title: A case study of the implementation of experiential education in Yukon K-12 schools

subject:
Experiential learning -- Yukon
Teaching -- Methodology.
Education, Elementary -- Yukon
Education, Secondary -- Yukon

abstract:
This qualitative case study explored the process of implementing Experiential
Education (EXED) in Yukon Territory Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) schools with a
particular focus on investigating: (a) understandings of EXED and the drivers behind its
implementation, (b) factors contributing to EXED's suitability for Yukon schools, and (c)
factors supporting and challenging the implementation of EXED in Yukon schools. Data
collection involved interviews with Yukon Department of Education (YDE) staff
members, principals and teachers, document collection, and reflective note collection.
Findings indicated that EXED was understood as more of a me~odology than a
philosophy for teaching and learning. EXED implementation was primarily driven by
bottom-up (school! teacher) initiatives and was secondarily supported by top-down
(YDE) efforts. The process of implementation was supported by three main factors and
was challenged primarily by six factors. The results also pointed to three factors that
made EXED suitable for implementation in Yukon schools.


title: The structural and functional changes of blood vessels during aging

subject:
Blood-vessels -- Aging
Endothelins

abstract:
The vascular adventitia is recognized as a dynamic mediator of vascular structure
and function, yet its role in aging is not understood. The purpose of this thesis was to
examine the age-related changes of the vascular adventitia and determine the underlying
mediators responsible. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were aged to 15,30,50 and 80 weeks
before being anesthetised and euthanized by exsanguination. Thoracic aortas, mesenteric
and pudental arteries were isolated, formalin fixed, and embedded in paraffin then
sectioned at 51lm. Vessels were examined by microscopy and protein expression was
determined by indirect immunofluorescence. The thickness of the adventitia increased
dramatically with age. Immunofluorescence revealed a robust expression of endothelin
system proteins in the adventitia. Additionally, extracellular matrix proteins collagen and
fibronectin, and the proliferation marker Ki67 showed strong adventitial origin. The
changes observed in the vascular adventitia with aging clearly demonstrate an important
role in the process of vascular aging.


title: The Effect of Skate Blade Radius of Contour and Radius of Hollow on Skating Performance in Male Ice Hockey Players

subject: hockey sharpening skate blade

abstract: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of skate blade shape on skating performance. A secondary purpose was to evaluate if a change in hollow shape can create additional effects on skating performance. Thirty-seven male ice hockey players (age=18 years, SD=3.4) participated. The intervention consisted of four sharpening trials assessed using three on-ice tests. Participant feedback was also assessed using a Likert scale questionnaire. Statistical analysis included within-subject repeated measures MANOVA of trial by skating variables (p≤0.05). Results revealed Contour 1 enhanced performance compared to baseline on six variables at varsity level and five variables at midget level. Contour 1 enhanced performance compared to Contour 2 on six variables at the varsity and midget levels. Contour 1 also scored highest on the feedback questionnaire. Findings of this study indicate that contouring is a necessary practice to achieve optimal skating performance.


title: Active2010 and the Ontario School System: A Top-Down Policy Implementation Analysis

subject:
Policy Implementation
Physical Activity
Sport
Partnership
Neo-liberalism

abstract: In 2004, the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport (MHPS) established Active2010: Ontario’s Sport and Physical Activity Strategy. Active2010 demonstrates a strong provincial government policy emphasis regarding sport participation and physical activity (PA), and identifies the school system as a primary vehicle for enhancing PA levels. This study examines the sport and PA initiatives MHPS is undertaking within the school system. Theoretical context regarding neo-liberalism in Canada and Canadian sport frames this study, while a revised version of Van Meter and Van Horn’s (1975) top-down model of policy implementation guides the research process. A case study of the school-based PA system is conducted which relies on the analysis of 11 semi-structured interviews and 47 official organizational documents. Four emergent categories of Jurisdictional Funding, Coercive Policy, Sector Silos, and Community Champions are identified. Additional insight is provided regarding neo-liberalism, provincial level government, interministerial collaboration, and government/non-profit sector partnership.


title: An examination of outdoor experience in the development of character in young adults with Type 1 Diabetes

contributor: Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education

subject:
Diabetes -- Exercise therapy
Diabetes in adolescence
Patient education

abstract:
Connected in Motion is a not for profit organization serving young adults with
Type 1 diabetes. The organization hosted outdoor and experiential Type 1 diabetes
education programs in January of2009 and 2010. The weekends provided non-clinical
alternative Type 1 diabetes education to the underserved population of young adults
within Canada. Six women living with Type I diabetes and between the ages of 22 and
30 participated in the Winter Slipstream weekends participated in this phenomenological
research study. Through semi-structured interviews and artifact-elicitation interviews,
,{
the lived experiences of the participants were examined. Data analysis indicated that the
sense of community created through outdoor programming and experiential education
for young adults with Type I diabetes stimulated the development of self-efficacy and
participant-perceived improvement in Type 1 diabetes self-management. There was no
indication that outdoor and experiential Type I diabetes education had any impact on the
development of autonomy among participants. Recommendations are made to
encourage the successful implementation of further alternative (non-clinical) Type 1
diabetes education programs for young adults living with Type 1 diabetes.


title: A Basis for Understanding Volunteer Coach Retention in Youth Sports

subject:
Volunteering
Volunteer Retention
Volunteer Withdrawal
Youth Sport
Coaching

abstract: Youth sport organizations depend on volunteers to coach the teams in the organization. The purpose of this quantitative study was to develop a further understanding of volunteer coach retention in youth sport. The data was collected through a quantitative questionnaire which used close-ended and Likert-scale questions. The questionnaire collected data on the modified Model of Volunteer Retention in Youth Sports, reasons to withdraw from coaching and human resource management. There were 126 surveys collected from members of the three largest youth sport associations in the town of Aylmer, Ontario. The study found that Person-Task fit was the best predictor of volunteer coach retention as it significantly correlated to one’s intention to continue coaching (p< 0.01). Furthermore, additional reasons were found to explain withdrawal from coaching - if one’s child stops playing the sport or if coaching is too time consuming. The retention of volunteer coaches in youth sport organizations requires a multi-dimensional approach in understanding how to best retain volunteer coaches.


title: Teachers' experiences and perceptions of voluntary committee work as a vehicle for leadership development

subject:
Leadership development
Teacher's perceptions
Volunteerism

abstract:
In response to a looming leadership shortage, leadership development for teachers has
become an increasingly important area of interest around the world. A review of the
literature identified the key components of educational leadership development programs
as effective curriculum, leadership practice, relationship building, and reflection. A gap
in the research was found regarding the use of voluntary committee work as a vehicle for
leadership practice. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' perceptions of
their experiences within board-level committees to determine the key factors that
contributed, positively or negatively, to their leadership,pevelopment. A qualitative
research design was employed using semistructured interviews with 8 participants. The
key findings included a list of factors perceived by teachers as either supporting or
hindering their leadership development. The supporting factors were: (a) leadership
practice, (b) mentors and role models, (c) relationships and networks, and (d) positive
outcomes for students. The hindering factors were: (a) lack of follow through and
support, (b) committee members with a careerist approach to the experience, (c) personal
and political agendas, and (d) overcommitment leading to burnout. Recommendations for
practice focused on strategies to enhanc~_ the committee experience as a tool for
leadership development. Recommendations for theory and research suggested more
research be done on each of the 8 key factors, perceptions associated with teachers
choosing to follow a leadership path, and how school boards can structure the committee
process as an effective leadership development tool. This study provides a starting point
for educators to begin to intentionally design, develop, and deliver voluntary committee
experiences as a tool for leadership development.


title: Does Education Setting Influence the Relationship between Substance use and Depression among Post Secondary Students

subject: Substance Use, Depression Post Secondary students

abstract:
Background. This study examined whether experiences of and relationships between depressive symptoms and substance use differs for first year college and university students.
Methods. A proportionate stratified random sample of 6,100 university students and a census sample of 7,300 college students were invited to anonymously complete the National College Health Assessment. The final sample included 444 young adult first year university (n = 298) and college (n = 146) students.
Results. More college than university students used tobacco (26.7; 11.1%) and marijuana (26.7%; 20.8%). Similar proportions consumed alcohol (75.3%; 76.5%). Almost all students reported past-year depressive symptoms. Mean number of symptoms was 5.43. Tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use were each positively associated with depression after adjusting for age and gender. Educational setting moderated the relationship between depression and tobacco use, and depression and marijuana use, with the relationship being stronger for university students.
Implications. University campus health professionals especially, need to assess depression among students using substances and vice versa. Differences between college and university students require further attention.


title: Role of Exopolysaccharides and Monosaccharides in  Erwinia amylovora Resistance to Bacteriophages

subject:
Bacteriophage
Erwinia amylovora
Fire Blight
Bacterial transformation
EPS
Exopolysaccharides

abstract: Fire blight is a disease caused by the phytopathogenic bacterium Erwinia amylovora, an economically important pathogen in the commercial production of apples and pears. Bacteriophages have been proposed as a commercial biopesticide to relieve the pressures on apple and pear production and provide alternatives to existing biological control options. This work reports on the investigation of host resistance in the development of a phage biopesticide. Exopolysaccharide (EPS) deficient bacterial mutants were generated through recombineering to investigate the role of EPS in bacteriophage adsorption and infection. The mutants that were deficient in amylovoran production were avirulent and resistant to infection by phages of the Podoviridae and some of the Siphoviridae family. Levan deficient bacterial mutants resulted in reduced phage titers in some phages from the Myoviridae family. Exopolysaccharide mimetic monosaccharides were used to demonstrate that levan and amylovoran play an important role in phage attack of E. amylovora.


title: Wild Civility: Cultivating the Foundations of Social Justice through Participation in a Wilderness Program

subject:
social justice
wilderness programs
outdoor education
food stress
conflict

abstract: This heuristic inquiry examined if the foundations of social justice knowledge and beliefs were developed as a result of participation in a wilderness program and what knowledge and beliefs were developed. There were six participants in this study. Data collection involved participants completing pre- and post- program interviews and daily journals during the program. Through inductive analysis six themes emerged. Three of these were related to the development of certain foundations of social justice: (a) experienced conflict development and resolution; (b) experienced relationship change and development; and (c) shift from “me” to “we” mentality. The remaining three themes were included as additional findings: (a) experienced personal change and development; (b) identification of specific factors of the program responsible for changes; and (c) bringing learning back to everyday life. Results highlight wilderness program impacts on participants’ social justice knowledges and beliefs and inform wilderness program providers and social justice educators.


title: Identification of novel retinoid receptors and their roles in vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems

subject:
vertebrates
retinoic acid

abstract:
In vertebrates, signaling by retinoic acid (RA) is known to play an important role
in embryonic development, as well as organ homeostasis in the adult. In organisms such
as adult axolotls and newts, RA is also important for regeneration of the CNS, limb, tail,
and many other organ systems. RA mediates many of its effects in development and
regeneration through nuclear receptors, known as retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and
retinoid X receptors (RXRs).
This study provides evidence for an important role of the RA receptor, RAR~2, in
,(
'.
regeneration ofthe spinal cord and tail of the adult newt. It has previously been proposed
that the ability of the nervous system to regenerate might depend on the presence or
absence of this RAR~2 isoform. Here, I show for the very first time, that the regenerating
spinal cord of the adult newt expresses this ~2 receptor isoform, and inhibition of retinoid
signaling through this specific receptor with a selective antagonist inhibits tail and spinal
cord regeneration. This provides the first evidence for a role of this receptor in this
process.
Another species capable of CNS ~~generation in the adult is the invertebrate,
"
Lymnaea stagnalis. Although RA has been detected in a small number of invertebrates
(including Lymnaea), the existence and functional roles of the retinoid receptors in most
invertebrate non-chordates, have not been previously studied. It has been widely
believed, however, that invertebrate non-chordates only possess the RXR class of retinoid
receptors, but not the RARs. In this study, a full-length RXR cDNA has been cloned,
which was the first retinoid receptor to be discovered in Lymnaea. I then went on to clone the very first full-length RAR eDNA from any non-chordate, invertebrate species. The
functional role of these receptors was examined, and it was shown that normal molluscan
development was altered, to varying degrees, by the presence of various RXR and RAR
agonists or antagonists. The resulting disruptions in embryogenesis ranged from eye and
shell defects, to complete lysis of the early embryo. These studies strongly suggest an
important role for both the RXR and RAR in non-chordate development.
The molluscan RXR and RAR were also shown to be expressed in the adult, nonregenerating
eNS, as well as in individual motor neurons regenerating in culture. More
specifically, their expression displayed a non-nuclear distfibution, suggesting a possible
non-genomic role for these 'nuclear' receptors. It was shown that immunoreactivity for
the RXR was present in almost all regenerating growth cones, and (together with N.
Farrar) it was shown that this RXR played a novel, non-genomic role in mediating
growth cone turning toward retinoic acid. Immunoreactivity for the novel invertebrate
RAR was also found in the regenerating growth cones, but future work will be required to
determine its functional role in nerve cell regeneration.
Taken together, these data provide evidence for the importance of these novel
'. retinoid receptors in development and regeneration, particularly in the adult nervous
system, and the conservation of their effects in mediating RA signaling from
invertebrates to vertebrates.


title: Characterisation and optimisation of the flavour of health-promoting, plantderived bitterants in functional beverages.

subject: Flavour trans-resveratro

abstract:
Flavour is a combination of taste, odour, and chemesthetic sensations. Close associations exist
between these sensory modalities, and thus, the overall flavour of a food or beverage product can
change when the intensity of one or more of these sensations is altered. Strategies to modify
flavour are often utilized by the food industry, and are central to the engineering of new and
reformulated products. For functional food and beverages, flavour modification is particularly
important, as fortifying agents can elicit high levels of less than desirable sensations, such as
bitterness and astringency. The application of various flavour modifying strategies can decrease
the perceived intensity of these sensations, and in tum, improve the sensory profile of the
product. This collection of studies describes the sensory characteristics of experimental
functional beverages fortified with trans-resveratrol, (+)-catechin, and/or caffeine, and examines
the impact of novel flavour modifying strategies on the perceived flavour of these beverages. In
the first study, results demonstrate that the flavour profile of Cabemet Sauvignon wines fortified
with 20 mglL and 200 mg/L of trans-resveratrol is not perceived as different compared to control
wine (0 mglL). However, Riesling wine fortified with 200 mg/L is perceived as significantly
higher in bitterness compared to 20 mglL and control. For some functional food formulations,
alternative strategies for flavour modification are needed. Traditional methods, such as the
addition of sucrose and sodium chloride, may decrease the perceived 'healthiness' of a product,
and thus, may be sub-optimal. In a second study, high and low concentrations of five different
bitter inhibiting compounds - 'bitter blockers' - (B-cyclodextrin, homoeridictyol sodium salt,
carboxymethylcellulose - low viscosity, zinc sulfate, magnesium sulfate) were tested for their
efficacy towards decreasing the bitterness of high and low concentrations of caffeine and (+)catechin
- two health-relevant, plant-derived bitterants. B-cyclodextrin and homoeridictyol sodium salt were the most effective blockers at decreasing (+ )-catechin and caffeine,
respectively. In addition to bitter blockers, additional flavour modifying strategies, either alone
or in combination - may also be successful in functional food formulations. Both sucrose and
rebaudioside A - a plant-derived sweetener - were effective at decreasing the bitterness of (+)catechin.
When added to (+)-catechin along with B-cyc1odextrin, both sweeteners provided the
most effective decrease in bitterness compared to binary, ternary, or quaternary mixtures of (+)catechin
together with bitter blockers, sweeteners, andlor odourants. The perceived intensity of
sensations elicited by sweeteners and odourants was not affected by the addition of bitter
blockers, and thus, their impact within these complex matrices is minimal. In addition, withinmodal
(taste-taste) compared to cross-modal (taste-odour) sensory interactions were more
effective at decreasing the bitterness of (+ )-catechin. Overall, results from these studies
demonstrate that certain novel, alternative flavour modifying approaches may be successful
towards lowering the bitterness and astringency elicited by (+ )-catechin and caffeine in aqueous
solutions.


title: Exploring the Development and Psychosocial Correlates of Spirituality /Religiosity Across Adolescence

subject: Religiosity Adolescence

abstract:
The goal of the four studies that comprised this dissertation was to examine how
spirituality/religiosity (SIR), as both an institutional and personal phenomenon,
developed over time, and how its institutional (i.e., religious activity involvement) and
personal (i.e., sense of connection with the sacred) components were uniquely linked
with psychosocial adjustment. In Study 1, the differential longitudinal correlates of
religious service attendance, as compared to involvement in other clubs, were evaluated
with a sample of adolescents (n=1050) who completed a survey in grades 9, 11 and 12.
Religious attendance and involvement in non-religious clubs were uniquely associated
with positive adjustment in terms of lower substance use and better academic marks,
particularly when involvement was sustained over time. In Study 2, the direction of
effects was tested for the association between religious versus non-religious activities and
both substance use and academic marks. Participants (n= 3993) were surveyed in grades
9 through 12. Higher religious attendance (but not non-religious club involvement) in one
grade predicted lower levels of substance use in the next grade. Higher levels of nonreligious
club involvement (but not religious service attendance) in one grade predicted
higher academic achievement in the next grade, and higher academic achievement in one
grade predicted more frequent non-religious club involvement in the next grade. The
results suggest that different assets may be fostered in religious as compared to nonreligious
activities, and, specifically, religious activity involvement may be important for
the avoidance of substance use. The goal of Study 3 was to assess the unique associations
between the institutional versus personal dimensions of SIR and a wide range of domains
of psychosocial adjustment (namely, intrapersonal well-being, substance use, risk
attitudes, parental relationship quality, academic orientation, and club involvement), and to examine the direction of effects in these associations. Participants (n=756) completed a
survey in grades 11 and 12. Personal and institutional dimensions of SIR were
differentially associated with adjustment, but it may only be in the domain of risk-taking
(Le., risk attitudes, substance use) that SIR may predict positive adjustment over time.
Finally, in Study 4, the goal was to examine how institutional and personal aspects of SIR
developed within individual adolescents. Configurations of mUltiple dimensions of
spirituality/religiosity were identified across 2 time points with an empirical classification
procedure (cluster analysis), and sample- and individual-level development in these
configurations were assessed. A five cluster-solution was optimal at both grades. Clusters
were identified as aspirituallirreligious, disconnected wonderers, high institutional and
personal, primarily personal, and meditators. With the exception of the high institutional
and personal cluster, the cluster structures were stable over time. There also was
significant intraindividual stability in all clusters over time; however, a significant
proportion of individuals classified as high institutional and personal in Grade 11 moved
into the primarily personal cluster in Grade 12. This program of research represented an
important step towards addressing some of the limitations within the body of literature;
namely, the uniqueness of religious activity involvement as a structured club, the
differential link between institutional versus personal SIR and psychosocial adjustment,
the direction of effects in the associations between institutional versus personal SIR and
adjustment, and the way in which different dimensions of SIR may be configured and
develop within individual adolescents over time.


title: Role Differences in the Perception of Injustice

subject: Injustice

abstract:
The current dissertation examined role differences in the perception of injustice;
specifically, differences in how victims and offenders respond to a situation that they
both agree is unfair. Past research has demonstrated that role affects reactions to
transgressions and injustice, including recall of transgressions, and attributions of blame
and responsibility (e.g., Baumeister, Stillwell, & Wotman, 1990; Mikula, Athenstaedt,
Heschgl, & Heimgartner, 1998). However, to date, little work has examined role
differences in perceptions of why an event is perceived as unfair (i.e., how an injustice is
framed) or how justice should be restored. These were the perceptions I focused on in the
present thesis. I also examined potential concerns that may motivate victims' and
offenders' justice reactions, as well as the potential interaction between role and
relationship quality in predicting justice reactions. In Studies 1 and 2, several of the
predicted role differences in concerns were found; however, these did not lead to the
expected differences in framing and restoration. In Study 1, using a vignette
methodology, I found differences primarily in how victims and offenders believed justice
should be restored. Overall, the significant role effects showed an accommodating
response pattern (e.g., offenders proposed punishment more than did victims and neutral
observers, whereas victims recommended minimal compensation more than did offenders
and neutral observers), inconsistent with previous research and my hypotheses. Study 2,
which employed a sample of romantic couples, substantiated the accommodating pattern
found in Study 1. Study 3, which sampled a broader range of relationships, also showed
i \
examples of accommodating reactions. In addition, Study 3 provided some support for
the hypothesized interaction between role and relationship quality, such that responses were more accommodating as relationship quality increased. For example, offenders
more strongly endorsed methods of restoration such as offender apology and recognition
of the relationship with increasing relationship quality. Overall, the results from this
dissertation support the general notion that victims and offenders respond to injustice
differently, and, in-line with previous research on other justice-related responses (e.g.,
Mikula et at, 1998), suggest that victims and offenders show an other-serving,
accommodating tendency in justice reactions when relationship quality is high.


title: Dispositional Forgiveness and Health in Romantic Relationships: An Exploration of Sex Differences, Actor Effects, and Partner Effects

subject:
dyadic association
forgiveness of self

abstract:
The individual and dyadic associations between dispositional forgiveness of self, others,
and situations and mental and physical health in individuals involved in romantic
relationships were examined. Sex differences in the relationship between dispositional
forgiveness and health were examined. Sex differences in the dyadic relationship
between forgiveness and health were also examined. The dispositional forgiveness
scores of 297 partners involved in a romantic relationship were used to predict their own
as well as their partners' physical and mental health. Both members of the relationship
separately completed an Internet-based questionnaire assessing personality traits,
relationship variables, and physical and mental health. The couple was provided with
monetary compensation. Analyses revealed that women's dispositional forgiveness of
self, others, and situations were positively associated with their own physical and mental
health. Similarly, men's dispositional forgiveness of self, others, and situations were
positively associated with their own mental and physical health. At the individual level,
there were no sex differences in the relationship between dispositional forgiveness and
health, nor were there sex differences in men and women's reports of dispositional
forgiveness. Analyses revealed that men's forgiveness of others and situations were
positively associated with their female partners' mental health. There were no partner
effects for women or for physical health. The implications of these results for research in
the forgiveness-health literature and research on forgiveness in romantic relationships
were discussed as were directions for future research.


title: Beyond the Veil: A Case Study of Context, Culture, Curriculum, and Constructivism at Dubai Women's College

subject: Curriculum

subject: Dubai

abstract:
This case study of curriculum at Dubai Women's College (DWC) examines
perceptions of international educators who designed and implemented curriculum for female
Emirati higher-educational students in the UAE, and sheds light on the complex social,
cultural, and religious factors affecting educational practice. Participants were faculty and
supervisors, mainly foreign nationals, while students at DWC are exclusively Emirati.
Theories prominent in this study are: constructivist learning theory, trans formative
curriculum theory, and sociological theory. Change and empowerment theory figure
prominently in this study. Findings reveal this unique group of educators understand
curriculum theory as a "contextualized" construct and argue that theory and practice must be
viewed through an international lens of religious, cultural, and social contexts.
As well, the study explores how mandated "standards" in education-in the form of
the International English Language Testing System (IEL TS) and integrated, constructivist
curriculum, as taught in the Higher Diploma Year 1 program-function as dual curricular
emphases in this context. The study found that tensions among these dual emphases existed
and were mediated through specific strategies, including the use of authentic texts to mirror
the IEL TS examination during in-class activities, and the relevance of curricular tasks.


title: Aspects of spatial and habitat ecology of multiple Anopheles species (Diptera: Culicidae): malaria vectors in the highlands and foothills of Ecuador

subject: Anopheles Ecuador Malaria

abstract:
The resurgence of malaria in highland regions of Africa, Oceania and recently in South
America underlines the importance of the study of the ecology of highland mosquito vectors of
malaria. Since the incidence of malaria is limited by the distribution of its vectors, the purpose of
this PhD thesis was to examine aspects of the ecology of Anopheles mosquitoes in the Andes of
Ecuador, South America. A historical literature and archival data review (Chapter 2) indicated
that Anopheles pseudopunctipennis transmitted malaria in highland valleys of Ecuador prior to
1950, although it was eliminated through habitat removal and the use of chemical insecticides.
Other anopheline species were previously limited to low-altitude regions, except in a few
unconfirmed cases. A thorough larval collection effort (n=438 attempted collection sites) in all
road-accessible parts of Ecuador except for the lowland Amazon basin was undertaken between
2008 - 2010 (Chapter 3). Larvae were identified morphologically and using molecular techniques
(mitochondrial COl gene), and distribution maps indicated that all five species collected
(Anopheles albimanus, An. pseudopunctipennis, Anopheles punctimacula, Anopheles oswaldoi
s.l. and Anopheles eiseni) were more widespread throughout highland regions than previously
recorded during the 1940s, with higher maximum altitudes for all except An. pseudopunctipennis
(1541 m, 1930 m, 1906 m, 1233 m and 1873 m, respectively). During larval collections, to
characterize species-specific larval habitat, a variety of abiotic and biotic habitat parameters were
measured and compared between species-present and species-absent sites using chi-square tests
and stepwise binary logistic regression analyses (Chapter 4). An. albimanus was significantly
associated with permanent pools with sand substrates and An. pseudopunctipennis with gravel
and boulder substrates. Both species were significantly associated with floating cyanobacterial mats and warmer temperatures, which may limit their presence in cooler highland regions.
Anopheles punctimacula was collected more often than expected from algae-free, shaded pools
with higher-than-average calculated dissolved oxygen. Anopheles oswaldoi s.l., the species
occurring on the Amazonian side of the Andes, was associated with permanent, anthropogenic
habitats such as roadside ditches and ponds. To address the hypothesis that human land use
change is responsible for the emergence of multiple highland Anopheles species by creating
larval habitat, common land uses in the western Andes were surveyed for standing water and
potential larval habitat suitability (Chapter 5). Rivers and road edges provided large amounts of
potentially suitable anopheline habitat in the western Andes, while cattle pasture also created
potentially suitable habitat in irrigation canals and watering ponds. Other common land uses
surveyed (banana farms, sugarcane plantations, mixed tree plantations, and empty lots) were
usually established on steep slopes and had very little standing water present. Using distribution
and larval habitat data, a GIS-based larval habitat distribution model for the common western
species was constructed in ArcGIS v.l 0 (ESRI 2010) using derived data layers from field
measurements and other sources (Chapter 6). The additive model predicted 76.4 - 97.9% of the
field-observed collection localities of An. albimanus, An. pseudopunctipennis and An.
punctimacula, although it could not accurately distinguish between species-absent and speciespresent
sites due to its coarse scale. The model predicted distributional expansion and/or shift of
one or more anopheline species into the following highland valleys with climate warming:
Mira/Chota, Imbabura province, Tumbaco, Pichincha province, Pallatanga and Sibambe,
Chimborazo province, and Yungilla, Azuay province. These valleys may serve as targeted sites
of future monitoring to prevent highland epidemics of malaria. The human perceptions of
malaria and mosquitoes in relation to land management practices were assessed through an interview-based survey (n=262) in both highlands and lowlands, of male and female land owners
and managers of five property types (Chapter 7). Although respondents had a strong
understanding of where the disease occurs in their own country and of the basic relationship
among standing water, mosquitoes and malaria, about half of respondents in potential risk areas
denied the current possibility of malaria infection on their own property. As well, about half of
respondents with potential anopheline larval habitat did not report its presence, likely due to a
highly specific definition of suitable mosquito habitat. Most respondents who are considered at
risk of malaria currently use at least one type of mosquito bite prevention, most commonly bed
nets. In conclusion, this interdisciplinary thesis examines the occurrence of Anopheles species in
the lowland transition area and highlands in Ecuador, from a historic, geographic, ecological and
sociological perspective.


title: Youth Involvement in Organizational Decision Making: The Connection to Youth Initiative and Organizational Functioning

subject:
Youth Involvement
decision-making

abstract:
Studying positive adolescent development requires an examination of the
mutually beneficial associations between youth and their environment. These youthcontext
relations include both the contributions that youth make to others and society and
the youth-context interactions that might predict positive youth outcomes. Community
and youth-serving organizations, where youth may be involved in decision-making roles
such as service delivery, advocacy, or on boards of directors, can provide one important
context for youth contributions and for positive adolescent development. Research on the
outcomes of youth involvement in organizational decision-making, however, is limited,
and largely consists of exploratory qualitative studies.
This dissertation is formatted as an integrated article dissertation. It begins with a
review of the literature on contexts of structured youth activities and positive youth
development. This review is intended to describe theory on development-context
relations, in which development is considered an interactive process that occurs between
individuals and their contexts, as it pertains the positive development of youth who are
involved in various structured activities (e.g., volunteering). This description follows with
a review of current research, and conclusions and rationale for the current studies.
Following this theoretical and research background, the dissertation includes
reports of two studies that were designed to address gaps in the research on youth
involvement in organizational decision-making. The first was a qualitative research
synthesis to elucidate and summarize the extant qualitative research on the outcomes of
youth involvement in organizational decision making on adults and organizations.
Results of this study suggested a number of outcomes for service provision, staff, and broader organizational functioning, including both benefits to organizations as well as
some costs. The second study was a quantitative analysis of the associations among youth
involvement, organizations' learning culture, and youth initiative, and relied on survey
data gathered from adults and youth in community-based organizations with youth
involvement. As expected, greater youth involvement in organizational decision making
was associated with higher learning culture within the organization. Two dimensions of
youth involvement, greater program engagement and relationships with adults, were
related to greater youth initiative. A third dimension, sense of ownership, was not- .-.-
associated with youth's level of initiative. Moreover, the association between
relationships with adults and youth initiative was only significant in organizations with
relatively low learning culture.
Despite some limitations, these studies contribute to the research literature by
providing some indication of the potential benefits and costs of youth involvement and by
making an important contribution toward the early stages of context-level analyses of
youth development. Findings have important implications for practitioners, funders,
future research, and lifespan development theory.


title: Evolutionary Origin and Maintenance of Sociality in the Small Carpenter Bees

subject: Carpenter Bees

abstract:
Many arthropods exhibit behaviours precursory to social life, including adult
longevity, parental care, nest loyalty and mutual tolerance, yet there are few examples of
social behaviour in this phylum. The small carpenter bees, genus Ceratina, provide
important insights into the early stages of sociality. I described the biology and social
behaviour of five facultatively social species which exhibit all of the preadaptations for
successful group living, yet present ecological and behavioural characteristics that seemingly
disfavour frequent colony formation. These species are socially polymorphic with both
/
solitary and social nests collected in sympatry. Social colonies consist of two adult females,
one contributing both foraging and reproductive effort and the second which remains at the
nest as a passive guard. Cooperative nesting provides no overt reproductive benefits over
solitary nesting, although brood survival tends to be greater in social colonies.
Three main theories explain cooperation among conspecifics: mutual benefit, kin
selection and manipulation. Lifetime reproductive success calculations revealed that mutual
benefit does not explain social behaviour in this group as social colonies have lower per
capita life time reproductive success than solitary nests. Genetic pedigrees constructed from
allozyme data indicate that kin selection might contribute to the maintenance of social nesting
-,
as social colonies consist of full sisters and thus some indirect fitness benefits are inherently
bestowed on subordinate females as a result of remaining to help their dominant sister. These
data suggest that the origin of sociality in ceratinines has principal costs and the great
ecological success of highly eusociallineages occurred well after social origins.
Ecological constraints such as resource limitation, unfavourable weather conditions
and parasite pressure have long been considered some of the most important selective
pressures for the evolution of sociality. I assessed the fitness consequences of these three ecological factors for reproductive success of solitary and social colonies and found that nest
sites were not limiting, and the frequency of social nesting was consistent across brood
rearing seasons. Local weather varied between seasons but was not correlated with
reproductive success. Severe parasitism resulted in low reproductive success and total nest
failure in solitary nests. Social colonies had higher reproductive success and were never
extirpated by parasites. I suggest that social nesting represents a form of bet-hedging. The
high frequency of solitary nests suggests that this is the optimal strategy when parasite
pressure is low. However, social colonies have a selective advantage over solitary nesting
females during periods of extreme parasite pressure.
Finally, the small carpenter bees are recorded from all continents except Antarctica. I
constructed the first molecular phylogeny of ceratinine bees based on four gene regions of
selected species covering representatives from all continents and ecological regions.
Maximum parsimony and Bayesian Inference tree topology and fossil dating support an
African origin followed by an Old World invasion and New World radiation. All known Old
World ceratinines form social colonies while New World species are largely solitary; thus
geography and phylogenetic inertia are likely predictors of social evolution in this genus.
This integrative approach not only describes the behaviour of several previously
unknown or little-known Ceratina species, bu~ highlights the fact that this is an important,
though previously unrecognized, model for studying evolutionary transitions from solitary to
social behaviour.


title: Regulation of Systemic Acquired Resistance through the Interaction of Arabidopsis thaliana Transcription factors TGAI and TGA2 with NPRI

subject:
Arabidopsis thaliana
Systemic Acquired Resistance

abstract:
Arabidopsis thaliana is an established model plant system for studying plantpathogen
interactions. The knowledge garnered from examining the mechanism of
induced disease resistance in this model system can be applied to eliminate the cost and
danger associated with current means of crop protection.
A specific defense pathway, known as systemic acquired resistance (SAR),
involves whole plant protection from a wide variety of bacterial, viral and fungal
pathogens and remains induced weeks to months after being triggered. The ability of
Arabidopsis to mount SAR depends on the accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), the NPRI
(non-expressor of pathogenesis related gene 1) protein and the expression of a subset of
pathogenesis related (PR) genes. NPRI exerts its effect in this pathway through
interaction with a closely related class of bZIP transcription factors known as TGA
factors, which are named for their recognition of the cognate DNA motif TGACG.
We have discovered that one of these transcription factors, TGA2, behaves as a
repressor in unchallenged Arabidopsis and acts to repress NPRI-dependent activation of
PRJ. TGA1, which bears moderate sequence similarity to TGA2, acts as a transcriptional
activator in unchallenged Arabidopsis, however the significance of this activity is
J
unclear. Once SAR has been induced, TGAI and TGA2 interact with NPRI to form
complexes that are capable of activating transcription. Curiously, although TGAI is
capable of transactivating, the ability of the TGAI-NPRI complex to activate
transcription results from a novel transactivation domain in NPRI. This transactivation
domain, which depends on the oxidation of cysteines 521 and 529, is also responsible for
the transactivation ability of the TGA2-NPRI complex. Although the exact mechanism preventing TGA2-NPRI interaction in
unchallenged Arabidopsis is unclear, the regulation of TGAI-NPRI interaction is based
on the redox status of cysteines 260 and 266 in TGAl. We determined that a
glutaredoxin, which is an enzyme capable of regulating a protein's redox status, interacts
with the reduced form of TGAI and this interaction results .in the glutathionylation of
TGAI and a loss of interaction with NPRl.
Taken together, these results expand our understanding of how TGA transcription
factors and NPRI behave to regulate events and gene expression during SAR.
Furthermore, the regulation of the behavior of both TGAI and NPRI by their redox
status and the involvement of a glutaredoxin in modulating TGAI-NPRI interaction
suggests the redox regulation of proteins is a general mechanism implemented in SAR.


title: Critical Connections: Teachers Writing for Social Justice

subject: Social Justice

abstract:
This qualitative research study explores how teachers who write social justicefocused
curriculum support resources conceptualize curriculum and social justice.
Curriculum used in schools reflects underlying assumptions and choices about what
knowledge is valuable. Class-based, cultural, racial, and religious stereotypes are
reinforced in schooling contexts. Are the resources teachers create, select, and use to
promote social justice reproducing and reinforcing forms of oppression? Why do teachers
pursue social justice through curriculum writing? What are their hopes for this work?
Exploring how Teachers' beliefs and values influence cy.rriculum writing engages the
teachers writing and using curriculum support resources in critical reflective thought
about their experiences and efforts to promote social justice. Individual and focus group
interviews were conducted with four teacher-curriculum writers from Ontario schools. In
theorizing my experiences as a teacher-curriculum writer, I reversed roles and
participated in individual interviews. I employed a critical feminist lens to analyze the
qualitati ve data. The participants' identities influenced how they understand social justice
and write curriculum. Their understandings of injustices, either personal or gathered
through students, family members, or oth.e. r teachers, influenced their curriculum writing .
The teacher-curriculum writers in the study believed all teachers need critical
understandings of curriculum and social justice. The participants made a case for
representation from historically disadvantaged and underrepresented groups on
curriculum writing teams. In an optimistic conclusion, the possibility of a considerate
curriculum is proposed as a way to engage the public in working with teachers for social
justice.


title: Identification and characterization of retinoic acid-induced morphological and electrophysiological changes in an invertebrate nervous system

subject:
invertebrate
retinoic acid

abstract:
The vitamin A metabolite, retinoic acid (RA) is known to play an important role in the
development, patterning and regeneration of nervous tissue, both in the embryo and in the adult.
Classically, RA is known to mediate the transcription of target genes through the binding and
activation ofits nuclear receptors: the retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors
(RXRs). Recently, mounting evidence from many animal models has implicated a number of
RA-mediated effects operating independently of gene transcription, and thus highlights nove~
nongenornic actions of RA. For example, recent work utilizing cultured neurons from the pond
snaa Lymnaea stagnalis, has shown that RA can elicit a regenerative response, growth cone
turning, independently of "classical" transcriptional activation While this work illustrates a
novel regeneration-inducing effect in culture, it is currently -unknown whether RA also induces
regeneration in situ. This study has sought to determine RA's regenerative effucts at the
morphological and molecular levels by utilizing an in situ approach focusing on a single
identified dopaminergic neuron which possesses a known "mapped" morphology within the
CNS. These studies show, for the first time in an invertebrate, that RA can increase neurite
outgrowth of dopaminergic cells that have undergone a nerve-crush injury. Utilizing Western
blot analysis, it was shown that this effect appears to be independent of any changes in whole
CNS expression levels of either the RAR or RXR. Additionally, utilizing immunohistochemistry,
to examine protein localization, there does not appear to be any obvious changes in the RXR
expression level at the crush site. Changes in cell morphology such as neurity extension are
known to be modulated by changes in neuronal firing activity. It has been previously shown that
exposure to RA over many days can lead to changes in the electrophysiological properties of
cultured Lymnaea neurons; however, no studies have investigated whether short-term exposure
to RA can elicit electrophysiological changes and/or changes in firing pattern of neurons in
Lymnaea or any other species. The studies performed here show, for the first time in any species, that short-tenn treatment with RA can elicit significant changes in the firing properties of both
identified dopaminergic neurons and peptidergic neurons. This effect appears to be independent
of protein synthesis, activation of protein kinase A or phospholipase C, and calcium influx but is
both dose-dependent and isomer-dependent. These studies provide evidence that the RXR, but
not RAR, may be involved, and that intracellular calcium concentrations decrease upon RAexposure
with a time course, dose-dependency and isomer-dependency that coincide with the
RA-induced electrophysiological changes. Taken together, these studies provide important
evidence highlighting RA as a multifunctional molecule, inducing morphological, molecular and
electrophysiological changes within the CNS, and highlight the many pathways through which
RA may operate to elicit its effects.


title: Adult Participants’ Experiences of a Sport Program Implementing the Easy-Play Model: Implications for an Active Lifestyle

subject: Play Physical Education Adult Easy

abstract: The Easy-Play Model is a useful framework for facilitating sport among a diverse group of participants of different ages and ability levels. The model’s focus on de-emphasizing competitiveness in an effort to establish an optimally competitive environment has facilitated positive play experiences. This study investigated the experiences of players who have been a part of a weekly soccer program implementing the Easy-Play Model. In-depth interviews of 8 participants provided insight concerning the benefits and weaknesses of the approach and the notable experiences of the players. Results provided data confirming the model’s effectiveness in facilitating positive social interactions, safe play experiences where injury is generally a negligible concern, and productive opportunities to be physically active through sport. This study of the Easy-Play Model sets the foundation for future research which should further add to our understanding of productive ways to engage people in physical activity through sport.


title: Employer Perspectives on Secondary School Cooperative Education in a Southern Ontario City in Canada

subject: employer survey cooperative education secondary

abstract: Despite 2 Ontario Ministry of Education policy documents which mandate that regular program effectiveness surveys be completed in secondary school co-op programs, research was either not occurring or data were not being made available. A lack of co-op research also existed at the postsecondary level. The primary reason for this study was to determine the perspectives of current secondary school co-op employers in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) and to identify any program strengths as well as any areas in which improvement can be made. A secondary aim of the study was to discover the reasons that some employers decline to participate in the co-op program, and why other employers decide to discontinue their co-op partnerships. An online survey was utilized with 2 Likert scales and open-ended questions to solicit responses from the 100 participants. The findings from this study strongly supported previous secondary and postsecondary co-op research. Overall, the HWDSB co-op program was found to be very strong, and employer satisfaction very high. There were, however, areas in which improvement could be made. Although most employers felt supported by institutions and felt that expectations were clearly communicated and were reasonable, there was evidence that many employers perceived a lack of institutional support which included factors such as communication, student placement and fit, and institutional responsiveness. In addition, some employers felt that students were underprepared for the workplace and lacked basic employability skills such as dependability and responsibility.


title: Investigation of the Expression of Glucose Transporter Proteins in Human Cancer Cells

subject: epithelial cancer, GLUT1, GLUT3, GLUT4, GLUT12

abstract: Cancer cells are known to display increased glucose uptake and consumption. The glucose transporter (GLUT) proteins facilitate glucose uptake, however, their exact role in cancer metabolism remains unclear. The present study examined mRNA and protein expression of GLUT1, GLUT3, GLUT4 and GLUT12 in lung, breast and prostate cancer cells and corresponding noncancerous cells. Additionally, GLUT expression was determined in tumours from mice xenografted with human cancer cells. Differences in the mRNA and protein expression of GLUTs were found between cancerous and corresponding noncancerous cells. These findings demonstrate abundant expression of GLUT1 in cancer and highlight the importance of GLUT3 as it was expressed in several cancer cells and tumours. GLUT expression patterns in vitro were supported by the in vivo findings. The study of GLUT protein expression in cancer is important for understanding cancer metabolism and may lead to identification of biomarkers of cancer progression and development of target therapies.


title: The Effects of Annealing URu2Si2 on the Resistivity and Meissner Effect

subject:
Annealing
URu2Si2
Resistivity
Mounting media
Meissner effect

abstract: The enigmatic heavy fermion URu2Si2, which is the subject of this thesis, has attracted intensive theoretical and experimental research since 1984 when it was firstly reported by Schlabitz et al. at a conference [1]. The previous bulk property measurements clearly showed that one second order phase transition occurs at the Hidden Order temperature THO ≈ 17.5 K and another second order phase transition, the superconducting transition, occurs at Tc ≈ 1 K. Though twenty eight years have passed, the mechanisms behind these two phase transitions are still not clear to researchers. Perfect crystals do not exist. Different kinds of crystal defects can have considerable effects on the crystalline properties. Some of these defects can be eliminated, and hence the crystalline quality improved, by annealing. Previous publications showed that some bulk properties of URu2Si2 exhibited significant differences between as-grown samples and annealed samples. The present study shows that the annealing of URu2Si2 has some considerable effects on the resistivity and the DC magnetization. The effects of annealing on the resistivity are characterized by examining how the Residual Resistivity Ratio (RRR), the fitting parameters to an expression for the temperature dependence of the resistivity, the temperatures of the local maximum and local minimum of the resistivity at the Hidden Order phase transition and the Hidden Order Transition Width ∆THO change after annealing. The plots of one key fitting parameter, the onset temperature of the Hidden Order transition and ∆THO vs RRR are compared with those of Matsuda et al. [2]. Different media used to mount samples have some impact on how effectively the samples are cooled because the media have different thermal conductivity. The DC magnetization around the superconducting transition is presented for one unannealed sample under fields of 25 Oe and 50 Oe and one annealed sample under fields of 0 Oe and 25 Oe. The DC field dependent magnetization of the annealed Sample1-1 shows a typical field dependence of a Type-II superconductor. The lower critical field Hc1 is relatively high, which may be due to flux pinning by the crystal defects.


title: Finding the Open Spaces in Closed Systems: An Exploration of Critical Pedagogy with a Social Justice Directive in an Ontario Secondary School Classroom

subject:
Social Justice
Critical Pedagogy
Paulo Freire
Praxis

abstract: This study examines the first experience of students, teachers, and an administrator in implementing a teacher-designed Leadership in Social Justice Program at a large urban Ontario secondary school. The program aimed to infuse a Freirean concept of critical pedagogical praxis (Freire, 1970/1993) in a grade 12 integrated educational experience with a social justice directive. Data were collected through two questionnaires and eight in-depth interviews. The data identified three areas of awareness that described ways in which student participants were impacted most profoundly (a) developing self-awareness, (b) understanding a new educational paradigm, and (c) finding a place in the world. The study found that the program was successful in highlighting the possibility for more meaningful education and engaged many students deeply; however, its success was limited by the lead teacher’s failure to fully grasp and implement tenets of Freirean critical pedagogy that involved the role of the teacher in pedagogical processes.


title: Educator Evaluation of Academic and Social Competence in Students with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Relative to Assessed Performance and Sense of Belonging

subject: ABI, academic and social competence, evaluation

abstract:
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is the leading cause of death and disability amongst children
and adolescents andpresents itself with challenges associated in cognitive, social,
emotional, and behavioural domains. These changes may interfere with academic
performance and social inclusion, influencing self-esteem and personal success. The
current study examined a subset of data to capture the sense of academic and social
belonging for students with ABI as a function of the classroom teachers’ subjective
perception of ability, their ABI knowledge, and student identification. Overall, a
discrepancy was found between educators’ subjective ratings of student performance and
students’ neurocognitive capacity. Educator knowledge and identification of ABI
influenced student success in academic and social domains independent of teaching
approach. This research has implications for the identification of ABI in the classroom
and related challenges students experience. Educators are underprepared for the
reintegration of students returning to school and lack appropriate knowledge and
strategies to accommodate individual needs.


title: Voices of the Undereducated in Adult Education and Training in Ontario: A Phenomenographic Approach

subject:
adult education
participation
undereducated
qualitative
phenomenography

abstract: This doctoral study was an exploration of the qualitatively different ways in which undereducated adults (at or below a high school level of formal education) reported their experiences of participation in adult education and training (AET) programmes offered by publicly funded school boards or their arms-length affiliate in the province of Ontario.  In light of a low participation rate in the Canadian AET system by undereducated adults, the rationale was to examine whether or not AET programmes are meeting the needs of undereducated adults beyond a narrow focus on an instrumental approach associated with human capital development.  This study was located in a theoretical framework consisting of (a) learning theory, (b) motivations for participation, (c) general barriers to participation, (d) structural barriers to participation, and (e) transformative learning. The purposive sample consisted of 11 participants between the ages of 18-58 who were drawn from service providers in 4 geographic regions of Ontario.  Data collection consisted of (a) demographics, (b) voice recordings from face-to-face participant interviews, (c) participant weekly critical incident reports, and (d) researcher reflexive journal notes.  Data were analyzed in accordance with a phenomenographic approach within a constructivist/interpretivist research paradigm.  Findings revealed 4 qualitatively different ways in which undereducated adult learners reported their experiences of participation in AET and were reported as the voice of (a) security, (b) engagement, (c) relationship, and (d) competency.  Implications to theory and practice and to further inquiry were outlined.


title: RelMDD-A Library for Manipulating Relations Based on MDDs

subject:
Relations
ROMDD
Matrix Algebra

abstract:
Relation algebras is one of the state-of-the-art means used by mathematicians and computer
scientists for solving very complex problems. As a result, a computer algebra system for
relation algebras called RelView has been developed at Kiel University. RelView works
within the standard model of relation algebras. On the other hand, relation algebras do
have other models which may have different properties.
For example, in the standard model we always have L;L=L (the composition of two
(heterogeneous) universal relations yields a universal relation). This is not true in some
non-standard models. Therefore, any example in RelView will always satisfy this property
even though it is not true in general. On the other hand, it has been shown that every
relation algebra with relational sums and subobjects can be seen as matrix algebra similar
to the correspondence of binary relations between sets and Boolean matrices.
The aim of my research is to develop a new system that works with both standard
and non-standard models for arbitrary relations using multiple-valued decision diagrams
(MDDs). This system will implement relations as matrix algebras. The proposed structure
is a library written in C which can be imported by other languages such as Java or Haskell.


title: Keyword Competition and Determinants of Ad Position in Sponsored Search Advertising

subject:
search engine advertising
internet marketing
e-commerce
positioning and differentiation
keyword competition

abstract:
Given the significant growth of the Internet in recent years, marketers have been striving for new techniques and strategies to prosper in the online world. Statistically, search engines have been the most dominant channels of Internet marketing in recent years. However, the mechanics of advertising in such a market place has created a challenging environment for marketers to position their ads among their competitors. This study uses a unique cross-sectional dataset of the top 500 Internet retailers in North America and hierarchical multiple regression analysis to empirically investigate the effect of keyword competition on the relationship between ad position and its determinants in the sponsored search market. To this end, the study utilizes the literature in consumer search behavior, keyword auction mechanism design, and search advertising performance as the theoretical foundation.
This study is the first of its kind to examine the sponsored search market characteristics in a cross-sectional setting where the level of keyword competition is explicitly captured in terms of the number of Internet retailers competing for similar keywords.  Internet retailing provides an appropriate setting for this study given the high-stake battle for market share and intense competition for keywords in the sponsored search market place. The findings of this study indicate that bid values and ad relevancy metrics as well as their interaction affect the position of ads on the search engine result pages (SERPs). These results confirm some of the findings from previous studies that examined sponsored search advertising performance at a keyword level. Furthermore, the study finds that the position of ads for web-only retailers is dependent on bid values and ad relevancy metrics, whereas, multi-channel retailers are more reliant on their bid values. This difference between web-only and multi-channel retailers is also observed in the moderating effect of keyword competition on the relationships between ad position and its key determinants. Specifically, this study finds that keyword competition has significant moderating effects only for multi-channel retailers.


title: The effects of a 12-week multifactorial exercise and balance training program on balance control in older adults

subject: trunk sway, balance, gait, multifactorial exercise, older adults

abstract: The current thesis investigated the effects of a 12-week multifactorial exercise and balance training program on balance control in older adults. Participants completed a baseline testing session which included a series of questionnaires, anthropometric measures, and 18 stance and walking tests. Those who were randomly assigned to the exercise group participated in the 12-week training program while the comparison group was asked not to change anything in his/her lifestyle during the 12-week control period, but were invited to participate in the training program after his/her control period. The same testing protocol was repeated after the 12-week period. The results indicated that there were improvements in the time to complete the walking tests but no change in trunk sway in both the exercise and comparison groups. No changes in stance durations or trunk sway were observed. The findings suggest that the current training program showed no significant improvement in balance control in healthy older adults.


title: Generator Matrix Based Search for Extremal Self-Dual Binary Error-Correcting Codes

subject:
Error-correcting codes
Type II codes
Automorphism group
Permutation

abstract:
Self-dual doubly even linear binary error-correcting codes, often referred to
as Type II codes, are codes closely related to many combinatorial structures
such as 5-designs. Extremal codes are codes that have the largest possible
minimum distance for a given length and dimension.
The existence of an extremal (72,36,16) Type II code is still open. Previous
results show that the automorphism group of a putative code C with
the aforementioned properties has order 5 or dividing 24. In this work, we
present a method and the results of an exhaustive search showing that such
a code C cannot admit an automorphism group Z6.
In addition, we present so far unpublished construction of the extended
Golay code by P. Becker. We generalize the notion and provide example of
another Type II code that can be obtained in this fashion. Consequently, we
relate Becker's construction to the construction of binary Type II codes from
codes over GF(2^r) via the Gray map.


title: An Interactive Theorem Prover for First-Order Dynamic Logic

subject:
Dynamic Logic
Hoare logic
Program verification

abstract:
Dynamic logic is an extension of modal logic originally intended for reasoning about
computer programs. The method of proving correctness of properties of a computer
program using the well-known Hoare Logic can be implemented by utilizing the robustness
of dynamic logic. For a very broad range of languages and applications in
program veri cation, a theorem prover named KIV (Karlsruhe Interactive Veri er)
Theorem Prover has already been developed. But a high degree of automation and
its complexity make it di cult to use it for educational purposes. My research work
is motivated towards the design and implementation of a similar interactive theorem
prover with educational use as its main design criteria. As the key purpose of this
system is to serve as an educational tool, it is a self-explanatory system that explains
every step of creating a derivation, i.e., proving a theorem. This deductive system is
implemented in the platform-independent programming language Java. In addition,
a very popular combination of a lexical analyzer generator, JFlex, and the parser
generator BYacc/J for parsing formulas and programs has been used.


title: The Effect of Trainer Muscularity and Expertise on Self-Presentational Concerns, Body Image, and Performance in College Men during One-Repetition Maximum Testing

subject:
One-Repetition Maximum
Self-Presentational Concerns
Body Image
Performance
Trainer Characteristics

abstract: This study attempted to manipulate self-presentational efficacy to examine the effect on social anxiety, social physique anxiety, drive for muscularity, and maximal strength performance during a one-repetition maximum (1-RM) chest press and leg press test. Ninety-nine college men with a minimum of six months of previous weight training experience were randomly assigned to complete a 1-RM protocol with either a muscular male trainer described as an expert or a lean male trainer described as a novice. Participants completed measures of self-presentation and body image prior to meeting their respective trainer, and following the completion of the 1-RM tests. Although the self-presentational efficacy manipulation was not successful, the trainers were perceived significantly differently on musculature and expertise. The group with the muscular, expert trainer reported higher social anxiety and attained higher 1-RM scores for the chest and leg press. Thus, trainer characteristics can affect strength performance and self-presentational concerns in this population.


title: A Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm with Side Effect Machines for Motif Discovery

subject:
Bioinformatics
Motif Discovery
Side Effect Machines
Evolutionary Computation

abstract:
Understanding the machinery of gene regulation to control gene expression
has been one of the main focuses of bioinformaticians for years. We use a
multi-objective genetic algorithm to evolve a specialized version of side effect
machines for degenerate motif discovery. We compare some suggested objectives for the motifs they find, test different multi-objective scoring schemes
and probabilistic models for the background sequence models and report our
results on a synthetic dataset and some biological benchmarking suites. We
conclude with a comparison of our algorithm with some widely used motif discovery algorithms in the literature and suggest future directions for
research in this area.


title: The effects of estimating good vs. poor knowledge of results during acquisition of a spatial motor task

subject:
Knowledge of Results
Good Vs. Poor KR
KR Estimate

abstract: Recent studies have shown that providing learners Knowledge of Results (KR) after “good trials” rather than “poor trials” is superior for learning. The present study examined whether requiring participants to estimate their three best or three worst trials in a series of six trial blocks before receiving KR would prove superior to learning compared to not estimating their performance.	Participants were required to push and release a slide along a confined pathway using their non-dominant hand to a target distance (133cm). The retention and transfer data suggest those participants who received KR after good trials demonstrated superior learning and performance estimations compared to those receiving KR after poor trials. The results of the present experiment offer an important theoretical extension in our understanding of the role of KR content and performance estimation on motor skill learning.


title: Interactions between the cholinergic and dopaminergic systems during the production of ultrasonic vocalizations in rats

subject:
Rats
Ultrasonic Vocalizations
Mesolimbic dopamine system
mesolimbic cholinergic system

abstract: Rats produce ultrasonic vocalizations that can be categorized into two types of ultrasonic calls based on their sonographic structure. One group contains 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalization (USVs), characterized by relatively constant (flat) frequency with peak frequency ranging from 19 to 28-kHz, and a call duration ranging between 100 – 3000 ms. These vocalization can be induced by cholinomimetic agents injected into the ascending mesolimbic cholinergic system that terminates in the anterior hypothalamic-preoptic area (AH-MPO) and lateral septum (LS). The other group of USVs contains 50-kHz USVs, characterized by high peak frequency, ranging from 39 to 90-kHz, short duration ranging from 10-90 ms, and varying frequency and complex sonographic morphology. These vocalizations can be induced by dopaminergic agents injected into the nucleus accumbens, the target area for the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. 22-kHz USVs are emitted in situations that are highly aversive, such as proximity of a predator or anticipation of a foot shock, while 50 kHz USVs are emitted in rewarding and appetitive situations, such as juvenile play behaviour or anticipation of rewarding electrical brain stimulation. The activities of these two mesolimbic systems were postulated to be antagonistic to each other. The current thesis is focused on the interaction of these systems indexed by emission of relevant USVs. It was hypothesized that emission of 22 kHz USVs will be antagonized by prior activation of the dopaminergic system while emission of 50 kHz will be antagonized by prior activation of the cholinergic system. It was found that injection of apomorphine into the shell of the nucleus accumbens significantly decreased the number of carbachol-induced 22 kHz USVs from both AH-MPO and LS. Injection of carbachol into the LS significantly decreased the number of apomorphine-induced 50 kHz USVs from the shell of the nucleus accumbens. The results of the study supported the main hypotheses that the mesolimbic dopaminergic and cholinergic systems function in antagonism to each other.


title: Interactions between the cholinergic and dopaminergic system during the production of ultrasonic vocalizations in rats

subject:
Rats
Mesolimbic dopamine system
Mesolimbic cholinergic system
Ultrasonic Vocalizations


title: Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections, Nutrition and Growth in School-age Children from Rural Communities in Honduras

subject: Soil-transmitted helminths, nutrition, growth, school-age children, Honduras

abstract:
Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are endemic in Honduras but their
impact on children’s health is not well studied.
Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and intensity of STH infections and their association with nutrition and growth in a sample of Honduran children.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done among Honduran rural school-age children in 2011. Blood and stool samples and anthropometric measurements were obtained to determine nutritional status, STH infection and growth status, respectively.
Results: The STH prevalence among 320 studied children was 72.5%. Prevalence by species was 30%, 67% and 16% for Ascaris, Trichuris and 16% hookworms, respectively. High intensity infections were associated with decreased growth scores but regardless of intensity, co-infections negatively affected growth indicators.
Conclusions: The health burden of STH infections is related to high parasitic load but also to the presence of low-intensity concurrent infections. The synergistic effects of polyparasitism in underprivileged children warrants more attention.


title: A Quantitative Study of Social Capital Components, Self-Reported Health Status and Social Determinants of Health

subject:
Social Capital Health Determinants
Niagara

abstract:
This quantitative descriptive co-relational study used telephone survey interviews and stratified random sampling to collect data related to Social Capital (SC) and its components (trust and safety, reciprocity, civic engagement and collective action) and selected determinants of health variables in Niagara Region, Canada. Among the four components of social capital, trust and safety levels were highest among all participants (m=5.42, SD=1.0), with community engagement yielding the lowest mean score for the sample (m=1.93, SD=.8). Reciprocity had the strongest association with all other components of SC (r=0.51). Those most likely to report low levels of SC and health were unattached and low-income females. Males were more likely to report higher trust and safety levels and higher levels of self-rated health. In this study, a linear relationship between self-reported health status and SC was not found.
Marital and employment status were associated with differences in mean scores of SC and self-reported health.


title: Application of Reptation Quantum Monte Carlo and Related Methods to LiH

subject:
reptation quantum Monte Carlo
RQMC
Bounce
LiH
one-electron properties

abstract:
This work investigates mathematical details and computational aspects of Metropolis-Hastings reptation quantum Monte Carlo and its variants, in addition to the Bounce method and its variants. The issues that concern us include the sensitivity of these algorithms' target densities to the position of the trial electron density along the reptile, time-reversal symmetry of the propagators, and the length of the reptile.

We calculate the ground-state energy and one-electron properties of LiH at its equilibrium geometry for all these algorithms. The importance sampling is performed with a single-determinant large Slater-type orbitals (STO) basis set. The computer codes were written to exploit the efficiencies engineered into modern, high-performance computing software. Using the Bounce method in the calculation of non-energy-related properties, those represented by operators that do not commute with the Hamiltonian, is a novel work.

We found that the unmodified Bounce gives good ground state energy and very good one-electron properties. We attribute this to its favourable time-reversal symmetry in its target density's Green's functions. Breaking this symmetry gives poorer results. Use of a short reptile in the Bounce method does not alter the quality of the results. This suggests that in future applications one can use a shorter reptile to cut down the computational time dramatically.


title: LEISURE CONNECTIONS AND HEALING FOLLOWING TRAUMA: CONSTRUCTIVIST AND EXISTENTIAL REFLECTIONS AND THEORIZING

subject:
Leisure
Therapeutic recreation
Healing
Psychological trauma

abstract: Trauma can have lasting effects on health (CAMH, 2010; DSM-IV, 1994; Lazarus, 1966), negatively influencing meanings and experiences of leisure in relation to health (Griffin, 2002, 2005; Meister & Pedlar, 1996). This interpretive grounded theory explored understandings of leisure during Leisure Connections and how Leisure Connections provides a context for healing from trauma. Data included observations, interviews with six participants, and reflection cards. Nine themes emerged: responding to trauma in leisure, letting go of familiar coping patterns and opening to joy, being in the moment of small steps and simple things, changing understandings of self, reconnecting with the body, shifting to internal motivation, choosing, reconnecting with others in leisure, balancing life with leisure, and growth and connections. Leisure Connections supported participants to explore leisure and its benefits as issues arise, to understand and respond differently. Leisure Connections provides boundary situations critical for existential growth and opportunity to change coping patterns.


title: The Mirror Room Project: A Critical Ethnographic Program Evaluation of a Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Based Youth Development Program

subject: Underserved youth

subject: Physical education

subject: Teaching personal and social responsibility

abstract: Amongst a host of other benefits, proper physical education has the possibility to create a safe place where responsibility can be transferred from the teacher/facilitator, to the student. This is especially true with an underserved population. This critical program evaluation of the program CHARM was done for the purpose of program improvement. This research was a place for participants to share their experiences of the program. The participants were 5 underserved youth, 5 undergraduate students, 3 teachers and 1 graduate student. Observations, interviews, and document analysis were used to gather data. Data was analyzed using a first level read-through, and two second-level analyses. Summaries were written, and cross-case analyses were completed. The main finding of the research was the development of a Handbook, which is a guide to running the program. Secondary findings include issues of program structure, goal setting, meaningful relationships, roles, SNAP, and an outlier in the data.


title: Violent Video Game Playing, Moral Reasoning, and Attitudes Towards Violence in Adolescents: Is There a Connection?

subject: moral reasoning, violent video games, adolescents, violence

abstract: In this study of 109 adolescents from the eighth grade of seven public elementary schools in Ontario, the relationship among adolescents’ violent video game playing patterns, habits and attitudes, their levels of moral reasoning, and their attitudes towards violence in real life was investigated. In addition, gender differences were addressed. The mixed-methodology was employed combining qualitative and quantitative data. The research results confirmed that playing video games in general is a very popular activity among those adolescents. Significant negative relationship was found between adolescents’ amount of time playing violent video games during the day and their scores on The Sociomoral Reflection Measure. Significant difference was also found between adolescents who play violent video games and those who do not play violent video games on their scores on The Attitudes Towards Violence Scale. Boys and girls significantly differed in the amount of playing video games during the day, the reasons for playing video games, their favourite video game choices, and their favourite video game character choices. Boys and girls also significantly differed on their choices of personality traits of selected video game characters, the identification with video game characters, and their mood experiences while playing video games. The findings are put into the educational context and the context of normal development, and suggestions are given for parents, for educators, and for future violent video game research.


title: The Art of Resisting Colonial Education

subject: education, First Nation, Residential Schools, power, resistance

abstract: This thesis explores the efforts of discipline and resistance in the Indian Residential School (IRS) system in Canada. The IRS has origins in eighteenth and nineteenth century colonial policies of assimilation. While its goals aimed to transform Aboriginal children into Euro-Canadian adults the system has largely been proven ineffective and highly damaging to First Nation communities. This research discusses the complex connection between colonial curriculum and student resistance within the IRS. The discussion emphasizes students‟ abilities to creatively subvert disciplinary tactics and the methods of resistance used in the IRS context - with a focus on art and cultural persistence. It highlights a complicated relationship of disciplinary tactics and student resistance within the context of the IRS focusing on the relationship between curriculum and student product.


title: A System for Models of First Order Theories

subject:
First order theories
Computer programming.

abstract:
If you want to know whether a property is true or not in a specific algebraic structure,you need to test that property on the given structure. This can be done by hand, which can be cumbersome and erroneous. In addition, the time consumed in testing depends on the size of the structure where the property is applied. We present an implementation of a system for finding counterexamples and testing properties of models of first-order theories. This system is supposed to provide a convenient and paperless environment for researchers and students investigating or studying such models and algebraic structures in particular. To implement a first-order theory in the system, a suitable first-order language.( and some axioms are required. The components of a language are given by a collection
of variables, a set of predicate symbols, and a set of operation symbols. Variables and operation symbols are used to build terms. Terms, predicate symbols, and the usual logical connectives are used to build formulas. A first-order theory now consists of a language together with a set of closed formulas, i.e. formulas without free occurrences of variables. The set of formulas is also called the axioms of the theory. The system uses several different formats to allow the user to specify languages, to define axioms and theories and to create models. Besides the obvious operations and tests on these structures, we have introduced the notion of a functor between classes of models in order to generate more co~plex models from given ones automatically. As an example, we will use the system to create several lattices structures starting from a model of the theory of pre-orders.


title: Identity Formation and Negotiation of Afghan Female Youth in Ontario

subject:
Afghan Canadian youth
Identity formation
Racism - Ontario

abstract:
The following thesis provides an empirical case study in which a group of 6 first
generation female Afghan Canadian youth is studied to determine their identity
negotiation and development processes in everyday experiences. This process is
investigated across different contexts of home, school, and the community. In terms of
schooling experiences, 2 participants each are selected representing public, Islamic, and
Catholic schools in Southern Ontario. This study employs feminist research methods and
is analyzed through a convergence of critical race theory (critical race feminism), youth
development theory, and feminist theory. Participant experiences reveal issues of racism,
discrimination, and bias within schooling (public, Catholic) systems. Within these
contexts, participants suppress their identities or are exposed to negative experiences
based on their ethnic or religious identification. Students in Islamic schools experience
support for a more positive ethnic and religious identity. Home and community provided
nurturing contexts where participants are able to reaffirm and develop a positive overall
identity.


title: Gender and Healing in the Hippocratic Corpus

subject: Hippocratic gender Greece pharmaka healers

abstract: Hippocratic physicians sought to establish themselves as medical authorities in ancient Greece. An examination of the deontological texts of the Hippocratic corpus reveals that the Hippocratics created a medical authority based on elite male characteristics. The key quality of the Hippocratic physician was sōphrosunē, a quality closely associated with men and used in the differentiation of genders in the Greek world. Women were not believed to innately possess this quality and so their healing activities were restricted within the Hippocratic framework. Women’s healing activities are only mentioned in the corpus when women are involved in the treatment of other women or self-treatment. The Hippocratic construction of medicine as a male domain fit within a Classical cultural framework, as the cultural anxiety concerning women healers and women’s use of pharmaka are evident in both Greek myth and literature.


title: The Effect of Functional Electrically Stimulated Ambulation Training on Locomotor Function and Quality of Life in Individuals With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

subject: Exercise, Ambulation, Electrical Stimulation, Spinal Cord Injuries

abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12-week FES-ambulation program on locomotor function and quality of life after incomplete spinal cord injury. Six individuals with incomplete SCI participated in the study. Over-ground walking endurance (6MWT), speed (10MWT), independence (WISCI II) and body-weight support were assessed. Quality of life was assessed via the SF-36, WHOQOL-BREF, Perceived Stress Scale, Center of Epidemiological Studies for Depression scale, and task self-efficacy. Participants experienced significant improvements in walking endurance (223.6±141.5m to 297.3±164.5m; p=0.03), body-weight support (55.3±12.6% to 14.7±23.2%; p= 0.005) and four of the six participants showed improvements on the WISCI II scale (1-4 points). In addition, there was a significant reduction in reported bodily pain (6.5±1.2 to 5.0±1.7; p=0.04). Therefore, FES-ambulation is an effective means for enhancing over-ground locomotor function in individuals with incomplete SCI. It may also be an effective method for reducing  pain in individuals with SCI.


title: In Search of Convergence: A Co-citation Analysis of Three Sport Management Journals

subject:
sport management
bibliometrics
convergence
social science
co-citation

abstract:
Responding to a series of articles in sport management literature calling for more
diversity in terms of areas of interest or methods, this study warns against the danger of
excessively fragmenting this field of research. The works of Kuhn (1962) and Pfeffer
(1993) are taken as the basis of an argument that connects convergence with scientific
strength. However, being aware of the large number of counterarguments directed at this
line of reasoning, a new model of convergence, which focuses on clusters of research
contributions with similar areas of interest, methods, and concepts, is proposed. The
existence of these clusters is determined with the help of a bibliometric analysis of
publications in three sport management journals. This examination determines that there
are justified reasons to be concerned about the level of convergence in the field, pointing
out to a reduced ability to create large clusters of contributions in similar areas of interest.


title: Micromorphology of Last Glacial Maximum Grounding line sediments around the Antarctic Peninsula

subject:
Glaciology - Antarctic Peninsula
Sediments (Geology)

abstract:
Sediments recovered from seven Last Glacial Maximum grounding lines sites, around
the Antarctic Peninsula, were analyzed using micromorphology. This is the first
evidence that grounding line sediments from around the Antarctic Peninsula have
complex deformational histories and subglacial origins. It was determined that
grounding zone wedge contain multiple units, or diamicton layers, with homogenized
boundaries. The multiple diamicton units / layers are due to the accretionary formation
of a grounding line wedge. All the sediments were deposited via deformation, and
continual reincorporation, homogenization of lower diamicton layers by upper
diamicton layers produced what macroscopically appeared to be a single massive
diamicton unit. The morainal ridge that was sampled, alternatively, is composed of a
single unit, or diamicton layer, that was subglacial in origin and believed to have been
pushed out to form a ridge that was subsequently deformed via glacial push.


title: Detectives and Superheroes: A Pilot Study Teaching Flexible Thinking in Social Situations to a Child with High Functioning Autism

subject:
Autistic children
Asperger's syndrome
Social interaction in children
Superflex curriculum

abstract:
Complex social-cognitive deficits are common in individuals diagnosed with high
functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. Research on effective and evidence-based
social interventions is needed for this population. This study focused specifically on the
challenges these individuals face with respect to flexible thinking and related flexible
behaviour in social situations. Madrigal and Winner's (2008) Superflex curriculum -
targets social flexibility, however at the time of this study no published research had been conducted to determine the effectiveness of this approach. This study was a pilot study, which sought to examine the impact of the Superflex curriculum within a 10-week
training program in teaching one individual with high functioning autism how to think
and behave flexibly in social situations. Multiple measurement tools were utilized, and
analyses within and across the measures revealed inconsistencies, especially with respect to generalization. Although preliminary, this study provided valuable information for subsequent research.


title: Elucidation of the Retinoid Signalling Pathway Involved in Axon Guidance in Lymnaea stagnalis and Xenopus laevis

subject:
Regeneration
Retinoic Acid
Lymnaea stagnalis
Xenopus laevis
Growth cone guidance

abstract: The vitamin A metabolite, retinoic acid (RA), is known to play a crucial role in several developmental processes including axial patterning and differentiation. More recently, RA has been implicated in the regenerative process acting through its classical signaling pathway, the nuclear receptors, retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR), to mediate gene transcription. Moreover, RA has been shown to act as a guidance molecule for growth cones of regenerating motorneurons of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. Our lab has recently shown that RA can induce this morphological response independent of nuclear transcription, however, the role of the retinoid receptors in RA-induced chemoattraction is still unknown. Here, I show that the retinoid receptors, RXR and RAR, may mediate the growth cones response to the metabolically active retinoic acid isomers, all-trans and 9-cis RA, in Lymnaea stagnalis. Data presented here show that both an RXR and RAR antagonist can block growth cone turning in response to application of both isomers. Because no prior investigations have shown growth cone turning of individual vertebrate neurons, I aimed to show that both retinoic acid isomers were capable of inducing growth cone turning of embryonic spinal cord neurons in the frog, Xenopus laevis. For the first time in Xenopus, I showed that both all-trans and 9-cis RA were able to induce significantly more neurite outgrowth from cultured embryonic spinal cord neurons and induce positive growth cone turning of individual growth cones. In addition, I showed that the presence of the RXR antagonist, HX531, blocked 9-cis RA-induced growth cone turning and the RARβ antagonist, LE135, blocked all-trans RA-induced growth cone turning in this species. Evidence provided here shows for the first time, conservation of retinoic acid-induced growth cone turning in a vertebrate model system. In addition, these data show that the receptors involved in this morphological response may be the same in vertebrates and invertebrates.


title: Enabling and Measuring Complexity in Evolving Designs using Generative Representations for Artificial Architecture

subject:
Genetic Programming
Evolutionary Design
Generative Representations
Artificial Architecture
Evolutionary Algorithms

abstract: As the complexity of evolutionary design problems grow, so too must the quality of solutions scale to that complexity. In this research, we develop a genetic programming system with individuals encoded as tree-based generative representations to address scalability. This system is capable of multi-objective evaluation using a ranked sum scoring strategy. We examine Hornby's features and measures of modularity, reuse and hierarchy in evolutionary design problems. Experiments are carried out, using the system to generate three-dimensional forms, and analyses of feature characteristics such as modularity, reuse and hierarchy were performed. This work expands on that of Hornby's, by examining a new and more difficult problem domain. The results from these experiments show that individuals encoded with those three features performed best overall. It is also seen, that the measures of complexity conform to the results of Hornby. Moving forward with only this best performing encoding, the system was applied to the generation of three-dimensional external building architecture. One objective considered was passive solar performance, in which the system was challenged with generating forms that optimize exposure to the Sun. The results from these and other experiments satisfied the requirements. The system was shown to scale well to the architectural problems studied.


title: Generating Aesthetically Pleasing Images in a Virtual Environment using Particle Swarm Optimization

subject: Image Composition, Image Analysis, Virtual Photography, Virtual Environment, Particle Swarm Optimization, Multi-Objective, Sum of Ranks, Pareto,

abstract: This research focuses on generating aesthetically pleasing images in virtual environments using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The PSO is a stochastic population based search algorithm that is inspired by the flocking behavior of birds. In this research, we implement swarms of cameras flying through a virtual world in search of an image that is aesthetically pleasing. Virtual world exploration using particle swarm optimization is considered to be a new research area and is of interest to both the scientific and artistic communities. Aesthetic rules such as rule of thirds, subject matter, colour similarity and horizon line are all analyzed together as a multi-objective problem to analyze and solve with rendered images. A new multi-objective PSO algorithm, the sum of ranks PSO, is introduced. It is empirically compared to other single-objective and multi-objective swarm algorithms. An advantage of the sum of ranks PSO is that it is useful for solving high-dimensional problems within the context of this research. Throughout many experiments, we show that our approach is capable of automatically producing images satisfying a variety of supplied aesthetic criteria.