title: From Putrescence to Post-Mortem:  Aesthetic Transformations in Victorian Burial Reform

abstract:
During the last-half of the nineteenth-century, an entire regulatory and administrative apparatus developed throughout Britain to regulate burial grounds and corpses, and navigate the medico-administrative challenge presented by the legality of cremation. The dominant thesis in “deathway” scholarship claims that these transformations in burial management and towards the adoption of cremation are traceable to an over-arching sanitary discourse, which revealed the “intolerability” of urban churchyard burial. I offer a counter-thesis by instead engaging with the aesthetic dimension of reformist
discourse and the cultural transformations in Victorian culture relating to death. I suggest that the pursuit of a shifting ideal of the corpse oriented the way emerging knowledges and institutions considered it as an object of regulation.


title: Gold in the Chocó, Colombia

abstract:
This dissertation undertakes an ethnography of gold in the Chocó department of northwest Colombia. It answers this question: What is gold about if it is not just about gold? The dissertation does not offer one answer, but rather shows various ways to understand gold in the Chocó. It examines artisanal, small-scale, and large-scale gold mining to show gold is part of a fixed subsistence livelihood economy, a hustle—or rebusque—economy, and economic fictions on the frontier through money laundering and speculation via small-scale, and, tentatively, large-scale gold mining. Gold is the thread
that connects the dissertation’s discussion of artisanal mining and the subsistence livelihood practices of rural Afro-descendant people; mine talk and mine practice; the epistemological difficulty and ambiguities of knowing in context of conflict; the hustle of paisas, or white outsiders from other regions of Colombia; migration and displacement to and from the Chocó; frontiers, the state, and collective territory; small-scale gold mining and the hustle; gold and its role in money laundering; multinational mining corporations on collective territories; Afro-descendant organizations and the
process of prior consultation; speculation and money laundering; and the political and environmental effects of small-scale and artisanal mining for Afro-descendant communities. The dissertation explores gold from its material extraction in mining to its connections with different economies. Eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork, gold mining apprenticeship, and investigative analysis constitute the dissertation’s methods.


title: An Efficient RF Rectifier for Energy Harvesting Systems with Applications to Wireless Dosimetry

abstract:
This work presents both a system-level overview of a wireless RFID-based X-ray dosimeter tag and a design of the energy harvesting module. The dosimeter tag is estimated to consume 263.1 µW of power and is designed to operate at a distance of one metre away from a 2.45 GHz intentional RF power source. This source is harnessed by the energy harvesting module, which consists of a: dipole antenna, matching network, Dynamic Vth Cancellation (DVC) rectiﬁer, Smart Voltage Regulator (SVR), and oﬀ-chip ceramic capacitor. As part of the energy harvesting module, an RF rectiﬁer employing DVC was
designed and implemented in a commercial 0.13 µm CMOS process. Experimental measurements demonstrate that the design achieves a peak power conversion eﬃciency (PCE) of 49.7% at a power level of -12.0 dBm, an operational frequency of 2.45 GHz, and an output loading of 25 kΩ.


title: Linearity Improvement in Vernier Delay Chain Based Time Difference Amplifiers

abstract:
Time difference amplifiers are used in fluorescence experiments where the input
time differences are in picoseconds. The key challenge is to provide the linearity of
such amplifiers with sufficient gain over the required input range. This amplifier
has a gain greater than 2ps/ps, with the input ranging from 10 pS to 1000 pS. The
gain error is found to be less than 10% at a temperature of 25◦C , voltage range
of 800mV to 1.2 V. The overall power consumption from simulation is 4 mW.
This design uses differential signalling based architecture and is an open loop
system to realize these
specifications. Initially results of the design were verified
using simulation techniques and then the physical implementation was done resulting
in an integrated circuit that was fabricated and tested.


title: A Participationist Approach to Philosophical Anarchism

abstract:
Within political philosophy, philosophical anarchists have argued that states and their authority are illegitimate.  What this means is that political obligation is not morally sound, and that states do not possess a moral right to authority.  Various approaches to philosophical anarchism have been developed, all claiming to effectively demonstrate the illegitimacy of states.  However, upon closer analysis, some of the most influential philosophical anarchist arguments seem to be lacking in crucial respects, and as such, fail to demonstrate the illegitimacy of states.  These shortcomings,
however, do not entail that philosophical anarchism itself is necessarily false, only that current approaches fail to fully appreciate all of the relevant considerations when evaluating state legitimacy.  Participationism offers the philosophical anarchist with a means to effectively argue for the illegitimacy of states, while sharing none of the shortcomings of other approaches.  Developing and analyzing such an approach will be the goal of this thesis.


title: Self-Consciousness and The Self-As-Subject

abstract:
The overarching purpose of this project is to expand upon our understanding of the nature of self-consciousness. Specifically, I investigate our sense of self as a subject of experience, as one and the same experiencer extended over time. Conceptual inquiry and cognitive psychology studies are the primary means of investigation. I seek to fulfill two primary goals. First, I make the case for the distinction between consciousness of the self-as-subject (SAS) and self-as-object (SAO). I lay forth the conceptual foundations for this distinction and discuss the properties of SAS consciousness. I
also review empirical literature that reveals, intentionally or not, the importance of the distinction.
Second, after reviewing the present state of existing studies pertaining to SAS consciousness, I present a complete study and a preliminary study that I undertook to identify and investigate the mechanism responsible for the phenomenon. I examine the relationship between SAS consciousness and other cognitive faculties, specifically episodic memory and attention. I claim that episodic memory is dependent upon SAS consciousness, and that attention must be paid to self for episodic memory to
form. In the first study, I examine the effects of distraction on SAS consciousness in adult participants. In the second, preliminary study, I turn my attention to children, investigating how SAS consciousness develops in 3-5 year-olds, with respect to other aspects of self-consciousness.


title: The influence of eyewitness age, type of descriptor inconsistencies, and familiarity with defendant on mock jurors' perceptions of eyewitness testimony

abstract:
Eyewitness evidence can play a key role in juror decision making. This study
examines the influence of eyewitness age (10 vs. 20 years old), type of descriptor
inconsistencies (no descriptor inconsistencies, inconsistencies related to easy-to-change
‘non-permanent’ features or inconsistencies related to difficult-to-change, ‘permanent’
features), and familiarity with the defendant on participants acting as mock jurors’
assessments of eyewitness and defendant integrity, continuous guilt ratings, and
dichotomous verdicts. Participants were asked to read one of 12 versions of a
trial
transcript and then answered a self-report questionnaire. Eyewitness age did not have a
significant effect on any dependent variables. Familiarity had a marginal effect on guilt
assessments, both continuous and dichotomous. The presence of any descriptor
inconsistencies led jurors to believe the eyewitness more, defendant less, and assign more
guilt to the defendant. However, the type, i.e. non-permanent or permanent, did not
differentially impact assessments.


title: A Course for Victory:  Gender, Class and Nation Depicted Through Food in Chatelaine Magazine

abstract:
This thesis explores the Canadian experience of the Second World War on the home front through the discourse concerning food that appeared in Chatelaine magazine. It posits that the magazine’s food content variously constructed, defined and contested class and gender identities, and that the war years present an ideal opportunity for understanding how this process took place. Proof of this argument includes analysis of advertisements, recipes, editorial and advice columns, and government propaganda that appeared in the magazine. This weight of textual and illustrative material demonstrates
that during the war years an idealized depiction of women’s food roles arose that encouraged the adoption and performative reproduction of food habits most consistently defined by conspicuous production and conspicuous non-consumption. The magazine’s national reach made it the ideal medium for government and corporate actors to communicate to Canadians modern ideas about food that sought to destabilize culturally and geographically distinct local foodways.


title: Theta-Graphs and Other Constrained Spanners

abstract:
We provide improved upper bounds on the spanning ratio of various geometric graphs,
one of which being &theta;-graphs. Given a set of points in the plane, a &theta;-graph partitions
the plane around each vertex into m disjoint cones, each having aperture &theta; = 2&pi;/m,
and adds an edge to the `closest' vertex in each cone. We provide tight bounds on a
large number of these graphs, for different values of m, and improve the upper bounds
on the other &theta;-graphs.
We also study the ordered setting, where the &theta;-graph is build by inserting
vertices
one at a time and we consider only previously-inserted vertices when determining the
`closest' vertex in each cone. We improve some of the upper bounds in this setting, but
our main contribution is that we show that a number of &theta;-graphs that are spanners
in the unordered setting are not spanners in the ordered setting.
Our main topic, however, is the constrained setting: We introduce line segment
constraints that the edges of the graph are not allowed to cross and show that the
upper bounds shown for &theta;-graphs carry over to constrained
&theta;-graphs. We also construct
a bounded-degree plane spanner based on the constrained half-&theta;6-graph (the
constrained Delaunay graph whose empty convex shape is an equilateral triangle) and
we provide a local competitive routing algorithm for the constrained &theta;6-graph.
Next, we look at constrained Yao-graphs, which are comparable to constrained &theta;-
graphs, but use a different distance function, and show that these graphs are spanners.
Finally, we look at constrained generalized Delaunay graphs: Delaunay graphs
where the empty convex shape is not
necessarily a circle, but can be any convex
shape. We show that regardless of the convex shape, these graphs are connected,
plane spanners. We then proceed to improve the spanning ratio for a subclass of
these graphs, where the empty convex shape is an arbitrary rectangle.


title: Regulation of skeletal Muscle Glycolysis During Dehydration in the Aestivating African Clawed Frog, Xenopus Laevis

abstract:
Seasonally arid conditions trigger African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) to enter aestivation. This process includes whole body dehydration that at high levels can create hypoxic conditions due to impaired blood circulation and increase the need for glycolytic energy production. This thesis examines hexokinase (HK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) purified from skeletal muscle of control versus dehydrated (~30% body water lost) frogs. Studies analyzed substrate affinities, urea effects, thermal stability and protein posttranslational modifications (PTM) to understand how enzyme properties are
modified under dehydration stress. Muscle HK and LDH showed regulation by reversible protein phosphorylation and nitrosylation. These PTM’s correlated with reduced affinities for glucose by HK and lactate by LDH, overall lower Vmax for LDH in both directions, and altered thermal stabilities. The two enzymes responded to the same PTMs, which suggests that coordinated controls over these first and last enzymes of anaerobic glycolysis contribute to dehydration responsive pathway regulation.


title: Propaganda?  What Propaganda?:  Discourse, Identity, and Queer Activism in St. Petersburg, Russia

abstract:
In light of the ban on the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” in Russia, this thesis explores the queer activist movements in St-Petersburg. In its wake, emerging and new modes of activism have developed and the individuals participating in these campaigns present different ways of being active/activists in means both public and private, street and academic, local and global. This thesis examines two prominent spheres of activism, academic and street-based, and their shifting practices in light of the ban. Additionally, I examine the effects of the ban on queer subject and
identity making through a discussion of the various discourses (nationalist, moral, medical, global) that are present in their everyday lives. This focus demonstrates that despite the official bodies (state and church) attempting to delegitimize queer desires and subjects, queer activists are able to carve out spaces for themselves and continue to fashion a queer world of their own.


title: Characterizing the Distribution of Epistatic Effects Using A Sequence-Based Assay in Escherichia Coli

abstract:
Epistasis, the modification of the fitness effects of a mutation by other mutations, has important consequences for the trajectory of adaptive evolution and for the shape of the “adaptive landscape”. Nonetheless, the extent of epistasis, and the shape of the distribution of epistatic effects (DoEE), are poorly characterized. We developed a high-throughput method for describing the DoEE. A set of 4123 E. coli ORFs (the ASKA collection) was transformed into a strain bearing a common antibiotic resistance mutation, and into a wild-type strain. Upon induction of expression, the fitness of each
ORF was determined using a sequence-based assay, providing a rapid measure of background-dependent fitness effects for over 4000 constructs. 216 epistatic interactions were detected. Synthetic dosage lethal/sick interactions from the over-expression of yiaN and nfi  were validated using 24 hour growth curves, and may indicate that these genes are potential targets for drug design.


title: Flat, Frozen and Everlasting:  Cosmetic Surgery Abroad and the Production of Erotic Female Bodies in Neoliberal North America

abstract:
Cosmetic surgery abroad is a growing trend in North American society, as surgeons are offering increasingly competitive pricing in an international marketplace. This thesis examines the impact that these contemporary cosmetic surgery practices have in shaping a normative, heterosexual female identity that defines an erotic ideal female body in North American culture. An overarching neoliberal strategy that establishes the female body as requiring work through consumption practices is rendered visible through language, and informs women’s understanding of everyday life in bodies that will be
inevitably transformed by aging or pregnancy. The ideal erotic female body that is linked to ideas of youthfulness and happiness provides a medium for analyzing the moralized, implicit aspects of gender performances that may be localized on the female body and its symbolic meaning within cosmetic surgery practices. A qualitative analysis of online blogs written by North American women were analyzed.


title: Moving Beyond Betrayal: How Meaning-Making and Power Promote Forgiveness Following Infidelity

abstract:
The current research sought to better understand how forgiveness may be fostered following infidelity. To do so, participants completed questionnaires assessing meaning-making and forgiveness.  In Study 1 (N = 330), results revealed that people who found meaning in their experience of infidelity were more willing to forgive their romantic partner than people who were not able to find meaning. This effect was moderated by relationship status. Meaning only predicted forgiveness for those who remained in the relationship post-infidelity. Study 2 (N = 67) was a conceptual replication of Study 1,
however, participants’ perceived power in their relationship and attributions for the unfaithful behaviour were also assessed as possible mediating mechanisms. Once again, people who remained in the relationship were more forgiving of the infidelity when they found meaning. Attributions for the unfaithful behaviour did not mediate this effect, but as predicted, perceived relationship power did – meaning increased perceived power, which increased forgiveness. To assess the causal direction of the observed effects, I attempted to manipulate meaning (Study 3; N = 104) and relationship power
(Study 4; N = 113). The extent to which participants reported finding meaning and having power within their relationship was positively associated with forgiveness. However, neither of the manipulations was effective. It was determined that meaning and power might not be easily manipulated after someone has experienced infidelity. As such, in Study 5 (N = 225) a hypothetical scenario was used to manipulate meaning and power (i.e., participants who were in a relationship were asked to imagine that their partner committed infidelity). Both manipulations were successful. People in the meaning
found condition reported greater forgiveness than people in the no meaning condition. People in the high power condition expressed greater forgiveness forgive than people in the low power condition. However, meaning and power did not interact to predict forgiveness. Results of the current research suggest that meaning and power are each unique predictors of forgiveness in the aftermath of infidelity. The implications for individual recovery and relationship repair following infidelity, as well as future directions for research are discussed.


title: Development of a Fatigue Damage Propagation Model for Fibre Metal Laminates with Locally Tailored Fibre Layers

abstract:
The goal of this project was to develop, implement, validate, and verify a simple analytical model for crack propagation within an FML with non-uniform stiffness, with principal focus on GLARE. The motivation for this research lies in expanding existing research on local substitution of glass/epoxy fibre with stiffer carbon/epoxy material. It was found that this local stiffness modification can act as a crack arresting feature - as such, characterization of the exact behaviour would be quite useful in future applications.
The model presented in this thesis was implemented in the MATLAB™
environment and is based on previous analytical work by Alderliesten. Experimental validation and verification of the model showed good correlation between measured and predicted strains in the fibre and metal layers, good correlation between measured and predicted fatigue crack growth rates, and accurate prediction of the delamination shape close to the crack tip.


title: Ossature: Bone Remodeling as a Generative Structuring Process in Architecture

abstract:
There is an inherent and complex interrelationship between material, structure and form that exists in nature, whereby each informs the other through a dynamic process. In nature, form is not imposed; instead it emerges as an expression and articulation of dynamic material responses to environmental stresses and circumstances. I propose looking at this responsive form generation as a model for developing architectural structures.
Specifically, this thesis proposes looking at bone tissue remodeling as a new generative process for structure in architecture. Bone tissue becomes highly optimized
by the self-organizing and remodeling of its structure in response to loads; creating a complex structure that is both high in strength and low in weight. Its shape is directly informed by the forces acting upon and within it; material and structure are distributed along stress paths three dimensionally.
The objective of this research will be to examine the feasibility of utilizing bone remodeling algorithms as a generative design tool in the development of structures in architecture.


title: The Role of Individual Differences in Attention and Working-Memory in Learning a Nonnative Phoneme Category

abstract:
Speech perception is characterized by categorical perception of phonemes.  Certain speech sounds varying along the continuous  acoustic dimension known as voice onset time (VOT) are perceived as either voiced /b/ or unvoiced /p/ phonemes by English listeners.  A third VOT prevoiced /ph/ phoneme category is used in Thai and is indistinct from the /b/ category in English.  Some listeners can learn to perceive speech sounds belonging this third VOT category with a small amount of training.  The cognitive mechanisms underlying the variation in individualsʼ ability to perceive the prevoiced /ph/
phoneme are not well understood.  The current experiment investigated the role of attention and working-memory in facilitating listeners’ ability to learn to perceive the prevoiced /ph/ phoneme.  A consistent  relationship between attentional and working-memory measures and prevoiced perceptual learning was not found.  Musical ability was a good predictor of performance on a prevoiced phoneme identification task.


title: Ears Wide Shut: Headphones and Moral Design

abstract:
Over the last thirty-five years, headphones have been linked to a range of worrisome listening trends: from ostensibly encouraging antisocial behaviour, to putting listeners at risk of permanent hearing loss, to increasing otherwise avoidable pedestrian injuries and deaths. Efforts to address these issues have typically fallen into one of two categories. One approach has been to lobby for the strict regulation or banning of headphones in environments where they might pose a heightened risk. A second approach has been to advocate better public education on the potential dangers involved. Yet
neither approach — blaming technology or blaming behaviour — has been particularly effective in developing long-term solutions to these problems. According to recent studies, instances of headphone-relating hearing loss and pedestrian accidents continue to be on the rise, and the cultural stereotype of headphone listening as a quintessentially “antisocial” listening practice remains as strong as ever.
Drawing on Peter-Paul Verbeek’s (2005; 2006; 2011) post-humanist moral philosophy of technology, this dissertation develops a different framework: namely, a design-oriented approach to what
I call “the moral problem of headphones.” My premise is that in order to address the problem of headphones in a meaningful way we must begin, not by isolating technology or behaviour and treating them as underlying “causes,” but by forging a deeper understanding of how headphone-related devices, listening strategies, and moral values are mutually shaped. By examining three historical moments in which headphones took on clear moral significance — (1) the introduction of broadcast radio in the 1920s, (2) the proliferation of television and hi-fi in the 1950s and 1960s, and (3) the rise of the
“personal stereo” in the early 1980s — this thesis demonstrates that headphone-related technologies, listening practices, and moralities are not immutable but have changed over time. It does so in service of a greater argument that our ability to make headphone listening safer and more responsible depends not on our ability to commit more strongly to, or oscillate more freely between, “bad technology” and “bad behaviour” perspectives, but to better engineer good headphone–listener “relations” through smarter moral design.


title: A Petrographic, Geochemical and Isotopic Study of the 780 Ma Gunbarrel Large Igneous Province, Western North America

abstract:
On the western margin of North America lie dykes, sills and volcanic rocks which define a magmatic episode at 780 Ma. These units are collectively termed the Gunbarrel Large Igneous Province (LIP) and share remarkably similar petrographical, geochemical and isotopic signatures indicating a single homogeneous source. The Irene and Huckleberry metavolcanic rocks of Washington State were correlated to the Gunbarrel LIP based on similar ages, but were found to not be related based on geochemistry and isotopic analysis. The timing of the Gunbarrel LIP coincides with the break-up of Rodinia, and
Gunbarrel samples were compared to coeval magmatism from South China to test the “Missing Link” reconstruction model. While some mafic dykes have similar Nd isotopic ratios, no definitive correlations could be found between the different magmatic events. Finally, LIPs play a key role in housing various economic deposits and the Gunbarrel magmas show potential for being a Ni-Cu-PGE target.


title: It Takes Two to Tango: Investigating the Relationship between Ghrelin and Endocannabinoids within the Ventral Tegmental Area with Regards to Feeding

abstract:
Ghrelin is a hormone that targets the brain to increase food intake and energy balance.
Recent evidence suggests that ghrelin increases appetite in part by acting on growth hormone
secretagogue receptors (GHSR) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a brain region associated
with reward seeking behaviors. The ability of ghrelin to induce appetite is reminiscent of the
appetite inducing effects of endogenous cannabinoids (CBs). Interestingly, ghrelin’s ability to
stimulate feeding within the hypothalamus is dependent on a functional CB system within this
region. In the present thesis we
hypothesized that ghrelin and CB systems work in tandem
within the VTA to stimulate feeding. Here we showed that ghrelin significantly increased food
intake (p < .05) when directly microinjected into the VTA of rats. Furthermore, we
demonstrated that this corresponding increase in food intake depended on a functional
endocannabinoid system as peripheral pre-treatment with a selective CB-1 receptor (CB-1R)
antagonist (i.e. rimonabant) completely attenuated this increase in food intake to control rat
levels. Furthermore, we also demonstrated via reverse transcription quantitative
polymerase
chain reaction (RT-qPCR) experiments that CB-1R mRNA expression is significantly lower in the
VTA but enhanced in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of GHSR knock-out (GHSR KO) relative to wildtype
(WT) rats (p < .05). Together, these data provide evidence that ghrelin targets the VTA to
increase food intake through a mechanism that requires a functional endocannabinoid system.


title: Socioeconomic Neurogradients of Attention: An ERP Study

abstract:
This study examined children’s socioeconomic neurogradients of selective attention. Indices of contextual socioeconomic family status (SES) and early development experience, the Early Development Instrument (EDI), were related to behavioural and neural correlates of an auditory oddball task in a sample including 52 preadolescent children (Aged 12-14 years) stratified according to SES: High (n = 14), Middle (n = 20), and Low (n = 18). Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while children were asked to emit or withhold response to a series of rare/frequent and target/distracter tones.
Despite SES-dependent differences in midline ERPs, children from the High- and Low-SES showed similar behavioural patterns with high performance. However, the Mid-SES group showed a markedly different performance pattern than their High-SES counterpart, correlated with differences in both ERP and EDI measurements. Confirming the joint role of SES and early childhood, these findings further our understanding of neuroimaging data across diverse experiential developmental contexts.


title: Sensitivity and Distortion Studies of Positron Emission Trancking System (PeTrack)

abstract:
Positron Emission Tracking (PeTrack) is a new real-time 3D tracking technique. The project studied the sensitivity and distortion of the PeTrack system with four different detector field of view (FOV) configurations using Monte-Carlo simulation software (GATE). The simulation studies demonstrated the clear boundaries for FOV and also revealed a local distortion up to 1 mm for PeTrack. The simulation also showed that the detector misalignment could introduce the distortion to the system.  The results of simulations lead us to calibrate the PeTrack system to obtain the global scaling factors.
However, since PeTrack has a non-uniform distortion across FOV, the global scaling factors were helpful to only some extent. The value of calculated average error after global scaling correction is less than 1 mm. The PeTrack system is also co-registered with an x-ray imaging C-arm to evaluate the tracking performance.


title: Urban Suburban:  Redefining the Suburban Shopping Centre and the Search for a Sense of Place

abstract:
In today’s suburban condition, the shopping centre has become a significant destination for many. Not only a space for ‘purchasing’, the shopping centre has become a place to shop, a place to eat, a place to meet, a place to exercise – a social space. Today, suburban malls, which were once successful in serving their suburban communities, are on the decline. Malls are suffering financially as stores close and the community no longer has reason to attend these dying monoliths – it is with this that the mall eventually has no choice but to close. What if a declining mall could be re-defined to
enhance the community it stands within by reimagining the shopping mall? Are there possibilities for a reimagined shopping centre – possibilities that will resist the single minded consumerist approach and will (through other means) instill a sense of place within the community it stands?


title: The Lines of Concession 9 Part Lot 5: An Imagined Architectural Project on the Skootamatta River

abstract:
This thesis attempts to understand ‘lines’; lines on a specific site (site-lines) and how the
architect responds and reads those ‘sight-lines’. Even those lines that are visible but not
seen, due to their ubiquity or our habitude. Lines that may seem permanent, transient,
seasonal, narrative, temporary or metaphysical.
The site is to be found on the Skootamatta River in the township of Elzevir in the
Province of Ontario, Canada. The plot of land can be seen from that impossible view,
bird’s eye, as a slightly irregular rectangular patch in a quilt of others seemingly just like
it. On the
official land registry map it is called Concession 9 part Lot 5.
This thesis will investigate the types of lines found on Concession 9 part Lot 5 to inform
a reading of the site that provides the architect with considerations of the land beyond
that of the objective survey that is often preliminary to design. The resultant ‘maps of
consideration’ are made of the layers of lines and will influence the design and build of a
small intervention where the invited and uninvited may retreat to share their stories if
they are moved to do so.


title: A Synaptic and Systems Level Investigation of Memory Processes Using a Novel Multiple Memory Behavioural Procedure

abstract: It is proposed that memories stabilize through synaptic and systems level consol- idation processes, forming long-lasting memory representations. Systems con- solidation models suggest that hippocampal contribution to memory storage dis- engages as time progresses, while ensembles of cortical neurons are proposed to form increasingly strong connections that store and represent remote memories as consolidation proceeds. Investigations into memory representations highlight discrepancies between the involvement of a cortical region in remote memory processes, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and the hippocampus. The present thesis introduces a novel behavioural procedure that examines the ef- fect of increased processing demands on the hippocampus and the consequent effect on memory consolidation, storage and retrieval. Rats were trained on a single spatial task, two different spatial tasks, or one spatial and one non-spatial task. Regional involvement of the hippocampus and the ACC during retrieval were examined using immediate early genes and proteins of interest. Structural modifications in memory storage were examined using the Golgi-Cox method and quantification of dendritic complexity was an- alyzed through neuron reconstruction. The contribution of the ACC to spatial memory retrieval was assessed through behavioural performance and transient ACC pharmacological inactivation. The present thesis provides evidence that increased demand on the hip- pocampus results in accelerated processing of spatial memories. Findings show that the involvement of the ACC in memory processing can be manipulated by increasing hippocampal-processing demand. Functional, structural and be- havioral data suggest that taxing the demand on the hippocampus accelerates the involvement of the ACC. There is also evidence of continued hippocampal involvement in memory processes at recent and remote time points. Taken to- gether, these findings indicate an increased recruitment of the ACC, but not an accelerated independence from the hippocampus, in spatial memory processes. The use of a novel behavioral procedure aimed at increasing hippocampal- demand can reveal processes more similar to those present in the human con- dition, where there is a constant demand on memory systems. The novelty of the findings presented in this thesis will further our understanding of remote memory.


title: Mapping the Liberal Impulse:  The Primacy of Cartography in the Hudson's Bay Company's Imperial Project, 1749-1857

abstract:
This thesis presents three case studies that illustrate the nature of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s (HBC) imperial project and how it was guided by liberal impulses and a desire to attain geographic knowledge.  There is a specific focus on how spaces were mapped, conceptualized, and rationalized from native, to fur trade, and finally as settler space. Emphasizing the early surveying projects of the interior of Rupert’s Land (1749-1805), the establishment of the Red River Settlement (1804-1820), and the 1857 British Parliamentary Inquiry of the HBC, this thesis argues that the desire to seek
geographical knowledge was born from an enlightenment yearning to advance scientific understanding of geography through cartography, but was ultimately advanced by the HBC as a means to make the spaces of their imperium into ones that were secure, rational, and governable. Map-making projects both defined and ultimately ended HBC’s imperium in Rupert’s Land.


title: Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Carbohydrate Metabolism During Mammalian Hibernation

abstract:
Thirteen-lined (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) and Richardson’s (Urocitellus richardsonii) ground squirrels survive harsh winter conditions by entering hibernation, spending the majority of their time in a state of torpor, where metabolic functions are strongly suppressed and reprioritized to ensure long term survival.  This thesis analyzed biochemical controls on carbohydrate metabolism during hibernation by characterizing the regulation of crucial enzymes of the glycolytic and gluconeogenic pathways: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), pyruvate kinase (PK), and
fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase).  Important signal transduction enzymes regulating carbohydrate metabolism were also evaluated: protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3). The state of glycolysis in ground squirrel skeletal muscle was assessed by characterizing the bifunctional enzyme GAPDH and the terminal enzyme PK.  Results showed that muscle GAPDH and PK activities were substantially suppressed during torpor.  PK suppression was linked to reversible serine/threonine phosphorylation. GAPDH regulation was more complex with activity potentially mediated by one
or more posttranslational modifications including acetylation, methylation and phosphorylation, as identified through mass spectrometry and Western blot analyses.  The gluconeogenic state of muscle was assessed by characterizing FBPase as well as GAPDH operation in its gluconeogenic direction.  In both cases, results indicated reductions in gluconeogenic function during torpor.  Suppressed FBPase activity (i.e. decreased Vmax, increased Km F1,6P2) was  linked with an increase in FBPase phosphorylation and allosteric controls by AMP and F2,6P2. Analysis of PP2A catalytic subunit showed that
elevated phosphorylation at tyrosine307 accompanied a significant increase in Km peptide, indicating reduced activity of PP2A during torpor.  This was corroborated by computational analysis of tyrosine307 phosphorylation effects on substrate binding. Skeletal muscle GSK3 activity also decreased during torpor associated with enhanced GSK3 phosphorylation at serine9.  However, the principal substrate of GSK3, glycogen synthase, showed increased phosphorylation suggesting that a different protein kinase was responsible for its control during torpor. Taken together these studies suggest that
skeletal muscle glycolysis and gluconeogenesis are suppressed during ground squirrel torpor via posttranslational modification and regulation of key enzymes.  Reversible controls over glycolytic and gluconeogenic enzymes would allow for the quick reactivation of muscle metabolism to support shivering thermogenesis and a return to normal euthermic function during arousal.


title: From Change to Stability: An Evaluation of Change and Performance at Canada's Office of the Auditor General

abstract:
Through its audits and recommendations, Canada’s Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has promoted financial probity and good governance for over a century. While the OAG’s recommendations may possess an inherent value, their full value is realized only through their implementation by government. By investigating OAG recommendation implementation rates, and the OAG’s interaction with Parliament, this thesis evaluates recent performance at the OAG.
Two research questions are considered: first, has OAG performance changed since 1993; and second, have its interactions with Parliament and
government changed over the same period? Have changes in interaction between the OAG and Parliament affected the former’s work, or the latter’s investigation of the OAG’s findings?
The OAG’s performance is considered from various angles, including an assessment of OAG data to quantify recommendation implementation rates and interactions with Parliament over time. Numerous stakeholder interviews are also utilized to provide a well-rounded qualitative perspective on these questions.


title: Two Wars, Two Narratives:  A Comparative Study of AP's Coverage of 1982 and 2006 Israel-Lebanon Conflicts

abstract:
This thesis investigates how coverage of Western mainstream media, with a focus on The Associated Press news agency, changed over more than two decades by studying and comparing reporting of two Israeli wars on Lebanon: in 1982 and 2006. The two wars represent a microcosm of media coverage of the conflicts between the same two countries decades apart. Israel's effective use of public relations campaign to regain its reputation in the international mainstream media following its 1982 invasion of Lebanon and following the massacre of Palestinian refugees there, coupled with America’s
post-9/11 “war on terror” narrative are at the center of the evolution of media coverage of the Middle East and conflicts there, including the 2006 war.


title: The Effects of Diaphragm Flexibility on the Seismic Response of One-Storey Steel Buildings

abstract:
The response of single-storey buildings to earthquakes is strongly influenced by the flexibility of the diaphragm. Flexibility increases the period of the building, magnifies the ductility demand on the lateral load resisting system (LLRS), and changes the manner in which the inertia forces are distributed along the length of the diaphragm. These effects are influenced by the manner in which the LLRS responds. In particular, pinched hysteretic behaviour of steel braces can lead to a further increase in the ductility demand on the LLRS.
An analytical study is carried out to examine the
various influences of diaphragm flexibility. The study improves on previously suggested methods for finding an appropriate force reduction factor for the seismic design of LLRS. The magnification in bending moment and shear force is investigated. Finally, the effects of the nonlinearity of the diaphragm on the response of the system and the design approaches are studied.


title: The Effect of Typical and Atypical Antipsychotics on the MK-801 Induced Deficit in Behavioural Inhibition

abstract:
The non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist (+)-5-methyl-10, 11-dihydro-
5H-dibenzo [a, d,] cyclohepten-5-10-imine maleate (MK-801) has been shown to produce
deficits in behavioral inhibition measured as the lack of extinction during operant
procedures. As such, MK-801 has the potential to be used as a preclinical animal model
of cognitive deficits that arise in schizophrenia. The present thesis sought to explore if
typical and/or atypical antipsychotics have the ability to reverse deficits in behavioral
inhibition (lack of extinction) seen following MK-801 administration. In
addition,
immunohistochemical labeling of pERK1/2 in the infralimbic cortex (IL) was examined
after extinction lever pressing to determine the importance of the IL in mediating these
behavioral changes. A dose-response curve revealed an extinction deficit following
administration of 0.1 mg/kg of MK-801. The 0.1 mg/kg dose of MK-801 was also
associated with a decrease in IL pERK1/2 labeling. Administration of the typical
antipsychotic, Flupenthixol, did alter MK-801 effects on extinction bar pressing at the
0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg doses. The highest dose of Flupenthixol also increased
pERK1/2
labeling compared to MK-801 administration on its own. Administration of the
atypical antipsychotic Clozapine did not alter extinction pressing following MK-801 and
did not alter pERK1/2 labeling. Aripiprazole, given at 1 mg/kg, decreased MK-801
induced bar pressing to that of the saline control group but there were no differences in
pERK1/2 labeling in the IL. The data suggest that MK-801 does induce deficits in
behavior inhibition that may be dependent on dopamine neurotransmission. The
increased pERK1/2 labeling in the IL following administration of 0.5 mg/kg of
Flupenthixol highlights the
importance of the IL in extinction learning. However, the IL
is unlikely to be solely responsible for extinction learning as the 0.25 mg/kg dose of
Flupenthixol and the 1 mg/kg dose of Aripiprazole decreased non-rewarded operant
responding following MK-801 but did not alter IL pERK1/2 labeling.


title: A Process for the Design and Manufacture of Propellers for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

abstract: The objective of this research was to develop a process for the design and manufacture of mission- and aircraft-specific propellers for small unmanned aerial vehicles. This objective was met by creating a computer program to design a propeller that meets user-defined aircraft performance requirements within the limitations of the motor, material, and manufacturing methods. The use of additive manufacturing (3D printing) in making flightworthy propellers was explored through material testing and by manufacturing trials. By testing the propellers in simulated flight conditions, it was found that the propellers generated nearly the expected design thrust, but a series of manufacturing and instrumentation issues prevented a complete evaluation of their performance. Testing was sufficient to demonstrate the feasibility of flightworthy propellers produced through additive manufacturing. Future work for the further development of the design program was also outlined.


title: Seamless Live Virtual Machine Migration for Cloudlet Users with Multipath TCP

abstract:
Virtual machine (VM) based cloudlets are used in a cloud computing system to enhance the performance of resource-intensive applications. After a mobile device (MD) discovers a cloudlet in a vicinity, it takes a service initiation time (Ts) to setup a VM inside the cloudlet before data offloading from the MD to the VM starts. When more than one cloudlets are presented in a nearby geographical location, initiating a service with each cloudlets may be frustrating for the cloudlet users who change location frequently. In order to eliminate the delay caused by the Ts after the first cloudlet, this
thesis proposes a seamless live VM migration between the neighbour cloudlet where the seamlessness is achieved by multipath TCP (MPTCP). In addition to MPTCP, the prior network configuration of the migrating VM with the destination network information helps to achieve a zero network downtime at the destination cloudlet after migration is completed.


title: Helping Nature: The Impact of Exposure to Nature on Prosociality and Sustainability

abstract:
The biophilia hypothesis states that humans have an innate need to connect with nature because it was evolutionarily adaptive for our survival. Research shows that nature exposure provides many physical and psychological benefits, and that nature relatedness is positively associated with environmentalism and well-being. Preliminary evidence suggests that nature exposure may also be linked to increased prosociality and sustainable behaviours. Study 1 found that viewing videos of pleasant and unpleasant nature had a similar positive impact on connectedness to nature, concern for others, and
willingness to engage in proenvironmental behaviours. In contrast, participants exposed to nature in Study 2 were less likely to volunteer to help someone and results concerning interest in sustainability were inconclusive. Multiple methodological and theoretical explanations were discussed to account for these ambiguous findings. Meta-analyses
 of relevant studies suggested that, on average, nature exposure does cause increased prosociality and sustainability.


title: Celebrity, Sex, Fashion ... and Feminism?: Exploring the Relationship Between Popular Feminist Media Blogs and Perceptions of Feminism

abstract: This thesis explores the intersections of online media and popular feminist discourse by looking at how young women perceive feminism and are engaging with feminist media blogs - that is, blogs with a focus on women-positive and feminist perspectives that challenge narrow mainstream media messages. Employing a qualitative methodology, this thesis investigates the subjective experiences of young women (18 and 19 years old) who read, and engage with, online feminist media blogs including: Jezebel, Feministing, Racialicious, Ms. Magazine and Bitch Media.


title: Contemporary China Through a New Institutionalist Lens:  Three Empirical Studies of Firm Behaviour and Government Responsiveness

abstract:
This dissertation consists of three integrated papers which apply a new institutional economics (NIE) perspective to understand firm and government choices in contemporary China.  Using a fixed effects regression model and a dataset I constructed based on twelve years of data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the first paper explores the impact of government discretion upon the formation of domestic private enterprises.  The main finding is that as the share of provincial government revenue deriving from discretionary fees increases, the stock of firms in the province decreases.
Investigating data from an existing World Bank survey of 12,400 Chinese industrial firms, the second paper interacts a measure of property rights security with proxy variables indicating the firm’s level of sunk costs.  The finding that new fixed asset investment by firms with high sunk costs is systematically more responsive to property rights than that of firms with low sunk costs suggests an important and previously unidentified mechanism by which institutional quality can affect economic performance.  Finally, the third paper investigates whether the oft-observed association between
citizen access to information and government responsiveness obtains in an authoritarian setting.  Using National Bureau of Statistics data, I posit a collective action mechanism to account for the finding that increasing diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is associated with a composition of government spending that is more responsive to citizen preferences.  In sum, the dissertation is an empirical contribution to the study of how institutions and access to information affect the behaviour of firms and governments in contemporary China.  Beyond estimating the
magnitude of these effects, each paper makes a theoretical contribution to our understanding of how institutions matter for development.  The dissertation’s broad conclusion is that China’s development experience supports the conventional wisdom of an NIE perspective on development.


title: Unease and Nostalgia:  The Marketing of "Pure Food" in the United States, 1890-1920

abstract:
This thesis examines the relationship between consumer culture and efforts to introduce legislation to regulate the production and labeling of American food products during the decades in the United States known as the Progressive Era. As food became increasingly mass-produced, consumer anxiety about contamination grew. Ultimately the federal government passed the Pure Food, Drink, and Drug Act in 1906 to ensure that American-made food items were produced in a hygienic manner and properly labeled. Using nostalgic modernism (characterized by scholars as a deeply-rooted impulse that causes
Americans to simultaneously embrace and resist change) as a framework, my research demonstrates that the wide promotion of so-called “pure food” in the years both before and after the passing of this legislation reflects the pervasive ambivalence to modernity emblematic of this period. This project will demonstrate how food advertising reflected wider anxieties about a nation being reshaped by urbanization, industrialization, and corporate capitalism.


title: Model-Based Predictive Control of Window Shades

abstract:
In this study, the framework for a transferable model-based predictive controlled shading solution is laid out. The analysis began with a numerical investigation into thermal model training using a Bayesian approach — namely the Ensemble Kalman Filter — for calibrating a low-order control model of the space. The trained model had its effectiveness demonstrated and was successfully utilized within the EnergyPlus environment to control the shades of single zone office and provide total electricity savings of 35% in a complete building automation system.
Later, these methodologies were
adapted and utilized in a demonstrative setting built within a research facility to attempt and identify the challenges associated with the scaling of the approach. The results showed an environment which effectively managed occupant needs both visually and thermally and which ultimately was found to save energy in comparison the previously existing system in the building.


title: The Effects of LCD Backlight Strobing on Static and Moving Target Detection

abstract:
Relative to CRT displays and other display technologies, moving objects appear to be blurred on LCDs because motion is represented as a series of rapidly updated images. The eye moves over these static images when tracking simulated moving objects, which results in perceived motion blur. Backlight strobing (the rapid and imperceptible flashing of an LCD’s backlight) mitigates the effects of motion blur. This improvement in image quality was framed in the context of visual perception theory. The current experiment examined the effects of backlight strobing on target detection in a visual
search task that was either easy or hard, for moving (blurred) and static (non-blurred) search grids. Backlight strobing improved target detection for moving search grids, particularly for hard search tasks. However, backlight strobing impaired target detection for static search grids.


Characterization of the active site of Methionine γ-Lyase from Trichomonas vaginalis


title: Investigation of Homocystinuria-Associated Mutations in the Active Site of Cystathionine β-Synthase

abstract:
Homocystinuria is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder that affects L-homocysteine metabolism. Treatment includes supplementation with pyridoxine and/or betaine and dietary L-methionine restriction. Refinement of therapeutic regimes will be enabled by an understanding of the distinct effects of homocystinuria-associated mutations. This study: (1) probed the role of active site residues D319, S323 and Y324 in the positioning of PLP in the model yeast CBS enzyme and (2) investigated a set of 11 homocystinuria-associated mutations in the context of human CBS. In the first study, D319A
eliminated activity, the S323A and Y324F variants had negligible effect on enzymatic function. Residue G148 provides flexibility to the mobile loop. Residues E176, K384 and G307 are involved in maintaining active site architecture. Residues T257, G259, G305 and S349 aid PLP positioning while T257 and G259 functions in the bi-directional communication between both cofactors. Gaining insight into CBS structure-function relationships can help refine current homocystinuric treatment.


title: The Influences of Sex, Gender Identity, and Power on Faculty-Graduate Student Relational Mentoring and its Association with Student Psychological Health

abstract:
Evidence suggests that university student psychological health problems may be increasing, and graduate students may be at increased risk for problems such as depression relative to the general population.  The limited extant research has identified a correlation between relational mentoring characterized by mutual authenticity, engagement, and empowerment, and female undergraduate student psychological health.  The current research fills gaps in the mentoring and feminist psychological literatures by examining this correlation in faculty-graduate student mentoring and testing key assumptions
of relational-cultural theory, from which the concept of relational mentoring is derived.  Relational-cultural theory assumes: 1) relational mentoring is more important to the psychological health of women than men, and 2) women are more likely than men to adopt a relationship style that would foster relational mentoring.  This research was also informed by feminist critiques of these assumptions.  Consequently, using a survey of 421 graduate students from various disciplines across Canada, Study 1 examined the association between faculty-graduate student relational mentoring and
psychological health outcomes.  Study 1 further tested the moderating effects of student sex, gender identity (i.e., masculine, feminine traits), and the power dynamics of the individual faculty-student relationships.  A significant correlation was observed between relational mentoring and positive psychological health (i.e., decreased depressive symptoms, increased self-esteem and life satisfaction).  This association was not moderated by student sex, gender identity, or relationship power dynamics.  Using an online, experimental design and a sample of 186 undergraduate students, Study 2
examined the effects of sex, gender identity, and a randomly assigned power condition (i.e., high-power faculty mentor versus low-power student) on relationship styles in mentoring.  Sex and gender identity influenced mentoring relationship styles (i.e., female participants and those with more feminine traits were associated with greater authenticity, engagement, and empowerment), and a notable interaction emerged.  Specifically, sex differences in relationship style were observed in the high-power faculty mentor condition (i.e., female mentors were more authentic, engaged, empowering) but
not the low-power student condition.  Collectively, the results provide mixed support for relational-cultural theory.  The results may be used to guide faculty-graduate student mentoring practices (e.g., student selection of mentors) to enhance graduate student psychological health.


title: The State of Democratization in Post-Soviet Russia: The Role of the European Court of Human Rights and the Growth of Rule of Law

abstract:
This research seeks to understand the role of rule of law within the process of democratization in Russia. While the literature concerning theories of democratization and the process of democratization is robust, there is not enough work done on the specific role of the rule of law within this process. In particular, this thesis focuses on how external actors to Russia can influence the growth of rule of law and potentially act as a mechanism for furthering the transition to democracy in Russia. As such, this work looks at the role of the European Court of Human Rights in the process of the
growth of rule of law by looking at three case studies: Alekseyev v. Russia, Kiyutin v. Russia, and Konstantin Markin v. Russia.


title: In Technology We Trust:  Cloud Computing, Technical Breakdowns and the Protection of Privacy

abstract:
This thesis looks at the ‘trade-off’ that users of cloud computing services must make: convenience of use in exchange for outsourcing the protection of private data. In particular, it looks at the relationship of trust that must exist in this exchange. Using concepts from actor-network theory, I explore how this trust in a technological entity is formed, maintained and broken. Using Dropbox as a case study, I analyze the relationship between a cloud computing service and its users by performing a textual analysis of privacy policies and other official communications, as well as threads on
user help forums. I find that the cloud computing provider (Dropbox) works to establish its reliability and trustworthiness and it is only in instances of breakdown – when this reliability is questioned – that the privacy ‘trade-off’ and issues of protecting personal data become contested.


title: Reconstruction of the Spatial Distribution of Surface Activity Concentration for an In-Situ, Gamma-Ray, Truck-Borne Survey

abstract:
In 2012, a radiological dispersal device (RDD) was detonated at the experimental proving ground of Defence Research and Development Canada, in Suffield, Alberta.  The Nuclear Emergency Response Team of Natural Resources Canada conducted two mobile surveys to reconstruct the distribution of surface activity concentration of the deposited material, lanthanum-140.  One of these surveys involved using a truck-borne, directional spectrometer, which contained four, standing, NaI(Tl) detectors.  The Electron Gamma Shower code of the National Research Council (EGSnrc) was used to find the averaged
activity concentration for a gamma-emitting disc source, with a radius at the threshold of the spectrometer sensitivity.  In addition, a spatial deconvolution method was used to reconstruct the distributed source around a sample of survey path.  It involved pixelizing a field of interest, and representing the distributed source by pixel sources, based on array responses for EGSnrc simulations and the respons from the Suffield dataset.


title: I Cannot See it in Their Eyes: How Autism Symptoms Hamper Dating

abstract:
Despite having typical sexual interests, research shows that few individuals with autism form romantic relationships. The goal of this thesis was to replicate research showing an association between autism symptoms and inappropriate dating behaviours, in particular. It was also to test whether poor theory of mind (ToM; necessary for empathy), mediates the association between autism symptoms and inappropriate dating. University students (n=124, Mage=19.7 years) completed measures of autism symptoms, inappropriate dating behaviours, self-reported flirt perception, and the Eyes Test-Revised ToM
measure (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001a). Mediation tests revealed that poor ToM mediated the association between autistic communication symptoms, and inappropriate dating behaviours. Poor ToM, together with increased perception of others’ flirtations, also serially mediated the autism/inappropriate dating association. That ToM is a mediator for inappropriate dating behaviours is important for understanding the basis of these behaviours, and also for the development of potential interventions to prevent stalking in this population.


title: Effects of Chronic Prenatal Adversities on the Adult Response to a Social Stressor

abstract:
It was hypothesized that prenatal stressor effects persist into adulthood and would be particularly notable following re-exposure to an adult stressor. Pregnant mice were stressed for 12 days and adult offspring underwent a social stressor. Following the adult treatment, exploratory and social behaviour, and plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels were observed in addition to cytokine, corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), and CRH receptor messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Increased and decreased anxiety-like behaviour was observed in males and females,
respectively. Also, elevated CORT was detected in prenatally stressed males and females while increased pro-inflammatory cytokines, CRH, and CRH receptor 1 (CRHR1) in the PFC were mainly observed in prenatally stressed females. These findings suggest gender dimorphic effects of maternal stress on behaviour and PFC cytokine, CRH, and CRHR1 expression that may impair stress and emotional regulation in the offspring.


title: A Hydrogel Based Thermal Management System for Lithium-ion Batteries

abstract:
Many portable devices such as soldier carried devices are powered by low-weight but high-capacity lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries. An effective battery thermal management (BTM) system is required to keep the batteries operating within a desirable temperature range with minimal variations, and thus to guarantee their high efﬁciency, long lifetime and great safety. In this study, a water based sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) hydrogel thermal management system is developed to handle the heat surge during the operation of Li-ion battery pack. This BTM system is tested through a series of high-intensity
discharge and abnormal heat release processes, and its performance is compared with other classical BTM systems. The test results demonstrate that the developed low-cost, space-saving, and contour-adaptable BTM system is a very economic and efﬁcient approach in handling the thermal surge of Li-ion batteries.


title: Less is MTOR: Regulation of Protein Synthesis via the Insulin Signaling Pathway in the Anoxia-Tolerant Red-Eared Slider Trachemys Scripta Elegans

abstract:
The red-eared slider turtle, can survive 3-4 months of anoxic submergence in cold water during the winter. The effect of hypoxia/anoxia on protein synthesis in the turtle was investigated with a focus on the insulin-signaling pathway and analysis of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and its upstream and downstream effectors in liver and white muscle. Expression of mTORC1 did not change in muscle but increased significantly in liver after 5 and 20 hours of anoxic submergence. Upstream effectors, AKT and RAPTOR, were also elevated in liver but suppressed in muscle. PRAS40 and TSC2
inhibitors of mTOR were differentially regulated in both tissues but generally suppressed. Downstream targets of mTOR signaling (eIF4E, 4E-BP1, P70S6K, S6) as well as the poly(A) binding protein also showed differential responses to anoxia. Overall, the data indicate that the early response to anoxia is maintenance of protein synthesis in liver but suppression in white muscle.


title: The Impact of Motion Cues on Memory for Object Location and Appearance

abstract:
Two experiments were conducted to investigate the notion that working memory is fractionated into visual and spatial components by demonstrating that a motion discrimination task selectively interferes with the spatial component. Also, because the motion cues used in the motion task were similar to those used in flight simulators, an attempt was made to understand which aspects of working memory are required to monitor those motion cues. These experiments examined participants’ ability to remember either the location or the appearance of visual stimuli while concurrently discriminating
between left/right motion cues produced by a motion seat.  Motion cues occurred either during stimulus encoding (E1) or retention (E2) of the visual stimuli. The ability to remember the location of visual stimuli was selectively impaired by motion cues presented during either encoding or retention. In contrast, the motion cues did not interfere with memory for the stimulus' appearance. This study supports the multi-component model of working memory and the notion that encoding/retention of location and appearance information is served by separable mechanisms in working memory.  The
finding that there is a cognitive cost of processing of visual-spatial information while interpreting motion cues, highlights the importance of including some form of motion cueing in flight simulators to more accurately represent the true mental demands of dynamic flight.


title: The Politics of Triage: International Aid and AIDS Care in Northern Uganda

abstract:
Uganda has been considered an AIDS success story since the late 1990s when prevalence rates decreased around the country. Recognizing Uganda’s unique AIDS response, this thesis seeks to analyze HIV/AIDS in Uganda and challenges normative understandings of Uganda’s ‘success’, specifically, in Northern Uganda. It explores how Ugandan HIV/AIDS policies targeting NGOs and the ‘community’ have depoliticized HIV/AIDS, creating new inequalities through triaged care. To understand the production of inequality, this thesis explores how clients and aid workers define ‘vulnerability’ and how
relationships affect aid allocation. Newly emerging arenas of stigma are examined in order to challenge normative attitudes of HIV-status disclosure in health campaigns by demonstrating how HIV-positive people are facing new stigmas when they are incapable of being ‘productive citizens.’ As humanitarian aid leaves Uganda, HIV/AIDS NGOs seek to relieve the issue of aid dependency through development initiatives. This thesis ends by challenging development’s understanding of ‘us’ versus ‘them’.


title: Swarms of Bouncing Robots

abstract:
We study models of mobile robots with limited capabilities that are deployed either on a cycle or an
infinite line or on a segment. Robots start moving at the same time and when two robots collide their
speeds and movement directions are instantaneously updated. Each of them has a collision
detector and a clock to measure the times of its collisions. They do not have any knowledge on the
total number of robots and do not have a common sense of direction. Besides, they neither have
visibility nor control over their movements.
We investigate the feasibility of the localization task in the
cycle and the segment by bouncing
robots: every robot should figure out the starting position and initial velocity of all the other robots.
We consider two different scenarios when robots have common masses and speeds and robots of
arbitrary masses and speeds. We give complete characterizations of all feasible configurations for
the cycle in both scenarios.
We study the survivability of bouncing robots. We say a robot survives if it never returns to
its starting position. Non-surviving robots disappear from the environment. We provide sufficient
and necessary conditions to have
surviving robots in the cycle and in the segment. Finally we
investigate communication protocols for bouncing robots that only communicate at the time of their
collisions. We establish necessary and sufficient conditions for bouncing robots to perform gossiping,
broadcasting and convergecast.


title: Identification of VMS Ore Lens Reflections using Vertical Seismic Profiling and 3D Finite Difference Modeling in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada

abstract:
In October 2006, three-component multi-offset vertical seismic profile (VSP) data were acquired from three deviated wells in the Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada mining camp using dynamite and vibroseis sources.  These VSP data were processed to identify reflections originating from the 85.5 Mt Flin Flon-Callinan-777 VMS ore system.  From drill records, mine plans, surficial maps and seismic data, 3D voxel models of the local geology and known ore lenses were built, which were then used in 3D finite difference-modeled simulations of the VSP surveys.   The number of geological units partitioning
the models were increased incrementally to study the effects on seismic response of massive sulphide ore and major rock units.  The simulations and field data were jointly visualized and the reflection signature of the known VMS ore lenses in the field VSP data was identified and characterized.


title: Selection of Procedures in Mental Division: Relations Between Self-Reports and Eye-Movement Patterns

abstract:
Do eye-movement patterns reflect the procedures people use when solving basic arithmetic problems? Sixty-eight adults solved simple division problems while their eye movements were recorded. Thirty-four of these participants reported their solution processes (Experiment 1A: Self-Report Condition) and 34 participants did not (Experiment 1B: Combined Analyses). Participants in Experiment 1A were classified into procedure groups based on their reported use of procedures for large division problems: Retrievers, transformers, and counters. Transformers and counters fixated more on the left and
right operands than retrievers for large problems. The 34 participants in Experiment 1B were categorized based on their values of mu and tau for large problems. Patterns of performance for these participants, combined with those who provided self-reports, complemented the patterns found in Experiment 1A. The above results lend support to the use of eye tracking to augment traditional measures of performance when assessing individual differences in procedure selection.


title: Regulation of gene expression over cycles of torpor-arousal in thirteen-lined ground squirrels

abstract:
Mammalian hibernators undergo profound behavioural, physiological and biochemical changes to cope with hypothermia, ischemia-reperfusion, and finite fuel reserves during days or weeks of continuous torpor. Against a backdrop of global suppression of energy-expensive processes such as transcription and translation, selected genes/proteins are strategically up-regulated to meet challenges associated with hibernation. Hence, hibernation involves substantial transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and provides a model to determine how a set of common genes/proteins can be
differentially regulated to enhance stress tolerance beyond that which is possible for nonhibernators. The present research analyzed epigenetic factors, signal transduction pathways, transcription factors, and RNA binding proteins that regulate gene/protein expression programs that define the hibernating phenotype. Epigenetic factors alter gene expression programs by influencing the accessibility of DNA promoter regions to the transcriptional machinery. While DNA methylation was not differentially regulated comparing summer and winter animals, posttranslational modifications on histone
proteins were responsive to torpor-arousal, possibly providing a mechanism to dynamically alter chromatin structure. Unique posttranslational modifications on H3 and H2B were identified by mass spectrometry; these have never been found in other organisms. Signal transduction pathways such as mitogen-activated protein kinases convert information received at the cell surface to regulatory targets within cells that promote changes in gene expression. Results showed that MAPK regulation is crucial during arousal from torpor in muscle and heart. Important cytoprotective features needed for
hibernation are antioxidant defenses; regulation of antioxidant genes is under primary control of transcription factors, such as Nrf2. Data presented elucidates the regulation of Nrf2 transcription factors by post-translational modifications (e.g. serine phosphorylation, lysine acetylation) and protein-protein interactions with a negative regulator (KEAP1) during hibernation. Finally, a role for RNA binding proteins including TIA-1, TIAR, and PABP-1 is described. Data showed the localization of RNA-binding proteins to subnuclear structures which may represent highly organized storage centers
and/or enhance mRNA stability. Taken together, the thesis identifies novel regulatory mechanisms that aid suppression of transcriptional and translational rates, while also coordinating complex pathways that selectively enhance cytoprotective pathways aimed at mitigating stresses associated with torpor-arousal.


title: An Investigation into the Structural Basis for Nucleic Acid Small Molecule Binding

abstract:
The past 30 years of RNA research have seen a fundamental shift in our understanding of
the biological roles that these macromolecules play. The sea change from our initial
conception of RNA as a mere messenger of genetic information between DNA and
proteins to our current understanding of RNA as a key player in various genetic and
metabolic roles through their non-coding counterparts has motivated attempts to elucidate
the structural underpinnings of their various biological functions. In this thesis, I describe
research to develop and implement methods that formally represent nucleic
acid
structure, query and reason over their properties and computationally identify RNA
structural motifs that are predictive of ligand binding. Chapter 1 presents the motivation,
overall hypothesis and main objectives for this doctoral research, as well as a brief
overview of the principles of nucleic acid structure and their representation using
Semantic Web technologies. In Chapter 2, I present the RNA Knowledge Base (RKB), an
instantiated ontology about RNA structure that provides machine understandable
descriptions of nucleotide base pairs as observed in solved 3D structures. In
Chapter 3, I
describe Aptamer Base, a collaborative online knowledge base to describe aptamers and
the details of the SELEX experiments that created them. In Chapter 4, I describe a
methodology and implementation for the computational extraction of RNA motifs from a
graph representation of their structures, and demonstrate that features of these motifs are
predictive of ligand binding. In Chapter 5, I discuss future directions and present a
summary of the contributions of this thesis.


title: Building State Infrastructure Privately: The Emergence and Diffusion of Public Private Partnerships in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America

abstract:
This study introduces a new explanation of the creation and expansion of public-private partnerships (PPP’s) in developed countries, using Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom as case studies.
While classical accounts of the rise of PPP’s have highlighted the fiscal constraints of states, superior efficiency of PPPs, particular political parties and the long history of governments’ cooperation with the private sector, none of those accounts can explain the emergence of PPPs at a specific time in history and the cross-jurisdictional variation in the timing of the diffusion.
Using
a policy diffusion perspective, the thesis examines the historical evolution of project finance in the private sector starting in the 1930s in Texas’s oil prospecting venture industry. Taking into account this evolution and the associated evolution of supporting institutions over time helps explain better the specific timing of the birth of PPP’s in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.


title: Reclaiming Visual Sovereignty:  A Theoretical Critique of Facial Recognition Technology

abstract:
This thesis is a critique of facial recognition (FR) technology contributing to both surveillance studies and the anti-security literature - and pacification theory in particular. In this study I engage in a critical discourse analysis to deconstruct the historical relationship between identification and the human face. I argue that identification is a form of pacification because it translates and compresses the human condition into something which can be subject to police powers, and reduces personal and political expression to categories which can only be articulated through their
relationship to security and capital. Therefore, the face, and by extension FR software, can be seen as an extension of the pacification process, as faces provide an efficient and accessible way to translate the human body through the material gaze of security. I conclude, therefore, that challenges to FR technology are best rooted within a more material understanding of identification and surveillance.


title: Using the Coalition Battle Management Language Standard for Interacting with the Restful Interoperability Simulation Environment

abstract:
Computer simulation is used for planning and training for cases where the real-life scenario is expensive, rare or dangerous. Interoperability techniques allow diverse models built using different technologies on different hardware platforms to interact to create a larger, more complex synthetic environment. The Coalition Battle Management Language (C-BML) standard provides a set of definitions that can be used to communicate a commander’s intent. The Military Scenario Definition Language (MSDL) uses the same building blocks to construct an initial definition of a scenario that is to be
executed. The Discrete Event Simulation (DEVS) methodology provides a technique for modeling systems that react to external input in the form of events. The RESTful Interoperability Simulation Environment (RISE) provides a web-enabled platform that hosts the execution of DEVS models. This thesis proposes an architecture which adds the capability of using a structured scenario definition language file based on MSDL to initialize a DEVS model, and to provide a structured message based on C-BML as the initial input to a DEVS model. This architecture is validated through the execution of a
scenario where civilian emergency services respond to an emergency.


title: Plasmon Excitation in Waveguide and in Metal Particles Embedded in Glass

abstract:
Experimental part of this work dedicated to making a glass metal nanocomposite by
forming silver nanoclusters in an ion-exchanged glass in a hydrogen atmosphere at elevated
temperature followed by an investigation of electric field assisted dissolution of nanoclusters.
The ultimate goal is building a waveguide in glass metal nanocomposite with volume
Bragg grating, i.e. a Bragg grating that runs through the whole cross section of the waveguide.
A new type of phosphate glass, IOG-1 doped by rare earth ions, Er+3 and Y b+3,
designed for integrated optics application, was chosen as a
substrate in this project for
optimal optical properties of such waveguide and prospective active photonic devices.
The grating in a glass metal nanocomposite achieved by means of high DC voltage and
periodically corrugated electrode thus activating electric field assisted dissolution process
predominantly in the regions of a direct contact glass-electrode.
Since wavelength dependent refractive index of a glass metal nanocomposite determined
by its absorption band through Kramers-Kronig relation, tuning parameters of surface
plasmon resonance, related to a charge density oscillations
in metal nanoclusters, controls
the optical properties of glass metal nanocomposite even at a working wavelength of a
waveguide which is far off plasmon resonance. Therefore tuning parameters of the silver
nanoclusters in glass metal nanocomposite leads to optimizing grating contrast.
The rest part of this work concerned with building a computational model of a plasmon
excitation in a waveguide with the coating in the form of periodic nanostructured metal
distribution.
The standard approach used in an antenna theory, a wave equation with the source
term, is applied for solving a
problem of an optical waveguide coated by metal. A computational
model was tested first on a slab waveguide illuminated by fields due to a finite
current source.  Then the model was extended to the case of an optical fiber where plasmons are excited by a tilted fiber Bragg grating.
In addition a mode solver for finding complex roots of an optical fiber was developed
to a main model of plasmon excitation. The mode solver is based on a Galerkin wavelet
method.


title: Securing Decentralized Software Installation and Updates

abstract:
Software installation and updates have become simpler for end users in recent years. The commoditization of the internet has enabled users to obtain more software than ever before from more developers than ever before. Additionally, software installation now requires less input from users, allowing installation with merely a single click or tap. At the same time, different software installation models with varying levels of security, usability and freedom have emerged. In centralized environments, available software is limited by an authority, whereas decentralized environments allow users
and developers to interact freely. Decentralized software installation ecosystems pose the most significant security challenges due to the lack of centralized control.
In this thesis we identify, through systematic evaluation of prominent systems, limitations in the way operating systems provide security guarantees (including verification of integrity, authentication, and establishment of trust) in decentralized software installation environments. We address these limitations by designing tools and protocols that help secure software installation and updates at each of the three
installation stages (software discovery, initial install and updates, and enforcing security policies). Specifically, we propose a cryptographically verifiable protocol for developers to delegate digital signature privileges to other certificates (possibly owned by other developers) without requiring a centrally trusted public key infrastructure. Our proposal allows trust to be delegated during software updates without user involvement. We also propose a flexible policy for developers to authenticate and share privileges amongst applications being executed simultaneously on a device. We
evaluate these proposals and show that they are direct improvements over currently deployed real-world systems.
We discuss the design and implementation of an install-time architecture allowing users to query crowdsourced expert information sources to gain trust in software they are about to install. We motivate the requirements for such a system, designed to mirror the security semantics of centralized environments.
The proposed protocols and tools have been implemented as proofs-of-concept using Google's Android mobile operating system. We leverage a large application dataset to
inform our design decisions and demonstrate backward compatibility with existing applications. While the implementations are specific to Android, we discuss how our general proposals extend to other decentralized environments.


title: Reversible Protein Acetylation in the Regulation of Mammalian Hibernation

abstract:
To survive the winter, many small mammals use hibernation. Employing a remarkable strategy of metabolic rate depression these animals accrue profound energy savings by remaining in a torpid state over most of the winter. Global metabolic suppression is mediated by intricate molecular mechanisms, including the post-translational modification of cellular proteins. One such modification, reversible protein acetylation, is an important regulator of metabolism, but little is known about its relevance to hibernation. This thesis provides an initial characterization of possible functions of
reversible protein acetylation, and several enzymes that mediate the process (protein lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) and deacetylases (SIRTs)), in the context of a rodent model of mammalian hibernation, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, Ictidomys tridecemlineatus. Notably, SIRT and KAT protein expression and activities increased in skeletal muscle and brown adipose tissue, respectively, during torpor, in correlation with fluctuations in downstream target acetylation. Such changes identify roles for protein acetylation during hibernation.


title: Expression of LEA genes from Brassica napus in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana during seed development and in seedlings under abiotic stress

abstract:
Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are small, hydrophilic, and largely unstructured proteins that are synthesized in seeds during late maturation and in vegetative tissues in response to abiotic stress. They have been associated with dehydration and desiccation tolerance in many plants, animal, and bacteria, and are documented to protect plants against desiccation and abiotic stress. In this study we characterize three Brassica napus LEA promoters; LEA 411 (Group1), ECP 66, and ECP248 from group 3. All three showed accumulation during seed development as well as in vegetative tissue
in response to salt, drought, and cold stress. We show that the LEA proteins are being expressed as early as 10 days after flowering in seeds. The response to drought and salt stress occurred as quickly as 3 hours after stress treatment while that to cold took longer to detect.  Promoter analysis revealed ABRE, DRE/CRT, DRE2, MYB and MYC motifs.


title: Modelling the Fire Performance of Hybrid Steel-Timber Connections

abstract:
In a building structure, wood can be used in conjunction with steel or concrete material to form what is known as a hybrid building system.
In this research, a steel-timber hybrid system is considered, which consists of a glulam wooden beam connected to a steel column. The connection of the beam to the column is composed of three different types of shear tab connections: concealed, exposed and seated connections. The fire resistance of these connections is evaluated using a finite element model and compared with the full-scale experimental fire resistance tests which had been conducted
earlier in a separate project.
The finite element model results were in good agreement with the observations made from the experimental tests. The variation between the test and the model results was within a ±11% envelope. In conclusion, the seated connection had a better fire resistance as compared to the concealed and exposed connections.


title: Rearticulating the State through Governmental Regimes: State Power and Popular and Indigenous Participation in Ecuador 2008-2012

abstract:
This dissertation is a study of the processes of state formation and reproduction in Ecuador between 2008 and 2012. In particular, it analyzes three specific areas of state formation: first, the formation of narratives about the state seeking to legitimize its presence in society. More specifically, it analyses how the state incorporates narratives emerging from indigenous peoples’ worldviews into the state apparatus and the ways in which these enter in tension with “developmentalist” narratives. Second, it investigates the various ways in which the state apprehends, organizes, distributes
and ultimately creates specific fields of intervention in the area of participatory planning; and third, the ways in which the state exercises different and complementary modalities of state power in the government of participation popular movements, particularly the indigenous movement. This dissertation’s general argument is that the state reproduces itself by creating spaces where it can legitimately intervene in society. Moreover, it contends that the Ecuadorian state has reconfigured and strengthened its presence in society through a combination of modern techniques of power rooted on a
technocratic, knowledge-intensive form of government as well as disciplinary techniques of rule based on the correction and reformation of particular populations. In this sense, this dissertation posits that there is a governmental effort to “technify” and depoliticize participation in order to make it more governable, and that popular participation outside of the state is met with disciplinary acts.


title: Impact of Nicotine Withdrawal and Postcessation Self-Efficacy on Short-Term Abstinence from Smoking

abstract:
Nicotine withdrawal is cited by smokers as a principal reason for relapse and a significant barrier to sustained abstinence.  Postcessation self-efficacy is established as a predictor of smoking cessation success but may be influenced by the impact of nicotine withdrawal symptoms.  The objective of the current study was to determine if the relationship between nicotine withdrawal and relapse to smoking was mediated by diminished postcessation self-efficacy.  Smokers (N = 266) ready to make a quit attempt completed measures of nicotine withdrawal, depressed mood and self-efficacy at Week 1
post-target quit date (TQD); smoking status was collected at Week 3 post-TQD.  Both nicotine withdrawal (OR = 0.56, CI = 0.36-0.85, p <.01) and self-efficacy (OR = 1.50, CI = 1.09- 2.05, p <.05) predicted continuous abstinence at Week 3; depressed mood did not.  Mediational analysis did not support the contention that self-efficacy mediated the role of nicotine withdrawal on abstinence.


title: Molecular Adaptations of Mammalian Hibernation: Roles of Metabolic Signaling Regulation in the Torpor-Arousal Cycle

abstract:
For many small mammals, survival over the winter months is a serious challenge because of low environmental temperatures and limited food availability. The solution for thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) is hibernation, a metabolically re-programmed state that is characterized by seasonal heterothermy and entry into long periods of torpor. Although many studies have defined the physiological responses of hibernation, including drastic reductions in heart rate, respiration, and body temperature, the regulation of such phenotypic plasticity has yet to be fully
characterized at the molecular level. As part of hibernation, metabolic rate is suppressed during torpor to achieve major energy savings through coordinated suppression of non-essential ATP-costly processes. The present thesis examined the role of cell signaling cascades in the regulation of energy dependent cellular processes over the torpor-arousal cycles of hibernation.
	The insulin signaling pathway, which functions as the regulator of many pro-growth processes such as protein synthesis, was shown to be regulated during torpor. Significant inhibition of this pathway was most evident in
skeletal muscle but not in cardiac muscle during torpor. This inhibition was characterized by reduced phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR), which led to subsequent inhibition of various proteins involved in ribosome assembly that are required for protein translation. The cell cycle, another energy dependent metabolic process, was also strongly inhibited during torpor. Cell cycle arrest was evident in liver (proliferative capable) but not in skeletal muscle (terminally differentiated), through mechanisms similar to those observed in G1 and G1/S arrest. The observed
cell cycle arrest was characterized by down-regulation of proteins cyclin D and cyclin E which function as positive regulators of cell cycle progression, and up-regulation of the cell cycle inhibitors (CKIs) p15INK4b and p21CIP1. Up-regulation of CKIs during torpor was linked to members of the Smad family of transcription factors, which were activated during torpor, including increased nuclear inclusion and DNA binding activity of Smad 3. Overall, the data presented in this thesis document molecular mechanisms that function to reduce cell-growth and proliferation during torpor, via inhibition
of protein synthesis and cell cycle progression.


title: Committing Sociology (of Law): The Autonomy of Law in Canada's 'War on Terror'

abstract:
Critical sociologists often argue that post-2001 counterterrorism policies, which depend on extraordinary powers and various executive provisions, are the ultimate example of sovereign power’s victory over the rule of law. Such opprobrium often ignores the empirical study of legal communications in lieu of policy documents and political discourses. As such, this thesis advocates for an analysis of legal communications in the context of Canada’s ‘war on terror’. The aim is to provide an alternative sociology of anti-terrorism law by engaging with a theoretical perspective often overlooked in
sociology: Niklas Luhmann’s social systems theory. Through an analysis of Supreme Court of Canada decisions, this thesis examines the impact of anti-terror legislation on the autonomy of law. It is argued that while the system of law is always ‘endangered’ by threats from the outside, law’s creative maintenance of anti-terror legislation can be read as an example of the reinforcement of law’s autonomy.


title: 'God forbid, You're Gay!' How African Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) Negotiate Their Multiple Identities in Canada

abstract:
Homosexuality in many African countries is considered a Western import and an aberrant behavior. As a result of the homophobic climate in some of these countries, sexual minorities, especially men who have sex with men (MSM), migrate to countries such as Canada to live freely. However, some of them encounter difficulties in assimilating in diasporic communities as queer men and in queer communities as black men. Feminist ethnographic research that examined the way in which the men adapt, negotiate, and resist the limitations of their marginalization was conducted in Ottawa and Toronto.
Interviews with ten African MSM suggest that the men choose to compartmentalize their identities in order to exist in oppressive spaces. For some of the men, the ability to do so was productive. For others, it was oppressive.


title: Sinusoidal Parameter Estimation and Application to Eddy Current NDT Data Records

abstract:
The general problem of assessing eddy current data from steam generators is complicated due to the presence of random noise and low frequency sinusoidal interference signals. The low frequency sinusoidal interference originates from periodic variations in the material properties or dimensions caused by manufacturing processes, behaviour of the component of the inspection system such as probe wobbling.  The estimation of the sinusoidal parameters is obtained by using the cyclic-MUSIC algorithm which is a combination of two well known algorithms, Relaxed and MUSIC algorithms. The removal
process generates waveforms from the estimated parameters and subtracts them from the original data. Application to several data records showed that using all the estimated parameters with two sinusoidal waveforms is the best fit due to the nature of the data.  Moreover, the performance assessment was based on power measurements and correlation functions.


title: Inuit Identity and Technology:  An Exploration of the Use of Facebook by Inuit Youth

abstract:
Using an ethnographic methodological strategy, this thesis looks at how a group of Inuit college students in Iqaluit use the online social network Facebook. It was found that Inuit youth are intensive users of Facebook, basically using it to communicate with their communities of origin, to maintain friends and family ties across a vast territory, to access cultural referents on Facebook groups, discuss issues, shape their identity, ask questions, access pictures of the land and recall traditions. In these Facebook groups, there is a cultural memory and remembrance of the past collectively
established through the hypertext of Facebook which further shows how technology is incorporated and adapted to a culture rather than being undermined by that technology’s incorporation. This research also argues that Inuit youth are immersed in a culture of connectivity (van Dijck, 2013) through which social life and experiences are increasingly mediated by social network sites.


title: Pre-Stimulus Spontaneous Brain Activity Predicts the Subjective Assessment of Subject's-Own-Name

abstract:
This project analyzed fMRI data from an experiment which sought to identify pre-stimulus spontaneous brain activity that could be used as predictors of the subjective assessment of noise as the subject’s own name (SON). Subjects were asked to distinguish SON from other names after being cued by fully masked auditory stimuli.
A pre-stimulus contrast successfully identified possible predictors: more activation in the TPJ and R/LSTG when subjects thought they heard SON as compared to other names. A comparable contrast for the evoked-response indicated insula and dmPFC activation.
Results from;
behavioural data, a contrast based on objective stimuli and an interaction-effect ANOVA all confirmed that subjects could not identify names in the stimuli, thus supporting the assertion that subjects were indeed making subjective assessments. Reaction times were also found to be faster when subjects thought they heard other names as compared to SON.