title: Hypothesis Testing in Finite Samples With Time Dependent Data: Applications in Banking

contributor:
Gregory, Allan W.
Shimotsu, Katsumi
Economics

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subject:
Empirical Likelihood
Bootstrap
Bank Liquidity
Economies of Scale

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Economics) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-24 17:25:22.212

abstract:
This thesis is concerned with hypothesis testing in models where data exhibits time dependence. The focus is on two cases where the dependence of observations across time leads to non-standard hypothesis testing techniques.

This thesis first considers models estimated by Generalized Method of Moments (GMM, Hansen (1982)) and the approach to inference. The main problem with standard tests are size distortions in the test statistics. An innovative resampling method, which we label Empirical Likelihood Block Bootstrapping, is proposed. The first-order asymptotic validity of the proposed procedure is proven, and a series of Monte Carlo experiments show it may improve test sizes over conventional block bootstrapping. Also staying in the context of GMM this thesis shows that the testcorrection given in Hall (2000) which improves power, can distort size with time dependent data. In this case it is of even greater importance to use a bootstrap that can have good size in finite samples.

The empirical likelihood is applied to a multifactor model of U.S. bank risk estimated by GMM. The approach to inference is found to be important to the overall conclusion about bank risk. The results suggest U.S. bank stock returns are sensitive to movements in market and liquidity risk.

In the context of panel data, this thesis is the first to my knowledge to consider the estimation of cost-functions as well as conduct inference taking into account the strong dependence of data across time. This thesis shows that standard approaches to estimating cost-functions for a set of Canadian banks lead to a downward bias in the estimated coefficients and therefore an upward bias in the measure of economies of scale. When non-stationary panel techniques are applied results suggest economies of scale of around 6 per cent in Canadian banking as well as cost-efficiency differences across banks that are correlated with size.

abstract: PhD


title: An Associational Model of Society Implicit to John Rawls's Theory of Justice

contributor:
Sypnowich, Christine
Philosophy

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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.

subject:
John Rawls
Associational model

abstract: Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-25 19:19:43.637

abstract: This paper will examine John Rawls’s views regarding the make up of society and, in particular, it will investigate the question of whether or not Rawls’s theory of justice is dependent upon accepting and endorsing the view that society is, or, at least, resembles an association. The aim of the paper will be to defend the position that Rawls’s theory of justice is in fact dependent upon an associational conception of society, and that it, therefore, relies upon the idea that the individuals in a society share a common interest or purpose. Thus, far from providing a liberal conception of society, this paper will attempt to illustrate that Rawls actually presents a more communitarian outlook of society than many might expect from a purportedly liberal thinker. In order to best prove the essential link to an associational conception of society, I discuss three principles that provided Rawls with reasons for preferring the difference principle to other modes of justice, and suggest that these founding principles provide sufficient evidence for connecting Rawls’s theory of justice to an associational conception of society. By advocating such a vision of society, Rawls betrays a fundamental premise of his own political liberalism, namely, the idea that individuals do not necessarily share a common interest or purpose with one another.

abstract: M.A.


title: Chemical and biological recovery of Killarney Park, Ontario Lakes (1972-2005) from historical acidification

contributor:
Arnott, Shelley E.
Biology

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subject: Limnology Acidification

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-24 22:33:35.058

abstract: Forty-five lakes in Killarney Provincial Park and the surrounding area in south-central Ontario, Canada, were sampled for crustacean zooplankton and water chemistry in the summer of 2005.  For each of the lakes, we had historic data from peak-acidification in the 1970s and post-acidification periods in 1990 and 2000.  Situated among the orthoquartzite ridges of the La Cloche Mountains in and near Killarney Provincial Park, many of these lakes were acidified during the mid-1900s owing to extensive mining and smelting activities in nearby (40-60 km) Sudbury, Ontario.  There is large variation in the geochemistry of the soils and the bedrock within the park.  As a result, these freshwater lakes have varying degrees of acidification, ranging from being heavily acidified (pH < 4.5) to others that were buffered from the effects of acidic deposition.  With over 90% reductions in sulphur dioxide smelter emissions over the past 30 years and the present, many lakes in the Sudbury region are starting to show strong evidence of chemical recovery.  Despite significant increases in lake water pH, there is limited evidence of biological recovery.  A variety of univariate and multivariate metrics, as well as variation partitioning, were used to examine recovery on a lake-by-lake basis and on a regional scale.  Our results revealed only moderate recovery of crustacean zooplankton communities despite improvements in water quality.  Some lakes increased in zooplankton richness while others decreased compared to richness during peak acidification.  Shifts in community composition from a damaged state toward those typical of circum-neutral lakes were observed for lakes that have chemically recovered.  The lack of chemical recovery is believed to be impeding biological recovery of many lakes.  Biological resistance and dispersal limitation do not appear to be hindering biological recovery.  Other stressors such as the invasion by the predatory zooplankton Bythotrephes and climate change may delay biological recovery in the coming years.  Future recovery of Killarney Park lakes will require further chemical recovery for biological recovery to become complete.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Parameter analysis for robotic assessment of impairments in reaching due to stroke

contributor:
Glasgow, Janice I.
Scott, Stephen H.
Computing

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subject: Assessment Robotic Reaching Stroke

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-25 11:54:00.694

abstract:
Stroke is a condition that arises from partial or complete blockage of blood flow to parts of the brain. Upper limb impairments (sensorimotor deficits) usually occur as a result of stroke. Assessment and diagnosis of the resulting upper limb impairments is important for effective rehabilitation and proper recovery. In terms of assessment, current ordinal scale systems used are inherently subjective and incorporate coarse rating scores (Chedoke McMaster, Fugel Meyer test, etc.). These scores do not provide clinicians with information regarding the underlying impairments which is important for effective rehabilitation therapy.
We investigated the use of a reaching task on a bi-lateral upper limb robotic device (KINARM), developed by one of our team members (Stephen Scott), to assess upper limb impairments due to stroke. Control and stroke subjects were instructed to reach with both arms on the robotic device to illuminating spatial targets as quickly and as accurately as possible. We first developed a tool that would aid in locating targets where reaching impairments are visible for stroke subjects. From the Kinematic data collected, we then selected reaction time and first peak velocity of the hand and investigated their potential for separating control and stroke subjects. Results of our analysis showed the potential of both parameters as good quantitative assessment measures. In particular results for reaction time presented symmetrical differences between both arms were of main interest in this thesis. Such differences presented the potential of sensitivity in showing subtle impairments.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Le spectateur dans l'art(iste) : pour une étude du rôle et de l'évolution du spectateur dans l'esthétique théâtrale de Diderot

contributor:
Zawisza, Elisabeth
French

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subject: Spectateur Diderot Théâtre

abstract: Thesis (Master, French) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-25 11:56:15.164

abstract:
Le présent travail se propose d’étudier le rôle du spectateur, sa portée esthétique et philosophique, dans un mouvement qui a mené Diderot de la théorie de l’enthousiasme à la théorie du sang-froid. Jusqu’à présent, ce passage a surtout été considéré en fonction de l’acteur que les textes du philosophe présentent d’abord comme un être sensible, qui s’absorbe entièrement dans son personnage (l’« enthousiasme »), et, plus tard, comme un technicien « froid », qui construit soigneusement sa performance (le « sang-froid »).
	Notre analyse cherche donc à aborder cette évolution du point de vue de la réception, afin de montrer comment la pensée diderotienne du spectateur peut éclairer d’un jour nouveau ce revirement crucial pour l’esthétique théâtrale du philosophe. Nos lectures des plus importants écrits de Diderot feront voir que leur évolution théorique résulte en grande partie d’un changement de perspective critique. Diderot délaisse un projet d’obédience rhétorique pour entreprendre une recherche philosophique sur l’art de théâtre, recherche qui révèle la part de la technique (de la rhétorique) dans la création et qui situe la fonction de spectateur au centre de son enquête.
	En retraçant l’évolution dans son approche du phénomène du récepteur, nous allons montrer que le philosophe fait d’abord la place, dans son projet enthousiaste, au spectateur réel et transcendantal, mais que sa nouvelle vision de l’art d’imitation lui fait élaborer la notion du spectateur immanent à l’objet d’art et à la psychologie de l’artiste. Ce spectateur intérieur, en fait, cette position d’extériorité que l’artiste (poète, comédien) se doit de prendre à l’égard de sa matière, sera érigé par Diderot en pierre angulaire de la production artistique.

abstract: M.A.


title: Design and Manufacture of a Fibre Reinforced Composite Safety Snap-Hook

contributor:
Boyd, Doug
Strong, David S.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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subject: Composite Snap-Hook

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-25 13:25:27.368

abstract:
Safety snap-hooks are a critical component of a fall-arrest system worn by individuals working at elevated
heights. Current snap-hook technology has not evolved in many years, and as a result, the hooks are both
heavy and conduct electricity.
This project investigated the design and manufacture of a polymer-composite safety-snap-hook. The
objective was to determine whether a light-weight, dielectric, composite hook can meet the safety
requirements, while being manufactured at a competitive price.
Several fibre arrangements were tested using current aluminium hook geometry. A research plan was
designed and completed to maximize the hook strength by optimizing fibre architecture. These results were
then used to design a composite hook that meets all the current CSA standards (static load, dynamic load,
side and front load gate test). The design enables the hook to be completely non-conductive and lighter than
the current pincer hook. Different manufacturing techniques were also considered and it was determined
that both the net-shaped moulding and vacuum bag panel method were suitable techniques.
It is recommended that further research be carried out to decrease the cost of the composite hook. Less
expensive resin materials should be tested to determine how much strength is lost with lower grade resins.
A standard test should also be developed so that hooks can be characterized for their electrical conductivity.
In addition, research is required to find a process to cut the mats so that the cut-outs can be handled without
falling apart, making the net-shape moulding process more suitable. Further design modifications are also
needed to meet newly proposed gate regulatory standards. Research is required to determine whether
increasing the thickness of the gate or embedding a metal reinforcement would provide the required gate
strengths.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: PA3719-Mediated Regulation of the MexAB-OprM Efflux System of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

contributor:
Poole, R. Keith
Microbiology and Immunology

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subject:
Multidrug Efflux
Pseudomonas aeruginosa

abstract: Thesis (Master, Microbiology & Immunology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-25 19:00:42.929

abstract: Intrinsic antimicrobial resistance of the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has mainly been attributed to the presence of several chromosomally-encoded multidrug efflux systems.  The MexAB-OprM system exports the largest range of structurally unrelated antimicrobial agents and its expression is modulated by multiple regulatory controls.  To develop a better understanding of mexAB-oprM overexpression in nalC mutants, which characteristically produce the effector protein PA3719 that binds and disrupts MexR transcriptional repression of mexAB-oprM, the PA3719-MexR interaction domains were investigated.  Using a bacterial two-hybrid system, the C-terminus of PA3719 was found to be sufficient to mediate MexR-binding, and the binding region was found to be distinct from the MexR DNA-binding motif.  The two-hybrid system was also used in an attempt to understand the role of PA3720, a protein of unknown function that is also overexpressed in nalC mutants.  Results from this study confirm that PA3720 does not function to bind and alleviate NalC transcriptional repression of the PA3720-PA3719 operon.  This study also attempted to identify the signals involved in overexpressing PA3720-PA3719, in the hopes to elucidate the natural function of MexAB-OprM.  Random transposon mutagenesis using a PA3720-PA3719 promoter-lacZ fusion containing P. aeruginosa strain was conducted, but failed to clearly identify any disrupted genes associated with PA3720-PA3719 overexpression.  Using the same PA3720-PA3719 promoter-lacZ fusion, expression of these genes was assessed as a function of growth in both wildtype and nalC mutant P. aeruginosa strains.  Interestingly, PA3720-PA3719 expression was found to be growth-regulated, with an increased amount of expression occurring in late log/early stationary phase, even in the absence of nalC.  This suggests that another regulator(s) is/are involved in modulating PA3720-PA3719 levels in late log/early stationary phase.  Since PA3719 ultimately influences mexAB-oprM expression, its involvement in mediating growth-phase mexAB-oprM expression was assessed by examining mexA expression in both wildtype and PA3719 deletion P. aeruginosa strains.  PA3719 was found to be involved in some, but not all, of the growth phase control of mexAB-oprM.  These results suggest that mexAB-oprM growth-phase regulation is complex, as both MexR-dependent and MexR-independent regulatory pathways seem to exist.  Overall, this study has produced a better understanding of mexAB-oprM regulation in nalC mutant P. aeruginosa strains.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Up-regulation of HO-1 attenuates left ventricular remodeling post myocardial infarction in rats

contributor:
Melo, Luis G.
Physiology

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subject:
Ischemia reperfusion injury
Echocardiography
Heme oxygenase-1
LAD occlusion

abstract: Thesis (Master, Physiology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-25 19:01:33.87

abstract: Background/Objective: Reperfusion injury is a serious consequence of blood flow reestablishment after myocardial infarction (MI) mediated by reactive oxygen species and neutrophilic cellular damage.  Following MI, the left ventricle (LV) undergoes remodeling characterized by progressive wall thinning and cavity dilatation.  Heme-Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) dependent decrease in oxidative stress may attenuate injury in part by inhibiting transcription factor NFκB-mediated inflammation.  Hypothesis: I hypothesized that upregulation of HO-1 by hemin administration confers acute and chronic cardioprotection against I/R injury in rats and attenuates LV remodeling post-MI.  I proposed the HO-1-dependent decrease in oxidative stress attenuates post-ischemic myocardial injury in part by inhibiting NFκB-mediated inflammation.  Methods:  Six week old male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to sham, vehicle, or hemin-treated groups.  Vehicle and hemin were administered intraperitoneally once daily for 3 consecutive days prior to left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery occlusion.  Administration resumed 48 hours post-operatively and continued once every 3 days.  Infarct size was determined by H&E histological analysis and fibrosis was quantified by Masson’s Trichrome staining.  Transthoracic echocardiography was used to assess LV parameters and wall motion.  Results: Hemin increased HO-1 expression, decreased infarct size and fibrosis, and attenuated LV remodeling in the short-term (4 days post-infarction).  The decrease in infarct size and area of fibrosis in the hemin group was accompanied by a decrease in NFκB activity.  No significant difference in infarct size and area of fibrosis between hemin and vehicle-treated groups was observed at 3 months.  LV diameter and cardiac function did not differ significantly between the two groups at 3 months despite an attenuation of anterior wall thinning in the hemin group.  Conclusion: HO-1 upregulation by hemin administration conferred acute cardioprotection and attenuated LV remodeling, possibly by inhibiting NFκB-mediated inflammation.  However, chronic treatment with hemin did not prevent long-term post-infarction LV remodeling.  It is possible that cardioprotection afforded by HO-1 upregulation is strong enough to curtail inflammation post-reperfusion and prevent LV remodeling acutely, but is not robust enough to protect the myocardium to the same degree in the long-term.  Future research should focus on optimal HO-1 upregulation to attenuate long-term LV remodeling due to reperfusion injury.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Rural meanings of schooling and education: a microethnography from an Ontario community

contributor:
Smith, A. Howard
Education

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subject:
Rural education
Place-conscious curriculum
Parents' role in adolescent schooling
Academic achievement
Student-teacher interactions
Caring in schools

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 08:13:17.519

abstract: The purpose of this microethnography was to explore and describe the rural schooling experiences of one female adolescent who lives in a one industry, non-farming rural village and attends high school in a nearby small town. The pursuit of a post-secondary education usually results in the out-migration of local youth. This study describes and explores: (a) the ways in which the school environment and the interactions between the adolescent participant and her network educators shaped the meanings she ascribed to schooling; (b) the meanings of school curriculum for the adolescent participant; (c) the meanings of academic achievement for the adolescent participant; and (d) the role of the adolescent’s parents in her education at home and at school and the ways in which interactions between the adolescent and her parents shaped the meanings she ascribed to schooling. Data collection took place on site over 12 consecutive weeks and two re-visits which each lasted one week. The methods of data acquisition included participant observation, interviewing, document analyses, and photographs of local places. The adolescent participant’s mother and father and five educators at her high school also participated in this microethnography. Through addressing the specific rural issues and concerns of the rural context in which this microethnography took place this research reveals a deeper understanding of one adolescent’s rural schooling experiences. Implications for future rural schooling practices and research are discussed.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Activity in regions sensitive to auditory speech is modified during speech production: fMRI evidence for an efference copy

contributor:
Johnsrude, Ingrid S.
Neuroscience Studies

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subject:
Speech perception
Speech production
fMRI
Efference copy

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 10:02:35.972

abstract: Models of speech production postulate that, in order to facilitate rapid and precise control of articulation, the predicted auditory feedback is sent to the auditory system to be compared with incoming sensory data. If this is so, an 'error' signal may be observed when the predicted auditory feedback and the sensory consequences of vocalization do not match. I used event-related fMRI to look for the neural concomitants of such an error signal. In two conditions volunteers whispered 'ted'. In one of these, voice-gated noise implemented in our real-time processing system was used to mask the auditory feedback, which should result in an error signal. Two other conditions were yoked to the production conditions (either clearly heard or masked), but were listen-only and therefore no error signal would be expected. I acquired whole-brain EPI data from 21 subjects using a fast-sparse design. Activity in the superior temporal gyrus bilaterally was significantly greater for clear than masked speech during the listen-only trials (F(1,20)≥12.84, p<0.002), and significantly higher for masked than for clear speech in the production trials (F(1,20)≥6.68, p<0.02). This crossover interaction indicates that speech production results in corollary discharge in the auditory system and furthermore suggests that this corollary discharge reflects expectations about the sensory concomitants of speech acts.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The food retail environment surrounding Canadian schools and its impact on overweight and obesity

contributor:
Janssen, Ian
Pickett, William
Community Health and Epidemiology

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subject:
Obesity
Overweight
Residence characteristics
Social class
Food retailers
Adolescents
Multilevel modeling

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 10:25:11.453

abstract:
Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Canadian youth has increased considerably over the past few decades. In spite of considerable efforts, individual-level behavioural modification strategies have not been successful at preventing and treating obesity in youth. Research is emerging that has shifted attention to the environmental-level determinants of obesity. There is some evidence that the number and types of food retailers in a given neighbourhood may impact obesity risk in the individuals living in that neighbourhood, but little is known about the impact of the food retail environment on Canadian youth.
Objectives: 1) To describe the food environment surrounding the school neighbourhoods of Canadian youth (grades 6 to 10), and, determine whether access to food retailers around schools differs by area-level SES.  2) To determine whether the number and type of food retailers surrounding schools is related to the overweight status of the students attending those schools.  Each of these objectives was explored in a separate manuscript.
Methods: A trend test was performed to determine if exposure to food retailers varied by neighbourhood socioeconomic status (SES) for 188 schools across Canada. Logistic regression was performed using a multilevel modeling approach to determine if an association existed between exposure to food retailers and overweight and obesity in the 7,281 school-aged youth attending the 188 schools, adjusting for individual- and area-level covariates. Types of food retailers considered included: full-service restaurants, fast food restaurants, sub/sandwich shops, donut/coffee shops, convenience stores, and grocery stores.
Results: Objective 1.  Nearly 75% of schools had at least one food retailer within 1 km of schools, and over 90% had at least one food retailer within 5 km. Exposure to the different types of food retailers within 1 km of schools did not vary significantly (p<0.05) across schools in low, moderate, and high SES neighbourhoods, with the exception of full-service restaurants. At the 5 km distance, the SES gradient was significant across all food retailer types, with low SES neighbourhoods exposed to the least number of food retailers. This effect disappeared when population density (number of retailers per 10,000 people) was considered, except for sub/sandwich shops and donut/coffee shops.
Objective 2.  Increased exposure to all six types of food retailers in the neighbourhoods surrounding schools was associated with a decreased likelihood of overweight and obesity. At the 1 km distance, the total number of food retailers had the strongest protective effect, while individual types of food retailers had a stronger effect at the 5 km distance.
Conclusions: Objective 1.  Most students in Canada have at least one food retailer within walking distance of their school.  The food retail environment surrounding schools is not significantly impacted by the neighbourhood SES.  Objective 2. Increased exposure to different types of food retailers in school neighbourhoods is associated with a decreased likelihood of overweight and obesity in Canadian youth.  This suggests that having access to a large number and variety of food choices may facilitate healthy food choices and protect against the development of overweight and obesity.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Repression, freedom, and minimal geography: human rights, humanitarian law, and Canadian involvement in El Salvador, 1977-1984

contributor:
Lovell, W. George
Geography

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subject:
International humanitarian law
El Salvador
Canadian foreign policy
Non-international armed conflict
Counter-consensus
Salvadoran Catholic Church

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 11:52:47.301

abstract: This thesis addresses the potential for third parties to apply or make use of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law to protect civilians caught in the midst of civil war. A case study is presented of El Salvador, where conflict in the 1970s and 1980s took the lives of an estimated 75,000 people and caused immense human suffering. Of particular interest is how organizations under the aegis of the Salvadoran Catholic Church provided data on human rights violations, gathered with credible precision, to the international community. The Canadian public responded to the situation in El Salvador in a markedly different way than the Canadian government, whose pronouncements were at first ill-informed and uncritically pro-American. The question thus arises: do counter-consensus or public-pressure groups exert any influence over a state’s foreign policy and, if so, does this phenomenon contribute to conflict resolution? While there is disagreement over the actual success that public groups and interested parties have over government decision-making, this thesis demonstrates that, in fact, the counter-consensus in Canada did have a discernable impact on foreign policy during the Salvadoran conflict. These actions have potential contributions to make to conflict resolution and the search for a negotiated end to civil strife, which in the case of El Salvador was generated in the first place not by an alleged international communist conspiracy but by crippling geographies of inequality.

abstract: M.A.


title: Effect of nutritional status on phenotypic characteristics of Arabidopsis and alfalfa in relation to the expression of AtSnRK2.9

contributor:
Lefebvre, Daniel D.
Biology

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subject:
Arabidopsis sulphate
Alfalfa
Protein kinase
SnRK2.9
Phosphate
RNA
Nitrogen sulphate

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 12:35:00.626

abstract: The mechanisms of plant response to nutrient limitation and utilisation are of great interest for agricultural purposes.  Phosphate is a non-renewable resource and is one of the most important nutrients required for plant growth.  Recently a new family of plant protein kinases, composed of 10 members, were discovered because of their involvement in stresses and their responses to the hormone abscisic acid (ABA).  In Arabidopsis, all of these SnRK2 protein kinases have been shown to be activated by drought or hyperosmostic stress, with the exception of SnRK2.9.  Five members are also activated by ABA treatment.  Recently SnRK2.8 was linked to metabolic processes by being down regulated in low nutrient level conditions.   In the present study, SnRK2.9 was investigated and shown to play a role in metabolic pathways, but in an opposite manner.  Contrarily to SnRK2.8, transcripts level of SnRK2.9 is induced in response to phosphate, nitrogen, and sulphur deprivation.  Interestingly, opposite to most phosphate-starvation inducible genes, sucrose decreases SnRK2.9's transcripts level.  Transgenic plants that overexpress SnRK2.9 do not appear to be affected in terms of growth.  On the other hand, overexpressing antisense SnRK2.9 or mutated snrk2.9 at residue Asp-123 by conversion to Glu (D123E), showed reduced plant growth.  This phenotype was more pronounced in the absence of phosphate.  A T-DNA knockout line for SnRK2.9 showed a 45% decrease in root and shoot biomass compared to wild-type Arabidopsis when grown under phosphate deprivation.  Similar trends were observed when the Arabidopsis gene was introduced in Medicago sativa (alfalfa) under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter.  Overexpressing D123E Atsnrk2.9 had a serious inhibitory effect on growth and the plants were no longer responsive to changes in phosphate levels.  In Arabidopsis, the D123E snrk2.9 overexpressors had a 66% reduction in total seed yield when grown under +Pi conditions and a 33% reduction under -Pi conditions.  These Arabidopsis transgenic lines do not share similar traits to the known phosphate metabolic mutants Pho1, Pho2, and Siz1.  SnRK2.9 appears to play a key role in biomass and seed production.

abstract: PhD


title: Deepening democracy and cultural context in the Republic of Mali, 1992-2002

contributor:
Banfield, Bruce
Political Studies

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subject:
Democratization
Political culture
Africa
Mali
Citizenship
Democracy
Discourse
Liberalization
Hegemony
Governance
Islam
Political economy
Bamana
Moral economy
Moral governance

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Political Studies) -- Queen's University, 2007-10-05 14:29:24.802

abstract:
This thesis challenges the view that the Republic of Mali is a model of democratization in Africa with the aim of opening the conceptual framework of democratic citizenship inherent in the democratization discourse to greater critical scrutiny.  The ‘enthusiastic’ view is held and set forth by various segments of the unity-seeking ruling class (local and foreign, State and NGO) of bringing to Mali a Western-oriented, procedurally minimal democracy, and citizen identity commensurate with international financial institutions’ and donor countries’ vision of democratization as political and economic liberalization.  Consequently, this hegemonic project co-opts selected indigenous and Islamic idioms of political and social identity, to reinvent democratization as ‘moral governance.’  Cosmopolitan upper and upper-middle class actors thus apologize for highly personalized politics at the national and local levels, and articulate these more broadly with idioms of recovering rectitude and social cohesion that preserve and reproduce hierarchical social norms.
	In Malian political culture and in the scholarship of Malian political change, the hegemonic project of citizen identity formation becomes more evident as a construction, as discourses, norms, and practices produced and reproduced by privileged actors.  Moreover, the contested character of these constructions becomes evident only as we address the development and deployment of selectively synthesized indigenous, Islamic, and Western-democratic norms, practices, and institutions of citizenship in contemporary Mali.  Without a more embedded sense of political membership and identity, the merely procedural democratic project remains vulnerable to challenges from multiple, alternative sites of moral, social, and political authority.

abstract: PhD


title: Functional consequences of the direct physical interaction between E2A transcription factors and CBP/p300

contributor:
LeBrun, David P.
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

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subject:
Leukemia
Transcriptional regulation
Chromosomal translocations
Acetylation

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 13:37:21.905

abstract:
The E2A locus is involved in chromosomal translocations associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The most common of these involves a translocation between chromosomes 1 and 19 (t1;19), resulting in expression of the chimeric oncoprotein E2A-PBX1. A direct interaction between transcriptional activation domain 1 (AD1) of E2A and KIX domain of the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) /co-activator CBP is required for E2A-PBX1-mediated leukemia induction in mice.  This thesis examines the functional consequences of the direct, physical interaction between E2A and CBP, for both proteins.

We demonstrate that the interaction between E2A and CBP/p300, as well as another HAT/co-activator, p/CAF, results in acetylation of E2A. Mutagenesis-based mapping studies identify several lysine residues as substrates for acetylation. Of particular interest, a conserved lysine (K34) located within AD1 is acetylated in vitro and in vivo. Substitution of this residue to arginine impairs transcriptional activation of a luciferase reporter while substitution to glutamine, mimicking the acetylation, restores E2A-mediated transcriptional activation.

Recent studies have shown that several transcription factors can modulate the intrinsic HAT activity of CBP/p300. We were surprised to find that E2A proteins enhance acetylation of histones by CBP, in vitro and in vivo, in a KIX domain-independent manner. Acetylation of E2A is also not required for stimulation of CBP/p300 histone acetylation. It appears that E2A interacts with the other CBP domains to mediate this effect, presumably through allosteric effects.

In summary, we demonstrate that acetylation of E2A plays a role in mediating the transcriptional activation activity of E2A. Furthermore, acetylation of E2A enhances its interaction with CBP/p300, at least in the presence of additional nuclear factors. We show evidence that p/CAF may mediate this effect. Enhancement of CBP/p300 HAT activity by oncogenic E2A-PBX1 proteins in vivo, suggests that some of its leukemia-promoting effects may be due to E2A-induced gain of function effects on CBP/p300.  The enhanced interaction between acetylated E2A and CBP/p300, as well as the E2A-mediated stimulation of histone acetyltransferase activity might play a role in the DNA-binding-independent induction of proliferation.

abstract: PhD


title: The Attentive Hearing Aid: visual selection of auditory sources

contributor:
Vertegaal, Roel
Computing

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subject:
Hearing aid
Assistive technology

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 13:46:25.789

abstract: We present the Attentive Hearing Aid, a system that uses eye input to amplify the audio of tagged sound sources in the environment.  A multidisciplinary project, we use the latest technology to take advantage of the social phenomenon of turn-taking in human-human communication, and apply this in a new kind of assistive hearing device.  Using hearing-impaired participants, we evaluated the use of eye input for switching between sound sources on a screen in terms of switch time and the recall of audiovisual material.  We compared eye input to a control condition and two manual selection techniques: using a remote to point at the target on the screen, and using buttons to select the target.  Results show that in terms of switch time, Eyes were 73% faster than Pointing and 58% faster than Buttons.  In terms of recall, Eyes performed 80% better than Control, 54% better than Buttons, and 37% better than Pointing.  In a post-evaluation user experience survey, participants rated Eyes highest in “easiest”, “most natural”, and “best overall” categories.  We present the implications of this work as a new type of assistive hearing device, and also discuss how this system could benefit non-hearing-impaired individuals.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Radio frequency direct-digital QPSK modulators in CMOS technology

contributor:
Saavedra, Carlos E.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

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subject:
Integrated circuits
Modulators
Direct-digital
QPSK
CMOS

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 15:42:15.243

abstract:
In this thesis, novel direct-digital Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulators are proposed in low-cost Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology for radio frequency (RF) wireless applications.  Direct-digital architectures have attracted much attention recently as they potentially offer significant cost savings and performance benefits.  A new direct-digital QPSK modulator concept is introduced where the carrier is modulated directly by digital data using Pass-Transistor Logic (PTL) circuits for a small size and low power consumption.  The concept is demonstrated through the design of an L-band modulator followed by an enhanced tunable S-band version.

The proposed L-band modulator first generates all four quadrature phases of the carrier by using a 90° resistor-capacitor, capacitor-resistor (RC-CR) phase shifter followed by two 180° active baluns.  One signal from the in-phase components and another from the quadrature-phase components are later selected by two PTL circuits according to the in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) digital data respectively.  Finally the chosen signals are subtracted by a differential amplifier.  The circuit has been experimentally demonstrated in a standard 0.18μm CMOS process, showing good performance at 1.7GHz with the data transmission rate and carrier rejection exceeding 20Mbps and 40dB respectively.  The integrated circuit (IC) measures only 425μm by 850μm and consumes less than 43mW of power.

A new S-band direct-digital QPSK modulator is introduced that offers even better performance and requires fewer components.  An active balun first splits the carrier into a pair of balanced signals, which are then fed to a 90° RC polyphase network generating all four differential quadrature signals.  Voltage-controlled NMOS resistors are used in the RC polyphase network to fine-tune it after fabrication for the lowest possible phase error.  Finally, only one of the four differential quadrature signals is selected by a PTL circuit consisting of six NMOS switches, according to both I and Q digital data values.  The circuit has been experimentally demonstrated in a standard 0.18μm CMOS process showing very good performance at 2.4GHz, with the data transmission rate exceeding 56Mbps. The IC measures 720μm by 888μm with an active area of only 505μm by 610μm, and consumes less than 33mW of power.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Co-immunoprecipitation analysis of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase interactome of developing castor oil seeds

contributor:
Plaxton, William C.
Biology

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subject:
PEPC
Co-IP
Fatty acid synthesis
Proteomics

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 15:57:52.216

abstract: Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) followed by proteomic analysis was employed to examine the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) interactome of developing castor oil seed (COS) endosperm. Earlier studies suggested that immunologically unrelated 107-kDa plant-type and 118-kDa bacterial-type PEPCs (p107/PTPC and p118/BTPC, respectively) are subunits of an unusual ~910-kDa hetero-octameric Class-2 PEPC complex of developing COS. The current results confirm that a tight physical interaction occurs between p118 and p107 since p118 quantitatively co-IP’d with p107 following elution of COS extracts through an anti-p107-IgG immunoaffinity column. No PEPC activity or immunoreactive PTPC or BTPC polypeptides were detected in the corresponding flow-through fractions. Although BTPCs lack the N-terminal phosphorylation site characteristic of PTPCs, Pro-Q Diamond Phosphoprotein staining, immunoblotting with phospho-(Ser/Thr) Akt substrate IgG, and phosphate-affinity PAGE demonstrated that the co-IP’d p118 was significantly phosphorylated at unique Ser and/or Thr residue(s). The co-IP of p118 and p107 was not influenced by their phosphorylation status. As p118 phosphorylation appeared unchanged 48 h following elimination of photosynthate supply due to COS depodding, the signaling mechanisms responsible for photosynthate-dependent p107 phosphorylation differ from those controlling p118’s in vivo phosphorylation. A third PEPC polypeptide of ~110-kDa (p110; RcPPC1) co-IP’d with p118 and p107 when depodded COS was used. Analysis of RcPpc1’s full-length cDNA sequence revealed p110’s identity with PTPCs, but that a pair of unique amino-acid substitutions occurs in its N-terminal sequence that may render p110 non-phosphorylatable in vivo. The plastidial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDCpl) was identified as a novel PEPC interactor. Subcellular fractionation indicated that p118 and p107 are strictly cytosolic, but that PDCpl is targeted to both the cytosol and leucoplast of developing COS. Thus, a putative cytosolic metabolon involving PEPC and PDCpl could function to channel carbon from phosphoenolpyruvate to acetyl-CoA and/or to recycle CO2 from PDCpl to PEPC.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Étude des Erreurs Lexicales et des États Bout de la Langue Comme Indices de L'influence Translinguistique Chez L'apprenant Multilingue

contributor:
Dufresne, Monique
French

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subject:
Third Language Acquisition
Cross-Linguistic Influence
Tip of the Tongue States

abstract: Thesis (Master, French) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 21:28:27.802

abstract:
Les mariages exogames, la mobilité de la population, la mondialisation, le bilinguisme social et l’éducation bilingue favorisent le développement du multilinguisme en Occident. La majorité de la recherche sur ce phénomène se réalise dans le cadre du bilinguisme et celui de l’acquisition d’une langue seconde. Pour les fins de cette étude, une personne qui a une connaissance de deux langues – même imparfaite – sera considérée comme étant bilingue. Une personne multilingue a une connaissance de trois langues ou plus. La recherche sur le multilinguisme n’en est qu’à ses débuts, mais elle est notamment parvenue à identifier des caractéristiques distinctes que partagent les personnes multilingues. Certains conçoivent le multilinguisme comme étant une extension du bilinguisme et considèrent que, quoique plus complexes, ses opérations lexicales restent les mêmes. D’autres estiment que la quantité de langues est un facteur qui suffit à créer une façon d’être distincte – un point de départ différent – pour une personne multilingue.
L’une des questions importantes que l’on se pose dans le domaine du lexique multilingue est jusqu’à quel point le traitement lexical des langues d’un individu se fait de façon séparée ou conjointe.
Cette étude se veut une contribution aux travaux de Peter Ecke, qui a étudié de façon extensive la nature des interactions translinguistiques chez les personnes bilingues et multilingues en utilisant les tests du dans un état « bout de la langue » (BDLL). Notre étude analyse le fonctionnement du vocabulaire de la L3 chez des adolescents ayant le profil suivant : L1 anglais, L2 français à un niveau débutant-intermédiare et L3 à un niveau débutant, acquis dans un contexte scolaire. En utilisant un outil d’élicitation de type BDLLL, nous tenterons d’identifier les caractéristiques des associations de mots alors que le sujet avait un mot sur le bout de la langue ou qu’il faisait une erreur lexicale, tout en étudiant la relation entre les lexiques de la  L1, de la L2 et de la L3. Nos résultats indiquent que dans la recherche et l’identification de mots de la L3, lors d’instants où le sujet cherche ses mots ou fait une erreur lexicale, l’identification de l’aspect sémantique fonctionne, alors que l’identification de l’aspect formel échoue. Pour ce qui est des influences translinguistiques, la plupart des sujets cherchaient d’abord dans la L3 et passaient ensuite à une recherche dans la L2. L’influence de L1 s’est avérée faible. Nous attribuons la cause de l’influence translinguistique à la psychotypologie, la compétence, et la récence.

In the western world, multilingualism is a growing phenomenon as a result of exogamous marriages, population mobility, globalization, social bilingualism and bilingual education. Most of the research in the field of multilingualism is carried out within the framework of research into bilingualism and second language acquisition. For the purposes of our study a bilingual speaker has knowledge, however imperfect, of two languages. A multilingual speaker has knowledge of three or more languages. Research into multilingualism is still in its early stages but has come far enough for researchers to identify distinct characteristics of the multilingual speaker. Some conclude that multilingualism is an extension of bilingualism, in that lexical operations are the same but more complex. Others believe that the quantity of languages alone creates a distinct state of being - a different starting place - for the multilingual speaker.
One key question in the field of the multilingual lexicon to what degree is the lexical processing of the individual’s languages is separate or integrated.
This study is a contribution to the research of Peter Ecke who has extensively studied the nature of cross-linguistic interaction in bilingual and multilingual speakers using tip of the tongue (TOT) tests. Our study analysed the processing of L3 vocabulary in adolescents with the following profile: L1 English, L2 French at a low-intermediate level and L3 Spanish at the beginner level in a school setting. Using a TOT elicitation tool, we sought to identify specific characteristics of word associates in TOT states and in lexical errors, as well as the relationship between the L1, L2 and L3 lexicons. Our results indicate that in the search and retrieval of L3 words in TOT states and in lexical errors, the retrieval of the semantic aspect succeeds while the retrieval of the form aspect fails. With regard to the source of cross-linguistic influence, most subjects searched initially within the L3 and failing that, proceeded to a search within the L2. L1 influence was weak. We attribute the cause of cross-linguistic influence to psychotypology, proficiency and recency.

abstract: M.A.


title: Tax Policy Challenges Facing Developing Countries: A Case Study of Uganda

contributor:
Lahey, Kathleen
Law

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subject:
Tax policy
Uganda

abstract: Thesis (Master, Law) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 08:58:01.813

abstract: Developed countries have had commendable success in improving their taxation policy systems over the years. However, developing countries face numerous tax policy challenges when they attempt to establish efficient tax systems.  Ugandaâs tax structure has been greatly improved in recent years, and it appears to mirror the tax system in other Sub-Saharan Africa countries, in terms of the types of taxes and rates. Nevertheless, growth in domestic revenue mobilization after various reforms has not significantly improved as demonstrated by the increase in overall budget deficits. The persistence of budget deficits makes it clear that Ugandaâs tax policies urgently need to be reviewed to increase tax revenues. This thesis reviews the pros and cons of changes made to the tax system and assesses the extent to which they can solve the deficit dilemma. In particular, this thesis demonstrates that Ugandaâs approach to tax policy does not take into consideration prevailing domestic social phenomena like the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the ongoing civil war in Northern Uganda, the expanding informal sector, and barriers to effective tax administration, all of which are rapidly eroding the tax base. Policy solutions that address these systemic problems are suggested.

abstract: LL.M.


title: Urban ecosystems and human health in South Africa : examining the relationships between housing, energy, indoor air quality and respiratory health

contributor:
van Loon, Gary
Winn, Louise M.
Goebel, Allison
Environmental Studies

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subject:
Indoor air pollution
Particulate matter
Carbon monoxide
Sulphur dioxide
Household energy
Developing country

abstract: Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 08:52:05.443

abstract: In South Africa one of the strongest influences on domestic indoor air quality is the type of energy used for heating, cooking and other household purposes.  Emissions from fuel combustion, along with housing factors, can result in respiratory infections, a leading cause of death in the country.  In this study I examine the relationships between energy types, patterns of use, housing conditions such as improper ventilation and overcrowding, indoor air quality and respiratory health in poorer communities of Msunduzi Municipality, South Africa.  These variables were examined using an ecohealth perspective through the integration of data concerning individual time-activity budgets, housing materials and structure, energy sources used for heating, cooking and lighting, respiratory symptoms and continuous real time monitoring of indoor air pollutants (particulate matter (PM), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and sulphur dioxide (SO2)).  A total of 20 dwellings, displaying large variability in housing structure and energy patterns, were sampled for 24 hours (hr) over a period of 60 days.  The mean 24-hr average indoor concentrations measured were as follows:  PM2.5= 16 ± 11 µg/m3, PM10= 78 ± 46 µg/m3, CO= 5 ± 6 ppm and SO2= 0.18 ± 0.27 ppm.  Mean indoor concentrations measured were significantly greater than mean outdoor concentrations (p<0.0001 (PM2.5), p=0.017 (PM10), p<0.0001 (CO), p<0.0001 (SO2)). Although PM concentrations increased with the use of increasingly inefficient-burning fuel types (gas < paraffin < wood), no significant differences in the means were found across these fuel types.  It is thought that the high degree of variability among dwellings and the small sample size in this study obscured any statistically significant relationships.  No significant differences in mean concentrations were found across different housing types either.  Indoor exposures were, on average, highest among very young children (ages 0-5) and elders (ages 51+).  All age groups reported experiencing high levels of respiratory symptoms, with the elder group (ages 51+) reporting the highest percentages for each symptom.  This study will be used to inform local governments and NGOs of local indoor air pollution and exposure risks, so that policy and resources can be allocated accordingly to improve physical environments.

abstract: M.E.S.


title: Relational Views of XML for the Semantic Web

contributor:
Cordy, James R.
Martin, Patrick
Computing

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subject:
Relational View
Semantic Web
XML
Source Transformation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 10:56:13.513

abstract: The Semantic Web is the future of the Internet. It is the extension to the Internet in which information will be given well-defined meaning, enabling not only humans but also machines to find, share and combine information more easily. In the Semantic Web documents are not merely pages containing a set of words that form their content. They also encode the meaning and structure of those words. This enables various information retrieval techniques to be performed on the documents in addition to the ones restricted to keywords. The goal of this research is to explore a method for querying the Semantic Web using relational database theory and source transformation techniques. We take as input, documents annotated with XML mark-up and the information tags that we are interested in. We then extract and populate a relational view on the annotated XML documents using these tags and the implicit relations in the XML documents. We evaluate the feasibility of our system by testing on a variety of input and we also explore the kinds of queries that can be made on the extracted relational view.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Analysis of N-linked glycosylation of flagellin proteins in the archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

contributor:
Jarrell, Ken F.
Microbiology and Immunology

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subject: archaea glycosylation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Microbiology & Immunology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 11:14:57.497

abstract: N-linked glycosylation is a posttranslational modification involving the attachment of a carbohydrate to an asparagine (Asn) residue located within an Asn-X-Ser/Thr consensus sequence. This process is well understood in Eucarya and, more recently, in Bacteria. However, information about the equivalent process in Archaea is limited. This lack of knowledge includes data on glycan structures, assembly, and attachment. Assembly is believed to involve the sequential addition of monosaccharides to a membrane-embedded lipid carrier using a series of glycosyltransferases. Once the glycan is completed, it is transported across the membrane via a flippase and transferred to the protein using an oligosaccharyltransferase (Stt3p homolog). Working with the archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis, a novel glycan N-linked to the flagellin proteins of this organism was identified. Mass spectrometry has identified the glycan to have a mass of 1036.4 Da and secondary fragmentation pattern analysis of the intact glycan indicates that in addition to an N-acetylglucosamine residue (203 Da) and a di-N-acetylhexosamine (258 Da), there is an additional terminal mass of 575 Da suggesting that the glycan may be a tetrasaccharide. Genes suspected to be involved in flagellin glycosylation were targeted for in-frame deletion. The deletion of a number of these genes resulted in mutants that had a downward shift in flagellin molecular mass as evidenced by immunoblotting with anti-flagellin antisera. The annotation of these genes indicates that they are involved in the assembly of the glycan and its subsequent transfer to the target protein. Mutants that carried a deletion of an oligosaccharyltransferase (MMP1424) had flagellins that appeared completely unmodified by immunoblotting. Furthermore, mutants that had deletions in one of two glycosyltransferase genes (MMP1080, MMP1079) produced flagellins of intermediate molecular mass. Subsequent complementation of these glycosyltransferase mutations partially or fully restored flagellins to wild-type mass. Examination by electron microscopy showed that two mutants (ΔMMP1424, ΔMMP1079) were unable to assemble flagellar filaments while one glycosyltransferase mutant (ΔMMP1080) still produced flagellar filaments. Collectively, these data begin to reveal the pathway and requirement of N-linked glycosylation in archaea using M. maripaludis as a model.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: NMR and Biophysical Studies of Modular Protein Structure and Function

contributor:
Smith, Steven P.
Biochemistry

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subject:
NMR spectroscopy
Protein structure
Protein-ligand interactions
Extracellular proteins
Clostridium perfringens
Apolipoproteins
Low density lipoprotein
Bacterial pathogens
Cardiovascular disease
Molecular biology
Biochemistry
Modular proteins

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Biochemistry) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 11:46:38.753

abstract:
Proteins modularity enhances the multi-functionality and versatility of proteins by providing such properties as multiple and various ligand-binding sites, increased ligand affinity through the avidity effect, and the juxtaposition of ligand-binding modules near catalytic domains. An NMR-based "dissect-and-build" approach to studying modular protein structure and function has proven very successful, whereby modules are initially characterized individually and then correlated with the overall function of a protein. We have used the dissect-and-build approach and NMR to study two modular protein systems.
Chapter 2 details the NMR solution structure of the weak-lysine-binding kringle IV type 8 (KIV8) module from the apolipoprotein(a) (apo(a)) component of lipoprotein(a) was determined and its ligand-binding properties assessed.  In vitro studies have demonstrated the importance of the apo(a) KIV7 and KIV8 modules in mediating specific lysine-dependent interactions with the apolipoproteinB-100 (apoB-100) component of LDL in the initial non-covalent step of lipoprotein assembly.  Notable differences identified in the lysine binding site (LBS) of the KIV8 were deemed responsible for the differential modes of apoB-100 recognition by KIV7 and KIV8.  In addition, the KIV8 structure has brought to light the importance of an RGD sequence at the N-terminus of the apo(a) KIV8 module, which may mediate important apo(a)-integrin interactions.
In Chapters 3-6, structure-function studies of the CpGH84C X82 and the CpGH84A dockerin-containing modular pair were conducted to understand how the varying modularity unique to the C-terminal regions of the secreted multi-modular family 84 glycoside hydrolases influences the spreading of Clostridium perfringens. Identification of a CpGH84C cohesin module (X82), and the structural characterization of a dockerin-containing modular pair provides the first evidence for multi-enzyme complex formation mediated by non-cellulosomal cohesin-dockerin interactions.  The formation of large hydrolytic enzyme complexes introduces a novel mechanism by which C. perfringens may enhance its role in pathogenesis.

abstract: PhD


title: Probing Immune Function During Aging in Adult Drosophila

contributor:
Seroude, Laurent
Biology

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subject: Drosophila Immunity Survival Clearance Bacteria

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-10-02 09:37:18.314

abstract:
Virtually all multicellular organisms rely on a highly conserved innate immune system for defense against foreign microorganisms.  Innate immunity consists primarily of a humeral response that culminates in the expression of antimicrobial peptides.  In contrast to adaptive immunity seen in high order organisms, the innate immune response is not specific to the invader.
In aging organisms, some of the most dramatic transcriptional changes take place within the innate immune system.  In aging mammals, innate immune reorganization coincides with declining immune function, which often manifests itself as chronic inflammation.  Similar to this state of chronic inflammation in mammals, Drosophila exhibit a marked upregulation of many innate immunity related genes.  However, it remains unclear if this upregulation results in a similar decrease in immune function to that seen in mammals.  If Drosophila is to be considered as a model organism in which to study the relationship between immunity and aging, it must first be determined whether it too undergoes declining immune function with age.
By examining the response to quantifiable injections of bacteria, we were able to deduce that adult Drosophila do indeed undergo immune senescence.  Elderly wildtype flies infected with various doses of bacteria showed a decreased ability to survive infection.  Moreover, because the ability to clear the infection remains intact despite decreased survival following infection, it is believed that a bacterially produced factor is responsible for immune senescence in adult Drosophila.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A novel TAFIa assay and its use to measure TAFI activation in vivo in primate models and the determination of the kinetics of TAFIa-catalyzed release of bound plasminogen from soluble fibrin degradation products

contributor:
Nesheim, Michael E.
Biochemistry

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subject: TAFIa assay

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biochemistry) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 13:08:29.462

abstract:
Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI), also called procarboxypeptidase U (proCPU), is a plasma zymogen that can be activated by thrombin, the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex, or plasmin.  The activated form of TAFI (TAFIa, CPU) removes C-terminal lysine residues of plasmin-modified fibrin (FN’) that mediate positive feedback in plasminogen (Pg) activation, thereby attenuating fibrinolysis.  The plasma concentration of TAFI is ~75nM.  Since the half-maximal effect of TAFIa occurs at 1nM, only about 1.3% of TAFI needs to be activated to exert an effect on clot lysis.
The first objective of this work was to design a novel assay that can measure functional TAFIa levels in plasma.  We have successfully developed a reliable TAFIa assay that is sensitive to TAFIa concentrations as low as 12pM.  This assay is not confounded by endogenous levels of Pg or by a naturally occurring polymorphism at position 325 that affects the half-life of TAFIa.
The second objective was to measure TAFI activation in vivo in primates in response to thrombin generation, E. coli-induced sepsis, or post-surgical stress.  It was found that chimpanzees generated substantial amounts of TAFIa in a transient manner which had a half-life of ~8 to 10 minutes in response to thrombin generation.  Baboons generated very high levels of TAFIa transiently in response to sublethal or lethal doses of E. coli.  Interestingly, baboons generated less TAFIa when infused with thrombin followed by the blocking of endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) than when the baboons were infused with only thrombin.  Human patients that underwent hip replacement surgery showed sustained, elevated levels of TAFIa for up to 42 days after surgery.
The third objective was to determine the kinetics of TAFIa-catalyzed release of bound plasminogen from soluble fibrin degradation products.  The kinetics conformed to the Michaelis-Menten equation, which allowed the determination of Km, kcat and Vmax values for varying concentrations of TAFIa.  In addition, the enzymatic activity of TAFIa appeared to saturate, probably because at a high concentration of TAFIa, the kinetics of plasminogen release were rate limiting.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: In-plane plane strain testing to evaluate formability of sheet steels used in tubular products

contributor:
Pilkey, A. Keith
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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subject:
In-plane forming limits
Tube hydroforming
Plane strain
Sheet and tube formability

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 15:00:35.873

abstract:
In order to effectively and efficiently hydroform new automotive components, the formability of new tubular steels must be evaluated. Standard forming limit diagrams have been used for decades to evaluate and predict the formability of sheet steel formed along linear strain paths. However, tube hydroforming can present a problem since the pre-bending stage used in many hydroforming operations causes multiple non-linear strain paths.
	This thesis has modified a formability test method that deforms small-scale sheet steel samples in a single plane. The sample geometries were designed such that the strain paths achieved at the center of the samples were very near the plane strain condition. The four steels chosen for this study were: a deep drawing quality (DDQ), a high strength low alloy (HSLA) and two dual phase steels (DP600 and DP780). The plane strain formability for each of the four steels was tested in both the rolling and transverse directions.
	Three objective criteria were employed to evaluate and directly compare the formability of the four steels tested: difference in strain, difference in strain rate and local necking. The DDQ steel showed the highest formability followed in order by the HSLA, DP600 and DP780 steels. The repeatability in determining the forming limit strains using the difference in strain, the difference in strain rate and the local necking criteria for a 95% confidence interval was ± 1.5%, ± 1.2% and ± 3.2% engineering strain, respectively.
	The forming limit data collected for this thesis has been compared to results from full-scale tube hydroforming operations and free expansion tube burst tests carried out by researchers at the University of Waterloo on the same four materials. It was found that local necking results could be used to predict failure of hydroformed HSLA steel tubes with low levels of end-feed. However, this same method could only predict the failure of hydroformed DP600 steel tubes at higher levels of end-feed. The three objective criteria were not found to be suitable for predicting failure of free expansion tube burst tests.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Women, performance, and the household in early modern England, 1580-1660

contributor:
Straznicky, Marta
English

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subject:
Early Modern
Theatre
Women's Writing

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 15:08:00.304

abstract: The texts and records of the household performances of early modern women collected and examined in this thesis, which together have not yet been the subject of any extended scholarly work, reveal that women performed in the household far more often and in many more ways than is yet acknowledged in scholarship.  These texts and records also show that the household could be an amenable performance space for early modern women, both amateur and professional, aristocratic and not.  This reconceptualization of the place of women’s performances in the household, I argue, necessitates an adjustment of received ideas of the ethical and moral status of those performances as well as a reevaluation of the household itself.  I reassess the equation between theatrical performance and immorality and interrogate the “inheren[t] subversive[ness]” that one critic argues is found in all women’s household plays.  While I maintain that women’s household performances could have multiple significations, this thesis focuses on performances that permitted women to shape their own reputations positively in household space, where women were agents influencing domestic life through their theatre.  Chapter 1, the Introduction, outlines the critical field, positions women within the performance tradition of the household, and discusses the status of their performances, centering on the relationship between theatrical performance, agency, and feminine virtue.  Chapter 2 focuses on royal progress entertainment, discussing the performances of domestic virtue of Queen Elizabeth’s female hosts which not only had the capacity to be received as virtuous, but worked to promote familial and class legitimacy.  Chapter 3 talks about the banquets created and served by women, identifying those banquets as a form of theatre, and linking women’s creativity with their embodiment of domestic ideals through the performance of hospitality.  Chapter 4 discusses touring women performers as accepted, acknowledged, and skillful theatre professionals who were licenced by the state to perform and who were permitted to perform in households and towns across England.

abstract: PhD


title: Tracing the Tensions, Constructions, and Social Relations Surrounding Community Integration Practice for Individuals with Severe Mental Illness: A Focus on Assertive Community Treatment

contributor:
Krupa, Terry
Rehabilitation Science

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subject:
Assertive Community Treatment
Institutional Ethnography

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 15:10:26.391

abstract:
ABSTRACT

	Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is considered the primary service-delivery vehicle for integrating individuals with severe mental illness into the community.  Research on the model suggests that it has been helpful in aiding service users to achieve basic levels of integration including stabilized housing and maintaining financial and social security (Bond, Drake, Mueser & Latimer, 2001; Mueser, Bond, & Drake, 2001).  However, critics of the model emphasize its limited success in enabling higher-order aspects of integration such as mainstream employment, recreation and socialization (Estroff, 1981; Gomory, 1998, 2001, 2002a, 2002b).  These are fundamental criticisms given the significant investment in the model by policy makers.  The rationale for the failure to promote higher-order integration typically rests on two central assumptions:  a) service users are incapable of realizing full integration; and b) practitioners lack the training, skills, and philosophical base required to foster full integration.  By focusing on the personal and professional characteristics of practitioners and service users, these views serve to obscure organizing structures operating at organizational, systemic, and social levels that encourage common ways of thinking about and carrying out community integration practice.
	The concern of this thesis is to explicate the impact of these organizing structures on the everyday practices engaged in by individual practitioners.  In particular this thesis focuses on how practice becomes shaped by external structures that overrule both personal and professional values and intentions.  The current study used the method of institutional ethnography to examine the impact of organizing structures of ACT in shaping how community integration practice is conceptualized, carried out, and accounted for on an everyday basis.  The study findings are threefold.  First, they suggest that organizing structures foster goals associated with protection as opposed to empowerment.  Second, they reveal that organizing structures advance an individual-level focus over a social-level focus, prohibiting the community capacity building and environmental change necessary for fostering social autonomy and empowerment.  Third, they show that organizing structures encourage practices discordant with integration, resulting in contradictory and therefore inconsistent attempts to facilitate higher-order aspects of integration.  The power of these organizing structures is such that the personal and professional intentions of providers to facilitate broad community integration are consistently overruled within the context of everyday practice.  The results of this study highlight the powerful role played by organizing structures in shaping community integration practice and provide an important theoretical model for planning, implementing, and evaluating models of service delivery for individuals with severe mental illness.

abstract: PhD


title: Properties and foaming behaviour of thermoplastic olefin blends based on linear and branched polypropylene

contributor:
Kontopoulou, Marianna
Chemical Engineering

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subject: Polypropylene Thermoplastic Foaming

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 16:07:44.202

abstract:
The recent commercial availability of branched polypropylenes (PPs) combined with the advent of single-site metallocene catalysts has ignited interest in thermoplastic polyolefin blends (TPOs) with controlled melt strength.  These blends have potential applications in a variety of industries including foam processing and extrusion foaming.

     The main objective of the thesis is to provide a detailed investigation on the rheological, morphological, thermal, mechanical and foaming properties of isotactic polypropylene / high melt strength branched polypropylene homopolymer blends, and of thermoplastic olefin blends using these polypropylenes as matrices.

     Initial research on the polypropylene blends consisted of a linear high melt flow rate PP and two branched PPs with different melt flow rates.  Blends containing branched PPs display evidence of miscibility in the melt state and exhibit high melt elasticity together with significant strain hardening in extensional deformation while retaining good flow properties. Of the two blend systems examined, the blends containing linear and branched PPs with similar melt flow rates have better mechanical properties, higher crystallization temperatures, and higher crystallinities.

     An investigation into the mechanical, thermal, rheological, morphological, and microcellular foaming behaviour of TPO blends consisting of a blended matrix of linear and branched PP with a dispersed phase of an ethylene-octene copolymer was performed.  Blends containing branched PP showed improved stiffness and flexural properties.  Given that the morphology and interfacial tension of the blends remain virtually unaffected, these improvements are attributed to the increased crystallinity in the presence of a branched component with higher molecular weight. Varying the amount of branched PP into linear PP during foaming experiments in a batch foaming simulation apparatus caused slower cell growth rates and decreased cell densities, while TPO foams showed polydispersity in the cell sizes, possibly due to the different foaming characteristics of the immiscible components.

     The addition of talc to TPO blends aims at improving the stiffness and dimensional stability of the material, while lowering material costs.  Blends of linear and branched PP with an ethylene-octene copolymer dispersed phase and uncalcinated talc showed similar trends, as well as an expected drop in the elongation at break.  There was an increase in the viscosity and crystallinity of the blends, and optimum gains were seen in blends containing 20 wt% branched PP.  Increasing the levels of branched PP did not significantly affect the bubble growth rate, or the final cell density during foaming experiments.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A Developmental Perspective on Children and Adolescents who Bully and are Victimized by Peers

contributor:
Craig, Wendy M.
Psychology

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subject:
Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Children
Adolescents
Bullying
Victimization

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 16:38:24.52

abstract: The present study examined developmental changes in the prevalence, stability, and developmental pathways associated with Bully/Victim status in order to increase our understanding of this high-risk group. In addition, this study investigated changes within individuals and their social context that are associated with moving into, or out of, the Bully/Victim group. This study was guided by the theory of developmental contextualism, which suggests that bullying involvement is likely to change over the course of development and that these changes are likely related to changes within individuals and their social contexts. One thousand six hundred seventy-seven elementary school students and 1402 high school students participated in this longitudinal study. Data were collected three times from each sample. Developmental changes in Bully/Victim status were assessed through a series of log-linear analyses and changes in individual and their peer relationships associated with transitions in bullying status were assessed through a series of multinomial logistic regression analyses. The results supported developmental contextual theory. Bully/Victim status became less prevalent over the course of development and was particularly unstable over three points of time in both elementary and high school. Individuals who became part of the Bully/Victim group were likely to have a history of involvement in bullying, and those who recovered from the Bully/Victim group usually maintained some sort of bullying involvement. When youth transitioned between types of bullying, they became more similar to the bullying status group that they entered in terms of individual characteristics. In addition, changes in bullying status were associated with changing peer groups.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Executive Functioning and Theory of Mind Development: A Training Study

contributor:
Sabbagh, Mark A.
Psychology

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subject:
Cognitive Development
Frontal Lobe Functioning
Theory of Mind
Executive Functioning
Training Study
Preschool-Aged Children
False Belief
Inhibition

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-28 14:43:16.88

abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the processes underlying the relation between executive functioning and false belief knowledge. We explored the hypothesis that children with advanced executive functioning skills are better equipped to capitalize on the experiences that are necessary to learn how to reason about others’ mental states. To examine this possibility, we recruited 3.5-year-old children with age-appropriate variability in executive functioning skills to participate in a training study designed to promote their performance on false belief tasks. We found that individual differences in executive functioning task scores strongly and consistently predicted the extent to which children benefited from false-belief training. Importantly, the relation between executive functioning and false belief improvement remained significant after controlling for age, initial performance on mental state reasoning tasks, language skills, and executive functioning improvement across the testing period. Thus, our results support the hypothesis that executive functioning skills influence the extent to which children are able to capitalize on relevant experience to better predict and understand others’ false-belief-based behaviour. This claim is discussed with respect to possible alternative explanations for our findings, and ensuing implications for understanding the interplay between neuromaturational factors and experience.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Rethinking Environmental Responsibility: Heidegger, Profound Boredom, and the Alterity of Nature

contributor:
Smith, Mick
Philosophy

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subject:
Heidegger
Environmental Philosophy
Nature
Boredom

abstract: Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 17:11:17.45

abstract:
Beginning with an overview of the appropriation of Heidegger’s thought to environmental philosophy, I proceed to identify two themes as holding a prominent place within the current literature: Heidegger’s conception of primordial nature or physis as well as the notion of “poetic dwelling”. Drawing on both of these themes, I argue that a prominent implication of Heidegger’s thought for environmental philosophy concerns the conservation of the natural world’s “natural otherness”—its differences from and indifference to humanity. However, within the current discussion concerning the conservation of nature’s otherness little is said concerning nature itself. The question arises as to whether or not non-human natural beings compel us to protect and conserve their differences. How does nature “call” us to protect its otherness?
Following this, Chapter Two seeks to establish the relevance of Heidegger’s theory of moods for answering the question at hand. In particular, I illustrate the potential of moods by comparing the occurrence of an “equipmental breakdown” with the mood of “anxiety” (Angst). While the former experience exposes Dasein to nature’s “ownness”—its Being outside of the worldhood—its potential insight is easily re-subsumed into the world of work and projects. In contrast, the experience of anxiety avoids such a shortcoming while simultaneously disclosing Dasein as responsible for what it makes of its existence. These features, or so I argue, demonstrate the relevance of moods in answering the question of this project.
Having established the relevance of moods I return, in Chapter Three, to the question posed at the outset of this thesis. Specifically, I investigate the nature of nature’s call by exploring the phenomenology of “profound boredom” as Heidegger presents it in The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics: World, Finitude, Solitude. Significantly, profound boredom discloses nature in a distinctly primordial manner, while simultaneously revealing Dasein to be responsible for its own there-being. In light of this disclosure, I argue that within the experience of profound boredom primordial nature can be interpreted as calling Dasein towards responsibility, not by demand or challenge, but through its ambiguous indifference towards Dasein and its choices.

abstract: M.A.


title: Characterization of Farnesoic Acid O-Methyltransferase (FAMeT) and Juvenile Hormone Acid Methyltransferase (JHAMT) in relation to Drosophila melanogaster Juvenile Hormone Biosynthesis

contributor:
Bendena, William G.
Biology

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subject:
juvenile hormone
farnesoic acid o-methyltransferase
juvenile hormone acid methyltransferase

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 20:08:23.69

abstract:
Juvenile hormones (JHs) are key regulators of both metamorphosis and adult reproductive processes.  The role of two key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway of JH were examined: Farnesoic Acid O-Methyltransferase (FAMeT) and Juvenile Hormone Acid Methyltransferase (JHAMT). In crustaceans, FAMeT has been found to methylate farnesoic acid  (FA), producing methyl farnesoate (MF) prior to epoxidation at the penultimate stage of JH biosynthesis. JHAMT was discovered more recently in the silkworm Bombyx mori and converts epoxidated FA (JHacids) to active JH through methylation using S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM). The aim of the proposed research is to examine the influence of a) decreasing the amount of FAMeT produced using an enhancer trapping P-element and b) increasing the levels of JHAMT and FAMeT in specific tissues using GAL4 overexpression techniques. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to confirm the presence of FAMeT in the CA of D. melanogaster ring glands.  Analysis of MF, JHIII and JHB3 release in wild type and mutant stocks in the presence and absence of Drome AST (PISCF-type) suggest that Drosophila FAMeT has little if any effect on the sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis. Drome-AST appears to have a select effect on JHB3 biosynthesis and not MF or JHIII. Analysis of JHB3 release from larval and adult flies ubiquitously overexpressing JHAMT showed a significant increase when compared to wildtype (p<0.01 and p<0.0001 respectively).  No significant difference was seen in JHB3 release in flies ubiquitously overexpressing FAMeT. A significant increase in hatching success was seen in flies overexpressing

FAMeT in the larval ring gland and oocytes (p<0.05) whereas no significant decrease was seen in JHAMT-overexpressing flies during development. A significant extension of lifespan was also seen when FAMeT was overexpressed in the border and follicle cells of the oocyte (p<0.0001).
	The direct role of JHAMT in JHB3 synthesis has been demonstrated. The involvement of FAMeT and JHAMT in development and longevity may require other interacting proteins to elicit an effect, which is a limiting factor in overexpression experiments of the two enzymes.  Additionally, this is the first example of AST action within D. melanogaster.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Evaluation of the Effect of Stay On Your Feet, a Community-Delivered Falls Prevention Program for Older Adults, on Falls-Related Self-Efficacy and Balance

contributor:
DeWolfe, Judy
Nursing

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subject:
Falls Prevention
Older Adults

abstract: Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 19:47:26.195

abstract: A pre-test, post-test, randomized control study (n=78) was conducted to test whether participation in Stay on Your Feet (SOYF), a falls prevention program for community-dwelling older adults, improved participants’ falls-related self-efficacy and balance.  The Activities Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale (Powell & Myers, 1995) was used to measure falls-related self-efficacy and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (Podsiadlo & Richardson, 1991) was used to measure balance.  Participants in both the intervention and control groups scored at the higher end of the ABC Scale (range 0-100) at baseline (mean 76.78 ± 18.91 and 82.46 ± 18.27 respectively) and at follow-up (mean 75.01 ± 19.51 and 84.10 ± 12.49 respectively), suggesting participants in this study were already fairly confident in their ability to manage daily activities without losing their balance.  TUG times at baseline and follow-up testing were low suggesting participants had good balance.  The SOYF program did not meet its intended objectives of improving falls-related self-efficacy and balance for participants who received the program.  Recommendations for changes to future SOYF programming include targeting older adults with a history of falls or identified falls risk factors.  The SOYF program was not effective for this study group; however, it may work for older adults at higher-risk for falls.

abstract: MNSc.


title: Out of necessity and into the fields: migrant farmworkers in St. Rémi, Quebec

contributor:
Lovell, W. George
Geography

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subject:
Migrant farmworkers
Quebec
Support systems
Unfree labour

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 22:28:11.532

abstract: The province of Ontario is the primary focus of a growing body of research discussing migrant agricultural labour in Canada.  This thesis shifts the focus of inquiry to Quebec, a province that has not received the attention it warrants, given that it is “home” to the second largest temporary migrant population in Canada.  Currently, Mexicans constitute the bulk of labourers contracted through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP).   With the establishment in 2003 of the Foreign Worker Program (FWP), however, the number of Guatemalans on the Quebec scene has increased significantly.  The situation of workers from both countries is addressed in the form of a case study of St. Rémi.  The thesis argues that the migrant experience in St. Rémi is characterized by a struggle to cope with: (1) an “unfree” labour status; (2) social and geographical isolation; and (3) lack of social assistance and community acknowledgement.  An attempt is made to give migrant workers a voice, since their contribution for the most part is either unknown or unappreciated.  The support system now in place in St. Rémi affords migrants some minimal rights, but much remains to be done, in Quebec and across Canada, to make the plight of workers better known and their situation improved.

abstract: M.A.


title: A Framework for Radio Resource Management in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

contributor:
Hassanein, Hossam S.
Mouftah, Hussein T.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

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subject:
Radio Resource Management
Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-28 04:54:46.819

abstract:
Heterogeneous Wireless Networks (HWNs) are composite networks made of different wireless access technologies, possibly with overlapping coverage. Users with multi-mode terminals in HWNs will be able to initiate connectivity in the access technology that best suits their attributes and the requirements of their applications. The true potential of HWNs, however, is only realized through allowing users to maintain their sessions when toggling from one access technology to another. Such inter-technology handoffs, called vertical handoffs, will enable users to persistently select the most appropriate network, and not just at session initiation. For operators, HWNs pave the road to higher profitability through more capable networks where the complementary advantages of individual access technologies are combined. However, the characteristics of HWNs challenge traditional arguments for designing Radio Resource Management (RRM) frameworks. Managing the resources of an access technology in an HWN independently of other networks with which its overlaid risks underutilization and resource mismanagement. The dynamic nature of user demands in HWNs also calls for RRM modules with controlled operational cost. More importantly, the unique characteristics of HWNs call for non-traditional solutions that exploit the ``complementarity" of the individual networks.

In this thesis, we address these issues through proposing a framework for RRM in HWNs. Our framework comprises three key components. The first component is aimed at improving allocation policies in HWNs through joint allocation policies involving provisioning and admission control. In addition, we outline the basis for achieving robust provisioning that accommodates variability in user demands, but also in network capabilities. The second component is concerned with controlling the operational cost of RRM modules. As a case study, we choose bandwidth adaptation algorithms and optimize their performance. We also introduce the notion of stochastic triggers which enables operators to direct the operation of a RRM module based on the operator's objectives and network conditions. In the third component, we introduce a new module that exploits vertical handoffs to the benefit of network operators. Such operator motivated vertical handoffs can be utilized in instances of congestion control. They can also be used proactively to achieve long-term objectives such as load balancing or service delivery cost reduction.

abstract: PhD


title: Demand-Withdraw in the Marital Context of Depression

contributor:
Rehman, Uzma
Psychology

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subject:
Depression
Demand-Withdraw
Marital Relationship
Communication

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-28 09:52:59.682

abstract: Consistently researchers have demonstrated that marital interactions of couples with and without a depressed partner differ. Given the high comorbidity of depression and marital distress, it is unclear whether observed communication patterns are due to marital distress or depression. Recent investigations suggest that, after controlling for marital satisfaction, marital communication behaviours may not be specific to depression. However, depressed groups in these investigations may have consisted of individuals with a wide range of acute mood states, thus minimizing differences between depressed and non-depressed mood states. Consistent with cognitive vulnerability models of depression, depressed individuals’ dysfunctional behaviours may manifest only during negative mood states. The first purpose of the present study was to use a mood induction procedure (MIP) to examine whether any marital communication were specific to depression, after controlling for marital satisfaction. The second purpose of the study was to examine whether communication behaviours predicted depressive symptoms at 6-month follow-up. The hypotheses were tested in a sample of 69 couples characterized by a wide range of wife depressive symptoms and couple marital satisfaction. Results of the current study showed that women who endorsed higher depressive symptoms were more likely to use high-level negative demands (e.g., use of angry, belligerent tone) and indirect demands (e.g., use of flirting, whining, or nagging tone) after they received a sad MIP, but depressive symptoms were not related to these behaviours when there was no MIP. Interestingly, depressive symptoms were positively correlated with low-level negative demands (attempts to influence one’s partner in a frustrated, defensive manner) regardless of whether or not wives received a sad MIP. Results also showed that when wives were induced with a sad mood, husbands of wives who endorsed higher levels of depressive symptoms engaged in more positive demands (e.g., use of warmth and understanding). Additionally, preliminary longitudinal data suggest that, wives who engaged in higher levels of high-level negative demands report lower levels of subsequent depressive symptoms. These findings are discussed in light of interpersonal theories of depression.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Functional analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the proximal promoter regions of the multidrug transporter genes MRP1/ABCC1 and MRP4/ABCC4

contributor:
Cole, Susan P. C.
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

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subject:
Multidrug resistance
Single nucleotide polymorphism

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-28 10:03:16.119

abstract: The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily consists of 49 members, to which both Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 (MRP1/gene symbol: ABCC1) and MRP4 (ABCC4) belong.  Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in drug metabolizing genes have been shown to affect individual responses to drugs and toxins.  However, the role of SNPs in modulating the activity of drug transporters, such as MRP1 and MRP4, is poorly characterized.  The overall goal of my thesis was to determine the effects of SNPs in the promoter regions of human ABCC1 and ABCC4.  For MRP1/ABCC1, two proximal promoter SNPs (-275A>G, -260G>C) were identified in the literature and recreated in vitro, and the activity of the mutant ABCC1 promoter constructs was measured in five human cell lines using a dual luciferase assay.  The activity of the -275A>G promoter was comparable to the wild-type ABCC1 promoter.  On the other hand, the -260G>C substitution decreased ABCC1 promoter activity in HepG2, MCF-7 and HeLa (40 - 60%) cells.  A 1706 bp fragment containing the 5’-flanking and untranslated regions of ABCC4 were isolated from two bacterial artificial chromosome clones and six serially deleted ABCC4 promoter reporter constructs generated.  Luciferase assays of the basal promoter constructs of ABCC4 in HEK293T cells revealed the presence of one or more negative regulatory regions between -1706 and -876, between -876 and -641, and one or more positive regulatory regions between -641 and -356, and between -356 and -17.  Also, the ABCC4 promoter displayed differential activity in MDCKI and LLC-PK1 cells than in HEK293T cells.  One SNP (-523G>C) was identified from an online database and its activity tested.  However, -523G>C SNP did not cause any significant change in the ABCC4 promoter activity in both HEK293T and HepG2 cells (80 – 130%).  In summary, the data obtained suggest that the promoter SNPs studied may affect the transcriptional activity of ABCC1 or ABCC4, but it seems likely that this is not true in all cell types.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Design, fabrication and characterization of a suspended heterostructure

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subject:
NEMS
Displacement sensing
2DEG
Piezoelectricity
GaAs

abstract: Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-28 10:13:56.094

abstract:
This thesis presents the design and theoretical modeling of an aluminum gallium arsenide/gallium arsenide heterostructure from which suspended nanoscale mechanical resonators with embedded two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) can be made. The mechanical characteristics of the resonator and the piezoelectric actuation scheme are investigated using finite-element modeling. For a 836 nm-long,  250 nm-wide and 164 nm-thick beam with gold electrodes on top, out-of-plane flexural vibrations are verified to be piezoelectrically excited at the beam's fundamental frequency of 925.6 MHz.

Fabrication recipes for the making of ohmic contacts to the 2DEG, Hall bars and suspended structures are developed using the designed crystal structure.  Electrical properties of the 2DEG are evaluated in both large, unsuspended structures as well as in sub-micron size suspended structures.

It is found that the 2DEG has a reasonable electron density of 7.04E11 cm^-2 and electron mobility of 1.72E5 cm^2/(V s).

abstract: M.Sc.