title: Exploring Gifted Adults' Perception of Giftedness in their Pursuit of Graduate Education

subject: Gifted persons - Education.

subject: Graduate students

subject: Universities and colleges - Graduate work.

abstract:
This qualitative study explores 8 gifted adults' perceptions of their own giftedness
and how those perceptions influenced their pursuit of graduate education as revealed by
retrospective interviews. This study serves to inform the existing literature surrounding
giftedness especially as it relates to gifted individuals across the lifespan and their
experiences and perceptions of education at all levels. This study also provides insight
into the emotional impact being labeled gifted has on an individual's self-concept and
academic identity. The major themes that emerged using the interpretive
phenomenological analysis method (Smith & Osborn, 2003) were discussed under five
main headings: Evolution of Giftedness, Success and Failure, Expectations, Effort, and
Doubt and Proof. An adaptation of the listening guide method (Gilligan, Spencer,
Weinberg, & Bertsch, 2003) was used to provide a unique and personal perspective of the
phenomenon of giftedness and revealed the feelings behind the themes that emerged in
the interpretive phenomenological analysis method. Specifically; this study illuminates
the lack of evolution that an individual's understanding and perception of giftedness
undergoes across the lifespan, and the impact such a static and school-bound
understanding has on gifted adults' self-concept. It also reveals the influence that gifted
individuals' innate need to achieve has on their academic aspirations and their
perceptions of themselves as gifted. Furthermore, it reveals how important the
understanding and internalization of failure can be on the self-concept of gifted
individuals, and that this issue needs immediate attention at all levels of education.


title: Bullying in the Same-Sex Friendships of Young Adolescent Girls: A Qualitative Study

contributor: Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education

subject:
Teenage girls - Psychology.
Female friendship
Bullying in schools - Ontario.

abstract:
This qualitative, narrative study explored the bullying experiences of young
adolescent girls within their same-sex dyadic and group friendships. The participants
were 5 female students, ages 11 and 12 years old, from 1 private, religious school in
southern Ontario. Each girl participated in an audiotaped, 30-minute, personal interview
based on an unstructured interview protocol. Interview transcripts were analyzed for
bullying behaviors using Marini and Dane's (2008) subtypes of bullying, including the
form, function, and involvement in bullying. Interview transcripts were also analyzed for
common and emerging themes using aspects of L. M., Brown and Gilligan's (1992)
"Listener's Guide." The findings of this study suggested that within their same-sex
friendships girls assume the roles of all participants in bullying, including bullies,
victims, bystanders, and bully-victims. The findings also suggested that bullying
behaviors within young adolescent girls' same-sex friendships are mainly indirect in their
mode of attack and that they are both proactive and reactive. The bully behaviors
identified in this study were used to inform the major themes or salient features within
the dynamics of girls' same-sex friendships also identified. These themes included
acceptance, intimacy, negotiation, inclusion/exclusion, moral character judgements, and
power. The findings of this study will be used to inform current theory, personal and
professional practice, as well as future research.


title: The Effectiveness of Learning Portfolios: A Study of Quality Assurance Programs of Selected Health Regulatory Colleges in Ontario

subject: Professional standards review organizations (Medicine)

subject: Medical education - Ontario - Standards.

subject: Medical education - Quality control - Ontario.

abstract:
Health regulatory colleges promote quality practice and continued competence
through Quality Assurance (QA) programs. For many colleges, a QA program includes
the use of portfolios that incorporate self-directed learning. The purpose of this study
was to determine some of the issues surrounding the effectiveness of QA portfolio
programs. The literature review revealed that portfolios are valuable tools, but gaps in
knowledge include a comparative analysis of QA programs and the perspective of
regulatory college administrators.
Data were collected through interviews with 6 administrators and a review of 14
portfolio models described on college websites. The results from the two data sources
were applied to Robert Stake's responsive evaluation framework to identify issues related
to the portfolio's effectiveness (Stake, 1967). The learning components of portfolios
were analyzed through the humanist and constructivist lenses. All 14 portfolio models
were found to have 3 main components: self-diagnosis, learning plan and activities, and
self-evaluation. However, differences were uncovered in learners' autonomy in selecting
learning activities, methods of portfolio evaluation, and the relationship between the
portfolio and other QA components. The results revealed a dual philosophy of learning
in portfolio models and an apparent contradiction between the needs of the individual
learner and the organization. Paths for future research include the tenuous relationship
between competence and learning, and the impact of technical approaches on selfdirected
learning initiatives. A key recommendation is to acknowledge the unique
identity of each profession so that health regulatory colleges can address legislative
demands and learner needs.


title: Student Perceptions of Discretion in Discipline: Seeking Resolution and Restoration in a Punitive Culture

subject:
School discipline - Ontario.
Restorative justice - Ontario.

abstract:
This study examined high school student perceptions of discretion utilized by
educators in high school disciplinary proceedings. Using a sample of 6 high school
students who had experienced differing levels of formal discipline, the study investigated
the discretionary factors that influence an educator's decision making. The study was a
generic qualitative study where the primary source of data collection was open-ended
interviews to ensure the integrity of the research as a study of student voices and
perceptions. Journaling was also employed to record observations and to identify
researcher assumptions. The data were analyzed employing aspects of a grounded theory
approach. The findings were coded to reveal 5 areas high school students identified in
relation to discipline and discretion: punitive discipline versus problem resolution,
effective processes, educator discretion, student discretion, and the student-educator
relationship. The final discussion highlights the need for a community vision for high
school discipline in order to channel discretion and to uphold students' best interests.
Restorative justice is proposed as a feasible vision for high school discipline, whereby
participants' responses are measured against a restorative paradigm.


title: THE INFLUENCE OF LENGTH CHANGE SPEED AND DIRECTION ON DYNAMIC FUNCTION POTENTIATION IN FAST MOUSE MUSCLE

subject:
work cycle frequency
eccentric contractions
speed and direction
muscles

abstract:
The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the potentiation of
dynamic function was dependent upon both length change speed and direction. Mouse
EDL was cycled in vitro (250 C) about optimal length (Lo) with constant peak strain (±
2.5% Lo) at 1.5,3.3 and 6.9 Hz before and after a conditioning stimulus. A single pulse
was applied during shortening or lengthening and peak dynamic (concentric or eccentric)
forces were assessed at Lo. Stimulation increased peak concentric force at all frequencies
(range: 19±1 to 30 ± 2%) but this increase was proportional to shortening speed, as were
the related changes to concentric work/power (range: -15 ± 1 to 39 ± 1 %). In contrast,
stimulation did not increase eccentric force, work or power at any frequency. Thus,
results reveal a unique hysteresis like effect for the potentiation of dynamic output
wherein concentric and eccentric forces increase and decrease, respectively, with work
cycle frequency.


title: Singing Nature, Dancing Buddha: Zen, Language, and the Groundlessness of Silence

subject:
Zen experience
Nature
Aesthetics
Language

abstract: This thesis presents Zen experience as aesthetic in nature. This is done through an analysis of language, a central concern for Zen Buddhism. The thesis develops two modes of language at work in Zen: representational and indexical. What these modes of language entail, the kind of relations that are developed through their use, are explored with recourse to a variety of Zen platforms: poetry, the koan, zazen, music, and suizen. In doing so, a primacy of listening is found in Zen - a listening without a listener. Given this primacy of listening, silence comes to the forefront of the investigation. An analysis of John Cage's 4'33" provides this thesis with justification of the groundlessness of silence, and the groundlessness of subjectivity. Listening allows for the abyssal subject to emerges, which in tum allows for reality to present itself outside of the constitutive function of language.


title: The Effects of Perceived Product-Association Incongruity on Consumption Experiences

subject:
Consumer evaluation
Consumer behaviour
Marketing

abstract: [unavailable]


title: Annual Variation in Bee Community Structure in the Context of Disturbance (Niagara Region, South-Western Ontario)

subject:
Bee communities
Habitat disturbance

abstract:
This study examined annual variation in phenology, abundance and diversity of a
bee community during 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008 in recovered landscapes at the
southern end of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Overall, 8139 individuals were collected
from 26 genera and sub-genera and at least 57 species. These individuals belonged to the
5 families found in eastern North America (Andrenidae, Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae
and Megachilidae). The bee community was characterized by three distinct periods of
flight activity over the four years studied (early spring, late spring/early summer, and late
summer). The number of bees collected in spring was significantly higher than those
collected in summer. In 2003 and 2006 abundance was higher, seasons started earlier and lasted longer than in 2004 and 2008, as a result of annual rainfall fluctuations.
Differences in abundance for low and high disturbance sites decreased with years.
Annual trends of generic richness resembled those detected for species. Likewise,
similarity in genus and species composition decreased with time. Abundant and common
taxa (13 genera and 18 species) were more persistent than rarer taxa being largely
responsible for the annual fluctuations of the overall community. Numerous species were
sporadic or newly introduced. The invasive species Anthidium oblongatum was first
recorded in Niagara in 2006 and 2008. Previously detected seasonal variation patterns
were confirmed. Furthermore, this study contributed to improve our knowledge of
temporal dynamics of bee communities. Understanding temporal variation in bee
communities is relevant to assessing impacts caused on their habitats by diverse
disturbances.


title: The Implications of Forager Behaviour for Social Organisation in a Socially Polymorphic Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica)

subject:
Bees - Foraging behaviour
Bees - Social behaviour

abstract:
In social Hymenoptera, the division of labour is a major step in the evolution of
sociality. Bees, which express many different kinds of sociality, can be classified
according to how individuals share or do not share foraging and reproductive activities
(Michener, 1974). The large carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica, lives in populations with
both solitary and social nests. In social nests, reproduction is controlled by the dominant
female, who does all of her own foraging and egg-laying, while the subordinates guard
the nest only. This study examined foraging behaviour as a way to classify the social
hierarchy. Individual females were marked, measured and intensely observed for the
foraging season. It was found that a large number of subordinates forage and likely
obtain more reproductive fitness than previously thought. The dominance hierarchy is
very likely a social queue, in which bees take turns foraging and egg-laying.


title: Electrophysiological constituents of the P100 and N170 ERP complex: De-constructing of face processing using independent component analysis and robust estimation.

subject: Face processing research

abstract:
The initial timing of face-specific effects in event-related potentials (ERPs) is a
point of contention in face processing research. Although effects during the time of the
N170 are robust in the literature, inconsistent effects during the time of the P100
challenge the interpretation of the N170 as being the initial face-specific ERP effect. The
interpretation of the early P100 effects are often attributed to low-level differences
between face stimuli and a host of other image categories. Research using sophisticated
controls for low-level stimulus characteristics (Rousselet, Husk, Bennett, & Sekuler,
2008) report robust face effects starting at around 130 ms following stimulus onset. The
present study examines the independent components (ICs) of the P100 and N170 complex in the context of a minimally controlled low-level stimulus set and a clear P100  effect for faces versus houses at the scalp. Results indicate that four ICs account for the ERPs to faces and houses in the first 200ms following stimulus onset. The IC that accounts for the majority of the scalp N170 (icNla) begins dissociating stimulus conditions at approximately 130 ms, closely replicating the scalp results of Rousselet et al. (2008). The scalp effects at the time of the P100 are accounted for by two constituent ICs (icP1a and icP1b). The IC that projects the greatest voltage at the scalp during the P100 (icP1a)
shows a face-minus-house effect over the period of the P100 that is less robust than the
N 170 effect of icN 1 a when measured as the average of single subject differential
activation robustness. The second constituent process of the P100 (icP1b), although
projecting a smaller voltage to the scalp than icP1a, shows a more robust effect for the
face-minus-house contrast starting prior to 100 ms following stimulus onset. Further, the
effect expressed by icP1 b takes the form of a larger negative projection to medial occipital sites for houses over faces partially canceling the larger projection of icP1a,
thereby enhancing the face positivity at this time. These findings have three main
implications for ERP research on face processing: First, the ICs that constitute the face-minus-house P100 effect are independent from the ICs that constitute the N170 effect.
This suggests that the P100 effect and the N170 effect are anatomically independent.
Second, the timing of the N170 effect can be recovered from scalp ERPs that have spatio-temporally overlapping effects possibly associated with low-level stimulus
characteristics. This unmixing of the EEG signals may reduce the need for highly
constrained stimulus sets, a characteristic that is not always desirable for a topic that is
highly coupled to ecological validity. Third, by unmixing the constituent processes of the
EEG signals new analysis strategies are made available. In particular the exploration of
the relationship between cortical processes over the period of the P100 and N170 ERP
complex (and beyond) may provide previously unaccessible answers to questions such as: Is the face effect a special relationship between low-level and high-level processes along the visual stream?


title: Longitudinal associations between passions and adjustment in adolescence: Positive mood and unstructured leisure activities as mediators

subject:
Adolescence - Passions
Success

abstract:
Passions are activities that people find important, like or enjoy, and on which they spend large amounts of time. Research examining passions in adolescence has been limited, despite a tendency for adolescents to explore their identity by trying new activities (Dworkin et aI., 2003).  The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between adolescent passions and positive adjustment (psychological well-being, optimism, purpose in life, and low risktaking), as well as investigate possible underlying mechanisms for the link between passions and adjustment. High school students (N=2270, 48.7% female) from Southern Ontario completed questionnaires in grades 10, 11, and 12. Path analyses were conducted to examine cross-lag paths among all study variables. Passions predicted higher optimism and purpose, as well as lower
negative risk-taking, over time, but these adjustment indicators in tum did not predict higher passions over time. Additionally, positive mood and unstructured leisure activities partially mediated these associations. Passions appears to be important for adolescent adjustment, and may serve as a protective factor or help to foster thriving.


title: Exploring the Family Context Among Children Adopted From China: Perceptions of Pre-Adoption Factors, Post-Adoption Experiences, and the Quality of Parent-Child Relationships

subject:
Family relationships
International adoption

abstract:
Within the context of international adoption, previous research has focused on parentchild
attachment relationships and various aspects of the adoption process. However, less
is known about other aspects of parent-child relationships (e.g., cohesion, conflict) within
internationally adoptive families. Additionally, there is a need for research that explores
both parent and child perceptions of the process of adoption - including pre- and post-adoptive factors - and its connection to the quality of parent-child relationships. This
research utilized a qualitatively-oriented methodology to conduct separate, in-depth
interviews with 10 adoptive Canadian mothers and their adopted Chinese children (aged
9 to 11 years). Results highlight parent and child reports of mainly strong, positive
relationships. Several pre-adoption experiences are examined, including
institutionalization, age at the time of adoption, and parental stress/expectations. A key
finding concerns the link that adoptive parents perceive between the quality of their
child's pre-adoptive care (i.e., mainly early institutionalized care) and the quality of their
relationship. Interestingly, this link is perceived in two different ways - either as a
challenge for the parent-child relationship or as a means to strengthen it. Post-adoption
experiences are also explored, including cultural socialization, creating a transracial
family, discussing adoption, parental stress, and sibling involvement. A key finding
involves parent and child reports that cultural socialization efforts (i.e., familiarizing
children with Chinese culture) are linked to more positive parent-child relationships. The
implications of these findings are discussed in relation to theory and practice within the
context of international adoption.


title: The relationship between working alliance and treatment outcomes in remedial instruction for older dyslexic children

subject:
Dyslexic students
Teacher-student relationships

abstract:
Research in psychotherapy has demonstrated that a positive working alliance between therapist and client leads to positive treatment outcomes. Though its focus is in the area of psychotherapy, the concept of working alliance holds significant value to the area of education. Current applications of the theory in educational settings have looked at relationships between teacher and students in the broad context of classroom interaction and found significant promise. The present study investigates the application of the theory of working alliance in a sample of older reading disabled children. The study examined the psychometric properties of the Reading Alliance Scale for Children (RASC) and for Teachers (RAST) in relation to student reading ability and motivation. A sample of 254 (66.1 % male, 33.9% female) grade 6-8 students (mean age 12.7 years) were enrolled in a remedial reading program for reading disabled children. The average standard score across multiple reading measures was more than 1 SD below age-level expectations. Students responded to measures of reading achievement and motivation at pretest,
after 70 hours (post 70) of remediation and at the end of the program (post 125). All participants completed measures on the working alliance relationship at post 70 and post 125. Results showed that teacher reports were most predictive of outcome compared to student reports of the working alliance relationship. Working alliance was correlated with posttest reading ability and motivation. Male students and Black students obtained the weakest working alliance reports from their teacher. Overall, findings support the view that students' relationships with teachers provide an important component of success in the classroom.


title: "I'm Your Biggest Fan, I'll Follow You ... " Lady Gaga, Little Monsters and the Religious Dimension of Fandom in Pop Music

subject:
Popular Music
Fans

abstract:
This thesis examines the religious dimension of fandom in popular music, taking
as an object of reflection Lady Gaga and her fans. I combine fan studies with theories of
immanence as well as Deleuze and Guattari's notion of the process of becoming, and
provide a theoretical reading of the relationship between Lady Gaga and her most fervent
fans, the 'little monsters.' Both fandom and religion promise a stable sense of identity
and authentic community to devotees. Performing deconstructive discourse analysis on
three of Lady Gaga's music videos, I demonstrate how fandom, like organized religion,
can simultaneously be an emancipatory practice and a practice that seeks to deny
individual subjects their agency. This thesis provides a new theoretical framework for
understanding fandom, and illustrates how the purported benefits of both fandom and
religion can only be gained when the figureheads of each group are symbolically
destroyed by the members themselves.


title: Palynology and foraminiferal geochemistry of the Lower Pleistocene Olduvai Subchron (ca. 1.8 Ma) in DSDP Hole 603C, western North Atlantic

subject:
Paleoclimate
Paleoceanographic changes

abstract:
Marine palynology and benthic and planktonic foraminiferal geochemistry are combined
to reveal long- and short-term (Milankovitch-scale) paleoceanographic changes across
the upper half of the Olduvai Subchron (ca. 1.86--1.77 Ma, lower Pleistocene) in DSDP
Hole 603C from the lower New Jersey continental rise. Planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca
ratios reveal annual sea-surface temperatures between 14.5° and 25°C, whereas modern
values vary between 16° and 20°e. Despite evidence of downslope transport in much of
the studied interval, dinoflagellate cyst and acritarch assemblages appear to reflect
fluctuating temperate to subtropical water masses. These assemblages comprise both
neritic and oceanic species, and are marked by a transition upsection from warm
conditions, dominated by Lingulodinium machaerophorum, Polysphaeridium zoharyi and
Cymatiosphaera? invaginata, to cooler conditions dominated by Filisphaera filifera.
Combining dinoflagellate cyst proxies with planktonic foraminiferal geochemistry allows
downslope transport events to be recognized during glacial episodes, and events
dominated by intensified bottom-water circulation during interglacial episodes. Sixtytwo
in-situ dinoflagellate cyst and acritarch taxa were recorded including several not
previously described.


title: Do you believe in the Loch Ness Monster? Children's influence on mothers' beliefs, values, and social/cultural practices.

subject:
Socialization
Parent - Child relationship

abstract:
Obtaining mothers' perspectives and descriptions of incidents in which their
child(ren) said or did something that influenced the mothers' values, beliefs, and/or
social or cultural practices, that is, the content of socialization, was the primary aim
of this research. Bakhtin's (2004) metatheoretical account of dialogism was used to
frame this study. From a dialogic perspective utterances (for example, the utterances
of children in the present study) are events or acts and are presented as one way to
view the process of socialization. In part this purpose, and the decision to utilize a
qualitative research orientation, was to address a call (Lollis & Kuczynski, 1997) for
qualitative or microanalytic analyses to help elucidate the processes of socialization.
Mothers (N=10) in this study were able to provide descriptions of incidents in
which their child(ren) said or did something that influenced the mother and hence we
have some description of the concept of bidirectionality, a well accepted, but undertheorized concept in developmental psychology. While the concepts of multiple
sources of influence and contexts are salient areas of research in parent-child
socialization, and were mentioned in the informants reporting these areas did not
appear to be as salient in the mothers' accounts. Emotions and the meaning mothers
'derived' from the interactions did, however, take much more prominence in the
described incidents.


title: Back to Basics: Exploring gestural habits as cues for anticipating self-injurious episodes in a child with Autism and Deafness

subject:
Self-injurious behaviour (SIB)
Case study
Autism
Deafness
Movement cues

abstract:
This research project is a longitudinal qualitative case study. It contributes to an
understanding of self-injurious behaviour (SIB) by inviting the reader through the narrative of the lived experience of a fifteen year old child-informant and the network of individuals in his life. The value and importance of a case-study is that it focuses on the authenticity of the experience of living with disability. Through the use of detailed field observations, interviews and photo documents, the study thoroughly explores three main areas: quality of movements, potential cues as pre-cursors to episodes of self-injury, and purposeful communication. The research begins with a review of literature on Autism, Deafness and Self-injury, formulates the research design and orientation of Physical Education, Phenomenology and Semiotics, and then systematically explores four distinct phases in the analytical process. The aim was to explore self-injurious episodes in the child informant in hopes to translate the meaning of the behaviour and potentially utilize this to provide more opportunities for adapted physical activity. The findings reveal distinct patterns of movement cues utilized for different purposes. The implications of the findings are self-injurious episodes in the child informant are preceded by distinct patterns of movement that are potentially communicative. Suggested future direction of the research is expanding the scope to other disabilities for which verbal communication is challenging, and standardizing the translating tools to assist in understanding the communication
of movement.


title: The Co-occurrence of Depressive Symptoms and Alcohol Use for Adolescent Boys and Girls: An Investigation of the Role of Self-Regulation and Approach Behavior

subject:
Adolescent depression
Adolescent alcohol use

abstract:
While many studies have been conducted on adolescent depressive symptoms and
alcohol use, much of the research has examined these behaviors separately rather than
examining their co-occurrence within individuals. In the present study, adolescents (N =
4412; 49% female) were surveyed at four time points (grade 9, 10, 11, and 12) and
growth mixture modeling was used to identify groups of individuals reporting various
patterns of depressive symptoms and alcohol use across the high school years. Four
groups were identified, including co-occurrence (higher depressive symptoms and higher
alcohol use relative to peers, comprising 6.1 % of boys and 7.1 % of the girls in the
sample), pure depressive symptoms (higher depressive symptoms and lower alcohol use;
12.7% of boys and 12.5% of girls), pure alcohol use (higher alcohol use and lower
depressive symptoms; 20.9% of boys and 19.9% of girls), and low co-occurrence (lower
depressive symptoms and alcohol use, 60.3% of boys and 60.5% of girls). Groups were
compared on self-regulatory (i.e., delay of gratification) and approach behaviors. For
both boys and girls, delay of gratification was the strongest predictor of group
membership, with the co-occurrence group scoring the lowest and the low co-occurrence
group the highest. This finding emphasizes the importance of assessing delay of
gratification in the identification of high risk youth.


title: Exploring the Ethical Decision-Making Processes of Community Care Providers

subject:
Intellectual Disability (ID)
Ethical decision-making
Community care

abstract:
While there has been a recent shift away from isolated, institutionalized living conditions,
persons with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) may still experience restricted access to choice when it comes to making decisions about the basic aspects of their lives. A tension remains between protecting individuals from harm and promoting their right to independence and personal liberties. This tension creates complex questions and ethical concerns for care providers supporting persons with ID. This study explored the ethical decision-making processes of care providers and specifically, how care providers describe the balance of protecting supported individuals from harm while promoting their right to self-determination. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six care providers employed by a local community agency that supports young and older adults with ID. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and broader themes were developed following phases of open and selective coding. Results indicated that care providers described ethical decision-making processes as frequent, complex, subjective, and uncomfortable. All participants described the importance of promoting independent
decision-making among the individuals they support and assisting supported individuals to make informed decisions. Participants also reported work colleagues and supervisors as primary sources of information when resolving ethical concerns. This suggests that complex ethical decision-making processes are being taken seriously by care providers and supervising staff. The results of this study are well-positioned to be applied to the development of a training program for frontline care providing staff supporting individuals in community care settings.


title: Narratives of Experience in Education: Living and Working Through Poverty in a Rural Community

subject:
Poverty and education
Rural schools

abstract:
In this study, I use my own experiences in education as a former elementary
student, research assistant, and as a current secondary school teacher, to examine how
living in a marginalised rural community challenged by poverty affected my formal
education. The purpose of this study was to use stories to: (a) explore my formative
elementary education growing up in a community that was experiencing poverty, and; (b)
to examine the impact and implications of these experiences for me as a teacher and
researcher considering the topic of poverty and education.
This study used narrative inquiry to explore stories of education, focusing on
experiences living and working in a rural community. My role in the study was both as
participant and researcher as I investigate, through story, how I was raised in a
marginalised, rural community faced with challenges of poverty and how I relate to my
current role as a teacher working in a similar, rural high school. My own experiences and
reflections form the basis of the study, but I used the contributions of secondary
participants to offer alternative perspective of my interpretation of events. Participants in
this study were asked to write about and/or retell their lived stories of working in areas
affected by challenging circumstances.
From my stories and those of secondary participants, three themes were explored:
student authorship, teaching practice, and community involvement. An examination of
these themes through commonplaces of place, sociality and time (Connelly and
Clandinin, 2006) provide a context for other educators and researchers to consider or reconsider
teaching practices in school communities affected by poverty.


title: A Home at School: Building Stronger Indigenous People through Cultural Resurgence in an Urban Ontario Public School Context.

contributor: Social Justice and Equity Studies Program

subject:
Aboriginal youth
Education
Aboriginal culture

abstract: In this thesis, I work through the educational narratives of young Aboriginal women and men as I explore the relationship between cultural programming and student engagement. My analysis is structured through a collaborative Indigenous research project. My overarching task is to explore how a cultural support program, the Native Youth Advancement with Education Hamilton (NYA WEH) Program, offered at Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School, located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, attempts to re-imagine Aboriginal education in ways that directly challenge the residential school legacy. In particular, I work to illuminate how particular forms of Aboriginal education are connected to the graduation rates of Aboriginal youth. I argue that the ways in which the NYA WEH Program navigates Native Studies curriculum, relationships, and notions of culture and tradition are significant to the engagement of Aboriginal youth. This research develops theoretical connections between the contemporary experience of Aboriginal social inequality and educational initiatives which attempt to reverse that legacy. By placing the NYA WEH Program narratives side-by-side with literature supporting Aboriginal education for Self-determination, I work to learn how to best support and encourage Aboriginal student engagement in secondary schools across Ontario.


title: Tetrathiafulvalene and 2,2'-Bipyridine: Bridging both Worlds in the Pursuit of Novel Molecular Materials

subject:
Conducting material
Magnetic material
Molecular structures
Chemical synthesis

abstract:
The preparation and characterization of two families of building blocks for
molecule-based magnetic and conducting materials are described in three projects. In the
first project the synthesis and characterization of three bis-imine ligands LI - L3 is
reported. Coordination of LI to a series of metal salts afforded the five novel
coordination complexes Sn(L4)C4 (I), [Mn(L4)(u-CI)(CI)(EtOH)h (II), [CU(L4)(u-sal)
h(CI04)2 (sal = salicylaldehyde anion) (III), [Fe(Ls)2]CI (IV) and [Fe(LI)h(u-O) (V).
All complexes have been structurally and magnetically characterized. X-ray diffraction
studies revealed that, upon coordination to Lewis acidic metal salts, the imine bonds of
LI are susceptible to nucleophilic attack. As a consequence, the coordination complexes
(I) - (IV) contain either the cyclised ligand L4 or hydrolysed ligand Ls. In contrast, the dimeric Fe3+ complex (V) comprises two intact ligand LI
molecules. In. this complex, the ligand chelates two Fe(III) centres in a bis-bidentate
manner through the lone pairs of a phenoxy oxygen and an imine nitrogen atom.
Magnetic studies of complexes (II-V) indicate that the dominant interactions between
neighbouring metal centres in all of the complexes are antiferromagnetic.
In the second project the synthesis and characterization two families of TTF
donors, namely the cyano aryl compounds (VI) - (XI) and the his-aryl TTF derivatives
(XII) - (XIV) are reported. The crystal structures of compounds (VI), (VII), (IX) and
(XII) exhibit regular stacks comprising of neutral donors. The UV -Vis spectra of
compounds (VI) - (XIV) present an leT band, indicative of the transfer of electron
density from the TTF donors to the aryl acceptor molecules.  Chemical oxidation of donors (VI), (VII), (IX) and (XII) with iodine afforded a
series of CT salts that where possible have been characterized by single crystal X -ray
diffraction. Structural studies showed that the radical cations in these salts are organized
in stacks comprising of dimers of oxidized TTF donors. All four salts behave as
semiconductors, displaying room temperature conductivities ranging from 1.852 x 10-7 to
9.620 X 10-3 Scm-I. A second series of CT salts were successfully prepared via the
technique of electrocrystallization. Following this methodology, single crystals of two CT
salts were obtained. The single crystal X-ray structures of both salts are isostructural,
displaying stacks formed by trimers of oxidized donors. Variable temperature
conductivity measurements carried out on this series of CT salts reveal they also are
semiconductors with conductivities ranging from 2.94 x 10-7 to 1.960 X 10-3 S em-I at
room temperature.
In the third project the synthesis and characterization of a series of MII(hfac)2
coordination complexes of donor ligand (XII) where M2+ = Co2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ are reported. These complexes crystallize in a head-to-tail arrangement of TTF donor and
bipyridine moieties, placing the metal centres and hfac ligands are located outside the
stacks. Magnetic studies of the complexes (XV) - (XVIII) indicate that the bulky hfac
ligands prevent neighbouring metal centres from assembling in close proximity, and thus
they are magnetically isolated.


title: Comparison of the Behavioural Development of Infants at Low and High-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders

subject:
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Parental observation
Early diagnosis
Infants

abstract:
By identifying early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder, early intervention or parent
training could be implemented and assist in increasing the developmental trajectory for these infants. This cross sectional study used the Parent Observation of Early Markers Scale (POEMS) to identify early signs of ASD in 69 high-risk (older sibling diagnosed with ASD) and 69 matched low-risk infants' families (no family history of ASD) between 6 and 36 months of age. The preliminary results showed the high-risk children had significantly more elevated POEMS items than the low-risk children at 12, 18,24,30 and 36 months of age. The results suggest that at-risk infants may show signs of ASD as early as 12 months of age, and that the POEMS could be used to guide early intervention or parent training for children 12 months or older.


title: Psychopathy and Aggression: Examining the Role of Empathy

subject: Psychopathy Empathy Aggression

abstract:
Empirical research has consistently demonstrated a positive association between
psychopathic traits and physical aggression (Campbell, Porter, & Santor, 2004; Gretton,
Hare, & Catchpole, 2004; Raine et aI., 2006; Spain, Douglas, Poythress, & Epstein,
2004). Moreover, research has also found that the emotional/interpersonal (Factor 1)
psychopathy traits tend to be more closely associated with goal oriented, proactive
aggression, whereas the social deviance (Factor 2) psychopathy characteristics have been more closely linked to reactive aggression, which is perpetrated in response to threat or provocation (Flight & Forth, 2007). Blair (2004; 2005; 2006) has recently proposed the Integrated Emotions Systems Model (lES), which posits that the association between Factor 1 psychopathy traits and proactive aggression is due to amygdala dysfunction leading to failed moral socialization. Consequently, individuals who exhibit Factor 1 psychopathy traits do not experience affective empathy in response to distress cues exhibited by others, thus, preventing the inhibition of proactive aggression. The current investigation sought to test this model by examining the associations among the
emotional/interpersonal (Factor 1) psychopathy traits, proactive aggression, and affective
empathy. After accounting for head injury, Factor 2 psychopathy traits, reactive
aggression, and cognitive empathy, it was hypothesized that 1) Factor 1 psychopathy
traits would predict proactive aggression, and 2) that affective empathy is a common
cause of Factor 1 psychopathy traits, proactive aggression, and of the relationship
between these two constructs. This hypothesis assumed that (a) affective empathy would
uniquely predict Factor 1 psychopathy traits, (b) that affective empathy would uniquely
predict proactive aggression, and (c) that affective empathy would account for the relationship between Factor I psychopathy traits and proactive aggression. The total
sample consisted of 137 male undergraduate students. Participants completed measures of psychopathy (SRP III; Paulhus, Hemphill, & Hare, in press), aggression (PCS; Marsee,
Kimonis, & Frick, 2004; RPQ; Raine et at, 2006), dispositional cognitive and affective
empathy (BES; Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006; TES; Spreng, McKinnon, Mar, & Levine,
2009), and situational cognitive and affective empathy in response to neutral and empathy
eliciting video clips. Physiological indices (heart rate & electrodermal activity) of
affective empathy were also obtained while participants viewed the neutral and empathy
eliciting videos. Findings indicated that Factor I psychopathy traits predicted proactive
aggression. In addition, results demonstrated that affective empathy predicted both Factor
I psychopathy traits and proactive aggression. However, the association between
affective empathy and proactive aggression appeared to be dependent on the
conceptualization and measurement of affective empathy. Conversely, affective empathy
did not appear to account for the relationship between Factor I psychopathy traits and
proactive aggression. Overall, results demonstrated partial support for the IES model.
Implications of the results, limitations of the study and future research directions are
discussed.


title: Riffing on a Theme: Faculty Experiences With Service-Learning  in a Food Security Research Network in Ontario

subject:
faculty
service-learning
food security
Appreciative Inquiry

abstract: While service-learning is often said to be beneficial for all those involved—students, community members, higher education institutions, and faculty members—there are relatively few studies of the attraction to, and effect of, service-learning on faculty members. Existing studies have tended to use a survey design, and to be based in the United States. There is a lack of information on faculty experiences with service-learning in Ontario or Canada. This qualitative case study of faculty experiences with service-learning was framed through an Appreciative Inquiry social constructionist approach. The data were drawn from interviews with 18 faculty members who belong to a Food Security Research Network (FSRN) at a university in northern Ontario, reports submitted by the network, and personal observation of a selection of network-related events. This dissertation study revealed how involvement with service-learning created opportunities for faculty learning and growth. The focus on food security and a commitment to the sustainability of local food production was found to be an ongoing attraction to service-learning and a means to engage in and integrate research and teaching on matters of personal and professional importance to these faculty members.  The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the FSRN’s model and the perceived value of a themed, transdisciplinary approach to service-learning. This study highlights promising practices for involving faculty in service-learning and, in keeping with an Appreciative Inquiry approach, depicts a view of faculty work at its best.


title: Equational Reasoning about Object-Oriented Programs

subject:
Software verification
Computer programming language

abstract:
Formal verification of software can be an enormous task. This fact brought some
software engineers to claim that formal verification is not feasible in practice. One
possible method of supporting the verification process is a programming language that
provides powerful abstraction mechanisms combined with intensive reuse of code.
In this thesis we present a strongly typed functional object-oriented programming
language. This language features type operators of arbitrary kind corresponding
to so-called type protocols. Sub classing and inheritance is based on higher-order
matching, i.e., utilizes type protocols as basic tool for reuse of code. We define the
operational and axiomatic semantics of this language formally. The latter is the basis
of the interactive proof assistant VOOP (Verified Object-Oriented Programs) that
allows the user to prove equational properties of programs interactively.


title: Molecular Magnetism: The Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of New Building Blocks for Molecule-based Magnetic Materials

subject:
Magnetic materials
Molecular structures

abstract:
Two classes of building blocks have been prepared and characterized and their
coordination chemistry explored working towards the preparation of new molecule-based
magnetic materials. In the first project, the amine functionality of 3,3'-diamino-2,2'-
bipyridine was exploited for the preparation of a new family of ligands (H2L 1)-(H2L 4).
The molecular structures of three ligands have been fully characterized by X-ray
crystallography. [molecular structure diagram will not copy here, but is available in full pdf.]  The coordination chemistry of these ligands with divalent first row transition
metal ions was investigated. For ligand (H2L1), the molecular structures of four
coordination complexes with stoichiometries [Zn2(Ll)(OAc)(MeO)]2 (I), [Cu2(L1)(OAc)2 (II), [Li(L1)]3 (III), and [Ni(L1)]3 (IV) were determined by X-ray crystallography. For ligand (H2L2), a Cu(II) complex of stoichiometry [Cu3(L2)(OAc)3MeO] (V) was determined by X-ray crystallography. The magnetic properties of complexes (II), (III), and (V) have been fully elucidated.
In project two, synthetic strategies for the preparation of porphyrin molecules
bearing triol substituents is presented. Following this approach, three new porphyrin
derivatives have been prepared and characterized [Zn(HPTPP-CH2C(CH20H)3)] (VI), [P(TPP)(OCH2C(CH2)H)3)2]+CL- (VII), and [P(OEP)(C6H5)(OCH2C(CH2OH)3)]+Cl- (VIII).  Attempts to exchange the labile methoxide bridges of a tetraironIIl single molecule
magnet of stoichiometry [Fe4(OMe)6(dpm)6] (Hdpm = dipivaloylmethane) with the triol
appended porphyrins will be discussed. [molecular structure diagram will not copy here, but is available in full pdf.]


title: An Examination of Youth Perceptions and Understandings of their Experiences with Extrajudicial Sanctions in Relation to Key Principles of the YCJA

subject:
Criminal Justice
Youth
Extrajudicial sanctions

abstract: It is unclear how the principles of meaningful consequences, fair and proportionate accountability, and rehabilitation and reintegration under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (2003) are understood and experienced by youth participating in diversion from youth court. Interviews with 20 youth revealed that, from their understanding, extrajudicial sanctions were viewed as accomplishing the goals of meaningful consequences and fair and proportionate accountability relatively well, but less emphasis was placed on rehabilitation and reintegration. The findings suggest that there may be a need an examination of the spectrum of responses available to youth under the umbrella of Extrajudicial Sanctions and their ability to achieve the key principles of the legislation. Implications for both youth and policy are addressed.


title: How Learning Styles, Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences, Confidence, and Demographics Correlate with Academic Success in First and Second Year Chemistry Courses

subject:
Learning styles
Academic success
Chemistry

abstract:
At Brock University, the Faculty of Mathematics and Science currently has one of the
highest percentages of students on academic probation, with many students reporting the
most difficulty with Introductory Chemistry in first year and Organic Chemistry in
second year. To identify strategies to improve students' performance and reduce the
number of students on academic probation, a multi-year research project was undertaken
involving several chemistry courses. Students were asked to complete three
questionnaires, and provide consent to obtain their final Chemistry grade from the
Registrar's Office. Research began at the end of the 2007-08 academic year with CHEM
IPOO, and in the 2008-09 academic year, students in the larger CHEM IF92 Introductory
Chemistry course were invited to participate in this research near the beginning of the
academic year. Students who went on to take second year Organic and Analytical
Chemistry were asked to complete these questionnaires in each second year course. The
three questionnaires included the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory (Kolb, 1984) modified
to include specific reference to Chemistry in each question, Dalgety, ColI, and Jones'
(2002) Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire (CAEQ), and lastly, a
demographic survey. Correlations were found between learning style and academic
success; concrete learners were not as successful as abstract learners. Differences were
noted between females and males with respect to learning styles, academic success, and
confidence. Several differences were also noted between those who are the First in the
Family to attend university and those who are not First in the Family to attend university.


title: Depopulating the Political Sidelines: CBC News Online Forum and Public Spheres in Canada

subject:
Public spheres
Online forums
Public discourse

abstract:
The subject of the Internet's potential to foster a public sphere has become a growing area of research in the social sciences in the last two decades. My research explores comments made by participants on the CBC News online politics forum during the May 2011 federal election in Canada. Based on conditions proposed by Jurgen Habermas in his concept of the public sphere and operationalized by Lincoln Dahlberg in his pioneering
study of the Minnesota e-Democracy listserv, my thesis explores the potential for the CBC News online forum to foster a public sphere for Canadians. While examining the CBC News online forum against the criteria of the public sphere, I also interrogate Habermas' concept of a universal public sphere using the works of Nancy Fraser and other scholars, who argue for multiple public spheres.


title: "All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues": [Post]Oedipal Fatherhood And Subjectivity In ABC's Lost

subject:
Fatherhood
Lost (Television program)
Identity

abstract:
ABC's popular television series Lost has been praised as one of the most
innovative programs in the history of broadcast television primarily due to its unique
storytelling content and structure. In this thesis, I argue that in spite of its
unconventional stances in terms of narrative, genre, and character descriptions, Lost
still conforms to the conventional understanding of family, fatherhood, and
subjectivity by perpetuating the psychoanalytic myth of the Oedipus complex. The
series emphasizes the centrality of the father in the lives of the survivors, and
constructs character developments according to Freud's essentialist and phallocentric
conception of subjectivity. In this way, it continues the classic psychoanalytic
tradition that views the father as the essence of one's identity. In order to support this
argument, I conduct a discursive reading of the show's two main characters: Jack
Shepherd and John Locke. Through such a reading, I explore and unearth the
mythic/psychoanalytic importance of the father in the psychology of these fictional
constructs.


title: An Exploration of Male Adolescents' Body Image Perceptions

subject:
Male adolescents
Body image

abstract:
There has been an increasing concern among researchers and the general
population of our culture's increasing emphasis on "ideal" physical attractiveness-for
both females and males. Despite this growing concern, research on body image has
focused primarily on women and girls, with little research aimed specifically for males.
Prior research (Grogan & Richards, 2002; Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2006) stated that
body image was a "feminine" or a "gay" issue, according to men and boys. The present
study investigates this issue, particularly within the theoretical framework of multiple
selves and gender theories. This exploratory case study involved semi-structured
interviews with six male adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 years. Researcher's
fieldnotes were taken after the interviews. Content analysis of the interviews and
fieldnotes revealed that for these six male adolescents, body image is not relevant to
them, as they think about and discuss their issues of physical appearance with family and
close peers. Traditional stereotypic notions of masculinity and what it means to be an
adolescent male for the participants are discussed within the context of developmentally
appropriate and gender-inclusive curriculum.


title: Construction of I-Deletion-Correcting Ternary Codes

subject:
Design theory
Coding theory

abstract: Finding large deletion correcting codes is an important issue in coding theory. Many researchers have studied this topic over the years. Varshamov and Tenegolts constructed the Varshamov-Tenengolts codes (VT codes) and Levenshtein showed the Varshamov-Tenengolts codes are perfect binary one-deletion correcting codes in 1992. Tenegolts constructed T codes to handle the non-binary cases. However the T codes are neither optimal nor perfect, which means some progress can be established. Latterly, Bours showed that perfect deletion-correcting codes have a close relationship with design theory. By this approach, Wang and Yin constructed perfect 5-deletion correcting codes of length 7 for large alphabet size. For our research, we focus on how to extend or combinatorially construct large codes with longer length, few deletions and small but non-binary alphabet especially ternary. After a brief study, we discovered some properties of T codes and produced some large codes by 3 different ways of extending some existing good codes.


title: Management Material: Understanding the Contradictory Perspectives of Lower Level Managers in a Canadian Call Centre

subject:
Labour unions
Working class people
Call centres
Management positions

abstract:
Call centres have emerged during a time of rapid technological change and represent a
form of ready employment for those seeking to replace or supplement "traditional" forms
of employment. Call centre work is considered characteristic of the kinds of service work
available in the new economy. This paper examines the experiences and practices of
lower level managers in a call centre in southern Ontario. Findings are based on analysis
of semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that lower level managers resolve the
contradictory social space they occupy by aligning themselves primarily with more
powerful executives, in part because they know this might lead to increased job security.
The implications of this trend for building a strong labour movement capable of
combating neoliberal discourses regarding the need for work restructuring are discussed.


title: Improving the Scalability of Reduct Determination in Rough Sets

subject:
Non-invasive data analysis
Attribute reduction process

abstract:
Rough Set Data Analysis (RSDA) is a non-invasive data analysis approach that solely relies on the data to find patterns and decision rules. Despite its noninvasive approach and ability to generate human readable rules, classical RSDA has not been successfully used in commercial data mining and rule generating engines. The reason is its scalability. Classical RSDA slows down a great deal with the larger data sets and takes much longer times to generate the rules.
This research is aimed to address the issue of scalability in rough sets by improving the performance of the attribute reduction step of the classical RSDA - which is the root cause of its slow performance. We propose to move the entire attribute reduction process into the database. We defined a new schema to store the initial data set. We then defined SOL queries on this new schema to find the attribute reducts correctly and faster than the traditional RSDA approach.
We tested our technique on two typical data sets and compared our results with the traditional RSDA approach for attribute reduction. In the end we also highlighted some of the issues with our proposed approach which could lead to future research.


title: Determining rotational direction of rotation structures using prolate shaped grains within till

subject:
Rotation structures
Deposition of subglacial till

abstract: Micromorphology is used to analyze a wide range of sediments. Many microstructures have, as yet, not been analyzed. Rotation structures are the least understood of microstructures: their origin and development forms the basis of this thesis. Direction of rotational movement helps understand formative deformational and depositional processes. Twenty-eight rotation structures were analyzed through two methods of data extraction: (a) angle of grain rotation measured from Nikon NIS software, and (b) visual analyses of grain orientation, neighbouring grainstacks, lineations, and obstructions. Data indicates antithetic rotation is promoted by lubrication, accounting for 79% of counter-clockwise rotation structures while 21 % had clockwise rotation. Rotation structures are formed due to velocity gradients in sediment. Subglacial sediments are sheared due to overlying ice mass stresses. The grains in the sediment are differentially deformed. Research suggests rotation structures are formed under ductile conditions under low shear, low water content, and grain numbers inducing grain-to-grain interaction.


title: Optical Properties of Sb2Te3, and Dilute Magnetic Semiconductors Sb1.97 VO.03 Te3 and Sb1.94 CrO.06 Te3

subject:
Magnetic semiconductors
Optical conductivity

abstract:
This thesis reports on the optical properties of the dilute magnetic semiconductors, Sb1.97 V 0.03 Te3 and Sb1.94Cr0.06Te3, along with the parent compound Sb2Te3' These materials develop a ferromagnetic state at low temperature with Curie temperatures of 22 K and 16 K respectively. All three samples were oriented such that the electric field vector of the light was perpendicular to the c-axis.  The reflectance profile of these samples in the mid-infrared (500 to 3000 cm-1) shows a pronounced plasma edge which retracts with decreasing temperature. The far-infrared region of these samples
exhibits a phonon at ~ 60 cm-1 which softens as temperature decreases. Kramers-Kronig analysis and a Drude-Lorentz model were employed to determine the optical constants of the bulk samples. The real part of the optical conductivity is shown to consist of intraband contributions at frequencies below the energy gap (~0.26 eV) and interband contributions at frequencies above the energy gap. The temperature dependence of the scattering rate show that a mix of phonon and impurity scattering are present, while the signature of traditional spin disorder (magnetic) scattering was difficult to confirm.


title: Examining Mentoring within a Particular Service Learning Context

subject:
Mentoring
Service learning
People with disabilities

abstract:
My goal for this research project was to explore the levels of mentoring within a
disability-focused service learning context known as the Special Needs Activity Program
(SNAP). At present, research on mentoring within specific service learning contexts
remains largely unexamined. In an effort to assess service learning and mentoring, I
completed a comparative case study across three distinct years of SNAP. Undergraduate
student leaders, known as coordinators, organize and implement SNAP as a thesis
project. I focused specifically on the mentoring experience of particular coordinators of
SNAP. My thesis presents and describes the findings of several levels of analysis across
three SNAP coordinator cohorts. The analysis focused on key words, idiomatic
expressions, patterns and dissonances. In my conclusion, I offer three metaphors that
describe mentoring within the SNAP experience and relate these to my discussion about
how mentoring functions as a component of service learning.


title: Spectral Reflectance Characteristics of Kimberlite Indicator Minerals and Other Selected Mineral Grains

subject:
Pyrope garnets
Light reflectance spectroscopy

abstract:
High chromium content in kimberlite indicator minerals such as pyrope garnet
and diopside is often correlated with the presence of diamonds. In this study, kimberlite
indicator minerals were examined using visible light reflectance spectroscopy to
determine if chromium content can be correlated with spectral absorption features. The
depth of absorption features in the visible spectral region were correlated with the
molecular percentage of chromium and other first series transition metal elements
obtained by electron microprobe data. In the visible part of the spectrum, chromium is
evident by 3 absorption features in the pyrope reflectance spectrum; one isolated and
narrow feature at the wavelength 689 nm was used to correlate with the chromium mol
%. The isolation of this feature in the pyrope spectra is advantageous since it is not
directly affected by other proximal absorption bands that could be caused by other
transition metals. Analysis of the feature indicates that as grain volume increases the
depth of the absorption feature will also increase. Clustering grain volumes into fractions
yields better correlation between absorption depth and mol % chromium.
Other types of garnet (almandine, grossular, spessartine) and kimberlite indicator
minerals (olivine, diopside, chromite, ilmenite) were analyzed to determine if other
absorption features could be used to predict the proportion of specific transition metal
elements. Diopside in particular illustrates the same isolated chromium absorption
feature as pyrope and may indicate mol percent but needs further study with larger
sample sets.


title: Blood, Sweat and Cheers: Absurdist Crime Films and Contemporary Society

subject:
Absurdist crime films
Crime film directors

abstract:
Within the crime film tradition there is a plethora of sub-genres all of which relate to
crime and its consequences. However, directors Joel and Ethan Coen, Quentin Tarantino
and David Lynch, all of whom create plots around crime and criminality, have been
difficult to pin down and attribute to any given sub-genre. This thesis demonstrates that
an absurdist philosophy can be used to effectively examine the content of the previously
mentioned filmmakers. Through an analysis of these filmmakers and their better known
works compelling evidence is revealed suggesting that these filmmakers may all belong
to the emerging crime film sub-genre known as absurdist crime films.


title: Salience of Charter Schools in Educational Policy Debates in Three Canadian Provinces: 1993-2010

subject:
Charter schools
Public education

abstract: School choice-the movement towards increased parental and student control over public education-has been endorsed extensively as a means of revitalizing and improving public schools. Part of this movement is the concept of charter schools, which have expanded rapidly in the United States and around the globe. In stark contrast, Canadians have remained relatively content with current educational arrangements; only 13 charter schools currently exist in Canada, all in the province of Alberta. This study sought to identify why charter schools have failed to situate themselves in Canadian education. The study used an agenda setting framework to determine the salience of charter schools as a public issue in three provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. Results largely indicate that over the past 18 years, charter schools have gradually declined as a salient issue. Additional discussion concerning the unique characteristics of Canadian education highlights factors that appear to discourage the expansion of such schools. However, although charter schools do not appear to be a current issue for Canadians, they may still emerge in the future, as parents and teachers continue to seek new ways of improving educational outcomes. Thus, although the impact of charter schools on public education has been minimal to date, they provide an illuminating lens towards better understanding educational reform and policy, as well as the fundamental values that shape education in Canada.


title: The Relationship Between Youth Risk-Taking Behaviour and Activity Engagement

subject:
Adolescents risk-taking behaviours
Positive youth development

abstract:
Youth have been found to engage in various risk-taking behaviours at higher rates than
any other age group. However, there is a lack of research on the division between adaptive and maladaptive risk behaviours among adolescents and emerging adults. Adaptive risk-taking behaviours may present youth with ways to successfully partake in the risk behaviours that they are naturally inclined to engage in. The relationship between activity engagement and positive youth development has been extensively studied and cited as a way to expose youth to positive experiences and promote successful development. However, the relationship between activity engagement and risk behaviours among youth has yetto be studied in depth. This study investigated the potential relationship between various adaptive and maladaptive risk behaviours and activity engagement among youth, through an indirect link through five mediator variables.
These potential mediators represented the three systems in Jessor's Problem Behaviour Theory. Participants included 276 youth (M = 19.06 years, SD = 1.60, 89.1 % female) from Brock University. Results revealed that activity engagement significantly predicted greater adaptive social risk behaviours among youth. However, there was no mediating effect through the problem behaviour systems. Correlations revealed that being male was associated with more maladaptive risk behaviours and fewer adaptive risk behaviours than females. Additionally, behavioural engagement specifically related to less maladaptive physical health risks and psychological engagement related to greater adaptive social risks. Overall, these findings suggest that activity engagement may be differentially related to the various types of risk-taking and gender associations may exist between the various types and dimensions of risk behaviours, but future work is needed to understand the variables that may explain such relationships.


title: I Believe in me, not OCB: Evaluation of Group Function-Based CBT as a Treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour in Four Children with HFA

subject:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder

abstract:
Researchers have conceptualized repetitive behaviours in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on a continuum oflower-Ievel, motoric, repetitive behaviours and higher-order, repetitive behaviours that include symptoms ofOCD (Hollander, Wang, Braun, & Marsh, 2009). Although obsessional, ritualistic, and stereotyped behaviours are a core feature of ASD, individuals with ASD frequently experience obsessions and compulsions that meet DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) criteria for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Given the acknowledged difficulty in differentiating between OCD and Autism-related obsessive-compulsive phenomena, the present study uses the term Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour (OCB) to represent both phenomena. This study used a multiple baseline design across behaviours and ABC designs (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007) to investigate if a 9-week Group Function-Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) decreased OCB in four children (ages 7 - 11 years) with High Functioning Autism (HFA). Key treatment components included
traditional CBT components (awareness training, cognitive-behavioural skills training, exposure and response prevention) as well as function-based assessment and intervention. Time series data indicated significant decreases in OCBs. Standardized assessments showed decreases in symptom severity, and increases in quality of life for the participants and their families. Issues regarding symptom presentation, assessment, and treatment of a dually diagnosed child are discussed.


title: Families with Children with Autism, Developmental Delay, and Typical Development: The Relationships of Parenting Self-Efficacy, Parenting Strategies, and Child Problem Behaviour

subject:
Parenting strategies
Autism spectrum Disorders
Children with developmental delays

abstract:
Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and developmental delays (DD) may experience more child problem behaviours, report lower parenting selfefficacy
(PSE), and be more reactive than proactive in their parenting strategies than those who have children with typical development (TD). Differences in PSE and parenting strategies may also influence the extent to which child problem behaviours are experienced by parents who have children with ASD and DD, compared to those who have children with TD. Using a convenience sample of parents of children with ASD (n = 48), DD (n = 51), and TD (n = 72), this study examined group differences on three key variables: PSE, parenting strategies, and child problem behaviour. Results indicated that those in the DD group scored lower on PSE in preventing child problem behaviour than the ASD group. The TD group used fewer reactive strategies than the DD group, and fewer proactive strategies than both the ASD and DD groups. For the overall sample, higher reactive strategies use was found to predict higher ratings of child problem behaviour, while a greater proportion of proactive to reactive strategies use predicted lower ratings of child problem behaviour. PSE was found to moderate DD diagnosis and child problem behaviour. Implications for a behavioural (i.e., parenting strategies) or cognitive (i.e., PSE) approach to parenting are discussed.


title: Infrared Spectroscopy of Gadolinium

subject:
Infrared Spectroscopy
Gadolinium

abstract:
Measurements of the optical reflectivity of the normal incident light along c-axis [0001]
have been made on a Gadolinium single crystal, for temperatures between 50 K and
room temperature just above the Curie temperature of Gd, which is 293 K. And
covering the spectrum range between 100 -11000 cm-I . This work is the first study
of Gd in the far infrared range. In fact it fills the gap below 0.2 eV which has never
been measured before.
Extreme attention was paid to the fact that Gadolinium is a very reactive metal
with air. Thus, the sample was mechanically polished and carefully handled during
the measurement. However, temperature dependent optical measurements have been
made in the same frequency range for a sample of Gd2O3. For comparison, both
samples of Gd and Gd2O3 were examined by X-Ray diffraction. XRD analysis showed
that the sample was pure gadolinium and the oxide layer either does not exist, or is
very thin. Furthermore, this fact was supported by the absence of any of Gd2O3
features in the Gd sample reflectivity.
Kramers Kronig analysis was applied to extract the optical functions from the
reflectance data. The optical conductivity shows a strong temperature dependence
feature in the mid-infrared. This feature disappears completely at room temperature
which supports a magnetic origin.


title: Back to School, Back to Normal? Exploring the Lived Experiences of Childhood Cancer Survivors and their Families Throughout the School Re-Entry Process

subject:
Childhood cancer survivors
Return to school

abstract: This study investigated parent and child perspectives of childhood cancer survivors' return to school. Four specific areas were examined including cognitive and academic concerns, social issues, perceived support, and the impact on siblings. Participants consisted of parents and childhood cancer survivors who were recruited through a regional parent support group. Data was collected during a focus group and interviews. Using a descriptive content analysis, results indicated that participants generally received the necessary resources, however issues such as consistency and having to advocate in order to attain these resources served as barriers for the families.


title: Early Development of Auditory-Verbal and Visual-Spatial Short-Term Memory: Age and Sex Effects

subject: Memory development

abstract:
Memory is a multi-component cognitive ability to retain and retrieve information presented in different modalities. Research on memory development has shown that the memory capacity and the processes improve gradually from early childhood to adolescence. Findings related to the sex-differences in memory abilities in early childhood have been inconsistent. Although previous research has demonstrated the effects of the modality of stimulus presentation (auditory versus verbal) and the type of material to be remembered (visual/spatial versus auditory/verbal) on the memory processes and memory organization, the recent research with children is rather limited. The present study is a secondary analysis of data, originally collected from 530 typically developing Turkish children and adolescents. The purpose of the present study was to examine the age-related developments and sex differences in auditory-verbal and visual-spatial short-term
memory (STM) in 177 typically developing male and female children, 5 to 8 years of age. Dot-Locations and Word-Lists from the Children's Memory Scale were used to measure visual-spatial and auditory-verbal STM performances, respectively. The findings of the present study suggest age-related differences in both visual-spatial and auditory-verbal STM. Sex-differences were observed only in one visual-spatial STM subtest performance. Modality comparisons revealed age- and task-related differences between auditory-verbal and visual-spatial STM performances. There were no sex-related effects in terms of modality specific performances. Overall, the results of this study provide evidence of STM development in early childhood, and these effects were mostly independent of sex and the modality of the task.


title: A Shift in Role: The Perspectives of Ontario Secondary Principals Working in Data-Driven Environments

subject:
Secondary School Principals
Accountability
Classroom instruction
Student achievement

abstract:
This study occurred in 2009 and questioned how Ontario secondary school principals perceived their role had changed, over a 7 year period, in response to the increased demands of data-driven school environments. Specifically, it sought to identify
principals' perceptions on how high-stakes testing and data-driven environments had
affected their role, tasks, and accountability responsibilities. This study contextualized
the emergence of the Education Quality and Accountability Offices (EQAO) as a central
influence in the creation of data-driven school environments, and conceptualized the role
of the principal as using data to inform and persuade a shift in thinking about the use of
data to improve instruction and student achievement. The findings of the study suggest
that data-driven environments had helped principals reclaim their positional power as
instructional leaders, using data as an avenue back into the classroom. The use of data
shifted the responsibilities of the principal to persuade teachers to work collaboratively to
improve classroom instruction in order to demonstrate accountability.


title: Improving Short DNA Sequence Alignment with Parallel Computing

subject:
DNA sequences
Genome sequencing data analysis

abstract:
Variations in different types of genomes have been found to be responsible for a large
degree of physical diversity such as appearance and susceptibility to disease. Identification of genomic variations is difficult and can be facilitated through computational
analysis of DNA sequences. Newly available technologies are able to sequence billions
of DNA base pairs relatively quickly. These sequences can be used to identify variations
within their specific genome but must be mapped to a reference sequence first. In
order to align these sequences to a reference sequence, we require mapping algorithms
that make use of approximate string matching and string indexing methods. To date,
few mapping algorithms have been tailored to handle the massive amounts of output
generated by newly available sequencing technologies. In otrder to handle this large
amount of data, we modified the popular mapping software BWA to run in parallel
using OpenMPI. Parallel BWA matches the efficiency of multithreaded BWA functions
while providing efficient parallelism for BWA functions that do not currently support
multithreading. Parallel BWA shows significant wall time speedup in comparison to
multithreaded BWA on high-performance computing clusters, and will thus facilitate
the analysis of genome sequencing data.


title: Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of ent-Neopinone

subject:
Neopinone
Chemoenzymatic synthesis

abstract:
The present thesis describes the chemoenzymatic synthesis of ent-neopinone.
The total synthesis of neopinone was accomplished in 14 steps from B-bromoethylbenzene.  The synthesis began with a microbial oxidation of
bromobenzene by Escherichia coli JM109(pDTG601) and features a Heck reaction,
aldol condensation and a 1,6-conjugate addition.


title: A Description of Psychotropic Medication Use in Institution and Community Settings in Ontario.

subject:
People with intellectual disabilities
Psychotropic medication use

abstract:
This study examined patterns of psychotropic medication use among 120 participants with
intellectual disabilities (ID) who used to live in facilities and now reside in community-based settings in Ontario. There were significantly more participants taking psychotropic medication in the community (83.30/0) than in the facility (74.2%). Of those who showed change, 4.2% were taking medication in the facility but not in the community, and 13.3% were taking medications in the community but not in the facility. While significantly more participants in the community were taking antipsychotic and antidepressant medications, there was no significant increase in psychiatric diagnoses after relocation. Additionally, PRN use was significantly reduced in the comlnunity while daily medication use was significantly higher. The most common PRN in both settings was lorazepam and the most common antipsychotics were risperidone, quetiapine and olanzapine.


title: Early Education Foundation: Portuguese Canadian Mothers' Preferences and Choices

subject:
Portuguese-Canadian mothers
Early childhood education

abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore Portuguese-Canadian mothers'
preferences and choices regarding their children's early care and education. The findings
revealed that Portuguese-Canadian mothers value early care and education and are
conscious of their role in their children's lives. Regardless of the type of care setting, the
participants' responses revealed that the caregiver's care, emotion, and responsiveness
are most important. More than developing "savvy" children, we need to nourish "happy"
children.
The study's participants include 9 Portuguese Canadian mothers without any
assumption of a hyphenated identity and who have moved away from their immigrant
parents' script. They embraced the vision of their children's success and cultivated their
vast potential. Their responses revealed that the family, culture, and traditions are
important factors in their child's academic and social growth and played a critical role in
establishing the foundations for learning.
The research study findings showed that the field of early care and education is
undergoing a paradigm shift and that other practices, ideologies, and theories are
surfacing. This study aimed to help develop a new grounded theory that contributes to a
better understanding of this arena. The present findings reveal important issues for
further discussion and lay a theoretical and empirical framework for future research in
early education and care.


title: Towards a better understanding of the relationship between speed of internationalization and performance outcomes among young international ventures

subject:
International marketing
Entrepreneurial ventures

abstract:
This thesis offers an explanation for the inconsistent relationship between speed of
internationalization and performance outcomes in the context of young international ventures. We argue that the variables of scope of internationalization, entrepreneurial orientation and degree of internationalization play a moderating role in the relationship between speed of internationalization and performance outcomes of international new ventures (INVs). Using primary survey data from INVs in China, we found empirical support for significant moderating impact of scope of internationalization, entrepreneurial orientation variables and no support for the moderating impact of degree of internationalization variable. The results suggest that business managers of INVs shall consider the applied moderating variables as an effective tool kit to enhance firm performance in foreign markets and to mitigate any potential risks of early internationalization.


title: Sustainability, Fashion Design, and Consumerism: Undergraduate Entry Level Fashion Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Habits

subject:
University students
Consumerism
Fashion industry

abstract:
This qualitative inquiry explored 7 undergraduate students' attitudes, habits, and
knowledge of consumerism, fashion design, and sustainability. The postmodern study
employed crystallization as its methodological framework to gain insight into how
participants' knowledge is manifested in their daily habits, and used 4 methods of data
gathering: semistructured interviews, visual exercises, journal entries, and the
researcher's own reflections. Four major themes emerged: Knowledge-Concepts
Linked and Fragmented; Dissonance Between Knowledge Versus Attitudes and
Consumer Habits; Surrendering to the Unsustainable Structures; Design Process and
Caring Attitude. Findings indicate that participants possessed some knowledge of
sustainability but lacked a well-rounded understanding of environmental and
humanitarian implications of Western consumer society. Findings also reveal a
dissonance between participants' knowledge and attitudes-affecting how their
knowledge influences their behaviour-and how reflection, creative thinking, and
drawing initiate change in participants' underlying attitudes. Recommendations are made
to merge a variety of theoretical frameworks into the educational system in order to
create curricula that offer a holistic overview and unique insights into sustainability
challenges, particularly in specialized areas of the fashion industry.


title: Investigation of Changes in Prescribed and Voluntary Job Roles in Community Service Delivery for People who have Intellectual Disabilities after the Implementation of the 3 Rs; Rights, Respect and Responsibility Project

subject:
Human rights
People with intellectual disabilities
Community support staff
Rights-based service training

abstract:
The purpose of this thesis was to explore whether there is change in organizational
citizenship behaviours in community agency staff following agency adoption of a rights -
based service philosophy. Four community agency support staff were interviewed to
investigate how residential care providers in services for persons who have intellectual
disabilities describe their voluntary job related behaviours following training about human
rights. The major finding was that the participants were actively engaged in displaying
civic virtue, courtesy, and altruism discretionary behaviours. There was evidence of a post
rights training shift in communication patterns with support staff reporting that they used
language that prom,oted and advocated for human rights, and reported increased
communication exchanges among persons supported by the agency, support staff and
managers. Participants also suggested that the individuals they support asserted their rights more frequently and they were more active in their own life choices following rights
training.


title: Correlation of Protein Homeostasis With Maximum Lifespans in Endothermic Vertebrates

subject:
Animal lifespan
Molecular chaperones

abstract:
Cellular stress resistance has been shown to be highly correlated with longevity.
However, the mechanisms conferring this stress resistance have yet to be identified.
Maintenance of protein homeostasis is a critical component of cellular maintenance and
stress resistance. Superior protein homeostasis capacities may thus underlie the greater
stress resistance observed in longer-lived animals; however, little vertebrate data have
been provided supporting this idea. I used two different experimental approaches to test
the associations of protein homeostasis capacities with stress resistance and lifespan: 1) a
comparison between a large set of vertebrate species with varying body masses and
lifespans and 2) a comparison of long-lived Snell dwarf mice and their normal littermates. Protein homeostasis mechanisms including protein degradation activity, protein repair activity and molecular chaperone levels were examined. These measurements were performed in liver, heart and brain tissues, and isolated myoblasts. My results indicated that neither protein degradation nor protein repair were upregulated in association with enhanced stress resistance and longevity in an inter-species and intraspecies context. Furthermore, my results did show that there is a positive correlation between molecular chaperone levels and maximum lifespan (MLSP). However, there was no elevation of chaperone levels in the long-lived Snell dwarf mouse, indicating there are other mechanisms linked to their increased lifespan. Therefore, these results suggest that molecular chaperones are involved in increasing animal lifespan in an interspecies context.


title: Educating for Community Resilience: How the Work of Thomas Homer-Dixon and JohnDewey's Pattern of Inquiry Can Help Us Prepare for the Ecological and Social Challenges of the 21st Century

subject:
Depletion of natural resources
Clmate change deniers
Global warming
Education for community resilience

abstract:
Scientists have overwhelmingly concluded that global warming occurs as a
consequence of human activities and that climate change, combined with the depletion
of resources, could have catastrophic consequences for the human civilization later this
century. However, in political circles and in the public sphere these conclusions are not
taken seriously, or they are laid aside for future generations to deal with; at the same
time, significant efforts are being deployed to discredit the scientific evidence. In this
thesis I have studied the positions of climate scientists as well as those of climate
change deniers, and I also examined how their points of view are likely to impact the
interests and habits of corporations and citizens. The work of Thomas Homer-Dixon
was used as an important source for analyzing the complex interaction between our
natural, economic, and social systems, and John Dewey's pattern of inquiry provided
the theoretical foundation for an analysis of the current crisis and its possible solutions.
No concerted action to deal with climate change has yet been taken by the leaders of
the Western world; I corroborated data from four reliable sources (Hansen, 2009;
IPCC, 2007; Lynas, 2007; Steffen, 2011) regarding several development scenarios and
their likely consequences on greenhouse gas emissions, and I concluded that a future
temperature increase of more than 2°C appears now as unavoidable. In the light of this
conclusion I argue that education for increasing the resilience of smaller communities
is a realistic alternative that can offer some hope in dealing with the challenges ahead.


title: The analysis of Metarhizium robertsii potential as endophytic plant root coloniser, plant growth enhancer and antagonist to bean root pathogen Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseolis.

subject:
Biocontrol agent
Plant growth

abstract:
The soil-inhabiting insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii also colonizes plant
roots endophytically, thus showing potential as a plant symbiont. M robertsii is not
randomly distributed in soils but preferentially associates with the plant rhizosphere when
applied in agricultural settings. Root surface and endophytic colonization of switchgrass
(Panicum virgatum) and haricot beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) by M robertsii were examined after inoculation with fungal conidia. Light and confocal microscopies were used to  ascertain this rhizosphere association. Root lengths, root hair density and emergence of lateral roots were also measured. Initially, M robertsii conidia adhered to, germinated on, and colonized, roots. Furthermore, plant roots treated with Metarhizium grew faster and the density of plant root hairs increased when compared with control plants. The onset of plant root hair proliferation was initiated before germination of M robertsii on the root (within 1-2 days). Plants inoculated with M robertsii AMAD2 (plant adhesin gene) took significantly longer to show root hair proliferation than the wild type. Cell free extracts of M robertsii did not stimulate root hair proliferation. Longer term (60 days) associations showed that M robertsii endophytically colonized individual cortical cells within bean roots. Metarhizium appeared as an amorphous mycelial aggregate within root cortical cells as well as between the intercellular spaces with no apparent damage to the plant. These results suggested that not only is M robertsii rhizosphere competent but displays a beneficial endophytic association with plant roots that results in the proliferation of root hairs. The biocontrol of bean (Phaseolis vulgaris) root rot fungus Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseolis by Metarhizium robertsii was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Dual cultures on
Petri dishes showed antagonism of M robertsii against F. solani. A relative inhibition of
ca. 60% of F. solani growth was observed in these assays. Cell free culture filtrates of M
robertsii inhibited the germination of F. solani conidia by 83% and the inhibitory metabolite was heat stable. Beans plants colonized by M robertsii then exposed to F. solani showed healthier plant profiles and lower disease indices compared to plants not colonized by M robertsii. These results suggested that the insect pathogenic/endophytic fungus M robertsii could also be utilized as a biocontrol agent against certain plant pathogens occurring in the rhizosphere.


title: All of My Blood is Red: Contemporary Metis Visual Culture and Identity

subject:
Metis identity
Contemporary culture

abstract: This thesis explores notions of contemporary Metis identity through the lens of visual culture, as articulated in the works of three visual artists of Metis ancestry. I discuss the complexities of being Metis with reference to specific art works by Christi Belcourt, David Garneau and Rosalie Favell. In addition to a visual culture analysis of these three Metis artists, I supplement my discussion of Metis identity with a selection of autoethnographic explorations of my identity as a Metis woman through out this thesis. The self-reflexive aspect of this work documents the ways in which my understanding of myself as a Metis woman have been deepened and reworked in the process of conducting this research, while also offering an expanded conception of contemporary Metis culture. I present this work as an important point of departure for giving a greater presence to contemporary Metis visual culture across Canada:


title: Generating Relation Algebras for Qualitative Spatial Reasoning

subject:
Qualitative spatial reasoning
Representable relation algebras
Artificial intelligence

abstract:
Basic relationships between certain regions of space are formulated in natural language
in everyday situations. For example, a customer specifies the outline of his future home to the architect by indicating which rooms should be close to each other. Qualitative spatial reasoning as an area of artificial intelligence tries to develop a theory of space based on similar notions. In formal ontology and in ontological computer science, mereotopology is a first-order theory, embodying mereological and topological concepts, of the relations among wholes, parts, parts of parts, and the boundaries between parts.
We shall introduce abstract relation algebras and present their structural properties as well as their connection to algebras of binary relations. This will be followed by details of the expressiveness of algebras of relations for region based models. Mereotopology has been the main basis for most region based theories of space. Since its earliest inception many theories have been proposed for mereotopology in artificial intelligence among which Region Connection Calculus is most prominent. The expressiveness of the region connection calculus in relational logic is far greater than its original eight base relations might suggest. In the thesis we formulate ways to automatically generate representable relation algebras using spatial data based on region connection calculus. The generation of new algebras is a two pronged approach involving splitting of existing relations to form new algebras and refinement of such newly generated algebras. We present an implementation of a system for automating aforementioned steps and provide an effective and convenient interface to define new spatial relations and generate representable relational algebras.


title: Parent and Peer Factors Relating to Adolescent Antisocial Behaviour: Investigating the Moderating Role of Temperament

subject:
Adolescent behaviour
Parenting styles
Adolescent temperamental predisposition

abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine whether certain temperament characteristics
(fearfulness, surgency, frustration, and effortful control) moderate the association
between authoritative parenting dimensions (psychological autonomy granting,
acceptance-involvement, and monitoring knowledge) or friends' antisocial behaviour,
and self-reported antisocial behaviour among adolescents. Questionnaires on adolescent
temperament and authoritative parenting were completed by 484 mothers and their
adolescent children (54.8% female). In addition, the adolescents responded to measures
regarding friends' antisocial behavior and their own antisocial behaviour. Adolescent
participants ranged between 13 and 17 years of age (M = 14.96 years, SD = 1.39) and
lived in a region of southern Ontario. As predicted, the results indicated that effortful
control moderated the association between parental monitoring knowledge and adolescent antisocial behaviour. Also, as predicted, effortful control moderated the
relation between friends' antisocial behaviour and adolescents' self-reports of antisocial
behaviour although the relation was sex-specific to girls. Unexpected results included a
significant monitoring knowledge by frustration by sex interaction, and a significant
friends' antisocial behaviour by age interaction. In general, the findings were consistent
with the expectation that the relation of parenting and peer factors to antisocial behaviour
would depend on adolescents' temperamental predispositions. However, effortful control,
which contributes to individual differences in self-regulation abilities, served this
moderating role to a greater extent than the measures of temperamental reactivity,
including fearfulness, surgency and frustration-proneness. Implications of these results
are discussed with reference to parenting or classroom-based interventions that may be
especially helpful for adolescents with poor self-regulation abilities.


title: The Association between Tobacco Control Policies and Marijuana Use among Ontario Undergraduate Students

subject:
marijuana
tobacco control
population health
young adults
Canadian

abstract: Background: Research indicates a steady increase in marijuana use and that it is concurrent with tobacco. There is speculation this concurrency reaches beyond use, to where policies aimed at reducing one may result in the reduction of the other. Purpose: To investigate the association between tobacco control policies and marijuana use among young adult undergraduates. Methods: A stratified sample of Ontario universities resulted in a sample of 4,966 participants. Results: Campuses with a moderately strong policy was found to be significantly associated with decreased marijuana use compared to campuses with a weak tobacco control policy. (OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.36-0.76). Conclusions: The findings show tobacco control strategies are related to decreased odds of marijuana use among Ontario undergraduates. These findings are important to both policy makers and researchers interested in health strategies pertaining to marijuana and tobacco use and/or how health policies aimed at reducing one risk behaviour can affect another.


title: APPLICATION OF GEOMATICS TECHNOLOGIES TO CHARACTERIZE SPATIAL VARIABILITY AT STRATUS VINEYARDS

subject:
Vineyards
Spatial variability
Geomatics

abstract:
Vineyards vary over space and time, making geomatics technologies ideally suited to
study terroir. This study applied geomatics technologies - GPS, remote sensing and GIS
- to characterize the spatial variability at Stratus Vineyards in the Niagara Region. The
concept of spatial terroir was used to visualize, monitor and analyze the spatial and
temporal variability of variables that influence grape quality. Spatial interpolation and
spatial autocorrelation were used to measure the pattern demonstrated by soil moisture,
leaf water potential, vine vigour, soil composition and grape composition on two
Cabernet Franc blocks and one Chardonnay block. All variables demonstrated some
spatial variability within and between the vineyard block and over time. Soil moisture
exhibited the most significant spatial clustering and was temporally stable. Geomatics
technologies provided valuable spatial information related to the natural spatial
variability at Stratus Vineyards and can be used to inform and influence vineyard
management decisions.