title: Visual Localization in Underground Mines and Indoor Environments using PnP

contributor:
Greenspan, Michael A.
Marshall, Joshua A.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Indoor Localization
Computer Vision

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-11 18:20:40.155

abstract:
This thesis presents a visual technique for localization in underground mines and indoor environments that exploits the use of a calibrated monocular camera. The objective of this work is to provide 6 degrees-of-freedom (6 DoF) localization in the presence of a 3D map made up of 3D point clouds co-registered with intensity information. An efficient data structure, referred to as the feature database, is used to store the image features appearing in the 3D map, and to efficiently retrieve a match for a query image during localization. The Perspective-n-Point (PnP) problem is then used to compute the 6 DoF position of the calibrated camera at the time of image capture given the location of the 2D query image features and their 3D coordinates.

Two experiments were performed using this technique: ground truth experiments and localization experiments. The ground truth experiments, performed on two datasets, compare the localization output against a reference position. The results of the ground truth experiments indicate that the calculated camera position using the proposed technique approximates the reference position, with small errors on the order of millimetres. It was also found that the accuracy of localization increases as more inliers become available in the query image. The localization experiments were performed on datasets collected in underground mines and indoor environments to test the performance of the technique in different environments. The query images used in the localization experiments were captured with two different cameras, demonstrating that any type of monocular camera may be used during localization, as long as a sufficient number of environmental features can be extracted from the query images.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Structure, Strength, Ductility in Aluminum Alloys: Constitutive Relations Analysis for Performance Evaluation

contributor:
Diak, Bradley J.
Saimoto, Shig
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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

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

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

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

subject:
strain path
fracture
yield locus
ductility
AA5754
thermomechanical processing
age hardening
AA6063
quench-sensitivity
nano-voids
aluminum
constitutive relations

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-12 11:52:12.353

abstract: Aluminum alloys AA5754 and AA6063 were thermomechanically processed (TMP) to investigate the relationship between structure, strength, and ductility, and effect on failure. Model parameters from the Saimoto-Van Houtte (SVH) constitutive equation were determined from experimentally measured stress-strain curves and correlated to the evolving microstructure of the two alloys at various stages of TMP.  Using the SVH equation and the concept of equivalent plastic work, the yield loci for AA5754 after four different treatment conditions were modeled, allowing for the balanced biaxial and plane strain loading ratios to be found.  Interfacial decohesion was observed in both alloys by analysis of the fracture surface and is attributed to iron atom segregation during cooling. This quench sensitivity effect can ideally be removed through TMP.  Nano-void nucleation and growth ductile failure models were developed for both undeformed control and prestrained AA6063 conditions to determine if the source of failure is present within the initial microstructure, as proposed by Lloyd. The evolving fracture strains, yield stress and inter-obstacle spacing at yield were all found to evolve with a temporal exponent of 0.3 and 0.2 for the control and prestrained conditions, respectively. This evidence indicates that both TMP routes result in failure initiating at precipitates and that introduction of dislocations changes the diffusion kinetics of artificial ageing. If the quench-sensitivity effect remained after TMP, higher temperature annealing at 230°C was found to improve ductility, and is believed to be due to precipitation of Al6Fe into the grain boundaries. The balanced biaxial conditions in AA5754 were determined from the SVH-based yield locus model to be all located off the 1:1 applied stress ratio. The plane strain conditions were determined to change due to the differences in work hardening in the two directions. The plane strain condition is redefined as a net zero increase in minor strain, rather than imposing a zero strain in the minor direction.

abstract: There is sensitive content in the thesis that is currently being applied for a patent.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Adaptive Vison Aided Integrated Navigation For Dynamic Unknown Environments

contributor:
Noureldin, Aboelmagd
Korenberg, Michael J.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Visual Odometry
Scale Invariant Feature Tracking
Monocular Visual Odometry
Extended Kalman Filter

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-18 09:42:45.133

abstract: In this research, a novel method for visual odometry (VO) and the integration with multi-sensors navigation systems for vehicular platforms is proposed. The proposed method partitions the field of single camera view into regions of interests where each region likely contains different types of visual features. By applying computer vision processing techniques, ambiguous pose estimation is calculated up to a scale factor. The proposed method uses aiding measurements from vehicle’s odometer to adaptively resolve the scale factor ambiguity problem in monocular camera systems. Unlike some state-of-art approaches, this work does not depend on offline pre-processing or predefined landmarks or visual maps. In addition, this work addresses unknown uncontrolled environments where moving objects likely exist. Innovative odometer-aided Local Bundle Adjustment (LBA) along with a fuzzy C-mean clustering mechanism is proposed to reject outliers corresponding to moving objects. A Gaussian Mixture approach is also applied to detect visual background regions during stationary periods which enables further rejection of moving objects. Finally, an empirical scoring method is applied to calculate a matching score of the different visual features and to use this score in a Kalman filter as measurement covariance noise to integrate VO-estimated pose changes within a larger multi-sensors integrated navigation system. Experimental work was performed with a physical vehicular platform equipped by MEMS inertial sensors, GPS, speed measurements and GPS-enabled camera. The experimental work includes three testing vehicular trajectories in downtown Toronto and the surrounding areas. The experimental work showed significant navigation improvements during long GPS outages where only VO is fused with inertial sensors and the vehicle’s speed measurements.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Development of a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Framework for the Implementation of Stormwater Reuse in Canadian Municipalities

contributor:
Filion, Yves R.
Civil Engineering

subject:
water resources planning
decision making
water reuse

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-12 14:57:18.108

abstract:
Water reuse is an increasingly popular consideration for municipalities, developers, and businesses. Currently, the majority of water reuse applications originate from Australia, Southeast Asian nations, and the Middle East. Stresses posed by population growth and/or water scarcity are the primary drivers for the prevalence of reuse applications in these regions. However, an increasing number of regions in North America are in the process of implementing, or have already implemented, some form of water reuse. Water reuse is increasingly adopted by municipalities due to its potential to combat (a) increasing water scarcity in urban areas, (b) decreasing water quality of receiving waters due to wastewater discharge and urban runoff inputs, and (c) diffuse pollution inputs from rural areas within municipalities.
This thesis focuses on stormwater reuse. Historically, stormwater has been regarded as an inconvenience. Traditional stormwater management efforts have primarily focused on channeling stormwater away from urban centres as efficiently as possible. However, the adverse impacts of urban runoff on receiving waters, as well as the increasing need for more intelligent water resources management, are gradually changing the perspective on stormwater. Increasingly, stormwater is being regarded as an asset rather than an inconvenience, as well as a potential alternative water source which could be used to supplement domestic water supplies.
This thesis presents the results of the research undertaken to develop a decision-making framework to aid Canadian municipalities in the planning and implementation of stormwater reuse. The objective of the framework is to provide planners, developers, and engineers with a management model to aid in understanding the interactions among the decision-making variables in stormwater reuse.
The thesis begins with a literature review covering the history of reuse in North America. Next, a critical assessment of the reviewed literature is used to develop a decision-making framework for stormwater reuse implementation within Canadian municipalities. The framework delineates the major decision-making factors potentially influencing implementation choices, as well as the interactions among these factors. Finally, the thesis provides an example of framework application, discussion of potential framework limitations, and recommendations for future work.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Emotion Regulation in Adolescence: A Mechanism in the Development of Internalizing Symptoms

contributor:
Hollenstein, Tom
Psychology

subject:
Depression
Anxiety
Emotion Regulation
Shame
Adolescence

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-12 21:28:26.881

abstract: The overarching goal of the current dissertation was to examine how emotion regulation (ER) underlies the development of anxious and depressive symptoms in adolescence. Each study took a comprehensive and longitudinal approach. Study 1 described spontaneous, real-time individual differences in regulation of emotional responses (experience, expression, and arousal) in adolescence and the relation with internalizing symptoms across one year. Using latent profile analysis, five different patterns of emotional responses to social stress were identified and were related to different ER habits and internalizing symptoms. The majority of adolescents had similar emotional responses one year later; however, changes in avoidance, depressive symptoms, and trait shame were related to transitions from lower emotional responses to higher emotional responses. Study 2 used a multiple mediation model to test the relations between shame and internalizing symptoms (depression and social anxiety) across two years. The relations between shame and internalizing symptoms were bidirectional. The ER habits of avoidance and suppression (measured in the laboratory) mediated relations between shame and increased internalizing symptoms, whereas rumination was more central to understanding how social anxiety symptoms led to further shame. Study 3 involved delivering a 6-week training on improving ER (e.g., improving awareness, reappraisal, acceptance, and mindfulness, and reducing avoidance, suppression, and rumination) for first year university students aged 17 to 20 years. Results indicated some significant positive change in ER across the training sessions for the training group, whereas there was no significant change in the comparison group.  However, there were no significant positive effects on ER or internalizing symptoms at the post or follow-up assessments. In fact, anxiety was elevated in the training group in relation to the comparison group at the follow-up. Emotional responses and ER habits were strongly related to internalizing symptoms across all studies. Results and future directions were discussed in relation to four major themes in adolescent emotion regulation research: (1) ER habits in adolescence, (2) ER across time, (3) Goal-Based ER, and (4) ER in social contexts.

abstract: PhD


title: Structural Identification of Legionella pneumophila Effector Protein LEM23 as a Fic Protein and its Functional Implications

contributor:
Jia, Zongchao
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
Effector Protein
Fic Protein
Lem23
AMPylation
Legionella pneumophila

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-12 22:04:27.229

abstract: Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is an opportunistic human pathogen known to cause severe pneumonia in those infected. It primarily infects human alveolar macrophage cells, altering vesicular trafficking while evading innate immune response. Once internalized through phagocytosis by the host macrophage cell, L. pneumophila hijacks the host cell’s signaling and vesicular trafficking pathways. To accomplish this, L. pneumophila has evolved a type IVB secretion system that is capable of transporting effector proteins through its inner and outer membranes and through the vacuole into the host cytoplasm. Once in the cytoplasm, the effector proteins perform post-translational modifications (PTMs) to the host proteins, altering their functions. The aim of this thesis was to characterize an effector protein that was identified using the process of “machine learning”, aptly named Lem23 (Legionella effector identified by machine learning). Using protein crystallography, poorly diffracting Lem23 crystals were obtained and, subsequently optimized using reductive lysine methylation. The optimized crystals led to a structure with a resolution of 1.55 Å; further analysis revealed that Lem23 is a Fic protein. Lem23 contains the required 6 α-helices that constitute a Fic core, a slightly modified catalytic loop, and a large insertion that may be an interaction domain for its target proteins. Using sequence analysis and structural knowledge the possibility of Lem23 AMPylating its protein target was assessed. AMPylation is a post- translational modification common to Fic proteins. Finally a HEK293 expression and co- immunoprecipitation procedure was used to pull-down Lem23’s target proteins during host cell infection. Preliminary mass spectrometry results of co-immunoprecipitated proteins revealed Lem23 interacts with two proteins involved with the cellular apoptotic pathway. This study provides further information about one effector protein, Lem23, and its potential importance in the infection process to inhibit the host cells innate immune response.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Determination of Nomenclature, Mechanistic Behaviour, and Numerical Modelling Optimization of Umbrella Arch Systems

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

subject:
Umbrella Arch
Convergence-Confinement
Forepole
Tunnel

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-19 00:23:53.261

abstract:
Surface limitations in terms of infrastructure and the need for more direct transportation routes often call for the development of underground construction works in geotechnically unfavourable conditions, which oftentimes require a temporary pre-support system prior to excavation in order to avoid tunnel collapse or surface settlement. One such pre-support system is the umbrella arch system, which has been gaining popularity due to its lower cost and reduced time to employ when compared to other pre-support systems. However, the umbrella arch system has been employed without a complete understanding of its mechanical response. The system has been found in the literature to be either under- or over- designed with negative impacts on safety and/or cost.  This study makes three major contributions with respect to increasing the understanding of the relevant geomechanical aspects and the use of the umbrella arch system.
The first major contribution is the development of a relevant nomenclature standard in order to categorize and define umbrella arch elements and systems, which lead to the creation of an empirically driven Umbrella Arch Selection Chart (UASC) with a view to aiding initial design of tunnel support.
The second major contribution is the establishment of a design methodology, based upon advanced numerical modelling techniques to aid in the optimized design of the umbrella arch arrangement for site-specific conditions. These techniques were based primarily on robust parametric analyses utilizing advanced two-dimensional and three-dimensional numerical models complemented with field data from select case studies for validation purposes.
The third major contribution is the development of a semi-analytical model for umbrella arch systems employed in squeezing ground conditions by incorporating elastic foundation theory and Convergence-Confinement Method (CCM). The model addresses the deficiencies associated with the CCM when supports are installed close to the tunnel face. As umbrella arch systems are always employed within close proximity of the tunnel face, an investigation and subsequent improvement to the CCM was conducted.
These three major contributions are introduced and explained in detail; including a discussion of how they are incorporated into the tunnel support design process and throughout the construction and monitoring phase of the project.

abstract: PhD


title: Spectral Techniques for Heterogeneous Social Networks

contributor:
Skillicorn, B. David
Computing

subject:
Machine Learning
Computer Science
Data Mining
Social Network Analysis

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-26 11:25:18.031

abstract:
Social networks represent a set of participants and the pairwise relationships between them.
There are several different types of networks, such as directed networks, networks with typed edges, dynamic networks and signed networks, as well as composition of different types of networks. Each individual behaves in certain ways in particular situations. Each social situation could represent a status over a time interval for a dynamic network or a specific relationship or role, such as a working relationship or friendship in a network with typed edges, or an incoming role or outgoing role in a directed network.

In much social network analysis, edges are only positively weighted, and also of a single type. Ignoring the qualitative differences of relationships rules out several interesting kinds of analysis.
I develop a novel way to analyze such networks by considering the qualitatively different social roles that each individual can play in a network. Each individual is represented by copies corresponding to the roles.

Each role or status and the corresponding connections define a subgraph. I model the subgraph as a layer, and show how to weight the edges connecting the layers to produce a consistent spectral embedding.
This embedding can be used to compute social network properties of graphs of different types, to predict edges, edge types, and edge direction, as well as to track the change of role over time. I illustrate the approaches using synthetic and real-world datasets.

Furthermore, conventional Laplacian approaches are designed for graphs with positively weighted edges and do not deal with signed graphs, which have positively and negatively weighted edges. I derive spectral analysis methods for signed graphs  and extend the methods for graph based semi-supervised learning. Using real-world data, I show that they produce robust results.

abstract: PhD


title: In-between Spaces: A Study of the Influences of Gender and Technology on the Writing  Process in Online Composition Courses

contributor:
Chin, Jane
Luce-Kapler, Rebecca
Education

subject:
Online Learning
Higher Education
Gender
Composition Pedagogy
Adult Learners

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-20 11:12:15.534

abstract: This qualitative phenomenological study examined the intersections of gender, technology, and composition pedagogy. The purpose of this study was to explore how female students and diverse instructors incorporated personal experiences in writing and teaching practices in an asynchronous online composition course. Life experiences allow students to reflect on past knowledge to generate ideas, topics, and evidence in academic essays. Such knowledge situates authors as rhetorical agents and adds to critically reflective thinking and writing, particularly for female students who choose narratives that challenge mainstream narratives. In an asynchronous online course, time, space, and technology change the quantity and quality of interpersonal communication. The results of this study show that the separation of the participants from other individuals offers benefits and challenges. Three online instructors were interviewed and fourteen in-depth interviews were collected from a diverse group of female participants enrolled in online composition courses in a rural public college. The findings of the study indicate that personal narratives contribute to knowledge-building when the participants establish a strong social presence with other learners and when instructors create positive online contexts that promote a community of inquiry. Various forces influenced how and why these participants incorporated autobiographical experiences into their writing. These forces include the participants’ writing goals, online communication, audience awareness, and the participants’ assumptions about academic writing contexts. The results of this study offer new insights on how to incorporate narratives in online writing courses in meaningful ways.

abstract: PhD


title: Mo Bros: Masculinity, Irony and the Rise of Movember

contributor:
King, Samantha J.
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Philanthropy
Masculinity
Branding
The Body
Movember
Gender
Hair
Irony

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-21 11:59:00.951

abstract:
Movember, the annual month-long charitable event in which men grow moustaches to raise funds and awareness for various “men’s health” causes, originated in 2003 as a challenge between a group of Australian friends to “bring back the moustache” as a fashionable grooming practice. Since its humble beginnings, Movember has grown as a charitable initiative, boasting over 4.5 million participants and raising $677 million. With participants coming from as many as 21 countries worldwide, Movember is a global phenomenon closely articulated with contemporary fashion and popular culture trends. By examining the 2012 and 2013 campaigns, I consider what social and historical forces have contributed to the popularity of Movember and the resurgence of the moustache as a trendy grooming practice for men. I investigate how the movement’s fun-loving approach to charity shapes, and is shaped by, dominant ideas about masculinity and gender more broadly. I conceive of Movember as a global brand and explore how the campaign is situated within consumer culture and how it influences contemporary philanthropic practices.

Informed by the theoretical perspectives of Michel Foucault, I conduct extensive discourse analyses of online resources related to Movember including the campaign website, blogs and social media. I also examine media coverage about the movement, moustache-related popular culture, and promotional materials distributed by the campaign and its sponsors. My findings reveal how Movember is constructed as a post-political movement. The campaign’s use of irony as a discursive strategy and promotion of universal values concerning health and social progress actively depoliticizes conversations about “men’s health.” Throughout my dissertation, I develop two ideas – brand(ed) activism and ironic masculinity – to conceptualize how Movember enables problematic understandings of gender and philanthropy while constraining the space for politicized discussions about health and masculinity. Through these concepts, I explore the relationship of Movember to broader cultural trends including shaving and grooming rituals, hipster culture, kitsch and retro commodities, the politics of selfies, and hockey’s playoff beard. I argue that Movember’s mission to “change the face of men’s health” is limited because it preserves normative definitions of gender and activism within the confines of neoliberalism and commercialized popular culture.

abstract: I am restricting this thesis because I am in the process of revising it for publication in book format. I would like to restrict access to my work until I am able to disseminate my findings through this public format.

abstract: PhD


title: Many-to-many allocations in systems of self-interested agents: Some dominant strategy solutions

contributor:
Rudie, Karen
Electrical and Computer Engineering

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

subject:
Multi-unit mechanism design
Electricity market models
Bilateral bargaining
Mult-agent systems
Allocations

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-22 09:59:14.364

abstract:
In a multi-agent system where each agent acts in its respective self-interest, the problem of many-to-many allocations is explored. The question for the regulator making the allocations is: what should be the allocation protocol when there are many resource provider agents and many resource seeker agents? A regulator, given that it cannot force an agent to choose a specific strategy, must design a protocol that supports its agenda. Motivated by the needs in the emerging electricity networks, this thesis considers the problem under
incomplete information, i.e., when the type, the abstraction of an agent's particulars which influence the agent's strategy choice, of any specific agent is not known. Two kinds of allocation models are developed, namely, (i) one based on bilateral agreements, and (ii) one based on use of incentives to influence the strategy choices. The models are presented in
the electricity distribution contexts.
With a nominal role for the regulator, the thesis explored a multi-cycle model and a
single-cycle model in which the allocations result from a series of bilateral bargaining encounters. The possibility of multiple equilibria in these models implies an unpredictable outcome, as the agents are uncertain of the specific equilibrium selection. This motivates the pursuit of a dominant strategy solution. Providing a stronger role for the regulator,
the conditions for dominant strategy solution are identified in a single-cycle model. In this bilateral encounter and bargaining model, influencing a set of resource providers to pursue
a specific strategy results in dominant strategy equilibrium. Given the parameters of the model, each agent can determine its respective dominant strategy by using the commonly known probability distribution of agents' types.
Relaxing the requirement that the agents know the probability distribution of agents' types, the model of a regulator empowered to provide incentives to influence agents' strategy choices is adopted. A many-to-many allocation procedure is composed using two one-to-many allocation mechanisms. The conditions under which a system of incentives leads to a dominant strategy solution, are identified.

abstract: PhD


title: Tracking Translations in the Hip and Shoulder Joints

contributor:
Ellis, Randy E.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
shoulder translations
hip translations
shoulder kinematics
hip arthroplasty
hip kinematics
aspherical hip motion

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-24 23:55:48.741

abstract:
The hip joint is often described as a ball and socket joint, which has two key implications: congruent interacting bony joint surfaces and purely rotational relative motion.  This model can be challenged in two ways: that the geometry of the hip does not have the congruency
required for sphere-on-sphere contact, and that the joint translation occurs when the joint is moving within its accepted range of motion.
The closely related shoulder joint is known to have translatory motion; however, the extent of these translations attributable to different soft-tissue constraints is not well understood.  The subject
of this dissertation is the measurement of translatory motions and understanding the role of surrounding soft tissues in the overall kinematics of human hip and shoulder joints.

Here, human cadavers were used as a model for studying detailed passive motion.  A surgical navigation system, with sub-millimeter accuracy, was used to measure the translatory motion of these cadavers
in different soft tissue states.  Every cadaver hip and shoulder exhibited subtle but definite aspherical motions.  Soft tissues partially constrained the hip but did not correct for underlying morphological asphericity.  There was no consistent pattern of translation.  Changes in the shoulder soft tissues led to distinct changes in the translatory motion that could be used to describe the
etiology of shoulder instabilities.

abstract: PhD


title: Modification of a High-Temperature Electrochemical Testing Station and Experimental Development for Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell Anode Analysis

contributor:
Peppley, Brant A.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Porous Materials
Electrochemistry
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell Anodes
Hydrogen

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-25 17:34:09.465

abstract:
A method to fabricate solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) anodes in a controlled process has been developed. Adjustment of deposition rate was found to alter the anode porosity and particle size distribution. A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) testing system was enhanced to complete steam electrolysis testing of the cells with prepared anodes.
To prepare anodes of desirable morphology and uniform thickness the effect of spraying parameters on anode morphology were studied. Sonication of the anode inks was found to reduce particle agglomerations in the ink dispersion. A technique for obtaining and analyzing SEM cross sections of SOECs was developed to study prepared anodes. Investigation of sprayed anodes revealed that the porosity decreased as the deposition rate was increased. Using ImageJ analysis software particle size distributions of prepared anodes were determined. Anodes deposited at higher deposition rates were seen to have larger particle sizes. A greater anode deposition rate increased the likelihood of particle settling and agglomeration, leading to the decreased porosity and increased particle size in the anodes.
A membrane humidifier was developed and tested to steadily supply steam to the electrolysis cell, the first such humidifier combined with a ProbotStatTM testing rig. Using the modified testing system, a testing method for SOEC analysis was developed. The process for producing polarization curves was studied to determine the desired testing conditions. During testing hysteresis between increasing and decreasing polarization curves, and anode conditioning during constant current electrolysis were seen for some cells. The appearance or absence of both phenomena were seen to be connected.

abstract: Sections of this work are in the process of being submitted as a commercial publication.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Intervention factors associated with reduction in metabolic syndrome score during a lifestyle intervention program

contributor:
Heyland, Daren
Ouellette-Kuntz, Hélène
Day, Andrew
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Metabolic Syndrome
Lifestyle Intervention

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-26 14:51:31.745

abstract:
Background:
Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is a cluster of risk factors associated with increased incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Personalized lifestyle interventions using diet and exercise are effective approaches to reverse metabolic syndrome, but have not been well adopted by Canadians. The Canadian Health Advanced By Nutrition and Graded Exercise (CHANGE) demonstration project focused on implementing a physician-led lifestyle intervention program in the primary care setting. Understanding how dietitian and kinesiologists sessions impact patient outcomes may help the implementation of other lifestyle intervention programs.
Methods:
A retrospective pre-post cohort study was conducted using data collected prospectively as part of the CHANGE demonstration project. Patients in the CHANGE demonstration project were adults diagnosed with metabolic syndrome in one of three Canadian primary care clinics. All 305 patients were provided a one year intensive personalized diet and exercise program through a multidisciplinary approach involving their family physician, a dietitian and a kinesiologist. Metabolic syndrome severity was measured using a continuous metabolic syndrome score standardized to have a standard deviation of one. Half a standard deviation change in metabolic syndrome score represents a moderate effect size. Robust multiple linear regression with multiple imputation was the method used to model the association between the exposures and outcomes while controlling for potential confounders and precision variables. A mediation analysis was also conducted where warranted and the statistical significance was tested by bootstrapping of the imputed sample.
Results:
	The mean decrease in metabolic syndrome score was 0.5 after three months of intervention. The number of kinesiologist visits was not significantly associated with change in metabolic syndrome score but each dietitian visit was associated with a -0.048 [CI -0.09, -0.01] change in metabolic syndrome score. Although statistically significant, only 12.5% of the improvement in the metabolic syndrome score associated with dietitian contacts was partially mediated by the Healthy Eating Index.
Conclusion:
	In the context of a multi-modal primary care-based lifestyle intervention program, increasing dietitian contacts appears to be associated with an improvement in metabolic syndrome score. More research is needed to understand what mediates the treatment effect of dietitian visits.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Assessing Impairments in the Use of Sensory Feedback for Motor Action Post-stroke

contributor:
Scott, Stephen H.
Norman, Kathleen
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
stroke
upper limb
robotics
assessment

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-26 15:09:27.579

abstract:
Stroke is a leading cause of disability that can result in a variety of motor, sensory, and/or cognitive deficits. Importantly, use of sensory feedback to guide motor actions, a crucial component of voluntary motor control, may be compromised in these individuals. Assessment of these impairments is important to guide decisions about clinical rehabilitation. However, current clinical tools are often subjective and use coarse criteria-based scoring. We took a novel approach of using a robotic exoskeleton to provide objective and continuous measures of impairments post-stroke. Subjects with stroke and non-disabled controls were assessed on a series of robotic tasks. Impairments were defined as performance outside the range of 95% of non-disabled controls.
In our first study, we assessed the use of limb afferent feedback to make a motor corrective response with a postural perturbation task. Up to 79% of subjects with stroke had impairments in the coordination, timing, and/or accuracy of their corrective responses. Interestingly, impairments were often bilateral.
In our second study, we investigated whether impairments in the use of limb afferent feedback for action and perception are independent. Stroke-related impairments were independent in the perturbation and limb position matching tasks, both of which rely entirely on limb afferent feedback (Fisher, p=0.79). Performance was weakly correlated between the perturbation and visually-guided reaching task, both of which are motor tasks (rs=0.39, p=0.002). Thus, each task provides unique information of individual impairments post-stroke.
In the final study, we designed an Object Hit and Avoid task where subjects were instructed to hit target objects falling from the top of the screen while avoiding distractor objects. Up to 78% of subjects with stroke were identified as impaired in task parameters and 50% had impaired hit selectivity. The specificity of objects hit was correlated with cognitive function (rs=-0.49, p=2x10-10).
The results of this thesis highlight that many individual subjects with stroke have impairments in the use of sensory feedback to select and control motor actions. These tasks provide unique information on impairments associated with stroke. Future studies are necessary to identify how this information may guide patient-centered rehabilitation to ameliorate the effects of stroke.

abstract: Chapters 3 and 4 are in preparation for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. I intend to remove the publication restriction once they are published.

abstract: PhD


title: The effect of biomechanical and biochemical regulators on the expression of Factor VIII and von Willebrand Factor in endothelial cells

contributor:
Lillicrap, David
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

subject:
TNFa
Inflammation
Shear Stress
von Willebrand Factor
Endothelial Cells
Factor VIII

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-29 09:08:27.134

abstract: The coagulant protein Factor VIII (FVIII) has been the subject of much debate and controversy regarding where, when, and how it is expressed and produced in the human body for much of the past 30-40 years. Expression was only recently linked exclusively to the endothelial cells; its main source is in the liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, while extra-hepatic vascular endothelium is the secondary source. This is highly notable as von Willebrand Factor (VWF), FVIII’s carrier protein, is made primarily in the vascular endothelium. However, FVIII expression is known to not be ubiquitous across the endothelium. The mechanisms behind what allows certain endothelial cells, but not others, to express and produce FVIII are largely unknown. This thesis examined aspects of the endothelial microenvironment that may influence how the endothelium behaves in vivo with a focus on inflammation: biochemical factors in the form of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα, short-term laminar and short- and long-term oscillatory biomechanical shear stress. This study investigated how these conditions were able to modulate the gene expression and protein production of FVIII and VWF, and provides evidence for a role of both these conditions as potential regulators of FVIII and VWF expression and secretion. Through the examination of these conditions in multiple endothelial cell isolates, we propose the significance of accounting for endothelial cell heterogeneity in this type of study. In particular, we have shown that a quiescent phenotype post-inflammation may induce FVIII, and that an inflammatory phenotype, through oscillatory and short-term shear, can induce FVIII in some cases. We also linked our data towards defining the acute phase response in endothelial cells, and provide evidence as to the extra-hepatic FVIII response. Endothelial cells continue to be a major source of interest with reference to FVIII synthesis, storage and secretion, and as we continue to learn more about the molecular regulation of FVIII; this provides new avenues in understanding the balance between hepatic and extra-hepatic FVIII synthesis.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The response of the murine sensory nervous system to augmented levels of colonic nerve growth factor

contributor:
Kawaja, Michael D.
Neuroscience Studies

subject: NGF Myenteric Inflammation p75NTR

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-27 08:53:16.408

abstract:
The primary goal of this research is to understand the response of the tyrosine receptor kinase A (trkA)-expressing cells of the myenteric plexus, and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) to
augmented levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) within the descending colon. Using lines of transgenic mice that express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the NGF promoter, we found a subpopulation of adendritic EGFP+ neurons in the myenteric plexus.
These colonic EGFP+ neurons display positive immunostaining for calretinin but not nitric oxide synthase 1, (NOS1), two biomarkers of mouse myenteric neurons. Induction of colonic inflammation confirms local increases in NGF mRNA/protein levels, which coincide with heightened detection of EGFP by myenteric neurons. Though NOS1+ myenteric neurons display
positive immunostaining for trkA (the receptor required for NGF binding/signalling), transgenic
overexpression of NGF by smooth muscle cells in the colon does not alter the survival, somal size, or axonal density of trkA-expressing NOS1+ myenteric neurons. Mice lacking functional p75NTR (the second receptor required for NGF binding) exhibit significantly less axonal damage among NOS1+ myenteric neurons, in response to chemically induced colonic inflammation. Likewise, trkA-expressing sympathetic axons that innervate the myenteric ganglia
display less damage in the absence of p75NTR. Immunostaining of the lumbar DRG of mice with DSS-induced colitis for ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1) shows reactivity of Iba1+, macrophage-like cells. Using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2DPAGE) coupled with Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) several increases in protein expression were found in the lumbar DRG of mice with DSS-induced colitis.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Context, Construct, and Consequences: Washback of the College English Test in China

contributor:
Cheng, Liying
Education

subject:
Consequences
Validity
Washback
College English Test

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-27 09:58:04.651

abstract: The College English Test (CET) is a large-scale language testing program implemented for the purpose of enhancing English as a foreign language (EFL) in the Chinese tertiary education context. Its results have been used for different purposes in varied contexts. The multiple uses have generated growing concerns and debate over consequences and validity. However, in the field of language assessment, there are few empirical studies that investigate test consequences within a coherent validation framework. Without such studies, it’s hard to know how and why the CET program influences teaching and learning. To address this research gap and research problem, this multi-phase, multi-method study investigated the intended and unintended consequences of the CET, focusing on its washback on students’ learning and learning outcomes. Drawing on the argument-based validation approach, I linked evidence about the CET consequences to construct validity. Participants of this study were multiple stakeholders including the test developer, test users and students. Interview, questionnaire, and test score data were collected. The interview data were analyzed thematically. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the questionnaire and the test score data. Findings of this study highlight the complexity of the consequences of the CET in the Chinese educational and societal contexts. This complexity was attributable to both properties of the test and other contextual forces, particularly uses of the test in the educational and societal contexts. These findings indicate that while the CET provides useful information about students’ achievement of the curriculum, the decision to use the testing program to enhance EFL education is not supported by evidence regarding its consequences. This study sheds light on understanding why and in what ways the CET washback exists in the Chinese educational context. Findings of this study have significant implications for future washback research and for the CET implementation as well as EFL teaching and learning.

abstract: PhD


title: Towards Generalizing Defect Prediction Models

contributor:
Zou, Ying
Computing

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

subject:
Generalization
Mining software repositories
Software engineering
Defect prediction

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-27 14:42:48.167

abstract:
Software quality is vital to the success of a software project. Fixing defects is the
major activity to continuously improve software quality. Given that a real development team usually exhibits limited resources and tight schedules, it is important to
prioritize testing activities and optimize development resources. Predicting defective entities (e.g., files or classes) ahead helps achieve such a goal. Defect prediction has attracted
considerable attention from both academia and industry in the last decade.
A typical defect prediction model is built upon software metrics and labelled defect
data that are collected from the historical data of a software project. A defect prediction
model can be applied within the same project (within-project defect prediction) or on other
projects (cross-project defect prediction). However, due to the diversity in development
processes, a defect prediction model is often not transferable and requires to be rebuilt
when the target project changes. As it consumes additional effort to build and maintain
a defect prediction model for a particular project, it is of significant interest to generalize
a defect prediction model. A generalized defect prediction model relieves the need to
rebuild a defect prediction model for each target project. Moreover, it helps reveal a general
relationship between software metrics and defect data.
In this thesis, we analyze the feasibility of generalizing defect prediction models. First,
we analyze how the distribution of the values of software metrics varies across projects of
different context factors (e.g., programming language and system size). We observe that
such distributions do vary across projects, but can also be similar across projects of different context factors. Second, we investigate the impact that the pre-processing steps (in
particular, transformation and aggregation of software metrics) have on the performance of
defect prediction models. We find that the pre-processing steps impact the performance of
defect prediction models, and therefore need to be considered towards generalizing defect
prediction models. Finally, we propose two approaches for generalizing defect prediction
models with supervised (requiring the training data) and unsupervised (without the training
data) methods, respectively. Our results show that both approaches are feasible to generalize defect prediction models.

abstract: PhD


title: Vasari, the Medici, and the Grotesques of the Palazzo Vecchio

contributor:
D'Elia, Una
Art History

subject:
Cosimo I de' Medici
Grotesques
Eleonora di Toledo
Francesco I de' Medici
Palazzo Vecchio
Marco da Faenza
Bianca Cappello
Giorgio Vasari

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-27 15:05:05.013

abstract:
In 1540, Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici and his wife Eleonora di Toledo moved from the Medici palace on the Via Larga into the Palazzo Vecchio, the former seat of the Florentine republican government. As part of the ducal couple’s efforts to fashion their public identity, they embarked on an extensive new decorative program, which included entire walls, ceilings, and tapestries ornamented with grotesques. When Cosimo’s son and heir, Francesco I, married Giovanna d’Austria and then ruled years later with his second wife Bianca Cappello, they commissioned more grotesques for the palace. Though they are used throughout the seat of Florentine politics, the grotesques of the Palazzo Vecchio have been largely unstudied.
According to sixteenth-century sources, artists had the license to follow their whims and fancies when they executed grotesques. The central question of this study is why these patrons would have commissioned so many works in which they were expected to relinquish control of the project to the artists, especially in spaces in which their self-fashioning was paramount. Cosimo was, after all, well-known for his rigid control over even minute political and cultural affairs. Particularly revealing are the texts of Giorgio Vasari, who both championed the status of the artist and tirelessly promoted the interests of his patrons, and the grotesques executed by Marco da Faenza under Vasari’s supervision. These works suggest that certain themes and guidelines were dictated to the artists, but that within the given parameters a great deal of freedom, whimsy, and humour were welcome, complementing the values held by sixteenth-century Italian courts. These themes and the degree of license permitted varied according to the location of the grotesques as well as the gender of the intended viewers.  The rich cultural connotations of the style and the capriciousness with which imagery could be manipulated produced a range of all’antica painting that could be elevated or base, religious or secular, serious or playful. In every case, with their rhetoric of freedom, grotesques created the impression that the Medici cultivated free expression and established a Golden Age in which liberty reigned.

abstract: I plan to publish it commercially

abstract: PhD


contributor:
Schwartz, Joan M.
Art History

subject:
Frederick H. Evans
History of Photography
George Bernard Shaw
Arts and Crafts Movement
Aubrey Beardsley
Kelmscott Manor
Aesthetic Movement
William Morris
Landscape
Photography
Pianola
Performance
Biography
Portraiture
George Meredith
Social Connections

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-28 17:06:14.753

abstract:
“Frederick H. Evans: A Man of Catholic Interests” considers the ways in which art, literature,
theatre, music, and politics were essential elements in shaping the photographic work of Frederick H.
Evans (British, 1853-1943). Key to this study is the appreciation of the social circles in which Evans
circulated. Evans was connected to important figures that emerged from the Aesthetic movement,
such as craftsman William Morris, illustrator Aubrey Beardsley, and playwright George Bernard
Shaw. Praised for his architectural photography, Evans was much more than an architectural
photographer, and he worked in a variety of genres, including portraiture and landscape. Evans
contributed to the period in which he lived not only through his photographic work, but also
through his writing, publishing, lectures, and involvement in the photographic community.
Chapters focus on various elements of Evans’s life, including his relationship with the written word
as a bookseller, writer, bibliophile, and publisher; his political views and how these were expressed
in his study of Kelmscott Manor, the country home of William Morris; his social connections as
illustrated through his portraiture; different aspects of performance as an important part of his
life, as seen through a series of photographs he made of the cast of Mrs. Warren’s Profession; and
the influence of literature upon his landscape work. While this retrospective consideration cannot
recreate the artwork as it was seen and experienced at the time, this approach can explain how
Evans’s wider interests and social connections were an integral part of his creative process. In many
ways, Evans was a point of convergence and connected people and ideas through his photography.
Therefore, this thesis argues that Evans’s photography responded in meaningful ways to what was
occurring artistically, socially, and politically during the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and in
doing so places his work within a cultural context.

abstract: It is my intention to publish this work within the next five years so I would request (and my advisor Prof. Joan M. Schwartz agrees) to restrict access for the full five years.

abstract: PhD


title: Spatial and temporal patterns of carbon dioxide exchange for a wet sedge plant community, Melville Island, NU

contributor:
Scott, Neal
Treitz, Paul
Geography

subject:
Arctic
climate change
carbon dioxide

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-28 16:55:12.415

abstract:
Wet sedge meadows are the most productive vegetation communities in the High Arctic. Preliminary research suggests that this vegetation type is a net carbon sink, yet the controls – and the scale at which those controls act – are not well understood. If warming of the High Arctic enhances or limits wet sedge growth, we may observe changes in the percentage of land area occupied by these meadows, resulting in significant alterations to the carbon balance of high arctic landscapes.
	Here, the factors controlling carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange of wet sedge meadows are examined at different spatial and temporal scales and environmental data is used to create predictive models of CO2 exchange. Automated and static CO2 exchange systems recorded CO2 exchange at three wet sedge sites at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO), Melville Island, NU, from June to August, 2014. In conjunction, time-series normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data were collected to quantify the phenological stage of the wet sedge vegetation type through the growing season, and soil temperature, air temperature, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), soil moisture, and active layer depth were measured.
Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) measurements indicated dominant plant uptake through photosynthesis, and spectrally separable ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ sedge areas yielded significantly different NEE values at both sampling scales. NDVI measurements indicated that spring greening and peak summer biomass differed between wet and dry areas, but that NDVI was not strongly related to CO2 exchange trends in these systems. Abiotic factors such as air and soil temperature and soil moisture – varying over time and space throughout the season – influenced CO2 exchange to varying degrees at each scale.
	Predictive models of ecosystem carbon flux were created using NDVI in combination with environmental measurements as predictors. This facilitated an evaluation, at two scales, of the drivers of CO2 exchange in these communities – both spatially and temporally. Static chamber measurements (bi-weekly) were unsuccessful in modelling CO2 exchange, but autochamber measurements (half-hourly) provided reasonable predictions. I suggest, though, that linear multivariate-regression models are insufficient for capturing variation in these systems, and that more complex models may provide greater success in the future.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Towards Automated Underground Mine Surveying: Integration of Mobile Mapping with Georeferenced Geometric Beacons

contributor:
Marshall, Joshua A.
Daneshmend, Laeeque K.
Mining Engineering

subject:
Automated Underground Surveying
Mobile Mapping
Georeferenced Beacons
Robotic Surveying
Surveying
Geometric Beacons

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mining Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-28 15:13:39.758

abstract:
Within the surveying community, more specifically in underground mining, the challenge for surveying and mapping is  affordable, fast and accurate positioning that works well within constraints of  underground mining environments. Current surveying methodology for underground environments has not changed much in the last half century. This thesis proposes use of new tools and procedures employed by the robotics community to provide opportunity to improve upon some methods of underground surveying and mapping.

Underground mining environments comprised of ramps, shafts and tunnel type corridors  link areas of mineral extraction to the surface environment. Since these environments are GPS-deprived, automatic positioning in a global context providing centimetre level positioning and single-digit, degree orientation is challenging, especially to mark the start and end of  mobile mapping traverses.

Current mobile  mapping strategies use 2D and 3D laser scanners in conjunction with simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) techniques to map and model underground environments from point cloud data. These strategies currently operate mostly within local reference frameworks that can later be transformed to a global mine geodetic reference framework. They utilize beacon technology such as RFID tags, barcodes and other methods that include using natural features as beacons, providing positioning results outside the positioning accuracies required for surveying and mapping, in the mine surveying context.

This thesis studies and makes contributions in several areas. First it compares and contrasts between conventional surveying and mapping, and mobile mapping. Second, it applies tools and techniques from mobile robotics to bear on problems and tasks in conventional surveying.  It importantly focuses on fast, accurate and reliable registration of a mobile mapping tool to a global geodetic reference system, with minimal human input, whilst generating rigorously adjusted position estimates with associated uncertainties. Third, it demonstrates through experiments, strengths, weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages of the automated underground positioning method. Last, it highlights potential applications beyond surveying and mapping where this positioning method may be applicable. Within this list of contributions is the design, construction, calibration  and testing of  an equivalent mine reference system that uses geometric reference beacon technology to facilitate mobile positioning and mapping.

abstract: PhD


title: Distribution, associations, and limiting growth factors of tree species in a vegetation transition zone of eastern Ontario, Canada

contributor:
Danby, Ryan K.
Environmental Studies

subject:
Transition Zone
Dendrochronology
Landscape ecology
Forest Patterns

abstract: Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-29 15:29:31.659

abstract: Transition zones between vegetation types have been highlighted as areas of high biodiversity and are longstanding focal areas of research. There is increasing evidence to suggest these areas might be uniquely affected by climate change. These transitions can span a variety of scales and can vary in spatial pattern and steepness of gradient. This study focuses on the patterns of distribution and the factors limiting growth of tree species in the eastern deciduous-boreal forest transition zone (DBT) of eastern North America, with focus on species at their range-edge. Data from vegetation inventory plots from the Kawartha Highlands (KH) and Frontenac Arch (FA), both located in eastern Ontario, were analysed using multivariate statistics (ordination and cluster analyses) and spatial analysis (GIS). My findings indicate the DBT is a region of high species mixing at the plot-scale and study area-scales, with no strong evidence for recurring species associations or spatial aggregation of associations in either study area. Only at a regional scale, when comparing and contrasting the two study areas does evidence for differentiation emerge. Boreal species carried higher importance values (a combined measure of abundance and basal area) on the northern half of the KH study area, but were found to be of lower importance throughout both study areas. Range-edge eastern deciduous forest (EDF) species appear to have a much more abrupt range-edge with a abrupt decline in the number of species surveyed on the KH compared to the FA, and two of the only three range-edge EDF species found in the KH were limited to the southern half of the area. Soil composition and depth and presence of the Canadian Shield appear to play a role in this abrupt changeover. Tree ring analysis of three eastern deciduous species at their northern most limits on the Frontenac Arch (Quercus alba, Carya cordiformis, and Carya ovata,) showed that the poorest growth occurred during hot, dry growing seasons. This relationship is likely due to the thin soils characteristic of the FA.

abstract: M.E.S.


title: Iterative, Chemoselective, Enantiospecific, Protecting Group Free Cross-Coupling of Polyboronates

contributor:
Crudden, Cathleen M.
Chemistry

subject: cross-coupling chemoselective enantiospecific Suzuki-Miyaura

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-14 18:16:23.159

abstract:
The Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction is broadly defined as a palladium or nickel catalyzed C-C bond forming reaction occurring between a halide or pseudo-halide electrophile and an organoboron nucleophile.  The extreme importance and power of the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction was recognized in 2010 when its discoverer and prolific developer, Professor Akira Suzuki, was awarded one-third of the Nobel Prize ‘for palladium-catalyzed cross-couplings in organic synthesis’.  This decision was widely applauded by the scientific community, both in industry and academia, which had long recognized the value and impact of this discovery.
Despite its discovery in 1979 the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction has, until recently, remained confined to the realm of assembling ‘flat’ molecules.  It is extremely efficient and reliable in its construction of Csp2- Csp2 bonds namely in the synthesis of stereodefined polyenes, vinylarenes, and biaryl motifs, but much less so when a Csp3 partner is involved.  The poor performance of Csp3 coupling partners is particularly acute in secondary aliphatic compounds; these are the compounds required to engage in cross-coupling to synthesize stereodefined C-C bonds.
However, since the turn of the century, solutions have begun to emerge to this persistent problem.  The Crudden group contributed significantly to leading this charge when, in 2009, the first report of an enantiospecific cross-coupling of secondary benzylic pinacol boronates was published.  This helped to ignite a renewed interest in developing an asymmetric variant for this Nobel Prize winning reaction.
Described herein is the application of this innovative achievement to the successful development of an intriguing methodology.  We have successfully exploited the difference in reactivity of B-Csp2 and B-Csp3 bonds towards an iterative cross-coupling strategy that is devoid of protecting groups.  Furthermore, where stereodefined B-C bonds are subjected to the reaction, the stereochemical outcome of the reaction is good to excellent.  The applicability of this methodology to a known active pharmaceutical ingredient was also achieved.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Seasonal Controls on Litter and Soil Carbon and Nutrient Cycling in Arctic Tundra Ecosystems and Potential Impacts of Climate Change

contributor:
Grogan, Paul
Biology

rights: Creative Commons - Attribution-Non-commercial-No Derivate Works - CC BY-NC-ND

subject:
Climate Change
Winter
Ecosystem Ecology
Arctic

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-29 07:11:46.924

abstract: Climate change is leading to warmer temperatures and greater snowfall in Arctic regions. Microbial decomposition activities are strongly regulated by temperature, and therefore climate warming is projected to enhance decay of the vast tundra soil organic matter pool, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere and nutrients into the soil solution. By contrast, increased soil nutrient availability promotes plant growth and changes in vegetation, both of which may enhance plant uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere. Consequently, depending on the net balance between these increases in CO2 release and uptake, tundra ecosystems may end up contributing globally significant feedbacks to a changing climate, further exacerbating environmental change. In this thesis, I modelled the effects of changes in seasonal climate on litter decay rates and ecosystem carbon (C) and nutrient pools in a variety of tundra vegetation-types. Specifically, I investigated how short- (one year) and longer-term (up to 9 years) experimentally-deepened winter snow and summer warming impact microbial communities and biogeochemical dynamics using experimental plots located in distinct ecosystems across the Canadian, Greenlandic, and Norwegian Arctic. Summer warming reduced surface litter decomposition in both relatively dry and wet ecosystems, likely because of evaporation-induced desiccation. In contrast, deepened snow had negligible effects on litter decay rates. However, tall birch shrub vegetation significantly stimulated litter decomposition, presumably due to a positive feedback from their greater litter inputs, enhancing soil nutrient pools and thereby microbial decomposition activities. Regarding plant and soil dynamics, the longer-term impacts of deepened snow included enhanced evergreen shrub growth and dominance over deciduous shrubs, but this increase in ecosystem C storage was dwarfed by 60 times greater soil C loss from the subsoil mineral layer. Soil bacterial community structure was much more strongly influenced by depth variation in edaphic properties down the thawing soil profile than by seasonal change from winter to autumn. However, despite greater diversity with depth, the seasonal thaw significantly affected community structure and biomass similarly throughout the soil profile. Altogether, this research suggests that summer warming may slow surface litter decomposition, but that deepened snow may result in substantial soil C losses that greatly exceed plant C uptake.

abstract: Please restrict this thesis for 1 (one) year. This request is due to all data chapters (Chapters 2-6) currently being in review or pending submission for review (for publication) in high ranking international scientific journals. These journal often require that the work/data not being published/available elsewhere at time of submission.

abstract: PhD


title: Designing for Exertion: Using Heart Rate Power-Ups to Improve Energy Expenditure in Exergames

contributor:
Graham, Nicholas
Computing

subject:
Exergame
Power-up
Game Design
Active Video Game

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-29 13:11:14.404

abstract:
By combining the joy of movement with digital games, exergames can encourage people to exercise. Unfortunately, current exergames may not inspire exertion levels that meet the exercise guidelines provided by the American College of Sports Medicine, and may not encourage long-term participation. In this thesis, we present a novel exergame mechanic, Heart Rate Power-ups that can be used to increase player exertion in exergames. Heart Rate Power-ups provide a benefit in the game when players reach a target exertion level.
We performed a user study to evaluate the efficacy of Heart Rate Power-ups at increasing players’ exertion and to assess their impact on player experience. This study compared player exertion and enjoyment of three games with and without the presence of Heart Rate Power-ups. We found that player exertion increased for two of the three games and that players responded positively to the addition of Heart Rate Power-ups. Our experience allowed us to provide design principles and applicability guidelines for the implementation of Heart Rate Power-ups.
Converting popular off-the-shelf games into exergames allows developers to provide content with less effort than creating games from scratch. Continually providing new content may renew player interest and positively influence players’ long-term commitment to exergames. We converted two popular games, Valve Corporation’s Half-Life 2 and Bethesda Game Studios’ Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, into cycling based exergames with Heart Rate Power-ups. The conversion was achieved via modding interfaces provided by the games’ publishers. We performed a user study on the converted games comparing the traditional games with a straight cycling version and a cycling version with Heart Rate Power-ups present. The results confirmed our hypothesis that a straight cycling conversion would generate low exertion levels and using an off-the-shelf games modding interface to implement Heart Rate Power-ups improved exertion levels.
This thesis highlights the importance of designing exergames with exertion in mind and provides insight into a technique for those wishing to do so.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Impulse waves generated by gravitationally-accelerated granular landslides in a large scale flume

contributor:
Take, W. Andy
Mulligan, Ryan P.
Civil Engineering

subject:
tsunami
landslide
landslide-generated
physical model
wave
flume
near-field
impulse

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-01-29 14:29:55.871

abstract: Landslide-generated impulse waves are a risk to coastal areas near possible sources of large and rapid landslides. A better understanding of the generation of these waves is important for the prediction of the size of these waves. High quality experimental data of a range of different landslide parameters is essential for the development of empirical relationships between landslide and the resulting wave. The existing established relationships are based on physical models that feature pneumatically accelerated slide masses, either using solid blocks or granular material. These tests have short and dense landslides which may not represent all the landslide types. The present study adds to the existing data set using a large scale flume and high speed cameras, which can model very large, gravity accelerated landslides. These types of landslides may be more representative of certain types of large, rapid landslides. A total of twenty-two tests were performed in the large scale flume with eight different water depths. The landslide volume was constant between all tests, while the water depth varied, to change the relative size and velocity of the landslide compared to the water body. The effect of the landslide mass, length, and volume fraction were more pronounced than has been observed in previous studies featuring smaller and denser landslide types. The relative landslide parameters are compared to the maximum wave amplitudes and observed wave types. Although three different wave types were generated in the near-field to the impact site, these waves were observed to transition into solitary waves. The speed and shape of the waves closely matched solitary wave theory in the far-field. The run-up of the waves on a smooth impermeable slope closely matched predictions for run-up of solitary waves. The observed maximum wave amplitudes are also compared to existing empirical wave generation equations. An effective mass reduction factor is introduced to account for the large size and long length of the slides tested. Long, gravity accelerated granular landslides were found to behave significantly different during the wave generation phase than experiments conducted using both solid block landslides and granular block landslides reported in the literature.

abstract: This thesis is to be restricted to provide sufficient time for the author to reformat and submit the research to an academic journal.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Transport of PBDE, MWCNTS, and BPA (Contaminants of Emerging Concern) Through Modern Landfill Liners

contributor:
Rowe, Kerry
Civil Engineering

subject:
High Density Polyethylene
MSW Landfill
Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes
HDPE
MWCNTs
Municipal Solid Waste
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
Permeation Coefficient
Bisphenol A
PBDE
BPA
Methylphenols
Geomembrane
Phenols
Chlorophenols
Geosynthetics
Geosynthetic Clay Liner
GCL
Diffusion Coefficient
Bentonite Clay
Geotextile
Partitioning Coefficient

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-01 08:03:01.212

abstract:
Diffusion of three contaminants of emerging concern: (1) polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), (2) multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and (3) bisphenol A (BPA) through high density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane (GMB) were investigated. Partitioning and diffusion coefficients, Sgf and Dg, and/or the permeation coefficient, Pg, were estimated depending on the contaminant behaviour. Laboratory experiments were performed at room temperature and a semi-analytical model was used to estimate the permeation parameters. Diffusion of BPA through a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) was also examined. The experimentally inferred coefficients were used to examine the transport of these contaminants through a typical composite liner of a hypothetical landfill.
Due to specific characteristics of PBDE with respect to HDPE, the conventional method for obtaining partitioning and diffusion coefficients did not work and a new method was developed to obtain these parameters. The PBDE partitioning coefficient (Sgf ~ 1.8×106) was four orders of magnitude higher and the diffusion coefficient was two orders of magnitude lower (Dg ~ 3.7×10-15 m2/s) than partitioning and diffusion coefficients of contaminants such as benzene and toluene usually considered in landfill design.
Diffusion experiments performed on MWCNTs dispersed in an aqueous media have been running for about two years with no measurable partitioning of MWCNTs to the GMB or diffusion through the GMB. An upper bound permeation coefficient of MWCNTs through GMB (Pg ~ 5.6×10-15 m2/s) was estimated using the detection limit of MWCNTs in the receptor.
BPA diffusion through HDPE GMB was investigated by using both BPA alone and in a mixture of phenolic compounds. The two experiments with different HDPE GMBs gave similar results with no measurable partitioning to the HDPE in four years of testing. Based on the diffusion tests, an upper bound permeation coefficient of BPA for an HDPE GMB (Pg ~ 2.9×10-15 m2/s) was estimated using the detection limit of BPA in the receptor. The permeation parameters of other phenolic compounds were also estimated and the partitioning coefficients ranged from 0.61 for 2-methylphenol (2-MP) to 31 for 2,3,4,6-Tetrachlorophenol and the diffusion coefficients ranged from 9.3×10-15 m2/s for pentachlorophenol (PCP) to 9.3×10-14 m2/s for 2-methylphenol (2-MP).  The experimentally inferred BPA distribution and diffusion coefficients for a GCL at low stress (DGCL ~ 1.5×10-10 m2/s, Kd ~ 10-16 mL/g) are similar to reported values for other organic compounds in the literature.
The GMB partitioning/diffusion/permeation coefficients of all three contaminants (PBDE, MWCNTs, and BPA) are all such that an HDPE GMB can be expected to be an excellent diffusive barrier for them in a municipal solid waste landfill. Modelling indicated that the impact for these contaminants of emerging concern will be controlled by holes on the geomembrane associated with wrinkles.

abstract: The thesis needs to be restricted for one year until all the chapters are published as journal papers.

abstract: PhD


title: Geochemical Characterization of Coexisting Precipitates and Waters from High-Sulfidation Epithermal Gold Deposits

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

subject: Acid rock drainage

subject: Lagunas Norte

subject: Secondary precipitates

subject: High-sulfidation epithermal gold deposits

subject: El Indio

subject: Pierina

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-02 23:12:08.927

abstract:
Water management and treatment at closed mine sites have become primary concerns for mining companies due to their costly nature, potential commitment of decades of water treatment, and impact on the environment. The long-term objective of this research investigates methods of extracting metals from acid mine waste in order to minimize the environmental impact of the drainage and decrease the financial burden on mining companies. However, understanding the mechanism of element mobility in mine waste requires a comprehensive assessment of the composition of the water and co-existing minerals at studied mines El Indio, Lagunas Norte and Pierina, which is the primary goal of this thesis. No study has previously provided a detailed analysis of the secondary precipitates at these mines or their role in storing trace elements.
Water samples were analyzed by inductively coupled mass spectrometry and inductively coupled optical emission spectrometry. Coexisting mineral samples were characterized using an environmental scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and synchrotron-based microanalysis. The pH of waters is acidic with values of 2.24 to 4.5. Major elements in waters include Ca, Al, Fe and SO4; minor elements include Cu, Mg, Mn, Zn, K, Na and trace elements consisted of As, Co, Ni, Sr, Pb and Cd. This study has identified previously unreported phases that may be placed into 3 broad groups: 1) hydrous Na-, Mg-, Ca, Cu- and other metal-sulfates such as blodite group minerals, hexahydrite and gypsum 2) Fe-oxides, oxyhydroxides and oxyhydroxysulfates such as ferrihydrite, goethite, scorodite and jarosite 3) other metal-rich, poorly crystalline Al phases. Synchrotron microanalysis has shown that these minerals sequester Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd, As, Ni and other trace elements.
This research has improved the understanding of the mobility of elements by identifying the trace elements associated with minerals and by characterizing the relationship between chemistry of precipitates and solution. The occurrence of secondary precipitates stands as evidence purporting that sulfide oxidation at these mine sites is ongoing. Barrick Gold Corporation can consider capturing the sulfate-rich secondary precipitates by mechanically enhanced pond-evaporation and precipitation of efflorescent salts, methods which may allow to efficiently capture elements of interest.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Beyond “the Desert and the Sown”:  Peasants, Pastoralists, and Climate Crises in Ottoman Diyarbekir, 1840-1890

contributor:
Salzmann, Ariel
History

subject:
Climate Change
El Niño
Drought
Environmental History
Middle East
Ottoman Empire
Diyarbekir
Peasants
Pastoralists
Herders
Animals
Famine
Starvation

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-05 15:01:58.97

abstract: This dissertation refocuses attention from a ‘clash of cultures’ to a ‘clash of environmental economies’ within the eastern regions of the nineteenth-century Ottoman Empire, particularly the province of Diyarbekir. An account of changing patterns of climate provides an alternative vantage point on the origins of inter-social relationships within this region. In the aftermath of intermittent climate-induced environmental crises, peasants and pastoralists confronted different challenges. Overall, crop-based economies could recover more quickly than herding-based economies. Given enough water and seed, and normal weather conditions, farmers could replant and expect good harvests the following season. However, pastoralists, who either lost or sold most of their animals as a result of lack of food and water needed many seasons of abundant grass and water to rebuild their herds to their former size. Examining episodes of severe climate in the Ottoman east in the 1840s and 1880s, this study presents evidence that the different timetables for recovery following episodes of environmental crisis were consequential for understanding changing relationships between people, land, and animals as well as relations between communities.

abstract: Due to its originality and my future publication plans, this dissertation must be restricted by SGS.

abstract: PhD


title: QChopper - Segmentation of Large Surface Meshes for 3D Printing

contributor:
Rappaport, David
Computing

subject:
Mesh Segmentation
3d Printing
Computational Geometry

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-05 14:19:33.289

abstract: 3D printers are becoming an ever-cheaper way to prototype or reproduce objects. There are difficulties that arise when attempting to reproduce very large objects with a 3D printer. Printers have a limited volume that they can print, or struggle to plan their process for very large 3D models. A solution to this problem is to segment the larger mesh into smaller parts that can be printed separately, then reassembled. In this thesis we describe various approaches to mesh segmentation and present an approach that efficiently segments very large 3D models so that they can be printed. Finally we show the results of our approach on 4 objects of increasing size and complexity.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: IaaS Cloud Service Selection using Case-Based Reasoning

contributor:
Martin, Patrick
Elgazzar, Khalid
Computing

subject:
IaaS
Cloud Computing
Multi Criteria Decision Making
Service Selection
Case-Based Reasoning

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-11 14:13:32.988

abstract:
Cloud computing provides on-demand resources and removes the boundaries of resources' physical locations. It allows vendors to save upfront infrastructure costs and focus on features that discriminate their
businesses. Growing number of provided services makes manual selection of the most suitable service time consuming and very hard which requires expertise. The large number of features and properties that the services are characterized by makes automatic service selection challenging.
In this thesis we present QuARAM Service Recommender, a self-adaptive Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) service selection system that recommends a list of suitable services for cloud application deployment based on an application's requirements and the customer's preferences. The process starts with automatic extraction of an application's features, requirements and preferences and ends with a list of  potential services for the application deployment. TOSCA provides a standard way of specifying the cloud application. Defined Normative Types in TOSCA do not cover defining all the requirements, features, and customer's preferences. In this thesis we propose an extension to the TOSCA Normative Types, so our system can extract all the information required for service selection automatically from the specification of the application.
We use case-based reasoning to provide a  recommendation of suitable services for application deployment. This method can be beneficial for cloud customers in service selection even when lacking complete knowledge about their application or features offered by cloud services. It can efficiently handle heterogeneous attributes that characterize cloud services and the requirements of cloud applications and
is able to integrate the customer's preferences through assigning weights to these attributes. The feedback from both customers and the monitoring system is used to automatically adapt the system behavior and enhance the quality of recommendations. We use MCDM method for cloud service selection when there are not sufficient cases in the system case base and we use clustering to handle the problem of a large search space. We further describe a service consolidation method to improve the resource utilization and reduce the total service price.  Our step-by-step case study demonstrates that an automatic IaaS service selection using a combination of all the proposed approaches is practical and achievable.

abstract: PhD


title: Additive Effects on Melt-State Modification of Commodity Polyolefins

contributor:
Parent, J. Scott
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Crosslinking
Antioxidant
Hindered Amine
Peroxide
Nitroxyl
Isoprene
Polyolefin
Oxidation
Butyl Rubber

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-11 06:35:12.99

abstract:
In this work, melt-state peroxide mediated crosslinking of butyl rubber (IIR) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) was used to determine additive effects, as well as the effect of higher isoprene content on the extent of crosslinking. Grafting of vinyltriethoxysilane (VTEOS) to polymer and hydrocarbon substrate was used to determine the effects of unsaturation and additives on radical intermediates.

Grafting of VTEOS to butyl rubber (melt-state) was sensitive to isoprene content. Higher isoprene improved the rate of combination relative to chain scission because of resonance stabilization of allylic macroradical intermediates. Graft yields for IIR were lower than those of poly(isobutylene) homopolymer, because unsaturation dramatically increased the relative rate of degradative chain transfer.

Higher reactivity of high isoprene rubber was employed to graft acrylated radical traps that combine with polymer macroradicals and subsequently oligomerize. This occurred in appreciable quantities, giving a modest crosslinked network that was less prone to stress relaxation, compared to poly(isobutylene).

The effects of several antioxidants on peroxide crosslinking of LLDPE and grafting of VTEOS to cyclohexane were assessed. All but the hindered amine 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (TEMPH) were found to affect peroxide cures and graft addition. TEMPH survived grafting reactions, as well as DCP-only crosslinking reactions in cyclohexane in the absence of oxygen, while 1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidine (TEMPMe) did not.

High molecular weight hindered amine suppressed oxidative degradation in LLDPE films for 16 days, quantitatively as well as BHT (industry standard). Thus, hindered amine 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (TEMPH) was selected as an ideal latent antioxidant, and this was explained by the requirement of oxidative activation to form a reactive nitroxyl for radical scavenging. Activation mechanisms were reviewed, the most likely being the formation of a tetramethylpiperinyl radical intermediate before oxidation to generate nitroxyl.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Preschoolers Restrict the Scope of Labels Within Their Own Linguistic Group

contributor:
Sabbagh, Mark A.
Psychology

subject: Conventionality Language

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-26 09:52:11.003

abstract: An understanding of the conventional nature of language entails a recognition that word meanings are shared widely within a group, but due to the arbitrary nature, vary across different groups and are limited to those individuals who use them. Within a linguistic group, many words are shared by all speakers; however, some word meanings are shared by a subset of speakers.. For example, in the U.K. trucks and elevators are referred to by different names. No work has examined whether children understand that word meanings are shared narrowly within their own linguistic group. To better understand children’s appreciation of the restricted scope of word meanings, and thus their conventional understanding of language, I examined whether children assumed that familiar and newly acquired labels would be shared by an English speaker who uses non-local conventions. Moreover, I asked whether a speaker’s accent might affect children’s judgment of one’s conventional knowledge. A native accented experimenter trained children on two novel object labels. Children were then familiarized to a video of a speaker with either a native or non-native accent who spoke English but labeled familiar objects with either conventional or novel labels. Children then participated in a disambiguation task, in which they were presented with an object, which they had a previous label for, and an unnamed object. On certain test trials, the object pair was a familiar and a novel object, and on other trials, it was the training object pairs from earlier on. I found that when the speaker previously used non-local conventions, children did not assume that the speaker would have knowledge of the conventional names of the objects during test. In contrast, when the speaker previously used local conventional labels, children assumed that the speaker would have knowledge of the familiar objects during test. These findings suggest that children may recognize that word meanings can be shared narrowly within their own linguistic group, which provides evidence that children may understand that word meanings are arbitrary agreements shared by specific group. This finding supports the possibility that children’s understanding of language is consistent with the principles of conventionality.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Inhabiting Educational Design

contributor:
Upitis, Rena
Education

subject:
Educational Design
Post-Occupancy Evaluation
School Architecture
Participatory Design
Photo-Elicitation Interviews

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-12 16:34:08.269

abstract:
The natural and built environments of schools have a profound impact on our understanding of the world and our place within it. Their role in shaping how we feel, think, and act, however, is often underestimated. As a result, static design solutions continue to dominate the educational landscape. Knowledge regarding the ways in which we inhabit educational design informs the dynamic potential of school architecture as pedagogy.

The broad purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of educational design. Research questions included: (a) What can be learned from the experiences of architects and principals involved in the design of two exemplary public schools?, (b) How do students and teachers experience the design of these educational environments?, and (c) How can their experiences inform educational design? A qualitative, phenomenological, case study methodology was chosen to investigate educational design from the perspectives of 29 students, 10 teachers, 2 principals, and 3 architects at two comprehensive schools (Grades 1–9) in Helsinki, Finland. Students and teachers took over 1600 photographs and selected 400 for discussion at photo-elicitation interviews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with principals and architects. Analysis identified the theme at the heart of the data as a lack of congruency between the intended purpose(s) and users’ experiences of the design of their schools. This insight led to the development of the Educational Design Intentions (EDI) Model, which explores tensions within participant-identified design intentions and their implications for educational design.

This study identified: (a) key insights regarding participants’ experiences of inhabiting their schools, (b) the need for post-occupancy evaluations, especially from an educational and humanistic perspective, and (c) how educators and architects can more fully inhabit a shared vision of educational design. Knowledge regarding the interplay between educational stakeholders and the design and use of their schools has the potential to facilitate change at participant schools, increase knowledge in the field, diversify school design, and focus future research.

abstract: Previously discussed with SGS.

abstract: PhD


title: Numerical study of an impinging jet with embedded vortices

contributor:
Piomelli, Ugo
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Numerical simulation
impinging jet
roughness
vortices

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-19 11:08:58.182

abstract:
Large-eddy simulations of round forced impinging jets at laboratory scale are performed, as a simplified model of the helicopter rotor wake; the goals were to understand the dynamics of the vortices, and to help develop engineering correlation and models. First, I studied the flow over smooth surfaces, then the Reynolds number effects and the performance of lower-level models in this flow were explored. Finally, I investigated surface roughness effects.

The interaction between the vortices and the wall resulted in the formation of secondary vorticity that was lifted up and rolled around the primary vortex. These large-scale vortices play an important role in
determining the flow. The dynamics of the vortex evolution are initially dominated by an inviscid mechanism. As the interaction with the wall begins, however, the contribution of turbulent diffusion to the vorticity transport (TVD) becomes the leading term weakening the primary vortex. This phenomenon is extremely robust, leading to similar vortex decay rates regardless of the level of turbulence in the jet and the nature of the near-wall flow. The mean-flow three-dimensionality due to a short-wavelength azimuthal instability also plays a role in the evolution of the vortices.

Surface roughness significantly modified the near-wall flow, including displacement of the velocity profile, increase of wall stress, and amplification of turbulence levels. The near-wall flow changes due to the roughness are advected to the outer layer during the separation of the secondary vorticity, rather than being confined in the vicinity of the roughness elements. The robust TVD mechanism, however, prevent the vortices from being strongly affected by these changes.

This flow is particularly challenging for turbulence models. The tested RANS models exhibited poor performance. The error sources were first identified as their incapability in predicting both the shear-layer instability, and the local unsteady separation. Secondly, the well-known shortcomings of the eddy-viscosity assumption in wall jets were amplified here by the counter-gradient transport during the vortex evolution. Finally, since the TVD term depends on the second derivative of the shear stress, the RANS model errors were naturally amplified. The WMLES predicted vortex decay in good agreement with the resolved LES data.

abstract: PhD


title: Water Sorption Properties of Sub-Micron Thin Ionomer Films

contributor:
Karan, Kunal
Chemical Engineering

subject:
QCM
PEMFC
Water uptake
Swelling
Polymer
Thin film
Nafion

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-20 20:27:20.46

abstract:
This thesis is focused on the water uptake and swelling properties of sub-micron thin ion conducting polymer (ionomer) films. One motivation for this work stems from the need to resolve the discrepancy between high water uptake and low proton conductivity properties observed in Nafion® thin films on SiO2 substrate. In addition, the effects of film thickness, substrate, ionomer equivalent weight (EW), and annealing on the intrinsic properties of ionomer thin films were studied. Ionomer thin films were characterized using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and ellipsometry for their density,
refractive index (RI), water uptake and swelling properties.
Water uptake studies showed that the effect of substrate on water uptake of Nafion® thin films were not as strong as expected. Meanwhile, a thickness-dependent water uptake was observed for Nafion®
thin films. Similar trends were observed for the two low EW ionomers suggesting similar nano-structure in the thin film form. Interestingly, comparison of water uptake showed that low EW ionomers adsorb comparable or less water than Nafion in the thin film form.                       A combined QCM and ellipsometer setup was employed for the first time to simultaneously measure the water uptake and swelling, respectively as a function of humidity. All thin films appear to be affected by confinement effect as evident by the swelling dimension and volume of mixing. Thermally annealed (160 oC) Nafion® thin films experienced a significant decrease in water uptake and swelling properties.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Inflammation Promotes the Processing of Glial Cell-Line Derived Neurotrophic Factor by Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 in Intestinal Smooth Muscle Cells

contributor:
Blennerhassett, Michael G.
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Axonal Outgrowth
TNF-alpha
GDNF
Enteric Nervous System
Intestinal Smooth Muscle Cells
MMP-9

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2016-02-23 21:44:36.91

abstract:
The control and regulation of all major intestinal functions are coordinated by neurons within the enteric nervous system (ENS).  While intestinal inflammation initially causes a profound loss of enteric neurons, the ENS demonstrates remarkable changes in neuronal structure and function to retain control of gastrointestinal functions.  Expression of the neurotrophin glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been implicated in promoting postnatal regenerative processes in the ENS. It has been proposed that intestinal smooth muscle cells (ISMC) express GDNF as a precursor molecule that requires proteolytic processing to achieve the mature form (15 kDa). The expression of mature GDNF is increased during intestinal inflammation, however, little is known about how inflammatory conditions affect the synthesis, processing, and biological activity of GDNF.
	Analysis of a neonatal rat co-culture model confirmed that the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α caused a 2-fold increase in both the expression of 15 kDa GDNF and in the axonal outgrowth of myenteric neurons, compared to control.  Evaluation of broad-spectrum protease inhibitors or inhibitors of metalloproteinases (MMP) showed that only inhibition of MMP-9 specifically blocked TNFα-induced axonal proliferation.  The inhibition of MMP-9 in co-cultures also blocked the increase in 15 kDa GDNF expression, while the overall expression of GDNF was not affected. Assessment of MMP-9 expression in ISMC showed that TNF-α caused a greater than 2-fold increase in intracellular expression, compared to control.  Significantly, the addition of exogenous 15 kDa GDNF rescued axonal proliferation during MMP-9 inhibition, while transfection with full-length GDNF did not. Finally, a neuron survival bioassay showed that 15 kDa GDNF in conditioned media from a GDNF-expression system doubled enteric neuron survival over serum-free control, while addition of the MMP-9 inhibitor blocked the increase in survival.  These findings suggest that both the expression and subsequent intracellular processing of GDNF in the intestine are influenced by inflammatory factors, through the induction of MMP-9 activity.  Furthermore, this evidence indicates that GDNF processing to the mature form is required for GDNF-mediated neurotrophic outcomes in the co-culture model.

abstract: M.Sc.