title: An Exploratory Study of the Design of Major Junior Hockey Regional Leagues, from the Perspective of Member Team Employees

subject:
Major Junior Hockey
Organizational Design
Hybrid Design
Revenue Generation
Player Development

abstract:
Major Junior Hockey (MJH) is a unique part of the Canadian hockey system. Beginning in the 1960s, regional leagues began to form across Canada, culminating with the creation of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) in 1974. The CHL is currently the governing body of MJH in Canada which is the most elite level of junior hockey in Canada. MJH regional leagues have been regarded as the best possible route to the National Hockey League (NHL) for junior-aged male hockey players, despite alternative paths existing in the United States and Europe.
While much of the hockey literature in the past decade includes a broad scope of scholarly research, Canadian MJH remains a sub-context of that conversation. To date, the operations of MJH regional leagues have yet to be explored. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory study is to examine how Canadian MJH regional league offices are currently designed. Drawing upon organizational design literature both in and out of sport contexts, the research seeks to understand the design of the MJH regional leagues through specific principles.
To explore this study, nine semi-structured interviews with Canadian MJH regional league member team employees were conducted. The findings indicated there exists a hybrid of two interconnected focuses within the MJH regional leagues’ organizational design: player development and revenue generation. The member team employee perceptions of the MJH regional leagues’ design are further discussed relating to previous organizational design literature, and historical developments of Canadian MJH. Several contributions to research and practice, and opportunities for future research are outlined to continue exploring the MJH system in Canada.


title: Characterizing RyR and SERCA function in the C57 and D2 mdx mouse models of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

subject:
Calcium Handling
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
SERCA
Ryanodine receptor
metabolism

abstract: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a male-affected muscle wasting disease caused by the complete loss of the sarcolemmal protein dystrophin. No cure exists and patients typically succumb to cardiorespiratory issues in the third or fourth decade of life. Dystrophin loss also leads to dysfunction in other pathways; including impaired sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium (Ca2+) handling, further perpetuating the disease. This thesis examined potential differences in SR Ca2+ handling in two mouse models of DMD. The D2.B10-Dmdmdx/J (D2 mdx) mouse has emerged as a more pathologically representative model of DMD than the C57BL/10ScSn-Dmdmdx/J (C57 mdx) mouse model, showing greater muscle weakness, wasting and earlier disease onset. However, SR Ca2+ has not yet been characterized in the D2 mdx mouse. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare SR Ca2+ handling in the D2 mdx and C57 mdx mice. Using age-matched (9-10 week-old) mice, we found that D2 mdx mice had less mass, smaller gastrocnemius muscles, and were less ambulant. The D2 mdx mice had significantly higher energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio compared with the D2 WT mice. Two separate SR Ca2+ uptake assays revealed that D2 mdx mice have less Ca2+ uptake and leak, and higher starting myoplasmic Ca2+. SERCA activity (ATP hydrolysis) was lower in D2 mdx mice while higher in C57 mdx mice. These dramatic impairments in SR Ca2+ handling were not attributed to differences in SERCA isoform content or changes in its regulator, sarcolipin. However, under reducing conditions, protein nitration and nitrosylation content were significantly higher in D2 mdx gastrocnemius muscles. Further, pre-treatment with dithiothreiotol (DTT) did not improve SR Ca2+ handling in these muscles, suggestive of irreversible reactive oxygen/nitrogen post-translational modifications. Finally, calpain proteolytic activity was examined to determine the consequence of the impaired SR Ca2+ handling in the D2 mdx mouse. While D2 WT mice already had higher levels of calpain activity, the D2 mdx mouse had significantly higher calpain activity vs the C57 mdx mouse. Altogether, the results from this thesis suggest that impaired SR Ca2+ handling may be partially responsible for more severe pathology found in the D2 mdx mice.


title: The Role of Dopamine on Central Neuromuscular Activation during Passive Hyperthermia

subject: Neuromuscular Hyperthermia Dopamine Methylphenidate

abstract: Acute methylphenidate (MPH) (dopamine reuptake inhibitor) ingestion improves cycling time trial performance and power output in hot conditions (30 C), while also allowing for tolerance of higher core temperatures. However, the mechanisms for why this occurs have not been isolated. One potential explanation for this ergogenic benefit is that MPH intake was enhancing neuromuscular activation. Thus, this research project examined the influence of MPH on neuromuscular activation during hyperthermia. Participants ingested either placebo (PLA; 20mg) or MPH (Ritalin; 20mg) 1 hour prior to a passive heating protocol. 6 participants were passively heated until volitional cessation, or after 3 hours of heating had passed. Neuromuscular responses, as indicated by maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force, and voluntary activation (VA) percentage were assessed prior to drug ingestion, 1 hour after MPH wash-in, throughout the heating protocol and at cessation of heating. A primary non-significant finding of this research project was that participants reached higher rectal temperatures (Tre) by ~0.3 C in trials where they ingested MPH (p = 0.065). This effect occurred in absence of any differences in thermal comfort or sensation ratings or heating durations. However, while MPH improves thermal tolerance, it was not able to attenuate the decreases in MVC force and VA that occurred during passive heating. Therefore, the aforementioned ergogenic benefits that MPH has in hot conditions are not occurring as a result of enhanced neuromuscular activation.


title: Exploring the Reliability of an Objective Severity Tool to Classify Severe Problem Behaviour

subject: severe problem behaviour

subject: intellectual and developmental disability

subject: reliability

subject: severity scale

subject: research tool

abstract: The term ‘severe’ is a common descriptor for problem behaviour in research and practice. However, it is often applied inconsistently, and at times based on ill-defined or arbitrary criteria. Existing problem behaviour measurement tools often rely solely on caregiver recall (e.g., interviewing primary caregivers). This study explores the reliability of the first iteration of a severity tool employing direct measurement strategies (e.g., response rate, injury severity as evidenced by permanent product) to classify an individual’s problem behaviour severity. Nine Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) raters were recruited, five novice raters and four expert raters. They each experienced two conditions. In the first condition, raters classified the severity of 20 case scenarios without access to the tool. In the second condition, raters classified the severity of 20 novel scenarios after completing the tool for each case. All items of the tool (n=26) had good internal consistency (∝=.831). Intraclass correlations showed a meaningful increase in reliability for both groups when they had access to the tool (novice r=0.860, expert r=0.912) compared to when they did not have access to the tool to rate case severity (novice r=0.781, expert r=0.803). Most raters either strongly agreed or agreed that the severity tool had good applicability across research and clinical settings. This suggests that inconsistencies that may exist in the classification of severe problem behaviour could be mitigated with the proposed tool.


title: Crawford Lake Consumers: Water Column and Palynological Studies

subject:
Crawford Lake
Consumers
Oxygenated
Taphonomy
Palynology

abstract:
Despite their important role in lake ecosystems, the fossil record of consumers has been underutilized compared to the remains of algae and plants in paleoenvironmental studies. Cladocerans, chironomids, and testate amoebae were found in palynological preparations of sediments throughout Crawford Lake (a unique meromictic lake in Ontario, Canada), but rotifer lorica and cysts of aloricate ciliates were only preserved in seasonally laminated sediments in the monimolimnion of this lake, demonstrating the exceptional preservation potential in this portion of the lake water column. Relatively diverse assemblages of consumer
palynomorphs were associated with anthropogenic impact on this lake, and the annual chronological resolution afforded by varves allowed these to be related to historic events in the small watershed, the most notable being the operation of a lumber mill on the south shore of the lake, and to archeological and pollen evidence of several phases of agricultural settlement between the 13th and 15th centuries. Lower diversity of consumer palynomorphs between the Iroquoian and Euro-Canadian settlement phases (i.e., late 15th through early 19th centuries) mainly reflects the sharp decline in most rotifer taxa and the cladoceran Bosmina longirostris, but the persistence of the rotifers Keratella hiemalis and Kellicottia longispina is evidence that
the lake ecosystem did not return to pre-human impact conditions after abandonment of the Iroquoian settlement. Understanding how the trophic level of consumers responded to natural and anthropogenic stressors relied heavily on rarely preserved rotifer lorica, but the observation that the cladoceran B. longirostris tended to thrive relative to the typically more
common Daphnia at times of cultural eutrophication may have broader application in palynological studies of lakes.
Contrary to long-standing assumption, the exceptional preservation of organic-walled microfossils in undisturbed seasonal laminae in the deep basin of Crawford Lake cannot be explained by anoxia. Observations of seasonal migration of zooplankton to and from the mixolimnion in conjunction with instrumental measurements of dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity in the water column almost monthly from October 2019 through September 2020 demonstrated that this meromictic lake is uncharacteristically well-oxygenated below the chemocline. Instead, exceptional preservation is attributed to the lack of bioturbation and the suppression of bacterial decomposition in the cold, nearly brackish, highly alkaline bottom waters devoid of benthos larger than ostracods able to migrate into the deep basin via interstitial waters. The annual resolution possible in sediments deposited in a typically well-oxygenated setting is an attractive feature in the search for a potential GSSP to define the Anthropocene Epoch using plutonium from fallout of thermonuclear testing as a primary marker.


title: General Case Training via Telehealth for Parents of Young Children At-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

subject:
autism
parent training
applied behaviour analysis
generalization
infants and young children

abstract: Research indicates that young children at-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show developmental improvements with the implementation of a parent training intervention, although evidence of parent generalization to novel skills is inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects on generalization of a parent-mediated early intervention using general case training (GCT) combined with behaviour skills training (BST) via telehealth for young children at-risk for ASD. Six parent-child dyads participated in total. Child target skills were identified through the Parent Observation of Early Markers Scale and confirmed through direct observation. Nine exemplars from three child skill categories that target deficits representative of early signs of ASD were taught to parents using two concurrent multiple baseline across participants designs. Data were collected for the percentage of correct parent teaching skills implemented, as well as the percentage of child correct responses to the target skills. Results demonstrate an increase in parent teaching skills across all trained participants for both trained and untrained child skills. These results provide preliminary support for GCT combined with BST via telehealth as an effective early intervention model.


title: Burnout of Direct Support Workers of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review

subject:
Intellectual Disability
Burnout
Developmental Disability
Direct Support Worker
Stressors

abstract:
Several work-related, client-related, and personal stressors have shown to increase
burnout levels of developmental support workers (DSWs) who support adults with intellectual
and developmental disabilities (IDD). These stressors have included work overload, control,
client challenging behaviour, job satisfaction, and much more. However, a previous systematic
review by Skirrow and Hatton (2007) reported that there remain no conclusive results about
which variables trigger the development of burnout in this population and they reported that
burnout levels of this population is average and comparable to other human service professions.
Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)
guidelines and the methods of Skirrow and Hatton (2007), a systematic review of the literature
was completed which reports the consistencies and magnitudes of correlations and predictors of
burnout in the population of DSWs supporting adults with IDDs. Classical meta-regression
analyses and forest plots were also completed and analyzed to compare the difference in burnout
levels in the review completed by Skirrow and Hatton (2007) compared to the sample of burnout
levels in this review. The results show that there are several variables which were consistently
significantly associated with burnout of this population across studies while other variables were
inconsistent in their association with burnout across the studies. For burnout levels, it was found
that both emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment scores have significantly worsened
since Skirrow and Hatton’s (2007) review while depersonalization scores have improved.
Overall, this research shows the vast array of variables which can impact the development of
burnout, where client and work-related variables appear to have a more significant impact on
burnout development than personal characteristics of DSWs.


title: Examining Conceptualizations of Dance in Ontario University Athletic Contexts

subject:
competitive dance
sport-as-art
student-athlete
U Sports
OUA

abstract: This research examined perceptions surrounding dance as a sport, art, or combination of both in Ontario universities. Competitive dancers, dance coaches, and athletic department staff in postsecondary participated in online surveys and interviews to share their individual beliefs, knowledge, and understandings about competitive dance and the ways dancers can occupy spaces as artists and athletes. Perceptions of dance from each group of key informants proved to be dependent on a range of factors within universities and across individual participants. Most participants stated they viewed dance as both an art and a sport but demonstrated tension in how dancers occupied spaces as legitimate athletes within various institutions. While participants indicated openness to the idea of dance as a sport and dancers as athletes, the ways in which this was actually attainable at the university-level was hindered by various institutional and systemic barriers.


title: Understanding the relationship between body image and menopause in South Asian Canadian women

subject:
Body Image
Menopause
South Asian women
Canada
Culture
Ethnicity

abstract: Research regarding women’s body image during menopause is limited; few studies reflect the experiences of ethnic women, especially South Asian women living in Canada. Cultural differences play an important role in both body image and menopause experiences and may be particularly important to South Asian women, who often fear stigmatization and struggle with openly discussing health concerns. This study used interpretive phenomenological analysis, which focuses on understanding and interpreting the experiences of the participants, to explore the relationship between body image and the transition of menopause in South Asian Canadian women. Nine first generation South Asian immigrant Canadian women (aged 49-59 years), in perimenopause or postmenopause were recruited for semi-structured individual interviews. Overall, three themes were constructed: 1) Complexity and intertwining of body image and menopause experiences, which showed that although women understood body image as a multidimensional construct, their own body image focused on weight and appearance that was impacted by menopause and aging; 2) “It's just something we go through silently”: The challenges of body image and menopause experiences, which highlighted the lack personal support from family and South Asian community and the disconnected feeling from their bodies through the menopause transition; and 3) The push and pull of South Asian and Western cultures, which focused on conflicts between the two cultures and influence of the South Asian culture on beauty, body image, and aging. Results showed that participants often upheld Western body image ideals by equating positive body image practices and attitudes with these ideals, and this was often worsened by South Asian cultural norms. Additionally, women’s understanding of body image and menopause showed a gap between their personal understanding and research. Participants emphasized a lack of ethnically appropriate education for body image and menopause, suggesting there is a need for the implementation of culturally-appropriate and community-based interventions, and resources (e.g., workshops, seminars, support groups). Moreover, an underlying narrative of cultural conflict (Western vs South Asian cultures) and impact of the South Asian culture was evident. Therefore, further examination of the complexity and influence of the South Asian culture on body image and menopause experiences is required.


title: He Said, She Said: The Role of Self and Peer Rated Attractiveness in the Personality-Victimization Relationship

subject:
attractiveness
self-report
peer nomination
victimization
personality

abstract: Our own and others' perceptions of our attractiveness are impressively salient. Such perceptions have the power to influence not only the respect and attention we receive from others but also how we are treated in platonic and romantic relationships. This association is found to be particularly relevant for children and adolescents' victimization. I hypothesized that the relationship between attractiveness and victimization is influenced by personality. Victimization outcomes are thought to differ in shy and attractive adolescents compared to outgoing and attractive adolescents. In the current study, links between personality, attractiveness, and victimization were explored. Participants (N = 539, M = 11.82) completed self-report questionnaires to assess personality (via HEXACO Personality Inventory), self-perceptions of attractiveness and victimization. Peer nominations were used to assess students' perceptions of their peers' level of attractiveness and victimization. Significant negative associations were found between Openness and peer nominations of attractiveness and Honesty-Humility and self-reported attractiveness. Furthermore, a significant positive relationship was found between self-reported attractiveness and self-reported indirect victimization. In contrast, significant negative relationships were found between peer-nominated attractiveness and all measures of peer nominated victimization. Mediation analyses resulted in different paths when comparing self-reported and peer nominated victimization. Lastly, contrasting results were found when direct effects were assessed for gender differences. A positive relationship between Emotionality and peer nominated attractiveness was found for girls, while a negative relationship was found for boys. Furthermore, a positive relationship between self-reported attractiveness and self-reported direct victimization was found exclusively in boys. Results have the potential to expand bullying interventions to include not only those who are customarily regarded as victims but all students


title: Tea types and their effects on in vitro mineralization and in vivo bone structure and density

subject:
Tea
Polyphenols
Pregnancy and Lactation
Bone
Antioxidants

abstract:
The consumption of tea has many proposed health benefits thought to likely be the result of an abundance of unique polyphenols. In particular, one exciting potential health benefit of tea is its capacity to have bone supportive effects when consumed throughout life. Prior to testing the potential bone supportive effects, it was important to characterize several types of tea and determine the ideal steeping time for each tea, maximizing the quantity of polyphenols while also maintaining taste (Study 1). Results from this study were congruent with manufacturer’s recommendations. Following this, several types of teas and tisanes were tested in an in vitro osteoblast model to determine if there were any alterations in quantity of mineral produced (Study 2). Findings demonstrated that all teas effectively increased mineralization at a dietary concentration of polyphenols, but red rooibos tea appeared to produce the greatest effects. The next important aspect which needed to be clarified was if there was an optimal concentration of red rooibos tea that elicited maximal results (Study 3). To determine this, a dose response study was conducted in the same osteoblast model as study 2 and mineral quantity was measured. From this study a positive dose-dependent response was observed without any signs of toxicity, suggesting that high concentrations may be beneficial.
 	Following the initial in vitro studies it was important to test red rooibos tea in a physiologically relevant model of elevated bone turnover, pregnancy and lactation (Study 4). Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to one of the following groups: PREG TEA (pregnant and received a supplemental level of red rooibos: ~2.6 g /kg body weight/day in water), PREG WATER (became pregnant and received water), or NONPREG CON (age-matched, non-pregnant control) from 2 weeks prior to pregnancy (age 8 weeks) through to 4 months post-lactation. Results demonstrated that there were immediate losses of both trabecular and cortical bone following lactation. However, cortical bone rapidly recovered in both pregnancy groups while the majority of trabecular outcomes only partially recovered and appeared to have permanent reductions. When comparing the two pregnancy groups, there were no differences in cortical bone post-lactation but there were significant improvements in several of the trabecular outcomes in rats that received red rooibos herbal tea. The findings from this thesis demonstrated in progressively more complex and physiologically relevant models that tea does have the capacity to be bone supportive, particularly during periods of high turnover.


title: The effect of increased dairy consumption during one week of intense training on serum bone markers of adolescent female athletes

subject: Adolescent bone exercise female biomarkers

abstract: While high-impact exercise training typically has a positive effect on bone, intensified training during adolescence, the period of rapid growth and peak bone acquisition, could potentially have an opposite effect. Dairy foods contain bone-supporting nutrients (i.e., calcium) that are crucial to the structural integrity and strength of bone. In this study, 13 female adolescent soccer players (14.3 ± 1.3y) participated in a cross-over, randomized, double-blind trial examining the effects of Greek yogurt (GY) consumption on bone biomarkers during a one-week period of intensified training. The study took place over two intervention weeks, which consisted of a pre-training assessment day, 5-days of consecutive, intense soccer training and a post-training assessment day. Participants completed both the GY condition, and a carbohydrate isocaloric placebo control pudding condition (CHO) condition in random order, 4 weeks apart. Fasted, resting blood samples were collected in the morning at pre- and post-training sessions during each intervention condition. Total osteocalcin (tOC), undercarboxylated osteocalcin (unOC), carboxyl-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and receptor activator nuclear factor kappa-β ligand (RANKL) were measured in serum. Results showed no significant effects for time (from pre- to post-training) and condition, and no interaction in tOC, CTX, OPG, RANKL and OPG/RANKL ratio. There was an interaction (p=0.011) for unOC, which decreased significantly at the end of the intense training period in the GY condition, but not in the CHO condition (-26% vs -3%, respectively). Relative unOC, expressed as a percentage of tOC, also reduced post-training (-16%), but with no differences between intervention conditions. These findings suggest that high-impact intense training had no direct catabolic impact on bone metabolism, at least in the short-term, and thus, GY added no benefit beyond that of the isocaloric CHO control pudding.


title: Low-dose lithium supplementation and SERCA uncoupling in C2C12 cells and murine skeletal muscle.

subject: Thermogenesis Lithium GSK3 SERCA

abstract: Adaptive thermogenesis is a cellular process that accelerates energy expenditure while increasing heat production in response to prolonged cold exposure or caloric excess. The prevalence of obesity along with its comorbidities is continually rising. Obesity is a result of energy intake superseding energy expenditure, however, a balance between energy intake versus energy expenditure is key in weight maintenance. Therefore, enhancing adaptive thermogenesis may be relevant in combatting diet-induced obesity. Skeletal muscle via sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) uncoupling and brown/beige adipose via mitochondrial uncoupling are the two sites for adaptive thermogenesis in mammals. Recent evidence has shown that glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) negatively regulates adipose-based thermogenesis by repressing uncoupling protein-1 expression in brown adipocytes. However, to our knowledge, no studies have examined whether GSK3 also negatively regulates muscle-based thermogenesis via SERCA uncoupling. The SERCA pump catalyzes the active transport of 2 Ca2+ ions into the sarcoplasmic reticulum per 1 ATP hydrolyzed under optimal conditions. Sarcolipin (SLN), an uncoupler of SERCA makes Ca2+ transport less efficient by reducing SERCA coupling ratio. The objective of this thesis was to determine whether GSK3 inhibition with low dose lithium (Li) supplementation can increase SLN expression and promote SERCA uncoupling in both C2C12 cells and in murine soleus muscle. Our results show that in C2C12 cells, 0.5mM LiCl promotes GSK3 inhibition and SERCA uncoupling via an increase in ryanodine receptor (RYR) but not SLN. In contrast, soleus muscles from chow-fed and lithium supplemented mice did not result in any notable changes in SERCA coupling ratio or the content of SERCA associated proteins. We next determined whether this would differ under an added stress of a high-fat diet. Our results show that soleus homogenates of HFD+Li supplemented mice have significant reductions in SERCA coupling ratio compared with HFD alone, which was presumably due to an increase in SERCA uncoupling proteins SLN and NNAT. Altogether these data suggest the potential role of GSK3 inhibition via low dose lithium supplementation in activating muscle-based thermogenesis, particularly under the stress of a HFD.


title: Apprehending Stigma: Towards a Reparative Trauma-informed Decolonial Reading of HIV-related Stigma

subject:
HIV and AIDS
stigma
decolonial trauma theory
testimony
witnessing

abstract: Applying a decolonial trauma-informed framework that brings together different disciplinary systems, this project investigates responses to the stigma associated with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the literary work of two Canadian and two South African writers. I approach the literary journalism of Stephanie Nolen and Jonny Steinberg and the novels of Tomson Highway and the late Phaswane Mpe as testimony in which Steinberg, Nolen and Mpe contest Western epistemologies and Highway foregrounds Indigenous knowledges. The four texts reframe stigma as operating within much larger systemic violences and operations of power than can be envisioned within a politics of recognition, indexed to the expository logic of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s paranoid position. Locating HIV-related stigma as emerging within the context of intergenerational collective trauma rooted in colonial violence makes possible the kind of reparative work that Sedgwick envisions, as well as an engagement with the infinite possibilities of encounter as an ethical response to this socially polarizing phenomenon that has proven so difficult to dislodge. Attentive to specific racialized and minoritized colonial histories, this project unravels the entanglement of events and conditions that coalesce around HIV in watershed moments when decolonial work collides with ongoing histories of colonial violence. Such a trauma-informed, decolonial lens offers a non-positivist framework to unsettle, potentially, the stasis of stigma reduction.


title: The Role of Protein Following Intense Exercise in Competitive Youth Athletes

subject:
Recovery
Inflammation
Cytokines
muscle damage
Performance

abstract: The overall purpose of this thesis was to examine the role of post-exercise dairy protein consumption (isolated and whole-food) on recovery indices (performance and muscle damage) and inflammation following intense exercise within the context of different ecologically valid sporting environments, i.e., acute competition and a short-term period of intensified training, in competitive youth athletes. For this, two studies were conducted. Study 1 (Chapter 3) investigated the effect of whey protein consumption following a high-intensity interval swim session (HIIS) among adolescent swimmers on subsequent performance, muscle soreness, plasma creatine kinase and inflammatory cytokines, compared with isoenergetic carbohydrate and flavoured water in the acute (0–8 h) and short-term (8–24 h) recovery periods. Study 2 (Chapter 4) examined the effects of increased protein consumption, via plain Greek yogurt, compared with an isoenergetic carbohydrate control on performance recovery, inflammation, and muscle damage, during a 5-day simulated soccer training camp in competitive adolescent female soccer players. The collective findings indicate that during both acute and short-term periods of intensified exercise, the provision of dairy protein regardless of form (isolated or whole food), provided no added benefit at enhancing performance recovery or ameliorating muscle damage above that of energy matched carbohydrates. However, it does appear that the consumption of calories, regardless of type (e.g., carbohydrates or dairy protein), when rapid recovery is required, offers greater performance retainment than water. Therefore, during periods of intensified exercise that may be accompanied by inadequate recovery, the replenishment of energy should be the primary focus. Further, in both studies the consumption of dairy protein following exercise leads to an augmented anti-inflammatory response (i.e., increased IL10), not observed in the control conditions (i.e., water or energy-matched carbohydrates). Thus, it is possible that dairy protein consumption post-exercise may benefit the acute immune response. This possibility requires further study.


title: Beyond the Headlines: Exploring Media Portrayal of Youth Climate Change Activists

subject:
climate change
youth activism
youth climate activists
media representations of youth

abstract: Climate change is the biggest global threat to our planet today and youth will bear the brunt of this threat (Currie & Deschênes, 2016). Recently, we have seen youth stand up and become activists for climate. This qualitative study was conducted on media representations of youth climate change activists because of its usefulness for exploring the complexity of youth voices, and how they are ignored. This research focuses closely on Swedish teen activist, Greta Thunberg, currently 18, and Autumn Peltier, 17, a Canadian Indigenous activist and Chief Water Commissioner of the Anishinabek Nation. By employing Foucault’s theory of discourse and power, the sociology of childhood, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989, herein UNCRC), this research provides new insight on our representations of youth activism. Through analysis, there were seven distinct discourses related to the research questions: adults as supporters, active actors, westernized viewpoints, lone and collective activism, media as a gatekeeper/catalyst, hierarchical and power relations, and dismissal of children. Findings showed that to change media’s perceptions of youth activism, we must first challenge the discourse of childhood innocence, while also still holding relative power in a non-authoritarian way. The UNCRC (1989) also needs to be integrated further within schools and policy implementation as even though childhood globally shares the same inherent rights, not all youth activists are being afforded the same opportunities that Swedish teen Greta Thunberg has been given.


title: Game Theory-based Allocation Management in VCC Networks

subject:
Vehicular Cloud Computing
Resource Management
CRU

abstract: Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) have contributed significantly towards improving road traffic management and safety. VANETs, integrated with Vehicular Clouds, enable underutilized vehicular resources for efficient resource management, fulfilling service requests. However, due to the frequently changing network topology of vehicular cloud networks, the vehicles frequently move out of the coverage area of roadside units (RSUs), disconnecting from the RSUs and interrupting the fulfillment of ongoing service requests. In addition, working with heterogeneous vehicles makes it difficult to match the service requests with the varying resources of individual vehicles. Therefore, to address these challenges, this work introduces the concept of clustering resources from nearby vehicles to form Combined Resource Units (CRUs). These units contribute to maximizing the rate of fulfillment of service requests. CRU composition is helpful, especially for the heterogeneity of vehicles, since it allows clustering the varying resources of vehicles into a single unit. The vehicle resources are clustered into CRUs based on three different sized pools, making the service matching process more time-efficient. Previous works have adopted stochastic models for resource clustering configurations. However, this work adopts distinct search algorithms for CRU composition, which are computationally less complex. Results showed that light-weight search algorithms, such as selective search algorithm (SSA), achieved close to 80% of resource availability without over-assembling CRUs in higher density scenarios. Following CRU composition, a game-theoretical approach is opted for allocating CRUs to service requests. Under this approach, the CRUs play a non-cooperative game to maximize their utility, contributing to factors such as fairness, efficiency, improved system performance and reduced system overhead. The utility value takes into account the RSS (Received Signal Strength) value of each CRU and the resources required in fulfilling a request. Results of the game model showed that the proposed approach of CRU composition obtained 90% success rate towards matching and fulfilling service requests.


title: Understanding the Complex Mental Health Challenges of Children and Adolescents Seeking Community-based Care

subject:
neuropsychology
neurological compromise
neurodevelopmental disorders
paediatric mental health
psychopathology

abstract:
Studies have shown that children and adolescents with neurostructural and/or
neurodevelopmental challenges experience worse mental health outcomes than their neurotypical peers, including more extensive service use, more severe symptomatology, and greater functional impairment. Despite the poor prognoses of these children and adolescents, few studies have investigated the neurocognitive contributions to mental health complexity among those seeking community-based mental health services. At present, environmental/social and behavioural factors remain the primary focus of treatment plans and much of the research examining this complex population has targeted psychosocial determinants. However, interventions based on these factors alone are not always effective, as they fail to account for neurocognitive challenges, which can significantly contribute to psychiatric presentations. This dissertation involves two studies that aimed to address these gaps in the literature and inform current practices in paediatric community mental health settings. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Study 1 tested the generalizability of a path model predicting service use among those with (n = 66) and without (n = 97) neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs). As expected, those with NDs had higher levels of symptomatology and greater service use than those without, and there were notable differences in the predictive pathways across ND groups. Similar paths were found between externalizing challenges and service use among all children/adolescents; however, the paths from internalizing challenges, early life adversity, and sex were only significant among the ND group, indicating that neurodevelopmental status is an important moderator of outcomes. In Study 2, a mixed methods approach was employed to examine how neuropsychological information could help inform current practice. Qualitative results confirmed that neuropsychological factors are often overlooked when utilizing current approaches and that observable symptoms, rather than underlying causes, are a primary focus of treatment. Further, neurocognitive deficits were found to be associated with self-reported interpersonal difficulties and caregivers’ reports of externalizing; however, only caregiver-reported externalizing challenges correlated with poorer treatment outcomes. Importantly, neurocognitive challenges were associated with long-term treatment responses, suggesting that these factors may be an important therapeutic target. Collectively, these findings indicate that using an exclusively psychosocial treatment approach, without considering neuropsychological factors, may not be effective among complex cases.


title: Learning and recognizing faces across variability in appearance: An examination of children and older adults

subject:
Face Recognition
Face Learning
Aging
Development
Within-person variability

abstract:
Recognizing facial identity requires two skills: telling a person apart from similar looking people and recognizing them across changes in their appearance. Until recently, the vast majority of studies relied on tightly controlled images to examine face learning and recognition. Research using ambient images (i.e., images that capture within-person variability in appearance) is necessary to assess the true challenge of face learning and recognition in daily life. Only a few studies have examined face learning and recognition using ambient images in children, and, to the best of my knowledge, no studies have examined them in older adults. My dissertation was designed to address these gaps in the literature.
In Study 1, children aged 6 to 11 were tested to examine two mechanisms that underlie face learning in young adults: Ensemble coding and the ability to benefit from exposure to variability in appearance in a perceptual matching task. My results revealed that both mechanisms are adultlike by the age of 6. First, children extracted the average of a set of images of an identity, regardless of whether those images were presented simultaneously or sequentially. Second, although their overall accuracy was lower than that of young adults, children showed comparable benefit from viewing multiple images of a to-be-learned identity in a perceptual face learning task.  In Study 2, I examined whether younger children (4- and 5-year-olds) benefit from exposure to multiple images when learning a new face in a perceptual task. Although viewing multiple images made young children more sensitive to identity, it also led them to adopt a less conservative response bias, driven both by an increase in hits and an increase in false alarms. This increase in false alarms was not found for older children and adults in Study 1, suggesting that the ability to benefit from exposure to variability in appearance during face learning is not fully refined before the age of 6.
In Study 3, I provided the first examination of face learning and recognition in older adults using a battery of tasks. On three of the five tasks, older adults showed comparable learning and recognition to young adults: 1) Older adults recognized a familiar face without error; 2) they showed ensemble coding of facial identity, regardless of whether the images were presented simultaneously or sequentially and 3) despite making more errors than young adults overall, they showed comparable benefit from viewing multiple images of a newly encountered face in the perceptual learning task. In the remaining two tasks, older adults showed a different pattern than young adults: 1) Older adults made fewer hits and more false alarms than young adults when matching images of wholly unfamiliar faces; and 2) after being exposed to low variability in appearance in a face memory task, older adults became more conservative than did younger adults, despite showing comparable benefits in sensitivity. My results reveal that the same abilities that show prolonged development during childhood are those undergo changes in aging. Collectively, my dissertation provides novel insights about learning and recognizing facial identity during childhood and aging and has important implications for understanding models of face processing.


title: Examining the Role of Physiological Arousal in Laboratory Risk-Taking in Social and Non-Social Contexts

subject:
risk-taking
social
peers
arousal
skin conductance

abstract: Current theoretical models attribute the rise in risk-taking during adolescence to heightened activity in reward processing brain regions when in the presence of social and non-social rewarding stimuli. However, non-rewarding, but very salient stimuli, have also been shown to increase activity in reward processing brain regions and could, in theory, also increase risk taking propensity in adolescents. To examine this, we had participants complete a risk-taking task under “standard” conditions as well as under one of three experimental conditions: virtual peer observer with positive social feedback (positive social), virtual peer observer with neutral social feedback (negative social), and with triple the potential rewards (non-social positive). The study’s sample consisted of 59 mainly young adult participants (Mage = 20.69, SD = 5.08), where 22 identified as men and 37 identified as women. A multi-level model revealed no overall effect of exposure to the experimental context on risk-taking. Greater skin conductance was, unexpectedly, associated with less risk-taking. When examining each context in separate models, exposure to the non-social showed associations with increased risk-taking, whereas the positive social context did not. Negative social contexts showed a pattern of means suggesting that exposure to such contexts may be associated with increased risk-taking, but our models may have been underpowered and were unable to detect this effect. These findings suggest that the salience of a context may be an important factor to consider when exploring what drives adolescent risk-taking.


title: Optical Study of (Nb0.5In0.5)0.02 Ti0.98O2 Crystals

subject: Raman NITO Infrared Spectroscopy TiO2 Optical

abstract: This work was a study of pure TiO2Rutile crystals, as well as Rutile crystals 2% co-doped with Indium and Niobium (2-NITO). There is much interest surrounding co-doped TiO2re-cently,  with  several  papers  published  on  ’colossal  permittivity’  in  the  lower  frequency ranges (10^2-10^6Hz range).  The aim of this work was to study the optical and Raman modes of pure and co-doped crystals to determine the effects co-doping has on these modes.  Infrared reflectance along with Raman Spectroscopy were used for this purpose.  In order to determine the dielectric function from the infrared data, the Factorized Model and Kramers-Kronig analysis were used. Since TiO2has a tetragonal unit cell, infrared measurements of both the a and c axes of both doped and undoped crystals were done.  Thea-axis is known to have 3 optical modes, whereas the c-axis only has one.  However an additional mode was seen in all spectra, believed to be caused by anharmonicity.  In addition, the 136cm−1mode observed in polycrystalline conductivity spectra of 5 and 10-NITO lines up directly with the A2u mode and the 793cm−1 mode  also  appears  in  single  crystal  TiO2,  meaning  these  are  not  new  modes.   However  the 447cm−1 and  654cm−1 modes  do  not  appear  in  our  data,  and  are  likely  a  result  of  higher percentage co-doping.  The effect of co-doping was observed to be an overall decrease in the reflectance  of  TiO2.   We  also  observed  sizable  increases  inγtofor  all  modes  in  2-NITO.  In addition, the dielectric permittivity decreases below the first phonon mode; suggesting that the enhanced permittivity observed at lower frequencies is not caused by co-doped changes to phonon modes.  All expected Raman-active modes were observed, however due to poor data resolution some of the peak positions appear to be slightly different than previously measured. Our Raman spectra showed new structures at around 300cm−1and 700cm−1 in the (100) surface spectra, it is possible these are combination lines.


title: Evolving Passive Solar Buildings Using Multi-Behavioural Diversity Search Strategies

subject:
Novelty Search
Genetic Programming
3D modeling
Evolutionary Design
Energy Efficiency

abstract: To build a green environment and to plan a sustainable urban area, energy efficient building design plays a major role. Energy efficient measures for building design include heating, cooling, and ventilating, as well as construction materials cost. In passive solar building design, sunlight exposure is used to heat the building in winter and reject heat in summer to keep the building cool. The goals of the passive solar building design are to minimize the energy cost and devices used for heating or cooling. The major goal of this research is to increase the diversity of solutions evolved with an evolutionary system for green building design. An existing genetic programming system for building design is enhanced with a search paradigm called novelty search, which uses measured aspects of designs in an attempt to promote more diverse or novel solutions. Instead of optimizing an objective, novelty search measures behaviors to obtain diverse solutions. We combine novelty search and fitness scores using a many objective strategy called sum of ranks. The simulation software EnergyPlus is used to evaluate the building design and energy costs. An existing fitness-based genetic programming system is enhanced with novelty search. We compare vanilla genetic programming solutions with our novelty-driven solutions. Experimental results show that genetic program solutions are more fit, but novelty strategies create more diverse solutions. For example, novelty search solutions, use a much more diverse selection of building materials.


title: The Christian Summer Camp as a Location for Queer Theoretical Inquiry

subject: camp gender sexuality intelligibility queer

abstract: This project presents a queer-theoretically informed analysis of the Christian summer camp environment, a minimally-researched recreational environment, relying in particular on Foucault’s understanding of surveillance and discourse, Butler’s concepts of performativity and intelligibility, Dyer’s conceptualization of queer futurity, and Messner’s identification of gender salience. After recruiting thirteen participants, twelve of whom worked at the same Baptist summer camp and one other who worked at a non-denominational Christian summer camp, each participant completed a short narrative discussing a gender-charged experience they encountered at camp. After this, ten of the thirteen participants agreed to complete interviews discussing those experiences further, as well as other topics surrounding how gender and sexuality were managed at camp. Findings were divided into three themes. The first theme foregrounds camp as a place where participants described acceptance and community as central pillars to the camp environment, while exclusionary practices complicated that understanding for many of the participants. The second theme highlights this exclusion and expands on who is excluded from camp and the methods of exclusion. The third theme discusses the responses and instances of resistance participants had to exclusionary camp policies, as well as the responses camp leadership had to violations of policy and instances of resistance. This has resulted in a better understanding of the locational salience of gender performance in the camp environment, as well as how gender and sexuality are taken up and negotiated on a personal and institutional level.


title: The ecological and physiological consequences of sun vs. shade nesting for the small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata, and their offspring

subject: Insect Bee Physiology Ecology

abstract:
Ceratina calcarata mothers choose their nesting location and that choice can have
developmental consequences for their offspring. Nests in the sun experience higher
developmental temperatures, reducing self-feeding insect body size through a phenomenon
called the Temperature-Size Rule. How does developmental temperature affect body size in
insects whose mothers’ feed them; for example, in mass-provisioning bees where all the food an
offspring needs to complete development is provided by the mother upfront? What are the
physiological advantages or disadvantages conveyed to offspring in sunny nests? In this thesis I
used C. calcarata to investigate the ecological and behavioural consequences of nest location
choice (sun or shade) on mothers, as well as the physiological consequences of developmental
temperature on their offspring.
Nests randomly allocated to the shade treatment were more likely to be empty when
opened, indicating that shaded nesting locations were not preferred. Mothers nesting in the sun
foraged more often for nectar than shade mothers, but provisioned similar sized pollen masses.
Sunny nests were hotter than shaded nests, even more so if they were oriented on an angle.
Offspring from sunny nests were smaller than shade bees in agreement with the Temperature Size Rule. Sunny offspring also had higher thermal tolerance than offspring from the shade but
less frequent DGE bursts at 25°C compared to shade bees, suggesting a lower metabolism at a
moderate temperature. As a result, I conclude offspring from sunny nests displayed irreversible
developmental thermal plasticity. Offspring from sunny nests experienced a thermal trade-off as
a result of their developmental conditions; they had a capacity for higher thermal tolerance as
evidenced by a shifted thermal breadth, but at the expense of a smaller adult body size. Such
trade-offs may enhance their response to climate change and contribute to speciation.


title: Changes in Periodontal Status after Pandemic-Related Interruptions to Care in a Fragile Cohort

subject:
periodontal disease
COVID-19
physical activity
dietary intake
sanative therapy

abstract: Sanative therapy (ST) can be a highly effective first-line therapy for periodontal disease. However, even after successful ST, patients require life-long periodontal maintenance therapy (PMT) to maintain their periodontal health. As a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, stay-at-home orders and other public health measures resulted in many patients missing or delaying their regularly scheduled PMT appointments. The primary objective of this study was to determine, at 5 to 10 years post-ST, if patients who delayed their appointments as a result of COVID-19 experienced significant changes in periodontal probing depth (PPD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque index (PI) compared to patients without appointment delays. Additionally, lifestyle factors such as dietary intake, physical activity, and oral hygiene behaviors were hypothesized to have been altered because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and interview questions were used to capture these changes. The study was completed at a private periodontal clinic. Patient medical and dental history data was collected retrospectively from patient charts. Due to challenges with recruitment, a subset of the required sample size was studied with findings providing pilot data for a larger future study. Study participants (n = 12) were asked to complete two different physical activity questionnaires, a 24-hour dietary recall, and a supplement and tea questionnaire online. Furthermore, a short virtual interview was used to ask participants how they felt COVID-19 impacted several lifestyle factors. At 5 to 10 years post-ST, a short delay in PMT appointments of 2 – 6 months did not significantly affect PPD, BOP and PI. Most participants reported changes to physical activity (80%) and diet (80%), but no changes to oral hygiene behaviors (90%). Overall, physical activity, diet, and body mass index data in the study sample closely aligned with findings from larger studies that have assessed these aspects in the Canadian population. This pilot study should be used to design future studies aimed at investigating the relationship between periodontal health and behavioral changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: An Exploration of Post-Secondary Students’ Use of an Online Pledge Program to Improve Wellbeing

subject: Student Post-secondary Stress Wellbeing Pledge

abstract: BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of post-secondary students report that their stress is so overwhelming it inhibits their academic achievement and impacts their health. On campus, traditional, clinical paradigms for managing mental health by treating individuals already experiencing breakdowns in their ability to cope are no longer keeping pace with need. Adding more accessible, non-clinical interventions that focus on prevention and build individual, collective, and institutional well-being have the potential to enhance students’ capacity for managing significant stressors. This study explores university students’ participation in a new online wellness intervention that uses theory-informed, evidence-based pledges to build coping, caring, and connecting practices. METHODS: Between September 2020 and June 2021, in response to promotional campaigns for the intervention, 966 unique visitors accessed the intervention (website) 2,124 times. 114 individuals completed the brief, researcher-designed online survey assessing demographic characteristics, academic standing, substance use behaviours, and which one of the nine pledges they selected; 89 met eligibility criteria of being Brock students and were included in the study. RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 86.5% female-identifying participants, with an average age of 21.5 years. 21.3% were first-year students. 48.3% reported an average grade between 65-79%; none reported an average grade less than 65%. Past-month alcohol and cannabis consumption was lower than what might be expected in typical post-secondary populations. 69.7% made a pledge that could help themselves cope with their stress (with most choosing to use positive affirmations or intentionally spend time in nature). 16.9% pledged to commit an action that showed others they cared. 13.5% made a pledge that could help make their institution a better place to be. All pledges were selected at least once. Pledge choice was not associated with demographic, academic or substance use characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: This small, preliminary study suggests this online pledge initiative should be further investigated with larger, more diverse samples as a promising avenue to build students’ capacity to cope with stress and form caring and supportive connections on campus. It offers ideas for feasible and low-cost structural changes institutions can make to support the wellbeing of all students.


title: Airbnb in the Age of a Housing Crisis: A Case Study of Housing Affordability and Vacation Rental Regulations in Niagara Falls, ON

subject:
Airbnb
Niagara Falls
housing affordability
asset-based welfare
housing commodification

abstract: This research focuses on housing in the context of growing unaffordability and increasing popularity of Airbnb in Niagara Falls, Ontario. In a city like Niagara Falls, which sees 12 million tourists annually, vacation rentals have become a highly profitable business. However, Niagara Falls is also currently experiencing a housing crisis. Airbnb complicates this crisis by perpetuating discourses in which housing is viewed primarily as a commodity. Commodification of housing, through processes of neoliberalization, financialization and securitization, inflates housing prices. More importantly, many people have accepted the unaffordability of housing because of discourses related to homeownership, mortgage debt, and asset-based welfare. These discourses normalize the commodification of housing, making processes like privatization, gentrification and Airbnb conversions seem natural, if not desirable. Housing practices based on these discourses disproportionately affect the underhoused. My research questions include: How does the hegemony of homeownership affect the housing markets in Niagara Falls? What elements of the homeownership discourse are used to describe both long-term rentals and vacation rentals in Niagara Falls? What are the consequences of these discourses for housing affordability in Niagara Falls? To answer these questions, I conducted a content and discourse analysis of city documents and city council meeting transcripts. My intent is to explain how respondents conceptualize their experiences related to vacation rental regulations in the context of housing discourses. Furthermore, I shall be analysing prominent housing discourses to examine the relationship between Airbnb and housing affordability in Niagara Falls, Ontario. My findings show that multifaceted homeownership discourses guided the discussions. All of these tend to stigmatize rentals in general, and long-term renters in particular. I conclude that the current housing system privileges homeownership at the expense of the renter population. This system, in turn, has focused on homeowners’ expectations during the Airbnb debates with little concern for how it affects housing affordability.


title: Do weight status and weight perception predict academic acheivement in adolescents? A longitudinal analysis of the COMPASS study.

subject:
Adolescents
academic achievement
obesity
weight perception

abstract:
Abstract
Background: Recent evidence suggests perceptions of overweight account for the psychosocial consequences typically associated with obesity. Previous research indicates the presence of an obesity achievement gap, yet limited research has explored weight perception in association with academic achievement. Previous studies have focused on grades and degree attainment, without consideration of student aspirations and perceived support and ability to achieve higher levels of education. This thesis examined how Body Mass Index (BMI) classification and weight perception relate to academic performance and postsecondary aspirations and expectations in a large cohort of Canadian adolescents. Additionally, the interaction between BMI status and perceptions of weight was examined in relation to academic achievement outcomes.
Methods: Two-year survey data from 25,673 grade 9-12 students attending the 122 Canadian schools that participated in Year 6 (2017/2018) and Year 7 (2018/2019) of the COMPASS study were used. Generalized estimating equation models were used to examine associations between students’ BMI classification and weight perception and their math and English/French course grades and post-secondary academic aspirations and expectations. All models were stratified by gender and adjusted for sociodemographic variables and school clustering.
Results: Boys and girls with BMI of obesity and missing BMI classification reported lower grades and post-secondary aspirations and expectations when compared to those with Normal BMI. Similarly, boys and girls with overweight BMI reported lower math and language grades than those with Normal-weight BMIs. Relative to their peers with normal-weight BMI and “about right” perceptions, those with overweight perceptions and BMI of overweight/obesity reported lower academic grades and post-secondary aspirations and expectations. There was evidence of an additive effect for girls and boys with overweight perceptions and BMI of overweight/obesity on academic outcomes. About right perceptions of weight were protective against lower math grades for boys and girls with overweight/obesity BMI. Results varied by gender and across academic outcomes.
Conclusions: Overall, this thesis demonstrates that an obesity achievement gap remains when controlling for students’ perceptions of their weight. Perceptions of overweight had a detrimental effect on academic performance and aspirations/expectations for students with BMI classifications of overweight and obesity, as well as grade outcomes for those with BMI of normal-weight. Results suggest that barriers to academic success exist for students with larger bodies. Future studies should explore the role of internalized and externalized weight bias.


title: The perception of mental toughness of student-athletes in their academic and sports domains

subject:
Mental Toughness
Sports
Academics
Student-Athletes

abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate university student-athletes’ perceptions of mental toughness in both their sport and academic domains. This study took a general qualitative approach through a constructivist lens, to allow for student-athletes’ perceptions to shape the understanding of mental toughness. There were a total of 10 participants (3 male and 7 female student-athletes) interviewed from a variety of sports and academics programs. Thematic analysis was used to identify four main themes: the dynamic nature of mental toughness, outcomes of mental toughness, resilience, and relationships. Findings highlighted similarities and differences between sports and academics, that allow for a better understanding of mental toughness in general, specifically amongst this demographic. The theme “The dynamic nature of mental toughness” showed that mental toughness fluctuated within different environmental settings or with varying performance outcomes, but in general it improved over time. Outcomes of mental toughness refer to factors such as confidence that resulted when participants experienced high levels of mental toughness, and also included the pursuit and embrace of a challenge to compete at peak performance, staying consistent, and staying focused on the task. Resilience was mutually understood as an essential characteristic of mental toughness within both sports and academics, and was more pronounced amongst student-athletes when their mental toughness state was high. The theme of relationships was a unique finding that showed how personal and professional relationships contribute to mental toughness differently within sports compared to academics. Forming a personal relationship with a teammate/classmate outside of the direct sport/academic setting helped athletes with their mental toughness. Additionally, it helped form a stronger professional relationship within the respective domains as well, aiding their performance. Across all themes, mental toughness was more prominent in sports than academics, where student-athletes generally described mental toughness as playing a crucial role in their academics. In addition, results showed support for the unidimensional nature of mental toughness through its general applicability described by participants in both domains without restriction of different dimensions. Therefore, the findings of this study indicate that mental toughness is a crucial psychological resource for student-athletes within both sports and academics.


title: Adaptive Q-learning-supported Resource Allocation Model in Vehicular Fogs

subject:
Vehicular Fog Computing
Resource Allocation
Cloudlet Dwell Time
Reinforcement Learning
Q-Learning

abstract: Urban computing has become a significant driver in supporting the delivery and sharing of services, being a strong ally to intelligent transportation. Smart vehicles present computing and communication capabilities that allow them to enable many autonomous vehicular safety and infotainment applications. Vehicular Cloud Computing (VCC) has already proven to be a technology shifting paradigm harnessing the computation resources from on board units from vehicles to form clustered computing units to solve real world computing problems. However, with the rise of vehicular application use and intermittent network conditions, VCC exhibits many drawbacks. Vehicular Fog computing appears as a new paradigm in enabling and facilitating efficient service and resource sharing in urban environments. Several vehicular resource management works have attempted to deal with the highly dynamic vehicular environment following diverse approaches, e.g. MDP, SMDP, and policy-based greedy techniques. However, the high vehicular mobility causes several challenges compromising consistency, efficiency, and quality of service. RL-enabled adaptive vehicular Fogs can deal with the mobility for properly distributing load and resources over Fogs. Thus, we propose a mobility-based cloudlet dwell time estimation method for accurately estimating vehicular resources in a Fog. Leveraging the CDT estimation model, we devise an adaptive and highly dynamic resource allocation model using mathematical formula for Fog selection, and reinforcement learning for iterative review and feedback mechanism for generating optimal resource allocation policy.


title: A Principal Component Analysis Comparing Forward Skating Strides Pre-Post Skate Treadmill Training in Youth Hockey Players

subject:
Youth
Principal Component Analysis
Forward Skating
Skating Mechanics

abstract: The purpose of the study was to explore temporal and phasic waveform patterns within kinematic data, obtained from forward skating strides, pre-post skate treadmill training in youth (U-11), male hockey players to investigate changes in kinematics. Continuous joint angle (deg) and angular velocity (deg/s) stride data for the trunk, hip, and knee were determined, time normalized, and averaged. PCA results suggested that most of the pre-post variance in skating mechanics could be explained through an increase in joint angle (deg) and angular velocity (deg/s) magnitudes during the propulsive and recovery phases of the stride cycle. Single component reconstruction (SCR) facilitated visual representation and interpretation of kinematic differences by isolating variances within each principal component and reconstructing lower (5th percentile) and upper (95th percentile) waveforms based on the respective scalar weight factor of PC scores. Post-training, SCR suggested patterns of increased trunk extension throughout the stride cycle, increased hip and knee extension during propulsion, and increased hip and knee flexion during recovery. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) statistically analysed continuous data points across two waveforms. SPM revealed significant differences in pre-post trunk flexion and extension magnitudes from the early glide phase to propulsion onset ([p=0.0023], ~0-20% stride cycle) and from late propulsion to weight acceptance ([p=0.0001], ~40-80% stride cycle). Differences in pre-post hip and knee measures were non-significant (p>0.05). PCA, SCR and SPM analyses have the potential to contribute to our understanding of biomechanical training adaptations in stride mechanics in youth ice hockey players.


title: Examination of chronic BDNF treatment and endurance training on skeletal muscle adaptations

subject: BDNF Exercise Adaptations Muscle Metabolism

abstract: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was recently described as a contraction-induced protein, produced by muscle and released into circulation, having autocrine and endocrine actions. Our understanding of BDNFs role in skeletal muscle is limited; however, it may play a role in how muscle adapts to exercise. Thus far it is known that BDNF expression varies between skeletal muscle fiber types but is predominately found in oxidative muscle. Acute exercise bouts increase circulating and skeletal muscle BDNF, and BDNF treatment of isolated muscles increases fat oxidation through activation of AMPK. The effects of endurance training and BDNF administration on these parameters have yet to be examined. This study's purpose was to compare chronic subcutaneous BDNF treatment with endurance training in mice. A secondary purpose was to deterimine if BDNF treatment could enhance endurance training adpatations. Male C57BL6 mice were randomly assigned to one of four groups (n=12/group): 1) control (CON); 2) endurance training (ET; treadmill running 1hour/day, 5days/wk); 3) BDNF (BDNF; 0.5 mg/kg·bw, 5days/wk); 4) endurance training and BDNF (ET+BDNF) for 8 weeks. Results showed a main effect of BDNF on reducing body mass (p<0.05) and food intake (p<0.05). The treadmill test to exhaustion demonstrated a main effect of BDNF (p<0.01) and ET (p<0.0001) on increasing exercise capacity (p<0.05), further ET+BDNF increased time to exhaustion compared to the ET group (p<0.001). In vitro contractile assessment of the EDL revealed BDNF treatment resulted in similar increases in the max rate of relaxation as ET alone. EDL force-frequency analysis showed ET+BDNF produced higher force than CON and BDNF (p<0.05). No effect of BDNF on soleus contractile properties was observed. BDNF increased EDL COXIV and CS content (p=0.06), however not to the same extent as ET (p<0.05). No effect of BDNF on mitochondrial markers was observed in the soleus. The current study provides novel data regarding the effect of chronic BDNF treatment  and exercise on appetite regulation, exercise capacity, and mitochondrial markers in a healthy mouse model. These results demonstrate that BDNF may contribute to skeletal muscle adaptations observed with endurance training. Further work is needed to determine if BDNF is required for these adaptations.


title: Landscape Aware Algorithm Configuration

subject:
Fitness Landscape Analysis
Algorithm Configuration
Particle Swarm Optimization
Parameter Tuning
Parameter Control

abstract: The issue of parameter selection cannot be ignored if optimal performance is to be obtained from an algorithm on a specific problem or if a collection of algorithms are going to be compared in a fair manner. Unfortunately, adequately addressing the issue of parameter selection is time consuming and computationally expensive. Searching for appropriate control parameters generally requires much more time than actually solving the problem at hand due to the need to perform many complete runs of the target algorithm. The number of runs required to obtain thorough and equal coverage of the parameter space grows exponentially with the number of parameters. As a result, costs associated with parameter selection become a limiting factor in the scale of problems that can be investigated. The primary goal of this work is to reduce the costs of parameter selection. In pursuit of this goal, this thesis examines the use of neural networks to intelligently select appropriate control parameter values based on the characteristics of the problem at hand. Two general purpose approaches are evaluated: one that predicts a single set of control parameters to use throughout a run of the target algorithm; and, another that dynamically adjusts algorithm control parameters at run time. These approaches are examined in detail using the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. A comparison with state of the art automated tools for control parameter selection indicates that the cost of parameter selection can be significantly reduced.


title: Paleoceanography across the Pliocene–Pleistocene transition in the southern Bering Sea: dinoflagellate cysts and acritarchs from IODP Site U1341

subject: Palynology, Paleoceanography, Dinoflagellates, Bering Sea, Plio-Pleistocene Boundary

abstract: The latest Pliocene–earliest Pleistocene (2.828 Ma to 2.401 Ma) interval from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1341, Bowers Ridge, southern Bering Sea, northern North Pacific has been analyzed for dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs and other palynomorphs. Based on 86 samples, with a spacing equivalent to between 500 and 6000 years, this is the most stratigraphically detailed late Cenozoic marine palynological study yet undertaken in the Bering Sea. The dinoflagellate cyst assemblages are characterized by low taxonomic richness: round brown cysts including Brigantedinium simplex, Lejeunecysta cinctoria, L. fallax, Selenopemphix nephroides, and Trinovantedinium variabile (heterotrophic taxa), and Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus, Impagidinium cf. japonicum, and Impagidinum spp. indet. (phototrophic taxa). Marine acritarchs are represented by Cymatiosphaera? icenorum and abundant C.? invaginata. Two informal assemblage biozones and their subzones are proposed: biozone MP-A (~2.828 Ma to 2.497 Ma) and biozone MP-B (~2.477–2.401 Ma). The co-dominance of round brown cysts and the extinct high-latitude acritarch Cymatiosphaera? invaginata in biozone MP-A reflects predominantly cold and reduced-salinity surface waters with intermittent incursions of warm and higher salinity waters from the Alaskan Stream. Neither the intensification of northern hemisphere glaciation at 2.7 Ma nor intense glaciation at 2.6 Ma are clearly represented within biozone MP-A, reflecting the enclosed nature of the Bering Sea and low taxonomic richness of the marine palynomorph record. However, the MP-A/ MP-B biozone boundary at 2.47 Ma marks a major change in the hydrography of the Bering Sea, as expressed by an abrupt decline in Cymatiosphaera? invaginata and increased percentages of fresh-water algae and terrestrial plant matter, all suggesting an important increase in the influence of river discharge at Site U1341. The reduced salinity might have largely excluded Cymatiosphaera? invaginata. Biological productivity during the summer months was nonetheless sustained or even elevated judging from the relatively high concentrations of round brown cysts and invertebrate fragments throughout biozone MP-B. Sporadic incursions of the Alaska Stream continued during this time. The overall conclusions of the present study compare favourably with published interpretations based on diatoms, although the major hydrographic change at 2.47 Ma has not yet been detected in other studies of the Bering Sea.


title: Managing Diversity and Many Objectives in Evolutionary Design

subject:
MAP-Elites
Many-objective Optimization
Sum-of-ranks
Procedural Texture
Genetic Programming

abstract: This thesis proposes a new approach to evolving a diversity of high-quality solutions for problems having many objectives. Mouret and Clune's MAP-Elites algorithm  has been proposed as a way to evolve an assortment of diverse solutions to a problem. We extend MAP-Elites in a number of ways. Firstly, we introduce a many-objective strategy called sum-of-ranks, which enables problems with many objectives (4 and more) to be considered in the MAP. Secondly, we enhance MAP-Elites by extending it with multiple solutions per "grid" cell (the original MAP-Elites saves only a single solution per cell). A few different ways of selecting cell members for reproduction are also considered. We test the new MAP-Elites strategies on the evolutionary art application of image generation. Using procedural textures, genetic programming is used with upwards of 15 lightweight image features to guide fitness. The goal is to evolve images that share image features with a given target image.  Our experiments show that the new MAP-Elites algorithms produce a large number of diverse solutions of varying quality. The extended MAP-Elites algorithm is also statistically competitive compared to vanilla GP in this application domain.


title: An Implementation of Separation Logic in Coq

subject:
Separation Logic
Coq

abstract:
For certain applications, the correctness of software involved is crucial, particularly if
human life is in danger. In order to achieve correctness, common practice is to gather
evidence for program correctness by testing the system. Even though testing may find
certain errors in the code, it cannot guarantee that the program is error-free. The program
of formal verification is the act of proving or disproving the correctness of the system with
respect to a formal specification. A logic for program verification is the so-called Hoare
Logic. Hoare Logic can deal with programs that do not utilize pointers, i.e., it allows
reasoning about programs that do not use shared mutable data structures. Separation Logic
extends Hoare logic that allows pointers, including pointer arithmetic, in the programming
language. It has four-pointer manipulating commands which perform the heap operations
such as lookup, allocation, deallocation, and mutation. We introduce an implementation of
separation logic in the interactive proof system Coq. Besides verifying that separation logic
is correct, we will provide several examples of programs and their correctness proof.


title: Assessing the Utility of a Video-Based Motion Capture Alternative in the Assessment of Lumbar Spine Planar Angular Joint Kinematics

subject:
Spine Biomechanics
Spinal Kinematics
Markerless motion capture
DeepLabCut

abstract: Markerless motion capture is a novel technique to measure human movement kinematics. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the markerless algorithm, DeepLabCut (DLC) against a 3D motion capture system (Vicon Motion Systems Ltd., Oxford, UK) in the analysis of planar spine and elbow flexion-extension movement. Data were acquired concurrently from DLC and Vicon for all movements. A novel DLC model was trained using data derived from a subset of participants (training group). Accuracy and precision were assessed from data derived from the training group as well as in a new set of participants (testing group). Two-way SPM ANOVAs were used to detect significant differences between the training vs. testing sets, capture methods (Vicon vs. DLC), as well as potential higher order interaction effect between these independent variables in the estimation of flexion extension angles and variability. No significant differences were observed in any planar angles, nor were any higher order interactions observed between each motion capture modality and the training vs. testing datasets. Bland Altman plots were also generated to depict the mean bias and level of agreement between DLC and Vicon for both training, and testing datasets. Supplemental analyses, suggest that these results are partially affected by the alignment of each participant’s body segments with respect to each planar reference frame. This research suggests that DLC-derived planar kinematics of both the elbow and lumbar spine are of acceptable accuracy and precision when compared to conventional laboratory gold-standards (Vicon).


title: Mixed Media in Evolutionary Art

subject:
Genetic Programming
Genetic Algorithms
Evolutionary Art
Evolutionary Computation
Mixed Media

abstract: This thesis focuses on creating evolutionary art with genetic programming. The main goal of the system is to produce novel stylized images using mixed media. Mixed media on a canvas is the use of multiple artistic effects being used to produce interesting and new images. This approach uses a genetic program (GP) in which each individual in the population will represent their own unique solution. The evaluation method being used to determine the fitness of each individual will be direct colour matching of the GP canvas and target image. The secondary goal was to see how well different computer graphic techniques work together. In particular, bitmaps have not been studied much in evolutionary art. Results show a variety of unique solutions with the application of mixed media.


title: Strategies for Evolving Diverse and Effective Behaviours in Pursuit Domains

subject: diverse effective behaviours novelty agents

abstract: Evolutionary algorithms have a tendency to overuse and exploit particular behaviours in their search for optimality, even across separate runs. The resulting set of monotonous solutions caused by this tendency is a problem in many applications. This research explores different strategies designed to encourage an interesting set of diverse behaviours while still maintaining an appreciable level of efficacy. Embodied agents are situated within an open plane and play against each other in various pursuit game scenarios. The pursuit games consist of a single predator agent and twenty prey agents, with the goal always requiring the predator to catch as many prey as possible before the time limit is reached. The predator's controller is evolved through genetic programming while the preys' controllers are hand-crafted. The fitness of a solution is first calculated in a traditional manner. Inspired by Lehman and Stanley's novelty search strategy, the fitness is then combined with the diversity of the solution to produce the final fitness score. The original fitness score is determined by the number of captured prey, and the diversity score is determined through the combination of four behaviour measurements. Among many promising results, a particular diversity-based evaluation strategy and weighting combination was found to provide solutions that exhibit an excellent balance between diversity and efficacy. The results were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively, showing the emergence of diverse and effective behaviours.


title: Optimal Quaternary Hermitian Linear Complementary Dual Codes for Entanglement-Assisted Quantum Error Correction

subject: Quantum Computing

subject: Quantum Error Correction Codes

subject: Quaternary Codes

abstract: The objective of this thesis is to find suboptimal and optimal parameters from classical codes and import them into entanglement-assisted quantum codes. The thesis begins by introducing classical error correction, followed by a detailed introduction to quantum computing. Topics that are discussed in the introduction include qubits, quantum phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, and quantum gates/circuits. The thesis then reviews the basics of quantum error correction and provides Shor's code to reinforce the reader's understanding. Subsequently, the formalism of stabilizer codes is thoroughly examined. We then explain the generalized concept of stabilizer codes which is entanglement-assisted quantum codes. They do not require generators to satisfy the commutativity property. Rather, they utilize the usage of ebits to resolve the anti-commutativity constraint. Next, the thesis explains quaternary field and then the Java program implemented to find the optimal parameters. Lastly, the thesis concludes with presenting the parameters of the new codes that were obtained throughout the research. We have found the suboptimal largest distance for quaternary hermitian linear complementary dual codes that can be imported as entanglement-assisted quantum error correction for parameters [22, 9, 9 or 10]₄, [22, 12, 7 or 8]₄, [23, 8, 11 or 12]₄, [23, 10, 9 or 10]₄, [23, 13, 7 or 8]₄, [24, 10, 10 or 11]₄, [24, 11, 9 or 10]₄, [24, 14, 7 or 8]₄, [25, 12, 9 or 10]₄, [25, 13, 8 or 9]₄, as well as the optimal largest distance for [17, 11, 5]₄ and [17, 13, 3]₄.


title: Selecting cover crop species for vineyards of the Niagara region

subject: Climate change, Cover crops, Extreme weather events, Climate change adaptation, Vineyards

abstract:
Organic viticulture challenges growers to think and act sustainably when managing variables such as weeds, pests, and overall crop production. Ongoing climate change is adding to this challenge with projected increases in extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and drought. Cover crops can be considered as an ecosystem-based adaptation measure when chosen carefully. They can help growers mitigate effects of climate change as well as increase vineyards biodiversity. Despite their common use, local knowledge of which species work best in what conditions is lacking. Furthermore, species are seldom tested for response to drought and flood conditions in both controlled and operational settings.
The first objective of this project was to evaluate the responses of nine different cover crop species to simulated drought and flood conditions under greenhouse-controlled conditions. Of the nine species, Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet) and Melilotus officinalis (yellow clover) were the only two species to withstand both extreme conditions without being significantly affected. Trifolium alexandrinum (berseem clover), Vicia villosa (hairy vetch), and Trifolium incarnatum (crimson clover) produced higher biomass in saturated condition, while Festuca rubra (red fescue), and Thinopyrum intermedium (pubescent wheatgrass) survived the drought without visual clear symptoms except for puny plants.
The second objective was to screen 13 cover crop species in two vineyards under operational settings, where weed pressure, local weather and management may influence species establishment. After the two screening years, Pennisetum glaucum, Trifolium incarnatum, Trifolium repens, Trifolium pratense, Vicia villosa, and Medicago sativa showed promising results in terms of establishment despite facing weather challenges.


title: The development of a new genetic test for grapevine cultivars using a computational genomics approach

subject: STR grapevine identification PCR genomics

abstract: Due to the sale and consumption of wine and table grapes, the grapevine is an important crop for many countries, including Canada. One of the main issues in viticulture is the identification of cultivars. Many of the over 6000 different types of grape cultivars look similar in colour or shape but may have very different taste profiles and require different growing conditions, while some have the same name but are genetically different (homonym) or having different names but are genetically identical (synonyms). Genetic tests based on the use of simple single repeat (SSR), or short tandem repeats (STR) markers have been developed to determine the genetic identity of different grapevine cultivars. However, the markers used in existing tests were identified more than 2 decades ago without optimization, and with the service limited to a few places around the world imposing many hurdles for international users. This research aims to develop a new grapevine genetic test by selecting the best STR markers in taking advantage of recently available rich grapevine genomic resources.  Using a computational genomics approach, a total of 13 top performing STR markers were selected based on their discrimination power for 304 grapevine cultivars. A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based test was designed to group these 13 STR markers into 5 multiplex PCR groups for assaying using the QIAGEN QIAxcel Advanced System™ for its speedy and cost-efficient DNA fragment analysis. As a way of evaluating the performance of the designed test, in silico genotyping was performed for 304 grapevine cultivars and 37 Chardonnay clones based on available whole genome sequencing data. The results showed that the test was able to distinguish all these grape cultivars and Chardonnay clones, and furthermore, the number of STR markers used in the test can be reduced to a minimum of 6 for distinguishing these cultivars and clones. Genotype-based phylogeny analysis of these cultivars and clones showed meaningful clustering patterns matching their known or assumed relationships, indicating the validity of the test. In conclusion, despite not being able to perform evaluations of the STR markers in the laboratory, the preliminary in silico results demonstrate the high efficiency of the computation genomic approach in finding top performing STR markers and predicts an excellent performance of the designed grapevine genetic test.


title: Assessing a Modified TAGteach Procedure to Increase Accurate and Fluent Performance of Gymnastics Skills in Children via Synchronous Videoconferencing

subject:
TAGteach
Gymnastics
Videoconferencing
Auditory Feedback
Sports

abstract: Sports offer children and youth opportunities to experience the physiological, physical, and psychological benefits of physical activity; however, in sports like gymnastics, injuries are quite common (Caine, 2003). Therefore, it is essential for coaches to teach athletes proper technique to prevent injury. TAGteach is an intervention package that uses an audible stimulus to provide immediate feedback following the correct performance of a skill (Fogel et al., 2010). To date, no study has (a) evaluated the effectiveness of TAGteach to enhance the fluency of dynamic sports skills or (b) conducted TAGteach remotely via a synchronous videoconferencing platform. We used a concurrent multiple baseline across skills design to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified TAGteach procedure to improve the accuracy and fluent performance of three dynamic gymnastics skills through synchronous videoconferencing with four participants between the ages of 6–11 years. For all participants, the modified TAGteach intervention package increased the accurate and fluent performance of all gymnastics skills, and these gymnastics skills maintained for a minimum of 4 weeks. Results are discussed within the context of intervention implications and suggestions for future research.


title: The Mental Representation of Visual Information

subject:
visual working memory
imagery
visual representation
psychophysical properties

abstract:
Despite working in relative independence, the working memory and imagery literatures investigate the mental representation of visual information. Recent reports investigating the neural structure and their associated functional activity responsible for the creation and maintenance of these cognitive representations suggest a significant overlap between these fields of study. Because each field has adopted methodologies that does not allow for a direct comparison of the mental representation described by their respective literatures, it is difficult to determine whether imagery and working memory representations are related. Hence, the current thesis further investigates the properties of the visual representation of visual information to bridge between the imagery and working memory fields.
	In a first study, I compare the psychophysical properties of simple stimuli commonly used in working memory reports with more complex objects adopted by the imagery field. In the course of three experiments, I demonstrate that the cost of stimulus complexity predominantly affects the quality of the mental representation while still providing evidence of a shared cognitive mechanism driving the formation and maintenance of these representations. In a second study, I evaluate the impact of mental rotation on these mental representations as well as whether the adoption of different paradigms, along with different performance metrics, assess the same cognitive construct. Here again, I show strong evidence in support of a common cognitive mechanism driving the performance across mental manipulation and through assessment methods. Finally, the last study attempted to track the manipulation of these visual representations by applying an encoding model to raw EEG activity. While I show evidence of the orientation-relevant activity during perception, the encoding model does not detect reliable enough activity to allow for tracking the orientation of the stimulus during retention and mental rotation. Together, this thesis provides evidence of a shared cognitive mechanism that drives visual working memory and imagery representation, but tracking these mental representations using EEG activity during manipulation remains unclear.


title: How Virtual Reality Leads to Positive Responses to Persuasion Attempts: The Implications of VR Brand Placement

subject:
Virtual Reality
Persuasion Knowledge
Brand Placement
Brand Recall
Telepresence

abstract: Facebook has started to test advertising in virtual reality, yet consumers’ responses toward this phenomenon have been neglected in the virtual reality and consumer behaviour literature. Most of the previous research has focused on VR as the primary tool for representing the service or product and not a medium for advertising purposes. Therefore, brand placement in virtual environments, as one of the most common persuasive advertising efforts by brands, is the focus of this study. More specifically, this research analyzes the effect of brand placement context (VR, 360 or 2D) and placement congruity on consumers’ persuasion knowledge and their responses towards brands, using the cognitive load theory and persuasion knowledge model to predict and explain the effect. The research model was tested using PLS-SEM and the PROCESS macro with a sample of 209 participants. The results confirmed that participants who experienced a higher sense of telepresence and interactivity (VR condition) were more likely to report lower persuasion knowledge and better brand evaluations and behavioural intentions. It was also found that compared to the 360 condition, in VR and 2D environments, participants were more likely to recall the brand embedded into the environment. Placement congruity was found to moderate the underlying mechanism through which interactivity and telepresence affect persuasion knowledge. These findings provide helpful insights to marketers and brand managers, who think of VR as an advertising tool, on how the technology factor impacts consumers’ responses to their persuasion attempts, such as brand placements.


title: The Influence of Perceived Value on Exploratory Behaviour Towards Future Patronage Intention in M-Commerce: An S-O-R Approach.

subject:
perceived value
diversive exploration
specific exploration
flow
patronage intention

abstract: The exploratory behaviour issue has received considerable attention in both online and brick-and-mortar consumer behaviour literature so far. However, regarding the widely prevalent use of mobile commerce in daily life, surprisingly, mobile exploratory behaviour has seldom been investigated. It is unclear to what extent mobile commerce characteristics can facilitate explorative behaviour. Thus, this study aims to fill the gap in the extant literature by examining the positive relationship between the perceived value, namely, functional, emotional and social and exploration (diversive and specific), which in turn, directly impacts future patronage intention. Due to the pivotal role of flow state in computer-mediated and online behaviour in the extant literature, the current study set out to examine the mediation role of flow between the relationship of perceived values and divisive vs specific exploration. This thesis begins with a brief overview of the recent history of noted research elements and proposes the conceptual model based on the stimulate-organism-response (S-O-R) model. It then discussed the hypotheses development. The remaining part of the paper proceeds with details on the data collection process and the methodological approach adopted to test these relationships.


title: De novo sequencing, annotation, and characterization of the genome of Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender)

creator: Nattamai Malli Pooranachandhiran, Radesh

subject:
Lavandula angustifolia
Illumina sequencing
genome size estimation
de novo genome assembly and annotation
essential oil pathways

abstract: Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean region, best known for its essential oil (EOs) that have numerous applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and perfume industries. We performed sequencing of the L. angustifolia genome and report a detailed analysis of the assembled genome, focusing on genome size, ploidy, and repeat content. The lavender genome was estimated to be around 870 Mbp (1C=0.96 pg) using a quantitative PCR method. Genome size was further validated through analysis of raw genome sequences using Kmergenie, providing a conclusive end to the lavender genome size dispute. The repeat element composition of the genome was analyzed using de novo (RepeatModeler) and library-based methods (RepeatMasker) and was estimated to be around 45% of the full genome or ~57% of the non-gap genome sequences. Further characterization revealed Long Terminal Repeat (LTRs) retrotransposons as the major repeat type, which contribute to ~18% of the genome, followed by DNA transposons at ~8.5% of the genome. Interestingly, unlike most other plant genomes, the lavender genome has many more Copia than Gypsy elements, both showing a trend of recent increasing activity. Furthermore, these LTRs, especially Copia elements, have shown active participation in gene function including genes for essential oil production, with Copia elements contributing to ~30 % of the coding DNA sequence (CDS) regions, in addition to promoter, intron and untranslated (UTR) regions. The lavender genome also has an unusually high number of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) compared to other model plant genomes, with the number being ~88,000, which is close to that (~90,000) of the much larger maize genome. Analysis also revealed the lavender genome with a high proportion at polyploidy level, which is strongly biased towards regions containing essential oil genes, with polyploidization events in the lavender genome occurred between 16 to 41 Mya. In conclusion, our results reveal the lavender genome to be highly duplicated and with past and ongoing active retrotransposition, making the genome optimized for EO production.