title: Preparation of Single Crystal Molybdenum Bronzes and Polycrystalline Rubidium Molybdenum Oxide

subject:
superconductor
molybdenum bronzes
lithium purple bronze
rubidium doped molybdenum oxide

abstract: Lithium purple bronze (LiPB) Li0.9Mo6O17 was studied extensively in the 1980’s and has recently regained interest in the research community. The mechanism for the metal-insulator (M/I) transition at ∼25 K and superconductivity at ∼2 K is still unknown. The temperature gradient flux technique has been used to grow single crystal LiPB. A large superconducting LiPB single crystal was grown (di- mensions: 4.7×3.0×1.2 mm3) and characterized and will be referred to throughout this work as ‘I33sc2’. For the non-superconducting single crystal oriented along the b-crystallographic axis, we found the maximum value of the energy gap to be 2 meV±0.1 meV at 9.16 K, which is different from the accepted literature value of ∼1 meV at 5-6 K [1,2]. Furthermore, heavier alkali metals (Na, K and Rb) were used in the temperature gradient flux technique. Small lilac brown single crystals were found in all three growths. In particular, the rubidium growth yielded polyhedral (denoted as ‘POLY’, having approximate dimensions: 0.5 × 0.3 × 0.3 mm3) and small bar shaped (denoted as ‘SBAR’, having approximate dimensions: 1×0.1×0.1 mm3) lilac brown single crystals which exhibited anomalous properties in the re- sistivity and specific heat. The anomalous properties include a M/I transition at 250 K and a small phase transition in the resistivity at 94 K. These lilac brown single crystals were studied with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and match very closely with molybdenum dioxide MoO2, however with slightly larger ‘a’ and ‘b’ lattice parameters. These lilac brown crystals are being further characterized with single crystal XRD. Polycrystalline rubidium molybdenum dioxide Rb0.03MoO2−δ was then grown to further understand what rubidium doping (if any) these lilac brown single crystals have. The resistivity of polycrystalline Rb0.03MoO2−δ has a M/I transition at 250 K, similar to the lilac brown single crystals, but lacks a phase transition at 94 K. Unlike the lilac brown single crystals, the slope of the M/I transition at 250 K is strongly affected by thermal cycling. Furthermore, poly- crystalline Rb0.03MoO2−δ shows signs of a small superconducting volume fraction. This material is under further investigation.


title: Use of Tablets to Support Students’ 21st Century Skills: A Look Behind the Screen at Knowledge Construction, Collaboration, and Skilled Communication in Language Arts and Science

contributor: Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education

subject:
Tablets
21st Century Skills
Knowledge Construction
Collaboration
Skilled Communication

abstract: This study sought to identify how the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), specifically tablets, may foster students’ 21st century skills of knowledge construction, collaboration, and skilled communication and may further support knowledge construction in science, reading comprehension, and vocabulary development. This mixed methods research explored 21 Grade 5 students’ tablet (iPad) screen interactions and audio recordings, blog posts, interview responses, researcher observations, and student artifacts during an interdisciplinary science and language arts unit. Students worked in pairs or small groups on iPads to learn science and language arts concepts. Qualitative data were collected using video and audio monitoring tools (NestCams, 2016). Using NVivo 11.4, qualitative data were coded using the 21 CLD Learning Activity Rubrics (Microsoft Corporation, 2015). Queries were further run to determine data that correlated between the use of tablets for learning and other 21st century skills. Findings showed high instances of 21st century skills while students worked on tablets. The way students used tablets to support their learning seemed to depend on the level of knowledge construction, collaboration, and skilled communication. Quantitative data were also collected using reading comprehension, vocabulary, and science pre- and post-tests. Dependent samples t-tests were run to determine if there was growth from pre-test to post-test. Results indicated statistically significant growth only in science content knowledge. Qualitative findings were triangulated with the quantitative results to illustrate descriptive growth trends in science and language arts. This study highlights the importance of being critical towards multimodal features within apps to support students’ development of 21st century skills and subject-specific knowledge. Recommendations and implications for theory, practice, and methodological approaches are provided for future studies.


title: Effect of Topological Morphology on Optical Filtering Properties of Porous Silicon

subject: filters silicon spectroscopy topology infrared

abstract:
Macroporous silicon samples of differing topological porous properties were manufactured by way of electrochemical etching. Different etching parameters (etching current, time, electrolyte concentration) were used on four different (in terms of crystal orientation and resistivity) types of samples in order to obtain a series of samples of differing pore topology.

It is known that macroporous silicon acts as a high-wavelength pass filter in the infrared regime. FTIR spectroscopy was performed on each of these samples in order to obtain an optical cutoff wavenumber for each sample. Furthermore, SEM analysis was performed in order to determine the number of pores per unit area on the surface as well as the percentage of the surface that was covered in pores for each sample. Furthermore, the average linear dimension per pore was determined using these values. Finally, the average pore-to-pore distance was also estimated on each sample. These four sets of measurements were performed in order to find a relationship between the optical and topological properties of macroporous silicon. It was found that there is a relationship between pore number density and cutoff; the cutoff wavenumber increases as the pore number density is increased. Additionally, a correlation between the pore spacing and the cutoff was also determined; the cutoff wavelength increases as the pore spacing increases. It was expected that there would be a correlation between the average linear dimension per scattering element as is seen in other types of scattering filters; however such a trend was only observed for one of the sample types. This suggests that the scattering mechanism by which porous silicon filters operate differs between samples of significantly differing surface topology.

In addition to this, the temperature-dependence of the cutoff was investigated. Through low-temperature optical analysis using FTIR spectroscopy and liquid helium as a coolant, it was determined that the cutoff wavenumber exhibits no temperature-dependence below 100 K. For higher temperatures, the measurements performed were inconclusive. This was due to the thermal expansion at higher temperatures of the copper sample holder coupled with the inhomogeneity of the surface structure of each of the silicon filters.


title: Healing Through Dance and Movement with Migrant Farm Workers

subject:
Migrant farm workers
Phenomenology
Movement-Based, Expressive Art Therapy
Dance/Movement Therapy
Expressive Arts Therapies

abstract: Coming to work on Canadian farms for 8-to-ten months out of the year leaves migrant farm workers feeling lonely and homesick. The precariousness that is produced by employment programs under the Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) such as the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) leaves migrant farm workers vulnerable to exploitation and isolation in their host rural communities. Mexican and Guatemalan migrant farm workers are further isolated due to language barriers. To address these problems, this research is based upon Dance and Movement Therapy (DMT), which is founded on the fundamental premise that, through dance, individuals both relate to the community they are part of on a large or smaller scale, and are simultaneously able to express their own impulses and needs within that group. This phenomenological study explored the experiences in the Niagara Region of Mexican and Guatemalan migrant farm workers’ participation in experiential ‘dance for relaxation’ community arts sessions. Approaches used in the sessions were grounded in DMT and a movement-based, expressive arts therapy (MBEAT) framework. In post-session verbal reflections using a focus group style of inquiry and individual interviews, migrant farm workers provided evidence regarding the effectiveness of DMT and MBEAT.


title: Do You See What I See: The Influence of Self-Objectification on Appearance Anxiety, Intrinsic Motivation, Interoceptive Awareness, and Physical Performance

subject:
Self-Objectification
Appearance Anxiety
Intrinsic Motivation
Interoceptive Awareness
Physical Performance

abstract: Objectification theory suggests that when individuals take on an observer’s perspective of their physical appearance (known as self-objectification), they experience an increase in body shame and anxiety and a decrease in motivation and bodily awareness. The purpose of this study was to determine if self-objectification could impact social physique anxiety, intrinsic motivation, and bodily awareness as well as physical performance. Undergraduate female students (N=54) were recruited to participate in a Consumer Behaviour study (cover story). Participants were randomly assigned to a swimsuit or sweater condition, completed cover story and body image measures, changed into the clothing based upon randomization, then completed state body image measures and performed a series of balance tasks. Women in the swimsuit group experienced greater state self-objectification and reported greater amounts of body-related shame and appearance anxiety and lower amounts of intrinsic motivation. In addition, self-objectification led to restricted arms, trunk, and leg movements during a 1-leg stand. Findings could have implications for promoting positive experiences during physical activity, such as sport, exercise or rehabilitation settings.


title: A New Approach to Transition Planning for Transitional Aged Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

subject:
Transition Planning
Developmental Disabilities
Intellectual Disabilities
Transitional Aged Youth
Transition Process

abstract: The current study was designed to gain a greater understanding of how transition planning is being done in the Niagara Region, as per the Integrated Transition Protocol, and to examine the barriers to the enactment of this protocol in relation to youth participation and implementation.  Further, the study focused on uncovering whether youth were better included in their transition plans since the implementation of the protocol, and on discovering ways to better include youth in the transition process overall. Through a pragmatic qualitative research design informed by the theory of emerging adulthood and by a social model of disability, the perspectives of 14 professionals were explored through questionnaires, focus groups, and individual interviews.  From the collected data, the following themes were found: (1) there continue to be barriers that hinder youth participation and the successful implementation of the protocol; (2) professionals feel youth participation is important; however, families continue to play the primary role during the transition process, despite a reported disconnection between the hopes and dreams of the families and the youth; (3) transition planning and practicing meaningful participation need to begin earlier; (4) the transition ends when the protocol ends so there is a gap between children’s services and adult services, and the realities of adult services are unknown to many; (5) there are many benefits to integrated transition planning; (6) we must move past keeping youth “busy and safe” and ensure that they are participating in meaningful activities; and (7) it’s a new process, but the right process. These themes are discussed in terms of their implications for the current transition policy in the Niagara Region and elsewhere in Ontario so that the voices and dreams of youth with developmental disabilities are included and respected during the transition process in hopes of improving their post high school outcomes and overall quality of life.


title: (A)	Constructing a Three-Dimensional DNA Nanomachine to Achieve Rapid Isothermal Signal Amplification for  Nucleic Acid Detection (B)	Regulation of DNA Strand Displacement Using  an Allosteric DNA Toehold

subject:
Nanomachine
Biosensor
Strand displacement
Allosteric toehold

abstract:
(A) We developed a new strategy to achieve rapid isothermal signal amplification through the construction of DNA nanomachine. DNA nanomachine built from a DNA functionalized gold nanoparticle (DNA−AuNP), which moves a DNA walker along a three-dimensional (3-D) DNA−AuNP track and executes the task of releasing signal reporters (SRs) to generate fluorescence. The movement of the DNA walker is powered by a nicking endonuclease that cleaves specific DNA substrates on the track. During the movement, each DNA walker cleaves multiple substrates, resulting in the rapid release of SRs to achieve signal amplification at a constant temperature. The 3-D DNA nanomachine is highly efficient due to the high local effective concentrations of all DNA components that have been co-conjugated on the same AuNP. Moreover, the activity of the 3-D DNA nanomachine can be controlled by introducing a protecting DNA probe that can hybridize to or dehybridize from the DNA walker in a target-specific manner. This property allows us to tailor the DNA nanomachine into a DNA nanosensor that is able to achieve rapid, isothermal, and homogeneous signal amplification for detection of nucleic acids in both buffer and a complicated biomatrix.
(B) Toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement has proven extremely powerful in the construction and operation of DNA devices, including reconfigurable structures, DNA circuits, and amplifications. To achieve the construction of such DNA devices, toeholds are required for controllable activation and regulation. Usually, the complicated strand displacement behaviors and functions are achieved by combining conventional toehold-mediated strand displacement, associative toehold-mediated strand displacement, and remote toehold strand displacement toehold activation mechanisms. We still need to enrich the toolbox of strand displacement techniques with alternative approaches for toehold activation to construct devices of higher complexity. Here we introduce an allosteric DNA toehold (A-toehold) design that allows flexible activation or regulation of DNA strand displacement.


title: The Effect of Competition on Real Earnings Management – A Re-examination

subject:
Product Market Competition
Labour Market Competition
Real Earnings Management

abstract: This study examines the effect of competition in the product and labour markets on real earnings management (REM). REM is accomplished by firms changing investing or operating decisions primarily to increase current period earnings and can affect future cash flows negatively. Using data from Standard and Poor’s 1500 index firms from 1992 to 2015, I find strong support for the prediction that managers in more competitive labour markets are more inclined to use REM activities. However, I find little evidence that firms in more competitive product markets will reduce their engagement in REM activities. The results from the interaction of these two markets show that managers are more inclined to use REM activities whenever they face high labour market competition. This suggests that managers’ primary concern as they make REM decisions is the impact on their career.


title: The effects of hyperoxia on exercise performance in the cold

subject:
Cold Stress
Tissue Oxygenation
Voluntary Exercise
Time Trial
NIRS

abstract:
This study tested whether hyperoxia improves exercise performance in
moderately-cooled individuals, along with the relationship between cold and hyperoxia
on cerebral and muscle oxygenation as potential mechanisms for improvement. Twelve
healthy trained male cyclists each completed self-paced 15 km time trials (TT) a week
apart in three environmental conditions: Neutral (23°C, FiO2: 0.21), Cold (0°C, FiO2:
0.21), and Cold+Hyper (0°C, FiO2: 0.40). Cold conditions were done after participants
were passively cooled by 0.5°C rectal temperature. Performance improved with
hyperoxia as TT time for Cold+Hyper was faster than Cold, with no difference found
compared to Neutral (Neutral: 1479 ± 75s, Cold: 1509 ± 88s, Cold+Hyper: 1482 ± 85s).
Cerebral oxygenation in Neutral and Cold+Hyper was higher than Cold throughout the
TT, while Cold+Hyper reached similar levels as Neutral by 2.5 km. Improvement in TT
time are likely linked to increased O2 availability allowing for improved aerobic
metabolism throughout the body.


title: The Sex Chronicles: Young Women’s Recollections of Learning About Sex

subject: girlhood; discourses of childhood innocence; sexuality; sex education; sexual subjectivity

abstract: There is a pervasive social fear surrounding girls’ sexuality. In 2015, Ontario public schools mandated a new version of sex education. There was, and still is, public outcry by many parents over the new curriculum. The concern? We should be protecting children from, and not exposing them to, sexual content. This criticism of the new curriculum highlights the powerful fear around children and sex, and has, in turn, limited the education girls receive about sexual knowledge and pleasure. My research explores how girls in Ontario learn about sex and how this knowledge has influenced their sexual narratives by asking the following questions: When young women at an Ontario University reflect on how and what they learned about sex, what do they recall? How do young women at an Ontario University feel that their learned knowledge about sex has shaped their understanding of their sexual identify, sex lives, sexual desires, and abstinence? My findings highlight that there is a gap between what girls and young women are learning and what they are experiencing. Overall, my thesis advocates for a meaningful and appropriate sex education that provides students – and girls, in particular – with the knowledge they need to make healthy sexual choices. I hope to inspire educators and policy makers to consider the positive implications of a well rounded and practical sex education.


title: The Effect of Maximal Strength Training versus Maximal Strength and Electrostimulation Training on Lower Body Strength, Sprinting Time, and Skating Times

subject: training, strength, electrostimulation

abstract: The purpose of the study was to compare and contrast the effectiveness of a traditional maximal strength (MS) training protocol with a maximal strength and electrostimulation (MSES) training regimen on lower body strength, sprinting time, and on ice skating times. Fifteen male (21.5 ± 1.5 years) and 13 female (18.5 ± 3.3 years) competitive ice hockey players were recruited from Midget AA, Junior B, Senior A, and collegiate teams. Participants were stratified by sex and randomized into two groups prior to completing a crossover training study consisting of two 4-week, 8-session training interventions: MS/MSES and MSES/MS. On and off ice assessment batteries were performed at three time points: Pre, Post 1 (week 4), and Post 2 (week 8). Lower body strength was assessed using vertical jump (VJ; cm), horizontal jump (HJ; cm), and one repetition maximum deadlift (DL; kg) and front squat (FS; kg) measures. Sprinting time was assessed using a 20-m sprint (s) and skating times were assessed using five skating drills measuring two-step acceleration and total times (s). Primary 2 (sequence) x 3 (time; Pre, Post 1, Post 2) repeated measures analyses of variance (RM-ANOVA) were conducted to determine if significant differences existed between training sequences (p<.05). Secondary 2 (sequence) x 2 (time; Pre, Post 1) RM-ANOVAs were conducted to determine if significant differences existed between MS and MSES interventions at Post 1. Significant 2 x 3 interactions were revealed for the VJ and stop/start left drill, however no significant differences were evident between sequences at Post 1 or Post 2. Significant main effects of time (groups collapsed) were revealed for the HJ, DL, FS, and combination drill that indicated significant improvement from Pre to Post 2. Significant 2 x 2 interactions were revealed for the VJ, FS, and stop/start right drill, however there were no significant differences between sequences at Post 1. Two of the seventeen variables assessed revealed significant differences between training sequences and four were significantly different between MS and MSES at Post 1. Five RM’s confirmed that significant improvements were demonstrated in strength over 8 weeks of training, however strength increases did not transfer to improvements in sprint or skating times.


title: Transnational Labour Migration: Experiences of Mid-to-Highly Skilled African Migrant Workers in Doha, Qatar

subject: African Youth, Migration, Qatar

abstract: This study sought to augment the dearth of research on African labour migration to the GCC and Qatar. The study focuses on younger mid-to-highly skilled Africans (from Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) currently working in Qatar. Attention was given to how racialized positioning intersected with other variables such as nationality, gender and class to shape migrant worker experiences. The study also considered those who migrated to Qatar as organization-sponsored workers and those on so-called free visas. Based on data gathered from 12 Skype and WhatsApp interviews, findings revealed how the sponsorship system gives employers power over employees, often preventing workers from switching jobs—particularly in the case of organization-sponsored workers—and in the case of those on free visas, creating vulnerability to visa racketeering. The study identified further modalities of exploitation such as salary delay and job insecurity, that added to the challenges of remitting money to family members in countries of origin. A majority of participants expressed the desire to eventually leave Qatar and migrate once again to Western countries where they imagined there would be better opportunities for professional growth, children’s education and naturalization.


title: Keep Your Eye on the Game: The Impact of Distraction and Scoreboard Watching during Major League Baseball Playoff Races

subject:
distraction
scoreboard watching
Major League Baseball
playoff races

abstract:
This study examines 11 years and 26,370 of Major League Baseball’s (i.e., MLB) game outcomes to test whether distraction, through scoreboard watching, causes teams to choke under pressure. Results indicate that scoreboard watching significantly impacts the probability of winning a game, especially in playoff races. Specifically, teams in a playoff race had a 0.158 lower probability of winning games when the division leader won its game the previous day. Consistent with distraction theory, the analysis also shows that the distraction effects are 0.224 greater on home teams. There is evidence of increased distraction as criticality of games increase. When there are fewer than 10 games remaining in a playoff race, the impact of a division leader win reduces a team’s win probability by 0.243. Changes to league structure reduced win probability by 0.039 for seasons starting in 2012. This involved the addition of a Wild Card team to each league and an increase to the value of winning a division.
This study helps fill a gap in the literature in relation to research on external factors and their impact on game outcomes. If a team can account for factors related to winning a game then it could be possible to gain a competitive advantage over the opposition. The findings also have practical applications. MLB teams can take initiatives to eliminate distraction and keep players’ attention on the task at hand surrounding critical games.


title: Perceptions of Psychopathy and Criminal Responsibility

subject: NCRMD psychopathy perceptions

abstract: In Canada, a person who performs an illegal act that is deemed to be the result of a mental disorder is eligible for the not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD) defence. In recent years, some researchers have argued that the presence of psychopathy may be sufficient for an individual to be considered not criminally responsible for his or her actions. As a result, the present study examines public opinion on this issue, as public opinion and policy change are inevitably related. A sample of 296 participants (224 women, 72 men) completed an online survey that assessed general attitudes toward the NCRMD defence, as well as perceptions of psychopathy as it relates to the defence. On average, participants viewed psychopathy as a mental illness, yet psychopaths were not believed to be eligible for the NCRMD defence and they were still considered responsible for their negative actions. Present findings also suggest that exposure to the types of arguments researchers have presented concerning a psychopath’s criminal responsibility could influence public opinion. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.


title: Peer Attitudes Towards Students With Exceptionalities in the Classroom

subject: exceptionalities attitudes peers

abstract: This concurrent triangulation mixed methods research project sought to investigate inconsistencies in the current literature regarding student attitudes towards their peers who have exceptionalities. The study encompassed 27 student participants across primary, junior, and intermediate divisions in a Southwestern Ontario school who were involved in classroom discussions, questionnaires, and individual interviews with the goal of identifying elementary school-aged students’ attitudes towards their peers who have exceptionalities in the classroom. Using an appreciative inquiry lens, data collection prompted students to recall positive memories they may have shared with peers who have exceptionalities. An emergent thematic analysis and triangulation of multiple data sources revealed that students acknowledge differences between students with exceptionalities and other same-aged peers; however, students consistently communicated their intent to support all students within their classrooms. While study findings also indicated that students demonstrated an understanding of the importance of inclusion, further research is needed regarding their actual behaviour.


title: Investigating the Relationship between the Facial Width-to-Height Ratio and Physical and Psychological Threat Potential

subject:
Face Ratio
Aggression
Threat

abstract: Individuals with large facial width-to-height ratios (FWHR) are judged as threatening and engage in threat-related behaviours. The aim of this thesis was to identify the specific components of threat potential related to the FWHR. In study 1, participants completed measures of psychological and physical threat potential. The FWHR correlated positively with aspects of physical threat potential in men and women, and an aspect of psychological threat potential in men. Additionally, study 1 investigated the extent to which these types of threat potential differentially predict aggression. In men only, psychological threat potential predicted non-costly aggression, and physical threat potential predicted costly aggression. In study 2, participants made inferences about the threat potential of participants from study 1. Results demonstrated an ability to infer threat potential from the face, and sex differences related to the definition of aggressiveness. Together, these findings demonstrate that the FWHR conveys two forms of threat potential in men, which differentially predict aggression.


title: Changes in Employment Skills and Quality of Life for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities During Transition from Pre-Employment to Cooperative Employment

subject: developmental disabilities, employment, quality of life

abstract: Persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities are usually excluded from vocational training and education, and employment opportunities. While a variety of postsecondary opportunities do exist for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive vocational training and education and to be employed, there is no guarantee that these opportunities will lead to an increase in quality of life and benefits to the individual. This study builds on the findings of previous studies (Bishop, 2013; Owen, Li, et al., 2015; Owen, Readhead, et al., 2015; Readhead, 2012) and explored the impact on job skill development and quality of life for individuals participating in the training program for a social enterprise. Six students with a developmental disability from the training program were interviewed three times across the course of their training and entry to the partnership. They were divided into two cohorts based on when they started the program. The Quality of Life Instrumentation Package (Renwick & Myerscough, 2012), the Job Observation and Behavior Scale (Rosenberg & Brady, 2000), the JOBS: Opportunities for Self Determination (Brady, Rosenberg, & Frain, 2006), and a semi-structured interview were administered to the participants. The scores and the narratives provided as part of the interview were analyzed for changes. Scores on both measures did not reveal a trend indicating a change in quality of life or job skill development; however, analysis of the narratives indicated changes in both quality of life and job skills. Furthermore, participants described changes in self-determination and the limitations of participating in work. These findings are discussed in terms of previous research completed with Common Ground Co- operative, the limitations of the selected instruments and procedures; and considerations for future research regarding the impact of social enterprises on quality of life.


title: Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors in Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Function-based Conceptual Framework and Single-case Application

subject:
developmental disabilities
obsessive compulsive disorder
obsessive compulsive behavior

abstract:
Repetitive behaviors are prevalent in a number of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). A subset of repetitive behaviors found in ASD and ID can be topographically similar to symptoms in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Through two manuscripts in preparation (Chapters 2 and 4), this project aims to discuss a function-based approach to conceptualizing, assessing, and treating obsessive compulsive behaviors (OCBs) in ASD and ID.
The first manuscript is a conceptual paper responding to the variety of approaches researchers use to categorize the behaviors (i.e., assigning a comorbid diagnosis or acknowledging overlapping symptoms of ASD). To date, a clear consensus has not yet been reached amongst the researchers in this field. This paper builds on the differential diagnosis guidelines of the DSM-5 and clinical experts in the field by providing a multidisciplinary, function-based approach to conceptualizing, assessing, and treating individual OCBs in ASD using clinical case examples. Obsessive compulsive behaviors can serve a variety of functions beyond the reduction of anxiety including automatic positive reinforcement or socially mediated reinforcement. The strengths of function-based treatment combined with cognitive behavioral therapy for working with complex obsessive compulsive behaviors in ASD are presented.
A second manuscript demonstrates the applicability of this framework in a single case study of four-year-old boy with mild ID and obsessive compulsive behaviors. An intensive, adapted version of function-based cognitive behavioral therapy was administered in the boy’s preschool. The treatment successfully eliminated two OCBs while concomitantly teaching joint engagement with peers on work-related tasks. Results were maintained at a three-week follow- up. The implications of the treatment protocol, in addition to the broader importance of working from a multidisciplinary perspective for children with obsessive compulsive behaviors, are discussed.


title: Exploring Professional Quality of Life among TR practitioners working in Long- Term- Care Homes.

subject: Professional Quality of Life, Therapeutic Recreation, Long Term Care, Narrative Inquiry

abstract:
Professional Quality of life (PQoL) is described as the quality one feels in relation
to being a helping professional and incorporates both positive and negative aspects (e.g.,
compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction) (Stamm, 2010). To date, concepts
within the PQoL framework have not been fully explored within LTC, nor have they
been explored from the perspective of therapeutic recreation professionals. To fill this
gap, this narrative inquiry explored the stories of Professional Quality of Life among four
TR practitioners working in LTC homes within the Greater Toronto Area. Narrative
accounts describe the complexities, tensions, and variations in describing experiences of
PQoL among TR practitioners working in LTC homes. Key patterns and plotlines
emerged revealing six narrative threads: experiences that fuel the soul and ignite TR
spirit; experiences of seeking out opportunities for challenge and change; experiences in
encountering professional tensions in TR practice; experiences in developing
professional valour as a TR advocate; experiences of the workplace that shape PQoL;
and re-imagining practice to foster PQoL. This study provided space for TR practitioners
to share their stories surrounding phenomena within the PQoL framework. I offer
personal, practical and social justifications of this narrative inquiry to facilitate future
conversations in understanding PQoL to assist helping professionals along their
professional journey.


title: Infrared Spectroscopy Of Ba_3+y Co_1+xNb_2O_9 Ceramics

subject: optical properties of ceramic

abstract:
The dielectric properties of ceramic Ba3+y Co1+xNb2O9 where x= 0,-0.07,0.03
and y = 0, -0.03 were characterized because it might used for a wide range of
applications including wireless communication used in mobile communication,
ultra high speed local area networks, intelligent transport system and satellite
communications.
Room temperature optical re
ectivity measurements of ceramics sintered
at di erent temperatures between 1200  C to 1500  C were made covering the
spectral range between 70-8000 cm􀀀1. The Lorentz model was used to  t the
re
ectance data to make extrapolations for Kramers Kronig (K-K) analysis and
to estimate the microwave properties.
K -K analysis was applied to extract the other optical response functions
from the re
ectance data ( optical conductivity and dielectric permittivity).
Powder X-Ray di raction measurements were done with 2  in the range
between 10 to 80 degree for all samples. Most samples exhibit some degree of
1:2 ordering which appears as small superlattice peaks at 17.6 and 12 degree.
All samples exhibit a small amount of impurity phases.
The main purpose of this work is to study the e ect of the density, 1:2 (
Co:Nb) ordering and concentration of Cobalt on the dielectric properties. It
was shown that density has a clear e ect on the dielectric properties. For
example  1 (50 cm􀀀1) decreased if the densjhfnadfity decreased. On the other hand
the change of the concentration of Cobalt does not have any real e ect on the
dielectric properties. 1:2 order also has an e ect on the dielectric properties.
It was observed that the scattering rate of the optical phonon was smaller in
sample exhibiting more 1:2 order.


title: Effective Police Interviewing

subject: Deception Detection; Reality Monitoring; Psychopathy; Dominance; Cognitive Interview for Suspects

abstract:
Suspect interviewing is a vital tool for law enforcement agencies.  However, a large body of empirical literature has demonstrated that many interviewing techniques limit the amount of information gleaned and demonstrate chance levels of deception detection accuracy.  The series of studies presented provide evidence that the application of Reality Monitoring (RM) to statements elicited by a modified version of the Cognitive Interview for Suspects (CIS) improves deception detection accuracy in comparison to levels previously reported in the literature.
Study 1 considers deception detection accuracy in statements provided in a mock theft scenario.  Participants were interviewed using a modified version of the CIS.  Six RM criteria were applied to all statements as a measure of deception detection.  This study found an overall accuracy rating of 86.6%, supporting the use of this protocol.  Study 2 directly compares deception detection accuracy of RM to the subjective judgements of observers. Three hundred and ninety observers judged deceptiveness of 100 CIS interviews previously recorded in Study 1.  Collectively the average level of accuracy for observer ratings of the first question of the CIS interviews was 52.73% and only 47.82% at the conclusion of the interview.  Observer ratings of deception became significantly less accurate at the conclusion of the interview (t(389) = 4.75, p <.01).  In contrast, the RM scale was highly accurate (92.5 %) in a direct comparison of the same interviews.
 Study 3 considers whether certain personality traits, namely psychopathy and social dominance, increase successful deception both in terms of observer ratings and Reality Monitoring. Findings indicate that social dominance was related to increased observer ratings of honesty over time, however socially dominant people were not particularly successful deceivers.  Similarly, psychopathic traits were not significantly related to deceptive ability overall.  However, Factor 2 psychopathy was linked to being less believable by observers, even when telling the truth. These personality traits were not linked to an increased ability to beat Reality Monitoring, providing further evidence for the use of this scale.  Collectively, the studies presented provide evidence of the effectiveness of the use of Reality Monitoring on statements derived from the Cognitive Interview for Suspects.


title: An Autoethnography on the Liminal Spaces in an Intensive Care Unit

subject: Nursing Autoethnography Liminality ICU Futile

abstract:
Liminality is an in-between space that, as for the teenager who is neither fully child nor
adult, accompanies new norms, routines, and expectations while simultaneously
remaining in flux. This thesis explores the history of liminality, its presence in the
literature, and then applies Victor Turner’s notion of liminality to various as-yet
unexplored aspects of a hospital, its Intensive Care Unit, and life itself within this
context. In this autoethnography, the author, an ICU nurse, identifies and describes such
liminal spaces as the Code Blue where a patient is neither dead nor alive, the challenge of
caring for patients for whom the nurse believes treatments to be futile, and the ways in
which the nurse finds humour within a context of death. Fictional literature is employed
throughout to demonstrate how liminality feels to the author, who invites the reader to
look behind the hospital room curtain and see what the ICU nurse sees.


title: Dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy and paleoecology of the Upper Miocene and Pliocene, Rees Borehole, Northern Belgium

subject: palynology, dinoflagellates, North Sea, Miocene, Pliocene

abstract: Correlating and dating Neogene deposits along the southern margin of the North Sea Basin have historically been complicated by the fragmentary nature of the outcrops studied, the boreal aspect of the benthic foraminifera present, and scarcity of planktonic microfossils. Dinoflagellate cysts and other palynomorphs from the Rees Borehole, Campine area of northern Belgium, are therefore used to elucidate the paleoenvironmental history of the area. The borehole contains the Upper Miocene Diest and Kasterlee, mid-Pliocene Poederlee, and Pliocene Mol and Merksplas formations. For the Diest Formation, the presence of Achomosphaera andalousiensis andalousiensis, Barssidinium pliocenicum, Operculodinium? eirikianum, Operculodinium tegillatum, Selenopemphix armageddonensis and the acritarch Nannobarbophora walldalei are consistent with a late Late Miocene age. The dinoflagellate cyst assemblages of the Kasterlee Formation in the Rees borehole differ from those of the Kasterlee Formation in other areas, and are more similar to assemblages of the underlying Diest Formation. This may be explained by reworking of the Diest into the Kasterlee Formation. The Poederlee Formation assemblages include Achomosphaera andalousiensis suttonensis, Invertocysta lacrymosa, Operculodinium? eirikianum and, with the absence of Reticulatosphaera actinocoronata, Operculodinium tegillatum and Batiacasphaera minuta/micropapillata, point to a mid- to Late Pliocene age, between 3.7 and 2.7 Ma. For the first time, dinoflagellate cysts were found in the Merksplas Formation, indicating a marine influence. The presence of Achomosphaera andalousiensis suttonensis, Barssidinium pliocenicum, Capisocysta lyelli, Geonettia waltonensis, and Invertocysta lacrymosa within this formation collectively point towards a Late Pliocene age. Assemblages throughout the Rees Borehole reflect neritic deposition within a restricted marine basin under temperate climates.


title: Numerical Solutions of Laplace's Equation for Various Physical Situations

subject:
resistance
Laplace equation
Dielectric Breakdown
fractals

abstract:
There are two projects in this thesis.
In the first project, a general method is introduced to numerically calculate the resistance of truncated resistors in cylindrical coordinates, with non-constant cross-sectional area.  The problem of finding the resistance of a truncated conical resistor is given in some introductory textbooks as a simple problem.  The textbook method is flawed however, and leads to the wrong answer. The textbook method assumes that the electric potential distribution inside the truncated cone is approximately equivalent to a cylindrical resistor. This assumption ignores the constricting affect that the boundary of the truncated conical resistor has on the electric potential inside. The deformation of the electric field is not accounted for by excess charge or changing magnetic fields, instead it is the result of a derivative operation called the shear of the field. Numerical solutions for the resistance of truncated conical, ellipsoidal, and hyperboloidal resistors are presented as a function of a/b, where a is the radius of the smallest cross-sectional area and b is radius of the largest. It was found that the textbook solution always underestimates the numerical value of the resistance.

In the second project, dielectric breakdown clusters were grown with a stochastic two dimensional Dielectric Breakdown Model (DBM) on a honeycomb, square, and triangle lattice, as well as on a random distribution of nodes. On the regular lattices the number of nearest neighbours was a constant at all lattice sites. For a random distribution of nodes there was variation in the number of nearest neighbours at different nodes. Some percentage of the nodes were isolated from the rest of the distribution, because they had 0 nearest neighbours. Distributions of nodes in which many of the nodes had 0 nearest neighbours indicated a medium with high density fluctuations. The motivation for this work was to study the relationship between the fractal dimension of the dielectric breakdown clusters and the number of nearest neighbours, and the density variation of the medium. The singularity spectra were calculated for the clusters, as well as their fractal dimension using box counting, and sandbox methods. It was found that the dielectric breakdown model produces monofractal clusters. As such, the dimension of the clusters can be represented by a single fractal dimension. In the DBM, the probability of a perimeter site connecting to the cluster is proportional to the strength of the local electric field raised to an exponent.  If the exponent is a large positive number then perimeter sites which feel a stronger electric field are more likely to connect to the cluster. Increasing the exponent produces clusters which resemble lightning, with a fractal dimension lower than the dimension of the lattice. Similarly increasing the percentage of isolated nodes decreases the fractal dimension.


title: Inhibition of allergen-mediated mast cell activation by TAK1 inhibitor 5Z-7-oxozeaenol

subject: Allergy

subject: Mast Cell

subject: 5Z-7-oxozeaenol

subject: Transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)

subject: Inflammation

abstract: Introduction & Aim: Allergic inflammatory disorders are at epidemic levels worldwide. Mast cells drive this inappropriate immune response via release of a variety of pro-inflammatory mediators in response to environmental cues detected by the IgE-FcεRI complex, but we do not fully understand the contributing molecular mechanisms. Transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is a known participant in related signaling through MAPK and NF-κB; however the role of TAK1 in IgE-FcεRI signaling and resultant allergic inflammation remains unknown. We aim to assess the role of TAK1 in IgE-mediated mast cell activation. Methods: Bone marrow-derived mast cells were sensitized with allergen-specific IgE and treated with the corresponding allergen for various times in the presence or absence of 5Z-7-oxozeaenol. Mast cell signaling was measured by western blotting, induced gene expression by qPCR, pro-inflammatory mediator release by ELISA and mast cell degranulation by β-hexosaminidase release assay. Results: TAK1-inhibition resulted in significant impairment in the phosphorylation of various MAPKs (p38, ERK and JNK) as well as NF-κB pathway kinase IκBα. Impaired gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-6, IL-13, and chemokines CCL1, -2, and -3 were detected. Furthermore, a drastic decrease in the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF, and chemokines CCL1 and CCL2, in stimulated cell supernatants was detected. Finally, a significant inhibition of mast cell degranulation was also observed in the TAK1-inhibited cells. Conclusion and Significance: These results suggest that TAK1 acts as a signaling node linking the MAPK and NF-κB pathways in mast cells responding to allergen and may warrant consideration in future therapeutic development.


title: Approximation Algorithms using Allegories and Coq

subject:
Approximation Algorithms
Allegory
Coq

abstract: In this thesis, we implement several approximation algorithms for solving optimization problems on graphs. The result computed by the algorithm may or may not be optimal. The approximation factor of an algorithm indicates how close the computed result is to an optimal solution. We are going to verify two properties of each algorithm in this thesis.First, we show that the algorithm computes a solution to the problem, and, second, we show that the approximation factor is satisfied. To implement these algorithms, we use the algebraic theory of relations, i.e., the theory of allegories and various extension thereof. An implementation of various kinds of lattices and the theory of categories is required for the declaration of allegories. The programming language and interactive theorem prover Coq is used for the implementation purposes. This language is based on Higher-Order Logic (HOL) with dependent types which support both reasoning and program execution. In addition to the abstract theory, we provide the model of set-theoretic relations between finite sets. This model is executable and used in our examples. Finally, we provide an example for each of the approximation algorithm.


title: Exploring Youth Athletes Preferred Leadership Styles and Behaviours of Sport Coaches

subject: youth, coaching, preferences, sport, behaviours

abstract: A coach holds responsibility as a parent does at home, or a teacher in the classroom. The consideration of young athletes’ preferences of their coach can aid in the development of life skills, positive development, and retention of youth in sport; which are only some of the outcomes and benefits from experiences gained throughout sport programs (Carson & Gould, 2010). Previous research has mainly focused on high school aged athletes (14+).  However, the highest rates of sport participation, variety, and dropout are found at younger ages (Canadian Heritage, 2013). This research was designed to address this gap. One hundred and sixteen (86 female, 49 male) youth sport athletes (age range 10-14 years) across 19 different sports completed a modified Leadership for Sports Scale (LSS) questionnaire.  The LSS assesses five factors of preferred coach behaviour -  Positive Feedback, Teaching and Instruction, Autocratic Behaviour, Democratic Behaviour, and Social Support. Furthermore, seventeen athletes (11 Boys, 6 Girls, M(age)= 11.65) participated in semi-structured interviews using the Coaching Behaviour Assessment Scale (CBAS). Results showed that there was no significant difference between genders on preferences, and no relationship between preferences and age.  There was a significant difference between sport type where individual sport had a significantly higher preference for Democratic Behaviour than team sport athletes (t (114) = 2.72, p < .01).  Themes from interviews were categorized and suggest numerous behaviours regarding responses to performance, mistakes, misbehaviour, social support, and coaching gender that coaches can additionally implement in their practices; while findings from data add new content to pre-existing literature.


title: The Differential Prediction of Outcome Following Interpersonal Offenses Versus Impersonal Tragedies by Attachment to People and Attachment to God

subject:
Attachment style
Attachment to God
Trauma

abstract: Previous research has found that attachment styles to people and to God are related. However, to my knowledge, no one has examined whether an individual’s attachment style to God is essentially another expression of general attachment style or whether it is a different, albeit, related construct. I hypothesized that God attachment styles are different and that this would be reflected in (1) attachment to people and attachment to God independently contributing to prediction of outcome following upsetting events, and (2) both attachment measures differentially predicting outcome following interpersonal offenses versus impersonal tragedies. Two studies were conducted, one examining Christians who had experienced an interpersonal offense and the other examining Christians who had experienced an impersonal tragedy. The results provided mixed support for the first hypothesis and stronger support for the second. Future research should include longitudinal studies in order to truly determine whether attachment scores uniquely predict subsequent outcome.


title: An Evaluation of Behavioral Skills Training and In Situ Training for Teaching Caregivers How to Support Social Skill Development in Their Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

subject:
caregiver/parent training
behavioral skills training (BST)
in situ training
autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
social skills

abstract: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have social skill deficits and benefit from training that programs for skill generalization and maintenance, components that are often lacking in practice. Although caregivers are well suited to promote generalization and maintenance of child skills in the natural environment, which may lead to better outcomes, limited research has been conducted in this area. Therefore, evaluating which strategies are effective for training caregivers is highly warranted. The current research examined the efficacy of individual behavioral skills training (BST), group BST, and in situ training for teaching caregivers how to also use BST to support their child’s context-specific social skills. In Study 1, caregivers met mastery criteria within individual BST sessions, although their skills did not generalize to the natural environment even with the addition of a group-BST session. In Study 2, in situ training was introduced in place of a group-BST session and led to generalized caregiver skills. The results and implications of these studies are discussed.


title: The Synthesis and Reactivity of Vitamin E Quinones

subject:
Reactivity
vitamin E quinones
electrophilic stress
Thiols
Redox active quinones

abstract:
Vitamin E has been the subject of numerous studies over the last nine decades since its discovery. Still, the biological activity of vitamin E is not completely understood. Various studies suggest that the primary function of vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant preventing lipid peroxidation in cellular membranes. The antioxidant efficiency across the vitamin E isomers have been shown to be similar in vitro in various organic solvents and aqueous lipid suspensions. Despite these results, significantly different biological effects have been observed in biological assays supplemented with the various tocols. Furthermore, the differences are more pronounced when comparing the biological effects of the α-tocols to non α-tocols. We hypothesized the different biological effects observed were correlated to differences in the chemical reactivity of the products of tocol oxidation: tocol quinones. Herein, an investigation of the adduct formation of tocol quinones with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is described.
The synthesis of the tocopheryl quinones is described via the two-electron oxidation of the parent tocols with ceric ammonium nitrate supported on silica. The synthesis of α-tocopherol quinone and α-tocotrienol quinone produced the target compounds in 80% yield. The oxidations of the other tocol isoforms yielded para-tocol quinones (29-45% yield) and ortho-tocol quinones (20-35% yield).  The rate of reaction of the tocopheryl quinones with NAC was monitored by following the production of the tocopherol hydroquinone adduct by the increase in absorption at 308 nm over time in a 67% methanol/ 33% aqueous Tris/HCl buffer. The curves generated were fit to a one-phase exponential. The rate of reaction increased as the pH increased for the γ- and δ-tocopheryl quinone isoforms. There was no reactivity observed between the α-tocopheryl quinone isoforms and NAC. There was no significant difference in the reactivity between the tocopherol quinones and tocotrienol quinones with the same methylation pattern. At the most physiologically relevant pH in our study (pH = 7.5), the δ-tocopheryl quinones (k ≈ 0.63) reacted approximately 8 times faster than the γ-tocopheryl quinones (k ≈ 0.08). The electrochemistry of the parent tocols was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The formal redox potential increased slightly as the methylation on the chromanol ring decreased while no significant differences between the tocopherols and tocotrienols were established. The CV of all tocols showed two quasi-reversible one-electron oxidation processes; the first oxidation produced a radical cation, which quickly deprotonated to form a tocopheryl radical, which then undergoes a second oxidation to the corresponding phenoxonium cation. The redox activity of the tocopheryl quinones was also studied using CV. The quinones underwent a quasi-reversible two one-electron reduction process. The δ-tocopheryl quinones have the lowest formal redox potential which slightly increases as methylation increases, while there were no significant differences in the electrochemical behavior of the tocopheryl quinones and the tocotrienyl quinones with the same methylation. We have presented reaction rate differences in the reactivity of the tocol quinones which correlates to the differences in biological activity observed by others with respect to the methylation pattern on the chromanol ring, while no differences in the chemical reactivity of the tocopherol and tocotrienol quinones was observed. Still, this presents convincing evidence that the activity of the tocol quinones should be considered in biological assays.


title: Neural mechanisms underlying the flexible and  continuous allocation of visual short-term memory resources.

subject:
Visual Short-term Memory
fMRI
Continuous Resource
Attention

abstract: It has long been debated whether objects stored in visual short-term memory (VSTM) are maintained as discrete items or as a continuous resource. While much recent behavioral evidence has supported a continuous resource model, neurological support has lagged behind. In the current study, participants underwent fMRI while they completed a delayed-estimation task with probabilistic cues directing flexible allocation of resources across four items. Behavioural evidence replicated the finding that participants could flexibly allocate memory resources between items, contrary to discrete models of VSTM. Neural activity demonstrated that participants were maintaining multiple items on trials in which one item had a high probability of being cued, consistent with continuous resource models. Whole brain analysis revealed frontal areas play a role in controlling the flexible allocation of memory resources in response to probabilistic cues. The results suggest a mechanism of frontal top-down attentional control over the flexible allocation of memory resources.


title: Investigating Flavivirus Infection, Dissemination, and Transmission Dynamics Using Zika virus, West Nile virus, and their Mosquito Vectors

subject: Mosquito Virus

abstract:
Flaviviruses (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus) are a group viral pathogens responsible for causing disease and death in both humans and animals. Mosquito saliva potentiates Flavivirus infection in both in vitro and in vivo models; however, it remains unknown whether saliva from different species differentially potentiates infection. By inoculating the saliva of different mosquito species plus WNV onto Vero cells, plaque assays were used to study if saliva could differentially potentiate WNV infection. It was found that while there was no significant difference between Ae. aegypti and Ae albopictus saliva (p=0.19), more interestingly was that both saliva treatments had a significant reduction in plaques formed compared to virus alone (p= 0.01 and p=0.00). The presence of mosquito saliva appears to exert a protective effect in vitro when WNV is present.
It also remains to be elucidated as to whether Canadian mosquitoes are able to spread Zika virus. By orally infecting wild caught mosquitoes with a ZIKV infected sugar meal and detecting the presence of virus 10 and 14 days post infection (d.p.i.), the vector competence of Canadian mosquitoes was evaluated. It was found that after 10 (n=50) and 14 d.p.i. (n=32), 2% and 0% of a population of Culex pipiens mosquitoes were found to be able to become infected and transmit the virus, respectively. Although Culex pipiens mosquitoes from the Niagara region may not be vectors of ZIKV, that does not negate other Canadian mosquitoes as being potential vectors.


title: Mishandled: Turnhill University’s Approach to Sexual Violence

contributor: Social Justice and Equity Studies Program

subject:
sexual violence
policy
university

abstract: Sexual violence on college and university campuses in Canada and the United States has been an unsettling issue for several decades. However, the understanding that politicians, policy makers, and academic administrations can no longer ignore these violations is a more recent development. This thesis investigates the management and the potential mismanagement of sexual violence policy and practice with a specific focus on one Canadian University in Southern Ontario. Intersectional feminist theory provided the conceptual framework informing this research and institutional ethnography was the methodology engaged to explore a range of university policy and practices. This research illuminates the difficulties that policy makers and students identified in the development of accessible sexual violence policies and practices and provides recommendations to help post-secondary institutions implement sexual violence policies and protocols that are more useful for students and more socially just.


title: Learning Strategies for Evolved Co-operating Multi-Agent Teams in Pursuit Domain

subject:
Genetic Programming
Pursuit Domain
Emergent Behaviour
Communication
Video Games

abstract:
This study investigates how genetic programming (GP) can be effectively used in a
multi-agent system to allow agents to learn to communicate. Using the predator-prey
scenario and a co-operative learning strategy, communication protocols are compared
as multiple predator agents learn the meaning of commands in order to achieve their
common goal of first finding, and then tracking prey. This work is divided into three
parts. The first part uses a simple GP language in the Pursuit Domain Development
Kit (PDP) to investigate several communication protocols, and compares the predators'
ability to find and track prey when the prey moves both linearly and randomly.
The second part, again in the PDP environment, enhances the GP language and fitness
measure in search of a better solution for when the prey moves randomly. The
third part uses the Ms. Pac-Man Development Toolkit to test how the enhanced GP
language performs in a game environment. The outcome of each part of this study
reveals emergent behaviours in different forms of message sending patterns. The results
from Part 1 reveal a general synchronization behaviour emerging from simple
message passing among agents. Additionally, the results show a learned behaviour
in the best result which resembles the behaviour of guards and reinforcements found
in popular stealth video games. The outcomes from Part 2 reveal an emergent message
sending pattern such that one agent is designated as the "sending" agent and
the remaining agents are designated as "receiving" agents. Evolved agents in the Ms.
Pac-Man simulator show an emergent sending pattern in which there is one agent that
sends messages when it is in view of the prey. In addition, it is shown that evolved
agents in both Part 2 and Part 3 are able to learn a language. For example, "sending"
agents are able to make decisions about when and what type of command to send
and "receiving" agents are able to associate the intended meaning to commands.


title: Cyberbullying in Relation to Adolescents' Dating and Sexual Behaviour: An Evolutionary Psychological Perspective

subject:
Cyber aggression
Cyberbullying
Dating
Sex
Evolutionary theory

abstract: Cyberbullying poses a social concern due to associated psychosocial issues that are experienced by both perpetrators and victims. Despite being associated with these problems, an evolutionary psychological perspective suggests that traditional bullying may be adaptive for some adolescents, engendering greater access to dating and sex by functioning as an intrasexual competition strategy to display preferred mating qualities or to derogate the mating qualities of others. To extend this previous literature, this study examined cyber aggression and victimization in relation to adolescents’ dating and sexual behaviour, with biological sex and power balance as moderators. Results suggest that overall cyber victimization was associated with more dating and sexual partners. Furthermore, above and beyond the overall levels of cyber victimization, victimization by equally powerful peers was negatively associated with dating and sexual behaviour, especially for females. Interestingly, frequent cyber perpetration against low-power individuals was detrimental in cyber contexts, especially for males, while frequent cyber victimization by low-power individuals was associated with more dating partners. Overall, cyber aggressive behaviours appear linked to dating and sexual behaviour in adolescence, however, there appear to be important differences in the way that cyber and traditional bullying relate to reproductively-relevant outcomes. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the importance of considering not only the frequency of involvement in bullying and victimization, but also the power balance between the perpetrator and the victim, when assessing the effects of cyber aggression.


title: Ecotourism and Human-Bear Relations in Ontario: Working for Multispecies Respect and Economic Sustainability

subject:
human-bear relations
Ontario
humane jobs
bear viewing
ecotourism

abstract:
Relations between northern Ontario’s human communities and black bears have often been violent, and hunting is promoted for economic and “safety” reasons. The Ontario spring bear hunt was previously banned but was recently reinstated, compounding concerns about human-bear conflict and bear management. Today, both human-bear conflict and the stagnation of the northern economy continue, despite increased killing of black bears in the spring hunting season. This thesis considers alternatives to the hunting of bears. Specifically, it assesses bear viewing programs and the added benefits of collaborative environmental agreements and accreditation programs. I explore the potential of these alternative programs to address human-bear conflict, to benefit local settler and indigenous communities, and to reduce resource exploitation in northern Ontario. The thesis is driven by two research questions: (i) what ecotourism policies, strategies, and programs are the most viable for Ontario? (ii) Which policies or programs offer the most potential for fostering solidarity within and across species, as well as economic, social, political, and environmental benefits for northern Ontario communities?
I consider these questions by utilizing a combination of targeted, semi-structured interviews and a multispecies reimagining of an Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework. Three industry specialists were interviewed in order to interrogate the policy benefits and limitations of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement, as well as bear viewing programs within the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, and the Great Bear Rainforest. I argue that these programs offer important lessons and models that should be utilized and imitated in northern Ontario in order to transform interspecies relations and mitigate ongoing conflict. The results confirm the educational, cultural, and economic value and importance of guided bear viewing and accompanying habitat protection. This study also reveals areas of possibility and incentive for locales seeking to transition into ecotourism.


title: Non-photorealistic Rendering with Cartesian Genetic Programming using Graphic Processing Units

subject:
NPR
CGP
GPU
Cartesian
Genetic
Programming
Genetic Programming
Cartesian Genetic Programming
Graphic Processing Unit
Non-photorealistic Rendering
Evolutionary Art
Art
Evolutionary Computation

abstract: Non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) is concerned with the algorithm generation of images having unrealistic characteristics, for example, oil paintings or watercolour. Using genetic programming to evolve aesthetically pleasing NPR images is a relatively new approach in the art field, and in the majority of cases it takes a lot of time to generate results. With use of Cartesian genetic programming (CGP) and graphic processing units (GPUs), we can improve the performance of NPR image evolution. Evolutionary NPR can render images with interesting, and often unexpected, graphic effects. CGP provides a means to eliminate large, inefficient rendering expressions, while GPU acceleration parallelizes the calculations, which minimizes the time needed to get results. By using these tools, we can speed up the image generation process. Experiments revealed that CGP expressions are more concise, and search is more exploratory, than in tree-based approaches. Implementation of the system with GPUs showed significant speed-up.


title: Complete computational sequence characterization of mobile element variations in the human genome using meta-personal genome data

subject:
complete sequence characterization
local assembly
MEI characterization
mobile element insertion
structural variation
Alu
SVA
L1
split-read
discordant read pair

abstract:
While a large number of methods have been developed to detect such types of genome sequence variations as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small indels, comparatively fewer methods have been developed for finding structural variants (SVs) and in particular mobile elements insertions (MEIs). Moreover, almost all these methods can detect only the breakpoints of an occurred SV, sometimes with approximation, and do not provide complete sequences representing the SVs.
The main objective of our research is to develop a set of computer algorithms to provide complete genome sequence characterization for insertional structural variants in the human genomes via local de novo sequence assembly or progressive assembly using discordant and concordant read pairs and split-reads. An essential component of our approach involves utilizing all personal genome data available in the public domain vs. the standard way of using one set of personal genome sequences.
The developed tool is the first system that provides full sequence characterization of SVs. Overall, the characterization success rate for Alu is 75.03% with the mean of discordant and split-reads higher than 94 reads. For SVA, it is 71.43% with the threshold of 363 reads. And for L1 the values are 77.78% and 355 respectively.
The results showed that the SV characterization depends on the allele frequency and is influenced by the repetitiveness of flanking regions. Therefore, addressing these problems is a key to further improvements.


title: Exploring Self-Compassion and Perceptions of Recreation Therapists' Professional Quality of Life

subject:
Professional Quality of Life
Therapeutic Recreation
Self-Compassion
Positive Emotion
Coping

abstract: This study explores the professional quality of life (PQoL) of therapeutic recreation specialists (TRS) and the influence of self-compassion on PQoL. Through exploring this phenomenon with TRSs’ that identified as having a high PQoL it was found that PQoL was created and influenced by: (1) the professional’s authentic sense of self, (2) their meaningful relational competence, and (3) balancing many roles. It was found that the TRSs’ interviewed focused on building and developing their positive emotion through: (1) utilizing strengths, (2) mindfulness and emotion regulation, (3) engaging and sharing passions, and (4) building a sense of community at work. Engaging in strategies that build and develop positive emotion allowed the participants to lessen their need to use coping strategies like self-compassion in order to have a high PQoL. This research allows for a deeper understanding of what creates and enhances the PQoL for TRSs’.


title: A Longitudinal Examination of Indirect Effects involving Parenting, Temperament, and Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence

subject: adolescence, antisocial behavior, parenting, temperament, longitudinal

abstract: The current dissertation examined whether authoritative parenting was indirectly related to adolescent antisocial behavior over time through adolescent temperament, and whether adolescent temperament was indirectly related to authoritative parenting over time through antisocial behavior. My original contribution to knowledge through this dissertation was to demonstrate the longitudinal, direct and indirect relations between a broad view of parenting, several aspects of temperament, and antisocial behavior during early adolescence. A community sample of 10- to 15-year-old male and female adolescents and their mothers responded to questionnaires at two times spanning 18 months. The dissertation is comprised of three studies, each focusing on a different aspect of temperament: effortful control in Study 1, affiliation in Study 2, and frustration in Study 3. In each study, two different models were tested. In the first model, path analyses were used to simultaneously estimate the direct and indirect effects between each of the Time 1 parenting dimensions (psychological autonomy granting, acceptance-involvement, knowledge, tracking, and limit setting) and Time 2 antisocial behavior through Time 2 adolescent temperament. In the second model, path analyses were used to simultaneously estimate the direct and indirect effects of Time 1 temperament on Time 2 parenting through Time 2 antisocial behavior. The analyses in the current studies used a statistically conservative approach in that the initial levels of both the mediators and outcome variables were controlled for in the path models. Results showed that even with high stability of temperament and antisocial behavior, parenting still related to changes over time in antisocial behavior directly and indirectly through adolescent temperament. Also, even with high stability of antisocial behavior and parenting, temperament still related to changes over time in parenting directly and indirectly through antisocial behavior. Overall, the current dissertation builds on the case for a temperament-based foundation of antisocial behavior, and shows that the link between parenting and antisocial behavior is sometimes indirect through adolescent temperament which itself uniquely accounts for changes in parenting, directly and indirectly through antisocial behavior. Applied implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.


title: Sport, The Business of ________: Exploring Higher Purpose in a Professional Sport Organization

subject: purpose management culture values conscious

abstract: Researchers have demonstrated that organizational leaders’ communication of an organizational higher purpose (i.e., a definition of ‘why the organization exists’) profoundly benefits organizational performance (Sisodia, Sheth, & Wolfe,2014); however, sport organizational scholars and leaders remain ambiguous in their definitions of why such organizations exist (Newman, 2014; Zeigler, 2007). Thus, the purpose of this research is to explore the presence and management of higher purpose in a professional sport organization. To fulfill this research purpose, a qualitative, single-site case study was used to study a professional sport organization, with data collection methods including employee interviews, observation of organizational artifacts and an analysis of organizational documents. These data were analyzed by creating typologies based upon two theoretical frameworks: (1) Mackey and Sisodia’s (2013) four types of higher purpose; and (2) Bell-Laroche, Maclean, Thibault and Wolfe’s (2014) 4-I Values Framework, to understand how leaders were managing higher purpose with Management by Values (MBV) practices. From this analysis, the organization’s higher purpose was found to be largely ambiguous; however, most stakeholders espoused The Good (i.e., service to others) as the predominant source of higher purpose. Secondly, leaders were found to informally and intuitively manage higher purpose through a ‘top-down’ communication of organizational core values. These findings suggest that leaders have an opportunity to both discover and communicate their organization’s higher purpose and to develop formal MBV practices that could allow higher purpose to be utilized as a beneficial strategic management resource.


title: Magnetic and Dielectric Properties of  Cu3-xNixWO6 and Cu3W1-xMoxO6

subject: AF-magnetic; Dielectric; Transition metal compound;

abstract: Cu3WO6 is a compound with an interesting coordination chemistry for both Cu and W. In this research, all samples were made by using the standard Solid Phase Reaction method with and without any doping. Using Powder x-ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis, we did not observe any distortion of the cubic crystal. Ni substitution for Cu, and Mo substitution for W, will act as a negative pressure on the lattice parameter of Cu3WO6.  Magnetization measurements of Cu3-xNixWO6 indicate that all compounds undergo an antiferromagnetic phase transition at the Néel temperature. However, a significant change was observed in Néel temperature with Ni’s concentration. All compounds show Curie–Weiss antiferromagnetic behavior at high temperatures. The value of the 𝛍eff is close to the theoretical calculation in Cu3WO6. And the magnitude of 𝛍eff (exp) increases with Ni’s concentration. A spin-singlet ground state with energy gap at low temperatures was observed for all compounds. The energy gap 𝚫 is decreasing with the increasing concentration of Ni. The dielectric permittivity as a function of temperature and different frequency from1 kHz to 20 kHz for all samples, were investigated. A peak in dielectric loss ε'' appears between 150 K to 260 K in all samples of Cu3-xNixWO6. The peak position has a linear relationship with log10(𝑓) as a function of temperaure. The doping of Ni causes a gradual shift in the peak position. The activation energy Ea is decreasing with the increasing of Ni’s concentration.


title: Journeying Toward a Praxis of Indigenous Maternal Pedagogy: Lessons From Our Sweetgrass Baskets

subject: Indigenous Maternal Pedagogy

abstract: This qualitative inquiry explored the value of Indigenous Maternal Pedagogy, an Indigenous women-centred approach, to consider the effects this unique teaching and learning engagement had on the cultural identity development, holistic well-being, academic success, and community engagement of Indigenous women. Through Indigenous Maternal Methodology, I worked closely with an Elder to implement a series of sharing circles to gather the narratives of Indigenous women who had completed one or more of the classes where Indigenous Maternal Pedagogy was enacted. I connect Maternal Pedagogies with Indigenous epistemologies that embrace the “whole student” within educational contexts. Thus, Indigenous Maternal Pedagogy extends Maternal Pedagogies by drawing from an Indigenous women-centred worldview to establish a teaching and learning environment that can speak to the hearts and minds of students. In the spirit of reconciliation, I position this environment as a safe space where students can be their whole authentic selves and where their realities and lived experiences are positioned as strengths and key assets to establishing an ethical space for cross-cultural and anti-racist dialogue. My final chapter extends Indigenous Maternal Pedagogy to all students and includes a section that aligns this teaching praxis with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (2016) Calls to Action in the spirit of advancing safe Homeplaces for all learners, educators, and scholars to become involved in reconciliation.


title: A Rhetorical Model of Autism: a Pop Culture Personification of Masculinity in Crisis

subject:
autism
autism aesthetic
rhetorical model of autism
masculinity
visual rhetoric

abstract:
ABSTRACT

In my dissertation, I argue that significant rhetorical mechanisms are at work in the production and consumption of portrayals of autism in literature, TV, and film. My project is driven by a central question: In what ways do portrayals of autism function as a visual rhetorical reconfiguration of masculinity that reimagines and repurposes disability in the service of the promotion of Humanist notions of white male hegemony in a technocentric era? I begin with Hans Asperger’s 1944 claim that autism is “a variant of male intelligence.” I connect that originary declaration with contemporary observations by Stuart Murray that autism is a form of “metaphorized hypermasculinity” and with Simon Baron-Cohen’s controversial insistence that autism represents a version of “The Extreme Male Brain.” Such testimonials, coupled with results from my own analysis and taxonomy of autistic characters throughout emerging popular culture manifestations, has led me to hypothesize that autism in portrayal serves as a survival guide for the white Western male in an era that threatens to be post-racial, post-ableist, post-phallocentric, and even post-anthropocentric. Fictional adolescent autists (e.g.: Christopher Boone, Nathanial Clark, and Colin Fischer), living autists (e.g.: David Paravicini, Daniel Tammet, and Temple Grandin), autistic “techno-savants” (e.g.: Spock, Rain Man, Sheldon Cooper), and speculatively diagnosed historical figures (e.g.: Alan Turing, Andy Warhol, and Bobby Fischer), advance a distinct “autism aesthetic” and function as rhetorical texts whose readings expose an unexplored intersection of disability, masculinity, ethnicity, and digital technology. Such characters illustrate in visual rhetorical terms how certain traits of autism are being romanticized in a digital era to equate ethnic whiteness with intellect and with a re-branded form of techno-masculinity. By providing a Rhetorical Model of autism as a link between autism as a clinical condition and as a cultural construct, I aim to form a more complete picture of autism and of its role in popular consciousness. As an interdisciplinary project, my dissertation draws upon the vocabularies and methodologies of gender, disability, and media studies. Under the unifying umbrella of visual rhetoric, I explore ethnicity, sexuality, and symbol-manipulation on the autism spectrum as they relate to Western man’s hope for a unifying techno-human singularity and his anxiety over the possible obsolescence of conventional constructions of masculinity. At stake are notions of hegemonic masculinity and of autism as a rhetorical artifact with real world implications.


title: Girlie Girls Aren’t “Real” Athletes:  A Critical Examination of Girls’ Experiences of Aesthetic Sports within a Post-Feminist Masquerade

subject: Gender Girls Neoliberalism Sport Post-feminism

abstract: The purpose of this feminist research was to understand the experiences of adolescent females currently participating in aesthetic sports. Specifically, I aimed to critically examine the ways in which the new feminine ideal and a post-feminist girl culture shape girls’ experiences. A social constructionist grounded theory approach was used and a purposive sample of eight girls, between the ages of 12-15, participated in this study. Three major themes that best reflect my interpretation of the experiences of the participants emerged: 1) Masculinities and revealing a higher social status in the school environment, 2) Framing success through gendered and neoliberal discourses, and 3) Constructing an ideal image. Moreover, the major themes resulted in the culmination of experiences leading to the core theme “Falling short of the neoliberal ideal.” The study highlights the need for educators and sport practitioners to advocate for a diversity of gender expression.


title: Developmental and gonadal regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in adolescent and adult rats

subject:
glucocorticoid receptor activity
adolescent development
sex hormones
puberty
co-chaperones

abstract: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulates the release of stress hormones and its function is dependent on various factors including prior exposure to stressors, circulating gonadal hormones, and developmental status. The overarching goal of this thesis was to uncover the potential mechanisms mediating developmental changes in HPA function and its regulation by gonadal hormones during adolescence and early adulthood. In Chapter 2, I found that pre-pubertal (postnatal day [P]35) and post-pubertal (P45) adolescents responded to an acute stressor with greater release of corticosterone (the main stress hormone in rodents) compared with adults (P75). To determine whether differences in corticosterone release were related to ongoing maturation of HPA feedback, I investigated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity and mRNA expression of receptors (Nr3c1, Nr3c2) and their co-chaperones (Fkbp5, Fkbp4, Bag1) in the hippocampus. I provide novel evidence that P35 males have more, not less, GR translocation from the cytosol to the nucleus in response to stress compared with P75 males. Gene expression remained relatively stable across development, except for Fkbp4, which codes for a pro-translocation protein and was up-regulated in P35 males relative to expression in P75 males. Thus, there are developmental shifts in the hormonal response to stress that are likely unrelated to GR activity in the hippocampus. In Chapter 3, I investigated whether differences in HPA function are explained by gonadal status; in adult males, testosterone reduces HPA function. Age-related differences in corticosterone release persisted when orchiectomized (OCX) males at each age were administered testosterone. Moreover, the effect of testosterone changed across the adolescent period; relative to those that got blank implants, testosterone had no effect on post-stress concentrations of corticosterone at P35, increased concentrations at P45, and tended to reduce concentrations at P75. Testosterone reduced expression of AVP in the PVN at all ages, but did not affect Fos (a marker of neuronal activation) expression. I hypothesized that the age-specific effects of testosterone on corticosterone were related to differential conversion to metabolites (e.g., estradiol), which I tested using androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor (ER) antagonists (flutamide and tamoxifen, respectively) in the presence of testosterone or dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Testosterone produced a similar, albeit non-significant, age-specific pattern of effects on corticosterone as described above, and I found little evidence for effects of receptor antagonists. Androgens reduced post-stress concentrations of progesterone in all age groups, and flutamide prevented the effect. Together, this study provides evidence for developmental shifts in stress responses and their regulation by gonadal hormones. In Chapter 4, I examined the influence of estradiol on HPA function in adult female rats as a first step toward understanding developmental shifts. Ovariectomy (OVX) reduced post-stress concentrations of corticosterone compared with sham OVX and OVX females given estradiol alone or in combination with progesterone. I also found that OVX females had greater cytosolic expression of GR, possibly increasing sensitivity to corticosterone. In a second experiment, I found that progesterone partially mitigated the effect of estradiol on corticosterone release and that gene expression of stress hormone receptors (Nr3c1, Nr3c2), their co-chaperones (Fkbp5, Fkbp4, Bag1), and a co-activator (Src-1) did not change as a function of ovarian hormones. Together, these studies build on previous research investigating developmental and gonadal regulation of HPA activity and provide novel findings regarding potential mechanisms underlying their actions.


title: A Step Toward Recyclable  Silicone Elastomers

subject:
polysiloxanes
Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder
Elastomers
Recyclable Silicone

abstract: This thesis introduces a new strategy for developing polysiloxane networks with the capacity of being recycled. The conventional methods of cross-linking polysiloxanes suffer from lack of self-repair and recyclability. Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder (DA/RDA) equilibrium is a key to establish thermally reversible linkages among polysiloxane chains to enable the material’s recyclability. The equilibrium is optimized to improve the extent of reversibility of the Diels-Alder adduct through functional groups such as carboxyphenyl, ester, and carbon spacers in the structures of maleimide and furan derivatives. The DA/RDA equilibrium is studied by various nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy experiments and differential scanning calorimeter analyses. The DA reaction is found to be at its highest rate at 50 ͦC while the retro-Diels-Alder reaction is predominant at 110 ͦC. Comparison of the reaction rate constant of the optimized maleimide and furan derivatives at 50 ͦC with the literature suggests that the DA reaction is among those ones described as ultra fast kinetic. Accordingly, series of polysiloxanes are functionalized with the optimized maleimide and furan derivatives to obtain recyclable polysiloxane networks. Dynamic, variable-temperature solid-state 1H NMR experiments are confirmed the rapid, reversible nature of the cross-links within the polysiloxanes. The injured networks are mended to the point that signs of defects were nearly imperceptible even by scanning electron microscopy. The binding strengths of the healed materials are quantified using stress-strain measurements. The healed networks displayed binding strengths that are equal or superior to the undamaged ones.


title: Determining If Lowering the Level of Dietary Calcium and Vitamin D in AIN-93G Diet Supports Normal Bone Development and Intestinal Integrity in Female CD-1 Mice

subject:
bone structure
bone mineral density
micro-computed tomography
calcium
vitamin D

abstract: Current levels of vitamin D (vit D) and calcium (Ca) in the reference AIN-93G rodent diet may be higher than required for healthy bone structure and bone mineral density (BMD). Other studies suggest that intestinal integrity may be altered by lowering levels of vit D or Ca. The study objective was to determine if lower diet levels of Ca and vit D support development of healthy bone structure and BMD in female CD-1 mice at 2 and 4 months of age without altering intestinal integrity. Lowering the levels of vit D (100 IU/kg) and Ca (3.5 g/kg) did not alter bone structure or BMD. Effects on intestinal integrity are less clear and requires further study using more comprehensive measures. Findings from this study suggest that dietary Ca and/or vit D at current levels in the AIN-93G reference diet may mask potential benefits of nutritional interventions aimed at promoting bone health.


title: Intra-mitochondrial location of the skeletal muscle perilipin 3 and 5 proteins at rest and following electrically stimulated contraction

subject:
Metabolism
Muscle physiology
Lipolysis
OXPAT
TIP-47

abstract: PLIN3 and PLIN5 have been shown to localize to skeletal muscle mitochondria. Hypotheses state that these PLINs could facilitate lipid droplet-mitochondrial interactions, however, this would presumably require that they would localize to the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM). The purpose of this study was to sub-fractionate skeletal muscle mitochondria at rest and following contraction to determine the precise intra-mitochondrial localization of PLIN3 and PLIN5. At rest, PLIN5 was primarily found in the OMM/intermembrane space (IMS) fraction, however, following contraction there was a redistribution of PLIN5 protein content towards the mitoplasts. PLIN3 protein content localized to the OMM/IMS at rest and was unchanged with stimulation. Co-immunoprecipitation found PLIN5 associated with both ACSL1 and CPT I at rest and following contraction while PLIN3 only associated with ACSL1. CPT I and II also associate, allowing for a link between the two membranes that may help explain the shift of PLIN5 to the mitoplast following contraction.


title: Navigating the Complex Interactions between Preinjury Characteristics and Postinjury Outcomes Following Mild Head Injury: Does Trait Mindfulness Play a Role?

subject:
Mild head injury
Mindfulness
Cognitive Function

abstract: Despite increased awareness of the link between mild head injury (MHI) and long-term negative functional outcomes, there is a relative paucity of research investigating modifiable risk factors that contribute to chronic post-injury symptomatology. To address this gap in the literature, the current study sought to examine trait mindfulness as it relates to cognitive functioning after MHI, as well as explore the possible mechanisms underlying the potential benefits of trait mindfulness in this population. In a quasi-experimental, cross-sectional design, levels of trait mindfulness, cognitive functioning, and physiological indices were measured in a sample of 52 university students (38% with a self-reported history of MHI). As expected, trait mindfulness was associated with better cognitive functioning, such that those with higher levels of this trait reported less executive dysfunction and performed better on measures of processing speed. Similar to previous studies (e.g., Baker & Good, 2014), it was also found that those with a history of MHI exhibited physiological ‘underarousal’, as indicated by lower electrodermal activity, than their non-injured peers. Moreover, it was found that trait mindfulness was associated with higher levels of physiological arousal (i.e., greater electrodermal activity). Interestingly, results also showed that MHI participants who displayed low arousal as well as low levels of trait mindfulness obtained the lowest scores on measures of inhibitory control. It was concluded that although the exact causal mechanisms of trait mindfulness remain unclear, it may be that for those who have sustained an MHI, the possible arousal-inducing/awareness- amplifying effects of mindfulness could mitigate postinjury cognitive symptoms, representing a possible target for therapeutic intervention.


title: Properties and Algorithms of the (n,k)-Arrangement Graphs and Augmented Cubes

subject:
augmented cubes
(n, k)-arrangement graph
disjoint shortest paths

abstract:
The (n, k)-arrangement graph was first introduced in 1992 as a generalization of the star graph topology. Choosing an arrangement topology is more efficient in comparison with a star graph as we can have a closer number of nodes to what is needed. Also it has other advantages such as a lower degree and a smaller diameter, depending on k. In this thesis we investigate the problem of finding k(n − k) disjoint paths from a source node to k(n−k) target nodes in an (n, k)-arrangement interconnection network such that no path has length more than diameter+(n−k)+2, where diameter is the maximum length of shortest path between any two nodes in the graph. These disjoint paths are built by routing to all neighbors of the source node and fixing specific elements in each of the k positions of the node representation in an (n, k)-arrangement graph. Moreover, a simple routing is presented for finding n disjoint paths between two nodes which are located in different sub-graphs. The lengths are no more than d(t, s) + 4, for d(t, s) being the shortest path length between two nodes s and t. This routing algorithm needs O(n^2) time to find all n these paths.
In addition to arrangement graphs, we also study augmented cubes, first introduced in 2002, a desirable variation of the hypercube. An augmented cube of dimension n has a higher degree and a lower diameter in comparison with the hypercube. We introduce an O(n^3) algorithm for finding disjoint shortest paths from a single source node to 2n − 1 different target nodes.


title: Psychopathic Traits and Impulsivity Subtypes: An Examination of Two Complex, Multifaceted Constructs

subject: Psychopathy, Impulsivity

abstract:
Research has demonstrated inconsistent results regarding the relationship between impulsivity and the interpersonal and affective facets of psychopathy. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to clarify and reconcile the variable empirical findings. Generally speaking, the relationship between psychopathic traits and impulsivity was expected to differ based on the psychopathy factor and type of impulsivity under investigation.
          Studies 1 and 2 examined psychopathy and impulsivity in on-line and student samples, utilizing the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale and several self-report measures of impulsivity. Study 2 included laboratory-assessed behavioural impulsivity measures. Results indicated that across studies erratic lifestyle was uniquely, positively associated with all self-reported impulsivity measures, but surprisingly unrelated to laboratory-assessed behavioural impulsivity. Interpersonal manipulation was uniquely, negatively associated with lack of premeditation and non-planning, and callous affect was uniquely, negatively associated with urgency across studies.
          Studies 3 and 4 examined the psychopathy-impulsivity relationship in youth and on-line samples. Psychopathy was examined using the Antisocial Process Screening Device (youth) and the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (adults). Impulsivity was approximated via preselected facets of the HEXACO-PI-R and the UPPS Impulsive behavior scale (Study 4 only). Results indicated that the impulsivity (youth) and erratic lifestyle (adults) subscales were uniquely associated with heightened impulsivity. Callous-unemotional traits in youth were also associated with higher levels of impulsivity. In adults, interpersonal manipulation and callous affect were largely unrelated to impulsivity at the multivariate level (with few exceptions).
          Findings demonstrated that the behavioural characteristics of psychopathy contributed to a pervasive tendency towards a variety of impulsive behaviours. This relationship was consistent across the youth, adult, on-line, and student samples. Among adults, the emotional and interpersonal psychopathy traits may be unrelated to impulsivity. Interpersonal manipulation traits may result in a slightly greater tendency to demonstrate premeditated, planned behaviour, whereas callous affect may reflect slightly lower urgency. However, callous-unemotional traits in youth do appear to be related to heightened impulsivity. Findings provide a better understanding of the psychopathy-impulsivity relationship. This is the first set of studies to utilize the HEXACO model to approximate pre-established impulsivity domains. Findings also address the issue of suppression when examining multifaceted constructs, particularly psychopathic traits.


title: Effect of altering dietary calcium and vitamin D in AIN93G diet on bone development in CD-1 male mice

subject:
AIN-93G
Vitamin D
Calcium
Bone
Intestine

abstract: The current levels of vitamin D (vit D) and calcium (Ca) in the AIN93G diet may be higher than required to support healthy bone structure and bone mineral density (BMD) in rodent models. The study objectives were to determine if lower levels of vit D (400 and 100 IU/kg) and Ca (0.35, 0.3, or 0.25%) support healthy bone structure and BMD while maintaining intestinal integrity in weanling male CD-1 mice up to 4 months of age. Lowering the levels of vit D (400 IU/kg) and Ca (0.35%) had no effect on bone structure and BMD, and fecal albumin levels were not different among groups, however, differences were observed in measures of serum LPS among groups. Adjusting the level of vit D to 400 IU/kg and Ca to 0.35% may provide sufficient levels for healthy bone structure and BMD, however further analysis of intestinal integrity is required.