title: Mining and Canada's national parks-- policy options : a case study of Nahanni National Park Reserve

contributor:
Jamieson, Heather E.
Whitelaw, Graham S.
Environmental Studies

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subject: Policy Parks Mining

abstract: Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-10 18:29:48.612

abstract:
Globally, mining and protected areas are both vital to our way of life. Mining provides the resources on which modern society depends, while protected areas help preserve the planet’s biological diversity by helping to ensure life’s essentials such as clean air and fresh water. The relationship between protected area management and mineral exploration and extraction is an issue of global and national significance. Many of Canada’s 42 national parks occur in close proximity to mining activities (AXYS, 2002) and the challenge becomes balancing development objectives with conservation values. Despite a historic perception that mining operations and protected areas are mutually exclusive, opportunities for partnerships exist and allowing mineral activities to occur within national park boundaries under certain limited circumstances could result in increased collaboration with the mineral industry and ultimately enable Canada to more quickly expand and better protect its national parks.
	Using the proposed expansion of Nahanni National Park Reserve (NNPR) in the NWT as a case study, this thesis explores the merits of a hypothetical amendment to Canada’s National Parks Act, which would permit metal mining within national park boundaries under certain limited circumstances. Using a case study research strategy and based on available written sources of information, the social, economic and environmental ramifications of allowing metal mining operations to continue within the extended boundaries of NNPR (i.e. policy option #1) were considered. Results were evaluated against the advantages and disadvantageous of expanding NNPR around existing mineral interests (policy option #2), as well as against the alternate option of maintaining Nahanni’s existing boundaries (policy option #3).
	Results suggest that including existing mineral permit, claim and lease holders within an expanded NNPR is the favored approach of the three policy options in terms of its potential economic and environmental benefits and therefore, policy option #1 could be the preferred approach for most stakeholders.  It is recommended that the proposed amendment be presented to concerned parties to determine stakeholder support and, if favored by a majority, the amendment should be tabled to Parliament so that its merits can be debated at the national level.

abstract: M.E.S.


title: Investigating the chirality transfer feedback model in ferroelectric liquid crystals using deuterium NMR spectroscopy

contributor:
Lemieux, Robert P.
Chemistry

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

subject:
Liquid crystals
Materials chemistry

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-11 15:10:53.56

abstract:
Ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) are being investigated as alternatives to nematic liquid crystals in display applications due to their low power requirements and fast switching times.  Commercial FLCs consist of a chiral dopant in an achiral smectic C (SmC) liquid crystal host.  A bulk property that arises from the chiral nature of this mixture is a spontaneous polarization (PS), which depends on the polarization power of the chiral dopant (δp).  The magnitude of δp reflects the ability of a dopant to induce a polarization in an achiral host.  It has been proposed that the magnitude of δp can be enhanced by matching dopant and host structures, which may enhance the propagation of chiral perturbations from the dopant to the host.  This is known as the chirality transfer feedback (CTF) model.  Previous studies in the Lemieux lab featured 2H NMR to detect chiral perturbations exerted by a dopant on the liquid crystal host based on the observation of pairs of quadrupolar doublets in the 2H NMR spectra.
	In the work described herein, the contribution of chirality transfer feedback to the difference in quadrupolar splitting between pairs of quadrupolar doublets (ΔΔνQ) was assessed by 2H NMR spectroscopy.  These experiments confirmed the results reported by Finden and Yuh by demonstrating the presence of chiral perturbations exerted by a diester substituted 6,6’-spirobiindandione dopant ((RS)-2.6-d4) on the achiral SmC host NCB76, and the absence of those perturbations using the diester substituted 5,5’-spirobiindandione analogue ((RS)-2.3-d4).
	Subsequent studies explored the effect of modifying the chiral topography of the 2,2’-spirobiindan-1,1’-dione core on the magnitude of δp.  Both the 5,5’- and 6,6’-disubstituted cores were reduced to give the corresponding mono-carbonyl derivatives ((R)-3.4-d4 and (R)-3.8-d4), substituted with ether side-chains.  Finally, ester side-chains were added to the 6,6’- mono-carbonyl derivative ((R)-3.9-d4) for comparison with previous experiments.  The ferroelectric induction properties of these dopants were investigated in NCB76 at mole fractions ranging from xd = 0.03 – 0.10.  The mono-carbonyl 5,5’- and 6,6’-diether dopants gave absolute polarization powers of 120 nC/cm2 and 123 nC/cm2 respectively, which are not significantly different.  This suggests that a reduction in the chiral topography of the spirobiindandione core greatly affects the polarization power of the dopant and may reduce the contribution from chirality transfer to δp.  This was confirmed by a measurement of the polarization power of the 6,6’-diester mono-carbonyl dopant (R)-3.9-d4 in NCB76, which gave a δp value of 117 nC/cm2.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Identifying downhole fracture characteristics using in-situ fluorescence monitoring : the results and interpretation of a large-scale radially divergent tracer experiment conducted in a dolomite aquifer

contributor:
Novakowski, Kent S.
Civil Engineering

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subject: Rock Groundwater Tracer Experiment Fluorescence

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-14 21:22:05.427

abstract: In several field studies it was concluded that highly transmissive features transmit the majority of solute mass in horizontally-fractured bedrock aquifers. The purpose of this investigation is to develop a new technique for determining the location and relative role of hydraulically connected fracture features with respect to solute transport. To explore this, a radial-divergent tracer experiment was conducted in a four-borehole array completed through a horizontally-fractured dolomite of Silurian age in Smithville, Ontario, Canada. The injection interval included several hydraulically-identified features located in the Upper Eramosa member of the Lockport formation. 496 L of Lissamine FF (a conservative fluorescent dye tracer at a concentration of 200 mg/L) was injected at a rate of 23.25 L/min +/- 1 %. The arrival of fluorescent tracer was detected in a series of open monitoring wells located in a down gradient direction using a submersible fluorometer equipped with a pressure transducer. Correlating the fluorescence signals at depth with hydraulically-identified features provided an in-situ measure that identified the vertical intersection and relative role of each feature with respect to mass transport. FRAC3DVS a discrete fracture finite element model was used to simulate the tracer experiment. Based on the results of the tracer experiment and numerical simulations, it is concluded that the highly transmissive features identified using hydraulic techniques do not always carry all of the mass in transport. The majority of mass transport, however, followed at least one of the largest features in every borehole, just not every large feature. Results of this experiment suggest it is imperative that a distinction between large fracture features that transmit and do not transmit mass be made.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The relationships between job characteristics, professional practice environment and cardiovascular risk in female hospital nurses

contributor:
Tranmer, Joan E.
Nursing

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subject:
Nurses
Females
Professional practice
Job strain
Hospitals

abstract: Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-14 14:09:00.389

abstract: An aging workforce and stressful work environments are major issues potentially impacting the health, and in particular the cardiovascular health of Canadian hospital nurses. No study, to date, has examined the independent and combined effects between the work environment and indicators of cardiovascular risk among female Canadian nurses. The primary goal of this study was to determine if selected work characteristics influences cardiovascular risk profiles. One hundred and forty four nurses from two hospitals participated in a cross-sectional study.  Participants completed a questionnaire containing validated measures of job characteristics as measured by the Job Content Questionnaire and the professional practice work environment as measured by the Nursing Work Index (Revised).  Indicators of cardiovascular risk were obtained by anthropometric measures, clinical exam and serum sampling. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome, as classified by the NCEP ATP III Panel, was 7.7 % (n = 11) with 31.9 % having waist circumferences > 88 cm; 22% having a systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mmHG and 15.2% having a diastolic blood pressure ≥ 80 mmHG.  There was no statistically significant association between traditional measures of job strain and cardiovascular risk.  In stepwise backward regression analyses, higher age, lower perception of autonomy and higher family income accounted for 22% of the variance in waist circumference (p  < .001).  Higher age and higher physical job demands accounted for 17% of the variance in systolic blood pressure, and 16% of the variance in diastolic blood pressure.  Similar to other female studies, there was no significant relationship between psychosocial job strain characteristics, as measured with traditional job strain measurements, and cardiovascular risk.   The findings from this study suggest that female nurses are at risk for cardiovascular disease, and that both physical and organizational characteristics of the work environment influence these associations. One may argue that traditional job strain is not unexpected in nursing practice is perhaps less stressful  than dealing with high patient acuity, moral distress and hierarchical healthcare organizations.

abstract: MNSc.


title: Investigating the relationship between the RET receptor, Cbl and ARHGEF7 in downregulation of RET

contributor:
Mulligan, Lois M.
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

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subject: RET Dpwnregulation Cbl ARHGEF7 Interactions

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-14 14:15:31.472

abstract:
The RET proto-oncogene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), with two major isoforms, RET9 and RET51, which differ in their C-termini, and therefore recruit different signaling complexes. RET plays an important role in cell growth, differentiation, migration and survival. Regulation of RET is critical for normal cellular functioning, however, the biochemical mechanisms underlying the downregulation of RET isoforms, are still not clear. Cbl (Casitas B-lineage Lymphoma) is an E3-ubiquitin ligase that plays an essential role in mediating the degradation of RET. Recently, a negative regulator of Cbl, ARHGEF7 (β-pix/ Cool-1) was found to prevent Cbl-catalyzed deregulation of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR).
In the current study, we characterized and further examined the association between RET and Cbl. We showed that RET can associate with the c-Cbl and Cbl-b homologues, in co-immunoprecipitations. Using far western assays and GST-pulldowns, with the purified tyrosine kinase binding (TKB) domain of c-Cbl, we detected a potential novel direct interaction between RET and c-Cbl.  Previously, an indirect association between RET and Cbl had been established, indicating that a bimodal interaction may occur.
Furthermore, we proposed that ARHGEF7 may interfere with RET-Cbl interactions, either by sequestring Cbl, so that it is unable to bind to RET, or by forming a complex with both RET and Cbl, thereby blocking Cbl activation. Here, we investigated the possibility of a complex formation using co-immunoprecipitations. We showed that ARHGEF7 and c-Cbl can co-immunoprecipitate, but we could not detect either of the RET isoforms in this complex. Further examination of a possible relationship between RET isoforms, and ARHGEF7, showed that ARHGEF7 phosphorylation was dependent on RET activation. However, in an in vitro kinase assay, we showed that this phosphorylation did not occur directly, but may occur indirectly through a pathway yet unknown.
Our data predicts that ARHGEF7 may modulate Cbl-binding to RET, and subsequently inhibit its degradation, in a manner similar to that seen for EGFR.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Pultruded GFRP sections as stay-in-place structural open formwork for concrete slabs and girders

contributor:
Fam, Amir Z.
Civil Engineering

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subject:
Girder
Beam
Flexure
FRP
Stay-in-place
Formwork
Bond
Concrete
Shear
Open form

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-14 15:12:48.405

abstract: Commercially available glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) off-the-shelf structural shapes have great potential as stay-in-place open structural forms for concrete structures, including bridge decks and girders. The system simplifies and accelerates construction, and the non-corrosive GFRP forms can fully or partially replace steel rebar.  In this study, eight concrete slabs were constructed using flat pultruded GFRP plates, and nine girders were constructed using trapezoidal pultruded GFRP sheet pile sections as stay-in-place structural forms.  No tension steel reinforcement was used.  All specimens were tested in four-point monotonic uniaxial bending.  Four adhesive and mechanical bond mechanisms were explored to accomplish composite action.  The most effective mechanism, considering structural performance and ease of fabrication, was wet adhesive bonding of fresh concrete to GFRP.  Although failure was by debonding, no slip was observed prior to failure.  Other parameters studied were concrete slabs’ thicknesses and their shear span-to-depth ratios.  For the girders, three different cross-sectional configurations were examined, namely, totally filled sheet piles, one with a voided concrete fill, and an all-GFRP box girder developed by bonding flat GFRP sheets to the upper flanges of the sheet piles with a cast-in-place concrete flange.  Girders were tested in positive and negative bending to simulate continuity.  The built-up box girders showed superior performance, with up to 70% higher strength and 65% lower weight than the totally filled sections.  It was found that similar size conventional steel-reinforced concrete sections of comparable stiffness have considerably lower strength, while those of comparable strength have considerably higher stiffness than FRP-concrete members.  An analytical model was developed to predict the behaviour and failure loads of slabs and girders, using cracked section analysis.  A unique feature of the model is a multi-stepped failure criteria check that can detect flexural, shear, or bond failure.  The model was successfully validated using the experimental results, and used in a parametric study.  It was shown that using the typical value of 1MPa for shear strength of cement mortar predicts debonding failure, which occurs slightly above the interface, quite well.  Also, in practical applications of longer spans, flexural failure is likely to occur prior to bond failure.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The artful struggle for the integration of computers in schools

contributor:
Luce-Kapler, Rebecca
Education

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subject: Technology Computers Art E-learning Architecture Creativity

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-14 15:40:24.502

abstract:
Studies over the last ten years suggest computers are not being used to their full potential inside schools (Abrami et al., 2006; Smeets, 2005; Suronta & Lehtimaki, 2004). Findings often recommend some combination of professional development, increased technical support, and the development and acquisition of user-friendly software to remedy the situation. While any one of these options may help in the short term, this thesis argues that, even in combination, none of these solutions get to the root of education’s problem with integrating new technology. Policy purports that simply inserting a computer into a classroom will open up new possibilities for learning, however in order to successfully integrate new technology in a way that is beneficial for both students and the teacher, what is needed is an approach to learning that will foster a creative and engaged learning environment.

Using a phenomenological perspective that draws from my experience helping teachers implement computer technology and my artistic practice, this thesis will explore what began as a hunch, that there might be something to an artist’s approach that makes using technology more navigable. This approach, which is transferable to other environments, can foster meaningful learning. By developing a manner of approach that is by nature creative and leads to an unfolding process for learning, rather than programming for desired outcomes.

This thesis draws broadly from four sources: Christopher Alexander’s The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and The Nature of the Universe, Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception, and my memories from my Introduction to Painting class in art school.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: The effects of porous media on explosion development in partially filled enclosures

contributor:
Ciccarelli, Gabriel
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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subject:
Porous media
Explosion

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-15 17:57:22.213

abstract:
Two experiments were performed to investigate the interaction of a combustion wave with porous media. The first experiment was performed in a 1.22m long, 76mm wide, and 152mm high horizontal channel with a nitrogen-diluted stoichiometric methane-oxygen mixture at initial pressures of 20-50kPa. A layer of 12.7mm diameter ceramic-oxide spheres was placed along the bottom to partially obstruct the channel, leaving a gap of free space above. For a fixed gap height the bead layer thickness had very little effect on explosion propagation. For a fixed bead layer thickness the explosion propagation was strongly influenced by the gap height. For example, a 31% nitrogen diluted mixture at room temperature resulted in DDT for a gap height of 38mm at initial pressures of 30-50 kPa, but not for 109mm over the same pressures. The gap above the bead layer permits DDT as long as the gap height is larger than one detonation cell width. Propagation of the detonation wave over the bead layer is possible if the gap height can accommodate at least two detonation cells. For a 38mm gap, velocity measurements and sooted foil imprints indicate that the detonation undergoes successive failure and re-initiation, referred to as “galloping” in the literature.
In the second experiment, the head-on collision of a combustion front with a layer of 3 and 12.7mm diameter ceramic-oxide spheres was investigated in a 61cm long, 76.2mm diameter vertical tube for a nitrogen-diluted stoichiometric ethylene-oxygen mixture at initial pressures of 10-100kPa. Four orifice plates were placed at the ignition end to accelerate the premixed flame to a “fast-flame” or a detonation wave. For fast-flames pressures recorded at the bead layer face were up to five times the reflected CJ detonation pressure. This explosion iv developed by two distinct mechanisms: a) shock reflection off the bead layer face and b) shock transmission into the bead layer and subsequent explosion therein. The measured explosion delay time (time after shock reflection from the bead layer face) was found to be independent of the incident shock velocity. Thus, it was shown that explosion initiation is not the direct result of shock reflection but is more likely due to the interaction of the reflected shock with the trailing flame. The bead layer was found to be very effective in attenuating the explosion and isolating the tube endplate.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Judicial review and the enforcement of human rights : the red and blue lights of the judiciary of Ghana

contributor:
King, Rosemary
Law

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subject:
Law
Judicial review

abstract: Thesis (Master, Law) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-15 12:10:00.75

abstract: Constitutional democracy requires a constitutionalisation of Human Rights and the empowerment of judiciaries to enforce and protect such rights. In Ghana, these requirements have been put in place by the 1992 Constitution. Human Rights have been constitutionalised and the courts granted specific powers of Judicial Review to enforce the values of these rights by policing the actions of the legislature and the executive branches of Government. In response, the Judiciary has done a great deal through the power of Judicial Review to protect Human Rights in the country. It has developed a corpus of Human Rights jurisprudence which individuals and institutions can rely on for rights claims and protection. However, its role is not without blemish. This work seeks to discover the successes as well as the failures of the Judiciary of Ghana in enforcing Human Rights. As a theoretical prelude to the entire work, I claim that the main juridical basis to legitimate Judicial Review lies in the courts duty to enforce a higher body of law grounded in rights. On the basis of this claim, the work argues that while the Judiciary did play a constructive role in the promotion, enforcement and sustenance of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms in the country, it has not adopted a consistent approach in giving all Human Rights equal weight. A generous reception has been given to Civil and Political Rights, while Social-Economic Rights have not been sympathetically considered. This has generated a gap in Ghana’s Human Rights jurisprudence, and negated the values upheld by the postwar global Human Rights constituency - of which Ghana is a member. To avert the creation of  Judicial determinism which will hold back the realisation of Socio-Economic Rights in Ghana, this work urges the Judiciary to accord equal respect to all Rights by adopting a purposive approach in deciding all rights claims.

abstract: LL.M.


title: Salvation from empire : the roots of Anishinabe Christianity in Upper Canada

contributor:
Errington, E. Jane
History

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subject:
First Nations History
Cultural History
Anishinabe Culture
Religious History
Upper Canada History
Anishinabe Philosophy
Nativism
Methodism
Revitalization
Culture Change
First Nations Farming
Peter Jones
John Sunday
Peter Jacobs
Anishinabe Methodism

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-17 13:59:23.833

abstract:
This thesis examine the cultural interaction between Anishinabe people, who lived in what is now southern Ontario, and the Loyalists, Euroamerican settlers who moved north from the United States during and after the American Revolution.  Starting with an analysis of Anishinabe  cultural history before the settlement era the thesis argues that Anishinabe spirituality was not traditionalist.  Rather it inclined its practitioners to search for new knowledge.  Further, Anishinabe ethics in this period were determined corporately based on the immediate needs and expectations of individual communities.  As such, Anishinabe ethics were quite separate from Anishinabe spiritual teachings.
Between 1760 and 1815, the Anishinabe living north of the Great Lakes participated in pan-Native resistance movements to the south.  The spiritual leaders of these movements, sometimes called nativists, taught that tradition was an important religious virtue and that cultural integration was dangerous and often immoral.  These nativist teachings entered the northern Anishinabe cultural matrix and lived alongside earlier hierarchies of virtue that identified integration and change as virtues.
When Loyalist Methodists presented their teachings to the Anishinabeg in the early nineteenth century their words filtered through both sets of teachings and found purchase in the minds of many influential leaders.  Such leaders quickly convinced members of their communities to take up the Methodist practices and move to agricultural villages.  For a few brief years in the 1830s these villages achieved financial success and the Anishinabe Methodist leaders achieved real social status in both Anishinabe and Euroamerican colonial society.
	By examining the first generation of Anishinabe Methodists who practiced between 1823 and 1840, I argue that many Anishinabe people adopted Christianity as new wisdom suitable for refitting their existing cultural traditions to a changed cultural environment.  Chiefs such as Peter Jones (Kahkewahquonaby), and their followers, found that Methodist teachings cohered with major tenets of their own traditions, and also promoted bimadziwin, or health and long life, for their communities.  Finally, many Anishinabe people believed that the basic moral injunctions of their own tradition compelled them to adopt Methodism because of its potential to promote bimadziwin.

abstract: PhD


title: Streaming Random Forests

contributor:
Martin, Patrick
Skillicorn, B. David
Computing

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subject:
Data mining
Streams
Classification algorithms
Streaming algorithms

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-15 16:12:33.221

abstract:
Recent research addresses the problem of data-stream mining
to deal with applications that require processing huge amounts of data
such as sensor data analysis and financial applications.
Data-stream mining algorithms incorporate special provisions to meet
the requirements of stream-management systems, that is stream
algorithms must be online and incremental, processing each data
record only once (or few times); adaptive to distribution changes;
and fast enough to accommodate high arrival rates.

We consider the problem of data-stream classification,
introducing an online and incremental stream-classification
ensemble algorithm, Streaming Random Forests,
an extension of the Random Forests algorithm
by Breiman, which is a standard classification algorithm.
Our algorithm is designed to handle multi-class classification
problems.
It is able to deal with
data streams having an evolving nature and
a random arrival rate of training/test data records.
The algorithm, in addition, automatically adjusts its
parameters based on the data seen so far.

Experimental results on real and synthetic data
demonstrate that the algorithm gives a successful behavior.
Without losing classification accuracy, our algorithm
is able to handle multi-class problems for which the
underlying class boundaries drift, and handle the case when blocks of training
records are not big enough to build/update the classification model.

abstract: PhD


title: A high-speed Iterative Closest Point tracker on an FPGA platform

contributor:
Greenspan, Michael A.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

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subject:
Computer vision
ICP
Iterative Closest Point
Tracker
High-speed
Real-time
FPGA
Nearest neighbor
Recover pose

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-15 22:50:30.369

abstract:
The Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm is one of the most commonly used range image processing methods. However, slow operational speeds and high input band-widths limit the use of ICP in high-speed real-time applications.

This thesis presents and examines a novel hardware implementation of a high-speed ICP object tracking system that uses stereo vision disparities as input. Although software ICP trackers already exist, this innovative hardware tracker utilizes the efficiencies of custom hardware processing, thus enabling faster high-speed real-time tracking. A custom hardware design has been implemented in an FPGA to handle the inherent bottlenecks that result from the large input and processing band-widths of the range data. The hardware ICP design consists of four stages: Pre-filter, Transform, Nearest Neighbor, and Transform Recovery.

This custom hardware has been implemented and tested on various objects, using both software simulation and hardware tests. Results indicate that the tracker is able to successfully track free-form objects at over 200 frames-per-second along arbitrary paths. Tracking errors are low, in spite of substantial noisy stereo input. The tracker is able to track stationary paths within 0.42mm and 1.42degs, linear paths within 1.57mm and 2.80degs, and rotational paths within 0.39degs axis error. With further degraded data by occlusion, the tracker is able to handle 60% occlusion before a slow decline in performance. The high-speed hardware implementation (that uses 16 parallel nearest neighbor circuits), is more then five times faster than the software K-D tree implementation.

This tracker has been designed as the hardware component of ‘FastTrack’, a high frame rate, stereo vision tracking system, that will provide a known object’s pose in real-time at 200 frames per second. This hardware ICP tracker is compact, lightweight, has low power requirements, and is integratable with the stereo sensor and stereo extraction components of the FastTrack’ system on a single FPGA platform.

High-speed object tracking is useful for many innovative applications, including advanced spaced-based robotics. Because of this project’s success, the ‘FastTrack’ system will be able to aid in performing in-orbit, automated, remote satellite recovery for maintenance.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Investigating the contribution of the basal ganglia in the selective gating of saccade initiation

contributor:
Munoz, Douglas P.
Physiology

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subject:
Saccade
Basal Ganglia
Parkinson's Disease
Electrophysiology

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Physiology) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-16 12:06:19.188

abstract:
An important function of the brain is to inhibit irrelevant behaviors. This thesis examines the role of the basal ganglia in response suppression using saccadic eye movements as a model of behavior. We measured the activity of single saccade-related neurons in primate Substantia Nigra pars reticulata (SNr), a main output structure of the basal ganglia, while the context surrounding the initiation and suppression of saccades was manipulated.
Inserting a temporal gap of no stimuli between the disappearance of a central visual fixation point and the appearance of a peripheral visual target leads to a reduction in saccadic reaction times (SRT); the ‘gap’ effect. SNr pause neurons decreased their activity during the gap and this decrease correlated with SRT. This finding suggests the SNr may contribute directly to producing the gap effect and that signals related to the effect are propagating through a frontal-basal ganglia circuitry to impact pre-saccade processing.
Interleaving pro-saccade (look towards a visual stimulus) and anti-saccade (look away from visual stimulus) trials allowed us to investigate how neural processes change when preparing to suppress a saccade instead of making one automatically. We show that SNr neurons exhibit activity consistent with both suppression of automatic responses and facilitation of voluntary responses, during anti-saccades. These data provide direct neurophysiological evidence for a dual role of inhibitory and disinhibitory basal ganglia outputs in the flexible shaping of behavior.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that impairs motor function due to depletion of dopamine in the striatum. Using an oculomotor countermanding paradigm, we found that PD patients were unable to suppress saccades to a peripheral target, providing evidence that the SNr performs a gating function that mediates the initiation and suppression of saccades. When pathology to the circuitry occurs, inhibitory control over saccades is affected.
In Conclusion, using a variety of behavioral contexts, this thesis has demonstrated that the basal ganglia, specifically the SNr, mediates the suppression and voluntary initiation of saccades, possibly via an inhibitory gating mechanism, and that this role is important for successful interaction with a dynamic environment.

abstract: PhD


title: Identifying responders to melphalan and dexamethasone for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients

contributor:
Ding, Keyue
Meyer, Ralph
Community Health and Epidemiology

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subject:
Multiple myeloma
Melphalan
Dexamethasone
Regression tree analysis

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-21 13:46:53.748

abstract:
Background: MY7 clinical trial compared dexamethasone plus melphalan (MD) vs. prednisone plus melphalan (MP) in multiple myeloma treatment and found no statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the two groups. But, patients reacted to treatment differently. We aimed to identify patients who might have benefited from dexamethasone, and characterize them by their baseline demographic and clinical factors.
Methods: First, the prognostic model for OS was developed on the MP arm. The estimated coefficients and baseline hazard were applied to the MD arm to derive martingale residuals (MR). Classification and regression tree analysis was done to identify independent predictive factors for OS and MR was used as response variable. All covariates in categorical shape were used as independent variables to develop the predictive model in MD arm. MP arm was divided accordingly. Subgroups with negative mean MR (survived > expected) were candidates for positive responders while those with positive mean MR (survived < expected) were candidates of negative responders. Mean MR in each subgroup and p values from comparison of OS (log rank test stratified by subgroups) were used to combine the appropriate subgroups as the positive responders or negative responders.
Results: A total of 97 patients (42%) in MD arm were identified as positive responders and their OS (median of 44.5 months) was significantly longer than that (median of 33 months) in the corresponding subgroups in MP arm (HR = 0.56, 95% CI 0.4-0.8; p = 0.0014). All positive responders had three common baseline characteristics: aged ≤75 years, calcium concentration ≤2.6 mmol/L and Durie-Salmon stages 2 or 3. Among patients with ECOG performance status<2 those with either HGB≥100 mg/dl or HGB<100 mg/dl and WBC≥4,000 and <4 lytic bone lesions were categorized as positive responders. Also, among the patients with ECOG performance status≥2, males with >3 lytic bone lesions were positive responders. Negative responders (HR = 1.56, 95% confidence interval 1.1 – 2.2; p = 0.006) included patients aged >75 or aged ≤75 with calcium concentration >2.6 mmol/L or aged ≤75 with calcium concentration ≤2.6 mmol/L but had Durie-Salmon stage 1.
Conclusions: Evaluation of the hypotheses validity warrants further studies.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Defining gravitational singularities in general relativity

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subject:
General relativity
Singularities

abstract: Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-21 17:13:27.992

abstract:
Singularities have been a long-standing problem in general relativity.  In all other fields of physics, singularities can be easily located and avoided; in general relativity, singularities have an impact on the creation of the manifold, but, by definition, are not even part of real spacetime. Moreover, all singularities in general relativity cannot be treated in the same manner; thus, the classification of singularities is essential in order to understand them. One important class of singularities is curvature singularities, which, in some cases, can be subclassified as central, shell focusing or shell crossing singularities. We propose to further classify curvature singularities as either gravitational or non-gravitational.

In general relativity, a curvature singularity is ``located'' where the scalar invariants of the spacetime are undefined.  The gradient field of a non-zero scalar invariant can then be calculated, and the end points of the associated integral curves can be determined. If integral curves are attracted to (i.e. intersect) the singularity, then it is a gravitational singularity; if the integral curves avoid the singularity, then it is a non-gravitational singularity.

We will test our method by analysing several different spacetimes, including Friedman-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker, Schwarzschild, self-similar Vaidya, self-similar Tolman-Bondi, non-self-similar Vaidya, and Kerr spacetimes. We find that in every case studied, the integral curves have specific end points, therefore they can be used to classify a curvature singularity as gravitational or non-gravitational.

In Friedman-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker and Schwarzschild spacetimes, we determined that the a(t) = 0 and r = 0 singularities, respectively, are gravitational singularities.  In Vaidya and Tolman-Bondi spacetime, we determine that the massless shell focusing singularities are non-gravitational singularities and that the central singularities (which have mass) are gravitational singularities.  We also find that the non-gravitational singularities are the only singularities that have the possibility of being naked.

In summary, we can determine which singularities are gravitational and which are non-gravitational by our method of examining the end points of the integral curves, which are constructed from the gradient field of scalar invariants.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: An investigation of the impact of an individual teaching guide on the inpatient education of myocardial infarction patients

contributor:
Wilcox, Susan
Colgan, Lynda
Education

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subject:
Inpatient education
Patient teaching tool

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-25 11:33:49.114

abstract:
Myocardial infarction patients (MI, or heart attack) are vulnerable patients that require special care.  The purpose of this study was to develop a teaching guide to be used by nursing staff with MI patients in the hospital setting, and to investigate the impact of this Individualized Patient Teaching Guide (IPTG).  This research met its specific purposes through a three phase structure: development of the teaching guide, implementation, and assessment of participant impact.  In phase one, development of the teaching guide, two focus groups were conducted: one with previous MI patients and the other with nursing staff.  The IPTG was developed using topics identified as important by these two groups.
Twenty patients participated in the implementation phase.  The intention was for these patients to have patient teaching guided by the options they chose on their IPTGs.  Seventy per cent of the patients provided feedback concerning the impact of the guide.  All of these patients (n=14) indicated that Risk Factors was very important or important for them to learn about while in the hospital, and 13 of them received instruction on Risk Factors from health care practitioners.  Psychological concerns was the topic most neglected: only one of the patients that had identified this as important received instruction on this topic.  While the majority of patients  (n=10) indicated that the IPTG provided them with an opportunity to identify their learning needs, only four of the patients surveyed felt that their learning needs were completely met in the hospital setting.  The other six patients indicated that the information provided to them was insufficient.
It seems that some of the topics identified as important were addressed in the clinical setting.  Furthermore, the tool did allow patients an opportunity to identify learning needs.  However, given that the majority of patients indicated dissatisfaction with the amount of education they received in the hospital setting, it may be concluded that the IPTG did not accomplish the goal of improving the in-patient learning experience.  Reasons for this are discussed.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Precariousness on the menu: Restaurant work and labour mobility within the low-wage service industry in Kingston, Ontario

contributor:
Holmes, John
Geography

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subject:
Geography
Labour
Precarious employment
Restaurant
Work
Kingston

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-23 11:01:41.562

abstract:
Precarious employment refers to forms of work characterized by limited job security, few employment benefits, lack of control over the labour process and low-wages. Restaurant work demonstrates a range of precarious forms of employment and reveals the complexity of issues that such jobs raise in the context of the regulation of the local labour market. This thesis analyses the nature of precarious employment in the restaurant industry in Kingston, Ontario. In particular, it seeks to understand how precarious employment is shaped by the structure and dynamics of the local labour market. The research highlights the role played by labour mobility, in shaping workers’ experiences of precarious work. Labour mobility refers to the movement of workers between different jobs and between different worksites within a structured local labour market as they seek to better their economic situation and generate a sustainable income for themselves. Through a discussion of labour mobility, this thesis seeks to contribute to a new lens through which the impacts of a precarious and flexible labour market can be better understood as they shape the lives of workers themselves.
	The objective of this study is to better understand the factors which shape the lived realities of precarious restaurant workers in one specific local labour market. The empirical analysis draws on data collected by Statistics Canada and interviews conducted with both employers and employees in local restaurants to analyze the structure of the local labour market and the nature of precarious employment.
	The research demonstrates that the restaurant industry in Kingston is comprised of three distinct submarkets, each of which appears to operate largely independently of one another. Interviews were conducted with employees and employers in the submarket located in downtown Kingston. Within this submarket the combined processes of labour market segmentation and labour mobility has a significant impact on workers experiences of precarious employment. By understanding the complex interaction of these two features within the labour market, we can begin to conceive of ways to address the issues associated with the precariously employed in the low-wage service industry.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Video-recorded lineup procedures and detecting identification accuracy

contributor:
Lindsay, Roderick C. L.
Psychology

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subject:
Eyewitness identification
Juror decision-making

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-24 15:00:30.512

abstract: This program of research examined whether mock-jurors could more accurately discriminate between correct and false eyewitness identifications after exposure to the identification procedure instead of—or in addition to—the witness’s testimony. In Experiment 1, 332 eyewitnesses exposed to staged crime videos attempted to identify the “criminal” from lineups. Lineups contained either the “criminal” or a replacement foil, were presented simultaneously or sequentially, and were conducted under double-blind, single-blind, or post-identification feedback conditions. In Experiment 2, 432 mock-jurors viewed a subset of the eyewitnesses from Experiment 1 (n = 48). Each mock-juror viewed a single eyewitness making their identification decision and/or testifying about the crime, their identification, and the officer. More mock-jurors believed that the eyewitnesses had made correct identifications if they viewed the testimony—with or without the identification procedure—compared to exposure to the identification procedure alone. Furthermore, more mock-jurors believed eyewitnesses who received post-identification feedback or had made their identifications from sequential lineups. These differences in belief, however, did not translate into a difference in accuracy; overall, mock-jurors believed 62.96% of correct identifications and 56.48% of false identifications. Exposure to the identification procedure did not improve mock-jurors ability to determine the accuracy of an identification; however, these mock-jurors were more aware of the post-identification feedback. Videotaping identification procedures may make triers of fact more aware of biased lineup procedures; nonetheless, exposure to these videotapes will not improve the accuracy of mock-jurors’ decisions.

abstract: PhD


title: Factors contributing to the successful transition of preschoolers with and without Developmental Delay into school

contributor:
Minnes, Patricia
Psychology

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subject:
developmental delay
transition

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-03 00:38:05.333

abstract:
Entry into kindergarten marks the beginning of formal education and has the potential to pave the way for future academic success or failure.  The transition into school is expected to be a challenging time for children and their families and these challenges are likely to be enhanced for children with developmental delays (DD).  Despite the importance of this period, school transition for children with DD has not been well researched.
Twenty-nine parents of preschool aged children with DD, and 17 parents of children without DD participated in three one-hour phone interviews throughout the course of the child’s transition into school.  The Double ABCX Model was used as a framework for the current study to measure the outcome of transition (X) (using quality of life and school readiness), which is influenced by characteristics of the child (A), resources (B) and parental perceptions (C).  The objectives of the study were to: 1) describe a sample of children and their families who were transitioning into school, investigate the similarities and differences between children with DD and without DD, and investigate changes over the course of transition; and 2) determine which factors contribute to a successful transition for children with and without DD.
Results showed that children with DD had lower adaptive and higher maladaptive behaviour; and were utilizing more formal services and participating in less social activities than children without DD.  Parents of children with DD reported lower family income, higher parental stress, different patterns and types of perceptions, and different use of coping.  Very few variables changed over the course of transition.  There were no significant predictors of the child’s quality of life; and only adaptive behaviour predicted all aspects of school readiness, with family income also predicting the child’s social and emotional well-being.  Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Multibranched rangeomorphs from the Ediacaran Mistaken Point assemblage, Newfoundland, Canada

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

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subject:
Ediacaran
Paleontology
Mistaken Point
Rangeomorphs
Neoproterozoic
Paleoecology

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-25 11:01:43.469

abstract:
Rangeomorphs are a distinct group of millimeter- to meter-scale soft-bodied macrofossils that are restricted to the latter half of the late Neoproterozoic Ediacaran Period (635Ma- 542Ma). These fossils represent an extinct higher level taxon characterized by a modular construction based on a single architectural unit: the centimeter-scale, chevron-shaped rangeomorph element which displays several orders of self-similar branching. These elements could be arranged in a variety of different ways, constituting the wide array of gross morphologies found within the Group Rangeomorpha. The largest and most diverse assemblage of rangeomorph fossils in the world is found at Mistaken Point, on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, where these organisms are preserved within their original, in situ paleocommunities. Multibranched rangeomorphs are typified by bush-, comb- and network-shaped fossils which display multiple rangeomorph-bearing structures attached to an untethered basal stolon or central attachment point.

Multibranched, comb-shaped rangeomorphs are endemic to Mistaken Point, and are represented by fossils displaying multiple parallel struts emerging along one side of an elongate, curved pedicle rod. Morphological and taphonomic evidence suggests that, in life, this organism had two rows of struts, each bearing a rangeomorph frondlet, arranged in an alternating pattern along the curved, tubular pedicle rod. Biometric analyses imply that the struts were added to both ends of the pedicle rod throughout the organism’s lifetime, with later inflation of the rangeomorph frondlets. Each comb-shaped rangeomorph locality likely represents a different age cohort within the organism’s lifecycle, providing rare evidence for spatfall reproduction in Ediacarans, which is similar to that found in modern macrobenthic organisms with pelagic larvae.
Network-shaped multibranched rangeomorphs, represented by symmetrical to asymmetrical net-like fossils, are also endemic to Mistaken Point. This genus is reconstructed as having a symmetrical arrangement of flexible, rangeomorph-bearing leaflets that were, in part, neutrally buoyant with respect to the seawater. This flexible leaflet structure is unique, and shared only with a rare, previously undescribed, Ediacaran frond-like organism. It is suggested that the enigmatic leaflet structures shared by these two morphologically distinct taxa represent a new type of rangeomorph branching architecture, and therefore constitute a new type of rangeomorph.

abstract: The systematic paleontology of the three new fossil genera and species described in this thesis does not constitute the official description of these taxa in accordance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (third edition). Under this Code, the description of a new taxon is not considered official until the systematic paleontology has appeared in a recognized scientific publication. Previous publication in an invalid medium (e.g. a thesis or a conference abstract) would create considerable confusion that might invalidate the species name. The systematic paleontology of the two new genera described in Chapter 3 of this thesis has not yet appeared in such a scientific publication. I must therefore request that this thesis be restricted for a period of at least six months, until the paper officially describing these taxa (currently in preparation for submission to a peer-reviewed journal) has been published. Restricting the thesis will protect the unpublished data, taxonomic descriptions, and scientific names.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Multiple-input multiple-output wireless system designs with imperfect channel knowledge

contributor:
Blostein, Steven D.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

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subject:
MIMO
Channel state information
Optimization
Mean-square error
Mutual information

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-25 10:53:45.175

abstract:
Empowered by linear precoding and decoding, a spatially multiplexed
multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system becomes a convenient
framework to offer high data rate, diversity and interference
management. While most of the current precoding/decoding designs
have assumed perfect channel state information (CSI) at the
receiver, and sometimes even at the transmitter,  in this thesis we
design the precoder and decoder with imperfect CSI at both the
transmit and the receive sides, and investigate the joint impact of
channel estimation errors and channel correlation on system
structure and performance. The mean-square error (MSE) related
performance metrics are used as the design criteria.

We begin with the minimum total MSE precoding/decoding design for a
single-user MIMO system assuming imperfect CSI at both ends. Here
the CSI includes the channel estimate and channel correlation
information. The structures of the optimum precoder and decoder are
determined. Compared to the perfect CSI case, linear filters are
added to the transceiver structure to improve system robustness
against imperfect CSI. The effects of channel estimation error and
channel correlation are quantified by simulations.

With imperfect CSI at both ends, the exact capacity expression for a
single-user MIMO channel is difficult to obtain. Instead, a tight
capacity lower-bound is used for system design. The optimum
structure of the transmit covariance matrix for the lower-bound has
not been found in the existing literature. By transforming the
transmitter design into a joint precoding/decoding design problem,
we derive the expression of the optimum transmit covariance matrix.
The close relationship between the maximum mutual information design
and the minimum total MSE design is also discovered assuming
imperfect CSI.

For robust multiuser MIMO communications, minimum average sum MSE
transceiver (precoder-decoder pairs) design problems are formulated
for both the uplink and the downlink, assuming imperfect channel
estimation and channel correlation at the base station (BS). We
propose improved iterative algorithms based on the associated
Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions. Under the assumption of
imperfect CSI, an uplink--downlink duality in average sum MSE is
proved. As an alternative for the uplink optimization, a sequential
semidefinite programming (SDP) method is proposed. Simulation
results are provided to corroborate the analysis.

abstract: PhD


title: Feasibility of glucose recovery from municipal sewage sludges as feedstocks using acid hydrolysis

contributor:
Champagne, Pascale
Civil Engineering

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subject:
Sugar recovery
Municipal sewage sludge
Acid hydrolysis

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-25 16:10:42.518

abstract:
In light of rising costs in fossil fuels and petroleum, as well as the strain on this largely non-renewable resource, the conversion of biomass, in this case waste biomass, to value-added products is becoming more attractive. In this study, municipal sewage sludge and biosolids were used to determine their potential for glucose recovery. This research focused on three pretreatment processes including drying/grinding, as well as acid and alkaline pretreatments, followed by acid hydrolysis on primary sludge, activated sludge and biosolids. After each pretreatment under specified conditions, the residues remaining from the sludges and biosolids underwent a 2 % H2SO4 acid hydrolysis at 120oC for 1 hr. Compared with activated sludge and biosolids, primary sludge was found to demonstrate the highest potential for glucose recovery in this study. Primary sludge with 1.0 N HCl pretreatment over a 24 hour contact period yielded the highest glucose conversion result as 5.67±0.24%. The best KOH pretreatment condition for primary sludge was a 0.5 N KOH concentration for a 0.5 hour contact period. However, no consistent glucose recovery trend as a function of reagent concentration or contact time was identified for any of the sludges or biosolids in this study. Drying and grinding were also found to efficiently improve the acid hydrolysis results.
Fibre content analysis was also performed on the sludge and biomass feedstocks and their residues following pretreatment and acid hydrolysis during this study, to better understand the conversion of these waste biomass feedstock. The Van Soest methods for neutral-detergent, acid-detergent and acid insoluble lignin analysis and the Weende crude fibre analysis were applied to the sewage sludge and biosolids samples prior to and after acid hydrolysis to determine the fibre content including cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. A modification to the Weende crude fibre analysis was introduced, where a centrifuge step was added prior to the second filtration after the alkaline digestion of the procedure to reduce filter clogging problems. The centrifuge modification effectively reduced the filtering time from one day to 30 minutes; however, there was an average loss of 46% in crude fibre with the addition of this centrifugation step. It was found that most of cellulose content in the feedstock samples was hydrolyzed to glucose after the acid hydrolysis process and most hemicellulose content was likely to have been solubilized and washed away during acid and alkaline pretreatments and acid hydrolysis. The lignin content did not appear to be affected by the pretreatments applied nor the acid hydrolysis.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A bittersweet existence: the lived experiences of four young women with diabetes mellitus

contributor:
Hutchinson, Nancy L.
Education

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subject:
Diabetes mellitus
Lived experience
Special education

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-30 11:24:06.407

abstract:
This study examined the lived experience of diabetes as told by four young women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
	Assuming a qualitative approach, I asked participants to describe their medical, academic, social, and psychological experiences during a single, guided open-ended interview. Analysis of the data revealed the subjective and unique nature of the illness experience, and the variety of ways in which diabetes had influenced Abbey’s, Olivia’s, Hannah’s, and Melinda’s life choices and existence. Despite differing in the ways in which they experienced their illness, there were some similarities that existed across cases. These women all faced a variety of challenges throughout their lives, ranging from difficulties with the treatment regimen, with the lack of diabetes awareness in the school setting, and in coming to terms with their illness.
	Applying the Shifting Perspectives Model of Illness (Paterson, 2001) to the stories told by these four women provided an in-depth view of how these four individuals with diabetes made meaning of their experiences. Because these women viewed their lives primarily from a wellness in the foreground perspective, they were able to identify the many positive ways in which diabetes had transformed their lives.
	This study contributes to the understanding of the lived experience of diabetes in the literature, and is one of the few studies to explore the diabetes experience using a theoretical framework. Recommendations for teachers are made based on the participants’ interpretations of the needs of diabetic students in the classroom, and based on suggestions offered by these four women.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: The Calpain Protease Active Site: A Target for Inhibitor and Activity-Based Probe Design

contributor:
Davies, Peter L.
Biochemistry

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subject:
Calpain
Inhibitor
Activity-Based Probe
Protease
Active-Site
X-Ray Crystallography

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biochemistry) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-01 15:39:07.023

abstract: The calpain family of intracellular Ca2+-dependent cysteine proteases is involved in a number of intracellular signaling processes. Calpain hyperactivity has also been implicated in ischemic injury, neurodegenerative diseases and cataract formation. However, the specific function of calpains in these normal and diseased states remains unclear. Competitive inhibition of calpain is useful for studying their functions and can lead to pharmacological treatments, while monitoring their activity with activity-based probes (ABPs) can reveal how calpain is regulated and be applied to screen for inhibitors in vivo. But these strategies are complicated by the similarity of the calpain active-site when compared to other intracellular cysteine proteases. Therefore, there is a need to design inhibitors and ABPs that selectively target calpain. Using X-ray crystallography, the interactions between the calpain active-site and each of two reversible inhibitors was studied. This led to the discovery of novel non-covalent aromatic stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions between the primed-side adenine group of one inhibitor and indole ring of an active-site Trp residue in μ-calpain. A substrate-based competition assay later confirmed that these interactions provided this compound with an inhibitory advantage over the other, which lacked any primed-side interactions, thereby providing insight into the development of new, more specific reversible calpain inhibitors. Next, a fluorescent ABP, containing features borrowed from an irreversible and presumably calpain-specific inhibitor, was evaluated for its ability to detect calpain activitiy. Although this probe appropriately targeted the calpain active site in its Ca2+-activated form, it was unable to detect calpain activity in a cell extract. Nevertheless, the results of this study have yielded insights into ways of improving the calpain detecting ability of this ABP.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: At Home in Canada? Second Generation Negotiations in Racism and Citizenship

contributor:
Kobayashi, Audrey
Geography

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subject:
second generation
racism
citizenship

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-26 16:04:43.57

abstract:
This thesis research examines second generation Canadians’ negotiations of racism and citizenship with the aim of understanding how the former influences the latter. Through questionnaires and focus group discussion, I examine how they understand their racialized experiences and how they believe those experiences are different from, or related to, those of their parents. In addition, I conducted focus groups with an equivalent number of white Canadians in order to observe how the experiences of second generation Canadians of colour differ from those of their white counterparts.
The findings of this thesis show that the negotiations of citizenship and racism of second generation Canadians of colour are not only varied, but multidimensional. Focus group discussions reveal that although they experience a variety of forms of racism, participants maintain a relatively positive outlook on Canadian society. This is likely the outcome of processes of identification and rationalization that distinguish them from both their parents and their white counterparts. That their experiences and perceptions of racism are prone to paradox only adds to the necessity for in-depth study and analysis. Although the influences of racism on feelings of belonging in Canada differ, the majority of second generation Canadians of colour report strong attachments to the country.

abstract: M.A.


title: Interleukin-11 dependent NFkB activation in cultured intestinal epithelial cells

contributor:
Ropeleski, Mark
Anatomy and Cell Biology

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subject:
Molecular biology
Signaling
Gastrointestinal

abstract: Thesis (Master, Anatomy & Cell Biology) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-31 10:12:18.794

abstract:
Interleukin-11 (IL-11) is a cytokine that promotes intestinal epithelial resistance to injury, however the mechanisms remain incompletely understood.  Evidence from the Ropeleski Lab supports IL-11 dependent activation of the transcription factor Nuclear Factor кB (NFкB), without the degradation of the inhibitor кB (IкB), which deviates from the classical mechanism involving proteolytic processing of IкB.  Also, IL-11 mediates the modulation of genes associated with healing, such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2).  It was hypothesized that IL-11 activates NFкB in intestinal epithelial cells by direct modulation of NFкB which, in a physiological setting, stimulates restitution during the healing response in the gut.
Both cultured rat IEC-18 and human HIEC epithelial crypt cells were used as models to investigate whether the effect of IL-11 was species-specific.  Activated NFкB is targeted to the nucleus therefore immunoblotting of nuclear extracts for expression of NFкB protein subunits including p65, activated p65 (phospho-p65Ser536), p50, and RelB, as well as by immunofluorescent detection of p65 were used.  Inhibition of IL-11 signaling was carried out using various pharmacological inhibitors in order to determine their effect on p65 phosphorylation.  Mechanically wounded cells were used as a model of gut injury and restitution where immunoblotting was used to examine IL-11 dependent effects on phospho-p65Ser536 and COX-2 expression.  The binding of p65 to the кB binding site on DNA was detected with an ELISA-based system.
IL-11 treatment was associated with the nuclear accumulation of phospho-p65ser536 in epithelial cell lines.  Inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling with LY294002 and AktiVIII suggested a partial reduction in phospho-p65Ser536 while inhibition of MEK1,2 signaling with U0126 indicated almost a complete abrogation of phospho-p65Ser536 accumulation in the nucleus.  Inhibition of inhibitor of кB kinase-β (IKKβ) with SC-514 also revealed a strong attenuation of IL-11 induced phospho-p65Ser536.  Inhibition of p90RSK1 with SL0101 was inconsistent but suggested a partial blockage of phospho-p65Ser536 whereas inhibition of Src kinase with PP2, did not affect phospho-p65Ser536 in IL-11 treated IEC-18 cells. There was no increased binding of p65 to the кB binding motif on DNA after IL-11 treatment.  In mechanically wounded cells treated with IL-11, nuclear phospho-p65Ser536 was unaffected; however there was an evident potentiation of wound-induced COX-2 expression compared to untreated cells.
In conclusion, IL-11 activates NFкB signaling in a non-classical manner through the phosphorylation of the p65 subunit.  The predominant pathway appears to involve IKK and MEK signaling.  Also, IL-11 modulates COX-2 expression in response to wounding in intestinal epithelial cells.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Motivation, cultural values, learning processes, and learning in Chinese students

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subject:
Achievement goals
Mastery approach goals
Mastery avoidance goals
Performance approach goals
Performance avoidance goals
Student approaches to learning
Deep approach
Surface approach
Confucian-heritage cultural values
Metacognitive strategies
Perceived academic efficacy
Affect at school
Academic performance

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-31 12:20:50.812

abstract: The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine the predictive utility of the achievement goal and Student Approaches to Learning (SAL) frameworks for characterizing Chinese students’ motivation and achievement, and (b) to investigate how Confucian-heritage culture (CHC) may combine with achievement goals or SAL to generate different learning processes and outcomes and to promote optimal motivation. A questionnaire was conducted during a two-week period with over 700 first-year students who took both of the two courses—college English classes for non-English majors and advanced mathematics classes for science students—at a university in northern China. The questionnaire consisted of students’ self-reported demographic information and the instrument that was designed to measure: (a) goal orientations, (b) attitudes towards the specified CHC values, (c) SAL constructs, and (d) two variables widely used in research in this field—metacognitive strategy and school well-being. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine the consistency of the extracted factor solutions with the four goal constructs postulated by the 2 x 2 conceptualization, the two SAL contructs posited by the SAL framework, and the five cultural value contructs derived from the literature review. Standard analysis procedures were used to calculate the reliability of the scales and to determine which items should be retained for further analyses. Then regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship of the goal orientation framework and SAL framework to cultural values, school well-being, metacognitive strategies, and grades. Results indicated that the 2 x 2 achievement goal framework was an appropriate model for characterizing the types of achievement goals these Chinese students pursued and for predicting a number of achievement-relevant processes and outcomes, as was the revised two-factor SAL framework for characterizing the different ways students approached their learning and for predicting these learning processes and outcomes. The results supported Chinese students’ multiple goal pursuit in an additive goal pattern, an interactive goal pattern, or a specialized goal pattern to promote their optimal motivation and achievement. The results also provided evidence that CHC values combined with achievement goals or SAL either in an additive or interactive pattern to facilitate Chinese students’ learning processes and outcomes.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: High Performance Digital Control Techniques for Powering Microprocessors

contributor:
Jain, Praveen K.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

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subject:
Voltage Regulator
Digital Control
Adaptive Voltage Positioning

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-31 13:14:52.149

abstract:
Increasing power consumption and heat dissipation are becoming urgent challenges for processors today and in the future. Digital power control architectures in which processors closely interact with voltage regulators are becoming necessary to enhance system energy efficiency. Digital techniques offer advantages such as flexibility, fewer external components and reduced overall cost as compared to conventional analog techniques.
      The primary objective of this thesis is to develop new digital control architecture for processor voltage regulators with low complexity and high dynamic performance. A digital control technique to naturally implement the desired output impedance is proposed. In this technique, Adaptive Voltage Positioning (AVP) is implemented by generating a dynamic voltage reference and a dynamic current reference to achieve the desired output impedance. A dual-voltage-loop control with dynamic reference step adjustment, non-linear control and a dedicated transient detection circuit is proposed to improve the dynamic performance. The dynamic reference step adjustment method lowers the high speed requirement of reference update clock; the non-linear control minimizes the transient-assertion-to-action delay and maximizes the inductor current slew rate; and the transient detection circuit recognizes the load transient state in a manner adaptive to the amount and slew rate of load transient. Theoretical, simulation and experimental results prove the effective operation and excellent performance of the controller.
      Finally, the dynamic performance of the voltage regulator with the proposed digital controller under large-step load oscillations is proven by simulation and experimental results.

abstract: Funding Policy

abstract: PhD


title: Dames of Distress: Female Violence and Revised Socio-Cultural Discourses in the Fiction of Margaret Atwood

contributor:
Ware, Tracy
English

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subject:
Margaret Atwood
violence

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-31 16:21:26.474

abstract: This study examines the figure of the violent woman in Atwood’s fiction as a productive starting point for the re-evaluation of various socio-cultural debates. Emerging from Atwood’s conviction that art, in its various forms, is often involved in the re-writing of convention, I begin by re-defining traditional constructions of womanhood and violence in order to evince the reformative work and often unconventional forms of brutality employed by women in Atwood’s novels, including Surfacing, The Blind Assassin, Lady Oracle, and Cat’s Eye, and in her collections of short fiction, such as Dancing Girls, Bluebeard’s Egg, The Penelopiad, and The Tent. Throughout, I demonstrate the ambivalence of violence as both destructive and generative, Canadian and un-Canadian, and Atwood’s drawing on this destabilizing ambivalence in order to propose change within her broader social milieu. More precisely, the introductory chapter offers an overview of representations of female violence in Canadian fiction, and of the various responses to this figure as she appears in Atwood’s fiction, that point to the need for a critical vocabulary that addresses women’s capacity to enact harm. The second chapter examines the various mythologies that define Canada and its people, and how the violent woman troubles these mythologies by inciting recognition of national identity as a narrative process open to re-evaluation. The third chapter moves away from this focus on national narratives to highlight the discourses that similarly shape our understanding of art, and those who participate in it. Here, the violent woman can be seen to engage in revisionary work by exposing the limits of the Red Shoes Syndrome that has in many ways come to define the fraught relationship between the female artist and her art. The final chapter examines Atwood’s on-going fascination with various kinds of mythologies and her revisions of Classical and Biblical myths in order to highlight the veritable range of female violence and the possibility, and at times necessity, of responding to these behaviors in ways that circumnavigate traditionally masculine forms of justice ethics. In focusing on how Atwood’s violent women engage these various socio-cultural discourses, this study concludes that traditionally marginal and nonliterary figures can perform central and necessary roles and that Atwood’s fiction responds to, and in turn (re)creates, the social environment from which it emerges.

abstract: I am planning on publishing this thesis as a book length study within the next two years.

abstract: PhD


title: Cross-layer  design of  admission control policies in  code division multiple access  communications systems utilizing beamforming

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subject:
Cross-Layer Design
Admission Control
Wireless Communications

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-05 16:21:40.431

abstract:
To meet growing demand for wireless access to multimedia traffic, future generations of wireless networks  need to provide heterogenous services with high data rate and guaranteed quality-of-service (QoS). Many enabling technologies to ensure QoS
have been investigated, including cross-layer admission control (AC), error control and congestion control.

In this thesis,  we study  the cross-layer AC problem. While previous research  focuses on single-antenna systems, which does not
capitalize on the significant benefits provided by multiple antenna
systems,  in this thesis we investigate cross-layer AC policy for a code-division-multiple-access (CDMA) system with antenna arrays at the base station (BS).    Automatic retransmission request (ARQ)
schemes are also exploited to further improve the spectral efficiency.

In the first  part,  a circuit-switched network is considered and an exact outage probability is developed, which  is then employed to derive the optimal call admission control (CAC) policy by formulating a constrained semi-Markov decision process (SMDP). The derived optimal  policy can maximize the system throughput with
guaranteed QoS requirements in both physical and network layers.

In the second part,  a suboptimal low-complexity CAC policy is
proposed based on an approximate power control feasibility condition (PCFC) and a  reduced-outage-probability algorithm. Comparison between  optimal and suboptimal CAC policies shows that the suboptimal CAC policy can significantly reduce the computational
complexity at a cost of  degraded performance.

In the third   part, we extend the above research  to packet-switched  networks. A novel SMDP is formulated by incorporating ARQ protocols. Packet-level AC policies are then
proposed. The proposed  policies exploit the error control capability provided by ARQ schemes,   while simultaneously
guaranteeing QoS requirements in the physical and packet levels.

In the fourth part, we propose a connection admission control policy
in a  connection-oriented packet-switched network, which  can guarantee  QoS requirements in physical, packet and connection levels. By considering joint optimization across different layers,
the proposed optimal policy provides a flexible way to handle multiple QoS requirements, while at the same time, maximizing the overall system throughput.

abstract: PhD


title: Parameter identifiability of biochemical reaction networks in systems biology

contributor:
Guay, Martin
Chemical Engineering

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subject:
Chemical engineering
Identifiability
Systems biology
Biochemical reaction Networks

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-05 22:20:32.561

abstract:
In systems biology, models often contain a large number of unknown or only roughly known parameters that must be estimated through the fitting of data.  This work examines the question of whether or not these parameters can in fact be estimated from available measurements. Structural or a priori identifiability of unknown parameters in biochemical reaction networks is considered. Such systems consist of continuous time, nonlinear differential equations.  Several methods for analyzing identifiability of such systems exist, most of which restate the question as one of observability by expanding the state space to include parameters. However, these existing methods were not developed with biological systems in mind, so do not necessarily address the specific
challenges posed by this type of problem.

In this work,  such methods are considered for the analysis of a representative biological system, the NF-kappaB signal transduction pathway.  It is shown that existing observability-based strategies, which rely on finding an analytical solution, require significant simplifications to be applicable to systems biology problems that are seldom feasible.  The analytical nature of the solution imposes restrictions on the size and complexity of systems that these methods can handle.  This conflicts with the
fact that most currently studied systems biology models are rather large networks containing many states and parameters. In this thesis, a new simulation based method using an empirical observability Gramian for determining identifiability is proposed. Computational and numerical sensitivity issues for this method are considered. An algorithm, based on this method,  is developed and demonstrated on a simple biological example of microbial growth with Michaelis-Menten kinetics.  The new method is applied to the motivating NF-kappaB example to show its suitability for use in systems biology.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Healthist ideologies : the case of Lululemon Athletica

contributor:
Adams, Mary Louise
Kinesiology and Health Studies

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subject:
Healthism
Lululemon Athletica

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-06 10:27:01.881

abstract: Over the last three decades, ideas about health have been influenced by neoliberal politics.  Robert Crawford coined the term healthism to refer to this dominant ideology that places much responsibility on the individual to achieve a level of health while avoiding ill-health.  The moral obligation to live a health-promoting lifestyle has become increasingly pronounced in North America, thus activities, services, and products that promote a high level of health have gained considerable attention.  In this social context, Lululemon Athletica, a yoga-inspired retail store that sells athletic apparel primarily to “active” women, has flourished.  This thesis focuses on Lululemon Athletica as a site in which to examine health ideologies in contemporary North American capitalist culture and exposes the ways in which Lululemon has incorporated health ideologies as a vehicle to corporate success.  This thesis is based on a discourse analysis of two primary texts produced by Lululemon Athletica: Lululemon’s website, www.lululemon.com, and a 150-page Lululemon Athletica memoirs book.  Three themes emerged from the analysis: Lululemon incorporates 1) healthist ideologies, 2) yoga as a holistic health practice, and 3) lifestyle branding techniques into the company’s promotional materials and retail practices in order to develop a corporate identity that seems timely, relevant and profitable.  My analysis affirms the potency of healthism in North American society and reveals that Lululemon’s strategic use of dominant healthist ideologies has helped the retailer to capture a large market and gain considerable corporate success.  This project ultimately provides awareness of the dominant, yet largely taken-for-granted health ideologies that currently circulate in North American society.

abstract: M.A.


title: Integrated real-time optimization and model predictive control under parametric uncertainties

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subject:
Real-time optimization
Model predictive control
Adaptive control
Closed-loop identification

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-08 12:30:47.969

abstract:
The actualization of real-time economically optimal process operation requires proper integration of real-time optimization (RTO) and dynamic control. This dissertation addresses the integration problem and provides a formal design technique that
properly integrates RTO and model predictive control (MPC) under
parametric uncertainties. The task is posed as an adaptive extremum-seeking control (ESC) problem in which the controller is
required to steer the system to an unknown setpoint that optimizes a user-specified objective function.

The integration task is first solved for linear uncertain systems. Then a method of determining appropriate excitation conditions for nonlinear systems with uncertain reference setpoint is provided.
Since the identification of the true cost surface is paramount to the success of the integration scheme, novel parameter estimation techniques with better convergence properties are developed. The
estimation routine allows exact reconstruction of the system's
unknown parameters in finite-time. The applicability of the identifier to improve upon the performance of existing adaptive
controllers is demonstrated.

Adaptive nonlinear model predictive controllers are developed for a class of constrained uncertain nonlinear systems. Rather than relying on the inherent robustness of nominal MPC, robustness
features are incorporated in the MPC framework to account for the
effect of the model uncertainty. The numerical complexity and/or the
conservatism of the resulting adaptive controller reduces as more information becomes available and a better uncertainty description is obtained.

Finally, the finite-time identification procedure and the adaptive MPC are combined to achieve the integration task. The proposed design solves the economic optimization and control problem at the
same frequency. This eliminates the ensuing interval of "no-feedback" that occurs between economic optimization interval,
thereby improving disturbance attenuation.

abstract: PhD


title: An investigation of the relationship between levels of apoptosis during aging and longetivity

contributor:
Seroude, Laurent
Biology

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subject: Apoptosis Aging

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-09 03:57:11.27

abstract:
In multicellular organisms, apoptosis plays an important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and removing damaged cells that present a threat to the integrity of the organism. Several lines of evidence suggest that apoptosis might also play a role in the normal aging process. In Drosophila, inhibition of apoptosis in muscle tissues results in lifespan extension. The magnitude of lifespan extension depends on the nature of the UAS-DIAP1 transgene. These results led to the working hypothesis that there might be an optimal level of apoptosis needed to maximally extend lifespan, and was tested with two experimental approaches. First, in order to determine the correlation between longevity and the level of apoptosis in four different genotypes that overexpress DIAP1 using the DJ694-GAL4 driver, DIAP1 expression and caspase activity were examined by way of western blots and caspase assays, respectively. Second, the hypothesis was also tested through the manipulation of DIAP1 expression levels. The number of the UAS-DIAP1 transgene was doubled in the genome, which resulted in an increase in DIAP1 expression levels.
The DJ694 driver is able to drive the expression of the UAS-DIAP1 transgene, which resulted in DIAP1 overexpression during adult life as confirmed by western blots. The elevated DIAP1 protein levels resulted in lower caspase activity in animals with one copy of the UAS-DIAP1 transgene and a DJ694 driver. Lifespan extension was observed in these animals overexpressing DIAP1. In animals possessing two copies of the UAS-DIAP1 transgene and a DJ694-GAL4 driver, there was a two-fold increase at transcriptional level. Elevated levels of the DIAP1 protein and a reduction in caspase activity were observed in these animals, but these animals did not exhibit a greater extension in lifespan as compared to the animals driving the expression of only one UAS-DIAP1 transgene.
Based on the results obtained, three models for the relationship between longevity and inhibition of apoptosis were proposed. The first model predicts that lifespan is expected to increase with apoptosis inhibition. According to the second model, a specific level of apoptosis inhibition is needed to achieve an optimal extension in lifespan. Inhibition of apoptosis outside of this specific level results in a shortened lifespan. The third model hypothesizes that there is a maximum lifespan that can be achieved by the presence of apoptosis inhibition, however further inhibition beyond this point will not result in an additional increase in longevity.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A new efficient CSI signalling strategy for MMR Systems with optimal detection

contributor:
Kim, Il-Min
Electrical and Computer Engineering

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subject:
Wireless Communications
Mobile Multihop Relaying Networks

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-08 19:27:48.283

abstract:
We present a new Channel State Information (CSI) signalling strategy for single-
branch Mobile Multihop Relay (MMR) systems. This novel signalling strategy reduces the signalling overhead at each relay by at least 50%, and eliminates the need for channel estimation at the relays. We prove that this significant overhead reduction comes at the expense of no performance loss at all when hard Maximum Likelihood detection is carried out at the destination. Furthermore, we consider the use of our system with concatenated channel codes to carry out soft Maximum a Posteriori (MAP) detection, and show that with channel codes employed the optimum detection rule becomes prohibitively complex to implement. We propose two approximate soft MAP detection schemes to make the detection feasible for our system, and demonstrate that the performance is either almost identical or slightly degraded from the ideal case with full CSI at the destination. We demonstrate the validity of our analysis through performance simulation plots.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The effect of sustained static kneeling on knee joint gait parameters

contributor:
Costigan, Patrick
Kinesiology and Health Studies

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subject: Kneeling Knee Osteoarthritis Occupation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-11 23:30:10.708

abstract:
Epidemiological studies have identified kneeling as an occupational risk factor for knee joint osteoarthritis (KOA), but direct biomechanical evidence for this relationship is lacking. We hypothesize one mechanism by which prolonged static kneeling may cause KOA is by compromising the integrity of the knee joint thereby increasing knee joint instability, which manifests as altered ambulatory loading profiles. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the effect of sustained static kneeling on knee joint gait parameters.
 Ten healthy male subjects (24.1 years ± 3.5) volunteered for this study. Each subject’s dominant leg was instrumented with markers to track lower limb motion and with surface electromyography electrodes to record quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius muscle activity. Subjects performed ten walking trials at a self-selected normal pace over a force plate embedded in the floor. They then performed a kneeling protocol of three bouts of ten minutes of kneeling, each separated by a five minute seated rest period. Subsequently, a set of ten walking trials were performed after a short rest and equipment verification period.
 The ground reaction force and motion data were used to calculate the peak knee adduction moments, knee flexion moments, and knee flexion angles during the stance phase. The total muscle activity for each muscle during a single gait cycle as well as the co-contraction of the medial thigh muscles and the lateral thigh muscles were calculated from the surface electromyography data. One-sample t-tests were run on the absolute value of the pre- and post-kneeling outcome measures. All outcome measures were different across conditions indicating that the loading patterns were altered, in no specific direction, as a result of the static kneeling protocol.
 These results offer preliminary evidence to support the epidemiological findings that thirty minutes of daily occupational kneeling is associated with a higher prevalence of KOA. Further investigation is required to explore the importance of post-kneeling recovery, posture-induced blood occlusion, and cartilage stress due to cumulative loading while kneeling, as well as to test the clinical significance of the present findings.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Development of a mechanical cell stimulation system

contributor:
Lai, Yongjun
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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subject:
Cell stimulation
Shape memory alloy

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-12 10:23:15.672

abstract: An electro-mechanical device was developed to provide mechanical stimulation to cell populations for the purpose of studying how mechanical signals affect cell activity.  The system can dynamically deform cubes of hydrogel seeded with cells by applying combinations of normal and shear forces to the faces of the hydrogel cube using plastic pads attached to the cube. The compact device was fabricated using rapid prototyping methods with ABS plastic and uses shape memory alloy actuator wires to generate the necessary forces. The actuator wires can be independently activated in sequence to create stimulation routines involving compression, tension and shear forces. All of the components can be sterilized and are corrosion resistant so they are not affected by the high humidity environment of a tissue incubator where cell stimulation studies are performed. The system fits inside a standard plastic lab container measuring 7 cm tall by 4 cm in diameter to maintain sterile conditions and hold the liquid culture medium required by the cells. During operation the hydrogel cube and the contact pads are submerged in the culture medium. The shape memory alloy actuators have been modeled in a two step process: 1) the electrothermal model, relating input electrical current to the wire temperature due to resistive heating and 2) the thermomechanical model relating the wire temperature to the wire strain and actuator stroke due to the shape memory effect. Testing was completed to validate the models and calibrate the shape memory alloy actuators. There was good agreement between the model predictions and the experimental results. For experiments with a hydrogel cube with sides measuring 1 cm, the system was capable of compressing the hydrogel cube up to 8 %, and generating shear strains of up to 7%. Tensile strains were much smaller at 0.9%. The dynamic deformations were applied at a frequency of 0.5 Hz.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The effect of social and causal information on children's imitation

contributor:
Kuhlmeier, Valerie
Psychology

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subject: Imitation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-12 17:31:46.892

abstract:
Current theories regarding imitation tend to emphasize either its role as a mechanism for
learning about objects without resorting to trial and error, or its role as a means by which we understand the mental states of others. Few studies have attempted to reconcile these two approaches by systematically investigating what information children learn from imitating others. In this thesis, I examined the relative influence of both physical and social information on children’s imitation in an attempt to bridge these two approaches. In Study 1, children used their causal knowledge to ignore a physically irrelevant action done by an adult demonstrator. In Studies 2 and 3, children imitated the irrelevant action more often when information was provided that multiple individuals performed that action and when a single individual performed that action consistently. These findings suggest the possibility that shared practices play an influential role in imitation, above and beyond learning about the physical functioning of an object.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Developing artistic identity in a post-secondary musical theatre program

contributor:
Upitis, Rena
Education

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subject:
Musical theatre
Triple-threat performer
Music studio instruction
Dyad relationship
Artistic identity
Performance arts education

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-12 23:23:52.131

abstract: This qualitative multiple-case study examined the pedagogical role that performance arts training played in the emergence of students’ mature artistic identities. As one of many instructors in the musical theatre program of a post-secondary college, the author fulfilled both the roles of researcher and studio music teacher. Multiple learning contexts were observed for eight first-year students; these contexts included the regimens in various artistic classrooms and in the vocal studio. The data comprised field observations from studio and classroom settings, individual interviews with eight students from the vocal studio, and audio recordings from their studio sessions. Data analysis revealed that the students’ construction of identity was positively impacted by: the “triple-threat” program components, the unique dyad relationship between the vocal studio teacher and her students, and the rigorous, professional training the students underwent. A study of the interactions amongst the disciplines of music, dance, and drama exhibited several implications in relation to the students’ acute identity experiences. Recommendations for improved musical theatre curricula centred on improved integration of the three disciplines, enhanced studio time, and greater skill development in the studio. Suggestions for future research in performance arts education were also offered.

abstract: M.Ed.