title: Parents and Special Educators' Perspectives on the Sexuality Educational Needs of Learners with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities in Ghanaian Special Schools

contributor:
Epprecht, Marc
Global Development Studies

subject:
Ghana
Sexuality
Education Service
IDDs

abstract: Despite the global efforts towards the inclusion of persons with disabilities in societies, Ghana's Educational Strategic Program is yet to include sexuality education for learners with intellectual developmental disabilities (IDDs) in special schools. Current social structures also exist to limit formally recognised sexual and reproductive access to persons with IDDs in Ghana. That notwithstanding, persons with IDDs have sexual needs like their non-disabled counterparts. In order to promote the sexualities of persons with IDDs in Ghana, this study sought to explore how parents and special educators construct and address the sexuality educational needs of learners with IDD in special schools. Realist Social constructionism and Sankofa (an anticolonial framework) served as the foundations for the study. It therefore acknowledged the role of impairment as a material reality as interacting with social realities. Taking into account the historical social, cultural, political and economic fabrics, which frame Ghanaian societies, and that parents and educators who are the primary agents of socialisation and advocates for these persons are a part of these communities, the study realised that learner's sexuality educational needs do not exist in a vacuum. They are constructed through experiences and interactions, with social and economic forces as well as parents' expectations for the future. The study took place in 5 out of 10 regions of the country and involved mostly interviews with parents and special educators. It is expected that the lessons gathered will be useful for the designing and implementation of sexuality education programmes for learners with IDD in Ghanaian special schools -programmes that resonate with the value systems of Ghanaian societies and serve as a step towards promotion of the sexualities of persons with IDDs in Ghana.

abstract: M.A.


title: Cultivating Autonomy from Empire: Exploring the Edges of Anarchism and Permaculture

contributor:
Day, Richard JF
Cultural Studies

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

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

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

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

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

subject:
Anarchism
Permaculture
Empire
Hegemony
Social Movements
Poststructuralism
Deleuze
Autonomy
Spinoza
Plant Propagation
Grafting
Decolonization

abstract: This project explores autonomy-oriented currents within permaculture and anarchism. Drawing on a minor current of Western thought influenced by Baruch Spinoza, autonomy is reconceptualized as a situational process that entails both connection and separation. Autonomy is thus an always-partial departure from the toxic patterns nurtured by capitalism, white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, settler colonialism, state domination, and other forms of subjection. This investigation focuses on the way autonomy-oriented currents transform their own relationships and situations, rather than seeking to ameliorate Empire’s institutions. As a project-based thesis undertaken through Cultural Studies, this investigation involved a number of components in addition to this text, including a blog, co-authoring a book, and propagating perennials and fruit trees. These activities are drawn into conversation with other autonomy-oriented texts and practices, and their potentials and pitfalls are analyzed in relation to liberalism, morality, counterhegemony, academia, oppression, industrialization, militancy, and settler colonialism.

abstract: PhD


title: Investigating Occupational Exposure to Monocyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Lung Cancer in Males of the Metropolitan Montréal Area

contributor:
Richardson, Harriet
Ho, Vikki
Public Health Sciences

subject:
Lung Cancer
Benzene
Toluene
Xylene
MAH
Occupational Epidemiology

abstract:
Background: Monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs) are a family of chemicals that include benzene, toluene, and xylene. These three chemicals are ubiquitous agents that are present in a number of occupational and environmental circumstances. Currently, there is limited and inconsistent evidence to suggest that exposure to MAHs is associated with lung cancer in humans.

Objectives: The primary objective of this thesis is to explore the associations of lifetime occupational exposure to MAHs and lung cancer risk. Secondary objectives include 1) investigating these associations stratified by smoking status, and, 2) exploring the associations between MAH exposures and major histological types of lung cancer.

Methods: The data used in this thesis is from a Montréal-based case-control study of lung cancer conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr. Jack Siemiatycki of l’Université de Montréal. The final study population was comprised of male Canadian citizens with a total of 733 cases of lung cancer and 894 controls frequency matched on age and sex. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression was performed to assess the associations between MAH exposures and lung cancer.

Results: Exposure to MAHs is suggestive of a slightly increased risk of lung cancer. Exposure to toluene and xylene is associated with an increased risk for adenocarcinoma of the lung. Substantial exposure to benzene is suggestive of an increased risk for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. There is no evidence to suggest that the risk of lung cancer associated with exposure to MAHs differs according to smoking history.

Conclusions: The findings of this thesis suggest that occupational exposure to MAHs may be associated with increased risk of lung cancer. These findings contribute to the literature, which currently lacks quality studies reporting on the carcinogenic effects of toluene and xylene. In addition, these findings build on the growing body of evidence that suggests benzene-exposed workers are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Development of Atherosclerotic Plaque Ultrasound Phantoms for the Investigation of Vulnerable Plaque Features

contributor:
Johri, Amer
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

rights: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

subject:
Plaque vulnerability
Plaque density
Echogenicity
Grayscale median
Ultrasound
Phantom
Pixel Distribution Analysis
Plaque heterogeneity
Plaque composition

abstract:
As the burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) continues to rise, increasing efforts are directed to innovate screening tools for the detection of vulnerable plaque and the vulnerable patient. Vulnerable plaque lesions are thought to be specific lesions responsible for the majority of cardiovascular events, and are generally characterized by a large lipid core and a thin fibrous cap. Recent advances in ultrasound offer novel techniques to characterize various aspects of plaque vulnerability.

This study investigated two approaches for evaluating plaque vulnerability. Specifically, a density-based plaque phantom was developed for the evaluation of plaque echogenicity, a feature of plaque vulnerability that can be characterized by Grayscale Median (GSM) analysis. It was found that plaque density has a significant positive linear correlation with plaque echogenicity. Another phantom model of simulated heterogeneous plaque lesions was developed for the evaluation of plaque composition, a feature of plaque vulnerability that can be characterized by colourized Pixel Distribution Analysis (PDA), a novel tissue characterization technique. Two sets of GSM ranges associated with specific tissue types were established. Percentages of gray pixels identified in the correct tissue GSM range from colourized PDA were compared between the two sets of GSM ranges we established, and a previously reported set of tissue GSM ranges. Our tissue GSM ranges of: echolucent plastisol 0-4, muscle 68-86 (Neck muscle and leg muscle) and 104-108 (abdomen muscle), fat 87-100 (visceral fat) and bone 145-175, detected a greater percentage of pixels within the correct tissue type in comparison to the two other sets of ranges.

It is anticipated that the phantoms developed will serve as an ex vivo platform for the optimization of vulnerable plaque imaging technologies, allowing for timely and cost-effective development of ultrasound probes, software, contrast agents, and drug delivery systems for the treatment of atherosclerosis. The research presented in this thesis has focused on developing ultrasound analysis techniques to better stratify patients by their risk of ACVD. Atherosclerotic plaque lesions, specifically vulnerable plaque lesions, may not be apparent by conventional diagnostic modalities. This research can improve diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Two Hundred Wildflowers: Annora Brown’s Botanical Watercolours, Scientific Illustration, and Conservationism in Alberta

contributor:
Schwartz, Joan
Art History

subject:
Annora Brown
Old Man's Garden
Glenbow Museum
Alberta
Botanical Illustration

abstract: Between 1958 and 1960, artist Annora Brown conceived and compiled over two hundred botanical watercolours for the Glenbow Museum. Brown created a body of work that was documentary in nature but also imbued with personal meaning and aesthetic appeal. Her distinctive approach to botanical illustration challenges how scientific information is categorized and communicated in Western culture, and reflects shifting perceptions of the Alberta environment in the twentieth century. The commission was inspired by the publication of Old Man’s Garden (1954), a book written by Brown to fill a gap in the understanding of plants indigenous to the prairie and foothill regions. The book was exceptional in its incorporation of the practical knowledge and lore of southern Alberta First Nation’s communities (specifically Treaty Seven Nations the Piikani and Kainai) with the accounts of early European explorers, Western folklore, literature, and scientific information. This thesis connects Brown’s approach to communicating botanical information in Old Man’s Garden with the artwork she produced for the commission, and analyzes how both projects subvert traditional models of scientific text and illustration. I contextualize Brown’s work within larger frameworks of botanical study in Canada and the early conservation movement in Alberta, and reflect upon how the commission speaks to the connection between landscape and identity.

abstract: M.A.


title: Mechanically Robust Injectable Hydrogel Scaffolds for the Intramuscular Delivery of Adipose-Derived Stem/Stromal Cells

contributor:
Amsden, Brian
Flynn, Lauren
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Stem cells
Adipose-Derived Stem Cells
Hydrogel
Macrophage
Injectable
Peripheral Arterial Disease
Ischemia
Cell Therapy
Scaffold
Polymer

abstract:
An emerging treatment for peripheral arterial disease is the transplantation of adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) by intramuscular (IM) injection to improve limb perfusion by paracrine-mediated angiogenesis and immunomodulation. However, effective clinical translation has been limited due to poor cell retention and survival in ischemic muscle. This thesis focused on the design and in vitro/in vivo evaluation of an injectable hydrogel to improve ASC retention and function following IM delivery.
Initial work developed an injectable, in situ-gelling hydrogel designed specifically to encapsulate ASCs and withstand the mechanical loading of the IM environment. The hydrogel consisted of two polymers: methacrylated glycol chitosan functionalized with a cell-adhesive RGD peptide, selected to support ASC retention and survival, and a triblock copolymer of poly(trimethylene carbonate)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(trimethylene carbonate) diacrylate, designed to improve mechanical resilience. Following in vitro injection and crosslinking within the hydrogel, encapsulated human ASCs demonstrated high viability (>90%) over two weeks under normoxic and hypoxic (2% O2) conditions. The release of angiogenic and chemotactic cytokines from encapsulated ASCs was enhanced under hypoxia, suggesting that the hydrogel can support ASC retention and paracrine function under ischemic conditions.
Subsequent studies investigated the angiogenic and inflammatory responses to the IM injection of allogeneic rat ASCs in the hydrogel, the hydrogel alone, and ASCs in saline using a healthy, immunocompetent rat model. Immunohistochemical analysis over 4 weeks demonstrated that encapsulated ASCs were retained at a higher density and promoted CD68+ macrophage recruitment, as well as M1 (CD68+CCR7+) macrophage infiltration and M2c (CD163+) macrophage polarization at the hydrogel periphery. Coincident with enhanced macrophage infiltration, significantly more blood vessels were observed surrounding and within the hydrogels with ASCs compared to the hydrogels alone.
The therapeutic effects of the IM injection of human ASCs in the hydrogel, the hydrogel alone, ASCs in saline, and saline alone were compared in an immunocompromised NOD/SCID mouse model of hindlimb ischemia. While there were no differences observed in limb perfusion or function at 28 days, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that hydrogel-delivered ASCs were well retained and significantly improved the IM capillary density and enhanced cell proliferation, indicating that the cell delivery approach stimulated localized angiogenesis.

abstract: PhD


title: The Ethics of Care of the Self  as Resistance to a “Peculiar Institution”

contributor:
Sypnowich, Christine
Philosophy

subject:
Morality
Ethics
Morality Systems
Care of the Self
G.E.M. Anscombe
Michael Stocker
Bernard Williams
Susan Wolf
Michael Foucault
Modern Ethical Theories
Malady of Spirit
Kantianism
Utilitarianism
Virtue Ethics
Constitution of the Subject

abstract:
This thesis discusses some of the critiques of modern moral theories (deontology, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics) posed by Elizabeth Anscombe, Michael Stocker, Bernard Williams, and Susan Wolf. It focuses on Stocker’s challenge that when subjects try to act on such theories they become self-effacing in that they create a divide between one’s reasons and one’s motives. This study argues that in consequence such modern ethical theories have serious difficulties in dealing with the issues these philosophers raise.  Nevertheless, while valuing their contributions, I attempt to formulate a more plausible solution to the problems of morality systems.

In particular, I argue that these approaches have not dealt adequately with the following questions: If morality systems are repressive and exclude the personal life, why are they still so influential? Why have not people rid themselves of systems that act to the detriment of ethical life? To address such issues, with the intention of understanding how morality systems operate, I turn to Michel Foucault’s concept of disciplinary power. After discussing the problem of the pervasiveness of modern ethical theories, I conclude by making a case for Foucault’s ethics of the care of the self as a way of addressing the problems raised by Stocker and others.

abstract: M.A.


title: Cotton Fabrics Modified Using a Graft Copolymer From Commercial Precursors for Oil/Water Emulsion Separation

contributor:
Liu, Guojun
Chemistry

subject:
filtration
oil/water separation
Janus fabric
coatings
polymers
surfactants
stimuli-responsive polymers
surface chemistry

abstract: Graft copolymers of poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) were synthesized and used to coat cotton fabrics with the use of poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether as a crosslinker. The copolymer was applied to the fabrics via a CHCl3 solution, and secured on the surface by a network of epoxy-amine bonds between the PEI and crosslinker units. The coated fabrics were used to separate and recover oil from surfactant-stabilised, oil-in-water emulsions. The composition of the graft copolymer and obtained coating solutions was varied to determine the effects on separation performance and repeatability. Optimal oil flux and recovery was obtained from coatings composed of high molecular-weight PEI which contained a high percentage of grafted PDMS units. Highly-crosslinked coatings demonstrated repeatable and consistent separation performance, and were able to recover the vast majority of emulsified oil from hexadecane-in-water emulsions stabilized by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The de-emulsification properties of the optimized coatings may facilitate their use in wastewater remediation or oil recovery from contaminated environments.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Model Development Guidelines and Validation Support for UML-RT

contributor:
Dingel, Juergen
Computing

subject:
UML-RT
MDD
Papyrus-RT
RSA-RTE
Model Validation
Model Development Guidelines
UML-RT Development Guidelines

abstract:
Software development guidelines are a set of rules which can help improve the quality of software. These rules are defined on the basis of experience gained by the software development community over time. This research focuses on finding a set of design guidelines for model-based development of complex real-time embedded software systems. To be precise, we propose nine design conventions, three design patterns and twenty antipatterns for developing UML-RT models. These guidelines have been identified based on our analysis of around 100 UML-RT models from industry and academia. Most of the guidelines are explained with the help of examples, and standard templates from the current state of the art are used for documenting the design rules.

Tool support is provided for a subset of the proposed guidelines in the form an Eclipse plug-in. This allows UML-RT practitioners to detect any occurrences of the supported design flaws automatically. Evaluation is done involving practitioners from both industry and academia to determine the utility of the proposed guidelines to the UML-RT community and the effectiveness and user-friendliness of the provided tool support.

abstract: PhD


title: Essays on Financial Economics

contributor:
Koeppl, Thorsten
Economics

subject:
Financial Market Efficiency
High Frequency Trading
Fractional Cointegration
Futures Market
Vector Error Correction Model
Adverse Selection
Price Discovery

abstract: This thesis contains three essays spanning the ﬁelds of ﬁnancial market microstructure and empirical ﬁnance. The ﬁrst essay focuses on reviewing the recent key innovations in trading technology–high frequency trading. I developed a theoretical model to shed light on the eﬀects of high frequency trading on market liquidity especially during stressed market conditions. Many investors and regulators are concerned that high frequency liquidity provision is selective and limited to periods of low stress. However, I ﬁnd that high frequency liquidity providers improve market liquidity especially during high volatility periods because speed can help to mitigate the market friction caused by asymmetric information. The second and third essays examine applications of a recently developed fractionally cointegrated vector autoregressive (FCVAR) model to commodity spot and futures price data. The second essay, co-authored with Sepideh Dolatabadi and Morten Ø. Nielsen, investigates the contribution of commodity spot and futures markets to price discovery using a FCVAR model. Compared to the results from the non-fractional model, we ﬁnd slightly more evidence of price discovery in the commodity spot market. The third essay, co-authored with Sepideh Dolatabadi, Paresh K. Narayan and Morten Ø. Nielsen, focuses on forecasting commodity spot and futures returns using FCVAR models and examining the proﬁtability of a dynamic (mean-variance) trading strategy based on the FCVAR forecasts. We generally ﬁnd that the fractional model generates higher proﬁts on average compared to the non-fractional CVAR model.

abstract: PhD


title: Proactive Caching to support mobility in Named Data Networks

contributor:
Hassanein, Hossam
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject: ICN NDN Networks Caching Mobility Proactive Prediction Optimization Heuristics

abstract:
Information-centric Networks (ICNs) offer a promising paradigm for the future Internet to cope with an ever increasing growth in data and shifts in access models. Different architectures of ICNs, including Named Data Networks (NDNs) are designed around content distribution, where data is the core entity in the network instead of hosts. Given the amount of forecast traffic by mobile users, supporting mobility in NDNs to maintain seamless operation is one of the main challenges yet to be resolved. Accordingly, attempts at handling mobility in NDNs in the literature are mostly studied under simplistic or special cases, and relied on content retransmission as a fallback. This is in addition to the lack of benchmarking tools to analyze and compare such schemes.
In this thesis, we investigate how predicting the future state of the network can enable seamless support of mobility in NDN. We propose a set of proactive benchmark solutions which exploit location and data traffic prediction to deliver the content of mobile users (both Consumers and Producers) under application delay constraints. Particularly, the network detects roaming users and caches their prospective content ahead of handover events while considering the maximum tolerable delay and network overheads. Unlike existing literature that focused solely on Consumer mobility, we also handle Producer mobility that impacts the content availability and Quality of Service (QoS). Furthermore, we introduce a practical mobility management scheme that is resilient to prediction uncertainties using stochastic optimization. A guided heuristic search algorithm is also developed to provide real-time near-optimal caching decisions instead of commercial solvers that suffer from poor scalability.
All benchmark and heuristic schemes proposed in this thesis are evaluated using a comprehensive assessment framework, which is also used to assess the state-of-the-art NDN mobility support. Simulation results show that our proposed solutions maintain user’s QoS during mobility events. We believe that such results drive incentives for deploying proactive mobility management in future NDN.

abstract: PhD


title: Behavioural Evidence for the Existence of Gist and Detail Episodic Memory Representations: A Factor Analytic Approach

contributor:
Poppenk, Jordan
Psychology

subject:
Memory
Cognition
Confirmatory Factor Analysis

abstract: Episodic memory refers to the conscious encoding and retrieval of previously experienced events. Episodic memory representations may either be detailed and precise, or may just capture the gist, or the essence, of an event. In this thesis, I conducted a preliminary test of the relationships between gist and detail memory domains within episodic memory. I assembled a small task battery incorporating twelve tasks that appeared to address memory for gist and detail. One hundred and four participants from a university community completed the entire task battery in a single two-hour session. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), potential latent factors that explained the variance in memory performance found in the dataset were evaluated. Two possible factor structures were predicted: 1) a two-factor model with separate gist and detail factors, or 2) a four-factor model that further categorized the gist/detail constructs into verbal and visual components (i.e., verbal gist, visual gist, verbal detail, and visual detail). One-factor, two-factor, and four-factor CFA models were tested, as well as two-factor and four-factor exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) models. According to the CFA analysis, a two-factor solution with separate Gist and Detail factors fit the data well on the absolute fit indices (RMSEA and SRMR), but fell short on the incremental fit indices (TLI and CFI). According to the ESEM analysis, a two-factor model fit the data well on three out of the four fit indices, and fit the data significantly better than the two-factor CFA solution. Both four-factor models were misspecified, likely due to the low sample size. In conclusion, the tasks in the battery do not seem to all be part of the same construct, but instead load on at least two separate factors that somewhat represent gist and detail constructs. Future research should firstly, replicate and extend the current findings using a larger sample size. Secondly, test if individual differences in the reliance on these two sub-domains can predict participants’ non-memory traits and abilities.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Stochastic Modeling of Temporal Ultrasound Data for Prostate Cancer Diagnostics

contributor:
Mousavi, Parvin
Shatkay, Hagit
Computing

subject:
Prostate Cancer
Prostate-biopsy guidance
Hidden Markov Models
Stochastic Modeling
Ultrasound
Temporal Enhanced Ultrasound
Tissue Characterization

abstract:
Despite recent advances in clinical oncology, prostate cancer remains a major health concern in men, where current detection techniques still lead to both over- and underdiagnosis. More accurate prediction and detection of prostate cancer can improve disease management and treatment outcome.

Temporal Enhanced Ultrasound (TeUS) is a promising imaging approach that can help identify tissue-specifi c patterns in time-series of ultrasound data and, in turn, differentiate between benign and malignant tissues. We introduce a probabilistic temporal framework, based on hidden Markov models, for modeling ultrasound time series data obtained from prostate cancer patients. The proposed models capture the temporal signatures of tissue-speci fic responses to prolonged sonication. Our results show improved prediction of malignancy compared to previously reported results,
where we identify cancerous regions with over 85.6% accuracy.

However, adopting this approach in diagnostic procedures requires understanding of the physical properties of TeUS and its interactions with tissues. We therefore utilize our probabilistic modeling approach to examine two properties of TeUS signals - temporal order and length - and present a new framework to assess their impact on tissue information. Our results strongly indicate that temporal order has signi ficant impact on TeUS performance, and it thus plays a important role in conveying tissue-specifi c information. Additionally, we demonstrate the feasibility of reducing the duration of data collection to shorten the sequences while maintaining sufficient information for tissue typing.

To investigate the tissue characteristics interrogated by TeUS, we compare the predictions of our models with malignancy markings on multi-parametric magnetic resonance images. Our fi ndings show that the proposed models have the highest
agreement in detecting cancer with Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced (DCE) sequences as compared to Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) maps and T2-Weighted (T2W) images. Hence, this agreement suggests that the effect of agiogenesis, visualized on DCE images, may also be detected using TeUS, and, in turn, paving the way for further investigation about tissue characteristics captured by TeUS.

abstract: PhD


title: Evaluation of the Thermal and Structural Performance of Straw Bale Construction

contributor:
MacDougall, Colin
Civil Engineering

subject:
Straw
Modular
Non-plastered
Sustainable Construction
High-Density Bales
Manufactured Bales
Transverse Loading
Gravity Loading
Thermal Conductivity
Thermal Performance
Structural Performance

abstract:
This thesis is primarily divided into two distinct experimental programs evaluating: 1) the
thermal performance and, 2) the structural performance of straw bale construction.
The thermal performance chapter describes hot-box testing (based on ASTM C1363-11)
of seven straw bale wall panels to obtain their apparent thermal conductivity values. All
panels were constructed with stacked bales and cement-lime plaster skins on each side of
the bales. Four panels were made with traditional, 2-string field bales of densities ranging
from 89.5 kg/m3 – 131 kg/m3 and with the bales on-edge (fibres perpendicular to the heat
flow). Three panels were made with manufactured high-density bales (291 kg/m3 – 372
kg/m3). The fibres of the manufactured bales were randomly oriented. The key
conclusion of this work is that within the experimental error, there is no difference in the
apparent thermal conductivity value for panels using normal density bales and
manufactured high-density bales up to a density of 333 kg/m3.
The structural performance chapter describes gravity and transverse load testing (based
on ASTM E72-15) of non-plastered modular straw bale wall (DBW) panels to evaluate
their strength capacity and failure modes. The out-of-plane flexural (OPF) tests exhibited
a mean ultimate bending moment of 49.7 kNm. The axial compression (AC) tests
exhibited a mean ultimate line load of 161.0 kN/m. The local flexural header beam (HP)
tests exhibited an ultimate line load of 31.6 kN/m. The OPF and AC capacities of the
DBW exceeded the capacities exhibited by a conventional 38 mm x 140 mm stud wall.
However, the DBW’s header beam strength and stiffness was inferior to conventional
stud wall.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Proinflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and cervical insufficiency

contributor:
Tayade, Chandrakant
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
Cytokines
Inflammation
Endometriosis
Cervical insufficiency
Cervical incompetence
Flavocoxid
Beta-caryophyllene
BCP

abstract: Inflammation is a common characteristic of many pathological conditions, but it can play different roles depending on the source and pathways involved. By measuring cytokines, the signaling molecules of the immune system, we aimed to identify and evaluate the relative contribution of certain pathways in the development of two reproductive disorders: endometriosis and cervical insufficiency. In endometriosis, the pathways leading to the growth of endometrium outside the uterine cavity have not been elucidated, and whether inflammation is a result or trigger of endometriotic lesion growth is not known. In Chapter 2, we showed that 18 out of 26 cytokines were higher in the plasma of women with endometriosis compared to normal women. Also, surgical removal of endometriotic lesions altered circulating cytokine levels, indicating that lesions actively contribute to inflammation in endometriosis. In Chapter 3, we targeted inflammation in endometriosis using flavocoxid, an inhibitor of the eicosanoid pathway, and beta-caryophyllene, a cannabinoid 2 receptor agonist. Our experiments in human cell lines and a mouse model of endometriosis revealed a complex role of inflammation in endometriotic lesion growth and a potential interplay between the eicosanoid and cannabinoid pathways. In Chapter 4, we applied our knowledge of cytokine signaling to evaluate the role inflammation in cervical insufficiency, a pregnancy complication that can lead to recurrent midtrimester pregnancy losses and preterm birth. We showed that women with cervical insufficiency have higher levels of inflammatory cytokines than normal women, but only in cervicovaginal fluid, not in serum. Furthermore, cervical cerclage placement decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines in cervicovaginal fluid only, indicating that inflammation is locally driven and can be decreased by intervention. In summary, this thesis provided important insights about the role of inflammation in these two conditions and the specific pathways that are involved and could be targeted for research and therapeutic purposes.

abstract: PhD


title: Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Internally Reinforced Concrete Slabs in Fire

contributor:
Green, Mark F.
Green, Mark F.
Civil Engineering

subject:
GFRP Reinforcing Bars
Fire Resistance
GFRP Reinforced Slabs
Bond Degradation
GFRP Reinforcing Bars

abstract:
During the past two decades, the civil engineering community has shown interest in applications of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement in concrete structures as an alternative to steel reinforcement because of enhanced durability. However, the performance of FRP in fire for applications in buildings demands more profound insights. The lack of adequate information on material characteristics at high temperatures for glass FRP (GFRP) bars creates uncertainty regarding the performance of GFRP reinforced concrete members in fire. This dissertation aims to characterize and understand the fundamental properties of GFRP reinforcing bars at high temperature and to evaluate the performance of GFRP reinforced concrete slabs in fire through full-scale fire testing and numerical modelling. This dissertation provides original and new insights to enhance the confidence of structural design engineers when considering fire resistance in design of GFRP reinforced concrete elements.
The research is conducted in three separate but integrated streams: material testing, full-scale fire testing, and numerical modelling. Material tests are conducted on GFRP reinforcing bars to understand their behaviour including tensile strength and bond strength at high temperatures. Two sets of full-scale fire tests are studied to evaluate the performance of GFRP reinforced concrete slabs at the component level. The finite element (FE) numerical modelling includes both heat transfer analysis and structural analysis of GFRP reinforced concrete slabs, and incorporates the results of the material tests to estimate the fire resistance of GFRP reinforced concrete slabs. The FE model is validated against the results of the full-scale fire tests (Chapters 5 and 6).
This thesis shows that existing prescriptive procedures, based on strength criteria alone, for evaluating the fire resistance of conventional structures are not applicable to GFRP reinforced concrete because such procedures fail to recognize that the design of GFRP reinforced concrete structures is governed by serviceability rather than by strength. Thus, more rational approaches for considering the fire resistance of GFRP reinforced concrete structures are developed which consider appropriate stresses in GFRP bars under service loads, the bond strength of the GFRP to concrete interface at high temperatures, and tensile strength at high temperatures.
The objectives of the research are attained by enhancing the understanding of GFRP reinforcing bars and the performance of GFRP reinforced concrete slabs under heat effects.

abstract: PhD


title: S. T. Coleridge, Shakespeare, and the Literary Uses of Sympathy

contributor:
Hanson, Elizabeth
English Language and Literature

subject:
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William Shakespeare
Sympathy
Aesthetics
Romanticism
Literary Criticism
Hermeneutics
Conversation Poems
Sympathetic Imagination

abstract: This thesis examines the role of sympathy in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s influential writings and lectures on Shakespeare. By the early nineteenth century, many Britons regarded Shakespeare as a literary genius and their national poet. But they also saw Shakespeare as a problematic figure because his plays did not conform to Enlightenment standards of morality and neoclassical aesthetics. Coleridge uses the idea of sympathy, a common topic in eighteenth-century moral philosophy and aesthetics, to put forward a new critical framework for understanding and appreciating Shakespeare. Sympathy informs how Coleridge understands Shakespeare’s artistic method. Like his eighteenth-century predecessors, Coleridge sees Shakespeare as emblematic of the “sympathetic imagination.” Shakespeare, Coleridge says, developed characters according to pre-existing principles of human psychology; he would then use sympathy to understand (and therefore represent) how a character might behave in certain dramatic situations given their psychology. As a result of this artistic process, Shakespeare’s characters possess what Coleridge calls “organic regularity.” For Coleridge, the organic regularity of Shakespeare’s characters contributes to their lifelikeness and serves as the organizing principle of Shakespeare’s drama. It also permits the reader to sympathize with Shakespeare’s characters to an unusual extent. Looking at Coleridge’s own sympathetic relationship with Shakespeare’s characters, I suggest that the reader’s sympathy provides both a mechanism for interpreting Shakespeare’s plays as well as a source of poetic inspiration.

abstract: PhD


title: “We have a roof over our head, but we have to eat too": Tracing the impact of shifting foodsapes on health and wellbeing from homelessness to supportive housing

contributor:
Masuda, Jeffrey
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Foodscapes
Health and Wellbeing
Food Insecurity
Housing

abstract: Background: People facing extended periods of homelessness, whose daily routines are often highly structured around securing basic necessities, exhibit a remarkable degree of agency and resilience procuring food. Within this geography if food acquisition, what happens in and along the way also becomes deeply embedded in complex social and spatial processes – or foodscapes. Purpose: By exploring people’s shifting foodscapes during the transition from homelessness into permanent housing, this study aims to shed light on how daily activities involving food can impact a person’s sense of health and wellbeing. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten people enrolled in scattered-site independent and congregate living arrangements in Kingston, Ontario between November 2016 and March 2017. Observational research was also executed at eleven local charitable food providers. Data was coded using low inference, line-by-line coding and analyzed using through a constant comparative method. Results: The findings of this exploratory study indicate that people are now able to store, prepare, and consume food at home. This increased ability to eat when, where, and to a certain extent what they want has had a positive impact on their overall sense of health and wellbeing. However, other effective makers of wellbeing that are enacted along people’s everyday routines and activities within an urban landscape, such as the social and spatial process underpinning the act of acquiring and consuming food, remain largely unaddressed within the intervention. Furthermore, re-investment in ending homelessness continues to rely on the status quo system of insufficient, inadequate, and undignified charitable stop gaps as a solution to hunger. Implications: Understanding this contested and contradictory geography of food is critical to support people during the transition from homelessness into housing. The process of housing participants without addressing food simply creates new circuits of dependence and marginalization that continue to inadequately meet people’s basic needs in a dignified way.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Nonlinearity Compensation for Next Generation Coherent Optical Fiber Communication Systems

contributor:
Chan, Wai-Yip Geoffrey
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Fiber Nonlinearity
Volterra Filters
Fiber-optic Communication
Digital Signal Processing

abstract:
In this thesis, we focus on digital signal processing (DSP) solutions that can help to combat various sources of nonlinearity in fiber-optic communication systems. Fiber Kerr nonlinearities are widely known to constitute a fundamental limit on the capacity of long-haul optical transmission as they restrict the maximum launch power into the fiber. This effectively limits the maximum optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) that can be achieved in the receiver which in-turn puts a cap on the transmission reach. However, cost-effective DSP-based fiber nonlinearity mitigation schemes for long-haul transmission are yet to be deployed. By employing Volterra analysis of an optical channel comprising multiple spans of single mode fiber (SMF), we develop two solutions to improve the complexity-performance trade-off of Volterra-based nonlinear
equalization (VNLE). First, we demonstrate that a significant portion of the VNLE filter coefficients are canceled out in the presence of a symmetric dispersion map.
Additionally, we propose novel cascade structures for VNLE that are shown to provide substantial complexity reductions compared to the conventional VNLE with linear and nonlinear filters in parallel. Note that other sources of nonlinear distortions can also significantly impair system performance. Recent experiments on transmission
of high baud-rate optical signal revealed that the back-to-back performance of these systems are highly degraded by pattern-dependent distortion (PDD) which cannot be effectively compensated by linear filtering or static look-up-tables. In order to address these impairments, we developed a family of sequential detection strategies based on hidden Markov modeling of PDD. The proposed solutions are highly configurable to suit the target complexity constraints.

abstract: PhD


title: An Ecosystem for Improving the Quality of Personal Health Records

contributor:
Martin, Patrick
Hassanein, Hossam
Computing

subject:
Electronic Health Record
Personal Health Record
Healthcare Information System
Healthcare Integration
HL7
Security
Privacy
Mobile
Allergy Checking
Healthcare Data Exchange

abstract: The integration of healthcare data networks with personal health record (PHR) systems can reduce unnecessary duplication of lab tests and medical treatment errors, as well as empower patients with the ability to self-manage their own health. However, facilitating health data exchange between the healthcare data networks and the PHR systems is difficult due to the complexity of data sharing agreements, and the costly interfaces that have to be set up between those institutions. A hybrid PHR system architecture can combine the benefits of portable and online PHRs, providing more ubiquitous access to the PHR, while alleviating the need for establishing complex data sharing agreements and costly system interfaces. This architecture must, however, address issues such as PHR data integrity, data misinterpretation, security of the portable and online PHR, as well as privacy. Patients may tamper with their own records for reasons such as hiding a history of drug abuse or avoiding incarceration. We address the PHR data integrity issue by leveraging standardized encryption and digital signature schemes. Patients allowed access to their records may misinterpret intermediary notes by physicians. This can result in more unnecessary encounters with the physician. We resolve the data misinterpretation issue by providing physicians with the ability to store intermediary notes that are only accessible by other physicians. The threat of compromise of a patient's mobile device is tackled by using trusted platform hardware security features in order to launch the mobile application from which the patient can access and manage their PHR. Direct access to the mobile device allows for other attack vectors, such as malicious traffic interception hardware. Our mobile direct access control protocol, built on provably secure cryptographic primitives, aims to provide security from such attack vectors. Privacy issues are tackled with cryptographic access control that employ provably secure primitives, and the use of oblivious search and access, adapted for a multi-client setting and with support for access control. We present a preliminary security assessment of the system, that provides an overview of potential attack scenarios.

abstract: PhD


title: Radio Continuum Imaging of the Massive Edge-on Galaxy NGC 2613

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Galactic astronomy
Astronomy
Extra-galactic astronomy

abstract:
We present the results of new, high sensitivity continuum imaging of NGC 2613, a massive edge-on galaxy 23.4 Mpc away. The high-resolution EVLA maps of NGC 2613 were observed at C-band (C-array and D-array) and L-band (B-array, C-array and D-array), as part of the Continuum Halos in Nearby Galaxies (CHANG-ES) survey. Using new techniques during the imaging process, we successfully generate in-band combination maps for all arrays at each band. We also create a combined array and frequency map (C-band and L-band); with an intermediate frequency of 4.13 GHz, it is one of the few known images for a galaxy generated using multiple data sets at different frequency bands.
High resolution maps of NGC 2613 reveal the presence of a compact nuclear source at the centre of the galaxy. We and evidence for the presence of an AGN, as predicted in Li et al. (2006), as the source of this feature. Gaussian fits to the
radio core allow us to constrain the position of the galactic centre, with RA = 08h33m22.776s \pm 0.004s & DEC = -22 58'24.86" \pm 016" and a core size of ~200pc.

We detect the presence of several continuum features embedded in the disk of the galaxy, including the detection of a complex spiral feature in the eastern edge of the galaxy. We also uncover the existence of a broad continuum ring along which we and the presence of several continuum "hotspots", including the eastern spiral feature. The broad ring width suggests an older ring formed by the collision of the galaxy with its companion, ESO 495-G017, with the eastern spiral feature being an artifact of the collision. We also detect the presence of large extensions surrounding the disk of the galaxy, some of which reach heights of 12 kpc making them among the largest such extensions found. The extensions are believed to have formed through internal mechanisms, like supernovae, and appear to be connected to the continuum features detected in the galaxy. The presence of large loop-like extensions above and below the radio core hints at the existence of early AGN activity.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Applications of CO2-Switchable Solvents

contributor:
Jessop, Philip
Buncel, Erwin
Chemistry

subject:
microalgae
spiropyran
switchable hydrophilicity
switchable polarity
Switchable Solvents
botryococcus braunii

abstract:
Solvents are ubiquitous in chemistry. They can drastically impact the outcome of a process or reaction, and are usually the largest material component, greatly affecting environmental impact. Choosing the best solvent usually means optimizing for the best yields, but as safety standards and environmental regulations increase there is increasing need to optimize for these as well. There have been many advances in green chemistry, including the identification of alternative solvents. This thesis discusses the application of two CO2-switchable solvents.
Switchable polarity solvents (SPS) were studied to control the lifetime of a photoswitchable dye. The dyes used are spiropyrans, a class of dyes that change from colourless to coloured upon irradiation by ultraviolet (UV) light, and spontaneously revert to their colourless form. The rate of this reversion is dependent on the solvent polarity, where the coloured form is stabilized by polar solvents. To control this reversion, solvents with switchable polarity have been investigated; amidine- (or guanidine-) alcohol mixture, where the introduction of CO2 causes an ionic liquid to form, raising its polarity. DBU/alcohol has been used in particular in this research.
Switchable hydrophilicity solvents (SHS) were investigated for the extraction of bio-oils from microalgae. Microalgae have been identified as a potential source of biofuel. They have several benefits compared to terrestrial crops, including increased oil production. Current methods employ highly volatile solvents to ensure low energy solvent removal, however, this also leads to increased safety demands and risk of exposure. SHS have the unique ability to change their behaviour toward water with the addition of CO2 at atmospheric pressures. In the absence of CO2 the solvent is poorly miscible with water, and with the addition of CO2 becomes miscible with water in all proportions. This property allows for easy separation of extracted material. In the hydrophobic form the solvent is excellent for the extraction of non-polar materials, and can be easily separated from those materials with the addition of carbonated water.

abstract: PhD


title: American Islam X

contributor:
Husain, Adnan
Cultural Studies

rights: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

subject:
Islam
Black History
Black Religion
Black Muslims
American History
Islam in America
Black Nationalism
American Islam
Race and Religion

abstract:
Academic and public discourse on Islam and Muslims in America continuously represses the deep (hi)stories of Blackamerican or Afro-American Muslims – (hi)stories rooted in the very inception of American nations – to focus almost exclusively on the twentieth and twenty-first century (hi)stories of immigrant, Middle-Eastern, and brown Muslims. The brand of racism known as Islamophobia manifests and thrives on the same prejudice, centering images of the “brown Arab-Middle Eastern Muslim” as the biological and cultural archetype of the Muslim-Islamic other. Put differently, both Islamophobic racism and official discourse on ‘Islam in America’ hinge on alienating Blackness from Islam, and hence Islam from America.

As per its grasp of Islam and Muslims, American discourse on race, religion, culture, and politics remains captive to two fundamental and historically conditioned assumptions, namely that (1) the Islam of Blackamericans is not an authentic Islam, and that (2) true Islam is necessarily foreign, immigrant, and other to America. In tandem with debunking the myth of the demise of Islam among Afro-American slaves and their descendants, this essay argues that Islam has been indigenized to America by Afro-American Muslims, through centuries of their adaptive resilience to repression by America’s white-Protestant dominant order. As a tradition continuous with the history of American nations, American Islam demands that American Muslims, including foreign-born and immigrant American Muslims, bridge with the (hi)stories and living legacies of Afro-American Muslims, as well as with the perpetual struggle for liberation from human oppression that is central to the formation of American Islam. After sketching out the (hi)story of American Islam – principally via slave history and testimony, and the history of Black (both Christian and Muslim) religio-political discourse – this essay reads the Muslim life of Malcolm X as a significant moment in the ongoing tradition of American Islam. Where Malcolm’s biographers tend to separate his religious life from his politics, this essay reads his Autobiography, as well as his many speeches, interviews, correspondences, activist moments, and FBI records, in light of the tradition of American Islam, arguing fundamentally that Malcolm’s Muslim faith encompassed and guided his dedication to the politics of Black and human liberation.

abstract: M.A.


title: Integrated Energy System for a High Performance Building

contributor:
Harrison, Dr. Stephen J.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Integrated Energy System
Heat Pump
PV/T

abstract: Integrated energy systems have the potential to reduce of the energy consumption of residential buildings in Canada. These systems incorporate components to meet the building heating, cooling and domestic hot water load into a single system in order to reduce energy losses. An integrated energy system, consisting of a variable speed heat pump, cold and hot thermal storage tanks, a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collector array and a battery bank, was designed for the Queen’s Solar Design Team’s (QSDT) test house. The system uses a radiant floor to provide space- heating and sensible cooling and a dedicated outdoor air system provides ventilation and dehumidifies the incoming fresh air. The test house, the Queen’s Solar Education Centre (QSEC), and the integrated energy system were both modelled in TRNSYS. Additionally, a new TRNSYS Type was developed to model the PV/T collectors, enabling the modeling of the collection of energy from the ambient air. A parametric study was carried out in TRNSYS to investigate the effect of various parameters on the overall energy performance of the system. These parameters included the PV/T array size and the slope of the collectors, the heat pump source and load-side inlet temperature setpoints, the compressor speed control and the size of the thermal storage tanks and the battery bank. The controls of the heat pump were found to have a large impact on the performance of the integrated energy system. For example, a low evaporator setpoint improved the overall free energy ratio (FER) of the system but the heat pump performance was lowered. Reducing the heat loss of the PV/T panels was not found to have a large effect on the system performance however, as the heat pump is able to lower the inlet collector fluid temperature, thus reducing thermal losses. From the results of the sensitivity study, a recommended system model was created and this system had a predicted FER of 77.9% in Kingston, Ontario, neglecting the energy consumption of circulation pumps and fans. Simulations of the recommended integrated energy system were also performed in several other Canadian cities and the predicted FER was above 60% in all except for the most northern city investigated, Yellowknife. Thus, the integrated energy system has the potential of reducing the energy consumption of residential buildings in Canada.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: De-duotanging Core French:  Case study of a Digital Learning Space Portfolio in a Grade 8 Classroom

contributor:
Reeve, Richard
Education

subject: digital learning space portfolio

subject: middle school students

subject: FSL

subject: Students' Perceptions of Themselves as L2 Learners

subject: Needs of Adolescent Learners

subject: Role of Teacher

abstract: This case study explored the use of a digital learning space portfolio by Grade 8 French as a Second Language (FSL) students.  The focus of this study was on the meaning students assigned to the use of the digital learning space portfolios and how their perceptions of themselves as FSL learners changed while using the system. The study addresses the existing gap in the literature. The digital learning space portfolio was created based on the needs of adolescent learners as identified in the literature. The literature also suggests that embedding assessment and learning in one place, that is accessible to all, improves student engagement.  The study took place at a rural school in Eastern Ontario and included fourteen students, six male and eight female. The results indicate that students had positive experiences using the digital learning space portfolio which supported student participation in the FSL classroom. In addition, the students reported positive perceptions of themselves as FSL learners while they were engaged in using the tool. The results also indicate that the teacher was integral in developing and modelling positive use of the digital learning space portfolio.  Further research regarding the use of the digital learning space portfolio in other disciplines and at other grade levels should focus on teacher support to ensure successful use of these types of tools in education.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Heterogeneous Technological Changes and Their Impacts on Income Inequality and Productivity Growth

contributor:
Lloyd-Ellis, Huw
Majumdar, Sumon
Economics

subject:
Technological Change
Income Inequality
Productivity Growth

abstract:
I investigate different types of technological change and their impacts on wage
inequality and economic growth.  In particular, I distinguish between
skill-complementing and skill-replacing technological changes, with an emphasis
on the latter.  Skill-replacing technological change can take the form of an
organizational change, or the development of a certain type of machinery that
works with lower skilled workers.  Essentially, skill-replacing technological
change increases specialization in tasks, so that less labour skill is required.
In contrast, skill-complementing technological change tends to increase the
productivity of and demand for high-skilled workers.

Combining two novel European data sets, I first document a previously unknown
fact: industries with proportionally more product innovation relative to process
innovation tend to pay higher skill premia, as measured by the wages of college
educated workers relative to those of high school graduates.  To further
understand this observation, I develop a dynamic general equilibrium model in
which firms conduct both product innovation and process innovation endogenously.
This model provides a stylized interpretation in which product innovation is
skill-complementing, and process innovation is skill-replacing.  I show how each
type of innovation affects the skill premium through the labour demand channel,
and also how the skill premium affects the incentives to develop each type of
innovation.  Using the European data, I estimate this two-way relationship
derived from the model at the industry level.  I address the issue of
simultaneity using an instrumental variables approach suggested by the model.  I
also calibrate the model and conduct some quantitative exercises.

Finally, I develop an endogenous growth framework featuring minimum skill
requirements, two independent process innovations, and a heterogeneous labour
force.  This model can simultaneously account for the hollowing out of the
middle class and the slow down in labour productivity growth, both of which were
observed in the United States and most European countries in the recent past.  I
fully characterize the equilibrium of the model and derive conditions for both
phenomena to emerge.  The relative intensity of different types of technological
change plays a central role in the framework.

abstract: PhD


title: Effect of Encapsulation and Light-Soaking on Charge Transport Properties in Organic Semiconductor-Based Diodes

subject:
Light-soaking
Encapsulation
Organic Semiconductor
CELIV
Photovoltaics
LBIC
Electroluminescence

abstract: Organic semiconductors (OSs) are gaining attention due to their processability, optical and electrical tunability, and cost-effectiveness. This class of materials is most suitable for flexible electronics and bioelectronics, especially when processed in a solution with inorganic or hybrid materials. However, the charge mobility within these materials is impeded by structural and energetic disorder caused by defects that ‘trap’ the charge carriers. The physical locations of the traps and their distribution of energies dictate the charge transport in a device. The present work probes both the interface and bulk defect-states in polymer-based diodes. Tests were performed on the polymers P3HT, MDMO:PPV and PCDTBT. Various techniques were used to record steady-state current-voltage (I-V), transients of CELIV (Charge Extraction by Linearly Increasing Voltage), DiTC (Dark-injection Transient Current) and the photoluminescence of encapsulated and unencapsulated polymer-based diodes, as well as electroluminescence from encapsulated polymer-based diodes. This study also observes the effects of ultra-violet light-soak on these devices. Charge transport dynamics were investigated over a wide time range, and at both microscopic and macroscopic scales. Results from the encapsulated and unencapsulated devices were compared in order to determine the impact of exposure to air. The cathode’s work function decreased during the light-soak, possibly due to UV-induced oxygen desorption from the polymer-cathode interface.

abstract: PhD


title: The Acute Impact of Large and Small Muscle Mass Isometric Exercise and Post-Exercise Blood Pressure

contributor:
Pyke, Kyra
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Post-exercise hypotension
Isometric exercise
Blood pressure
Handgrip
Cardiovascular response

abstract: A single bout of aerobic or resistance exercise can lead to a temporary drop in blood pressure (BP) following exercise; a phenomenon referred to as post-exercise hypotension (PEH). PEH has been well-documented in individuals with normal and high BP. Like aerobic and resistance exercise, isometric exercise (IEX) training chronically reduces resting BP in both populations; however, considerably less attention has been given regarding the ability of this type of exercise to elicit PEH. IEX involves static contractions against an immovable load where no or minimal change in length occurs within the engaged muscle group; it is often performed in the arm and leg, with protocols being completed in as little as 11-min. While PEH has been reported in older subjects with normal resting BP following a single session of isometric handgrip exercise (IHGX), it has yet to be examined beyond 5-min following an acute bout of isometric leg exercise (ILX). There is some evidence to suggest that the magnitude and/or duration of PEH is proportional to the exercising muscle mass; therefore, ILX (i.e. large muscle mass IEX) may have greater potential than IHGX (i.e. small muscle mass IEX) to evoke PEH. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to determine whether an acute bout of IHGX would elicit PEH in a sample of young, normotensive males and 2) if the magnitude of PEH, following IEX, was influenced by muscle mass. A total of 21 healthy males (24.1 ± 3.5yrs) completed 2 experimental visits (1 IHGX, 1 control), wherein cardiovascular reactivity and recovery responses (heart rate and BP) were assessed. In a subset of 12, an additional ILX visit was conducted, for a total of 3 experimental visits. PEH did not occur following a single session of either IHGX or ILX. The absence of PEH following either IEX protocol suggests that this type of exercise may be a less potent stimulus for PEH in this population. The findings from this study extend current knowledge with respect to PEH in healthy, young individuals and provide novel insight into the dependence, or lack thereof, of muscle mass on PEH.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Age-Related Differences in Preschoolers’ ability to Change a Belief as Evidenced by Load-Force Adaptation

contributor:
Sabbagh, Mark A.
Psychology

subject:
Load Force Adaptation
Conceptual Change
False Belief
Executive Functioning
Belief Change
Cognitive Development

abstract: Over the preschool years, children’s core beliefs about the world go through significant changes in a number of content domains. Although the characteristics and timetables of these changes are well mapped out, little is known about why the later preschool years are such a fertile period for belief change. Here, we examined developmental changes in 3- and 5-year-olds’ capacity for belief change in a highly circumscribed context: changing beliefs about object weights. Because lifting objects is associated with stereotyped kinematics, kinematic analyses can provide insight into children’s beliefs about the objects they are lifting. Sixty-five children were randomly assigned to one of two conditions, the same object condition and the different object condition. Initially, all children were presented with a 1N object that they lifted 8 times. Then, children in the same object condition lifted an identical, heavier object, whereas, those in the different object condition lifted a heavier object that was different in shape and colour 8 times. We predicted that those in the same object condition children would transfer their beliefs about the load force requirements from the first object to the second and that this would result in a more gradual change in applied load force. Alternatively, those in the different object condition would adapt quicker to the new load force requirement as they would not have to change the previous belief. Children were also given a false belief battery and executive functioning battery. Results showed that five-year-olds in the different object condition were initially incorrect about the object’s weight, but quickly adapted and continued to use accurate load force for the remaining trials. In contrast, 5-year-olds in the same object condition were also initially incorrect and quickly corrected, but then reverted back to an underestimation pattern.  Three-year-olds showed no evidence of condition effects. Exploratory analyses showed some evidence that high false belief performance was associated with quicker load force adaptation. Although preliminary, we speculate that the variability in 5-year-olds lifting behaviour reflects processes that are associated with keeping old and new ideas about the object weight in mind, and may be important for true belief change.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Landscape-Scale Variability in the Composition, Growth and Pattern of Alpine Treeline Vegetation

contributor:
Danby, Ryan
Geography and Planning

subject:
Biogeography
Treeline
Climate Change
Alpine Ecology
Yukon
Topography

abstract: The productivity and distribution of northern and alpine plant species are predicted to increase and advance upslope and northwards in response to climate warming, particularly across the treeline ecotone.  However, responses to warming in the past century have been highly variable, especially in regions with complex topography. In order to improve predictions of future change, I used field surveys, dendrochronology, and remote sensing to characterize variability in plant community composition, woody plant growth, and tree spatial patterns across treelines in a range of topographic settings. I then attempted to explain this variability using measured edaphic, climatic, and topographic variables.  I found substantial differences in community composition, woody plant growth, and treeline ecotone abruptness between north and south-facing slopes.  Shallow active layers and cold soils on north-facing slopes resulted in low shrub cover and slow rates of woody plant growth.  The comparatively high cover of tall deciduous shrubs on south-facing slopes, in turn, restricted tree seedling establishment and resulted in relatively abrupt treeline ecotones.  Trends in tree growth and the degree of clustering between tree stems varied between mountain ranges with different slope angles.  Rapid spring runoff in steep valleys likely caused a spring soil moisture deficit that curbed tree growth over the past several decades, while high exposure to damaging winter winds in shallow valleys resulted in clustered patterns of tree stems.  My findings suggest that changes in treeline vegetation over the next century will depend not just on rising air temperatures, but also on edaphic variables, wind exposure, snowpack dynamics, and tree-shrub interactions.  Given that much of the landscape-scale variability in the composition, growth, and pattern of treeline vegetation can be attributed to slope aspect and angle, I recommend that these factors be included in predictive models of future vegetation change.

abstract: PhD


title: The Outward Bound Program and its Effects on Stigma Among Veterans

contributor:
Aiken, Alice
Cramm, Heidi
Rehabilitation Science

subject:
Veteran
Mental Health
Adventure Education,
Rehabilitation

abstract:
Over the last decade, steps have been taken by the Canadian Armed Forces as well as non-government organizations to provide better healthcare and services to military personnel affected by issues that impact their mental health. Current research shows that the stigma towards mental illness remains an issue for many military and Veteran personnel.
 The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of the Outward Bound Canada Veterans (OBCV) program with a particular focus on the previously uncovered theory that the program provides a stigma-free environment for participants. An earlier study on the OBCV program found that participants felt the program was stigma-free. For the current study, the program process was reviewed to investigate if, and how this environment was facilitated. To further investigate this aspect of the program, this study also evaluated the impact of this program on perceptions and lived experiences of stigma in participants.
 An exploratory mixed-methods design was used for this study evaluating three OBCV courses held in 2016. The focus of this design was on the qualitative aspect with pre-post surveys serving to triangulate results. The Endorsed and Anticipated Stigma Inventory (EASI) was selected to explore constructs of stigma beyond barriers to care. The survey results received an 80% (n=20) response rate and the interviews consisted of (n=6).
 The focus of this study was on the qualitative aspect with the pre- and post surveys serving to triangulate results. The interview questions were designed by the researcher and approved by supervisors. The Endorsed and Anticipated Stigma Inventory (EASI) was selected to explore constructs of stigma beyond barriers to care. Of the 25 individuals that participated in the program 20 completed the surveys and 6 completed the interview process.
 Results of this study found that the program process of the OBCV program facilitated an environment that was perceived by participants to be stigma-free. This study found evidence that suggests aspects of self-stigma may be positively influenced by participation in this program.    This study was able to lend support to the premise that the OBCV program provides a stigma-free environment. This research also provides insights into the lived experiences and impact of stigma in OBCV program participants. This information could be used to inform policy makers and program planners on the current needs of military and Veteran personnel utilizing the mental health services in Canada.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: An Ontology-Oriented Approach to Represent and Compare the Functional Behaviour of Event-Based Systems

contributor:
Dean, Thomas
Computing

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

subject:
Ontologies
Functional Reasoning
Event-Driven Systems
Formal Specification
Formal Verification
Artificial Intelligence
Software Engineering
Software Design Recovery
Program Comprehinsion
Description Logics
OWL
Web Ontology Language
Commonsense Reasoning
Functional Behaviour Reasoning
Requirements Engineering
Requirements Specification
Requirements Analysis
Consistency Management
Event-Based Software Engineering

abstract: Representing the functional behaviour of a system is a critical practice in any engineering discipline. However, how to compare and reason about the represented systems has mostly been dependent on our cognitive processing ability.  An effective representation must support machine-assisted reasoning mechanism as well as human intuitions. We present an effective, ontology-oriented formal approach of representation that is designed to be both machine-processable and human comprehensible. Based on the theory of events and change in AI-based commonsense reasoning and the notion of affordances, we developed a novel approach to functional reasoning which is more intuitive and practical compared to the existing formal systems of representation. After discussing the notion of ontologies along with their implementation formalisms, we present our representational facility called the Event-Based Functional Behaviour Ontology (EFBO). A detailed overview of the EFBO is presented along with our own approach to behaviour modelling. As a special application, we present and demonstrate the EFBO-based validation system that can be used to validate the levels of functional consistencies between cross-platform systems. We also discuss the commonsense reasoning theories relevant to our representation along with other related work. Finally, we discuss the broader perspectives of our contributions within the context of modern computing and software engineering.

abstract: PhD


title: Exploration of Interindividual Variability for Change in Waist Circumference and Body Weight in Response to Standardized Exercise

contributor:
Ross, Robert
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject: Interindividual Variability in Response to Exercise

subject: Waist Circumference

subject: Body Weight

subject: Determinants of Individual Response to Exercise

subject: Diet Quality

subject: Physical Activity

abstract:
BACKGROUND: Substantial interindividual variability in response to a standard dose of exercise exists independent of the trait under investigation. Whether interindividual variability attributed to exercise exists after accounting for random variability is unknown.
OBJECTIVE:  To determine the magnitude of the interindividual variability in response to exercise for waist circumference (WC) and body weight (BW) after accounting for random variability and, the extent to which the variability is explained by lifestyle behaviors.
METHODS: Participants were 181 (61% female) sedentary, abdominally obese adults (mean, (SD); 53, (7.5) years) who completed a 24-week intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to: control (n=44) or 5 weekly sessions of low amount, low intensity (LALI) (180 and 300kcal/session for women and men respectively at 50% V02peak, n=46); high amount, low intensity (HALI) (360 and 600kcal/session for women and men respectively at 50% V02peak, n=53); or high amount, high intensity (HAHI) (360 and 600kcal/session for women and men respectively at 75% V02peak, n=38). Adherence was ≥ 80% in all exercise groups.  Physical activity (PA) performed outside of the prescribed exercise was measured by accelerometer. Daily self-report diet records were used to derive energy intake (kcal) and diet quality (Canadian-Healthy Eating Index-2010, Mediterranean Score). The variability in response to exercise (SDR) was determined by separating the random variability from the intervention variability by comparing standard deviations (SD) from both the control and intervention groups.
RESULTS:  WC and BW were substantially reduced at 24 weeks in all exercise groups compared to control (P<0.01). The variability due to exercise (SDR) for change in WC was 3.1, -0.3 and 3.1 cm for LALI, HALI and HAHI groups respectively.  Corresponding values for BW were 3.8, 2.0 and 3.5 kg for LALI, HALI and HAHI respectively. No dietary or PA variable was identified as a determinant of the interindividual variability in response to exercise for WC or BW (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION:  A substantial interindividual variability in response to exercise was observed for change in WC and BW after accounting for the random variability.  The determinants of the heterogeneity in response to exercise remain to be determined.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Spreading Depolarization Evoked by Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation or by Temperature Change in Frog and Rat Brain Slices

contributor:
Andrew, R. David
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Spreading Depolarization
Ischemia
Rana pipiens
Light Transmittance Imaging
Oxygen Glucose Deprivation
Higher Brain Shutdown

abstract:
As a result of anoxia or abrupt change in temperature spreading depolarizations (SD)
occur in the grey matter of the higher brain, promoting neuronal injury. SD in mammals and
insects induces a sudden shutdown of the central nervous system (CNS) gray matter, but it is
unclear if SD is generated in the cerebral cortex (CC) of lower vertebrates. In this study, the
effects of oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD, which simulates ischemia) or abrupt temperature
change was studied on live coronal brain slices from Northern Leopard frog (Rana pipiens) and
Sprague Dawley rat (Rattus norvegicus) brain slices to compare SD susceptibility. We
hypothesized that this cold-blooded vertebrate generates SD, reflecting the need for a shutdown
capability, but that the frog brain is less susceptible to anoxia or temperature change because of
its variable environment. We used light transmittance imaging (LT) during exposure to various
solutions/temperatures to examine whether frog CC can generate SD and if so, its propensity to
initiate and propagate compared to the rat. The frog CC generated delayed OGD-SD at 12±2.6
min (mean ± SE) at 35oC (n=8) compared to rat slices at 1.6±0.34 min at 35oC (n=4). The frog
CC generated ouabain-SD at 5.6±0.3 min at 35oC (n=12) compared to 4.8 min on average in rat
neocortex as shown previously in our lab. At 26oC, frog slices generated SD induced by 100 M
ouabain (a Na+/K+pump inhibitor) at 9.3±0.5 min (n=12) compared to rat slices at 6.6±0.2 min
(n=10). Unlike in rat, SD was not evoked in frog CC by elevating bath [K+]o to 26 mM at any of
the tested temperatures. A 35 to 40⁰C ramp generated SD at 10.8±1.1 min (n=6) in frogs and
5.5±0.5 min (n=16) in rats. A 35 to 4.7⁰C ramp generated SD in the rat at 2.5±0.6 min (n=8) but
did not elicit SD in the frog. Our findings show that the capacity to generate SD in the cerebral
cortex evolved early in vertebrate evolution. However, the frog CC is less sensitive to SD
shutdown evoked by simulated ischemia or by sudden temperature change. This appears
appropriate to the amphibian environment where oxygen content of the water and ambient
temperature vary considerably.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Wandering Mind: An Examination of the Predictors and Consequences of Mind Wandering

contributor:
Poppenk, Jordan
Wilson, Daryl
Psychology

subject:
Mind Wandering
Memory
Attention

abstract: It has been reported that when listening to a lecture, the average student spends approximately one third of lecture time thinking about things unrelated to the lecture material (Szpunar et al., 2013). With that said, drifting off mentally during the performance of a task is something that everyone experiences to some extent. This state of being where our internal thoughts are unrelated to the task being performed has been termed mind wandering (MW), and has been studied increasingly in recent years. Despite this increase in research on the topic, explanations for why MW occurs in the first place, and how it affects constructs such as attention and memory remain limited. The current study examined whether memory retrieval tendencies and executive control (EC) were able to predict the propensity to MW, and further assessed how MW affected retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF). We found evidence that both EC and memory retrieval tendencies are significant predictors of MW propensity. However, there was no evidence to suggest that MW had an effect on RIF. Overall, our findings provide a novel view of MW’s relationship with both memory and attention, and suggests that higher MW propensity is not always detrimental to performance on memory and EC tasks.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Physical Implications of Diastasis Recti Abdominis Among Women at the End of Their First Postpartum Year

contributor:
McLean, Linda
Parsons, Trisha
Rehabilitation Science

subject:
Diastasis Recti Abdominis
Inter-Rectus Distance
Rehabilitation
Ultrasound Imaging

abstract: A separation of the abdominal muscles at the linea alba, diastasis recti abdominis (DRA), appears to persist beyond the first postpartum year in a substantial proportion of women. Although tissue strain at the linea alba should theoretically cause difficulties during tasks that require load transfer across the midline, there is limited evidence to support that DRA impairs trunk muscle function. Four studies are presented in this dissertation, in which we aimed to investigate the impact of DRA on women’s health. The first two studies established the reliability and validity of two key outcome measures. A custom isometric trunk dynamometer (IFLEXD) was validated against the Biodex 3TM dynamometer. Torque values from the two systems were found to be strongly correlated. The between-day reliability for outcomes derived from the IFLEXD were excellent. In the next study we investigated whether the angle at which an ultrasound transducer is held influences measurements of inter-rectus distance (IRD). Transducer angle did not appear to impact IRD measured in parous women. The latter two studies investigated the impact of DRA on trunk symptoms and function. In the third study we explored whether women with and without DRA at one-year postpartum demonstrated differences in their maximal trunk flexion, extension, and rotation torque generating capacity, trunk flexion, extension, and lateral flexion endurance, ability to perform a sit-up and the Sitting-Rising Test, and/or self-reported pain and dysfunction. The results suggest that women who present with DRA at one-year postpartum have reduced maximal trunk rotation torque generating capacity and perform more poorly on a sit-up test. Women with DRA did not report higher levels of lumbopelvic pain or dysfunction. In the final study, we investigated whether a recently proposed measurement of DRA severity, the distortion index (DI) predicted impairment and dysfunction associated with DRA more strongly than IRD. DI and IRD were highly correlated, and, as such, DI was associated with women’s ability to generate trunk rotation torque and to perform a sit-up. Yet, our sample of women with mild DRA, relative to IRD, DI did not appear to contribute to our understanding of the functional impacts of DRA.

abstract: PhD


title: Learning New Relationships: Settler Responsibilities, HUU-AY-AHT First Nations' Self-Government, and Implementing the MAA-NULTH Treaty

contributor:
Castleden, Heather
Geography and Planning

subject:
Settler Colonialism
Maa-nulth Treaty
Responsibility
British Columbia
Modern Treaties
Reflexivity
Community-Engaged Research
Huu-ay-aht First Nations
Treaty Relations
Hannah Arendt
Dispossession
Critical Geography

abstract:
Geographers have warned against essentializing responsibility in the geographies of responsibility literature. What responsibility is, however, and how it can be enacted remains under-explored. Yet, in published texts and public statements that seek to acknowledge relationships between Indigenous and settler peoples in Canada, the language of responsibility is used with abundance. I chose to pick up this concept of responsibility in my research. My dissertation is the result of a partnership-based project with Huu-ay-aht First Nations. I investigate what responsibility looks like with respect to new relationships under a modern treaty using the Maa-nulth Treaty as an exploratory case study.

I begin by theorizing settler responsibility by extending Hannah Arendt’s work to the settler colonial context of Canada and argue that a collective responsibility is necessary to address settler colonial relationships. I then explore how settler researchers can better navigate and work through research—research with Huu-ay-aht First Nations for me as mamaałni (white person/settler)—in settler colonial contexts to support social change. Drawing from the Treaty itself and key informant interviews with Huu-ay-aht and First Nations leaders, Maa-nulth Treaty negotiators, and implementation teams (n=26), my inquiry focuses on Huu-ay-aht First Nations’ self-government as they move from under the thumb of the Indian Act through the tools provided by the Maa-nulth Treaty. Finally, I investigate the ‘new relationship’ between Federal, Provincial, and Huu-ay-aht First Nations Governments under the Treaty.

My theoretical findings contribute to literature contending that settler colonialism cannot be viewed as historical or structural only, void of personal affect, or detached from everyday lived experiences. In this vein, empirical findings from the case study reveal that Huu-ay-aht First Nations’ choice to enter treaty negotiations and implement the final agreement was linked directly to visions of ʔiisaak (respect with caring) and ʔuuʔałuk (taking care of, especially for future generations), while recognizing the imperfection of the treaty process and resulting agreements. Although Huu-ay-aht First Nations accepted the Maa-nulth Treaty to move from under the Indian Act, work to define new relationship needs to occur. To conclude, I offer recommendations—informed by research participants—for how to improve the treaty process.

abstract: PhD


title: An Observational Study Examining the Association Between Chronic Pain Coping Strategies and Unplanned Health Care Use by Individuals Attending an Interdisciplinary Pain Clinic

contributor:
VanDenKerkhof, Elizabeth
Nursing

subject:
Chronic Pain
Coping Strategies
Health Care Utilization

abstract:
Objective: To characterize a chronic pain clinic population and determine whether specific coping strategies were associated with an unplanned health care visit(s) after controlling for predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics associated with health care utilization.

Design: Observational study based on questionnaire data obtained in a southeastern Ontario chronic pain clinic. The analysis was guided by Andersen’s Behavioural Model of Health Services Use.

Methods: Participants (N = 559) were classified according to number of visits made for pain to emergency departments, urgent-care, and walk-in clinics in the previous year. Modified Poisson regression was used to determine the association between coping strategies and unplanned health care use and to identify other characteristics associated with visits.

Results: Thirty-one percent (n = 176) of attendees reported at least one unplanned visit for pain in the year prior to attendance in the clinic. In adjusted analysis, the chronic pain coping strategies associated with higher unplanned visit(s) for pain were positive self-statements (RR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.00-1.13, p = .03) and asking for assistance (RR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.03-1.15, p < .01), while guarding (RR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.85-0.98, p = .01) reduced use. Unplanned visit(s) were also associated with age, moderate to severe depression, greater opioid use, lower household income, and high-frequency primary care visits for pain.

Conclusions: In addition to certain predisposing and enabling characteristics, coping strategies are correlated with unplanned health care use for pain. Prospective studies, using objective measures of service use, are needed to determine if the nature and direction of these associations are stable over time.

abstract: MNSc.


title: “Ancient Spirit, Modern Mind”: Documenting Huu-ay-aht First Nations' Journey to the Maa-Nulth Treaty Through Community-Based Archival Research

subject:
Indigenous Geographies
Canada
Community-based Participatory Research
Archival Research
Nuu-chah-nulth
Treaties

abstract:
For many musčim (citizens) of Huu-ay-aht First Nations, a Nuu-chah-nulth worldview informs their individual identities and responsibilities to the world around them as Huu-ay-aht. Three sacred principles guide Huu-ay-aht relationships to each other, to other Nuu-chah-nulth, and all spiritual and physical lifeforms in their ḥahuułi (homelands): hišuk c̕awak (everything is one, connected), ʔiisaak (respect with caring), and ʔuuʔałuk (caring for present and future generations).

This worldview was challenged by setter contact in the late 18th century. Contact became a collision in which a European worldview drove colonial settlement across what is now Canada. Historic treaties were negotiated across much of Canada between the 18th and 19th century. However, this was not the case in British Columbia, where settlement occurred largely on the unceded territories of Indigenous Peoples. By the 20th century, Provincial and Federal governments halted the treaty process, and instead shifted toward a forced assimilative approach that worked to criminalize and suppress Indigenous ways of life. This continued until 1973 when the Supreme Court ruled that the Canadian government had the fiduciary duty to negotiate treaties under a modern process. This research explores the extent to which worldview shapes the relationship between Huu-ay-aht First Nations, the Government of Canada, and the Province of British Columbia in modern treaty negotiations.

This thesis is the result of a community-based participatory research project with Huu-ay-aht First Nations. The research is primarily archival in nature, in which I trace Huu-ay-aht First Nations’ 18-year journey to the Maa-nulth Treaty. However, my analysis has also been supplemented by community engagement sessions and time spent in the community attending speaking with citizens about their memories of treaty negotiations and their experience with its implementation. By centering Huu-ay-aht voices throughout the research process, this work produces new insights into how one First Nation successfully managed to negotiate a modern treaty. These findings offer recommendations to Provincial and Federal negotiators to improve the modern treaty process. As well, this community-focused perspective offers insights into the strengths and challenges of the modern treaty process for First Nations considering, or who are currently participating in, modern treaty negotiations.

abstract: M.A.


title: External Stimuli Driven Transformation of BN-Heterocycles

contributor:
Wang, Suning
Chemistry

subject:
Photochemistry
Boron Chemistry
BN-Heterocycles
Hydroboration
Luminescent Materials
Photoresponsive

abstract:
BN-heterocycles have important applications in synthetic methodologies, chemical reactivity and optoelectronics. This thesis focuses on the investigation of the thermal and photo-responsive properties of BN-heterocycles as well as applications in optoelectronic devices. In search of more efficient photoelimination of BN-heterocycles, we found that BN-heterocycles could have different and unique transformations upon external stimuli. The preparation of the BN-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is also described.
     Boranes with the general formula of HBR2 have been found to undergo a facile 1,1-hydroboration reaction with pyrido[1,2-a]isoindole, resulting in insertion of a BR2 unit into a C-N bond and the formation of a variety of BN-heterocycles. Investigation on the thermal reactivity of the BN-heterocycles revealed that these molecules have two distinct and competitive thermal elimination pathways: HBR2 elimination (or retro-hydroboration) versus R-H elimination, depending on the R group on the B atom and the chelate backbone.
    Given the 1,3-dipolar nature pyrido[1,2-a]isoindole, a “one-pot” cycloaddition procedure of pyrido[1,2-a]isoindole and its analogues with dimesitylboron functionalized alkynes has been successfully developed for the synthesis of a series of BMes2-functionalized N-heterocycles.
      To further expand the photoelimination reaction to multiple BN-doped PAHs, new BN-heterocyclic compounds have been found to undergo double photoelimination, forming rare yellow fluorescent (BN)2-arenes that contain two B-N units. Most significant is the discovery that the double elimination can also be driven by excitons generated electrically within electroluminescent (EL) devices, enabling the in situ solid-state conversion of BN-heterocycles to BN-arenes and the use of BN-arenes as emitters for EL devices. The in situ exciton-driven elimination (EDE) phenomenon has also been observed for other BN-heterocycles.
       Besides changing external stimuli to improve the efficiency of elimination of BN-heterocycles, the internal factor - the effect of substituents on boron atom was also investigated. We found that both electronic and steric effects have a significant and distinct impact on the photoreaction pathways of BN-heterocycles. With bulky, electron-donating aryl rings on the B atom, the photoelimination efficiency is enhanced. In contrast, with sufficiently electron-withdrawing aryl groups on the B atom, bulky or not, photoisomerization occurs exclusively with a high stereoselectivity.

abstract: PhD


title: NMR and Computational Studies of Paramagnetic Compounds

contributor:
Wu, Gang
Chemistry

subject:
NMR
Computational Chemistry
Paramagnetic Compounds
Solid-state NMR

abstract: Unlike diamagnetic compounds, paramagnetic samples are more difficult to study by NMR because they usually exhibit wide chemical shift ranges and broadened signals. These peculiar features are mainly due to the strong hyperfine interactions between magnetic dipoles of unpaired electrons and nuclei. In order to understand experimentally observed NMR signals from paramagnetic molecules, quantum chemical calculations are often desirable. This thesis focuses on two areas of NMR studies of paramagnetic compounds. First, we have examined solution-state 1H, 13C, and 17O NMR spectra of several small paramagnetic vanadium compounds and established the validity of DFT computational approaches for calculating hyperfine shifts on 1H, 13C, and 17O nuclei. We then attempted to study a protein (transferrin) containing V(III) ions by 17O NMR. Second, we used the solid-state NMR data for paramagnetic Cu(DL-alanine)2•H2O reported in the literature to evaluate a periodic DFT code BAND in computing hyperfine coupling tensors in solids. This is the first time that this kind of test for BAND is carried out for molecular solids.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Cloud-Based Model Predictive Control: Establishing a Fully Distributed Architecture for Nonlinear MPC

contributor:
Guay, Martin
Chemical Engineering

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States

subject:
Distributed Model Predictive Control
Distributed Extremum-Seeking Control
Nonlinear Model Predictive Control
Cloud-Based Model Predictive Control

abstract:
Over the last two decades, distributed model predictive control (MPC) has become an increasingly popular research topic. Distributed MPC constitutes a valuable tool, providing computationally efficient optimal control algorithms that can successfully account for the interactions of complex, interconnected processes. Achieving closed-loop stability and centralized performance in nonlinear, distributed or decentralized systems remains an obstacle to existing distributed MPC formulations.

In this thesis a discrete-time cloud-based model predictive control architecture for application to unstable nonlinear systems under process constraints is developed using a cooperative, distributed optimization approach. Distributed time-varying extremum-seeking, a form of model-free optimal control, is integrated to a conventional MPC scheme to solve the optimization problem at each time step. Each of the control horizon’s inputs is assigned to an agent that shares its local cost information over a network. Agents use this data to estimate the average total cost of the system, which they minimize by a gradient-descent control law based on local approximations of the average total cost gradient.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the discrete-time cloud-based MPC architecture
and its stability in closed-loop, three case studies are performed. The first study considers a nonlinear MIMO system subjected to input constraints. The numerical results indicate that the proposed controller recovers the performance of its centralized counterpart. The second case study considers a non-isothermal exothermic CSTR. The simulation demonstrates that the cloud-based architecture can effectively stabilize systems with complex dynamics of higher order. The third case study investigates the architecture’s applicability to economic MPC and shows that the developed controller is capable of stabilizing a system to a periodic orbit when suitable constraints are applied.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Exploring the Barriers and Suggestions for Improvement to Delivering Palliative Health Care Services in Four Underserved Rural Canadian Settings

contributor:
Castleden, Heather
Davison, Colleen
Public Health Sciences

subject:
Palliative Care Delivery
Awareness
Indigenous Peoples
Rural Health Care

abstract: As the size of Canada’s elderly population continues to grow, so will the demand for palliative (or end-of-life) health care services, which strive to improve the quality of life of those suffering with life-threatening illness. Unfortunately, access to palliative care is inconsistent across Canada, especially among those residing in rural settings who, unlike urban residents, encounter additional geographical and financial barriers to care. Access to culturally-sensitive palliative care, particularly for Indigenous peoples, can also be challenging in these settings. Therefore, the goal of my thesis is to understand health care providers’ (HCP) perspectives on barriers to palliative care delivery in rural Canadian settings and to identify their suggestions for delivery improvement in these regions. To achieve this goal, I analysed forty semi-structured interviews capturing the perspectives of formal and informal HCPs from four rural and/or remote communities with limited palliative care resources. Barriers to palliative care delivery were initially coded using Penchansky and Thomas’ five dimensions of access (i.e. availability, affordability, acceptability, physical accessibility, and accommodation), however a recently added sixth dimension of access (i.e. awareness) became the primary focus of this analysis. Next, barriers to Indigenous palliative care were identified according to three palliative care environments (i.e. community, hospital, and home). A supplemental quantitative analysis was also conducted exploring the association between Indigenous identity and short- and long-term healthcare service use, as well as reasons for unmet health care needs, using three cycles (2012-2014) of the Canadian Community Health Survey. Findings indicate that barriers to palliative care delivery, via palliative care awareness, stem from limited palliative care knowledge/education, communication, and coordination among HCPs, and suggest that inadequate palliative care awareness may jeopardize initiatives striving to address barriers to the original five dimensions of access. The barriers to palliative care delivery among Indigenous peoples were also shown to differ between palliative care environments, and suggested that improving cultural sensitivity among HCPs could address these barriers. To improve rural palliative care delivery HCPs suggested implementing community-led and community-specific initiatives that enhance HCP knowledge, communication, and coordination of culturally-sensitive palliative care within different environments to ultimately encourage equitable access for all Canadians. Access to health care, palliative care, awareness

abstract: M.Sc.