title: Laboratory study evaluating thermal remediation of tetrachloroethylene impacted soil

contributor:
Kueper, Bernard H.
Civil Engineering

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subject: Thermal DNAPL Remediation PCE

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-11 10:12:50.564

abstract:
A laboratory study was conducted to assess the relationship between degree of volatile organic compound (VOC) mass removal from soil and heating duration, initial dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) saturation, and grain size. The relationship between post-remedy sampling temperature and VOC soil concentration was examined.  Soil contained in glass jars was spiked with DNAPL phase tetrachloroethylene (PCE), saturated, and placed in an oven for a specified period of time. The soil temperature at the centre of each jar was monitored during heating. Upon removal from the oven, each jar was immediately capped with an air tight seal and placed into an ice bath until the soil temperature had cooled to the desired sampling temperature.  The jar caps were subsequently removed and the soil was sampled using a coring tool and immersed into pre-weighed vials containing methanol.  PCE in soil samples was quantified using purge-and-trap with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Soil temperature increased steadily from ambient until reaching a plateau at 89 ºC ± 4 ºC due to co-boiling of DNAPL phase PCE and water.  A linear relationship was found between the length of the co-boiling plateau and the initial PCE saturation.  Co-boiling continued until DNAPL phase PCE had been depleted, at which time the soil temperature increased to the boiling point of water and remained constant while remaining pore water was removed.

PCE soil concentrations decreased rapidly in the early stages of heating, but leveled off between 9.0 and 19 ppb soon after the soil became dried out. Analysis of the sensitivity to initial PCE saturation data revealed that the concentration of PCE in post-remedy samples increased with increasing initial saturation. Results of the sensitivity to grain size tests showed a decreasing trend between PCE soil concentration and decreasing sand grain size while temperature at sampling was not found to affect the amount of PCE quantified post-thermal remedy.

Soil temperature at the centre of each jar during cooling was measured and an analytical solution was fit to the recorded data.  From this data, the thermal diffusivity of the soil was approximated and was found to range from 1.4 x 10-7 to 1.8 x 10-7 m2/s.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Explicating a Biological Basis for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

contributor:
Skillicorn, B. David
Computing

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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:
Computer Science
Data Mining

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-11 12:15:40.096

abstract:
In the absence of clinical markers for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), research
to find a biological basis for it is still open. Many data-mining techniques have
been widely employed to analyze biomedical data describing different aspects of CFS.
However, the inconsistency of the results of these studies reflect the uncertainty in
regards to the real basis of this disease. In this thesis, we show that CFS has a
biological basis that is detectable in gene expression data better than blood profile
and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) data. Using random forests, the analysis
of gene expression data achieves a prediction accuracy of approximately 89%. We also
identify sets of differentially expressed candidate genes that might contribute to CFS.
We show that the integration of data spanning multiple levels of the biological scale
might reveal further insights into the understanding of CFS. Using integrated data,
we achieve a prediction accuracy of approximately 91%. We find that Singular Value
Decomposition (SVD) is a useful technique to visualize the performance of random
forests.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Value of Design: A Study of Pedestrian Perception in New Delhi, India

contributor:
Leung, Hok-Lin
Urban and Regional Planning

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subject:
Design
Perception
Values
New Delhi
India
Planning
Pedestrian
Behaviour
Lynch
Legibility
PENDL
Needs
Environmental

abstract: Thesis (Master, Urban & Regional Planning) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-11 16:36:06.145

abstract:
This thesis studies the influence of values and perception on pedestrian behaviour, to recommend how places can be designed to satisfy their user needs. By satisfying needs we mean creating user perceptions that resonate with the environmental values held by the users.

This study examines user perception of a number of pedestrian environments in New Delhi, India to identify if the environments satisfy their users’ environmental values, and then to explain how this happens. It studies Kevin Lynch’s performance dimensions for good city form – safety, access, fit, sense, and control – as some environmental values that are common to most people.

The study finds that user perceptions of how the environment affects these values will influence user behaviour. It also becomes evident that the legibility of paths, edges, and landmarks plays an important role in the mechanics of perception. Legibility is crucial to the pedestrian’s mental image of the environment: the more legible the paths, edges, and landmarks, the easier it is for the user to construct his or her mental image. Legible surroundings will enhance the user’s perception of the environment’s ability to satisfy his or her values.

The findings are used to recommend design improvements for the pedestrian environment. The successful application of this study method in New Delhi suggests robustness of Lynch’s analysis regarding how the legibility of the physical environment – especially of paths, edges, and landmarks - is a key determinant of the success of an environment to satisfy important values that are common to most users.

abstract: M.PL.


title: Investigating the Feasibility of Asynchronous Design Methodologies in Large-scale Microprocessor Systems

contributor:
Simmons, Stanley
Electrical and Computer Engineering

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subject: Asynchronous Microprocessor MIPS

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-19 01:30:22.248

abstract:
Microprocessor systems have been advancing at a phenomenal rate, with each new generation introducing improved fabrication processes and architectural innovations. Unfortunately, traditional fabrication techniques cannot sustain this exponential growth indefinitely. Thus, additional research into conventional design methodologies, such as those involving asynchronous design techniques, is essential to maintain the current trend.

The primary objective of this research was to explore the viability of asynchronous design techniques as an alternative to current synchronous design methods. In order to simulate the design complexities involved in a real-world system, the MIPS-II R2000 pipelined microprocessor was selected as the basis for comparison. All of the experimental processors were designed in VHDL on an FPGA using the Altera Quartus II design package. The processors were tested using timing simulations with various benchmarks to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each design technique.

Four distinct asynchronous processors with varying handshaking and synchronization methods were designed and compared to the baseline synchronous processor. Although, in theory, each of the asynchronous design variations had its merits, it was clear that not all of them were well suited for practical use in a large-scale microprocessor environment. Three of the asynchronous processors suffered from an excessive amount of synchronization overhead that drastically reduced their overall system performance to the point where they performed considerably worse than the baseline synchronous processor. However, one asynchronous processor performed considerably better: with only a 1.5 percent increase in logic complexity, it outperformed the baseline synchronous processor by over 10 percent on a sorting test benchmark and had a maximum theoretical speedup of over 36 percent.

Therefore, it is evident that asynchronous designs have the potential to improve the performance of traditional synchronous systems. However, designing efficient and hazard-free asynchronous logic on an FPGA proved to be challenging and time-consuming. With additional research and further design tool improvements to facilitate the creation of optimized glitch-free logic, asynchronous design methodologies may become a viable alternative to traditional synchronous designs and contribute to the current trend of microprocessor advancement.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Teacher Candidates' Perspectives on Teacher Education and Critical Multiculturalism

contributor:
Lewis, Magda Gere
Education

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subject:
Multiculturalism
Teacher Education
Critical Multiculturalism
Diversity
Social Justice
Discourse
Multicultural Education
Teacher Candidates

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-12 09:21:57.648

abstract:
This research is grounded in my observation that we live in a society that is racist, sexist, classist, heterosexist, able-ist, and oppressive in other ways for a variety of groups and individuals outside of the dominant norm. Schools functions as sites of reproduction that work to maintain the status quo through the reproduction of racist, sexist, classist, and heterosexist language and discourse (among others) that maintain the normalcy of oppressive behaviour. However, in as much as schools may reproduce inequalities, they could equally well produce possibilities for equal and just relations in society. In many ways, schools are contradictory places where the dynamics of reproduction and production are simultaneously at work. The question becomes one of how to encourage and nurture the possibility of schools to become sites of struggle over oppressive relations in society. Critical multicultural theory has been proposed as one possible answer to this question.
While critical multicultural education understands schooling as a site of social reproduction, it is also believed that schools can work to challenge the inequality engendered by the process of social reproduction by educating students about the dynamics of oppression and privilege. Schools are, thus, understood as sites of possibility, where the normative and common sense understanding of society’s current oppressive relations are deconstructed and critiqued. In this work, I use critical multicultural theory to focus on the role of teacher education in the creation of new possibilities for schooling.
The purpose of this research is to examine new possibilities for teacher education by making problematic the normative discourse of a university teacher education program and its implication for critical multicultural teaching. As such, this research will deconstruct the dominant discourse in a Faculty of Education at a mid-size Canadian university through an examination and analysis of the perspectives of current teacher candidates; examine how the discourses in teacher education work to constrain and limit the possibility of critical multicultural education; consider the pedagogical challenges of a critical approach to multicultural education; and provide new possibilities for teacher education and, in particular, critical multicultural teacher education.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: On the Oscillations of Jupiter as Observed by Voyager 2

contributor:
Thomson, David J.
Mathematics and Statistics

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subject: Physics Space Modes Statistics

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-12 20:16:46.187

abstract:
Data recorded from Voyager 2 in 1979 during closest approach to Jupiter is prepared
and analyzed for evidence of Jovian modal forcing. Comparisons are drawn between
the data set in question and previously performed analysis by Mosser et al. [27], [29],
[6] and also to the models presented by Gudkova and Zharkov in [19].
The theory of stationary processes and multitaper spectrum estimation are em-
ployed extensively in the analysis, along with intensive use of the harmonic frequency
variance test as a tool for separating signal from noise.
The splitting of low-order p-modes is briefly examined and found to be in-line
with that discovered earlier by Mosser et al..

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Characterization of the locust retinoid X receptors

contributor:
Walker, Virginia K.
Biology

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subject: Locust Retinoid

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-13 10:14:43.474

abstract: The retinoid X receptor (RXR) participates in a multitude of nuclear receptor signaling pathways and is induced by its highly sought-after cognate ligand, 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA).  In flies and moths, molting is mediated by the ecdysone receptor that consists of a heterodimer comprising the ecdysone receptor monomer (EcR) and the invertebrate RXR homolog ultraspiracle (USP); the latter, however, is believed to have diverged from its RXR origin.  From the more evolutionarily-primitive insect Locusta migratoria (Lm), long and short RXR transcripts (LmRXR-L and LmRXR-S, respectively) were detected during embryogenesis.  This thesis reports the immunochemical detection of RXR cross-reactive material throughout Locusta embryogenesis, suggesting that the protein may have another role besides ecdysone signaling.  Thus, the RXR isoforms were cloned for recombinant expression and purification in order to demonstrate retinoid specificity.  Both isoforms bound 9-cis-RA and all-trans-RA with high affinity.  Binding was further corroborated by the identification of endogenous retinoids during embryogenesis.  Embryos were first subjected to modified “Bligh and Dyer” as well as solid phase extractions to circumvent oil precipitation that rendered whole homogenates unsuitable for retinoid assay and detection.  The RA-inducible Cyp26A1-promoter reporter cell line identified the presence of endogenous RAs (5.4 nM) from insect embryo extracts.  Finally, high pressure liquid chromatography followed by mass spectroscopy (HPLC/MS) confirmed the identity of all-trans-RA and the more abundant 9-cis-RA (1.3 nM).  These findings suggest a functional role for 9-cis-RA in the invertebrate embryo and favour signaling through the combination of 9-cis-RA and RXR in evolutionarily early RA-driven animal development.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Tensions and possibilities in applying Freirean critical pedagogy towards fostering critical literacy in India's education system

contributor:
Bond, Sheryl
Education

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subject:
International education
International development
Comparative education
Critical pedagogy
Paulo Freire
Education in India
Culture and education
Social transformation in India

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-13 16:39:14.347

abstract:
The purpose of this thesis is to explore the possibilities in reinventing Freirean critical pedagogy in the context of Indian formal education, and to examine the tensions and limitations that emerge and that would need to be addressed in such an attempt. It argues that Brazilian educator Paulo Freire's model of critical pedagogy can offer useful ideas and possibilities for change in the formal education system in India that is currently suppressing critical education and thereby perpetuating inequality and oppression. However, inasmuch as current educational practice in India is embedded in a cultural worldview that is different from the cultural worldview which shaped Freire's thinking, his theory will have to be contextualized, in keeping with the ideals of humanization, epistemology, liberation, ontology and pedagogy that are valued in Indian society, in order to be reinvented successfully in the Indian context.

To this end, the thesis will present a comparative study of Freirean critical pedagogy and the Indian culture of pedagogy in order to explore the following questions: What are some of the possibilities that a Freirean perspective can offer for a critique of the Indian culture of pedagogy? What are some of the possibilities that an Indian perspective can offer for a critique of the cultural specificities of Freire's worldview? What are some of the tensions between the two worldviews that would need to be addressed in order to successfully reinvent critical pedagogy in the context of Indian education, and what are some tentative ways to address these tensions? These questions will be answered by exploring the points of commonality and difference between the worldviews framing the Indian culture of pedagogy and critical pedagogy. Based on the specific historical, social, cultural and political context in which each of these pedagogies arose, the thesis will explore how the points of commonality between these two frameworks can allow them to speak to each other, and how the differences between them can be potentially reconciled. Postcolonial theory, Clarke's (2001) construct of "the culture of pedagogy," and critical pedagogy itself will together provide the conceptual lens through which these questions will be examined.

abstract: This research was supported with help from the Government of Ontario and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Reliability of electromyography detection systems for the pelvic floor muscles

contributor:
McLean, Linda
Rehabilitation Science

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subject:
pelvic floor muscles
Reliability
EMG

abstract: Thesis (Master, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-14 17:31:34.552

abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of three different electromyography (EMG) detection systems commonly used to acquire EMG data from the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) at rest, during maximum voluntary contractions (MVCs) and during a coughing task. Twelve nulliparous women between the ages of 24 and 40 participated in the study. EMG data were recorded from each side of the pelvic floor using surface (Femiscan™ and Periform™ vaginal probes), and fine-wire electrodes while subjects performed three repetitions of each task in supine and in standing. RMS amplitudes of baseline and peak PFM activity were computed from the data acquired during the MVC and the coughing tasks. The peak RMS amplitudes from the cough data were also normalized to each subject’s MVC and report as a percent of their maximum voluntary electrical activation (% MVE). Signal to noise ratio (SNR) was calculated for each task. Comparisons were made between the RMS amplitudes and SNR recorded from each side of the PFM. Between-trial and between-day reliability was determined using a variety of measures including intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), coefficients of variation (CV) and mean absolute difference (MAD). The reliability of the different devices was compared using the MAD normalized to average signal amplitude (nMAD). The results indicated that the EMG data recorded from the right and left sides of the PFM were different, therefore the EMG data acquired from each side of the pelvic floor were analyzed separately. Between-trial reliability assessed by ICC was good for all the devices (left and right average ICC(3,1) = 0.80 – 0.96); the CVs supported these findings (average CV = 12.4 – 17.1%)   Between-day reliability was poor and inconsistent across all devices as tasks. When the cough data were normalized however, the between-day RMS amplitudes were very consistent (79.5 – 90.2% MVE). Each device recorded consistent activation amplitudes within a given day.  Between-day reliability results indicate that EMG data recorded on separate days with these instruments should not be compared unless data can be normalized.  Clinicians and researchers are cautioned to normalize their data if day-to-day comparisons in EMG amplitude are to be made using data recorded with these devices.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics along replicated chronosequences of abandoned agricultural lands in southeastern Ontario

contributor:
Grogan, Paul
Biology

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subject:
Carbon sequestration
Agricultural abandonment
Soil carbon
Succession
Soil nitrogen
Ontario

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-14 10:04:57.395

abstract:
Widespread abandonment of agricultural land has occurred in northeastern North America over the past two centuries. Soil carbon often increases as sites naturally regenerate towards perennial grasslands or forests. Understanding the large-scale controls on the potential and rate of soil carbon sequestration is necessary in order to evaluate the significance of this sink to the global carbon cycle. Furthermore, we need to understand the key roles soil microorganisms play in regulating ecosystem processes through their control over soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Such studies are rare at the century long time scale of temperate forest succession. Additionally, research has taken place primarily on productive agricultural soils, while abandonment is more common on marginal agricultural soils. We characterized patterns of total and labile soil carbon and nitrogen and microbial dynamics in mature forest and adjacent agricultural field sites, and in replicated chronosequences of forest successional sites on marginal soils of southeastern Ontario, Canada.
Total soil carbon was significantly depleted in the top 10 cm of current agricultural fields as compared to forest sites and increased at a rate of 10 g C m-2 yr-1 across our 100-year chronosequences. There was no difference in carbon loss or accumulation over time in three soil types differing in texture and parent material, suggesting that time since abandonment is more important than soil type in determining carbon accumulation within this climatic region. In contrast, free-light fraction carbon did not increase over time and thus most carbon accumulated in pools with slower turnover times. Soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen increased significantly following abandonment and our results strongly suggest that microbial growth during all phases of succession was limited by carbon supply. In contrast, net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates during mid-summer did not change consistently over the first 100 years following agricultural abandonment. Therefore, inorganic nitrogen supply rates into the plant available pool were similar across the entire successional sequence. Together, the results of these two studies demonstrate the potential for carbon sequestration in abandoned agricultural soils across this climatic region and highlight the importance of plant-soil interactions for understanding carbon cycling during ecosystem development.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Molecular Stress Signaling in Breast Epithelial Cells

contributor:
Mueller, Christopher
Aronson, Kristan J.
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

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subject:
molecular
Breast cancer
BRCA1
stress
hydrocortisone

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-02 23:42:20.89

abstract:
Breast cancer is a complex disease, whose etiology is not well understood. A number of factors have been found to contribute to its development. Psychological stress has been recognized as such a factor in epidemiological studies, but few molecular mechanisms have been proposed to explain its association to breast cancer risk. This work addresses the lack of knowledge in the area of stress and breast cancer with the use of molecular and epidemiological techniques. Molecular experiments allowed the identification of a link between stress signaling and intracellular signaling pathways known to be affected in breast cancer development. Namely, the stress hormone hydrocortisone (cortisol) was found to down-regulate the Breast Cancer Susceptibility Gene 1 (BRCA1). Further study allowed identification of some of the mechanisms involved. Binding of the transcription factors GABPa/b and USF2 at specific sites of the BRCA1 promoter (the RIBS and UP sites) was shown to be negatively affected by hydrocortisone. In addition, a novel hormone-independent function of the receptor for hydrocortisone, the glucocorticoid receptor, was identified in the context of BRCA1 regulation. GR was determined to act as a positive regulator of BRCA1 in the absence of hydrocortisone through the RIBS and UP sites. Taken altogether these results represent a novel molecular mechanism linking stress signaling to breast cancer development.

The second objective of this work was to design an epidemiological study which would determine whether stress-susceptible individuals are at higher risk of developing breast cancer. This study would be the first of its kind in the case of breast cancer and would allow the development of a genetic method of measuring stress exposure which can be used in future studies. The study was designed to look at glucocorticoid receptor iii polymorphisms known to produce phenotypic differences in GR activity in a population of women with incident breast cancer and population-based controls. In conclusion, the present work suggests an integrative model of the effect of stress on breast cancer development which incorporates genetic redisposition to the effects of stress and downstream changes in the expression and activity of the Breast Cancer Susceptibility Gene 1.

abstract:
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation-Ontario Chapter
Canadian Institute of Health Research

abstract: PhD


title: Remote environmental sensor array system

contributor:
Hall, Kevin
Civil Engineering

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subject:
Underwater sensor
Aquatic monitoring

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-19 10:49:51.335

abstract:
This thesis examines the creation of an environmental monitoring system for inhospitable environments.  It has been named The Remote Environmental Sensor Array System or RESA System for short.  This thesis covers the development of RESA from its inception, to the design and modeling of the hardware and software required to make it functional.  Finally, the actual manufacture, and laboratory testing of the finished RESA product is discussed and documented.

The RESA System is designed as a cost-effective way to bring sensors and video systems to the underwater environment.  It contains as water quality probe with sensors such as dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, specific conductivity, oxidation-reduction potential and chlorophyll a.  In addition, an omni-directional hydrophone is included to detect underwater acoustic signals.  It has a colour, high-definition and a low-light, black and white camera system, which it turn are coupled to a laser scaling system.  Both high-intensity discharge and halogen lighting system are included to illuminate the video images.  The video and laser scaling systems are manoeuvred using pan and tilt units controlled from an underwater computer box.  Finally, a sediment profile imager is included to enable profile images of sediment layers to be acquired.  A control and manipulation system to control the instruments and move the data across networks is integrated into the underwater system while a power distribution node provides the correct voltages to power the instruments.

Laboratory testing was completed to ensure that the different instruments associated with the RESA performed as designed.  This included physical testing of the motorized instruments, calibration of the instruments, benchmark performance testing and system failure exercises.

abstract: PhD


title: Understanding the Relationship between Depression, Hopelessness, Psychache and Suicide Risk

contributor:
Holden, Ronald R.
Psychology

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subject: suicide psychache depression hopelessness

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-14 17:09:43.918

abstract:
Two studies were undertaken to examine the relationship between suicidality and three key psychological predictors of suicide risk, namely, depression, hopelessness, and psychache. Study 1 determined the degree to which these suicide risk predictors are distinct using a sample of undergraduate students (N = 587). Because typical measures of depression, hopelessness, and psychache differ in terms of their scale format, results were compared using original items, dichotomized items, parcels of original items, and parcels of dichotomized items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that depression, hopelessness, and psychache comprise three separate, but correlated factors. Psychache accounted for a greater proportion of variance in depression and hopelessness than vice versa, and psychache was also more strongly associated with a wider range of suicide criteria than depression and hopelessness, though all three predictors made unique contributions to suicidality. In order to ascertain whether suicide risk predictors interact with stress to predict suicidality, study 2 compared diathesis-stress models of depression, hopelessness, and psychache in a 4-month longitudinal study using an independent sample of university undergraduates (N = 301). When initial levels of all variables were controlled, hopelessness and psychache, but not depression, were significantly associated with suicide risk. Furthermore, negative cognitions about oneself, the world, and the future served as a common diathesis that interacted with major negative life events to precipitate increases in both hopelessness and psychache. Simple slopes analyses further indicated that among individuals with a low level of cognitive diathesis, the frequency of major life stressors was positively associated with both hopelessness and psychache. However, among individuals with a high level of cognitive diathesis, the frequency of
major life stressors was negatively associated with hopelessness and unrelated to psychache. Together, the results of the research presented in this dissertation have important implications for understanding the unique roles of depression, hopelessness, and psychache in the prediction of suicide risk.

abstract: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

abstract: PhD


title: A Proletarian Prometheus: Socialism, Ethnicity, and Revolution at the Lakehead, 1900-1935

contributor:
McKay, Ian G.
History

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subject:
Canada
Socialism
Labour History
Communist Party of Canada
Industrial Workers of the World
Northwestern Ontario
Lakehead
Social Democratic Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada
One Big Union
Winnipeg General Strike
Finns in Canada
Port Arthur, Ontario
Fort William, Ontario
1900-1935
Ethnicity
Revolution
Radicalism

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-14 20:26:40.652

abstract: “The Proletarian Prometheus: Socialism, Ethnicity, and Revolution at the Lakehead, 1900-1935” is an analysis of the various socialist organizations operating at the Canadian Lakehead (comprised of the twin cities of Port Arthur and Fort William, Ontario, now the present-day City of Thunder Bay, and their vicinity) during the first 35 years of the twentieth century. It contends that the circumstances and actions of Lakehead labour, especially those related to ideology, ethnicity, and personality, worked simultaneously to empower and to fetter workers in their struggles against the shackles of capitalism. The twentieth-century Lakehead never lacked for a population of enthusiastic, energetic and talented left-wingers. Yet, throughout this period the movement never truly solidified and took hold. Socialist organizations, organizers and organs came and went, leaving behind them an enduring legacy, yet paradoxically the sum of their efforts was cumulatively less than the immense sacrifices and energies they had poured into them. Between 1900 and 1935, the region's working-class politics was shaped by the interaction of ideas drawn from the much larger North Atlantic socialist world with the particularities of Lakehead society and culture. International frameworks of analysis and activism were of necessity reshaped and revised in a local context in which ethnic divisions complicated and even undermined the class identities upon which so many radical dreams and ambitions rested.

abstract: PhD


title: Commissioning consent : an investigation of the Royal Commission on the Relations of Labour and Capital, 1886-1889

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subject:
Political, cultural, working-class
Canadian history

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-17 14:59:08.581

abstract:
The 1880s were turbulent years in the Dominion. Under the auspices of the National Policy, Canada was in the midst of a social and political ‘transformation.’ The social and cultural aspects of this transformation became a source of public debate as the ‘Labour Question’ and the relations between labour and capital reached a high mark of political and economic significance. Waves of strikes and the emergence of large international labour organizations challenged many liberal Victorian ideas about a strictly limited state. Many looked upon the federal government as responsible not only for economic growth, but also for protection from the more pressing problems of industrial life.
The Royal Commission on the Relations of Capital and Labour is a testament to not only the turbulent economic relations in late-Victorian Canada, but the emergence of the Canadian state’s active role in social relations. Its very title envisioned a dual role for the Canadian state: to “promote the material, social, intellectual and moral prosperity” of labouring men and women, and to improve and develop “the productive industries of the Dominion so as to advance and improve the trade and commerce of Canada.” However, this thesis argues that the Labour Commission was more subtly designed to enhance the prestige of the Canadian state and install Ottawa as an authority on, and mediator of, industrial relations in Canada.
Attention to the formation, activities, and impact of the Labour Commission suggests that, rather than an exercise in addressing a mounting social polarization between “labour” and “capital,” the Commission lends insight into the emergence of a Canadian middle class. It was a carefully-constructed exercise in the assertion of middle-class cultural hegemony whereby such values and understandings as respectability, morality, manliness, worth and expertise were naturalized. In the process, the tension between labour and capital was diminished and in its place were developed visions of social reciprocity and mutual interest. It is in this way that the Labour Commission was an exercise in ‘commissioning consent:’ it placed oppositional voices and wrenching exposés about industrial life in a framework that worked to quell rather than stimulate far-reaching critiques of the established order.
The Commission’s formation, methodology and language functioned like an industrial exhibition rather than a pointed social investigation. The evidence presents a thriving economy that had grown exponentially under a wise and paternal government. It also presented a vision of the Dominion whereby the disturbances that occurred between labour and capital could be handled within a conventional language of liberal politics. In addition, social and intellectual elites were fully ensconced in the formation and legitimization of these social and moral understandings. Because it was up to the state to select who would speak for labour and capital, the Commission’s message was not one of class polarization. Thus, exploring who became ‘labour’ and who ‘capital,’ and what sorts of things they said to each other, sheds light on to the emergent strategies of the Canadian state as it sought to understand and influence civil society. The Commission is an indication, even anticipation, of a more activist and energetic state.

abstract: PhD


title: A study of Fulvia

contributor:
Falkner, Caroline
Classics

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subject:
Fulvia, wife of Mark Antony
Roman history
Historiography
Roman Civil War

abstract: Thesis (Master, Classics) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-17 15:08:34.021

abstract:
Who was Fulvia? Was she the politically aggressive and dominating wife of Mark Antony as Cicero and Plutarch describe her? Or was she a loyal mother and wife, as Asconius and Appian suggest? These contrasting accounts in the ancient sources warrant further investigation.
This thesis seeks to explore the nature of Fulvia’s role in history to the extent that the evidence permits. Fulvia is most famous for her activities during Antony’s consulship (44 BC) and his brother Lucius Antonius’ struggle against C. Octavian in the Perusine War (41-40 BC). But there is a discrepancy among the authors as to what extent she was actually involved. Cicero, Octavian and Antony, who were all key players in events, provide their own particular versions of what occurred. Later authors, such as Appian and Dio, may have been influenced by these earlier, hostile accounts of Fulvia.
This is the first study in English to make use of all the available evidence, both literary and material, pertaining to Fulvia. Modern scholarship has a tendency to concentrate almost exclusively on events towards the end of Fulvia’s life, in particular the Perusine War, about which the evidence is much more abundant in later sources such as Appian and Dio. However, to do this ignores the importance of her earlier activities which, if studied more fully, can help to explain her later actions in the 40’s BC.
This thesis is divided into five chapters. The first provides an introduction to the topic and a biography of Fulvia. The second is a review of the modern scholarship on Fulvia. The third focuses on the contemporary sources, both the literary evidence from Cicero, Cornelius Nepos and Martial, as well as the surviving material evidence, namely the sling bullets found at Perusia and a series of coins that may depict Fulvia in the guise of Victoria. The fourth is a discussion of those authors born after Fulvia’s death in 40 BC, of whom the most important are Plutarch, Appian, and Dio. The fifth provides a conclusion to the thesis, and returns to the questions posed above in light of the analysis of the sources provided throughout the thesis. It concludes that Fulvia played a significant role in events, particularly from Antony’s consulship onwards, and that her actions were deliberate and politically motivated. Moreover, while these actions were done on her husbands’ behalf, she nevertheless exhibited a remarkable degree of independence.

abstract: M.A.


title: Examining Good Character as a Mitigating Factor in Canadian Sentencing

contributor:
Thorburn, Malcolm
Law

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subject:
good character
mitigating factor
Canadian sentencing
China

abstract: Thesis (Master, Law) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-17 16:48:45.471

abstract:
China has long been sceptical on mitigating sentences based on the offender’s good character, while good character mitigation is widely accepted in Canada. This study was to examine the justification of good character mitigation in Canada so that China can better face the future choice in sentencing: whether to consider good character a mitigating factor. Through examining the use of good character in Canadian sentencing practice, the justification of good character mitigation in Canada has been questioned.

A three-part argument has been put forward to support the removal of good character as a mitigating factor in Canada: first, the workability of the very concept of “good character” is low; second, theoretical basis for mitigating sentences on good character is problematic; third, the present practice contributes to a form of status-based discrimination.

This study shows that the justification of good character mitigation is not as strong as we have expected it to be. Even in Canada, a country which has good character mitigation with a long history, the consideration of good character as a mitigating factor needs further discussion. The adoption of good character mitigation in China should be more cautious.

abstract: LL.M.


title: Silicon complexes in silicon doped calcium phosphate biomaterials

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subject:
Tricalcium phosphate
Hydroxyapatite
Biomaterials
Bioceramics
Silicon complexes

abstract: Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-18 14:45:38.721

abstract: The silicon complexes in silicon doped calcium phosphate bioceramics have been studied using $^{29}$Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The replacement of phosphorus by silicon in these materials requires a charge compensation mechanism which is difficult to study by many experimental techniques due to the small amount of silicon added. Producing these materials using an isotopically enriched source of silicon made the use of NMR spectroscopy feasible. Three different materials have been studied: a multiphase material commercially available under the trade name Skelite$^{\rm TM}$ composed of predominantly a silicon stabilized $\alpha$-tricalcium phosphate ($\alpha$-TCP) phase as well as a silicon doped hydroxyapatite (HA) phase, a single phase Si-HA material and a single phase silicon stabilized $\alpha$-TCP material. Slight changes to the material production method were first introduced to accommodate the switch to an isotopically enriched silicon source. Characterization of the enriched materials was carried out using Rietveld refinement of X-ray powder diffraction spectra and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to confirm that these materials were similar to the previously studied, non-enriched, materials in terms of the silicon contents, Ca/(P+Si) molar ratios and lattice parameters. NMR Spectroscopy showed that in all three materials, the silicon formed Q$^1$ structures in which two silicate tetrahedra joined together by sharing an oxygen, creating an oxygen vacancy which compensated the substitution of two silicon for phosphorus. This is the first observation of this charge compensation mechanism in Si-HA and may explain the interesting phase evolution previously found in the system studied in this work in which the Si-HA transforms to silicon stabilized $\alpha$-TCP upon sintering.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Post-Fire Assessment of Unbonded Post-Tensioned Concrete Slabs: Strand Deterioration and Prestress Loss

contributor:
Bisby, Luke
MacDougall, Colin
Civil Engineering

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subject:
Fire
Post-tensioned Concrete
Cold-drawn Prestressing Steel
Elevated Temperature

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-18 17:15:17.521

abstract:
Unbonded post-tensioned concrete slabs have been widely used in Canada and the United States since the 1960s, as they allow increased span-to-depth ratios and excellent control of deflections compared to non-prestressed reinforced concrete flexural members.  The satisfactory fire performance of unbonded post-tensioned concrete slabs in
North America was established by a series of standard fire tests performed in the United States during the 1960s.  However, there is a paucity of data on the effect of elevated temperatures on cold-drawn prestressing steel, both in terms of post-fire residual mechanical properties and high-temperature stress relaxation, which can lead to significant prestress loss both during and after a fire.
A detailed and comprehensive literature review is presented that provides background on the residual mechanical properties of prestressing steel, as well as on the creep-relaxation behaviour experienced at elevated temperatures under stress.  The results of two test series are discussed; the first examining the effects of elevated temperatures on the residual mechanical properties of prestressing steel exposed to elevated temperatures.  The second test series examines the irrecoverable and significant loss of prestress force that results from steel relaxation and other thermal effects experienced during heating.  A preliminary analytical model is presented, capable of predicting the change in prestress force experienced by a stressed strand under transient heating.  The model is then compared with experimental elevated temperature relaxation data.
Finally, the analytical model developed and residual mechanical properties obtained through experimentation are used along with a pre-existing finite difference heat transfer model (developed for concrete slabs) to examine the effect of elevated temperature exposure on the residual flexural capacity of a typical unbonded post-tensioned example slab.  Several parameters, such as heated length and concrete cover, are examined using the example structure.  From this it was observed that, after one hour of exposure to a standard fire (ASTM E119), significant losses in effective prestress and moment capacity occurred even with the appropriate amount of concrete cover.  This is a finding which is of the utmost practical importance to engineers engaged in the evaluation of fire damaged unbonded post-tensioned structures.

abstract: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Department of Civil Engineering at Queen’s University

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Spatial, temporal and dendrochronological comparisons of mercury in Ontario deciduous trees

contributor:
Campbell, Linda M.
Biology

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subject: Mercury Tree Foliage Bark Wood Core Biomass Ontario Deciduous

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-18 23:48:21.97

abstract:
Mercury (Hg) research in Ontario has centered on aquatic environments since fish can be
a significant source of methylmercury for humans. Interactions between terrestrial and
aquatic environments in regards to the Hg cycle have received less attention. This study
focuses on the role of trees as a source and/or sink of Hg to the environment and the ap-
plicability of deciduous trees as biomonitors for Hg. Leaf, bark and wood core samples
were taken from a variety of deciduous species including Acer spp. (sugar, silver and red
maple), Quercus spp. (red oak), Populus spp. (eastern cottonwood), and Salix spp. (willow)
mainly from the Dorset and Kingston, ON regions. Examination of seasonal variation of
Hg concentrations ([Hg]) in leaves indicated that average autumn leaf Hg ranged from 17–
45 ng/g and differed significantly among species. Leaf [Hg] increased with the growing
season and roughly corresponded to regional atmospheric [Hg]. Microspatial trends in
leaf [Hg], such as position on a branch, may increase variability. Tree cores from contami-
nated and reference sites in the Kingston area showed that although dendrochronological
techniques are not appropriate for estimating historical atmospheric Hg, they are useful
for estimating the total Hg burden of a single tree. Populus and Salix, had the greatest
bark and wood [Hg] with maximums reaching 18 ng/g. This was significantly higher than
more inland trees such as Quercus and Acer, with maximum values of 7 and 1.2 ng/g for
bark and wood [Hg]. Individual, average sized trees in this study contained a total of
0.4–2.6 mg of Hg. This study will provide forest and watershed managers with a better
understanding of the importance of trees in the Hg cycle and the contribution of leaf and
wood Hg to litterfall and waterbodies in southern Ontario.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Understanding the effects of different study methods on retention of information and transfer of learning

contributor:
Stockley, Denise
Education

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subject:
Transfer of learning
Spaced practice

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-19 09:35:45.095

abstract:
This study investigates the effect of elaborate retrieval, which is a byproduct of spaced practice, on adult cognition. It was hypothesized that elaborate re-conceptualization of new information, within a context that was disparate from the one used during learning, could facilitate learning transfer through the development of a broader conceptual frame of reference. The re-conceptualization task was not expected to degrade rote definitional memory. The two re-conceptualization tasks used in this study were termed model-building and free study. The model building task required the development of a personalized conceptual model using information provided within three spaced narrated information passages. The free study task required the unaided study of all three passages.
Transfer of learning and rote memory were evaluated using a general knowledge test and a knowledge extension test. These tests were given at the end of the experiment. The general knowledge test required participants to match concept labels and definitions which were provided during the experiment. The knowledge extension test required participants to transfer knowledge amassed during the experiment to a complex “real world” situation. The results demonstrated that learners, who completed the spaced re-conceptualization task, improved their ability to transfer new information as the spacing intervals lengthened. Participants who were required to study the same information without any instruction did not show learning transfer improvement. Both groups illustrated parallel improvements in rote memorization due to spacing.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Low energy solar neutrino analysis of the salt phase of the Sudbury neutrino observatory

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subject:
Neutrinos
Particle astrophysics

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-19 13:58:16.601

abstract:
The neutrino fluxes from the neutral current (NC), charged current (CC), and elastic scattering (ES) neutrino interactions in the salt phase of SNO have been extracted.  The signals were extracted above an energy threshold of 4MeV,  which is the lowest energy threshold at which the neutrino signals have been extracted from SNO to date.  To achieve this low energy threshold the internal and external radioactive background signals have also been measured.  The $^{8}$B neutrino fluxes for the 4MeV threshold were found to be
\begin{eqnarray*}
\Phi_{CC} & = &  1.60  ~^{+0.04}_{-0.04}~(\mbox{stat}) ~^{+0.06}_{-0.06}~(\mbox{syst}) \times 10^6 \mbox{cm}^{-2} \mbox{sec}^{-1},\\
\Phi_{NC} & = &  4.84  ~^{+0.16}_{-0.16}~(\mbox{stat}) ~^{+0.29}_{-0.32}~(\mbox{syst}) \times 10^6 \mbox{cm}^{-2} \mbox{sec}^{-1},\\
\Phi_{ES} & = &  2.75  ~^{+0.23}_{-0.23}~(\mbox{stat}) ~^{+0.25}_{-0.26}~(\mbox{syst}) \times 10^6 \mbox{cm}^{-2} \mbox{sec}^{-1}.
\end{eqnarray*}
\noindent These results are in agreement with the values published in ~\cite{SNO3} and the NC flux is in agreement with the standard solar model calculation from ~\cite{bp2004}.  The published fluxes were
\begin{eqnarray*}
\Phi_{CC} &= & 1.68 ~^{+0.06}_{-0.06}~(\mbox{stat}) ~^{+0.08}_{-0.09}~(\mbox{syst}) \times 10^6 \mbox{cm}^{-2} \mbox{sec}^{-1} , \\
\Phi_{NC} &= & 4.94 ~^{+0.21}_{-0.21}~(\mbox{stat}) ~^{+0.38}_{-0.34}~(\mbox{syst})  \times 10^6 \mbox{cm}^{-2} \mbox{sec}^{-1}, \\
\Phi_{ES} &= & 2.35 ~^{+0.22}_{-0.22}~(\mbox{stat}) ~^{+0.15}_{-0.15}~(\mbox{syst})  \times 10^6 \mbox{cm}^{-2} \mbox{sec}^{-1}.
 \end{eqnarray*}
\noindent The uncertainties on the extracted NC and CC fluxes are significantly smaller than on the published values.  A comparison of the total uncertainty from flux measurements presented here and those published are given below.
\begin{table}[htp]
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|} \hline
  & uncertainties presented here (\%) & uncertainties from ~\cite{SNO3} (\%) \\ \hline
$\Phi_{CC}$ & $~^{+4.6}_{-4.4}$ & $~^{+5.9}_{-6.4}$ \\ \hline
$\Phi_{NC}$ & $~^{+6.8}_{-7.4}$ & $~^{+8.9}_{-8.2}$ \\ \hline
$\Phi_{ES}$ & $~^{+12.3}_{-12.6}$ & $~^{+11.3}_{-11.3}$ \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\label{funcert1}
\end{center}
\end{table}

 The shape of the CC energy spectrum has also been extracted with the 4MeV energy threshold.  The uncertainties on the extracted fluxes are smaller than what was previously published.  The CC spectrum gives a measure of the neutrino energy shape distortion due to neutrino oscillations.  The uncertainties on the lowest energy bins in the extracted CC spectrum are much larger than the predicted distortion.   We are therefore not sensitive to the upturn in the neutrino survival probability at lower energies predicted by neutrino oscillations in the large mixing angle (LMA) region.

abstract: PhD


title: Microbial carbon within and above exotic copper deposits in northern Chile : implications for ore genesis and exploration

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

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subject:
Exotic deposit
Microbe

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-19 15:43:17.198

abstract:
“Exotic-type” Cu silicate-oxide deposits hosted by Miocene pediment gravels represent an unusual, but characteristic, by-product of the supergene enrichment of Cenozoic porphyry Cu deposits in northern Chile. Carbon stable isotopic analysis is employed herein to clarify the environment of exotic ore formation and to provide guidelines for the exploration for non-outcropping mineralisation. Two main sample suites were examined: chrysocolla-rich ores from the Huinquintipa and Mina Sur deposits; and soils overlying a paleochannel in the Huinquintipa area known to be mineralised.
The samples were processed using four different analytical techniques to determine their 13C values: (1) Elemental Analysis Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (EA/IRMS) of the whole sample; (2) crushing in vacuo followed by IRMS to analyse fluid inclusions; (3) thermal extraction at 100˚C, followed by IRMS to analyse weakly bound carbon dioxide; and (4) ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) extraction followed by IRMS. EDTA-partial extraction favours the dissolution of minerals with divalent cations, releasing as carbon dioxide the carbon trapped within the crystal structure. All four of these analytical techniques have been used before, but this is the first time that they have all been used together on exotic copper silicate and oxide mineralisation.
Three major carbon sources are identified: (1) atmosphere-derived carbon dioxide with a 13C value of around 0 ‰; (2) plant-derived carbon dioxide with a 13C of about -25 ‰; and (3) microbe-derived carbon dioxide with a 13C of approximately -50 ‰. The bulk of the carbon liberated by EA/IRMS was plant-derived. The thermally- and crushing-released carbon dioxide has the highest proportion of atmosphere-derived carbon, whereas EDTA-extraction preferentially liberated the lightest of carbon. On the conclusion that EDTA preferentially dissolved Cu-rich silicate mineraloids, it is concluded that microbial consortia, including methanogenic microbes, were hosted specifically by the high-grade Cu assemblages and plausibly played a critical role in their precipitation.
The same microbial-carbon signature was obtained through the EDTA-extraction of soil samples above the paleochannel. Carbon isotopic analysis of CO2 sequestered through EDTA-extraction could therefore be used as an exploration tool for buried exotic mineralisation. Future exploration should exploit the presence of microbes in niche-specific environments.

abstract: Anglo American plc

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Geometric Jacobian Linearization

contributor:
Lewis, Andrew D.
Mathematics and Statistics

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subject: Geometric Jacobian Linearization

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-19 16:59:47.76

abstract:
For control systems that evolve on Euclidean spaces, Jacobian linearization
is a common technique in many control applications, analysis, and controller
design methodologies. However, the standard linearization method
along a non-trivial reference trajectory does not directly
apply in a geometric theory where the state space is a differentiable
manifold. Indeed, the standard constructions involving the Jacobian are
dependent on a choice of coordinates.

The procedure of linearizing a control affine system along a
non-trivial reference trajectory is studied from a
differential geometric perspective. A coordinate-invariant setting for
linearization is presented. With the linearization in hand, the
controllability of the geometric linearization is characterized
using an alternative version of the usual controllability
test for time-varying linear systems. The various
types of stability are defined using a metric on the fibers along the
reference trajectory and Lyapunov's second method is recast for linear
vector fields on tangent bundles. With the necessary background stated
in a geometric framework, Kalman's theory of quadratic optimal control
is understood from the perspective of the
Maximum Principle. Finally, following Kalman, the resulting
feedback from solving the infinite time optimal control problem is
shown to uniformly asymptotically stabilize the linearization
using Lyapunov's second method.

abstract: PhD


title: Identification of components in crude oil that are chronically toxic to the early life stages of fish

contributor:
Hodson, Peter
Biology

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subject:
Biology
Aquatic toxicology
Fractionated crude oil
Chronic toxicity

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-20 13:18:50.794

abstract:
The risk of crude oil exposure to the early life stages (ELS) of fish is difficult to assess, given the complexity of the chemical composition of different oils. The aromatic portion of crude oil contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which are known to be toxic. In 2004, an “effects-driven” fractionation research program was initiated in an attempt to better identify toxic constituents of two unique crude oils, Alaskan North Slope Crude (ANSC; medium-heavy crude) and Scotia Light (SCOT; light crude). The ANSC contained much more PAH than SCOT. These oils induced cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A) enzymes in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and caused blue-sac disease (BSD) and mortality in larval Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).
Four unique fractions (F1-F4) were produced from both oils via low temperature vacuum distillation. The F3 contained an array of unsubstituted and alkyl-PAH, and was responsible for most of the CYP1A induction and chronic toxicity associated with whole oil. Cold acetone extraction (CAE) of F3 produced 2 new sub-fractions (F3-1 and F3-2). The F3-1 was rich in alkyl-PAH, was a potent CYP1A inducer, and was chronically toxic to ELS of fish. The F3-1 was further separated into five more sub-fractions via normal phase HPLC (F3-1-1 – F3-1-5). Neither F3-1-1 nor F3-1-2 induced CYP1A or produced BSD, but F3-1-2 was lethal. The F3-1-3, 4, and 5 were all potent CYP1A inducers and were all chronically toxic.

Induction of CYP1A proved to be an effective tool for tracing potentially toxic PAH throughout fractionation (Chapter 2), and sub-fractions rich in alkyl-PAH caused the most BSD and mortality (Chapter 3). Alkyl-homologues of phenanthrene, fluorene, naphthobenzothiophene (NBT), pyrene, and chrysene are perhaps the most toxic of the known constituents present in crude oil. The ANSC sub-fractions were more toxic than the SCOT ones, indicating that heavier crude oils with a higher proportion of intermediate-sized alkyl-PAH may be more toxic than lighter crude oils that are comprised of fewer of these compounds.

abstract: This research was accomplished with funding assistance from the Nationmal Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Petroleum Research Atlantic Canada (PRAC), Environment Canada, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Assessing Thule Inuit impacts on High Arctic lakes and ponds : a paleolimnological approach

contributor:
Smol, John P.
Biology

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subject:
High Arctic
Paleolimnology
Diatoms
Nitrogen isotopes
Thule Inuit

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-20 15:20:46.342

abstract:
Until recently it has been widely believed that significant anthropogenic influences on the environment began in Canada following the onset of European colonization.  However, our paleolimnological data indicate that centuries prior to European settlement, ponds on Ellesmere and Bathurst Island were impacted by Thule Inuit whalers, whose activities altered nutrient levels in nearby ponds.  Two Thule Inuit whaling sites were selected based on input from several archaeologists, to ensure good coverage of the Thule geographic range and proximity to freshwater ponds.
Multiple independent paleolimnological proxies have been used to analyze a pond from Ellesmere Island, showing taxonomic shifts in diatoms assemblages coinciding with 1.5 - 2‰ shifts in d15N, during the period of Thule occupation (ca. 1000 – 1670 AD).  Increases in the relative abundance of Amphora ovalis, indicate nutrient concentrations above average for the High Arctic.  Elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus were observed in the pond indicating the continuing influence of nutrient inputs centuries after the abandonment of the camp.
Meanwhile, on Bathurst Island, the orientation of the Deblicquy site, such that the large majority of the Thule nutrient inputs are focused towards one of our two study ponds, provided us with the opportunity to compare two ponds that are essentially identical with the exception of the degree of Thule influence.  In our “impacted” site, a marked increase in Stephanodiscus minutulus, coincides with a 2‰ shift in d15N.  While our a priori determined control site shows no major changes in geochemistry or algal composition.
Previous research on Bathurst Island used water chemistry and  surface sediment diatoms to construct a diatom-inferred total nitrogen model for Bathurst Island.  However, this study was limited by excluding unbuffered, low pH sites which characterize the western half of Bathurst Island.  By expanding the previous Bathurst Island dataset to include western sites, we have been able to construct a diatom-inferred pH model which will prove invaluable in future climate research in this region.
Together, these three studies serve to highlight the sensitivity of freshwater ecosystems to relatively minor anthropogenic disturbances and represent some of the earliest known anthropogenic impacts on North American aquatic ecosystems.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Ground movements during tunnelling in sand

contributor:
Beninger, Richard J.
Take, W. Andy
Civil Engineering

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subject:
Tunnelling
Centrifuge
Ground movements

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-20 15:09:06.156

abstract: During soft ground tunnel construction, if the face pressure of a tunnel boring machine is not strictly controlled, excessive ground movements will propagate vertically upwards causing significant damage to adjacent buried infrastructure and surface structures. In order to investigate the face pressure - ground deformation relationship for tunnels in sands, the construction process was modelled using the technique of geotechnical centrifuge modelling and the resulting ground deformations were recorded using digital image correlation. In these tests a unique tunnel face boundary condition was developed which allowed the boundary condition to be initially set as a zero strain condition before it was transformed into a load-controlled boundary to investigate the instability of the face. Tests were preformed at four different burial depths in dry sand, corresponding to cover depths of 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 times the tunnel diameter. These results indicate that the face pressure at failure is largely independent of burial depth over the values tested. The ground deformation at the onset of tunnel face instability was found to be very small, and once initiated, the zone of ground deformations was observed to propagate upwards in a narrow chimney in front of the tunnel until it reached the ground surface causing subsidence.  Further tests investigated the variation in ground deformations to be expected if a tunnel were to be passing through more complex ground conditions, including unsaturated sand, saturated sand, and the unique case of sand / clay mixed ground conditions. Ground deformations at tunnel face instability were much lower for the case of unsaturated sand, than for either the saturated or dry cases which showed broadly similar responses. In the mixed ground condition of a clay layer over topping a sand layer, the clay layer was found to only influence the tunnel face pressure – deformation response if the bottom of the clay layer was closer than 0.5 diameters above the tunnel crown.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Negotiating the Nation: The Work of Joyce Wieland 1968-1976

contributor:
Jessup, Lynda
Lord, Susan
Art History

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subject:
Art
Feminist Art Practices
Canada
Women Artists
Canadian Culture
Nationalism

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-21 06:48:06.423

abstract:
This thesis investigates the work of the Canadian artist and filmmaker Joyce Wieland (1930-1998) from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s in relation to its historical conditions of production and considers both her film and non-film work, including quilts, embroidery and prints. To examine these artistic media together not only provides a means to re-contextualize Wieland’s work, but rethinks disciplinary boundaries and
contributes to a renovation of both art historical and filmic methods of critical inquiry.
Wieland’s work from this period serves as an exemplary case study of the ways in which
female artists have consistently had to negotiate contemporaneous constructions of femininity/feminism, modernity, and representation in relation to their art practice. I argue that Wieland consistently explored, through aesthetic means, the terms by which contemporary re-conceptualizations of gendered, classed, and raced identities were being defined as new national subjects within the Canadian nation-state. I begin by outlining the ways in which Wieland’s work as been constructed within the dominant narratives of Canadian art and film, and argue that the disciplines that generated them, with their formalist and textual foci, inhibit larger discussions of the historical, political and cultural contexts of Wieland’s art production. Each chapter subsequently examines an identity that emerged as a collective during the late 1960s in Canada –women, the working classes, French Canadians, and aboriginal peoples– that Wieland aesthetically explores. Through her engagement with second-wave feminism, the development of the New Left in English and French Canada, Québécois nationalism, and shifting notions of aboriginal identity, Wieland’s art production visually materializes the intersection of feminism and nationalism –discourses that were actively circulating in Canada during this period.

abstract: PhD


title: Proteomic analysis of heart failure : insights into myofibril assembly and regulation

contributor:
Van Eyk, Jennifer E.
Physiology

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subject:
Proteomics
Heart failure
Human
Transgenic rabbits

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Physiology) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-21 09:19:45.172

abstract: Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent disease in society which is associated with decreased cardiac output.  This thesis describes the proteomic analysis of cardiac tissue obtained from HF patients and a transgenic animal model of HF. Initial experiments optimized one proteomic technology, 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), to maximize the number of proteins which could be observed / resolved from human cardiac tissue.  Protein abundance changes in cardiac tissue between normal patients and those with a diagnosis of ischemic cardiomyopathy were determined by performing 2-DE and identifying proteins by mass spectrometry.  HF patients had a reduced abundance of proteins involved in energy production and the sarcomere.  Sarcomeres contain the myofilament subproteome consisting of thick and thin filaments with the thick filaments primarily myosin.  Thick and thin filament undergo Ca2+ induced ATP hydrolysis to form crossbridge cycles, resulting in muscle contraction.  An assembly chaperone for myosin, UNC-45B, was found to be increased in HF patients.  Western blot analysis confirmed that the abundance of UNC-45B was increased in different etiologies of heart failure.  Follow up physiological measurements demonstrated that UNC-45B is most likely a protein necessary for transcriptional control of the α-isoform of myosin heavy chain.  In a second proteomics study, abundance changes occurring in a pacing induced model of HF in wild-type (WT) and transgenic (TG) rabbits with increased expression of the α-isoform of myosin heavy chain were examined.  WT and TG rabbits had a different response in their myofilament and intermediate filament abundance changes following induction of HF.  TG rabbits had a decreased abundance of heat shock proteins and non-sarcomeric associated desmin.  As well, TG rabbits had an increased ratio of actin:myosin heavy chain and UNC-45B suggesting an altered ratio of thick to thin filaments.  In conclusion, an altered abundance of contractile proteins, regulated in part by UNC-45B, may be one cause of the contractile dysfunction which occurs in HF.

abstract: PhD


title: Compartmentation of the β-adrenergic Signal by phosphodiesterases in Adult Rat Ventricular Myocytes

contributor:
Ward, Christopher Andrew
Physiology

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subject:
Phosphodiesterase
cAMP
Compartmentation
Adult Rat Ventricular Myocyte
Patch Clamp
β-adrenergic

abstract: Thesis (Master, Physiology) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-18 10:14:29.671

abstract: Previous studies have suggested that phosphodiesterase (PDE) hydrolysis of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is important in the generation of specific and segregated cAMP signals within cells.  The purpose of this study was to determine if PDE compartmentation was important in cardiac ventricular myocytes. Therefore, we investigated the effects of β-adrenergic (β-AD) stimulation with isoproterenol in the presence of cilostamide, a PDE3 inhibitor, or Ro 20-1724, a PDE4 inhibitor, on unloaded cell shortening, L-type calcium currents and intracellular calcium levels in freshly dissociated adult rat ventricular myocytes.  PDE3 inhibition resulted in a 216 ± 17 % (n=8) increase in unloaded cell shortening after ten minutes of isoproterenol exposure, whereas isoproterenol produced a statistically smaller increase of 155 ± 12 % (n=8) in the presence of PDE4 inhibition. There was a non-significant trend for PDE4 inhibition to produce larger increases in calcium currents (179 ± 17 % (n=4) of controls) than PDE3 inhibition (155 ± 10 % (n=6) of controls). Both PDE3 and PDE4 inhibitors had similar effects on isoproterenol-stimulated increases of calcium transient amplitude with values of 209 ± 14 % (n=8) and 185 ± 12 % (n=8), respectively. Determination of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium load using caffeine pulse experiments demonstrated that PDE4 inhibition and isoproterenol superfusion produced a statistically larger increase in SR-calcium loading (139 ± 9 % (n=6)) than PDE3 inhibition and isoproterenol superfusion (113 ± 9 % (n=6)).  These results suggest that PDE3 may be active in proximity to the contractile apparatus of cardiac myocytes, whereas PDE4 may be localized in a domain consisting of the L-type calcium channel and junctional SR.  Consequently, our study provides functional evidence for differential localization of PDE isoforms in cardiac myocytes.

abstract:
CIHR
OGS
OGSST

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A performance study of uplink scheduling algorithms in point to multipoint WiMAX networks

contributor:
Hassanein, Hossam S.
Ali, Najah Abu
Computing

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subject:
Scheduling
WiMAX
Point to multipoint
Performance study

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-29 18:21:21.521

abstract:
Applications such as video and audio streaming, online gaming, video conferencing, Voice over IP (VoIP) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) demand a wide range of QoS requirements such as bandwidth and delay. Existing wireless technologies that can satisfy the requirements of heterogeneous traffic are very costly to deploy in rural areas and “last mile” access. Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) provides an affordable alternative for wireless broadband access supporting a multiplicity of applications. The IEEE 802.16 standard provides specification for the Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical (PHY) layers for WiMAX. A critical part of the MAC layer specification is scheduling, which resolves contention for bandwidth and determines the transmission order of users.
It is imperative for a scheduling algorithm to have a multi-dimensional objective of satisfying QoS requirements of the users, maximizing system utilization and ensuring fairness among the users. In this thesis, we categorize and study various scheduling algorithms for the uplink traffic in WiMAX in view of these objectives. The algorithms are studied under different mixes of traffic and for various characteristics of the IEEE 802.16 MAC layer such as uplink burst preamble, frame length, bandwidth request mechanisms etc. Simulation results indicate that legacy algorithms are not suitable for the multi-class traffic in WiMAX as they do not explicitly incorporate the WiMAX QoS parameters. We provide recommendations for enhancing existing scheduling schemes in WiMAX, and shed light on some of the open issues that need to be addressed.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Investigation of the Biotransformation of 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-Pyridyl)-1-Butanone by Prostaglandin H Synthase and Cytochrome P450 2F

contributor:
Massey, Thomas E.
Pharmacology and Toxicology

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subject: Biotransformation

subject: Pulmonary Carcinogenesis

subject: Prostaglandin H Synthases

subject: Cytochrome P450

subject: Human Lung

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pharmacology & Toxicology) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-30 16:12:58.228

abstract:
The tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is believed to play a role in human lung cancer induced by tobacco smoking.  NNK biotransformation may involve the enzymes prostaglandin H synthase (PHS)-1, PHS-2 and cytochrome 450 (CYP) 2F.  PHS activity is thought to be important in extrahepatic tissues, where CYP activity is low.  The CYP2F subfamily contains a single functional enzyme in humans (CYP2F1) and goats (CYP2F3); these enzymes are preferentially expressed in the lung, with little or no expression in other organs.  The role of these enzymes in the pulmonary biotransformation of NNK was investigated.

4.2 µM [5-3H]NNK was incubated with human lung microsomes under NADPH-dependent and arachidonic acid-dependent conditions.  Metabolites reflective of NNK α-carbon hydroxylation, N-oxidation and carbonyl reduction were detected in the presence of NADPH, and metabolite levels for all three biotransformation pathways were lower in the presence of arachidonic acid compared with NADPH (p<0.05, N=4).  Incubation of microsomes with the PHS-1 selective inhibitor SC-560 and the PHS-2 selective inhibitor NS-398 did not change NNK biotransformation either in the presence of NADPH or in the presence of arachidonic acid (p>0.05, N=4).  Incubation of [5-3H]NNK with ovine PHS-1 or PHS-2 did not result in formation of α-carbon hydroxylation or N-oxidation metabolites; 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) was measurable only in the presence of PHS-2.

Incubation of goat recombinant CYP2F3 with [5-3H]NNK resulted in formation of keto acid, keto alcohol and NNK-N-oxide (65.0%, 17.5% and 30.0% (µmol enzyme)-1 minute-1, respectively).  Metabolite formation was inhibited by 3-methylindole (3-MI), a mechanism-based inactivator of CYP2F3.  Based on an N value of 3, incubation of human lung microsomes with 3-MI inhibited N-oxidation (p<0.05) but did not alter NNK bioactivation or carbonyl reduction (p>0.05).  However, when metabolite formation was examined in lung microsomes from different individuals, decreases in NNK biotransformation (ranging from 19.6 to 68.5%) were observed and were more pronounced in some patients than others, suggesting inter-individual variability in CYP2F1 activity.

These studies demonstrate the ability of CYP2F to biotransform NNK and suggest inter-individual variability in the importance of CYP2F1 for this activity in human lung.  They also strongly argue against the involvement of PHS enzymes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: An Aquifer-Well Coupled Model: a Refined Implementation of Wellbore Boundary Conditions in Three-Dimensional, Heterogeneous Formations

type:
journal article
thesis

contributor:
Novakowski, Kent S.
Civil Engineering

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subject:
Horizontal Well
Pipe Flow
Reynolds Number
Finite Difference
Finite Element
Remediation
Coupled Model
HydroGeoSphere
MODFLOW

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-04 17:27:50.629

abstract: This paper presents modifications to two widely used numerical groundwater flow models in an effort to improve upon the interaction between a well of finite length and conductivity with the surrounding formation.  The first objective is to discard the common assumptions about flux- or head-based boundary conditions along the well screen by coupling pipe flow hydraulics and groundwater flow.  The second objective is to avoid restricting the wellbore hydraulics to a single flow regime.  Five flow regimes (laminar through rough-turbulent), based on Reynolds number and pipe roughness, are considered.  The modifications are integrated into the highly versatile, well-documented and well-tested models HydroGeoSphere (finite-element/finite-difference) and USGS MODFLOW (finite-difference).  Verification of the algorithm and code and is performed by comparing results to: 1) the idealized, analytical Theis solution; 2) the original, unmodified code; and 3) the results of a third party numerical solution that also accounts for variable frictional wellbore losses.  Results highlight the inadequacy of either a uniform flux or a uniform head assumption along the wellbore.  The solution also tends to produce much steeper hydraulic gradients in those portions of the aquifer nearest the pump intake than have previously been predicted.  Systems most affected by in-well hydraulic losses include those for which well screen is long, pumping rate is large, pipe diameter is small, pipe roughness is large (either through design or aging) and aquifer conductivity is high.  Improved modeling of the non-linear hydraulic conditions within the well screen can particularly influence the interpretation of wellbore flowmeter and tracer tests, leading to more precise knowledge of the variation of local aquifer hydraulic conductivity along well screens.  Aquifer drawdown curves, solute transport and inflow velocities will also be influenced, which can impact capture zones and remediation costs.  Given that the solution is incorporated within the HydroGeoSphere and MODFLOW models, it presents the additional advantage over existing approaches of offering a wide range of modeling capabilities, such as three-dimensional flow, arbitrary well inclination and surface-subsurface flow integration.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Analysis of a Flat-Plate, Liquid-Desiccant, Dehumidifier and Regenerator

contributor:
Harrison, Stephen J.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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subject:
liquid desiccant
solar energy
air-conditioning
dehumidification

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-31 22:12:39.184

abstract:
A numerical model for isothermal and non-isothermal flat-plate liquid-desiccant dehumidifiers and regenerators was developed and implemented. The two-dimensional model takes into account the desiccant, water and air flow streams. A parametric analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of some of the most important operational parameters on mass transfer performance, such as flow configuration, water mass flow rate and inlet temperature, and desiccant mass flow rate. The results indicate that the water temperature and mass flow rate have a strong effect on the performance of the dehumidifier and regenerator, with the isothermal wall case acting as an upper limiting case. Increasing the desiccant mass flow rate improves the water transfer performance, but the improvement is asymptotic with mass flow rate.
An experimental rig with a single channel prototype was also built and tests were run for 18 different cases, with varying water mass flow rate, desiccant mass flow rate and flow configuration. The results show trends similar to those observed in the numerical results. However, the discrepancies between the numerical and experimental results are larger than the estimated experimental uncertainty at a 95% confidence level. There is some indication that poor desiccant wetting of the channel walls was partially responsible for the discrepancies.

abstract: PhD


title: Listening to the voices of adolescents with intellectual disabilities: friendship experiences

contributor:
Jamieson, Margaret
Rehabilitation Science

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subject:
Friendship
Intellectual disability

abstract: Thesis (Master, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-02 18:32:11.662

abstract: This qualitative study with a phenomenological approach explored the friendship experiences of adolescents with intellectual disabilities from their own perspective. Five adolescents with intellectual disabilities from Community Living Toronto were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide about the meaning, nature, formation, maintenance, and development of friendships. The interview questions were first pilot-tested with two adolescents with intellectual disabilities. The interviews were analyzed, and themes were identified. The findings indicated that these young people attached helping, trust, affection, intimacy, and companionship to the meaning of friendship. Participants identified friends as casual friends, best friends, buddies, and family friends. Adolescents with ID did not report intimate and reciprocated friendships with buddies and family friends. Disclosing secrets, personal information and feelings and receiving emotional support were limited only to relationships with best friends with disabilities, in their age group and from their classroom. Adolescents with ID indicated that they wanted more friends. The participants’ suggestions for friendship formation were to meet people, starting a conversation, and smiling. They also identified out of school contact, conflict resolution, and gift giving as the means for friendship maintenance. Giving help, having more contact, and secret sharing were suggested as strategies for friendship development from their perspective.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The effects of 1,4-benzoquinone on c-Myb and topoisomerase II in K-562 cells

contributor:
Winn, Louise M.
Pharmacology and Toxicology

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subject:
Benzene
c-Myb
Topoisomerase II
Benzoquinone

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pharmacology & Toxicology) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-02 14:09:00.011

abstract: Exposure to benzene, a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, has been linked to leukemogenesis, although the mechanism of benzene initiated carcinogenesis remains unclear. It has been proposed that benzene can be bioactivated to toxic metabolites such as 1,4 benzoquinone (BQ), which can alter signalling pathways and affect chromosomal integrity. BQ has been shown to increase the activity of c-Myb, which is an important transcription factor involved in hematopoiesis, cell proliferation, and cell differentiation. The c-Myb protein also increases topoisomerase IIα (topo IIα) promoter activity specifically in cell lines with hematopoietic origin. Topo II is a critical nuclear enzyme that removes torsional strain by cleaving, untangling and religating double-stranded DNA. Since topo II mediates DNA strand breaks, aberrant topo II activity or increased protein levels may increase the formation of DNA strand breaks, leaving the cell susceptible to mutational events. I hypothesize that BQ increases c-Myb activity, which in turn increases topo IIα promoter activity resulting in increased DNA strand breaks. Using luciferase reporter assays in K-562 cells (human chronic myeloid leukemic cells) I confirmed that BQ exposure (25 and 37 µM) caused an increase in c-Myb activity after 24 hours. Contradictory to previous findings, overexpression of exogenous c-Myb or a polypeptide consisting of c-Myb’s DNA binding domain (DBD), which competitively inhibits the binding of endogenous c-Myb to DNA, did not affect topo IIα promoter activity. However, BQ exposure (37 µM for 24 hours) caused a significant increase in topo IIα promoter activity, which could be blocked by the overexpression of the DBD polypeptide. Western immunoblotting analysis did not show any significant increases in topo IIα protein levels in cells exposed to 37 µM BQ for 24 hours. Overall, this study suggests that BQ exposure increases topo IIα promoter activity through the c-Myb signalling pathway and furthers our understanding of BQ-mediated toxicity.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Performance of Air-Air Ejectors with Multi-ring Entraining Diffusers

contributor:
Birk, Michael A.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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subject:
ejector
entraining diffuser
pumping
pressure recovery
wall temperature

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-08 00:26:54.931

abstract:
This research study considered subsonic short air-air ejectors with multi-ring entraining diffusers.
Many references can be found for the design of air-air ejectors with solid diffusers. However, a limited amount of work has been published specially addressing the performance of short ejectors
with entraining diffusers. This study was an experimental and computational investigation of how ejector performance is affected by ejector geometry (i.e. nozzle, mixing tube and diffuser), flow inlet swirl conditions and flow temperature. Ejector performance was quantified in terms of pumping, pressure recovery, wall temperature and velocity and temperature distribution at the diffuser exit.
The experiments were conducted on one cold flow wind tunnel and one hot gas wind tunnel.
In total, eight ejector systems were tested for this research. Five different swirl conditions and two primary air flow temperatures were studied. Ejector inlet conditions were measured using four fixed 7-hole pressure probes in the annulus. Ejector exit flow conditions were measured using a traversing 7-hole pressure probe with a thermocouple.
A parallel computational study was conducted along with the experimental study. The
commercial CFD packages, Gambit 2.3 and Fluent 6.2, were selected for meshing and flow solutions. The objective of the computational study was to determine the utility of RANS based CFD model for predicting device performance as design changes were implemented. The computational study was intended to provide practitioners with guidance as to when CFD will provide practical answers to specific questions relating to the ejector performance including
ejector pumping, pressure recovery, wall temperatures and velocity and temperature distribution at the diffuser exit.

In total, twenty-six complete cold flow experiments and twenty complete hot flow
experiments have been completed. A detailed CFD model study has been performed to select the suitable computational domain, mesh density, boundary conditions, turbulence model and near wall treatment. Twenty-four CFD cases were selected to compare with the corresponding experimental data.
The experimental results showed that the inlet swirl conditions and the diffuser bent angle had significant effects on the ejector performance. In general, the maximum ejector performance was achieved with the 20° inlet swirl condition. This level of swirl enhanced pressure recovery in the ejector. As the diffuser bent angle increased, the total pumping decreased due to the flow
impingement in the diffuser. The oblong ejector generally had better flow mixing performance than the round ejector.
For the CFD simulations, the Realizable k-ε turbulence model was found to give reasonable
predictions for most of the bulk flow properties such as the total pumping, velocity profiles, swirl levels and back pressure. These were achieved at a reasonable cost in terms of the human efforts
and computational resources. The RSM was able to give slightly improved predictions but at a much higher cost in terms of the efforts and computing resources. All of the turbulence models had difficulty predicting the pressure recovery in the mixing tube and diffuser because of their inability to accurately predict flow separation in the core of the swirling primary flow. As a result of this, the turbulence models considered in this work overpredicted the pumping of the mixing tube and underpredicted the pumping of the entraining diffuser. This unresolved issue with the
CFD models is an important consideration when designing such devices.

abstract:
This project has been funded by joint contribution from the National Sciences and
Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Department of National Defence (DND)and W.R. Davis Engineering Ltd.

abstract: PhD


title: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and breast cancer : a record linkage study

contributor:
Aronson, Kristan J.
King, Will D.
Community Health and Epidemiology

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subject:
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
SSRIs
Breast cancer
Antidepressants
Antidepressant medications
Cancer

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-08 13:51:38.74

abstract:
Evidence suggests that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, a class of antidepressant medications) may contribute to increased breast cancer risk by stimulating the secretion of prolactin, a potential tumour promoter. The main objective of this study was to determine breast cancer risk associated with the duration, dosage and timing of SSRI use among women, with control for a limited set of confounders.  This thesis project, conducted within the context of a population-based two-stage case-control study, consisted of a record linkage study utilizing three Saskatchewan health services databases.  Cases included 1,273 women with primary breast cancer diagnosed between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2005, and controls consisted of 12,730 subjects randomly selected from the province’s population registry. Data on SSRI use was compiled from the Saskatchewan prescription drug plan database.  Information on a limited set of established risk factors for breast cancer that may confound this relationship was ascertained from the population registry and the prescription database.
Cases and controls were similar in terms of age, total number of consecutive years eligible for prescription coverage and indicators of socioeconomic status.  Compared to controls, cases were more likely to be married and to have used hormone therapy and/or oral contraceptives.
Compared to nonusers, results indicated that the use of SSRIs for three or more years (as estimated by having filled 36 or more prescriptions for all SSRIs combined during the main exposure window more than two years prior to index date) was not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer (OR= 1.08, 95% CI: 0.74-1.58), controlling for age, marital status, oral contraceptive and hormone therapy use.  In addition, no suggestion of increased risk was detected for long-term exposures to individual SSRIs (24 or more prescriptions filled during the main exposure window) and in relation to total combined SSRI use 2-7 years and more than seven years prior to index date.  However, these risk estimates may have been affected by potential sources of information bias and confounding.  In summary, these results do not provide evidence to suggest that the risk of breast cancer is increased with the use of SSRIs.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Role of Invasive Bythotrephes longimanus in Lake Food Webs

contributor:
Arnott, Shelley E.
Campbell, Linda M.
Biology

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subject:
Bythotrephes
mercury
stable isotope analysis
aquatic

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-10 22:00:22.188

abstract: Bythotrephes longimanus, a predatory exotic cladoceran, has spread rapidly to numerous lakes through the Laurentian Great Lakes region of Ontario and North America.  Post-invaded lakes are known to have reduced zooplankton species richness, biomass and altered community structure. Bythotrephes may also affect the diet and trophic position of macroinvertebrate predators and prey species for fish (e.g., Mysis relicta).  However, the effects of this species in altering higher trophic levels remain largely unexamined.  Using a combined approach of stable isotope (d13C and d15N) and THg analysis, the trophic position of Bythotrephes in two invaded lakes was investigated.  Based on d15N values, Bythotrephes shared a similar trophic position to native macroinvertebrate predators (9 and 7‰ for Peninsula and Harp lakes, respectively).  Using a mixing model and stomach content analysis we show that, despite low and patchy lake abundance, Bythotrephes may be a key prey item to fish and has approximate dietary contributions similar to native prey items, such as zooplankton, Chaoborus and Mysis.  In both lakes, Hg conformed to predicted biomagnification trends as indicated by 15N.  When Bythotrephes invades lakes with native macroinvertebrate predators, it inserts itself into the same trophic position and does not have major effects on food web length.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Mathematical Modeling of PEM Fuel Cell Cathodes: Comparison of First-Order and Half-Order Reaction Kinetics

contributor:
Karan, Kunal
McAuley, Kimberly B.
Beale, Steven B.
Chemical Engineering

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subject:
PEM Fuel Cells
Reaction Kinetics

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-19 12:14:29.079

abstract:
Mathematical modeling helps researchers to understand the transport and kinetic  phenomena within fuel cells and their effects on fuel cell performance that may not be evident from experimental work.  In this thesis, a 2-D steady-state cathode model of a proton-exchange-membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is developed. The kinetics of the cathode half-reaction were investigated, specifically the reaction order with respect to oxygen concentration.  It is unknown whether this reaction order is one or one half. First- and half-order reaction models were simulated and their influence on the predicted fuel cell performance was examined.  At low overpotentials near 0.3 V, the half-order model predicted smaller current densities (approximately half that of the first-order model).  At higher overpotentials above 0.5 V, the predicted current density of the half-order model is slightly higher than that of the first-order model.  The effect of oxygen concentration at the channel/porous transport layer boundary was also simulated and it was shown the predicted current density of the first-order model experienced a larger decrease (~10-15% difference at low overpotentials) than the half-order model.
Several other phenomena in the cathode model were also examined.  The kinetic parameters (exchange current density and cathode transfer coefficient) were adjusted to assume a single Tafel slope, rather than a double Tafel slope, resulting in a significant improvement in the predicted fuel cell performance.  Anisotropic electronic conductivities and mass diffusivities were added to cathode model so that the anisotropic structure of the porous transport layer was taken into account.  As expected, the simulations showed improved performance at low current densities due to a higher electronic conductivity in the in-plane direction and decreased performance at high current densities due to smaller diffusivities.  Additionally, the concentration overpotential was accounted for in the model; however it had little influence on the simulation results.

abstract: M.Sc.