-moment fluctuations in susceptibility to distraction by task-irrelevant stimuli (Chapter 5).
Rare or unexpected stimulus changes are known to capture attention and disrupt behavioural performance. Detection is typically thought to depend on changes to the physical properties (e.g., tone pitch) of a stimulus. Chapter 2 explores whether physical change is a necessary antecedent for attention capture. Here, evidence suggests that unexpected semantic change is sufficient to produce a distraction effect and that an accompanying physical/acoustic change is not required to induce semantic processing of task-irrelevant stimuli even when the semantic deviants are unrelated to the primary task.
Attention capture is typically robust at the group level and has been observed in a variety of popular paradigms. Chapter 3 explores whether attention capture can be viewed as a stable and generalizable individual trait. The study examined involuntary attention capture across a set of prototypical stimulus-driven capture tasks and contingent-capture tasks in both spatial and/or temporal paradigms. Results showed the expected pattern of capture in each of the tasks as well as modest to good test-retest reliability over the span of one week for each of the capture measures. However, no evidence is found for a common attention capture factor providing evidence that attention capture within an individual is reliable but not generalizable. Chapter 4 extends the results of Chapter 3 and shows that attention capture in these tasks is not related to off-line self-report measures of attentional ability and day-to-day functioning. The lack of evidence for a common factor that can predict attention capture in one or more paradigms suggests that attention capture is not characterized by trait individual differences in executive function or predicted by individuals’ meta-awareness of their own attentional ability.
Chapter 5, however, shows that attention capture can be characterized by moment-to-moment lapses of attention as it varies trial-to-trial as a function of internally generated task-irrelevant thought (i.e., mind-wandering). Mind-wandering slowed RTs overall and increased non-contingent, but not contingent, forms of capture providing evidence that some forms of attention capture are exacerbated by moment-to-moment lapses of attention. Self-reports on a dispositional mind-wandering scale did not predict capture when mind-wandering was used as an individual differences variable. Results suggest that attention capture may be better explained by cognitive processes engaged moment-to-moment rather than individual dispositions.


title: Reliability and Validity of the Target Behaviour Severity Scale: A Pilot Study

subject: developmental disabilities, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, problem behaviour, program evaluation

abstract: This pilot study examined the reliability, validity, and, usability of the Target Behaviour Severity Scale (TBSS), which was designed for use as a program evaluation tool for ABA-based clinical services. The TBSS measures four dimensions of behaviour: frequency, intensity, duration, and discrimination, and yields a total severity score. Participants included eleven consultants and 25 caregivers of individuals with DD receiving publically funded behavioural services to treat dangerous behaviour, tantrums, disruptive behaviour, and skill deficits. The total severity score had acceptable internal consistency (consultant α = .714, caregiver α = .730). Examination of inter-rater reliability revealed that caregivers’ total severity scores were significantly higher than consultants’ scores though they shared a strong and significant positive relationship. The reliability coefficients of the dimension scales were variable, suggesting the need for some refinements. The results of this pilot study suggest that the TBSS holds promise as a program evaluation tool.


title: Impacts of Executive Compensation on Employee Wages

subject:
Income Inequality
Equity-Based Compensation
Pay-Performance Sensitivity
Average Employee Wages
Business Cycle

abstract: We study the impact of CEO equity-based compensation (EBC) on employee wages. Using pay-performance sensitivity (PPS) as a measure for CEO equity-based compensation, we find that CEOs with higher EBC tend to pay their employees lower wages. We also examine the impact of EBC on average employee wage in different industries and find that such an impact is more evident in non-technology firms than in technology firms. Finally, we find that CEOs with higher pay-performance sensitivities are more likely to depress employee wages when the business cycle shows downturn. While the literature of CEO compensation suggests that EBC can mitigate agency conflicts between managers and shareholders, we find that the high level of EBC can create another aspect of agency conflicts between managers and shareholders, contributing to income inequality even within corporations.


title: Neural and Behavioural Consequences of Chronic Inflammation following  Spinal Cord Injury

subject: Spinal Cord Injury; Chronic Inflammation; Depression; Cognitive Impairment; Neuropathic Pain; Somatic Nerve Function

abstract:
This thesis investigated the influence of chronic inflammation on several neural/behavioural disorders following spinal cord injury (SCI) including depression, cognitive impairment, neuropathic pain, and somatic nerve deficits.
	Ample evidence exists to suggest that the immune system communicates with, and influences the nervous system both centrally and peripherally. Pro-inflammatory cytokines have been shown to influence the nervous system directly by altering ion channel kinetics, as well as indirectly by altering enzyme function thereby resulting in changes in critical neuroactive compounds. Proinflammatory mediators have been shown to up-regulate the enzyme indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) resulting in the accelerated degredation of serotonin precursor tryptophan (TRP) and increased production of TRP metabolites such as kynurenine (KYN). They have also been shown to upregulate the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) resulting in the increased production of pain inducing eicosanoids such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).  Immune dysfunction in the form of chronic inflammation may therefore contribute to the severity of behavioural disorders such as depression and cognitive impairment, as well as neural disorders such neuropathic pain and somatic nerve deficits. SCI is typically associated with not only a state of chronic inflammation but also a drastically higher prevalence of each of the aforementioned neural and behavioural disorders. This makes SCI an ideal population to study the interaction between the immune and nervous systems, and assess the potential efficacy of novel treatment strategies which target the immune system for the management of such disorders.
	A 3-month anti-inflammatory diet was utilized as a treatment intervention for the purpose of reducing chronically elevated levels of pro-inflammatory mediators. This intervention allowed for the assessment of each of the outcome variables of interest at baseline (under an elevated inflammatory status) as well as at 1-month and 3-months during the intervention (under a reduced inflammatory state). Changes in inflammation were assessed by the quantification of serum pro (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IFN-У, TNF-α, CRP) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, IL-1RA) cytokines. Cytokine-induced alterations in enzyme function and corresponding changes in neuroactive compounds were assessed by tryptophan (TRP), the competing amino acids phenylalanine (PHE), tyrosine (TYR), leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile), and valine (Val), the tryptophan metabolite kynurenine (KYN), and the pain-inducing eicosanoids prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4). In addition to such molecular indices, actual changes in each of the outcome variables of interest were assessed. Levels of depression were assessed by questionnaire via the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Cognitive function (in the form of verbal learning) and memory was assessed via the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Neuropathic pain was assessed via the Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire (NPQ). Somatic nerve function was assessed by EMG, including the assessment of nerve conduction velocity and signal amplitude in both motor and sensory nerves.
The intervention significantly reduced serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory mediators in the treatment group (n=12) by 28%, while no significant change was found in the control group (n=8). Among other changes in amino acids, the most notable was that the change in the KYN/TRP ratio (an indicator of IDO activity) and the TRP/LNAA ratio (an indicator of TRP availability for serotonin synthesis) was significantly different between groups. The treatment group showed a significant reduction in scores of depression, as well as a significant reduction in sensory neuropathic pain scores. No significant changes were observed in regards to somatic nerve conduction and most indices of cognitive function (with the exception of the ability to avoid incorrect responses on the CVLT).
	These results may suggest a substantial role for chronic inflammation in depression and neuropathic pain following SCI and provide a potential alternative treatment strategy for the management of such intractable disorders.


title: Theory and Application of a Pure-sampling Quantum Monte Carlo Algorithm

subject:
quantum Monte Carlo
pure-sampling
ground-state
energy
one-electron properties

abstract: The objective of pure-sampling quantum Monte Carlo is to calculate physical properties that are independent of the importance sampling function being employed in the calculation, save for the mismatch of its nodal hypersurface with that of the exact wave function. To achieve this objective, we describe a pure-sampling algorithm that combines features of forward-walking methods of pure-sampling and reptation quantum Monte Carlo. The importance sampling is performed by using a single-determinant basis set composed of Slater-type orbitals. We implement our algorithm by systematically increasing an algorithmic parameter until the properties sampled from the electron distributions converge to statistically equivalent values, extrapolated in the limit of zero time-step. In doing so, we are able to unambiguously determine the values for the ground-state fixed-node energies and one-electron properties of various molecules. These quantities are free from importance sampling bias, population control bias, time-step bias, extrapolation-model bias, and the finite-field approximation. We applied our algorithm to the ground-states of lithium hydride, water and ethylene molecules, and found excellent agreement with the accepted literature values for the energy and a variety of other properties for those systems. Some of our one-electron properties of ethylene had not been calculated before at any level of theory. In a detailed comparison, we found reptation quantum Monte Carlo, our closest competitor, to be less efficient by at least a factor of two. It requires different sets of time-steps to accurately determine the ground-state energy and one-electron properties, whereas our algorithm can achieve the same objective by using a single set of time-step values.


title: Globalization, Postcolonialism, and Science Fiction: Nomadic Transgressions

subject:
science fiction
postcolonialism
globalization

abstract:
This dissertation seeks to establish science fiction as a critical framework for interrogating contemporary neocolonial structures. Specifically, I examine the ways an emerging subgenre of “postcolonial science fiction” provides valuable conceptual tools for imagining what postcolonial relations might look like in an era defined by globalization and multinational capitalism. By linking a critique of the genre’s colonial drive to the logic of advanced capitalism, postcolonial science fiction offers a critical lens through which to examine the continuation of contemporary neocolonial structures. For example, postcolonial science fiction questions several of the assumptions that underpin science fiction, including the genre’s colonial gaze, the appeal to an ideology of progress, focus on the “future” and the construction of an assumed cosmopolitan future, and an implicit faith in technological solutions or the inclination towards techno-optimism. Postcolonial science fiction links these generic qualities to the dominance of certain ideological frameworks in contemporary neoliberal culture, revealing the colonial underpinnings of both genre and the “real-world” socio-historical contexts from which genres emerge. Importantly, postcolonial science fiction is also constructivist, offering alternative epistemological frameworks for understanding our relationship to the future beyond colonial paradigms. Through the process of deconstructing and reconstructing sf’s colonial assumptions, I see postcolonial science fiction produced from diverse national contexts as expressions of a transnational desire to understand such questions as:
what do we need to do so that tomorrow is not characterized by the violence against others we exhibit today? Or, more specifically, how can we create new visions of “postcolonialism” that will materialize into more ethical practice? By explicitly foregrounding these questions postcolonial science fiction transforms the genre’s world building into a strategy of postcolonial experimentation that strives to understand the complexity of problems facing diverse global communities. Postcolonial studies might also benefit from thinking through the lens of science fiction, where creative projects function as ethical experiments towards mapping out the possibilities of transnational affiliation. As this study emphasizes, I therefore see postcolonial science fiction as simultaneously a subgenre and a process, strategy, or mode of relation established between people committed to imagining less exploitative futures.


title: The Relationship between Intramural Sport Participation, Social Integration, and Institutional Commitment

subject:
Campus Recreation
Collegiate Intramural Sport
Involvement
Personal Investment
Social Benefits

abstract: Higher education administrators are increasingly scrutinizing budgets and limited resources for the allocation of financial support to all academic and non-academic services, including campus recreational sports. With the current fiscal climate the benefits of campus recreation programs need to be examined and identified in order to remain relevant within post-secondary institutions. The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the relationship between students’ participation in intramural sports, social integration into the campus community, and institutional commitment. Three hundred and twenty-four intramural participants (N=324) at a Canadian University completed a questionnaire before or after participating in their chosen intramural sport. MANOVA’s, Correlation Matrices, and Hierarchical Regression analyses were conducted, revealing that the quality of intramural participation, consisting of the effort, energy, time, and money a student invests, is a significant predictor of Social Integration into the campus community. Students who are personally invested in their intramural sport participation are more socially integrated into the campus community at their institution. Social integration was not found to be a significant predictor of Institutional Commitment as suggested by Tinto (1993). Future research should explore the relationship between social integration and institutional commitment as identified in Tinto’s (1993) Model of Departure, through the investigation of other contributing factors that lead to institutional commitment.


title: Etiology and Management of Grape Sour Rot

subject: Sour Rot, Wine, Grapes

abstract: Sour rot is characterized by increased volatile acidity (VA) in ripe grapes. VA is associated with spoilage organisms and wineries may reject grape crops based on their concentration of acetic acid. Our research associated Hanseniaspora uvarum, Gluconobacter oxydans, and to a lesser extent, Gluconobacter cerinus and Acetobacter malorum with sour rotted grapes in the Niagara Peninsula, designated viticultural area, Ontario, Canada, and the pathogenicity of these organisms was confirmed by laboratory assays. Only G. oxydans was shown to penetrate around the site of pedicel attachment to the grape. The yeasts required further wounding. Candida zemplinina was also associated with the sour rot microbial community. This species showed variable pathogenicity by strain and most strains were not highly pathogenic. C. zemplinina gained dominance in the microbial population of grapes only after sour rot symptoms were observed, indicating a succession which was studied in laboratory assays. There was a correlation between temperature, moisture, and berry ripeness and the development of sour rot when conditions were monitored in a Vitis vinifera cv. Riesling vineyard over four years, and this was confirmed in laboratory assays. Disease management options are limited since sour rot is caused by a complex of yeasts and bacteria, with symptoms developing just as grapes approach maturity. Post-veraison treatments for sour rot were investigated. Wineries routinely add potassium metabisulphite (KMS) to the surface of fruit in bins and to grape juice to kill spoilage organisms. Replicated field trials were conducted in V. vinifera cv. Riesling in 2010 and 2011 to determine the efficacy of KMS at different concentrations and pre-harvest timings as a fruiting-zone spray. Potassium bicarbonate (Milstop) was also evaluated for its efficacy against sour rot. Plots were rated for incidence and severity of sour rot and VA (g acetic acid/L juice). KMS treatments at concentrations above 5 kg/1000L and Milstop sprayed at the label concentration of 5.6 kg/1000L were able to reduce the severity of sour rot compared to untreated control plots which had a severity above 50% (2011). KMS was able to reduce VA to below the winery rejection threshold of 0.24 g acetic acid/L when sour rot severity reached 12% in untreated plots (2010). When tested in the laboratory in disk diffusion assays conducted on yeast peptone dextrose agar, KMS at a concentration of 10 g/L had the greatest efficacy against G. oxydans and H. uvarum. Grape incubation assays showed the potential of KMS acidified with tartaric acid to reduce sour rot symptoms. Acidification did not show as much potential in field trials, calling for further research.


title: Assessment of the Inter-Rater Reliability of the Behavioural Assessment and Treatment Taxonomy (BATT)

subject:
autism spectrum disorder
challenging behaviour
behavioural assessment and intervention
applied behaviour analysis (ABA)
program evaluation

abstract: Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is an evidence-based approach for treating a range of behavioural challenges and skill deficits commonly associated with developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ABA-based interventions are typically tailored to the socially significant needs of the individual receiving treatment. This individualized nature of treatment delivery can make it challenging for wide-scale program evaluation within and across different ABA service providers. The Behavioural Assessment and Treatment Taxonomy (BATT) is a tool designed specifically for the purpose of standardizing the documentation of assessment and treatment strategies and enabling systematic evaluation of treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess the inter-rater reliability of the BATT using a retrospective study design (N = 112). The results demonstrated acceptable level of inter-rater reliability (κ > .80) across a number of target variables, although additional refinement of the BATT coding scheme is still required.


title: What's for Supper? The Experience of Eating for Women at Midlife

subject:
midlife
women
eating
body image

abstract: The midlife time period is not well defined and is not well understood for women, particularly in reference to eating. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study is to explore the experience of midlife for women and the meaning they give to eating. Low structured research conversations with seven Canadian, Caucasian women were analysed using van Manen's approach. The main themes that were identified were Not Me, You Lose, It's a Negotiation, and It's a Good Place. Findings of this study suggest that midlife women undergo intense and ongoing physical, emotional, and social transformations during a period in which demands on their time and energy are still high. In order to manage everyday demands, these women prioritize and make conscious choices and compromises in reference to eating that influence how their bodies feel on a daily basis.


title: The Isolation and Differentiation of Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

subject: Adipose Stem Cells

abstract:
Pathologies concomitant with old age such as arthritis, osteoporosis, and obesity diminish the quality of life for society’s elderly. Recent advances in regenerative medicine have revealed that an abundant and readily available source of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), resides within adipose tissue. Previous research has demonstrated that MSCs can differentiate into multiple specialized cell types and may thus be capable of ameliorating symptoms of many age-associated diseases. However, several unique challenges currently limit the usefulness of adipose-derived MSCs in regenerative therapies. In this thesis I assessed novel ways of isolating and differentiating adipose-derived MSCs into desired cell types. Specifically, I assessed the capacity of a non-enzymatic sonication based method to the collagenase digestion based method of isolating MSCs from human adipose. Sonication yielded fewer total cells than collagenase. However, alizarin red staining revealed that cells obtained using sonication possessed a stronger osteogenic capacity than those obtained using collagenase. Additionally, oil red o staining showed that both methods produced cells capable of adipogenesis. Yet, alcian blue staining demonstrated that sonication was unable to yield cells capable of chondrogenisis. Lastly, rat adipose-derived stromal cells were cultured in medium containing stimulators of UCP1 expression in order to induce a brite cell phenotype. Following a 9 day treatment period, cultures displayed characteristic traits of brite cells such as increased intra-cellular lipid accumulation and increased mitochondrial content. However, when exposed to acute norepinephrine treatment, stromal cells did not display an increased rate of respiration. Furthermore, western blot analysis revealed that these cells did not express UCP1, suggesting that the differentiation treatment likely only
induced a partial differentiation response. Overall, the above work provides valuable insight into addressing challenges currently limiting the usefulness of adipose-derived MSCs in regenerative therapies. Future works should assess the differentiation capacity of stromal cultures depleted of non-MSC cells and stromal cells obtained using sonication in medium containing additional inducers of differentiation. Moreover, future efforts based on the brite cell differentiation method used here should assess whether extending treatment induction/differentiation periods is capable of producing brite cell phenotype.


title: Novel plant DNA binding protein: Non-expresser of pathogenesis related 1 gene (NPR1) involved in disease resistance

subject: Arabidopsis

subject: NPR1

subject: SAR

subject: PR1

subject: plant disease

abstract:
For the first time, through validation of the modified Chromatin
Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) method (in vitro ChIP), the direct binding of NPR1 to
the PR1 promoter was demonstrated. This is a novel advancement on plant systemic
acquired resistance (SAR)-mediated disease responses. The NPR1 protein (nonexpressor
of pathogenesis related gene 1) is a transcriptional co-activator and positive
regulator of SAR, a long-lasting mobile defense signal found in plants. The
pathogenesis-Related gene 1 (PR1) is particularly induced during defense response,
and as such, is typically used as a marker for establishment of SAR in plants. Salicylic
acid (SA) is a phytohormone required for SAR-mediated defense responses against
pathogens. Recently, the role of NPR1 as a SA receptor was demonstrated; SA has
been shown to directly bind to NPR1 through Cysteine 521 and 529 on the Cterminus
region of NPR1 via the transition metal copper. The binding of SA to NPR1
results in disruption of the interaction between BTB/POZ and the C-terminus domains
of NPR1. Upon SA-NPR1 binding, the C-terminus transactivation domain is released
from the auto-inhibitory BTB/POZ domain, resulting in activation of the NPR1
transcription co-activator function, followed by PR1 transcription in Arabidopsis
thaliana. Arabidopsis thaliana has an inducible defense system and is considered a
model plant for studying disease resistance responses.
In the current research, NPR1 was demonstrated to bind to the PR1 promoter
at two distinct regions, in the presence and absence of SA. In the presence of SA, the
binding site of NPR1 was determined to be localized at the -636 to -646 base pair
sequence; however, in the absence of SA, NPR1 was found to bind around the -790 to
-833 base pair sequence. In addition, two distinct DNA binding domains were
identified within NPR1, localized on the C and N-terminus regions. In the absence of SA, the DNA binding domain within the N-terminus region, located between amino
acids 110-190, was shown to facilitate the binding of NPR1 to the PR1 promoter
through the amino acid cysteine 150 (Cys150) via transition metal. The DNA binding
domain on the C-terminus region, located between amino acids 513-535, was
demonstrated to allow the binding of NPR1 to the promoter of PR1 in the presence of
SA. Two amino acids, cysteine 521 and 529 (Cys521/529), were shown to be essential
for SA binding to NPR1 and subsequent NPR1 binding to the PR1 promoter.
Furthermore, 4hydroxy benzoic acid (4-OH-BA), the inactive analogue of SA, has
been demonstrated to be a potent inhibitor of NPR1-PR1 promoter interaction, both in
vivo and in vitro, by competing with SA for NPR1 binding. Moreover, we
demonstrated that other analogues of the NPR1 protein, NPR2, NPR3, and NPR4, are
also recruited to the PR1 promoter. NPR4 showed a similar binding profile to NPR1,
both in the presence and absence of SA. NPR2 and NPR3 were observed to only
interact with the PR1 promoter in the absence of SA. Both NPR5 and NPR6 were
shown to forgo binding to the PR1 promoter, further confirming their role in plant
developmental processes other than defense. In addition, the binding of NPR1 to the
PR1 promoter was demonstrated to be conserved among other plant species, including
rice and maize. Both rice and maize NPR1 proteins were observed to bind to the PR1
promoter in the presence of SA and a metal co-factor, similar to Arabidopsis NPR1.
Our results expand our understanding of how NPR1 interacts with the PR1
promoter to regulate gene expression during SAR establishment. This study also
revealed that NPR1-mediated SAR defense signaling is conserved among other crop
species, which can potentially facilitate the identification of novel plant-priming
compounds through high-throughput chemical screening procedures alongside the
application of the validated in vitro ChIP technique as a primary screening method.


title: Back to the Garten: Inquiry-Based Learning in an Outdoor Kindergarten Classroom

subject:
Inquiry-Based Learning
Outdoor Classroom
Constructivism in Education
Kindergarten
Phenomenography

abstract: Informed by alternative learning theories that apply a constructivist approach to education, this research study explores one form of experiential, hands on education; inquiry-based learning. Grounded in the new sociology of childhood, which values the voices of young children, this study examines how inquiry-based learning is experienced by kindergarten students in an outdoor classroom in Fonthill, Ontario. This research expands on current relevant literature to understand kindergarteners’ experiences in an outdoor inquiry-based classroom through their first hand reports, accompanied by observations made by their teachers. Based on a constructivist framework, this study employs a phenomographic methodology consisting of semi-structured, participant guided interviews, and inductive data analysis involving a cross-comparison of the transcripts across kindergartener and teacher participants. Three major themes emerged from the data in this study: (a) student-led experiences in the outdoor classroom; (b) lessons experienced in the outdoor classroom; and (c) boundaries to learning in the outdoor classroom. Responses from participants in this study raise questions for future research regarding the use of informal learning in the public education system specifically in regards to the roles of teachers, the structures of learning spaces, and the experiences of diverse populations. This study supports the notion that outdoor, inquiry-based learning can be one way to engage students in their own knowledge construction, demonstrating a connection between this model and the values of social justice education.


title: The Effects of β-Adrenergic Stimulation on Post-Tetanic Potentiation of Concentric Force in Fast Skeletal Muscle From Wildtype and skMLCK Devoid Mice.

subject: Kinesiology Muscle Physiology Adrenergic Potentiation

abstract: Stimulation induced myosin RLC phosphorylation, catalyzed by the skeletal myosin light chain kinase (skMLCK) is known as the primary mechanism for twitch force potentiation (PTP). We assessed concentric PTP in the absence and presence of epinephrine (1 μM). To this end, extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles from wildtype (WT) and skMLCK-/- (KO) mice were incubated for 30-minutes in normal (CON) or epinephrine containing (EPI) Tyrode’s solution (in vitro, 25°C); undergoing a series of twitches before and after a standard conditioning stimulus (CS; 4x100 Hz) to determine PTP (post-CS/pre-CS). Epinephrine initially enhanced PTP compared to the WT and KO control values, respectively; peaking at 19.3 ± 1.6% and 15.7 ± 10.2% by the 8-minute mark (P < 0.0001) without altering myosin phosphorylation (P = 0.503). WT muscles were significantly elevated above KO values at all time points (P < 0.05); with the exception of the final 8-minute value (P = 0.172). However, both genotypes showed similar responses to epinephrine (r2 = 0.895), demonstrating that epinephrine may primarily act on a pathway independent of myosin phosphorylation.


title: Orientation Preference and Behavioural Thermoregulatory Coordination in Pogona vitticeps.

subject: Thermoregulation Orientation Coordination

abstract: Regulating body temperature is a critical function for vertebrates and many invertebrates. Vertebrates that rely on ambient temperature as a heat source (ectotherms) make use of multiple voluntary and involuntary behaviours to thermoregulate, including body orientation. The purpose of this work was to examine orientation behaviour in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) as well as possible coordination between thermoregulatory responses. Both adult and two week old neonatal bearded dragons were placed in a thermal gradient and left to thermoregulate behaviourally in order to observe the presence of a thermoregulatory orientation preference. Since a thermal orientation bias could manifest from a preference for favoring rostral versus caudal traits, animals were subsequently subjected to a separate experiment, in which either heat exchange across the tail or respiratory heat exchange from gaping was inhibited. Changes in thermoregulatory behaviour were then observed in the manipulated bearded dragons in order to assess the potential contributors to thermal preferences as well as isolate potential coordination between behaviours. Both adult and two week old neonatal dragons displayed a non-random orientation preference for facing a heat source that strengthened with time exposed to a thermal gradient, supporting this behaviour as a thermoregulatory response. Bearded dragons also exhibited changes in orientation preference and gaping behaviour when the tail was insulated and when gaping was inhibited, but no changes to selected ambient temperature, indicating that the changes to gaping and orientation behaviours are compensatory responses that support the presence of coordination between thermoregulatory behaviours.


title: Examining the cell cycle regulator, p21, in the regeneration competent newt species, Notophthalmus viridescens

subject:
p21
newt
regeneration
Notophthalmus viridescens

abstract:
Adult newts are capable of completely regenerating lost structures including limb, tail,
and spinal cord tissues after injury. A unique mammal capable of similar epimorphic
regeneration is the Murphy Roths Large (MRL) mouse with the ability to fully close ear hole
punctures. Examination of these mice revealed that they do not express the protein p21, a cyclin
dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor, which controls cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase by
monitoring the cell for DNA damage. Knockout p21 mice were also able to fully close ear hole
punctures validating the role of p21 in this phenomenon. Based on these findings, my research
seeks to examine p21 during newt tail and caudal spinal cord regeneration. Since a lack of p21
allows for regeneration in these mice, otherwise considered regeneration-incompetent, it is of
interest to study p21 in the regeneration-competent newt, Notophthalmus viridescens. Using
qPCR, I demonstrated that transcripts of a p21-like gene are significantly down-regulated at 14
and 21 days post amputation. Initial Western blots indicated temporal changes in p21 expression
across regeneration time points, but at a molecular weight smaller than the predicted 21kDa. The
discrepancy in molecular weight led to mass spectrometry protein identification analysis that
detected a p16-interacting protein in newt tail that shares 87.5% identity with the Xenopus p16-
interacting protein. p16 is also a CDK inhibitor, acting at the G1-S transition to specifically
inhibit cyclin D and CDK4/6. Continued survey for p21 protein expression was unable to detect
p21 within newt tissues tested. This outcome suggests either the tested antibodies are unable to
cross-react with the newt p21 protein, or that it is expressed at very low levels in the newt
making it virtually undetectable, or the newt lacks p21 protein like the MRL mouse. 5’-3’ RACE
was unable to determine the newt-specific p21 sequence, but the newt Histone H3a gene was
amplified and found to contain some sequence similarity to p21 in other species. This work
represents the first attempt to study p21 gene and protein expression in regenerating newt caudal
tail and spinal cord tissue. The novel finding of p16-interacting protein suggests the potential for
alternative cell cycle regulation methods, via p16, previously thought to be lost in the newt.


title: -“Where are you, darling?” -“Here I am, darling!”: Call and Response as LGBTI Resistance Formation Before, During and After the Gezi Park Protests in Turkey

subject: Gezi Park, social movements, LGBTI movement in Turkey, resistance, civil unrest, call and response

abstract: This social justice project examines the extent to which the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexual (LGBTI) movement in Turkey has been affected by its participation in the Gezi Park protests that took place across Turkey in May, 2013. I argue that a dialectic process of organization and interaction took place between the protesters in Gezi, which I name call and response. This process opened up the possibilities for unexpected insights and changes in the LGBTI movement’s strategies and dynamics. I draw on intersectional feminist theory to discuss the dynamics of the movement before, during, and after the protests, and I use textual materials such as news, magazine articles and interviews to examine the shifting views of different groups on LGBTI issues and the LGBTI community’s reflections on Gezi’s impact on the movement. My research is structured around in-depth, semi-structured interviews with five LGBTI Gezi protesters in Istanbul. My aim was to investigate how the LGBTI community is interpreting the influence of its 20 years of history on its Gezi experience and formulating new ways to seize upon the possibilities Gezi has opened up for the movement. I also explore key moments in the protests through five photos that highlight the significance of the LGBTI community’s presence in those events. I draw upon my own experiences and observations both as an insider - as a member of the LGBTI community in Turkey, and as an outsider, a researcher currently residing in Canada - in order to complicate my findings. For the purpose of historicizing my results and drawing parallels and comparisons between similar movements, I juxtapose Gezi to the gay liberation movements in the U.S. and in South Africa. It is my hope that this study will open up new areas of discussion for social justice groups and organizations, and help in forming new possible strategies for the LGBTI movement in Turkey.


title: Utilisation of Proximal Sensing Technology to Map Variability in Ontario Vineyards

subject: Precision viticulture, proximal sensing technology, NDVI, spatial variability, temporal stability

abstract: Precision agriculture is a term used to refer to a suite of technologies used for the optimisation of production in agronomic crops. The overall goal of this study was to determine whether high resolution proximally sensed observations acquired by the GreenSeeker™ technology could be correlated with soil moisture, vine water status, yield components and grape composition, and whether temporally consistent relationships could be established. The research was carried out on three experimental sites involving two Riesling, two Cabernet franc and two Pinot noir blocks throughout the Niagara Region of Ontario (Canada). A grid of geolocated sentinel vines was chosen for each vineyard block. Data were collected three times during the growing season between fruit set and veraison [soil moisture, leaf water potential (ψ)], at harvest (yield components, berry composition) and in winter [vine size, winter hardiness (LT50)]. GreenSeeker™ observations were likewise collected from lag phase to just prior to harvest, through the calculation of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Thereafter, relationships between vine water status, yield components and berry composition variables as well as data from the GreenSeeker™ were validated. Overall, higher NDVI values were associated with yield components and vine size, while lower NDVI values were correlated with better berry composition, suggesting that GreenSeeker™ is a practical tool for vineyard vegetative growth surveys, and for grape composition inferences. Clustering associations were made through k-means statistical analysis in conjunction with Moran's I spatial autocorrelation index; soil moisture followed by the NDVI had the strongest clustering patterns. The outcomes from proximal sensing technology allow opportunities to stream and compliment present agricultural practices towards higher accuracy and efficacy by means of exploiting the observed variation.


title: Assessing the Occupational Leadership Efficacy of Sport Management Students

subject: Self-efficacy, Leadership, Sport Management, Survey, Covariance

abstract: A cross-sectional study was used to examine how sport management undergraduate students judge their capabilities to occupy leadership positions in the sport industry; their occupational leadership efficacy (OLE). Specifically, this study explored differences in capability judgments between groups of students who were completing sequential courses within a sport management undergraduate program, and if and/or how male and female students differed in OLE. Of a total population of N = 484, n = 154 students of a 4-year Undergraduate Sport Management program were surveyed. An analysis of covariance was completed to determine if significant differences existed between courses completed (i.e., years) and sex. Results indicate no difference in OLE between years or between sex. However, the covariates Sport Employed and Sport Leader had significant impacts on OLE. Sport management educators can use these results to improve undergraduate degree programs. Self-efficacy can be fostered using strategies linked to Bandura’s (1997) four sources.


title: Functional genomics of monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis in Rauvolfia serpentina

subject: Rauvolfia serpentina

subject: monoterpenoid indole alkaloid

subject: Apocynaceae

subject: gamma tocopherol-like N-methyltransferase family

subject: biosynthesis

abstract: Monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) are a large and heterogeneous group of nitrogen-containing specialized metabolites produced by plants belonging to the Apocynaceae, Loganiaceae and Rubiaceae families. Many of these MIAs exhibit interesting biological activities and are currently used as pharmaceutical drugs to treat several medical conditions. Thus, the biosynthetic pathways responsible for their production have been extensively investigated. Recent advancements in large-scale DNA-sequencing technologies have provided access to a vast collection of genes. Here we have used bioinformatics guided screen to identify candidate genes involved in MIA biosynthesis in Rauvolfia serpentina. We utilized our large annotated transcriptome databases (www.phytometasyn.ca) as a source to mine genes. The identification of a Catharanthus roseus enzyme responsible for indole nitrogen methylation of an MIA intermediate of the vindoline pathway provided us with a query sequence to mine candidate genes responsible for N-methylation of other MIAs in R. serpentina. This led to the identification, molecular cloning and biochemical characterization of four enzymes catalyzing N-methylation. Two separate genes cloned from R. serpentina and V. minor, both encoded enzymes displaying high affinity and specificity for picrinine converting it to N-methyl-picrinine (ervincine) in the presence of S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The other two genes, cloned from R. serpentina, encoded enzymes involved in final steps of ajmaline biosynthesis. Norajmaline N-methyltransferase catalyzed the indoline N-methylation of norajmaline to generate ajmaline, while ajmaline Nβ-methyltransferase catalyzed the side chain N-methylation of ajmaline to generate Nβ-methylajmaline, an unusual positively charge MIA molecule found in Rauvolfia.


title: Investigations of reserpine and rescinnamine biosynthesis in the Indian snakeroot plant, Rauwolfia serpentina

subject:
medicinal plant biochemistry
Rauwolfia serpentina
methyltransferase
acyltransferase
isoferulic acid

abstract:
Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) can be a potent source of pharmaceuticals, such as vinblastine and vincristine used for various cancer chemotherapies from the plant Catharanthus roseus. Rauwolfia serpentina also makes MIAs with therapeutic potential, such as reserpine and rescinnamine which have antihypertensive properties and also show promise in treating drug-resistant cancers.
Reserpine and rescinnamine are structurally very similar, and they differ only in the length of their acyl side chain groups, with reserpine having a trimethoxybenzoyl moiety (C1-C6) and rescinnamine having a trimethoxycinnamoyl moiety (C3-C6) esterified to the alkaloid backbone. The esterification of these trimethoxy acyl groups to the alkaloid backbone is likely catalyzed by an acyltransferase enzyme. The formation of trimethoxy derivatives will require methyltransferase activity acting on the para- position of these hydroxycinnamics and/or hydroxybenzenoids before their assembly.
This study describes the cloning and characterization of a novel methyltransferase (RsOMT1) from R. serpentina roots which methylates both caffeic acid and sinapic acid at the para position to form isoferulic acid and trimethoxycinnamic acid respectively, suggesting it may be involved in the biosynthesis of trimethoxy derivatives. Further experiments exploring the biosynthesis of reserpine and rescinnamine are described, in the context of possible coenzyme A or glucose dependent acylation reactions responsible for the esterification of trimethoxy derivatives to the MIA backbone structure.


title: A. Discovery of novel reactivity under the Sonogashira reaction conditions  B. Synthesis of functionalized BODIPYs and BODIPY-sugar conjugates

subject:
enediyne
Sonogashira coupling reaction
BODIPY
bromovinylboronoate
Azide alkyne Click reaction

abstract:
A. During our attempts to synthesize substituted enediynes, coupling reactions between terminal alkynes and 1,2-cis-dihaloalkenes under the Sonogashira reaction conditions failed to give the corresponding substituted enediynes. Under these conditions, terminal alkynes underwent self-trimerization or tetramerization. In an alternative approach to access substituted enediynes, treatment of alkynes with trisubstituted (Z)-bromoalkenyl-pinacolboronates under Sonogashira coupling conditions was found to give 1,2,4,6-tetrasubstituted benzenes instead of Sonogashira coupled product. The reaction conditions and substrate scopes for these two new reactions were investigated.

B. BODIPY core was functionalized with various functional groups such as nitromethyl, nitro, hydroxymethyl, carboxaldehyde by treating 4,4-difluoro-1,3,5,7,8-pentamethyl-2,6-diethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene with copper (II) nitrate trihydrate under different conditions. Further, BODIPY derivatives with alkyne and azido functional groups were synthesized and conjugated to various glycosides by the Click reaction under the microwave conditions. One of the BODIPY–glycan conjugate was found to form liposome upon rehydration. The photochemical properties of BODIPY in these liposomes were characterized by fluorescent confocal microscopy.


title: With Care and Deliberation: Prairie Teachers go to Work

subject: Women teachers, citizenship, Saskatchewan, one-room schools, Canadianizing

abstract:
At the turn of the 20th century, people from select European countries were invited to homestead in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The provincial Department of Education had two goals: assimilating the children of these immigrants into Anglo-Saxon cultural traditions and sourcing teachers with the appropriate values to do so, however, they had very few ways of measuring how and if teachers were fulfilling their goals. This thesis examines a group of Saskatchewan women teachers who utilized the opportunity to write their life stories to establish themselves as dedicated, hardworking professionals. I explore how these women characterized their teaching practices as part of a larger enterprise of creating solid citizens. The thesis is centered around two research questions: (i) how did a particular group of Saskatchewan women teachers utilize their personal histories and supplementary documents to counter the ideal of male teacher? (ii) how did these women’s classroom practices and goals facilitate the process of “Canadianizing” rural immigrant students?
I explore these questions through a combination of feminist historiography and narrative analysis as ways of studying women’s stories and ‘documents of life’ (Plummer, 2002, Stanley, 2013) and the socio-cultural contexts within which they were embedded, I argue that these teachers chose examples from their own lives to illustrate women as legitimate, serious, hardworking teachers. These women consciously participated in the Saskatchewan Department of Education’s project of Canadianizing immigrant children. Furthermore, as they were aware that they were responsible for imparting more than reading, writing and arithmetic they also sought to inculcate values and moral characteristics that they personal felt were important for these children to learn.


title: Polynuclear 3d/4f-Metal Complexes as Molecular Magnetic Refrigerants and Single-Molecule Magnets

subject:
polynuclear 3d/4f-metal clusters
molecular magnetic refrigerants
single-molecule magnets
dioximes
diols

abstract:
The use of two different chelating/bridging ligands, naphthalene-2,3-diol (ndH2) and acenaphthenequinone dioxime (acndH2), in heterometallic 3d/4f-metal cluster chemistry has yielded two new families of polynuclear CuII/LnIII clusters. These complexes were found to exhibit interesting magnetic properties, specifically single-molecule magnetism and the magnetocaloric effect.
In this thesis, Chapter 1 lays the foundation for the research presented within. This section covers the fundamentals of polynuclear metal complexes, molecular magnetism, and the magnetocaloric effect, as well as the approaches used for the synthesis of new polynuclear metal complexes and the choice of ligands. Chapters 2 and 3 report the results of the current thesis. In Chapter 2, the synthesis and characterization of a family of {Cu4Ln} complexes (LnIII = GdIII (1), TbIII (2), DyIII (3)), employing the ligand ndH2 is presented. The complexes join a handful of previously reported {Cu4Ln} clusters, however, the family reported in this thesis are the first ‘propeller’-like clusters that exhibit single-molecule magnetism and magnetic refrigeration properties. In Chapter 3, a family of {Cu6Ln2}n chains (LnIII = GdIII (4), TbIII (5), DyIII (6)) obtained through the employment of ligand acndH2 is presented. This family of 1D-chains is a novel motif that has not been previously reported in the literature, with only a few discrete {Cu6Ln2} 0D-clusters having been previously reported. The complexes were magnetically characterized, with 4 and 5 exhibiting ferromagnetic exchange interactions while 6 revealed a more complex magnetic behaviour with both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions dominating at different temperature regimes. Furthermore, 5 was found to behave as a single-molecule magnet and 4 was shown to act as a molecular magnetic refrigerant.


title: The Untried Path: Exemplary Elementary School Teachers’ Understanding of and Experiences with Classroom Assessment

subject: Classroom assessment; formative assessment; Assessment for Learning; Assessment as Learning; Technology Integration; 21st Century; Technology-integrated assessment; K-8

abstract: This qualitative phenomenological research study sought to describe teachers’ understanding of and experiences with AfL, AaL, and AoL when using 21st Century approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment. Purposeful sampling was used to select 4 exemplary Canadian elementary school teachers who had a history of using a professional blog for reflective practice. Data collection methods included elementary school teachers’ professional blogs and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis revealed exemplary elementary school teachers’ understandings and living examples of classroom assessment in a 21st Century context. Results also illustrated how technology-integrated assessment gave students the “power to create” and demonstrate their learning in unprecedented ways and provided teachers with rich assessments of student learning. The study discusses implications for classroom practice and educational research, and offers some initial thoughts on the interactions among the purposes of assessment. The study will be of particular interest to teachers who are interested in improving assessment practices in their classrooms and will provide teacher education programs with insight on how to best prepare teacher candidates for 21st Century education.


title: Do pervasive economic factors explain momentum?

subject:
momentum profits
macroeconomic variables
Markov regimes
excess stock returns

abstract: This thesis investigates the relationship between the profitability of momentum strategies and macroeconomic variables associated with the business cycles. We hypothesize that momentum is a risk factor that correlates with economic dynamics, which drive stock prices. We apply the two-state Markov regime switching model of Hamilton (1989) to capture the dynamic behavior of the time series of momentum return across different regimes. We include both univariate and multivariate regressions to examine the explanatory power of independent variables during different states. Moreover, we explore whether economic dynamics and investor sentiment are the only sources of the pricing effect of momentum. We adjust the momentum returns for selected macroeconomic variables, risk factors and proxy for investor sentiment. We define the residuals from the model as “pure momentum” and test the pricing capability of pure momentum in a standard asset pricing model. Using a sample of monthly data of US market covering the period between August 1962 and December 2014, we document that macroeconomic factors, risk factors and investor sentiment are unable to fully explain the momentum profits. Using a sample of monthly return on portfolios constructed by double-sorting stocks on size and book-to-market equity ratio, which include NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ stocks, we show that the pricing capability of momentum cannot be entirely explained by macroeconomic variables, risk factors and investor sentiment.


title: Conservation laws of magnetohydrodynamics and their symmetry transformation properties

subject: Magnetohydrodynamics, Conservation laws, Point symmetries

abstract: All kinematic conservation laws along with their symmetry transformation properties are derived for the system of magnetohydrodynamic equations governing incompressible viscous plasmas (or any other conducting fluid) in which the dynamic and magnetic viscosities are constant. Reductions of this system under translation symmetries, axial rotation symmetries, and helical symmetries are considered. For each reduced system, all kinematic conservation laws and point symmetries are obtained. The results yields several new conservation laws which are expected to be relevant for physical applications of magnetohydrodynamics.


title: Auditing the Illness: Critical Analysis of Emergent Higher Education Mental Health Policy in Major Ontario Universities

subject:
mental health
policy
Ontario university
neo-liberal
suicide

abstract: Since tragic on-campus suicides like those of Elizabeth Shin, there has been a call from the community for sensible mental health policies to be developed at Canadian universities. Mental health policies in Ontario universities are still in development and what is currently being used in place of dedicated policy documentation is often cold and legalistic, or simply inappropriate for use with mental health issues. The research surrounding mental health policy in higher education is limited, as the issue of mental health in policy appears to have only recently become a point of discussion. In this study, I attempt to create that discussion, addressing legalistic and neo-liberal trends in policy. To this end, I compiled the developing frameworks and existing policies from 13 major universities across Ontario (i.e., the institutions with more than 10,000 students) and examined them for precisely these neo-liberal trends. I conclude by arguing that current procedures for handling mental health issues (including the use of student codes of conduct and no-harm contracts) are not humanistic but, instead, bureaucratic. I also note that some of the currently developing mental health policies show many of the same tendencies. I caution policy makers to consider a more humanistic approach to mental health policies if on-campus tragedies are to be avoided.