title: Motion Control of a Robotic Arm of a Humanoid Robot with Perspective Difference

abstract: This study examines the feasibility of a motion and haptic integrated system for the purpose of controlling a humanoid robotic arm. An Oculus head-mounted display was integrated to determine if there was an observable difference between third-person and first-person perspective control. We examine different methods of robotic control in humanoid robots and the precedence of head-mounted displays and motion control in current literature, as well as look at vibration as haptic feedback to relay the limitations of the robot. An experiment was completed with the prototype system in which 30 participants were able to complete the given tasks without fail. A learning period was observed when comparing completion times of the first task attempted to subsequent tasks. The majority of participants found the method of control to be intuitive, the inclusion of first-person perspective to be beneficial, and the vibration feedback to be either inconsequential or confusing rather than helpful.


title: Analysis and Design of a Rotary Travelling-Wave Oscillator for Integration in a Microwave Phased-Array Transmitter

abstract: The design methodology and phase noise analysis of a multiphase bipolar Ku-band Rotary Travelling-Wave Oscillator (RTWO) is presented. Lack of symmetry in an RTWO can result in oscillation in an unwanted mode rather than travelling-wave mode. In order to determine the oscillation mode and also measure the phase shift, we have proposed a frequency domain phase shift measurement technique, intended for an 18 GHz RTWO, which is presented. Using a 0.25 μm BiCMOS process from NXP Semiconductors, the fabricated RTW-VCO gives access to eight different phases in steps of 45 degrees and achieves a tuning range of 1.2 GHz centred at 17.5 GHz. A beam-forming technique that utilizes the RTWO for LO phase shifting is also presented. In order to configure a two-element-array transmitter to show the functionality of an RTWO for beam-forming, we have designed and characterized a high frequency distribution network, a switching bank, a power amplifier (PA) and also a patch antenna. All of these components, except the antennas, have been integrated on a single, 19 mm2, silicon die along with the RTWO. The measurement of the full system is performed with the aid of two off-chip antennas fabricated on a high frequency printed circuit board. The combined system is fully functional and the measurement results are provided. This research demonstrates the relevance of the RTWO for integration in phased-array transmitter systems.


title: Immanuel Kant's Response to David Hume's Regarding Cause and Effect

abstract: When David Hume could not experience the impression of a necessary connection in the constant conjunction of two events, he reasoned that the necessity inherent in such a relation was the result of a feeling or desire; a determination of the mind to connect one event to another. Immanuel Kant, on the other hand, argued that the idea of cause was an innate structure of thought that provided the objective validity to a causal relationship. I argue that Kant’s combination of sensible intuition and the faculty of thought provides a more comprehensive and objective explanation of how we understand the necessary connection between a cause and its effect.


title: Translating the Narrative: an Approach to the Conceptual Design of a Contemporary Orthodox Christian Church

abstract: The conceptual design approach is meant to address the challenges faced by an architect when it comes to creating a contemporary Orthodox Christian church. The design would have to adapt to various urban, architectural and social conditions that significantly differ from those of the previous eras. This design approach establishes a framework that allows the integration of the various design aspects of such a complex architectural object as the Orthodox Christian church at the conceptual design stage. This thesis focuses on the creation of the architectural narrative or the information layer integrated in the building design as a method of communicating a theological concept in terms applicable to the current cultural and temporal context.


title: SMAD Transcription Factor Expression in Anoxia-Tolerant Trachemys Scripta Elegans and Dehydration-Tolerant Xenopus Laevis: A Comparative Study

abstract: The TGF-β signaling pathway with its associated transcription factors (SMADs) was studied in the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans; liver, heart, white skeletal muscle, red skeletal muscle, and kidney) as a model for anoxia tolerance and the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis; liver and muscle) as a model for dehydration resistance. In addition, protein expression levels of precursor cytokines were measured, as well as known genes and proteins downstream of the SMAD signaling pathway, such as c-Myc, and AP-1 proteins. The data showed that selective control of different SMAD isoforms occurred in response to environmental stress, the mechanism being reversible protein phosphorylation. Cellular responses and signaling profiles were observed to be highly tissue-specific and stress-specific. SMADs were shown to play a role in the hypometabolic response of both animal models through the regulation of cell cycle arrest, angiogenic processes, and oxidative injury management strategies.


title: Increasing the Sensitivity of Phospholipid Analyses from Biological Extracts via Trimethylation Enhancement using Diazomethane (TrEnDi) and Tandem Mass Spectrometry

abstract: TrEnDi is a novel rapid in-solution technique for quaternization of phospholipid amino groups and methylation of phosphate groups via reaction with diazomethane and tetrafluoroboric acid. TrEnDi significantly enhanced the sensitivity of mass spectrometry and tandem MS studies of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin standards. Use of 13C-diazomethane enabled creation of independent precursor ion scans (PIS) for modified PE and modified PC species which would otherwise can produce undistinguishable isobaric species. The efficacy of the technique was tested on a complex biological sample. 13C-TrEndi provided a drastic sensitivity enhancement for PE and PS species enabling the identification and quantitation of several species which were below the limit of detection and quantitation prior to modification. Derivatization provided a modest sensitivity enhancement for PC species and allowed quantitation of several PC species that were below the limit of quantitation prior to modification. SM species exhibited neither sensitivity increase nor hindrance after modification.


title: An Experimental and Numerical Study of Three-Dimensional Fatigue Damage in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers

abstract: A phenomenological experimental study was presented for understanding the effect of cyclic loading, generally experienced by typical modern aircraft structures during flight, on the propagation of micro-mesoscopic damage in carbon fibre reinforced composite laminates. Testing was carried out by employing ultra-high resolution SkyScan 1173 XR-micro computed tomography to identify and assess damage progression during fatigue testing. It provided qualitative as well as quantitative assessments of the damage in the composites which supported the analytical investigations. An in-house solution was developed for statistically analyzing the occurrence, frequency and geometry of cracks throughout the fatigue life. This methodology was used to process the data from scan for the purposes of visualizing damage initiation and propagation. Hence, quantitative analysis could be performed. Analysis resulted in the definition of fatigue crack growth rates, da/dn for each of the 3 orthogonal planes, which was interpreted in terms of the 3 damage modes; opening, in-plane shear and out-of-plane shear. By applying linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) laws, strain energy release rates were calculated, while differentiating between modes II and III in a novel manner. For verifying the parameters obtained, definite cracks were traced and analyzed. Finally, a methodology was implemented to import the damage model into a finite element analysis (FEA) tool to be used for crack growth analysis, and simulations were compared to experimental findings.


title: Fighters for New Life: Doctors, Medicine, and Modernity in Soviet Central Asia, 1925-1953

abstract: This thesis examines Soviet medicine in Central Asia from the mid-1920s until Stalin's death in 1953, using this subject to explore the tensions and contradictions of Soviet socialism in the region. Previous studies have demonstrated how Soviet rule in Central Asia could appear simultaneously as a form of empire, reifying differences between ruler and ruled, and as a universalizing project of modern statehood, aimed at transforming diverse peoples into a homogeneous citizenry. Yet scholars have rarely explored why and how these contradictory tendencies could coexist within the Soviet project. Through the lens of medical discourse, this thesis examines the nexus of colonizing and modernizing impulses within Soviet power, arguing that these tendencies proved interrelated and even mutually supporting within the Soviet imagination of Central Asia. Considering medicine as an important element of socialist construction, it explores the seemingly colonial structure of the universalizing, anticolonial project of Soviet modernity.


title: The Reconfiguration of Eighteenth-Century Scottish Historiography:  Dialogues Between the Present and the Past

abstract: Changes occurred to the writing of History in eighteenth-century Scotland. Dissatisfied with traditional historical priorities Scottish historians changed the focus of their writing to reflect what was more relevant to contemporary sensibilities, giving new importance to the social aspects of daily life, the inward life of the sentiments, and the history of manners. This refocusing of historical emphasis was a response to a vibrant commercial society, to the era's social interests, to the period's predilection for delicate sensibilities and refined feelings, and to a burgeoning middle class. One of these new genres of historical writing was called conjectural history. This study discusses conjectural history, it asks a methodological question, and it looks at several different examples of the historical genres being written at this time.


title: Square Beam Antenna Using A Microstrip Patch Array for Stadium Applications

abstract: In a stadium installation of Wi-Fi, ideally a single access point could be used to illuminate a section with little interference from adjacent sections. This can be done with the use of a square beam. This thesis explores the creation of a square beam. The size of the array was reduced by removing low power elements. The sparse array allowed space for a sub-array to be placed in order to reactively cancel out sidelobes. A feed network was designed to provide the correct power and phases to the elements without the use of amplifiers or phase shifters. A number of power dividers were also a focus of this design. A return loss reduction method facilitates determining additional lengths of microstrip line without the need to simulate the full array. While the results of this prototype did not meet all specification, it does however, provide a framework to further explore.


title: District Space: A Nineteenth-Century Technique of Rule

abstract: This dissertation traces the rise of the district as a system of administration across two historical periods: the deployment of districts by the Hudson’s Bay Company (1815-1840), and the spread of districts throughout England following the implementation of the New Poor Laws (1790-1860). By studying these episodes the project interrogates how what was initially a technique to rationalize the costs of administration became a system of documentation that supported the centralization of knowledge and the rule of population. I develop three theses on the effects of ruling through districts. First, I argue that administering through districts reworked 18th-century practices of Linnaean observation into 19th-century practices of inspection. Second, I argue that districts were used in both the HBC and in England to police the mobility of undesirable populations. Districts were used to document and control the mobility of unproductive labour and, thereby, solidified capitalist social relations. Last, I argue that as a system of spatial partition and documentation, the district formed the connective tissue that joined bureaucratic rule, the census of population, and biopower. I argue that ruling through districts supported the census of population through the creation of an administrative order where the surveillance of human beings was imagined to be continuous and equalized across time and space. The documentation of people, land, and things at the scale of the district made population visible as an object conditioned by the climate, means of subsistence, and topography of each district. As such, ruling through districts stabilized population as a biopolitical object of rule.


title: Evolution and Diversity of Ornithomimid Dinosaurs in the Upper Cretaceous Belly River Group of Alberta

abstract: Ornithomimids from the Upper Cretaceous Belly River Group are among the best known theropods from these deposits, but questions remain concerning the oldest definitive occurrence of these dinosaurs in Alberta, as well as the taxonomic diversity of the articulated material. A partial skeleton is described and removed from Struthiomimus altus as the holotype of a new taxon. At least three ornithomimid taxa were roughly contemporaneous in the lower Dinosaur Park Formation. A reevaluation of isolated elements rejects reports of this clade from the Santonian Milk River Formation. The oldest Albertan material definitively referable to Ornithomimidae is from the lower Oldman Formation, and it is proposed that derived ornithomimids migrated into Laramidia during the Campanian. Characters considered diagnostic of the Chinese taxon Qiupalong are reported in material from the Belly River Group, supporting a close relationship between Asian and Albertan ornithomimids, and possibly a more complex palaeobiogeographic history than previously hypothesized.


title: Trimethylation Enhancement Using Diazomethane (TrEnDi): A Novel Technique to Enhance the Sensitivity of MS-Based Analyses of Biological Molecules

abstract: Defining cellular processes relies heavily on elucidating the temporal dynamics of both lipids and proteins. Different mass spectrometry (MS)-based quantitative strategies have emerged to map protein and lipid dynamics over the course of stimuli. We report the development of a novel MS-based quantitative proteomics and lipidomics strategy with unique analytical characteristics. By reacting with diazomethane, analytes are modified to contain fixed, permanent positive charges resulting in improved ionization characteristics and predictable dissociation pathways. Optimization and determination of reactive functional groups enabled a priori prediction of MS2 fragmentation patterns for both modified peptides and lipids. The strategy was tested on digested BSA and successfully quantified a peptide not observable prior to modification. Our chemistry eliminates the need for protonation during ionization, reduces ion suppression, and permits predictable MRM-based or precursor ion-based quantitation with improved sensitivity.


title: The Use of 3D Viseme Transition Units for Improved Speech Animation

abstract: A realistic speech synthesis tool could be used in dynamic therapeutic applications as well as revolutionize the animation pipeline in the entertainment industry. In this thesis, we propose a data-driven speech synthesis method that uses Viseme Transition Units (3D animation data describing the transition between mouth shapes) in the stead of the static visemes used in classic data-driven speech synthesis methods. To test this method, viseme transitions were recorded using optical flow and blob tracking algorithms, analyzed, and imported into Autodesk Maya to dynamically animate a custom mouth rig based on user input.


title: Assessing the Fire Integrity Performance of Cross-Laminated Timber Floor Panel-to-Panel Joints

abstract: During the past few years, a relatively new technology has emerged in North America and changed the way professionals design and build wood structures: Cross-laminated Timber (CLT). CLT panels are manufactured in width ranging from 600 mm to 3 m. As such, fastening them together along their major strength axis is required in order to form a singular structural assembly resisting to in-plane and out-of-plane loading. Typical panel-to-panel joint details of CLT assemblies may consist of internal spline(s), single or double surface splines or half-lapped joints. These tightly fitted joint profiles should provide sufficient fire-resistance, but have yet to be properly evaluated for fire-resistance in CLT assemblies. The experimental portion of the study consisted at conducting ten (10) intermediate-scale fire-resistance tests of four (4) types of CLT panel-to-panel joint and three (3) CLT thicknesses. The data generated from the intermediate-scale fire tests were used to validate a finite element heat transfer model, a coupled thermal-structural model and a simplified analytical model. The simplified analytical model presented in this thesis is an easy-to-use design procedure for evaluating the fire integrity resistance of four commonly-used CLT panel-to-panel joint details and could potentially be implemented into building codes and design standards. Based on the test data and models developed in this study, joint coefficient values were derived for the four (4) types of CLT panel-to-panel joint details. Joint coefficients are required when assessing the fire integrity of joints using simple analytical models, such as Eurocode 5: Part 1-2. The contribution of this study is to increase the knowledge of CLT exposed to fire and to facilitate its use in Canada and US by complementing current fire-resistance design methodologies of CLT assemblies, namely with respect to the fire integrity criterion. Being used as floor and wall assemblies, designers should be capable to accurately verify both the load-bearing and separating functions of CLT assemblies in accordance with fire-related provisions of the building codes, which is now feasible based on the findings of this study.


title: Multiculturalism in Western Europe: From Implementation to Failure

abstract: The thesis is focused on the implementation of multiculturalist policies in Europe in the second half of the 20th century until the present period. It takes as its starting point statements by prominent European politicians that multiculturalism has failed and seeks to explain why these statements were made and what their implications are for immigrants to Europe from non-EU countries, with a particular focus on the United Kingdom, French Republic and the Kingdom of Belgium. The thesis first addresses how and why non-EU migrants moved to and settled in Western Europe. Then it examines how and to what extent these Western European governments implemented multiculturalist policies, including analysis of obstacles to their success and examination of available empirical evidence on outcomes for these groups. Finally, the study asks whether declarations about the failure of multiculturalism were followed by a toughening of policies that affect immigrants.


title: A Comparison of Password Authentication Between Children and Adults

abstract:
According to a large MediaSmarts survey, 99 percent of Canadian children aged 8-15 are online. We already have a good number of security measures for adults but can those measures keep children secure as well? As a starting point, we explore the subject of user authentication for children.
We conducted two studies on three graphical password schemes (Objects, Image and Words PassTiles), one with adults and one with children. We analyse the data collected from these 50 participants to compare their performance and preferences. Although outperformed by the adults, children performed best with Objects PassTiles where they recognized images of distinct objects from among decoys. Adults and children both have similar opinions, including a preference for graphical passwords over their existing password schemes. We conclude the thesis with four recommendations based on our experiences.


title: Antioxidant Activity Of Oat Peptides In Hepatic HepG2 cells

abstract: Many studies have been performed to demonstrate the antioxidant activities of hydrolyzed proteins and peptides from cereals such as corn, wheat, and barley using in vitro chemical assays. Studies have demonstrated the antioxidant properties of hydrolyzed oat proteins, and seven peptides have been identified including FNDRLRQGQLL (P1), GLVYIL (P2), GQTV (P3), GQTVFNDRLRQGQLL (P4), YHNAP (P5), YHNAPGLVYIL (P6), and DVNNNANQLEPR (P7). The purpose of the current study was to establish the antioxidant activities of these peptides using chemical and cell culture based assays. The current research found that all seven peptides exhibited radical scavenging activity in ORAC assay. Moreover, cytoprotective activities of the P1, P2, P6, and P7 against oxidative stress induced by 2,2′-Azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH) have been studied, including alteration of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), change in total glutathione and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS).


title: An Eye-Tracking Evaluation of Driver Distraction and Road Signs

abstract:
Driving is a complex task that requires auditory, visual, and tactile attention. It is difficult enough for drivers to handle the increasing number of distractions when they are in a familiar environment, but what happens when drivers are placed in a new environment? If we understood this issue, we could design tools to reduce driving hazards and minimize distractions.
We address this gap by exploring drivers' behaviour when they encounter road signs from different countries. We conducted two eye-tracking studies with 50 participants. Participants' spent increased time looking at unfamiliar road signs. Misinterpretation occurred due to the influence of previous experience and many drivers drove at reduced speeds throughout to compensate for the anticipated cognitive load. We suggest developing context-aware in-vehicle systems that use web mapping services to present drivers with road signage information. Based on our results, we also provide four recommendations to improve driver safety.


title: The Development of a Diesel Injector Experiment to Study the Combined Effects of Oxidation and Shear on Lubricating Oil Viscosity

abstract: An experimental test rig was needed to apply high rates of shear strain on lubricating oil molecules and study the effects these may have on the degradation of the lubricant. The result was the development of a diesel injection device where the oil could be stressed and cycled effectively. Viscosity measurements were used to determine whether or not the oil had degraded. A change in viscosity in high molecular weight compounds is evidence of chain scission. The results show that cycling a 128 ml volume of oil 12 times has no effect on fresh, unaltered lubricating oils, even at low oxidation times up until 48 hours. However, the results show that heavily degraded lubricating oils near and beyond their usability limit, do exhibit a viscosity loss of up to 0.043 Pa·s; a 19% change.


title: The English Resultative

abstract:
The purpose of this thesis is to augment our empirical knowledge of the English resultative and to provide a theoretical treatment of the syntax and semantics of the resultative using current linguistic tools. This involves using both theoretical and experimental methods to ensure that the model reflects human usage of natural language and follows the principles required for formal language modelling.
The main questions addressed are 1) Is the result phrase an argument, an adjunct, or something else (an added/derived argument, sometimes called an argument-adjunct)? 2) How do we best capture the properties of the resultative in a formal model? In order to address these questions, it must be determined what falls into the overall category of the resultative and how the resultative can be sub-classified into further sub-categories to best reflect the potentially distinctive properties of related resultative constructions. These divisions are then tested for fit with the theoretical categories of argument, adjunct and added/derived argument. Lastly, an analysis is provided using Lexical-Functional Grammar and Glue Semantics.


title: The Voice of the People: Can Gladue Offer a Meaningful Source of Healing to its Clients?

abstract: Aboriginal people who have been through the criminal justice system are a vulnerable population who often carry significant burdens of historic and personal trauma, including intergenerational effects, addiction, and exposure to violence. For many Aboriginal offenders, the Gladue report constitutes the first opportunity to tell their story. As such, many defendants view the Gladue process to be part of their healing process. There is question to whether the process can, in fact, assist in meaningful healing. Especially given the documented racism implicit in the court process and the lack of understanding many court actors have about Gladue. The purpose of this research project is to explore whether or not Gladue reports are able to offer a meaningful source of healing for its clients by interviewing a Gladue Report recipient and Gladue interviewer/writer.


title: Toward a political economy of on-reserve Indigenous education in Canada: Problematizing Bill C-33

abstract: In 2008, the federal government began a reform process for on-reserve Indigenous education that culminated in approximately ten months of consultation with Indigenous and public stakeholders and the drafting of federal legislation. Bill C-33 was placed on hold in 2014 after opposition from Indigenous groups across Canada. This thesis examines the consultation process and the corresponding government discourse for evidence of the reproduction of colonial power relations and the subjectification of Indigenous rationalities to free-market ideology. Analysis is informed by a conceptual framework linking David Harvey’s accumulation by dispossession, Wendy Larner’s neoliberalism as policy, ideology, and governmentality, and an original interpretation of the logics of settler-colonialism operating in Canada based upon Andrea Smith’s logics of White supremacy. Through a Foucauldian discourse analysis of consultation documents and government public relations messaging, the ways in which Indigenous sovereignty is suppressed by state paternalism and Indigenous Peoples commodified by economic rhetoric are revealed.


title: Grounding Condoland:  Counteracting Future Deline

abstract: A complex array of factors has facilitated a recent influx of condominiums in Toronto. Many of these high-density residential developments appear to have affected the human scale and integrative sense of community. Concord CityPlace will serve as a site for analysis. The question asked is whether speculation about CityPlace is correct that the development will ultimately deteriorate into slums. Solutions will be provided in regards to site isolation and pedestrian accessibility and the use of outdoor urban spaces within and directly around the site. This thesis will respond through urban design and architectural interventions, situated along three site borders. We will adapt ideas from Jane Jacobs’ critique of the modern city and her theory of border vacuums. A debate with Jan Gehl’s concept of spaces for moving and places for staying and Richard Sennett’s notion of the open system will then serve to enhance Jacob’s outlined themes.


title: Bending Blindly: Exploring the Learnability and Usability of Bend Gestures for the Visually Impaired

abstract:
This thesis explored the application of bend gestures as a primary method of interaction for the visually impaired and the use of haptic stimulus as non-visual affordances to assist in the teaching and prompting of bend gestures.
The first study explored this use of haptic stimulus and presented 48 tactons to participants who were asked to select one of three bend gesture locations and two directions they felt it represented. The second study compared the interaction experience of bend gestures in a visually impaired environment to touch.
We identify results from both studies that can help shape future research in this area of accessibility and potentially increase the overall interaction experience for screen reader based smartphones. The promising results around the pairing of the motor combination and intensity parameters in tacton design, in conjunction with preference for certain bend gestures, lays the foundation for future work in this area.


title: Understanding the Factors that affect Motivation of Local Students to Interact with International Students in Online Social Communities

abstract: International students face social and educational challenges in host countries. Local students’ interaction with international students can help overcome those challenges. However, existing research finds that this level of interaction is generally low. While factors affecting motivation to participate in online communities has been heavily studied, understanding the factors that motivate local students to interact with international students in online communities remain a gap in the literature. This thesis investigates such factors. Understanding those factors can enable the design of human computer interaction artifacts that enhance their interaction. This thesis is an exploratory study that develops a survey instrument and evaluates its quality. The data attests to the high quality of the survey questionnaire; shows that local students have low levels of interaction with international students in online communities; and shows that seven motivation factors can motivate local students to different degrees to interact with international students in online communities.


title: Lightweight Robust Optimizer for Distributed Application Deployment in Multi-Clouds

abstract: This thesis creates a new approach for task assignment in an edge-core multi-cloud architecture to reduce power consumption in service centers using multilevel graph partitioning technique. Multilevel graph partitioning has three phases of coarsening, refinement and uncoarsening. For the refinement phase, a new algorithm based on a modified Kernighan–Lin algorithm is proposed which takes into account multiple constraints, and that mitigates the problem of stopping at a local minimum. Once tasks are assigned to the edge and core, multidimensional bin-packing is used to deploy tasks to individual hosts so that power consumption can be calculated. The approach is validated by comparing it to extended simulated annealing and an extended modified Kernighan–Lin algorithm. The experiments show that our approach is fast and produces better results. It is also less prone to failure in finding a feasible deployment for given constraints.


title: The Bangladeshi Perspective: The Case of Married Academic Women Pursuing Foreign Degrees

abstract: Since there is a dearth of research on Bangladeshi married academic women's participation in higher studies abroad, this study endeavours to explore their motives and experiences in pursuing foreign degrees, the barriers encountered, and their strategies for overcoming them. This case study (Yin, 1994) investigates the phenomenon of study abroad through the narrative accounts of five married academic women from Bangladesh at different stages of study abroad (pre-departure and planning; in progress; and completed). Within the framework of the discursive construction of identity (e.g., Ivanic, 1998; Lakoff, 1973; Tannen 1994), accounts of four participants were elicited through semi-structured interviews. The study suggests that academic women's participation in a foreign degree program depends to a great extent on how they construct the meaning of identity-shaping discourses in their "private" and "public" lives.


title: The Casbah:  Reimagining the Counter-Space

abstract:
Inspired by the inherent character of agency in the spatial configuration of the Casbah of Algiers, an urban and architectural strategy in the form of a counter-space is presented, aimed to extract agency from the youth that were terrorized by the Algerian Civil War.
The urban intervention is situated in an interstitial spatio-temporal context- scaffolding and abandoned plots- within the present state of interregnum. A binary counter-space consisting of pathways and a fragmented anthology of temporary towers is developed.
The temporary structures will reinject the youth into the heart of the city by physically situating them within and compelling them to confront their context. These structures will impose the youth upon the context; in turn, the context will impose itself upon the youth; with this confrontation between them, a contemporary counter-space is created and as a result the youth is presented with a platform for expression and action towards self-determination.


title: Struggling for the 'right to the city': In situ informal settlement upgrading in Kibera, Nairobi

abstract: The government of Kenya has implemented a ‘slum upgrading’ pilot project in the informal settlement of Kibera through the Kenyan Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP) with the aim of improving the livelihoods of residents through upgrading housing structures, securing tenure, and providing infrastructure to increase access for service delivery. However, KENSUP’s project provides an altered version of in situ informal settlement upgrading that involves ‘replacing’ housing structures by building new apartment complexes instead of upgrading existing structures. This fails to address the limited employment opportunities available, access to capital, or social mobility of residents. Using data acquired through policy analysis and interviews with people connected to the project, this paper analyzes the impact of the project on factors important to residents’ struggle for a right to the city so that lessons can be learned about what strategies are harmful or successful towards achieving the goal of in situ upgrading initiatives.


title: Finding a Middle Ground: Advancing the Feminist Pathways Paradigm Through Intergration with "What Works" with Adolescent Offenders

abstract: The purpose of this dissertation was to advance the feminist pathways paradigm by integrating theory and methods from a mainstream correctional perspective to enhance our understanding of serious adolescent offenders. This dissertation used archival data provided by the Pathways to Desistance project (Mulvey, 2012), a longitudinal study of 1354 serious adjudicated adolescent offenders (1170 male, 184 female), recruited from Philadelphia and Phoenix, designed to examine persistence and desistance from criminal behaviour over time. Study 1 generated a theoretically-integrated typology and tested the stability of this typology over time using a series of latent profile analyses (LPA) generated at baseline, and at 12, 24, and 36-month follow-ups. Subsequently, using latent difference score (LDS) modeling within a structural equation modelling (SEM) framework, Study 2 examined the relationship between victimization and offending across three time-points, and further examined whether changes in internalizing mental health deficits and substance abuse mediated this relationship. Results of Study 1 suggest that youth can be classified into three groups: a minimal-needs class with negligible needs in all domains, a comprehensive-needs class with high-needs in all domains with the exception of internalizing mental health deficits, and a complex-comprehensive-needs class scoring high on all domains in addition to elevated internalizing mental health disorders. Similar profiles emerged at each time-point examined. However, an additional class, characterized by elevated alcohol use and moderate antisocial personality, emerged at the 36-month follow-up. Overall, results of Study 1 suggest that the heterogeneity of the treatment profiles of adolescent offenders increases over time, and there are more similarities than differences between males and females in their treatment profiles. Results of Study 2 revealed a significant relationship between victimization and subsequent offending; however, neither changes in substance abuse nor changes in internalizing mental health deficits mediated this relationship. As such, these results suggest that this causal sequence of events detailed by feminist pathways proponents may not hold up with longitudinal data. In light of these findings, it is recommended that future research continues to leverage the feminist pathways paradigm with “what works” to gain a better understanding of gender similarities and differences in adolescents’ pathways to crime.


title: Novelty vs. Predictability: Relationship Tensions in Close Relationships

abstract: The goal of this research is to examine relationship challenges and outcomes to experiences of both internal and between-person relationship tensions in novelty and predictability. Consistent with the dialectical model, I predicted that internal and between-partner tensions would be associated: a) more with the challenge of boredom than conflict, b) more with trying novel activities than familiar ones, and c) with reduced relationship quality. These hypotheses were assessed in two studies. In Study 1, a correlational design was employed where participants in long-term close relationships completed questionnaires related to personal relationship tensions, challenges, activity engagement, and relationship quality. In Study 2, I extended my analysis by using an experimental design to examine the effects of perceived tensions between partners in participants own relationships on challenges, activities, and relationship quality. Additionally, in Study 2, I examined the effect of goal orientation (approach, avoidance) in shaping these associations.


title: Perceived Realism and the CSI-Effect

abstract: Anecdotal claims made by lawyers, judges, and legal scholars state that jurors are increasingly expecting the presence of DNA and other forensic evidence in criminal trials (Cole & Dioso-Villa, 2007, Tyler, 2006). This research extends what is known about what has been aptly termed the “CSI-Effect.” Utilizing Cultivation Theory (Gerbner, 1976), this research examined whether juror ratings of guilt in a criminal trial are impacted by a relationship between perceived realism and the presentation of different types of evidence. Overall, those high in perceived realism were more likely to convict than those low in perceived realism. Additionally, eyewitness testimony significantly decreased jurors’ likelihood of voting guilty. Finally, evidence strength only had an impact on verdict in the eyewitness condition. The results here suggest that perceived realism does not increase a jurors’ expectation that DNA evidence be presented in court and thus does not support the CSI-effect.


title: An Evaluation of Model Predictive Control of Automated Shading to Optimize Passive Solar Gains

abstract:
Passive houses are prone to overheating, even sometimes in the winter. Model predictive control (MPC) of automated window blinds has proved to be effective at managing solar gains to reduce the thermal loads in buildings. MPC involves predicting a system's future response to several control inputs to determine the best current control decision. This is beneficial in buildings, which experience a delayed thermal response to solar gains.
This thesis details a framework for MPC of automated blinds to optimize passive solar gains in a single-family home. Building performance simulations (BPS) were used to predict the interactions between the blind positions and the heating and cooling loads. Optimizations were performed to minimize the combined heating and cooling loads. The MPC's performance was simulated and compared to a rule-based controller (RBC), which is the standard practice in blind automation. Energy savings of up to 36% were recorded in comparison to the RBC.


title: De-Medicalizing Architecture: Humanizing Design and Intervention for Elderly Care

abstract: The role of architecture in the design of elderly centered health spaces is becoming increasingly more important as the baby boomer generation, now comprising nearly 23% of the Canadian population (Statistics Canada) approaches retirement. This group is advancing rapidly into old age, and will require facilities that are able to provide both individual and collective comfort and health. If this is accurate, we are led to ask how architecture can act as the environment and vehicle for providing quality care for the elderly population. This could also oppose the cure mentality central to conventional hospital design. The thesis will seek to answer: how can the design of humanized healthcare facilities for the elderly, focusing on quality architectural interventions that promote the notion of ‘care’, improve health indicators and promote community interaction. In other words: can architecture be de-medicalized.


title: Organizing for Social Policy Change: Child Care Policy Advocacy in Canada

abstract: Taking up the campaigns for a federal child care program as an example of social movement advocacy for policy change, this thesis examines how social actors have understood the need for better federal social policy related to child care in Canada. I develop a policy and advocacy history to preface a theorization of child care advocacy according to Tronto’s (2011) four phases of care. My method of inquiry is grounded in the voices of the advocacy movement; I rely on interviews conducted with advocates, researchers, and a Member of Parliament who are organizing to achieve a national child care system grounded in the QUAD principles: quality, universality, accessibility, and developmentally appropriate child care. This project contributes to literature which develops the history, approaches, and goals of the child care movement as a ‘usable past’ to both strengthen the cognitive praxis of the movement and inform its pursuit of policy change.


title: A User-Centred Design Approach to Ubiquitous Computing and Framing Communication in Football

abstract: The purpose of this interdisciplinary design research study is to explore the nature of communication during a football game, to identify the needs of athletes and coaches based on their specific contexts, and to uncover opportunities relating to ubiquitous computing for improving their performance. The research is approached through mixed design research methods including a survey, field observations and interviews. The data is analyzed using a graphical approach to representing the findings. The key insights from this research include validating a user need by identifying the problem space of communication errors during a game, a user want by acknowledging motivation and acceptance of emerging technology, and investigating the opportunity for wearable technology to enhance performance in football.


title: A Scheduling Algorithm for Hadoop MapReduce Workflows with Budget Constraints in the Heterogeneous Cloud

abstract: In recent years cloud services have gained much attention as a result of their availability, scalability, and low cost. One use of these services has been for the execution of scientific workflows, which are employed in a diverse range of fields including astronomy, physics, seismology, and bioinformatics. There has been much research on heuristic scheduling algorithms for these workflows due to the problem's inherent complexity, however existing work has mainly considered execution on a generic distributed framework. For our research, we consider the popular Apache Hadoop framework for scheduling workflows onto resources rented from cloud service providers. Investigated in our work is budget-constrained workflow scheduling on the Hadoop MapReduce platform, wherein we devise both an optimal and a heuristic approach to minimize workflow makespan while satisfying a given budget constraint.


title: "It’s Happening Here!” Anti-Trafficking Policy in the City of Ottawa – A Critical Analysis

abstract: Over the last several years human trafficking has been in the political spotlight, and anti-trafficking has become a political arena on its own. “Anti” projects are useful in understanding how law and policies are made. What does it mean to be against human trafficking? Using governmentality and genealogy methods, I focus on one anti-sex trafficking campaign located in Ottawa to examine how trafficking has been constructed as a coherent social problem. How does one NGO add or shape the anti-trafficking narrative in the community? I consider anti-sex trafficking as an evolving phenomenon that is constantly being produced through discourse, and practices. The empirical focus helps determine how power is established and controlled related to anti-trafficking, the conflation with sex work and the broader trafficking debates. In this way, government is not only policy or laws itself, but also the spaces in between and the personal lived experience of anti-trafficking.


title: Get a Social Life: Predictors and Outcomes of Maternal Beliefs About Young Children's Peer Relations

abstract: The goals of this thesis were to: (1) provide additional validation of the Revised Social Goals Inventory; (2) examine predictors of maternal social beliefs; (3) test a conceptually-derived model linking maternal social beliefs, maternal behaviours promoting children's peer relations, and indices of children's peer engagement. Participants were N=262 mothers and children (aged 4-7), recruited from schools in south-eastern Ontario. Mothers reported on their own social beliefs, behaviours, and personality, and their children's temperament and peer activities. Additional measures were obtained from children and teachers. Results indicated the RSGI demonstrated good psychometric properties. Both maternal personality and child temperament predicted social beliefs. Maternal behaviours were found to mediate the link between social beliefs and children's peer engagement. Mediation effects differed as a function of type of maternal behaviour, child gender, and domain of children's peer activity. Results are discussed in terms of the role social beliefs play in children's social development.


title: Jurors' Perceptions of an Elderly Eyewitness: Effects of Geriatric Diagnosis, Level of Care and Age

abstract: Mock jurors’ perceptions of older adult eyewitnesses was assessed by testing how age, geriatric diagnosis, and level of care influences decision making. Mock jurors (N=355) were asked to read a trial transcript that varied age of eyewitness: 45 years, vs. 65 years, vs. 85 years; Level of care: home vs. long-term care facility; and Geriatric disease: none, vs. early stage dementia. Mock jurors then rendered a verdict, provided ratings of the eyewitness, and completed a measure of stereotypes. Although no direct effect on verdict was found, verdict confidence was influenced in a statistically significant way by the presence of a geriatric diagnosis. Subscribing to negative stereotypes of older adults was found to be related to higher ratings of senility. The findings indicated that mock jurors are influenced by geriatric diagnosis, as it negatively impacts their confidence in their verdict. Limitations and future directions will be discussed.


title: Molybdenum-100 Targets for Cyclotron Production of Technetium-99m

abstract:
A process for manufacturing targets for technetium-99m production, via 100Mo(p, 2n)99mTc, is presented. Targets consist of a thin layer of molybdenum-100 pressed into a copper heat sink complete with water cooling channels and O-rings. These targets are designed to be irradiated in cyclotrons at hospitals and regional pharmacies around the world to replace fission produced 99Mo.
The iterations and tests leading to the final target design and processing procedures are presented. Physical descriptions of the targets are given, followed by the procedure for manufacture, and process improvements for large-scale production.
The importance of 99mTc as a diagnostic imaging tool is presented, with references to instability of current sources and recent shortages, which have had led to world-wide efforts to develop non-reactor produced isotopes.


title: Evaluation of the Convolution Sums

abstract: For all positive integers $n$ we evaluate the convolution sums $\displaystyle\overset{}{\underset{ \begin{array}{c} {(l,m) \in \mathbb{N}^2} \\ {\alpha l+\beta m=n} \end{array} } {\sum}}\sigma(l)\sigma(m)$, where $(\alpha,\beta) = (1,14), (2,7), (1,26), (2,13), (1,28)$, $(4,7), (1,30), (2,15), (3,10), (5,6)$. Using some of the evaluations of these convolution sums we determine formulae for the number of representations of $n$ by the octonary quadratic forms \begin{equation*} x_{1}^{2} + x_{2}^{2} + x_{3}^{2} + x_{4}^{2}+ 7 (x_{5}^{2} + x_{6}^{2} + x_{7}^{2} + x_{8}^{2}) \end{equation*} and \begin{equation*} a(\,x_{1}^{2} + x_{2}^{2} + x_{1}x_{2} + x_{3}^{2} + x_{3}x_{4} + x_{4}^{2}\,) + b (\,x_{5}^{2} + x_{5}x_{6} + x_{6}^{2} + x_{7}^{2} + x_{7}x_{8} + x_{8}^{2}\,), \end{equation*} where $(a,b)$ stands for $(1, 10)$ or $(2,5)$.


title: The Urban Bridge:  Walking Baghdad

abstract: The context in which Baghdadis build, live and move today is not stable, but meta-stable. To address this state of temporality, a study of movement was conducted. For Baghdadis, such movement can help in coming to terms with the ambiguity and temporality of Baghdad as a severed city. This speculative work embodies two contrasting worlds; a collective memory of the city as it was – the soft city, and the reality of the severed, walled city of today – the hard city. The pendulum swings. To bridge these two worlds, this inquiry explores Baghdad as a text, and posits the Baghdadian flâneur as its reader. A study of stairs, pathways and circulation networks is used to understand these transient moments within the volatile city. The inquiry then proceeds to investigate the connection between the existing walls of Baghdad and the proposed architecture. This is architecture of and for circulation.


title: Dedicated Athletes, Deviant Women: The Experience of Being an Amateur Sportswoman in a Contemporary Canadian Context

abstract: Until the late 1960s, women were largely excluded from the arenas of sport and athletics in North America. Since that time, women’s presence in sport has risen and the gap between female and male participation has significantly decreased. Unfortunately though, pervasive and problematic constructions of normative masculinity and femininity persist and have negative implications for women participating in sport. This thesis explores the experiences of sportswomen in athletic and social contexts, the stigmatization that female athletes face, and how they manage this stigma and negotiate their identities as a response. It will also examine women athletes’ experiences of injury and subsequent engagements with the medical system. This research aims to contribute to a greater understanding of the restrictive ideas of masculinity and femininity and to challenge the barriers to women’s success and enjoyment in sports and athletics.


title: Investigation of Using Microscopic Traffic Simulation Tools to Predict Traffic Conflicts Between Right-Turning Vehicles and Through Cyclists at Signalized Intersections

abstract: Researchers have been questioning if traffic microsimulation tools can be used for road safety evaluations. This thesis examines if these tools have the potential to predict conflicts between right-turning vehicles and through cyclists at signalized intersections. Moreover, this thesis evaluates if calibrating these models to describe the driving behaviour at signalized intersections significantly improves the conflicts’ prediction. It was found that VISSIM has the potential to predict traffic conflicts of interest. In particular, a moderate correlation was found between real conflicts and simulated conflicts of the default models (r=0.525). Calibrating the model for travel time improved the correlation between real conflicts and simulated conflicts (r=0.618). However, a one-way ANOVA test indicated that the improvement caused by travel time calibration was not significant. It was also found that VISSIM’s prediction accuracy is expected to decrease as either the cyclists’ volume or the product of cyclists’ volume and right-turning vehicles’ volume increase.


title: Well-Being and Mental Health of University Students: Understanding the Role of Genetics and Social Behaviours

abstract: There appears to be variability in the incidence of stress-induced mental health problems among young adults, whereas some readily succumb to the effects of stressors, others appear to be resilient. This resiliency may be attributed to the interaction of psychosocial and genetic factors. The goals of the present study were to examine the relationships between various social behaviours with depressive symptomatology and to assess whether these relationships were related to genotype of a neuropeptide Y (NPY) polymorphism, rs16147. Carleton University first-year undergraduates (N=126) of Euro-Caucasian descent completed questionnaires and provided saliva samples for genotyping. Relationships were found between social support, unsupport, social connectedness, feelings of loneliness, and psychological well-being with depressive symptoms, which were moderated by NPY genotype. These data suggest that the NPY polymorphism interacts with psychosocial adversity in predicting depressive symptoms in young adults, supporting the potential buffering effects of NPY in relation to stress-inducing outcomes.


title: Ecological correlates of baseline and maximum glucocorticoid concentrations in wild freshwater fish

abstract: Freshwater fish were used to examine how habitat quality, conspecific density, and season were associated with the cortisol stress response. Using pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) I tested whether glucose and cortisol concentrations varied relative to habitat complexity and conspecific density. Overall, neither factor had a significant effect on the GC stress response but, during the habitat experiment, fish collected from a littoral site had significantly higher concentrations of maximum glucose, glucose responsiveness, and maximum cortisol. Using central mudminnow (Umbra limi) from streams differing in habitat quality, I tested whether cortisol levels varied relative to habitat quality and season. Overall, only season had a significant effect on cortisol levels. This thesis indicates that polymorphism and season should be considered in stress-related studies. Moreover, the lack of association of GCs in fish sampled from habitats of differing quality emphasizes that human-perceived differences in habitat quality may not yield individual-level differences in stress.


title: Exercise and Sports Participation: Understanding Student Motivations

abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine motivations for participating in physical activity in an emerging adulthood sample, using Eccles et al.’s (1983) expectancy-value model. Of particular interest was how this model varied for individuals engaging in sports versus exercise. Three hundred and twenty eight undergraduate students completed questionnaires assessing expectancy beliefs, subjective task values, participation indicators as well as health outcomes. Model effectiveness varied as a function of both the activity itself as well as the specific participation indicator. For both sports and exercise activities, however, emerging adults appeared to be more driven by internal rewards (e.g., demonstrating competence, having fun) than by external incentives (e.g., attention and career goals). Findings of the present study partially support the use of the expectancy-value model in this research context, although future research might consider some revision to the measure, to better reflect motivations specific to physical activity engagement.


title: Preschoolers' Development of Intent-Based Moral Judgement and the Role of Theory of Mind

abstract: The current study examined 4- and 5-year-old children’s ability to use intention information in their moral judgments of story characters with identical, neutral intentions that produced different outcomes (one neutral and one negative). Children were presented with two story types: stories in which two characters are included, and stories in which only one character is presented. It was hypothesized that children would show more mature moral reasoning when they were given the chance to directly compare the characters, especially their matched intentions, when they are presented within a single story, compared to across stories. However, results revealed that children’s moral ratings were less mature when presented with dual-character stories compared to single-character stories. On the other hand, children’s assignment of punishment and identification of the characters’ intentions did not differ depending on the story type. Performance on the task was also examined in relation to false belief understanding.


title: The Relationship Between Attitudes, Peer Norms, and Sexual Aggression

abstract: The current study investigated the relationship between attitudes towards sexual aggression, perceived peer norms about sexual aggression and sexually aggressive behaviour. Most of the past research on attitudes towards sexual aggression has used a broad definition of attitudes that does not seem to assess evaluation. Additionally, few studies have examined the combined role of evaluative attitudes and perceived peer norms in sexually aggressive behaviour. The current study found that attitudes, but not peer norms, were consistently associated with sexually aggressive behaviour. Attitudes also mediated the relationship between peer norms and sexual aggression. Lastly, the relationship between attitudes and past sexual aggression depended on norms, and participants with both highly positive attitudes and peer norms about sexual aggression reported the highest levels of sexually aggressive behaviour. These results extend previous research and provide important information regarding the relationship between attitudes, peer norms, and sexual aggression.


title: Risky Business: The Role of Psychopathy and Violence Risk Assessment in Forensic Decision-Making

abstract: Forensic decision-making is subject to irrelevant influences and disregards pertinent risk factors. Although this seems to be improving, research has failed to examine if any progress has been made in almost a decade. Files were coded for 89 male Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder patients that had a Review Board (RB) hearing between 2007-2014 to investigate whether items from four empirically supported risk measures were considered. Only 57% of experts and one quarter of RB reports noted use of a structured risk assessment which increased over time. Despite inconsistency of use, empirically supported factors were frequently discussed and centered on mental health, treatment, criminal history, and reintegration. Overall, disposition decisions were predicted by discussion of both valid risk and protective factors, however, were also biased by physical attractiveness. The results highlight the need for policies to ensure greater structure in how risk assessments are implemented into practice.


title: Development and Validation of a Parole Quality Assurance Inventory (PQAI)

abstract: Focus on evidence-based practice in the area of parole has been increasing in recent years. The purpose of the current study was to examine aspects of paroling authorities and how they function in order to better define high quality paroling systems. In order to achieve this, the Parole Quality Assurance Inventory (PQAI) was developed to measure paroling authority quality. The psychometric properties of this scale were evaluated, as well as, efforts were made to validate this scale by examining its relationship with parole performance indicators. Thirteen paroling authorities completed the PQAI. Results found that the PQAI was unable to be validated. Although, with a large amount of removed items, the scale was able to achieve appropriate psychometric properties, there was no relationship between PQAI subscale and total scores with the proportion of offenders who failed in the community. Limitations and future directions are discussed.


title: An Analog Neural Network for Wideband Predistortion of Pico-cell Power Amplifiers

abstract: Pico-cell base-station power amplifiers (PA) generally generate less than 2W of power and operate at peak efficiency. This implies that to meet stringent wideband wireless standards, said amplifiers require linearization. The complexity and consequently power consumption of the linearizer is proportional to the power amplifiers efficiency and independent of output power. As a consequence, standard linearizers used in high PAs become unfeasible for use with pico-cell PAs as they are power intensive thus degrading the efficiency of the linearizer-PA combination. Feedback linearizers are only valid for narrowband stimuli while feedforward linearizers also suffer from the same total efficiency degradation due to the power consumption of the auxiliary amplifier. This leaves predistortion as the only viable option provided the algorithm/architecture is tailored to provide the same linearity benefit for high PAs as pico-cell PAs but with lower power consumption. The choice of neural networks as a predistortion algorithm compared to others such as Weiner, and Hammerstein stems from their ability to provide a suitable tradeoff between ACPR and EVM metrics. This thesis introduces an efficient dynamic neural network implementation which is specifically tailored for PA linearization. The focus and novelty of this work lies in the system inversion of measured PA non-linearity with a custom training algorithm as well as circuit design and hardware implementation of analog networks. Analog circuits are chosen to eliminate the power dependence of digital circuits on data rates; an effect which is most keenly felt for wideband stimuli. The implementation challenges include circuit design for large signal synaptic weights, wideband active delay elements, and an activation function. The aforementioned challenges have been tackled to yield a weight-limited algorithm which trains a neural network predistorter to improve the ACPR and EVM of the pico-cell power amplifier by at least 13.5dB and 8.7% respectively. Furthermore, the implemented analog neural network predistorter circuits have a bandwidth and linearity of 50MHz and 5 bits respectively with suggested improvements to increase the performance to 120MHz and 7 bits respectively.


title: The interacting effects of the historic landscape structure, human landscape change, and species mobility on species extinction risk in human-altered landscapes:  an evolutionary perspective

abstract: Mobility is widely thought to be important for extinction risk in human-altered landscapes. However, there are conflicting theories and empirical findings as to whether mobile species are more or less at-risk than sedentary species. My objective was to investigate why mobility increases risk in some cases, but decreases risk in others. My first three data chapters focused on the idea that mobility-extinction risk relationships depend on interacting effects of the historic landscape structure, human landscape change, and mobility. In Chapter 2, I used simulations to demonstrate that landscape structure – particularly non-habitat (matrix) quality and disturbance frequency – can drive evolution of species behaviour at habitat boundaries, an important aspect of mobility that determines rates of movement among populations. In Chapter 3, I found empirical support for an interaction between landscape change and mobility, finding that more mobile North American bird species became less mobile over the 20th century, while less mobile species became more mobile. In Chapter 4, I simulated the interacting effects of the historic landscape, landscape change, and mobility on extinction risk. These simulations suggest that the mobility-risk relationship depends on the (1) mobility metric, because mobility increases risk when measured as emigration, but decreases risk when measured as immigration; (2) rate of landscape change, because mobility increases risk with rapid habitat loss, but decreases risk with slow habitat loss; and (3) historic landscape structure, because some structures drive evolution of species characteristics that increase mobility and decrease risk, while other structures favor characteristics that increase both mobility and risk. The rest of my thesis focused on the idea that collinearity between habitat specialization and mobility may cause apparently conflicting mobility-risk relationships, when specialization drives risk and specialization-mobility relationships vary between species groups. I found that temperate breeding bird specialists disperse farther than generalists (Chapters 5 and 6). This was opposite to invertebrate specialization-mobility relationships, providing preliminary support for my hypothesis. My thesis contributes to our understanding of why conflicting mobility-extinction risk relationships occur. Additionally, these results have conservation implications, suggesting conservation should focus on species that frequently emigrate but cannot move long distances among habitat fragments.


title: Distribution of antimicrobial lipopeptides in Bacillus and Pseudomonas spp., two genera with antagonistic effects against plant pathogens

abstract: Suppressive soils, composts, and compost teas have previously shown inhibitory effects against plant disease. A major reason for this suppressiveness has been their beneficial microbial populations. The present study was carried out to investigate the inhibitory activity of forty bacteria isolated from these three sources against the mycelial growth of six plant pathogens. Thirty-eight isolates inhibited at least one of the pathogens whereas sixteen of the isolates inhibited all the pathogens (36% average inhibition). Crude lipopeptides extracts were precipitated from bacterial liquid cultures. All tested lipopeptide samples inhibited the mycelial growth or conidial germination of at least one of the pathogens. Known antimicrobial lipopeptides in selected samples were identified by LC-MS. Results showed that all Bacillus and Bacillus-related spp. produced one or more lipopeptides from the fengycin, iturin, and surfactin families. In addition, certain Pseudomonas spp. produced lipopeptides from the amphisin and putisolvin families.


title: Modelling of debonding mechanisms in externally bonded FRP sheets in RC shear walls for earthquake resistance

abstract: This thesis presents a new computer simulation model that can accurately capture the hysteresis response behaviour of reinforced concrete shear walls repaired or strengthened with externally boned FRP sheets under the reversed cyclic loading of earthquakes. The proposed computer model can accurately simulate the IC debonding mechanism under the two-dimensional stress state of the wall panel and the subsequent ductile flexural or brittle shear failure modes of walls with different aspect ratios. Computer simulation results correlate well with experimental test results. The proposed computer model can accurately predict the hysteresis response behaviour, lateral load resisting strength, energy dissipation capacity and ductility performance of FRP repaired or strengthened shear walls in seismic applications.


title: Full-scale Experiments To Investigate The Use Of A Water Curtain Over Openings To Prevent Fire Spread To Adjacent Properties

abstract: This thesis presents the results of several full-scale experiments to study heat radiation attenuation and shielding using sprinklers to create a water curtain between a compartment fire and a target wall. This work builds on the idea that water absorbs and scatters heat radiation and applies it as a shielding mechanism, which can be used to protect personnel and property exposed to an opening during a compartment fire. The purpose of the study is to determine how effective the water curtain created using sprinkler heads will be at attenuating the heat flux from flames exiting a compartment fire, shielding the target wall and preventing fire spread. The results show how the water spray reduces heat flux to the target wall and it allows decreasing the distance of a building from the property line.


title: Identification and characterization of a NADPH oxidase target in Fusarium graminearum

abstract: Fusarium graminearum is a fungal plant pathogen that causes Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) on important cereal crops including wheat. Earlier studies identified distinct roles for NADPH oxidase (NOX) genes in F. graminearum. NOX enzymes generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are important in signal transduction. To elucidate the mechanism of NOX dependent signaling in pathogenicity, a proteomics approach was used to examine redox changes in the ΔnoxA/B mutant compared to wildtype F. graminearum strain. Deletion and overexpression of one of the candidate genes, FGSG_10089 with modified cysteine residues confirmed that it is likely a genuine substrate of the NOX enzyme complex. Bioinformatics and expression analysis indicate that this protein may function as a virulence factor. Deletion of FGSG_10089 and modification of the cysteine residue C325 resulted in reduced virulence on wheat. In addition, there was a decrease in production of 15-acetyl deoxynivalenol in culture.


title: Investigation of Mobile Network Traffic Using Hadoop and Mahout Machine Learning Methods

abstract: Since the emergence of mobile networks, the number of mobile subscriptions has continued to increase year after year. To efficiently assign wireless resources such as spectrum (which is rare and expensive), the network operator needs to process and analyze information and statistics about each base station and the traffic that passes through it. This thesis focuses on processing and analyzing two datasets provided by our industrial partner, Ericsson, Canada. A detailed approach that uses Apache Hadoop and the Mahout machine learning library to process and analyze the datasets is presented. The analysis provides insights to the network operator about the resource usage of network devices. This information is of great importance to network operators for efficient and effective management of resources and user experience. Furthermore, an investigation has been conducted that evaluates the impact of executing the Mahout clustering algorithms with various system and workload parameters on a Hadoop cluster.


title: "Jamaican Funk - Canadian Style":Diasporic Dialogue and Hybridized Identity in the Music of Michie Mee

abstract: Michie Mee is a hip-hop artist who came to prominence in Toronto’s hip-hop scene in the 1980s. Michie Mee is an important figure in Canadian hip-hop for several reasons. She is a successful female rapper in a male-dominated performance sphere. Furthermore, she was the first Canadian rapper to gain support from established New York hip-hop acts such as Boogie Down Productions. Michie Mee was also the first Canadian rapper signed to an American record label (First Priority Music). However, what makes her especially unique is her expression of a distinct Jamaican/Canadian hybrid identity. From her earliest recordings “Run For Cover” and “Jamaican Funk: Canadian Style,” to 2012’s “Bahdgyal Bubble,” Michie Mee has promoted a strong Jamaican identity within her lyrical and visual style. By using theories of hybridity and third space, my thesis investigates Michie Mee’s articulation of a recognizable hybrid identity that projects both Canadian and Jamaican sensibilities.


title: A Critical Analysis of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Decision on Public Stockholding Programs

abstract: This thesis analyzes the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s recent Ministerial Decision on Public Food Stockholding Programs (the Ministerial Decision). I argue that the Ministerial Decision does not provide sufficient policy space for the WTO’s developing Members to protect their food producers and consumers from dependency on foreign imports and volatile international food prices. Referring to recent policies initiated by the Government of India, I interpret the restrictive terms of the Ministerial Decision as a concession to the economic elite in developing countries, rather than an indication that the WTO’s developing Members are incapable of promoting their non-trade interests within the organization. This research speaks to the status of developing Members and non-trade concerns within the WTO, and can be situated within the broader ongoing debate between food sovereignty and food security.


title: Adventures in Time and Sound: Leitmotif and Repetition in Doctor Who

abstract: This thesis explores the intersections between repetition, leitmotif and the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze in the context the BBC television series Doctor Who (1963-1989; 2005- ). Deleuze proposes that instead of the return of the same, repetition, by its constant insertion in a new temporal context can produce difference as part of the process of the eternal return. He also rejects the concepts of being in favour of becoming. I argue his framework on repetition allows us to broaden the definition of the leitmotif and embrace the role of repetition. I analyse the leitmotif of three characters: Amy Pond, River Song, and the Doctor. In all three instances, the leitmotifs are an active participant in the process of becoming while, simultaneously, undergoing their own becoming. For River, the leitmotif also works as a territorializing refrain, while for the Doctor, use of leitmotif paradoxically gives the impression of being.


title: Mapping ACL/VF to a Java Environment: A Feasibility Study

abstract:
In this thesis we focus on an alternative approach to MBT, namely scenario based testing, which we consider in the context of runtime validation. More specifically, we address scenario monitoring and validation in ACL/VF.
The two current versions of the ACL/VF have a number of issues that prevent them being usable solutions. Upgrading the original version to a more recent version of .NET would amount to a complete rewrite. A second version was implemented and tested with the JavaMOP framework. Experimentation with this second solution however revealed it cannot manage and monitor multiple scenarios running simultaneously!
Due to these difficulties, the immediate research question for ACL/VF is to determine whether it can be implemented in a commonly-used environment such as the core Java/J2EE framework. This thesis provides an affirmative answer to this question: a case study is used to illustrate the proposed approach to monitoring ACL scenarios using Java threads


title: Field Notes on Social Media in Kenya

abstract:
With the rapid adoption of mobile phones in Africa, social media has suddenly enabled ordinary citizens to engage public figures directly. This has led to tremendous change in public life. Public institutions are benefiting from the increased participation of ordinary Africans in the political process. Social media has also led to some negative unintended consequences. Kenya has been a leader in the spread both of mobile phone and social media use in Africa.
The research found evidence that social media is empowering ordinary Kenyans to shape public institutions. The research found that those public figures and institutions that had adapted to the new digitised environment were influencing public discourse more effectively in their favour. It also found that a new class of Kenyans—the digital citizens—had greater influence with policymakers, and had an enhanced capacity to influence support or lack thereof for the latter at the grassroots.


title: NFE2L Regulation BY Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

abstract: Cell survival requires adaptive responses to transient increases of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during stress. The nuclear factor-erythroid 2-like factors (Nrf1 and Nrf2) and Maf cofactors transactivate genes with antioxidant response elements (ARE) to coordinate distinct metabolic pathways following ROS. Nrf2 predominantly responds to oxidative stress and electrophiles to regulate glutathione biosynthesis, while Nrf1 regulates proteasome induction. This thesis shows nuclear accumulation of the longer forms of Nrf1 (p120- and p95-Nrf1) in response to ER stress mediated by tunicamycin (TUN), thapsigargin (THP), and dithiothreitol (DTT) in HEK293T cells. Nrf2, as opposed to Nrf1, was induced by the oxidative stressor antimycin A (AA) in the absence of BiP induction while both Nrfs accumulated in the nuclei from DTT-mediated redox stress. Cell stress was monitored using the H2DCFDA, MTT and PI assays. These results are the first to indicate Nrf1 responds to ER stress distinctly from Nrf2 that responds to mitochondrial ROS.


title: Queering Canadian Homonationalism: Limited Approaches to Foreign Homophobia

abstract: Since the 2005 legalization of same-sex marriage, lesbian and gay rights have gradually become a marker of Canadian national identity. In a prominent display of support for global queers, Canadian politicians from every level of government nearly unanimously condemned a 2013 Russian anti-gay law that was enacted ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Through the employment of Jasbir Puar’s analytic framework of homonationalism, I examine the ways in which Canada’s emerging national position on foreign homophobia, which has been informed by the mainstream LGBT rights movement, operates under the presumption that Western conceptualizations of sexuality are universally true. I contend that this approach fosters sentiments of cultural superiority, thereby dismissing the situated knowledges of foreign queers, and effectively limiting the potential for adequately challenging global homophobia.


title: The long-Term Effect of Juvenile Stressor Exposure and Access to Palatable Food: Alterations in Dopamine and Ghrelin Signalling

abstract: Juvenile stressor exposure induces anxiety-like characteristics in adulthood and it is thought that palatable food can dampen HPA-activity, in part, through the mesolimbic pathway. Ghrelin, an orexigenic peptide, is involved in stress-induced preference for palatable food by modulating dopamine activity in the reward pathway. We hypothesize that the combination of juvenile stress and palatable food sensitizes the reward pathway, which will be manifested by altered dopamine signalling and enhanced sensitivity to ghrelin in adulthood. Findings revealed that palatable food ameliorated the anxiogenic effects of juvenile stress in adulthood however at the cost of increased adiposity. Also, a lack of association between the upregulation of dopamine receptor mRNA expression occurring at nucleus accumbens to rewarding stimuli (cookie dough and cocaine) in previously stressed rats fed the palatable food was observed. Juvenile stressor exposure enhanced ghrelin signalling for hedonic food whereas access to palatable food, regardless of stressor exposure, blunted ghrelin sensitivity.


title: Fabrication of Long Range Surface Plasmon Polariton Bragg Waveguide Biosensors on Cytop and Multilayer Substrates

abstract: This thesis documents the micro-fabrication of a Long Range Surface Plasmon Polariton (LRSPP) biosensor device design that incorporates Bragg grating waveguides. The majority of the work involved the fine tuning of the bi-layer lithography, ultra-violet (UV) exposure and metal deposition micro-fabrication procedures. The goal was to resolve very fine features, accurately produce thin metallization and achieve a high quality metal surface. Repeatable resolution of Bragg gratings having a step-in-width from 8µm to 2µm, a 50% duty cycle and a period of 1690nm to 1800nm, was achieved with bi-layer lithography and UV exposure. A gold thickness of 35nm±5% and surface roughness of better than 2nm rms and average was achieved using thermal vacuum chamber deposition. The fabrication was performed on two different substrates; Cytop and a prefabricated Ta2O5/SiO2 multilayer stack.


title: Four Essays on Dynamic Panel Models

abstract:
Dynamic panel data models can suffer greatly from the incidental parameter bias due to correlation between past realizations of the data and the unobserved heterogeneity, and this bias is a function of included regressors.
This paper uses a simulation-based methods that require explicit model and set of assumptions to obtain consistent point estimates and exact confidence sets. A parametric discontinuous starting value is assumed for simulated series that jointly allows for stationary and unit root processes, where only the stationary case was considered in Gouriéroux, Phillips and Yu (2010). This discontinuous assumption leads to least squared dummy variable (LSDV) estimates that are nuisance parameter free and location-scale invariant. These properties are conferred to the indirect inference objective function (IIOF) used to obtain bias-corrected estimates.
Discontinuities are problematic for traditional asymptotic methods of constructing confidence sets. To account for this the indirect confidence set inference method is introduced, which uses a second round of Monte Carlo simulations [Dufour (2006)] to calibrate the distribution of the IIOF. The confidence set is constructed with test inversion, so the parameters are set to known values, the model is tested at that point, and all points that fail to reject the null hypothesis are in confidence set. The confidence set is exact and level correct, since the IIOF is pivotal and both simulation rounds are exchangeable under the null.
Adding regressors into panel data models can distort estimates, as this paper demonstrates with respect to the X-differencing method of Han and Phillips (2014) with regressors. By introducing a model augmentation approach, the influence of regressors are corrected. The augmentation uses a projection of the regressors for all time periods onto the model, giving the augmented-LSDV and the augmented-IIOF that are provably location-scale invariant properties and nuisance parameter free.
The framework presented is robust to non-Gaussian errors, which is demonstrated with bank cost data where the dynamic technical efficiency framework allows for skew-Normal errors. Simulation studies support all theoretical results, with confidence sets that are level correct with good coverage properties, even for asymmetric confidence regions.


title: Simulation of Mobile Hydroacoustic Communications in Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

abstract: We study the software simulation of underwater acoustic communications with mobility in UWASNs. We simulate the mobility of sensors and their communications, moving according to the Meandering Current Mobility (MCM) model. OMNeT++ and MATLAB are used to model and integrate three protocol layers of UWASNs: network, link, and physical. The effects of noise and attenuation on the underwater communications are considered in the physical layer model. Three major metrics are calculated in this work: Bit Error Rate (BER), distance, and signal energy per bit over noise power spectral density (Eb/N0). Finally, the performance of communicating sensors moving according to the MCM model is evaluated. The simulation results illustrate that the BER for digital data signals is an increasing function of the distance. In addition, the BER for digital data signals is a decreasing function of the Eb/N0 ratio.


title: Memories of the Photochemical: Examining the Digital Recreation of Analog Film Styles in Recent Popular Film

abstract: This thesis examines the use of the digital intermediate to recreate the appearance of analog film techniques in recent popular cinema. This particular use of the digital intermediate, which rose to prominence with various concerns about the state of cinema in the digital age, reflects an anxiety toward new technology, as well as a nostalgia for analog filmmaking techniques. The films discussed in this thesis use the digital intermediate in ways that explore themes related to nostalgia and memory. The way filmmakers use this technology reflects the various changes in digital technology and attitudes toward recent technological change in cinema.


title: An (Im)Balance of Expectations: Civil Defence in Ottawa, 1951-1962

abstract: Throughout the Cold War, the world lived with the fear that international tensions might lead to the outbreak of a devastating nuclear conflict. This fear drove Canadian policy makers to pursue civil defence, which entailed the organization of local communities and patriotic citizens to assist with the defence of their country by preparing for a nuclear conflict. Ottawa, as the national capital, was a possible target of a nuclear strike by the Soviet Union. From 1950-1962, the high watermark of civil defence, the city uneasily managed to reconcile the competing interests of stakeholders and the public with its civic responsibilities, evolving circumstances, and changeable federal policies. In the end, however, municipal squabbling pushed balance over the line into imbalance, and Ottawa’s civil defence program came crashing down.


title: Participatory Breakthroughs and Reversals: A case study of participatory budgeting in Hamilton, Canada

abstract: Participatory budgeting tends to manifest as a civic engagement tool governed by the state, but in Hamilton, Canada, a unique albeit short-lived public budgeting system jointly governed by state and civil society institutions was established. State and civil society actors struggled over who had power over the governance and administration of the system, and eventually the state actors dissolved the budgeting system and instituted a new one that excluded the civil society institutions. Public participation in the exclusively state-managed budgeting system dropped by 43%, and by the third year state actors were proposing to discontinue participatory budgeting. Civil society leaders rejected this proposal and demanded the continuation of participatory budgeting and the re-recognition of civil society institutions, which the state actors accepted. This thesis builds on the Hamilton case, democratic theory, and theory of the state and civil society to show a potential pathway from liberal to participatory democracy.


title: The Power of Playing and Performing: Social Anxiety and Participation in Extracurricular Activities in Early Childhood

abstract: The goal of this study was to examine the potential linear and moderating effects of social anxiety and extracurricular activity participation in the prediction of young children’s early school adjustment. It was hypothesized that social anxiety would be harmful, and extracurricular activity participation would be beneficial for young children’s early school adjustment. Extracurricular activity participation was also expected to protect socially anxious children from negative school adjustment. Participants were N = 268 young children (aged 4-7 years) attending preschools and elementary schools located in south-eastern Ontario. Multisource assessment included parent, teacher, and child reports. Among the results: (1) social anxiety was associated with negative outcomes in early childhood; (2) engagement, but not frequency, of extracurricular activities was associated with early school adjustment; and (3) moderating effects of extracurricular activities were generally not found. Results are discussed in terms of implications for young socially anxious children’s positive early school adjustment.


title: Measuring Parole Officer Competencies to Advance Core Correctional Practice

abstract: In three studies, the current research began to address the paucity of research in the area of parole officer characteristics, namely attitudes values, and competencies. To this end, the Parole Officer Competency Survey (POCS) was developed. In Study 1, the psychometric properties of the POCS were examined. Studies 2 and 3 assessed POCS and subscale scores in relations to two separate samples, one Canadian (N= 69), and one American (N = 94), with the intent of developing a normative competency profile. While findings did lead to the establishment of preliminary competency profiles, significant variability between survey scores and most sample demographic variables was not detected. Results from Study 1 demonstrated that the survey in its current form did not demonstrate adequate reliability and internal consistency, and could not be factor- analyzed, thus precluding further scale refinement through factor analysis. Despite limitations, findings did suggest promising directions for future research.


title: A Profile of Inmates Admitted to the Special Handling Unit in the Correctional Service of Canada

abstract: The Special Handling Unit (SHU) is a prison facility that provides increased supervision and restrictions for inmates who cannot be appropriately managed at a maximum-security institution. SHU confinement differs from other types of segregation (e.g., administrative) in criteria for admission and severity of restrictions. The first purpose of this study was to identify the distinguishing characteristics of SHU inmates in comparison to administrative segregation inmates from a large sample of Canadian federal inmates (N = 3666). The second purpose was to identify common problems experienced by SHU inmates (N = 32), and determine the presence of subtypes of inmates for whom unique programming may be warranted. Results indicated violent behaviours, among other characteristics, to be particularly relevant for SHU inmates. However, distinct SHU subtypes were not identified. The author concluded that differential programming may not be necessary, and expressed the need for prospective research regarding the efficacy of the SHU.


title: Living After Prison:The Experience of (Re)integration to Society After Release From an Ontario Correctional Facility

abstract: As individuals are released from incarceration in Ontario institutions they face a variety of barriers to their successful (re)integration. With the current reconviction rate at 44% within the first year of release, those being released quite clearly have trouble with this period of their lives. This study will therefore examine the (re)integration process at different stages, in order to understand how people cope with life after prison, and how their experiences of incarceration continue to affect them long after release. Understanding the ways that identity production and gender come to be affected by, and affect, time spent inside, and importantly the (re)integration process, will provide an in-depth look at the lives of individuals going through these processes. This will be achieved through ethnographic data gained throughout the fieldwork process, along with examinations of academic literature focused on identity, gender, and power.


title: The thermal biology of fish in the Laurentian Great Lakes: insight from biologging and biotelemetry tools.

abstract: The purpose of this thesis was to characterize the thermal biology of three important fish species in the Laurentian Great Lakes using biologging and biotelemetry tools. Thermal patterns and occupancy models for adult walleye from Lake Erie and Huron were determined using biologging to assess the effects of sex, fish size, diel periods, and location (i.e., lake). The depth and temperature used by different sizes of northern pike and largemouth bass in the Toronto Harbour of Lake Ontario were studied with biotelemetry. Occupancy models revealed northern pike occupied deeper depths, while experiencing similar thermal experiences throughout the majority of the year compared to largemouth bass. As a whole, this thesis enhances the understanding of the thermal biology of free-swimming fish in the Laurentian Great Lakes informing the management of three economically and socially important fish species.


title: “I’m Not Looking for Mr. Right, Just Mr. Right Now”: Men Clients of Men Escorts

abstract: In 2014 Canada’s prostitution laws underwent legal reform. The new legal regime criminalized, among other things, the purchase of a sexual service. Arguably, because their existence challenges the underlying rational of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (that sex work is male violence against women), men sex workers and their clients have been excluded from the conversation. Moreover, there is a glaring gap in the literature in terms of men’s experiences hiring men sex workers. Drawing upon ten in-depth one-on-one interviews with men who self-identify as clients of men escorts, this thesis explores the commercial sexual exchange, risks and their management, stigma, and identity. The findings challenge the prevailing narrative of sex workers’ clients as either exploiters or pathetic losers, highlight the diversity of clients, nuance the range of experiences, and draw attention to the complexity of the relationships between clients and the escorts they hire.


title: An Innovative Foundation System For Bollards and Barriers

abstract: A vehicular bollard is a barrier system used to restrict movement of vehicles around buildings. An important factor to consider in the design of bollards is the impact resistance of the bollard which is dependent on its foundation. Previous studies conducted on foundation systems for bollards mostly focuses on the use of shallow concrete foundation. However, a simple deep foundation technology can be employed for bollards with minimum cost. This thesis investigates the use of such deep foundation technology for bollards. Extensive experimental study into innovative foundation systems for vehicle bollards using soil was conducted in the laboratory to evaluate the performance of different pile systems under both static and impact lateral loads. The results demonstrated that part of the bollard can be used as a pile with fins attached on it to design simple deep foundation systems which are capable of resisting the vehicular load acting on the bollard.


title: Uncertainty in Climate Change Discourse:  An Examination of Regional Canadian Newspapers

abstract: This thesis examines the prevalence and framing of climate change across seven regional Canadian newspapers, with a focus on climate uncertainty, from April 1 to September 30, 2013. Results indicate that climate change and uncertainty are prevalent across Canadian newspapers, and that there is a prevailing discourse. Climate change is primarily framed as a contemporary issue that exists on an international scale. It is often linked to environmental, political, energy, and scientific issues; however, climate change itself is primarily de-contextualized. Climate solutions are especially lacking from the discourse and climate responsibility is either non-existent or related to government. It is thus not surprising that uncertainty within the discourse is primarily about climate action and solutions. Although there are some statistically significant differences between the regional newspapers in regards to spatial framing, climate context, and climate attitude, there does not appear to be any underling spatial pattern therein.


title: Calypso as a Vehicle for Political Commentary:  An Endangered Musical Species

abstract:
Calypso, widely regarded today (in 2015) as the national music of the two-island Caribbean state of Trinidad and Tobago, was born out of the struggle in the 18th century of enslaved Africans in Trinidad to maintain their cultural traditions. The music of the slaves was banned by the colonial authorities and after emancipation in the 19th century, their songs, many with biting satirical lyrics and political and social commentary, were subject to repressive censorship laws.
Although official censorship of calypso is no longer in effect in Trinidad and Tobago, this musical genre continues to face major challenges. As more aficionados of the art form turn to soca, the more popular "jump up" or party music which developed from calypso, unofficial censorship and self-censorship as well as other factors impact negatively on this genre, raising concerns for its survival as a vehicle for political commentary.