title: Faecal indicator bacteria monitoring in blue-green algae contaminated water

contributor:
Brown, R. Stephen
Environmental Studies

subject:
Faecal indicator bacteria
Microcystin
Water-quality monitoring
Blue-green algae

abstract: Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 09:44:36.779

abstract:
Abstract
Due to enhanced human and climatically-driven environmental changes, numerous water bodies including the Great Lakes area have seen increased harmful algal blooms (HABs) (including those caused by blue-green algae) in the past few decades. HABs affect the ecological integrity of the affected water by disrupting or altering the biological communities, bringing more challenges to water-quality monitoring and sustainable water management. Faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) monitoring for detection of possible microbial and pathogen contamination is a significant water-management practice, with implications for water resource sustainability.
Work in this thesis focuses on HAB impact on faecal indicator bacteria survival and thus the use of FIB for indicating microbial contamination. To serve this purpose, microcosms that contain the representative algae and indicator bacteria were established to explore the algae-bacteria dynamics at laboratory scale. Two species of Microcystis (M. smithii and M. aeruginosa) and four lab strains of E. coli (ATCC 25922, 8739, 51813, and 11775) were used. The sample water was collected regularly for Microcystis and E. coli screening. Microcystis was shown to dramatically reduce E. coli survival in the microcosms. Three possible factors contributing to the observed algae-E. coli dynamics, nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) availability, water pH, and microcystin production by Microcystis, were examined; microcystin production was the only factor found to be able to linked to E. coli death. Lastly, lake strains of E. coli and Total coliforms sampled from Lake Ontario were included and showed the same general behavior.
The results show that use of FIB (E. coli and Total coliforms) as indicators of faecal contamination in water with Microcystis spp. (and possibly other blue-green algae) present could be greatly compromised, especially if algal toxin is produced. On the other hand, FIB survival dynamics, if interpreted properly, might be used to detect the onset of toxin-producing harmful algal blooms.

abstract: M.E.S.


title: More Than “a Little Bit Nervous”: Understanding the Experiences of Young Women With Anxiety During Secondary School

contributor:
Freeman, John G.
Education

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

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

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

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

subject:
Trait Anxiety
Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Secondary School
Adolescence

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 09:57:30.608

abstract:
In recent years, there has been greater recognition of the importance of examining and improving the mental health of Canadian youth, in that approximately 50% of mental health problems surface during adolescence (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2013). One of the most debilitating mental health issues facing young people is anxiety (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2014; Rockhill et al., 2010). The ability of anxiety to impair the daily functioning of students at school is becoming an increasing concern for Canadian teachers (Canadian Teachers’ Federation, 2012). The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of six young women between 18 and 22 years of age who self-reported having anxiety during secondary school. Semi-structured interviews were used to assist in further understanding these women’s experiences. An inductive approach was employed to analyze the data.
Data analysis revealed four primary themes: (1) experience of anxiety, (2) triggers of anxiety, (3) effects of anxiety, and (4) coping with anxiety. All participants’ experience of anxiety included physiological and cognitive symptoms. For some of these young women, a lack of awareness of their anxiety and stigma were additionally encountered. Participants identified academic, teacher, social, family, and future triggers that caused them to feel anxious at school, as well as academic, social, and emotional effects of anxiety. The young women used talk strategies, academic coping strategies, personal coping strategies, pharmacotherapy, and avoidance to manage anxiety. Two secondary themes additionally emerged across these primary themes: (1) fear of the future and (2) perfectionism. Further to these young women’s experiences was a fear of uncertainty in things to come, as well as a need to control outcomes through perfectionism and high academic standards. Finally, while no participant approached their teachers for assistance in coping, these young women suggested teachers could help anxious students by using specific teaching strategies, by being approachable, and by talking about mental health at school. While there were many similarities across participants’ experiences, the phenomenon of having anxiety during secondary school is complex – unique to each individual, personal circumstances, and life events.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Resisting Alienated Labour Through Hacking: The Case of Free and Open Source Software

contributor:
Beamish, Rob
Sociology

rights: Creative Commons - Attribution-Share Alike - CC BY-SA

subject: Marx Labour Hackers Alienation Resistance FOSS

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 10:39:23.822

abstract: Despite the growing dependence we have developed upon an array of computer-based technologies, technology in and of itself is not the cause of alienated conditions of labour. Rather, it is the cultural context within which it is used that allows different forms of alienated labour to form.  This thesis explores this argument by utilizing E. Gabriella Coleman’s ethnography of the contributors to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). This group’s activities challenge aspects of a capitalist political economy, particularly in regards to Karl Marx’s notion of alienated labour. FOSS contributors engage in a practice that integrates aspects of play and work, while embodying a continual creative process that remains within their individual control. To explore this further, this project examines a variety of classical and FOSS-related material and offers a description of Marx’s theories and analyses of the labour process, an introduction and overview of hackers and FOSS, and an evaluation of FOSS’s ability to resist domination. Reviewing these themes reinforces the dynamic and unstable elements of capitalism, promoting the centrality of human beings in producing social change. It becomes apparent that while FOSS is often coopted by a vast range of capitalist interests, the practice of FOSS contributors create an environment that prevents aspects of alienation from taking hold, allowing individuals to realize the potential and capabilities of their labour power. Their activities bear a striking resemblance to C. Wright Mills’ craft labour ideal, while emphasizing Bourdieu’s notion of skholè in the building of one’s skills and abilities. Their promotion of the open access ethos reinforces the need to draw attention to the degrees of access to tools and information necessary for this growth.

abstract: M.A.


title: Investigation of the Causal Factors for Enrollment and Satisfaction in Engineering

contributor:
Strong, David S.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Program selection
Engineering Education

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 10:56:15.679

abstract:
Undergraduate students at Queen’s University were surveyed and interviewed to examine the factors behind engineering program selection and academic transfer to engineering. The surveys were completed by 416 2nd-4th year undergraduate engineering students examining: reasons for entering engineering, demographics, personal knowledge of engineers, and their understanding of engineering programs and the engineering profession. The survey was also used to recruit students who had undergone an academic transfer for interview. Seven interviews were completed with these students, examining the reasons for their transfer, as well as the factors behind their initial program selection.
Four primary factors were identified as important to the selection of engineering programs: interest in the subject matter, strength in prerequisites, knowing an engineer, and vocational factors. It was found that knowing an engineer correlated with greater reported knowledge of the engineering profession, but not with a greater knowledge of engineering programs.
Small correlations were found between two survey variables and satisfaction: likelihood to continue on to an engineering profession and personal interest in subject matter. This presents ‘personal interest’ as a particularly valuable criterion for program selection.
Reasons that students transferred into engineering were split between a similarity of values with the program and practical reasons. Social/cultural values were discussed, suggesting that students valued engineering traditions and that engineering students were more social than expected. Students further identified academic values that they shared with the engineering program: co-operation and group work, practicality and problem solving. Understandings of these values were generally gained after they had entered Queen’s, through peers already in the engineering program. Transfer students also addressed practical considerations: degree versatility, directness to workplace, personal change/growth, the engineering job market, and support from others.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Feedback controlled electromigration for the fabrication of point contacts and noise measurement applications

subject:
Applied Physics
Mesoscopic Physics
Physics
Nano Physics

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 11:31:03.734

abstract:
Lithographically fabricated point contacts serve as important examples of mesoscopic conductors, as electrodes for molecular electronics, and as ultra-sensitive transducers for mechanical motion. We have developed a reproducible technique for fabricating metallic point contacts through electromigration. We employ fast analog feedback in a four-wire configuration in combination with slower computer controlled feedback to avoid catastrophic instability even when there is significant series resistance. This hybrid system allows electromigration to proceed while dissipating approximately constant power in the wire. We are able to control the final resistance of the point contact precisely below 5 kOhm and to within a factor of three when the target resistance approaches 12 kOhm where only a single conducting channel remains. This system makes it possible to efficiently create point contacts through electromigration for fundamental studies of atomic-size conductors or applications such as displacement transducers.

As an application of the hybrid feedback system for forming point contacts, we have developed a low-temperature, high-frequency noise measurement system. The system, which operates from 0.8 to 1.5 GHz at temperatures as low as 320 mK, takes advantage of impedance matching techniques to improve power transfer by up to 65%. This is accomplished by combining an inductor with unavoidable stray capacitance to form a resonant LC circuit. Noise measurement tests with a photodiode-LED pair at room temperature demonstrated the ability to resolve shot noise down to 5e-26 A^2/Hz. This corresponds to the shot noise of 155 nA through a single channel point contact.

We designed and fabricated an aluminum superconducting planar inductor coupled to a gold point contact wire to test the noise measurement system at ultra-low temperatures. Finite element simulations suggested that the inductor may not be superconducting at the onset of electromigration but the study was not conclusive. Tests at 320 mK revealed that the inductor was not superconducting at the currents required for electromigration, preventing controlled electromigration and noise measurements. Future work should explore alternative inductor designs to allow for noise measurements in the 0.8-1.5 GHz range.

abstract: PhD


title: Structure-Function Studies of a Truncated Ice-Nucleation Protein

contributor:
Davies, Peter L.
Biochemistry

subject:
Antifreeze
Ice Nucleation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biochemistry) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 11:27:59.622

abstract:
Bacterial ice-nucleation proteins (INPs) initiate water freezing at high subzero temperatures. Despite having an opposite function to antifreeze proteins (AFPs), INPs and AFPs both have significant similarities in sequence and structure. Based on these common features, I hypothesize that INPs also organize water molecules on their surface into ice-like geometries, as suggested for AFPs. If this is true, an undefined structural characteristic must differentiate ice nucleation. While AFPs are generally small (<40 kDa) monomeric proteins in vivo, INPs form large (>1 MDa) aggregates on the outer-membrane surface. Therefore, I propose that the distinguishing feature of ice nucleation is a relatively large water-organizing template.
To test this hypothesis, I set out to engineer an AFP from a small INP fragment. A 26.5-kDa recombinant protein was designed by joining two sections of the Pseudomonas syringae InaV INP, one encoding P141-A220 and the other encoding G1021-E1196. CD spectroscopy of this recombinant protein indicated it had β-rich secondary structure that was increased by detergent. The construct shaped ice into a hexagonal bipyramid at high concentrations, but evaluation of antifreeze activity was complicated by trace AFP impurities leaching from shared equipment. The truncated INP in a zwitterionic detergent did show small but significant potentiation of ice nucleation. Taken together, these results are inconclusive about the relationships between INPs and AFPs but point the way to more definitive studies.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A Problem of Corporate Convenience: A Case Study of the GM Ignition Switch Recall

contributor:
Snider, Laureen
Sociology

subject:
Corporate Crime
Transformative Justice
Case Study

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 11:38:15.572

abstract: In light of the overwhelming harm caused by General Motors and its failure to recall defective vehicles for nearly a decade, this thesis explores the GM ignition switch recall and the numerous errors and omissions that enabled it to occur. This thesis begins by introducing corporate criminological studies broadly, then, in the second chapter, moves to develop a history of automobile regulation specifically. Following that, in the third chapter, this thesis builds the case against GM, showcasing how at several junctures GM chose profits over safety, and how the state regulatory system permitted this to happen by allowing the corporation to define a critical safety defect as a “customer convenience problem.” Finally, in chapter four, this thesis examines the state’s response to GM’s malfeasance, situating this in its broader social context, and then moves to criticize compliance and punishment oriented regulation from Ruth Morris’s (2000) conception of transformative justice.  To effectively respond to corporate crime, this thesis argues that state responses should attempt to transform the criminogenic aspects of capitalism and the corporation, rather than punish or persuade.

abstract: M.A.


title: Addition of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Within an Obesity Risk Classification Model Identifies Men at Increased Risk of All-Cause Mortality

contributor:
Ross, Robert
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Abdominal obesity
Obesity
Cardiorespiratory fitness
Mortality

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 13:26:32.874

abstract:
Health organizations recommend that body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) be measured together to estimate a person’s obesity-related health risk. When BMI and WC are high, a person’s risk of death and disease increases. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a measure of a person’s ability to perform aerobic exercise. Despite the fact that CRF reduces health risk, even in people with high BMI or WC, measurement of CRF is not currently recommended alongside BMI and WC in healthcare settings. We sought to determine whether CRF will improve our ability to predict risk of death when both BMI and WC are already considered.
We analyzed data from 31 267 adult male participants of the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study (ACLS), a prospective study established in 1970 to examine associations between lifestyle factors and health risk. Baseline characteristics were recorded during medical examinations taking place at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas between 1974 and 2002. Participant follow-up continued until either death or December 31st, 2003. Participants were first categorized by BMI according to whether they were normal BMI, overweight, or obese. They were then grouped according to whether their WC was high or normal based on their BMI category. CRF was assessed by a treadmill exercise test performed to voluntary exhaustion. Participants with the lowest 20% times on treadmill were classified as unfit, while the remaining 80% were classified as fit.
Our primary results are that, for most combinations of BMI and WC, unfit men were at significantly higher risk of mortality compared with fit men within the same BMI and WC group. Higher mortality risk due to low fitness was observed in males with normal BMI regardless of WC, in males who were overweight with normal WC, and in males who were obese with high WC.
Our observations add support to the idea that CRF should be measured in healthcare settings along with BMI and WC to help identify and manage health risk associated with overweight and obesity.

abstract: We are intending to submit the manuscript presented in Chapter 3 for publication.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Predictive gaze in action observation: social learning in action

contributor:
Flanagan, J. Randall
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
predictive gaze
eye tracking
action observation
social learning
motor control
neuroscience

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 12:34:36.42

abstract:
How do we observe other people engaged in activities? Predictive gaze in action observation was first described in 2003 by Flanagan and Johansson who showed that in a block stacking task, observers, like actors, shifted their gaze to locations of upcoming contact events (objects to be grasped and object placement sites) around the same time that a hand movement was initiated. Later studies have shown that even when observers do not know what the actor is going to do next ahead of time, their gaze is still robustly drawn to contact events,  typically arriving there before the actor's hand based on extrapolation of the ongoing action.
Here I introduce an organizational framework for gaze behavior in action observation in terms of distinct modes of predictive gaze – anticipation, extrapolation, and tracking – and contextual factors shaping observer gaze behavior. These factors include the scene configuration as well as the timing, kinematics, and goals of the actor's movements, but also crucially depend on observers, their knowledge and skills, their perspective on the scene, as well as their own interest and goals. In the three studies presented here we investigate the proposal that observers, like actors, seek to closely monitor object contact events, including object lift-off, in part to learn about and keep track of object properties in the service of guiding future actions. In chapter 2 I describe and quantify social motor learning of object weight. In chapter 3 I show that when observing a demonstrator lift two objects at the same time, participants preferentially shift their gaze towards objects which they expect to subsequently act on themselves. In chapter 4 I describe how knowing the circumstances of an action (object value and distance) translates into predictive gaze behavior in action observation, characterize distinct gaze strategies, and evaluate their visual consequences for the observer. In the final chapter I apply this framework to critically review the current literature – which tends to conflate modes of predictive gaze – revisit the relationship between observer gaze behavior and the mirror neuron system, and review studies into the developmental trajectory of predictive gaze in action observation.

abstract: PhD


title: Optimisation of Cadmium Selenide Quantum Dot Biosynthesis in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae and the Role of Glutathione

contributor:
Lefebvre, Daniel D.
Biology

subject:
Glutathione
Quantum Dots
Optimisation
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Biosynthesis

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 13:21:56.63

abstract: The biosynthesis of quantum dots has been explored as an alternative to traditional physicochemical methods; however, relatively few studies have determined optimal synthesis parameters.  Saccharomyces cerevisiae sequentially treated with sodium selenite and cadmium chloride synthesized CdSe quantum dots in the cytoplasm.  These nanoparticles displayed a prominent yellow fluorescence, with an emission maximum of approximately 540 nm.  Investigations into the optimisation of the biosynthetic method revealed that quantum dots were produced more efficiently when stationary phase cultures were treated directly with 1 mM sodium selenite for 6 hours, followed by incubation with 3 mM cadmium chloride in fresh growth medium.  Synthesis of quantum dots reached a maximum after approximately 84 hours of reaction time.  The influence of glutathione to the biosynthetic mechanism was explored through the use of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and buthionine sulfoximine to deplete intracellular glutathione content.  The synthesis of CdSe quantum dots was significantly inhibited in most cases by 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and buthionine sulfoximine treatment, suggesting that glutathione plays an important role in the biosynthetic process, particularly following the addition of cadmium.  The possible mechanism for CdSe quantum dot formation is discussed.

abstract: We would like to protect the results as we will be pursuing multiple publications from the research.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Diagnosing Drug Shortages

contributor:
Sismondo, Sergio
Philosophy

subject:
Health Policy
Economic Analysis of Drug Shortages
Drug Shortages
Group Purchasing Organizations
GPOs
Healthcare
Generic Drugs
Quality Improvement
Drug Shortage Crisis
Ethics
Drug Shortage Causes
Health Economics
Pharmaceuticals

abstract: Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-02 15:34:46.564

abstract:
Wealthy countries are increasingly experiencing shortages of a wide range of generic drugs. These shortages are creating substantial harms for patients and problems for health systems. Despite recurring shortages and industry investigations, the nature and character of the drug shortage crisis remain the same: shortage drugs provide slim or negative profit margins, generic drug companies are reluctant to invest in quality improvements, and manufacturers are finding more reason to exit shortage drug markets. This thesis catalogues and explores these and other causes of the problem.

The proposals that have been made to address the problem at best merely mitigate it, and only target the systemic manufacturing and regulatory issues that immediately precede a shortage. The targeted issues are only symptoms, and not the root causes of drug shortages. In order to properly address the drug shortage crisis and minimize these symptoms, solutions must acknowledge the underlying economic mechanisms that make the crisis a reality. This thesis argues that, specifically, tackling drug shortages requires that one examine the economic pressures exerted on drug manufacturers by the Medicare Modernization Act’s Average-Sales-Price reimbursement system, and the practices and behaviours of group purchasing organizations. To understand these pressures and effects on manufacturers is to uncover some of the root economic causes of the drug shortage crisis that give rise to the manufacturing issues immediately preceding drug shortages.

abstract: M.A.


title: Children, Liberalism and Utopia: Education, Hall-Dennis and Modernity in Ontario’s Long 1960s

contributor:
McKay, Ian G.
History

subject:
Ontario History
Modernity
Educational History
Utopianism
Education Reform
Canadian History
Postwar History
Cultural History

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 13:53:48.84

abstract: In 1968, Ontario’s Department of Education released a report entitled Living and Learning: The Report of the Provincial Committee on Aims and Objectives of Education in the Schools of Ontario, which quickly came to be called the “Hall-Dennis Report” or simply “Hall-Dennis” after the names of its chairmen, Emmett Hall and Lloyd Dennis. The Report urged Ontarians to accept a new vision of education, one in which students were no longer organized in classes, their progress no longer measured by grades, and their experience no longer characterized by the painful acquisition of subjects but rather by a joyous and open-ended process of learning. The Report marked a significant moment not only in the development of Ontario’s educational system but in Canadian cultural history. In its outline of a new, “democratic” system of education for Ontario, one that it associated with the highest ideals of progress, liberalism, and humanism, Hall-Dennis revealed not only the high ambitions of liberal utopianism in the 1960s, but also suggested the extent to which its proponents sought to tame the forces of radicalism and maintain the pre-existing socio-economic order, albeit under the daunting and increasingly fragmenting circumstances of high modernity.

abstract: For commercial reasons -- i.e. for publication.

abstract: PhD


title: The Use of Historical Data to Describe Changes in Fish Communities Over Time

contributor:
Tufts, Bruce L.
Biology

subject:
Biodiveristy
Historical Data
Climate Change
Fish Community

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 14:53:06.883

abstract: This thesis, comprised of two studies, investigates the use of historical data to describe changes in fish communities over time. Identifying changes in fish community is important for the conservation of biodiversity. The first study focused on fishes in southeastern Ontario, a region identified as a biodiversity hotspot. The study found a major change in fish community as well as the major drivers of this change between 1969 and 2014. A strong shift from cyprinid-dominated to centrarchid-dominated communities was found and significant changes in water temperature and shoreline use were identified as contributing drivers. The second study explored issues associated with the use of historical fisheries data.  In this study, it was found that sampling effort influenced the interpretation of fish community changes over time. The second study also highlights major assumptions currently made when applying historical fisheries data and suggests steps to gain a better understanding of how to apply historical fisheries data in future research.

abstract: I wish to publish my data and request my thesis be restricted for a period of 6 months.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Old Age, Place and Care: the Experiences of Aging in Place in Bejing, China

contributor:
Rosenberg, Mark W.
Geography

subject: Care Place Aging

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 23:38:39.256

abstract:
The population is aging rapidly in China as a result of the baby boom, the One-Child Policy and a declining mortality rate in the past decades.  The government has proposed “Aging at home” and “Societalization of elder care” as the basic strategies for the older population. Beijing is a typical case to study for emerging social programs and services as the capital city. In the human geography literature, experiences of aging and care at home and at the community level have been barely studied in a Chinese context. Methodologically, a “new division” is taking place between quantitative and qualitative researchers in health geography. (Rosenberg, 2015)  This dissertation seeks to contribute to the current literature by providing a non-Western lens and combining quantitative and qualitative methods in understanding old age, place and care.
There are two broad research objectives in the dissertation: first, to understand the experiences of aging in place and older people’s negotiations with changing environments in old age; and second, to understand access to home and community-based services and the experience of care. The above research goals are achieved by using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Four hundreds and fifty-one valid questionnaires were collected for quantitative analysis. Forty-seven older people and 21 caregivers were interviewed for qualitative analysis. It is found that the current physical, built and social environments inform the meanings of place and challenge the identities older people that have been established throughout the life course. The representation of the socialist past among older people is circumscribed by their economic conditions and environmental situation. Home and community-based care is largely provided by informal caregivers while their roles are decreasing. Access to care is varied by individual socioeconomic characteristics and place. The public sector’s role in providing care is still small and conflicts are common between older care recipients and private sector providers. By adopting mixed methods, they complement each other to provide a more complete story and bring different foci to the fore in understanding the issues. The dissertation sheds light on the government’s planning and policy making in China.

abstract: PhD


title: Ecology of the Imperiled Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) in Ontario: Distribution Patterns and Population Decline

contributor:
Mandrak, Nick
Tufts, Bruce L.
Biology

subject:
Grass Pickerel
Fish Community Change
Species at Risk
Habitat Association

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 18:03:45.974

abstract: Freshwater fishes are among the most imperiled organisms on Earth and understanding their life history is vital to conservation efforts. Grass Pickerel, a top predator, is a nationally imperiled fish that is found at the northern edge of its range, has a highly patchy distribution, and can be rare to abundant where found in Canada. The distribution of Grass Pickerel within a watershed was explained using generalized linear models and is largely driven by site-scale variables such as ample submerged aquatic vegetation, channel cover, and associated wetlands in the floodplain, but regional factors, presumably climate, appeared important as well. Additionally, Grass Pickerel has declined in an eastern Ontario population since 1960 and forage fishes have increased in richness and abundance. Changes in the fish community were evaluated using non-metric multidimensional scaling and are likely due to combined effects of land use changes and alterations to stream hydrology from beaver activity and variable climatic conditions. The results from this study are informative for habitat protection and mitigating threats to this species, but also make a case for improved, standardized monitoring and baseline data. Grass Pickerel populations in Ontario are at the periphery of the species’ range and are, perhaps, the most important for the species persistence in a changing world.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Failure of Kantian Matrimony as Grounds for Rethinking Sexual Impulse

contributor:
Davies, Jacqueline
Philosophy

subject: Sex Kant

abstract: Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-05 10:47:15.607

abstract: This project attempts to answer the question whether Kantian matrimony succeeds conceptually as a context for moral sex, from the perspective of a feminist who values Kant’s emphasis on respect for persons. Kant is right in thinking that sex often does pose a threat to human dignity, and that it also has the potential to undermine all sorts of relationships, including friendships. As such, Kant may have correctly identified a dimension of insecurity within friendship which matrimony is conceptually protected against.  At the same time, Kant’s proposed solution (i.e. matrimony) may not be a sufficient solution either, and we have strong grounds to rethink Kant’s problematic assumptions about the nature of sexuality itself, specifically those about gender and sexual desire and desirability.

abstract: M.A.


title: A History of Assimilation: Dutch Immigrant Rural Schooling, 1947-1955

contributor:
Christou, Theodore
Education

subject:
history of education
immigrant

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-07 23:27:53.65

abstract:
In the aftermath of World War II, Canada entered a period of tremendous transformation. The years between 1947 and 1955 were marked by changes to the political, economic, and social landscape of Canada. Reconstruction meant not only moving away from a wartime industrial base and from debt to surplus but a remaking of a national identity. Slowly emerging as an independent nation during the postwar period, Canada struggled to define its national identity. From a Dominion imperceptibly tied to the United Kingdom through citizenship, trade, politics and culture, the increasing independence meant redefining that relationship, its national identity and Canadianizing existing structures.
Of these constructions, long-held notions about assimilation were in dispute. The increased ethnic diversity resulting from reformed immigration policies intensified the pressure to quickly assimilate new Canadians into what was seen as the new world order. Older ideologies such as Anglo-conformity vied with emerging assimilation concepts such as pluralism for dominance, both destabilized by the ongoing dualistic nature of the French and English-speaking populations. Immigrants entering Canada during these years were caught in this flux. The turbulence, however, created an environment conducive to negotiating citizenship on an individual level. As such, these assimilation theories significantly impacted Canadian immigration policies and integration strategies.
Education played a significant role in assimilating immigrants into Ontario’s dominant culture. Schooling provided an opportunity to indoctrinate immigrants in both the state and process of citizenship, which were considered integral elements of assimilation. This thesis, in particular, examines the assimilation of Dutch immigrants in Ontario’s rural schools during the years 1947-1955. However, schools proved a contradictory space for assimilation–demanding unquestioned conformity and yet allowing opportunities to negotiate citizenship.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: A modern interpretation of Robert Fludd's symbolic illustrations

subject:
Alchemy
History of Science
Johannes Kepler
17th Century
Synchronicity
Robert Fludd

abstract: Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-02 08:27:48.764

abstract: This thesis defends the worldview and reasoning of Robert Fludd through a detailed examination of his illustrations.  I am continuing the work of Wolfgang Pauli, who wrote on Fludd’s polemic with Johannes Kepler.  Diving into this fascinating event in the history of science, my contribution is a more detailed analysis of the mathematical dimension, particularly of arithmetic and the concept of number.  I begin by giving the context of Fludd’s systematic philosophy.  Following this is Fludd’s macrocosmic thesis of how the divine presence manifests in the external world.  From this basis comes Fludd’s microcosmic thesis of how the divine presence manifests in the human being.  Both theses have the same formal structure, which I have identified as a theoretical logistic.  In contrast, Kepler pursued a practical logistic that led to formulation of his three astronomical laws.  Each kind of logistic uses formal structures for different purposes, either for predicting regular patterns in sensible objects or for expressing subjective opinions and beliefs.  The latter method has an ambiguous relationship with natural science since it relies on the idea acausal meaning.  In the conclusion, I discuss this concept as it was articulated by Carl Jung.  Combining this with Pauli’s historical thesis, I argue that the objectivity of scientific knowledge depends on both causal and acausal forms of meaning.  While the causal is a conscious form of rational ordering (of light), the acausal is decidedly non-rational, hidden and unconscious (of dark).  It is this darker side of the human being that the scientific worldview of the West has left unreconciled.  In Fludd’s system, there is the potential for what Pauli called a ‘correction of earlier one-sidedness’, which Jung compared to the Eastern concept of Tao.  I aim to demonstrate that unified meaning must include the acausal just as absolute systematicity must include the unsystematic.

abstract: M.A.


title: “How Ima Read”: Queer Rap Discourse in Online Music Culture

contributor:
McKittrick, Katherine
Gender Studies

rights: Creative Commons - Attribution-Non-commercial-Share Alike - CC BY-NC-SA

subject:
pop culture
postcolonial
hip hop
homophobia
panoptical imaginary
disidentification
sexuality
race
queer
authenticity
queer rap
visuality
media
queer liberalism
music
black

abstract: Thesis (Master, Gender Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-03 20:38:50.476

abstract: This thesis intervenes into recent online media discourse on queer rap and its attendant queer liberal agenda by situating black queerness, hip hop, and homophobia within colonial and post-slavery contexts. The research project begins by exploring the ways in which websites that produce discourses on the “new wave” of “queer rap” participate in panoptical imaginaries that produce black sexualities as excessive and blackness as pathologically homophobic; this work therefore also examines the authenticating tactics used to confirm an artist and their music as “queer.” I argue that normalizing racial-sexual classifications, as well as the classificatory work of musical genre, are limiting and damaging logics that fail to fully take up a work of art and the individual artist’s personhood. I expand and complicate these narratives by turning to Le1f, an identified “queer rapper,” to focus upon the interaction between media coverage and the content that is represented in his music video “Wut.” I argue that when one examines this work closely, we find an articulation of Le1f’s sexuality that is closely bound up with his blackness and colonial histories of interracial violence, fantasy, and desire.  “Wut” and Le1f, together, resist the media’s impulse to forget race in discussions of queerness. I then turn to another artist touched by this discourse, Zebra Katz, and examine interviews alongside his music video “Ima Read.” I show how Katz provides a space to think through racial-sexual classifications as sites of injury and trauma while also drawing attention to black queer education as a project of ethical relationalities.

abstract: M.A.


title: The Market Valuation of Managed Earnings in a Regulatory Setting With Learning Opportunities

contributor:
Welker, Michael Alan
Management

subject:
Price-Earnings Model
Market Valuation
Earnings Management

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-02 13:49:34.282

abstract: This dissertation examines the market valuation of earnings announced by U.S. firms initiating or reinitiating antidumping trade investigations against foreign exporters. Trade investigations are an interesting setting because firms petitioning the trade regulator for import relief face strong incentives to manage earnings to increase the likelihood and magnitude of import relief. In addition, the setting allows an examination of opportunities for investors to learn about earnings management because (1) investigation initiation dates and determinations are in the public domain and (2) some firms initiate investigations more than once. Import relief firms’ diverse investor base further enriches the research setting and allows for a study of investor learning by both more and less sophisticated investors. Using cross-sectional, time-series and size-matched samples and a valuation model that relates stock prices to accounting book values and earnings, I find an attenuated price-earnings relation for antidumping investigation-initiating firms only in the presence of an opportunity to learn and primarily when the firm has higher levels of following by sophisticated investors. That is, the price-earnings relation in the valuation model is attenuated only when firms with sophisticated shareholders initiate their second or subsequent antidumping investigation. This dissertation contributes to the accounting literature by shedding light on which market participants learn to identify firms’ incentives to engage in earnings management.

abstract: PhD


title: Combining Auxiliary Finger Input With Thumb Touch for Single-Handed Mobile Device Interfaces

contributor:
Vertegaal, Roel
Computing

subject:
Mobile Device Design
Human Computer Interaction

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-05 11:17:01.746

abstract:
This thesis reports on the use of auxiliary finger input to complement touch-only interactions on mobile devices. While a majority of touchscreen based mobile devices support multi-touch input, mobile device interactions in one-handed usage scenarios are usually limited to a single point of contact with the screen. In most cases, the thumb is the preferred source of touch input. Selecting user interface elements, such as buttons and sliders, requires frequent movement of the thumb, occludes a display, and, to reach targets, demands frequent adjustments of grip.

To tackle these usability problems of single-handed usage scenarios, we explored the use of the auxiliary fingers — that is, the fingers that grip, support, and make contact with a mobile device — as additional input channels. Sensing input from the auxiliary fingers might lead to significantly less thumb movement, with target selection and other interactions distributed across all five digits.  We built a series of mobile device prototypes that sense isometric pressure at different areas on their surfaces. To evaluate the performance of this interaction paradigm, we measured task completion times and error rates for common mobile tasks, including document formatting, application switching, and map navigation, and validated that the use of additional fingers for input led to performance gains. We follow-up with a study to measure each finger’s ability to apply pressure on the side of the device and measured the effect of this pressure on the thumb's range of motion around the screen. Finally, we provide software and hardware design recommendations based on these studies.

abstract: M.Sc.


contributor:
Lord, Susan
Cultural Studies

subject:
Diaspora Studies
Identities
Politics of Place
Film and Media

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Cultural Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-04 21:29:17.203

abstract:
This thesis is one of three components of the doctoral project Roots and Routes: Cuban Cinemas of the Diaspora in the 21st Century. The project also comprises an archive of materials on Cuban diasporic cinemas in the post-2000 era and a travelling showcase —animated by the archive— which took place in Canada in March-April, 2015. The written text is formed by six chapters and several attachments that present information on the films, filmmakers, program notes and other data relevant to the curated events. The thesis is motivated by two main research questions. 1) In what ways has the diaspora experience transformed Cuban filmmaking practices? 2) How have the aesthetic decisions and economic processes of film production in the diaspora placed young Cuban filmmakers vis-à-vis the hegemonic structures of the nation-state, both in the homeland and the host societies? In answering those questions, this study offers insights into the new forms of mobility, politics of place and gendered/racial identities that emerge in the cultural landscapes of contemporary Cuban diasporas. Since young diasporic filmmakers contest the previous notion of Cuban “national cinema,” the hypothesis states that audiovisual producers in the diaspora have indeed transformed the way in which Cuban film is conceived and understood today, on and off the Island.
The project had three main goals: to gather and organize information on Cuban diasporic filmmaking; to promote this form of cinema among Canadian audiences through a travelling showcase; and to generate scholarship on this topic that had not been considered by systematic academic investigations to date. The research presents a model of autoethnographic curatorial work and considerations that may be of help to future students developing project-based thesis. One of the fundamental contributions of Roots and Routes… is how it transcended the borders of the academic context and succeeded in engaging local communities in different sites.

abstract: Two chapters are committed to upcoming publications (anthologies on Latin American cinema).

abstract: PhD


title: Integrated Cooperative Localization in VANETs for GPS Denied Environments

contributor:
Hassanein, Hossam S.
Noureldin, Aboelmagd
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
VANETs
Round Trip Time
Cooperative Localization
GPS Free
Kalman Filter
Inertial Navigation Systems

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-05 00:04:51.379

abstract: Accurate and ubiquitous localization is the driving force for location based services in Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks (VANETs). In urban areas, Global Positioning System (GPS) and in-vehicle navigation sensors (e.g. odometers) suffer from prolonged outages and unsustainable error accumulation, respectively. The need for precise vehicle localization remains paramount, and cooperative vehicle localization based on ranging techniques are being exploited to this end. This research presents a novel Cooperative Localization (CL) scheme called CL KF-RISS that utilizes Round Trip Time (RTT) for inter-vehicle distance calculation, integrated with Reduced Inertial Sensor System (RISS) measurements to update the position of not only the vehicle to be localized, but its neighbors as well. We adopted the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), to limit the effect of errors in both the sensors and the neighbors' positions, in computing the new location. In comparison to the existing cooperative localization techniques, our proposed cooperative scheme does not depend on GPS updates for the neighbors’ positions thus making it far more suitable in urban canyons and tunnels. In addition, our scheme considers updating the neighbors' positions using their current inertial sensor measurements resulting in improved position estimation. The scheme is implemented and tested using the standard compliant network simulator 3 (ns-3), vehicle traces were generated using Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO) and error models were introduced to the sensors, the initial and the updated positions. Different scenarios using different velocities and neighbors' densities were implemented. GPS updates with different percentages and error variances were introduced to test the robustness of the proposed scheme. Results show that our scheme outperforms the non-cooperative GPS and the non-cooperative RISS typically used in challenging GPS environments. Moreover, we compare our proposed scheme to a cooperative scheme based on GPS positions and demonstrate the reliability of a reduced inertial sensor system (RISS)-based cooperative scheme for relatively long time duration.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: "The Manner of Conferring and Treating with Them": The Board of Trade, the 1730 Anglo-Cherokee Treaty, and the Confluence of Global British Treaty Practices

contributor:
Errington, E. Jane
den Otter, Sandra M.
History

subject: Board of Trade

subject: Cherokee

subject: 18th Century Britain

subject: Colonial North America

subject: Treaty

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-05 11:09:30.896

abstract:
In the summer of 1730, the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations (the Board of Trade) determined to make a treaty with seven Cherokee delegates who were then in London, England. Drawing on their experiences and observations of treaty making with European and Native American parties, as well as on expert advice, the Commissioners of Trade concluded a treaty that they believed fulfilled European and Native American expectations of legitimate treaty making and formalized a relationship of layered sovereignty between the Cherokee Nation and the British Crown.
	Foregrounding the 1730 Anglo-Cherokee Treaty as its hinge, this project places British treaties with Native Americans within Britain’s broader treaty practices. Doing so reveals the expectations and assumptions that underlay British treaty making with First Nations, yet have been overlooked and taken for granted in studies of British treaty making with First Nations in situ on the North American continent. I examine the 1730 Anglo-Cherokee Treaty as one event in the Board of Trade’s work relating to treaties, between the years 1717 and 1730. Employing a forensic approach to the Board of Trade Minutes, along with additional correspondence and papers, this project draws out the assumptions about treaties, treaty making and sovereignty that the Commissioners of Trade deployed. This analysis shows that the Commissioners of Trade, representatives of the larger British imperial administration, perceived treaties at one and the same time as a means to affirm and to act coercively on a polity’s sovereignty. It shows that the Commissioners pragmatically recognized a variety of parties as sovereign entities capable of making treaties. The Commissioners perceived treaties as common, necessary and desirable tools for establishing and maintaining relationships between sovereign peoples, relationships which could thereby be manipulated for British commercial and territorial advantage. Treaties, in this understanding, could be used to establish situations of “layered sovereignty,” in which each party’s recognized sovereignty existed concurrently but unequally by expressing itself within different parameters.

abstract: I chose to restrict my thesis to facilitate future publication by an academic press. Publicly available dissertations are rarely accepted for publication.

abstract: PhD


title: Offensive and Defensive Strategies: Comparing East and West

contributor:
Ji, Li-Jun
Psychology

subject: Strategies Culture

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-06 19:13:26.007

abstract: The present study examined 413 Euro-Canadians and 480 Chinese over four studies on their preferences for offensive and defensive strategies. Past research has demonstrated that East Asians think more nonlinearly and are more prevention focused, whereas North Americans think more linearly and are more promotion focused. Based on these cultural differences, I predicted that East Asians would prefer defensive strategies more than North Americans would, whereas North Americans would prefer offensive strategies more than East Asians would. I also hypothesized that the effect of culture on preferences for strategies would be mediated by regulatory focus, and that Chinese would endorse more nonlinear beliefs about offense and defense, whereas Canadians would endorse more linear beliefs about them. However, across various scenarios/domains - sports and martial arts (Study 1a), marketing and negotiation (Study 1b and 1c), Chinese were found to prefer offensive strategies more than Canadians did, whereas Canadians preferred defensive strategies more than Chinese did. These cultural differences in their self-reported preferences were not reflected in the strategic moves they made in the behavioural game played in Study 2. In addition, promotion focus did not mediate the relationship between culture and preference for offense, and prevention focus did not mediate the relationship between culture and preference for defense. Nonetheless, Canadians were more likely to endorse linear beliefs more than Chinese did, whereas Chinese were more likely to endorsed non-linear beliefs about offense and defense more than Canadians did.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Timing Effects on Fragmentation by Blasting

contributor:
Katsabanis, Panagiotis (Takis) D.
Mining Engineering

subject:
Fragmentation
Mining and Blasting

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mining Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-05 18:44:40.535

abstract: Rock fragmentation has always been an indicator for the efficiency of blasts in mines. Several suggestions have been made by blast operators and specialists to improve the rock fracturing mechanisms in order to obtain smaller fragments. The order of blast hole initiations together with the timing interval between holes has been observed to affect the blast results. In this study, a series of small-scale tests, simulating bench blasting have been made to establish the effect of delays in the sequence of blast initiation. The blasts were performed in high strength grout blocks, which were cast to provide a similar to rock condition excluding the possible structural weaknesses of the rock material. Homogeneity of the grout also helped to create a proper testing environment, ensuring the comparability of the blast results from different specimens. The grout used in the experiments had a strength of 50 MPa, density of 2.2 g/m3, and P-wave velocity of 4000 m/s. Unwanted reflections of blast generated stress waves were eliminated by confining the blocks using a yoke. The tests were made with a range of inter hole delays from 0 to 2000 μs. The fragments achieved after each blast were collected and screened to analyze fragmentation from different delays. In general, coarse fragmentation was obtained from short delays while back break was minimal. Relatively longer delays resulted in better fragmentation with more damage to the back of the blocks. The work continued to investigate the effect of blast gas on fragmentation by conducting similar tests in blocks but by placing copper pipes in the blast holes to control the gas propagation through the blast zone. Although gas penetration did not seem to be fully inhibited by the copper pipes, the new design yielded different results in the delay range which had produced optimum fragmentation. The current study is considered to be a start point for more investigations in the field of efficient blasting with regard to the requirements for the mine to mill process.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: OCTWAS - Online Check-pointer for Workflows on Apache Spark

contributor:
Martin, Patrick
Computing

subject:
Apache Spark
Analytic Workflows
Big Data
Fault-tolerance

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-06 18:17:58.591

abstract:
With the advent of Web 2.0, Big Data workflows which are being designed in order to extract useful information from data, are run on many engines, one of which is Apache Spark. Apache Spark is a fast and efficient in-memory parallel-processing software framework. By retaining the data in memory, it speeds up the execution of a wide variety of applications. It maintains fault-tolerance by storing information required to recompute the data in case of failure in stable storage. However, for Big Data, recomputing large amounts of data will lead to a performance penalty. In addition, because Apache Spark runs on commodity hardware, the increased likelihood of failure strengthens the need for a fault-tolerance mechanism.
 In order to reduce the impact of failures on the processing of these workflows, we propose a framework called OCTWAS (Online Check-pointer for Workflows on Apache Spark). OCTWAS makes use of knowledge of how the data is used in a workflow and takes into account the gain in time obtained when the data is check-pointed at a particular stage and  a failure occurs. The framework is designed to be lightweight so that the performance does not degrade when there are no failures. OCTWAS decides the check-points and writes the data to the disks at these check-points while the workflow is being executed. OCTWAS has been tested by simulating failures at fixed intervals. A sample workflow has been designed for Apache Spark for testing purposes. The performance when the workflow is run with OCTWAS, both with and without failures, is compared to the performance when the workflow is run without OCTWAS, under the same conditions. Results indicate that OCTWAS not only reduces the impact of failures on the processing time of Big Data workflows, but also does not degrade the performance when failures do not occur.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: (Neo)Liberal Scripts: Settler Colonialism and the British Columbia School Curriculum

contributor:
Godlewska, Anne
Geography

rights: Creative Commons - Attribution-Non-commercial - CC BY-NC

subject:
education
settler colonialism
decolonizing education
place

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-08 12:11:37.135

abstract: This thesis explores the challenges to decolonizing education in British Columbia (BC), one of the thirteen provinces and territories in Canada. It is an analysis of the K-12 curriculum documents in BC. The analysis is based on critical literature on settler colonialism, Indigenous critical theory, and critical pedagogy. Recent revisions to the curriculum documents have responded to increasing calls for integration of content about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples and Indigenous perspectives into education in BC. However, critical silences, problematic representations and placement of content, and subordination of Indigenous ways of knowing and being to settler-colonial epistemology and ontology hinder meaningful integration of Indigenous perspectives into the curriculum. In particular, the naturalization of settler-colonial sovereignty and territoriality in the curriculum reinstates settler interests and “commonsense.” This tendency is particularly problematic in the context of the contemporary neoliberalization of education in settler societies. This thesis proposes that decolonizing education in BC will require a shift in the ways settlers and Indigenous peoples relate in and with place.

abstract: M.A.


title: Markets, Games, and Lobbying

contributor:
Sismondo, Sergio
Philosophy

subject:
Philosophy
Ethics
Applied Ethics
Business Ethics

abstract: Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-08 16:12:45.001

abstract: Contemporary business ethics asks the question: what moral responsibilities do actors in a market economy have? Specifically, what obligations do corporate managers have? In this paper I consider a new method for answering these questions, Joseph Heath’s market failure model of business ethics. On this view, the market is a staged competition that is normatively justifiable through its tendency to promote Pareto efficiency. Since the market is justified by Pareto efficiency, competitive behaviour in the market should be constrained by a set of rules that is consistent with the pursuit of Pareto efficiency. Treating business as a competition is philosophically justified, I argue, both in the sense that it satisfies the conditions of a game, or at least a gamelike activity, and in the sense that the deontic weakening that competition brings with it is justified in the market. I consider one case in more detail, to demonstrate the value of the approach. Within the business competition, I argue, lobbying is an impermissible, though conditionally excusable strategy. This is because lobbying routinely produces market failures, and indeed is often pursued precisely with that goal.

abstract: M.A.


title: Psychosocial Mediators and Moderators of the Catastrophizing-Pain Relationship in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS)

contributor:
Tripp, Dean A.
Psychology

subject:
Bladder Pain Syndrome
Catastrophizing
Coping
Interstitial Cystitis
Depression
Biopsychosocial Model
Chronic Pain
Chronic Pelvic Pain

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-08 22:13:01.964

abstract: Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome without consensus on its etiology or treatment. Present biomedical outcomes for IC/BPS remain poor. There is growing recognition within the medical field of the significant role psychosocial factors play in the chronic pain experience. Catastrophizing, behavioural coping strategies, and depressive symptomology are all noted for their negative impact on chronic pelvic pain outcomes. In particular, the relationship between catastrophizing and pain, long recognized in other chronic pain populations, has recently been highlighted in IC/BPS research. The primary aim of this study was to identify the conditional processes through which catastrophizing predicts pain. Using the transactional model of stress and coping and the fear of re-injury model as theoretical frameworks, a moderated multiple-mediation model was tested which predicted that illness-focused and wellness-focused behavioural coping strategies mediate the relationship between catastrophizing and pain, and that these mediating effects were stronger among individuals with higher levels of depressive symptomology. Female patients diagnosed with IC/BPS (N=341; 49.77 ± 14.49 years) were recruited from tertiary care urology clinics in Canada, USA, Taiwan, Denmark, and India. Participants completed questionnaires measuring levels of pain, catastrophizing, behavioural coping strategy usage, and depressive symptomology. Illness-focused behavioural coping strategies were found to mediate the relationship between catastrophizing and pain (both sensory and affective). Additionally, depressive symptomology moderated the mediating effect of illness-focused behavioural coping on the relationship between catastrophizing and affective pain. The relationships between pain, catastrophizing, behavioural coping strategies, and depressive symptomology are discussed in relation to the extant chronic pain literature, along with clinical implications, limitations, and areas for future research.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Pro Homine Framework and the Roman Law Spirit of International Human Rights Law

contributor:
Aiken, Sharryn
Law

subject:
Law
Human Rights
International Law Theory
International Law

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Law) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-09 16:01:11.889

abstract: The Romans were the first civilization that envisaged an international legal system rooted in the human person and for all humankind.  The innovation of this concept was precisely its universality centered on the human conscience, which, different from past approaches to international law, was not theoretically limited to a group of people or a religion. Although still deprived of universal de facto application, the Roman concept of the law of nations or jus gentium guided, to a greater or lesser extent, all subsequent writings on the subject until its complete limitation to a law between states and its current revival within the theoretical framework of international human rights law. The general framework of human rights is the Roman notion that international law flows from an universal reason of all humankind and is equally observed by all peoples and used as law by all peoples or nations. It is this definition, looked through the perspective of modern times, which forms the pro homine framework. Both the European and Inter-American human rights courts unconsciously follow the precepts of the Roman jus gentium. They contribute to the reaffirmation that international human rights is indeed centered on the human person as the end and source of law. This individual-centric and Roman-based conception guide the transformation, application and interpretation of international human rights law setting the basic parameters of individuals as bearers of rights, duties, capacity and interests at the international level. Accordingly, declarations, treaties and courts merge traditional elements of international law (the language of declarations and treaties) with the core elements of the Roman law of nations (universality, the human person as the source and end of law, international law setting guidelines to change and adapt domestic law and the importance of written instruments and magistrates). Adapting to different historical, legal, social and political contexts, international human rights law is in theory and method part of a truly corpus juris gentium romani (body of the Roman law of nations

abstract: PhD


title: Adolescent Development of Parent and Peer Dependence

contributor:
Craig, Wendy M.
Psychology

subject:
Parent-child relationships
Peer relationships
Autonomy development
Adolescence

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-11 17:45:28.918

abstract: Autonomy is an important developmental task that begins in toddlerhood and continues into adulthood. Research has generally examined autonomy from parents and peers in adolescence, as there are a number of cognitive, physical, and emotional changes during this period of development that may influence how youth become autonomous. There is limited research, however, on how dependence (or lack of autonomy) from both relationships develops jointly across adolescence. As well, few studies have examined the relationship quality and psychosocial adjustment outcomes associated with joint parent and peer dependence. The objectives of the current research were to investigate how the combination of parent and peer dependence develops together, and to assess its effects on youth’s functioning. In the first study, semiparametric group-based modeling analyses were used to identify youth that followed different developmental trajectories of dependence with parents and peers. Our results indicated that there are individual differences in autonomy development, with some youth following a high trajectory of parent and/or peer dependence, and others following a low trajectory of parent and/ or peer dependence. Four joint parent and peer dependence trajectory groups emerged. The second study built on the results from Study 1 and found that youth who reported low levels of dependence on both parents and peers had healthy relationships and psychosocial adjustment. On the other hand, youth with high dependence on both parents and peers may be at risk for psychosocial problems. Results also suggest that parent and peer dependence may have differential roles in influencing adolescent functioning. Together, these findings emphasize the interrelatedness of parent and peer dependence, and demonstrate the need to consider both parent and peer relationship contexts when examining youth functioning.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Undergraduate students and risk factors for excessive drinking

contributor:
Olmstead, Mary C.
Psychology

subject: Alcohol Undergraduates

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-11 17:07:09.477

abstract: Excessive drinking is associated with significant negative consequences for individuals, and enormous costs to the healthcare system and economy. Around the world, university students comprise a particularly vulnerable population with respect to excessive drinking. This demographic group exhibits heavier drinking patterns than older adults and like-aged peers who do not attend university. Given the widespread negative fallout associated with alcohol misuse, the identification of pre-existing factors that are associated with increased vulnerability for this behaviour is critically important, especially among high-risk groups such as undergraduates. The goal of the current dissertation was to explore, among undergraduates, individual differences in intrapersonal factors that confer risk for excessive drinking, particularly disinhibited behaviour and stress – factors that have been robustly associated with the development of alcohol use disorder. Study 1 examined whether impulsivity, sensation seeking, and anxiety sensitivity were related to escalated drinking behaviour in the transition between high school and the first year of undergraduate studies. Our findings demonstrated that individual differences in trait impulsivity prospectively predicted increases in hazardous drinking and, at a trend level, drinking intensity. Study 2 assessed whether exposure to acute stress increases voluntary alcohol intake and, further, whether intake of alcohol relates to individual differences in anxiety. Consistent with our hypotheses, psychosocial stress increased voluntary intake of alcohol, but not placebo or non-alcoholic beverages. In contrast, ad libitum alcohol intake was not related to individual differences in anxiety. Finally, Study 3 examined whether alcohol induces biochemical stress responses in a non-clinical population and, moreover, whether this effect relates to individual differences in impulsivity and subjective alcohol responses. Our data demonstrated that alcohol intoxication was associated with increases in biochemical markers of stress, namely cortisol and alpha amylase, among males.  Biochemical responses were highest among individuals who reported the greatest stimulant effects of alcohol. Additionally, trait impulsivity was positively correlated with cortisol responses to alcohol. Taken together, the current studies underscore the importance of individual differences in behavioural disinhibition (e.g., impulsivity) on the subjective effects of alcohol and drinking behaviour among undergraduates. Clinical implications and avenues for future research are discussed.

abstract: PhD


title: Deceptive Deeds Done With UAVs: A Democratic Deficit in Canada

contributor:
Murakami-Wood, David
Sociology

subject:
Geography
Lateral Surveillance
Canadian Privacy Law
Politics of Visibility
Tracking
Drones
Uavs
Verticality
Asymmetry of visibility
Surveillance
Line-of-Sight
Ethics
geodemographic
Air-Targeting

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-13 01:04:29.5

abstract: In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known colloquially as drones, have proliferated throughout North America. Canada, in particular, has been favourable to the growth of the UAV market. Given that this topic requires analysis, this thesis endeavours to explore UAVs in a socio-historical context, one in which the origin of UAVs can be traced until its present manifestation. First, this thesis situates the concept of “politics of visibility,” which resides at the core of surveillance studies. Visibility, anchored in surveillance, helps scholars and the public to understand how UAVs operate and interact with their environment. Second, the theoretical framework of this thesis amalgamates concepts such as visibility with others notions, such as tracking, and considers how these terms function more broadly within a new military urbanism. Third, this thesis advances a theory of drones, one that identifies these devices not merely as “objects” but rather as technological devices with an “infused” politics. Fourth, this thesis situates UAVs within a Canadian context, one in which the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has already utilized these devices for policing. The evolving nature of policing will be highlighted to demonstrate how archaic notions of policing from the previous century must be challenged and ideally overcome. Finally, this thesis investigates the implications of UAVs in relation to the two Canadian privacy statutes: The federal Privacy Act (1983), which regulates how the Federal government handles Canadians’ personal information, and the Personal Information Protection Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) (2000) which sets guidelines for organizations dealing with the personal information of Canadians.

abstract: M.A.


title: Ventilation design strategy to meet future production requriements for a Saskatchewan potash mine

contributor:
De Souza, Euler
Mining Engineering

subject: ventilation potash mining

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mining Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-13 10:49:11.175

abstract:
The Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. has invested 2.8 billion dollars in its Rocanville Division, a
potash mine in southeast Saskatchewan. The investment was made to increase site production nameplate
capacity from 3.0 million tonnes per annum (MMtpa) (K20) to 5.7 MMtpa (K20). The expansion consisted
of three components. First, processing capacity was doubled by building a second mill facility. Second,
ore hoisting capacity was increased by converting the existing service shaft into a production shaft.
Finally, mine production capacity was increased by nearly tripling the production mining machine fleet
and opening new ore reserves. In addition to this, a new (third) remote shaft to act as a new service shaft
was also constructed. This thesis covers the design of a mine ventilation system that will meet the
operating constraints of the post-expansion production requirements, the publishing of which is unique
compared to typical potash mine ventilation practice, which has historically been based solely on field
experience. The mine ventilation system was designed by analyzing the minimum requirements for
effective production on a ‘per machine’ basis. Shaft capacities for airflow were also analyzed and mine
resistance was estimated using ventilation engineering principles. Design calculations were then verified
through extensive computer modeling, and used to generate specifications for fan systems. This thesis
also presents the planning of the construction and commissioning and the phased implementation of the
system while the mine continued to produce potash. The transition phases were planned to work in
conjunction with mine production downtime, complement other ‘expansion’ related construction
activities, and most importantly provide effective ventilation to the mine throughout the entire process. A
comparison of the ventilation model to in-field survey data was completed during several of the early
transition phases to verify the design calculations. This thesis also presents novel applications of
engineering principles used to optimize the design from and aerodynamics and health and safety (sound
exposure and local air velocity) viewpoint, perspectives often unconsidered when performing conveyance
design, shaft design, and determining fan placement. All of this was done in order to reconcile ventilation
requirements with production expectations, allowing for efficient and productive potash mining.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Object substitution masking reveals the continuous nature of conscious object representation

contributor:
Wilson, Daryl
Psychology

subject:
Visual Masking
Consciousness

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-13 12:14:39.44

abstract: How the visual system resolves conflicting information in the construction of a stable and coherent conscious experience remains one of the central problems of vision science. One striking example of this resolution of conflict is known as object substitution masking (OSM). OSM describes the phenomenon whereby the representation of an initially presented stimulus (the target) is replaced by the representation of a subsequently presented stimulus (the mask). OSM has been used as evidence for a visual processing mechanism that evaluates emerging object representations based on incoming perceptual input. Specifically, if incoming perceptual information is found to be discrepant with previously presented information, the prior information will be replaced by the new information such that it never enters conscious awareness. OSM has typically been investigated by the simultaneous and brief (< 50 ms) presentation of a target object surrounded by four small dots (the mask). When the four dots persist after the offset of the target object, it is common for observers to only consciously perceive the mask and not the target. Leading theories of OSM explain failures in target awareness as the result of a discrete all-or-none process in which target information is eliminated before it ever enters conscious awareness. However, OSM has to date only been assessed using forced choice methodologies. Thus, theories of OSM remain underspecified in the extent to which the target is processed before, during, and after the mechanism responsible for OSM occurs. The purpose of the experiments presented in this thesis was to understand the nature of target representation during OSM in order to understand the nature of conflict resolution in the visual processing stream during conscious object perception. In Chapter 2, OSM was found to both increase random guessing about, as well as decrease the precision of, a target object’s orientation. This finding of reduced precision provided novel evidence that OSM can impact object representations in a continuous, rather than discrete, manner. In Chapter 3, I presented target objects for durations far exceeding those of typical masking paradigms. In support of a temporal trimming account, OSM was found to reduce the perceived duration of a target (Experiment 1) and prematurely terminate the updating of a target’s orientation (Experiment 2). This finding strengthened the notion that the process responsible for OSM is continuous in nature and further demonstrated that OSM can interfere with object representations following their formation as conscious percepts. These findings challenge existing theories of OSM and argue that the process responsible for OSM is the result of a continuous, rather than discrete all-or-none, process. Further, these studies extend the reach of OSM as a tool for investigating conscious vision beyond the processes involved during the formation of a conscious representation.

abstract: Contains unpublished data that I would like to keep private until I have had the chance to publish it.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Analysis of Pigeons' Head and Body Movements While Pecking

contributor:
Troje, Nikolaus F.
Psychology

subject: Pigeon Pecking Motion-capture Head-bobbing

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-13 14:42:50.819

abstract: Pigeons have been shown to follow a specific sequence of behaviour while pecking. The pecking motion appears to be a single continuous movement, however video analysis examined at frame rates slower than real-time has shown that pigeons briefly stop the movement of their head twice during a single peck. After the second stop, they initiate a final ballistic movement which terminates when they make contact with a target (Goodale, 1983). It has been hypothesized that during the first stop (or fixation) phase pigeons are making the decision whether or not to peck the target. During the second stop phase pigeons are thought to calculate finer details of the target such as its specific size and depth as well as program the final motor movement needed to make an accurate peck. The current experiment was designed to analyze the function of the second stop phase by varying target size. Four pigeons were trained on a task involving pecking at five sizes of stimuli for a food reward, and the movements of their heads and bodies were recorded during pecking as well as walking towards the screen where the targets appeared. The main hypothesis, that the duration of the second stop phase would increase as stimulus size decreased, was tentatively supported; the data followed the hypothesized trend across all sizes of stimuli except the largest. Other interesting findings concerning head and body movement were also found, such as that pigeons appear to begin calculating the orientation of their head for the final peck during the first stop phase, and that the distances from the screen that the pigeons hold their heads at during both stop phases increase as stimulus size increases. Future directions expanding from these findings are proposed to further examine the function of the first stop phase.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Exploring the factors that support cooperative and equitable municipal-First Nation relationships: A case study of the City of Calgary and the Tsuut’ina Nation

contributor:
Viswanathan, Leela
Urban and Regional Planning

subject:
land use planning
Alberta
relationship building
reconciliation
First Nations
cooperation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Urban & Regional Planning) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-13 23:51:56.221

abstract:
This research examines the factors that influence the emergence of cooperative municipal-First Nation relationships, and explores how these relationships can be sustained and built upon so that they are based on the principles of mutual recognition, mutual respect, sharing and mutual responsibility. Municipalities and First Nations are increasingly collaborating on land use planning, development, and services provision, and municipal officials, including planners, need to consider the role they can have in transforming organisational structures and land use planning practices in a way that will foster collaboration with First Nations. Strong relationships allow for mutually beneficial projects to be explored and undertaken, they reduce the chance for conflict and misunderstanding, and they play an important role in meaningful reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples
This research utilizes a case study of the City of Calgary and the Tsuut’ina Nation to examine municipal-First Nation cooperation, and centres on how the relationship between the two communities evolved during negotiations to construct the southwest Calgary ring road through Nation land. Document review, policy analysis, and semi-structured interviews were used to determine the factors that encouraged the emergence of a cooperative relationship between the two neighbours. The research points to the importance of visionary community leadership in building trust and respect between First Nations and local governments, and in arriving at mutually beneficial outcomes.
Since political turnover, conflict, and changing priorities can threaten relationships, this thesis also explores how the City of Calgary can work toward organisational arrangements to sustain and build upon its relationship with the Tsuut’ina Nation. Municipal politicians and employees have a
iii
responsibility to pursue active reconciliation with First Nations, and this research suggests practices, processes, and values that municipal governments, planners, and other officials can strive to adopt. This research suggests that comprehensive strategies, developed in partnership with First Nation neighbours and targeted at the levels of planning practice, policy, and culture, have the potential to enable municipal governments, planners, and other officials to respectfully and effectively engage with First Nations.

abstract: M.PL.


title: Dynamic Spectrum Allocation for Cognitive Radio Networks: A Comprehensive Optimization Approach

contributor:
Ibnkahla, Mohamed
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Cognitive Radio
Electrical Engineering
Medium Access Control
Computer Engineering
Resource Allocation

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-15 20:51:37.483

abstract:
In Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs), the role of the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer is very important since it enables Secondary Users (SUs) to access the spectrum without affecting Primary Users' (PUs) communications. SUs' and PUs' geometry has an effect on the performance of the spectrum sharing algorithms. Also, SUs' mobility changes the topology of the network as well as  interference between the PUs and SUs.  The scenario of multiuser multichannel CRNs introduces new challenges such as co-channel interference.  Consequently, the power budget should be allocated to the SUs subject to specific constraints. Hence, different SUs will have different power and interference limits depending on the activity of PUs and on which SUs will be causing co-channel interference to each other. In addition, enabling Energy Harvesting (EH) in CRNs is promising to extend their lifetime so that the hybrid interweave/underlay access scheme is adopted, which means that SUs can access the active and non-active PU bands.

In this thesis, I propose  new optimal and suboptimal Dynamic Spectrum Allocation (DSA) algorithms that employ an interweave/underlay access scheme. I also study the impact of the following factors: mobility of the SUs, spectrum mobility, the Primary Exclusive Regions (PERs), the geographical locations of the nodes, connectivity of SUs, correlated shadow fading,  and the activity of both PUs and SUs. A cross-layer approach is adopted in order to benefit from the  information of the other layers.

Moreover, to increase both the energy efficiency and the spectrum efficiency, I also propose a novel algorithm that enables SUs to harvest energy with minimal impact on their spectrum access performance. The algorithm allows SUs to participate in making decisions regarding their operating mode. Also, the algorithm ensures that the energy level in CRN cannot be lower than a specific threshold.

Furthermore, I propose different optimal and suboptimal algorithms that optimize the power allocation among SUs. The objective is to maximize the Spectral Efficiency (SE) while respecting the power budget along with the other constraints.

Extensive simulations have been conducted and the results are presented for all of the proposed algorithms.

abstract: PhD


title: Hunger in Canadian Adolescents: A Mixed Methods Study

contributor:
Davison, Colleen
Pickett, William
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Determinants of Health
Hunger

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-19 15:47:29.681

abstract:
Background: Children going to school or bed hungry due to lack of food at home is a public health concern in Canada. Hunger adversely affects child health and development. Social support can alleviate hunger among adults. However, limited literature exists on this in adolescents. There is a need to understand the concept of hunger and aspects of food insecurity from adolescents’ perspective in order to improve existing health promotion or nutrition programs.
Objectives: This mixed methods study aims to: [1] assess qualitative content validity of the hunger item on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey; [2] understand Canadian adolescents’ perspectives on the HBSC item and on hunger more broadly; [3] investigate the epidemiologic relationship between social support from parents and teachers and adolescent’s report of hunger.
Methods: Manuscript 1: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted using adolescent focus groups across Ontario. Coding proceeded in three stages with codes, themes and overarching concepts identified. The relative importance of themes were determined through assessment of depth, immediacy and richness of interaction surrounding them, as well as their reoccurrence. Manuscript 2: Canadian 2009/2010 HBSC data were used to examine the relationship between social support and hunger using adjusted Poisson regression.
Results: [1] Content validity assessment showed adolescents considered quantity, consistent access and food preference, but not food quality when answering the HBSC hunger item; [2] Adolescents’ discussions highlighted four overarching concepts: hunger related to family affluence, societal influences on food choice and practices, parental influence on food availability and practice, and the effect of hunger on health; [3] Parental and teachers’ support were independently and consistently associated with hunger. Adolescents who reported lower perceived support were also more likely to report going to school or bed hungry because there was not enough food at home.
Conclusion: The HBSC hunger item should be cautiously interpreted with regards to food quality. When responding to the hunger item adolescents considered economic, social, family-related and health-related ideas. Overall, results from these studies may be informative to school- and community-based nutrition and health promotion programs that focus on the potential benefits of using social networks.

abstract: This thesis is to be restricted as discussed and decided by the author and her supervisors, Dr. Colleen Davison and Dr. Will Pickett, Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Ensalada Mixta: Geographical Explorations of Food and Cuba

contributor:
McDonald, David A.
Geography

subject:
Women
Geography
Food security
Special Period
Cuba
Food Studies

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-18 21:12:52.086

abstract:
The six papers presented in this half-thesis trace my progression through various schools of thought in human geography. It is an “ensalada mixta” that presents a mix of approaches and investigative methods related to food studies and Cuba.
The first paper in this collection engages with the concepts of the right to food, food security and its measurement at a macro level. It demonstrates the extent of the world food problem and discusses some of its complex underpinnings. In the second paper, I review the impacts of the Special Period on Cuban food production and examine the urban agriculture program that emerged in response. I show why the Cuban urban agriculture program is often cited as a “best practice” example for other food insecure countries and I present some of the challenges the program faces to ensure its long-term sustainability.
For the third paper, I use a feminist lens to take a closer look at the crisis of social reproduction created by the economic and food crises of the Special Period. In this paper, I also argue that a male bias has been introduced through Cuba’s urban agriculture policies and programs (despite women being the primary participants and beneficiaries of urban agriculture programs elsewhere in the world).
In the fourth paper, I examine how Cuban women navigate and negotiate food crisis situations, such as the one created by the devastating triple hurricanes of 2008. This paper is founded on a three-month period of fieldwork in Havana in the fall of 2008 and shows how—twenty years after the onset of the Special Period—women’s opportunities for gender equality continue to be affected by periodically recurring economic and food crises.
Finally, in the fifth and sixth papers (a case study and project proposal, respectively), I take a historical geographical approach to examine the writings of 19th century travellers to Cuba. I illustrate how their day-to-day experiences with food were used as markers of place and difference, how they contributed to the production of geographical knowledge and the establishment of identities and power relationships between travellers, hosts and audience.

abstract: M.A.


title: Carceral Acoustemologies: Sonic Enactments of Space and Power in Prisons

contributor:
Cameron, Laura
Davidson, Joyce
Geography

subject:
Music
Power
Sound Studies
Discipline
Surveillance
Incarceration
Cultural Geography
Historical Geography
Carceral Space
Soundscape
Acoustic Space
Prisons

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-20 14:05:34.912

abstract:
Cultural geographers have long been interested in “the everyday,” but rarely is everyday life acknowledged in the context of incarceration. In Canada, the recent adoption of “tough-on-crime” policies has meant that increasing numbers of individuals spend their daily lives behind bars. In this dissertation, I ask: what do prisons sound like, and what is the role of sound in the way prisons are managed, conceptualised, and embodied? The recent flourishing of scholarship on carceral geographies has made crucial inroads in the study of the cultural politics and spatialities of incarceration, yet the notion of incarceration as a multi-sensory, embodied experience remains under-researched.
Drawing on Feld’s notion of acoustemologies, or auditory knowledges, I argue that one way to better understand the production of carceral space is through engagement with sonic techniques, histories, and materialities of prisons. Thinking about sound as a tangible and intangible force, I show how different conceptualisations of sound – including silence, noise, and music – (re)shape power relations in Canada’s prisons. In the midst of overcrowding and segregation in prisons, Canada’s political climate reverberates through its carceral soundscapes, leaving lasting soundprints on incarcerated bodies. Alongside these authoritative and often oppressive uses of sound, I articulate how sonic tactics have also been employed to reclaim dignity and resist pains of imprisonment (Sykes, 1958).
To address how the everyday is negotiated sonically in prisons, I draw on situated narratives of individuals who have visited, worked, and lived inside prisons, recognising the experiences of people whose voices are often silenced in prison literature. This research employed a wide range of methods, including interviewing, blog analyses, archival research, and auditory techniques to investigate multi-sensory accounts of carceral life. Bearing in mind the political nature of access to Canadian prison environments, I urge researchers to explore the potential for sonic methods to navigate these challenges, to produce geographical and (trans)carceral knowledge, and to imagine alternatives to current practices of incarceration. I conclude with a call to consider more critically the role of listening in future research, as an instrumental route to empathy and reconciliation.

abstract: I am working on publications, including a monograph, that require a brief period of restriction.

abstract: PhD


title: A Self-Regulatory Model of Coping in Women With Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS)

subject: Pain

subject: Disability

subject: Mental health

subject: Structural equation modeling

subject: Self-regulation

subject: Coping

subject: Illness perceptions

subject: Emotion regulation

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-23 23:34:00.728

abstract:
Interstitial Cystitis /Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic and refractory medical
condition that is characterized by chronic pelvic pain along with abnormal urinary frequency and urgency.
There is no widely accepted etiology or efficacious cure for IC/BPS, thus treatment often relies on pain
and symptom management. IC/BPS is associated with a complex array of psychological, behavioural,
cognitive and emotional issues, and as such examining these relationships within a comprehensive model
is warranted. Current perspective on the biopsychosocial framework has introduced models of self regulation,
which help to explain how individuals cope with chronic illness. The literature reviewed in
this dissertation examines the interconnection between impairments (pain and symptoms), illness
perceptions, coping (illness-focused, wellness-focused and emotion regulation) and outcomes (mental
health and physical disability). Many of these relationships have yet to be investigated within samples of
IC/BPS. Thus, the primary aim of this dissertation was to evaluate a self-regulation model of coping with
IC/BPS through a series of model building methodologies. Female patients diagnosed with IC/BPS by a
urologist in tertiary care hospitals were recruited across centres in North America (n=217). Steps 1 and 2
evaluated the measurement models to determine the structure and composition of the main constructs.
Step 3 evaluated the model fit and specified hypotheses in the proposed IC-Self Regulation Model, and
step 4 evaluated alternative models. The results support the structural model of the IC-Self Regulation
Model that demonstrates relationships amongst impairments, illness perceptions, coping and outcomes. In
particular, physical disability was modeled through negative illness perceptions, illness-focused coping
and emotion regulation, and mental health was modeled through illness self-efficacy perceptions,
wellness-focused coping and adaptive emotion regulation. The specified relationships are discussed in
relation to the literature along with theoretical and clinical implications, study limitations and areas for
future research.

abstract: PhD