title: Integrins are Mechanosensors that Modulate Human Eosinophil Activation

contributor: Medical Sciences (Division of Physiology/Pharmacology)

subject:
Eosinophils
Intracellular Calcium
Integrins
Mechanosensitive
Inflammation
Asthma

abstract: Eosinophils are end-point effectors of inflammation that contribute to the clinical severity of asthma. Eosinophil homing to the asthmatic lung is primarily guided by eotaxin-1, which is an eosinophil-selective chemokine. The mechanism by which eotaxin-1 augments intracellular calcium during cell migration is incompletely understood but is integral to the extravasation of eosinophils at sites of inflammation. We consequently report here that fluid shear stress, like eotaxin-1, unexpectedly activates human eosinophils in a calcium-dependent manner. We used confocal fluorescence microscopy to study calcium-handling in purified human eosinophils. Application of eotaxin-1 augmented the [Ca2+]i in a concentration-dependent manner. Pre-treatment of cells with ryanodine (10 μM) completely abolished the eotaxin-mediated calcium response, indicating that this phenomenon is dependent on Ca2+-release from the ER. Several SOCC blockers (2-APB, 100 μM; Gd3+, 10 μM; SKF-96365, 100 μM) attenuated SOCE, suggesting that these channels may directly contribute towards the eotaxin-1 calcium response in human eosinophils. In the presence of fluid-perfusion, eosinophils displayed a robust perfusion-induced calcium response (PICR) demonstrating that eosinophils are mechanically sensitive. The PICR rapidly induced adhesion and non-directional migration in eosinophils, suggesting that some hitherto unknown molecular mechanosensor permits these cells to detect and respond to changes in shear-stress. Pre-treatment of eosinophils with the non-selective tripeptide integrin receptor blocker, Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD), abrogated the PICR. The highly selective, dual α4β7/α4β1 integrin receptor blocker, CDP-323, was used to ascertain whether these highly expressed integrin subtypes mediate the PICR in eosinophils. Pre-treatment of cells with CDP-323 completely abolished the PICR, in addition to the eotaxin-mediated calcium response in a shear-dependent manner. Taken together, our results support a novel role for the α4β7/α4β1 integrin receptors as mechanosensors that directly modulate [Ca2+]i, adhesion and migration in human eosinophils. On-going experiments will seek to quantify the shear-response thresholds at which eosinophils activate and the time-course of the associated calcium response. This study suggests that the recruitment and activation of eosinophils are regulated by chemical and mechanical stimuli via overlapping, calcium-dependent signal transduction cascades. Given that the PICR is mediated by the eosinophil-specific α4β7/α4β1 integrin receptors, we conclude that integrin receptors are molecular mechanosensors that may facilitate eosinophil activation, adhesion and non-directional migration independently of, or in conjunction with, chemokine signaling.

abstract: Thesis


title: Perceptual Asymmetries  in a Diatonic Context

contributor:
Platt, J.R.
Psychology

subject: musical stimuli, systematic asymmetries, stable, tonal hierarchy, repetition

abstract: When investigating the perceived similarity of two musical stimuli, systematic asymmetries emerge which depend on the nature of the two elements being compared, relative to the musical context in which they appear. At the level of individual tones, Krumhansl (1979) found that if the order of presentation was diatonic/nondiatonic (relative to a tonal context), similarity ratings were lower than if that order was reversed. She concluded that when a change results in an element becoming less stable in terms of it's position on the tonal hierarchy, similarity perception will be lower than if a change increases it's stability. At the level of melodies, Bartlett and Dowling ( 1988) obtained a similar result, but claimed the asymmetry was due to violations of scalar structure, having little or nothing to do with the tonal hierarchy. To test between these different accounts, a series of experiments was conducted in which pairs of diatonic melodies were presented for similarity ratings. Each melody consisted of a context sequence and a target sequence. The context sequences were designed to promote either a C-major or a D-minor tonal hierarchy. These respective keys share similar notes in their scales, but the tonal hierarchies are inverted with respect to one another. According to Krumhansl's account of the asymmetry, noticeable changes in one key context should not be noticeable in the other, due to the reversal in stability of the component tones of the alteration. According to Bartlett and Dowling, no differential sensitivity should be observed, since all changes were within the scale structure of both contexts. In the first experiment, repetition of the tonic was employed as the key-instantiating stimulus, the result being that strong asymmetrical perception arose, both on the measures of similarity ratings, as well as alteration detection ability. Subsequent experiments employed triadic contexts (suggested by Krumhansl and others to be strongly key-instantiating), and note-frequency controlling contexts (to rule out the possibility of note repetition playing a role in the similarity ratings). The results supported the hypothesis that asymmetric perception is a result of the dynamic tone quality differences between scale degrees in a tonal melody. Two subsequent control studies ruled out the possibility oftarget sequences themselves being responsible for the asymmetries, and confirmed that listeners perceived the melodies in the keys specified in the experiment. A model based loosely on Tversky's explanation of asymmetric perception was put forth to explain these data, as well as those of Bartlett and Dowling.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Improved Residual Stress Prediction in Metal Cutting

contributor:
Ng, Eu-Gene
Mechanical Engineering

subject:
FEA of Metal Cutting
Residual Stress Prediction
Sequential Cut
Phase Transformations

abstract:
Any machining operation induces significant deformation and associated stress states within the component being machined. Once the component has been finished and is removed from the machining tool, a portion of these stresses remain within the finished component, and are termed residual stresses. These stresses have a significant effect upon the performance of the final component. However, despite their importance there is no accurate and cost effective method for measuring residual stresses. For this reason predicting these stresses without the need for measurement is highly desirable. The focus of this thesis is on advancing the development and implementation of finite element models aimed at predicting residual stresses induced by metal cutting operations.
	There are three main focus areas within this research, the first of which is concerned with predicting residual stresses when small feed rates are used. It is shown that in the existing cutting models residual stress prediction accuracy suffers when feed rates are small. A sequential cut module is developed, which greatly increases the accuracy of the predicted residual stress depth profiles.
A second area of focus concerns the influence of friction models on predicted residual stresses. A detailed set of simulations is used to elucidate the effect of friction not only for sharp tools, but also for tools which have accrued wear. It is shown that whilst friction is not of critical importance for new tools, as tools continue to wear the choice of friction model becomes significantly more important.
The third area of focus is on phase transformations, induced by the cutting process. A decoupled phase transformation module is developed in order to predict the depth, if any, of a phase transformed layer beneath the newly machined surface. Furthermore, the effect of this layer on the residual stress depth profile was also studied.
All three focus areas present new and novel contributions to the field of metal cutting simulations, and serve to significantly increase the capabilities of predictive models for machining.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Statistical Examination of Myelinated Cortical Thickness in Bipolar Disorder

contributor:
Bock, Nicholas
Neuroscience

subject:
neuroscience
neuroimaging
MRI
bipolar disorder
statistics
myelin
ICM
cortex
cortical myelin
image processing

abstract: The human cerebral cortex, the outermost layer of the brain, is typically considered in imaging studies to consist of grey matter (GM), with white matter (WM) lying below it. With better imaging techniques, a third tissue type, found between GM and WM, can be identified. This layer contains myelinated axons and is found in the cortex, thus we call it intracortical myelin (ICM), or myelinated grey matter (GMm). We examined the cortical thickness measurements in female patients with bipolar I or II disorders (BD) versus healthy controls. Previous studies have only examined the thickness of the entire cortex, the GM. We developed a processing pipeline and a statistical tool for examining the ICM thickness between two groups. Results show that there are potential differences in GMm between BD and control groups. Further regional and statistical analysis is required to identify the regions of greatest difference, and to confirm significant differences between BD and control groups.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Three Heroines in Marian Engel's Early Novels

contributor:
O'Connor, Mary
English

subject:
Marian Engel
women
Sarah Bastard's Notebook (1968)
The Honeyman Festival (1970)
Bear (1976)
Canadian culture

abstract:
Abstract not included.
Thesis
Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Date of 1 Chronicles With Special Reference To The Chronicler's Treatment of King David

contributor:
Cooper, A.M.
Religious Studies

subject:
challenge
historical circumstances
David
Chronicles
thematic evidence

abstract:
 The purpose of this thesis is to challenge the scholarly consensus regarding the historical circumstances which led to the writing of 1 Chronicles by a close examination of the nature and function of the Chronicler's treatment of David. There has to be a reason for the stress which is placed on David by the Chronicler, especially at a time when there was no monarchy ruling in Judah. Much of the study which has been carried out on Chronicles has concentrated to a large extent on linguistic evidence. Linguistic evidence alone, however, is insufficient for drawing any solid conclusions. Thus, the attempt is being maae here to seel-: some answers on thematic evidence. This involves a close study of the Chronicler's treatment of David and the suggestion that David is to be equated with the post-exilic governor of Judah, Zerubbabel. The concentration on the Chronicler's interpretation of the figure of ravid is being used to demonstrate the possibility of reaaing 1 Chronicles as the historical expression of the :novement inspired by the prophecies of Haggai and Proto Zechariah.

 During the course of the thesis, attention is drawn to the difficulties surrounding the dating of 1 Chronicles as a result of the work of many red.actors, which is evident throughout the book. It becomes more difficult to assign the entire work, in its present form, to 8ny one period in the post-exilic era. However, despite this difficulty, a comparison of the major themes in 1 Chronicles and those in Haggai and Proto Zechariah shows that it is at least possible to date the original form of 1 Chronicles somewhere in the period of 520-515 BCE.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Preservation: A Key From The Past For A Door To The Future

contributor: Gentilecore Geography

subject: preservation development protect environment

abstract: The concerns of preservationist's to protect the built environment from demolition, are heightened in the midst of modern day pressures to develop,.A dilemma arises when deciding which buildings deserve to be historically designated. The efforts of this thesis identify the implications of such an issue. In this realm, problems of conserving the urban landscape are addressed, using three residential structures in Hamilton as the basis for argument. An evaluation of historical, architectural, political and economic merits are put forth to distinguish the attributes of one building as compared to another. When a structure succeeds in all of these factors, conflict may arise when deciding the level of continuity each residential unit maintains. Antiquity is not the only facet considered in support of preservation. A prolonged use for the respective building must exist. Securing our heritage is of grave concern. Without its recognition, reminders of the past will remain obsolete as so too will an era of irreplaceable architectural gems.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Arts (BA)


title: "This is Not Just a Job": Tensions in Addressing Trauma in the Neo-Liberal Context

contributor:
Carranza, Mirna
Social Work

subject: Truama

subject: Mental Health; Neo-liberalism; Managerialism; New-managerialism

abstract:
Front-line service-providers are finding it challenging to address trauma-related issues within the confines of a shrinking neo-liberal environment. With larger case loads and increased focus on time and efficiency measures, front-line staff have less time available to address the more ambiguous aspects of practice, including trauma. To explore the challenges front-line staff face, a small qualitative study was conducted in which five service-providers took part.
The study findings revealed that in working environments that have adopted managerial practices, the implications of 'quantity over quality' are experienced as frustrating and have various implications for the ways in which trauma is addressed. Participants in this study, expressed a deep investment in their working roles which generally has positive implications for service-users, however, the compounding results of a deep personal investment and a prescriptive case-management role may intensify the experience of working with trauma. Finally, while service-providers believe that trauma is something all service-users live with, there is a sense that the issue remains under-recognized in the mental health agency setting. This study suggests that increased trauma-focused education is essential for front-line workers, as is trauma-informed models of practice in the agency. Furthermore, there is a greater need for trauma advocacy and awareness as the issues remains stigmatized, even within the mental healthcare system.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Monitoring & Remote Operation of an Engine Test Cell

contributor:
Mohrenschildt, Martin v.
Computing and Software

subject:
Engine Test Cell
FLTK
Data Acquisition and Control
Automotive Testing
Remote Operation

abstract:
In the automotive industry engines are regularly tested and evaluated by running them for a prolonged time under controlled conditions; environmental conditions, engine load, and drive cycle. These tests are performed in an engine test cell; a computer controlled environment with mechanical fittings and sensors to facilitate the testing of an engine.

Our goal was to develop a software suite that provides a distributed graphical interface to the data acquisition and control systems of an engine cell. As we found existing systems to be inadequate in providing a distributed interface, we designed and developed a light weight flexible software suite to remotely, over a network, observe and control the parameters in an engine cell. We used the Fast Light Toolkit (FLTK) GUI library, with networking sockets and process threads to establish the software architecture of the engine test system.

Through use of process threads, the client architecture divides tasks into network data sending and receiving, local channel synchronization, and interface operation. Networking sockets used in network data sending and receiving facilitate synchronization of each clients' channel storage and host's channel data. The FLTK GUI library produces visual interactive components of the interface for invoking interactions.

Distributed interfacing allows display and modification of the engine cell's operation remotely in locations where relocating an engine cell is not feasible. These locations, such as demonstrations to distant clients and meeting rooms, display the current status of the engine cell through its interfaces without requiring migration of the engine cell to the specified rooms.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Fate and Death through a Daimonic Lens

contributor:
Corner, Sean
Classics

subject:
fate
death
daimon
ancient Greek

abstract:
This thesis is concerned with the ancient Greek conceptualization of fate and
death, as explored through the figure of the daimon in literature from Homer and Hesiod
to Plato and Euripides. Filling a gap in scholarship, I elucidate the spectrum of meaning
inherent in the word daimon, and how it shifts over time. From the Archaic to the
Classical period the word daimon is found as a synonym for theos, “god”, as a vocative
address, or in reference to “fate” and the generalized “will of heaven.” At the same time,
a particular group of divine personifications, including Thanatos, Moira, Ker, and Erinys
are counted as daimones. We also find the term used to designate unnamed but
individuated lesser divinities, guardian spirits, and demonic possessors, and even as the
divine aspect of the self. In the early Archaic poets these latter categories are only
nascent. The individuated daimon becomes the focus of the lyric poets and pre-Socratic
philosophers; in the later pre-Socratics the daimon begins to be internalized, moving from
possessive spirit to psychic force. Tragedy meanwhile focuses on the daimon as a force of
retribution, as curse or afflicting demon. It is Plato who explores and expands upon all of
these categories, crystallizing the notion of the internalized daimon, as reconceived in the
context of his philosophical eschatology. Chapters 1 and 2 provide surveys of the word
daimon diachronically in each of these genres, mapping the expanding continuum of
meaning. Chapter 3 explores the personifications of fate, doom, and death, and their place
in this daimonic framework.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Radical Gestures: Subculture, Symptom and Skateboarding

contributor:
O'Connor, Mary
English and Cultural Studies

subject: subculture; cultural studies; skateboarding

abstract:
The numerous youth subcultures to emerge since the end of World War Two act as what I call “biopolitical cultural apparatuses” that help subjects navigate the discontinuity in values, labour, and material expectations between the Fordist and neoliberal formations. As such, subcultures play a socializing role, helping subjects adapt to an increasingly precarious and austere social sphere; but they also generate new forms of community, and new experiences of personal and collective agency that can contribute to significant social transformation. Responding to the contemporary body of “post-subcultural” studies, I combine Giorgio Agamben’s analysis of biopolitics and Slavoj Žižek’s treatment of the Lacanian symptom to frame a theory that can highlight the politically progressive elements of subculture, while at the same time acknowledging their complicity with elements of the cultural dominant.

Complementing Dick Hebdige’s theory of the incorporation processes to which subcultures are subjected, I offer spatial-temporal incorporation as a predominant way in which subcultural difference is recuperated by patriarchal and capitalist structures. At the same time, the heterotopic spaces subcultures produce enable new solidarities and friendships to develop, and can offer important experiences of alterity within the fluid and individualized regulative structures of late capitalism. I investigate these dynamics through a focus on skateboarding as a subculture that is particularly representative of the kinds of control structures faced by contemporary, Western subjects. My dissertation concludes with a detailed case study of the struggles of skateboarders to maintain and preserve an aging skateboard park in Beasley, a downtown neighbourhood of Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton’s project to re-brand itself as a post-industrial “hub” for the “creative economy” places the skateboarders in the position of having to manage their (sub)cultural capital in a new way, as developers attempt to gentrify the neighbourhood.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

abstract: This thesis describes contemporary subcultures as helping subjects navigate the shift from a Fordist to neoliberal society. A combination of Marxian theories about contemporary capitalism, Giorgio Agamben's theories of the apparatus, bare life and the friend, and Jacques Lacan's theories of the symptom are used to understand subcultures as both responding to this shift in values and institutions, and possibly providing forms of community and agency that anticipate a post-capitalist world. A particular focus on skateboarding and the extreme sports industry illustrates these theories. Specific chapters detail the extreme sports industry, the nascent street skateboarding culture in northern Ontario town of Barrie in the nineteen eighties, and the history of Beasley Skateboard Park in downtown Hamilton, Ontario.


title: Kicking Against Tradition

title: Experimentation in the Fiction of John Metcalf

contributor:
Hyman, R
English

subject:
Canadian Writing
Contemporary
postmodernism

abstract: John Metcalf has been living and writing in Canada for twenty-five years. During that time he has demonstrated phenomenal energy in editing anthologies and textbooks of Canadian writing, in promoting the work of Canadian writers, in writing perceptive and provocative assessments of the Canadian literary establishment and, most importantly, in making his own significant contribution to literature in this country. And yet ... Critics of Metcalf' s fiction tend to preface their examinations by noting and attempting to explain the relatively small amount of scholarly activity his works have generated. In the burgeoning industry of CanLit, this lack seems indeed remarkable. Reingard Nischik and Barry Cameron attribute it in part to Metcalf 's preference for the short story, which is too often regarded by Canadian readers as a dry run for the novel, rather than a genre in its own right (Nischik, "The Short Story in Canada" 236; Cameron, "An Approximation of Poetry" 17). Robert Leeker writes: "Another reason Metcalf' s stories have been overlooked is that they are, by contemporary standards, relatively traditional in form" (Leeker 59). This, I think, is an important point: because his stories have been perceived as "relatively traditional in form," Metcalf has remained outside, for example, the coterie of Canadian postmodernism (one which he would no doubt be loath to join but within which his work might have been granted a wider field of reception). In The Canadian Postmodern: A Study of Contemporary English-Canadian Fiction (Hutcheon explains in the introduction that "fiction" here means "novel"), Metcalf merits a one-line reference: his two novels are listed in a parenthesis in the Appendix. This despite the fact that a number of his stories comply with the definition of postmodernism Hutcheon outlines. What I intend to argue here is that Metcalf 's stories are by no means exclusively traditional in form, and that many of them employ techniques generally associated with the postmodern.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Arts (BA)


title: Une Analyse socio-économique, nrrative et textuelle du best-seller québécois: Le Matou, Les Filles de Caleb, Les Tisserands du pouvoir

contributor:
Ahmed, Maroussia
French

subject:
Literary Analysis
French
Socio-Economic

abstract: Bien que le best-seller existe au Quebec depuis des annees, il n'a suscite qu'un faible interet parml les critiques litteraires. Il y a l'exception notable de l'equipe du CRELIO (Centre de Recherche en Lltterature Quebecolse) de de l'Universite Laval, dont font partle Denis Saint-Jacques, Claude Hartin et d'autres, qui, depuis 1982, a fait du best-seller son domaine de recherche. Ces chercheurs ont limite leur champ de recherche aux best-sellers les plus populaires entre 1970 et 1982. Puisque les recherches faites par le CRELIO ne couvrent que les best-sellers parus pendant les annees soixante-dlx, j'al voulu examiner le best-seller quebecois des annees quatre-vingt, en particuller, Le Matou (1981), Les Filles de Caleb (1985 et 1986) et Les Tisserands du pouyoir (1988) qui ont tous connu untel succes qu'ils peuvent etre consideres comme ~best-sellers quebecois des annees quatre-vlngt. De quel type de succes s'agit-il? S'agit-il d'un succes comme par exemple celui du MATOU d'Yves Beauchemin, d'un succes programme grace aux relations publiques, mettant en valeur l'usage extensif de la presse et des medias, beneficiant de l'accuell chaleureux requ en France avant d'etre lance au Quebec, ou celui des FILLES DE CALEB d'Arlette Cousture, d'un succes inattendu, qui depasse toute strategie de marketing, OU celui des TISSERANDS DU PQUVOIR de Claude Fournier, d'un succes qui est peut-etre base sur !'adaptation du livre a l'ecran (film et serie televisee), le scenario ayant precede le livre?

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Arts (BA)


title: Le Voyage dans la Mort: une étude du dernier poème des Fleurs du Mal

contributor:
Morgan, Owen
French

subject:
French Poetry
Literary Analysis

abstract: Connaltre les lieux visites par quelqu'un, c'est deja un peu connîatre la personne. Voila une raison fondamentale qui m'a decide a faire moimeme, en tant que lecteur, ce voyage dont parle le poete. Une passion de dechiffrer l'enigme nommee Charles Baudelaire a necessite que je retrace ses pas afin de me situer dans son univers. Les Fleurs du ma/ me servant de guide, j'ai trouve l'itineraire de son propre voyage terrestre resume dans le dernier poeme du recueil, intitule «Le Voyage». Apres avoir decouvert la biographie du poete, je me suis rendu compte que son ceuvre etait, a vrai dire, un bilan de l'espece humaine. En fait, le voyage personnel, decrit sous forme de journal intime en vers, resume les grands themes universels de l'humanite: la quete d'un paradis perdu, la creation d'un paradis imaginaire a l'aide d'autres «Paradis artificiels» et la revelation penible qu'une «utopie» ne Se trouve «nulle part», comme l'indique l'etymologie du mot. L'illusion creee par l'individu n'est qu'une image du monde; nous partageons tous, plus OU moins, le meme revele paysage seul change.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Arts (BA)


title: Canadian Female Gothic Literature

contributor:
Granofsky, R
English

subject:
Canadian Gothic Literature
Canadian Literature
Women and Literature
Gender and Sexuality

abstract: Although the novels seem rather disparate at first glance, both Susan Musgrave's The Charcoal Burners and Daphne Marlatt's Ana Historic share a gothic tendency. Gothicism textures these novels, and I would argue, textures many other works of Canadian fiction. Gothicism remains, however, an unstudied angle of Canadian literature, as it remains a critical blind spot in the studies of Musgrave' s and Marlatt' s novels. By exploring the gothicism of The Charcoal Burners and Ana Historic, I simultaneously recenter the gothic genre in both the texts at hand and indirectly in Canadian literature. This study focuses on what we can call female gothic. Female gothic refers to gothic literature written by women, with women-centered agendas. Female gothic is based on the experiences of women who suffocate under the culture's patriarchal construction of gender and sexuality. Women writers have long used the gothic form to explore issues specific to women's lives, issues that are currently being politicized and are circulating in feminist theoretical debates. In many female gothics, writers show how "woman," as a being who is sexually constructed, is defined and limited specifically by her reproductive capacity: her "nativity" is a source of horror. The trope of "nativity" operates in Musgrave and Marlatt through women's reproduction and sexuality, but also, in a strange, perhaps specifically Canadian gothic twist, through the figure of the indigene, who is also constructed with "nativity."

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Design of a Vibrational Energy Harvesting System for Wireless Sensor Nodes

subject:
vibrating screens
vibrational analysis
power harvesting
power generation
wireless sensors
sensor nodes

abstract:
McMaster University in conjunction with an industrial partner has been designing wireless vibrational condition monitoring sensors for implementation on a vibrating screening machine used in mining applications. A limitation with the current sensor design is their dependency on battery power. In order for the sensors to provide real-time continuous streaming of acceleration data, an alternate power supply was required outside of traditional sources such as batteries or wired power.
This thesis outlines the research and development of a power system that harvests the kinetic vibrational energy of a mining screen and converts it into electrical energy for use by a wireless sensor node. During development, multiple prototypes were built and evaluated under laboratory conditions. The core concept of the system is an eccentric pendulum mass excited by the external vibrations of the screening machine used to drive a stepper motor generator. The major design obstacle of the project was how to get the system to self initiate. Both a mechanical and an electrical solution were developed to solve this concern. The final prototype design is fully autonomous, able to react to the start up or shut-down of a screening machine, while also providing a continuous power supply to a wireless vibrational analysis sensor as tested in the lab. With minor optimization, this prototype can be turned into a commercial product for industrial implementation and sale.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Biomass and Carbon Allocation in Chronosequence of White Pine (Pinus strobus L.) plantations in Southern Ontario, Canada

contributor:
Arain, M. Altaf
Geography

subject:
biomass
carbon
southern Ontario
age
allometric equations
tree diameter

abstract:
 This study assessed biomass and carbon (C) allocation in a chronosequence of four White pine (Pinus strobus L.) plantation forests planted in 2002 (WPP02), 1989
(WPP89), 1974 (WPP74), and in 1939 (WPP39), in southern Ontario, Canada. A plotbased inventory and destructive tree sampling were conducted in 2004 to assess
allocation of oiomass and C in ecosystem components, as well as allometry of tree
biomass. Seasonal and annual patterns of litter and branch fall were also determined.

Individual tree biomass components as well as sapwood area have strong site specific allometric relationships with tree diameter. Except for foliage biomass, strong single allometric equations could also be obtained across all sites and stand ages. Whereas allometry of individual tree components may be affected by site conditions and stand age, total tree biomass solely depended on tree diameter. This suggests that total biomass of White pine may be predicted from single allometric equations with DBH as input variable across sites and even across regions.

Relative partitioning of tree biomass components was strongly related to tree age. Stem biomass gains major importance with increasing tree age at the cost of all other components comprising 69% of total tree biomass after 65 years. Whereas site conditions influenced the absolute amount of biomass and allometry of individual tree components, they did not affect their relative partitioning

 Only biomass of trees, woody debris, and small roots (2-5mm) showed agerelated patterns by increasing with greater stand age. Increase in tree biomass was
highest during the early decades after establishment and after thinning practices.

 C storage in forest floor was 0.8, 7.5, 5.4, and 12.1 t C ha⁻¹ and C content in mineral soil was 37.2, 33.9, 39.1, and 36.7 t C ha⁻¹ at WPP02, WPP89, WPP74, and WPP39, respectively. Biomass of roots < 5mm was 0.3, 6.0, 8.9, and 7.5 t ha⁻¹ at WPP02, WPP89, WPP74 and WPP39, respectively. Annual litter fall was age independent with 5, 3 and 4 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ at WPP89, WPP74, and WPP39, whereas branch fall increased with age and basal area to 0.007, 0.17, and 1.38 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ at WPP89, WPP74, and WPP39, respectively. Average total tree biomass was 0.4, 67, 122, and 547 kg per tree with an uncertainty of less than 1, 5, 3, and 1 % at WPP02, WPP89, WPP74 and WPP39, respectively. Belowground to aboveground tree biomass ratio was 0.35, 0.19, 0.14, and 0.17 forWPP02, WPP89, WPP74, and WPP39, respectively, which suggests a considerable amount of C stored in root biomass. Above and below ecosystem C increased with an average rate of 1.9 and 0.5 t C ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ across the chronosequence, reaching 122 and 66 t C ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ respectively at age 65. Total net ecosystem C accumulation between age 2 and 65 was 147 t C ha⁻¹. Inventories limited to stem biomass may underestimate total tree biomass by up to 3 5% and total ecosystem C by up to 62%.

 Thus, estimations of C storage in forest ecosystems should include all above and belowground C pools, and its accuracy may be improved by predicting total treebiomass with allometric equations related to stand age and tree diameter.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Human vocal communication of body size

contributor:
Feinberg, David
Psychology

subject:
voice production
nonverbal communication
voice perception
fundamental frequency
formant
vocal tract length
voice
speech
human
frequency-elevation mapping
harmonic density
bioacoustics
sexual selection
social stereotyping
height
weight
body size
pitch

abstract: The human voice may convey meaningful information about socially and evolutionarily relevant characteristics of the vocalizer. In turn, listeners may readily evaluate personal characteristics, such as body size, on the basis of nonverbal voice features. Research investigating vocal communication of physical size in humans has focused on two salient and largely independent voice features, fundamental frequency and/or corresponding harmonics (perceived as voice pitch) and formant frequencies (resonance frequencies of the supralaryngeal vocal tract). However, the degree to which fundamental and formant frequencies reliably predict variation in body size controlling for sex and age, and their relative role in the perception or accurate estimation of body size, has to date been unclear. In the current thesis, using meta-analysis, I establish that formants reliably predict variation in men’s and women’s heights and weights. In contrast, fundamental frequency only weakly predicts men’s heights and women’s weights. These findings corroborate work on many other mammals whose vocal production, like humans, follows the source-filter model. Despite the lack of a robust physical relationship between fundamental frequency and size within sexes, I further demonstrate that listeners utilize voice pitch to accurately gauge men’s relative height. My research suggests that voice pitch indirectly facilitates accurate size assessment by providing a carrier signal (i.e., dense harmonics) for formants. This is the first evidence that pitch does not confound accurate size estimation. Finally, I demonstrate that voices with lowered pitch, but not raised pitch, are perceived as larger when projected from a low than high spatial location. These results suggest that strong cross-modal perceptual biases linking low pitch to low elevation and large size may, in some contexts, cause errors in size estimation. Taken together, this thesis provides a detailed account of human vocal communication of body size, which can play a meaningful role in sexual and social contexts.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Female Participation in the Work Force and Family Size Hamilton: A Case Study

contributor: Hall Geography

subject:
urban studies
population
women
labour force
family size

abstract:
No Abstract provided
Thesis
Bachelor of Arts (BA)


title: AN ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE TESTTREAT STRATEGIES TO DIRECT HER2 TARGETED BREAST CANCER TREATMENT BASED ON CANADIAN PRACTICE PATTERNS

title: ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF HER2 TARGETED BREAST CANCER THERAPY

contributor: Clinical Epidemiology/Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics

subject:
cost-effectiveness analysis
breast cancer
targeted therapy
personalised medicine
cost-utility analysis
utilisation

abstract:
Background and Objectives: Economic evaluation and decision analysis provide a framework to evaluate incremental costs and effects associated with alternative health interventions.  These methods can also be used as a tool to evaluate alternative clinical behaviours or practice patterns. The objective of this thesis was to investigate the impact of current Canadian practices in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) testing to target trastuzumab in early-stage breast cancer (BC).
Methods:
Project 1: A systematic review of previous trastuzumab and HER2 testing economic analyses was conducted to identify methodological gaps and key lessons.
Project 2: A population-level, retrospective cohort was studied to determine HER2 testing and trastuzumab treatment patterns in Ontario early-stage BC patients.
Project 3: A cost-utility analysis of alternative test-treat strategies was conducted using a Markov model of BC calibrated to the Canadian setting, and incorporating Project 2 findings.

Results:
Project 1: Previous economic evaluations demonstrated that HER2 test accuracy and sequencing were key considerations when modelling the cost-effectiveness of trastuzumab treatment.  Consideration of local testing and treatment practices was lacking.
Project 2: HER2 testing and treatment practice differed from guidelines, where documentation was available. Only 88% of equivocal results were confirmed, while 57% of HER2 positive patients received trastuzumab.
Project 3: Calibration of the BC model minimised gaps between trial-based survival and expected Canadian survival patterns.  Deviations from guidelines in practice suggest that primary testing with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) would produce greater health gains at a reduced cost vs. primary immunohistochemistry with FISH confirmation. This finding was more apparent as the prevalence of HER2 positive disease increased. Introduction of newer in situ hybridisation tests may be cost-effective as well.
Conclusions: Practice deviations from guidelines are an important consideration when modelling the cost-effectiveness of trastuzumab therapy. Underlying local disease progression and prevalence can also significantly impact outcomes.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF GLACIATED TERRAINS

contributor:
EYLES, CAROLYN, H.
Geography and Earth Sciences

subject:
architectural element analysis
glacial
Quaternary
Ontario
Illinois
Iceland
geometry
landsystems
boreholes
outcrop

abstract:
This thesis investigates how architectural element analysis (AE) can be utilized to deconstruct the sedimentary architecture of glacial sedimentary successions, and its significance for paleoenvironmental reconstruction, understanding depositional histories, and providing insight to the hydrostratigraphy of glaciated terrains. The first component of this thesis explores the applicability of AEA to the local-scale analysis of a till succession exposed in outcrop sections in order to understand the significance of the bounding surface hierarchy and architectural elements in sediments deposited in a subglacial depositional environment. Fieldwork was conducted at two outcrop sites in north-central Illinois, U.S.A., which expose Late Wisconsin-age till of the Tiskilwa Formation, in order to test the local-scale applicability of AEA to the architectural analysis of a subglacial succession (Chapter 2). A major finding of this study was that fifth-order bounding surfaces delineate ‘element associations’ which can be mapped across the local study area, and utilized for detailed paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the ‘subglacial bed mosaic’ and local-scale reconstruction of the depositional history of the till sheet, including periods of separation and reattachment of the ice and its bed.
	The second part of this research explores AEA at Sólheimajökull (Iceland), specifically to test the validity of AEA for the analysis of glacial successions, and to better understand the environmental significance of unit contacts (bounding surfaces) and sedimentary geometries in a modern glacial landscape. Fieldwork was conducted at Sólheimajökull and basic principles of AEA and landsystems analysis were integrated in order to facilitate delineation of the sedimentary architecture and allostratigraphy of the Sólheimajökull landsystem (Chapter 3). Fifth-order surfaces delineate landsystem tract components, which can be utilized to characterize the heterogeneity and sedimentary architecture, delineate allostratigraphic units, and reconstruct the depositional hist¬ory of the Sólheimajökull landsystem.
	Data from Sólheimajökull (Chapter 3) and Illinois (Chapter 2) were utilized as a modern and outcrop analogue, respectively, to provide insight to the sedimentary architecture of subsurface Quaternary glacial deposits in Georgetown, southern Ontario (Canada; Chapter 4). Basic concepts of AEA were applied to the analysis of sediments recovered from fully-cored boreholes. A major finding of this study is that AEA can be effectively utilized for delineation of subsurface architectures from the analysis of core, and the hierarchies of bounding surfaces and units of AEA can be utilized to organize the sedimentary heterogeneity into a ‘nested’ architectural framework. The geometry and spatial relationship of architectural units (sixth-order surfaces) and architectural components (fifth-order surfaces) provides insight to the hydrostratigraphy of Georgetown.
AEA, as utilized in this thesis, provides a systematic methodology with which to deconstruct glacial successions into their basic architectural building blocks at various scales of resolution. AEA enhances traditional facies models by facilitating site-specific delineation, visualization, and characterisation of the sedimentary geometry of facies associations, which in turn, allows direct comparison of sedimentary architectures at different study sites; this has significant implications for analogue selection for the purpose of reservoir analysis. The architectural framework of glacial deposits and its potential significance to hydrostratigraphic models (as discussed in this thesis) may help to facilitate communication and translation of data between the disciplines of ‘geology’ and ‘hydrogeology’. The results of this project can be utilized as a framework to better understand the sedimentary geometry and hydrostratigraphy of modern and Quaternary glacial deposits in southern Ontario, previously glaciated terrains elsewhere, and other modern glacial landsystems, and provide insight into other applications such as civial engineering projects, aggregate resources, placer mining exploration, and land use planning.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Stochastic Inventory Models for Dual Channel Retailers

contributor:
Hassini, Elkafi
Management Science/Systems

subject: Inventory,Dual Channels

abstract:
We look at some inventory models for dual channel retailers who fulfill demands
from both channels from the same pool of stock. Since the arrival of the internet,
companies, particularly retailers, have been trying to figure out how best to take
advantage of this new channel. This became acute for retailers when Amazon.com
became the pre-dominant bookseller overcoming rivals like Barnes and Noble and
Borders who had been operating for several decades. Firms in other categories were
worried that a web only retailer like Amazon.com could end up dominating their
sectors as well. To respond to such threats, existing retailers like Tesco and Lands
End began offering their products through a web-site which became their web channel.
To improve efficiency and to take advantage of specific characteristics of this channel,
firms had to modify the operations of their existing channels. In this thesis, we look
at retailers who took advantage of the web channel to better their operations for the
entire firm.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)


title: The Interplay of Language and Emotion: Using Affective Norms to Explore Word Recognition, Motivation, and Lexicon

subject: language emotion

abstract:
A lack of norms limited previous work on the interplay of language and emotion. Valence and arousal are regularly dichotomized affecting generalizability and accuracy. Important questions remain unexplored such as the interaction between these dimensions along with individual and group differences. Chapters 2 and 3 report collections of affective and concreteness norms. In Chapter 4, these norms are used to reveal that valence is negatively and arousal is positively correlated with reaction time, both monotonically. Previously, it has been argued that people
categorically distinguish between positive and negative or prioritize emotional over neutral stimuli. We demonstrate that this automatic vigilance must be graded. Chapter 5 introduces a method for measuring approach and avoidance in proportion to valence and arousal. A
previously demonstrated congruency effect between valence and approach and avoidance movements is categorical. We showed that people choose distances proportionally to word valence and that responses are affected by word frequency, gender, and personality. Finally, Chapter 6 combines the distribution of affect with word frequency information to reveal how
language is organized around communicative needs. A compound bias toward high-arousal emotional and low-arousal, mid-valence word types along with more frequent use of positive words suggest that humans need tools to talk about danger and thrills as well as the mundane, while fostering relationships by focusing on the positive. Thus, this dissertation provides important resources – large sets of norms – for the extension of studies on emotion and language. It shows the value of these norms in revisiting past studies of word processing, enabling new methods for testing the motivations behind emotional effects, and considering how the
distribution of emotion across language informs our understanding of these motivations. Throughout each chapter, group and individual differences are explored.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: An Elaboration Likelihood Model Perspective on the Effectiveness of Electronic Word of Mouth Recommendations

contributor:
Montazemi, Ali Reza
Business

subject:
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Electronic Word of Mouth
Experience Service
Innovativeness
Adoption Process
Complexity
Knowledge
Experiment

abstract: Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) recommendations are online consumer-generated recommendations posted on the service providers' or the third-party websites, which are expected to affect consumers’ perceptions of adopting experience services. In recognition of the increasing significance of eWOM recommendations, this study delves further into this topic by proposing a research model that explains the contingency factors affecting the effectiveness of eWOM recommendations on consumers’ perceptions of adopting experience services. We contend that the effectiveness of eWOM recommendations is contingent on the task complexity of evaluating the experience services and consumers’ degree of cognitive and sensory innovativeness. We draw on the elaboration likelihood model, cognitive load theory, service adoption process theory, and the two dimensions of consumer’s innovativeness (i.e., cognitive innovativeness and sensory innovativeness), as the theoretical underpinnings, to propose nine hypotheses. These hypotheses are empirically tested based on data collected from 263 subjects. To that end, we used a controlled longitudinal laboratory experiment, based on a mixed methods (quantitative – qualitative) research methodology. The results of statistical tests of quantitative data and the content analysis of the qualitative data illustrate that the effectiveness of eWOM recommendations on consumers’ perceptions of adopting experience services is contingent on the consumers’ prior knowledge of the service context, consumers’ level of cognitive and sensory innovativeness, and the consumers’ level of experience with the service, which is determined by the stage of the service adoption process (i.e., pre-usage, initial use, and repeated use). Our findings show that the confluence of these factors creates different settings that determine the effectiveness of eWOM recommendations. These findings provide valuable contributions to the theory and practice by ameliorating important gaps in the eWOM literature.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Computational Approach to Bohm's Quantum Mechanics

contributor:
Sprung, W.L.
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Bohmian mechanics
quantum mechanics
computational tool
wave function

abstract:
 Bohmian mechanics is an alternative formulation of quantum mechanics that incorporates the familiar and intuitive picture of particles moving along trajectories and yet predicts the same results as the more widely accepted Copenhagen interpretation.

 In recent years there has been renewed interest in this Bohmian view, in part for the novel approach that it suggests to certain problems, such as decay processes, both from a theoretical and computational stand point. In this thesis we focus on using the concepts introduced by the Bohmian framework as a practical computational tool.

 I evaluate a number of implementations of the Bohmian method, get a sense of their strengths and weaknesses and attempt to overcome some stability issues that arise. For problems in one-dimension (lD), accurate solutions of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation produce a wave function from which Bohmian trajectories can be computed by integrating along flux lines. For direct integration of the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equations, the main problems that arise are related to evauating the quantum potential (QP), especially in regions of low probability density. Sufficient accuracy is required to avoid unphysical trajectory crossings. A number of interpolation schemes were investigated, and smoothed splines with special treatment of edge effects gave the best results.

 For problems in 2D the alternating direction implicit (ADI) method was employed to produce the wave function. Ways of dealing with unphysical reflections from the boundaries of a finite size domain were studied.

 The use of cellular automata, especially the lattice-Boltzmann method (LBM) were also considered. Here Bohm trajectories would be propagated by following a small set of rules. The main problem identified is that, unless a scheme can be found in which the quantum potential is self-generating from an equation of continuity, the overhead of computing the QP at each time step, is prohibitive.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Archetypes of Feminine Creativity in the Works of Three Twentieth-Century Maritme Writers

title: Archetypes of Feminine Creativity in Maritime Fiction

contributor:
Donaldson, J.
English

subject:
Ironic mode
Maritime writing

abstract:
The ironic mode is currently a popular style of writing, as seen in the works being produced in the Maritimes. Three current Maritime writers who use this mode are Donna Smyth, David Adams Richards and Deborah Joy Corey. Though the works of these writers appear to be different from earlier pieces of Maritime writing, I suggest that this is not necessarily the case.
These three writers are all concerned with the loss of tradition and community strength. I will show this through their treatment of the young women in their works, through their relationships with their partners, their elders, and the community at large. I also suggest that these works do, in fact, have strong ties with earlier writings. The women in these
novels are ironic versions of Anne Shirley, L.M. Montgomery's beloved heroine. The romance of Anne may have turned into irony, but the young girl who tries to find a place for herself and her creativity in a rural Maritime region is still present. By comparing the similar events in
the works of the late Twentieth Century and the Anne novels, I will show that, though Maritime writing is diverse, there is an interconnectedness in the writings produced from this
region, regardless of the age. This allows for a universality in these various works that needs to be recognized as a significant contribution to Canadian--and world--literature.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Orthogonal Latin Squares and Incomplete Balanced Block Designs

contributor:
Bankler, J.D.
Mathematics

subject:
orthogonal Latin squares
designs

abstract: Methods of constructing orthogonal Latin of squares and incomplete balanced block designs are developed. The analysis of these designs is then derived. Particular care is taken in the determination of the number of degrees of freedom involved, a point which is usually neglected in other sources. The principle source of material for this thesis has been H.B. Mann's book, Analysis and Design of Experiments.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Myth of Disability: Disability Theory and Herman Melville's Moby-Dick

contributor:
O'Connor, Mary
English

subject: disability myth Moby-Dick

abstract:
Conventional literary representations of disability reflect and re-inscribe the
fraudulent assumption that individuals with impairments are mysterious 'others,' subhuman
betrayers of the divinely-sanctioned corporeal norm. When such normative 'myths' are
internalized by a social body, the culturally-determined 'disabled' minority is subjected to
various forms of oppression and degradation, stigmatizing efforts designed to strip the
'deviants' of agency and dignity. The object ofthis study is to isolate and, subsequently,
demythologize the presuppositions ordering such conventional disability myths. This
'demythologizing' effort is patterned, in large part, on the theoretical tenets espoused by
Roland Barthes in his influential text Mythologies. Barthes's text, in its emphasis on
destabilizing culturally-fixed 'truths,' provides the theoretical framework necessary for
gauging the socio-political load of disability myth. In an effort to illumine, moreover, the
presence and workings of disability myth in nineteenth and twentieth century Western
consciousness, I examine the specific portraits of disability that appear in Herman
Melville'sMoby-Dick; Melville's canonized text lends itself particularly well to this type of
investigation as its characters -Ahab and Pip, in particular - are representative of the
spectrum of negative disability imagery. This critical exercise, in its emphasis on displacing
and, thus, de-naturalizing mythic representations of 'normal' and 'abnormal' corporeality,
resembles and reinforces the efforts of the Disability Movement and its attempts to restore
power and dignity to the unjustly disenfranchised 'disabled' minority.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Analysis and Design of Continuous Pressure Control System

contributor:
de Malherbe, M.C.
Mechanical Design

subject:
hydraulic pressure
regulation
digital computer models

abstract:
 The continuous control of hydraulic pressure as a predetermined function of an independent variable is considered for the cases of low, intermediate and high pressure levels. A simple control system for the continuous regulation of low pressure is briefly discussed, and a means of extending its working range to intermediate pressure levels is described. Systems of this type are particularly suitable for the control of commercial diamond synthesis presses, but may also be utilised for other processes.

 A more sophisticated approach to problems of pressure generation and control is discussed in detail, with particular reference to a high pressure isostatic press. Digital computer methods of optimising the parameters of the system and simulating its response are developed.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (ME)


title: Models and Algorithms for Procurement Combinatorial Auctions

contributor:
Hassini, Elkafi
Computational Engineering and Science

subject: Combinatorial Auctions, Procurement Auctions, Winner Determination Problem, Bid Generation Problem

abstract:
A key problem in designing marketplaces is how to efficiently allocate a collection of goods among multiple people. Auctions have emerged as a powerful tool with the promise to increase market efficiency by allocating goods to those who value them the most. Nevertheless, traditional auctions are unable to handle real-world market complexities. Over the past decade, there has been a trend towards allowing for package bids and other types of multidimensional bidding techniques that enable suppliers to take advantage of their unique abilities and put forth their best offers. In particular the application of iterative combinatorial auctions in procurement saves negotiation costs and time. Conceptually these auctions show a potential for improving the overall market efficiency. However, in practice they host several new challenges and difficulties.

One challenge facing the auctioneer in an iterative combinatorial auction environment is to quickly find an acceptable solution for each round of the auction. Bidders require time to precisely evaluate, price, and communicate different possible combinations based on their current information of item prices. The auctioneer requires time to solve the underlying mathematical problem formulation based on the bids received, report back the feedback information and initiate a new round of the auction.

In Chapter 3, we propose a Lagrangian-based heuristic to solve the auctioneer's winner determination problem. After generating the Lagrange multipliers from the solution of a linear relaxation, the heuristic applies several procedures to fix any potentially infeasible optimal Lagrange solutions. In addition to providing an efficient way of solving the winner determination problem, as compared with the leading commercial solver CPLEX, our approach provides Lagrange multipliers. The latter are used as proxies for prices in the auction feedback mechanism.

In Chapter 4 we develop a model for the bidders pricing problem, an issue that has received much less attention in the literature. Using the auctioneer feedback, that includes the Lagrange multipliers, the pricing model maximizes the bidders' profit while at the same time keeping their bids competitive. We derive several optimality results for the underlying optimization problem. Interestingly, we analytically show that the auction converges to a point where no bidder is able to submit a bid that yields strictly better profit for him and is not less competitive than his previous bids submitted. We experimentally observe that this approach converges in an early stage. We also find that this iterative auction allows the bidders to improve their profit while providing lower and competitive prices to the auctioneer.

In Chapter 5, we introduce a flexible auction model that allows for partial bids.  Rather than the regular all-or-nothing indivisible package bids, divisible bids provide flexibility for the auctioneer with the possibility to accept parts of the bids and yet allow the suppliers to capture synergies among the items and provide quantity discounts. We show numerically that this approach improves the overall efficiency of the auction by increasing the suppliers' profit while decreasing the auctioneer's total price of procurement. In addition, we find that computationally the flexible auction outperforms the regular auction.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Streamflow Estimation in Ungauged Basins Using Regionalization Methods

contributor:
Coulibaly, Paulin
Civil Engineering

subject:
Ungauged basins
Streamflow Regionalization

abstract:
Considering the growing population of the earth and the decreasing water resources, the need for reliable and accurate estimation and prediction of streamflow time series is increasing. Due to the climate change and anthropogenic impacts on hydrologic systems, the estimation and prediction of streamflow time series remains a challenge and it is even more difficult for regions where watersheds are ungauged in terms of streamflow. The research presented in this dissertation, was scoped to develop a reliable and accurate methodology for daily streamflow prediction/estimation in ungauged watersheds. The study area in this research encompasses Ontario natural watersheds with various areas spread in different regions.
In this research work nonlinear data-driven methods such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and conventional methods such as Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) as well as their combination are investigated for different steps in streamflow regionalization. As such, Watershed classification prior to regionalization is investigated as an independent step in regionalization. Nonlinear classification techniques such as Nonlinear Principal Component Analysis (NLPCA) and Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) are investigated for watershed classification and finally a methodology which combines watershed classification, streamflow regionalization and hydrologic model optimization is presented for reliable streamflow prediction in ungauged basins.
The results of this research demonstrated that a multi-model approach which combines the results of proposed individual models based on their performance for the gauged similar and close watersheds to the ungauged ones can be a reliable streamflow regionalization model for all watersheds in Ontario. Physical similarity and spatial proximity of watersheds was found to play an important role in similarity between the streamflow time series, hence, it was incorporated in all individual models.  It was also shown that watershed classification can significantly improve the results of streamflow regionalization. Investigated nonlinear watershed classification techniques applicable to ungauged watersheds can capture the nonlinearity in watersheds physical and hydrological attributes and classify watersheds homogeneously. It was also found that the combination of watershed classification techniques, regionalization techniques and hydrologic models can impact the results of streamflow regionalization substantially.  Furthermore, to evaluate the uncertainty associated with the predictions in ungauged watersheds, an ensemble modelling framework is proposed to generate ensemble predictions based on the proposed regionalization model.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Chronic Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Pharmaceutical Concentrations Effects Reproductive and Developmental Physiology in Zebrafsih (Danio rerio)

contributor:
Wilson, Joanna Y
Biology

subject: Biology Toxicology Zebrafish Pharmaceuticals Environment Fish Wastewater Development Behaviour Reproduction Acetamniophen Carbamazepine Gemfibrozil Venlafaxine

abstract:
The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the aquatic environment has been a growing issue of concern over the past twenty years. Compounds from various pharmaceutical classes have been detected at ng to µg L-1 concentrations in waste water effluent, surface, ground and drinking water. Although the concentrations required for these compounds to elicit a therapeutic response is higher than what is detected in the aquatic environment, the impacts pharmaceuticals may have on aquatic species under chronic or mixture conditions remains largely unknown. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by evaluating the impacts of chronic exposure to four frequently detected pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical mixtures on the physiology of the model teleost, zebrafish (Danio rerio).
 	Environmentally relevant concentrations of acetaminophen, carbamazepine, gemfibrozil and venlafaxine significantly reduced zebrafish fecundity and increased embryonic mortality. Pharmaceutical exposure to gemfibrozil and carbamazepine altered the structural morphology of the ovary; all compounds tested altered kidney histology.  As exposure in the environment is rarely ever to a single compound, animals were exposed to a quaternary mixture of the four compounds and wastewater effluent. Under mixture conditions, reproductive, developmental and histological effects were also observed, however they generally were more severe then those seen with single compound exposure. Overall, these results showed that chronic, low dose pharmaceutical exposure were sufficient to induce a suite of physiological effects suggesting an overall decrease in fish health.
  	Effects on offspring after chronic parental exposure to gemfibrozil and carbamazepine resulted in alterations in male breeding behaviour, reduced fecundity, decreased sperm velocity and induced morphological changes to spermatozoa. These novel findings expand the limited knowledge base of studies examining effects on offspring. Lastly, acetaminophen was confirmed to elicit its developmental impacts in fish via the cyclooxygenase pathway; the same mechanism of action as observed in mammals. This thesis has made significant contributions to identifying the physiological consequences of environmental pharmaceutical toxicity to fish.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Candidate in Philosophy


title: Exploring Rifamycin Inactivation from the Soil Microbiome

contributor:
Wright, Gerard D.
Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

subject:
Antibiotic resistance
Microbiology

abstract:
Our battle against pathogens has become a challenge due to the rise in antibiotic resistance and the dwindling number of new antibiotics entering the clinic.  Most antibiotics owe their origins to soil bacteria, which have been producing these natural products for millennia.  The rifamycins are products of actinomycetes and semisynthetic derivatives of these have been very successful in the clinic.  Rifampin (RIF) has been a cornerstone agent against tuberculosis for over 50 years.  In the clinic, pathogens typically develop RIF resistance by mutation of the drug.  Nonetheless, a number of diverse RIF resistance mechanisms have been described, including enzymatic inactivation.
	Environmental bacteria are multidrug resistant, likely due to sharing the same niche as antibiotic producers and represent a reservoir of ancient resistance determinants.  Furthermore, these resistance determinants have been linked to pathogens.  Exploring the antibiotic resistome, the collection of all antibiotic resistance determinants from the global microbiota, reveals the diversity and evolution of resistance and provides insight on vulnerabilities of our current antibiotics.
	Herein, I describe a diverse collection of RIF-inactivating mechanisms from soil actinomycetes. I identified heretofore unknown RIF glycosyltransferase and RIF phosphotransferase genes (rgt and rph, respectively).  RGT and RPH enzymes display broad rifamycin specificity and contribute to high-level resistance.  Interestingly, RIF-sensitive Gram-positive pathogens are carriers of RPH, highlighting the existence of a ‘silent’ resistome in clinically relevant bacteria and emphasize the importance of studying resistance from environmental bacteria.  Furthermore, I identified a conserved upstream DNA motif associated with RIF-inactivating genes from actinomycetes and demonstrate its role in RIF-responsive gene regulation.  Finally, I explore the use of a RIF-resistance guided approach to identify novel rifamycin producing bacteria.
	This study expands the rifamycin resistome, provides evidence of vulnerabilities of our current arsenal of rifamycin antibiotics, and offers a strategy to identify new members of this family natural product family.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Science  (PhD)


title: THE EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF A COOPERATIVE AND COMPETITIVE VIDEO GAME FOR TEACHING INTRODUCTORY PROGRAMMING

title: A VIDEO GAME FOR TEACHING INTRODUCTORY PROGRAMMING

contributor:
Smith, Spencer
Software Engineering

subject:
game-based learning
video games
pedagogy
cooperation
competition
tablet application
introductory programming

abstract:
The subject of computer programming is highly practical and it is crucial that beginners
participate in hands-on experimentation as part of the learning process. Unfortunately,
many first year engineering students that are new to this discipline are often intimidated
by the material and unmotivated to review or practice the concepts on their own. The
purpose of this study is to measure the success of using a cooperative and competitive
video game as a pedagogical tool in software engineering education. The video game
that was developed for this research is called Space Race and it harnesses the power of
group discussion to encourage students to share their individual understandings of basic
programming concepts. This dissemination of knowledge within groups was able to teach
many students new concepts that they did not understand previously.At least 67% of the
students stated that the game motivates them to review course material. The game was wellreceived
with at least 82% of the students that played Space Race agreeing that they would
recommend that others also learn basic programming concepts with this game. Although
the game does not directly teach students new concepts, it allows the instructors to identify
what concepts students struggle with. Space Race encourages students to ask the instructor
questions when they do not understand. In some cases, game participants outperform nonparticipants
on course exams. On the final course exam, all of the statistically significant
(p<0:05) comparisons (42% of the relevant questions) showed a performance improvement
of game participants, with a maximum grade improvement of 41%. The findings also
suggest that some students can retain the knowledge obtained from Space Race for at least
7 weeks. The results of this study provide strong evidence that a video game can be a
successful pedagogical tool for software engineering education.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Characterizing prostate cancer stem-like cells and their contribution to prostate cancer tumorigenesis

contributor:
Tang, Damu
Medical Sciences

subject:
Cancer
Cancer stem cells
Prostate Cancer

abstract:
On average, 65 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer (PC) every day, making it the most common male cancer in Canada. Despite the prevalence, the etiology of PC is unknown. Evidence nonetheless supports the role of prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs) in PC initiation and metastasis. In spite of almost a decade worth of research on PCSCs our knowledge on their biology remains fragmented. By taking advantage of the availability of DU145 cell-derived PCSCs in our laboratory, this thesis research focuses on investigating the unique properties of PCSCs and their function in promoting PC tumorigenesis.
	We identified two PCSC-specific proteins, ALDH3A1 and CNTN1. In mouse models of xenograft tumors, ALDH3A1 was expressed at higher levels in PCSC-derived tumors than in DU145 non-PCSC-produced tumors and in lung metastases than local tumors. In clinical settings, elevation of ALDH3A1expression was observed from normal prostate tissues to carcinomas and from local PCs to the paired lymph node metastases. Additionally, ALDH3A1 was clearly detected in bone metastases. Similar to ALDH3A1, CNTN1 expression associates with PC progression and biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy. The clear presence of CNTN1 in lymph node and bone metastases was also demonstrated. Furthermore, CNTN1 expression promoted PC metastasis to the lungs and tumor initiation in NOD/SCID mice. Mechanistically, CNTN1 increased AKT activation and reduced E-cadherin expression. Collectively, our research revealed important roles of both PCSC proteins in promoting PC tumorigenesis and progression.
	PC develops chemotherapy resistance in which PCSCs play a major role. In supporting this knowledge, we demonstrated that PCSCs are innately more resistant to the chemotherapeutic drugs, etoposide and docetaxel and that this resistance was in part attributable to their enhanced DNA damage response.  Taken together, the findings of this thesis advances our knowledge on two specific PCSC markers and their association with prostate cancer progression and metastasis.  As well as to the mechanism whereby PCSCs promote resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) and Parkinson’s disease: Behavioural and clinical investigations

title: INVESTIGATING CDNF IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE

contributor:
Mishra, Ram
Health Sciences

subject:
Parkinson's Disease
Conserved dopamine neurotrophic factor

abstract: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is among the most devastating neurodegenerative disorders, and affects 1% of the global population above the age of 60. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the dopamine degeneration exhibited in PD: mitochondrial dysfunction, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Inaccurate diagnosis is one of the greatest challenges to treatment of PD. Currently, there is no standard diagnostic test for PD. Neurotrophic factors (NTF) are secreted proteins that promote survival and maintenance of neurons during development. The loss of NTFs for specific neuronal populations could confer susceptibility to various neurodegenerative disorders. Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) is a novel NTF selective for dopamine neurons. CDNF has demonstrated profound neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects on dopamine neurons in well established animal models of PD.  Presently, there are no studies examining endogenous levels of CDNF in PD models or clinical populations of PD, prompting the present study. Findings will bring insight into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in PD. This study has determined that CDNF protein and mRNA expression is not altered following 6-OHDA lesioning, suggesting a compensatory mechanism of CDNF in response to injury. We have also determined that CDNF mRNA expression declines with age, which could confer susceptibility to developing neurodegenerative diseases such as PD. In clinical populations of PD, platelets showed a significant increase in CDNF mRNA expression that was not seen in lymphocytes or whole blood. This suggests a role of CDNF in PD, specifically for platelets; however, it is important to delineate whether this increase is the result of treatment. Incidentally, we found that CDNF mRNA expression is significantly reduced following stroke. Together, these results stress the importance of CDNF in disorders stemming from ER stress. Future studies should examine the role of CDNF in preclinical models of stroke, as well as knockout models of PD.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: CHARACTERIZATION OF SIPL1-MEDIATED PTEN INACTIVATION DURING TUMORIGENESIS

title: INACTIVATION OF PTEN BY SIPL1

subject:
Breast Cancer
Tumourigenesis
PTEN
PI3k/AKT Pathway
Ubiquitination
SIPL1
Protein-Protein Interaction
Cancer

abstract:
As the primary antagonist to the tumorigenic PI3K/AKT pathway, PTEN is classified as a tumor suppressor. The inactivation of PTEN through genetic or post-translational modifications is a critical step in the tumorigenesis of many breast cancers (BCs). SIPL1 is a novel protein which was identified as a PTEN negative regulator. To further explore SIPL1-mediated PTEN inactivation, we analyzed 17 datasets covering 3484 BC cases and 228 normal individuals. SIPL1 gene amplification and increased mRNA expression correlates with the progression and poor prognosis of ER and/or PR positive tumors. Furthermore, examination of a BC tissue microarray containing 224 tumor cases revealed elevated SIPL1 protein expression in ER+ and PR+ tumors and was associated with greater AKT activation. Additionally, ectopic expression of SIPL1 in CHO-K1 cells resulted in increased AKT activation and cell proliferation, and cytoskeleton reorganization alongside with PTEN downregulation.
   SIPL1 contributes to the linear polyubiquitination of NEMO, suggesting a role for SIPL1 in PTEN ubiquitination. Indeed, it was SIPL1, not the SIPL1-∆UBL (a PTEN-binding defective mutant) which robustly induced PTEN polyubiquitination in a lysine (K) 63-dependent but K48-independent manner. While K48-linked polyubiquitin chains direct protein degradation, K63-linked chains regulate a variety of protein functions. SIPL1 binds polyubiquitinated PTEN with significantly higher affinity than non-ubiquitinated PTEN. A SIPL1 mutant, SIPL1-TFLV, is unable to cause PTEN ubiquitination but is capable of PTEN association. Collectively, our results reveal that SIPL1 interacts with PTEN with a low affinity, which results in PTEN polyubiquitination, and that the modification may stabilize the association between SIPL1 and PTEN. We propose a model where SIPL1 mediates the K63-linked ubiquitination of PTEN inactivating it. The downregulation of PTEN, when paired with the tumor-promoting effects of ER and/or PR, stimulates breast tumorigenesis. SIPL1 is an important BC marker and future research should focus on its potential as a therapeutic target.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Narrative Thread: Weaving a Tapestry of Meaning in John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

contributor:
Walmsley, Peter
English

subject: critiques, foundationalist, philosophy, 'reality', language, vocabulary,

abstract:
Richard Rorty's seminal work, Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (1979), a text that
critiques the foundationalist aspirations of philosophy, locates John Locke within a line of
thinkers primarily concerned with discerning and accurately representing either the external
"reality" of the world or the internal essence of human beings. Such thinkers, according to
Rorty, have perpetuated the conception of philosophy as foundational-that is, mediating
between "reality" and all other claims to knowledge in order to adjudicate accuracy of
representation. Contending that the conception of philosophy as foundational derives from an
obsolete vocabulary inherited from the seventeenth century, Rorty locates philosophic texts on
par with all other texts, whose relation to the world is functional rather than foundational.
Rorty then proposes that philosophy assume a more pragmatic cultural role as the promoter,
but not the arbiter, of more fruitful redescriptions of ourselves to deal with the historically
specific complexity of the world.
Rorty's conception of language as a tool that underpins his argument that texts bear a
functional as opposed to foundational relation to the world forms the theoretical framework
for my analysis of John Locke's An Essay concerning Human Understanding. Although the
putative impetus of Locke's Essay is discerning the origin of our ideas as the foundations of all
knowledge, this thesis proffers an alternate reading of Locke's Essay by attending to its
rhetorical structure. More specifically, I argue that the Essay is an experiential and
experimental text that insistently involves the reader in the textual exegesis of mind. Based on my reading of the rhetorical movements and literal denotation of the Essay, I propose that the primary aim of the text was not to represent accurately the cognitive processes of the mind forming ideas about the world as the foundations of all knowledge; rather, I suggest that the Essay self-consciously functions metaphorically by proffering a new vocabulary with which to think about mind, world, language, and society as a viable alternative to endless sectarian strife.
Using Rorty's vocabulary to redescribe Locke's rhetorical project in the Essay, I suggest
that Locke's text not only embodies an awareness of its own contingency, but functions within
its historical context in the role which Rorty proposes for philosophy. In this regard, Locke
and Rorty become aligned on an imaginative continuum in their shared rhetorical project of
redescription with specifically pragmatic aims.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: An open-source model and solution method to predict co-contraction in the index finger

title: An open-source musculoskeletal model and EMG-constrained static optimization solution method to predict co-contraction in the index finger

contributor:
Keir, Peter
Kinesiology

subject:
finger
musculoskeletal model
static optimization
extensor mechanism
intrinsic

abstract: Determining tendon tension in the finger is essential to understanding forces that may be detrimental to hand function. Direct measurement is not feasible, making biomechanical modelling the best way to estimate these forces. In this study, the intrinsic muscles and extensor mechanism were added to an existing model of the index finger, and as such, it has been named the Intrinsic model. The Intrinsic model of the index finger has 4 degrees of freedom and 7 muscles (with 14 components). Muscle properties and paths for all extrinsic and intrinsic muscles were derived from the literature. Two models were evaluated, the Intrinsic model and the model it was adapted from (identified in this thesis as the Extrinsic-only model). To complement the model, multiple static optimization solution methods were also developed that allowed for EMG-constrained solutions and applied objective functions to promote co-contraction. To test the models and solution methods, 10 participants performed 9 static pressing tasks at 3 force levels, and 5 free motion dynamic tasks at 2 speeds. Kinematics, contact forces, and EMG (from the extrinsic muscles and first dorsal interosseous) were collected. For all solution methods, muscle activity predicted using the Intrinsic model was compared to activity from the model currently available through open-source software (OpenSim). Just by using the Intrinsic model, co-contraction increased by 16% during static palmar pressing tasks. The EMG-constrained solution methods gave a smaller difference between predicted and experimental activity compared to the optimization-only approach (p < 0.03). The model and solution methods developed in this thesis improve co-contraction and tendon tension estimates in the finger. As such, this work contributes to our understanding of the control of the hand and the forces that may be detrimental to hand function.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Growth and Characterization of CdTe/ZnTe Thin Films and Heterostructures

contributor:
Preston, John S.
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Thin Films
Pulsed laser deposition
Heterostructure
CdTe
Crystal structure
ZnTe
Epitaxy

abstract: CdTe and ZnTe are common semiconductors, currently used in a wide variety of applications.  Heterostructures, composed of two or more layered materials, create further potential for the use of these semiconductors in the development of new technologies.  In this thesis, the epitaxial growth of CdTe/ZnTe thin films and heterostructures are studied with the intention of better understanding the mechanisms by which they grow and how their overall structure and properties may be modified.  Single-layer, bilayer, and multilayer structures were grown by pulsed laser deposition on sapphire substrates.  The resulting crystal structure, interface, and optical properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques.  It was found that the growth conditions have a direct impact on the crystal quality of these materials, that can be understood in terms of the growth dynamics and film-substrate interactions.  Domain formation was also found to vary between CdTe and ZnTe depositions, revealing important information about their growth.  This work presents methods of consistently producing high quality CdTe and ZnTe thin films and bilayers, and insight into how this may be applied to the growth of multilayer films.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Repetition in a Biblical Narrative: Genesis 6-9

contributor:
Cooper, A.M.
Religious Studies

subject: repetitive, modern theory, Flood Narrative, Genesis 6-9,, biblical critics,

abstract:
The objectives of this thesis are concerned with the peculiar feature of repetitions in the so-called 'Flood-Narrative', Genesis 6-9. The presence of these repetitions has provoked many arguments amongst twentieth century biblical critics as to their origin, their function and even their form.
The first objective of the thesis is to review critically a wide spectrum of research done on the repetitive phenomenon, outline the resultant opinions and to weigh the merits or weaknesses of any particular methodology as it relates to how the function of repetitive features is to be understood. The first chapter presents this critical view and finds that up to now, most research done on the text has not been free of methodological bias, with the result that only those repetitions useful to an approach are dealt with, to the exclusion of other repetitive features.
The second objective is to catalog and describe the repetitive features of the text in an objective manner, free from methodological or exegetical bias. Chapter II arranges and classifies the repetitions that are evident in Gen. 6-9 and comments on possible patterns or forms suggested by the repetitions.
The last objective of the thesis is to look at the repetitions from some perspectives of modern narrative theory to find if this viewpoint can shed any light on the function of repetitive forms.
The last chapter of the thesis concludes that explanatory devices from narrative theory which rely on pre-established criteria apart from the text itself, are as well too short-sighted to be useful in corning to grips with repetitive function. However, those approaches which stress certain subjective, exegetical endeavors, or which emphasize a reader's response are found to provide useful insights for the perception of repetitive function.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: CONTROLLING M.TB: A BALANCE OF IMMUNITY AND IMMUNOPATHOLOGY

contributor: Medical Sciences (Molecular Virology and Immunology Program)

abstract: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) remains the third leading infectious killer worldwide. It is estimated that tuberculosis latently infects one third of the world’s population and is responsible for 1.4 million deaths annually. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), the bacteria species responsible for tuberculosis, is unique in its ability to evade and survive within the infected host for many years and in some cases the lifetime of the host. The ability of M.tb to survive within the host is linked to its ability to evade the host immune response. Following infection there is the establishment of a dynamic equilibrium between bacterial load and active immunity. Central to the establishment of this dynamic equilibrium and survival of the host is the formation of the pulmonary type I ‘immune’ granuloma. The granuloma is composed of a loose association of innate and adaptive immune cells, where infected macrophages are restricted and contained by activated T cells. The ability of the host to maintain this dynamic equilibrium is responsible for the long-term control of M.tb seen in the majority of infected hosts. However, only a small shift in immune activation can detrimentally alter this delicate balance leading to the development of active TB disease.  A number of factors have been identified which enhance an individual’s risk for disease reactivation. Some such risk factors include the acquisition of HIV-AIDS, exposure of cigarette smoke, and the neutralization of TNF, a key cytokine required for anti-TB immunity. Within this thesis we will investigate the underlying mechanisms associated with the establishment of the granuloma, as well as its disruption following cigarette smoke exposure and in the absence of TNF.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Science)


title: Synthesizing Fault-Tolerant Programs from Deontic Logic Specifications

contributor:
Maibaum, Thomas
Computing and Software

abstract:
This dissertation concentrates on the problem of synthesizing fault-tolerant components from specifications, i.e., the problem of automatically constructing a fault- tolerant component implementation from a logical specification of the component, and the system’s required level of fault-tolerance. In our approach, the logical specification of the component is given in dCTL-, a fragment of a branching time temporal logic with deontic operators, especially designed for fault-tolerant component specification. Deontic logics have proved to be useful for reasoning about legal and moral systems, where the situation is more or less similar to fault-tolerance: there exists a set of rules that states what the normal behaviours or scenarios are. Violations arise when these rules are not followed and, as a consequence, some actions must be performed to return to a normal or desirable state.
As a black-box overview, our synthesis algorithm takes the component specification and a user-defined level of fault-tolerance (masking, nonmasking, or failsafe), and automatically determines whether a component with the required fault-tolerance is realizable. Moreover, if the answer is positive, then the algorithm produces such a fault-tolerant implementation. Our technique for synthesis is based on the use of (bi)simulation algorithms for capturing different fault-tolerance classes, and the extension of a synthesis algorithm for CTL to cope with dCTL- specifications.
Some case studies are provided throughout this thesis to illustrate how the ideas described below can be applied in practice. Moreover, we have implemented a tool called dCTL Synthesizer (syntdctl) which was used to synthesize automatically well-known fault-tolerant examples.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Atomic Masses and Neutron Separation Energies for Some Isotopes of Cadmium

contributor:
Duckworth, H.E.
Physics

subject:
Cadmium Isotopes
Atomic Masses
Energy
Neutron Separation

abstract: The large double focusing mass spectrometer operating at its theoretical resolving power of more than 100,000 at the base of the peaks has been used to measure five mass spectral doublets. The resulting single and double neutron separation energies for some cadmium nuclides are much more precise than those from previous work. It is noted that striking regularities occur amongst these energies.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Understanding pharmaceutical wet granulation in a twin screw extruder

contributor:
Thompson, Michael
Chemical Engineering

subject:
wet granulation
twin screw extruder
foam delivery
extrusion

abstract:
Granulation is an important process for industries ranging from plastics to food and pharmaceutics. In the last decades, the twin-screw extruder has been more and more studied as a continuous method for granulation. But there are many questions remaining to be answered such as the functions of kneading block and the granulation behavior in this zone, the influence of the wetting method, and also the influence of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) properties on the granulation process. Therefore, in this project, a series of experiments were performed based on a new technique to the granulation field named ‘screw pullout’ for understanding the granulation process within the twin-screw extruder.

In order to understand the specific function of an important screw element known as a kneading block, the physical particle motion reflecting progress of granulation was monitored along the screw. Different feed rate and formulations were studied; the residence time and pressure in kneading block were measured; and the granules along the screw were characterized for their porosity and size distribution. It was found that granule consolidation and breakup within the kneading block allowed the production of granules with consistent properties and excellent mechanical strength. However, the changes produced by a kneading block are dependent upon the formulation. For example, the kneading block demonstrates no observable function with formulations containing a significant content of microcrystalline cellulose. The most notable benefit of the kneading block to all tested materials appeared to be distribution of the interstitial binding liquid rather than to compact the powders.

A new wetting method using a foam binder has been studied intensively in this work to assess its influence on the granulation process. A series of studies have been performed to compare the granule development along the screws as powder formulation and screw design were varied to test for the differences induced by the two wetting methods (foam delivery or liquid injection). The evolution of the granules along the screw was characterized by analyzing the particles size distribution, porosity, and fracture strength. It was found that the wetting method had minor impact on the particle size distribution due to the strong mechanical dispersion inherent to the extruder. The major finding for the pharmaceutical industry was that the foam method reduces the required amount of liquid to granulate, thereby dropping drying time after the process. The foamed binder was also found to be preferred when the formulation contains powder components with poor spreading properties.

Finally, the influence of an API’s physical properties on granulation was studied by comparing formulations with varying API hydrophobicity. It was found that the API and binder distribution was not affected by the hydrophilicity of API, while the particle size distribution, porosity and fracture strength were strongly dependent on the properties of the API.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)