title: The Artist and the Audience: An Interdisciplinary Study of Composer-Audience Relationships in Musical Communication

abstract:
This thesis seeks to explore the possibility of identifying ideas about audience common to Western art music and Communications studies in order to establish an interdisciplinary method of musical study based on human relationships. This study focuses on the role and empowerment of the audience in terms of their relationship with the artist, and explored alongside changing ideas about the audience in Communications through the twentieth century. The audience relationships of three prominent composers whose art may be considered to have expressed their distinct attitudes about audience –
Arnold Schoenberg, John Cage, and Laurie Anderson – are explored in order to demonstrate how Communications theory can provide an interpretive framework for the extended study and understanding of music.


title: Disabled by Nature? The Care Economy: History, Critique and Ethnography

abstract:
This thesis explores the relationship of thr care economy to disability through both an ethnography of an assisted living program offered to students with disabilities living in residence at Carleton University,  as well as a historical and theoretical exploration of the relation of the care economy to human vulnerability. This thesis posits the interrelatuon of the constructs of care and of disability, and explores, analyzes, and delineates how that interrelation affects both care workers and their clients. It engages and critiques the British Social Model of disability through theories of
political economy, the social construction of nature, and economic anthropology.


title: "We Answered the Call": Strategic Narrative in NATO's Public Diplomacy for Operation Unified Protector

abstract:
Over the last twenty years, NATO has shifted from a body of collective regional defense into a globalized security organization, and must now communicate purposefully to manage its public diplomacy in an increasingly distracting and polyphonic media environment. This thesis explores NATO’s use of strategic narrative in its public diplomacy during the 2011 mission in Libya, Operation Unified Protector, with two objectives: to understand the role narratives can play in public diplomacy, and to elucidate NATO’s role as a social actor beyond its military functions. Through narrative analysis of
NATO’s website content, this thesis offers a case study on the power of narrative in military conversations. The findings suggest that NATO used story elements in setting, characters, and plot evolution with intention to manage perceptions of the mission and the alliance’s relevancy, and that more research is needed to expand upon our understandings of narrative in international military settings.


title: Explaining Interspecific Variation in Susceptibility and Resistance to Parasitism in Damselflies

abstract: Past research has focused on species-specific characteristics of parasites to explain why different, but phylogenetically closely related host species, are under different selection regimes imposed by parasites. However, the evolutionary ecology of hosts is also expected to have important influence in their associations with parasite species. This thesis explores host factors principally that are expected to influence host susceptibility and resistance, in damselflies parasitized internally by gregarines and externally by water mites. When comparing species grouped into sibling species pairs, gregarine and water mite parasitism was explained in part by geographic range size of host species, but in most of the cases where there was difference in parasitism between the two closely related host species, it was the host species with the smaller range that had higher levels of parasitism. At a higher taxonomic level where the host species were not grouped into species pairs, but where host phylogeny was controlled for through comparative methods, host phenology, regional representation and geographic range size were the best predictors of parasite host interactions. Interspecific variation in resistance to parasitism and levels of constitutive measures of innate immunity (PO activity) was also documented. However, the species that had highest levels of PO activity were not the ones that showed highest resistance. The most resistant hosts also tended to be the ones with the smaller geographic ranges. In a case study, the ecologically restricted host species (Nehalennia gracilis) resists all its mites in a novel way; the more widespread host species (Nehalennia irene) does not resist any individuals of the same species of parasite, determined by genetic barocding. Resistance evolution in N. gracilis could be because this species was able to evolve parasite recognition for a species from a closed population. The findings of this thesis research further our understanding of host-parasite associations across phylogenetic and geographic scales. I suggest researchers need to be conscious of the complexity of the host-parasite associations and need to consider multiple host-multiple parasite systems to be norm.


title: Effects of Joint Attention and Tone on Adult Canadian English Speakers Learning Mandarin Words

abstract:
Joint attention is regarded as a key factor in the development of communication skills, theories of the mind, and language.  This study examines joint attention in the context of adult second language word learning to determine if it enhances attention to the perception of unfamiliar speech sounds. Naive participants  were instructed to match unfamiliar Mandarin syllables varying in tone to images, while a video partner was viewed examining the same sounds and images. The overall goal was to determine the influence of the video partner on word learning. Results indicated that some attention
conditions were more effective in promoting the learning of the sound-picture pairs than other attention conditions, and that the effect of attention condition interacted with type of tone. The results provide insight into how components of language are learned by adults, and especially how the influence of social context can facilitate the learning process.


title: Speaking Bolshevik in Ukrainian:  The Development Peasant Consciousness and Bolshevik Nation-Building in the Ukrainian SSR, 1900-1928

abstract:
This study will look at how Bolsheviks understood the idea of “nation” and how they applied this conception to the development of Soviet society in Ukraine during the 1920s. I will argue that peasants in Ukraine prior to the 1917 revolution were largely parochial, lacking a coherent notion of themselves as part of a Ukrainian nation. The Bolsheviks assumed that the peasants did in fact define themselves along national lines, and undertook far-reaching measures in order to develop the Ukrainian nation within a Soviet context. The effect of the nation-building project in Ukraine was that
peasants began to self-identify in a radically new way. While initially this new national identity was inextricably tied to Soviet identity, the Soviet state’s willingness to allow national growth served as a catalyst for new national identities that were not beholden to membership in the Soviet Union exclusively.


title: Reclaiming the Projects:  Reinterpreting Social Housing Through the Revitalization of the Robert F. Wagner Houses

abstract:
Since the turn of the twentieth century, the scheme of modernist mass housing has been coined the term Social Housing with the affiliation to such idioms as low-income dwellings, the projects, affordable living, and public housing. A question is raised about the appropriateness of these terms and, in fact, the possibilities they hold. The objective of this thesis is to remove the stigmas associated and define the term ‘Social’, and its related idioms, in respect to the dwelling and its social and political conditioning by investigating alternative strategies to this model. The thesis aims to
develop speculative and innovative approaches to an example of this design standard, in the revitalization of the Robert F. Wagner Houses of Harlem, New York.


title: 22 Grams:  Quantifying the Contemporary Human Body in Building 22

abstract:
The human body has acted as a valuable model for architectural construing and construction since antiquity. Specifically in architectural construction the body has been utilized to create a variety of multi-dimensional representations which can facilitate layered readings of buildings. These readings depend on dynamic or static body models to establish architectural analogies and metaphors. Historically anthropomorphic analogies and metaphors were enabled by theological models of the body, which were aligned with an understanding of the body as a whole that contained the soul. However, with
progressive scientific exploration in the 17th and 18th centuries, a technical understanding of the body as a series of mechanistic parts was developed. This thesis will discuss the influence of this shift to demonstrate a corresponding evolution in architectural anthropomorphism. This thesis will also examine how analog architectural representations benefit from the inclusion of the body, to enable multi-dimensional readings of drawings.


title: The Processability Hierarchy in Second Language Acquisition: Advanced Learners of Japanese as a Second Language

abstract:
This cross-sectional study investigates, from a processability theory (PT) perspective, a developmental sequence of acquisition of morphosyntactic constructions with advanced learners of Japanese as a second language (L2). Using Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG)-based analysis, this study hypothesizes formal descriptions of a construction that Kawaguchi (e.g., 2007) categorizes as belonging to Stage 5 in the processability hierarchy (PH)—the ‘wa’ and ‘ga’ particle distinction in matrix and subordinate clauses. The hypothesized descriptions in the present study suggest that the construction
actually belongs to Stage 4. L2 learners were tested to determine whether they sequentially followed the newly hypothesized PH, as PT predicts. Although the results support the newly hypothesized developmental stages, distributional analysis indicates the existence of intra-stages within each stage in PH based on the complexity of form-function mapping, as Mansouri (e.g., 2005) suggests. This study also reveals that Stage 5 still needs to be refined through further LFG-based examination.


title: Toward the Construction of a Kinetic Model of Methionine and Thereonine Biosynthesis to Increase Seed Nutritional Value: Characterization of Threonine Synthase.

abstract: Improving the nutritional quality of crop species, like Cicer arietinum and Lens culinaris, is of particular interest to agricultural biotechnology. These crops are deficient, from a human dietary perspective, in the essential amino acid L-methionine (L-Met). In plants, the biosynthesis of L-Met is initiated by the formation of L-cystathionine from O-phospho-L-homoserine (OPHS) catalyzed by cystathionine γ-synthase (CGS). OPHS occupies the branch-point between L-Met and L-threonine (L-Thr) biosynthesis, catalyzed by threonine synthase (TS), making these two enzymes targets for metabolic engineering studies to increase L-Met production. The construction of a kinetic model recreating the branch-point can facilitate the metabolic engineering of important crop species by providing a tool for anticipating disturbances in metabolic flux caused by manipulations to the branch-point. The focus of the research described in this thesis is to provide a starting point for the creation of a kinetic model of the OPHS branch-point in the target species. The characterization of plant TS requires a continuous spectrophotometric assay, which was developed using a non-allosteric variant of threonine deaminase from Escherichia coli (eTDL447F) and hydroxyisocaproate dehydrogenase (HO-HxoDH) from Lactobacillus delbrueckii. The assay was verified for suitability for use under the various pH optima of TS across phyla. The functional coding sequences of TS from C. arietinum (CaTS) and L. culinaris (LcTS) share approximately 80% amino acid sequence identity with TS from Glycine max, and the residues of the allosteric site are conserved with those of TS from other plant species. The PLP-binding motif, which is conserved across plant and microbial species, is present in the active site of both enzymes. The kinetic parameters of CaTS, LcTS, and AtTS2 were measured with 100 µM of the allosteric activator S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), with the parameters of AtTS1 measured as a control. SAM increases the kcat/KmOPHS of AtTS2, LcTS, CaTS, and AtTS1 by 10-, 20-, 25-, and 80-fold, respectively. Due to the varying flux control patterns of TS from A. thaliana, C. arietinum, and L. culinaris, the construction of a species-specific kinetic model of the branch-point is needed for future aimed at increasing L-Met biosynthesis to nutritionally significant levels.


title: The Ethics of Biomedical Enhancement Research

abstract:
Biomedical enhancement interventions require a departure from the justificatory routes typically available to biomedical research, focusing on making individuals “better than normal” instead of treating those who are impacted by illness and disease.  Discussion of the ethical implications of such interventions has primarily been done in bioethics and political philosophy, but the questions concerning the ethical practice of enhancement are substantially different than those concerning the research.  This thesis will focus on the ethical questions pertinent to biomedical enhancement research,
including an examination of the arguments from enhancement opponents as applied to research ethics and an assessment of the values promoted through such research.   Furthermore, it shall attempt to elucidate the values motivating biomedical enhancement research so as to better recognize the justifications behind exposing trial participants to health risks and to develop a strategy for mitigating practical problems linked to prioritization in enhancement and treatment research.


title: The Interplay of Authority, Masculinity, and Signification in the "Grunge Killed Glam Metal" Narrative

abstract:
This thesis will deconstruct the "grunge killed '80s metal” narrative, to reveal the idealization by certain critics and musicians of that which is deemed to be authentic, honest, and natural subculture. The central theme is an analysis of the conflicting masculinities of glam metal and grunge music, and how these gender roles are developed and reproduced. I will also demonstrate how, although the idealized authentic subculture is positioned in opposition to the mainstream, it does not in actuality exist outside of the system of commercialism. The problematic nature of this
idealization will be examined with regard to the layers of complexity involved in popular rock music genre evolution, involving the inevitable progression from a subculture to the mainstream that occurred with both glam metal and grunge. I will illustrate the ways in which the process of signification functions within rock music to construct masculinities and within subcultures to negotiate authenticity.


title: Metagenomic Analysis of Contaminated Soils

abstract:
Several metagenomic techniques were applied to analyze the microbial communities found in contaminated sites.  A high-throughput metagenomic method called substrate-induced gene expression (SIGEX) was used to screen for genes that were upregulated by xenobiotic pollutants within a metagenomic library.  SIGEX uses a promoterless green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter for the transcription of metagenomic DNA that has been cloned in a plasmid library.  Through propagation of metagenomic libraries in liquid culture, we used flow cytometry and fluorescence-activated cell-sorting to sort and
analyze rare clones with desired expression characteristics.  Using microbial DNA isolated from a polycyclic aromatic-contaminated site, clones that were inducible by a variety of aromatic hydrocarbons were recovered using SIGEX.  These inducible elements were examined for sequence similarity to known genes, and were found to contain different types of aromatic-metabolizing oxygenases and efflux pumps, along with their respective regulatory genes.  Most often, the sequences were those of partial operons containing various nahG (salicylate oxygenase) family genes, along with their respective
upstream nahR regulators.  Next-generation sequencing was used to map these small plasmid-based clones (representing relatively small fragments of the metagenome, on the order of 1 to 5 kilobases) to larger contigs (up to 61 kilobases) derived from the de novo assembly of 125 gigabases of shotgun-sequenced metagenomic DNA.  These contigs were annotated using a variety of gene and protein prediction tools and were found to contain entire operons related to aromatic hydrocarbon metabolism; this enabled a more complete functional and taxonomic assignment of the sequences recovered through SIGEX
analysis.  To assess the presence of relevant gene classes that were not recovered with SIGEX, genes with the capacity for xenobiotic metabolism were screened in silico within the assembled metagenomic reads using the biodegradation gene database and MG-RAST annotation.  The taxonomic relationships between these functional genes were evaluated.  As a direct application of this work, we show that SIGEX can be used to aid in the discovery and design of novel whole-cell bioreporters for the detection of xenobiotics.


title: Graying States: Elder Care Policy in Alberta, Canada and Sweden

abstract:
This dissertation examines how, in the postwar period many OECD countries began to develop elder care policies, but did so in different ways. In the postwar period, Sweden came closer to what would be considered the 'gold standard' for elder care, investing a substantial share of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in a comprehensive, publicly financed elder care system while jurisdictions like Alberta have left it largely to private - household and market - solutions. However, in an era of neo-liberal globalization, fiscal pressures associated with population aging may be leading not
only 'liberal' jurisdictions like Alberta, but also 'social democratic' ones like Sweden to rely increasingly on markets and households.
The core argument of this thesis is that there is a common trajectory in Albertan and Swedish elder care policies in a neo-liberal direction. Nevertheless, differences in their original policy base continue to be reflected in their current policies. This calls for a more nuanced version of the path-dependency thesis.
While it is appropriate to examine national policy in the Swedish case since the majority of the policy decisions
and innovation occurring in the elder care field are national, in Canada elder care is a provincial responsibility, although some policies affecting the elderly are pan-Canadian such as pensions, and the Canada Health Act. I chose Alberta because it is arguably Canada’s most conservative province; thus, it offers an interesting contrast (most unlike case) to Sweden, which has been the paradigm exemplar for social democratic social policies.
Elder care is a highly gendered issue since the empirical reality is that the eldest elder care recipients are often women as women typically outlive
men, and women provide the bulk of both formal and informal elder care as wives, daughters or paid caregivers. As such, this thesis uses the feminist political economy and the ethics of care to provide a gender-sensitive critical analysis of elder care in Alberta and Sweden from the post-World War Two period until the end of 2011.


title: Journalistic Pathfinding: How the Parliamentary Press Gallery Adapted to News Management Under the Conservative Government of Stephen Harper

abstract:
Commentary on the contemporary interface between the media and governments often portrays reporters as willingly accepting information subsidies in order to meet the demands of the 24/7 multi-platform newsroom. But this view fails to take into account the impact on journalistic routines of more extreme forms of government news management, which block access to information and to politicians rather than merely packaging or “spinning” them favourably. The experience of the parliamentary press gallery in Ottawa vis-a-vis Stephen Harper’s government offers an excellent opportunity to take a
closer look at the practical realities of political journalists confronted with stringent government news management tactics. A rupture in the historic role relationship between the gallery and the Prime Minister’s Office resulted in journalists adapting their techniques. They became pathfinders seeking out new routes – alternative human and data sources – to reach the information they needed to write their stories and prepare broadcasts.


title: Sensitivity Analysis of Two Solar Combisystems Using Newly Developed Hot Water Draw Profiles

abstract:
This research addresses the viability of two solar combisystems, which use solar energy
to provide both space heating and domestic hot water, for several single family homes
in Ontario.
Hot water use data from seventy three homes were refined to create twelve different
draw profiles representing a variety of consumers. These profiles were divided up based
on the magnitude of daily draw and the preferred time of use. It was determined that
time of use had little to no effect on performance. However, the magnitude of a daily
draw was seen to have a significant effect on the final energy
use of a home.
Two different combisystem plant configurations, a single tank system and a two
tank system, were simulated. It was determined that the single tank system offered
superior performance. Unless systems were sized to the upper limits tested here, a
solar fraction of 50% could not be achieved.


title: Designing For Destruction:  Anticipating Architectural Dismantling Through the Act of Making

abstract:
This thesis proposes that architecture should be re-examined in terms of its own inevitable future material demise. Architects are predisposed to focus on the making and construction of buildings, and seldom consider the questions of demolition, destruction, and disassembly. However a more holistic approach to the making of buildings pursues construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction as a cyclical material system where consumption is always followed by reuse. Such an approach would result in designs that are prepared for future disassembly. Urban processes should also be considered as
cyclical systems, in which periodic demolitions, and even destructions, create the conditions for urban rebirth. The ideas discovered in this thesis will be applied to the design of a new headquarters for the National Demolition Association, on a site in Detroit.


title: Towards a New Tourism:  A New Tourism Manifested Architecturally in Duisburg, Germany

abstract:
The cruise ship industry, is detrimental to the environment and encourages unsustainable patterns of consumption. This thesis proposes instead that this industry become a catalyst for change, working to protect the environment from which it is directly profiting from.
While the recent Slow Tourism movement (an offshoot of Carlo Petrini’s Slow Food movement) is a step in the right direction, it falls short of what is needed: a new tourism model that is centered on true reciprocity, emphasizing a positive tourist contribution to the host city, its landscape and education.
This thesis
is tested through the redesign of a barge and an abandoned site originally slated for a Norman Foster development in Duisburg, Germany.  The intention of the design is to reverse the balance of give and take between the tourist and host city and focus on education relating to sustainable water treatment and decontamination practices.


title: A Journey Through the Memoirs of a City:  The Transformation of Toronto's Post-Industrial Waterfront into a "Memory Landscape"

abstract:
While many waterfront projects in Toronto engage Lake Ontario as merely a leisure landscape, this thesis explores the city’s topographical edge as a cultural landscape capable of orienting Toronto’s citizens with a deeper awareness of the city’s past. Building on a study of Toronto’s urban development from its founding as a British settlement in 1793 to the present, this thesis pursues a “memory landscape” for the city of Toronto, asking: can a new landscape be created in Toronto that reflects and responds to the historic narratives of the city’s development? This thesis proposes that public
landscapes can be invested with narratives of the past, while also welcoming the imprints of future narratives. A post-industrial site of the city’s reclaimed waterfront provides a venue for structuring a physical and topographical expression of urban memory.


title: Measurement of Polymer Concentration and Optimization of Sludge Dewatering Using UV-VIS Spectroscopy

abstract:
Optimization of conditioning and dewatering processes is a continuing challenge for wastewater treatment plants. This study investigated the use of UV-Vis spectroscopy to measure and optimize the polymer dose during water and wastewater treatment. Residual polymer concentrations were also measured using two other methods (N-Bromination and Dye Method) and results were compared with the UV-Vis method. UV-Vis method was found to be more sensitive than the other methods in environmental samples. In addition, the study established a relationship between the optimum polymer dose and residual
polymer concentration in filtrate using UV-Vis absorbance measurements at 190 nm. Results showed that the UV-Vis method could be a potential in-line tool for real-time optimization of polymer dose during sludge dewatering and other processes that rely on coagulation and flocculation of solids.


title: Harnessing Alternative Narratives of the City:  Exploring the Generative Capacity of Skateboarding

abstract:
I have a keen interest in the generative capacity of cities. As city-dwelling populations continue to increase, it is vitally important for architects to look beyond the traditional boundaries of the profession and view their work within the larger context of the urban fabric. By doing so, architects open up possibilities by which the generative capacity of the city can emerge within the architecture.
One such example is found through the uniquely urban practice of skateboarding; skateboarding acts as a criticism of contemporary architecture, placing engagement and use above economics and
the traditional imperatives of architecture. As demonstrated in a case study and design proposal for the Booth Board Mill on Chaudière Island, the skateboarding ethos can provide valuable alternatives to more traditional architectural paradigms.


title: Touch Interaction For User Authentication

abstract: This thesis explores whether these new capabilities might support novel password schemes that could be a viable alternative to traditional text passwords. We conducted a preliminary study with a graphically oriented password scheme called Passgrid and a main study with a multi-touch password scheme called GesturePass, which we designed to focus more on gestures. Our study compared Passgrid to a text password scheme in terms of login time, effect of screen size, and the overall user experience. Our findings showed that users made little use of the multi-touch capability and so Passgrid had longer login times. We then designed GesturePass specifically to focus on gestures and smaller touchscreen devices. Our study compared the usability of GesturePass to a PIN password scheme. GesturePass required more initial practices, and had somewhat longer login times, but required a similar number of login attempts.


title: Structural Characterization Of Secondary Metabolites Produced By Fungi Obtained From Damp Canadian Buildings

abstract:
A comprehensive investigation of the secondary metabolites produced by Chaetomium globosum, Wallemia sebi, Penicillium corylophilum and four Trichoderma species obtained from Canadian buildings is presented. Atopic and non-atopic individuals occupying damp, moldy buildings are at increased risk of both allergic and non-allergic adverse health effects. There is now strong toxicological evidence showing that secondary metabolites, including mold specific glucan, present on spores and mycelial fragments are in part responsible for these effects. At the low doses that could be experienced by the
human lung indoors, metabolites from fungi have been demonstrated to alter the expression of genes involved with asthma in vivo and in vitro. These genetic alterations are accompanied by histological disruptions and inflammatory responses.
The primary focus of this study was to identify and isolate the dominant toxins produced by the mentioned fungi obtained from Canadian buildings. Isolates were grown in liquid culture and screened for metabolite production. Metabolites were purified by various chromatographic methods and their structures were unambiguously determined by mass
spectrometry and detailed analysis of spectroscopic data.


title: Nurturing Space: A Matrix Approach to Architectural Intervention

abstract:
Nurturing space is derived from a series of designed neighbourhood interventions that work together, forming a matrix that supports a community as a whole. This thesis focuses on the issue of a rapidly increasing population resulting from the condominium boom of Ottawa’s Little Italy and how nurturing can play a role in sustaining and encouraging the sense of community during a period of extreme growth and development. This issue will be addressed using Oldenburg’s model of the third place, coupled with Seamon’s Five Qualities of “At-Homeness” and further supplemented by original nurturing
qualities introduced in this thesis. Together these concepts have been adapted to form a series of architectural guidelines which designers can use to inform the design of nurturing environments. These guidelines will then be applied to a Transit-Grocery-Station program that demonstrates nurturing through the provision of necessity while allowing for future growth and development.


title: Extraction, Bioactivity, and Stability of Wheat Bran Alkylresorcinols

abstract:
Whole grain intake may be linked to a lowered risk of chronic diseases and such positive effects might be attributed to phenolic lipids, alkylresorcinols (ARs), found in cereal bran. This study aimed to characterize ARs in wheat bran (WB), investigate the influence of environmental factors on AR composition, measure AR bioactivity including antioxidant activity (AA) and investigate AR stability during baking. Moreover, the prebiotic potential of WB-soluble dietary fibre (SDF) was explored using yogurt models. Specific objectives were achieved by the following projects.
The effects of
cultivar, and region on the ARs content in 24 wheat cultivars grown in Ontario were studied, by GC-MS and their AA were evaluated. TPC (3.0 to 58.0 mg FAE/g), DPPH (5 to 68%), ORAC (6.0 to 94.0 µmol TE/g) and ARs (21.0 to 1522.0 μg/g) of WB extracts were significantly affected by location and cultivar (P < 0.05).
The stability of WB-ARs was studied using different bread formulations.  Bread ARs (1.1 to 82.9 mg/100 g) were heat stable during baking at 255 °C for 12 min. A positive correlation was observed between TPC and ORAC (R2 = 0.90).
Two extraction methods were used to compare the
AR contents of WB. The % ARs per extract using acetone versus SC-CO2 extraction of both WB samples studied were in the range of 10.9% -15.6% and 5.1% - 6.6%, respectively.
The prebiotic potential of WB-SDF to enhance lactic acid bacteria (LAB) survival in yogurt models was explored. Total DF (53%) was counted as a sum of SDF (6%) and IDF (47%). HPLC analysis of DF fractions treated with alkaline hydrolysis showed that IDF (84.2%) had a higher phenolic acid (PA) content than SDF (15.8%). There was a significant difference in total bacterial count (9.1 log CFU/mL), pH (4.8) and TTA (1.4%) in
yogurt samples containing 4% WB compared to controls during the four week cold storage period (4 °C).
These results could lead to practical applications of WB-ARs and SDF in the functional foods and nutraceutical industry. Furthermore, increased WB utilization will reduce Agri-Food leftovers, thus improving environmental sustainability.


title: Participation and Praxis: A Study of How Participatory Budgeting Deepens Democracy by Institutionalizing Critical Consciousness

abstract:
Government policies are predicated by certain interests. In a democratic society, these interests are assumed to be those of the people, perhaps as expressed through an elected representative. However, the pervasive influence of elites in conjunction with the decreased competent use of established democratic institutions on the part of the public, point to the need for new institutions and new ways of conceptualizing public interest. This paper posits that participatory budgeting presents such an institution in facilitating a more accurate conception of public interest by empowering an openly
accessible, deliberative space. Participatory budgeting has made an impact in some Brazilian cities since 1989, and has been experimented with more recently in Canada, and the United States. Using Paulo Freire’s conception of praxis, this paper explores if these processes are a viable and sustainable method for redefining public interest in the eyes of policymakers and the public alike.


title: Flexible Spline Based Models for the Analysis of Panel Data Under a Markov Assumption

abstract:
Panel data is encountered in a large variety of disciplines, from social sciences to medical studies, and has been used to examine increasingly complex processes. Recent work in the analysis of panel data, particularly under Markov assumptions, has been leading towards models for data that evolve over time. We propose a method for modeling such non-homogeneous processes through the use of splines and penalized splines. We provide a brief overview of spline theory, as well as the basic notions for modeling panel data under a Markov assumption. We then discuss the proposed method and supply
examples from simulated and previously modeled data. The proposed method is particularly well suited to exploratory analysis and simplifying complex models.


title: Fabrication and Characterization of Nanostructured Silicon Films for Photovoltaic Applications

abstract:
In semiconductor solar cells, the energy band structure has a major influence on cell efficiency. Shifting the bandgap of the semiconductor to fit the solar radiation spectral will increase the energy conversion efficiency. One way to modify the bandgap is by nanostructuring the material. In this thesis, we introduce a novel nanostructured ITO substrate deposited with an ultrathin silicon film. The glancing angle deposition research group fabricated the ITO substrate at University of Alberta while the amorphous Si film was deposited at Carleton University. The sample was fabricated for
optical property study and photovoltaic performance evaluation.
An optical absorption and reflection characterization system was set up to measure the thin film semiconductor.  The system was based on programmable optical equipment. The fabricated nanostructured Si/ITO film was characterized with this set up and the optical constants such as absorption coefficient and refractive index were extracted.


title: A Comparative Study of Invariants Generated by Daikon and User-Defined Design Contracts

abstract:
A lot of progress has been made towards the reverse-engineering of program specification under the form of contracts. Ensuring the quality of such reverse-engineered contracts, referred to as likely invariants when one uses Daikon, is paramount since those contracts are used in several other contexts. One aspect that can influence the “quality” of the reverse-engineered contracts is the configuration being used when executing Daikon. In this paper we evaluate the impact of two such configuration parameters. We perform a case study with a program equipped with test cases and high-level design
and systematically compare likely invariants reverse-engineered by Daikon to those contracts. Results confirm and complement previous works, whereby we show that a good proportion of contracts are correctly identified by Daikon as likely invariants, and therefore that many interesting contracts are not discovered by Daikon, but these likely invariants are lost in a mass of incorrect ones.


title: Three Essays on Immigrant Families in Canada

abstract:
In this thesis, I compared income, consumption, savings, dwelling ownership and equity between immigrant families and Canadian born families. I studied the families' consumption behaviour and labour supply under credit constraint.
In the first chapter of this thesis, the income, consumption and savings behaviour of immigrant and Canadian-born households are analysed using data from the Family Expenditure Surveys (FAMEX) of Statistics Canada. Immigrant households have significantly lower income and consumption levels compared to Canadian-born households. Savings are generally found to be
similar between immigrant and Canadian-born households. There are no clear differences in the saving rates between immigrant and Canadian-born households. There are no significant changes in income, savings, or changes in assets as immigrants stay longer in Canada.
The second chapter of this thesis analyses an intertemporal labor supply model for immigrant families allowing for the possibility of credit constraints. The results indicate that recent cohorts of married immigrant women work longer hours than earlier arrival cohorts and Canadian-born wives. The immigrant families are more likely
to be credit constrained. The credit constraint is important for immigrant families food consumption behavior.
The final chapter of this thesis analyzes the differences in home ownership and housing equity between immigrant and Canadian-born households, using data from FAMEX and SFS. Recent immigrant households are less likely to own their dwelling and hold less equity in owned dwellings than do Canadian-born households.
The probability of owning a dwelling and the equity held in the dwelling grow quickly with years-since-migration. The more recent arrival cohorts are much less likely to
own their dwelling and this is consistent with the findings of very low incomes for these cohorts in the immigrant earnings literature. However, among immigrant households who own their dwellings, housing equity is in fact higher for the more recent arrival cohorts. These differences disappear once the home equity model is extended to include the sample of households that rent their dwelling (assigning them a value of zero for their housing equity). The findings are consistent with there being large barriers to access to credit for immigrant households from the recent arrival cohorts.


title: The Reasons We Punish: Creating and Validating a Measure of Utilitarian and Retributive Punishment Orientation

abstract:
Previous researchers have investigated the situational use of punishment, but the overall reasons why people punish have received less attention. The aim of this study was to create a measure of individual differences in punishment orientation. 200 participants completed a 30-item questionnaire designed to measure retributive and utilitarian punishment orientation. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered a ‘pro-punishment’ factor, as well as ‘ideal retributive’ and ‘ideal utilitarian’ factors. An additional sample of 200 participants completed a revised version of the scale; confirmatory factor
analysis yielded acceptable model fit for harsh utilitarian, harsh retributive, and ideal retributive dimensions. The scale showed poor divergent validity, with the factors having moderate relationships with attitudes toward the legal system (Schiffhauer & Wrightsman, 1995). Predictive validity assessments showed that participants favoured one orientation dependent on the context, resulting in poor predictive utility. This scale may nonetheless contribute to a better understanding of lay punishment ethics.


title: A Hybrid Approach to Urban (re)Development in Shanghai

abstract:
The thesis presents the opportunity to rethink approaches to large-parcel
 redevelopment in Shanghai. At issue is not only the mixing of uses (in particular
 office and residential) but the integration of existing and new buildings. These
 topics are explored through a proposal for the redevelopment of an abandoned,
 20-acre industrial site along the Suzhou Creek. Using design as a form of
research, the thesis proposes a new, integrated approach to redevelopment – one
 that embraces density while honoring the city’s vanishing industrial heritage.


title: A Multigenerational Home:  Designing Architecture that Facilitates Multigenerational Care

abstract:
Canada is facing an unprecedented demographic shift over the next 50 years; the senior population will be the largest it has ever been, which will put a great strain on the availability of senior housing. Consequently, issues of affordable housing with access to care immediately need to be addressed through an architectural intervention. There is a lack of choice of housing for low income seniors who need or wish to have minimum to moderate care and assistance in the home. This intervention of a multigenerational building provides a home for children, adults, and seniors to live together and
to facilitate care between all residents. By providing both housing for all generations, and shared spaces to be used between all residents, all ages can participate and receive the necessary care while simultaneously creating a community within a shared building.


title: Mobile Assistive Robot with Shared Control

abstract:
The rapidly aging population and the existence of a large number of people with different kinds of disabilities pose a great challenge to engineers and researchers to design and build suitable and practical healthcare robotic systems. There are many applications and potential for assistive robotic systems in the area of healthcare. In this thesis, a prototype of a novel mobile assistive robot for senior and disabled people has been developed to help the group transport heavy objects in their daily life.
Several technical problems related to the design of the system are addressed and
solved. In this robot prototype, a haptic device is used as the input interface to build the haptic interaction channel and compensate for the loss of visual or auditory capabilities in the target user. A nonlinear tracking controller is designed for the robot to follow the user. An obstacle avoidance controller is developed based on the deformable virtual zone (DVZ) principle, in order for the robot to avoid obstacles. A shared control problem is also studied in this thesis. Since the user may not have a normal level of mobility and cognitive capabilities, a stable and optimal adaptive
servo-level shared control algorithm is applied to properly allocate the input authority between the human and the artificial intelligence when the robot encounters obstacles. Extensive experiments have been conducted to validate the control algorithms developed. The results demonstrate that in a cluster environment, the proposed robot can smoothly track the user.


title: Dwelling in the Shadows of the Night:  Diurnal and Nocturnal Vedute

abstract:
Cities change at night—places change at night—people change at night. A city as a whole is affected by the circadian rhythms that occur fuelled by the diurnal and nocturnal states that the city takes on. "Dwelling in the Shadows of the Night: Nocturnal and Diurnal Vedute", looks at the shifts that take place in the city throughout its daily cycles, and the resulting effect this has on orientation, views, and framing the city. Looking at Confederation Square in Ottawa as the site for a National LRT station stop, the thesis project examines why Confederation Square is the ideal
location for a prime downtown station partnered with a photography gallery. Acting as a compass to orient the city, connecting lingering underground circuits, referencing above ground from the darkness of underground, as well creating gateways to important destinations in the city from the station through light are all discussed herein.


title: Multiple Model Reinforcement Learning for Environments with Poissonian Time Delays

abstract:
This thesis proposes a novel algorithm for use in reinforcement learning problems
where a stochastic time delay is present in an agent's reinforcement signal. In these
problems, the agent does not necessarily receive a reinforcement immediately after the
action that caused it. We relax previous constraints in the literature by assuming that
rewards may arrive to the agent out of order or may even overlap with one another.
The algorithm combines Q-learning and hypothesis testing to enable the agent to
learn about the delay itself. A proof of convergence is provided. The algorithm
is
tested in a grid-world simulator in MATLAB, the Webots mobile-robot simulator,
and in an experiment with a real e-Puck mobile robot. In each of these test beds,
the algorithm is compared to Watkins' Q-learning, of which it is an extension. In all
cases, the novel algorithm outperforms Q-learning in situations where reinforcements
are variably delayed.


title: Evaluation of a Dual Tank Indirect Solar-Assisted Heat Pump System for a High Performance House

abstract:
This work focused on the design and evaluation of an integrated mechanical system, which incorporated a dual tank indirect solar-assisted heat pump, that offsets space-heating, cooling, and domestic hot water loads for a high performance house. A model of the system was developed to investigate the effects of various parameters on the performance. In addition, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the heat pump load side flow rate, the heat pump performance, and the thermal stratification in the storage tank. Results from the modelling and experimental
work were compared and the experimental results were used to improve the heat pump model in the simulations. The simulation results showed that the system could achieve a free energy fraction of 0.506 for space-heating, cooling, and domestic hot water. This result suggests that the system does have the potential of reducing energy consumption in the residential sector in Canada.


title: Internal Gravity Waves and Convection Generated by a Thermal Forcing in the Atmosphere

abstract:
In this thesis, we present a mathematical model that represents internal gravity waves and convection generated by a thermal forcing in the atmosphere. The goal is to investigate the mechanisms by which deep heating and convection in the lower atmosphere generate internal gravity waves. We consider a two-dimensional two-layer model of the atmosphere comprising an upper layer with stable stratification and an unstable convective lower layer. The governing equations are based on the equations for conservation of mass, momentum and energy for a fluid. The thermal forcing is represented by a
nonhomogeneous term in the energy conservation equation. We study different configurations depending on the vertical structure and depth of the thermal forcing.
First, we derive exact analytical solutions for the linearized equations for the case where the perturbation amplitude is independent of time. Next, we examine the case where the perturbation amplitude is time-dependent and derive exact solutions in each layer. The linear gravity wave solution approaches the steady solution in the limit of infinite time, but the linear solution for the convection grows exponentially with time. We
also carry out a weakly-nonlinear analysis of the gravity wave problem and examine the evolution of the mean flow with time due to the nonlinear interactions of the waves.
We carry out numerical simulations for each of the linear time-dependent one-layer models and then for the two-layer model. The results of the gravity wave simulations are in very good agreement with the analytical solution. In order to generate finite-amplitude convection, it is necessary to include the viscous and heat conduction terms in the equations. The time evolution of the convection depends on the relative
strength of the unstable stratification to the strength of the viscosity and heat conduction. This is in agreement with the situation that occurs in the well-known Lorenz model for atmospheric convection.
Our solutions can be used as to represent unresolved convective gravity wave drag in large-scale models of the atmosphere.


title: Managing High Risk Offenders: An Evaluation of Preventative Detention Legislation in Canada

abstract:
The purpose of the present research was to evaluate preventative detention legislation in Canada by a) comparing designated offenders to non-designated offenders in terms of risk and comparing both designated groups in terms of treatment amenability, b) examining the risk assessment reports that informed the judges’ decisions by comparing prosecution-retained versus court-appointed expert assessments, and c) evaluating the reasons for sentencing to assess the variables most important to the final designation outcome. The sample sizes for the three studies were as follows: Study 1 = 58
dangerous offenders (DOs), 129 long-term offenders (LTOs), and 562 flagged offenders; Study 2 = 43 prosecution-retained expert assessments, 68 court-appointed expert assessments; Study 3 = 31 DO decisions and 55 LTO decisions.
From Study 1 it can be concluded that the preventative detention legislation appears to be correctly applied in that a) DOs and LTOs were a higher risk group compared with flagged offenders, b) DOs and LTOs were similarly rated as high risk on validated risk measures, and c) DOs and LTOs differed on indices of treatability and risk management. Results from Study 2
demonstrated that across all comparisons, risk assessment reports between prosecution-retained versus court-appointed experts were more similar than they were different. Results also demonstrated that court-appointed experts were more likely than prosecution-retained experts to list risk factors and to discuss managing the offender’s risk in the future. Results from Study 3 demonstrated that judges’ decisions were consistent with expert assessments in terms of risk, treatment amenability, and risk management. Experts’ ratings of treatment amenability and risk management were also significant
predictors of the designation outcome indicating that judges rely on this information in making their final decision. Finally, there was evidence of partisan allegiance with prosecution-retained Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised scores being significantly higher compared with defence-retained experts’ scores. Implications of the results from all three studies are discussed in terms of the validity and appropriate application of preventative detention in Canada.


title: Exploring Muslim Feminisms: A Response to Orientalist Discourses About Muslim Women

abstract:
Does having women’s positions and rights as a core focus of discussion make some movements feminist—a term that has historically been rejected by Muslim women fighting for recognition of women’s rights?  Moreover, if these movements are taking place in Muslim countries or have associations with Muslim cultures, communities and women, does that define them as Muslim feminist? In this thesis, I demonstrate that there are multiple types of Muslim feminisms and each type is not restricted to any specific geographic location but rather as feminist theories, span the globe. Using a post-colonial,
anti-racist, anti-Orientalist feminist theoretical framework to investigate literature on Muslim feminisms and the ways in which issues of violence against women, such as honour killings, are discussed within this literature, I aspire to introduce and include Muslim feminist voices among transnational and global feminist theorists within the academic field of Women’s and Gender Studies.


title: Re-activating Farmland in Ottawa's Greenbelt:  establishing a concept of infrastructure development in the southern farm sector

abstract:
Established by the Greber Plan in 1950, the objective of Ottawa’s Greenbelt
was to create a federally owned green space that would contain the
urban sprawl of the city. At the time of expropriation, the land mass that
is now considered “the Greenbelt” was actively used for agriculture. Sixty-four years later, the population of Ottawa has outgrown its original boundaries and the Greenbelt has effectively become a transit corridor for the city’s urban and suburban populations. The greenbelt is farmed less
and less with each passing year and more questions arise as to its role
within the
city. This thesis explores the kinds of infrastructure that could be developed
to reactivate Ottawa’s Greenbelt. It includes a design proposal for the
Southern Farm Sector that envisions a productive agricultural landscape
focused on the production of locally grown food, public engagement and
education, and sustainable development.


title: Dignity of the Other, A Minimal and Common Perspective toward Equal Respect

abstract:
Two main streams, religious and philosophical, suggest different perceptions of human dignity. My ultimate goal is finding common elements between them and letting them converge towards a minimal common conception of human dignity. I will introduce three principal conceptions of dignity: reason, autonomy, and Godlikeness. These might be called ‘grounds’ of dignity. Afterwards, I will contemplate human attitudes toward the picture of dignity as expressed by the idea of respect. I will discuss specifically human dignity in relation to other species. I need this in order to obtain a deeper
agreement about dignity of human individuals that live in different cultural horizons. I will rely on Martha Nussbaum’s capabilities approach which can mediate between religious perspectives and modern perspective. Finally I put my ultimate analysis forward: a “minimalist approach” to human dignity as a common approach among these perspectives. “Universality of someoneness” will turn out to be the central idea.


title: Screening the Structure and Binding Affinity of Ochratoxin A Aptamers

abstract:
Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites that contaminate a wide range of agricultural commodities worldwide. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is of particular interest as it is one of the most abundant mycotoxins. Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides, typically DNA or RNA, that are capable of specifically interacting with high affinity to a desired target. We have aimed to understand the secondary structures of OTA aptamers using a DNase I assay. The affinity of each aptamer to OTA has also been tested using a DNase I assay, and a magnetic bead affinity assay. We found that using Kd affinity
methods to compare aptamers was unreliable and instead developed several direct competitive affinity tests. Initial results appear promising, however further testing is required. Once the optimal conditions are found, the chosen aptamer can be used in existing antibody technology. This can be done to develop useful, cost efficient, sensors and detection methods for OTA.


title: [RE]Connection:  Bringing Purpose Back to the Waterfront.  Redevelopment of McArthur Island, Carleton Place, Ontario

abstract:
This thesis will examine the 'values' based approach to redeveloping a cultural landscape. By reinterpreting past values, can the waterfront be re-established as an asset for the culture of today? The theme of continuity and the idea of evolution are used to develop a mix use design proposal for McArthur Island, Carleton Place, Ontario. Adaptively reusing both the building and the site, to restore life to this waterfront.
	Currently, there is a fundamental shift underway in regards to how heritage should be preserved. It is becoming realized that it is not enough to focus
solely on the conservation of the site, purely for the sake of preserving its material elements. To properly preserve, means reinterpreting the values present on site and in context, and connecting them both back to society in a relevant way.


title: Evaluating Spatial and Seasonal Variability of Wetlands in Eastern Ontario Using Remote Sensing and GIS

abstract:
Wetlands provide many ecological services, but are under threat from climate change and land modification amongst other stressors. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) currently uses the field-based Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) to assign scores to wetlands for planning and conservation purposes. These evaluations have been primarily from the field observer’s viewpoint, but were often augmented using analog air photo and/or digital ortho-photo interpretation. With such an approach overall spatial and temporal wetland dynamics were often overlooked or under represented.
This research evaluated attributes in four wetland complexes through three seasons using remote sensing data. Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM, 30m) Radarsat-2 (8m), and WorldView-2 (0.5-2m) imagery were acquired, and several types of image metrics (e.g. vegetation indices, texture, and object metrics) were evaluated in mapping 14 OWES attributes. Differences were found in overall and specific class related accuracies for all 14 attributes of interest depending upon time of year, location, and/or data used. Eight attributes were successfully assessed using existing data or data developed using
the methods of this research. Scores derived for four of those attributes were equivalent to the OWES field-measured scores. Some general technical conclusions from the research were that high resolution optical imagery provided higher overall accuracies for most attributes of interest. Coarse resolution optical imagery had higher overall accuracy for the attribute Open Water Type. Radar-based variables did not improve overall accuracies, but the addition of these variables to the optical imagery object-based image analysis (OBIA) improved some individual class accuracies. With respect to
season of image acquisition, spring or summer imagery produced the highest accuracies. These results support an overview perspective with a top-down investigative approach for wetlands analysis in that they expose the inconsistencies and some consistencies in results between sites, between imagery types and/or at different times of year.


title: Mind Your Purpose: Intervening on Mindfulness to Promote Daily Levels of Purpose

abstract:
In three studies, mindfulness was assessed as a candidate for promoting purpose in life through its effect on moods, stress and daily activities. Studies 1 and 2 provided evidence that purpose and mindfulness were strongly related but independent predictors of well-being using cross-sectional, online samples. Furthermore, the relationship between mindfulness and purpose was partially explained through moods and stress. In Study 3, a brief online mindfulness intervention versus positive affirmation control group design was implemented in 65 college and university students. Results of Study 3
demonstrated that daily purpose fluctuates as a function of mindfulness, daily moods, activities and stress. Across the three studies, mindfulness was positively related to purpose cross-sectionally and it influenced daily purpose above and beyond the effects of moods and stress. This series of studies provides an important contribution to the understanding of purpose in life and mindfulness and has broader implications for positive psychology interventions.


title: Semi-automated Hypothesis Evaluation Using Semantic Technologies

abstract:
In today’s age of “big data” and “omics” research, biologists face two unique challenges - sharing their results with the larger community in an interpretable and reusable format and integrating their experimental data and findings with the prevailing hypotheses that govern their field. Publicly funded biological data curation and warehousing centers have emerged to address the former, but the challenge remains of sifting out relevant information from these resources and integrating it in a scalable way towards assessing biological hypotheses, and in disseminating the results of this process.
To address these challenges, I have developed, implemented and evaluated a semi-automated system for biological hypothesis evaluation that uses semantic technologies to reason over existing experimental data and knowledge. Chapter 1 presents the motivation, driving hypothesis and objectives for this doctoral thesis, as well as a brief review of the Semantic Web and automated systems for hypothesis formulation and evaluation. In Chapter 2 I present HyQue, a Semantic Web tool for evaluating scientific hypotheses, including the system architecture and a prototype implementation for evaluating
hypotheses about yeast metabolism. In Chapter 3, I describe efforts to publish and integrate biological data on the Semantic Web through the Bio2RDF project, a key data source for HyQue that enables browsing, querying and downloading over 3 billion statements from more than 25 life sciences databases. In Chapter 4 I describe the ovopub, a linked data model for capturing provenance on the Semantic Web, as well as its implementation and application to Bio2RDF data. The ovopub provides a simple model for describing basic elements of linked data provenance, and enables provenance-based querying
and filtering over biological linked data. In Chapter 5 I describe the application of HyQue to evaluating hypotheses about the role of C. elegans genes in aging. HyQue correctly identified known lifespan-related genes, as well as 24 candidate aging-related genes by retrieving and evaluating domain-specific evidence from multiple sources. Chapter 6 summarizes the contributions of this thesis and proposes future work.


title: How High-Technology Female Entrepreneurs Perceive and Overcome Startup Challenges

abstract:
This research investigates the problems and challenges facing high-technology female entrepreneurs in Canada. After an extensive literature review on entrepreneurial challenges and means to overcome them, five Ottawa-based women technology entrepreneurs were interviewed to find out how they perceive these challenges. The findings show that they considered the most important challenges as the lack of technologically innovative business ideas, the lack of sufficient business network, and the lack of business and management skills. The study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by
suggesting that these external challenges to female technology entrepreneurship are more essential than internal factors including family obligations, the lack of motivation, or the difficulty of overcoming previous bad experiences. The findings suggest that aspiring female technology entrepreneurs should partner with entrepreneurial support organizations such as ‘Lead to Win for Women’ and academic educational programs such as Carleton University’s TIM program to get better technological ideas and business advice


title: Business Ecosystems and New Venture Business Models : An Exploratory Study of Participation in the Lead To Win Job-Creation Engine

abstract:
Technology entrepreneurs are launching and growing new businesses within business ecosystems, but little is known about how ecosystem participation impacts the business models of new ventures.  This research is an exploratory study of new venture business models within Lead To Win – a business ecosystem developed as a “job-creation engine” for Canada’s Capital Region.  A multi-phase research design examines the properties of the field setting, then conducts a multiple case-study of participating new ventures, and develops evidence-based propositions relating ecosystem participation and new
venture business models.  There are three key findings.  First, more intense participation is associated with higher business model differentiation, sophistication, and more changes over time.  Second, entrepreneurs participating more intensively in the ecosystem report a greater range of benefits.  Third, extant business ecosystem frameworks could not fully describe the Lead To Win job-creation engine; new and better business ecosystem frameworks are needed.


abstract:
Behind the Curtain: An Architectural Mise-en-Scène for Mise-en-Place explores public spaces in the City of Ottawa with an interest in their theatrical potential. Utilizing historical precedents such as Greek and Elizabethan theatre traditions and scenographic devices, identified as frames, layers, point of view, choreography, lighting and viewer-viewed relationships, these “theatrical” civic moments are enhanced by the implementation of architectural elements to bring an awareness of their performative qualities.
The urban theatrical devices are further explored in the making of a
neighbourhood-scaled intervention. This proposal is supported by a program - a Cultural Centre and Culinary Cooperative - which in itself contributes to interpersonal relationships analogous to the viewer-viewed aspects in theatre. This unique architectural programming also supports a community need - that of a social gathering space for local women from a traditional Italian community who generally remain isolated due to existing social dynamics and traditional gender roles.


title: Multimode Waveguides and Multimode Ring Resonator Filters on Silicon-on-Insulator

abstract: In optical communications the rate of information transfer in a single waveguide can be increased by orders of magnitude by modulating signals onto separate channels. Mode-division multiplexing (MDM) is a new and exciting method that can increase waveguide channel numbers while using only a single laser source. Silicon photonics stands to benefit from MDM, however conventional optical devices fabricated in silicon make use of only one mode, and it is typically non-trivial to make these devices compatible with the large number of modes needed for MDM. The purpose of this thesis is to develop MDM on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform through the numerical simulation and experimental demonstration of multimode waveguides, low-crosstalk waveguide bends, multiplexers, and mode-selective filters.


title: Revisiting a Wilderness Architecture:  A Child's Architectural Discovery of the Sensual Qualities of Golden Lake

abstract:
The closure of Camp Agawaten and its current state of disrepair present a lost opportunity for Canadians to enjoy the wilderness experience it had once offered in its prime.  With the current dilapidated state of the camp, would a replication of the camp be the best revitalization for this site?  The majority of Canadians, including new immigrants, continue to attribute Canada’s natural landscape as a fundamental characteristic of this nation.  The aim of this project is to introduce the Canadian landscape to newly arrived immigrants and Canadians through the revitalization of Camp Agawaten,
in order for people to connect with an important aspect of Canadian culture.  The intent of this project is not to portray a generalized Canadian landscape, but instead to highlight the deep, sensual qualities of this site alone.


title: Signifying Difference:  Muslim Experiences with Dogs in Canada

abstract:
There is a tendency for signifiers to be constructed within intergroup tensions as a means of distinguishing "us and them". Dogs are seemingly held as “man’s best friend” in “Western” society, and often defined as a symbol of certain cultural values not shared by “non dog-lovers” - a label commonly applied to Muslims in these intergroup tensions. Although there may be broader cultural understandings of the ways in which certain animals are conceptualized, an individual’s perspective is, in fact, mediated through the lens of their personal experiences. While dogs are generally held
in Islam as unclean animals and not commonly kept as pets, individual Muslims regard them with a diverse set of viewpoints. This study finds that among Canadian Muslims, personal experience appears to exert the greatest influence on personal opinions of dogs. This research was conducted through an analysis of online Muslim forums and an online survey (54 respondents).


title: Thermal Biology and Swimming Energetics of Bonefish (Albula vulpes) in Eleuthera, The Bahamas.

abstract:
Knowledge of the swimming energetics and thermal biology of bonefish is extremely limited, yet this information is critical to understanding the thermal windows for tropical intertidal species, quantifying fish fitness in relation to temperature and understanding the potential future effects of climate change.  The critical swimming speed (Ucrit) and scope for activity was assessed across a range of temperatures for bonefish in The Bahamas, using a swim tunnel.  For both critical swimming speed and scope for activity, optimal (Topt) and critical (Tcrit) temperatures were determined.  The
thermal profile of wild bonefish was also determined by surgically implanting iButton thermal loggers into the fish and recapturing those fish after they had been at liberty.  Overall, this research yields a better understanding of bonefish thermal biology, and the potential impacts of climate change, as well as paves the way for creating a complete bioenergetics model for the species.


title: Role Overload Appraisal and Coping: A Case Study of Female Health Care Workers

abstract:
Role overload is an important form of role stress that can overwhelm individuals and has been linked to a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms of stress. Research on role overload has, however, been fragmented and there has been little attempt to develop the associated theory. Inconsistent results linking role overload and perceived stress and a growing interest in positive and negative outcomes from stressful encounters suggest a different approach is warranted to examine how and why stress should arise from mismatching role expectations and how and why it might vary.
This
exploratory case study applies qualitative methodology to examine the relationship between role overload and perceived stress. Using stress, appraisal and coping theory (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984) as a guiding lens, this study seeks to model the process and the contextual conditions that contribute to variable stress reactions to role overload at work and at home.  Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty female health care workers from four hospitals in a major city. The interviews explored the nature of two contrasting role overload experiences recalled by these individuals.
The findings from this research suggest that whilst the role overload appraisal and coping process maps closely to the cognitive stress model of Lazarus and Folkman (1984), important areas of difference also exist. The differences include situation properties that are specific and unique to role overload; an internal role pressure that plays an important part in the perception of role overload; modified interpretations of challenge and threat appraisals; a focus on demand reduction versus demand management coping strategies; coping strategies specific to role overload; and four distinct
types of role overload episodes.
The case study concludes with the development of a framework of the role overload appraisal and coping process. The framework includes a taxonomy of role overload situation properties and a typology of role overload coping strategies, Finally, the study identified factors that distinguish overwhelming from not-overwhelming episodes of role overload, as well as the factors that distinguish the role overload episodes described by individuals with high levels of stress from those described by people with low stress levels.


title: Evaluating the Effects of Dam-Altered Flow Regimes on the Swimming Activity, Behaviour and Survival of Adult Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

abstract:
Anadromous adult Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) encounter hydraulically
challenging areas of difficult passage (high-gradient reaches, dams) during their
reproductive migration. While the direct effects of dam operations on wild fishes are well
documented (e.g., delayed movements, excessive energy-use), comparatively little is
known as to the delayed, post dam passage effects of these barriers. Using acoustic
accelerometer transmitters and model selection analyses, Chapter 2 assessed how
managed flow releases from a dam influenced the swimming activity, behaviour and
passage
success of sockeye salmon (O. nerka). Building on this framework, Chapter 3
explored the potential for high-flow-induced burst swimming below the dam to predict
the mortality of sockeye salmon. Findings from this research provide novel insight into
the mechanisms that contribute to the delayed mortality of migratory fishes. Future
studies investigating the indirect effects of dams will improve our ability to provide
effective passage solutions to watersheds that are impacted by hydropower development.


title: Characterization of U-Shaped Exposure-Response Relationships with Application to a Copper Database

abstract:
The need to find an acceptable medium between excess and deficiency motivates the characterization of U-shaped exposure-response relationships. Previous work on a copper(Cu) database employed CatReg to model excess and deficiency conditions separately. Interest lies in simultaneously fitting these conditions. Using binary logistic regression, we have developed a methodology that can be used to simultaneously fit observations from excess and deficiency experiments. Capturing excess and deficiency conditions in one well-defined model facilitates the estimation of a U-shape function, with
concentration on the horizontal axis and the probability of a non-normal reading on the vertical axis. The bottom of this U-shape function represents the dose of Cu associated with the smallest chance of adverse health effects attributed to an excess or deficient Cu condition, or both. For humans, this dose level is estimated to be 2.73 mg Cu/day with an acceptable range of oral intake between 1.57 and 4.46 mg Cu/day.


title: Modeling Authority at the Canadian Fisheries Museum, 1884-1918

abstract:
This dissertation charts the history of the Canadian Fisheries Museum, established in Ottawa in 1884. Initially assembled for the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition in London, the Fisheries Museum was a hybrid of natural history museum and industrial exhibition that modeled fish and fisheries as national possessions under progressive state administration. In 1918, after an extensive renovation, the museum was closed and the collection dispersed. The Fisheries Museum’s demise raises questions about museological permanency and power, particularly the authority of natural history museums to
produce what Jens Andermann calls "hegemonic figurations" of nature and nation. This study—focused on the museum’s practices of curating, collecting, cataloging, modeling, and exhibiting—examines how the museum navigated its material and conceptual challenges as it sought to model Canada’s aquatic nature. These included the museum’s spatial constraints, the authenticity of fish models, the museum’s competing local and national roles, the professionalization of government science, and the gendered shift from production to consumption in fisheries administration. These challenges
necessitated an ongoing project of remodeling as the Fisheries Museum sought to stabilize and maintain its authority. Remodeling also shaped the construction of curatorial authority, evidenced in the career of Andrew Halkett. Halkett, a self-trained naturalist and member of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, negotiated changing ideals of masculine identity as he rose from a clerical position to become the museum’s curator, engaged in Arctic expeditions and acclimatization. This dissertation resurrects a "lost" museum, with exhibits spanning fish culture, whale skeletons, and fish
restaurants at the Canadian National Exhibition. Drawing on museum studies, environmental and fisheries history, state formation, and gender studies, it reveals the Fisheries Museum as an arena where ideas about fish, the role of state administration, and the construction of masculine authority were tested and contested.


title: Seeing Like A Neoliberal State? Authoritarian High Modernism, Commercialization and Governmentality in Rwanda's Agricultural Reform

abstract:
Rwanda’s contemporary agricultural reform fits the criteria in James C. Scott’s book, Seeing Like a State for an authoritarian high modernist project, as it involves the ambitious administrative re-ordering of nature and society according to transformative state simplifications, significant coercion, and marginalization of smallholder farmer preferences and indigenous knowledge.  However, with its heterogeneous networks of state and non-state actors and processes of commercialization, the reform differs from the monolithic state projects in Scott (1998). Rwandan state policies have been
described as ‘liberalizing’ and ‘neoliberal’.
The dissertation examines whether increased involvement of commercial non-state actors in agricultural reform in Rwanda has an effect on processes of spatial and institutional homogenisation and coercion.  I also investigate the ways in which discourses and practices of (neo)liberalism in the agricultural sector intersect with state efforts to mould ideas of citizenship, development, and governance.
Based on fieldwork in two districts of Rwanda in 2011 and 2013, and with reference to Foucauldian and Marxian concepts, I contend that although
the government of Rwanda has incorporated neo-liberal policy tools into its administrative structures, this does not necessarily result in ‘liberalization’. Increased involvement of non-state actors can reinforce processes of spatial and institutional homogenisation and coercion, such as imposition of obligatory land use consolidation and government-approved commercial crops. The introduction of private profit-making mechanisms into state-directed systems characterised by coercion have provided material incentives for state and non-state actors to continue to use coercive measures to increase
sales (e.g. of fertiliser).
The dissertation shows that the Rwandan state aims to create a new kind of Rwandan citizen, an entrepreneurial ‘modern farmer’ compliant with state policies, and fully integrated into commercial commodity-chains. Entrepreneurship, subjection to restrictive government policies, and patriotism are discursively intertwined, despite the tensions and contradictions this involves. These relationships are especially explicit in some geo-spatial contexts which represent ‘spaces of governance’ with particular characteristics. I also identify an emerging subject-type that
incorporates elements of the state’s ideal development subject and farmer notions of resistance. By significantly extending Scott’s framework, the dissertation gives it new relevance to analysis of complex and heterogeneous authoritarian projects involving commercialization.


title: An Investigation into the Ecology and Evolution of Caterpillar Eyespots

abstract: Eyespots are conspicuous circular patterns on the body of an animal which superficially resemble vertebrate eyes. These odd markings have long captured the interest of biologists and naturalists alike, many of whom have suggested that eyespots mimic the real eyes of dangerous animals and thereby protect prey species from their attackers. Eyespots are particularly widespread and diverse in lepidopteran caterpillars, and these caterpillars with eyespots are typically assumed to be snake-mimics. Yet a dearth of empirical investigation has left us without evidence that eyespots can protect caterpillars, or the ability to substantiate our subjective belief that these caterpillars are mimicking snakes. Using a combination of field and lab experiments my research provides robust empirical evidence demonstrating that eyespots are an adaptation in caterpillars, but reveals that other factors, including body colour and body size, influence their efficacy as a deterrent. Moreover, my work reveals that the defensive posture, which many caterpillars with eyespots adopt when harassed, also provides protection independent from the possession of eyespots. Using an objective measure of mimetic fidelity I showed that this defensive posture is likely a form of behavioural mimicry which increases the caterpillar’s resemblance to viperine snakes when viewed dorsally. Caterpillars from three distinct families showed analogous behavioural mimicry, suggesting strong selection for convergent phenotypes across lepidopteran larvae. Finally I provide an explanation for why some caterpillars have eyespots, and others do not. I show that body size critically influences the evolution of eyespots using a phylogenetically-controlled analysis of Macroglossinae (Sphingidae) caterpillar traits. Using field and lab experiments I reveal that the protective value of eyespots to caterpillars is in fact size-dependent: eyespots are only intimidating to attackers when on large-bodied prey that are already easy to detect, yet eyespots hinder small prey by making them easy to detect and failing to intimidate attackers. I argue that caterpillar eyespots have evolved to serve a mimetic function and were generated and are currently maintained by the innate fear of predator eyes harboured to varying degrees by numerous species of insect-eating birds.


title: Printing the Pandemic: An Analysis of H1N1 Vaccine News Coverage

abstract:
This thesis examines print media coverage of the vaccination debate during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. It explores how the agenda-setting press in North America framed the benefits and risks of vaccination: the key themes it emphasized, the sources whose voices it privileged and those it overlooked, and the cultural and historical references it invoked. Although news headlines initially depicted an ominous message of doom, over time the framing of the disease shifted as the severity of the illness failed to live up to its worst-case projections. The research shows that the coverage
significantly privileged the claims of public health officials, provided very little space for dissenting viewpoints and perspectives, and emphasized themes of risk, uncertainty, moral duty and responsibility.


title: From Plan to Market...Marketizing the Non-Economic:  The economy of higher education:  markets and marketization of Canadian post-secondary education

abstract:
This dissertation examines post-secondary education (PSE) through six case studies of criminal justice departments found in Canadian universities. It argues that post-secondary education is highly marketized in terms of demand but is more immune to market influences at the level of the state. The dissertation uses a relational analysis to examine relations between the state and post-secondary institutions. It identifies three primary markets in post-secondary education including academic labour and research markets, institutional finance markets, and student /labour and credential markets.
Utilizing the concept of marketization, defined as a host of policy changes which seek to make institutions more accountable, the study assess the shift of post-secondary education toward a commercial and corporate form. I consider the institutions of post-secondary education as a constellation of power relationships between the state and institution, between institutions themselves, between professors and institutions, between professors and students, between institutions and students and between external forces such as markets and states, markets and institutions, markets and students, and
markets and professors.  The content of these relationships is determined by the intensity, character, and nature of their interdependences. This work seeks to reveal these relationships by examining the role of the state and various markets that constitute post-secondary education, what this looks like and its effect on the constitution of liberal arts education. This thesis argues that the current post-secondary academic form in Canada may be considered as a reflection of market practices and the operation of the state in a relational manner.


title: Functional Analysis of MAP Kinase Pathways in Plant Defense Responses in Solanum Lycopersicum

abstract: Solanum lycopersicon MAPK LeMPK3 plays a vital role in tomato defense responses. TAB2 was shown to interact with LeMPK3. In this project, the function of the genes in defense pathways that involve SA and FB1 have been studied. While LeMPK3 was up-regulated, TAB2 was not, suggesting that TAB2 is probably not involved in LeMPK3 pathway. LeMPK3 is an ERK-type MAP kinase. The increased expression of LeMPK3 and SA or FB1 responsive genes was not significantly altered by an ERK inhibitor, suggesting that LeMPK3 may not be involved in SA-triggered PR1 and FB1-triggered PDF1.2 expression. The effect of FB1, SA and the ERK inhibitor treatment on the cell death of tomato leaves was also studied. ERK inhibitor reversed the cell death induced by SA and FB1, suggesting that ERK-type MAPKs could be involved in SA- and FB1-induced cell death process. The full length of the LeMPK3MUT was generated.


title: At Home and Across Borders:  Gender in Guatemalan Households and Labour Migration to Canada

abstract:
This dissertation investigates change and continuity in household gender dynamics in the context of Guatemalans’ labour migration to Canada.  Thousands of Guatemalans have challenged circumstances of economic precariousness by working in Canadian agriculture through Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program.  This study explores experiences of migrants and non-migrating partners and other household members through a social, critical, and feminist lens, specifically asking whether Guatemalan women’s and men’s seasonal migration to Canada has contributed to shifts in gender-related practices
and relations of power in their households.  The study is situated in ‘gender and migration’ scholarship, and rests theoretically on the idea that gender is expressed at individual, ideological, and institutional levels of society.  I map this foundation onto the possibilities created by the temporary labour migration of individual household members.  Specifically, I investigate shifts in the gendered selves of migrants and partners, gender consciousness and ideologies as social remittances, and the impacts of income and economic remittances.  These lines of inquiry were pursued through
critical feminist and ethnographic approaches to interview-based fieldwork in Guatemala with migrant-sending households in an indigenous community, complemented by organizational interviews in both Guatemala and Canada.  Based on both during- and post-migration scenarios, this case study revealed that migration has reinforced the status quo much more than it has encouraged disruptions to patriarchal household gender dynamics.  Although occasional signs of change did arise in thinking about and practicing gender, this dissertation demonstrates a great deal of continuity in women’s and men’s
gender practices and relations of authority, and draws attention to the profound influence of both transnational processes and local conditions that reinforce gender relations.  In a context where Guatemalans’ migration to Canada shows few signs of ebbing, this dissertation identifies the need for further research to assess both longer-term and intersectional gender-related impacts.


title: Effect of pH on Coatings Used to Protect Aluminum Beverage Cans

abstract:
This study investigated the performance of epoxy-free coatings used to protect aluminum beverage cans from corrosion in acidic solutions. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry tests were used to distinguish good and bad coatings by monitoring the corrosion of the underlying aluminum. The goal of this work was to understand how coatings protect the aluminum in spite of holes and holidays in the coating. Bad coatings were made by introducing pinholes. Three scenarios were found to hinder or stop corrosion: change from neutral to acidic pH, de-aeration using carbon
dioxide gas, and the formation of bubbles. This study concluded that the formation of bubbles on the exposed surface of the aluminum, in concert with the coating, protects the aluminum from corrosion in acidic solution.


title: The Climatic Implications of Lake Level Expansion in the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary, Fort Providence, Northwest Territories

abstract:
Remotely sensed data indicates that lake expansion north of Fort Providence, Northwest Territories, is statistically significant, potentially contributing to wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) migrating beyond the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary. The Mackenzie herd is one of the few remaining populations not infected by bovine brucellosis (Brucella abortus) and tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis). Interaction with nearby infected herds could introduce widespread infection.
Lake expansion is often driven by changes in climate, however climate records for this region are lacking. Dendrochronology
can be used to examine longer-term climate. Climate was reconstructed using nine white spruce (Picea glauca) chronologies. Correlations were highest between the chronologies and the Palmer Drought Severity Index, which show climate variability has increased within the study area since 1915. Remote sensing results correlate with positive phases of the July-October Pacific North American pattern, however the freezing date of the active layer may provide a better understanding of water level fluctuations.


title: Ocular and Attentional Pursuit Tracking in Visuo-Spatial Working Memory

abstract:
Despite evidence of interference between spatial working memory and ocular control (e.g., Baddeley, 1986; Lawrence et al, 2001; Pearson & Sahraie, 2003; Postle et al., 2006) an equivalent interference to visual working memory has never been carefully examined. In Experiment 1 (n=18), participants made either pursuit eye movements or equivalent shifts of attention during the retention of visual information. Visual working memory was disrupted by both conditions but eye movements produced a larger impairment. In Experiment 2 (n=12), a novel paradigm for investigating the effects of eye
movements and shifts of attention on visuo-spatial encoding processes was used. Discrimination performance was better when visuo-spatial representations were encoded using attentional tracking than when encoded using eye movements. The results suggest that visual and spatial working memory encoding and maintenance processes are impaired by concurrent tasks that require spatial attention and ocular motor processing.


title: The Effect of Steel Fibre-Reinforced Grout on the Tension Stiffening Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Masonry

abstract: This thesis presents the results of an experimental program designed to investigate the influence of steel fibre reinforced grout on the tension stiffening effect in reinforced concrete masonry. In particular; variables such as steel fibre content, steel reinforcement ratio, unit type, fibre aspect ratio and loading type are investigated to determine their effect on the tension stiffening behavior of steel fibre reinforced concrete masonry.


title: Stressor re-exposure effects on behaviour and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in male and female mice

abstract:
The neurochemical effects of stressful events involve a range of adaptive responses to environmental challenges. However, repeated stressors may result in the development of psychopathologies such as anxiety and depression. The immune signaling molecule, pro-inflammatory cytokines, has been linked to the development of such illnesses. Interestingly, distinct differences in stressor responsiveness exist between the sexes, alongside a much higher rate of affective disorders in females. In the present experiments we examined if repeated exposure to stressors would impact male and female CD-1
mice differently with respect to behaviour as well as cytokine expression. Repeatedly stressed males demonstrated impulsive behaviour along with sensitized IL-1β expression. In follow-up experiments the role of 17β-estradiol was examined, with stressed males that were exposed to estrogen showing reduced TNF-α expression while similarly treated females had a drastic elevation in IL-6. The current results demonstrate the differences in the stressor response system between the sexes.


title: Haptically Healing:  Architecture for Alzheimer's

abstract:
One of the major health concerns of our generation is the increase in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. With this trend comes a need for new systems of support and a concern for quality of care. Ongoing medical research includes not only treatments for the body and brain but also the importance of environmental design. Along with the medical profession, architects also have the ability to design environments that can positively effect the well-being of individuals, through careful attention to the particular sensorial needs of those with Alzheimer’s. This thesis proposes
utilizing sensory and spatial design research regarding Alzheimer’s disease to design a Haptic Retirement Residence for Alzheimer’s that will promote enhanced well-being. Although each individual is unique, the similarity of possessing the senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste provides a common departure point for design.


title: Formulaic Language in the Interactions of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mixed Methods Multiple Case Study

abstract:
This mixed methods multiple case study examines formulaic language in the speech of four children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Play sessions were recorded to collect speech samples. Parents of participants acted as informants during the recording sessions and completed questionnaires. Three analyses were carried out: a qualitative analysis of situational factors that potentially impacted the prevalence of formulaic language, a quantitative analysis of the prevalence of formulaic language in speech samples using a classification system developed for the study, and a qualitative
functional analysis of 36 formulaic sequences. Various situational factors increased or decreased formulaic language use, though all four participants used formulas. Formulas corresponded to several categories and varied in conventionality, whether in form or function. Nonetheless, the qualitative analysis indicated that formulas had several functional uses in the interactions of participants. These findings have implications for future research and language assessment and intervention in ASD.


title: Identification of Femoral-Acetabular Symptoms Using sEMG Signals During Dynamic Contraction

abstract:
This thesis focuses on development of an algorithm that automatically identifies a Femoroacetabular Impingement patient from a healthy control person by comparing their surface electromyography signal recorded from Gluteus Maximus, Tensor Fasciae Latae, and Rectus Femoris muscles in the hip area. A discrete wavelet transform method was used to analyze sEMG signals. The Bior3.9 WF was selected as it provided higher amount of energy for most of the subjects and then the wavelet power spectrum was computed for healthy control and FAI groups. The results show that the RF muscle is more active in
the ascending phase than the descending phase for FAI subjects, whereas it is more active in the descending phase for healthy control. An independent sample t-test was used to check the activities of muscle in both groups.  No significant difference for GMax and TFL muscles was found, while there is a significant difference for RF muscle.


title: Examining the Gilded Cage: Synthesis, Optical Properties and Plasmonic Applications of Gold Nanocages

abstract:
The methods of synthesis and characterization of the optical properties of gold nanocages produced by templated galvanic exchange of silver nanocubes is reported. The potential applications of gold nanocages with various environmental and surface conditions were investigated based on the ability to tune the localized surface plasmon resonance modes to a series of desired wavelengths and bandwidths. Collaboration with the Albert group (Department of Electronics) was carried out with the successful assembly, as well as limit of detection and sensitivity improvements, of a protein biosensor
supported on a titled fibre Bragg grating. Investigations into the fluorescence quenching effects of silica-capped gold nanocages was carried out using a tailored selection of fluorescent dyes to enable potential enhancement and/or quenching using the same nanostructure. The optical properties of gold nanocages allow for many potential uses of the same nanostructure in a wide variety of applications, including biomedical and biosensing applications.


title: Social Network Size: The Effect of Construal Priming on Social Groups

abstract:
Four studies examined how people group their relationships with other people and how social groups are structured. Study 1 provided a baseline for the number and types of social groups that individuals construct as their social network. Studies 2 and 3 examined whether construal mindset changes the way people sort their relationships. I expected that individuals adopting an abstract mindset would report having fewer, more vague social groups (e.g., "friends”), compared to those adopting a concrete mindset, who would report more, specific groups (e.g., "school friends"). Results
suggested that construal mindset did not affect social group structures. As a follow-up on this unexpected result, a comparison of the effect of construal on social-groups-sorting versus household-object-sorting confirmed that construal mindset’s influence might simply not extend to cognition about social groups (Study 4). Together, these studies suggest that while social group structures are malleable they are not significantly shifted by construal mindset.


title: Crippling Occident: Heidigger and Being-Impaired

abstract:
I attempt to trace Heidegger’s development from existential phenomenology to the task of
thinking, by way of analyzing the impairment-disability problem in late modern societies. I
contend that Heidegger’s critique of Cartesian subjectivity is a useful starting point for
understanding the experience of impaired persons and the world of disability. Thence, I link this
experience to the problems of the will and modern nihilism that form so much of Heidegger’s
critique of contemporary life. I argue that both Heidegger’s critique of technology and the will
can help us
understand the thanotopolitical dimensions of able bodied/minded normativity,
suggesting that disability studies can enhance an analysis of Heidegger’s writings and Heidegger
can provide a much needed philosophic framework to disability studies.