title: The study of wheat striate mosaic virus (WSMV) in wheat callus tissue culture

abstract:
Callus cultures have been developed from intercalary meristem of wheat (Triticum durum, Desf. 'Ramsey') infected with wheat striate mosaic virus (WSMV) and healthy wheat.
Electron microscopy of thin sections derived from virus-infected calli showed WSMV particles both within the nuclear membranes and in the cytoplasm. Except for the presence of virus, there did not appear to be any difference in the ultrastructure of WSMV-infected and healthy calli. Callus tissue consisted of discrete clumps of cells, with the youngest cells in the center and the oldest cells on the outside of the clump. There were numerous plasmodesmata between the young callus cells, identifiable by dense cytoplasm and few or no vacuoles. As the cells aged, vacuole size increased, the cytoplasm became sparse and plasmodesmata were not readily seen.
RNA and protein synthesis were measured in WSMV-infected and healthy calli by feeding radioactive precursors followed by RNA and protein extractions and by autoradiography. By applying RNA inhibitors (actinomycin D, 100 μg/ml and 5-Fluorouracil, 100 μg/ml) and protein inhibitors (cycloheximide, 100 μg/ml and puromycin, 200 μg/ml), viral RNA and protein synthesis were studied. Assuming that there are no changes in specific activities of the intracellular RNA and protein precursor pools, or in the amount of RNA and protein synthesis in callus cells, results indicate that there is a significant increase in the rate of RNA synthesis in the callus derived from WSMV-infected wheat as compared to healthy callus. On the other hand, the cell protein synthesis in the callus derived from infected wheat is inhibited to less than a half of that in the healthy callus cells. The synthesis of WSMV RNA and protein are probably dependent on the cell since both are inhibited by RNA and protein inhibitors respectively.


title: Liver hydroxymethylbilane synthetase (EC 4.3.1.2) : an environmental and toxilogical kinetic study. The Effect of experimental design and circumstance on three common linearization methods used in determining the Michaelis-Menten kinetic constants

abstract:
Hydroxymethylbilane Synthetase (EC 4.3.1.2) was partially purified from rat liver and spleen, human erythrocytes, common gull liver and ring dove liver by stepwise centrifugation and heat denaturation of interfering proteins. The kinetics were found to be unimolecular and consistent for the rat tissues and human erythrocytes and gave K. values of between 6 and 12 μM for the rat tissues and 5 and 8 μM for the human RBC. The dove and gull tissues proved to be less consistent and gave K. values of between 5 and 6 μM for the dove tissues and 3 and 10 μM for the gull tissues. Enzyme for doves proved to be sensistive to various organic toxins and showed definite response during dosings with lead acetate and trichlorobenzene as well as benzene, carvone, benzanthracene, phenobarbital and lindane. The rat liver enzyme proved sensitive to a large spectrum of meavy metal ions and indicated the possible existence and cytsteine, histidine and tryptophan at the active site.
Computer simulations were done to determine the effects of experimental error and design on the three common kinetic linearization methods. It was found that the plot of Lineweaver and Burke was the most accurate in determining these constants while that of Haines and Woolf proved to be the best at indicating poor data. In addition running kinetic experiments at two substrate concentrations as opposed to ten was found to give better estimates as did making more velocity determinations at the lowest velocity.


title: Generational conflict : the relationship between Chinese intellectuals and the CCP in the post-Mao era

abstract: The successive waves of Chinese intellectual criticism and student movements correspond to political generations. Yet the generational model, which describes the relationship between different generations of the Chinese intellectuals and the Chinese Communist Party, has been the most underdeveloped model in the study of Chinese politics. The problem of Chinese intellectuals has often been approached from an individual and biographical perspective. Under the generational framework, this thesis systematically analyzes the political conflict that exists between the intellectuals and the CCP in the post-Mao era, which the author believes is an essential conflict between generations. The Cultural Revolution divides current Chinese society into two groups: the older generations and the younger generations. The young people are creating a new world in which individual dignity will be the fundamental concern and fighting for the replacement of the old world established by the elders, which is collective-orientated.


title: An examination of conditions surrounding the subordination of nursing labour in Canadian hospitals during the nineteenth century

abstract: This thesis presents an examination of the processes surrounding the subordination of nursing labour in Canadian hospitals during the nineteenth century. Special emphasis is placed on the appropriation by hospitals of, first, the nursing practices of female lay practitioners, and second, the knowledge and skills which lay at the heart of those practices. In addition, the conditions of female labour at the end, of the nineteenth century are examined in order to explain why women subordinated their labour to hospitals.


title: The Gentlemen's strike : the Radio-Canada television producers dispute December 29, 1958 - March 9, 1959

abstract: From December 29, 1958, until March 9, 1959, the French-language television network of C.B.C./Radio-Canada was paralysed by a labour dispute. Seventy-four of the Corporation's eighty-five Montreal television producers walked off the job to protest local management's refusal to recognize or deal with l'Association des realisateurs, an organization the producers had formed in order to bargain collectively with management. This thesis traces the development of l'Association, follows the course of the seventy-day dispute, analyses the impact the dispute and its settlement had on the Corporation and Canadian labour relations. The producers' "strike" is significant for the precedent set by the Corporation's voluntary recognition of I'Association, which established "syndicalisme de cadres" or management unions in North America. The dispute is also significant for the overwhelming support the producers received from organized labour and the Corporation's unionized personnel in Montreal. The important role politics played — whether "nationalist" or labour — is also examined.


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title: "Fashioning a people" : The Caribbean News Agency story

abstract:
This thesis attempts the first comprehensive account of the development of the Caribbean News Agency (CANA). Presented in journalistic style, the story traces the evolution of CANA from an idea in 1947, to its establishment in 1976, to its recognition as the Third World's most successful regional news agency, to four current threats to the agency's future.
This account is informed by interviews with persons who have been connected to CANA, UNESCO studies on the agency's performance, books on the operations of global news agencies, scholarly and press articles, the CANA news file, and my own observations as a senior CANA staff journalist.


title: The portrayal of women in German advertising : sociolinguistic and didactic perspectives

abstract:
There is an apparent discrepancy between the official policy of equality for women in West Germany and the female stereotypes perpetuated in magazine advertisements which reflect neither the improved social status of women nor women's concern about the masculine bias in the language. Teachers of German should therefore use advertisements with discrimination. The language of advertising bears distinctive lexical, syntactic and semantic features which afford students a sociolinguistic insight into a significant idiom of commerce.
Es besteht eine Diskrepanz zwischen der offiziellen deutschen Politik der Frauengleichberechtigung und der noch klischeehaften Darstellung der Frau in der Wirtschaftswerbung, die weder den erhohten Status der Frau in der Gesellschaft noch die Frauensprache anerkennt; deswegen sollten Werbetexte vorsichtig in den Fremdsprachenunterricht eingefuhrt werden. Solche Texte bieten Studenten des Deutschen einen Einblick in die Soziolinguistik. Die Werbesprache ist als eine bedeutende Fachsprache der Wirtschaft zu betrachten, da sie sich durch Vokabular, Syntax und Semantik klar auszeichnet.


title: Relational ethics, new reproductive technologies, and charter applications

abstract: The objective of this thesis is to address the fact that new reproductive technologies have been met with both resistance and acceptance by feminists. These contradictory attitudes are represented in differing feminist ideologies and also surface in individual women who experience contradictions in their values, feelings and actions when they make personal decisions regarding NRTs. In the first chapter, I develop a contextual approach to understanding NRTs that takes these mixed reactions into account by revealing the subtleties of the dialogues that occur between the oppressed and the oppressors. The purpose of the second chapter is to develop an ethical framework that can contend with women's deep-rooted ties to patriarchy, and is grounded in a relational understanding of personhood, enabling us to identify systemic features that shape women's decisions and values. In the final chapter, I flesh out relational concepts of equality and autonomy and demonstrate their potential role, alongside a relational interpretation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, in guiding policy formulation concerning NRTs.


title: Positive effects of forest fragmentation, independent of forest amount, on bat abundance in eastern Ontario, Canada

abstract: While studies have consistently found positive effects of forest amount on bat abundance, the effects of forest fragmentation (breaking apart of forest, independent of amount) are less certain. The purpose of this study was to examine how forest amount and forest fragmentation independently affect bat abundance. I conducted acoustic bat surveys at the centres of 22 landscapes throughout eastern Ontario, where landscapes were chosen to avoid a correlation between forest amount and fragmentation (number of forest patches). I found that the effects of forest amount on bat relative abundance were mixed across species (one positive, two negative), and that forest fragmentation, independent of amount, had a positive effect on the relative abundances of three species. I suggest that the mechanism driving the positive responses to forest fragmentation is higher landscape complementation in more fragmented landscapes; that is, increased access to foraging sites from roosting sites.


title: Algunos aspectos de la narrativa de Manuel Puig

abstract:
Esta tesis intenta mostrar el entramado de relaciones axiologicas que constituyen el nucleo de la novelistica de Manuel Puig. Esta estructura de valores no es independiente del mundo referencial a que remite la obra, de la posicion del lector frente a esa obra, de la intencionalidad del autor y del marco de convencion literaria en que la obra surge.
Siendo el contenido el aspecto preferencial en que dicho esquema de valores se muestra y se capta, se ha optado por entrar en la novelistica del autor estudiado a traves del espacio y los personajes, mostrando como se va construyendo la dimension axiologica en estos elementos. La metodologia usada es preferentemente una de analisis textual en que la busqueda de isotopias permite la mostracion de un esquema de oposiciones y jerarquizaciones axiologicamente significativas a nivel del espacio, y la mostracion de roles en el caso de los personajes. A nivel de estos, se muestra la ley ultima de sus acciones y valoraciones, concluyendo todo el analisis en una vertiente inmanente, por un lado: esbozo del esquema axiologico de esta novelistica, y otra vertiente referencial: apuntar las causas externas a dicha obra que pudieran obrar sobre ella para la produccion de dicho esquema. Esta segunda vertiente presenta en este trabajo una forma incipiente, y su enfoque preferencial exigiria un dominio de disciplinas otras que el estudio literario e incluso la afinacion o elaboracion de instrumental metodologico, quedando como anuncio de un trabajo de mayor envergadura.


title: All the wrong people : the trial and career of labour lawyer, J. L. Cohen

abstract:
Jacob Lawrence Cohen was a prominent Canadian labour and civil rights lawyer in the 1930's and 1940's. Cohen was instrumental in negotiating a number of landmark labour disputes that helped pioneer legislation in Canada.
He also defended a number of trade unionists, many of whom were Communist, imprisoned under the War Measures Act. His staunch defense of society's underdogs brought him a great deal of respect and notoriety.
Cohen's career reflected many of the tensions of Canadian society in the period. The growth of industrial unionism, the development of progressive labour legislation and a growing fear of Communism, all touched him professionally and personally.
His brilliant career ended abruptly in 1946 after his conviction of assault. His trial raises a number of questions about the judicial system. After a four year struggle in the courts, Cohen's law practice resumed in 1950 but he failed to regain his former prominence. He died in May 1950.
J.L. Cohen had a great impact in developing and fighting for progressive labour laws to deal with the changing society of the 1930's and the 1940's. He was in the centre of a turbulent period in Canadian history as counsel in diverse and unpopular legal cases. Many of his struggles helped legitimize the aspirations of the labour movement and develop the legal and jurisdictional regulations that govern all trade unions today.


title: The relationship between prophecy and apocalyptic in the book of revelation

abstract:
The book of Revelation claims to be a prophecy and yet is in the form of an apocalypse. It is clear that both prophetic and apocalyptic ideas have strongly influenced the book. Since prophecy and apocalyptic represent contrasting views of history, how has the writer of the Revelation combined both in one work? Is the book prophetic or apocalyptic?
There is a third factor present in the Revelation, that is, the Christian view of reality. Jesus Christ and the New Testament writings both were influenced by and changed the prophetic and apocalyptic world-views.
The argument of this thesis is that the writer of the Revelation sees in Jesus Christ the meeting place of prophecy and apocalyptic. In Jesus a dialectic is set up between prophecy and apocalyptic out of which a new Christocentric eschatology arises.


title: Heat transfer and solidification in metal castings

abstract:
The mechanical properties of metal castings are dependent upon the temperature gradient at the solid-liquid interface and the rate of advance of this interface as the metal freezes.
An analytical method of predicting freezing and temperature profiles in a metal casting would be of interest to the casting industry. Problems could be anticipated while the mold and casting were still in the design stage,   thereby saving the expense of a trial and error modification of the initial mold design.
In this thesis a numerical technique is developed to predict the advance of the solid-liquid interface and the temperature profiles during the freezing process. Although the method is developed in a cylindrical co-ordinate system it is easily adapted to other co-ordinate systems. An experimental program was also undertaken in order to check the accuracy of the numerical method.


title: Microwave frequency discriminators using GaAs fet sloped amplifiers

abstract:
A systematic design procedure for a GaAs FET discriminator (sloped) amplifier that is used for direct microwave frequency discrimination has been developed. Active type discriminators have several advantages over the passive interferometer type which has a limited accuracy. Their discrimination function is based on the utilization of a GaAs FET amplifier with a linearly decreasing Gain/Frequency characteristic. The practical realization of a discriminator amplifier requires accurate determination of the parameters that characterize the FET, and an efficient design method. The graphical and CAD design technique that is used in this thesis results in stable amplifiers having characteristics close to the desired. The program COMPACT is used for analysis and optimization of the circuit.
The effectiveness of the design procedure is tested by fabricating four discriminator amplifiers designed in the 3.7-4.2GHz band. The experimental performance is in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.


title: A pendant drop technique for measuring pi - A isotherms

abstract: A co-axial tube arrangement, in conjunction with a modified version of the Axisymmetric Drop Shape Analysis (ADSA) protocol, was designed and used to investigate surface pressure - area isotherms of pentadecanol, C15, and octadecanol, C18, monolayers on pure water. This was done at several temperatures and the collapse pressure, molecular area at collapse, the limiting molecular area and the transition pressures were investigated. The error associated with the transition were also determined. Finally, we show that the shape of the isotherm does not depend on the initial monolayer structure for low molecular weight, insoluble alcohols. This was done by comparing two techniques to disperse the insoluble alcohol solutions onto a pendant drop. Octadecanol on water was used to test this approach because there was sufficient published data using the Langmuir trough and ADSA to make a comparison.


title: Control of servers in a two node queueing network

abstract:
Server control in a two-node Markovian queueing network with a limited total number of servers is considered. Two problems have been studied; the first problem is to find a quasi-steady-state control policy for a periodic review of server allocation. This policy can be regarded as a feedback control policy to adapt the network parameter changes by changing the number of servers at each node.
The second problem (main problem of this research) is that of on-line server control. Two policies for this control are proposed. The first policy allocates the servers to each node according to the network state and is preemptive. Markovian models have been used for analysis. We found that the performance of the network (mean number or mean time in the network) using this policy can be improved significantly (reductions up to about 50%) and this performance is affected by the ratio of the service rates. The form of the best policy is defined. The second policy allocates the server(s) to each node according to a rule based on the ratio between queue lengths and is non-preemptive. Simulation is used to study the performance in a few cases. We found that the performance is improved by similar amounts.


title: Design and implemetation of an ARM 2.0 compatible performance monitoring and model building framework

abstract:
Performance monitors are needed to help measure and manage the quality of service of distributed applications. Different types of performance monitors exist, offering a wide variety of performance metrics. These metrics range from the so called "health metrics" that indicate whether certain components are alive to metrics that specify the exact resource usage and elapsed time of a specific user's transactions. The result of monitoring exercises can be used to build models for both capacity planning and tuning exercises. These models can require the collection of very detailed information. Application level instrumentation can provide such information, but generally causes high overheads.
This thesis describes a prototype of an industrial de-facto standard application instrumentation framework named ARM 2.0 that gathers many performance metrics required for building, calibrating and validating predictive models. The approach can be used for on-line management or for building models of performance prototypes early in a system's development. Several important enhancements are added to the framework to provide better model building and problem solving capabilities. The thesis implements the concept of poly-abstract monitoring to collect the data needed to solve a problem at hand without imposing unnecessary overheads. The framework is tested for three different sample applications. A complete overhead study is carried out.


title: Temperature measurement of detonation gases

abstract: spectra of acetylene-oxygen detonation were studied in the wavelength range 3000-6000 A. Special interest was given to the continuums. It was found that the detonation products, in the case of stoichiometric and lean mixtures, radiate in black body manner, to a good approximation, in the wavelength range 5150-5650 A. This phenomenon was used to calculate the temperature of the detonation products. The temperature calculated using measured pressure and heat transfer, together with one dimensional detonation theory and the necessary thermodynamic data, is in the average about 300 K higher than the experimentally observed temperature. This difference is in the same direction as reported by H. Miyama 21, G.B. Kistiakowsky 20 and M. Veyssiere 9. It is also to be expected that the calculated temperatures will be lower than those calculated here, if the flow field is calculated using the appropriate non-steady calculations over the entire flow field beginning at the ignition point.


title: Am I beautiful yet? :Disciplining the body in women's magazines

abstract: The concept of an 'ideal' femininity in Western cultures is subject to redefinition and change throughout historical periods. These fluctuating definitions of ideal femininity are produced and reproduced by media organizations, such as advertising, television, magazines, etc. This thesis will examine women's fashion and beauty magazines as a discursive site for the construction of a disciplining ideal of femininity. It is often the case that feminist research focuses its examination on larger social structures of power. I intend to examine the smaller structures or "micro practices" that women engage in to create a feminine, disciplined body. The articles and advertisements found in these magazines epitomize the micro practices of a constructed femininity. Finally, Foucauldian analyses and feminist debates will be employed to situate my thesis within a larger body of research: poststructuralist feminist work.


title: Adapting a method of architectural design for the real world from sequential images by Dave McKean

abstract: There has long existed a relationship between architecture in fictional media and the physical world. One graphic artist, Dave McKean, has provided a design of space within sequential art which illustrates an almost purely experiential space. The intent of this thesis is to adapt a similar kind of methodology of creation of fictional space, to the real world of architecture, through a study of Dave McKean's sequential images, the relationship between linear narrative and architectural devices, and finally, what defines physical architecture, its experiences, and how it affects the inhabitants' sense of the self in space. Through the design of a roadside motel for Montreal, the thesis proposes a building which reflects as much as possible the media experience, while still satisfying the necessities of real world architecture.


title: Public opinion, public policy and privatization in the debate over reforming medicare : how do governments respond to the conflicting demands of different sectors of the public?

abstract: This thesis is an examination of the contrast between public opinion and proposed government policy on the issue of reform to Medicare, Canada's public health care system. This research explores which groups ore at the forefront of encouraging governments at both the Federal and Provincial levels to increase the private element in Medicare. In addition, it examines the use of public opinion surveys as a tool in the debate and it observes how Canadian governments have responded to the conflicting pressures of various interest groups versus evidence of strong public resistance to specific reforms.


title: Influence of method of compaction on the structure and as-compacted strength of leda clay

abstract:
The engineering behavior of compacted clay has been extensively investigated by many researchers. It is widely accepted that the composition and structure of compacted clays are among the fundamental factors influencing the engineering properties of clays. Moreover, the structure is strongly influenced by the chemical composition of clay particles, the molding water content at compaction, and the amount and nature of externally applied compaction energy.
It appears that there exists no unique relationship based on soil type between changes in the structure of compacted clays and their engineering behavior. The only way to ascertain the influence of molding water content and method of compaction on the structure and engineering properties of any given clay is by direct determination in the laboratory.
The present test program was carried out to investigate the influence of different methods of compaction on the structure and the as-compacted undrained strength of Leda clay. Three methods of compaction were used, that is static, kneading, and impact. Samples of Leda clay were prepared by each method using three different compactive efforts. For purposes of comparison between the different methods of compaction, the applied pressures used, in case of kneading and static compaction, were chosen so as to give essentially the same maximum dry density for compacted samples, as obtained by impact compaction. This resulted in compaction curves having approximately the same relative positions with respect to the zero air-voids curves, as the impact curves. The as-compacted undrained strength of the compacted soil, at 1% and 2% strain, was taken as the measure to indicate any changes that might have taken place in the structure of compacted soil. The effect of increasing the compactive effort on strength of compacted soil was also investigated.
The results of the laboratory investigation conclusively show that for this specific soil the strength of the compacted Leda clay is controlled by the method of compaction Impact and kneading methods of compaction have sufficiently similar effect on the compacted soil that the strength associated with the two methods is essentially the same. Static compaction, however, results in higher strengths.
The test results also show that to the dry-side of the optimum moisture content, the as-compacted strength of Leda clay progressively increases with increasing the dry density. At water contents in the vicinity or wet of optimum, strength for samples prepared by kneading or impact compaction is markedly reduced with increasing the dry density. For samples prepared by static compaction, however, the strength progressively increases with increasing the dry density.
The experimental results are in line with the findings of other investigations. Previous investigations showed that the structure of compacted clay is controlled by the method of compaction. The data are in excellent accordance with the concept that shear during compaction is primarily responsible for changes in the structure and strength of compacted clay caused by the different methods of compaction.


title: Crack control in reinforced concrete slabs using polymer grids

abstract:
The research work presented in this thesis was designed to provide an understanding of the short and long term cracking behaviour of concrete slabs reinforced with Tensar polymer grids.
The objectives of the short term test program were to study the effectiveness of polymer grids in controlling the cracks in concrete slabs due to restrained shrinkage. The experimental program included testing of ten large scale rectangular concrete slabs 120 x 600 x 2000 mm in size under controlled humidity and temperature. Test results showed that the use of polymer grids in concrete slabs have practically eliminated any cracks due to shrinkage.
The objectives of the long term test program were to study the effectiveness of polymer grids in controlling the cracks in concrete slabs as well as the effect of the control of cracks on corrosion, stiffness and ultimate strength of such slabs. The experimental program included testing of four large scale rectangular concrete slabs 100 x 500 x 3200 mm in size subjected to severe conditions of loading and unloading, wetting and drying, and to deicing salt applications. Test results showed that the use of polymer grids as a secondary reinforcement in concrete slabs significantly reduce cracks width. The maximum crack width was reduced by 30%. The loading test results after nearly 3 years of salt exposure showed an increase of the ultimate strength of 8% and a significant increase (up to 63%) in the initial stiffness.


title: Consolidation testing : a comparative study

abstract:
The consolidation testing provides the necessary information to determine the amount and the rate of compression of a given soil. The determination of the preconsolidation pressure of the soil is of great importance in the design of foundations.
The main objective of this investigation is to present a comparative study of the generally available consolidation testing methods. Controlled gradient (CGT), constant rate of strain (CRS) and conventional incremental loading (STD) consolidation tests were carried out. Two different types of clay are employed , one is a very soft marine clay, known as Champlain Sea or Leda clay, the other is a man-made, nonexpansive Kaolin clay having medium plasticity. Results of 22 standard oedometer tests, 20 Rowe cell tests,12 Anteus apparatus tests and 6 KO triaxial compression tests on both clays are presented and discussed. A comparative study is conducted between the results from these different consolidation tests on both clays. Based on the test results, the controlled gradient consolidation test using the Rowe cell with a softer diaphragm is the most suitable laboratory technique for Leda clay. The conventional oedometer consolidation test presents shortcomings and the KO triaxial compression test is rather time consuming.


title: Reception of repeated signals

abstract:
This thesis considers the communication situation where repetitions of a message sequence are used to improve the reliability of correct reception. This problem arises in systems where the transmitted power is inherently insufficient.
A general model for the above problem is formulated, from which the optimum receiver is derived and its probability of error calculated. Then we examine a case of PAM transmission of repeated signals in which the optimum receiver is greatly simplified. For this case we derive a suboptimum receiver which is easier to implement and whose performance compares favourably with the optimum one.
Finally, we discuss applications of the above schemes to the "SARSAT" satellite program.


title: Transcoding of JPEG images for wireless proxy communications

abstract:
The explosive growth of the Internet and handheld wireless devices is widening a large gap between mobile clients. Mobile clients vary in their hardware and software resources such as screen size, color depth, effective bandwidth, processing power, and the ability to handle different data formats. This makes it difficult for servers to support a wide range of client variations. Application-level adaptation is required to provide a meaningful Internet experience across the range of client capabilities.
In this research we introduce an image transcoding proxy server placed between the generic WWW servers and the heterogeneous mobile hosts. The main function of this proxy is to reprocess, on the fly, the most common image formats used on the web for quick transmission of reasonable quality. The transcoding proxy uses the mobile device characteristics as input parameters and can adapt to dynamically changing bandwidth on the proxy-client link. The policy decisions are used to select the most appropriate operations in order to achieve the smallest file size and acceptable image quality. Moreover, our proxy can perform on-demand specific image compression operations, tailoring content to the specific constraints of the user.


title: Gorbachev's reinterpretation of socialist democracy : socialist liberal democracy or democracy by decree?

abstract: The Gorbachev leadership's aspirations for the complete restructuring of the Soviet Union (Perestroika), rested upon the twin-pillars of economic reforms and demokratizatsiia - the democratisation of the country's economic, political and social life. Gorbachevian democratisation was the reinterpretation of socialist democracy that was based on the notion that there is an alternative to capitalism and liberal democracy. This alternative was presented as socialist democracy that purported to be more "humane and democratic." It combined liberal democratic constitutionalism and proceduralism with Leninist socialist democracy, thereby building a hybrid model of democracy that in theory could be described as socialist liberal. However, this model remained firmly rooted in Leninist practices and traditions. A theory of democracy that was constructed on mutually opposing concepts could only result in a practice of democracy that embodied elements of both - liberalism and authoritarianism.


title: Metal accumulation by colonizing vegetation on mine wastes

abstract:
Plant and spoil samples from tailings and waste rock deposits were collected from eleven mine sites in the vicinity of Ottawa, Ontario. Spoil material and individual biomass components (floral, leaf, stem and root) of plant samples were analysed for Na, K, Mg, Ca, Pb, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Al, Cd and As. Common colonizing species analysed for ionic concentrations include Poa compressa, Agrostis gigantea, Betula papyrifera, Populus balsamifera, Populus tremuloides, Solidago spp., Melilotus alba, Equisetum arvense, Echium vulgare and Silene cucubalus. Metal accumulation in plant species is variable and highly individualistic. Iron, lead, arsenic and aluminum tend to be accumulated in the roots of plants to a greater extent than other organs, while zinc and manganese accumulate principally in the leaves of colonizing plants. Concentration ratios (ratio of plant to soil ion content) are also variable. The variability seen can be attributed to differing soil environments occurring at and between mine sites and to the different mechanisms and degrees of metal tolerance of each plant. Plant ion content and soil ion content are significantly correlated in less than 20% of the samples. Ion pair correlations within the plant biomass components are also not generally significant.
Total mercury content analyses of the plant and spoil samples from the Clyde Forks Mine show mercury in mine spoil can be as high as 2100.0 μg/g. Mercury accumulation occurred in all organs of plants colonizing the mine wastes with concentrations ranging from .10 to 9.7 μg/g. Mercury is also present in soil and vegetation surrounding the waste deposits at Clyde Forks Mine. The ability of a species to accumulate potentially toxic metals into their above ground organs should be considered before choosing native species for use in reclamation programs of heavy metal contaminated waste sites.


title: Juxtaposition and the creative reader Malinowski in the field

abstract: A re-assessment of Bronislaw Malinowski's two principal texts conceived during his fieldwork experience in the Trobriand Islands, The Argonauts of the Western Pacific and A Diary in the Strictest Sense of the Term, will be attempted in light of James Clifford's contention that they are two halves of the same work, separated only by essentialist binary opposition codes (i.e., self/other, dominant/submissive, objective/subjective, public/private) that have dominated much of western modern philosophical discourse. This re-assessment will take the form of a postmodern critique of some of the fundamental epistemological tenets and assumptions underlying traditional western thought on which scientific Anthropology and its principal methodology, ethnography is based. Central to this re-assessment is the question of authority of ethnographic texts such as those of Malinowski: how can textual authority be re-imagined/re-read in light of these postmodern contentions? Hence, our attempt to utilize the method of collage to flatten authority.


title: The Dance of the hidden mind : an exploration of masculinity

abstract: The paper analyses the social construct of masculinity in light of marxist and feminist theory. Also, there is an analysis of masculinity within the context of ritualization, as found in warfare and other forms of violence.  Participant observation is used within the context of a group of men to determine the factors that shape their masculinity. Similarities between the social phenomena of war and the more individual manifestations in the group are found. They include, among others, ritualization of activity, emotional isolation, emotional restrictiveness, shame of any deviation from the norm, and the need to control oneself and one's environment.


title: Nathan Cohen : the making of a critic

abstract:
The thesis aims to demonstrate that in his early work as a professional journalist and broadcaster the late Nathan Cohen was already making a unique contribution to Canadian journalism, not only as a theatrical critic, but as a social critic as well.
Cohen, who is today primarily remembered as drama critic of the Toronto Star, in fact made his reputation as a critic long before he joined that paper.
Beginning as a university newspaper editor, and during a subsequent career as a labor journalist, Communist Party writer, freelance contributor to Jewish newspapers and broadcaster for the CBC, Cohen developed and polished the critical standards and national viewpoint which were to continue for his entire career in the media.
From the outset, Cohen insisted that the creation of indigenous works of art were essential to the development of a distinct Canadian cultural identity, that informed criticism itself was absolutely necessary to both Canadian artistic and political life, that critical audiences must be developed in Canada before the country could reach national maturity, and that higher standards of Canadian journalistic criticism than had prevailed were a necessity in assisting this national development.


title: The Stuff of fluff : a critical analysis of celebrity news

abstract: Why do we care about Michael Jackson's nose job? The Stuff of Fluff: A Critical Analysis of Celebrity News argues that celebrity stories and the entertainment section of a newspaper have a profound impact on political economic structures as well as cultural myths and personal identities. This thesis unpacks the nature of celebrity text and the various levels on which readers engage with it by drawing on two distinct but intertwining theoretical frameworks within critical theory. On one hand, celebrity discourse secures hegemonic control and brings readers into compliance with a consumer society. On the other had, it allows for the negotiation of norms and values within society; it is a site where meaning is made and identity is contested. Using both theoretical approaches, this study examines the historical development of the public personality in newspapers. As well, it deconstructs current examples of celebrity text, illustrating the political and cultural significance of that which is often deemed 'fluff.'


title: Geology of the Tincup Lake area, southwestern Yukon : implications for the tectonic evolution of the western margin of the Yukon-Tanana terrane

abstract: The lineup lake area (NTS 115G/1114) comprises 12 map units of polyfolded upper greenschist to lower amphibolite facies metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks correlated with assemblages of Yukon-Tanana terrane. Mapping at a scale of 1: 20,000 was carried out, resulting in the identification of four generations of late Permian (?) to late Cretaceous folding and two generations of late Cretaceous, or younger, faulting in the lineup lake area. Well exposed Cal marble marker units constrain the orientation and geometry of map units in this structurally complex area. In the southern part of the lineup lake area the map pattern is controlled by F2 long limbs that are moderately to steeply S dipping. In the northern part of the lineup Lake area, Sdipping or gently NW-dipping F3 limbs control the map pattern. South-dipping, brittle normal faults crosscut folds and are in turn cut by a network of nearvertical, dextral strike-slip faults striking 305°-335° and with 500- 2000m spacing. The steep faults are inferred to be related to the Denali fault and were coeval with regional strike-slip faults that cut the Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene Ruby Range Batholith to the south. South-dipping, brittle normal faults crosscut folds and are in turn cut by a network of nearvertical, dextral strike-slip faults striking 305°-335° and with 500- 2000m spacing. The steep faults are inferred to be related to the Denali fault and were coeval with regional strike-slip faults that cut the Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene Ruby Range Batholith to the south.


title: History of Indian Associations in Canada (1870-1970)

abstract: Indian associations are highly visible features of the contemporary Indian scene. Archival research shows that in one form or another, Indian associations have been active for some time: the phenomenon can be traced back into the 19th century with the Grand General Indian Council of Ontario and Quebec, founded in 1870. At least 37 different associations have been identified for the period 1870 to 1970. These associations show several common traits in historical perspective and they can be classed as Indian interest groups. Because of the closed nature of the Indian Affairs administration, however, they v/ere generally ignored o.r suppressed until the mid-1940's. On the other and, few of these associations had managed to acquire credible mandates before the 1940's. Changes in government policy in the 1960's saw increasingly important roles being delegated to Indian associations, with the result that major Indian associations are now functional parts of the Canadian political system.


title: Exploration of Narrative Structure in Games for Story Creation

abstract: While video games have become a popular medium for storytelling, as a more subjective form of game content, evaluation of written or generated narratives remains difficult. We propose a model for game narrative (the combination of story and its discourse) that can be used to both help write game stories, and evaluate existing ones. This model is based on scholarly models of narrative, alongside narrative structuralism. We performed a study of existing video game stories. Stories were broken down into their component events, and data was logged about each event. Results from our analysis show a strong relationship between the ratio of internal "character-driven" events versus external "plot-driven" events and a story's quality. We were also able to make recommendations about overall story event structure, such as limiting strings of external, or "plot-driven", events.


title: Characterization of a ~1 billion year old carbonate ramp in the Brock Inlier, Arctic Canada

abstract: The Brock Inlier, Northwest Territories, comprises carbonate and siliciclastic sedimentary rocks of the early Neoproterozoic (~1000-720 Ma) Shaler Supergroup. Strata were deposited in a large embayment (Amundsen Basin), an epeiric sea within the supercontinent Rodinia. Strata in the Brock Inlier correlate with other inliers of the Shaler Supergroup to the northeast on Victoria and Banks islands, and with the Mackenzie Mountains Supergroup, in the northern Cordillera, to the southwest. The ~900 Ma Boot Inlet Formation, occurs stratigraphically in the middle of the Shaler Supergroup and facies are interpreted to represent deposition along a storm-dominated carbonate ramp. Delta 13C and Delta 18O data coupled with lithostratigraphic and sequence stratigraphic frameworks corroborate correlations with the Little Dal Group in the Mackenzie Mountains (~600km to the southwest). These early Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks may record a transitional phase from low to high Delta 13C isotopic variability reflecting heightened sensitivity to fluxes caused by biogeochemical perturbations.


title: Display Scaling of Degraded Visual Environment Helicopter Symbology in Station-Keeping Tasks

abstract: Unexpected encounters with degraded visual environments (DVE) pose a serious risk to rotary-wing aircraft. Flight symbology systems have been accordingly developed, which offer a set of symbolic cues meant to replace the pilot's lost visual cues. The premise of this investigation is to prove the existence of a predictable relationship between display scaling and pilot response, and in doing so provide a quantifiable and defendable basis for the tuning process. An experiment is designed in which participants conduct a single-axis precision hover using a pared-down, non-conformal symbology system. During the experiment, three display scalings are varied: the acceleration cue scaling Ka, the velocity cue scaling Kv, and the position cue scaling Kx. A fourth independent variable, Lead, is also considered, which represents the amount of velocity prediction afforded by the accel- eration cue. The response is measured according to the root-mean-square (RMS) of the position error, the control activity, and the Bedford workload ratings.


title: Trade Unions and Noncitizens in South Africa: Towards an Organizational Norm of Differentiated Universalism

abstract: The apartheid era was characterized by a concerted program of denationalization that rendered the Black majority both 'right-less' and exploitable while simultaneously institutionalizing racial and ethnic differences. In casting all workers, irrespective of ethnicity or origin, as members of the Black working class, trade unions of the period transcended divisions and, eventually, claimed citizenship for Black South Africans. Today, a set of legitimized legal discriminations, embodied in the Western, statist institution of citizenship, similarly renders noncitizens vulnerable to xenophobia and exploitation, and contributes to the disunity of the southern African working class. Drawing on primary research conducted in Gauteng, South Africa in the southern spring of 2016 and with analytical inspiration from feminist citizenship theory, my thesis questions whether this proudly held "organizational norm of universalism" is capable of mitigating the effects of these legal discriminations and of overcoming the divisions they incite.


title: Fake Terrorism: Examining terrorist groups’ resort to hoaxing as a mode of attack

abstract: Little academic attention has been accorded to terrorism hoaxers—i.e. those perpetrators who use lies, benign materials and/or empty threats to give the impression that a terrorist act is or has been underway. This dissertation harnesses under-utilised terrorism events data to build a theory of hoaxes in pursuit of a dual aim: to provide a robust substantive answer to the empirical puzzle of why hoaxes are used, but not by all groups, and not all the time; and to evaluate the degree to which existing data can demystify the hoax phenomenon. The starting point is a rationalist framework for terrorist groups' strategic logics, which emphasizes the relative costs and benefits of hoaxes in relation to serious terrorism activity. In the empirical theory-building chapters, probit regression and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) are used to identify various organizational conditions that differentiate hoaxers from non-hoaxers, thereby indicating which strategic logics are plausibly at play, and in which contexts. A statistical cluster analysis demonstrates that there are five broad classes of hoaxing terrorist groups, which differ from one another along motivational, structural, and campaign contextual lines. While the unit of analysis throughout is the terrorist group, these analyses rely on cross-national terrorism events databases—predominantly ITERATE and the Monterey WMD Terrorism Database—to identify which groups never hoax, and which groups sometimes do. In the dissertation's final section, earlier findings are tested against a new sample of terrorism perpetrators derived from the recently-released Canadian Incident Database (CIDB). Although the Canada-centric data reveals a biased under-reporting of hoax activity in the cross-national datasets, a QCA analysis of its perpetrators reveals roughly similar conditions differentiating hoaxers from non-hoaxers. The CIDB's comprehensive events coverage is further exploited to test whether these organizational indicators and their associated hypothesized mechanisms hold, when campaign activities are evaluated at the event-level. A fine-grained analysis of event sequencing in Canada's most prolific terrorism campaign (that of the Front de libération du Québec) corroborates a range of proposed strategic logics. The observational nature of available data is thus limited in its ability to clarify hoaxers' strategic logics, which are both over-determined and equifinal.


title: An Exploration of the EU's Counterterrorism Measures:  Can the EU Learn From Its Member States?  A Case Study Examining Italy

abstract: As the European Union (EU) aims to deepen their integration in the realm of foreign, security, and defence policies, the Union and its institutions have developed counterterrorism measures that fall under a framework of four distinct pillars: PREVENT, PROTECT, PURSUE, and RESPOND. However, the threat continues to persist and the Union and its member states continue to develop reactionary measures that utilize mass amounts of resources, rather than focusing on preventative and deterrent measures. This thesis sets out to determine why the EU's counterterrorism measures are ineffective by conducting a qualitative policy analysis of the EU's binding counterterrorism measures. The following research aims to identify where Italian measures differ from the EU's measures, and whether the EU can learn from Italy's historical experiences with counterterrorism and countering organized crime.


title: Augmenting the Detection of Verotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli Through use of Fluorescently-labeled DNA Oligonucleotides

abstract:
Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) present a significant risk of foodborne illness and severe patient outcomes. Isolation is laborious and time consuming due to the diversity of strains. Development of a differential agent wouldenhance rate and speed of isolation. Production of verotoxin (VT) is the only phenotypic trait exclusive to VTEC.
Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides with high selectivity and affinity for their targets. A VT-targeting aptamer beacon could aid in isolation of VTEC. Proof of concept was demonstrated using an existing aptamer sequence, showing increased fluorescence in the presence of VT1a. Further characterization showed target specificity, but weaker signal contrast in complex media. Comparison of fluorophore-quencher pairs showed Texas Red and Black Hole Quenchers as optimal choices. Finally, a DNA substrate developed to detect VT enzyme activity produced weak fluorescent signalmaking it unlikely to aid in detection.


title: The Will To Poetry and The Will Of Poetry: Intersubjectivity and Transcorporeality in Virginia Woolf's and Rita Wong's Texts

abstract: The will to poetry is a raw, creative drive to word new wor(l)ds as it imagines a future-in-becoming. The will of poetry, also a creative linguistic drive, is the particular lexicon and episteme a writer is born into; it mirrors reality-in-the-present. Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own tells us the writer must become incandescent and speak truthfully in order to channel poetic will ethically. My thesis is motivated by the question: what kind of aesthetic of being can the queer woman writer imagine in a world threatened by heteropatriarchy, neocolonialism, neoliberalism and mass-consumption? Virginia Woolf's and Rita Wong's texts gesture toward an ethic of care grounded in an awareness of our intersubjectivity and transcorporeality. Intersubjectivity suggests a collective consciousness in which we either co-create or destroy each other. By transcorporeality, I mean that our bodies are porous and open-ended systems made up of other bodies, other living organisms.


title: Terminal Illness: Addressing the Malaise of the Contemporary Airport

abstract: The design aspirations of most airports are lavished on great departure halls. But with the advent of satellite terminals, aggregations of gates have become places in their own right. Having been subjected to increasingly invasive searches and security protocols, passengers are simultaneously quarantined and treated to these terminals. While huge amounts of design ambition continues to be heaped on departure areas, satellite terminals have gradually usurped them in importance. This thesis is an exploration of the satellite terminal and the renewed importance of the gate area. It uses this exploration to delve into the relationship between Marc Augé's 'non-place' and Ray Oldenburg's 'third place,' contending that the latter, in the form of the satellite terminal, compensates for the former, which is associated primarily with processing and regulation.


title: Configurable FPGA-Based Outlier Detection for Time Series Data

abstract:
A configurable FPGA-based outlier detection hardware is presented. The FPGA implementation reduces the power consumption by 89% compared to the existing software implementations. The implemented outlier detection technique is based on the joint estimation of model parameters and outlier effects in time series. A configuration of our implementation is capable of detecting multiple additive outliers with a detection accuracy of 99% and has a false positive rate of 1.05%.
We used the MATLAB implementation of the technique to compare its accuracy to the implementation in "tsoutliers" package of R. Using the HDL Coder, we generated a configurable hardware implementation. The design is configurable by adjusting the number of iterations for the optimization process, the number of samples, and the critical value. A configuration of this design has a total power dissipation of 1.14W, while processing 35 million data points per second, giving an energy usage of 0.032 microjoule per processed data point.


title: SNR-Adaptive Constellation Design for Convolutional Codes

abstract:
The development of 5G communication technology has introduced new families of applications and use cases during just its standardization and some of them have brought peculiar system requirements, where existing channel coding in its current form might suffer from tackling them. As an example of this, it can be shown that deploying one of the powerful channel coding techniques might suffer in tackling stringent delay requirements while sustaining higher reliability in some mission-critical applications due to iterative decoding structure. Besides, an error-floor region might prevent turbo-coded systems from deploying in certain use cases. From this perspective, a channel coding technique, while currently less popular than the others, might have considerable potential over 5G and beyond after optimizing its modules.
Motivated by this fact, this thesis aims to present an SNR-adaptive convolutionally coded transmission model where the simplicity of a convolutional encoder has combined with current advanced optimization ability. Basically, the proposed transmission model combines one-shot decoding superiority of convolutional coder with the utilization of choosing an optimized group of symbol points, which are obtained specifically for a given convolutional encoder, channel characteristic and transmission model. The enabler of an SNR-adaptive optimization framework is the derivation of upper bound error performance expression by exploiting the product-state matrix technique, which is used in the calculation of generating function for a given convolutional encoder and it brings the superiority to work with any type of constellations. The importance of including fully arbitrary, irregular type, constellations in constellation search lies on that the uniform constellations can lead to suboptimal performance in many coded scenarios including bit-interleaved coded modulated and turbo-trellis coded modulations as already shown.
As an initial step towards the proposed SNR-adaptive transmission model, a generalized error performance calculation was first presented. Once optimized symbol point locations via particle swarm constellation optimizer are found for each operating point, the performance comparison of the proposed SNR-adaptive convolutionally coded transmission model with SNR-independent counterparts is given in terms of BER and spectral efficiency. The superiority of the proposed transmission model, in terms of algorithmic complexity and decoding latency, is also presented.


title: Identification of Topics and Their Evolution in Management Science: Replicating and Extending an Expert Analysis Using Semi-Automated Methods

abstract: Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) is a popular generative probabilistic model that enables researchers to analyze large semantic datasets; however, few open-source software tools with Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are available to researchers. This study identifies an open-source software tool that, in conjunction with a popular electronic spreadsheet software application, can be used to perform topic modeling. A process is developed and evaluated against a pre-existing expert review that examines work published in Management Science on the topics of technological innovation, product development, and entrepreneurship between 1954 and 2004 (Shane and Ulrich, 2004). The process is then replicated using an expanded corpus that includes all articles published in Management Science between 2005 and 2015. The discussion includes an analysis of the process and insights generated by using topic modeling. A replicable process for researchers and suggestions for practitioners are provided.


title: The Effects of Visual-Spatial Distractor Task Paired Stability Training on Ankle Stability Following a Single Leg Lateral Ankle Inversion Sprain

abstract: Ankle sprains are a common injury with high rates of recurrence, even after discharge from rehabilitative therapy, likely the result of chronic ankle joint instability. Current rehabilitative training primarily consists of cognizant stabilization, where participants are instructed to specifically focus on stabilization of the ankle. This approach primarily utilizes the motor cortex and requires attentional resources. However, ankle joint stability is innately maintained by the cerebellum. We hypothesized that stability training paired with a visuospatial distractor task, leads to greater improvements in ankle stability. All participants were diagnosed with a single leg ankle inversion sprain and performed the same 4-week stability training, except the experimental group training was paired visuospatial distractor. Average muscle activity required to maintain ankle joint stability decreased 59% in the experimental group, compared to 4% in the control. This suggests a benefit in utilizing a paired distractor to improve ankle stability following an acute inversion sprain.


title: New Multi Sided Platform Operator Growth - Post Funding

abstract: Most of the literature on multi-sided platforms (MSP) is descriptive and examines the mature or declining stage of the company life cycle. This thesis seeks to increase our understanding of MSP startups during the growth stage - defined to start when external funding is secured. Nineteen MSP startups that were launched and funded from 2012 to 2017 were examined against a model that is developed to interpret the mathematical formulations advanced in the literature to explain affiliations among independent suppliers, customers, and MSP operators. The results suggest that funded MSP startups affiliate with four agents: third-parties, catalysts, affiliates, and sides-on-demand to strengthen their affiliations with independent suppliers and customers. The results add knowledge to the theory of new firm growth and are relevant to founders and top management teams of MSP startups because affiliations with agents may increase their likelihood of attracting resources to grow and affect MSP startups outcomes.


title: Disabled Gamers: Accessibility in Video Games

abstract: Video games have become an increasingly important cultural medium. At the same time, a significant portion of the population has a disability, which often leads to difficulties playing video games. Through the analysis of the disabled gaming community and a selection of mainstream computer games, we have uncovered several issues not previously noted by existing publications, either from within or without academia. Specialized alternative input devices, a commonly cited solution for gamers with mobility impairments, does not see widespread adoption, possibly due to the difficulty in obtaining them. Modern mainstream games, while cognizant of accessibility features, will only implement them so far as permitting basic gameplay, while leaving disabled gamers with a reduced gameplay experience. We have also uncovered issues that merit further investigation, such as that of digital game distribution platforms, such as Steam, and microtransaction games with revenue dependent upon player failure.


title: Detecting Amino Acid Preference Shifts with Codon-Level Mixture Models

abstract: In recent years, increasing attention has been placed on the development of phylogeny-based statistical methodologies for uncovering site-specific changes in amino acid fitness profiles over time. The few available random-effects approaches, modelling across-site variation in amino acid profiles as random variables drawn from a statistical law, either lack a mechanistic codon-level formulation, or pose significant computational challenges. Here, we explore a simple and fast method based on a predefined finite mixture of amino acid profiles within a codon-level mutation-selection substitution model. Our study detects shifts of amino acid profiles over a known sub-clade of a tree, using simulations with and without shifts over the sub-clade to study the properties of the method. We apply the approach to a real data set, previously studied with other methods: lists of sites identified as having undergone a change in amino acid profile have obvious overlap between methods, while also showing notable differences.


title: Object Detection and Tracking for Creation of Interactive Videos

abstract: Object detection is a fundamental approach in creating interactive videos. In this thesis, we propose a new method for object detection, combining object recognition with tracking in a neural network. Specifically, we use GoogLeNet as a feature extractor, and then apply a long short-term memory (LSTM) network to further adjust the feature vectors extracted by GoogLeNet according to the context of the feature vectors of the previous frame. We feed the output of the LSTM to a classifier and regressor as in the Overfeat network, to obtain predicted confidences and predicted bounding boxes. We pre-train the feature extractor on ImageNet datasets, then evaluate our network on OTB100 dataset. We compare our results to results obtained without tracking. Our model shows a better performance at predicting objects in frames where occlusion and background clutter appear, and results in more consistent object bounding boxes across frames.


title: A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Pathways to Mathematics Model in Adults

abstract: The Pathways to Mathematics model demonstrated the relations among cognitive precursors and mathematical outcomes in children. In this study, I extended the model to adults and compared the model across cultures. Results showed similarities and differences in the model in relation to children. A major difference in the results for adults compared to children was that linguistic skill did not predict adults' performance on calculation, suggesting that linguistic ability is no longer related to symbolic number system knowledge in adults due to the developed ability of automatized number naming. Culture had a moderating effect on contribution of quantitative knowledge towards number line task performance, suggesting different strategy choices across culture. These findings indicate that the relative contributions of linguistic skill, quantitative knowledge, working memory, and spatial ability vary depending on the demands of specific task.


title: Knowledge Acquisition Methods and Their Role in Producer-Driven Collaborative Innovation Performance: A Dynamic Capabilities Perspective

abstract:
Innovation remains the lifeblood of today's organizations. With the increasing pace of business and shorter product life cycles, organizations are turning to new open innovation models and knowledge acquisition methods (KAMs) to access rich sources of expert knowledge and new resources beyond the traditional boundaries of the R&D functions. Firms look to develop and use KAMs and new capabilities that will contribute to their innovation objectives and competitive differentiation.
While earlier research demonstrated the benefits of external market knowledge and collaboration on firm performance, studies have focused largely on the firm-level dynamics of co-creation of innovation activity. To date, little research has explored the elements of knowledge acquisition methods, the complexities of inter-firm and intra-firm co-creation interaction and processes, and the role that knowledge and firm capabilities play in collaborative innovation performance. There have been calls for new research towards filling this gap.
This study examines the role of knowledge acquisition methods on co-creation of innovation and its impact on collaborative innovation performance. Through a cross-discipline theoretical lens (i.e., open innovation, co-creation of innovation, dynamic capabilities, knowledge management), an exploratory comparative cross-case analysis was conducted examining a First-of-a-Kind (FoaK) collaborative innovation program and performance across five co-creation of analytics innovation initiatives. This study is the first to apply a dynamic capabilities perspective, examining the role of knowledge capacities across the collaborative innovation process, and investigating the role of the KAM as a higher-order integrative dynamic capability.
Findings from this research answer the call for greater insight into the inner workings and complexity of co-creation of innovation, detailing the observed indirect impact of the KAM on innovation performance. New initiative-level evidence describes the role of the KAM, stakeholder engagement, and the interaction of collaboration processes within and across the boundaries of the firm. In addition to highlighting the role of knowledge-based dynamic capabilities, the findings suggest that the development of knowledge capacities is multi-tiered across levels of the KAM program, initiatives, and the resource pool. The study presents first evidence that the knowledge acquisition method serves as a higher-order dynamic capability with its primary role being that of co-creation "orchestration."


title: Experimental and Modeling Studies of Creep Performance of Modified 9Cr-1Mo Steels with or without Oxidation-Resistant Coating

abstract: This thesis presents experimental and modeling studies of creep performance of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel with and without an oxidation-resistant coating. A deformation-mechanism-based true-stress (DMTS) creep model is proposed for predicting creep rate and creep life of modified 9Cr-1Mo steels. The DMTS model considers three well-recognized deformation mechanisms: dislocation glide, dislocation climb, and grain boundary sliding. Constant-load creep testing is conducted on modified 9Cr-1Mo steel in forged form, F91 (9Cr-1Mo-V-Nb). The creep performance of three types of F91 coupons, pristine, coated, and aged coupons is studied. The creep data obtained in the present study and those reported from the literature are used to validate the DMTS model. Four major achievements are obtained from this study. (i) The creep rate behavior of nine modified 9Cr-1Mo steels in various product forms including tubes, pipes, plates, and forging is systematically characterized in terms of power-laws representing the above-identified deformation mechanisms; (ii) The creep strain-time behavior of the pristine and coated F91 steel is analyzed to verify the basic DMTS model and the modified DMTS model with consideration of oxidation, showing excellent agreement with the experimental observations; (iii) The effect of microstructural evolution is studied using aged F91 coupons, showing that Lave phase formation associated with grain boundary sliding is mostly responsible for the increased creep rate and shortening of creep life as compared to the pristine material; (iv) Last but not the least, long-term creep lives (>104 hours) of modified Grade 91steels are predicted using the modified DMTS model, showing pronounced improvement over the basic model, indicating that oxidation effect is significant in long-time creep, whereas direct extrapolation from short-term creep test data is not correct for modified 9Cr-1Mo steels, because short-term creep life does not include enough oxidation effect.


title: Accelerated Transfer Learning for Protein-Protein Interaction Prediction

abstract: This thesis explores issues arising when predicting protein-protein interactions (PPI) involving multiple species with the Protein-protein Interaction Prediction Engine (PIPE). When predicting one species' PPI from another's, we showed that prediction performance is inversely correlated to the evolutionary distance between training and testing species. With a change in the score calculation, we improved the area under the precision-recall curve by 45% when using seven well-studied species to predict an eighth. We then showed that PIPE was able to predict PPI between species by predicting 229 novel PPI between HIV and human at an estimated precision of 82% (100:1 class imbalance). By modifying a main data structure, we also improved the speed of the PIPE algorithm by a factor of 53x when predicting H. sapiens PPI. Using these best practices, we predicted all possible PPI between soybean and its costly pest, the Soybean Cyst Nematode, for our collaborators at Agriculture Canada.


title: An Experimental Evaluation on Air Conditioning Performance with Vairtex Air Director Applied on Residential Condenser Unit

abstract: An experimental study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the VairTEX Air Director device on a modified 1.5-ton air conditioner. The experiment was divided into two parts. The first part included thermodynamic performance evaluations at two refrigerant flow rates. As the air director was installed on the condenser unit, COP was improved by an appreciable amount of maximum 5% while the evaporator delivered cooler air at its exit by maximum 15%. Compressor power consumption was reduced by 4.5%. Three directional velocity measurements using six-orientation hot-wire technique was employed to characterize air flow discharge from the condenser with and without the device. The radial component was significantly reduced while axial flow was greatly improved, hence increased a volume flow rate by 48.7%. Tangential component at the Air Director exit resembled the profile found in cyclone devices. Heat transfer between ambient and refrigerant also increased. Thus, condenser performance was improved.


title: Analyzing the Performance of a Heat Pump Water Heater When Coupled with a Heat Recovery Ventilator for Heating Applications in Canada

abstract: The objective of this thesis is to determine the suitability of an air source heat pump water heater (HPWH) for Canadian climates. The performance of a commercially available HPWH was evaluated at a series of air temperature and humidity set-points representing outdoor conditions in Canadian climates. The resulting cost of energy in each climate was compared to the cost when using the unit with basement air and when using an electric water heater. A computer model was developed to simulate the annual performance of the unit when installed in a house and coupled with a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). The effects of the HRV on the performance of the HPWH were found to be negligible when the heating and cooling loads were taken into consideration. It was found that HPWHs have a lower cost of energy than electric water heaters in regions with time-of-use utility rates.


title: Fragility Assessment of Combined Heavy Timber-Steel Bracing System Through Hybrid Simulation

abstract: This study performs a fragility assessment of a combined heavy timber-steel friction braced framing system through hybrid testing. In this study, one bottom storey bay of a 7 storey prototype structure is physically tested in the laboratory while the remaining lower bays and the upper 6 storeys are modeled numerically in OpenSees. One hundred and sixty five hybrid tests are performed through incremental dynamic analysis and fragility curves are developed to estimate the probability of damage at varying seismic intensities. The prototype structure is assessed at various performance levels including design and maximum credible hazard levels. The results from the hybrid test are compared with the results from the purely analytical simulation to assess the accuracy of the current finite element modeling techniques. Results show good agreement up to 2.0 percent maximum interstorey drift. The modeling system exhibits predictable behaviour and experimental results indicate the model is conservative.


title: Sex Differences in the Behavioural Response to FGF2 Administration

abstract: Anxiety is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in Canada, but its etiology is not yet fully known. The current treatments for anxiety disorders have considerable limitations, making it necessary for research to explore new therapeutic targets and treatments. Recent research has identified the use of FGF2 as a potent endogenous anxiolytic factor. The present study examined a maternal separation rodent model of anxiety to mimic early life parental separation in humans. Following adult treatment with vehicle control or FGF2, rats were tested on depressive and anxiety-like behavioural measures. Results did not show an effect of maternal separation stress on anxiety; however, there was a sex-specific response to FGF2 in controls, such that females appeared to respond better to FGF2 administration than males. Future research will be needed to delineate these sex-specific differences in FGF2's anxiolytic potential in order to understand the generalizability of its therapeutic potential.


title: Ginawaydaganuc and the Circle of All Nations.  The Remarkable Environmental Legacy of Elder William Commanda

abstract:
Abstract This thesis is a case study analysis of the environmental work of the late 97 year old North American Indigenous elder William Commanda (11 November 1913 - 3 August 2011), a widely acknowledged public figure, guardian of three Algonquin wampum belts (sacred mnemonic record-keeping and governance devices including the Seven Fires Prophecy Belt, the Welcoming Belt, and Border Crossing Belt), Officer of the Order of Canada, and recipient of two honorary doctorate degrees.
William Commanda's work was grounded in the fully inclusive concept of Ginawaydagunuc that All is Related in the cosmic world. When the idea of We Are All Connected as people is extrapolated from this Ginawaydaganuc representation or metaphor, the word Anicinabe (Anishinabe in contemporary usage) assumes primacy as the good or real human being, and as such then includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Those who align with his energetic web contribute to animate William Commanda's informal global eco-peace Circle of All Nations community.
I argue that the Circle of All Nations was conceptualized by William Commanda as a bridge-building mechanism and interface to speak to the incommensurability between Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge systems on environment, relationships and critical social justice and peace issues. The thesis incorporates and examines the pedagogical framework of this discourse.
The focus of the study is both abstract (whether and how his discourse impacts approaches to environment and related socio-ecological issues); and action oriented (regarding the continued relevance, animation and emergence of the discourse); and it employs a medicine wheel conceptual framework, and four logics of inquiry: performance mapping, historical dialectical, phenomenological and cybercartographic.
It explores how narrative, geo-narrative, critical reflexivity and graphic, cybercartographic geo-narrative, digital atlas and social media methodological tools can be justified and employed to support knowledge generation on environment, relationships and related matters in contemporary times. It also explores how such research and scholarship might impact social change and environmental studies.


title: Investigating the Role of Genetic Background and Niche of Origin in the Adaptation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

abstract: Prolonged respiratory infection by the opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is the major contributor to early mortality in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). Patients often acquire their infections from the environment, however it is unknown whether all genotypes are capable of causing infection. To investigate this, we experimentally evolved 18 environmental and CF-clinical genotypes within synthetic CF lung sputum (SCFM), to identify any genotypic and/or prior niche constraints on trait evolution and pathoadaptation. We found that genotype significantly constrained evolution within SCFM, which was evidenced through phylogenetic signal in the change of both traits and fitness. We also found that environmental strains evolve differently in SCFM compared to their CF-clinical counterparts. Altogether our results suggest there is widespread variation in the adaptation of P. aeruginosa, which is in part constrained by both genetic background, and niche of origin.


title: Exact and Approximation Algorithms for the Planning and Design of Fog Networks

abstract: Fog computing has attracted lots of attention from industry and research communities. However, due to the decentralized and heterogeneous nature of fog networks, planning a fog network can be challenging. To deal with this problem, we first propose a multi-objective mathematical model that simultaneously addresses the fog node placement, fog node dimensioning and demand routing. The model optimizes the tradeoff front (Pareto front) between capital expenditure and network delay in dual objective functions. Then, we analyze the performance of an exact algorithm (branch and bound) and two evolutionary algorithms (genetic algorithm and particle swarm algorithm) on this problem, showing that the evolutionary algorithms offer a good balance between the Pareto optimality and computation efficiency. Inspired by existing evolutionary algorithms, we proposed a new evolutionary algorithm (PSONSGA). Among the three evolutionary algorithms, PSONSGA gives the best solution and it can be a valuable planning tool for real-world fog network planning.


title: Segment Routing Green Spine Switch Management System for DCN

abstract: Abstract It is without a doubt that the data center is the core of most IT industries, providing services to billions of users today. Furthermore, due to the exponential increase of information and services from datacenters, it is projected that a 14.1 zeta bits of bandwidth would be needed to meet the current demands of data by the end of 2020 in USA data centers alone. This requires a tremendous amount of energy to run those data centers. To reduce the energy consumption of a data center, this thesis approaches this problem by utilizing Segment Routing and Traffic Engineering to have an efficient the bandwidth usage. The proposed approach makes it possible to deactivate spine switches and links on the data center networks, which results in energy savings. The experimental results yielded up approximately 78% energy savings, whilst maintaining an average similar traffic performance.


title: The Legitimacy of Transnational Startups: The Case of Canadian-Iranian Startups

abstract: Building legitimacy is one of the main challenges of every entrepreneur, especially transnational ones. The study has employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods including grounded theory and Borda count method to capture the perception of new transnational ventures (NTVs) from the sources of legitimacy for financiers and grant providers and the most important challenges of NTVs. The results from studying six Canadian-Iranian NTVs show that the most important challenges face NTVs to obtain legitimacy are "Insufficient understanding of Canadian business environment and business language", "Procuring funding", and "Building a network" Also, the most important perceived criteria of legitimacy are "the amount of investment in the business", "experience and background of the founder and director", and "credit history" of the owner(s). The contribution of the research is providing an examination of the intersection of NTVs and legitimacy. NTVs may use the results to manage their legitimacy.


title: Towards improved monitoring of changing permafrost by estimating soil characteristics from ground temperature time-series

abstract: Knowledge of subsurface liquid water content is important in permafrost but continuous measurements are rarely collected at monitoring sites. Two parameter estimation methods are used to estimate soil thermal properties and freezing characteristic curves (SFCC) from temperature time series in order to calculate changes in ground liquid water content. Tests with synthetic data show that even with the addition of noise, estimated SFCCs are visually similar to their true shape. Overall, saturation water content and freezing temperature are easiest to estimate, whereas heat capacity and the van Genuchten n parameter, which controls the curvature of the SFCC, are more difficult. Different calibration periods may result in high variability for estimates of low sensitivity parameters. Weighting model error by ground energy content underestimates saturation water content, but provides good estimates of freezing point temperature. Applying these techniques at monitoring sites encounters challenges when model structure is not well chosen.


title: Auctions and Finite Posted Prices in Online Markets

abstract:
The thesis presents a model of a competing mechanism allowing buyers already engaged in an auction to decide whether to stay in it or buy an object from a posted price outside.
In the first chapter I describe the relevance of the studied problem to the real world online platforms and discuss how my research contributes to the existing literature. I analyze buyers' game and show that when the amount of goods outside is less than the number of buyers, the latter, with valuations higher than the posted price, prefer to leave the auction early and buy the good at the posted price.
In the second chapter I analyze seller's revenues and show that contrary to the models with effectively infinite goods offered at posted prices and auctions simultaneously, using mixed mechanism may not always be a profit maximizing strategy on markets with one seller and limited supply of goods. When there is competition among sellers, mixed mechanism is the equilibrium. However, sellers do not use it to discriminate between low- and high-valuation buyers as in the models for unlimited supply of goods, but rather as the best response to hedge against the price undercutting by another seller.
In the third chapter I present several extensions to the buyers' subgame equilibrium. I show that the timing of the decision to exit the auction early depends on the degree of risk aversion, number of bidders and the price outside. In addition, I show that the seller's revenues rise with buyers' risk aversion. Lastly, an increase in the number of buyers prompts the seller to use different selling mechanisms.


title: The parasitoid community associated with the invasive leek moth, Acrolepiopsis assectella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Acrolepiidae): can conservation biological control benefit an introduced classical biological control agent in North America?

abstract: The leek moth is a European pest of Allium spp. established near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in the early 1990's. Its spread throughout eastern Canada and into the northeastern United States represents the potential for significant economic losses to Allium growers. Using a life-table approach, we aimed to determine if resource supplementation would influence the species composition, relative abundance and host-killing ability of indigenous parasitic wasps in the leek moth system and the classical biological control agent, Diadromus pulchellus. In greenhouse cages, adding buckwheat to a sugar-deprived system increased the longevity, and parasitism levels of D. pulchellus; however, a similar effect was measured on the facultative hyperparasitoid, Conura albifrons. In the field, the parasitoid species composition was the same in both buckwheat-supplemented and standard leek plots; however, the parasitoid community differed between the standard and resource-enriched plots. These studies provide insight into how conservation biological control may affect classical biological control.


title: Reaching Feasibility Quickly for Sets of Linear Constraints

abstract: Finding a feasible solution for a set of linear constraints and bounds is an essential step in many problems, including linear programming. Many linear systems have large numbers of variables and constraints, and the computation time for finding a feasible point can be very large. This thesis proposes an improved projection method for finding a feasible point in linear systems. The method increases the acceleration and improves the direction of movement towards the feasible region. Multiple algorithms developed in this research apply various approaches for the movement acceleration. The thesis also develops an optimization model for finding an optimal set of algorithms having the highest performance in a concurrent implementation. A new presolving technique is introduced which simplifies a linear system before starting the main algorithms. Concurrent computing of the algorithms is proposed for finding a feasible point in large linear systems.


title: Characterization of Stable-Health Older Drivers Using Low-Speed Driving Maneuvers From In-Vehicle Sensor Data

abstract: The Candrive study aims to improve the current practices of screening elderly drivers in Canada by identifying predictors of motor vehicle collisions from monitoring their daily driving behaviours using in-vehicle sensors. The thesis objective was to characterize the baseline behaviour of stable-health older drivers by proposing parameters of interest for detecting changes in behaviour and methods to differentiate drivers using their maneuvers. The in-vehicle sensor data from 12 stable-health drivers were processed, and a turn-identification algorithm with 97.7% accuracy was created for extracting four maneuvers: accelerating from stop, decelerating to stop, right turns, and left turns on 40 to 60 km/h roadways. Most of the drivers exhibited relatively steady month-to-month acceleration behaviours and lower accelerations in adverse driving conditions, which represented their typical driving behaviours. Drivers can be differentiated by the driving patterns from their maneuvers using a multi-expert classifier, which may be applicable for detecting changes in driving behaviour.


title: Fate of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in East Greenland polar bears and their ringed seal prey using in vitro lab- and field-based studies to investigate metabolism

abstract: Arctic wildlife can be exposed to environmental chemical contamination due to long-range transport and subsequent deposition. Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are emerging chemicals of concern, found at high concentration in Arctic abiota but low levels in biota, including in polar bear and ringed seal adipose tissue currently under study. OPE metabolism was investigated in East Greenland polar bears and ringed seals using enzymatically-active liver microsomes. Organophosphate triester metabolism rate and extent were found to be greater in polar bears than ringed seals. Chemical structure and physical properties of OPEs affected metabolism; notably, bulkier, alkyl-substituted triphenyl phosphates had decreased metabolism in both species. The degradation of OPEs with aryl and alkyl substituents occurred at a greater rates in polar bears and ringed seals respectively. The structure-dependent metabolism of eleven OPEs have important implications for regulatory and risk assessments, as some compounds have little to no toxicokinetics data available in the current literature.


title: Sounding Rocket Roll Control Through DBD Plasma Actuator Boundary Layer Control

abstract: Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma actuators alter the velocity of the air across control surfaces. The induced flow, directed tangential to the surface, inputs momentum to the boundary layer. This analysis examines the feasibility of a simplified boundary condition within computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of a DBD plasma actuator mounted on a rocket fin. The simulations examine the location of the plasma actuator where the pressure differential is largest. Resulting in a plasma actuator location between 40\% and 45\% of the fin chord producing the most force. Secondly with the actuator at 50\% chord a velocity range between 10 and 90 m/s is tested. The highest normal force experienced by the fin due to plasma actuation is approximately 5.5 mN/m at a freestream 70 m/s decreasing as the rocket decelerates. This force and the resulting torque produces an angular velocity of 2.86 RPM of roll on a sounding rocket.


title: Evaluating the Thermal Resistance of a Vacuum Insulation Panel Wall Assembly Containing Thermal Bridges using Industry Standard Calculation Methods and Numerical Simulation Techniques

abstract: This thesis investigates the accuracy of industry standard calculation methods, and two and three-dimensional numerical simulation techniques, to predict the thermal resistance of a wall assembly containing vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) and thermal bridges. The calculation methods and numerical simulations were used to predict the thermal resistance of a wall assembly that was tested in a guarded hot box. The calculation methods and two-dimensional simulation scenarios which did not include VIP edge thermal bridges resulted in a minimum overestimation of 38%. Accounting for the thermal bridges using the average joint width between panels reduced the minimum overestimation to 13% (modified zone calculation method) and 20% (two-dimensional simulations). The three-dimensional simulations overestimated the thermal resistance by 14%. Overall, the most reliable predictions of thermal resistance were determined through 3D simulations and the modified zone method in combination with the thermal bridge effect due to the average joint width between VIPs.


title: Re-writing “the little coloured ball of earth entirely”: Language and Ecology in Gertrude Stein, H.D., and Virginia Woolf

abstract: My dissertation investigates the relationship between experimental writing, bodies, and ecology in the work of modernist women writers. Specifically, I propose that the stylistic experiments of Gertrude Stein, H.D., and Virginia Woolf are inseparable from these authors' theorizations on the body and material environments. They examine how questions of language and the body are ecologically inflected. By "ecology," I do not simply refer to traditional representations of "green ecologies" that explore the human agent's place within balanced ecosystems consisting of plants and animals. Ecocritical readings of these modernist writers' works typically promote Stein's, H.D.'s, and Woolf's interest in restoring harmonious environments by emphasizing a return to serene and stable environments. As a result, the nonhuman world is cast as a pastoral, romantic, or distinctly feminine space of tranquility and restoration. In contrast, I examine precarious environments of which the body is not simply an integral component but indiscernible from the material composition of the nonhuman world. My dissertation builds upon but fundamentally reconceptualises a standard account of feminist modernisms' return to the body in light of the recent turn in both modernist scholarship and feminist studies towards ecocritical models of reading. My critique aligns with emerging conversations on the trans-corporeal body and agential materialism. Both Stacy Alaimo and Karen Barad reconsider how the body, materiality, and discursive processes are bound up in a material recreation of the world. These ideas are part of a larger conversation on the "narratives of matter" investigated by new material ecocriticism. I argue that as Stein, H.D., and Woolf examine the tension between the nonhuman world and socially constructed ideas of what is "natural," they suggest that nature is not a restorative space separate from cultural locales, but an unpredictable, volatile force central to their artistic projects. This rethinking of reductive readings of nature reveals how women writers and literary modernism move beyond discussions that focus on linguistic, historical, and cultural reconstructions of the self and the world, and instead considers how these discussions are imbricated in the ongoing performance of human and nonhuman matter.


title: On Two Problems Regarding Farthest Distances in Continuous Networks

abstract: Consider the continuum of points along the edges of a network, i.e., a connected, undirected graph with positive edge weights. We measure the distance between these points in terms of the network distance, i.e., the weighted shortest path distance. The continuous diameter of a network is the largest network distance between any two points on the network. We study two intertwined problems within this metric space: The first problem is to minimize the continuous diameter of a geometric network by introducing one or more shortcuts that may connect any two points along the network. The second problem is to develop efficient data structures that support queries for the farthest points from a query point along a network.


abstract: How do trees make sweet edible sap in spring? At the end of winter, sap of temperate broadleaf eudicot trees provides energy-rich sugars for animals and peoples of North America. Here, I conduct a multi-disciplinary synthesis to elucidate a theory of sap production and movement at a 'whole tree' level. I begin by contrasting settler knowledge to Indigenous knowledge of maples, and describe how "two-eyed seeing" may be used to address settler appropriation of maples and begin to decolonize maple provisions. Second, with a synthesis of scientific literature I show that sugars are not just byproducts of sap movement, but are signaling molecules that reveal a blurred functional distinction between xylem and phloem. I propose numerous predictions from my theory of sap movement. Finally, when testing whether spring xylem sap sugar concentration correlates with number of cells in the width of xylem rays I found significant positive correlation.


title: Metal Transport near a Tailings Facility in the Alberta Oil Sands

abstract: The main concern that surrounds the large-scale, industrial oil sands operations in the Alberta Oil Sands is the potential for oil sands process-affected water to leak from tailings facilities into the surrounding environments. Many parameters control trace metal migration as OSPW enters wetland environments that comprise approximately 30% of Northern Alberta, including pH, redox potential, temperature, organic matter, inorganic water chemistry, and hydrology. This study aims to quantify the control organometallic complexes exert on the mobility of trace metal loads where tailings facilities are adjacent to wetland environments. Geochemical modeling indicated that humic substances are the primary sorption phase, and likely dominate the chemical behavior of many metals, however, organometallic complexes are not currently taken into account in environmental monitoring programs. A refined understanding of the environmental and geochemical processes operating within this system is required to determine the potential risk OSPW leakage represents to these ecosystems.