title: Property, Territory, and Peace: Liberal Order and the US-Canada Security Community

contributor:
Haglund, David
Political Studies

subject:
US-Canada Relations
International Security
Civil Liberties
Canadian Political Development

abstract: Why and how did the US-Canada security community emerge? This dissertation offers a historical materialist reassessment of peace between Canada and the United States. It contends that the evolution of political policing, informed by the development of social property relations in North America from colonization to the 20th century, represents an underappreciated factor in the transformation of the US-Canada space from a zone of conflict to one of peace. Geopolitically mediated class dynamics shaped the region’s institutions, territoriality, and foreign policies before the community’s emergence. Until the 20th century, governing authorities in the two territories often regarded each other as potential allies of their respective internal enemies including Indigenous peoples, populist agitators, and secessionists. However, the consolidation of transnational industrial capitalism in the region ultimately gave rise to a sense of common cause. Faced with leftist and anti-colonial agitation, the US and Canada began to integrate their security measures. Over time, ideas of national security, and the political policing this entailed, became intertwined with international conflicts and the familiar image of the US-Canada security community as an instance of solidarity against external threats could take hold. But this obscured the persistent relevance of political policing to the community’s operation. This dissertation’s argument engages with theories of liberal peace, both capitalist peace theory and democratic peace theory, as they have been applied to the US-Canada case and beyond. Ultimately, I conclude that it is necessary to supplement these theories with a recognition of how capitalism has shaped the idea of democracy and liberal governance’s internal tension between the suppression of dissent in defence of liberal values and the toleration of dissent as an ideological tenet. When these factors are considered, the US-Canada security community can be understood not simply as an instance of liberal peace, but as a product of a fundamentally capitalist liberal order.

abstract: PhD


title: The Making of Martyrs: Musicians, Mythmaking, and Counter-Discourse

contributor:
Rutherford, Scott
Cultural Studies

rights: Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada

rights: ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

rights: This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

subject:
Mythmaking
National Identity
Symbols
Canada
Folk Music
Gordon Lightfoot
Research Creation

abstract: This research-creation project includes an album of music, an album historiography, and critical essays which question dominant narratives which inform the Canadian identity and present counter-narratives. The central questions this project grapples with are: (1) How has mythology and omission shaped Canadian national identity?; (2) What has been folk music’s role in perpetuating and also reimagining Canadian national mythology?; and (3) How can folk music be used to interrogate Canadian national mythology and present a counter-narrative? The critical essays are divided into Chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 examines the ideology of nationalism and Canadian national mythology, largely informed by the works of Benedict Anderson, Bernard Yack, and Daniel Francis. This includes discussions around the role of cultural production and the sociohistorical context of the 1960s in Canada. Chapter 2 presents a case study and critical inquiry into the creation and popularity of Gordon Lightfoot’s song, Canadian Railroad Trilogy, along with a lyrical analysis. Chapter 3 provides a historiography of my album, as well as my research-creation methodology and an in-depth analysis of the lyrical content of my album.

abstract: M.A.


title: Exploring the cellular basis of environmental stress and plant development: Bioremediation potential of Senna and gene function in Populus

contributor:
Regan, Sharon
Biology

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States

subject:
phytoremediation
gene discovery
Senna occidentalis
Populus alba x Populus tremula
phytostabilization
plant transformation
ligand-gated ion channel

abstract: This thesis addresses two projects that have been investigated with two different scientific approaches, and yet are linked by the role of ion transporters. Ion transporters play important roles in many different plant processes, including signaling, stress response, and metabolism, and can have large impacts on plant development and health. In the first project, the physiology of Senna occidentalis L. is examined to assess its phytoremediation capabilities. S. occidentalis has previously been identified as a potential plant for the phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils. Here, Senna was exposed to a range of Cd and As treatments, and its tolerance was examined through health parameters of biomass and chlorophyll, proline, and hydrogen peroxide levels. High translocation of the metals from the soil to the roots, but low translocation from root to aboveground tissues, suggest Senna occidentalis to be a good phytostabilizer of Cd- and As-contaminated soils. This result indications that ion transporters play a significant role in moving Cd and As from the soil to the root, but have less of a role in moving them from the root to aboveground tissues. In the second project, a molecular approach was used to investigate the activation-tagged poplar mutant named shriveled leaf. The candidate gene Potri.001G356200.1 was identified due to its 2X upregulated transcript levels in the mutant. The function of the gene is not known but it has been putatively identified as an extracellular ligand-gated ion channel in Arabidopsis. The poplar candidate gene was then cloned, inserted into an overexpression vector, and transformed into wild-type poplar in an attempt to recapitulate the mutant phenotype. Due to the long timeframe required to create transgenic poplars, the transformants are still in tissue culture, but future phenotypic analyses will determine if this gene is responsible for the mutant phenotype. Assuming the transgenic lines mimic the mutant phenotype, this would be the first link of this ion transporter to a distinct developmental phenotype. Together, these studies contribute to our understanding of ion channels in both stress responses and developmental processes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Automatic Classification of Fragmented Rock using Proprioceptive Sensing

contributor:
Marshall, Joshua
Mining Engineering

subject: Fragmentation Mining Classification

abstract:
Acquiring meaningful information about excavation material characteristics, such as material type, density, cohesion, and size distribution, can help to optimize upstream and downstream operations in applications such as mining, construction, aggregate material handling and preparation, and space exploration and development. Furthermore, information about the material characteristics might also be used to adapt machine controllers used for autonomous excavation. Though some properties, including rock size distribution, can be estimated visually by using exteroceptive sensors (e.g., cameras and laser scanners), issues such as occlusion and poor lighting conditions (e.g., underground) and dust can significantly limit the performance of vision-based methods.
The automatic classification of fragmented rock research presented in this thesis focuses on the development and study of approaches that use proprioceptive sensing and wavelet analysis. Proprioceptive sensing is applicable in dark, dusty and harsh environments that limit the use of exteroceptive sensor data. Signals generated from proprioceptive sensors are transient and non-periodic, making it well suited for wavelet analysis as compared to Fourier analysis.
Preliminary dumping experiments using small scale equipment were conducted that showed the potential of using custom wavelet features, created using wavelet analysis, and the connection to the size of fragmented rocks. Further experiments conducted using larger equipment that interacts with material through excavation reinforced the connection between size distribution and the wavelet features. An analytical solution was developed and tested connecting the wavelet features to the mean particle size of fragmented rock. The solution requires the use of a reference or ground truth mean particle size that can be generated using any method of size distribution estimation and the ratio of wavelet features to estimate the mean size of an unknown fragmented rock pile. Through extensive experiments performed using small, medium and full sized equipment and numerous fragmented rock piles, the developed method was compared with the ground truth. All experiments were performed with manually operated equipment, which introduced variability in the acquired data. The results show that the proposed methodology has promise as a new technique for providing mean rock size estimates by using only proprioceptive information.

abstract: PhD


title: Analytical Forward and Inverse Modelling of Bobbin Steam Generator Inspection Probes

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Non Destructive Evaluation
Eddy Current
Inverse Algorithm
Analytical Model
CANDU

abstract: The Steam Generators (SGs) of CANadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU®) nuclear reactors require consistent inspections to ensure their safe operation. Eddy Current Testing (ECT) is the primary method by which the SG tubes are inspected. Many conditions in the SG tubes affect the Eddy Current (EC) response, such as fretting, pitting, cracking, as well as tube expansion, the tubesheet and support structures. When two or more of these parameters overlap, the EC signal from a flaw may become difficult to distinguish from background signal variations. Multifrequency mixing can be used to separate certain features. However, this technique cannot completely filter out unwanted signals. In this work, analytical models that described the impedance of a bobbin coil 1) in a tube, 2) coaxial with a hole in a plate, and 3) with a plate encircling an arbitrary number of cylindrical conductors was developed. These models were validated against Finite Element Method (FEM) modelling and experiment. Models one and three, which are most relevant to SG inspection, were then used in a Gauss-Newton (GN) inversion algorithm to estimate physical parameters for given impedance values. The inversion of the first model, bobbin coil in a tube, performed well when experimental impedance values were used as inputs. In the inversion of the third model, impedances calculated by FEM with circumferential grooves, representing flaws, were used as inputs. When the algorithm encountered a groove on the tube’s inner diameter, the error output of the algorithm tended to increase, since these features had not been incorporated into the analytical model. When the groove was on the tube’s outer diameter, the estimates of the parameters tended to change. In both cases, the effect tended to be independent of the groove’s position with respect to the plate’s edge, indicating that the algorithm can separate multiparameter signals, and characterize flaws to a limited extent. Results demonstrate the potential of the GN algorithm to detect flaws under

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Sexuality or sexualities? Exploring branched/coincident sexual ecologies via sexual configurations theory

contributor:
van Anders, Sari
Psychology

subject:
Norms
Sexual Orientation
Sexual Configurations Theory
Pornography
Fantasy
Partnered Sexuality

abstract: This dissertation investigates branchedness (i.e., distinction, divergence) and coincidence (i.e., similarity, overlap) in sexuality across what I call “sexual ecologies:” mutually constituted sexualities and contexts/environments. I focus specifically on porn sexuality (i.e., sexuality involving media that can be auditory, visual, and/or written), fantasy sexuality (i.e., sexuality involving thoughts that can be auditory, visual, and/or sensory), and in-person sexuality (sexuality where at least one partner is physically present). In Chapter 1, I ground this work in sexual configurations theory (SCT; van Anders, 2015), from which I draw the concepts of branchedness and coincidence. I draw on cultural and socioecological psychology to define sexual ecologies, and articulate ways in which porn sexuality, fantasy sexuality, and in-person sexuality are ecologically distinct. In Chapter 2, I present the results of an interview study in which participants used a novel interactive diagram tool to map the extent to which their sexual orientation (i.e., interests/attractions) were branched/coincident across porn sexuality, fantasy sexuality, and in-person sexuality. In Chapter 3, I present the results of two online studies in which participants used the same diagram tool to map their perceptions of sexual norms across these ecologies. Across the three studies, people reported substantial branchedness as well as coincidence in what they were sexually interested in/attracted to and what they perceived to be normative across these sexual ecologies. This provides evidence that sexuality, or sexualities, can be understood together with, rather than as separate from, their contexts/environments. In Chapter 4, I describe the implications of this dissertation for researchers, clinicians, and the general public. My findings provide a novel way to measure, conceptualize, and understand sexualities as part of sexual ecologies, and have the potential to reshape the way we understand porn sexuality, fantasy sexuality, and in-person sexuality, and how they are related to one another.

abstract: PhD


title: Study of Fuel-Oxygen Mixing in a Cold Single Shot Linear Rotating Detonation Engine

contributor:
Ciccarelli, Gabriel
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Detonation Propagation
Fluid Dynamics
Rotating Detonation Engine
RDE
CFD

abstract:
An experimental and numerical study was undertaken to examine the detonation behaviour and the effect of mixing in a Cold Single Shot Linear Rotating Detonation Engine. Observations of the experimental work were performed using schlieren photography as well as stereo soot impressions. A planar detonation wave was developed by spark ignition of a premixed hydrogen oxygen mixture upstream of a horizontal sliding door which separated an inert gas from the premixed combustible mixture. The detonation was then sustained through an inert gas (Ar) by way of a hydrogen and oxygen layer injected in the optical section. This layer was created via separate feed lines which fed each gas into a manifold which consisted of a linear array of injection holes to inject the gas into the channel. The height of the injected layer was controllable through a delay generator which applied a preset delay to the solenoid valves controlling the hydrogen and oxygen injection into the manifold. The width of the optical section was variable between 12, 10 and 8 mm to evaluate the effect the width of the channel had on the resulting detonation. Reducing the channel width was observed to improve the detonation indicated by increased average velocity, and improved steadiness which was observed through the cellular structure left by the detonation. Tests performed in the narrower channel were also able to successfully propagate through the optical section using shorter injection times, meaning decreased height and reduced mixing time of the injected layer.
A numerical mixing study of the injection process was also performed using ANSYS Fluent 2020 R2. This computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation modelled the gas injection process from the moment the valves opened to the arrival of the detonation into the optical section. This calculation was performed to characterize the injection process which takes place in the experimental tests and to verify and evaluate proposed modifications to the original experimental apparatus and more specifically the injection scheme. The results from these simulations corroborated the results that were observed in the experimental testing that the current injection geometry produces poor mixing in the injected layer and leads to significant argon dilution. Numerical results with the narrower channel showed significantly improved mixing which confirmed the observations that were made during the experimental testing of the narrower channel.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: You Should be Flattered: An Examination of the Non-Reporting of Stalking Victimization

contributor:
Sytsma, Victoria
Sociology

subject:
Stalking
Victimization
Non-Reporting
Legislation
General Social Survey

abstract: Reports from the 2014 Canadian Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization show that only 39% of individuals who have been a victim of stalking had reported their victimization to law enforcement, leaving an astounding 61% of victims to cope with their victimization in silence. Stalking is an interpersonal crime that is highly invasive, yet many victims are reluctant bring to law enforcement. To create a safer Canada, there is a desperate need to address why victims of stalking do not notify law enforcement of their victimization. The main objectives of this thesis are to identify relationships between stalking victimization and Canadian demographics, as well as to close a gap in literature exploring stalking victimization and non-reporting patterns. To achieve these objectives, the Canadian General Social Survey (GSS) – Victimization (2014) is used to analyze respondent accounts of their demographic, stalking victimization, and the reasons why they chose not to report their victimization to law enforcement. Findings show that there are three main categories of non-reporting behaviours: 1. Intrapersonal Perceptions; 2. Interpersonal Relationships; and 3. Distrust with the Criminal Legal System.

abstract: M.A.


title: CO2-SWITCHABLE MATERIALS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS FOR AQUEOUS BASED PROTECTIVE COATINGS

contributor:
Jessop, Philip
Cunningham, Michael
Chemistry

subject: Coatings water-based solvent-based CO2-switchable

abstract: Solvent-based coatings used today contain large amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to dissolve polymers that give protective coatings. VOCs are often directly released into the environment contributing to smog formation and are health and safety hazards. However, solvent-based coatings are durable in outdoor environments, hard, have high gloss, and are compatible with many types of surfaces making them the primary method to protect surfaces of, for instance, transportation vehicles and infrastructure. Water-based coatings have been developed to address many of the health and environmental concerns of solvent-based technologies. Water, used as a dispersant for polymer nanoparticles that coalesce to form the coating, is sustainable, environmentally friendly, non-flammable, and easy to clean. However, water-based coatings for many applications lack the same performance as their solvent-based counterparts, give softer coatings that are less durable, have low gloss finishes, need more extensive surface preparation and can be incompatible with many surfaces. Thus, water-based coatings are primarily used in interior architectural applications and have had challenges replacing solvent-based technologies in industrial applications. An ideal coating technology would be water-based and with performance properties of solvent-based coatings. CO2-switchable materials are attractive candidates for protective coatings. CO2-switchable materials have amine containing functional groups that become protonated and form bicarbonate ions in the presence of CO2 and water to become hydrophilic. The loss of water and CO2 as the coating dries forms the neutral and hydrophobic form of the material. In this thesis, a new type of water-based coating with no VOCs that uses CO2-switchable materials to improve the performance of conventional water-based coatings is presented. This work investigated CO2-switchable polymers as binders in water-based (non-latex) coatings that share the mechanism of film formation of solvent-based coatings and have many of the high-performance properties of solvent-based coatings. CO2-switchable surfactants were also explored as replacements for conventional surfactants in water-based (latex) formulations to give coatings with improved water-resistance. Both types of CO2-switchable materials were carefully designed, synthesized, and tested against commercial solvent-based or water-based coatings to assess improvements in performance. Promising results were identified which could introduce a new class of carbonated water-based protective coatings.

abstract: PhD


title: Investigation into the interaction between Arabidopsis thaliana calmodulinlike proteins 13 and 14 and calmodulin-binding transcriptional activators

contributor:
Snedden, Wayne
Biology

subject:
CAMTA
Salinity Response
Arabidopsis
Calcium Signaling
Calmodulin
Calmodulin-like protein
Osmotic Response

abstract: A common theme among eukaryotic cells is the use of calcium ions (Ca2+) as second messengers to coordinate responses during information processing. In plants, Ca2+ signals are evoked during responses to abiotic and biotic stresses and during development. These signals are detected by Ca2+-binding proteins (sensors), such as the evolutionarily-conserved protein calmodulin (CaM), which regulates various downstream target proteins to organize signal transduction pathways. In addition to CaM, plants possess many CaM-like proteins (CMLs) that are not found in animals. The genetic model, Arabidopsis, has seven CaMs and 50 CMLs, most of which remain unstudied. Previous work in our lab found that the Arabidopsis thaliana paralogs, CML13 and CML14, possess unique biochemical properties among CaMs and CMLs and interact with protein targets that have multiple isoleucine/glutamine (IQ) domains. Here, I explored the interaction of CaM, CML13, and CML14 with the six members of the CaM-binding transcriptional activator (CAMTA) family, all of which are predicted to possess at least two IQ regions. Using a combination of in planta and in vitro protein-interaction assays, I observed the IQ-region of all six CAMTAs associated with CaM, CML13, and CML14 relative to negative controls. Full-length CAMTAs, except CAMTA4, which was not available for testing, associated in planta with CaM, CML13, and CML14. Delineation of individual IQ regions from CAMTA6 and CAMTA3 suggested some preference for specific CAMTA-IQ regions among CaM, CML13, and CML14. In vitro binding assays indicated that the C-terminal region of CAMTA6 may influence the specificity and/or calciumdependence of CaM, CML13, and CML14 binding to IQ regions. Genetic analyses, using camta6 mutant plants, transgenic plants overexpressing GFP-CML13 or GFP-CML14, or plants lacking full-length CML13, showed differential responses to salinity stress, when compared to wild-type plants. Plants lacking CAMTA6 or CML13 showed enhanced salinity tolerance whereas overexpression of CML13 or CML14 led to increased sensitivity. Collectively, my data indicate that CML13 and CML14 participate in abiotic stress signaling and support the hypothesis that in addition to CaM, CML13 and CML14 are CAMTA effectors which may contribute to the regulation of gene expression during stress response.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Effect of Shame on Endothelial Function and Self-Rated Health: Implications of Stigmatization

contributor:
Pyke, Kyra
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Shame
Endothelial function
Cardiovascular
Self-rated health
Hyperglycemia
Stress
Physiology
Nocebo

abstract: Shame, an unpleasant emotion that happens when we think less of ourselves, is an emotion that many humans have experienced or inflicted upon others at some time in their lives. Common uses of shame include encouraging people to change “undesirable” behaviours (e.g. unhealthy diet) or encouraging people to buy products. Importantly, some people are exposed to shame more often including those who are part of stigmatized groups. Despite the presence and use of shame in our society, very little is known about how shame affects human physiology and health and no studies have examined the impact of shame on cardiovascular function. One important index of cardiovascular function that may be affected by shame is endothelial function which is important for both the function of blood vessels and cardiovascular health. To address this literature gap, this thesis set out to explore the impact of isolated and more real-world shame experiences on endothelial function and health. More specifically, this thesis examined: 1) the effectiveness of an isolated shame induction protocol to induce shame in a laboratory setting; 2) the impact of an isolated acute shame induction protocol on endothelial function; 3) chronic shame as a determinant of self-rated health in middle-aged adults, and; 4) how a more real-world experience of shame moderates the effect of high sugar/fat consumption on endothelial function. The primary findings of this thesis are that: 1) the isolated shame induction protocol was an effective method to increase shame in a laboratory setting; 2) an acute bout of shame brought on by the isolated shame induction protocol impaired FMD in young, healthy men and women; 3) among American middle-aged adults, chronic shame was a significant predictor of poor self-rated health independent of other risk factors, and; 4) feelings of shame did not increase in response to the real-world shame stimulus (consumption of high sugar/fat beverage) but, FMD was only negatively affected when participants perceived the same high sugar/fat beverage to be more harmful and less healthy. The findings of this thesis advance our understanding of the impact of shame and perception on human physiology and health.

abstract: PhD


title: Correlations Between Stroke Impairments Associated with the Arm and Hand

contributor:
Scott, Stephen
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
stroke
correlations
impairment
Kinarm
Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment

abstract:
Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide that can result in a variety of motor, sensory, and/or cognitive impairments. The assessment of these impairments is crucial for prescribing proper treatment. However, assessing all potential impairments associated with stroke would require a substantial amount of time and resources. Time is often a limiting factor for individuals with stroke, who may fatigue very quickly, as well as clinicians, who are tasked with treating an increasing number of individuals due to the increasing number of individuals surviving stroke. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate possible ways to reduce stroke assessment.
In our first study, we investigated impairments of the arm and hand during subacute stroke using the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment for the Arm and Hand. We also compared the arm and hand to measures of function with Kinarm robotic technology and the Perdue Pegboard Test. We found high correlations (0.75-0.79) between impairments of the arm and hand as well as moderate-to-high correlations (0.40-0.81) across all other measures and no significant differences between the arm and hand.
In our second study, we explored correlations between parameters for a variety of Kinarm Standard Tests, which included tasks of motor, sensory, and cognitive function. We found correlations for neurologically healthy individuals displayed relatively low correlations across most tasks (r<0.40). Correlations tended to increase both within and between tasks for individuals with stroke. However, most correlations remained at approximately 0.5 or less, meaning performance on one task explained only about 25% of the variance in other tasks.
The findings of this thesis suggest the need to assess a broad range of sensory, motor, and cognitive functions to adequately quantify impairments following stroke. The high correlations between hand and arm impairments suggest that it is possible to estimate the level of impairment in the arm and hand based on the assessment of one.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Laminar-Turbulent Transition Over a Flat Plate With Surface Imperfections

contributor:
Piomelli, Ugo
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS)
Laminar-turbulent transition

abstract:
The present work attempted to explore the fundamental instability mechanisms that govern the laminar-turbulent transition over a flat plate with surface imperfections, to mimick the flow over an engine nacelle-lip, either with uniform freestream velocity or in the presence of pressure gradients. These studies were performed via direct numerical simulations. Geometries considered included backward- and forward-facing steps, and cavities representative of roughness commonly seen in manufacturing; the step-sizes and cavity depth were fairly small compared to the local boundary-layer thickness. The pressure gradients were similar to those encountered on nacelle lips.

We considered both two- and three-dimensional configurations; the former highlighted the linear behaviour of Tollmien-Schlichting waves, whereas the latter showed the flow evolution from weak to essential non-linearity. A narrow ribbon, placed upstream of the surface imperfection, generated the perturbations for both configurations; a controlled Klebanoff-type transition was initiated in three-dimensional domain. The perturbations were stabilised and onset of transition was delayed for the a medium-height forward-facing step, whereas in all other cases they were amplified and transition was accelerated. In backward-facing step and cavity cases, the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability was the dominant mechanism that drove the amplification in the separation region. Gortler vortices, typical of centrifugal instability, were not observed within the cavity, although multiple regions were identified where curvature effects could play a role. Although the local instability mechanisms for each surface imperfection differed, the impact was localised; the route to turbulence via the Klebanoff regime remained qualitatively the same independent of stabilising or destabilising effect.

abstract: PhD


title: Biomedical Data Mining with Evolutionary Computing

contributor:
Hu, Ting
Computing

subject:
Linear Genetic Algorithm
Machine learning
Metabolomics
Evolutionary computing

abstract:
Direct link between metabolism and cell and organism phenotype in health and disease makes metabolomics, a high throughput study of small molecular metabolites, an essential methodology for understanding and diagnosing disease development and progression. Machine learning methods have seen increasing adoptions in metabolomics thanks to their powerful prediction abilities. However, the “black-box” nature of many machine learning models remains a major challenge for wide acceptance and utility as it makes the interpretation of decision process difficult. This challenge is particularly predominant in biomedical research where understanding of the underlying decision making mechanism is essential for ensuring safety and gaining new knowledge.

In this thesis, we proposed 1) a novel computational framework, Systems Metabolomics using Interpretable Learning and Evolution (SMILE), for supervised metabolomics data analysis 2) an extension of SMILE on hidden class clustering (SMILE-clustering). Our methodology uses an evolutionary algorithm to learn interpretable predictive models and to identify the most influential metabolites and their interactions in association with disease. Moreover, we have developed a web application with a graphical user interface that can be used for easy analysis, interpretation and visualization of the results. Performance of the method and utilization of the web interface is shown using metabolomics data for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

SMILE was able to identify several influential metabolites in AD and to provide interpretable predictive models that can be further used for a better understanding of the metabolic background of AD. In addition, SMILE-clustering enables us to discover two distinct classes in a community-based adolescent lipidomics dataset. SMILE addresses the emerging issue of interpretability and explainability in machine learning, and contributes to more transparent and powerful applications of machine learning in bioinformatics.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing of Helical Pile Loads in Pile-Reinforced Rail Applications

contributor:
Take, Andy
Hoult, Neil
Civil Engineering

subject:
Helical piles
Pile reinforcement
Railway rehabilitation
Soil arching

abstract: Localized areas of weak subgrade under rail tracks can lead to increased damage to the rail and rail sleepers, and rapid deterioration of the trackbed geometry requiring frequent maintenance. One solution to mitigate this problem is the installation of piles under the rail in the ballast, which would then allow for the loads from the tracks to bypass any low stiffness subgrade materials. However, there are uncertainties regarding the distribution of loads in this system, which require improved measurements of pile behaviour to understand. The objectives of this thesis are to a) develop a technique for measuring axial load and bending along the full length of helical piles, and b) use these measurements to understand the load distribution in a pile-reinforced rail foundation. To protect the distributed fibre optic sensors during pile installation, a PVC insert method was adopted, whereby a series of distributed fibre optic strain sensors were installed on a PVC pipe, which was then placed inside a steel helical pile, and the two were epoxied together. The strain measurements were then used to calculate both the axial loading and bending along the length of the pile. Four prototypes were constructed to examine the impact of pile diameter and fibre type, and in-air eccentric axial load testing was completed. The strain measurements from the PVC inserts were in good agreement with strain measurements from fibres mounted to the outside of the pile. A fullscale laboratory test setup involving a single railway tie supported by four helical piles was used to investigate the impact of ballast depth on pile load. Four load tests were completed on the system at ballast depths of 900, 635, and 350 mm, with three of the tests having three cycles up to 50 kN applied, and the final test having one cycle up to 90 kN. The response of the system during the loading was monitored using the developed PVC insert sensor system and a series of settlement plates. The distributed measurements of axial and bending moment showed a transition between negative and positive skin friction at a simulated low stiffness layer, and end bearing. The pile group was found to carry approximately 8% of the total load at a ballast depth of 900 mm and 20% of the total load at the depths of 635 and 350 mm.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The Influence of Submarine Channel Sinuosity on Grain-Size Sorting of Channel Fill and Levee Deposits

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

subject:
Submarine channel
Sinuosity
Turbidity current
Turbidites
Levee

abstract: Sinuous channels are common features of submarine fan systems and serve as a pathway for turbidity currents. Turbidity currents are sediment laden, gravity-driven underwater turbulent flows that transport sediments from the continental shelf into deep water. Previous studies have shown that sinuosity influences turbidity current flow dynamics through collision with channel walls and sediment re-mixing at bends, and this impacts sediment transport and depositional potential. Through flume experiments conducted at Queen’s Engineering Coastal Laboratory, turbidity currents were released into preformed submarine channels with varying channel sinuosity including straight channel (1.0), low sinuosity channel (1.15), medium sinuosity channel (1.25), and high sinuosity channel (1.35), with the aim of investigating the control of sinuosity on grain-size distribution and sorting of channel fill and levee deposits. With a total of four experiments (one for each channel), results indicate that at high channel sinuosity, channel fill are coarser and thicker upstream, and increasingly become fine grained and thinner downstream due to less sediment supply at high sinuosity. Fine grain content of outer levee deposits increases with increasing sinuosity, while inner levees show consistent grain-size trends with coarse grain dominance. With increasing sinuosity (low to high), current overspill is more pronounced and channel fill volume decreases, with high deposit volume only in upstream areas due to reduction in flow velocity as currents negotiate bends. The fine grain dominance (outer levees and channel fill) and lower deposit volume downstream at high channel sinuosity is indicative of poor  reservoir quality. While coarser and thicker upstream deposit have relatively better reservoir quality.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Application of the Stable-Modifiable Model of Vulnerability and Resilience Processes in Those with Endometriosis

contributor:
Pukall, Caroline
Psychology

subject:
Endometriosis
Resilience
Sexual distress
Sexual satisfaction
Pain

abstract: Endometriosis is a chronic, multisystemic estrogen-dependent disease of inflammation characterized by the ectopic presence of endometrial-like tissue occurring in areas outside of the uterus, often resulting in significant impacts on social well-being, psychological health, and sexual health. Despite endometriosis being found in individuals with diverse genders and ethnocultural backgrounds, most research has focused on white cisgender women. Few studies have addressed sexuality-related variables in the endometriosis population despite the well-known relationship between sexual health and quality of life. Considering the significant knowledge gaps related to adaptive outcomes in individuals with endometriosis, the current study aimed to use a vulnerability and resilience framework to examine several psychological variables that may be associated with sexual distress and sexual satisfaction in a sample inclusive of anyone (regardless of sex or gender) who has received a diagnosis or suspects a diagnosis of endometriosis. Associations between sexual self-consciousness, sexual flexibility, fear of pain, pain catastrophizing, pain self-efficacy, chronic pain acceptance, trait resilience, sexual distress, and sexual satisfaction were examined using multiple mediation, and multiple moderated moderated mediation models. The current study included 523 individuals in an intimate and/or romantic relationship with a diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of endometriosis. A significant indirect effect of sexual self-consciousness on sexual distress through sexual flexibility and pain catastrophizing was found. There was also a significant indirect effect of sexual self-consciousness on sexual satisfaction through pain catastrophizing when fear of pain was included as a moderator of pain catastrophizing. Thus, the relationship between sexuality and psychological pain experience is more complex than originally thought and requires further attention. Future research should investigate both intra- and interpersonal modifiable and stable vulnerability and resilience factors associated with sexual distress and sexual satisfaction in individuals with endometriosis who are in partnered relationships.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Exploring How Encoding Modality Affects Memory Performance in Organic Chemistry

contributor:
Bongers, Amanda
Chemistry

subject:
Chemistry education
Cognition
Encoding

abstract: Models of chemical structures and processes play a vital role in chemistry learning as they help students visualize sub-microscopic entities that are invisible to the naked eye. However, despite the plethora of psychological studies on how information is processed in the mind, particularly how drawing a picture of the referent of a word helps us remember the word better, we still know little about how the human brain holds and manipulates memory of chemical models. The works presented in this thesis were designed to address the shortage of memory research in chemistry education as well as the lack of applicability of psychological research in science teaching. Specifically, I explored the effect of encoding modality on learners’ recall and recognition memory of chemical names and structures. In the series on online experiments in Chapter 3, I found that writing was the most effective encoding mode to help undergraduate students recognize chemical names, but the same mode undermined their recognition memory of chemical structures. Analysis of data from the graduate student and faculty groups revealed that the recognition memory of chemical names produced by the drawing mode improved with participants’ level of expertise. Thus, I demonstrated that representational competence for the stimuli was requisite for drawing to be beneficial to students’ learning of chemical names. In Chapter 4, I explored the effect of encoding modality on students’ recall of chemical names and structures in the context of an authentic classroom. Statistical analyses revealed that drawing produced the best recall of chemical structures, but there was no significant difference in recall of chemical names produced by the different modes. Overall, the findings in this series of works deviated from psychological research claims about the superior benefits of drawing for memory of verbal information and revealed unique memory outcomes that are specific to the context of learning chemical names and structures. Recommendations for teaching and learning of organic chemistry were made.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Supporting Historical Inquiry by Design: The Implications of User Experience Design in Digital History

contributor:
Christou, Theodore
Education

subject:
Digital history
UX
User experience design
Design thinking
Inquiry-based learning
Historical inquiry
History education
Educational websites
Federal Indian Day Schools

abstract: My Master’s research explores the implications of user experience design (UXD) for history education in the Province of Ontario. I propose to integrate this established framework from the discipline of computer science to the development of digital resources intended for the history classroom. Long-standing efforts to shift history education away from content-based pedagogies have led Ontario and other jurisdictions to adopt historical inquiry into curriculum. Since the early 2000s, digital history has been proposed as an innovative means of engaging students in this type of knowledge construction. However, digital resources in history education often fail to meaningfully promote inquiry due to a decades-old shortfall: “Most web pages created by historians tend to be text-heavy and to contain few opportunities for innovative interactions by the user beyond a set of links to explore” (Vess, 2004, p. 386). Today, much of the discussion on digital history still revolves around its unrealized promise to engage students in historical inquiry. My research aims to shift the discursive focus away from the potential benefits of digital history and towards a practical creation process which could help realize these benefits in a Canadian context. First, a document analysis of existing digital history projects was undertaken, utilizing an operationalized lens of historical inquiry. This was concurrently accompanied by the creation of a new digital project mapping the Federal Indian Day Schools. A review of the foundations of UXD was also undertaken, contextualized by the previous explorations, which was synthesized into a new model for developing virtual resources in history education: the Digital History Design Process (DHDP). This research contributes to the classroom application of digital history by publishing a new interactive resource. It also contributes to academic literature by presenting a new framework for developing inquiry-rich resources.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Sonic Terror: Representing the Woman Character in Horror Video Games

contributor:
Lind, Stephanie
Cultural Studies

subject:
music
video games
fear
disruption
Bioshock
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Silent Hill 4
Bloodborne
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
non-linear sound
distortion
Resident Evil: Village
Bayonetta

abstract: The woman character in horror video games is often presented in a negative or simplistic light for the player. Commonly seen as otherly or monstrous, the woman character becomes feared through her appearance and mannerisms but can also be analyzed through sonic elements. Sound and music are important elements that interact with narrative and gameplay, shaping the way in which the player interprets and interacts with the woman figure. This document examines the concept of ‘fear’ and what exactly it means to players: the fear being specifically a change or disruption of order to the player, often manifested in horror video games as women. The games analyzed include Bioshock, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Doki Doki Literature Club, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Bloodborne, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Resident Evil 8: Village and Bayonetta. Fear is designed around the assumption of a male player with a patriarchal understanding of women’s roles in society. Change or disruption to these notions is the basis for the horror. This is not to say that all game experiences are the same or without complexity, but based on a textual analysis of the video games, rooted in foundations of feminist film theory, the research concludes that regressive patriarchal concepts and archetypes continue to exist and endure.

abstract: M.A.


title: The Interplay Between Magnetic Fields and Stellar Feedback in RCW 36

subject:
Physics
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Interstellar medium
Star formation
High-mass filaments
Magnetic fields
Stellar feedback
RCW 36
Vela C giant molecular cloud
Histogram of relative orientations

abstract: Star formation is a complex process with influence from gravity, magnetic fields and turbulence. Magnetic fields are thought to shape gas kinematics and provide support against gravitational collapse, impacting the formation and evolution of star-forming structures. In this work, we investigate the energetic importance of magnetic fields in the presence of ionizing radiation and stellar winds from massive nearby stars. In particular, we study a high mass star-forming region named ‘RCW 36’ located in the Vela C molecular cloud using polarization observations from the instrument SOFIA HAWC+ to infer the plane-of-sky magnetic field on filament scales of ∼0.1-1 pc. We invoke a method known as ‘Histogram of Relative Orientations’ to compare the alignment of interstellar structures relative to the magnetic field orientation. We find that the main dense filament of RCW 36 aligns preferentially perpendicular to the magnetic field, which is consistent with previous large-scale (> 1 pc) studies of Vela C. This suggests that the magnetic field was likely dynamically important when the filament formed. We also find that structures within the photodissociation region (PDR) show a preference for parallel alignment relative to the magnetic field. The magnetic field in these regions appears to be altered, indicating that stellar feedback is warping the flux-frozen gas and dragging the magnetic field lines along with it.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Building Alternatives: Community Land Trusts, Neoliberal Governance, and Transforming  Housing Relations

contributor:
Soederberg, Susanne
Global Development Studies

subject:
housing
community land trusts

abstract: This thesis examines the use of community land trusts as a model of affordable housing delivery, and as a potential component of transformative interventions in the capitalist housing market. Drawing on a Marxist political-economic perspective, and concretely analyzing CLT projects in Vermont and Massachusetts, I ask whether these cases show the capacity for the CLT model to facilitate a move away from housing's embeddedness within forms of neoliberal governance. Looking specifically at their institutional and monetary relationships to systems of displaced survival, marketization of governance, and the state's allocation of social surplus, I argue that although both projects have made significant gains in addressing displacement, and have had uneven but notable success in politicizing otherwise depoliticized and marketized governance, they remain ultimately embedded within the capitalist market and the state through its distribution of social surplus. Based on their histories of contesting the allocation of this surplus, however, and the terms of their relationships to state and capitalist actors, I suggest that these cases further highlight the centrality of political contestation in evaluating the potential of these projects.

abstract: M.A.


title: Advancing Tools and Techniques for the Exploration of Undercover Ore Deposits: A Collection of Mineralogical, Geochemical, and Isotopic Studies to Increase the Detection of Element Migration from Ore Systems

subject:
LA-ICP-MS
Gold
Uranium
Exploration Geochemistry
Fracture Coatings

abstract: This thesis presents three studies that focus on advancing new geochemical exploration tools and techniques to detect the geochemical expression of ore systems. The first study compares mechanical fragmentation and electrodynamic pulse disaggregation sample preparation methods for weak acid leach (2% HNO3) – a proven and effective exploration tool for unconformity-hosted uranium deposits. This study highlights how sample preparation methods result in variable mixes of the original minerals, affecting the element concentrations and Pb isotope ratios extracted by weak acid leach. Clay extracted by electrodynamic pulse disaggregation is the optimal exploration method for unconformity-hosted uranium deposits, producing higher pathfinder element contents and radiogenic Pb values (i.e., 207Pb/206Pb<0.70). The second study highlights a novel laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) technique for measuring elemental content and 207Pb/206Pb on rough fracture coatings to aid exploration programs. Fractures aid element dispersion at depth by providing permeable pathways through which syn- and post-mineralizing fluids can move from mineralization into the surrounding rocks and overburden. If these fluids are associated with ore deposit formation or have encountered a nearby ore deposit, they can leave behind a distinct mineralogical and geochemical signature on the fracture surface as a coating, which could provide evidence of proximity to mineralization. Furthermore, we show that the Pb isotopic signature of buried mineralization is recorded on the fracture surfaces. The third study applies the second study’s LA-ICP-MS technique to measure elements in fractures overlying the Oberon gold deposit, North Territory, Australia. This is the first study looking at fracture coatings as a tool for mineral exploration within a regolith environment. Purple, black, and brown fracture types show the greatest potential as a vector for mineral exploration with fracture coatings associated with botryoidal goethite, high Fe values (up to 549,387 μg/g), and high pathfinder element values (up to 5535 μg/g Σ of Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, Ag, Sb, Te, W, Bi, and Pb). All studies presented show real potential to add value to future drilling exploration programs if implemented within the industry especially in areas where ore deposits reside at depth and undercover.

abstract: PhD


title: Le Gioie Della Vita:  The Gemstones, Health, and Beauty of the Medici Women

contributor:
D'Elia, Anthony
D'Elia, Una
History

subject:
Renaissance
Gemstones
Jewellery
Precious Stones
Neoplatonism
Medici
Medici Women
Florence
Early Modern Italy
Alchemy
Cosmetics
Sumptuary Laws
Christine of Lorraine

abstract: This dissertation analyzes the use of gemstones in the health and beauty practices of the Grand Duchess Christine of Lorraine (1565-1637) and her female family members at the Medici Court in Florence at the turn of the seventeenth century. Precious stones were a medium of aristocratic female agency. They were ornaments that signalled familial bonds and social status, accessible repositories of wealth, ingredients in cosmetic and medicinal products, and protective pregnancy amulets. Noblewomen in early modern Italy skillfully deployed the monetary, cosmetic, medicinal and symbolic values of these stones to protect and promote their interests. The gemstone imagery used in Neoplatonic poetry to describe divine beauty elevated gems in the hierarchy of culturally significant materials, supporting the idea that they had curative virtues and inspiring an ideal of feminine beauty based upon their colours and luminosity. Early modern medical sciences’ equation of beauty, health, and morality illuminated the significance of precious stones in women’s personal care practices. Their application and consumption of alchemical products containing gemstones, with the aim of achieving a gem-like complexion, literally manifested their poetic transmutation into gems in popular literature. The women’s faith in the potency of these materials reflected the pervasive belief in natural magic in the late Renaissance and demonstrated the women’s personal engagement in the latest developments in natural science.

abstract: PhD


title: Severe Malaria-Related Disability Among Children in Northwest Ethiopia

contributor:
Fayed, Nora
Rehabilitation Science

subject:
Severe malaria
Children
Disability
Ethiopia

abstract: Background: The prevalence of severe malaria among children in African hospital-based studies is nearly 39%, and roughly 53% of children who survive severe malaria develop long-term sequelae. However, these consequences have not been studied from a disability and rehabilitation perspective. Objective: This study aimed to assess severe malaria-related disability in Ethiopian children from the biopsychosocial perspective. Methods: Three independent but interrelated studies were conducted: (1) a systematic review of the African severe malaria literature in children that summarized the components of disability, using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (Study 1), (2) an interpretive descriptive study of severe malaria-related disability from the perspectives of caregivers (Study 2), and (3) a qualitative descriptive study that explored the perceptions and behaviors of healthcare providers in preventing disability related to severe malaria and providing rehabilitation supports, using the Theoretical Domains Framework (Study 3). The purposive sampling technique was used in both qualitative studies, and reflexive thematic analysis and directed content analysis were used to analyze data in studies 2 and 3, respectively. Integrated findings: This thesis identified three key findings: (1) physical, psychological, and social functioning are notable components of disability related to severe malaria; (2) various contextual factors interacted with severe malaria and contributed to or mitigated disability, and (3) healthcare providers were focused on acute care, and they perceived that there were no rehabilitation support systems for severe malaria-related disability. Conclusions: Severe malaria-related disability is associated with impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions in African children. However, these children were not included in rehabilitation support and care. Implications: Future research should consider the components of disability identified in this study on a large scale. In addition, policymakers should consider funding post-severe malaria follow-up care and rehabilitation support systems, and rehabilitation professionals should include children with severe malaria-related disability in their care and support system.

abstract: PhD


title: An Asymptotically Optimal Two-Part Fixed-Rate Coding Scheme for Networked Control

contributor:
Yüksel, Serdar
Linder, Tamás
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Mathematics
Probability Theory
Markov Chains
Stochastic Control
Networked Control

abstract: It is known that under fixed-rate information constraints, adaptive quantizers can be used to stabilize an open-loop-unstable linear system on $\mathbb{R}^n$ driven by unbounded noise. These adaptive schemes can be designed so that they have near-optimal rate, and the resulting system will be stable in the sense of having an invariant probability measure, or ergodicity, as well as boundedness of the state second moment. In addition, structural results and information theoretic bounds on the performance of encoders have also been studied. However, the performance of such adaptive quantizers beyond stabilization has not been addressed. In this thesis, we construct a two-part adaptive coding scheme that achieves state second moment convergence to the classical optimum (i.e., for the fully observed setting) under a mild moment condition on the noise process. The first part, as in prior work in this context, leads to ergodicity (via positive Harris recurrence) and the second part ensures that the state second moment converges to the classical optimum at high rates. These results are established using an intricate analysis which uses random-time Lyapunov drift conditions as a core tool.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Digital Replication of Product Flow in a Serial Production Line

contributor:
Mechefske, Christopher
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
DES
EMS
Simulation
Digital Twin
Manufacturing
Industry
Discrete Event Simulation
Electronics
Assembly line
Data Driven
Machine

abstract: In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, North American Electronics Manufacturing Service (EMS) providers hope to “re-shore” potential business from companies currently reliant on offshore manufacturing. To capitalize on this opportunity, EMS providers must maximize efficiency to offer competitive rates. The Surface Mount Technology (SMT) assembly line is one area where increased efficiency can significantly impact plant capacity. SMT machines generate data describing their operating conditions, which can be leveraged to improve the efficiency of the production process. Discrete Event Simulation (DES) has been used across many industries to model complex systems and determine optimal operating parameters. In this research, a framework is proposed to evaluate the impact of “what-if” scenarios by digitally replicating the flow of product on an SMT assembly line at a Canadian EMS provider. The framework includes a flexible data management system for collecting, processing, and storing production data from multiple sources, a technique for addressing gaps in machine data using work in process (WIP) information, and a novel approach to DES where historical data is input directly to the model. The framework was applied to two industrial applications where the first saw potential cost savings of $270,000, and the second saw a projected throughput gain of 7%.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The Future of Trade is Inclusive: Canada’s Approach to Globalised Free Trade

subject:
Free Trade
International Trade Law
International Investment Law
Inclusive Trade
International Economic Law

abstract: In response to people feeling left behind from experiencing trade-related gains, Canada has developed “inclusive” trade policies that attempt to redistribute trade- related opportunities to traditionally underrepresented groups like women, indigenous peoples, and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). While Canada has framed “inclusive” policies as being both socially and economically beneficial, the policies have been met with apprehension due to the impression that “inclusive” policies promote non-trade values. Despite the schism of “trade values” and “non-trade values”, the types of measures included in free trade agreements have expanded and adapted to societal and economic needs over time. Given the discontent surrounding globalized free trade, “inclusive” policies offer a path forward that could be both socially and economically more sustainable. This thesis endeavours to investigate if and how Canada’s inclusive trade policies have been adopted in the text of agreements, what impact the measures might have for expanding the categories of persons who benefit from globalized free trade, and whether inclusive policies create a tangible impact for the three target categories analysed: gender, Indigenous peoples and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, this thesis examines inclusive measures within five recent trade agreements: the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement and Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement. The overarching goal of this thesis is to offer a practical solution that may ameliorate the discontent surrounding globalised free trade in a socioeconomically sustainable method based on Canada’s approach to inclusive trade.


title: Factors Affecting Focal Cerebral Ischemic Infarction: Inferences from Experimental Modelling in Macaques and Murines

contributor:
Cook, DJ
Neuroscience Studies

rights: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

subject:
Surgery
Animal Models
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Non Human Primates
Medical Operations
Anasthesia
Brain Injury
Focal Cerebral Ischemic Stroke

abstract:
Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in North America. There has been an evolution in treatment and assessment of ischemic stroke over the last 30 years, related to formation of hospital acute stroke teams that provide thrombolytic therapy and endovascular thrombectomy. A challenge in stroke treatment is rapid identification and diagnosis to guide treatment. For example, differentiating between hemorrhagic or ischemic infarction, two common ‘types’ of stroke, is important as each pathology has a different treatment course. These challenges result in approximately 80% of patients considered ineligible for acute therapy, and 50% of all stroke patients experiencing major morbidity or mortality.
For ethical and practical reasons, study of prospective stroke treatments does not occur in humans. Scientists and researchers have historically turned to animals as a proxy for investigating mechanisms of stroke, effects of strokes in different brain areas, and to evaluate the efficacy of new therapies for stroke and in translational studies prior to human clinical trials. For such studies to be of assistance in understanding human stroke, the animal model should resemble the mechanisms and effects of strokes in humans as much as possible. Unfortunately, as will be demonstrated in this thesis, this assumption may not be fully met in most animal models, such as the commonly employed rodent model of stroke.
For example, the vascular and brain tissues in chosen animal species may not respond to induced strokes in the same manner as in humans, such as: injury size, cerebral metabolism, cerebral vascularity and perfusion, and thresholds of cell death. These confounding variables, and various animal models of stroke, are discussed in the background of the thesis. As such, the internal validity of animal models, and the external validity of these models in the translation to human stroke is currently unknown.

abstract: PhD


title: Parameter Estimation and Uncertainty Quantification for Chemical Process Models With Uncertain Inputs

contributor:
McAuley, Kimberley B.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Error-in-variables model
Uncertainty Quantification
Photopolymerization
Mathematical Modeling
Parameter Estimation

abstract:
Statistical methods are developed and applied for two types of problems that modelers may encounter when developing fundamental models of chemical processes. First, I propose a mathematical model for photopolymerization of 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate with a bifunctional initiator. This model is complicated because it has 40 parameters that account for a variety of phenomena including crosslinking, backbiting, cyclization, and diffusion-dependent reactions. Parameter estimability and subset selection methods are used to determine the optimal subset of parameters that should be estimated using conversion vs. time data. The results reveal that crosslinking, backbiting, and cyclization are important reactions, and that propagation, branching, and termination reactions, along with initiation efficiency, are diffusion-dependent. The model fit to the data and predictions of validation data set are both excellent.
The second part of the thesis focuses on error-in-variables models (EVMs), which are used to account for uncertain inputs. Difficulties involving output-measurement-variance estimates for EVM parameter estimation are identified. Repeated experiments are categorized as either true replicates or pseudo replicates due to different assumptions about uncertain inputs. Proposed methods for obtaining variance estimates are illustrated using a n-butyl methacrylate/n-butyl acrylate copolymerization model. A parametric bootstrap method is extended for EVM situations to obtain uncertainties for the parameters. Results reveal that assumptions about the type of repeated experiments are important for measurement-variance estimation and determining parameter estimate uncertainties. Next, I provide a literature review about methods for parameter and prediction uncertainty quantification when input uncertainties are considered. Output measurement variance estimation and uncertainty quantification methods are then extended for use in a multi-response model describing hydroisomerization of n-hexane. The corresponding literature data contains data from pseudo-replicate experiments. Parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification are implemented for different assumed levels of input uncertainties. Results confirm that accounting for input uncertainties using EVM when input uncertainties are small (i.e., 1 % of typical input values) leads to results similar to weighted-least squares (WLS). Larger input uncertainties results in noticeable differences when EVM results are compared to WLS results.

abstract: PhD


title: Thermal Transformation of Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in Spiked Sand: Identification of Novel Products of Incomplete Degradation

contributor:
Kueper, Bernie
Weber, Kela
Civil Engineering

subject:
PFAS
Thermal Remediation
Novel Products
PFAS destruction Mechanism
fluorinated compounds
PFOA
PFOS
PFAS destruction
short chain PFAS
Long chain PFAS
PFAS spiked Sand
Unknown fluorinated compounds

abstract: This study explored thermal conductive heating (250 °C to 550 °C) in the presence of air for remediating silica sand spiked with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) at 50 and 200 mg PFAS/kg sand. The fate of PFAS and fluorine was quantified with sand and emission analysis, including targeted PFAS, transformation products, and soluble fluorine. Post-treatment PFAS sand concentrations at temperatures above 400 °C were below detection limits (0.0004 mg/kg), with >99% removal efficiency. However, at 300 °C and 250 °C, PFOA and PFOS remained above regulatory guidelines. TFA and PFPA were the most detected PFAS in emissions at temperatures >400 °C, whereas PFHpA, PFHxA, and PFPeA were the main emissions at 300 °C and 250°C. Long-chain PFAS (>C9) were identified in the emission system at all temperatures indicating that PFAS radicals can combine to form long-chain PFAS. Several novel PFAS transformation products, including 4,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-nonafluorooct-2,4-enoic acid and 2,3,4,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-undecafluorooct-2,4-enoic acid, and homologous series of perfluoroalkyl amides (C8HONF15) were detected during high-resolution analysis of the emissions. The finding from this study proves the wide presence of PFAS in emissions during thermal treatment processes and that some of these compounds are not fully understood in terms of their physiochemical or toxicological characteristics.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Integrating Social Concerns Into Regional Renewable Energy Resource Assessments: A Case Study in Rigolet, NL, Canada

contributor:
Mabee, Warren
Geography and Planning

subject:
Renewable energy
Tidal energy
Energy transitions
Energy geography

abstract:
This thesis demonstrates a novel approach to integrating social concerns regarding energy development into renewable energy resource assessment. An extensive literature review of the social aspects of energy identifies five perspectives (acceptability, social license, energy justice, community energy, Indigenous criticism) that define social issues in energy development. These perspectives are applied in a review of technical resource assessment and planning literature to identify the approaches taken there. The resource assessment  literature demonstrates an instrumentalized approach to social license, emphasising conflict avoidance. More outcome-oriented perspectives that emphasised community ownership, distribution of project benefits, alignment with local ways of life, and similar concerns were not widely used in assessment and planning.
Informed by these findings, a mixed methods approach to resource assessment was applied to the tidal energy resource near the community of Rigolet, Nunatsiavut (Labrador, Canada). Key informant interviews were conducted with participants in the community. Participants understood different energy resources well, and aligned with the outcome-focused perspectives identified in the literature. Results from these interviews were used to identify the resources most preferred by participants: wind, solar, and tidal energy.
Computer modeling of the tides allowed for comparison of tidal resources near Rigolet to wind, solar, and existing diesel systems through the microgrid optimisation software HOMER. These comparisons suggest that although there is an abundant tidal resource near Rigolet, existing commercial tidal energy convertors are ill-suited to it. Future low-flow tidal energy turbines may enable Rigolet to pursue tidal energy as part of its energy future. Near term, wind energy with battery backup may be able to significantly reduce diesel consumption in Rigolet, reducing both cost of energy and pollutant emissions.
The integrative approach taken to social issues as part of energy resource assessment in this study is useful to energy modelers, planners, engineers, geographers, and policymakers. Social conflict complicates energy transitions, and this thesis demonstrates a synthesising approach to considering social issues from the outset of assessment and planning. The methods demonstrated are most applicable to small geographic scales, but lessons are identified for intermediate and large-scale studies. The importance of scale in considering methods is a key finding.

abstract: PhD


title: A General Architecture for Hybrid Textual-Graphical Model Editors via Multiple Language Servers

contributor:
Dingel, Juergen
Computing

rights: An error occurred getting the license - uri.

subject:
Software Modeling
Hybrid Modeling Language
Language Server Protocol
UML-RT
Unified Modeling Language for Real-Time

abstract:
In this thesis, a general architecture for designing language servers for hybrid modeling languages (languages that contain both textual and graphical representations) is proposed. The architecture consists of a textual language server, a graphical language server, and a client that communicates with the two servers. The servers are implemented using the Language Server Protocol (LSP) and the Graphical Language Server Protocol (GLSP), respectively, and are based on a shared abstract syntax of the hybrid modeling language. This means that only static resources must be shared between the graphical and textual language servers. The servers' separation allows each to be developed and maintained independently, while also enabling forward-compatibility with their respective dependencies.

This thesis describes a prototype implementation of the architecture in the form of a hybrid editor for the UML-RT language. The evaluation of the architecture via this prototype gives useful insight into further generalization of the architecture and the way it is used. An extension of the architecture is then sketched, with the intent to enable support for multiple diagram types and, thus, multiple graphical views.

A summary of this work appeared in the proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Modeling Language Engineering (MLE'22) [1]

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Effect of Open and Closed System Freeze-Thaw Cycles on Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL)-Geomembrane Interface Transmissivity

contributor:
Rowe, Kerry
Brachman, Richard
Civil Engineering

subject:
Cryogenic suction
thermal gradient
ice lenses
artic
GCL-GMB interface transmissivity

abstract:
Testing was conducted to establish the interface transmissivity between a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane and a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL). Specimens were subjected to 5 open system freeze thaw cycles (i.e., GCL with water available during freezing) and 25, 50 and 100 closed system freeze thaw cycles (i.e., GCL with no water available during freezing). The freeze-thaw cycling was applied at low stress (2 kPa) and after, the interface transmissivity test was conducted, at applied stresses of 10, 25, 50, 70, 100 and 150 kPa. Closed system GCL samples were pre-hydrated with deionized water (RO) and simulated pore fluid (GS). Open system GCL samples pre-hydrated from the subgrade below prior and during the application of freeze-thaw cycles.

The study found that closed system freeze-thaw cycles had little effect on interface transmissivity and, its effect at low stress levels (10-25 kPa) was beneficial (i.e., it decreased interface transmissivity). The study also confirmed Jabin et al. (2022)’s findings, that ice lenses form at the GMB-GCL interface.  Open system freeze-thaw cycles increased the interface transmissivity at low stress (≤ 25 kPa) but the effect was eliminated at 50 kPa and above.

To explore the effect of scale on interface transmissivity after being subjected to freeze-thaw cycles, new apparatus was developed to allow larger open system freeze-thaw cycles and the interface transmissivity test to be conducted avoiding disturbance of the GMB and GCL specimen. The apparatus has an insulated 0.60 m diameter cell, with a holed GMB in direct contact with a GCL over a subgrade (either silica sand or Godfrey silty sand). The GCL specimen was allowed to pre-hydrate from the subgrade under 10 kPa stress. The freeze-thaw cycles applied in a temperature-controlled room by decreasing the room temperature to -24oC and thereby inducing a one-dimensional freezing front advancing from the geomembrane down through the GCL and into the subgrade. The temperature at the bottom of the cell was maintained at 12°C using a heating mat. Once the necessary freeze-thaw cycles were applied, transmissivity test was then conducted with this new apparatus. The thesis provides the first results from this new apparatus.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Wealth Concentration, Entrepreneurial Activity and Firms' Market Power: Theory, Evidence and Methods

contributor:
Abbott, Brant
Orregaard Nielsen, Morten
Economics

subject:
Inequality
Market Power
Wealth concentration
Schumpeterian
Entrepreneurship

abstract:
This dissertation examines the effect of household wealth concentration on entrepreneurial activity and firms’ market power and presents methods developed to support the empirical investigation. Both theoretical and empirical evidence suggest that an increase in wealth concentration is associated with a future rise in firms’ market power and that entrepreneurial firm creation may play a significant role in the relationship between household wealth distribution and firms’ market power.

A step-by-step model of endogenous innovation and growth is developed in Chapter 2, in which firm entry is driven by entrepreneurial activity conducted by ex-ante identical households who differ only in their wealth. This general equilibrium model generates an endogenous wealth distribution and an endogenous measure of firms’ markups. Under the calibrated benchmark, an increase in wealth concentration yields a decrease in firm entry and an increase in firms’ market power. It is found that a small redistributive wealth tax is slightly growth-enhancing as it reduces firms’ market power by stimulating firm entry and business competitiveness.

In Chapter 3, the relationship between wealth concentration, firm entry, and firms’ markups is investigated empirically using panel data for three OECD countries. A panel VAR is estimated by applying an iterated bootstrap bias-correction method to the least square dummy variable estimator. It is found that positive shocks in wealth concentration are significantly associated with future increases in aggregate markup via firm entry. A new impulse response decomposition method is used to quantify the contribution of the firm entry channel in the relationship between wealth concentration and markup.
Chapter 4 features a new unit root test based on the unconditional likelihood ratio for autoregressive processes of arbitrary order. The test is nearly efficient in the sense that its asymptotic local power function is indistinguishable from the Gaussian envelope and that its power and size properties compare advantageously to other nearly efficient tests. The challenge posed by nuisance parameters in the higher-order autoregressive model is only now being tackled successfully to offer a proof for the distribution of the test statistic based on the fully maximized likelihood ratio where previous work relied on a plug-in approach instead.

abstract: PhD


title: Embodying Modernism: The Ballets Russes and Modernist Literature

contributor:
Willmott, Glenn
English Language and Literature

subject:
Modernism
Literature
Ballet
Ballets Russes
Dance
Choreography
Vaslav Nijinsky
James Joyce
Virginia Woolf
Gertrude Stein
Sergei Diaghilev
Wayne McGregor
W.B. Yeats
Interdisciplinary

abstract:
This dissertation examines the performativity of language and gesture in modern narrative form in the texts of James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, W.B. Yeats, and Virginia Woolf, and the ballets created by the Ballets Russes. The context for this research is cross-disciplinary studies in the arts, and in particular, current debates regarding creative and artistic responses to modernity manifested and represented through the body. In Modernism (2008), Peter Childs details the overarching stylistic characteristics and preoccupations of modernist writers such as opting for spatial and/or rhythmic rather than chronological form, technical and formal experimentation, linguistic innovation, and a new understanding of time and space. These innovations in form, content, and the deconstruction of language associated with modernist writers are also echoed in the works of modernist ballet dancers and choreographers. As a former ballet dancer, I explore how poetic discourse, narrative, and formal experimentation lend themselves to this embodied dance vocabulary.
	I begin by reassessing the ways in which the ballets performed by the Ballets Russes have been studied and canonized as modern. I argue that much of the canon has been shaped and contorted by Sergei Diaghilev’s masterful marketing of the company, and by Eurocentric and disciplinary biases that have prioritized European collaborators and critics. Chapter 2 takes on a question that has yet to be asked by interdisciplinary studies: what were the ballet dancers, choreographers, and directors reading? I contend that the interrelations between the Ballets Russes and literary modernists were not coincidental; they were consuming and responding to the same art and philosophy as writers, each in their own artistic discipline. Chapter 3 offers a re-reading of Ballets Russes dancer Lydia Lopokova’s place within the Bloomsbury group. I argue that the character of Sasha in Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (1928) is a xenophobic caricature of Lopokova. Chapter 4 highlights the significant formal and thematic parallels between Vaslav Nijinsky’s The Afternoon of a Faun (1912) and James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922). I demonstrate how Nijinsky’s movements reverberate through Ulysses and inform Joyce’s conception of the moving body in writing. Chapter 5 brings us into the contemporary moment with a study of Woolf Works (2015), a ballet based on the life and works of Virginia Woolf.

abstract: PhD


title: “Informal Information”: A Cultural History of NORAD’s Creation, 1944-1957

contributor:
English, Allan
History

subject:
NORAD
Military Culture
RCAF
USAF
Air Defence
Air Defense
Military History
Cold War
Air Power History
Organizational Culture
Bilateral Relationship
US-Canadian Relationship

abstract:
As the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union emerged during the late 1940s, one of the primary security concerns for Canada and the United States was the perceived danger posed by Soviet long-range bombers armed with atomic weapons. This apprehension intensified in 1950 following the start of the Korean War. Throughout the 1950s, air defence officers from the United States Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force worked together to build an air defence system capable of mitigating the risk that Soviet bombers might attack strategic targets in North America. These likeminded officers worked formally and informally to construct a system based on their shared assumptions about the best way to mutually protect their countries. In creating the North American air defence system, these officers developed not only professional relationships but also personal relationships, friendships, that buttressed their trust in each other. Political scientist Joel Sokolsky argues that officers in these situations develop a “fraternity of the uniform.” This trust continued throughout the 1950s and was solidified in September 1957 when the Canadian and American governments agreed to create the North American Air Defence Command (NORAD).
	This dissertation examines how Canadian and American air force officers created a unique, bilateral military culture, the North American air defence culture, in the late 1940s and the 1950s. It was fully formed by 1957 and became central to NORAD’s organizational culture when Canada and the United States formed the command in 1957. This dissertation argues that formal and informal collaboration between Canadian and American air force officers was central to the development of personal and professional relationships that influenced the 1957 creation of NORAD and its resultant, unique military culture.

abstract: PhD


title: Layered Fiber Orientation Optimization for Long Fiber Reinforced Polymer Additive Manufacturing using Multi-Material Topology Optimization

contributor:
Kim, Il Yong
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Fiber Orientation Optimization
Topology Optimization
Additive Manufacturing
Fiber Reinforcement

abstract:
To iteratively produce lighter weight components, the use of topology optimization (TO) is instrumental in the design process. TO is used to determine the optimal placement of material within a design space and identify the critical load paths to designers. This allows for more organic lightweight designs to be developed. Further, multi-material topology optimization (MMTO) can be employed to optimize both the geometry and the material selection. This tool is powerful in the design process as it introduces new material options for the component that can be used to save even more weight. Although MMTO produces designs that are theoretically optimal for the problem statement given, they are often unmanufacturable. Traditionally, designers would interpret the optimization results manually to produce a manufacturable design. This deviates from the theoretically optimal solution created by the optimization and adds another step to the design process. To shorten the design process and maintain optimality, the design process should be considered within the optimization. Creating a set of constraints within the optimization that consider the limitations of the manufacturing process achieves optimal, yet manufacturable results.
The long fiber reinforced polymer additive manufacturing (LFRPAM) process lends itself well to realizing MMTO results, as the process is capable of creating relatively high stiffness components with complex geometries. This research develops the material model and the set of constraints within conventional MMTO to create optimized results that are readily manufactured using the LFRPAM process. To demonstrate the MMTO for LFRPAM methodology it is applied to a number of case studies. The case studies compare MMTO for LFRPAM results to single material topology optimization (SMTO) results, and MMTO results without manufacturing constraints. The comparisons show the advantage of using MMTO for LFRPAM to create structurally optimal designs that are readily manufacturable with the LFRPAM process.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Decorum, World-Making, and the Early Modern Political Imagination

contributor:
Hanson, Elizabeth
English Language and Literature

subject: Decorum Poetics Renaissance

abstract:
This thesis engages major literary works by Spenser, Shakespeare, Jonson, and Milton, guided by the principle of poetic decorum and by an understanding of the politics surrounding the emergence of that aesthetic concept in early modern England. Poetic decorum is not the well-known decorum of rules involving unities of time, place, and class that became dominant in English neoclassicism. Instead, it is an allowance given by Aristotle to poets over and above rhetoricians to depart from established conventions of expression in order to accommodate the alien and strange into the public consciousness. Supported by Cicero on the flexible adaptability of the speech act to its occasion, English writers took poetic decorum to be a license to generate a particular guiding pattern out of the resources of the composition itself, provided the measures were in accord with an intuited proportionality in the cosmos and with the tolerances of a court audience. The thesis is therefore an experiment in reading early modern literature according to a principle of inherent style.
	During periods of conflicted politics, the authors of the representative works examined in this thesis use the relative freedom of poetic decorum to interrogate social virtues. For Spenser in Book Six of The Faerie Queene, the virtue at issue is courtesy. For Shakespeare in Cymbeline, it is civility. For Jonson in the masque, it is harmony. For Milton in Paradise Lost, poetic decorum is realized in the conversation of educated, married adults.

abstract: PhD


title: Development of Evidence-Informed Recommendations for Training Disability Sport Event Volunteers

contributor:
Latimer-Cheung, Amy E.
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Sport events
Disability
AGREE II
Volunteers
Training

abstract: Volunteers are essential for the successful delivery of disability sport events such as the Ontario Para Sport Games. Every year disability sport organizations recruit and train thousands of volunteers to assist with the delivery of both small and large-scale sport events. However, retaining volunteers for future events and ongoing community level programs continues to challenge the disability sport sector. Delivering effective yet enjoyable training to volunteers is a promising avenue to assist in facilitating the retention of volunteers for ongoing community engagement. According to published evidence, volunteer training programs frequently lack the efficient planning and management necessary to produce satisfactory program outcomes. In addition, much of the extant literature related to sport event volunteerism is concentrated on non-disability sport events wherein volunteers’ experiences are investigated as they assume their specific role during the event. As such, there is a dearth of evidence exploring the volunteer experience within the context of disability sport events and pre-event training. Given training is often the first experience volunteers have within an event; it is truly central to the overall volunteer experience. This research, therefore, sought to enhance the volunteer training experience and equip sport administrators with tools to successfully implement a volunteer training program within the context of a disability sport event. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the application of the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument to formulate evidence-informed recommendations for training disability sport event volunteers. Specially, the AGREE II was used as a systematic guide for the recommendation development process. Methods included (a) review of existing training resources (b) rapid evidence review, (c) qualitative inquiry, and (d) consensus panel deliberations with knowledge users in the disability sport community.  Pilot tests with relevant knowledge users were conducted throughout. Results provide specific recommendations to inform the planning and delivery of a volunteer training program to assist in enhancing volunteer experiences and ultimately, the retention of volunteers following a disability sport event. This project provides support for the application of the AGREE II in formulating evidence-informed recommendations for practical use among disability sport organizations.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: test thesis submission

contributor:
Swartz, Mark
Aging and Health

subject: testing

abstract:
test abstract
PhD


title: Effects of Roughness on Passive-Scalar Transport

contributor:
Piomelli, Ugo
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Roughness
Scalar transport
Turbulence
Numerical Simulation

abstract:
This work studied the effects of roughness on the transport of passive scalars, narrowing the gap in knowledge between scalar and momentum transport.
Numerical simulations were used to investigate a wide spectrum of statistical quantities, identifying the underlying physical mechanisms, examining the similarities and differences between scalar and momentum behavior, and determining important quantities commonly used in turbulence modeling and engineering applications. The Reynolds number (Re) based on the friction velocity ranged from 1050 to 7500, with a corresponding equivalent sand-grain roughness height between 70 and 485; the Prandtl number (PR) range is between 0.2 and 2.0.

The rough-wall scalar log-layer intercept is modified by both Re and Pr numbers.
The scalar roughness function appears to have a "fully-rough" behavior, tending to a limiting value that depends on Pr and (at high Pr) on the geometry.
Comparison with previous studies indicates the possibility that the scalar roughness function may be independent of the geometry below a critical value of Pr.

The relative importance of the dispersive fluxes increases with Re and Pr; they can be smaller, comparable to, or larger than the dispersive stress depending on Pr.
They become insensitive to Re and may become only a function of the geometry for high Pr.
The Form-Induced (FI) flux is consistently smaller than the total FI drag.

The FI production dominates the scalar variance budget in the Roughness sub-layer (RSL); it is much more significant than the TKE FI production.
Both FI production and diffusion are relatively insensitive to Re while the shear production and dissipation are strongly reduced as Re increases.

The scalar dissipation budget is far more complex than the scalar variance budget; roughness reduces this complexity due to significant reduction in the magnitude of of key terms.
The production-of-dissipation is primarily due to the turbulent production component, which was shown to be about twice as large as the other contributions for Pr=1.0.
This turbulent production term is enhanced by roughness because of improved the alignment between the fluctuating scalar gradient and the principal compressive direction of the strain-rate tensor.

abstract: PhD


title: FACTORS OF A PHYSICIAN QUALITY IMPROVEMENT LEADERSHIP COALITION THAT INFLUENCE  PHYSICIAN BEHAVIOUR

contributor:
Medves, Jennifer
Nursing

subject:
Healthcare Quality Improvement
Leadership
Implementation Science
Laboratory Medicine
Health Behaviour

abstract: This manuscript-style thesis investigated the Strategic Clinical Improvement Committee (SCIC), a physician-led coalition that developed a provincial laboratory-test ordering overuse (LTOO) initiative aimed at reducing blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test ordering across hospital medicine (MED) units and emergency departments (ED) in Alberta, Canada. Two studies in three separate manuscripts contributed to the mixed methods aim of identifying coalition factors that enable MED and ED physicians to lead, participate in, and influence appropriate BUN test ordering. Manuscript 1 is a scoping review; it resulted in a synthesis of 11 articles representing nine distinct physician-led approaches that incorporate learning the science of improvement. From these, 20 enabler strategies were described, which were grouped to generate eight overarching themes that may enable physician quality improvement (QI) capability, participation, and leadership. Manuscript 2 is a qualitative exploration of the physician experience; interviews with 12 physicians from seven participating hospitals generated textual data. A content analysis was completed that identified nine overarching themes and 11 change techniques that may encourage physician QI involvement and appropriate laboratory test ordering. Manuscript 3 is a combination of the quantitative (total monthly BUN test data for six participating hospitals) and qualitative findings. BUN testing was reduced significantly in five of six hospitals and resulted in cost avoidance. Physicians had similar perceptions of the characteristics that enabled their QI involvement, which included a simple initiative linked to a coalition physician leader and/or member, credibility, mentorship, support personnel, QI education and hands-on training, minimal physician effort, and no clinical workflow disruption. Implementing person- and system-focused intervention components, and communication from a trusted local physician were factors influencing appropriate BUN test ordering. The SCIC was found to be an effective physician QI engagement strategy. Results from these studies deepen understanding of the behavioural characteristics and strategies that motivate physician behaviour for QI involvement and appropriate BUN test ordering, reducing LTOO. Researchers, policymakers, physicians, and health organization leaders may use these findings to establish, deliver, and promote physician-led QI beyond a single context.

abstract: PhD


title: Toward More Effective Management of Attribute-Based Access Control Policies

contributor:
Zulkernine, Mohammad
Computing

subject: Attribute-Based Access Control Policies

abstract: Different services and applications available on the internet need secure interactions and authorization requirements. Sensitive data through web and distributed protocols also highlight the need for access control to restrict unauthorized access to resources. Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) is a strong option to support the authorization requirements of complex and dynamic systems in a variety of application domains. However, there is a lack of effective policy analysis mechanisms and tools for ABAC policies, which can result in issues with policy enforcement, availability, and security. Large-scale organizations are also interested in migrating to the ABAC model, but the high cost of automatic migration is a significant barrier for them. There is no commercial ABAC implementation, and the ABAC model has not been integrated with any database management systems (DBMS) or operating systems, which makes this model adoption very challenging. This thesis proposes solutions to effectively manage ABAC policies. In particular, we develop a formal tree-based policy modeling approach to facilitate the management of numerous policies and vulnerabilities, which is challenging, particularly in large and complex policy sets. We formalize policy anomalies (redundancy, inconsistency, irrelevancy, and incompleteness) for the ABAC model. We also propose anomaly mitigation techniques based on policy tree modeling and anomaly formalization to resolve ABAC policy anomalies. We develop a data classification-based technique to identify the behavior of anomalies and predict the anomaly types of new policy rules. We address the challenge of automatic policy specification and migration for organizations by developing a bottom-up policy mining technique to extract ABAC policies from access logs. The approach also employs machine learning techniques to learn ABAC policies. We propose a four-step approach that automatically converts ABAC policies for Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) systems to combine the benefits of both models. We construct trees for user and resource attributes, generate initial roles, prune the roles, and select a minimum number of the roles. The effectiveness of the proposed approaches has been demonstrated through experimental evaluations. The results demonstrate that the approaches are quite effective in managing ABAC policies.

abstract: PhD