title: The Structure of Blame and its Relation to the Moral Emotions

contributor:
Kumar, Rahul
Philosophy

subject:
Blame
Moral Philosophy
Moral Blame
Reactive Attitudes
R. Jay Wallace's conception of blame

abstract:
It is not clear what role emotions play in our conception of blame. In this thesis, I aim to understand the role of the emotions in blame, and the question that I explore can be phrased in the following way: is blame contained in the emotions, or, conversely, are the emotions simply a part of blame? Two further questions are the offshoots of this one: what is involved in blaming others; and why do we have reason to care about the content that is involved in blaming others? I call these the substantive and normative questions of blame, which an account of blame must answer if it is to be satisfactory.
To situate this broad question, I will focus on R. Jay Wallace’s account of blame. Wallace’s position is that blame is contained in the emotions. I will argue that Wallace’s account holds too tight a relation to allow for responses to our judgments of blameworthiness. At most, Wallace’s account admits of expressions of blameworthiness. Whether we should regard such expressions as necessary or sufficient to count as blame depends on what can be included in our responses to judgments of blameworthiness. To fill in the content of these responses, I turn to T.M. Scanlon’s conception of blame. I conclude that purely emotional accounts reduce the reasons that we have access to in blaming others, and weakens the normative significance that blame has for us.
The structure of the thesis is as follows. In Chapter 2, I provide a reconstruction of Wallace’s reactive account. In Chapter 3, I advance the critical claim that Wallace’s reactive account is essentially nonreactive, since, under his depiction, blame holds too tight a relation. In Chapter 4, I offer a reconstruction of Scanlon’s account of blame. In Chapter 5, I apply our knowledge from both accounts to sketch out what a commitment to either view entails, and to assess the reasons that we have to care about blame proposed by each account. I conclude that Wallace’s account is too thin, and that, on such a view, we lose sight of what is significant about blame.

abstract: M.A.


title: Multiuser Transmit and Receive Beamforming for One-dimensional Signalling

contributor:
Blostein, Steven D.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

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

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

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

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

subject:
Electrical Engineering
Wireless Communications
Signal Processing
Beamforming
Precoding
Scheduling

abstract:
Internet of things (IoT), which enables connectivity of billions of devices to the Internet, is expected to be the next revolution in wireless ecosystem. Due to lack of available spectrum, it is imperative for wireless technologies to reuse spectrum by simultaneously providing service to multiple devices at the same frequency. Existing wireless technologies are designed to support a few simultaneous users with high data rates. The IoT, on the other hand, requires support for many users each having a very low data rate.

The main focus of this dissertation is to support, at physical layer, massive deployment of low data rate devices by means of user selection, transmission, and receive techniques.

This dissertation proposes user selection algorithms capable of selecting twice as many users as the number of transmit antennas in a broadcast channel by employing the concept of orthogonality in low-pass representation of signals. Moreover, we propose several reliable multiuser receive beamforming techniques, specific to low-cost devices with low data rate one-dimensional signalling by signal processing based on minimization of error probability. This approach leads to introduction of a new metric called signal minus interference to noise ratio (SMINR). Maximization of this metric results in a low-complexity closed-form solution for the beamforming weights of each user with reliable performance.

This dissertation also proposes several reliable multiuser transmit precoding techniques, specific to low data rate one-dimensional signalling, that can support more users than the number of transmit antennas by employing minimum-probability-of-error as well as widely-linear based signal processing.
The final contribution of this thesis is employing widely linear precoding for simultaneously transferring information and power in wireless broadcast channels.

From a more general perspective, this dissertation addresses scenarios where bandwidth is scarce compared to the density of available users and proposes signal processing techniques to enable higher network throughput. In particular, it is shown that grater throughput may be achieved and the number of users can be increased in a multiuser communications system by using either widely linear or minimum probability of error based processing of one-dimensionally modulated signals compared to linear processing of both one-dimensionally and two-dimensionally modulated signals.

abstract: PhD


title: Trading the Apron for the White Lab Coat: A Contemporary History of Dietetics in Canada, 1954 to 2016

contributor:
Power, Elaine
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Dietetics
Home economics
Gender
Oral history
Canada
Professions
Expertise
Actor-network theory
Feminist theory

abstract:
This dissertation explores the history of the dietetic profession in Canada through the lens of a feminist sociology of expertise—a theoretical framework that I develop throughout this dissertation. Dietetics arose from home economics in the early 20th century. Although home economics has been the subject of scholarly inquiry, dietetics has received little attention from historians or from the profession itself. However, unravelling the history of dietetics reveals compelling insights about women’s access to post-secondary education, particularly in the sciences, as well as paid employment throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Moreover, the history of dietetics reveals interesting insights about the competing ontological and epistemological understandings of food, eating, nutrition, health, professions, and expertise. As a female-dominated profession, whose knowledge base has historically been centered on food, this study of dietetics also provides important insights about the relative power and place of women and feminized professions within the health care hierarchy.

I conducted oral history interviews with 18 long-serving, Canadian dietitians who had been recognized as leaders in their field at some point in their careers. Each oral history consisted of three, one-hour long interviews that were conducted approximately three days to one week apart. The oral history interviews will be archived for public use in the Esther Clark Wright Archive at Acadia University.

Based on the insights of the narrators who participated in my research, I advance several findings related to the shifting knowledge base and identity of the profession, as well as its engagement in social justice advocacy throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

abstract: PhD


title: The Assessment and Treatment of Postpartum Women with Diastasis Recti

contributor:
McLean, Linda
Rehabilitation Science

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States

subject:
Diastasis recti
Ultrasound Imaging
Women's Health
Physiotherapy
Inter-Rectus Distance
Body Image

abstract: Diastasis recti abdominis (DrA), a separation of the paired rectus abdominis muscles, is associated with reduced abdominal muscle function, post-partum body image complaints, musculoskeletal pain, and possibly urogynecological complaints. The amount of separation present (inter-rectus distance, IRD) is currently considered the key indicator of DrA severity, yet prior to this thesis, facets of its reliability and validity had not been tested, and the relationship between IRD and symptoms was not well understood. Physiotherapists are often consulted by women with DrA, yet treatment efficacy remains unclear. The first three studies investigated the psychometric properties (intra- & inter-rater reliability, criterion-related validity) of ultrasound imaging to measure IRD and demonstrated that consistent IRD measurements from one day to another can be achieved if the rater is kept constant, but reliability is reduced when the rater is variable. When IRD is too large to measure using conventional ultrasound, extended field-of-view techniques may be useful. The fourth study investigated the relationship between IRD and symptom severity in women with DrA and found that IRD was significantly negatively correlated with body image and positively correlated with abdominal pain, but not with lumbopelvic pain, dysfunction nor with urogynecological complaints. The final study, a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), served to inform the feasibility and planning of future RCTs to evaluate physiotherapeutic treatment efficacy in DrA management. The recruitment rate was three participants per month. The retention rate was 84%. Intervention adherence rates were ≥ 53%. Positive, clinically meaningful effects in response to physiotherapeutic interventions were observed for body image and trunk flexor strength but not for IRD, pain, or dysfunction. This thesis provides novel information regarding the use of ultrasound imaging in the assessment of DrA and improved understanding of the significance of IRD on symptom presence and severity. This work is the first to report on the feasibility of running an RCT to test physiotherapeutic treatment efficacy in women with post-partum DrA. Before going forward with such an RCT, further pilot work is recommended and includes exploring the potential role of conservative interventions in women with DrA who report higher levels of pain and dysfunction.

abstract: PhD


title: Regulation of SIRT1, SIRT3, PGC-1α, and LRP130 in Response to Energetic Stress in Human Skeletal Muscle

contributor:
Gurd, Brendon J.
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject: Acetyltransferases

subject: Deacetylases

subject: Exercise

subject: Fasting

subject: GCN5

subject: KAT2A

subject: LRP130

subject: LRPPRC

subject: Mitochondria

subject: PGC-1α

subject: PPARGC1A

subject: SIRT1

subject: SIRT3

subject: Skeletal Muscle

subject: Transcriptional Coactivators

abstract: The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate how the regulation of transcriptional coactivators (PGC-1α, LRP130) and protein deacetylases (SIRT1, SIRT3), which are shown to regulate mitochondrial adaptations in cell and animal models, respond to energy stressors in human skeletal muscle. In Chapter 3, we investigated whether changes in fatty acid oxidation known to occur during fasting and exercise occur in concert with changes in SIRT3 mitochondrial localization and expression. We found that 48 hours of fasting and acute endurance exercise modestly decreased SIRT3 mRNA expression but did not alter SIRT3 mitochondrial localization, despite increases in fatty acid oxidation. This suggests that if SIRT3 is involved in the acute regulation of fatty acid oxidation in human skeletal muscle, this is not accomplished by alterations in mitochondrial localization. In Chapter 4, we investigated the impact of a 48-hour fast on the regulation of SIRT1 and GCN5 in human skeletal muscle. In addition, we examined the relationship between SIRT1/GCN5 and the expression of PGC-1α target genes. SIRT1 mRNA expression slightly increased, while GCN5 was unchanged. However, protein content and nuclear localization of SIRT1 and GCN5 did not change, suggesting that, in contrast with previous animal studies, SIRT1 and GCN5 are unaltered in response to fasting in human skeletal muscle. We also found that individual changes in nuclear GCN5 and SIRT1 predicted changes in PGC-1α mRNA expression, but not PDK4, which suggests that SIRT1 and GCN5 may specifically regulate the PGC-1α gene. In Chapter 5, we examined changes in LRP130 gene and protein expression in response to 6 weeks of sprint-interval training (SIT) in human skeletal muscle. We also investigated the relationships between changes in LRP130, SIRT3, and PGC-1α expression in response to exercise. We found that expression of these proteins was unaltered following 2 and 6 weeks of SIT, although there were significant positive relationships between changes in LRP130, PGC-1α, and SIRT3 protein content. These results suggest that the regulation of these proteins may be coordinated in human skeletal muscle. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that physiological models derived from cells and animals do not always directly translate to human physiology.

abstract: PhD


title: PCAOB International Inspections, Audit Profession Development, and Audit Quality

contributor:
Welker, Michael Alan
Business

subject:
Audit Regulation
Audit Profession Development
Audit Quality
Accruals
Going Concern
PCAOB International Inspections

abstract: Using the setting where auditors of foreign companies cross-listed on U.S. stock exchanges are subject to Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) inspection after July 19, 2004, I examine the impact of PCAOB international inspections and audit profession development (APD) on audit quality.  I hypothesize and find that PCAOB inspection access in a country is associated with a decrease in total accruals.  In countries with higher levels of APD, the first PCAOB inspections conducted in a country are associated with an incremental decrease in total and abnormal accruals.  In countries with lower levels of APD, total and abnormal accruals are incrementally smaller (less income-increasing) for the firms that have been inspected relative to the firms that are not inspected, consistent with my prediction.  The results of the going concern analysis indicate that for distressed companies in countries with low APD, the propensity to issue a going concern opinion is significantly higher after PCAOB inspection access is granted.  Contrary to my prediction, however, the propensity to issue a going concern opinion is incrementally lower for the firms that have been inspected relative to the firms that are not inspected, in low APD countries.  However, overall, the propensity to issue a going concern opinion is higher after PCAOB inspection access, the commencement of PCAOB inspections in a country, and being the inspected audit firm, as compared to the pre-PCAOB inspection access period, for distressed companies in countries with low APD.  The international inspection issue has received much regulatory attention.  The PCAOB has claimed that U.S. investors “are deprived of the potential benefits of PCAOB inspections” of the auditors in jurisdictions where PCAOB inspections are not permitted (PCAOB, 2011b).  The findings in my study provide some evidence that PCAOB international inspections are associated with one of these potential benefits, increased audit quality.

abstract: PhD


title: Applying Statistical Process Control to Automate the Analysis of Performance Load Tests

contributor:
Hassan, Ahmed E.
Computing

subject:
Software Performance
Performance Regression

abstract:
Avoiding performance regressions is very important in the evolution of ultra-large software systems. Even the addition of an extra field or control statement can degrade the performance of the software system considerably as the impact of such simple changes is multiplied by the millions of user requests that are processed simultaneously. Performance testers conduct performance load tests and analyze the results of such tests, before every new deployment, to ensure that there are no performance regressions. However, such an analysis is challenging because each test run produces a large amount of performance counter (e.g., CPU and memory readings) data.

In this thesis, we propose approaches based on a statistical process control technique, called control charts, to automatically identify and determine the causes of performance regressions. We conduct case studies on three different software systems to evaluate our proposed approaches. The results show that our approaches can determine if a new test run has performance regressions. Compared to existing approaches, our approaches can detect performance regressions accurately in most of our case studies.

abstract: PhD


title: The Role of TET2 in Macrophage Differentiation and Polarization

contributor:
Rauh, Michael
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

subject:
Leukemia research
Cancer research
Myelodysplastic syndromes
Macrophage biology
Immunology

abstract:
The epigenetic regulator Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2) catalyzes the conversion of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), leading to DNA demethylation. Inactivating TET2 mutations are common in myeloid cancers such as chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Little is known about the role of TET2 in disease-relevant monocytes/macrophages (MΦs). Therefore, our goals for this project were to characterize Tet expression during normal murine MΦ differentiation and polarization, examine the effect of Tet2-deficiency on broader MΦ polarization gene signatures, and determine the translatability of our murine findings to human MDS/CMML.
In this thesis, we characterized the expression of Tet2 in murine MΦ differentiation and polarization. Using murine bone marrow-derived MΦs (BMMΦ), we observed that Tet2 was highly expressed in differentiated MΦs. Interestingly, differentiation-associated gene expression was not altered in Tet2-knockout BMMΦs and peritoneal MΦs (PMΦs), suggesting that Tet2 is dispensable for MΦ development. MΦ response to polarizing stimuli was then explored. Tet2 transcript levels increase early in the LPS response. The NFκB inhibitor compound BAY11-7082 was shown to abolish LPS-mediated Tet2 induction, indicating that this gene is NFκB-responsive.
Exploring Tet2-deficiency, we characterized the phenotype of Tet2-knockout MΦs using NanoString gene expression analysis. Constitutive expression of LPS-induced genes was observed in resting state Tet2-deficient PMΦs. In particular, we noted increased Il1β and Il6, as well as the anti-inflammatory gene Arginase 1 (Arg1), in resting Tet2-deficient PMΦs and in LPS-treated Tet2-knockout BMMΦs. These results implicated Tet2 loss in the establishment of aberrant inflammation, raising the question of whether TET2-mutant MΦs participate in altering the immune microenvironment.
Assessing immune dysregulation in TET2-mutant cells, we assayed IL1β and IL6 mRNA expression in human MDS/CMML patient samples as well as MDS/CMML-derived human MΦs. While levels of both targets were variable, some TET2-mutant cells had high IL6 expression. We also assessed ARG1 expression in MDS/CMML BM biopsies using immunohistochemical analysis. TET2 and/or DNMT3A mutations were correlated with high ARG1 staining, providing a link between ARG1 overexpression and TET2 mutations in humans. Overall, the work presented in this thesis provides a novel connection that ties TET2 lesions to the development of an inflammatory MDS/CMML local microenvironment.

abstract: PhD


title: Investigating the Effects of Prolonged Mu Opioid Receptor Activation Upon Opioid Receptor Heteromerization

contributor:
Cahill, Catherine M.
Pharmacology and Toxicology

subject: Delta Opioid Receptor

subject: Mu Opioid Receptor

subject: Trafficking

subject: Internalization

subject: Dorsal Root Ganglia

subject: Morphine

subject: DAMGO

subject: Deltorphin II

subject: SNC80

subject: SDM-25N

subject: Adenylate Cyclase

subject: Adenylate Cyclase: Metabolism

subject: Animals

subject: Antibodies

subject: Antibodies: Metabolism

subject: Blotting

subject: Brain

subject: Brain: Metabolism

subject: CHO Cells

subject: Cricetinae

subject: Cricetulus

subject: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

subject: Gene Expression Regulation

subject: Gene Expression Regulation: Physiology

subject: Immunohistochemistry

subject: Immunocytochemistry

subject: Immunoprecipitation

subject: Inbred c57bl

subject: Knockout

subject: Mice

subject: Morphine: Administration & Dosage

subject: Morphine: Pharmacology

subject: Multiprotein Complexes

subject: Multiprotein Complexes: Metabolism

subject: Neurons

subject: Neurons: Metabolism

subject: Opioid

subject: Rats

subject: Receptors

subject: Signal Transduction

subject: Signal Transduction: Physiology

subject: Western

subject: Delta

subject: Delta: Genetics

subject: Delta: Metabolism

subject: Mu

subject: Mu: Metabolism

subject: Colocalization

subject: Colocalizational Analysis

subject: Degradation

subject: G-Protein Coupled Receptor

subject: Microscopy

subject: Molecular Biology

subject: Receptor Post-Internalization Trafficking

subject: Recycling

subject: Oligomerization

subject: Receptor Signaling

abstract:
Opioid receptors are the sites of action for morphine and most other clinically-used opioid drugs. Abundant evidence now demonstrates that different opioid receptor types can physically associate to form heteromers. Owing to their constituent monomers’ involvement in analgesia, mu/delta opioid receptor (M/DOR) heteromers have been a particular focus of attention. Understandings of the physiological relevance of M/DOR formation remain limited in large part due to the reliance of existing M/DOR findings upon contrived heterologous systems. This thesis investigated the physiological relevance of M/DOR generation following prolonged MOR activation.

To address M/DOR in endogenous tissues, suitable model systems and experimental tools were established. This included a viable dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron primary culture model, antisera specifically directed against M/DOR, a quantitative immunofluorescence colocalizational analysis method, and a floxed-Stop, FLAG-tagged DOR conditional knock-in mouse model. The development and implementation of such techniques make it possible to conduct experiments addressing the nature of M/DOR heteromers in systems with compelling physiological relevance.

Seeking to both reinforce and extend existing findings from heterologous systems, it was first necessary to demonstrate the existence of M/DOR heteromers. Using antibodies directed against M/DOR itself as well as constituent monomers, M/DOR heteromers were identified in endogenous tissues and demonstrated to increase in abundance following prolonged mu opioid receptor (MOR) activation by morphine.

The next experiments addressed an aspect of the functional consequences of M/DOR formation in endogenous tissues by investigating the post-internalization trafficking of delta opioid receptor (DOR) in conditions of augmented M/DOR formation. These experiments identified perturbations to DOR trafficking consistent with incorporation into a M/DOR species with probabilistic post-internalisation trafficking behaviour intermediate to that of either constituent and responsive to both MOR and DOR agonists in a manner subject to blockade by DOR antagonist.

These studies provide concurrent evidence of the existence and functionality of physiologically-relevant M/DOR heteromers in endogenous tissues.

abstract: PhD


title: Parallel-to-Grain Withdrawal Resistance of Structural Self-Tapping Screws in Canadian Timber

contributor:
MacDougall, Colin
Civil Engineering

subject:
Self-Tapping Screws
Parallel-to-Grain
Withdrawal
Withdrawal Resistance

abstract: This thesis investigates the withdrawal capacity of self-tapping screws (STS) inserted parallel-to-grain. An experimental study was conducted with 100 screws tested in total. The experimental program includes two main test series. First, withdrawal testing was conducted on screws with a diameter of 10 mm with varying embedment depths, timber density and moisture content. Strains in the screws were monitored to detect if yielding was occurring. The withdrawal resistance increase as the embedment depth increased until the screws began yielding and eventually reaching their ultimate tension capacity. The ultimate tensile capacity was consistently reached at an embedment depth of 240 mm in dry Douglas Fir, 280 mm in wet Douglas Fir and 320 mm in dry Eastern White Pine. Second, withdrawal tests were conducted on screws with a diameter of 12mm and a constant embedment depth of 280 mm with varying timber density and moisture content. Increases in moisture decreased the withdrawal resistance. The average withdrawal resistance of screws in Douglas Fir showed to more susceptible to changes in moisture content when compared to Eastern White Pine. For both screw diameters, control specimens were tested to determine the tensile capacity of the screws on their own.  The data from all the withdrawal tests was compared to three withdrawal equations: the CSA O86 equation for lag screws, the CCMC 13677-R Report equation for STSs, and the ETA-11/0196 equation for STS. In its un-factored form, the CSA O86 equation for lag screws was the best at predicting withdrawal resistance of the STSs inserted parallel-to-grain.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Inhibition of Wnt Signalling Dose-Dependently Impairs the Acquisition and Expression of Amphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Rats

contributor:
Beninger, Richard J.
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Amphetamine
Conditioned Place Preference
Dopamine
Incentive Learning
IWP-2
Wnt
Reward-related learning

abstract: The mechanisms by which dopaminergic neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is involved in incentive learning produced by rewarding stimuli remain unclear. Recently, Wnt signalling has been implicated in synaptic plasticity and learning and memory. Functional interactions between Wnt and dopamine (DA) signalling has been demonstrated using in vitro and tissue physiology approaches, however there remains a lack of in vivo research into the involvement of Wnt in DA-mediated learning in behaving animals. The present study assessed the role of Wnt signalling in DA-mediated incentive learning using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. I hypothesized that inhibition of Wnt with intra-NAc microinjections of the Wnt palmitoylation inhibitor IWP-2 will dose-dependently block the acquisition and expression of amphetamine (AMPH)-induced CPP in rats. Intra-NAc IWP-2 (0.001, 0.05, 1.0 but not 0.0001 μg/0.5 μl/side) prior to conditioning with AMPH (20.0 μg/0.5 μl/side) blocked acquisition of CPP. Intra-NAc IWP-2 (0.05, 0.5, 1.0 but not 0.001 μg/0.5 μl/side) during test following conditioning with AMPH blocked expression but at a higher dose than was need to block acquisition. Sensitization of locomotor activity to AMPH was observed during conditioning and this effect was blocked in groups given IWP-2 prior to AMPH. However, intra-NAc IWP-2 during conditioning did not block the locomotor stimulant effects of AMPH. These results implicate Wnt in DA-mediated incentive learning and suggest that Wnt signalling may be more important for the acquisition of CPP than for its expression. Mechanisms by which Wnt and DA signalling pathways interact to influence DA-mediated reward-related learning remain to be elucidated.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Acting in Light of One's Acting: Practical Reasoning and the Excellences

contributor:
Bakhurst, David
Philosophy

subject:
Philosophy
Action Theory
Ethics
Practical Intelligence
Advice
Virtues
Goodness
Expertise

abstract:
This dissertation draws from certain recent accounts of action, action explanation and reasons to illuminate our conceptions of practical reasoning, fallibility, expertise, virtues, advising, and practical intelligence. My thesis is that, in the course of her ongoing acting, an agent can respond to evaluative features by deliberately adjusting her acting, and that this represents a form of practical reasoning that casts significant light on the nature of action, the practice of advising, and on the prospects for Aristotelian naturalism more generally. The majority of the dissertation is devoted to articulating and defending this idea.

I proceed by first describing Michael Thompson’s, John McDowell’s, and Jonathan Dancy’s work in action theory, thus providing context and introducing central ideas. Chapter Two responds to Bernard Williams’s concerns about the role of virtues in first-personal deliberation by defending a novel, but controversial, conception of practical reasoning. Chapter Three asks and answers the question of how we should understand the nature of the evaluative features and our responsiveness to them in exercises of practical intelligence, and supports the general account of knowledge of goodness developed by those who claim goodness is attributive. Chapter Four defends the positions that practical reasoning can conclude in acting and can take the form of fully absorbed acting, replying to Joseph Raz, John Broome, and Hubert Dreyfus’ arguments to the contrary. Chapter Five examines how, in a way analogous to testimony, giving advice can convey practical knowledge and argues that advising’s greater action-guiding potential lies in the cultivation of understanding and practical intelligence. Chapter Six presents and criticizes Judith Thomson’s views on how evaluative features inform practical reasoning and advising, contrasting her in-respects-similar positions with this dissertation. The work concludes by considering McDowell and Williams’ objections to Aristotelian naturalism and reflecting on how the dissertation’s achievements might change one’s assessment of the position.

abstract: PhD


title: Improving the Light Load Performance of Power Factor Correction Converters Using a Digital Controller

contributor:
Liu, Yan-Fei
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Power Factor Correction
AC-DC Converter
Digital Control
Light Load Efficiency
THD
Total Harmonic Distortion
Microcontroller
PFC
Line Cycle Skipping

abstract:
AC-DC power conversion is the first power stage for all offline electronic devices. To maximize AC power transformer utilization, the power factor of AC-DC converters must be improved. The method that AC-DC converters use to improve the power factor is known as Power Factor Correction (PFC). This improvement of power factor, which can be quantified in terms of the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the converter, almost always is a trade-off for a reduction in overall converter efficiency. With increasing requirements for greater efficiency and lower THD, especially at output power loads much less than the rated output power of the AC-DC converter, new methods have been developed to meet either or both requirements. Many methods, however, can improve light load efficiency, but increase THD. Other methods, can reduce THD, but worsen light load efficiency. Some methods can reduce THD and improve light load efficiency, but at significant complexity and cost.
A new method for improving light load efficiency and THD, called Line Cycle Skipping (LCS) is proposed. This method improves the light load efficiency and THD without increasing complexity or cost. LCS can achieve this by conducting higher power over one or one-half line cycle, and then skipping or not conducting power over the next one or more line cycles. This allows the output power to remain constant at light load, while conducting higher input power over one or one-half line cycles. By conducting higher input power over a portion of the entire LCS period, the efficiency and the THD can be improved at lower output power levels, thus improving the light load performance of PFC converters.
LCS is implemented in digital control using a low-cost 8-bit microcontroller on a 100W PFC converter operating in critical conduction mode (CRM). Simulation results were verified by the experimental prototype waveforms. Experimental results showed significant improvement in efficiency and THD across the light load power range, proving that LCS has potential to be implemented in existing PFC converters with low cost to improve the light load efficiency and THD performance.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The Effects of Sprint Interval Training on Circulating TNF-α and IL-6 Independent of Changes in Abdominal Adipocyte Size in Overweight Adults

subject:
Sprint Interval Training
Circulating TNF-α and IL-6
Adipose
Abdominal Adipocyte size

abstract: Adipose tissue is actively involved in both the inflammatory response associated with obesity and in the determination of whole body substrate selection. In humans, evidence suggests that exercise improves adipose tissue function by reducing adipocyte inflammation; however, the mechanisms by which this occurs are not fully understood. It has been suggested that exercise may improve adipose tissue function by reducing adipose cell size. It remains unknown whether exercise influences adipose tissue function independent of reductions in adipocyte size. Elevated levels of circulating TNF-α and IL-6 are both associated with adipose tissue dysfunction and insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to examine whether four weeks of sprint-interval training (SIT) was an effective means of reducing elevated circulating TNF-α and IL-6 independent of altering abdominal adipose cell size in men.  8 overweight healthy men (age: 25.13 years, weight; 113.5kg). Methods: VO2peak (L/min), adipocyte size, serum IL-6 and serum TNF-α were measured before and after 16 sessions of sprint interval training over four weeks. Results: The key findings of this experiment included that exercise significantly reduces circulating TNF-α (p=0.03) and IL-6 (p=0.05) independent of changes in weight, waist circumference and abdominal adipocyte size in overweight men. VO2 peak also significantly (p=0.04) improved after the four-week protocol. These results confirm that exercise can improve adipose tissue function independent of weight loss or changes in abdominal adipocyte size.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Hope in Western Philosophy

contributor:
Fairfield, Paul
Philosophy

subject: Hope Aristotle Camus Kant Kierkegaard Belief Virtue

abstract:
This project explores hope in Western philosophy through the examination of particular beliefs and teachings concerning the works of philosophers working in the ancient, medieval, and modern eras. In the second chapter I explore Aristotle using representative primary and secondary sources in order to come to an understanding of what we can make of Aristotle’s hope secondly I discuss selections from the work of St. Augustine, a medieval thinker. The third chapter introduces Immanuel Kant, and Søren Kierkegaard into the discussion of hope. In the fourth chapter I explore hope as portrayed by Albert Camus and Jayne Waterworth. I have chosen Camus to represent the modern non-sectarian era because of his posing and answering important philosophical questions of the day. He explored the human being’s capacity to know and to act ethically and our ability to reconceptualize the physical and social worlds without appeal to God or in terms of the human being’s apparent purpose, directive principle, or goal. His articles and novels articulated a critique of religion and of the Enlightenment. Camus’ notion of the place of hope in our human condition is taken from his texts, The Stranger, The Myth of Sisyphus, and The Rebel. Jayne Waterworth is a philosopher working today and her work specifically explores the nature of hope.
The fifth chapter of this thesis provides my explanation of what hope is from a non-sectarian, non-medical, philosophical vantage. It shows that hope can be understood on a day-to-day trivial basis such as, “I hope it will not rain on my birthday” to a profound level: “I hope my child will live through this risky surgery.” I argue that profound hope is a type of coping mechanism or ego-defense. Finally, I argue that there is no necessary reason to hope, because in some cases it can be deleterious to one’s overall well-being.

abstract: M.A.


title: Achieving Consumable Big Data Analytics by Distributing Data Mining Algorithms

contributor:
Martin, Patrick
Computing

rights: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

subject:
Big Data
Analytics
Data Mininig
Distributed
Drill
Machine Learning
Classifier Ensembles
Consumable Analytics
Query Language
Weka

abstract:
Businesses look at Big Data as an opportunity to gain insights for improving their services. The derivation of such insights requires using different data mining techniques. Mature data mining tools like WEKA or R have been in development for years. They implement a large number of data mining algorithms and can support sophisticated Analytics. However, these mature tools are designed to run on a single machine making them unsuitable to handle Big Data. Using these tools requires data mining and statistics knowledge, and some of them, like R, are hard to learn.
Businesses do not always have the technical skills required to carry on such Analytics. Even if they do, it is challenging to find a tool with the needed algorithms that supports distributed processing to handle the Big Data high arrival velocity and large volumes. The Businesses’ analytical requirements can be addressed by Consumable Big Data Analytics, that is, solutions that allow businesses to do Big Data Analytics themselves using their in-house expertise.
In this work, we provide a Consumable Analytics solution to meet the businesses’ analytical needs. First, we conduct a survey of existing Analytics solutions to identify possible areas of improvement to provide Consumable Analytics. Second, instead of developing distributed data mining algorithms to handle Big Data, we develop the Data Mining Distribution (DMD) algorithm and the Label-Aware Disjoint Partitioning (LADP) algorithm to distribute the execution of all existing single-machine data mining algorithms without rewriting a single line of their code. This gives users the flexibility to use any available data mining library, have algorithms like Hoeffding Tree run 70% to 95% faster and achieve up to 18% increase in prediction accuracy. Third, we develop the free and open source QDrill solution to implement our DMD and LADP algorithms for distributed Analytics. QDrill implements our proposed Distributed Analytics Query Language (DAQL) interface that adds Analytics capabilities to the regular SQL syntax and allows integration with Business Intelligence (BI) tools. This allows businesses to use their in-house expertise to do Big Data Analytics using the spreadsheets and visualizations of their BI tools.

abstract: PhD


title: The Reception of Correggio's Two Altarpieces for Modena in their Confraternity Settings

contributor:
Hoeniger, Cathleen
Art History

subject:
Correggio
Confraternities
Altarpieces
ephemeral
Modena
Reception
Madonna di San Giorgio
Madonna di San Sebastiano
Devotional Display
Rappresentazione
Apparato
Francesco I d'Este
Estense

abstract: This dissertation studies the ways in which Correggio’s two altarpieces for Modena, the Madonna di San Sebastiano (c. 1524) and the Madonna di San Giorgio (c. 1530), were received in their confraternity settings. Each altarpiece is examined as a separate case study in order to place it within its individual historical, social, and religious context before it was acquired by Duke Francesco I d’Este in the middle of the seventeenth century. In the introductory chapter, I consider the historiography of Correggio’s two altarpieces for Modena and discuss recent approaches to the reception of his work. The second chapter introduces the Madonna di San Sebastiano by presenting it together with the foundation legend and long-term purpose of the confraternity that commissioned it. Then, I consider the history and most likely appearance of the oratory in which the San Sebastiano Altarpiece was displayed in order to shed light on the ways in which the painting functioned to promote the corporate identity and devotional focus of the company. Finally, I examine the ways in which members of the public reacted to the Madonna di San Sebastiano, especially leading up to its acquisition by Francesco I d’Este before 1657. The fifth chapter introduces the Madonna di San Giorgio and the history of the Confraternita di San Pietro Martire. Then, using archival documents, I consider the ways in which the confraternity members incorporated the Madonna di San Giorgio into a series of distinct ephemeral displays (rappresentazioni), each of which demonstrate that they reinterpreted the devotional function of the painting according to their fluctuating spiritual needs. Finally, an examination of chronicle entries and correspondence reveals the ways in which the brothers of San Pietro Martire reacted to several requests to copy their beloved altarpiece, and provides an intimate account of how they responded to its absence after Francesco I purchased it in 1649. The dissertation concludes with a comparison of the reception of each altarpiece in its confraternity setting, in light of the availability of primary source materials. The appendices contain transcribed versions of archival documents that are examined here for the first time.

abstract: PhD


title: Investigations into Enantioselective Boro-Ion Catalysis

contributor:
Crudden, Cathleen M.
Chemistry

subject:
Catalysis
Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Main Group Chemistry
Boron
Enantioselective

abstract:
1,2,3-Triazolylidene carbene stabilized borenium ions were investigated as frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) type hydrogenation catalysts and were found to be able to effect the hydrogenation of imines and N-heterocycles at ambient and near ambient pressures and temperatures. The unprecedented activity of our MIC-borenium ion catalysts was attributed to the high σ-donating ability of 1,2,3-Triazolylidene-based carbenes producing an exceptionally stable and active borenium ion catalyst.
Several modifications to the original catalyst structure were employed in an attempt to develop an enantioselective variant of our MIC-borenium ion catalyst. One of the modification to impart asymmetry into the reaction manifold that was investigated in this thesis was the use of a chiral borane, specifically the 9-borobicyclo[3.3.2]decanes (BBDs), in place of the achiral 9-BBN present in the original catalyst design. Disappointingly catalyst stability proved to be highly problematic leading to a difficulty in synthesizing the necessary carbene-borane and resulting in a highly unstable and ineffective catalyst.
During the course of our studies into enantioselective borenium ion catalyzed hydrogenations we became concerned with the facility of hydride abstraction by MIC-borenium ions and whether or not this would result in the racemization of enantioenriched α-N sp3 C–H centres. NMR studies revealed that our MIC-borenium ion catalyst was not able to abstract hydrides from α-N sp3 C–H’s at ambient temperatures and only appreciable rates of hydride abstraction were observed at elevated temperatures of 60 °C. This led us to conclude that the reversibility of the hydride addition could not account for poor enantioselectivity observed for chiral borenium ion catalyzed hydrogenations and showed that an enantioselective MIC-borenium ion catalysts should be possible.
The MIC-borenium ions were also investigated for their ability to activate Si–H bonds, and if they could be used to catalyze the hydrosilylation of C=N functionalities. The MIC-borenium ions were found to be highly active hydrosilylation catalysts, able to tolerate a variety of functional groups and able to effect the rapid reduction of imines under ambient conditions.
Finally BBD based borohydrides were also investigated as enantioselective nucleophilic hydrosilylation catalysts. Although they were able to effect the hydrosilylation of ketones, the BBD’s were only able to impart minor enantioselectivity into the catalytic manifold.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Career Decision-Making Processes of Individuals with First-Episode Psychosis

contributor:
Lysaght, Rosemary
Rehabilitation Science

subject:
Career Decision-Making
First-Episode Psychosis
Young Adults
Grounded Theory

abstract:
Background: Psychosis is a disabling condition which results in an individual losing contact with reality. The first episode of psychosis (FEP) often emerges during adolescence or early adulthood, when individuals are pursuing important educational and career milestones, which can become derailed due to the development of major impairments. Knowledge of the career decision-making processes of individuals with FEP is limited. This information would enable vocational rehabilitation services to improve the social and career participation of individuals with FEP. Thus, this study advanced a model of the career decision-making processes of individuals with FEP and the influences that impacted these processes.
Method: Strauss and Corbin’s Grounded Theory method was used to guide the study design, sampling and analysis. Three early intervention programs in Ontario, Canada were included in this study. Participants included 36 individuals who were either treated for FEP by an early intervention team, program staff who had direct client contact, or family members of individuals with FEP. Data collection included sociodemographic questionnaires, one-on-one interviews, program documents, case-based memos, and a reflexive journal. Analysis began with open coding, proceeded to axial coding, and terminated with selective coding, which resulted in an explanatory model.
Results: The career decision-making processes of individuals with FEP is a multi-staged, iterative process of making a career choice based on exploration, evaluation of options, and taking actions that moves them towards their career goals. These processes unfolded over five phases of illness and recovery and are impacted by internal and environmental influences. During the onset of symptoms, participants disengage from career decision-making but reengage during recovery. For individuals with substance abuse issues or co-existing conditions active engagement in career decision-making stalled until they quit using substances or co-existing conditions are managed.
Implications: This study’s findings suggest that vocational outcomes of individuals with FEP could be improved, if initiatives consider an individual’s phase of illness and stage of career decision-making. Future studies should assess the comprehensiveness of this model in other jurisdictions, and explore the impact of gender, psychosis onset, and vocational interventions on career decision-making.

abstract: PhD


title: The Feeding Mechanism of the Freshwater Gastropod (Bellamya Aeruginosa) – Realizing its Potential in Controlling Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms

contributor:
Wang, Yuxiang S.
Lefebvre, Daniel D.
Biology

subject:
Feeding Mechanism
Gastropod
Bellamya Aeruginosa
Biomanipulation
Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms
Suspension Feeding
Pseudofaeces
Faeces

abstract:
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) caused by eutrophication seriously impact aquatic ecosystems and human health. Biomanipulation using foraging organisms to regulate and eradicate harmful algal growth has been receiving considerable attention. However, successful cases are limited to small scale operations, and organisms have included only herbivorous fish and zooplankton. Freshwater gastropods are diverse and abundant, and can be used in biomanipulation because they are easily collected and transported. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the freshwater gastropod, Bellamya aeruginosa, in controlling CHABs. Results showed: 1) B. aeruginosa use suspension filtration to capture floating colony-forming cyanobacterial species Microcystis aeruginosa and produce pseudofaeces containing M. aeruginosa removing them from the water column; 2) Rate of suspension filtration depends on distribution overlap of B. aeruginosa and M. aeruginosa; 3) The suspension filtration is not detrimental to M. aeruginosa as the pseudofaeces containing M. aeruginosa float, decompose rapidly, and release viable Microcystis back to the water body; 4) B. aeruginosa showed low grazing ability to floating pseudofaeces, but it can graze on pseudofaeces that remain on the bottom; 5) Faeces produced by Bellamya have as low density as pseudofaeces, ruptured rapidly and subsequently released undigested Microcystis back to the water body causing secondary blooms. The combined effect of points 2 - 5 resulted in a low control efficiency; 6) Silt or turbidity significantly improved control efficiency on Microcystis due to alterations in pseudofaeces and faeces. Suspended particles and silt increased the density of pseudofaeces and faeces, respectively, so they settled to the bottom allowing increased grazing and ingestion rates, and led to significantly increased digestion. In addition, silt and suspended particles wrapped with M. aeruginosa in the pseudofaeces and faeces enhanced structural robustness, significantly increasing decomposition time, and therefore reduced M. aeruginosa viability. These findings were validated in a whole-lake experiment that successfully controlled CHABs through B. aeruginosa.
B. aeruginosa’s digestive ability is not the major factor determining control efficiency over Microcystis, but rather the properties of the pseudofaeces and faeces. These findings suggest that instead of manipulating food-chains at different trophic levels by introducing remediating species to where cyanobacterial infestations are located, relocation of Microcystis to lake bottoms may keep it in check by co-habituating organisms.

abstract: PhD


title: Defending Against DDoS and Unauthorized Access Attacks in Information Centric Networking

contributor:
Zulkernine, Mohammad
Hassanein, Hossam S.
Computing

subject:
Information Centric Networking
Network Security

abstract:
Information Centric Networking (ICN) is a new communication paradigm that focuses on content retrieval from the network regardless of the content storage location. ICN changes the security model from securing the path to securing the content, which is available to all the ICN nodes as ICN users could benefit from any available copy. Existing security solutions cannot be applied directly to ICN architectures because of unique ICN attributes.
In this research, we propose a security framework for ICN traffic management that includes the required functions of three components: availability, access control, and privacy. Our framework has the following attributes: be integrated within the architecture; deliver contents with high availability; transfer contents securely to legitimate users; and preserve the privacy of ICN users and contents. In this thesis, we focus on the availability and access control components.
To build the proposed framework, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of ICN attacks and their classification. In our research, we identify unique attacks to ICN architectures and other generic relevant attacks that have impacts on ICN. The attacks can be classified into four main categories: naming, routing, caching, and other miscellaneous
attacks. We study the impacts of ICN attacks on ICN attributes and security services.
An attacker can easily send a large number of malicious requests or publish invalid contents or routes to cause Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and cache pollution.Hence, we propose a solution for Defending Against DDoS in ICN routing and caching (DADI). DADI limits malicious requests, selects top-ranked contents and publishers, marks malicious routes, and caches the most popular contents. We evaluate DADI using various attack scenarios and under different ratios of attackers to legitimate users.
To prevent unauthorized access attacks, we propose Elliptic Curve based Access Control (ECAC) solution. In this protocol, fewer public messages are needed for access control enforcement between ICN subscribers and ICN nodes than the existing access control protocols. We perform security and performance analysis for ECAC.We evaluate ECAC using various scenarios and under different request rates and number of attackers with respect to the number of legitimate users.

abstract: PhD


title: Patient Perspectives of Robotic Interaction in Healthcare: A Case Analysis of the Kinarm Robot in Brain Function Analysis

contributor:
Mollers, Norma
Sociology

subject:
Healthcare
Robot
Technology
Science and Technology Studies
STS
Medical Sociology

abstract: The Kinarm assessment, which is the focus of my study, is a robotic standardized assessment tool that measures brain function and memory in elderly patients. The Kinarm assessment remakes bodies in the process of turning bodies into research data. The assessment disassembles bodies in the process of rendering bodily components and functions useless and impossible, and then, reassembles bodies by enabling and constructing new components and different functions. Some elderly patients in my study experienced feelings of fear and discomfort during the assessment. Those who did not, acknowledged the legitimacy of such negative feelings, although they emphasized that they did not experience these feelings themselves. As such, research assistants on the Kinarm assessment project were well trained to perform emotional labour to improve the patients comfort level and overall experience. However, this was not enough. Patients needed to talk about and make sense of their experience in the assessment. Patients appropriated my role as principal investigator/interviewer into primary emotion worker so that they could discuss their feelings and experience in the assessment, thereby, making sense of their bodies, their role, and their feelings in the assessment. The goal of my study is to reveal patients’ feelings, beliefs and experiences when technology, specifically the Kinarm robot, is part of their healthcare experience. My findings indicate that elderly patients may experience feelings of fear, discomfort, and nervousness when faced with unfamiliar technologies in a healthcare setting. Patients think differently about their bodies in the Kinarm assessment and their comfort with the robot determines to a large extent how they perform the assessment. I recommend that elderly patients be debriefed following medical procedures that involve technologies that are unfamiliar to them.

abstract: M.A.


title: Detection of Aqueous Lead (II) And Mercury (II)  Using Micro-Ring Resonators Coated with Tetrasulfide Functionalized Mesoporous Organosilica Thin Films

contributor:
Loock, Hans-Peter
Chemistry

subject:
Heavy Metal Sensor
Ring Resonator
Silicon-on-Insolator Sensor
Mesoporous Organosilica Film
Lead
Mercury
Pb
Hg

abstract:
Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) micro-ring resonators coated with bis[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl] tetrasulfide (TESPT) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) co-condensation mesoporous silica coatings are reported as chemical sensors to detect Pb(II) and Hg(II) ions in aqueous solutions. The sensors were based on the interaction of the evanescent field of the guided light with the functionalized mesoporous silica films. Upon adsorption of heavy metal ions (Pb(II) and Hg(II)), the refractive index of the film increased, leading to observable shifts in the resonant wavelengths of the micro-resonators. The tetrasulfide groups were placed into some of the silica films to increase the films’ affinity to Pb(II) and Hg(II) ions.
	The sensors were exposed to aqueous solutions of Pb(II) and Hg(II) ions at different concentrations and time-resolved adsorption-desorption curves were recorded and analyzed. It was found that two distinct binding sites with different affinities for metal ions were present in the S4-TEOS silica films, corresponding to the tetrasulfide groups and the silanol groups. The rate constants for the absorption and desorption processes as well as the equilibrium constants were determined for each of the binding sites and ions. The initial adsorption rates of the Pb(II) and Hg(II) uptake processes changed linearly with Pb (II) and Hg(II) concentrations from 10 ppb to 1 ppm and could be used to quantify metal ions at the 30 ppb level.
	The adsorption and desorption processes of other ions on the same tetra-sulfide film were reported to test for possible chemical interferences – specifically of Na(I), K(I), Mg(II), Ca(II), Fe(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Fe(III). In addition, Pb(II), Na(I), K(I), Ca(II), Fe(II), and Fe(III) solutions were tested on mesoporous silica films without the tetrasulfide groups to test their adsorption and desorption to bare silica. These test results fitted well with a single-adsorption-site model for TEOS silica film, which confirmed the double-adsorption-site model for the S4-TEOS silica films, where the deprotonated silanol groups and the tetrasulfide groups acted as the two adsorption sites. A single-adsorption-site model was developed for the TEOS silica film, with the deprotonated silanol groups as the only adsorption sites. Tap water and seawater spiked with Pb(II) were also tested on S4-TEOS silica films.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Theoretical and computational studies of disorder-induced scattering and nonlinear optical interactions in slow-light photonic crystal waveguides

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject:
photonic crystals
disorder
nonlinear optics
coupled mode theory
nanophotonics
slow light
multiple scattering
photonic crystal waveguides

abstract:
Photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs) are nano-scale devices offering an exciting platform for exploring and exploiting enhanced linear and nonlinear light-matter interactions, aided in-part by slowing down the group velocity (vg) of on-chip photons. However, with potential applications in telecommunications, bio-sensing and quantum computing, the road to commercialization and practical devices is hindered by our limited understanding of the influence of structural disorder on linear and nonlinear light propagation. This thesis refines and develops state-of-the-art mathematical and numerical models for understanding the important role of disorder-related optical phenomena for PCWs in the linear and optical nonlinear regime. The importance of Bloch modes is demonstrated by computing the power loss caused by disorder-induced scattering for various dispersion engineered PCWs. The theoretical results are found to be in very good agreement with related experiments and it is shown how dispersion engineered designs can minimize the Bloch fields around spatial imperfections resulting in a radical departure from the usual assumed scaling vg^−2 of backscattering losses. We also conduct a systematic investigation of the influence of intra-hole correlation length, a parameter characterizing disorder on backscattering losses and find the loss behaviour to be qualitatively dependent on waveguide design and frequency.
We then model disorder-induced resonance shifts to compute the ensemble averaged disordered density of states, accounting for important local field effects which are crucial in achieving good qualitative agreement with experiments. Lastly, motivated by emerging experiments examining enhanced nonlinear interactions, we develop an intuitive time dependent coupled mode formalism to derive propagation equations describing nonlinear pulse propagation in the presence of disorder-induced multiple scattering. The framework establishes a natural length scale for each physical interaction offering considerable insight and we develop and implement a stable implicit finite-difference scheme to solve the propagation equations. Our results also reproduce some hitherto unexplained features in recent experiments and the general theory can be extended to include a wide range of other nonlinear optical effects such as three- photon absorption and four wave mixing.

abstract: PhD


title: Sexual Citizenship and Sexual Dissidence: Queering Motherhood in Turkey

contributor:
Burfoot, Annette J.
Sociology

subject:
Queer Liberalism
Sexual Dissidence
Heteropatriarchy
Mothering vs Motherhood
Sexual Citizenship
Homonormativity
Homonationalism
Queer Mothering
Turkey
LGBT Movement

abstract:
This dissertation examines the ties of kinship and affinity in the lives of sex or gender non-complying individuals, or sexual dissidents, in Muslim contexts in an era globally marked by the racialization of Islam, the rise of neoliberalism, and queer liberalism. Starting from a transnational perspective, it maps the field of queer globalizations and takes Turkey, a Muslim majority and secular nation state grappling with the influences of neoliberalism and the rise of authoritarianism, as a case study. At the local level, the project analyses the heteropatriarchal sex/gender system as one of the pillars of the nation state as opposed to the struggles of a young but vivid LGBT movement. Within this context, the dissertation specifically looks into the ties of ‘familial’ belongings among the community of sexual dissidents in Turkey, as well as how sexual dissidents who are involved in the practice of mothering among them situate themselves at the nexus of the hegemonic discourse on motherhood and their sense of belonging to this imagined ‘queer’ community. Following a queer ethnographic methodology, the analysis engages with the findings from fieldwork based on participant observation, focus group interviews with LGBT activists, and in depth interviews with sexual dissidents with children.
An engaged analysis of the LGBT movement in Turkey reveals that the activists are in a constant process of negotiation with the neoliberal policies imposed on them by the local governance and the international agencies that provide funding to their projects regularly. While NGOization stirred the activist scene in the country, the legal recognition was contingent on restructuring the groups in line with this rigid model and there has been a proliferation of LGBT associations. Only time will tell if these organizations will turn to single-issue oriented, rights based approaches in line with the rise of queer liberalism in Western locations. While the activists find feelings of family and kinship within their organizations, in their larger community, the camia, life has a different pace. The sexual dissident parents engage in a bargain with the sex/gender system in place and thread the heteropatriarchy strategically in different moments of their lives.

abstract: PhD


title: Rejecting Outer Radius Backgrounds in SuperCDMS High Voltage Dark Matter Searches

subject:
Dark Matter
SuperCDMS
Luke Amplification
CDMSlite
Radial Cut

abstract: SuperCDMS searches for Dark Matter in the form of WIMPs.  SuperCDMS is able to reject most common background events by discriminating between electron and nuclear recoils.  In the CDMS low ionization threshold experiment mode, electron recoil discrimination is sacrificed when applying a stronger electric potential across the detector.  The electric field associated with this potential is not uniform, and the amplification of the phonon signal caused by drifting charges through this potential creates a radial dependence on the reconstructed energy.  This thesis explores a new method of identifying and rejecting events at the edge of the detector in order to improve the ratio of signal to background by excluding background events with improperly reconstructed energy.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Achievement Despite Adversity: A Qualitative Investigation of Undrafted National Hockey League Players

contributor:
Martin, Luc J.
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Adversity
Elite Sport
Ice Hockey
Achievement
Thematic Analysis
Social Support

abstract: The extent to which athletes from various sports and competition levels overcome adversity has been a topic of interest in sport psychology for some time.  In recognizing the theoretical and practical implications derived from this line of inquiry, the current study sought to further our understanding by investigating a sample of elite athletes who were expected to share long-term objectives, and who had experienced a common adversity.  Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 professional athletes (Mage = 27.25; SD = 3.28) who had reached the National Hockey League (NHL; i.e., long-term objective) despite not being selected in the annual NHL Amateur Entry Draft (i.e., common adversity).  As a general summary, four higher-order themes were gleaned from participant responses, including information pertaining to experienced adversities and stressors (e.g., organizational stressors), long-term objectives of playing in the NHL, psychological attributes (e.g., passion, focus) and mechanisms for goal attainment (e.g., deliberate practice, perceived social support).  Interestingly, contextually relevant information emerged pertaining to the developmental stream that participants had taken (i.e., NCAA vs. Major Junior). Overall, our findings are in concert with previous literature that suggests the influence of various psychosocial factors for goal achievement when faced with adversity (e.g., Howells & Fletcher, 2015; Tamminen, Holt, & Neely, 2013).  Additionally, our findings indicate that an athletes’ ability to identify and address weaknesses following adversity is a main contributor to their subsequent success. Although undrafted NHL players were recruited because of their shared adversity, participants shared similar experiences as other elite athletes in describing a variety of adversities that contributed to their eventual achievement (e.g., Sarkar & Fletcher, 2014a).  Future research could benefit from a longitudinal approach building from this study’s design, whereby athletes are interviewed prior to, during, and following the draft process, to gain insight into the timing and implementation of the factors and experiences that facilitate achievement despite adversity.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: An Empirical Investigation of the Transmission and Effects of Monetary and Fiscal Policies

contributor:
Nielsen, Morten Ørregaard
Smith, Gregor
Economics

subject:
Fiscal policy
Monetary policy
Interest rates
Macroeconometrics
Time series

abstract: Using statistical models, this dissertation investigates the transmission and effects of monetary and fiscal policies in the context of new challenges and environments that emerged following the 2008 global financial crisis. Chapter 2 analyzes an important step in the transmission of monetary policy---the interest rate pass-through from money market rates to consumer retail loan and deposit rates---in Canada from 1983 to 2015 using a nonlinear vector error-correction model. I find that pass-through was complete for all rates before the financial crisis but since the end of the 2008--09 recession, it has significantly declined for deposit rates. Chapter 3, co-authored with Margaux MacDonald, investigates the effects of unconventional monetary policy in Canada. We use recently proposed methods to construct a shadow interest rate that captures monetary policy at the zero lower bound and estimate a small open economy Bayesian structural vector autoregressive model. Controlling for the US macroeconomic and monetary policy variables, we find that Canadian unconventional monetary policy had expansionary effects on the Canadian economy. Chapter 4 shifts focus to fiscal policy. The rise in US partisan conflict following the Great Recession led to a popular belief that uncertainty about fiscal policy was impeding output growth. I explore this hypothesis by nesting it in a standard structural vector autoregression model traditionally used for estimating fiscal multipliers. I augment the model with stochastic volatility (a measure of uncertainty) and allow that to interact with the endogenous variables. I consider various trend assumptions, subsamples, information sets and estimation methods and find that the evidence does not support this hypothesis. The results reveal that there is no systematic relationship between fiscal policy uncertainty and output. Moreover, a time-varying parameter version of the model shows that the lack of consistency across specifications is not driven by changes in the transmission of uncertainty shocks over time.

abstract: PhD


title: RGD-functionalized electrospun scaffold for ACL tissue engineering

contributor:
Amsden, Brian
Chemical Engineering

subject:
ligament tissue engineering
biomaterials
polymer scaffold
electrospun
functionalized biomaterials
RGD

abstract:
This thesis describes the preparation and evaluation of a biomimetic scaffold for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tissue engineering. An electrospun poly(L-lactide-co¬-acrylated trimethylene carbonate) scaffold was functionalized with a peptide containing the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) amino acid sequence to increase mechanotransduction and extracellular matrix (ECM) protein production by fibroblasts seeded on the scaffold surface. The peptide was synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis and conjugated to the polymer via a Michael-type addition, using a cysteine moiety on the peptide and a maleimide functional group on the polymer. The peptide-polymer conjugate was successfully electrospun with the bulk polymer, resulting in an aligned fibre mat that was crimped and crosslinked to mimic the architecture of native ACL tissue.

Analysis of scanning electron microscope images demonstrated no difference in fibre diameter or scaffold porosity between scaffolds with and without peptide functionalization. There was also no difference in the Young’s modulus and toe region of the scaffolds prepared with the functionalized and non-functionalized polymer. Therefore, the inclusion of the RGD peptide did not affect the biomimetic architecture of the electrospun polymer scaffolds.

ACL fibroblasts (ACLFs) were attached to the scaffolds, to an extent that was independent of peptide functionalization. Further, scaffolds were cultured under dynamic uniaxial tension to examine the effect of mechanotransduction on the cells. The scaffolds, with and without RGD-modification, were exposed to 10% strain at 1 Hz for 1 h per day. After 12 days, ACLFs cultured dynamically proliferated to a lesser extent than those cultured statically, but produced greater amounts of the ECM proteins collagen and glycosaminoglycan per cell.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The impact of climate change on mycotoxin contamination in cereal grains and the implications for children’s health in Canada

subject:
Climate Change
Mycotoxin
Children
Health
Canada
Fungi
Cereal
Grain

abstract: Climate change is currently the most pressing environmental concern, especially for northern climatic regions like Canada. Climate change impacts a wide variety of environmental factors that in turn alter vegetative processes, like that in cereal grains. As grain kernels weaken due to environmental stress it becomes increasingly susceptible to infection. This review will detail one such type of infection produced by fungi: mycotoxins. Mycotoxins come in several varieties of which five will be examined in this review: aflatoxin, ochratoxin, deoxynivalenol, fumonisins, and zearalenone. Mycotoxins cause many different types of illnesses ranging from gastrointestinal disruption to death. Since mycotoxins affect plants, all consumers are at a possible risk of infection, with the most vulnerable members of the population being children, due to their small body size. Therefore, this review will assess the impact of climate change on mycotoxin contamination in cereal grains and the implications for children’s health in a Canadian context.


title: Scanning Optical Imaging and Stress Tests of Polymer Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells

subject: PLECs

subject: Optical Beam Induced Current

subject: OBIC

subject: LECs

subject: PLEC

subject: LEC

subject: Lifetime

subject: Electrochemical Doping

subject: Conductive Polymers

subject: PN Junction

subject: PIN Junction

subject: Organic Electronics

subject: Drift-Diffusion

abstract:
Polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (PLECs) were tested by means of bias stress, luminescent imaging and optical scanning probing. These cells were characterized in terms of the effect of doping on the operational lifetime of the cells, the electronic structure of the pn junctions formed in the cells and the average doping levels in the cells.
The lifetime performance of sandwich cells was compared in operation with intermediate storage time and in continuous operation. The cells that were stressed intermittently were more prone to black spots degradation than the cells in continuous operation when the total stress time was the same. However, the black spots vanished in the cells’ idle time, which shows that these spots are local highly doped regions. The appearance of the black spots was strongly associated with the storage of the cell in the presence of the aluminum cathode.
The doping in planar PLECs was investigated by optical beam induced current (OBIC) and photoluminescence (PL) scanning using a focused laser beam. Both p-n and p-i-n PLEC junctions were identified and the junction widths were extracted. The widths were as small as 0.21% of the cell size being the smallest width identified for PLECs and light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs), in general. Exposing the cells to relaxation (de-doping) cycles resulted in shrinkage in the depletion region width, contrary to what is expected. This suggests the presence of submicron structures in the as-activated cells that disappeared after relaxation. In addition, it was observed that relaxation caused a p-i-n junction to emerge from the as-activated p-n junction. The junction doping level was extracted from the OBIC data and was validated via drift diffusion calculations. The calculations showed PLEC doping levels in the range of 10E14 cm^-3 – 10E15 cm^-3 in the junction region.
The average doping level in planar PLECs was measured by stress-discharge tests. The measurement offered validation for the used method to estimate PLEC doping levels by integrating the activation charge up to the junction formation. The measurement revealed average doping levels of 10E19 cm^-3 - 10E20 cm^-3, which is much higher than doping levels determined for the junction.

abstract: PhD


title: Calibration of Infrared Photons in Cryogenic Germanium Detectors

subject:
Dark Matter
Cryogenic Detectors
SuperCDMS
WIMP

abstract:
A significant evidence from galaxies and astrophysical observations, suggests that ~ 85% of the matter in our Universe is invisible matter. The observations of the so-called “dark matter” suggest that it consists of non-relativistic, non-baryonic particles, which seldom interact with baryonic matter, or with each other. Many experiments are searching for dark matter, each of which is based on a particular dark matter candidate. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are one of the well-motivated candidates for dark matter. So far, no answers were provided by the Standard Model of particle physics to the dark matter puzzle.
The Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search experiment (SuperCDMS) is considered one of the pioneer experiments in the direct search for WIMPs. It is based primarily on deploying germanium and silicon detectors at cryogenic temperatures to search for direct WIMP-nucleus elastic scattering interaction through which lattice vibrations are generated and sensed in one of the coldest detectors ever built.
The new phase of SuperCDMS experiment at SNOLAB is aiming to be sensitive to the lower WIMP mass scale. Therefore, a lower background and detector threshold energy is a necessity, and the detectors need to be calibrated and tested for the new proposed sensitivity. The tests include high bias voltages, which are required to increase the gain in signal-to-noise ratio and to allow for the detection of low energy events using the phonon signal. However, the upper limit and polarity for the bias voltage need further studies in order to understand the variation of the detector’s response to high voltage. Therefore, we performed the breakdown measurement (chapter 4) at Queen’s Test Facility.
Moreover, detectors have to be calibrated before being utilized in measuring low energy interactions, and that is what lead to the use of infrared photons. Once we can calibrate and understand the behavior of infrared photons in germanium detectors, they can be utilized in calibrating germanium detectors at the lower energy scale. Therefore, we performed the infrared calibration measurement which represents the bulk of the work in my thesis.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Adult Attachment and Spousal Reactions to Military Deployment Separations and Reunions

contributor:
MacDonald, Tara K.
Psychology

subject:
Adult Attachment
Attachment Theory
Military Deployments
Reunions
Separations
Coping
Interpersonal Relationships
Relationship Quality

abstract: The purpose of my dissertation was to assess the relevance of adult attachment in explaining spousal adjustment and relationship functioning in military deployment experiences. Specifically, I was interested in identifying what attachment dimensions are related to spousal coping and relationship perceptions during deployment separations and reunions, when and how attachment dimensions are related to outcomes during across the deployment cycle, and why attachment dimensions are related to such outcomes. This project was sponsored by the Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis (Department of National Defence) and consisted of three phases. Phase One was cross-sectional, examining civilian spouses/partners of military members experiencing a deployment separation (Group A), and civilian spouses/partners of military members experiencing a deployment reunion (Group B). Group A individuals were invited to participate in a longitudinal study, following them monthly across the separation, as Phase Two. Phase Three consisted of a large-scale survey sent to spouses/partners of military members capturing several indices of coping and relationship functioning for spouses of varying partner deployment status’. In Phase One, for Group A, attachment anxiety was related to compromised coping and relationship perceptions during the separation, and attachment avoidance related to increased coping, but negative relationship perceptions. The relationships between attachment anxiety and relationship perceptions were moderated by time deployed and experience with deployments. For Group B, attachment anxiety was related to decreased coping and negative relationship perceptions during the reunion. The relationships between attachment anxiety and relationship perceptions were mediated by expectations of the return, and were moderated by time reunited. In Phase Two, attachment avoidance was related to negative relationship perceptions including difficulties with emotional support. In Phase Three, attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and their interaction was related to indices of coping and relationship functioning. Further, some of these relationships were moderated by environmental conditions. Notably, recent deployment status moderated relationships among attachment dimensions and perceived relationship and coping outcomes. Finally, I found that emotional fitness mediated relationships among attachment anxiety and coping outcomes, and perceptions of partner support mediated relationships among attachment anxiety and relationship outcomes. Practical and theoretical implications and future directions are discussed.

abstract: PhD


title: Developing electrokinetic cantilever biosensors

contributor:
Lai, Yongjun
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
cantilever
biosensor
electrokinetic
MEMS
E. coli
real-time

abstract: Device-based approaches are being developed to measure biological particles such as cells, viruses, proteins, and DNA in dilute samples in situ, on site, or in real time. In many applications, device-based approaches are far more practical or feasible than method-based approaches, which are typically based on microbiological culture or the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, because device-based approaches, unlike method-based approaches, are portable, automated, and rapid. At the heart of device-based approaches is the biosensor, which is an analytical device that integrates a biological recognition element with a transduction element. Dynamic-mode cantilevers are an attractive technology for biosensors because they are highly sensitive, label-free, and can be mass-produced cheaply. Microelectrodes that generate electrokinetic effects are also an attractive technology for biosensors, because they can greatly accelerate the capture of biological particles suspended in liquid. In this context, we develop microelectromechanical devices, which we call electrokinetic cantilever biosensors, that combine the high sensitivity of dynamic-mode cantilevers with the rapid capture of biological particles with electrokinetics using standard micromachining fabrication processes. We make the following contributions to the field of device-based biosensing. We develop a thermal ablation method to remove biological material from the surface of silicon biosensors so that biosensors can be conveniently reused during prototyping. We find that piezoelectric actuation is more suitable than electrothermal actuation and we find that electrode configurations with a small electrode gap (≤ 3μm) are best suited for electrokinetics. We perform real-time measurements of E. coli in samples with concentrations as low as 10^2 cells/ml, which approach the infectious dose of E. coli (≈10 cells/ml). We also develop a gap method, which is based on stiffness-change instead of mass-change, to greatly increase the sensitivity of dynamic-mode cantilever biosensors. In this thesis, we conclude that electrokinetic cantilever biosensors are strong candidates for further research. We recommend conducting further work to study the gap method in liquid and to integrate sandwich electrodes with existing, highly sensitive cantilever biosensor designs.

abstract: PhD


title: The use of coastal lagoon sediments to track the long-term hurricane history of Jamaica, West Indies

subject:
Paleolimnology
Diatoms
Hurricane Activity
Jamaica
Coastal Lagoons
Chlorophyll-a
Climate Change

abstract: Long-term data are needed to properly assess the influence of anthropogenic climate change on Atlantic hurricane frequency, however hurricane records are inconsistent prior to the development of modern monitoring techniques.  Paleolimnological investigations from coastal Caribbean lagoons can be used to track changes in Atlantic hurricane activity because coastal lagoons can become inundated with seawater during hurricane events, which leaves distinct biological and geochemical signals in their sediments.  This study analyzes changes in fossil diatom assemblages and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentrations of a ~1,500 year old sediment core from Grape Tree Pond, a coastal lagoon located in southern Jamaica.  The diatom and chl-a profiles were used to evaluate overall changes in salinity and primary production, as well as to identify potential periods of enhanced hurricane activity.  The results of this research identified three periods of pronounced hurricane activity around 1350, 1725-1785, and 1900-1925 CE, which were indicated by mixed-salinity diatom assemblages and distinct changes in chl-a concentrations.  Additionally, two periods of drought occurring during 1650-1725 and ~1785-1900 were identified by low diatom abundance and decreased chl-a concentrations.  These changes in the diatom assemblage and chl-a concentrations show that climate variability has increased following the onset of the Little Ice Age (~1450-1850 CE), however it is difficult to distinguish the impacts of recent anthropogenic climate warming on hurricane activity from those of natural Atlantic climate regimes, such as ENSO.  This study is one of the first to report on the diatom species found in Jamaica, and demonstrates the potential of using fossil diatoms from coastal lagoons to track past storm activity.


title: Supporting Simulink Model Management

contributor:
Cordy, James R.
Computing

subject:
Simulink
Model Management
Software
Model-Based Testing
Software Evolution
Co-Evolution

abstract:
With the increasing use of Simulink modeling in embedded system development, there comes a need for effective techniques and tools to support managing these models and their related artifacts. Because maintenance of models, like source code, makes up such a large portion of the cost and effort of the system as a whole, it is increasingly important to ensure that the process of managing models is as simple, intuitive and efficient as possible.

By examining the co-evolution patterns of Simulink models and their respective test cases (a useful modeling artifact), it is possible to gain an understanding of how these systems evolve over time, and what the impact of changes to a model are
on the relevant test cases. This analysis uncovered opportunities to present useful findings to developers in order to effectively manage model changes. By tracing the impact of a change to a Simulink model block on both the surrounding blocks and the tests associated with the model, developers can ensure that changes are accurately propagated, and can avoid changes that would lead to inconsistencies.

To support the model management process, three tools have been produced, each addressing a different aspect of the maintenance process: SimPact is used to identify and highlight the impact of changes to model blocks on tests and the rest of the model, SimTH automatically generates test harnesses for Simulink models, and SimEvo combines these tools into a comprehensive evolution support package, with the ability to interface with existing industry tools. Each of these tools has been evaluated against a large industrial model set, and some are already in current use in industry, demonstrating their effectiveness and applicability to real world problems.

abstract: PhD


title: Synthesis, Polymerization Kinetics, and Applications of Novel Macromonomer-Based Degradable Materials

contributor:
Hutchinson, Robin A.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Radical Propagation Kinetics
Pulsed Laser Polymerization
Hydrolytic Degradation
Flocculant
Macromonomer
Reactive Surfactant
Nanoparticle
Reactivity Ratio
Copolymerization

abstract:
The ability to design materials with controlled degradation rates has stimulated the development of polyesters for a range of applications, from biomedical to environmental. Although attractive because they become increasingly hydrophilic upon hydrolysis, many polyester materials need high molecular weight (MW) for the good colloidal stability and mechanical properties required for end-use applications. As degradation rates are directly linked to polyester chain length, this precludes potential applications that require both high MW and fast hydrolysis. “Grafting through” radical polymerization (RP) of short-chain polyester macromonomers (1-5 units) decouples hydrolysis time and MW by efficiently imparting polyester material properties onto a much higher MW comb-polymer frame. These macromonomers are synthesized by a ring opening polymerization (ROP) in which the type and stoichiometric ratio of cyclic monomer to initiator controls the final comb-polymer degradability.

In this work, several ROP initiators are implemented to produce four new methacrylate macromonomer families with different end-group functionalities (alkyl, tertiary amine, quaternary ammonium, and carboxyl). The utility of these new end-group functionalities in comb-polymer materials is demonstrated by proof of concept application developments conducted in cooperation with three research groups. Alkyl macromonomers provide a means to delay the onset of comb-polymer hydrolysis, cationic macromonomers are polymerized to produce novel flocculants with hydrolysis-triggered enhanced sediment dewaterability, while a biorenewable material is modified with tertiary amine macromonomers to have both pH responsive and tunable hydrophobicity characteristics. In each application, the ability to easily tune the material’s performance by specifying the functional group density in the ROP step is emphasized.

To facilitate the efficient production of comb-polymer materials, macromonomer radical (co)polymerization kinetics are studied in bulk, solution, and micellar media. The alkyl terminated macromonomer bulk homopropagation rate constants determined by pulsed laser polymerization are invariant to the number of polyester units in the methacrylic ester side chain. In addition, macromonomer relative consumption behavior in solution copolymerization with styrene is determined by the chemical identity up to several units away from the methacrylic ester, independent of the polyester type, length, and end-group functionality. As further product development opportunities emerge, this kinetic knowledge will enable improved control of comb-polymer composition and MW.

abstract: PhD


title: The comparative toxicity of two Canadian diluted bitumens to developing yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

subject:
Diluted Bitumen
Ecotoxicology
Yellow Perch
Access Western Blend
Cold Lake Blend
Alberta Oil Sands
Dilbit

abstract: Increasing demand for diluted bitumen (dilbit) has led to the development of the Alberta oil sands industry and the expansion of current and future transcontinental pipelines. However, the growth of oil transportation has led to public concern about the effects of potential dilbit spills to aquatic ecosystems. Because dilbit is an unresolved complex mixture (UCM) with variable diluent and bitumen composition, its toxic effects are little known. Thus, it is important to understand the effects of the two most transported dilbits in Canada, Access Western Blend (AWB) and Cold Lake Blend (CLB). We compared the toxicity of AWB and CLB to yellow perch (Perca flavescens), a species present throughout North America. Embryos were exposed to dilbit for 16 days, from <24 hours post-fertilization until hatch. The treatment regime was a static daily renewal of water accommodated fractions (WAF) and chemically-enhanced water accommodated fractions (CEWAF) at concentration ranges of 0.02 to 11 μg/L and 0.21 to 20 μg/L total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (TPAH), respectively. Hatched embryos were assessed for malformations and preserved at -80 °C for analysis of gene expression associated with phase I and II detoxification, cellular stress, and xenobiotic metabolism. Results show that with increased TPAH concentration, the frequency of hatched embryos with developmental malformations increased proportionally. The highest concentration of AWB WAF caused a high rate of mortality. As well, WAF treatments caused a higher prevalence of malformations than CEWAF. These preliminary results were unexpected because previous studies demonstrated a greater toxicity of CEWAF. Relative mRNA of cyp1a showed induction up to 18-fold in WAF and 50-fold in CEWAF treatments, and AWB had lower EC50s than CLB. This is the first study assessing the toxicity of both AWB and CLB dilbits on wild-sourced fish. With recent approvals of pipelines in North America, these biomarkers will assist risk assessments and monitoring of Canadian ecosystems should a pipeline spill occur.

abstract: National Contaminant Advisory Group (NCAG) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada to Dr. Valerie Langlois and Dr. Peter V. Hodson, and by a Canada Research Chair (CRC) to Dr. Valerie Langlois.


title: Multisyllabic Word Reading in Grades 4 and 5: Accuracy, Errors, and Associated Child-Level Skills

contributor:
Wade-Woolley, Lesly
Education

subject:
Reading
Multisyllabic Words
Morphological Awareness
Prosodic Awareness
Word Reading
Reading Development

abstract:
The vast majority of English words are multisyllabic (Balota et al., 2007; Baayen, Piepenbrock, & Gulikers, 1995), constituting an increasingly large proportion of the words students encounter in print beginning as early as Grade 3 (Archer, Gleason, & Vachon, 2003; Nagy & Anderson, 1984; Zeno, Ivens, Millard, & Duvvuri, 1995). Students who continue to struggle with word reading through elementary and into secondary school often have a particular difficulty with longer words (Archer, Gleason, & Vachon, 2003; Moats, 1998). This multi-manuscript dissertation reports on two studies of multisyllabic word reading in
typically achieving, English-speaking students in grades 4 and 5. The first study examined children’s multisyllabic word reading ability and the relative contributions of five variables of interest: phonological awareness, suprasegmental phonological awareness, morphological awareness, vocabulary, and naming speed. Regression analyses showed that the contribution of phonological awareness (at both the segmental and suprasegmental levels) was fully mediated by that of morphological awareness and that naming speed and morphological awareness predicted children’s multisyllabic word reading accuracy at this stage of reading development. The second study used error analysis to describe the types of errors students made when reading multisyllabic words. Error productions were examined according to reading ability, based on a six-point coding scheme developed to assess decoding and lexical stress errors; good readers made proportionally fewer errors, but were more likely to make errors involving shifts in lexical stress. Error productions were also described in terms of lexicalization (reading the item as a real but erroneous word) and stress regularization (stress shift to the first syllable, in accordance with the majority of English trisyllabic words). Both morphological awareness and vocabulary were positively related to the incidence of lexicalized errors, while both reading ability and suprasegmental phonological awareness were positively related to participants’ tendency to regularize the primary stress of multisyllabic words. Results of both studies are discussed in terms of contributions to theory, instruction, and future research in multisyllabic word reading.

abstract: PhD


title: Essays on Regional Recessions, Spatial Interactions and Forecasting

contributor:
Nielsen, Morten Ørregaard
MacKinnon, James G.
Jaworski, Taylor
Economics

subject:
Econometrics
Bayesian Statistics
Business Cycles
Endogenous Clustering
Clustering
Bayesian
Regime-switching
Regional economic analysis
Spatial Econometrics
Spatial
Time Series Econometrics
Forecasting
Fractional cointegration
Fractional integration
Opinion poll data
Political Opinion
Vector Autoregressive Model
Cointegration
Spatial Interactions
Spatial Effects
Economic Policy
Elections
Markov-switching
Multivariate Econometrics
FCVAR
CVAR
ARIMA
ARFIMA
Spatial Autoregressive Models
Regime-switching models

abstract:
This thesis contains three essays spanning the  fields of econometrics and empirical
macroeconomics. The first essay develops an econometric procedure that enables
applied researchers to quantify spatial interactions from panel data where variables
exhibit recurrent abrupt shifts in behavior. In empirical macroeconomics, omitting
spatial effects is restrictive in many contexts because the units of analysis are regions,
the characteristics of which are rarely independent. The second essay employs
this methodology to investigate how recessions propagated through small regional
economies in the United States from 1990 to 2015. The empirical results identify
regions that are potentially at risk of collective economic distress, which is useful
for national and regional policy makers. The analysis shows the importance of the
spatial (or geographical) dimension in explaining how regional shocks amplify in the
economy. The third essay, co-authored with Morten Ø. Nielsen, investigates a unique
data set of daily political opinion polls in the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015.
This work explores the forecasting capabilities of the recently developed fractionally
cointegrated vector auto-regressive (FCVAR) model. The results show that the
FCVAR model delivers superior forecast accuracy relative to a portfolio of existing
alternatives. Furthermore, the forecasts generated by the FCVAR model leading into
the UK 2015 general election provide a more informative assessment of the current
state of public opinion than that suggested by opinion polls.

abstract: PhD


title: An Assessment of the Environmental Sustainability of the Canadian Beef and Dairy Industries

abstract: While the beef and dairy industries are amongst the most important sectors in Canadian agriculture, their environmental impacts and sustainability have been increasingly called into question. Cattle have been found to be the largest livestock contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and contribute substantially to Canada’s livestock water footprint. As these industries move towards consolidation, antibiotic and hormone contamination are becoming increasingly serious environmental concerns. Cattle have both directly and indirectly been linked to decreased air quality, water contamination, and nutrient pollution, biodiversity loss, land use change, and deforestation. Climate change presents unique adaptation challenges to both industries. Acknowledging the complex interactions between livestock production and climate change, this literature review seeks to assess the environmental sustainability of the Canadian beef and dairy industries. Factors assessed include the industries’ contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, water use and contamination, hormone and antibiotic use and contamination, land use, impacts on biodiversity, and climate change adaptability. Results suggest that neither industry is environmentally sustainable under the current production paradigm. However, beef emerges as the far worse alternative, using considerably more resources in every category assessed. The report concludes with recommended mitigation measures to increase the sustainability of cattle-related industries in Canada.