title: Shear Stress and Flow-Mediated Dilation in the Normoxic and Hypoxic Human

contributor:
Pyke, Kyra E
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
endothelial function
high altitude
physiology
cardiovascular
environmental physiology
vascular function
polycythemia
chronic mountain sickness
oscillatory shear stress
retrograde shear stress

abstract: The endothelium is a single cell layer that plays a critical role in determining the health and function of blood vessels. Endothelial function is shaped by shear stress, the frictional force exerted by the speed of blood flow and the thickness (viscosity) of the blood. Exposure to shear stress that reverses direction back-and-forth impairs endothelial function in young men. Whether women are equally susceptible to this perturbation and the isolated impact of a low level of shear stress with and without reversal of shear had not been investigated. Hypoxia, the low levels of oxygen that are experienced at high-altitude, has been shown to influence flow reversal and impair endothelial function. However, no previous study had accounted for the changes in blood thickness, and hence shear stress that occur at high-altitude. This may be especially important in the context of excessive erythrocytosis, a high-altitude disease characterized by exceptionally thick blood and increased cardiovascular risk. This thesis examined 1) whether there are sex differences in the impact of exposure to low and reversing shear stress on endothelial function, 2) whether isolated low shear stress impairs endothelial function, 3) the impact of reversing shear stress on endothelial function in short-term exposure to low levels of oxygen and after trekking to 5050m in the Himalayas, and 4) the role of high levels of blood viscosity on endothelial function in high-altitude natives in Cerro de Pasco, Peru (4330m) with excessive erythrocytosis. We identified that 1) premenopausal women have some protection against reductions in endothelial function after being exposed to reversing shear stress, 2) isolated low shear stress impaired endothelial function, 3) short-term exposure to low levels of oxygen and sustained high-altitude exposure reduced endothelial function, while superimposing reversing shear stress had no effect, and 4) high levels of hemoglobin and blood viscosity contributed to lower endothelial function in Andean high-altitude natives with excessive erythrocytosis. Altogether, this dissertation advances our understanding of how the components of shear stress (the pattern, magnitude, and blood viscosity) impact endothelial function in humans under normoxic (normal levels of oxygen) and hypoxic (low levels of oxygen, such as high-altitude) conditions.

abstract: PhD


title: Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensors: Novel N-Heterocylic Carbene Based Surfaces

contributor:
Horton, J. Hugh
Chemistry

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:
Surface plasmon resonance
Biosensing

abstract:
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensing is a technique that is increasingly being used to investigate interactions between biomolecules due to its ability to be monitored in real-time and the lack of labelling needed. Traditionally, SPR biosensor chips utilized thiol-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) as linking layers on a gold surface, however, the use of thiols has been limited due to their tendency to oxidize in ambient conditions. Thus, a new and emerging class of surface modification using N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) as surface ligands is being explored as an alternative to thiol-based SAMs for biosensing surfaces. In this thesis, chemical modification of SPR biosensing surfaces using NHCs as a SAM on gold is examined.
The first part of this thesis focuses on developing an NHC SPR biosensing chip comparable to the most commonly used biosensor, the Biacore general-purpose carboxymethylated (CM) 5 chip. Using an interaction involving bovine serum albumin (BSA) and anti-BSA antibody, the capabilities of the homemade NHC-based sensor chip were examined using a 50 cycle analysis of antibody binding to the BSA surface. A response was observed for all binding interactions; however, the reproducibility of the interactions was inadequate due to non-specific binding. This limited the use of the NHC sensor chip in applications involving kinetic studies.
The second part of my thesis describes the creation of a more stable NHC sensing surface using a high-affinity capture approach, circumventing non-specific binding. Protein A was immobilized as the surface ligand and immunoglobin G (IgG) was used as the analyte. Highly reproducible interactions over 80 cycles involving little to no deterioration of the response were observed. This facilitated the study of kinetic analysis of the protein A – IgG system; however, due to mass transfer limitations (MTL), the rate constants derived were inaccurate.
Finally, NHC-based sensors were used in the creation of a lipid bilayer surface. This bilayer surface demonstrated instability as observed from its low binding ability and ease of being removed from the sensor surface.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Treating Hunger: Medical Expertise, Nutritional Science, and the Development of Technical Food Solutions

contributor:
Manley, Rebecca
History

subject:
hunger
medicalization
humanitarian aid
humanitarian nutrition
global nutrition knowledge
technical nutritional solutions

abstract:
This thesis traces the way hunger was transformed into a medical problem and humanitarian food relief mutated into medical treatment from the Second World War until contemporary times. I chart how the medicalization of hunger redefined the way hunger was managed, identifying the marked features of the medicalization of hunger and looking especially to the nutritional solutions employed in emergency contexts. Medical scrutiny into the starving body, the proliferation of medical categories, the design of specific and differentiated protocols of management, the integration of hunger with the care of other concurrent or aggravated medical conditions, and the view of food as medicine emerged in an expanded form starting with World War II and continue to endure today. A predominant medical lens urged the implementation of interventions guided by medical expertise and subjected to medical supervision, reconceptualizing hunger relief as treatment. Another focus of this thesis is upon the global
networks of knowledge that underlie the medicalization of hunger. If professionals with a medical experience assumed prominence and continue to retain influence in nutrition, experts from all corners of the world with a range of backgrounds constitute the global assemblage of hunger research and responses. Finally, I underscore the increasing emphasis on children in scientific hunger studies and humanitarian nutrition programs.
With the scientific community coalescing around the view of hunger as disease, humanitarian responses to hunger became increasingly technocratic, favoring efficient and largescale
technically-engineered solutions devised with expert knowledge. I show the persistent allure
of simple, fast-acting concoctions of high-yielding medical and nutritional efficacy in humanitarian nutrition. The predominance of technically-engineered solutions in humanitarian nutrition speaks both to an established reliance on medico-scientific knowledge and the prioritization of expedient responses in the face of the need for immediate action. Employing a historical lens, I challenge straightforward accounts anchored in medico-scientific knowledge that exalt the novelty and adequacy of technically-engineered solutions to hunger. I grapple with the implications of a predominant medical frame to argue that managing hunger in emergency contexts should not be incompatible with politically-mindful, people-centered approaches integrated in local realities.

abstract: M.A.


title: From Health Care to Self-Care: Workplace Wellness Programs and Health Discrimination

contributor:
Möllers, Norma
Sociology

subject:
health discrimination
health responsibility
biological citizenship
health insurance
workplace wellness programs
health literacy

abstract: On March 2, 2017, a potential loophole to the United States Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) was presented to the United States Congress. Bill H.R.1313 seeks to amend the GINA, to allow companies to subject their employees to genetic testing as part of Workplace Wellness Programs (WWPs). By conducting an analysis of congressional hearings related to WWPs and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as well as meetings held by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a civil rights group, this thesis argues that wellness programs have risen in popularity among US employers as a response to the ACA. Wellness programs are presented as an opportunity for employees to reduce their insurance premiums. I argue, however, that employers offer lower premiums to those who practice ‘healthy lifestyles’ and are knowledgeable about their bodies and those who do not meet these outcomes pay more for their health. Wellness programs foster what some scholarship refers to as ‘biological citizenship’ (Rose and Novas 2003, Petryna 2002): the idea that individuals must take responsibility for their own health and well-being; as well as ‘technological citizenship’ (Barry 2001): the expectation that individuals must have technoscientific knowledge about the self as well as institutional knowledge about how to navigate the health care system. This thesis seeks to understand how wellness programs are grounded in particular conceptions of what it means to be healthy, and how the programs could open the door to discrimination based on genetics, but also based on categories of class, gender, age, race, and disability. As wellness programs can be used as a tool to assign more responsibility and cost to the individual, they could create a shift from health care to self-care.

abstract: M.A.


title: Managing Competing Work Priorities Mindfully: A Multi-Level Investigation of Organizational Paradox and Mindfulness

contributor:
Brodt, Susan
Business

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States

subject:
Organizational Paradox
Mindfulness
Cognition and Emotion
Job Crafting
Withdrawal and Turnover
Innovation
Team Conflict

abstract:
Organizations are rife with paradox, or the seemingly contradictory yet interdependent forces that surface across organizational levels (Smith & Lewis, 2011). This dissertation seeks to answer the recent call for greater scholarly attention to the micro-foundation, collective influence, and effective management of organizational paradox (Miron-Spektor et al., 2018; Schad et al., 2016). I conducted two lab experiments (Study 1a and Study 1b) and two field surveys (Study 2 and Study 3) to examine how people think, feel, and behave in paradoxical workplaces individually and collectively. Building upon the burgeoning body of research on mindfulness - the degree to which one brings full attention and awareness to the present in a non-judgmental way (Baer et al., 2006; Brown & Ryan, 2003) – I further explored when, how and why highly mindful individuals and teams could benefit from seeming contradictions.
In Study 1a and Study 1b I explore what people think and how they feel when tackling paradoxical demands and the moderating role of trait mindfulness. Results from two experiments (NStudy 1a = 83; NStudy 1b = 100) reveal that mindfulness may foster positive psychological experiences (e.g., higher integrative complexity, fewer interfering thoughts, and maintained calming emotions) in the face of paradox.  Study 2 investigates proactive (i.e., job crafting) and destructive workplace behaviours (i.e., withdrawal) in response to organizational paradoxes, as a function of employee mindfulness. By conducting a longitudinal field survey (Nemployee = 201), I find that competing work priorities are associated with more withdrawal, and that high mindfulness may buffer such detrimental effects of paradox. Yet, as they stay on the job, highly mindful employees (versus low mindful employees) make less effort to craft their jobs.  Study 3 turns to paradoxical responses in collectives and examines the salutary effect of team mindfulness in managing paradox as a team. Results from a two-wave team-based survey (Nteam = 54) suggest that mindful teams can leverage opposing forces to improve innovation without suffering from relationship conflict.  Overall, this dissertation informs not only the paradox and mindfulness scholarship but also practitioners about the peculiar nature of organizational paradox and strategies to leverage competing work priorities.

abstract: PhD


title: How to Stay Connected in an ‘Offline’ Country? Stories of Cubans’ Internet Experience

contributor:
Lords, Susan
Dubinsky, Karen
Cultural Studies

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

subject:
Cuban communicative ecosystem
Internet access
agency
sense of connectedness
modernity

abstract: Since 2013, Cuban authorities have taken significant steps towards the regularization of public Internet access in the Island. Before that date, policies regarding the Internet benefited specific sectors and limited the broader access of most of the Cuban population. Cubans managed to stay current, creating original alternatives or adjusting pre-existing initiatives to get access to information and knowledge. This thesis explores some of the configurations that characterize the Cuban communicative ecosystem. Building on Don Slater’s concepts of communicative ecologies and communicative assemblages (2013), I define the Cuban communicative ecosystem as the combination of online and offline alternatives to access information and enable communication needs. Such alternatives involve human agents, tools and media that work within institutional, irregular, and illegal networks. Those networks coexist, not necessarily in harmony, within everyday life in Cuba. Rather than disappearing with Internet access, the irregular and illegal aspects of the communicative ecosystem continue to emerge and develop, providing in some cases more suitable solutions in a context of scarcity. The emergence of irregular and illegal networks is an expression of agency in the face of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). I argue that Cubans’ agency reflects a cultural sense of connectedness, based on imaginaries about modernity, modernization, development, and normality that have been part of Cuban tradition since its formation as a nation. I will approach the concept of modernity as a metaphor that expresses the goals and illusions of modernization and development. In the Cuban case, being part of modernity historically reflected an obsession to transcend geographical and intellectual insularity, embracing the global flows of technological and social modernization. Throughout this thesis, I seek to answer two central questions: What is the Internet adding regarding individual agency to the fabric of Cuban society? And how does the creation of alternative communicative structures, enriched by the Internet, relate to an inherent and mainly not deliberate sense of connectedness with a global community?

abstract: M.A.


title: Commissioning of an Upgraded Equinox-100 Cobalt-60 Radiation Therapy Unit in the Varian Eclipse Treatment Planning System

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject: Radiation Therapy

abstract:
The introduction of Cobalt 60 (Co 60) units in the 1950s established megavoltage radiation therapy worldwide. Unfortunately, advances for the Co 60 radiation treatment units were not heavily pursued over the years and Co 60 units have been steadily replaced by clinical linear accelerators (linacs) x ray systems, which can offer more precise radiation treatments.  The Medical Physics Department at the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario (CCSEO) has shown, however, that the Co 60 unit can be developed to enable modern radiation treatments similar to linacs. In 2015, the CCSEO collaborated with Best Theratronics (Kanata, Ontario) to upgrade a Theratron 780C Co 60 radiation therapy unit to an Equinox 100 external beam radiation therapy system. This was the first upgrade of a T780C Co-60 unit in the world, which represents an exciting opportunity to advance Co 60 radiation therapy to provide treatments equivalent to those available from modern linacs.

In this thesis, an upgraded Equinox 100 unit is commissioned in the Varian Eclipse treatment planning systems (TPS) to ascertain if the Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm (AAA) in the Eclipse could be used to generate Co 60 3D based treatment plans. Firstly, mechanical commissioning of the upgraded unit was performed according to Task Group 45 report (AAPM) recommendations. Secondly, various commissioning beam measurements were acquired using an ion chamber in standard water phantom on the upgraded unit to model the beams in the Eclipse TPS. The AAA validation was performed to test the accuracy of the Eclipse TPS dose prediction based on the local percentage differences between the measurements and the Eclipse model calculations in various simple open and blocked plans using the ion chamber in the phantom.

The mechanical acceptance tests are generally comparable to clinical linac tolerances, which suggest that upgrading conventional Co 60 units may improve treatments without compromising the mechanical accuracy. Similarly, the Eclipse model calculations of the validation plans show overall excellent agreements with measurements within the recommended clinical criteria for large fields starting at 5 × 5 cm2. This suggests that the Eclipse TPS is appropriate for forward planning of Co 60 3D conformal radiation therapy for large fields. Further investigations for small fields are required.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Geochemical and mineralogical characterization of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by legacy gold mining in the Yellowknife region

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

subject:
Arsenic
Geochemistry
Giant Mine
Lake sediments
Yellowknife
Mining

abstract:
Arsenic concentrations in lake sediments in the Yellowknife region, Northwest Territories, Canada are elevated from the weathering of mineralized bedrock and/or from the mining and processing of arsenic (As)-bearing ores at legacy gold mines in the area. Specifically, 50 years of ore roasting at Giant Mine (1948-2004) resulted in the release of approximately 20,000 t of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) to the atmosphere as stack emissions. Historical tailings disposal at Giant also introduced As- and antimony (Sb)-rich materials to sediments in Yellowknife Bay, adjacent to the mine property. This research aimed to understand the origin and long-term fate of As in lake sediments in the Yellowknife region.

Elevated As concentrations in regional lake sediments are largely the result of ore roasting at legacy gold mines. Radiometric dating of sediment cores indicated that the majority of As was introduced to the sediments during the period of maximum regional stack emissions. Anthropogenic As2O¬3 has persisted in lake sediments for more than 60 years, though its partial dissolution has resulted in the formation of less bioaccessible As-hosting phases including iron (Fe)-oxyhydroxide and As-bearing sulphides.
The analysis of 47 sediment cores from a single emissions-impacted lake showed that sediment As concentrations and solid-phase speciation vary across the lake bottom and with sediment depth. Two distinct types of down-core As concentration profiles were identified and are interpreted to represent erosional and depositional areas. Statistical analysis revealed that water depth, as a proxy for sediment focusing, is the best predictor of As concentration in the top 5 cm of sediments. Iron concentration, as an indicator of As, Fe, and sulphur (S) co-diagenesis, is the best predictor of As concentration in deeper sediments. Sediments are a source of As to the overlying water column through diffusion-controlled release to bottom waters.

The solid-phase distribution of As and Sb in Yellowknife Bay sediments was a complex mixture of flotation tailings, roaster waste, and aerially deposited stack emissions. Arsenic and Sb in Yellowknife Bay exhibited differences in post-depositional behaviour that can be attributed to the anthropogenic controls governing the solid-phase speciation of these elements in mine waste produced at Giant.

abstract: PhD


title: Real-Time Realization of Lidar – Based Digital Surface Models for Airborne Safe Landing Zone Identification in Challenging Environments

contributor:
Noureldin, Aboelmagd
Givigi, Sidney
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Airborne Laser Scanning
Digital Surface Model
LiDAR
LiDAR Point Cloud
Real-Time LiDAR Data Processing
Slope Map

abstract:
There is a growing demand over the last two decades for generating digital surface models (DSMs) in real-time. One of the important applications for real-time DSMs is aircraft landing, especially in a degraded visual environment. In such a challenging environment, no clear visual conditions exist, which can potentially result in the loss of equipment and/or life. These conditions can be caused by snow, rain, blowing sand and dust, fog, smoke, clouds, darkness, and flat light conditions that currently hamper aviation operations. With the growing demand for such applications, there is a need for efficient LiDAR processing algorithms capable of generating DSMs in real-time and provide the safe landing zone (SLZ) for the aircraft landing.
Several research activities have addressed robust filtering algorithms for the airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. Although most of these filtering algorithms are accurate and robust, they are limited to post-processing since they rely on computationally expensive algorithms and require high execution time that is not suitable for real-time applications.
The aim of this research is to design and implement an efficient algorithm that can filter LiDAR point cloud, generate DSM, slope map, roughness map and operate in real-time. The algorithm is suitable for real-time implementation on limited resources embedded-processors without the need for a supercomputer. It is also capable of using all the generated maps in identifying SLZs suitable for the aircraft landing.
The method suggested in this research identifies the best SLZ for the aircraft based on processing the 3D LiDAR point cloud collected from a LiDAR mounted on the aircraft. The
iii
proposed method filters these data, then constructs a DSM of the terrain with high accuracy. It also generates a slope map, roughness map and binary map, which are used to determine the best SLZ for this aircraft. The SLZ decision is made according to the permissible slope and roughness values in which the aircraft can land safely. Moreover, the proposed method filters SLZ to include only those that have enough space for the aircraft landing.
The proposed method was successfully implemented in C++ in real-time and was examined on a professional software flight simulation. With comparison to the reference data, we were able to demonstrate the capability of the developed method to identify SLZs for helicopters assisting pilots to decide on the safest landing area. The proposed method was also able to distinguish, in real-time, the roofs of the buildings (areas of low slope) from the edges of the same buildings (areas of high slope).

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Arsenic concentrations and solid phase speciation in soils in the Yellowknife region

subject:
arsenic
soil
Yellowknife
Giant Mine
mining
mineralogy

abstract:
Roasting of gold-bearing arsenopyrite (FeAsS) ore at mines around Yellowknife resulted in the release of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) via airborne emissions. Previous studies highlighted a persistent elevated arsenic (As) in local lake sediments and surface waters 50 years after the bulk of these emissions were released. The objectives of this research are to: 1) characterize regional concentrations of As in Yellowknife area soils; 2) identify factors that explain regional patterns of distribution; and 3) distinguish between natural and anthropogenic As sources in undisturbed soils.
Total element analyses were completed for 125 Public Health Layer (PHL) (top 5 cm of cored soil samples), 43 grab samples and 37 samples taken from greater depths in cores, or down core (DC) samples. Total As concentrations ranged from 1.5 to 4900 mg/kg in PHL samples, 12 to 930 mg/kg in grab samples, and 1.6 to 1200 mg/kg in DC samples. The most significant factors on As concentrations in PHL samples include the distance and direction from former mine roasters, soil depth, and terrain unit.
Fifty samples were selected for scanning electron microscopy and automated mineralogy (SEM/AM) to identify the solid species of As present within soil units. Anthropogenic sources of As are characterized by the presence of As2O3 and distinctive As-bearing Fe-oxides derived from roaster stack emissions. The most common As-bearing phases identified in soils throughout the study area included: As-bearing Fe-oxides/Fe-oxide mixes (present in 98% of samples), organic Fe-oxide mixes with As (98% of samples), As2O3 (82%), and As-bearing Mn-oxides (60% of samples).
Findings from this thesis suggest that previously estimated background levels for As ranging from 0 to 300 mg/kg are too high; median total As-concentrations decrease from 130 mg/kg to 22.5 mg/kg and finally 8.1 mg/kg for samples collected at distances of 0 – 10 km, 10 – 20 km and 20 – 30 km from the Giant roaster. Additional sampling initiatives need to target soils at further distances to determine an appropriate total As background concentration that can be used to help guide future risk assessment recommendations for the Yellowknife area.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Governor, the Merchant, the Soldier, the Nun, and their Slaves

contributor:
van Deusen, Nancy
History

subject:
Household Composition
Family Formation
Slavery
Colonial Montréal
Built Environment
French-Indigenous Relations

abstract: From 1650 onward, the city of Montréal became a crossroads that connected colonial French, Indigenous, and African worlds. A study of the geo-cultural landscapes of Montréal presents an opportunity to analyze the commercial, social, and familial networks of diverse peoples in a space defined by mobility, fluidity, and growing stability. The purpose of this research project is to illustrate how French households in Montréal between 1650 and 1750, which included Indigenous and African descent slaves and other labourers who are generally not considered as a part of family formation, contributes to our understanding of the interconnected nature of the French colonial world. There are different ways to explore the commercial, social, and familial connections that shaped Montréal into a crossroads. This project explores spatial, demographic, and household composition as three interrelated dimensions of Montréal’s networks. I utilize the idea of concentric circles of connection, moving from a macro- to a micro-historical level of analysis. I begin by considering Montréal’s geographic position in North America; next I examine the physical layout of the built environment in Montréal and follow with an analysis of Montréal’s demographic development. The thesis concludes with the reconstruction of the commercial, social, and familial networks that developed in Montréal society and within individual households. I use four different examples of household units to provide a deeper understanding of the types of interaction that contributed to the interconnected colonial world of French Canada. These include a consideration of the households of Governor Charles LeMoyne de Longueuil; prominent Montréal merchant Ignace Gamelin Jr.; decorated soldier Luc de La Corne St. Luc; and nun Marie-Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais. These four families can be understood as microcosms of some of the broader fluid and highly mobile commercial, social, intimate, and familial interactions that characterized Montréal and the French colonial world.

abstract: M.A.


title: Ballet's Legacies: Beyond the Phallic Pointe

contributor:
McKittrick, Katherine
Gender Studies

subject:
Dance Studies
Nationalism
Critical Theory
Psychoanalysis
Politics

abstract: This thesis examines how an embodied aesthetic of classical ballet comes into being through modernities’ discourses and material realities of nation, state, colonialism, heterosexuality and their constitutive logics. Accordingly, ballet bodies are produced within a Marxist mode of production and circulate through a movement linguistic system that is phallologocentric. To consider how to move beyond such a system, an evaluation and expansion upon Susan Leigh Foster’s oft-cited work “The Ballerina’s Phallic Pointe” examines the holds modernities’ take over ballet bodies through their production and highlights potentialities for alternative futures. The thesis turns to autobiographical and biographical works of professional ballerinas to express the affected material realities of ballet’s mode of productions’ acts on material bodies.

abstract: M.A.


title: Modulating the Inflammatory Response of Macrophages on Biomaterial Surfaces

contributor:
Fitzpatrick, Lindsay
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Biomaterial
Macrophages
Inflammation
DAMPs
Foreign body reaction

abstract:
The foreign body response is an inflammatory response to implanted materials and poses significant challenges for biomaterials-based medical applications, often leading to the degradation or fibrous encapsulation of an implanted device. The host response is largely dictated by the proteins that adsorb to the biomaterial surface, including damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that are released by cells upon necrosis or when under considerable amounts of stress. The immune response to implanted materials is carried out primarily by macrophages, which recognize DAMPs and other surface-adsorbed proteins with toll-like receptors (TLRs), initiating an inflammatory response. Macrophages play key roles in inflammatory and wound healing responses due to their ability to transition from a pro-inflammatory M1-like phenotype to a pro-resolution M2-like phenotype. This thesis explores the use of a model of biomaterial-induced macrophage inflammatory response, and the ability of two molecules to modulate this response.
	A human macrophage-like cell line was treated with T6167923, a MyD88 signal transduction inhibitor. MyD88 is a critical component in the TLR pathway, which plays a significant role in inflammation and has been implicated in biomaterial-induced macrophage activation. Unfortunately, the inhibitor consistently precipitated in cell culture media, at all concentrations and with all dilution methods attempted. The presence of the particles may have encouraged pro-inflammatory activation of the cells via phagocytosis. However, some conditions did result in reduced activation with inhibitor treatment, suggesting further work with this molecule is warranted.
	The second investigated molecule was Maresin 1 (MaR1), an endogenous pro-resolving mediator that contributes to the active transition from the inflammatory phase of wound healing towards resolution. The effect of MaR1 on macrophage activation was studied in two macrophage-like cell lines and primary macrophages, and produced conflicting results. However, the inconsistency was attributed to the sensitivity of MaR1 to degradation. This could not only produce some confounding results, but also raised significant technical challenges in handling MaR1. Nonetheless, fresh, undegraded MaR1 did reduce pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in TLR2-activated dTHP1-XBlue macrophages.
	Although both molecules posed significant technical challenges, their effects should be investigated further. Drug delivery systems should be explored to overcome these challenges and allow for direct delivery to cells.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: DIFFERENCES IN VEGETATION COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE AT GREENING AND NON-GREENING SITES IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA

abstract: Arctic warming is occurring at more than two times the global rate of warming over the past 150 years, which has resulted in widespread vegetation shifts (Post et al., 2009). However, vegetation species are not responding uniformly to rising temperatures. Remote sensing techniques have used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to detect changes in vegetation productivity throughout circumpolar Arctic regions. Overall, there has been an increase in vegetation productivity over the past twenty years as warming has increased. Regions which have increased in vegetation productivity are referred to as “greening” regions, whereas regions which have shown no change are referred to as “non-greening” regions. Some regions are showing a decline in productivity, referred to as “browning”. There has, however, been few studies done to ground-validate these changes. Using satellite-derived Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) data, a metric that is analogous to NDVI, and a comparison of vegetation height and composition data from ten ‘greening’ regions and ten ‘non-greening’ regions near treeline in the Northwest Territories, these differences were examined at ground-level. Statistical analysis and multivariate ordination were performed to assess significant differences between the two site types, as well as to determine the similarity between sites, and the species that have a tendency to be prevalent in each site type. It was found that greening sites contain more shrub cover. It was also determined that non-greening sites tend to contain more grass/graminoid species as well as non-vascular species and are more variable in terms of species composition and vegetation characteristics than greening sites. This suggests that shrub species are more responsive to warming and have a tendency to be more productive as temperatures increase. This study contributes to a greater understanding of vegetation changes in response to warming at ground-level and can be expanded upon to provide insight into associated faunal range shifts, as well as predict future changes that may occur at treeline as climate continues to warm.


title: John Knox and Henry Howard: An Understanding of Early Modern Queens Regnant

contributor:
Collins, Jeffrey
History

subject:
Early Modern England
Religion
Female Monarchy
English Catholicism
English Protestantism
John Knox
Henry Howard

abstract: In 1558, Scottish Reformer John Knox published The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women, to which English-Catholic aristocrat Henry Howard responded in 1590 with his as-of-yet-still-unpublished manuscript “A Dutifull Defence of the Lawfull Regiment of Women”. Though Knox and Howard respond to the same phenomenon – the role of women in the traditionally-male authority of the English throne – they held oppositional views of English queenship. Their vastly differing historical contexts transcended their works and resulted in their conflicting arguments. Knox’s opposition to female rule, rooted in his Presbyterianism, denied regal and spiritual authority to queens regnant because he refused to recognise the legitimacy of a woman in political and religious power. Howard, meanwhile, negotiated for mercy from Elizabeth I and hoped for tolerance from her for his Catholicism. He also legitimised female rule because, as a Catholic, Howard did not recognise the English monarch’s supremacy over the Church of England. He thus negated Knox’s concerns about female spiritual authority. Through analysis of the arguments in Knox’s The First Blast and Howard’s “A Dutifull Defence”, contextualisation of both works in early modern Catholic and Protestant resistance theories, and analysis specifically of the environment in which Howard wrote, I argue that Knox and Howard have opposing viewpoints on female monarchy not because of their opinions on sex but because of their religious beliefs. Though Knox and Howard wrote on the subject of female rule in early modern England, both are implicitly influenced by their environments which transcended their present moments and deeply affected how they each responded to queens occupying England’s regal space.

abstract: M.A.


title: The Order of Cybernetics: An Archaeology of User-Friendly Design

contributor:
Murakami Wood, David
Cultural Studies

subject: cybernetics poststructuralism anticapitalism metaphysics

abstract: This dissertation evaluates the concept of user-friendliness not only as a preeminent philosophy of software design, but as an integral element of the metaphysics of software and the very conceptualization of both cybernetics and digital computers as such. My analysis traces the reductive nature of user-friendly design and its politics of mimetically simulated conviviality and consequent instrumental occlusion to the earliest rhetorical arguments in favour of digital computation as a reliably universal means to model stochastic phenomena. It traces the implicitly reductive tendencies of cybernetic theory as an ontology and epistemology from the earliest intellectual history of digital computation through to its negotiation of early commercial markets and he effect that consumer and corporate demands have had on the valorization and formalization of increasingly user-friendly software designs. Especially attuned to the linkages between technology, culture, and intellectual history, this dissertation also demonstrates the conclusive links between this particular axiology of computer design and the rise in invasive, oppressive practices such as endemic mass and targeted surveillance via cybernetic technologies—a state of affairs which is mediated, aided, and abetted by the values of user-friendly design and the vicissitudes they beget.

abstract: PhD


title: The Academic Trajectory of Natalie Zemon Davis From 1955 to 2019

contributor:
Woolf, Daniel
History

subject:
Historiography
History
Social History
Cultural History
Women's History
Natalie Zemon Davis
Anthropology

abstract: This is a historiographical examination of Natalie Zemon Davis and her contribution to historical writing over the course of her academic career. I examine Davis’ body of work from her first published article as a graduate student in 1955 to her latest publication in 2019. Accompanying the examination of Davis’ trajectory as a scholar, this thesis will also include many moments of her personal life: her Jewish upbringing, marrying young, the seizure of her passport during the ‘Red Scare,’ political and social activism, and motherhood. These moments in Davis’ personal life influenced the scope and the subjects of her writing, and this correlation will be evident as this thesis moves throughout each decade of her life. In addition to her academic and private life, I place Davis within a broader context of the trends and transitions within the discipline of history itself, with a primary focus on the rise of social, women’s, cultural, and global history. This thesis closely follows the journey of how Davis began as a social historian of the printing industry, and of sixteenth-century Lyon, to an interdisciplinary scholar who is currently investigating Jewish slave ownership on the plantations of colonial Suriname.

abstract: M.A.


title: A Social Worth Framework of Perceived Persuasion: Understanding Consumers' Reactions to Feeling Targeted by Marketers' Persuasion Attempts

contributor:
Ashworth, Laurence
Business

subject:
Persuasion
Persuasion Knowledge
Consumer Behaviour
Marketing

abstract:
Consumers often react badly to marketers’ attempts to persuade them, demonstrating mostly negative attitudes towards salespeople, advertisements, and brands. Prior work typically attributes these reactions to inferences of persuasion motives (variously labelled ulterior motives, manipulative intent, and skepticism etc.). However, persuasion motives alone may not fully capture the reasons underlying consumers’ negative reactions to persuasion attempts.
This dissertation explores the possibility that one of the reasons consumers react badly to persuasion is because being the target of a persuasion attempt can convey threatening social information. Thus, persuasion attempts convey low social worth, or beliefs that the agent has a low opinion of the consumer. This work examines this novel explanation and outcome of perceived persuasion, suggesting that even innocuous tactics, such as providing a recommendation, can lower consumers’ social worth and undermine consumers’ reactions towards firms and salespeople.
Consistent with prior work, this dissertation suggests that perceiving a communication as persuasion is likely to activate consumers’ persuasion knowledge. However, this dissertation examines a series of nuanced inferences whereby consumers believe that the agent is attempting to induce the consumer to do something that serves the agent’s interests over those of the consumer, which conveys to consumers that the agent has a low opinion of them.
This dissertation provides evidence from eight studies to support the hypothesized social framework for consumers’ negative reactions to persuasion, and it provides theoretical and managerial implications for this new social process.

abstract: PhD


title: Special values of L-series, periodic coefficients and related themes

contributor:
Murty, Ram
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Dirichlet series
Transcendental number theory
Non-vanishing of L(1,f)
Elliptic functions
Special values of zeta-functions

abstract:
This thesis is centered around the theme of special values of L-functions and other infinite series, which are often expected to be transcendental numbers. More specifically, we focus on the following two questions in various scenarios: a) expressing the values in terms of certain special functions, b) determining their arithmetic nature (i.e., whether they are rational or irrational, algebraic or transcendental).
Motivated by the conjectures of S. Chowla and P. Erdos, we first study the L-series L(s,f) attached to a periodic arithmetical function f. Utilizing tools from transcendental number theory, we investigate the non-vanishing and the arithmetic nature of the values L(1,f) and L'(1,f). We introduce a probabilistic viewpoint towards the study of the values L(k,f) for any integer k greater than or equal to 1, especially in the case when f is an Erdos function.
On a related note, we explore the irrationality of the values of Dedekind zeta-functions at positive integers using elementary means. We also initiate the study of the sum over lattice points, of a rational function. This opens new doors for future research.

abstract: PhD


title: A high spatial resolution satellite remote sensing time series analysis of Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut (2004-2018)

contributor:
Treitz, Paul
Geography and Planning

subject: High Arctic

subject: IKONOS

subject: Worldview-2

subject: Worldview-3

subject: Climate Change

subject: Pseudoinvariant Feature

subject: Canada

subject: Braun-Blanquet

subject: Active Layer Detachment

subject: Remote Sensing

subject: Vegetation

subject: Time Series Analysis

abstract: Vegetation changes (i.e., areas of ‘greening’ and ‘browning’) have been observed in areas of the circumpolar Arctic due to changing Arctic climate. However, these changes have largely been reported based on coarse spatial resolution satellite data collected since the 1980’s. This study examines a shorter time series (2004-2018) of high spatial resolution satellite data (i.e., IKONOS and Worldview-2,3) to determine if changes in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) can be detected over a shorter time period at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO) located on Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada. Image data were first corrected to top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance and normalized for the time series analysis using the pseudo-invariant feature (PIF) method to minimize differences in sensor calibration, illumination, sun angle and atmospheric conditions. Local climate data were used to calculate growing degree days (base 5 °C, GDD(5)) and growing season length (GSL). These climate data were combined with percent vegetation cover (PVC) measurements to contextualize trends observed in the time series. NDVI values of different vegetation types (i.e., wet sedge, mesic tundra and polar semi-desert) and within active layer detachments (ALDs) were analyzed. NDVI showed similar patterns over time within the different vegetation types and across the ALDs. It was determined that there was no significant change in NDVI nor in GDD(5) over time. However, there were statistically significant (p < 0.05) relationships between the GDD(5) and NDVI for all vegetation types. ‘Upscaled’ 30 m data presented a very similar trend as the 2 m data analysis at the landscape and plot (1 ha) level, but was not suited to tracking change within the ALDs. Combining field measurements and high spatial resolution remote sensing data helps link observed trends in spectral vegetation indices with processes on the ground. It is anticipated that as longer time series of high spatial resolution remote sensing data and field measures become available, it will become more feasible to examine (and model) changes in biophysical variables associated with warming temperatures. The methods reported here address the challenges of integrating high spatial resolution satellite data from different satellite sensors in a time series analysis.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Electrification of home heating in Ontario with the air-source heat pump

contributor:
Jeswiet, Jacob
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

rights: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

subject:
Energy Conservation
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Residential Heating
Heat Pumps
Ontario

abstract:
Home heating is the primary energy end-use in Ontario homes. Consequently, it is also the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the residential sector, particularly because most homes in Ontario use fossil fuels to generate heat. The objective of this thesis is to investigate whether the air-source heat pump is a viable technology to allow the electrification of home heating in Ontario. At stake is considerable potential for energy conservation, reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and cost savings on home heating bills.
Chapter two presents a new system-dynamics-based method for predicting homeowners’ future adoption of heat pumps. Exploring two facets of the development of heat pump technology–low temperature operating limit and increasing coefficient of performance–we predict the extent of future adoption, and find little change is likely by 2025. The main mechanism affecting adoption is the change in operating cost due to technological advancements; however, the method applied in this research accommodates future work that includes other driving forces of adoption.
Chapter three examines the performance potentials for three different types of air-source heat pump: single-stage, variable-speed centrally ducted, and variable-speed ductless heat pumps. The last, and most expensive of these three types, realizes the greatest reductions in energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and heating costs.
Chapter four more closely examines the effects of several time-of-use pricing rate plans on heat pump use in cities in direct competition with natural gas forced-air heating. Homeowners could replace ageing central air conditioning units with single-stage heat pumps at an added cost of approximately $1000. Policymakers can choose rate plan price policies to significantly improve the economic feasibility of running a low-cost, low-performance heat pump, making widespread adoption more likely. Such policies could more than halve energy and greenhouse gas emissions, while saving homeowners hundreds of dollars per year.
Heat pump technology can benefit Ontario homeowners, and society at large, by providing a cost savings to the former and a reduction of energy use and greenhouse emissions for the latter.

abstract: PhD


title: Exploring Relationships Among Resilience, Engagement, Personality, and Performance in Teacher Education

contributor:
CHENG, LIYING
Education

subject:
Teacher Education
Preservice
Pre-Service
Resilience
Engagement
Teacher Engagement
Personality
Big Five
Big Five Personality
ETS
BRS
BFI-10
Performance
Practicum
GPA
Practicum Performance
Confidence
Preparedness

abstract: Preservice teachers are the future of education and at the pinnacle of contemporary pedagogical practices, which could potentially influence generations of children. Investigating the relationships among preservice teachers’ resilience, engagement, personality traits, and their practicum and coursework performance is critical as it provides rich data for how preservice teachers professionally develop and succeed at the onset of their careers. Resilience, the quality of bouncing back from adversity; engagement, linked to workplace success and burnout, as well as personality, a stable trait of human behavior, are informative and measurable constructs. Self-reported grades on campus and in practicum; as well as self-evaluation on teaching confidence and preparedness are performance metrics in relation to these three psychological constructs. This study administered a five-part 39-item questionnaire to two-cohorts of 139 preservice teachers, one cohort beginning, and the other finishing their teacher education program. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlation and regression analysis were completed. The results of this study indicated that engagement and two personality traits of conscientiousness and extraversion were significantly correlated and predicted four measures of performance. Although resilience was extracted as a single factor according to the BRS (Smith et al., 2008), this variable maintained no correlation to any of the four performance measures and negatively predicted self-evaluation of preparedness for teaching. Engagement was also extracted in a single factor, different from previous models using the ETS (Klassen, Yerdelen, & Durksen, 2013). Personality did not show any coherent factor structure in this study, and items were forced into respective personality factors according to previous work (Rammestedt & John, 2007). This study has important implications for teacher education and for teacher career onset and longevity.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: An Efficient Process for the Cu(0)-Catalyzed Controlled Radical Synthesis and Subsequent Chain Extension of Poly(Methyl Acrylate) Macroinitiator

contributor:
Hutchinson, Robin A.
Chemical Engineering

subject: Methyl acrylate

subject: SET-LRP

subject: Copper(0)

subject: Copper tube

subject: Copper mesh

subject: PGME

subject: 1-Methoxy 2-propanol

subject: low molecular weight poly(methyl acrylate)

subject: MBP

subject: EBiB

abstract:
Copper mediated polymerization is used to produce poly(methyl acrylate) with an average degree of polymerization of 10 (P(MA)10) and narrow distribution in both batch and continuous tubular reactors at ambient temperature. The resulting polymer solution could be stored for over a week while maintaining excellent activity as a macroinitiator for the further growth of poly(methyl
acrylate) chains in both batch and semi-batch reactor systems. Low dispersities were maintained during the chain-extensions, conducted at ambient temperature without addition of further copper to the system. The polymerizations were conducted in propylene glycol methyl ether, a common industrial solvent, with low levels of ascorbic acid added as a reducing agent for chain extension;
the best performance (>90% conversion with excellent control) was achieved when a fraction of the ascorbic acid was added to the reactor at the start of reaction, with the rest fed in a semi-batch fashion along with monomer. Semi-batch chain extensions of P(MA)10 with butyl acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGMEA), and butyl methacrylate as well as the ability to synthesis tri-block polymer were also demonstrated, as was the synthesis and subsequent chain extension of (PEGMEA)10. The combination of the tubular reactor to produce macroinitiator
and subsequent semi-batch chain extension is proposed as a versatile process to efficiently produce block copolymers at an industrial scale.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Diversity and function of the soil microbiome in a North American forest in response to Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) invasion.

contributor:
Colautti, Robert
Antunes, Pedro
Biology

subject: Soil Microbiome Ecology Invasion Metabarcoding

abstract: The disruption of soil microbial communities is thought to be a major contributor to the expansion of invasive plants. Previous research has focused on identifying how invasive plants change soil microbial diversity and composition. However, microbes with different functions vary in their response to environmental changes, which in turn can affect plant community composition and ecosystem function. Thus, it is important to recognize the different functional roles of genetically distinct microbe taxa to understand the impact of plant invasion on nutrient cycling and other ecosystem services. Alliaria petiolata is an invasive plant in North America from Eurasia that has the potential to negatively affect the beneficial mutualism between native plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) through the production of allelopathic compounds belowground. Despite mounting evidence for such an effect under controlled laboratory experiments, it is less clear if it persists under natural field conditions. Additionally, the potential effect of A. petiolata on non-mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria remains to be determined. Molecular tools have emerged that can both characterize the taxonomic diversity of soil microbiota and their functions to an unprecedented level of resolution. To investigate the effect of A. petiolata on the soil microbiome diversity and function I combined molecular and field data. I used high throughput sequencing of genomic DNA encoding for the ITS and 16S region of ribosomal RNA to determine impact of A. petiolata invasion on the structure of fungal and bacterial communities in field soils. Functions were assigned to the microbes that varied in their composition with invasion. I also measured root health of native plants co-occurring with A. petiolata to determine correlations between functional groups of soil microbial communities and plant health. Overall, my findings suggest that mycorrhizal suppression is not a particularly strong mechanism to explain the invasion success of A. petiolata. In fact, changes in AMF community composition do not persist under natural field conditions. Instead, my research provides evidence in favor of pathogen accumulation, with both changes in pathogen community composition and an increase in lesions associated with plants grown in A. petiolata invaded soils. Additionally, I showed that A. petiolata influences decomposer community composition, including ectomycorrhiza, and excludes nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Electromagnetically Navigated Forearm Fracture Plating

contributor:
Ellis, Randy
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Surgical navigation
Electromagnetic (EM) tracking
fracture plating
personalized guides
Radius

abstract:
Electromagnetic (EM) tracking is currently a feasible tracking modality to navigated surgical operations on delicate bone structures, but how accurate and consistent could the navigation be in the case of forearm fracture plating? Recent studies, on artificial models, that used tracked personalized guides showed accuracy that was comparable to optical tracking - the gold standard of surgical navigation in orthopedics.  This work explored whether electromagnetic tracking can fit a plate onto the human forearm with clinically acceptable accuracy and precision.

Tracked personalized guides were used to navigate eleven human forearm cadavers, demonstrating the consistency, accuracy, and reliability of EM based surgical navigation. Preoperative plans were made by a board certified surgeon for placement of two 2.25mm cortical screws along the mid-shaft in eleven soft-embalmed cadaveric upper extremity specimens for volar mid-shaft radius plating. Each tracked guide was calibrated, with errors measured as fiducial localization error between the calibration holes and an EM tracked probe. A resident surgeon drilled the eleven specimens, according to the preoperative plans, using EM navigation technology, in an environment that was included typical surgical instruments. Solid aluminum rods were placed in the screw holes for imaging contrast. Postoperative CT scans were acquired and segmented to compare drilling trajectories, manifested by the placement of the rods, to the preoperative plans. Positional and angular target registration errors were calculated between actual and planned placement locations for each specimen.  Visual inspection of plating quality was done by fitting a plate onto the drilled cadavers.

This work suggested that, in orthopedic surgical procedures where optical navigation systems cannot feasibly be used, EM navigation with precisely calibrated personalized guides may be an accurate and reliable alternative. EM navigation with personal guides shows promise towards surgical navigated fracture reduction.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Mindfulness, Self, and Society: Toward a Sociological Critique of Mindfulness- Based Interventions

contributor:
Murakami Wood, David
Sociology

subject:
Mindfulness
Self
symbolic interactionism
neoliberalism
Sociology

abstract: Initially introduced to the clinical literature in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness has continued to emerge as an empirically model of intervention used for addressing individual barriers ranging from psychological disorders, to a diverse set of chronic physical illnesses (Kabat-Zinn 1979, 1990, Walsh 1980, Shapiro 2009, Baer 2015). This method of intervention is presented as a viable directive in the face of unaffordable health-care costs all well as other issues of accessibility within the medical system. More recently, mindfulness-based smartphone apps have become a popular way for individuals to tap into this meditative tradition contributing to a multi-billion-dollar health and wellness enterprise. Despite the financial success and literature pointing to the quantitative efficacy of these apps, there is very little qualitative work which investigates precisely how these interventions are taken up and contextualized by the individual in everyday life. To develop a sociological critique of mindfulness is to ask what exactly is going on when we are to ‘direct’ our attention purposefully. Further, how can such a seemingly benign verbal cue to direct attention to something be so profound in the way that it shapes our subjective experiences? This project was designed to explore how mindfulness might be informing the ways in which individuals are constructing, understanding, and practicing self and selfhood in a contemporary neoliberal context - more specifically, I wanted to know how mindfulness may facilitate the emergence of a culture in which the therapeutic narratives of self- management have been placed at the core of personhood. To approach this task accordingly, this project situates the experiences of six users of the Headspace Mindfulness app within the sociological literature to better understand what sort of meaning-making is occurring through the use of mindfulness-based interventions.

abstract: M.A.


title: Separated Flows Over Non-slender Delta Wings

contributor:
Rival, David
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Separated Flows
Experimental Fluid Dynamics
Vortical Flows
Unsteady Aerodynamics

abstract: Wings with sweep are ubiquitous for engineering applications, and are observed in biology for swimmers and fliers alike. In particular, delta wings have wide ranging applicability arising from their low speed maneuvering characteristics, and favourable properties approaching the speed of sound. This thesis examines experimentally the flow separation over low-sweep angle or 'non-slender' delta wings, specifically focusing on the coherent vortices characteristic of such geometries. First, stereo particle image velocimetry and surface pressure are used to reconstruct the flow the over a delta wing at steady-state. Vortex tilting is revealed to play an important role in lift generation at angles of attack near maximum lift. Coherent structures absent from the literature are measured and described. Second, time-resolved planar particle image velocity, forces/moments and pressure are used to measure the dynamic-stall process during a streamwise gust. Separated flow near the wing apex is shown to reattach during the gust, resulting in lift enhancement. Strong favourable pressure gradients drive the flow to promote reattachment, even after the gust has terminated. Combining the steady-state and gust studies, the sensitivity of non-slender delta wings to gusts is shown to be dependent on the initial steady-state flow field. The steady-state flow structure remains coherent below maximum lift by means of vortex tilting, but fully separates along the span above maximum lift, causing bifurcation in gust response.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Developing a Pedagogy of Disjuncture: Attending to the Learner-Teacher at the Heart of Higher Education Teacher Devlopment

contributor:
Luce-Kapler, Rebecca
Education

subject:
Disjuncture
Higher Education
Faculty Development
Teacher Learning
3M Fellows
Identity

abstract:
This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the role of disjuncture in influencing teacher identity and practice in higher education. I adopted Peter Jarvis’ (2006) concept of disjuncture, a state whereby individuals experience a sense of unknowing or questioning generated from within and often prompted by their interactions in the social world. I examined the phenomenon of disjuncture from the perspective of ten 3M National Teaching Fellows from across Canada. The Fellows participated in individual and group interviews. They were asked to reflect on the emotions, cognitions, and actions they experienced during moments of disjuncture and together we interpreted how their teaching and identities changed as a result. Each Fellow’s disjuncture experience was contextualized in a short biographical narrative. The purpose of the narratives was to offer background on who they are as a learner and a teacher and to serve as fixed examples of the phenomenon of disjuncture.
	I analyzed the data using Jarvis’ theoretical learning framework, The Transformation of the Person through Learning, and focused on identifying the nature of Fellows’ learning from disjuncture. The nature of learning is described as the Fellows’ emotions, cognitions, actions during disjuncture and how their teaching and teacher identities changed as a result. The data are presented through four hermeneutic windows, which provide structure to describe these essential dimensions of learning from disjuncture.
	The findings indicated that using a scaffolded guided reflection process involving conversational prompts about episodes of disjuncture evoked reflection on and identification of shifts in both practice and teacher identity. The Fellows in this study described learning about students, learning about teaching, and learning about themselves as teachers. This study resulted in a modified definition of disjuncture called pedagogical disjuncture which better reflects the teacher and teaching experience. As a result of this study, I have integrated the findings into a discussion of the features of new pedagogy of disjuncture for teacher development that has both theoretical and practical applications in higher education. The study concludes with suggestions for future research that deepens our understanding of teacher development from learning perspective of teaching. Such research would ideally explore the centrality of learning in teachers’ experiences of teaching and teacher identity development.

abstract: PhD


title: The Nature of Education in an Open-Plan School: A contextualized account

contributor:
Reeve, Richard
Education

subject:
Education
Teaching
Open-Plan School
Composite Narrative
Case Study
Progressive Education

abstract:
The physical environment of schools has undergone a number of changes in recent years. Along with the increasing integration of digital technology in classrooms, schools today are being designed and constructed with fewer walls — opening classroom spaces with the intention of enhancing collaboration and student-centered teaching practice. This open-plan school design is predicated on a short-lived school design movement that emerged in the 1960s in North America. A multitude of challenges led to the eventual abandonment of this design. Today, optimistic school designers suggest technology and evolving teaching practices will allow for the success of open-plan schools. In addition, architects are including purpose-built specialty rooms (also known as flexible-use spaces, or sometimes makerspaces) that can be customized by the educators who use them.
       The purpose of this study is to characterize the contextual nature of teaching and learning in one newly constructed open-plan school so that recommendations can be provided about next steps in developing uses for these flexible-use rooms. A case study approach was taken and field observations, interviews with teachers, and focus groups with students from a Grade 3–5 community and a Grade 6–8 community were collected in this open-plan school. The three central questions that guided this exploration were: (1) What is the nature of teaching and learning taking place in this open-plan school? (2) What pedagogy do teachers enact in this open-plan school? (3) What pedagogical challenges exist in this open-plan school?
       The findings suggest the need for the careful consideration of teacher collaboration, student empowerment, the ongoing experimental nature of teaching practice, and the tensions that exist between progressive teaching practices and more traditional educational methods when designing uses for the flexible-use spaces that are being built into similar open-plan schools.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Ultra-tight GPS/INS Integrated System for Land Vehicle Navigation in Challenging Environments

contributor:
Noureldin, Aboelmagd
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
GPS
INS
RISS
Integration
MEMS
Denoising
Ultra-tight
Multi-path
Interference
Signal Tracking
Jamming

abstract:
The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have been commonly used for land
vehicle positioning and navigation applications. A typical example of GNSS is the
Global Positioning System (GPS). The GPS provides accurate navigation solution in
open sky. However, in some circumstances, such as urban areas, underpasses, tunnels,
and in the presence of signal jamming, GPS signals cannot be easily tracked since they
might be harshly attenuated or entirely blocked, potentially leading to loss of signal,
thereby requiring re-acquisition of the signal for the corresponding satellite. To avoid
the intensive computations necessary for the signal re-lock (i.e., signal re-acquisition
stage) in a GPS receiver, a robust signal-tracking mechanism that can hold and/or
rapidly re-lock on the signals and keep track of their dynamics is becoming necessary.
Additionally, the signal tracking process is where measurements are generated; thus,
it has a direct impact on the resultant navigation solution. This makes the choice of
a successful tracking method a crucial task in GPS receiver design. The significance
of research in this thesis is multi-fold. First, is the design and implementation of
a robust vector-based tracking system which furthermore required the realization of
a complete software-defined receiver (SDR). Second, the proposed tracking system
architecture was augmented with a reduced inertial navigation system (RISS) to produce
a new ultra-tight GPS/INS integrated system that further enhances a receivers tracking robustness and sensitivity in challenging scenarios. Third, this research also
presents a more computationally efficient inertial measurement unit (IMU) data de-noising
method. Last but not the least, this thesis also presents a novel GPS/INS
trajectory data simulation podium that can generate simulation data sets for all levels
of GPS/INS integration systems. This tool was successfully used to verify the operation
and performance of the newly implemented ultra-tight GPS/INS integrated
system. Results show a good performance of the implemented method(s) against
a commercial receiver and a reference solution. The software receiver approach has
been adopted as a platform for implementing the proposed algorithm(s); nevertheless,
the proposed methodology can be applied in conventional hardware receivers, as well.

abstract: PhD


title: From the Streets to the Tweets: Social Network Analysis of Canadian Street Gang Members and Their Use of Twitter, Facebook and Youtube

contributor:
Sytsma, Victoria
Sociology

subject:
Criminology
Social Media
Street Gangs
Network Analysis
Centrality Measures
Cyber-banging
Sociology
Content Analysis
Canadian Street Gangs
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Criminal research

abstract: In the last two decades, the use of social networking sites (SNS) has increased at an astounding rate. Research regarding street gangs’ use of social media generally suggests two assumptions: Firstly, street gang members have infiltrated SNS, and have transferred much of their gang culture from the real world to the virtual one—a process known as cyber-banging. Secondly, street gangs have begun using SNS to recruit potential members; a fear propagated by newspapers and police forces. While cyber-banging has be well documented, the same cannot be said about online recruitment. This study achieved two goals: firstly, using a similar keyword search to that which was utilised by Morselli & Décary-Hétu (2013) this study empirically illustrates the prevalence of cyber-banging and recruitment on SNS. To accomplish this goal, this study sampled 23 Twitter users and 36 Facebook users flagged as street gang members across Canada, along with 10 YouTube rap videos created by gang members. Secondly, using a network analysis add-on to Microsoft Excel called NodeXL, this essay employed social network analysis to test whether centrality measures can extrapolate gang roles within a gang member’s Twitter network. Using content analysis, the results demonstrated that the most prominent type of cyber-banging is content that promotes gang ideologies. The results also conclude that none of the content on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube can be considered proactive recruitment techniques. Regarding the second goal, using a combination of degree centrality, betweenness centrality and eigenvector centrality measures, results suggest many of the gang members are central in their network, but probably not gang leaders; while a look at the relationship between activity levels and number of followers on Twitter demonstrate four possible roles a SNS user has within his gang.

abstract: M.A.


title: Evolving Galactic Dynamos and Fits to the Reversing Rotation Measures in Edge-On Galaxies

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Dynamo
Galaxies
Magnetic Fields

abstract:
Rotation measure (RM) synthesis maps of NGC 4631 by Mora-Partiarroyo et al. (2018) show remarkable sign reversals on kpc scales as the distance from the minor axis increases in the northern halo of the galaxy.  RM maps for edge-on galaxies observed in the CHANG-ES sample were searched through and show that regular reversals in the sign of the RM seen in galaxies appears to be a common phenomenon.  These sign reversals can be naturally explained by a regular halo magnetic field  that is alternating its azimuthal direction on kpc scales in the galaxy.  This is a brand new phenomenon that has never before been observed in a galactic halo.  Evidence of magnetic fields showing both axisymmetric and bisymmetric symmetry is found in the data.

To explain this new phenomenon the dynamo equations are solved under the assumption of scale invariance and rotating logarithmic spiral solutions are searched for.  The model solutions are then compared to the observational RM map of NGC 4631 in order to draw conclusions on the type of field geometry likely found in the galactic halo.  Solutions for velocity fields that represent accretion onto the disk, outflow from the disk, and rotation-only in the disk are found that produce RM maps with reversing signs viewed edge-on.  Model RM maps are created for a variety of input parameters using a Faraday screen technique and are then scaled to match the amplitude of the observational maps.  Residual images are then made and compared with one another in order to determine the models that provide the best fit to the data.  Solutions for rotation-only, i.e. relative to a pattern uniform rotation,  did in general, not fit the observational map of NGC 4631 well.  Outflow models provided a reasonable fit to the magnetic field.  However, the best results for the region modelled in the northern halo are found using accretion models.  As there is abundant evidence for both winds and accretion in NGC 4631, this modelling technique has the potential to be able to distinguish between the dominant flows in galaxies.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Holotab: Design and Evaluation of Interaction Techniques for a Handheld 3D Light Field Display

contributor:
Stewart, James
Computing

subject:
light field
human computer interaction
3D display
autostereoscopic
path traversing

abstract:
Although the fundamentals of how humans perceive the world in 3D and the techniques used to implement 3D display devices have been discussed for over a century, humans still rely on 2D displays for interaction with almost every digital device. This implies that humans have been missing a significant amount of information when viewing content on conventional 2D displays.
This work presents the Holotab system, an interactive light field 3D display - an approach to make a glasses-free 3D light field display using a conventional 2D display and a lenticular sheet. The Holotab system uses 3D content encoded as streams of colour and depth information, then rendered using the Relief Mapping algorithm to ensure adequate performance for real-time applications.
An essential type of task in a virtual 3D environment is the ‘path traversing task’, which can be accomplished using a system where users leverage the kinematic chain to perform bimanual input. The users control the camera viewport using the Holotab, and to perform object manipulation using 3D printed tools in parallel. In this study, we found that the performance of our path traversing task depends on the width, the length, and the curvature of a path, regardless of the relative position between the Holotab and the tools.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Very High Efficiency Bridgeless Boost Totem-Pole PFC using Gallium Nitride HEMTs

contributor:
Liu, Yan-Fei
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
PFC
High Efficiency
AC-DC Converter
GaN
HEMT
Fast Voltage Loop
AC Current Spikes

abstract:
Data centers have become the backbone of the global economy. The electricity demand for data centers grew tremendously over the last ten years. U.S. data centers consumed 91 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2013 and are on track to consume 140 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually by 2020. AC – DC Rectifiers are the equipment to power the data centers. They convert the AC power from electric utilities into DC power with two power stages. The first stage is the PFC stage that converts the input 220V AC voltage into a 400V DC voltage. The second stage is the DC – DC stage that converts the 400V into 12V which is fed into the motherboard of the data center. Because of the huge electricity bill for the operating of data centers, very high efficiency AC – DC rectifiers are needed.
Existing PFC AC – DC converters use MOSFETs as switching devices. Innovations in MOSFET switches over the last three decades have enabled a steady improvement in power supply design. However, the performance of the MOSFET has reached its theoretical limits. GaN switching technology offers significantly better performance than that of MOSFETs. It grants the opportunity to improve the power density and efficiency of power supplies.
A Bridgeless Boost Totem-Pole PFC topology is selected and designed for maximum efficiency by utilizing GaN switches. Merits include: a custom wound inductor to aid in increasing overall efficiency, a detailed PCB layout for the GaN switches and their respective gate drivers, a high and low-side gate resistance analysis for the GaN switches to reduce the rise and fall time of the gate signals while mitigating the Miller Effect, current control of the synchronous MOSFETs to achieve ideal diode emulation, a soft-start function during the zero-crossings of the line voltage to reduce AC current spikes, a fast voltage control loop for better dynamic performance, and two heatsink designs to reduce GaN switch temperatures during high load operation. Mathematical analysis, simulation and hardware testing were done to verify the performance of the design. Start-up performance, dynamic step-load changes and steady-state performance via PF, THD and efficiency recordings over a range of loading conditions.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Poor Regional Cerebral Oxygenation During Critical Illness May Be Associated With Acute and Chronic Neurological Dysfunction

contributor:
Boyd, J. Gordon
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Cerebral Oxygenation
Near-infrared Spectroscopy
Critical Illness
KINARM
RBANS
Post-intensive Care Syndrome
Delirium
Long-term Outcomes

abstract:
Survivors of critical illness frequently exhibit acute (i.e., delirium) and chronic neurological complications. Intensive care unit prevalence of delirium is as high as 80% and has been associated with increased length of hospital stay, mortality, and long-term cognitive impairment. However, the underlying etiology of delirium, and long-term dysfunction, remains unknown but may be associated with cerebral ischemia.

A key element of resuscitation during critical illness is guided at assessing proxies of perfusion to maintain adequate oxygen delivery (e.g., renal perfusion is assessed by measuring urine output and serum creatinine). However, there is currently no well-defined surrogate of cerebral perfusion used in routine clinical practice. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive technique to quantify regional cerebral oxygenation (rSO2) that has been used for decades in the cardiac operating theatre and resulted in targeted algorithms to optimize rSO2. However, these algorithms do not exist during critical illness.

The primary objective of this thesis was to assess if low levels of rSO2 are associated with delirium. The subsequent chapters herein will demonstrate the feasibility of using NIRS to monitor rSO2 (e.g., did not interfere with patient care), which provided the infrastructure to conduct the CONFOCAL pilot that identified low rSO2 as an independent predictor of delirium. Additionally, the physiologic determinants of the rSO2 signal were assessed. This regression analysis accounted for a significant proportion of variance in the rSO2 signal (R2=.54), which was associated with age, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, hemoglobin, and heart rate. At 3- and 12-months, participants were primarily impaired in visuospatial/executive function, immediate, and delayed memory. Therefore, these findings support the hypothesis that low rSO2 is associated with delirium and suggest that optimizing rSO2 may offer promising avenues for future critical care practices to prevent delirium. However, the determinants of long-term impairment will need to be assessed.

abstract: PhD


title: Tribochemical Reactions of Thioketones: A First-Principle Molecular Dynamics Study

subject:
functional lubrication
high-pressure chemistry
first-principles molecular dynamics
Tribochemistry
Surface science

abstract:
The extreme conditions in between sliding surfaces promote chemical reactions known as tribochemical reactions. There are two types of tribochemical reaction in systems with lubricant inserted in between the surface layers. The first type is the reaction among the lubricant bulk molecules and the second are reactions between the lubricant molecule and the surfaces.  A class of tribochemical reactions which promote lubrication is known as functional lubrication.
In this dissertation, a systematic study of tribochemical reactions of Me(C=S)X molecules (X is -H, -CH3, -Cl, -F, -CF3 and -NH2) in between the layers of MgO are explored using the FPMD.  The objective is to understand how various functional groups affect both types of tribochemical reactions. Each type of tribochemical reaction required separate simulation models to decrease computational expenses.
The results of simulations in which systems of bulk Me(C=S)X molecules were compressed revealed that the first pressure-induced reaction was the dimerization through the formation of C-S bond between two monomer molecules. The pressures at which this reaction occurred was dependent on the functional group –X. The effect of the substituent on the dimerization pressure was established using the Energy Decomposition Analysis. Compression also resulted in oligomerization reaction through the formation of S-S bond.
The tribochemical reactions between Me(C=S)X molecules and surfaces were studied by compressing Me(C=S)X molecules inserted in between two layers of MgO. The results of simulations indicated that Me(C=S)X molecules form C-O or S-O bonds with the surface. The formed C-O and S-O bonds destabilized the cubic structure of MgO through the dissociation of Mg-O bonds.
Simulations of sliding surfaces were performed with Me(C=S)X inserted in between the MgO layers. The results of the simulations indicated that most tribochemical reactions of Me(C=S)X molecules inhibited sliding. Me(C=S)H and Me(C=S)Me molecules required additional larger scale simulation to determine their functional lubrication ability.

abstract: PhD


title: You Are Never Lonely With A Robot: A Qualitative Content Analysis on the Use of Anthropomorphic Technologies

contributor:
Murakami-Wood, David
Sociology

subject:
anthropomorphic
loneliness
technology
anthropomorphic technologies
non-human
robots
virtual reality
dating sims

abstract: Loneliness is understood as the perceived unmet desire for human attachment. In recent years, there has been a growing concern surrounding loneliness that has prompted many to consider ways to remedy the issue. Presently, there have been many developments in technology wherein there is a focus on creating human-like characteristics. Known as anthropomorphic technologies, their increasing capability of providing human-like functions, allow them to be suited to alleviate the issue of loneliness. This is a qualitative content analysis that considers whether or not these technologies are successful through various case studies. The case studies focus on social robots, dating sims, and virtual reality, and were chosen based on the likelihood of being able to replicate human attachment. Due to the nature of this study, there are several ethical and social implications surrounding the idea of the non-human that arise.

abstract: M.A.


title: Examining Predictors of Compassion Fatigue in Intensive Care Nurses

contributor:
Almost, Joan
Nursing

subject:
Compassion Fatigue
Intensive Care Nursing
ICU nurses
Burnout
Vicarious Trauma
post traumatic stress disorder
Secondary traumatic stress
secondary traumatic stress disorder

abstract:
Background:  Registered nurses (RN) working in intensive care units (ICU) care for some of the sickest patients with the highest acuity within hospital settings. Due to the nature of their work and proximity to patient trauma they are at risk for developing compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is defined as a secondary traumatic stress reaction which results from a deep involvement with a primarily traumatized person and is described as a work-related stress response in healthcare providers. Compassion fatigue negatively impacts nurses, patients, and organizations with significant implications for the nursing profession. Research focusing on the predictors of nurses’ compassion fatigue in ICUs is limited.
Purpose: To test a theoretical model examining selected predictors (exposure to patient suffering, nurses’ age, nurses’ years of experience in ICU, managerial support) of compassion fatigue in RNs working in ICU.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was conducted with a sample of 81 RNs working in an ICU in Southeastern Ontario. Participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire including demographic characteristics, Satisfaction with my Manager Scale, and Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale.
Results: Participants reported a moderate level of compassion fatigue with 48% reporting mild levels and 39% reporting high or severe levels. Testing of the theoretical model found 18% of the variance in participants’ compassion fatigue was explained by three predictors (exposure to patient suffering, nurses’ years of experience in ICU, managerial support). However, only managerial support was a significant predictor in the final model.
Conclusion: The major contribution of this study is the broadening of our understanding of nurses’ compassion fatigue in ICU. The study findings suggest that nurses working in ICU value managerial support to help minimize compassion fatigue. This includes managers being visible, consulting with staff, providing praise and recognition, and where able, being flexible with work schedules. Improving managerial support in  ICU environments may help nurses remain empathetic and provide compassionate care.

abstract: MNSc.


title: The Development and Use of a Formative Assessment and Feedback Process in Clinical Nursing Education

contributor:
Tregunno, Deborah
Nursing

subject:
Formative Assessment
Self-regulated learning
Nursing students
Clinical teacher effectiveness
Feedback

abstract:
Background: Nursing students’ ability to self-regulate their learning is critical to their future as practicing nurses. Clinical teachers are key to this development. Pedagogical strategies to support self-regulated learning (SRL) in clinical education have not been well researched, especially, the importance of clinical teacher provided formative assessment and feedback.
Objectives:
1.	To develop a model of SRL and teaching for use in clinical practice and demonstrate its potential to enhance clinical teacher effectiveness and student SRL.
2.	To assess the psychometric properties of  the modified Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) for use in nursing undergraduate clinical education.
3.	To develop and use theory-based formative assessment and feedback processes to support  effective clinical teaching and nursing student SRL in clinical practice.
Methods: Three interconnected research activities are reported. First, after reviewing existing SRL models, a SRL and teaching model for clinical education was developed. Second, MSLQ was modified to reflect self-regulated nursing students’ motivation and learning strategies in clinical practice education and then administered to third-year baccalaureate nursing students. Third, a formative assessment and feedback process developed and used with clinical teachers and third-year baccalaureate students in a clinical practicum course.
Results: The Clinical Education Double Loop SRL and Teaching Model was developed. As predicated the modified MSLQ constructs of motivation and learning strategy did not support the use of the scales within clinical practice education. Further modifications could render the MSLQ useful in assessing self-efficacy for learning, performance, and task value.  Clinical teacher and nursing student workload and lack of administrative support resulted in poor uptake of the formative assessment and feedback process. Despite this the participants’ qualitative reports indicated the importance of formative feedback for nursing students in clinical practice education.
Conclusion: The Clinical Education Double Loop SRL and Teaching Model illustrates the process of SRL for both nursing students and clinical teachers. The importance of formative assessment and feedback for the achievement of nurses’ learning outcomes are highlighted.  . However, innovation to change the process of formative assessment and feedback in clinical nursing education is challenging, and requires administrative support for a paradigm shift in nursing pedagogy.

abstract: PhD


title: Networks of Solidarity in Prison Writing: Facilitation of Critical Penal Discourse through the Kingston Prison for Women's Tightwire Publication

contributor:
Srivastava, Sarita
Sociology

subject:
prison
solidarity
social movements
indigenous women
the unfinished
prison abolition
abolition
canadian prisons
intersectionality
prison writing
p4w
Kingston prison for women
Tightwire
penal press
carceral power
groundless solidarity

abstract:
From the 1960’s-1990’s, prisoners in both North America and abroad published interconnected journals through the Penal Press. Under this umbrella of publications, the women sentenced to the Kingston Prison for Women (P4W), the only federal penitentiary for female prisoners from 1934-2000, produced Tightwire: an enduring legacy of their lived experiences of incarceration. Through a discourse analysis of Tightwire, this thesis examines the capacity of prison writing to facilitate critical penal discourse and to establish intersectional relationships of solidarity through collaborative understandings of carceral power.
Prison writing is discussed here using Mathiesen’s (1974) concept of the “Unfinished”, a contradictory and incomplete exemplar of political discourse. This term is used to describe the relationships among academics, activists, and prisoners prior to the 1970’s radical upheaval of Scandinavian prisons. Because of its ability to form these social connections and engage simultaneously with a multiplicity of potential solutions, the unbounded discourse found in prison writing represents an alternative to mainstream hegemonic crime rhetoric, while also averting state integration and cooptation.
Disseminated through the Penal Press, Tightwire establishes strong connections with the women’s movement, between prisoners, and with Indigenous resistance to colonialism. By privileging diverse voices of dissent, Tightwire is representative what Day (2005) describes as the groundless solidarity characteristic of new social movements. This solidarity is formed through a collective, discursive understanding of power relationships that reify penal institutions as the sole remedy to crime and violence. The gendered nature of penality that further entrenches racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, and ableist norms that permit social divisions under neoliberal capitalist nation state governance will be discussed at length.
Through the study of prison writing in general, and the profound solidarity evident in Tightwire specifically, it is possible to conceptualize of alternative responses to crime and violence. Prefigurative relationships of mutual support born of the discursive engagement in prison publications defy cultural assumptions about punitive responses to criminality; the networks of solidarity formed of the act and exchange of prison writing demonstrate the necessity of unconventional relationships for inciting changes in the political consciousness and public discourse on the cultural functions and implications of prisons.

abstract: M.A.


title: The Impact of a Pain Educational Intervention on Nursing Students' Knowledge, Attitudes and Self-Efficacy Regarding Pain Management

contributor:
Sawhney, Monakshi
Nursing

subject:
Pain
Nursing students
Pain education
Knowledge
Self-Efficacy

abstract:
Poor pain management may result from nurses’ lack of knowledge, or personal beliefs or attitudes, which may be partially attributed to their undergraduate education. Recent studies report that nursing students have inadequate knowledge regarding effective pain management, which may be related to inadequate preparation in nursing school. Improving pain knowledge is an important step for nursing students to optimize effective pain management practices during their education and when in clinical practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy in assessing and managing pain before and after participating in a pain educational intervention.
This study included a convenience sample of 21 undergraduate nursing students who were in the second year of the 4-year Baccalaureate program at Queen’s University. Consenting students completed the Knowledge, and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) and Nurses’ Self-Efficacy questionnaires prior to and after a pain educational intervention. The intervention consisted of a required textbook reading, a didactic learning and a self-directed online case study. The interactive online case study was developed by CASN and included information on pain assessment, substance misuse risk assessment, prescribing opioids, opioids tapering, and follow up and safety monitoring.
In this study, the students median score on the KASRP significantly improved after the pain education (Md = 26) compared to that before the intervention (Md = 24) (z = -2.66, p < .001). The median score on the self-efficacy scale was significantly higher following the educational program (Md = 12) versus before (Md = 8) (z = -3.64, p < .001). Students had difficulty answering questions related to pain pharmacology most often. Knowledge and the self-efficacy were not significantly correlated (P = .305, P = .359) before and after the intervention.
This didactic and online intervention was associated with an improvement in students’ knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy regarding pain management. Further research is needed to test this intervention with a larger sample in other programs in Ontario and Canada. Additionally, this information may be useful for nurse leaders and educators when they are developing pain assessment and management education or when planning clinical opportunities for students to acquire appropriate pain knowledge and attitudes.

abstract: MNSc.


title: School bus drivers’ perceptions of bullying on the bus: A mixed-methods study

contributor:
Bolden, Benjamin
Education

subject:
Bullying
Peer Victimization
School Bus
School Climate

abstract: Bullying is often overlooked on school buses, despite the fact that many students experience bus rides at the beginning and end of each school day.  Given that bus drivers are often tasked as the lone adult supervisors of these children, bus drivers’ observations and experiences regarding bullying have the potential to be useful in bullying prevention.  This research gathered data from bus drivers about the kinds of bullying drivers witnessed on their bus and how frequently; what strategies drivers used to address bullying; how drivers were supported in addressing bullying; and how drivers perceived their own preparedness for addressing bullying on the bus.  Data were collected using a sequential mixed-methods approach.  During the first phase, an online survey with closed and open-ended questions was distributed to bus drivers within a region in Southern Ontario spanning several school jurisdictions; 22 responded.  The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while thematic analysis was employed with the data from the open-ended questions.  Following the survey analysis, the second phase of the research entailed in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten bus drivers to explore their perceptions and experiences.  Findings indicated that 74% of the surveyed bus drivers experienced bullying, and drivers reported increased frequency and severity of bullying when school administration provided less support.  In addition, results offer descriptions of the nature of the bullying drivers observe on the bus, the strategies they use to address it, as well as drivers’ perceptions of their preparedness for, and how supported they feel in dealing with bullying.  Given the limited research in this area, the findings from this study make significant contributions to understanding bullying in school bus environments, as experienced by bus drivers.

abstract: M.Ed.