title: Oxygen and Boron Isotope Effects in Synthetic Calcite

contributor:
Kim, Sang-Tae
Geochemistry

subject: isotopes carbonates

abstract:
Natural calcium carbonates, such as foraminifera and speleothems, are ubiquitous on the Earth’s surface and are essential subjects of study to the field of paleoclimatology. In particular, climate proxies using stable isotope and/or trace element concentrations of marine or continental carbonates largely rely on laboratory calibration studies in which carbonates are synthesized and their geochemical properties are carefully quantified. The boron isotope compositions of marine carbonates are a potentially powerful tool for the reconstruction of ancient seawater pH. If proven reliable, this tracer will allow systematic recording of paleooceanographic conditions, greatly assisting climatologists identifying historical fluctuations in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
The boron isotope-pH proxy relies on the hypothesis that only the charged borate ion, possessing a distinct boron isotope composition as a function of pH, is incorporated into the carbonate crystal lattice. In this study, abiotic calcite was synthesized in high ionic strength solutions (0.7 mol/kg) across a range of controlled pH conditions (low pH ~ 7.15, mid pH ~ 8.35 and high pH ~ 9.15). The magnitude of boron isotope fractionation (δ11B) was determined to quantify the pH-dependence of δ11Bcalcite between the carbonate and the precipitating solution. The observed increase in boron isotope composition of calcite with pH is consistent with preferential incorporation of borate ion into the crystal lattice, however the sensitivity of the acid dissociation and isotope equilibrium constants render it difficult to ascertain its exclusive contribution to the boron isotope composition of calcite. Observed non-equilibrium effects further mask the interpretation of the underlying mechanisms, which must be understood precisely to validate the proxy. Ultimately, the relationship between the boron isotope composition of marine carbonates and ocean pH may provide objective evidence for ocean-CO2 system alterations possibly stemming from human-induced climate change.
This research also evaluated the temperature- and pH-dependence of oxygen isotope fractionation (between calcite and water) in high ionic strength systems at 10, 25 and 40 °C over a pH range of 7.46-9.43. Our study is the first to assess oxygen isotope effects and fractionation behaviour under these varied conditions while employing the constant addition method. Preliminary results support several working hypotheses in the field and have proven consistent with previously untested theoretical predictions.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Micropipette Deflection Experiments on the Nematode C. elegans

contributor:
Dalnoki-Veress, Kari
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Micropipette deflection
C. elegans
microswimmer
locomotion

abstract:
This thesis describes the use of a micropipette deflection technique to measure the viscous forces experienced by the millimeter sized undulatory swimmer and model organism C. elegans. Using a specialized pipette, we are able to simultaneously measure both the lateral and propulsive forces acting on the worm. We find that the measured force curves are well described by Resistive Force Theory, which is a low Reynolds number hydrodynamic model. This work constitutes the first justification of its applicability at Reynolds numbers of this magnitude (roughly 0.1). Through our comparison with Resistive Force Theory, we extract the worm's drag coefficients, which are in agreement with an existing theoretical prediction. Through a simple scaling argument, we obtain a relationship between the size of the worm and the typical viscous forces, which is in good agreement with our data.

We also present a study aimed at measuring how the hydrodynamic forces on the worm change in proximity to solid boundaries. Using micropipette deflection, forces are measured at controlled distances from a single planar boundary and midway in between two parallel boundaries. We find the viscous forces and drag coefficients to increase significantly as the worm approaches a boundary. We find a constant value for the ratio of normal to tangential drag coefficients at all distances from a single boundary, but measure it to increase significantly as the worm is confined between two boundaries.  In addition, the worm is seen to undergo a  continuous gait modulation, primarily characterized by a decreased swimming amplitude, as it is subject to larger drag forces in confinement.

Finally, the interactions between two worms swimming nearby one another are probed. Worms are held adjacent to one another using micropipettes, and are found to tangle with each other, rather than interact hydrodynamically. We develop simple models that well capture the onset and probability of tangles as a function of the separation distance between the worms.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Barriers to the management of cardiovascular disease

title: A focus on availability and affordability of medications in 17 countries

contributor:
Yusuf, Salim
Health Research Methodology

subject:
cardiovascular disease
affordability
low and middle income countries
medication use

abstract:
Background: The use of evidence-based medications for the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is low worldwide. A key strategy to improving use of medications is to understand the barriers to their use. This thesis aims to identify barriers that may influence use of these medications in high, middle, and low income countries. Data on barriers in low and middle income countries are especially lacking. We postulate that in those settings lack of availability and affordability of proven medications are key barriers to medication use.
Methods: We initially systematically reviewed the literature on barriers to medication use. Since data on these barriers for the management of CVD are sparse, the review included studies focused on hypertension, because it is the leading risk factor for CVD. Baseline data from the PURE study were then used to investigate whether availability and affordability of medications influence their use for secondary prevention of CVD. PURE is a prospective study that recruited adults between the ages of 35 to 70 years from 17 high, middle, and low income countries. Availability and affordability of medications were documented for each country income group, and the associations between these two potential barriers and medication use was explored after accounting for other factors that may influence medication use.
Results: The review showed that in high income countries, non-healthcare system related factors, such as lack of knowledge and motivation, were more commonly reported as barriers, whereas in low and middle income countries healthcare system factors were most commonly reported as barriers to hypertension management. However, very few studies were conducted in low and middle income countries and so there is limited information on whether availability and affordability of medications affect their use. Results from the PURE study indicate that medications recommended for the secondary prevention of CVD were often not available and when available, they were not affordable for a high proportion of individuals in low and middle income countries. Lack of availability and low affordability were strongly associated with medication use in these settings.
Conclusions: Barriers to medication use are context specific and interventions to improve use should be tailored to barriers depending on the setting. In high income countries where the medications are usually available and affordable interventions should target knowledge and motivation barriers. In low and middle income countries, the focus should be on healthcare system interventions to improve the availability and affordability of medications.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Design and Implementation of a Digital Magnetic Tape System and its Application in Radio-Isotope Scanning

contributor:
Kennett, T. J.
Electrical Engineering

subject:
digital magnetic tape recording
image enhancement

abstract:
This thesis is divided into two general sections. The first deals with the theory of digital magnetic recording and surveys the more common techniques used in digital magnetic tape recording. A new recording format is described which leads to a greater data rate at normal recording densities. The design and implementation of a recording system using this technique is described.
The second section outlines the design of a portable digital recording system compatible with the peripheral unit described in section 1. The application of this system to the acquisition of data from a radioisotope scanner used in nuclear medicine is described and some basic results obtained from the system are demonstrated. Fundamental work towards image enhancement is outlined.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (ME)


title: Response of One-Way Reinforced Masonry Flexural Walls under Blast Loading

contributor:
El-Dakhakhni, Wael
Tait, Michael
Civil Engineering

subject:
Blast Loads
Concrete Masonry
Reinforced Masonry Blast Response
Third-Scale Testing
Nonlinear SDOF Model
Strain Rate
Pressure-Impulse

abstract:
In this thesis, the dynamic structural response of six scaled flexural masonry walls to scaled blast loading is experimentally investigated. These walls have been tested in at an open range with charge masses ranging from 5 kg to 25 kg of Pentex-D explosive material with a TNT equivalency of 1.2, and with a constant stand-off distance of 5 m throughout testing. The field properties of the blast wave, which includes the reflected and free field pressures, were recorded. Additionally, the displacement response histories of the wall over the blast test were recorded and the post-blast damage was documented. This study puts forth several potential models for the analysis of the experimental data. The experimentally obtained blast characteristics were compared to predictions of the Kingery and Bulmash (K-B) model. The strain rates used during the study are equivalent to those developed by a number of studies for the materials used in the construction of the specimens.
The results obtained through the experimental program are compared to those from a variety of single degree of freedom models, ranging from simplified linear relationships to complex stress-strain relations accounting for the effects that arise because of the increased strain rate due to blast testing. The simplified model assumes a constant stiffness, mass, and triangular pressure profile to determine the peak deflection of the specimen during an experimental test. The bilinear and nonlinear models are based on the discretization of the wall sections into a number of layers, and using strain-rate dependent, stress-strain relations of the constituent materials to generate stresses within the layers. These stresses then
iv
form the basis of the resistance function to determine the structural response of the test specimens. In this study, the effect of higher modes of vibration on the test specimens is not included. The bilinear and nonlinear models are then implemented to develop Pressure-Impulse (P-I) diagrams, and the effect of the strain rate on P-I diagrams is investigated. The P-I are then available to be implemented into the recent blast code for reinforced masonry flexural walls.
The fitted results of the recorded experimental blast pressure parameters are shown to be adequately approximated by the software ConWep in terms of the peak pressure and specific impulse. Comparing the K-B model, which forms the theoretical basis of ConWep, to the raw pressure profile data obtained from the experimental testing, a significant variations is found in the pressure data while significant scatter is found in the impulse. The analytical results show that increasing the nonlinearity of the material accounts for; the response predicted by the single degree of freedom model more closely relates to the response of the specimens. In addition, strain rate effects have a significant impact on the potential level of protection (LOP) provided by masonry flexural walls, as it has a noticeable effect on the curves of the P-I diagram.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Methods for Performance Evaluation of the Acquisition Hardware for Microwave Imaging

contributor:
Nikolova, Natalia
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject: Microwave Imaging, Sensitivity, Sensor, Antenna, Efficiency

abstract: This thesis contributes to the methods for evaluating the hardware performance of microwave imaging systems. Different aspects of this performance study are systematically described and evaluated through existing and novel performance metrics. The dynamic range of two vector network analyzers and their noise floor are explored. The effects of low noise amplifiers on the dynamic range of the microwave system are also studied. To increase the dynamic range and sensitivity of the system, a new high efficiency ultra wide band TEM horn antenna is introduced. The new antenna significantly blocks the electromagnetic interference from the surrounding medium. The parasitic coupling between the transmitting and receiving antennas has been reduced to a minimum. To estimate the efficiency of the antenna used in tissue imaging more realistically, a measurement based method is also proposed. The method models the two-port network formed by the antennas and the medium between them by signal flow graph. The medium’s electrical properties mimic those of tissue and can vary according to the application. Also, a new performance metric for microwave systems namely, the physical contrast sensitivity is proposed. Methodologies are proposed for its evaluation through measurements and through simulations. This enables the estimation of the smallest detectable target permittivity contrast or size for the system under evaluation.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The centres of galaxy group dark matter halos

contributor:
Parker, Laura
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Galaxy Group
Dark Matter Halos

abstract:
Galaxies, galaxy groups and galaxy clusters are embedded in large dark matter halos. Most galaxies in the local universe are found in the galaxy group environment. Locating the centres of galaxy groups is crucial in order to study their properties such as their halo masses. It is often assumed that the most massive galaxy (or brightest galaxy) resides at the centre of the gravitational potential. With the aim of evaluating the validity of this paradigm in galaxy groups, we used two different methods to probe the centres of galaxy group halos: the weak gravitational lensing and dynamical methods. We use these two methods to determine the best definition of galaxy group centres.
Our sample is composed of 49 optically (spectroscopically) selected groups and 36 high quality X-ray-selected groups. In total our sample is composed of 78 distinct groups in the redshift range 0.1 < z < 0.9 from the GEEC sample. Our weak lensing analysis suggests that the weighted centre is a better definition than the most massive galaxy position. We address the question of whether or not the result is significantly different for X-ray and optically selected systems. For optically selected systems, the weighted centre is a significantly better assumption of the group centre than the most massive galaxies position. For the X-ray selected groups, the weighted centre and the most massive galaxy appear to trace the centre equally well, although the best definition is the location of the peak in X-ray emission. We evaluate, for the first time, the impact of dynamically complex groups on weak lensing analysis. Once we removed dynamically complex systems from our sample, the lensing signals for all centre definitions are in better agreement suggesting that groups with large offsets between the centre definitions are unevolved systems. For the dynamical method, velocity dispersion profiles suffer from large uncertainties and, therefore, we are unable to place any constraint on the centre definition from this technique.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: L'Ecriture de la mort dans l'oeuvre de Cioran

contributor:
Stout, John
French

subject:
French Literature
Romanian
Theater in Post-war France
Death
Contemporary France

abstract: The thesis attempts to explore and analyze the characteristics of the writing of death in Cioran' s texts. Living in France smce 1937, the Romanian-born French writer E.M.Cioran has established a significant position for himself in contemporary French literature. He has been considered one of the greatest French stylists while his contribution to the development of the contemporary essay has o~en been compared to Beckett's contribution to the renewal of the theater in postwar France. The first part of the study is an inquiry into the sense of death that oriented Cioran' s aphoristic writings from beginning to end. I try to describe the crisis of metaphysics and language that influenced Cioran' s -writing, as well as the possible links between his essays and a particular Romanian feeling for death. On the other hand, I also connect Cioran' s writings with the sense of death that characterizes contemporary examinations of discourse in the period after 1960, in France. In the second part of the thesis I attempt to formulate a typological description and analysis of Cioran' s essential modes of expression, the essay and the aphorism. My intention is to examine the feeling of death as a generator of style through an analysis of Cioran' s fundamental texts. The thesis ultimately suggests that in Emil Cioran's work, the feeling of death represents a direct challenge to the legitimacy of literature. Is Cioran a great metaphysician of death? Or is his writing in revolt against the sterile rationalism of the metaphysical revolution that followed the Enlightenment? Should we, then, reconsider his thought and style as a post-modernist expression of the feeling of the end? The present study does not claim to answer these questions, but merely to suggest a few paths that could lead to a better understanding of the writing of an important contemporary French writer.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Effect of Cholesterol on a Five Component Mitochondria-Like Membrane

contributor:
Fradin, Cecile
Physics and Astronomy

subject: Cholesterol apoptosis x-ray neutron scattering mitochondria

abstract: Cholesterol is known to affect biophysical quantities in one and two component membranes, overall increasing membrane thickness and orientational order and decreasing membrane fluidity. Although these effects are useful in the plasma membrane of cells where strength is a desired property, there is evidence suggesting that the appearance of cholesterol in other cellular membranes has adverse effects. Indeed, cholesterol is found at elevated levels in the mitochondria membranes of cancer cells and is associated with chemotherapy resistance. At the molecular level, the link between cancer and cholesterol seems to be that cholesterol interferes with apoptosis, or programmed cell death, specifically by inhibiting the insertion of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax in the mitochondria outer membrane. We studied the effects of cholesterol on a five component mitochondria-like membrane, in order to determine which of these are relevant for Bax membrane insertion. As expected we found, using x-ray and neutron scattering, that upon cholesterol addition: (1) the thickness of the mitochondria-like membrane increases, (2) the area per phospholipid decreases, and (3) the orientational order of the membrane increases. Interestingly, our data indicate that the ordering effect of cholesterol is less efficient for the five component mitochondria-like membrane than for a single component membrane. Finally, we determined that in spite of the relatively high degree of unsaturation of the lipids in the mitochondria-like membrane, cholesterol adopts a canonical orientation. At higher cholesterol concentrations, cholesterol's polar hydroxyl group moves outwards and comes in proximity with the phospholipid's carbonyl group, allowing hydrogen bonding between the two types of molecules. Any of the above effects could in principle be responsible for cholesterol's inhibition of Bax insertion, thus follow up studies are required to confirm which, or what combination of them are relevant for apoptosis.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: The Effect of Atmospheric Aerosol on the Net Solar Radiation Balance of the Surface-Lower Atmospheric System

contributor:
Davies, J.A.
Geography

subject:
atmospheric aerosol
solar radiation
surface-lower atmosphere system
Toronto
Winnipeg

abstract: Page 7 was mistyped as being page 8. All content present is in logical order.

abstract: A simple method for computing the effect of atmospheric aerosol on the net solar radiation balance of the surface-lower atmosphere system is presented. It was found that in clear sky conditions at Goose Bay, Toronto and Winnipeg, for the period 1977 -1982, the presence of aerosol made the systems 10 -20% more efficient at absorbing radiation than if the aerosol was absent. Furthermore, surface albedo is shown to be the most important parameter governing the effect of aerosol on the net solar radiation balance in an aerosol system, while the effect of volcanic aerosol produced by El Chichon had a minor influence on the net solar radiation balance.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Science (BSc)


title: THE USE OF NICOTINIC ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS TO TARGET BREAST TUMOR-INITIATING CELLS

contributor:
Hassell, John
Medical Sciences

subject: Breast tumor initiating cells, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists

abstract: The high rate of relapse often seen in breast cancer patients has been suggested to be the result of a small subset of chemotherapy-resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs), believed to be responsible for initiating tumor formation. These CSCs possess the capability to self-renew and give rise to a hierarchy of cells which makes up the bulk of a tumor. Neurotransmitters have been suggested to influence CSC self-renewal and proliferation capabilities, and antagonists of neurotransmission pathways have been implicated as possible treatment methods for chemo-resistant tumors. Using nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonists in sphere-forming assays, we have identified a very promising candidate compound: MG624. We found this compound to have a high selectivity for sphere-forming cells over non-sphere-forming cells in vitro, in a dose-dependent relationship, across a panel of cell lines as well as in patient-derived xenograft cells. This was validated in two ex vivo assays, where tumor formation was significantly delayed in mice injected with MG624-treated HCC1954 cells at both the IC50 and IC90 of the compound, indicating that MG624 does indeed target functional BTICs. MG624 was also found to synergize with both taxotere and doxorubicin chemotherapies in vitro, and shrink tumors in NOD/SCID mice when combined with taxotere in vivo. MG624 in combination with taxotere was found to induce apoptosis, and prevent cells from entering into the M-phase of the cell cycle. Interestingly, MG624 was found to eliminate intratumoral fibroblasts in combination with taxotere, despite taxotere being found to recruit fibroblasts to the tumor site when used on its own. Most importantly, the combination of MG624 and taxotere was found to significantly delay tumor progression/relapse in mice, indicating that MG624 may be an excellent candidate compound to one day be combined with chemotherapy to provide durable remission to breast cancer patients.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Long Range Interaction Energy Between Atoms and Molecules

contributor:
Britton, F.R.
Physics

subject: energy interaction atoms molecules

abstract:
No Abstract provided
Thesis
Master of Science (MSc)


title: Anisotropic Optical Reflectance of Hg₂.₈₆AsF₆

contributor:
Datars, W.R.
Physics

subject:
Optical reflectance
electrical measurements
quasi two dimensional compound

abstract: Optical reflectance of the quasi two dimensional compound Hg₂.₈₆AsF₆ has been investigated in the optical range, 0.5 to 4 eV. The spectra clearly show a plasma edge at 3 eV. They are fitted to a Drude model and two Lorentz oscillators. From the plasma frequency and the model parameters values for the dc conductivity and the effective mass and an estimate of the crytsal anisotropy have been obtained. The results compare well with earlier electrical measurements on this compound.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: The Settlement of Union Park, Hamilton 1900 - 1940: A Study using Tax Assessment Records

contributor:
Harris, R.
Geography

subject:
working class suburban neighborhood
pre WWII
Union Park
Hamilton, Ontario

abstract: This research paper describes a working-class suburban neighborhood for the pre-WWII period 1900-1940. The data are accumulated from tax assessment records, as these are extremely accurate and contain a large variety of information suitable for this study. The main objective is to describe the characteristics of Union Park in Hamilton, Ontario, using the years 1911, 1921 and 1931 as representative of the time period. Three areas of concern were focused on: the occupational characteristics of the inhabitants, describing the inhabitants homes based on building values, and determining characteristics of construction in the area as either owner-built or speculatively built. In general the results show that the area was predominantly working-class, the homes were very cheap in relative value and that the area was primarily owner-built for the period of study. Interesting variations were observed and possible reasons for such variations are suggested.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Science (BSc)


title: Solution Pits

contributor:
Ford, D.C.
Geography

subject:
Littoral solution pits
shorelines
pit characteristics
pit depths

abstract:
Littoral solution pits were studied along 4 shorelines in the Guelph and Amabel Formations of the Bruce Peninsula. Pit depths, diameters, and densities were measured at several elevations above and below water, and various distances from the shoreline. Differences in pit characteristics were related to differences in shoreline energies, lithologies, and fluctuating lake levels in the post glacial period.
Pit depths above water are shallower than pit depths below water. This conclusion supports previous hypotheses proposed by Cowell (1976) and Ford (in Goodchild, 1984) that the depth of solution pits increase with increasing water depth. The conclusions also indicate that pits are initiated above water, and that solutional deepening of pits can occur underwater.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Science (BSc)


title: Renormalization Group Approach to two Strongly Correlated Condensed Matter Models

contributor:
Kallin, Catherine
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Renormalization Group (RG)
Antiferromagnetic
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction
Neck-narrowing Lifshitz transition

abstract:
This thesis presents renormalization group (RG) analyses of two strongly correlated condensed matter systems.

In the first part, the phase diagram of the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ Heisenberg antiferromagnetic model on a spatially anisotropic triangular lattice is discussed. This model, together with a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction, describes the magnetic properties of the layered Mott insulator Cs$_{2}$CuCl$_{4}$. Employing a real-space RG approach, it is found, in agreement with a previous similar study, that a fragile collinear antiferromagnetic (CAF) state can be stabilized at sufficiently strong anisotropies. The presented RG analysis only indicates the presence of the CAF and spiral states in the phase diagram, with no extended quantum-disordered state at strong anisotropies. Specifically, it reveals a fine-tuning of couplings that entails the persistence of ferromagnetic correlations between second-nearest chains over large length scales even in the CAF phase. This has important implications on how numerical studies on finite-size systems should be interpreted, and reconciles the presence of the CAF state with the observation of only ferromagnetic correlations in numerical studies. The effect of a weak DM interaction within this RG approach is examined. It is concluded that Cs$_{2}$CuCl$_{4}$ is well within the stability region of the spiral ordering.

In the second part, the fate of a neck-narrowing Lifshitz transition in two-dimensions and in the presence of weak interactions is studied. Such a transition is a topological quantum phase transition, with no change in symmetry. At the critical point of this transition, the density of states at the Fermi energy is logarithmically divergent and a van Hove singularity appears. It is found that, at the critical point, the Wilsonian effective action is intrinsically non-local. This non-locality is attributed to integrating out an emergent soft degree of freedom. Away from the critical point, a local perturbative RG description is presented, and it is shown that weak attractive interactions grow as $\log^2L$ ($L$ is the physical length). However, this local description is restricted to a finite momentum range that shrinks as the critical point is approached.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Candidate in Philosophy


title: An Investigation of External Support Choices and Behaviours During One-Handed Exertions with Constrained Reaches

contributor:
Potvin, James
Keir, Peter
Lyons, Jim
Kinesiology

subject:
external support
kinesiology
ergonomics
occupational biomechanics
constrained reaching
posture prediction
leaning
bracing
manual arm strength
digital human modelling
one-handed exertions
precision tasks

abstract: Introduction: External support behaviours, which include leaning (supporting with the non-task hand) or bracing (supporting with the body), are frequently employed by workers in manufacturing settings. However, current ergonomic assessment tools are limited by our limited understanding of these behaviours. Recent studies have investigated these behaviours, however, the designs of these studies are limited in their applicability to real-world scenarios. The purpose of this study was to assess how different task parameters affect the prediction of external support behaviours, as well as the effect of support on task hand, and body, kinematics and kinetics, in a minimally constrained experimental design. Methods: Female participants (n = 18) performed a series of one-handed maximal exertions (in the six orthogonal directions), and one precision task, in four hand Locations. Trials either featured support (as chosen by the participant), or no support. Results & Discussion: Three logistic regression models were developed, with inputs from individual and task characteristics, and they correctly predicted the occurrence of leaning, bracing, or simultaneous leaning and bracing, 74-86% of the time. Leaning and/or bracing were found to provide: 1) oppositional forces to increase task hand force generation, 2) balance, by countering destabilizing moments about the feet, and 3) a reduction in moment arm of the task hand force, with respect to the upper body joints, by bringing the shoulder closer to the task hand. Participants were able to exert 64.8% more force at the task hand as a result of support. Leaning hand placement depended on the task force direction and location. However, the positioning of the leaning hand varied very little. Finally, the precision condition showed that fine motor demands may also affect external support choice.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science in Kinesiology


title: Cognitively Complex Semantic Processing in the Domain of Aspect

contributor:
Kucerova, Ivona
Service, Elisabet
Cognitive Science of Language

subject:
Aspect
Semantics
Language Processing
Sentence Span Task
Telicity

abstract:
Aspect semantically denotes two concepts: eventualities and their endpoints, or the speaker’s perspective of an event. These aspectual distinctions respectively refer to telicity and perfectively. Telicity specifically denotes the internal temporal organization of events in regards to their endpoint (telic) or lack thereof (atelic). The telic/atelic distinction has been studied in semantics using logical analysis, in particular mereological relations (the relation of parts to parts and parts within wholes) and scalar theory (a representation of measurement composed of degrees that are partially or totally ordered).
This thesis presents a psycholinguistic experiment investigating the cognitive nature of one component of aspectual realization, namely telicity, in English. In accordance with the predictions made by mereological and scalar theories for the semantic composition of telicity, it is hypothesized that telic constructions are semantically more complex than atelic constructions. This complexity specifically refers to maximalization; a process which Filip (2008) predicts takes place exclusively in the derivation of telic events. This prediction is made under the assumption that a correlation exists between the number of derivational steps and cognitive complexity. Specifically, constructions which involve a greater number of steps in their derivation are hypothesized to also involve a greater amount of cognitive resources in order to be successfully computed. This correlation is supported by recent research investigating the role of working memory in sentence comprehension. Recent studies have found constructions with greater syntactic derivational complexity are susceptible to interference and processing trade-offs when processed under heavy memory loads. Based on this, if telic constructions involve a greater derivational complexity compared to atelic counterparts, they therefore can be hypothesized to be more susceptible to interference and processing trade-offs from increased memory loads. The results of the experiment provide evidence supporting this prediction, ultimately suggesting telicity is a grammatically more complex process than atelicity.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Securement in Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

contributor:
Blatz, Susan
Nursing

subject: infants

subject: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

abstract:
Objectives: The quality of securement directly impacts the functionality, duration of patency and likelihood of a complication for a given peripheral intravenous catheter.  The objective of the study was to determine which method of peripheral intravenous catheter securement, StatLock or Tegabear dressing was more effective by comparing duration of catheter patency and complication rates.
Study Design & Method: A quasi-experimental study using the Model for Improvement was conducted in a neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital. Infants requiring insertion of a peripheral intravenous catheter for parenteral nutrition or administration of medications were eligible to participate. The study was conducted over a 4-month period and was divided into two phases, with each phase lasting two months.
Results: A total of 363 peripheral intravenous catheters were inserted in 175 infants. There were 211 catheters secured with StatLock and 108 secured with Tegabear dressing. There were 42 catheters which were unable to use StatLock or Tegabear dressing and were secured with a combination of transparent dressing/ tape. There were two peripheral intravenous catheters inserted where the method of securement was not indicated. The groups were similar with regards to all demographic variables except postmenstrual age, where the Tegabear group consisted of a larger proportion of older infants (p=<0.001). There was no significant difference in the mean duration of catheter patency between the StatLock and Tegabear group (46.04 hours versus 45.33 hours respectively), p=0.84. Complication rates and reasons for catheter removal did not significantly differ between the two groups (p=0.78 and p=0.93 respectively).  The proportion of catheters that used an arm board was significantly greater with the Tegabear dressing (23.8%) compared to 10.5% with StatLock (p=0.002). Twenty one percent (n=23/108) of the catheters secured with the Tegabear dressing required reinforcement with tape or transparent dressing whereas no catheters in the StatLock group needed to be reinforced (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Catheter dwell time and complication rates did not differ significantly between StatLock and Tegabear dressing. However, when evaluating a new product, it is important to consider that there is often a learning curve that must be overcome. A larger study with a more rigorous design such as a randomized controlled trial is needed to validate or dispute the study findings.  In the meantime, nurses must exercise individual and independent judgment when selecting a securement method most appropriate for their patient.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)


title: A Microwave study of the Goos-Hänchen Shift

subject:
electromagnetic radiation
sideways displacement
Goos Hänchen Shift

abstract:
 When a beam of electromagnetic radiation, limited by an aperture, undergoes total internal reflection, a sideways displacement of the reflected beam results. This displacement is known as the Goos-Hänchen Shift.

 In this work the Goos-Hänchen Shift is studied with 3.2 cm microwaves. The observed shifts disagree with three existing theories. For this reason a modified theory is developed in this work. The throey regards the beam from a pyramidal horn antenna as a superposition of a large number of plane waves. The shift is calculated on this basis. Agreement between experiment and theory is good.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Morphological, Mechanical and Rheological Behaviour of Cellulose Nanocrystal-Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Nanocomposites Prepared by Wet Ball Milling and Melt Mixing

contributor:
Cranston, Emily D
Chemical Engineering

subject: Cellulose nanocrystals, nanocomposites

abstract: Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are an ideal reinforcing agent for polymer nanocomposites because they are lightweight, nano-sized, and have a high elastic modulus. To date, using cellulose nanocrystals in common matrices has been generally unsuccessful due to their hydrophilicity and incompatibility with hydrophobic polymers. To overcome the poor compatibility, we have grafted poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) onto the surface of the nanocrystals for the first time using a one-pot, aqueous in-situ “grafting from” polymerization reaction with ceric ammonium nitrate initiator to produce poly(methyl methacrylate)-grafted-cellulose nanocrystals (PMMA-g-CNCs). We compared the compounding of CNCs and modified CNCs with PMMA using two processing methods; melt mixing and wet ball milling. We examined the morphological, mechanical and rheological behaviour of the nanocomposites and found that ball milled composites had lower mechanical and rheological performance compared to melt mixed composites for both CNCs and modified CNCs. Additionally, we found that high (>1 wt. %) loadings of CNCs had a positive effect on the performance of nanocomposites, while low loadings of CNCs and all loadings of PMMA-g-CNCs had no net effect on the performance of the nanocomposites compared to the control. The morphology of nanocomposites showed some agglomeration in the samples with CNCs, but more pronounced agglomeration in samples with PMMA-g-CNCs. This is consistent with the decreased rheological and mechanical behaviour of composites with PMMA-g-CNCs compared with CNCs.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: CHEMICAL-CHEMICAL COMBINATIONS AS TOOLS OF BIOLOGY AND AS ROUTES TO DRUG DISCOVERY

contributor:
Brown, Eric
Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

abstract: With dramatic rises in bacterial resistance both in the clinic and community, there is an urgent need for new chemical matter and strategies.  Over the years, antibacterial drug discovery has been centered almost entirely on identifying single agents that target essential proteins or enzymes.  Recent advances in systems biology have suggested that this paradigm may not be as therapeutically effective as combinations of drugs.  Further, chemical-chemical combinations, rather than single agents, can be used to probe relationships between target proteins in a biological system, maximizing insight into its functional organization. In this regard, we first demonstrate that systematic testing of chemical-chemical combinations can yield information on the functional connections that exist among molecular targets. Indeed, chemical-chemical interaction profiles with various drug classes provided powerful means to elucidate the mode of action of two uncharted compounds active against E. coli.  In fact, this approach proved invaluable as a method for target identification in all phenotype-based screening efforts that followed. Systematic testing of combinations of chemicals can also lead to the discovery of synergistic interactions with enhanced antibacterial activity. In this respect, two unique screening strategies were adopted to identify novel combinations effective against drug-resistant pathogens.  The first uncovered ticlopidine, a novel adjuvant to β-lactam antibiotics that together, synergize against MRSA through an intricate mechanism involving the concerted synthesis of wall teichoic acid polymers and cell wall. The second screening approach identified unique synergistic combinations through a search for molecules that modulate each of the compensatory pathways that regulate bacterial proton motive force. This unconventional screening approach led to the identification of nine novel synergistic pairs effective against MRSA. Overall, this work illustrates the powerful capacity of chemical-chemical combinations as tools to probe mechanism of novel compounds and as routes to new drug discovery. Importantly, such combinatorial approaches at probing systems and targeting pathogens are consonant with the modern view of the cell.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: BEYOND THE WORKSHOP: UNDERSTANDING HOW NEW WORKER TRAINING INFLUENCES THE APPLICATION OF NEGLECT BY FRONTLINE C.A.S. WORKERS

contributor:
Carranza, Mirna
Social Work

subject: social work education, child welfare, new worker training, training, critical analysis, critical race analysis, social work practice, neglect, race, Canada

abstract:
Little attention has been paid in Canadian Child Welfare research to the role that training plays in engaging new workers as they enter the complex role of child protection. Focusing on learning principles such as child neglect and working with an ethno-racial Other, it was important to understand what workers took away from their engagement in training and how this was implemented in practice. A mixed methods approach using critical analysis of the OACAS Handouts was used to inform the Semi Structured Interviews conducted with frontline C.A.S. workers. Critical Race Analysis provides theoretical foundation to understand how the ethno-racial other is perceived and enacted in discourse that workers take away into practice.
	Findings suggest that C.A.S. workers have a conflicted view of training due to the nature and context in which they practice. Aside from the benefits of training, workers have a lot to say about how it could be structured in order to benefit practice. Workers also have complex and conflicting views on neglect, some of which are learned through training and then exacerbated through practice. Workers practice principles on engaging with an ethno-racial other was not influenced through training, but through their own learning processes as influenced by practice and earlier education. These factors relating to child welfare workers can help influence future training within C.A.S. organizations across Canada.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Collective Consciousness: The Archaeology of Urbanization, Monumentalization, and Polis Formation in the Greek Apoikiai of Sicily from the Early Archaic to Early Classical Periods

contributor:
Pope, Spencer
Classics

subject:
Greek Archaeology
Sicily
apoikia
urbanization
polis formation
polis identity
monumentalization
Greek West
Archaic Period
Classical Period
Naxos
Megara Hyblaea
Syracuse
Himera
Gela
Akragas
Selinus
Greek settlement
polis

abstract: Urbanization in the Sikeliot apoikiai was the catalyst to the creation and reinforcement of polis identity from soon after the point of initial settlement onwards. A main priority of the Greek settlers was to first layout the foundations for an urban grid, and within this grid to designate space for ritual practice, later monumentalized during the Archaic and Classical periods following the growth of the polis. A diachronic and geographical survey of urbanization and of the religious architecture, art, and votives dating to the Archaic and Classical periods illustrates this; this survey centers around seven major Greek settlements in Sicily: Naxos, Megara Hyblaea, Syracuse, Himera, Gela, Akragas, and Selinus. While the process of urbanization also occurred on the Greek mainland, it was not prior to the phenomenon taking place in Sicily, rendering the Sikeliot poleis simply as imitations of mainland poleis as once argued; rather urbanization in Sicily occurred over a timeline parallel to that of the mainland. The development of Sikeliot trends and even prototypes in temple architecture and urban planning confirm this in the material evidence. There is also no evidence of the apoikiai in Sicily ever adopting poliadic deities, a traditional quality of polis identity within mainland poleis. Their polis identities were not rooted in the cult practice of poliadic deities, but in cult practice itself, which fostered a collective consciousness among polis inhabitants by virtue of shared ritual practice, reinforced by the monumentalization of religious space; cult practice is what affirmed and reaffirmed their polis identity.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: HYPSISTOS CULTS IN THE GREEK WORLD DURING THE ROMAN IMPERIUM

contributor:
Eilers, Claude
Corner, Sean
Haley, Evan
Classics

subject:
pagan monotheism
greek
roman
religions of the ancient mediterranean

abstract: Between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, there was a rise in inscriptions dedicated to gods given the epithet hypsistos (“most high”). This growth raises questions about the beliefs and composition of the cult or cults that set up these dedications. The answers to these questions shed light on the construction and spread of monotheism in the pagan world as well as the context in which early Christianity spread and attracted followers. Many scholars, from Schürer in 1897 to Mitchell in 2010 have interpreted the Hypsistos inscriptions as evidence of a widespread pagan cult that practiced a syncretic Jewish-pagan religion and worshiped the Jewish god. In this essay, I examine Hypsistos inscriptions from the Bosporan kingdom, Anatolia, and Athens. Where possible, I infer the beliefs of the groups or persons that set up dedication, compare the iconography of the dedications, identify the gods of the inscriptions, often hidden behind a guise of anonymity, and explore the demographic composition of the groups that set up these shrines and dedications. I find that a variety of groups set up dedications to the Most High God, and that hypsistos connotes a number of different meanings. The beliefs of the worshipers that set up these dedications range from pagan polytheism to an extreme henotheism almost indistinguishable from monotheism. In some cases these worshipers may associate themselves with the Jewish religion, in other cases they do not.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: "My Tongue Swore To, But My Heart Did Not": Responding to the Call of Sincerity

contributor:
Attewell, Nadine
English and Cultural Studies

subject:
New Sincerity
Contemporary
Literature
The Corrections
The Marriage Plot
Foucault
Sincerity
Performativity

abstract:
My thesis examines the “New Sincerity,” a recent movement in contemporary fiction, which relies upon and reclaims the ethical concept of sincerity. Rather than accept sincerity at face value, however, I outline a historical trajectory of the concept in order to understand the reasons for its decline and the current attempts to resituate it. Contrasting sincerity with its ancient Grecian root of parrhēsia, I argue that sincerity has been
historically mobilized as a mechanism of oppression. Since the traditional conception of sincerity was founded upon the depth model of subjectivity, certain individuals were denied the possibility of professing sincerity; rather, their outward appearances marked them a priori as being deceitful, hypocritical and insincere. Despite the recent theoretical decline of the depth model of subjectivity, I claim that the model has persisted in an
afterlife that continues to govern who is given the license and freedom to speak. As such, sincerity has had a significant role in how marginalized subjects, who are often denigrated for being overly emotional, have been categorized as insincere and sentimental. For this reason, my thesis rejects the alleged return of sincerity in favor of a reconceptualization of it. Drawing from the “performative turn,” I claim that sincerity must be continually at risk for it to draw its affective potential. If sincerity with intention is insincere, sincerity is an impossible event that cannot be claimed in advance. Rather, we must bind ourselves to the truth similar to the parrhēsiates of Ancient Greek and take care to question the other. In doing so, sincerity becomes a truth-telling based on actions instead of judgments.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Biogeochemical Zonation in an Athabasca Oil Sands Composite Tailings Deposit Undergoing Reclamation Wetland Construction

contributor:
Warren, Lesley
School of Geography and Geology

subject:
oil sands
composite tailings
reclamation
sulfur biogeochemistry

abstract: As oil production increases in Alberta’s Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR), optimization of tailings management processes will be integral to the successful reclamation of tailings-based environments. Syncrude Canada Ltd. has established an innovative dry-storage method for their wastes known as composite tailings (CT) that supports mine closure objectives by providing a base for terrestrial reclamation landscapes. Syncrude’s Sandhill Reclamation Fen is the first instrumented research wetland of its kind to be developed in the AOSR and it overlays a sand-capped composite tailings deposit in a retired open-pit mine site. This stratified sulfur-rich environment is highly anthropogenically altered and consists of three distinct zones: a constructed wetland, a 10m layer of sand, and 40m of CT. As oil sands tailings systems are becoming globally significant sulfur reservoirs due to their size, sulfur content, and diverse microbial communities, understanding the mechanisms behind H2S generation in novel tailings structures will help inform our understanding of sulfur-rich environments. This study is the first to characterize the sulfur biogeochemistry in each zone of the Sandhill Reclamation Fen deposit in an effort to establish the potential for microbial sulfur cycling and explore the mechanisms controlling H2S generation. Porewater ΣH2S(aq) was detected at all depths, increasing with depth from the surface of the wetland (<1.1 μM) and peaking in the sand cap (549 μM). Across all sampling trips, ΣH2S(aq) concentrations were consistently highest in the sand cap, with sampling-associated H2S gas concentrations in the wells reaching 104-180 ppm. Abundance of dissolved sulfate (0.14-6.97 mM) did not correlate to the distribution of ΣH2S, and dissolved organic carbon (21.47-127.72 mg/L) only positively correlated with the observed maxima of ΣH2S in the sand-cap. Identical sodium and chloride distributions in the sand and CT supported the model of upward migration of CT-derived porewater and fines into the sand cap. Functional metabolic enrichments established the ability of endemic microbial communities from all depths of the deposit to oxidize and reduce sulfur. Experimental microcosms demonstrated 1) the dependence of ΣH2S generation on the presence of fine particles; 2) stimulation of endemic microbial sulfur reduction through amendment with labile carbon and 3) increased generation of ΣH2S in the presence of thiosulfate over sulfate. Field and experimental results indicated that the bioaccessibility of recalcitrant organic carbon in the deposit likely controls rates of ΣH2S generation at depth. While the mechanisms relating CT-derived fines to ΣH2S in the sand cap are still unconstrained, the sand layer is clearly a bioreactive mixing-zone supporting optimal conditions for ΣH2S accumulation. These findings inform our understanding of biogeochemical sulfur cycling in novel oil sands reclamation deposits and will advise on-going optimization of tailings-based landscape management practices.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: ND ISOTOPE MAPPING OF CRUSTAL BOUNDARIES WITHIN THE EASTERN GRENVILLE AND MAKKOVIK PROVINCES, SOUTHERN LABRADOR

contributor:
Dickin, Alan
Earth and Environmental Sciences

subject: Grenville Makkovik

abstract:
The geological history of southeast Labrador has been resolved into four major orogenic events based on U-Pb dating: the Makkovik orogeny (1880-1790 Ma), the Labradorian orogeny (1710-1600 Ma), the Pinwarian (1520-1460 Ma) and the Grenville orogeny (1085-985 Ma). Although U-Pb ages represent the time of igneous and metamorphic events, they do not necessarily reflect the time of extraction of crustal material from the mantle. Nd isotopic data provide a tool for doing this, hence permitting
regions having differing (and perhaps older) crustal formation ages to be recognized, even if this is not apparent in U-Pb geochronological data.
      In this study, suites of Depleted Mantle model (TDM) ages were determined for three large regions of southern Labrador. These comprise an east-west suite across the eastern Makkovik Province (Cape Harrison domain); a north-south suite along the Labrador coast of the Grenville Province (Groswater Bay, Hawke River, Lake Melville, Mealy Mountains and the Pinware terranes); and a reconnaissance suite from the Grenville Province in the interior of southern Labrador (Mealy Mountains, Pinware and Wilson Lake terranes, as well as the Trans Labrador Batholith).
     New Nd isotope data for the eastern Makkovik Province suggest that accreted juvenile Makkovik crust was generated in the Cape Harrison domain during a single crust-forming event around 2.0 Ga. Based on these data, a tectonic model is proposed for the Paleoproterozoic Makkovikian orogeny that is similar to the Ketilidian orogeny.
     In the eastern Grenville Province, Nd data indicate a southern extension of juvenile Makkovik crust, but with strong Labradorian reworking. A WNW-ESE boundary is proposed between Makkovik crust and juvenile Labradorian crust within the northern part of the Pinware terrane near Red Bay. This boundary separates the Pinware terrane into a Pinware North block (TDM ages often above 1.85 Ga), consisting of reworked Makkovik crust, and a Pinware South block (TDM ages below 1.85 Ga), representing juvenile Labradorian arc crust. A new tectonic model is then proposed for the accretion of this juvenile terrane during the Labradorian orogeny.
     Finally, Nd isotope data were determined in the interior of southern Labrador in order to trace the crustal boundary seen at the coast westwards. To the north of the Labrador-Quebec border, reworked Makkovik crust (TDM ages > 1.85 Ga) is present within a large regional fold in the north-western Pinware terrane, indicating that Makkovik basement does continue westwards in the northern part of this terrane.
     The new Nd data indicate that juvenile Makkovik arc crust, of the type seen north of the Grenville Province, extends southwards across much of the Grenville Province of southern Labrador, but with increasing degrees of Labradorian reworking southwards. It is believed that the original edge of the Makkovik continental margin was located just north of Red Bay, with an approximately WNW-ESE trajectory. This crustal boundary is
believed to continue westwards approximately along the provincial boundary, reflecting the presence of Makkovik basement in the northern Pinware terrane.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Dust and Gas in NGC3627 Using Observations From SCUBA-2

title: Dust and Gas in NGC3627

contributor:
Wilson, Christine
Physics and Astronomy

subject: Extragalactic ISM

subject: SCUBA-2

subject: NGC3627

abstract:
This thesis presents new 450$\mu$m and 850$\mu$m observations of NGC3627 taken with the new SCUBA-2 with the main goal of trying to better understand the properties of gas and dust in the interstellar medium of NGC3627. We determined properties of the cold component of NGC3627's spectral energy distribution (SED) using dust models given by the Planck Collaboration, by Li and Draine, and allowing the emissivity index to be treated as a free parameter. Fitting the SED required the use of 100$\mu$m, 160$\mu$m, 250$\mu$m, 350$\mu$m, and 500$\mu$m data from the KINGFISH survey. Each of the KINGFISH observations have been passed through an extended emission filter in order to match the SCUBA-2 observations. The best fit temperatures and emissivity indices agreed with the results found in other recent studies, but our fitted masses were smaller than those of other studies due to differences in the fitted temperature and observed fluxes.
After the properties of the dust emission were calculated, we implemented a method to determine the amount of molecular hydrogen present in NGC3627. The method we used involves finding a CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor that minimizes the scatter present in dust-to-gas mass ratio. We used CO J=2-1 from the HERACLES survey and CO J=1-0 from the Nobeyama 45-m telescope to act as our molecular tracer, and HI observations of NGC3627 from the THINGS survey. The results from minimizing the dust-to-gas ratio scatter give low $\alpha_{CO}$ values, that are normally associated with U/LIRGs. The low $\alpha_{CO}$ values can be attributed to the treatment of the error associated with reported $\alpha_{CO}$. The uncertainties for $\alpha_{CO}$ reported in this thesis are a minimum estimate, and if the error associated with $\alpha_{CO}$ is large enough, then the best fit $\alpha_{CO}$ values can be considered as a lower threshold for the system.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: OUR WORDS ARE BRICK AND MORTAR: MASCULINE RECONSTRUCTIONS OF HOME AND COMMUNITY IN WINDRUSH ERA WEST INDIAN MIGRANT LITERATURE

contributor:
Coleman, Daniel
English and Cultural Studies

subject: West Indian, Caribbean, Windrush, George Lamming, Samuel Selvon, Masculinity, Home, Diaspora

abstract:
McMaster University MASTER OF ARTS (2014) Hamilton, Ontario (English)
TITLE: Our Words are Brick and Mortar: Masculine Reconstructions of Home in Windrush Era West Indian Migrant Literature
AUTHOR: Jhordan Layne, B.A. (Western University)
SUPERVISOR: Professor Daniel Coleman
NUMBER OF PAGES: v, 110

abstract: This thesis examines the concept of home in West Indian migrant literature of the Windrush Era. The analysis focuses on home as a series of reference points which construct inclusions and exclusions in a given society. I postulate that the non-white, male West Indian migrant’s idea of home endures a double disruption (in the shift from the colonial patriarchal paradigm within the West Indies and in the act of migration to England) which forces him to reconstruct a notion of home within England. In the investigation, I discover that West Indian men must learn to adapt to the concomitant societal pressures of racism, imperialism, colonialism and nationalism in England, in order to build a sense of home which can withstand such pressures. In the process of this investigation, I also discover that use of the West Indian language and the pursuit of male community building is indispensable to creating new forms of masculinity which can exist in a diasporic community without necessarily reaffirming the previous colonial patriarchal paradigm.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of English


title: Use of Para-aminobenzoic Acid for Validating 24-hour Urine Completeness in a Sodium-Blood Pressure Population Study

contributor:
Zeidler, Johannes
Health Sciences

subject: 24-hour urine

abstract:
Despite the fact that high sodium intake has been linked to high blood pressure and an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), sufficient and irrevocable evidence to support extremely low dietary sodium intake has been lacking. The best method used for the estimation of daily sodium intake is indirectly by using 24-hour urinary sodium excretion, combined with para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), which is used for validating completeness of urinary collection. However, the PABA validation method is not favored among researchers and the validity of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis for PABA has not been evaluated in a large-scale study. This study validated an improved PABA HPLC method and applied it in the sub-set of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) – 24-hour Urinary Excretion (24USE) Study for the examination of the sodium-blood pressure association. In addition, participants’ self-reported assessment of urinary collection completeness was compared to the PABA method.
The HPLC analysis method for measuring PABA levels was downscaled and the reaction time lengthened to achieve higher through-put and reaction yield. By applying the optimized PABA method for evaluating urinary completeness, 612 of 681 participants’ samples contained 70%-110% PABA recovery and were extracted from the PURE24USE Study for further analysis. The average adjusted sodium excretion or intake was 3,673 ± 1,637 mg/day. The participants’ self-reports predict urinary collection completeness as measured by PABA with a sensitivity of 76.9% (95% CI: 74.4%-79.6%) and specificity of 31.7% (95% CI: 27.0%-36.4%). This moderate agreement suggests that PABA still has to be considered the gold standard, until further convincing evidence is available that self-report is more accurate than PABA.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS)


title: An Independent Problem-Based Course for Grade Twelve English: Advanced Level

contributor:
Ferns, J.
Woodhouse, H.R.
Teaching

subject: English Curriculum, Westmount Secondary school, problem-solvers, self-directed,

abstract:
This project is an attempt to design a new English curriculum to fit a major organizational and philosophical change planned for Westmount Secondary School in the year 1990.
Chapter 1 describes the context in which the innovation will take place, the nature of the innovation itself and the primary objective the changes is intended to fulfil; namely, the development of students who are self-directed problem-solvers.
Chapter 2 attempts to clarify this objective by examining the origins of problem-solving in education and describing some recent accounts of its use, most notably in problem-based learning. Chapter 3 explores the philosophy of self-directed learning and differentiates among the many similar related terms. Autonomy is identified as the key feature of self-directed learning.
Chapter 4 outlines the constraints on curriculum design imposed by the new English Guideline recently published by the Ministry of Education. Finally, in chapter 5 an attempt is made to identify the features common to both self-direction and problem-solving and adapt these to the requirements of "Westmount 1990" and the English Guideline. The result is a proposal for a problem-based independent Grade 12 course outlined in Chapter 6.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Changes to Family Dynamics When Living With Invisible Symptoms of Acquired Brain Injury

contributor:
Fudge Schormans, Ann
Social Work

subject:
ABI
Acquired Brain Injury
Invisible Disability
Disability
Invisible Acquired Brain Injury

abstract:
The purpose of this thesis is to explore the changes to family dynamics that result from invisible symptoms of acquired brain injury The perspective put forth is that of individuals living with invisible symptoms of acquired brain injury.  This study is based on a thematic analysis of the findings from nine semi-structured interviews with individuals (aged 24-64 yrs.; 6 men, 3 women) who have been formally diagnosed with an acquired brain injury. The data is interpreted and discussed using a critical framework, specifically, Critical Disability Theory.
       The findings from this analysis illustrate how invisible symptoms such as cognitive impairments, memory loss, mood changes etc., of acquired brain injury affect family dynamics in relation to emotional roles, domestic roles, financial roles, and perception and treatment of the affected individual. These changes were either exacerbated or minimized by the assumptions, misconceptions and knowledge level of the individual’s family in relation to understanding brain injury and the ways in which disability can manifest.
       Also important to family relations are the perceptions of participants that they must prove that they do have a disability; the roles healthcare professionals play in the validation of the injuries, both to the individual and the family; and how powerfully dominant constructions of disability – and invisible acquired brain injury in particular – are ingrained in social discourse and impact upon family dynamics for people living with invisible acquired brain injury.
       Lastly, an important part of this research is a compilation of recommendations put forth by the participants for healthcare professionals to keep in mind when working with individuals who either are suspected of having or have an acquired brain injury.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Songs Portraying The Lived Experience Of Mental Illness

title: The Lived Experience of Mental Illness as Portrayed in Songs Written by Adults Living With Serious Mental Illness

contributor:
Wilkins, Seanne
Rehabilitation Science

subject: Hermeneutic Phenomenology, serious mental illness, arts based research, songwriting, music therapy, sense of coherence, salutogenesis, recovery, positive psychology

abstract:
Abstract
Existing healthcare treatments and services for people living with serious mental illness pose a challenge for both the service provider and the recipient of care. While recovery oriented care is a priority, many healthcare practices and contextual factors pose a barrier to recovery.  This study augments our awareness of the authentic lifeworld of people living with serious mental illness with the aim of gaining insights that can be used to develop healthcare practices which support recovery.  This study explored the subjective experiences of people living with SMI as they expressed them through co-creative songwriting. Through a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis based in the philosophical groundwork of Heidegger and Gadamer, a thematic representation of the lifeworld of people living with SMI was developed.
The findings are described in three parts: becoming broken, becoming whole and experiencing the lifeworld as transformed. Becoming broken is explored in four themes including fragmented inner and outer worlds, pain, despair and suicide. Becoming whole is achieved through catalysts of change that include connection, the sacred, beauty, and resilience. This representation is depicted using a tapestry metaphor to picture the lifeworld as torn, mended and transformed.  The findings demonstrate that transformation is a spiritual process.  Additionally the potential impact of the study on stigma and perceptions of mental illness is discussed.
The findings are considered within the framework of Antonovsky’s theory of salutogensis. A resulting salutogenic model of mental illness and mental health as transformation is proposed.  The implications for theory, research and practice are discussed in relation to the areas of recovery, salutogenesis, positive psychology and spirituality. The study recommends greater inclusion of spirituality, creative processes, and a focus on positive psychology as underutilized resources to enhance healthcare for people living with SMI.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Noise Reduction and Clutter Suppression in Microwave Imaging and Detection

contributor:
Nikolova, Natalia K.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Concealed Weapon Detection
Microwave Imaging
Clutter Suppression
Noise Reduction

abstract:
Commercial concealed weapon detection systems are large and expensive and are not suitable to be used as a portable system. Currently, new methods of concealed weapon detection are being developed to build small and compact systems. One such method is based upon the natural resonances of objects; however, no such system has made it to the market due to the low quality of the signals used in the detection algorithms.
In this thesis, a prototype concealed weapon detection system is developed and tested for operation in a cluttered environment. This system utilizes the late-time portion of a radar return to extract the resonance information of an unknown target. After proper signal processing and clutter suppression, the signals are classified to determine if the object is a threat. Multiple measurements with frequency-sweep and time-domain systems are used to verify the algorithm.
Microwave tissue imaging techniques aim to reconstruct the internal dielectric distribution of the tissue and rely on the dielectric contrast between healthy and malignant tissues. This contrast has been shown to be weak, and therefore, the signals are easily susceptible to noise.
This thesis proposes and validates a method for signal-to-noise ratio analysis of complex S-parameter data sets that are used for microwave imaging. A study of de-noising and artifact reduction techniques for microwave holographic imaging is also presented.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Investigation of microbial community response during oil sands reclamation via lipid and carbon isotope analyses

contributor:
Slater, Greg
School of Geography and Geology

subject:
Oil sands
Reclamation
Lipids
Isotopes
Wetlands

abstract: In this study, phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) and carbon isotopes were used to characterize the response of in situ microbial communities to a pilot-scale wetland reclamation project in the Alberta oil sands, and to investigate their role in carbon cycling at the reclamation site. The Sandhill Fen reclamation project in the Athabasca oil sands region (Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada) has created an artificial freshwater fen typical of the boreal forest region in which the oil sands occur. At this site, composite tailings (CT) residue was overlain with a thick sand cap and a freshwater fen constructed on top. Biomass in the peat material of the fen was comparable to that found in natural fens, and a comparison of PLFA profiles in peat, CT from a nearby site, and undisturbed wetlands in the area showed that microbial communities in Sandhill fen were more similar to those in the CT than those in undisturbed wetlands. Bacteria dominated the biomass, including a small percentage of sulphate reducing bacteria that are of particular interest in the reclamation project. Fungi and other eukaryotes were also present. Analyses of radiocarbon in total organic carbon (TOC) and residue from solvent extraction suggest that there was petroleum present in the peat layer of the fen. A small amount of young carbon from the fen surface has been transported into the CT layer in the form of dissolved organic carbon. Radiocarbon also showed that microbes preferentially metabolized more modern carbon within the carbon sources available to them. Biomass was more related to the age of carbon in the samples than to the TOC concentration, with younger carbon in the peat associated with higher PLFA concentration.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Large scale dimension theory of metric spaces

contributor:
Nicas, Andrew J
Mathematics and Statistics

subject: large scale dimension theory, coarse geometry, metric geometry, geometric group theory

abstract:
This thesis studies the large scale dimension theory of metric spaces. Background on dimension theory is provided, including topological and asymptotic dimension, and notions of nonpositive curvature in metric spaces are reviewed. The hyperbolic dimension of Buyalo and Schroeder is surveyed. Miscellaneous new results on hyperbolic dimension are proved, including a union theorem, an estimate for central group extensions, and the vanishing of hyperbolic dimension for countable abelian groups. A new quasi-isometry invariant called weak hyperbolic dimension (abbreviated $\wdim$) is introduced and developed. Weak hyperbolic dimension is computed for a variety of metric spaces,
including the fundamental computation $\wdim \Hyp^n = n-1$. An estimate is proved for (not necessarily central) group extensions. Weak dimension is used to obtain the quasi-isometric nonembedding result $\Hyp^4 \not \rightarrow \Sol \times \Sol$ and possible directions for further nonembedding applications are explored.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

abstract: Shapes and spaces are studied from the "large scale" or "far away" point of view. Various notions of dimension for such spaces are studied.


title: CHEMICAL AND GENETIC SCREENING APPLICATIONS OF A MICROFLUIDIC ELECTROTAXIS ASSAY USING NEMATODE CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS

title: SCREENING APPLICATIONS OF NEMATODE MICROFLUIDIC ELECTROTAXIS

contributor:
Gupta, Bhagwati
Neuroscience

subject:
caenorhabditis elegans
electrotaxis
microfluidics
dopamine
alpha-synuclein
toxicology
unfolded protein response

abstract:
Combining the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans with novel microfluidic technology has produced a phenotypic movement assay that is at once rapid, sensitive, and low-cost. The method is based on the neurophysiologic phenomenon of worms exhibiting robust, continuous, directed locomotion in response to mild electric fields inside a microchannel. As we demonstrate with the studies reported herein, our microfluidic electrotaxis platform is a unique tool for studying the effects of environmental and genetic manipulations on C. elegans’ movement behaviour, which in turn indicates the state of the organism’s neuronal and muscular systems.
In one initiative to develop an inexpensive biosensor, we use the setup to measure the response of worms to common environmental pollutants. Results indicate that worms’ electrotactic swimming behaviour is particularly susceptible to metal salts. A comparison with traditional assays measuring fecundity, growth, and lifespan reveals that electrotactic speed shows a comparable level of sensitivity as a toxicity endpoint.
Another study demonstrates that worms expressing a mutant form of α-synuclein, a familial Parkinson’s disease-related protein, show deficits in electrotactic swimming speed that coincide with dopaminergic neuron damage. We further show that both the electrotaxis and neuronal phenotypes can be ameliorated by treatment with curcumin, a putative neuroprotective agent.
We have also used the platform to investigate the effects of other environmental and genetic stresses on electrotactic behaviour. Our findings indicate that the response can withstand many different insults but is affected by stresses that induce the mitochondrial and ER unfolded protein responses, which themselves play roles in preserving electrotactic swimming behaviour alongside the heat shock response.
These data expand our knowledge of how the motor output component of C. elegans’ electrotactic response is perturbed by environmental and genetic manipulations, and also support the utility of microfluidic electrotaxis as a functional output of nematode locomotory circuits in a multitude of contexts.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Science  (PhD)


title: Discourses of Bereaved Parents in Social Work

contributor:
Fudge-Schormans, Ann
Social Work

subject:
social work
bereaved parents
critical discourse analysis
death of a child

abstract:
Bereaved parents face many challenges after the death of their child and often turn to professional support services, including the field of social work for support and assistance. In the field of social work, there is not a lot of research and education regarding bereaved parents.
Through a critical discourse analysis (CDA), academic social work materials are analyzed to gain a basis for understanding how social work students are educated about bereaved parents, as this impacts social work students’ future practice with bereaved parents. The CDA reveals that there are several hidden discourses of ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ grief, which marginalize, ostracize and pathologize bereaved parents. There are also discourses of expertise, both the bereaved parent as the expert and the social worker as the expert. The discourse that bereaved parents are experts is less common. Implications of all of these discourses for social work practice is discussed.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Mechanisms, evolution, and phenotypic plasticity of hypoxia tolerance among bass and sunfish (family Centrarchidae)

contributor:
Scott, Graham
Biology

abstract:
Hypoxia events are increasing in severity, frequency, and duration in aquatic
systems as pressure from pollution and global warming continues to accumulate. Many studies have examined hypoxia tolerance in fish, but few have determined the relationship that hypoxia tolerance has with other organismal traits, such as exercise performance or thermal tolerance. In this thesis, I used fish from the family Centrarchidae to examine the potential tradeoff between hypoxia tolerance and exercise performance, and to discover the physiological determinants of oxygen transport that underlie these traits. I found evidence for a tradeoff between hypoxia tolerance and exercise performance, with largemouth bass having the best exercise performance but the poorest hypoxia tolerance. Rock bass had the best tolerance of hypoxia but the worst exercise performance, while pumpkinseed sunfish and bluegill sunfish were intermediate in both traits. Hypoxia tolerance and exercise performance were each underlain by some distinct traits, with increased swimming muscle capillarity conveying high performance and the capacity for anaerobic metabolism in the heart granting augmented hypoxia tolerance. However, some common traits defined both the most hypoxia tolerant and the best swimming species, including total surface area of the gills and gluconeogenic capacity in the liver.
I also examined the effect that both temperature and acclimatization to the native environment had on hypoxia tolerance in sunfish. Increased temperature decreased hypoxia tolerance in all sunfish, and it had a greater effect on pumpkinseed sunfish than on the other species. Acclimatization to the native environment increased hypoxia tolerance compared to that in fish acclimated to the lab. This thesis advanced our understanding of how organismal traits can interact with one another and showed evidence for a tradeoff between hypoxia tolerance and exercise performance. In addition, I found that both exercise performance and hypoxia tolerance are underlain by some common and some distinct physiological traits. My work will contribute to our understanding of the effects of environmental stressors on performance and fitness in aquatic organisms

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Assessment of Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk with Hand and Syringe Use in Chemotherapy Nurses and Pharmacy Assistants

contributor:
Keir, Peter
Kinesiology

subject: Musculoskeletal disorders, EMG, syringe, nurses, observation

abstract: The purpose of this thesis was to examine hand actions required of nurses and pharmacy assistants involved with chemotherapy drug administration over a work shift, and propose associated risk control strategies.  There is a need to evaluate and redesign manual “pushing” and mixing of chemotherapy drugs to prevent musculoskeletal disorders and associated healthcare costs.  Muscle activity of the forearm flexor and extensor muscles, and thumb forces, were measured from 5 lab nurses, 5 floor nurses and 5 pharmacy assistants who had their actions recorded throughout their shift.  Lab nurses performed an average of 1.85 ± 0.48 hand efforts per min, floor nurses performed 1.62 ± 0.09 per min, while pharmacy assistants performed 5.29 ± 1.27 per min.  Syringe use accounted for 17% of the pharmacy assistants’ shift and 12% each for the floor and lab nurses.  The tasks of drawing fluid and manually pushing treatment represented 10% of the work day.  The left forearm flexors generated the highest activity over the workday and across tasks while only resting for 6% of the workday.  The high number of hand efforts, combined with prolonged durations, and lack of muscular rest show evidence of muscular overload over the course of the shift as well as illustrate that the pharmacy assistants are at higher risk for WMSD.  The results may also help explain the documented injury statistics and complaints associated with the arm, hand and thumb and support the implementation of a chemotherapy robot to reduce the risk associated with tasks performed by the pharmacy assistants.  Further, the findings of this thesis can act as a guide for future evaluation and research of workplaces with similar syringe and hand demands.  The risk reducing strategies presented may also be applied to other jobs where hand and syringe use is repetitive and prolonged.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: FREQUENCY AND FACT: LEARNING ABOUT THE WORLD THROUGH A CORPUS OF WORLD-ENGLISHES

contributor:
Kuperman, Victor
Cognitive Science of Language

subject: corpus linguistics, sentiment analysis, cognitive maps, general-well being, World Englishes

abstract:
Two studies are presented, linking word-frequency information within the Global Corpus
of Web-based English to real world facts. The first study concerns how patterns of the use
of place names reflect geospatial and geopolitical relationships of English-speaking nations.
The second study concerns how the emotional connotation of words before place names
reflects general well-being in that place. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that
the surface structure of language, as embodied in word frequencies, is a useful source of
information about the real world.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)

abstract: This thesis involves two studies, using the Global Corpus of Web-based English. The first study shows how you can reconstruct a rudimentary map of English speaking countries of the world purely on the basis of how often different words happen in texts. The second study shows that when we discuss countries of the world online, how happy and exciting the adjectives are before place names relate to how long people live in that country.


title: Nonequilibrium Dynamics in Symmetric Diblock Copolymer Systems

contributor:
Dalnoki-Veress, Kari
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Polymers
Diblock Copolymers
Experimentation
Atomic Force Microscopy

abstract:
In this dissertation, experiments are described which elucidate how the ordering of symmetric diblock copolymers affects the dynamics within various geometries.  In all studies presented herein, experimental techniques are used to probe the dynamics of symmetric diblock copolymer systems as they progress toward equilibrium and to study the role that nanoscale ordering plays in these processes.

In the majority of work presented herein, experiments were performed on symmetric diblock copolymer thin films.  This work focuses on the effect of various sample preparation techniques on the equilibration kinetics of lamellar forming films.  Films are prepared with varying thicknesses in the homogeneous, disordered state and annealed to form islands and holes as the surface decomposes to form commensurate thicknesses.  Both nucleated and spinodal growth patterns were observed for this surface decomposition dependent on the initial thickness and intermediate morphologies formed upon ordering.  We also prepare equilibrium commensurate films and induce a step change in surface interactions, switching from asymmetric to symmetric wetting boundaries.  Upon equilibration, a perforated lamella forms at the free surface to mediate the order-order transition, inducing hole growth with a ramified shape.

In the final project, the effect that lamellar order has on dynamics is studied within unstable polymer melt bridges.  Liquid bridges are what is formed when a droplet is stretched between two surfaces, like spit between two fingers.  Disordered diblock bridges are shown to evolve similar to their homopolymer counterparts.  However, ordered diblock copolymer exhibits an enhanced stability with an inhibition of flow proposed to be induced by the isotropic orientational order within the bridge.  As well, shear thinning is observed that is believed to be caused by an alignment of ordered domains along the bridge axis due to shear strain rates, providing pathways for flow of diblock copolymer out of the unstable bridge.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Laughing Matters: Sexual Violence in Jacobean and Caroline Comedy

contributor:
Ostovich, Helen
English and Cultural Studies

subject:
sexual violence
early modern drama
comedy

abstract:
This dissertation examines representations of sexual violence in Jacobean and Caroline
comedy. While representations of rape in early modern tragedy have received considerable attention, criticism has largely overlooked the extent of sexual violence in early modern comedy – in part because comedy tends to represent sexual violence in ways that do not match up with recognisable rape scripts. This project argues, however, that, like rape, the sexual violences of comedy “humiliate and induce fear, constraining the activities and choices of victims” (Anderson and Doherty 21). The study particularly examines dramatic representations of whore shaming, rape hearings, and cuckoldry in order to discuss how sexual violence is encoded in comic tropes, the comedic genre, and early modern culture generally. This systematic sexual violence took a daily toll on the lives of early modern women, limiting their ability to give meaningful consent, to control their bodies and sexual expressions, and to make choices within marriage. But while comedy often invites its audience to laugh at sexually violated women, rendering the violence they experience acceptable, it can also invite us to see that violence as violence – thereby challenging the ethics of our laughter.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Effects of Chronic Acetaminophen Exposure on the Kidney, Gill, and Liver in Rainbow Trout

contributor:
Wilson, Joanna Y.
Biology

abstract: Environmental pharmaceutical concentrations have become a rising concern and are thought to increase with the aging human population. Currently, pharmaceutical concentrations range from ngL-1 to µgL-1, however their effect on non-target aquatic species is poorly understood. Using a time course exposure, acetaminophen exposure at an environmentally relevant concentration of 10 µgL-1 caused histological changes in the gill, kidney, and liver of rainbow trout as early as two weeks after exposure began and increased exposure time increased the severity of effect. Histological changes seen after exposure of fish to acetaminophen at 10 µgL-1 (low) and 30 µgL-1 (high) coincided with functional changes in the gill, kidney, and liver. Oxygen consumption decreased in the low and high groups, especially at higher swimming speeds, and critical swimming speed decreased in both low and high groups. Gills had a decrease in lamellar spacing at both concentrations and lamellar area was decreased in only the high group. Urine analyses revealed an increase in urine flow rate and increased urine concentration of sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, urea, ammonia, glucose, and protein in both exposure groups in a dose dependent manner. No changes in glomerular filtration rate or urine magnesium concentrations were seen. Lastly, this research provides evidence of compensation for the loss of ions and glucose in the urine. Plasma concentrations of sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and glucose were unchanged with exposure.  Gill Na+-K+-ATPase activity was increased and liver glycogen was decreased in the high dose group. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to link histological changes in major organs with quantifiable changes in organ function after pharmaceutical exposure. This knowledge will contribute to understanding the extent of impacts caused by the important pharmaceutical acetaminophen on aquatic species’ health.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Interprofessional Primary Health Care (IPC) Collaboration, Family Health Teams (FHTs) in Ontario

contributor:
Mulvale, Gillian
Global Health

subject:
primary health care
health policy
interprofessional collaboration
Family Health Teams

abstract: The overall purpose of this study was to examine the relevance of policy factors identified by Mulvale and Bourgeault (2007) on interprofessional collaboration in PHC, by soliciting stakeholders’ perspectives.

abstract:
ABSTRACT
Background: Interprofessional team-based approaches to primary health care (PHC) delivery have gained support in the literature. Interprofessional primary health care (IPC) models of service delivery allow for different professionals to work together to address patients’ needs. Family Health Teams (FHTs) are a newly introduced model of IPC delivery in Ontario. A variety of factors can influence collaboration between professionals in IPC teams.
Purpose/Research Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine stakeholders’ perspectives about policy factors that influence IPC team collaboration, using the example of FHTs in Ontario.
Methods: This descriptive study employs semi-structured interviews with key informants from select Ontario FHTs. Directed content analysis was used to examine the Mulvale and Bourgeault (2007) framework. Interviews were conducted with FHT professionals to describe their perspectives on the influence of policy factors in shaping collaboration within their teams and whether identified policy factors acted to enhance or hinder collaboration.
Findings:  Key informants cited, with highest agreement, economic and regulatory factors as influencing collaboration. Factors agreed upon unanimously by all key informants included funding, provider payment/remuneration, and practice scope. Key informants identified a range of policy factors that hinder collaboration. These included provider payment/remuneration, legal accountability, and the existence of multiple governing bodies.
Implications/Conclusion: A number of policy factors were reported to influence collaboration in FHTs in Ontario. Although the findings suggest that incremental reform is possible, widespread policy reform of physician incentives, a key barrier to collaboration, is unlikely. Prospects for reform of this factor may be more promising at an organizational level.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: X-Ray Scattering of Biomaterials

contributor:
Rheinstädter, Maikel
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
X-ray diffraction
biomaterials
chitin
protein secondary structure
coiled-coil
beta-sheet
alpha-helix
hierarchy organization

abstract: Molecular structures of biomaterials have close relation to their functions. We are interested in how biological building blocks assemble into the structures of native biomaterials and the hierarchy of those structures. We tackled the problem mainly with X-ray diffraction experiments and developed a thorough analysis technique to assign the X-ray signals to protein secondary structures and chitin. Three different types of biomaterials were examined: vimentin fibres, squid pens, and human hair. In vimentin fibres, we found that the secondary protein structures play an important role in the strength of the fibres. In native squid pens, we found a self-similar, hierarchical structure from millimetres down to nanometres. In human hair, we compared the signals corresponding to keratin proteins, intermediate filaments, and lipids between different subjects, and found small deviations. The structures of these three biomaterials, which encompass different orders of length scales, were described both quantitatively and graphically. We hope that this work will eventually allow us to understand how and why nature builds biomaterials this way.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Rapid Prototyping Of Wrinkled Nano-/Micro-Structured Electrodes For Electrochemical DNA Detection

contributor:
Soleymani, Leyla
Biomedical Engineering

subject:
Biosensors
Electrochemistry
Biomedical Engineering
Rapid Prototyping
Point-of-care Testing
Molecular Diagnostics
Lab-On-A-Chip

abstract:
Rapid, point-of-care infectious disease diagnostics have the potential to dramatically improve health care provision in low-income world regions. However, the development of technologies such as electrochemical DNA biosensors is hindered by slow turnaround times from design to working prototype.
In order to facilitate biosensor development, a rapid prototyping method has been applied to the fabrication of wrinkled nano-/micro-structured electrodes in this work. An electrocatalytic DNA hybridization detection scheme is optimized for use with the wrinkled electrodes by adjusting the concentrations of redox agents FiCN and RuHex. Characterization of the electrodes by electrochemical and fluorescence-based methods showed tunability of important detection-related parameters – namely, the density of DNA probe molecules and the hybridization-induced electrocatalytic signal change – by altering parameters of deposition time, molar fraction of DNA probes relative to diluent molecules, and thickness of the wrinkled gold film.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: DECISION-MAKING ABOUT HEALTHCARE RELATED TESTS AND DIAGNOSTIC STRATEGIES

contributor: Clinical Epidemiology/Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics

abstract: While therapeutic interventions, especially pharmaceuticals, are increasingly subject to critical evaluation of the evidence supporting such interventions and decision-making processes to develop recommendations about them, such approaches and requirements either do not exist for healthcare related tests and diagnostic strategies (HCTDS) or there is a lack of clear regulation on how tests and strategies should be used.  Scientists around the world, however, have made important progress on how such methods could be applied by public, policy makers and private funders in order to base decisions in favour or against their use on the best available evidence. These methods call for consideration of the always limited resources that are available to provide the best possible health care to the population. This thesis, based on a mixed-methods approach, provides a systematic evaluation of the available published and grey literature.  In this thesis I describe the methodological approach used and the results from the work addressing the following topics: 1. Background about the challenges encountered in the field of diagnosis, 2. How to present evidence from test accuracy systematic reviews and our confidence in this evidence, 3. Summaries and syntheses of evidence about HCTDS. I also provide findings from in-depth interviews with experts and key informants’ experience and views about what is being done in major organizations and societies and how can this field move forward. I then conclude with recommendations on appropriate steps and a framework to support decision makers including guideline panels when making decisions about HCTDS. I also summarize additional products based on our work and future direction and projects of this research program.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)