title: Petrology of the non-mineralized Wheeler River sandstone-hosted alteration system and the Eagle Point and Millennium basement-hosted unconformity-related uranium deposits, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan: implications for uranium exploration

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

format:
92692091 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Unconformity-related uranium deposit
Athabasca Basin
Eagle Point
Millennium
Wheeler River

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-30 14:49:03.688

abstract:
A study of the Millennium and Eagle Point basement-hosted deposits was conducted to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the alteration in these two atypical uraniferous systems and to apply these findings in formulating effective exploration strategies. In addition, an investigation of the Wheeler River “apparently barren” sandstone-hosted alteration system was conducted to provide insights into the critical events needed in order to form sandstone-hosted unconformity-related deposits.
	At Millennium, the atypical alteration halo, wherein the inner chlorite halo is much smaller than other basement-hosted deposits, is the result of pervasive muscovite alteration of the basement rocks by Na-K-Fe basinal brines during the pre-ore stage at ca. 250°C. As alteration of the basement rocks progressed, the basinal brines acquired Ca, Fe and Mg while creating up to 20% voids in the basement rocks. Prior to the mineralizing event, the chemically modified basinal fluids formed a minor Fe-rich chamoisite halo that demarcates a redox front during the ca. 1590 Ma syn-ore stage, where uranium ore was precipitated.
	At Eagle Point, the atypical alteration halo, wherein dolomite and calcite alteration is more significant than other basement-hosted deposits, is the result of more intense pre-Athabasca Basin alteration. The Eagle Point deposit is also distinct by significant late remobilization of primary uraninite into secondary structures that occurred at ca. 535 Ma.
	At the Wheeler River “apparently barren” alteration system, the critical factor for the lack of uranium mineralization in the sandstone is the temporal relationship between the different fluids with the uranium-bearing oxidized basinal fluids present prior to the reduced chemically modified basinal fluids and reduced basement fluids. However, the possibility of a small basement-hosted uranium deposit at Wheeler River cannot be excluded because the sudoite-producing basement fluids may represent basinal brines that reacted with basement lithologies to become reducing and Mg-rich, and therefore may have precipitated uraninite during this process.
	The results of this study support the genetic model in which basinal fluids were likely the source of uranium deposits and that the basement fluids were unlikely significant sources of uranium in sandstone-hosted deposits.

abstract: PhD


title: The Meaning and Impact of Respect in the Context of Business-to-Business Marketing Relationships

contributor:
Cunningham, Peggy H.
Management

format:
1148633 bytes
application/pdf

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

subject:
Respect
Marketing
Business-to-business
Relationship marketing

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-30 17:35:08.487

abstract:
In the field of marketing, there is anecdotal evidence that “respect” is an important determinant of marketing relationship success (e.g., Berry 1996; Bitran and Hoech 1990; Costley, Friend, and Babis 2005).  The current relational paradigm that guides much of marketing research, thinking, and practice implies that marketing involves not only exchange between organizations and customers, but also relationships between people.  Given this context, individual-level relationship variables such as respect become important to our understanding of relationship marketing as a whole.  Yet, in marketing and in other relevant fields (e.g., social and organizational psychology, ethics, education), there is no agreement as to how respect should be defined, and there is no measure that captures the complexity of this construct.  In order to gain a more complete understanding of the reasons why certain marketing relationships succeed or fail, it is important to investigate the role of respect.
The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of (1) what respect means in the context of business-to-business marketing relationships, and (2) how respect impacts on the outcomes of those relationships.  Following an extensive review of literature from a number of fields, the empirical research took place over four studies.  In the first study, seventeen elite (in-depth) interviews were conducted with marketing practitioners.  The goal of the interviews was to come to a more complete understanding of the importance of respect, its definition and dimensionality, its key features, and its role in the success of marketing relationships.  As a result of these seventeen interviews, a preliminary model of respect was developed.  In the second study, five additional marketing practitioners were interviewed in order to gain feedback on the proposed model of respect.  Study 3 was aimed at developing a measure of respect to be included in later model testing; a key activity in this phase was an expert analysis of respect items.  This research culminated in study 4, where the model of respect was tested via an experiment involving 114 business and marketing practitioners.

abstract: PhD


contributor:
Hanson, Elizabeth
English

subject:
English Literature
Early Modern Literature
Education
Public Sphere
Vernacular Education
Logic and Rhetoric Manuals

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-30 15:56:30.455

abstract: Imagining Public Education in Early Modern England argues that the Tudor vernacular logic and rhetoric manuals participate in the development of early modern publicity.  Although the seventeen extant manuals have a diverse set of social appeals, some of them imagine education as a concern of the many rather than the few, even if their conceptions of the “many” were far from universal.  In the process of imagining a greater social participation in education, the Tudor manuals may have contributed to the ideological function of publicity as a veneer of universal accessibility over a reality involving many degrees of accessibility.  In other words, at the same time that these writers were imagining a larger social function for education, they were also participating in the overall conceptual emergence of publicity itself.  Chapter One examines the manuals aimed most clearly at producing social distinction.  While recent studies have argued that these manuals either reinforce or subvert the established social order, I argue that they represent the intersection of distinction and publicity.  Writers like Wilson and Puttenham engage with social distinction and reproduction in the forum of vernacular print not to subvert the social order but to continue these practices in a newly public way.  Chapter Two focuses on the manuals which address both a professional and a public readership.  These manuals contrast the social limitations of the university with the publicity of vernacular print in an allied appeal to both professional application and to the tradition of common knowledge.  Chapter Three examines the two manuals with the broadest social appeals.  While these authors envision strikingly inclusive ideas for education, they base their ideas of accessibility on the problematic principles of a national language and commodifed discourse.  Chapter Four continues to explore the idea of public education but with a focus on the examples of Francis Bacon’s The Advancement of Learning and the statutes of London’s Gresham College.  Contrary to the Habermasian school of public sphere theory, which allows only an impoverished notion of early modern publicity, the Tudor vernacular manuals indicate a lively and burgeoning discourse surrounding the imagination of public education.

abstract: PhD


title: Microstructure-Mechanical Properties Relations in Pressureless Sintered SiC-TiB2 Composite Ceramics

contributor:
Krstic, Vladimir
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

format:
53468599 bytes
application/pdf

subject: SiC TiB2 composite pressureless in-situ

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-30 23:04:32.565

abstract:
Abstract

Densification and mechanical properties (hardness, fracture toughness and flexural strength) of the SiC-TiB2 composite were studied. Pressureless sintering experiments were carried out on samples containing 0 to 50 vol % of TiB2 created by an in-situ reaction between TiO2 and C:
2TiO2 + B4C + 3C 2TiB2 + 4CO
Al2O3 and Y2O3 were used as sintering additives to create a liquid phase and promote densification at sintering temperatures ranging from 1820 to 1940oC. The sintered samples were subsequently heat-treated at temperatures ranging from 1850 to 1970oC
	It was found that the presence of TiB2 formed by the above reaction serves as an effective obstacle to crack propagation thus increasing both the strength and fracture toughness of SiC while maintaining high a hardness of the sintered samples. Densities higher than 98 % TD were achieved depending on both the sintering temperature and heat treatment conditions. From a density viewpoint, the optimum volume fraction of TiB2 was from 12 to 24 vol %. Typical microstructures for samples with this volume fraction of TiB2 consist of TiB2 particles (< 5m) uniformly dispersed in a matrix of elongated SiC plates. The presence of TiB2 particles in the matrix of SiC inhibited exaggerated grain growth of the SiC grains and activated additional toughening mechanisms. The subsequent heat treatment of the sintered samples improved mechanical properties. The optimum sintering and heat treatment temperatures were 1940 and 1970oC, respectively. The maximum flexural strength of 593 MPa was obtained in sample with 12 vol % TiB2. A maximum fracture toughness of 6.6 MPa•m1/2 was measured in samples containing 24 vol % TiB2. While both fracture toughness and strength increased with the presence of TiB2 particles, hardness on the other hand decreased from ~18 GPa in samples without TiB2 to 16.4 and 15.9 GPa in samples with 12 and 24 vol % TiB2, respectively. A theoretical analysis was conducted to model the effect of microstructure on the fracture toughness of SiC-TiB2 composites and was experimentally verified.

abstract: PhD


title: Multiple Lineup Identification Procedure: Utility with Face-Only Lineups

contributor:
Lindsay, Roderick C. L.
Psychology

format:
807166 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Lineups
Multiple identifications

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-01 16:22:03.154

abstract: Pryke, Lindsay, Dysart, and Dupuis (2004) investigated a novel method of lineup administration where participants made identifications from multiple lineups showing faces and bodies or playing recorded voices. Identifications from these multiple lineups was diagnostic of guilt; that is, the more lineups a person was selected from the more likely it was that the selected person was actually seen by the witness (as opposed to an innocent suspect; Pryke et al., 2004). The current studies expanded on this procedure and assessed how well the multiple lineup method works when each of the lineups for a target show faces of the same lineup members, with each lineup showing the members facing one of three angles. In Experiment 1, participants (n = 72) saw the targets in the same three views that were shown in the lineups and were asked to make lineup decisions for each of the three lineups. In Experiment 2, participants (n = 96) saw the targets in only one view, which did not always match the views seen in the lineups. Again, participants made lineup decisions for each of the three lineups. For both studies, when the data were collapsed across targets, the procedure was diagnostic in that more selections were associated with a higher probability of guilt (operationalized as being the previously seen target). However, the effectiveness of the procedure varied across targets such that in some cases multiple selections were no more diagnostic of guilt than single selections. Pryke et al., (2004) reported that multiple identifications were highly diagnostic of guilt but relatively rare. In the current studies, most participants made multiple identifications of the targets, probably because all of the lineups used photos of faces. Results for assessments of confidence-accuracy and advantages for certain lineup angles were generally mixed and often differed between the two studies. In all, the most pertinent assessments of utility (diagnosticity and percentage of participants making multiple identifications) showed promise for using multiple lineups of faces.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The School as a Setting to Promote Student Health

contributor:
Klinger, Don A.
Education

format:
711598 bytes
application/pdf

subject: Adolescents

subject: Health

subject: Wellbeing

subject: School

subject: Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study

subject: Social Ecological Settings

subject: Health Promoting School

subject: Multilevel

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-05 13:45:06.342

abstract:
The Health Promoting School (HPS) is s a model that advances both the health and learning needs of students. Yet there is a lack of consensus on student indicators that reflect a HPS or a coherent understanding of what a HPS represents amongst various stakeholders. The goal of this research was to establish indicators of student health and wellbeing associated with policies and practices in schools, and to further our understanding of health promoting schools. The research proceeded in three phases. The first phase established a relationship between student health and academic achievement. The second phase examined the associations amongst student health and wellbeing and student and school-level factors. The third phase involved case studies of two schools in Ontario to examine the organisational and structural elements associated with achieving a HPS, and the mechanisms by which these elements support student health and wellbeing.
The association between students’ self-rated health and their academic achievement found in the first phase provides a platform for advancing the health promoting school agenda in Canada at the research and policy levels. Subsequent findings established an association between the environment and disciplinary climate in schools, and the school’s academic and socioeconomic standing to student health and wellbeing outcomes. These findings also suggest overlapping effects of schools and neighbourhoods on students’ health and wellbeing, implying that school health promoting efforts will be more successful when partnered with efforts within neighbourhoods and communities. Finally, the case studies suggest that embracing a HPS philosophy that addresses students’ emotional and physical wellbeing may help support students’ overall learning. Findings, presented in an implementation model of a HPS, emphasise key action areas that need to be addressed when implementing HPS initiatives and enhancing the capability of the education system to improve the health and learning of students.

abstract: PhD


title: Le Devoir de violence de Yambo Ouologuem: Une lecture intertextuelle

contributor:
Kaminskas, Jurate
Semujanga, Josias
French

format:
1171220 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
African Literature
Yambo Ouologuem
Postmodern Movement
Literary Criticism
Intertextuality

abstract: Thesis (Master, French) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-06 17:23:10.38

abstract:
Bound to violence (1968) is the first novel written by the Malian author Yambo Ouologuem. Winner of the Renaudot Award (November 1968), the novel was pulled from bookstore shelves by the French editor in the early 1970’s, following the accusations of plagiarism, which never went to trial. When the French text is reprinted in 2003, it is presented as an attempt to rehabilitate its reputation to the francophone public.
Our study analyzes the intertextual practices, of which plagiarism is a major constituent, that are the foundation of the innovative narrative process of Bound to violence. The author appropriates the texts of the occidental novel as well as of the Bible, which various theories of intertextuality allow to identify. Similarly, the paratext of Bound to violence, which categorizes it as a novel, permits the blending of different discourses of that period in a mixture of narratives and genres. The novel presents “fixed” discourses such as the story of Hamitic Myth, ideological discourses about blackness and colonialism but also discourse about society, particularly History. The intertextual and hypertextual practices allow a fusion of narratives and genres which defines the novel’s originality. This study goes beyond a simple listing of the literary texts which are part of Bound to violence and examines the elaboration of an intertextual link between Bound to violence and other literary texts, as well as their function in the newly created novel.

abstract: M.A.


title: Mapping and Antagonizing the Interaction Between Phosphodiesterase 3B and Exchange Protein Activated by cAMP-1 Elucidates Their Roles in Endothelial Cell Adhesion

contributor:
Maurice, Donald H.
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

format:
1750754 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Phosphodiesterase 3B
EPAC
Endothelial Cells
cAMP Signalling
SPOT Synthesis Technology
Adhesion

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-06 19:07:12.01

abstract: The ubiquitous second messenger cAMP acts to integrate and translate information encoded by extracellular messenger molecules, including hormones and neurotransmitters. Intracellular cAMP concentrations are regulated through coordinated changes in the activities of adenylyl cyclases (ACs) and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs).  Freely diffusing cAMP can reach concentrations sufficient to activate cAMP effector proteins, such as protein kinase A (PKA) or the exchange protein activated by cAMP (EPAC), except in defined compartments where PDEs are localized which allows for spatial and temporal control of the cAMP signal. In human aortic vascular endothelial cells (HAECs) and HEK293T cells we recently identified a macromolecular complex consisting of PDE3B and EPAC and showed that this complex coordinated cAMP-induced effects on adhesion of these cells to fibronectin-coated surfaces. Using “pull-down” assays and peptide array-based approaches we have identified the molecular determinants which coordinate the formation of this complex. Our evidence suggests that the extreme N-terminal 13 amino acids of PDE3B represent the portion of PDE3B that interacts with EPAC. In addition, although several EPAC-encoded peptides were shown to bind PDE3B, immunoprecipitation-based studies identified a region proximal to the cAMP-binding domains as likely to have a dominant role in this binding. Of functional relevance, a cell permeable peptide containing these amino-terminal 13 amino acids of PDE3B antagonizes PDE3B-EPAC interactions in cells. In addition, this peptide impacted the ability of cAMP-elevating agents to coordinate EPAC-dependent cell adhesions.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Sexual Responses in the Human Spinal Cord

contributor:
Stroman, Patrick W.
Neuroscience Studies

format:
1956772 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
spinal cord
sexual function
human
fMRI

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-06 21:26:15.011

abstract: Altered sexual function is one of the most devastating consequences of spinal cord trauma (SCT). Despite this fact, current knowledge of the neural circuitry regulating sexual response in the spinal cord (SC) in healthy humans is remarkably incomplete. In order to better understand the changes that occur to sexual responses following SCT, we must elucidate the neural transmission of sexual function in healthy humans. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques to map neuronal function have been adapted for the SC and can now reveal this neural circuitry. We mapped, with spinal fMRI, neuronal activity in the lower thoracic, lumbar and sacral SC in healthy men (n = 10) and women (n = 9) that occurs in response to intermittent audiovisual stimulation (AVS), intermittent genital self-stimulation (GSS) and the combination of the former and latter, applied continuously and simultaneously until orgasm (AVGSS). MR images revealed predominantly increased signal intensity changes (ΔS+) in the autonomic preganglionic nuclei of the lower thoracic, lumbar and sacral SC in women and mostly decreased signal intensity changes (ΔS-) in comparable regions in men. In functional MR images, ΔS+ are related to increased neuronal input while ΔS- are associated with diminished neuronal input to a particular region. Linear regression analyses uncovered a greater number of inverse correlations between SC ΔS and scores of sexual function in women than in men indicating greater descending modulation of SC circuits regulating sexual responses in women than in men. Taken together, our results demonstrate that spinal fMRI is an effective and sensitive technique that can reveal signal intensity changes in the lower thoracic, lumbar and sacral SC associated with AVS, GSS and AVGSS in healthy men and women.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Effect of Training on Haptic Classification of Facial Expressions of Emotion in 2D Displays by Sighted and Blind Observers

contributor:
Lederman, Susan
Neuroscience Studies

format:
691379 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Haptics
Face Perception
Blindness
Learning
Facial expressions of emotion
2D raised-line drawings

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-23 12:04:41.133

abstract:
Abstract

The current study evaluated the effects of training on the haptic classification of culturally universal facial expressions of emotion as depicted in simple 2D raised-line drawings. Blindfolded sighted (N = 60) and blind (N = 4) participants participated in Experiments 1 and 3, respectively. A small vision control study (N = 12) was also conducted (Experiment 2) to compare haptic versus visual learning patterns. A hybrid learning paradigm consisting of pre/post- and old/new-training procedures was used to address the nature of the underlying learning process in terms of token-specific learning and/or generalization. During the Pre-Training phase, participants were tested on their ability to classify facial expressions of emotion using the set with which they would be subsequently trained.  During the Post-Training phase, they were tested with the training set (Old) intermixed with a completely novel set (New). For sighted observers, visual classification was more accurate than haptic classification; in addition, two of the three adventitiously blind individuals tended to be at least as accurate as the sighted haptic group. All three groups showed similar learning patterns across the learning stages of the experiment: accuracy improved substantially with training; however, while classification accuracy for the Old set remained high during the Post-Training test stage, learning effects for novel (New) drawings were reduced, if present at all. These results imply that learning by the sighted was largely token-specific for both haptic and visual classification. Additional results from a limited number of blind subjects tentatively suggest that the accuracy with which facial expressions of emotion are classified is not impaired when visual loss occurs later in life.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Effect of Wall and Backfill Soil Deterioration on Corrugated Metal Culvert Stability

contributor:
Moore, Ian D.
Civil Engineering

format:
6177226 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Metal Culverts
Finite Element

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-08 12:56:13.218

abstract:
Ministries and departments of transportation are working to undertake assessments of deteriorated metal culverts. To assist with these assessments by developing rational methods of classifying culverts, to select those requiring replacement or repair, the current thesis studied the effects of metal corrosion and backfill erosion on culvert stability. Finite element calculations were used to explain how stability is jeopardized by two forms of deterioration, both material failure (yield in the steel) and geometrical nonlinearity (bucking failure). The stability assessments are presented for structures designed using limit states design procedures in the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code and the LRFD Bridge Design Code of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

It was found that yield in culverts in intact ground is proportional to plate thickness (thrust and moment are not affected). Buckling strength changes as corrosion occurs, but does not become critical in structures supported by good quality backfill (without erosion). Surprisingly, thrusts decrease when erosion develops adjacent to the culvert, and this implies that factor of safety against yield is increased. However, substantial decreases in buckling strength occur, and elastic instability can then become the critical performance limit after erosion.

Three dimensional finite element analysis indicates that local buckling can develop before global buckling, for new structures featuring thin plates, or for thicker structures after corrosion. This form of elastic instability may not be safely estimated using current culvert buckling equations which consider global buckling.

Local buckling results were not effectively estimated using the Bryn’s equation (the conventional method used for stiffened plate structures); therefore a preliminary design equation for assessment of local buckling is provided.

After verifying the results obtained from this thesis with physical experiments, these findings can provide practitioners with useful evaluation tools for a quantitative assessment to the stability of buried culverts subjected to these two different kinds of deterioration (corrosion and erosion) in order to augment engineering experience or judgment, which is the primary tool currently being used. Moreover, the current study helps future experimental and numerical studies by investigating various significant deterioration scenarios, and the impacts of these scenarios.

abstract: PhD


title: Improving Protein Solubility via Directed Evolution

contributor:
Zechel, L. David
Chemistry

format:
5303330 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Directed Evolution
Protein Solubility

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-09 12:26:03.353

abstract: A major hurdle facing in vitro protein characterization is obtaining soluble protein from targets that tend to aggregate and form insoluble inclusion bodies.  Soluble protein is essential for any biophysical data collection and new methods are needed to approach this significant problem.  Directed evolution can be used to discover mutations which lead to improved solubility using an appropriate screening method.  Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has been shown to be an effective solubility reporter which can be used to screen for soluble protein variants.  We have chosen three diverse enzymes as targets for improving protein solubility using this technique:  arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase—an enzyme which converts fatty acids into leukotrienes, PhnG—an  enzyme belonging to the bacterial carbon-phosphorus lyase pathway, and RebG—a glycosyltransferase.  Error-prone PCR and DNA shuffling were used to generate libraries of mutants which were subsequently cloned into a GFP-fusion screening vector.  From the evolution of 5LO and RebG, much was learned about the optimization of the protocols involved in this methodology, including valuable information about how to avoid common “false-positive” results in which fluorescent colonies arise while screening but do not represent an improvement of the target.  Evolution of these two targets did not result in an improvement of solubility, however truncation strategies may still prove to be effective, and more work needs to be done in this area. Evolution of PhnG successfully produced one variant, named clone B6, which showed both an improvement in expression and folding over wild type PhnG.  It was also discovered that GFPuv can act as an effective solubility enhancing fusion tag for PhnG.  Prior to the current studies PhnG had not been effectively expressed and purified in E. coli , however purification and refolding of resolubilized inclusion bodies of the clone B6 PhnG-GFP fusion construct was shown to yield enough soluble protein for future crystallographic studies.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Dysfunctional Muscle Blood Flow Regulation During Exercise in Type 2 Diabetes

contributor:
Tschakovsky, Michael E.
Kinesiology and Health Studies

format:
2803383 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Type 2 Diabetes
Blood Flow
Exercise
Oxygen Uptake

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-09 17:52:31.708

abstract: There is some evidence to suggest that oxygen consumption (VO2) and oxygen delivery to muscle are reduced at exercise onset and steady state in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D), although no studies have combined measurements of both muscle blood flow and VO2 during exercise in this population. OBJECTIVES: 1) To determine whether a reduction in VO2 during exercise would be accompanied by reduced leg blood flow (LBF). 2) To examine the dynamic response characteristics of LBF to determine whether feedforward and/or feedback control systems of blood flow regulation are impaired. METHODS: Four men with T2D and six healthy, activity matched controls (CON) performed supine, two-leg knee extension/flexion exercise tests involving progressive increase in exercise intensity to exhaustion and step increases to a low intensity equivalent to lifting 7.5 kg (LO7.5kg), and a moderate intensity equivalent to 90% of ventilatory threshold (VT90%). MEASUREMENTS: LBF, VO2, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and stroke volume were measured continuously. RESULTS: Means ± SE, CON vs. T2D. 1) ∆VO2 was not different between groups during the incremental test (P= 0.264), ∆LBF in T2D tended to be lower (P = 0.098). 2) ∆VO2 was not different between groups at any time during LO7.5kg (P = 0.351). Individuals with T2D demonstrated a lower ∆LBF at time = 15 s (3435.6 ± 275.0 vs. 2120.4 ± 218.4 ml/min, P = 0.018). 3) Gains for baseline (G0) and phase I (G1) LBF adaptation to LO7.5kg were lower in T2D compared to CON (G0: 959.8 ± 111.3 vs. 617.0 ± 22.1 ml/min, P = 0.044; G1: 3662.1 ± 229.0 vs. 2128.1 ± 161.6 ml/min, P = 0.002). 4) The time required to achieve 63% of the total response magnitude tended to be slower in T2D (LO7.5kg: 14.3 ± 1.7 vs. 23.1 ± 4.2 s; VT90%: 26.2 ± 3.5 vs. 40.0 ± 7.5 s; P = 0.095). CONCLUSIONS: 1) The initiatory rise in LBF is significantly lower in individuals with T2D, likely due to impairments in feedforward control mechanisms of blood flow regulation, 2) Individuals with T2D do not demonstrate lower VO2 responses to exercise despite an impaired LBF response.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Cationic Rhodium-Catalyzed Hydroboration: Investigations into Electronic and Ligand Effects; Lewis-Acid Reaction Acceleration and Regioselectivity Change

contributor:
Crudden, Cathleen M.
Chemistry

format:
2197738 bytes
application/pdf

subject: Chemistry Hydroboration

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-12 20:56:41.263

abstract:
Mechanistic aspects of the asymmetric rhodium catalyzed hydroboration of vinyl
arenes with catecholborane (HBCat) and pinacolborane (HBPin) have been probed.
Competition studies conducted with catalysts bearing asymmetric ligands Josiphos or Quinap
reveal substituent effects of varying sensitivity correlating to Hammett parameter sigma. In
reactions involving the Quinap ligand, rho-values of +1.97 and +1.02 are observed for
HBCat and HBPin, respectively. In Josiphos-ligated systems, rho-values of +1.38 and -3.17
are observed, indicating that the reaction proceeds through differing mechanisms depending
on the borane employed. Labeling experiments reveal differences in the reversibility of the
hydride insertion step of reaction depending on the ligand and borane implemented in
hydroboration.
A new methodology has been developed for regioselective rhodium-catalyzed
hydroboration of internal olefins with pinacolborane. The addition of co-catalytic Lewis
acids results in the activation of cationic rhodium catalysts in chlorinated solvents. Increased
catalytic activity and regioselectivity are observed under these conditions. For internal alkyl
olefins, selectivity for non-isomerized secondary boronate esters was found originate from
the non-coordinating solvents employed in the reaction. For aromatic olefins, increased
regioselectivity and reaction acceleration are both effects of the Lewis acid additive. Study
of the reaction revealed that these properties are linked to Lewis acid-base mediated
heterolytic B-H bond cleavage of pinacolborane, and suggests that the reagent is transferred
to the rhodium catalyst as borenium ion and hydride moieties. Inhibition studies confirmed
that Lewis acid is required throughout the reaction and does not solely act as an initiator.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Workspace Generation for Wire-Actuated Parallel Manipulators

contributor:
Notash, Leila
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

format:
2986840 bytes
application/pdf

subject: Robotics Manipulator Workspace Wire-Actuated

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-14 09:02:25.562

abstract:
This thesis focuses on the methods and results of the workspace formulation of wire-actuated parallel manipulators. Four methods of workspace generation are studied. The null space method, based on the calculation of wire tensions, is used to formulate the workspaces of example manipulators. The results of this method are used to verify the results of the following methods.
This thesis presents that the convex hull workspace formulation method, a geometric analysis of the manipulator’s Jacobian matrix, can be extended to manipulators that have an external wrench and/or gravity applied to the mobile platform. The convex hull method is applied to the example manipulators investigated with the null space method.
 The workspace envelope characterization, an analytical approach of defining the borders of the workspace using the formulation of the kernel of the manipulator’s Jacobian matrix, is applied to the example planar manipulators investigated with the previous methods. A new process, presented in this thesis, of identifying the contribution of each set of four wires/forces of a planar manipulator allows the workspace envelope characterization to be applied to redundant planar manipulators and planar manipulators that have an external wrench and/or gravity applied to the mobile platform.
The discrete and analytical antipodal methods, based on theorems from multi-fingered grasping manipulators, are presented and applied to the example planar manipulators investigated with the previous methods. This research generalizes the use of these theorems, which determine wrench-closure poses of planar four-wire manipulators that share wire-connection points on the base or mobile platform, to the discrete and analytical workspace formulation of planar three-degree-of-freedom wire-actuated manipulators with no restrictions on the number of wires or the configuration of the manipulator.
Comparing all methods investigated in this thesis, the null space method results in the workspace that takes into account the maximum and minimum wire tensions and is recommended for use in the design of both spatial and planar wire-actuated parallel manipulators. All the other methods presented in this thesis, have similar results when compared to the null space method but formulate the maximum workspace which assumes the wires can operate with very high to infinite wire tension.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Becoming "Subjects" of the Visa Regime: How the Ban-opticon of the Canadian Visa System Affects Chinese Applicants

contributor:
Lyon, David
Sociology

format:
1073778 bytes
application/pdf

subject: Foucault Immigration Visa China

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-15 09:56:48.306

abstract: This thesis examines the visa mechanism deployed by governments on state borders. I take the Canadian temporary residence visa system experienced by Chinese applicants as my working example. Though the visa system is generally regarded as something essential and efficient for border control, I argue that it only gains its power to judge people’s admissibility from the government’s routinized authority and deemed expertise to deploy the border control mechanisms. The visa system is a realm where governments practise their power on the bordering population and visa applicants are made into subjects of the visa regime. Didier Bigo’s (2005) model of ban-opticon is used as my theoretical model to analyze the Canadian temporary resident visa system in this thesis. Mirroring Bigo’s description of the ban-opticon, I first analyze how the legitimacy of visa system is constructed by the discourse of in-securitization of migration, which, by rendering the migrating population inherently dangerous to the sovereign states, legitimates and necessitates the deployment of border control mechanisms. Also, I argue that the legislation surrounding the Canadian temporary resident visa system not only regulates the operational procedure, but also naturalizes the Canadian government’s expertise in selecting admissible people. Lastly, from the Canadian visa application experience of 9 Chinese applicants, I analyze how the applicants’ admissibility is decided by the visa officers based on their interpretation of the applicants’ identity documents and prediction of the applicants’ future behaviour. Though some means of negotiation are embedded in the mechanism, their existence actually proves that the evaluation system itself is not determinate. As I conclude, the discourse of in-securitization of migration, the related legislation of the visa system, as well as the real-life practices in the process, as the three elements of the ban-opticon on the border, are all at play in the visa regime, jointly making visa applicants into subjects of the government’s power practice on the border.

abstract: M.A.


title: Soaring Eagle: Prestige and American Empire, 1998-2003

contributor:
Pentland, Charles
Haglund, David G.
Political Studies

subject:
International Relations
US Foreign Policy

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Political Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-20 16:05:12.443

abstract:
What are the causes of the US foreign policy of imperial expansion between 1998 and 2003?
US foreign policy in this timeframe is distinctive by its unilateralism and use of force compared to previous instances of American expansion as well as to its political line in the early 1990s. Hence, the thesis conducts an inquiry into the reasons for this transformation in American foreign policy. By contrast to the existing literature on American foreign policy, the thesis argues for an alternative hypothesis in terms of prestige-seeking on the part of the US. Despite its advantage in capabilities, the US found itself constantly unable to translate its preferences into successful outcomes in the 1990s. This discrepancy eventually created the conditions for status inconsistency, i.e. the gap between the social ranks an actor occupies in multiple social hierarchies. An actor experiencing status inconsistency will attempt to balance ranks so as to achieve eventual superiority under all hierarchies. In world politics, prestige is a function of social ranking or status, which is itself conferred according to three dimensions: military capabilities, economic capabilities, and political performance—the ability of successfully translating one’s preferences into successful outcomes. It in this latter respect that the US felt it was particularly deficient in the aftermath of the Cold War, hence the need to conserve and enhance American prestige so as to match America’s pretensions of world leadership. Accordingly, the thesis examines in detail how the pursuit of prestige affected American foreign policy   in the contexts of rejection of the ABM and the ICC treaties, the use of force without a UN Security Council authorization the bombing of Yugoslavia over Kosovo, and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The thesis concludes that prestige represents a significant and enduring influence over states’ foreign policy conduct due to status inconsistency. Furthermore, the recent American policy of imperial expansion from 1998 to 2003 under the presidencies of Clinton and George W. Bush is likely to be a harbinger of things to follow, because the circumstances favoring status inconsistency and the consequent policy of prestige are still present.

abstract: PhD


title: Improvement of Speckle-Tracked Freehand 3-D Ultrasound Through the Use of Sensor Fusion

contributor:
Abolmaesumi, Purang
Mousavi, Parvin
Electrical and Computer Engineering

format:
3438152 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
ultrasound
speckle tracking
sensor fusion

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-19 00:10:25.717

abstract:
Freehand 3-D ultrasound (US) using a 2-D US probe has the advantage over conventional 3-D probes of being able to collect arbitrary 3-D volumes at a lower cost. Traditionally, generating a volume requires external tracking to record the US probe position. An alternative means of tracking the US probe position is through speckle tracking. Ultrasound imaging has the advantage that the speckle inherent in all images contains relative position information due to the decorrelation of speckle over distance. However, tracking the position of US images using speckle information alone suffers from drifts caused by tissue inconsistencies and overall lack of accuracy.

This thesis presents two novel methods of improving the accuracy of speckle-tracked 3-D US through the use of sensor fusion. The first method fuses the speckle-tracked US positions with those measured by an electromagnetic (EM) tracker. Measurements are combined using an unscented Kalman filter (UKF). The fusion is able to reduce drift errors as well as to eliminate high-frequency jitter noise from the EM tracker positions. Such fusion produces a smooth and accurate 3-D reconstruction superior to those using the EM tracker alone.

The second method involves the registration of speckle-tracked 3-D US volumes to preoperative CT volumes. We regard registration combined with speckle tracking as a form of sensor fusion. In this case, speckle tracking is used in the registration to generate an initial position for each US image. To improve the accuracy of the US-to-CT registration, the US volume is registered to the CT volume by creating individual US "sub-volumes", each consisting of a small section of the entire US volume. The registration proceeds from the beginning of the US volume to the end, registering every sub-volume. The work is validated through spine phantoms created from clinical patient CT data as well as an animal study using a lamb cadaver. Using this technique, we are able to successfully register a speckle-tracked US volume to a CT volume with excellent accuracy. As a by-product of accurate registration, any drift from the speckle tracking is eliminated and the freehand 3-D US volume is improved.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Wavelength-Preserving Polarization-Insensitive All-Optical 3R Regenerator Based on Self- and Cross-Phase Modulation and Offset Filtering Utilizing Raman Amplification

contributor:
Cartledge, John C.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

format:
3818044 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
All-Optical Regeneration
Nonlinear Optical Signal Processing
Kerr Effect

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-19 14:11:53.826

abstract: Optical regeneration has the potential to significantly increase the reach of long-haul transmission systems. In this thesis, wavelength-preserving polarization-insensitive all-optical 3R regeneration is investigated and demonstrated for 10 and 40 Gb/s signals. The all-optical regenerator utilizes a self-pulsating laser for clock recovery, cross-phase modulation (XPM) based spectral broadening in a highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) and offset filtering for retiming, and self-phase modulation based spectral broadening in a HNLF and offset filtering for reshaping. Raman amplification is used to increase the XPM-based spectral broadening and thus allow a design that meets the tradeoffs involved in simultaneously achieving good retiming and reshaping performance. The regenerator is shown to reduce amplitude noise and timing jitter while not causing a BER penalty.  To fully validate the regeneration scheme, the cascadability is demonstrated using a recirculating loop. For a 10 Gb/s signal, with a regenerator spacing of 240 km, a return-to-zero, on-off-keyed (RZ-OOK) signal was transmitted over 18,000 km (75 loops) with a power penalty of 1.6 dB at a BER of 1E-9 compared to the back-to-back case.  For a 40 Gb/s signal, with a regenerator spacing of 80 km, a RZ-OOK signal was transmitted over 8,000 km (100 loops) with a power penalty of 1.2 dB. In addition, all-optical 3R regeneration is demonstrated using a multimode quantum-dot Fabry Petot laser with ultra-low timing jitter.

abstract: PhD


title: Cardiac hypertrophy and expression of the natriuretic peptide system in genetic models of heme oxygenase-1

contributor:
Pang, Stephen C.
Anatomy and Cell Biology

format:
1259312 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
cardiac hypertrophy
heme oxygenase
natriuretic peptides

abstract: Thesis (Master, Anatomy & Cell Biology) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-20 09:15:20.541

abstract: Objective: Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been well established as a cytoprotective molecule, and has been shown to exert cardioprotective effects in both hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. However, the precise mechanism of the cardioprotective effect of HO-1 has yet to be fully elucidated. The natriuretic peptide system (NPS) is also a key player in cardiovascular homeostasis and tissue dynamics, and has also been shown to be cardioprotective in a variety of pathologic conditions. This study examined the effect of high dietary salt treatment in genetic models of HO-1, and assessed the expression of the NPS in the left ventricle (LV), in order to gain insight into the relationship between varying levels of HO-1 expression with the development of cardiac hypertrophy and the expression of the NPS. Methods: Age-matched 12-week old male HO-1 knockout (HO-1-/-) and HO-1 cardiomyocyte-specific transgenic overexpressing (HO-1Tg) mice were treated with either normal salt (NS; 0.8%) or high salt (HS; 8.0%) chow for 5 weeks. LV mRNA expression was determined using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Results: HO-1-/- mice fed HS diet had significantly higher left ventricle-to-body weight ratio (LV/BW) compared to HO-1+/+ mice fed NS diet. HO-1-/- mice had significantly reduced expression of the NPS compared to controls, and these mice did not exhibit a salt-induced increase in ANP expression. HS treatment had no effect on LV/BW in HO-1Tg mice compared to controls. HO-1Tg mice had significantly higher ANP and BNP expression compared to controls. Conclusions: The presence of HO-1 is required for normal salt-induced changes in the local cardiac NPS. HO-1 ablation resulted in significantly lower mRNA expression of the NPS, whereas HO-1 overexpression resulted in higher mRNA expression of the NPS. These data indicate that the detrimental effect of reduced HO-1 expression and the cardioprotective effect of increased HO-1 expression may be due, in part, to altered expression of the NPS.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Developmental Origins of Cardiovascular Disease: Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Gene Disrupted Mice as a Model of Gestational Hypertension

subject:
Cardiac Hypertrophy
Natriuretic Peptides
Hypertension
Developmental Origins

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Anatomy & Cell Biology) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-18 16:12:01.147

abstract: Introduction: Developmental origins of disease refers to the theory that adverse maternal environments influence fetal development and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adulthood. To test the hypothesis that gestational hypertension influences the development of CVD in offspring, a novel experimental paradigm was developed using atrial natriuretic peptide gene disrupted mice (ANP-/-). The objective of this thesis was to determine the effect of gestational hypertension on cardio-renal function in offspring. Methods: ANP+/+ females were crossed with ANP-/- males (yielding ANP+/-WT offspring) and ANP-/- females with ANP+/+ males (yielding ANP+/-KO offspring). Previous work has established that ANP-/- dams are hypertensive during pregnancy. Offspring gene expression was measured using qPCR. Offspring arterial blood pressure (BP) was measured with a non-invasive tail cuff system. Offspring left ventricular (LV) function was examined using echocardiography (ECHO). Offspring were treated with normal salt (NS) or high salt (HS) chow for five weeks to assess salt-sensitivity. Daily injections of isoproterenol (ISO) were used to induce cardiac stress in offspring. Collagen deposition was assessed using Masson’s trichrome and picrosirius red staining. Results: Absence of maternal ANP had no effect on either litter size or offspring growth, but caused significant LV hypertrophy in offspring, with no change in LV function. Treatment with ISO resulted in myocardial fibrosis and significant LV diastolic dysfunction with a restrictive filling pattern (increased E/A ratio and E/e’) only in ANP+/-KO offspring. Furthermore, absence of maternal ANP was associated with salt-resistant BP in offspring. Conclusions:  Gestational hypertension using the ANP-/- mouse model results in a salt-resistant phenotype in offspring, as well as significant cardiac hypertrophy and an adverse response to activation of the sympathetic nervous system in adult offspring. These data suggest that adverse maternal environments may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in offspring later in life.

abstract: Awaiting publication of manuscripts.

abstract: PhD


title: Anthropogenic Impacts on Sensitive Fractured Bedrock Aquifers

contributor:
Novakowski, Kent S.
Civil Engineering

format:
2924978 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Groundwater
Fractured Bedrock
Agriculture
PBDEs
Tracer Experiment
Source Water Protection

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-25 21:37:21.418

abstract: Groundwater is an important water resource that must be protected from potential contamination due to anthropogenic activities such as industrial production and agriculture. It is necessary to understand the presence, movement, and persistence of contaminants in aquifers to develop adequate protection plans. Fractured bedrock aquifers with thin overburden cover are very sensitive to contamination, and little is known about transport processes from the ground surface to depth in this setting. Thus, this research was undertaken to improve the understanding of anthropogenic impacts on water quality in a natural fractured bedrock aquifer with minimal overburden protection. This was accomplished through a field-based investigation conducted in an agricultural setting near Perth, Ontario, Canada. The temporal and spatial variations of several contaminants and indicators (including nitrate, E. coli and polybrominated diphenyl ethers) were examined. A unique infiltration tracer experiment was also conducted to simulate the transport of solutes from the ground surface to wells. Results showed that nitrate concentrations were consistent on a daily scale, but varied monthly. In contrast to nitrate, greater bacterial (E. coli) variability was observed daily. E. coli was not identified in some locations for several months. The temporal variability of concentrations is an important consideration for those consuming groundwater in this setting, as concentrations may be acceptable one month while unsuitable another month (or even another day for fecal bacteria). Annual groundwater monitoring will likely not capture maximum concentrations and thus may not protect human health. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants), which had not been previously measured in groundwater, were detected in the study aquifer at concentrations greater than observed in surface water bodies. It is evident that additional surveys of PBDE concentrations in groundwater are warranted. The infiltration tracer experiment showed that solute transport from the ground surface through thin soil to wells in fractured bedrock can be extremely rapid (on the order of hours) although very complex. This is an important consideration for private and municipally owned drinking water systems that draw water from shallow bedrock aquifers. The results of this research demonstrate that protecting water at the source is imperative in order to preserve water quality in sensitive fractured bedrock aquifers with minimal overburden cover.

abstract: PhD


title: The Role of Rapid Eye Movement and Slow Wave Sleep for the Consolidation of Memory in Rats

contributor:
Beninger, Richard J.
Smith, Carlyle T.
Neuroscience Studies

format:
2931108 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Sleep
Memory
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Rat
Spindle
Rapid Eye Movement (REM)
Slow Wave Sleep (SWS)
Theta
Pedunculopontine Nucleus
Deep Mesencephalic Reticular Nucleus
Baclofen
GABA
Learning

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-26 12:07:47.515

abstract: The functions of sleep remain enigmatic. One of the dominant, yet more contentious hypotheses is that sleep is involved in memory consolidation. A large body of evidence supports the role of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in memory consolidation, especially in rodents. In humans, the role of REM sleep in memory consolidation has also been investigated, however it is unclear if it supports only one type of memory, or consolidation for several memory systems. Recent evidence suggests that non-REM is also involved in memory consolidation. The role of theta activity during REM and sleep spindles during non-REM may provide electrophysiological signatures reflecting memory consolidation processes. The studies presented here attempt to further investigate the electrophysiological characteristics of the learning-dependent changes in REM and slow wave sleep (SWS) in rats. A 2-stage model of memory consolidation is outlined here, and both steps of the model were investigated. Consistent with previous studies, REM increases were observed following avoidance training. During this period, theta power during REM sleep was increased compared to non-learning rats. Increased sleep spindle density during SWS was observed following REM increases. When REM sleep was suppressed by infusing the GABAB agonist baclofen into the pedunculopontine nucleus, avoidance performance acquisition was impaired. Baseline sleep spindles predicted whether rats were able to learn to make avoidance responses. Results suggest that both REM and SWS may be sequentially involved in memory consolidation processes. Discrete periods (windows) exist for REM and SWS when memory consolidation processes appear to take place. Theta activity during REM sleep from 17- 20 h on the first post-training day and sleep spindles during SWS from 21-24 h on the first post- training day are increased in learning rats and are related to memory performance.

abstract: PhD


title: Proteomic Analysis of the Superior Mesenteric Ganglion and Liver in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

contributor:
Kawaja, Michael D.
Anatomy and Cell Biology

format:
3646694 bytes
application/pdf

subject: Proteomics Autonomic Neuron Liver

abstract: Thesis (Master, Anatomy & Cell Biology) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-27 10:11:05.052

abstract:
Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) are a well accepted model of primary hypertension.  Among other features common to human hypertension, these rats exhibit sympathetic hyperactivity.  The neurons of the superior mesenteric ganglion (SMG) from SHR display enhanced collateral sprouting, higher firing rates and hyperinnervation of the mesenteric arteries compared to the SMG neurons from age-matched, normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats.  Furthermore, SMG neurons in SHR are exposed to different conditions than are SMG neurons from WKY rats, including enhanced oxidative stress, increased afferent stimulation, and an altered hormonal environment.  In order to identify proteins with potential involvement in the establishment or maintenance of peripheral sympathetic hyperactivity in SHR, we used proteomic techniques to search for differences in protein expression between the SMG of SHR and the SMG of WKY rats at 16 and 22 weeks of age.  We found an upregulation of predominantly fetally expressed T1 domain and haptoglobin and a downregulation of serine protease inhibitor 2.1 in SHR relative to WKY rats at 16 and 22 weeks;  Apolipoprotein-A1 was also found to be upregulated in 22 week SHR SMGs compared to age-matched WKY SMGs.  These identifications improve our understanding of the ganglionic microenvironment in SHR and represent targets for the development of novel therapies to treat primary hypertension.
	Hypertension is one of the defining components of the metabolic syndrome, together with insulin resistance, visceral adiposity and hyperlipidemia.  Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is also a common feature of the metabolic disorder, and thus primary hypertension and NAFLD are common comorbidities.  Despite these clinical connections, very little is known about the effects of primary hypertension on hepatic physiology.  We used proteomic techniques to search for evidence of significant involvement of the liver in SHR phenotype at the molecular level.  We detected changes in the expression of several proteins involved in the regulation of oxidative stress and lipid metabolism which together show that the liver is strongly involved in the pathologies associated with hypertension.  Our results suggest several novel mechanisms for the initiation of oxidative stress in SHR which could contribute to new advances in the treatment of metabolic abnormalities associated with hypertension.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Designing the Head Group of Switchable Surfactants

contributor:
Jessop, Philip G.
Chemistry

format:
9364928 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
emulsion
surfactant
CO2
amidine
guanidine
demulsifier
switchable
enthalpy of protonation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-27 16:56:13.631

abstract: This thesis is an investigation into the development of amidine and guanidine based compounds to be employed as switchable surfactants.  The surface activity of these molecules can be triggered by reaction with a benign gas, CO2.  The ultimate application of these surfactants was to be used as emulsifying and demulsifying agents of crude oil and water emulsions.  Synthesis and characterization of the following desired bases: N’-octyl-N,N-dimethylacetamidine (1), 2-octyl-2-imidazoline (2), 1-methyl-2-octyl-2-imidiazoline (3), N’-(4-heptylphenyl)-N,N-dimethylacetamidine (4), N’-(4-(octyloxy)phenyl)-N,N-dimethylacetamidine (5), N’-(4-(methyloxy)phenyl)-N,N-dimethylacetamidine (6), and N-octyl-N',N',N",N"-tetramethylguanidine (7) was carried out.  Their solubility in water was quantified with NMR spectroscopy.  All bases were reacted with CO2 and H2O to form bicarbonate salts, of which in situ characterization was achieved by IR and NMR spectroscopy. Percent conversion to the protonated forms at elevated temperatures was determined using NMR spectroscopy.  A direct correlation between switchability and basicity was observed, as the strongest bases possessed the largest conversions to the protonated species, even at higher temperatures.  The enthalpy of protonation was determined for each base through calorimetry experiments.  These compounds were tested as demulsifying surfactants of crude oil and water emulsions.  Demulsifying ability was determined to differ greatly with the head group structure of the various surfactants.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Molecular Dynamics Simulations of 2-(4-butyloxyphenyl)-5-octyloxypyrimidine and 5-(4-butyloxyphenyl)-2-octyloxypyrimidine Liquid Crystal Phases

contributor:
Cann, Natalie M.
Chemistry

format:
5561655 bytes
application/pdf

subject: Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Liquid Crystals, Smectogens, Force Field Design, Coarse-grained Model

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-27 20:23:37.89

abstract:
Molecular dynamics simulations of the liquid crystal phases of 2-(4-butyloxyphenyl)-5-octyloxypyrimidine (2PhP) and 5-(4-butyloxyphenyl)-2-octyloxy-pyrimidine (5PhP) are the focus of this thesis. The 2PhP and 5PhP mesogens display different liquid crystalline phase sequences, despite having very similar molecular structures. Specifically, both mesogens consist of aromatic phenyl and pyrimidine cores in between two flexible alkoxy tails, but they differ in the preferred core conformation.
	A multi-site coarse-grained model, in which the aromatic rings are represented by soft quadrupolar ellipsoids and the alkoxy chains are given a united atom representation, is proposed in this thesis. A parameterization route for the intra- and intermolecular potentials appropriate for liquid crystal simulations is developed. The ab initio based derivation of suitable molecular models for the two mesogens is discussed in detail, with particular emphasis on capturing proper phenyl-pyrimidine interactions which proved to be essential to correctly represent core-core interactions between neighboring molecules. A systematic determination of suitable Gay-Berne (GB) parameters has been adopted for the aromatic rings of 2PhP and 5PhP. To account for the pi-electron cloud below and above the ring plane, a quadrupole was added perpendicular to the ring. In the end, four parameterizations for aromatic rings have been selected for the simulations. Model characterization via pair interactions proved to be valuable in identifying and analyzing the short range structure in the phases.
	Extensive molecular dynamics simulations of these fluids at various temperatures are performed. Intermolecular structure and order, in aromatic core and the flexible tail regions, are analyzed. Intermolecular structure is divided into contributions parallel and perpendicular to the layers, as indicated by a layer normal or by a director, to differentiate smectic A (SmA) from smectic C (SmC).  The presence of a ring quadrupole in the molecular model is shown to be essential to the correct reproduction of the experimentally observed phases. Simulations correctly indicate phases in agreement with experiment:  SmC and SmA phases for 2PhP, and only a SmA phase for 5PhP.

abstract: PhD


title: Characterizing the leaf size / number trade-off at different scales

contributor:
Aarssen, Lonnie W.
Biology

format:
2515611 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
plant ecology
leaf traits
size/number trade-off

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-27 21:20:03.509

abstract:
A novel interpretation of leaf mass variation in plants has been recently proposed based on its relationship with variation in leafing intensity – number of leaves produced per unit remaining above-ground dry mass. It is now widely established that between species
variation in these two traits is strongly, negatively (and isometrically) correlated
for woody and herbaceous species. Possible fitness advantages of higher leafing intensity (requiring smaller leaf size) can be interpreted in terms of the greater concentration of axillary meristems (larger ‘bud bank’), which may provide greater potential deployment flexibility for growth or reproduction. However, no research to date has addressed how these two traits are related at different scales, specifically at the between-individual (within-species) level, or between sexes in dioecious species. For the majority of 24 herbaceous angiosperms studied here, between-individual (within species) co-variation in leaf size and leafing intensity displayed as an isometric trade-off. For the few species with allometric trade-offs, plants with smaller body size produced disproportionately
more leaves, indicating a possible mechanism for promoting reproductive economy when
plant size is suppressed (e.g. by competition). For two out of three woody dioecious species, and two out of three herbaceous dioecious species, males tended to produce more, smaller leaves than females, possibly promoting pollen dispersal through a more broadly-spaced floral display (developing from more numerous axillary meristems). In contrast, the larger (but fewer) leaves in females may serve to maximize local photosynthetic resources available for axillary fruit and seed maturation. Males and females did not differ in branching rates associated with differences in leafing intensities, but in one herbaceous species, higher leafing intensity in males was associated with higher flower production than in females. In the larger 24-species data set, there was no
evidence that species with higher leafing intensity (providing more axillary meristems)
was associated with either a greater magnitude or a greater flexibility in branching or flowering intensity. Additional studies are required to explore the possibility that large ‘bud banks’ of axillary meristems (conferred by high leafing intensity) may promote effective mechanisms for tolerating environmental variability, responding to damage (e.g. from herbivory), and/or maximizing reproductive economy.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Using Population Health Surveys to Measure the Use of Services and the Prevalence of Psychiatric and/or Behavioural Conditions in Individuals with an Intellectual Disability

contributor:
Ouellette-Kuntz, Hélène
Hunter, Duncan
Community Health and Epidemiology

format:
1117725 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Epidemiology
Population Health Surveys
Intellectual Disability
Mental Health
Dual Diagnosis

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-28 00:15:54.488

abstract:
Background: Compared to the general population, individuals with intellectual disabilities have a higher prevalence of health problems, including psychiatric and/or behavioural conditions (dual diagnosis). Research suggests that the proportion of persons with intellectual disabilities who have a dual diagnosis ranges from 14% to 64% depending on the population studied and the diagnostic criteria used. However, there is little population-based information in Canada about people with such a dual diagnosis.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric or behavioural conditions among adults with an intellectual disability in Canada, and to estimate the use of mental health services among these individuals.

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of two cross-sectional, population-based surveys (2005 Canadian Community Health Survey: CCHS and 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey: PALS), and the 2008/09 Survey of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in South Eastern Ontario: SAID-SEO. Relevant variables were identified in the surveys to answer the study objectives. Confidence intervals were provided for all estimates and the results were compared within subgroups for each survey, as well as between surveys.

Results: The proportion of Canadian adults with an intellectual disability is 0.2% according to the CCHS and 0.5% according to the PALS. The proportion of individuals with a dual diagnosis was found to be 31% in the CCHS, 44% in the PALS, and 33% in the SAID-SEO. These prevalence estimates fall within the ranges reported in the literature. Lastly, the majority of adults with a dual diagnosis reported using health services in the past year.

Conclusion: According to the three surveys examined (CCHS, PALS, SAID-SEO), psychiatric and behavioural conditions are present in about a third of the individuals with intellectual disabilities, which is in accordance with published literature. However, the estimates of the prevalence of intellectual disabilities in the CCHS and PALS were considerably lower when compared to the literature. Among the surveys, the PALS presented the highest quality of data regarding the population with a dual diagnosis. The surveys found that a majority of individuals with a dual diagnosis access some form of health services at least once a year.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Connections between Climate Policy and Forests in the Western Climate Initiative Cap-and-Trade System

contributor:
Whitelaw, Graham S.
Environmental Studies

format:
3290212 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
climate change
forests
Western Climate Initiative
carbon offsets
cap and trade
climate change policy

abstract: Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-29 22:29:48.499

abstract: The Western Regional Climate Action Initiative (WCI) was signed by the governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, on February 26, 2007. Upon the release of the September 2008 Design Recommendations for the WCI Regional Cap-and-Trade Program, the WCI also included Montana, Utah, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. A WCI goal is to reduce regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 15% below 2005 levels by 2020. It has previously been recognized that the region’s forests can be important carbon sinks and sources, and it has been suggested that the carbon-storage capacity of forests may have economic value. Here, connections between forests and the developing WCI cap-and-trade system design are examined. Qualitative comparative analysis is used to examine characteristics of US states participating in the WCI. Content analysis is used to identify what advocacy groups promote what forest-related WCI cap-and-trade rules. A combination of low per capita GHG emissions, and strong environmental politics, is found to be related to regional climate initiative participation by US states, with important exceptions among WCI participants. Forest industry presence alone does not obviously influence participation. Electric utility and industry groups, including the forestry sector, are found to support an extensive WCI carbon offset system. Forest industry groups are also found to support the carbon neutrality of forest biomass combustion, and oppose regulating forest carbon emissions. Several environmental non-governmental organizations are found to oppose extensive carbon offset use, and oppose the unconditional consideration of biomass combustion as carbon neutral. Forest related aspects of the WCI Design Recommendations of September 2008 are found to largely agree with forest industry advocated policies. Some WCI provisions may provide incentives for forest carbon loss, or weaken the GHG emissions cap. Three recommendations are made: consideration should be given to appropriately discounting forest offset projects to address carbon emissions leakage; forest carbon emissions from land conversion should be accounted for; combustion of forest biomass from old-growth forests should not be considered carbon neutral.

abstract: M.E.S.


title: Trapping Sets in Fountain Codes over Noisy Channels

contributor:
Yousefi, Shahram
Electrical and Computer Engineering

format:
1368616 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
rateless codes
Fountain codes
belief propagation algorithm
trapping sets
Luby Transform (LT) codes
LDGM codes
Raptor codes
early termination methods
stopping criteria
graph codes

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-29 14:33:06.548

abstract:
Fountain codes have demonstrated great results for the binary erasure channel and have already been incorporated into several international standards to recover lost packets at the application layer.  These include multimedia broadcast/multicast sessions and digital video broadcasting on global internet-protocol.  The rateless property of Fountain codes holds great promise for noisy channels. These are more sophisticated mathematical models representing errors on communications links rather than only erasures. The practical implementation of Fountain codes for these channels, however, is hampered by high decoding cost and delay.

    In this work we study trapping sets in Fountain codes over noisy channels and their effect on the decoding process. While trapping sets have received much attention for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, to our knowledge they have never been fully explored for Fountain codes. Our study takes into account the different code structure and the dynamic nature of Fountain codes. We show that 'error-free' trapping sets exist for Fountain codes. When the decoder is caught in an error-free trapping set it actually has the correct message estimate, but is unable to detect this is the case. Thus, the decoding process continues, increasing the decoding cost and delay for naught. The decoding process for rateless codes consists of one or more decoding attempts. We show that trapping sets may reappear as part of other trapping sets on subsequent decoding attempts or be defeated by the reception of more symbols. Based on our observations we propose early termination methods that use trapping set detection to obtain improvements in realized rate, latency, and decoding cost for Fountain codes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Dying With Your Boots On: A Nietzschean Analysis of High-Risk Skiing

contributor:
Pearce, Frank
Sociology

format:
421761 bytes
application/pdf

subject: Risk Nietzsche Sport Skiing

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-29 19:14:15.441

abstract: The concept of ‘risk’ has become one of the main ontological, existential, and epistemological categories in the modern Western world. People are continually confronted with considerable amounts of information concerning what constitutes risks and how they are to be mediated and avoided. Along side this growing concern with risk and risk avoidance, a large segment of the population continues to seek out risk itself. Although substantial sociological research has been undertaken to try and understand why people engage with risk, these theories and subsequent research falls short in ontological, existential, and epistemological breadth. As a response, this thesis presents a new avenue to understanding risk-taking that is based upon Nietzschean aesthetic theory and its conceptualization of the ‘Apollonian’ and ‘Dionysian’ drives that structure human existence. The world of high-risk skiing is the focal point upon which Nietzsche’s theory is applied, with the hope of not only understanding this specific area of social life, but also to demonstrate the importance that risk can play as an ontological, existential, and epistemological emancipatory category. Chapter two provides an overview of the historical inception of the concept of risk and the popular theoretical perspectives used to understand its place within the social whole. Following this, chapter three reviews the dominant theories used within the sociology of sport to understand risk-taking within the world of sport. Finally, chapter four engages Nietzsche’s theory showing how the high-risk skiing community is analogous to pre-Socratic Greek tragedy, in that it enables adherents to properly balance both Apollonian and Dionysian drives allowing them to escape the ‘reactive nihilism’ that defines the modern Western world. It is concluded that such a perspective not only provides researchers with new tools that are based around the social importance of art and aesthetics, but also that risk is an important ontological, existential, and epistemological category that allows risk-takers to experience a more complete level of existence based upon an understanding of life that celebrates both its positive and negative aspects.

abstract: M.A.


title: “Partners in the same”: Monastic Devotional Culture in Late Medieval English Literature

contributor:
Straker, Scott-Morgan
English

format:
1630004 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
lectio divina
monastic reading
Whethamstede, John
Lydgate, John
Whitford, Richard
More, Thomas
monasticism

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-30 11:56:09.669

abstract:
This dissertation studies adaptations of monastic literary culture between the first decades of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the English Reformation. My discussion focuses on the writings of John Whethamstede, John Lydgate, Richard Whitford and Thomas More.  I argue that, while these authors aim to satisfy readers’ desires for elaborate and authoritative forms of piety, they actually provide models of reading and patterns of disciplined living that restrict lay piety within orthodox boundaries.

I begin with an introductory chapter that situates this adaptation of monastic reading within broader literary and cultural developments, such as the growing popularity of humanist reading and Protestantism, in order to demonstrate that monastic ideals remained culturally relevant throughout this century. This chapter also aims to prompt a further reassessment of the division that is often created between the medieval and early modern periods.

Chapters Two and Three focus on the use of monastic reading practices within a Benedictine context. Chapter Two examines the historiographic poetry and prose of John Whethamstede in which the abbot both positions himself at the forefront of contemporary Latin literature and, at the same time, signals the differences that set the cloistered reader apart from his secular counterpart. Chapter Three examines Lydgate’s incorporation of monastic devotional culture into the Life of Our Lady through the depiction of the Virgin as living out an exemplary religious vocation and through the arrangement of the text to facilitate calculated meditative responses from readers.

Chapters Four and Five then shift to the first decades of the sixteenth century. Chapter Four examines Richard Whitford’s orthodox programme of monastic and social reform that aimed not only to meliorate the individual’s ethical life but also to revitalize Catholicism and engage directly with Protestantism. Finally, Chapter Five looks back two decades to investigate More’s borrowings from different elements of religious life in his Life of Pico and Utopia that seek to manage the spiritual aspirations of the laity and to depict a society in which, much as in a monastery, the desires of the individual are shaped by and subordinated to the ideals of the community.

abstract: PhD


title: Aboriginal and Colonial Geographies of the File Hills Farm Colony

contributor:
Cameron, Laura
Godlewska, Anne
Geography

format:
4151034 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Aboriginal peoples
oral histories

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-30 14:31:21.58

abstract: Canadian government archives have primarily shaped scholars’ analysis of the File Hills farm colony on the Peepeekisis Reserve in south eastern Saskatchewan. While these colonial archives are valuable for research, they emphasise particular points in the government’s telling of the colony story. They focus on the construction, management, and intentions of the colony, but neglect the experiences and perspectives of Peepeekisis community members affected by the colony scheme. My thesis makes use of government archives, and is also based on Aboriginal oral histories about the colony and its long-term consequences. My central argument is that a more critical interpretation of archives and oral histories will enrich the historical and geographical record about the colony. I demonstrate how oral histories and archive documents can converge and diverge, but combining the two is particularly important to nuance the colony narrative. A critical viewing of texts and oral histories from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries also reveals that colonialism in the prairie west was highly spatalised and grounded in “betterment” sciences that sought to control and discipline Aboriginal peoples through the manipulation of space, heredity, and environments. Betterment sciences shaped Indian Affairs policy and the farm colony is a remarkable example of how betterment was applied on the ground. Finally, oral histories offer powerful insight into Aboriginal identities that survive in spite of colonial constructs and strategies. Oral histories of Peepeekisis community members are particularly important for highlighting peoples’ everyday geographies and lives only hinted at in colonial archive documents. Part of what makes this thesis original is that it is based on collaborative research. I sought Peepeekisis band permission to conduct this project, and Peepeekisis community members’ oral histories form an important part of this thesis and they have provided guidance on the documenting of their oral histories in this thesis.

abstract: PhD


title: The RdoA-dependent Phosphoproteome Profile of Salmonella enterica

contributor:
Martin, Nancy L.
Microbiology and Immunology

format:
2867008 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
RdoA
Salmonella enterica
Phosphoproteome

abstract: Thesis (Master, Microbiology & Immunology) -- Queen's University, 2009-11-06 10:51:01.253

abstract: RdoA, a serine/threonine kinase, is a member of the Cpx regulon, a stress response pathway, in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Phenotypic characterization of rdoA null mutants suggested that RdoA kinase activity affects a wide range of cell functions, which could be the result of both direct and indirect phosphorylation of targets. In a search for RdoA’s target(s), the phosphoproteome profile of wild-type and rdoA null S. enterica was examined through phosphoprotein enrichment followed by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with phospho-specific fluorescent stains and western blots using phospho-specific antibodies. Three different phosphoprotein enrichment protocols, all based on metal-ion affinity chromatography, were compared for yield and phosphoprotein specificity to determine which would be the most suitable for S. enterica. This study showed that the Phostag Enrich Phosphoprotein kit (PerkinElmer) gave the highest yield, the majority of which were phosphoproteins. These studies also showed that western blots using phospho-specific antibodies were more sensitive than phosphoprotein-specific fluorescent stain ProQ Diamond in detecting phosphoproteins. The phosphoproteome profile of S. typhimurium cells grown under Cpx activating conditions included phosphoproteins involved in the heat shock response, cellular metabolism and protein synthesis. This work also identified changes in the phosphoproteome that were dependent upon the presence or absence of RdoA. Phosphoproteins that showed a significant change in phosphorylation were identified by mass spectroscopy using peptide mass fingerprinting. Proteins identified included protein foldases (DnaK and GroEL), proteins involved in metabolism (glycerol kinase, enolase and E1 subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex), and in protein synthesis (elongation factor-Tu). These proteins may be phosphorylated in an RdoA-dependent manner to allow normal cell functioning under envelope stress. Several proteins unlikely to be phosphoproteins were also RdoA-dependent. SrgA, encoded on the virulence plasmid, is a disulfide oxidoreductase specific for the PEF fimbriae that was shown to be repressed by RdoA. This work also showed that integration host factor, previously suggested to be an RdoA target, was not affected in terms of expression or phosphorylation by RdoA. The several RdoA-dependent changes in protein expression levels and phosphorylation that were identified contribute to the elucidation of RdoA’s role in the envelope stress response and provided further insight in determining RdoA target(s).

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Hybrid Turboexpander and Fuel Cell System for Power Recovery at Natural Gas Pressure Reduction Stations

contributor:
Oosthuizen, Patrick H.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

format:
5924977 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Natural Gas
Turboexpander
MCFC
Power Recovery

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-11-12 18:35:30.266

abstract:
This study investigates the performance of a hybrid turboexpander and fuel cell (HTEFC) system for power recovery at natural gas pressure reduction stations. Simulations were created to predict the performance of various system configurations.

Natural gas is transported at high pressure across large distances. The pressure of the natural gas must be reduced before it is delivered to the consumer. Natural gas pressure reduction is typically achieved using pressure reduction throttling valves.  In a limited number of cases pressure reduction is achieved using a turboexpander. This method has the added bonus of power generation. There is a considerable temperature drop associated with the turboexpander process. Preheating is required in many cases to avoid undesirable effects of a low outlet temperature. This preheating is typically done using gas fired boilers. The hybrid system developed by Enbridge and Fuel Cell Energy is a new approach to this problem. In this system a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) running on natural gas is used in conjunction with the turbine to preheat the gas and provide additional low emission electrical power

Various system configurations were simulated and factors affecting the overall performance of the systems were investigated. Power outputs, fuel requirements and efficiencies of various system configurations were found using typical gas flow variation data. The simulation was performed using input data from the current city gate pressure reduction station operated by Utilities Kingston. Using the data provided by Utilities Kingston the performance of various potential HTEFC system configurations were compared. This thesis illustrates the benefits of using this type of analysis in a feasibility study of future HTEFC systems for power recovery at natural gas pressure reduction stations. Improvements could be made to the accuracy of the simulation results by increasing the complexity of the individual component models.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The Effects of Partner Aggression on Women's Work

contributor:
Barling, Julian
Management

format:
511337 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Partner aggression
Work withdrawal

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2009-11-06 16:39:05.444

abstract:
The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the relationship between partner aggression enacted against women and victims’ work withdrawal, as well as to investigate the possible moderators of this relationship. To accomplish this, I conducted three studies. The first two studies examined the effects of partner aggression on work withdrawal (i.e., cognitive distraction, neglect, partial absenteeism, frequency of absenteeism, and turnover intentions). The third study examined potential moderators (i.e., supervisor support, coworker support, mental respite, financial need, and partner interference in employment) of the relationship between partner aggression and work withdrawal.
In the first study, full-time, post secondary female students in dating relationships (N = 122) reported on psychological aggression, school withdrawal, and performance (i.e., course grades). Multiple regression analyses showed that experiencing psychological aggression from one’s partner is related to cognitive distraction at school, school neglect, and grades but is not related to partial absenteeism, frequency of absenteeism, or thoughts of quitting school.
In the second study, physically abused women (abused group; n = 19) were compared with maritally discordant, nonabused women (discordant-only group; n = 12) and a control group of maritally satisfied, nonabused women (control group; n = 19). Abused women reported significantly more cognitive distraction and job neglect compared to women in the control group. They also reported significantly more job neglect compared to women in the discordant-only group; women in the latter group reported more cognitive distraction compared to women in the control group. There were no differences among the groups in partial absenteeism, frequency of absenteeism, or thoughts of quitting work.
In the final study, data were collected from a sample of 242 employed women who reported on physical aggression and employment withdrawal. The results revealed that supervisor support buffers the impact of physical aggression on frequency of absenteeism, and partner interference in employment exacerbates the impact of physical aggression on frequency of absenteeism. No other significant interactions were found. I conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of these results, as well as potential directions for future research.

abstract: PhD


title: The Supreme Court of Canada and the Judicial Role: An Historical Institutionalist Account

contributor:
Hiebert, Janet
Political Studies

format:
1272692 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Supreme Court of Canada
judicial decision making

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Political Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-11-11 13:06:59.159

abstract:
This dissertation describes and analyzes the work of the Supreme Court of Canada, emphasizing its internal environment and processes, while situating the institution in its broader governmental and societal context. In addition, it offers an assessment of the behavioural and rational choice models of judicial decision making, which tend to portray judges as primarily motivated by their ideologically-based policy preferences. The dissertation adopts a historical institutionalist approach to demonstrate that judicial decision making is far more complex than is depicted by the dominant approaches within the political science literature. Drawing extensively on 28 research interviews with current and former justices, former law clerks and other staff members, the analysis traces the development of the Court into a full-fledged policy-making institution, particularly under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This analysis presents new empirical evidence regarding not only the various stages of the Court’s decision-making process but the justices’ views on a host of considerations ranging from questions of collegiality (how the justices should work together) to their involvement in controversial and complex social policy matters and their relationship with the other branches of government. These insights are important because they increase our understanding of how the Court operates as one of the country’s more important policy-making institutions. The findings have significant implications for debates over judicial activism and the relationship between courts and the other branches of government when dealing with the Charter. The project also concludes that the justices’ role perceptions – the ideas, norms and rules that govern their role as judges and that of the institution – both shape and constrain their decision making behaviour. Understanding judicial behaviour with a focus on role perceptions allows for bridge-building between the competing explanations of judicial decision making and for theory-building in the broader judicial politics literature.

abstract: PhD


title: The Activation of Persistent Inward Currents in Feline Spinal Motoneurons is Noise and Location-Dependent

contributor:
Rose, Ken P.
Neuroscience Studies

format:
1410630 bytes
application/pdf

subject: Motoneuron Noise PIC Calcium Model Neuron

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-11-30 14:10:24.905

abstract: The ability to control the output for a given input is an important feature of neurons as it allows them to respond to a multitude of inputs via the production of a scalable output.  Using compartmental models of morphologically accurate reconstructions of feline spinal motoneurons, we examined the ability for motoneurons of the feline spinal cord to alter their input-output properties via the variable activation of persistent inward currents (PICs) due to L-type Ca2+ channels located in hotspots on their dendrites. Traditionally, the activation of PICs is thought to be a threshold-dependent event reliant on the response of hotspots of these channels to a depolarization beyond a specific local voltage. Converse to this belief, we have found that the response of spinal motoneuron PICs is not exclusively voltage-dependent but is also reliant on time-varying fluctuations in membrane potential (noise). Moreover, we show that the activation of PICs in motoneurons is dependent on the location of these dendritic hotspots, which is correlated with cell size. Small motoneurons exhibited delayed activation in response to time-varying input and large motoneurons exhibited no change. The activity of the models was measured via discharge frequency which was due to the activation of dendritically located synapses either firing in a time-averaged (tonic) manner or a Poisson-distributed spike train (transient) with the same overall conductance and distribution as the tonic synapses. These results demonstrate a novel mechanism for the activation characteristics of PICs in motoneurons and, in turn, the ability for the neuron to intrinsically alter its input-output properties.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Visual Narratives of El Greco, Annibale Carracci and Rubens: Altarpieces of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the Early Modern Age

contributor:
Dickey, Stephanie S.
Art History

format:
61740307 bytes
application/pdf

subject:
Art History
Late Renaissance
Counter-Reformation
Devotional Art
Italy
Spain
the Netherlands

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2009-11-13 11:41:08.724

abstract:
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary has been regarded as a normative subject of post-Tridentine altarpiece production. Yet it is actually a complex pictorial allegory that comments upon an archaic tradition of Christian narratives and its intersection with Marian devotion. The Assumption of the Virgin Mary belongs to a tradition of devotional images in which the Eucharistic meaning is the preferred means for furthering narrative ideas. The deeper meaning of the Assumption altarpiece becomes apparent in the light of the following points, demonstrated repeatedly throughout the study: 1) altarpieces of the Assumption represent a Marian subject informed by narrative liberty, not views of iconography and Tridentine history 2) their imagery is largely based upon visual narratives associated with the historical imagination of the painter 3) they disallow the pre-eminence of the classical model and incorporate other models derived from a resemblance to Byzantine icons and Northern prints 4) they are analogous to icons, essays praising truthfulness and inwardness which operate to convey complex pictorial ideas in narrative adaptations.
The first chapter evaluates the narrative source of El Greco’s altarpieces from Toledo. The medieval past of Toledo fused with the Byzantine tradition in an altarpiece form for which parallels are rare in the modern age. The second chapter examines Annibale Carracci’s main Assumption altarpieces and a selection of related paintings. For Annibale Carracci, the original setting at the high altar safeguards the Eucharistic meaning of his Assumption narrative and in turn shapes the narrative link with the adjoining altarpieces. The third chapter involves the Northern devotional print as a narrative outset of Federico Zuccari’s and Rubens’ altarpieces. Their narrative solutions negotiate complex pictorial allegories and further the claim for truthfulness of representation inherent in the print.

abstract: PhD