identifier: Bachan, Michelle <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Bachan=3AMichelle=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Maternal influences on egg quality and larval morphology, survival and growth of the batch-spawning atlantic cod (gadus morhua).  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Recruitment variability in fish populations is considered to be associated with the number and quality of eggs extruded by the female segment of the population, the size of larvae at hatch, and prey type, size and quantity at the start of exogenous feeding.  Although a great number of studies have been undertaken to examine these aspects, very little information exists on batch-specific lipid allocation (i.e. lipid classes and fatty acids) in eggs of spawners of wild origin.  Moreover, the associations of maternal attributes (e.g., egg size, batch sequence) with early life history traits of larvae under unfed and fed conditions have received little attention though it is perceived to be an important suite of recruitment processes during a critical life period.  The purpose of this thesis was to quantify maternal patterns of lipid allocation to egg production and to assess the influence of female attributes on larval morphology, survival, growth and condition in a batch spawning fish, the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).  Eight pairs of Atlantic cod of wild origin (held in captivity four months prior to the onset of the experiment) were allowed to spawn naturally in outdoor holding tanks at the St. Andrews Biological Station (St. Andrews, New Brunswick).  A total of forty three egg batches were collected from all females and used to address the following two objectives and related experiments. -- My first objective was to determine the change in selected lipid classes and fatty acids of each egg batch over the spawning season for the eight females.  Phospholipids were the predominant lipid class (40-86%) within eggs, with polar lipids accounting for 47-87% of total lipids and neutral lipids 15-52% of total lipids.  Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) made up 16-50% of total fatty acids, where the lower values were representative of samples with lower docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content.  It was shown that no common pattern emerged in the deposition of lipids over the course of the spawning season; three females consistently showed declines in lipid deposition parameters (µg/egg) with both batch number and egg dry weight, while one female showed consistent increases.  These disparate trends were interpreted to reflect differences among individual females in relation to environmental foraging history, age, condition and years of reproductive experience. -- My second objective was to determine the effects of female and inter-batch differences on larval traits at 0 and 5 days post hatch (dph) and on larval performance under two feeding regimes.  Inter-batch and female differences were evident; these differences were manifested in larval traits of unfed larvae at 0 and 5 dph and for larvae exposed to two feeding regimes.  Egg size was positively correlated with larval size and other body measurements.  Larval survival rates among two feeding regimes (1,500 and 4,000 rotifers/L; 2.7-fold difference) were highly variable ranging from 0 to 60% with mean survivorship near 15% in each treatment and did not differ significantly.  Myotome condition index differed significantly between the two regimes and was greater for the better fed group.  Both studies detected the presence of female and batch effects, indicating the important role female and batch number play in egg quality as well as larval morphology, growth and survival. -- In summary, a number of new findings were made of the reproductive biology and early life history of Atlantic cod that are of relevance to our understanding of recruitment processes of this important demersal species of the Northwest Atlantic.


identifier: McComiskey, David A. (David Alan) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/McComiskey=3ADavid_A=2E_=28David_Alan=29=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Investigation of genetic cause of hearing loss in 28 autosomal dominant families within the Newfoundland founder population.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the genetic cause of hearing loss in 28 Newfoundland families with Autosomal Dominant hearing loss.  AD hearing loss is highly genetically heterogeneous, and is mainly associated with a late onset, progressive phenotype.  After a comprehensive literature search, genotype-phenotype evaluations, and a functional candidate gene approach, all 28 probands were sequenced to identify mutations in four genes known to cause autosomal dominant hearing loss, COCH, KCNQ4, TECTA, and MYO1A.  First, a known Dutch founder mutation within exon 4 of COCH, c.151 C>CT, was found in a Newfoundland proband of Family 2094.  All affected family members (n=7) shared this mutation, while unaffected members did not.  This is only the second family found to harbor this mutation outside of Europe.  This mutation is strongly associated with severe vestibular decline.  Affected Family 2094 members carrying the mutation do present vestibular decline in the form of vertigo and balance difficulties.  As this mutation is considered to be a Dutch founder mutation, DNA samples from a Dutch p.P51P/S family were genotyped and compared with Family 2094 genotypes.  Fragment analysis confirmed haplotype sharing of five markers closely bordering the c.151 C>CT mutation between Newfoundland and Dutch mutation carriers.  Second, a novel 3bp deletion in exon 5 of KCNQ4 was found in 13 affected members of Family 2071.  While the mutation was not seen in four other affected family members, audiology test results suggest that these four individuals are phenocopies.  Sequencing of the full KCNQ4 gene was done in all individuals, to rule out another mutation on the same gene.  Further investigation, through the construction of an intragenic haplotype, did not point to any further hearing loss associated variants within KCNQ4, and confirmed that all deletion carriers share a common hearing loss haplotype and deletion.  Third, a nonsense mutation was found in exon 4 of MYO1A in the proband of Newfoundland Family 2102.  This is a C→T nucleotide substitution (c.2435 C>CT) that causes a change (p.R93X) in the motor domain of myosin 1A.  Of four individuals in Family 2102, three were found to carry the p.R93X mutation, while one unaffected sibling was not.  This mutation has been reported once before in a small Italian family.  No mutations were discovered in the TECTA gene.  When each of the causative mutations in COCH, KCNQ4, and MYO1A was detected, additional Newfoundland hearing loss probands were screened, to rule out the possibility of a founder mutation.  In no case were additional mutation carriers identified.  While no founder mutations were discovered in this study, the genetic cause of hearing loss was identified in three families.


identifier: Lyle-McNamara, Ellyn <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lyle-McNamara=3AEllyn=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Join-up: learning/leading praxis through counter-narratives.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Drawing from Narrative Theory, Reflexive Inquiry, and Critical Pedagogy, the intent of this thesis is to position narrative as perspective, process, and product that together frame a transdisciplinary method to construct theoretically new ways of conceptualizing and practising learning.  My aim in this research is to provide a methodological means of explicating dominant stories that, for me, are problem saturated.  Evoking the power of metaphor and utility of analogy, my goal is to position counter-narratives as a way to bring together theory and practise in a space where readers might reflexively examine their own experiences and, therein, improve praxis.  Join-up is central to this process as I untangle learning moments situated within three unique learning environments:  schools; the field; and corporate learning organisations.  After critically deconstructing experiences of praxis that are operating and transformative, I aim to reconsider them in terms of the metaphors they present.  The pervasive and recurring question throughout involves the role of personal meaningfulness in creating spaces for individuals to join-up with learning.  Specific questions include: How does remembering self in moments of praxis construct educational perspectives through narrative?; What does a critically-framed reflexive narrative methodology uniquely contribute to understanding praxis?; What metaphors are common within each of the three unique learning environments?; and What might these commonalities suggest regarding the role of join-up in learning/leading praxis?


identifier: Landy, Rachel <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Landy=3ARachel=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Hip-hop for health promotion : an exploratory descriptive study of hip-hop-based HIV/AIDs education.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis is a critical examination of how music is used in health education interventions dealing with HIV/AIDS.  More specifically, this research focuses on the use of hip-hop in educative programs within a North American context.  To illuminate in detail how music may be used in a health education program, an exploratory/descriptive analysis of one HIV education program, Taking Action, an arts-based HIV prevention workshop for Aboriginal youth, was conducted.  Interviews with the musicians and facilitators involved in this workshop confirmed that hip-hop was thought to be, for multiple reasons, an appropriate strategy for engaging Aboriginal youth in HIV/AIDS prevention.  The study raises further questions about the needs of musicians who partner with organizations in this context. -- Keywords:  Hip-hop; health education; Aboriginal; HIV/AIDS


identifier: Qian, Xin <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Qian=3AXin=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

title: Iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions

abstract: This thesis concerns the synthesis and study of iron(III) halide complexes supported by amine-bis(phenolate) ligands. These paramagnetic molecules were characterized by a variety of methods including MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and UV-vis spectroscopy. Two dimeric iron complexes, {FeCl[O₂N]BuMenPr}₂ (1), {FeCl[O₂N]BuMeBn}₂ (5) and one monomeric FeBr₂[O₂NH]BuMenPr (8), where [O₂N]BuMenPr = n-propylamine-N,N-bis(2-methylene-4-methyl-6-tert-butylphenolate) and [O₂N]BuMeBn = benzylamine-N,N-bis(2-methylene-4-methyl-6-tert-butylphenolate), were characterized in the solid state by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The abbreviated nomenclature for these ligands can be generalized by the form [O₂N]RR’R”, where [O₂N] describes the three donor atoms (two oxygens are phenolic and one nitrogen is aminic) of the ligand, R and R' define the substituents at the 2- and 4- positions, respectively, on the phenol group, and R” represents the alkyl group on the central amine donor (such as nPr for n-propyl or Bn for benzyl). Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility data for {FeCl[O₂N]BuMenPr}₂ (1) was also obtained using a SQUID magnetometer. -- The easily synthesized, inexpensive, and relatively air-stable novel iron complex {FeCl[O₂N]BuMenPr}₂ can be used as a mild and efficient catalyst for C-C cross-coupling of aryl Grignards with alkyl halides. Compared to other iron-catalyzed sp³-sp² C-C cross-coupling reactions, it displays several advantages: i) the complex is easy to handle and has the potential for large-scale applications, ii) by employing microwave conditions, hindered Grignard reagents can react with primary alkyl halides bearing β-H atoms and gives excellent yields, iii) secondary alkyl chlorides and benzyl halides can be effectively used as electrophilic substrates, iv) a number of functional groups are tolerated. Cross-coupling products are obtained in good to excellent yield as shown by GC-MS and ¹H NMR analysis. Screening of cross-coupling reactions for over thirty substrate combinations and the effect of microwave heating on reaction yields are described. Mechanistic studies suggest a radical-mediated route to cross-coupling as shown by “radical clock” experiments.  -- We also present the ability of FeCl₃ to cleave both C-Cl bonds in CH₂Cl₂ and two C-Cl bonds in CDCl₃ in the presence of Grignard reagents. Different conditions for the catalytic system are explored, and the products are obtained from low to excellent yields. The results are monitored by GC-MS and ¹H NMR. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such transformations have been observed using an iron pre-catalyst, leading to the first efficient double aryl-alkyl coupling of CH₂Cl₂. Hypotheses regarding the mechanism of cross-coupling are presented.


identifier: Andrews, Catherine D. (Catherine Dawn) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Andrews=3ACatherine_D=2E_=28Catherine_Dawn=29=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Identification of a responsive gene set to evaluate the potential impact of seismic exposure on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) inner ear.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Considerable interest and controversy has arisen over the potential effects of seismic surveys carried out during exploration for oil and gas deposits.  Regarding fish, there is a concern that intense sound sources, such as seismic airguns, may injure their auditory system.  Salmonid cDNA microarrays, reciprocal suppression subtractive hybridization libraries and quantitative reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction were used to identify and study a responsive gene set in the inner ear of Atlantic salmon (Salmo  salar) following seismic airgun exposure.  Taken together results point to seismic noise exposure altering salmon ear transcripts that likely play important roles in a variety of processes, including sensory perception of sound.  Also, initial results demonstrate that genomics has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of the impact of seismic airguns on gene and molecular pathways involved in hearing, and provide valuable molecular biomarkers that can act as an early warning sensor to acoustic stress. -- Keywords: seismic; fish; ear; microarray; expressed sequence tags; genomics


identifier: Irvine, Melanie L. (Melanie Linda) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Irvine=3AMelanie_L=2E_=28Melanie_Linda=29=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Living on unstable ground: identifying physical landscape constraints on planning and infrastructure development in Nunavut communities.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis develops and tests a research framework that assesses constraints imposed by the physical environment, in particular landscape hazards on infrastructure development and community planning in Arctic environments.  The framework uses a multi-hazard, multi-tool approach, and was operationalized in the community of Clyde River, Nunavut.  Data were accessed through a range of sources including:  community consultations, air photo interpretation, topographic surveys, sediment sampling, inventory of existing infrastructure, permafrost coring, and landscape and landform assessment.  Data were analyzed, interpreted and integrated to produce individual landscape hazard layers and then combined to create a composite physical landscape constraint map.  The constraint map categorized the community landscape into a tiered classification scheme of low, moderate and high risk.  An assessment of how projected climate changes may modify the risk level associated with individual landscape hazards was also undertaken.  Research suggests that flooding, erosion, slope instability and permafrost dynamics are the main landscape hazards occurring in Clyde River and that the risk level associated with these hazards will be enhanced due to climate change.  The spatial distribution of these hazards varies, and is dependent on the physical environment and human modifications to the landscape.  Both adaptations and maladaptations are altering the vulnerability of the community towards landscape hazards.  The research framework devised in Clyde River is considered applicable to other arctic communities, and will provide useful guidance for community planning and sustainable infrastructure development.


identifier: LaFlamme, Crystal <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/LaFlamme=3ACrystal=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Lithology, geochemistry and geochronology of the Aillik Group and foliated granitic intrusions: implications on the formaton and early evolution of the Aillik domain, Makkovik province, Labrador.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The Makkovik Province of eastern Labrador is part of an accretionary orogenic belt that formed during the Paleoproterozoic Makkovikian orogeny. The Aillik domain represents one of three domains that make up the Makkovik Province and is composed of the Aillik Group, a package of Paleoproterozoic bi-modal volcano-sedimentary rocks, and abundant variably deformed Paleoproterozoic intrusive suites. The Aillik Group has experienced several phases of deformation and has been metamorphosed to lower amphibolite facies during the Makkovikian orogeny. Two areas, Middle Head and Pomaidluk Point, are the focus of this project and are used as case studies to assess and examine the Aillik Group with respect to the objectives as outlined below. Middle Head is dominated by arkosic sandstone, felsic tuff, rhyolite and basalt; whereas, Pomiadluk Point is composed primarily of felsic tuff and polymictic conglomerate with lesser preserved rhyolite and basalt. This study consists of detailed bedrock mapping in conjunction with: insitu SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology, insitu LA-MC-ICPMS Hf isotopic geochemistry, major and trace element geochemistry, and whole rock Nd isotope geochemistry. These methods are used to: 1) constrain the timing of volcanism within the Aillik Group, 2) determine the source of magmatism, 3) resolve the overall tectonic setting in which the Aillik Group was deposited, and 4) briefly investigate the subsequent evolution of the Aillik domain. -- U-Pb SHRIMP zircon geochronology on felsic tuff samples yields magmatic ages that range from ca. 1852 at Middle Head to ca. 1854 - 1862 Ma at Pomiadluk Point. These U-Pb ages indicate that sections of the Aillik Group occurring 27 km from one another were deposited contemporaneously, and that felsic volcanism continued to as late as ca. 1852 Ma. A foliated Paleoproterozoic granite from Middle Head yields an age of 1805 ±4 Ma, which further constrains the timing of deformation within the Aillik Group as continuing past its emplacement. One population of inherited zircons occurs between 1880 and 1920 Ma and is interpreted to be xenocrystic in nature. -- Initial εHfs in zircon from a ca. 1852 Ma felsic tuff and ca. 1805 Ma granite at Middle Head range uniformly from -1.6 to -5.0 with felsic crustal extraction ages of ca. 2.4 to 2.6 Ga. In contrast, two felsic tuff samples at Pomiadluk Point with magmatic ages of ca. 1854 and ca. 1861 Ma have initial εHfs values in zircon that range from -4.8 to -11.9 in 18 of 20 grains analyzed, giving (felsic) crust formation ages of 2.6 to 3.0 Ga. A third sample from Pomiadluk Point, a ca. 1862 Ma foliated felsic tuff that outcrops between two conglomerate beds, contains magmatic zircons with initial εHfs that range from +2.1 to -1.6, and crust formation ages of 2.3 to 2.5 Ga. None of the felsic volcanic rocks analyzed from the Aillik Group show Hf-isotope evidence of derivation from the North Atlantic Craton as the model ages are too young. Additionally, none of the samples demonstrate their formation on a truly juvenile, 1.9-2.0 Ga crust with short residence times (<100 Ma), as might be expected for an intra-oceanic island arc origin. Inherited zircon grains (1880 to 1920 Ma) demonstrate a similar Hf isotopic signature and depleted mantle model ages as the magmatic grains. -- Trace and REE geochemistry demonstrate that felsic volcanic rocks of the Aillik Group as well as temporally distinct deformed granitic intrusions are 'A-type' in nature. Felsic volcanic rocks and a deformed monzogranite demonstrate a range in Nd isotopic signatures (εNd(T)= -1.1 to -5.0), which reflects partial melting of a heterogeneous felsic crust. Based on geochemical signatures, mafic volcanic rocks can be classified into two groups. Group A basalts have geochemical signatures that demonstrate flat rare-earth element pattern, consistent with melting of a depleted mantle source, and are composed of primary plagioclase and clinopyroxene and metamorphic amphibole and biotite. Group B basalts and mafic tuff are chemically more evolved, and composed of primary plagioclase and metamorphic amphibole and magnetite. The two different REE patterns seen in mafic volcanic rocks are interpreted to reflect a variable amount of crustal contamination. Furthermore, Group A basalts demonstrate systematically more elevated εNd(T) signatures (+2.8 to +4.3) than Group B basalts and mafic tuff (-3.5 to +2.2). Based on mixing models, mafic magmas of the Aillik Group are determined to have formed by mixing of the depleted mantle with a small to moderately significant amount (5 to 35%) of the felsic volcanic rocks of the Aillik Group. -- The combination of early clastic sedimentation, bimodal volcanism and geochemical signatures of felsic and mafic melts suggests that the ca. 1883 to 1852 Ma Aillik Group formed in a continental back-arc setting, forming from a crust that had an age range of at least 700 Ma, including both Paleoproterozic and Late Archean components. The similar Hf isotopic signatures of the Cross Lake granite, the felsic volcanic rocks of the Aillik Group, and the xenocrysts in the felsic volcanic rocks of the Aillik Group confirms that the Aillik domain was generated from the same basement over 115 million years.


identifier: Tagore, Vickneswary <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Tagore=3AVickneswary=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Inferences in volatility models.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

title: Inferences in volatility models

abstract: In some real life time series, especially in financial time series, the variance of the responses over time appear to be non-stationary.  The changes in the variances of such data are usually modeled through a dynamic relationship among these variances, and subsequently the responses are modeled in terms of the non-stationary variances.  This type of time series model is referred to as the stochastic volatility model.  However, obtaining the consistent and efficient estimators for the parameters of such a model has been proven to be difficult.  Among the existing estimation approaches, the so-called generalized method of moments (GMM) and the quasi-maximum likelihood (QML) estimation techniques are widely used.  In this thesis, we introduce a simpler method of moments (SMM), which, unlike the existing GMM approach, does not require an arbitrarily large number of unbiased moment functions to construct moment estimating equations for the parameters involved.  We also demonstrate numerically that the proposed SMM approach is asymptotically more efficient than the existing QML approach.  We also provide another simpler 'working' generalized quasi likelihood (WGQL) approach which is similar but different than the SMM approach.  Furthermore, the small and large sample behavior of the SMM and WGQL approaches are examined through a simulation study.  The effect of the SMM estimation approach is also examined for kurtosis estimation. -- In volatility models mentioned above, the responses are assumed to be uncorrected.  However, in some situations, it may happen that the responses become influenced by certain time dependent covariates, and as opposed to the standard stochastic volatility models, the responses become correlated.  In the later part of thesis, we introduce an observation-driven dynamic (ODD) regression model with non-stationary error variances, these variances being modeled as in the standard stochastic volatility models.  We refer to such a model as the observation driven dynamic-dynamic (dynamic²) (ODDD) volatility model.  The parameters of this wider model are estimated by using a hybrid estimation technique by combining the GQL and SMM approaches.


identifier: Liu, Fang <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Liu=3AFang=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Life styles, out-of-home participation, and activity dependence among elderly Canadians with mobility disabilities.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The Canadian population is aging and will continue to age until the year 2031.  Subsequently, both the size of the elderly population and the number of people with mobility related disabilities in this country are expected to increase in the next two decades.  Their lifestyles and daily activities both affect and are affected by their disability.  This thesis aims to explore the inter-relationships between lifestyles, including smoking and alcohol consumption, barriers associated with out-of-home social participation, and the level of mobility disability in elderly Canadians aged 65 years or older. -- This study used data from both the 2001 Canadian Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) and the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).  Data analyses included descriptive analyses, multivariate logistic regressions, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling.  The results suggest that smoking prevalence was similar in people with and without mobility disability.  However, an inverse relationship was observed between the levels of disability and the alcohol drinking behavior with the prevalence of regular drinking varying from 48.08% in the general elderly Canadians, 19.37% and 12.85% in people with less severe and severe mobility disability, respectively.  Environmental barriers in home design also significantly contributed to restrictions in out-of-home social participation (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.10 - 1.69).  Results from structural equation modeling further suggest that the effect of people's disability can be completely mitigated by environmental facilitators. -- This thesis adds new evidence that reducing environmental barriers can significantly lead to enhanced out-of-home social participation in elderly Canadians with mobility disability. -- Key words: Mobility disability; Elderly; PALS; ICF; Smoking; Alcohol Consumption; Environmental Factors; Personal Factors; Pain; Out-of-home Social Participation; Activity Dependence


identifier: Gonsalves, Glean <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Gonsalves=3AGlean=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Host exploitation and fidelity in Acacia gall-invading parasites.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The form of social organization seen in the Acacia gall-inducing thrips genus, Kladothrips, is credited to the invasion pressures exerted by species of the parasitic thrips genus, Koptothrips.  Critical to this conclusion is the assertion that parasite evolution is more or less in lockstep with the divergence of the hosts.  Koptothrips populations are thought to specialize in invading specific Kladothrips taxa.  I assessed host exploitation patterns of Koptothrips flavicornis and Koptothrips dyskritus within a single host, Kladothrips intermedius.  I also investigated, using DNA sequence data, the connectivity of various Koptothrips flavicornis and Koptothrips dyskritus populations.  Results from host exploitation investigations suggest that Koptothrips flavicornis and Koptothrips dyskritus exhibit different patterns when invading a common host, while genetic investigations indicate the absence of host fidelity in regions of overlapping host distribution.  My study, while narrow in scope, casts some doubt on the existing model for host/parasite coevolution in this system.


identifier: Barrett, Tracy C. (Tracy Clarissa) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Barrett=3ATracy_C=2E_=28Tracy_Clarissa=29=3A=3A.html>   (2011) The relations of food security with physical and mental health in Canada.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The relations of food security with indicators of physical and mental health of 22, 247 Canadians aged birth to 71+ were examined using data from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).  Surprisingly, 43.2% of the food insecure population consisted of males, 19.6% were middle high income, and 41.9% graduated from post-secondary school.  Food insecure adults, as compared to food secure adults, were more likely to smoke cigarettes and less likely to drink alcohol.  Food insecure children and adults were less likely to eat fruits and vegetables, more likely to report other long term physical or mental illnesses, perceive their physical and mental health as poor, perceive themselves as more stressed, were less satisfied with their lives, and felt less attached to their communities.  The relationships between food security and measures of mental health were particularly robust.


identifier: Barrow, Michael <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Barrow=3AMichael=3A=3A.html>   (2011) The saint of pure love: examining Catherine of Genoa's mystical doctrine of purgatory.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Saint Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510) was a lay woman who underwent a mystical conversion at about the age of twenty-six.  In this divine and transcendental moment, Catherine would come to understand God and the operation of God in her life as Pure Love.  She continued to live in this divine condition throughout the rest of her life and, would eventually understand - through further divine infusion - that her mystical life was, in fact, a progression through purgatory that would lead her to the restoration of her true self in and as Pure Love.  It is the objective of this study, therefore, to examine her doctrine of purgatory in its historical context, and theologically, through the religious element of mysticism in an effort to understand how the doctrine manifested itself in her life.


identifier: Luo, Yan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Luo=3AYan=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Wi-Fi-based indoor positioning using human-centric collaborative feedback.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Position information is an important aspect of a mobile device's context.  While GPS is widely used to provide location information, it does not work well indoors.  Wi-Fi network infrastructure is found in many public facilities and can be used for indoor positioning.  In addition, the ubiquity of Wi-Fi-capable devices makes this approach especially cost-effective. -- In recent years, "folksonomy"-like systems such as Wikipedia or Delicious Social Bookmarking have achieved huge successes.  User collaboration is the defining characteristic of such systems.  For indoor positioning mechanisms, it is also possible to incorporate collaboration in order to improve system performance, especially for fingerprinting-based approaches. -- In this thesis, a robust and efficient model is devised for integrating human-centric collaborative feedback within a baseline Wi-Fi fingerprinting-based indoor positioning system.  Experiments show that the baseline system performance (i.e., positioning accuracy and precision) is improved by collecting both positive and negative feedback from users.  Moreover, the feedback model is robust with respect to malicious feedback, quickly self-correcting based on subsequent helpful feedback from users.


identifier: Heaney, Olivia <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Heaney=3AOlivia=3A=3A.html>   (2010) The lost girls : teenage pregnancy in contemporary Irish fiction and film.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This dissertation explores the in-between state of young female protagonists in three contemporary Irish texts: Roddy Doyle's The Snapper (1990), Edna O'Brien's Down by the River (1993) and Peter Mullan's 2002 film, The Magdalene Sisters.  All three texts introduce young girls who, faced with unwanted pregnancies, have to make decisions about having children--or, more often, choices are forced upon them--despite the fact that they are still largely considered children themselves.  Their situations gesture toward the fact that young girls in Ireland have not yet been afforded the level of citizenship to which they are entitled.  During their pregnancies, the circumstances of which are often hushed and denied, they lack social and political power.  Thus, not only are the girls lost between the categories of child and woman, but their agency is lost because of the precarious positions they hold.  Their inability to demonstrate their rights of citizenship represents Ireland's failure to "cherish the children of the nation equally"--a fundamental goal of its original Proclamation as a Republic.


identifier: Vamadevan, Varatharajan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Vamadevan=3AVaratharajan=3A=3A.html>   (2010) The impact of heat-moisture treatment on the molecular structure and physicochemical properties of normal and waxy potato starches.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Heat-moisture treatment (HMT) is a physical modification technique that modifies starch structure and properties without destroying its granular structure.  HMT has been shown to cause starch chain interactions and crystallite disruption/reorientation within the amorphous and crystalline domains.  However, the part played by amylose (AM) during HMT of starches is not properly understood.  Furthermore, a systematic study has not been carried out to examine how variations in HMT temperatures influence molecular structure, physicochemical properties and digestibility of normal potato (NP) and waxy potato (WP) starches.  Thus, the objective of this study was to determine changes to molecular structure, physicochemical properties and digestibility of NP and WP starches on HMT at different temperatures (80, 100, 120 and 130°C) for 16 h at 27% moisture.  Structural changes on HMT were monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), polarized light microscopy (PLM), wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, fluorophore assisted capillary electrophoresis (FACE) and K/S spectra.  Changes to physicochemical properties on HMT were determined by granular swelling, amylose leaching, gelatinization parameters and pasting properties.  Digestibility of normal and waxy potato starches before and after HMT by porcine pancreatic α-amylase (PPA) was monitored by measuring initial velocity and by examination of the granular structure at different stages of hydrolysis by SEM, CLSM and PLM.  The results showed that structural changes on HMT were influenced by differences in starch chain mobility at different temperatures of HMT.  Starch chain mobility, in turn, was influenced by the interplay between the extent to which B-type crystallites were transformed into A+B-type crystallites, kinetic energy imparted to starch chains and amylose content.  The main type of structural changes influencing physicochemical properties at different temperatures of HMT were starch chain interactions (at 80 and 100°C), disruption of hydrogen bonds between amylose-amylopectin and amylopectin-amylopectin (at 120 and 130°C), disorganization of amylopectin chains near the vicinity of the hilum (at 100, 120 and 130°C) and formation of interrupted helices (at 130°C).  The susceptibility of NP and WP starches towards α-amylase decreased at 80°C, but increased in the range 100 to 130°C.  NP and WP starches exhibited heterogeneity in degradation (NP>WP) in both their native and HMT states.


identifier: Monaghan, Kelly Nicole <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Monaghan=3AKelly_Nicole=3A=3A.html>   (2011) The oeuvre of risk in health promotion: a reflexive metatheoretical critique.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: In this dissertation I make a case for heightened reflexivity within health promotion via a metatheoretical critique of the field levied through the lens of my own research - a quantitative study into the media usage patterns of 1271 junior high school students carried out in 2005, and a youth-led media literacy production project on media and adolescent health, carried out in 2006.  Initially formulated as a study of the impact of mass media on adolescent health, I ultimately came to question the ontological and epistemological assumptions grounding this inquiry.  My concern centred on the prominence of risk as the dominant discourse within the prevention field today and its construction of media as risk, adolescence as a period of risk, and the family unit as an agent of risk.  Accordingly, I reoriented this dissertation as a metatheoretical critique of this oeuvre of risk along with the ontological and epistemological assumptions underpinning the field of health promotion more generally.  In short, what began as an investigation into the impact of media on adolescent health has become an interrogation of the more substantive issue of how evermore aspects of the private and social worlds of individuals have come under the gaze of health promotion.  Through this dissertation I intend to illuminate the limits of risk as a social category for understanding complex health issues, as well as epidemiological modes of inquiry as ways of knowing within the field.


identifier: Browne, Mitchell J. (Mitchell James) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Browne=3AMitchell_J=2E_=28Mitchell_James=29=3A=3A.html>   (2010) The identification and characterization of novel antimicrobial peptides from the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) genome.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short peptides that exhibit broad-spectrum activity against a variety of microbes including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa.  Based on previously generated Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) expressed sequence tags (ESTs), I identified sequences representing four novel AMP-like transcripts [a peptide with sequence similarity to lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), a transcript with sequence similarity to the potato (Solanum tuberosum) AMP snakin-2, as well as two piscidin-like peptides.  The two peptides with similarity to the piscidins, a family of small cationic AMPs from fish, were selected for further study.  I obtained full-length cDNA sequences for two paralogous piscidin-like transcripts using bi-directional rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE).  The Atlantic cod paralogues were termed gaduscidins (GAD-1 and GAD-2), derived from the genus name Gadus.  Quantitative reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) was used in transcript expression studies of GAD-1 and GAD-2.  I examined the constitutive expression of these transcripts in several tissues from non-stressed juvenile cod.  Transcript expression of GAD-1 and GAD-2 was also examined in immune tissues following intraperitoneal (IP) injection of formalin-killed atypical Aeromonas salmonicidia (ASAL), or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS injection control).  Putative GAD-1 and GAD-2 mature peptides were chemically synthesized for structural characterization, first using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, followed by solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).  In addition to structural characterization, functional characterization was also carried out to determine hemolytic and antimicrobial activity of GAD-1 and GAD-2.  A hemolytic assay against Atlantic cod red blood cells (RBCs) was performed, as well as a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay for both GAD-1 and GAD-2 with Staphylococcus intermedius and Escherichia coil.


identifier: MacDonald, Stuart Joseph <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/MacDonald=3AStuart_Joseph=3A=3A.html>   (2011) The ontologization of practical man: the political theories of Marx and Arendt as a response to the 'problem of freedom' in Hume and Kant.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: In this thesis, I argue that the political theories of Karl Marx and Hannah Arendt can be interpreted as responses to Kant who, in attempting to conceive of how freedom could be possible in the face of Humean scepticism, concluded that freedom was only possible outside of the phenomenal world.  I argue that they share a foundation in that their political theories are ultimately responses to Kant, both of them rejecting the ontological precedence given by Kant and the majority of the thinkers throughout the history of philosophy to the abstract properties of reason and thought in humanity, and instead ontologizing the practical.  From this ontological shift, Marx and Arendt ultimately grounded humanness in the practical and the worldly, by showing that although Hume's scepticism about freedom with respect to necessity may be correct, freedom is, at base, a practical question with respect to constraint, and it is only by considering it in this light that freedom can be adequately 'brought back' to the 'phenomenal' world.


identifier: Shea, Jennifer L. (Jennifer Lynn) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Shea=3AJennifer_L=2E_=28Jennifer_Lynn=29=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Understanding the etiology of obesity : a multi-faceted approach.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Obesity, caused by an excessive accumulation of body fat due to a chronic energy surplus, is a serious public health concern with numerous comorbidities.  It is a complex disease with many factors contributing to its manifestation; it is thought that obesity results from the action of multiple genes in combination with lifestyle and environmental factors.  At the current time, only a fraction of the genes involved in obesity have been identified.  The aims of this thesis were first, to characterize the obesity phenotype in the Newfoundland population and second, shed light on its genetic etiology.  This goal was achieved using data from two different studies - the large scale, population-based CODING (Complex Diseases in the Newfoundland Population: Environment and Genetics) Study and an intervention-based, 7-day overfeeding study. -- We have shown that body mass index (BMI) misclassifies adiposity status in nearly one-third of individuals compared to the more accurate reference method, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).  Furthermore, we found that approximately half of obese subjects were metabolically healthy when using DXA criteria, which was significantly higher than previous reports using BMI.  Among BMI-defined normal weight individuals, higher body fat percentage (%BF) determined using DXA was associated with a 3-fold increased risk of cardiometabolic disease.  To further understand the genetic etiology, a candidate gene, genetic association approach was utilized.  We identified two SNPs (rs10882280 and rs11187545) within RBP4, a newly discovered adipokine, that were associated with increased serum HDL cholesterol but no other obesity-related parameter.  No significant associations were observed between genetic variation in another novel adipokine, NAMPT, and parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism, obesity, or systemic inflammation.  We also sought to explore the response of lean and obese subjects to a 7-day hypercaloric diet.  We found that RBP4 was not regulated by the overfeeding challenge but could serve as a predictor of insulin resistance in lean subjects.  In addition, 45 novel obesity candidate genes have been identified that were regulated by the nutritional challenge; of these, six were differentially expressed between lean and obese and as such, represent the most promising targets for downstream work related to obesity.


identifier: Cloutier-Glinas, Maryse <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Cloutier-Glinas=3AMaryse=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Through space, time, and otherness : a spatial analysis of fifteenth to twentieth century Labrador Inuit settlement patterns.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis is an examination of the long-term spatial organization of Labrador Inuit coastal settlements.  Existing descriptive accounts of the Labrador coast suggest important differences in the internal spatial arrangement of Inuit archaeological sites.  Focusing on winter sites containing sod houses temporally ranging from precontact Inuit to modern times, this research examines the variability in the spatial patterning of Labrador Inuit sod houses, and addresses the particular issue of structures that can be characterized as "outlier houses".  This thesis takes a multidisciplinary and geographically broad approach.  Its goals, methods and conclusions were informed by several methodologies and theories of more general interests to archaeology, namely materiality, phenomenology, landscape archaeology, spatial analyses, as well as ethnolinguistics.  This thesis integrates the nearest neighbour (NN) analysis, a distance method stemming from point pattern analyses.  Exploratory tools favoured for the present research were the Stienen diagram, and the Empty space distance diagram. -- The present thesis demonstrated that general trends could be deciphered from the spatial patterning of houses within Labrador Inuit costal settlements.  First, it is suggested that ranges of specific distances may indicate sociospatial relations between houses, while some may indicate the contrary.  Second, NN distances tend to increase and become more disparate from southern to northern locations.  Third, this distribution indicates that the wider time-span a site covers, the greater variability in spatial arrangements it displays.  The ethnographical data collected in the present work has allowed the following assertions.  For the Inuit, social distance and spatial distance are directly proportional.  Abandoned houses or house ruins may in fact have been considered inhabited by the Inuit, just in a less tangible manner than in the case of simultaneous occupations.  Inuit house, just like Inuit bodies, can be used to communicate, and feel, social closeness or distance.  The concepts of silaqqatigiit and nunaqqatigiit lie at the core of the understanding of Inuit spatial patterning of houses.


identifier: Goulding, Stephanie <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Goulding=3AStephanie=3A=3A.html>   (2011) The effect of background television on attention and learning in 3-year-old children.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The impact of background television on attention and learning activities (reading a book and assembling a puzzle) was investigated in the present study.  In the presence of background television, three-year-olds looked off-task more frequently and for a greater duration than preschoolers who did not experience the background television, indicating that background television distracted the three-year-olds from the tasks.  However, the presence of background television did not influence all measures of performance; only one out of the four measures of performance (verbal recall of story detail) suffered in the presence of background television.  Additional variance in task performance was explained by executive functioning.  Overall, the study gives some insight into the effect of background television on three-year-olds' performance.


identifier: Matbouli, Yasser Talal M. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Matbouli=3AYasser_Talal_M=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Tunnel air quality modeling: a case study of the Souk Sagheer traffic tunnel, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Traffic tunnels have become increasingly popular in modern cities as a way to ease traffic congestion and overcome natural barriers. However, traffic tunnels present significant environmental and health issues due to the elevated levels of pollutants inside the tunnels, poor visibility, and smoke caused by accidents. In this research, a critical review of the recent literature on air pollution modeling in traffic tunnels and on the ventilation systems used in tunnels is presented. In addition, an air quality modeling concept that has been applied to the Souk Sagheer Traffic Tunnel in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, is also presented. This tunnel is bidirectional and has a forced ventilation system. The level of air pollution inside the tunnel, especially the carbon monoxide (CO) concentration, has been reported to exceed the permissible limits. The tunnel is particularly congested with traffic during the pilgrimage season and has different modes of operation at different times of the year. In the present work, the current status of the tunnel is simulated using a one-dimensional model that takes into consideration the effects of the forced ventilation and the piston action of vehicles. The developed model that validated with measured data, and the Mann-Whitney test shows that the means values of measured and predicted results are equal at a 7% significance level. The measured results show that during peak traffic times, high concentrations of CO, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and fine particulate matter often exceed the regulatory limits. SO₂ has the highest ratio of measured to recommended concentration of all of the pollutants considered. In this study, several solution scenarios are simulated, such as improving the current longitudinal ventilation, utilizing a transverse ventilation system, or building a wall to separate the tunnel into two smaller tubes. The simulation results show that building a separation wall between the two directions of traffic will significantly reduce the pollution inside the tunnel. For example, the mean value of CO inside the tunnel is reduced from 43.8 mg/m³ to 12.1 mg/m³ when a wall barrier is introduced. A wall barrier will increase the wind speed and enhance the piston action, thus improving the longitudinal ventilation. Finally, a risk assessment chapter calculates the ratio of exposure and maximum allowable limits by World Health Organization. The ratios are calculated for short exposure level. -- This study is important because it shows that bidirectional tunnels are inefficient to ventilate. Moreover, it shows that for the case of the Souk Sagheer Tunnel, additional rows of jet fan does not seem to solve the air quality problem inside the tunnel. Finally, this paper highlights the necessity to investigate SOx emissions because they seem to be the most polluting inside the tunnel.


identifier: Weber, Lisa R. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Weber=3ALisa_R=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2010) The lived experiences of special education teachers who have transferred schools, resulting from a perceived lack of administrative support: a phenomenological study.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Special education teacher attrition has been well documented since the 1980s, along with the stressful workplace variables associated with this phenomenon.  These variables include: role problems, excessive paperwork, uncooperative colleagues, inadequate teaching materials, and unsupportive administrators.  While several studies involve participants who have left or have planned to leave the field, very few have included participants who have remained in the field.  This study sought to explore the experiences of special education teachers who transferred to a different school because of stressful workplace variables and a perceived lack of administrative support.  While relatively small in scope, the data does identify that administrators serve a critical role in helping ensure that special educators feel supported in their duties.  As such, the study provides an opportunity for those engaged in this phenomenon, whether policymaker, administrator, or special educator, to reflect on their experiences and practices.


identifier: Peach, Mandy Elizabeth <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Peach=3AMandy_Elizabeth=3A=3A.html>   (2010) The expression of P-Ser16 HspB6 in uterine smooth muscle during pregnancy.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The small heat shock protein HspB6 has been associated with smooth muscle relaxation when phosphorylated at amino acid serine-16 (P-Ser16).  P-Ser16 HspB6 expression has not been previously determined in the myometrium during normal pregnancy and labour, periods of uterine quiescence and contraction, respectively.  P-Ser16-HspB6 expression in the rat myometrium significantly increased during late pregnancy and labour (One-way ANOVA; p<0.05) and decreased significantly postpartum.  At late pregnancy, expression of P-Ser16 HspB6 in a unilateral pregnancy model was increased in the gravid horn compared to the empty horn by immunoblot analysis.  Immunoblot analysis also showed that 17β-Estradiol significantly increased P-Ser16 HspB6 expression in a 17β-Estradiol administration model compared to vehicle controls (Two-way ANOVA; p<0.05).  Thus, 17β-Estradiol and uterine stretch positively regulate post-translational phosphorylation of HspB6.  Finally, studies with the M-11 myometrial cell line demonstrated that HspB6 was localized in the cytoplasm, while P-Ser16 HspB6 was primarily localized in the nucleus under standard tissue culture conditions.


identifier: Fequet, Danielle D. (Danielle Dorothy) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Fequet=3ADanielle_D=2E_=28Danielle_Dorothy=29=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Towards the feasibility of wild-harvesting fruit from native Viburnum species (Adoxaceae) as a sustainable NTFP in Newfoundland (Canada).  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Sustainable non-timber forest product (NTFP) use requires species-specific biological and ecological knowledge.  To assess the sustainability of wild-harvesting edible fruit from native Viburnum species [highbush cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. americanum), northern wild raisin (V. cassinoides var. nudum), and squashberry (V. edule)] in Newfoundland (Canada), plant density, fruit abundance and impact of moose browsing on growth were assessed.  Success of propagation protocols established for these species elsewhere in their range and pollination requirements for northern wild fruit production were also assessed.  Low and variable fruit production plus minimal fruit production and reduced height associated with moose browsing indicate increased wild harvest of Viburnum species may be unsustainable in Newfoundland.  Northern wild raisin fruit set required outcross pollen and fruit production was pollination limited but may also be influenced by genetic variations and/or site heterogeneity.  Vegetative propagation of cuttings was successful and cultivation of these species may enable sustainable NTFP use. -- Keywords: non-timber forest product; NTFP; Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides; Viburnum opulus var. americanum; Viburnum edule; fruit; propagation; pollination limitation, Newfoundland


identifier: Alam, Farhana Eva <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Alam=3AFarhana_Eva=3A=3A.html>   (2010) A core generic meta-model for aspect-oriented programming languages.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Aspect Oriented Software Development (AOSD) has its roots in the need to deal with requirements that cut across the primary modularization of a software system.  On the programming level, mature, industrial-strength tools like the de-facto standard AspectJ exist.  However, on the modeling level, there is as yet little support for AOSD.  Previous work, which was platform specific, has provided support for only AspectJ.  However, as AspectJ does not support dynamic aspect-orientation, the developed model only provides support for static AOSD.  Building on previous work, using standard UML extension mechanisms, this research develops UML modeling support for both static and dynamic AOSD.  Comparing language and aspect-oriented features of AspectJ, AspectS and AspectML, as a first step to our generic profile, we present a profile which supports only static part of AspectJ and AspectS.  This helps us to figure out the modeling elements that are required for dynamic profile but missing in the current profile.  As the second step, a generic but only dynamic profile (does not provide support for static AOSD) is presented.  These two profiles clearly show the difference between static and dynamic AOP in modeling level.  We use the above steps and develop the final generic profile that allows existing UML tools to express AOSD models.  The developed model ensures modeling support for both static and dynamic AOSD from the same profile.  To verify the necessity and correctness of the profiles used as working steps, we apply each of those to several examples.  Furthermore, the generic profile is applied to examples from AspectJ and AspectS to make sure that it can express both static and dynamic AOSD.  Code generation is done by working from the UML XMI (XML Model Interchange) format, the standard UML serialization.  This is one of the standardized mechanisms and is therefore compatible with existing modeling tools.  Existing work has demonstrated the use of XSLT (XML Stylesheet Language Transforms) for generating XMI to AspectJ code.  We leverage that mechanism.  As a proof-of concept, we implement XSLTs that generates valid code for our target languages (AspectJ, AspectS).


identifier: Hinchey, Stephen <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Hinchey=3AStephen=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Geology and geochronology of the Barth Concentric Plutonic Suite and the central western margin of the Hosenbein pluton, Nain Plutonic Supersuite, Labrador : a fundamentally descriptive study detailing previous and new data, including new observations on the petrographic context of baddeleyite and zircon in olivine-gabbroic rocks of the Barth Concentric Plutonic Suite.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The Barth Concentric Plutonic Suite of the Mesoproterozoic Nain Plutonic Supersuite, northern Labrador, is an oblong, sinistrally offset body underlying 35 km² of land occupying western and central Barth Island and the shores of Nain Bay to the northwest and southeast. The Barth Concentric Plutonic Suite is bounded by intrusive contacts and is subdivided into concentrically disposed units bounded by intrusive contacts. With some minor exceptions, each unit is characterised by one of four categories of rock type: 1) mineralogically Fe-rich diorite and gabbroic; 2) Ol-gabbroic (includes troctolite); 3) charnockitic; or 4) Ol-free anorthosite and gabbroic. The sum of all rock volumes, documented and undocumented, belonging to each category of rock type are here called rock-type clans, and the sum of all units each rock-type clan characterises are here called rock-type predominancies. The intrusive contacts between the units of the Barth Concentric Plutonic Suite variously exhibit sharp and straight intrusion, chilling, magma mingling, magma mixing, hybridisation, and interleaving.  Most such contacts occur between rock-type predominancies, and therefore generally between disparate rock types, the exception being that some physically opposing rock types are similar in composition due to mixing. Intrusive contacts have also been recognised within several units. Extreme differentiation is not evident in any of the major units. -- The overall structural pattern within the Barth Concentric Plutonic Suite is roughly concentric, assuming a north-south long axis before fault offset, with all three-dimensionally assessed structures dipping inward except for one dipping outward, an internal intrusive contact within the charnockitic rock-type predominancy south of Nain Bay. -- Olivine forsterite contents generally do not vary significantly within thin-sections of Ol-gabbroic rock. South of Nain Bay, where thin-sectioning is relatively dense and regular, a locally concentric pattern in the distribution of forsterite content in olivine may be interpreted as recording contamination near the charnockitic contact combined with northward proceeding boundary layer fractional crystallisation of olivine, or, as recording two east-west emplacements, the older one having undergone boundary layer fractional crystallisation of olivine proceeding northwards, the younger having intervened between the older and the comagmatic charnockitic neighbor to the south. -- Zircon and baddeleyite in the Ol-gabbroic rock-type clan have not been observed to contact each other, despite grains of both being abundant and generally co-occurring in the same thin-sections. Approximately 90% of occurrences contact ilmenite with which they commonly show intimate textural relationships, specifically ilmenite-baddeleyite composite grains and zircon rims against ilmenite. Ilmenite is therefore suspected of constituting a thermally divisive, non-intermediate phase between baddeleyite and zircon. Melt compositional differences such that thermally divided phases can co-occur in the same rock may be introduced by progressive occlusion of pore spaces and the differentiation that results as sparsely nucleated liquidus or equilibrating minerals become enclosed in some pore spaces but not in others, thereby producing pore spaces of differing equilibrating bulk composition. -- Textures that may be interpreted as recording a thermal pulse from a nearby intrusion during the partially crystalline magmatic state include optically continuous, coarser-than-matrix, highly irregular in shape and outline, pyroxene oikocrysts (OCCIPO) in many rocks of the Fe-rich rock-type clan and redissolution textures in some rocks of the Ol-gabbroic rock-type clan. Successive, synmagmatic intrusion is therefore in evidence. Other textures in the Ol-gabbroic rock-type clan may, with less certainty, be interpreted as resulting from textural equilibration in the solid state due to relatively high thermal input at sufficiently high temperatures, namely, transgressive biotite slivers, plagioclase septum texture involving relatively Ti-rich hornblende and ilmenite, and olivine-oxidation symplectite of relatively uniform coarseness and lacking the appearance of fingerprints. -- Thermal pulses caused by nearby later intrusion have the potential for allowing internal redistribution of Pb and Pb loss in zircon and baddeleyite grains crystallized sufficiently late-stage and therefore having plausibly experienced strain by deformation of their host crystal framework to accommodate crystallisation-contraction. With this possibility in mind, previous U-Pb isotopic results obtained using TIMS for baddeleyite and zircon and present results obtained using LA-ICPMS for zircon have been interpreted as indicating that the emplacement history of the Barth Concentric Plutonic Suite spans at least ~46 My, from ~1337 to ~1292 Ma, representing the middle and late intervals of known Nain Plutonic Supersuite vitality.  Four time-clusters of ages are presently recognised: 1) the oldest time cluster, spanning 1337 ± 5 (1-sigma) to 1328 ± 6.4 Ma (1-sigma), representing some rocks of the Fe-rich, Ol-free anorthogabbroic, and Ol-gabbroic rock-type predominancies; 2) the second oldest cluster, spanning 1321 ± 1 (2-sigma) to 1317.2 ± ~2 Ma (2-sigma), representing some rocks of the Fe-rich, charnockitic, and Ol-gabbroic predominancies; 3) the second youngest cluster, spanning 1302.2 ± 4.3 (1-sigma) to 1299 ± 6 Ma (1-sigma), representing some rocks of the Fe-rich and charnockitic predominancies; and 4) the youngest cluster, consisting of one age determination at 1291.8 ± 3.9 Ma (1-sigma), representing a rock of the charnockitic predominancy. The Barth Concentric Plutonic Suite therefore serves as a warning to geologists to abandon simplistic assumptions of synchronity for structurally and compositionally unified bodies of plutonic rock. -- The plagioclase-dominated gabbroic Hosenbein pluton, located 2.5 km southwest of the Barth Concentric Plutonic Suite, is locally Ol-gabbroic as well as intraplutonically brecciated along its central western margin. Both Ol-gabbroic and Ol-free gabbroic rocks occur as breccia blocks and breccia matrix phases. LA-ICPMS U-Pb isotopic analyses of zircon from an Ol-free leucogabbro sample from the central Hosenbein pluton, where for hundreds of metres rock type and texture appear more or less homogeneous to the unaided eye, yield an age of 1338.7 ± 2.8 Ma (1-sigma). Assuming that the sample is of the same age within error as the Ol-free breccia matrices to the west, the breccia block Ol-gabbroic rocks of the western central margin of the Hosenbein pluton are at present the oldest known Ol-gabbroic rocks of the Nain Plutonic Supersuite, being at least as old as ~1339 Ma. -- General and theoretical conclusions of the present work include: that the term "pluton" may be used in a non-genetic sense nonetheless consistent with present interpretive usage of "pluton"; that grainsizes may be more reliably and comprehensively described and communicated by providing indications of the proportions of metric size classes; that non-standard, special terms (e.g. anorthositic, troctolitic, ferrodiorite) are not necessary to describe in detail the rocks of the Nain Plutonic Supersuite; that the new concept "plutonic perimetron" could be useful in the future to subdivide plutonic rocks; that the new terms "suboikocrystic", "plastomorphic", and "simple zonation" should be useful in the future for describing plutonic rocks; and, that a descriptive foundational approach is scientifically valuable because it establishes the detailed context within which multiple possible interpretations become apparent.


identifier: Refaul Ferdous, Chy. Md. (Chowdhury Mohammed) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Refaul_Ferdous=3AChy=2E_Md=2E_=28Chowdhury_Mohammed=29=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Quantitative risk analysis in an uncertain and dynamic environment.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Quantitative risk analysis (QRA) is an integral and essential part of risk analysis, which quantifies the risk of any unwanted events in industrial process facilities. However, the application of QRA in the industrial process facility is still limited. One major barrier is handling uncertainties while performing QRA using available techniques. Other important weaknesses include unrealistic assumptions and the absence of a dynamic aspect in QRA. These weaknesses undermine the credibility and utility of the output results from QRA. -- Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and Event Tree Analysis (ETA) are two common and important techniques of QRA for evaluating the likelihoods of unwanted occurrences. Traditionally, both techniques impose two major assumptions to simplify the analysis. The first assumption is related to the likelihood values of input events, and the second assumption is concerned about interdependence of events (for ETA) or basic-events (for FTA). FTA and ETA both use crisp probabilities; however, to deal with uncertainties, the probability distributions of likelihoods of input events can be assumed. These probability distributions as well as the crisp probabilities are often hard to come by, and even if available, they are subjected to different types of uncertainties including incompleteness (partial ignorance) and imprecision. Furthermore, both FTA and ETA assume that events (or basic-events) are independent. In practice, these assumptions are often unrealistic and introduce data and model uncertainties while performing FTA and ETA. -- Bow-tie analysis has recently gained popularity as another important technique for QRA. It can combine both FTA and ETA techniques and describe the total accident scenarios for an unwanted event, also called a critical event (CE), in a common diagram with two parts: the first corresponds to a fault tree defining possible causes leading to the CE and the second represents an event tree to reach possible consequences of the CE. Unfortunately, in spite of having this feature, the application of bow-tie analysis in QRA is still limited to a graphical representation of causes and consequences for the unwanted event. -- To overcome the challenges of QRA, this research explores uncertainty handling approaches for analyzing the fault tree and event tree, which further extends to bow-tie analysis for developing a generic framework utilizing different techniques for QRA. First, fuzzy- and evidence theory- based approaches have been developed to express the uncertainties related to data and model inadequacy of input events (events or basic events) in FTA, ETA and Bow-tie analysis. Second, an updating inference comprised of another two approaches, fuzzy-bayesian and IAE (integrity of available evidence) approaches, has been developed to integrate the dynamic aspect in QRA. In addition to these approaches, a sensitivity analysis method has also been developed for bow-tie analysis to identify the important risk contributors and evaluate corresponding risk reduction. -- Applications of the developed frameworks, approaches and updating inferences have been explored in four different illustrative examples. The first example is the event tree analysis of an LPG release where the likelihoods of different outcomes of the event tree are determined in an uncertain data environment. In the second example, two separate sub-examples, i.e., fault tree of a runaway reaction and event tree of an LPG release are considered to describe the utility of the developed approaches in case of data and model uncertainties. The third example discusses the application of the developed framework and approaches for bow-tie analysis of the BP Texas city accident. In the final example, updating approaches have been used in the bow-tie analysis of an offshore oil & gas process facility. In these examples, the likelihood of occurrence has been estimated for the unwanted event, critical event and outcome events, and the important risk contributors have been also determined. The analysis of these results helps to perform a systematic QRA in uncertain and dynamic conditions, and to measure the risk and likely losses associated with an unwanted occurrence for industrial process facilities.


identifier: Koops, Joel P. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Koops=3AJoel_P=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Travel-time seismic inversion for a numerically-defined shape.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Travel time tomography calculations involving 3D velocity models have become more common place during the past decade or so.  Numerous methods have been developed to solve the required forward modeling problem of boundary value ray tracing in 3D.  For this problem, source and receiver positions are known and one or more time paths are sought between the fixed end points.  Less attention has been given to the approach to model parametrization.  Traditionally, the model has been subdivided into constant velocity cells, a process known as voxellation or cellular partitioning.  A new approach to model parametrization involving numerically constructing the boundary of a homogeneous subsurface geological feature is proposed here and an efficient method for tracing rays through this model is presented.  The ray tracing problem is solved by obtaining the minimum travel time path from a fixed source to a fixed receiver, and its associated travel time, as the solution to a nonlinear optimization problem based on Fermat's principle.  The inversion technique will be regulated by using the area, perimeter and the total distance from each vertex to the center of the numerically defined surface as measures of model structure.


identifier: Aranha, Renita <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Aranha=3ARenita=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Geochemistry, microstructure and growth banding in Stylaster campylecus parageus and Primnoa pacifica : implications for commonly observed deep sea corals as paleoceanographic archives.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: A sclerochronological study of two common cold-water corals from the Northeast Pacific, Stylaster campylecus parageus and Primnoa pacifica, was performed on specimens collected in 2008 from Dixon Entrance, BC, and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Washington State. SEM imaging of S. campylecus revealed the presence of growth banding and extensive skeletal remineralization. Profiles of Na/Ca, Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca could, however, be obtained with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. Sr/Ca values were observed to display two maxima over distances covering approximately 12 growth bands, with corresponding minima in Mg/Ca and Na/Ca. These cyclical co-variations were interpreted to be primarily influenced by surface water productivity. This cyclicity in the trace element profiles, in the context of a documented biannual increase in productivity, suggested that the growth bands are monthly. -- The average radial growth rate of S. campylecus was 1.4 ± 0.1 mm.yr⁻¹, and the average axial growth rate was 17.3 ± 1.1 mm.yr⁻¹. Temperature changes cannot account for the variation in Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca in either S. campylecus or P. pacifica. These variations appear instead to be modulated by surface water productivity. The annual radial growth rate of P. pacifica varied between 0.23 and 0.58 mm.yr⁻¹ in the samples studied - considerably higher than growth rates of a similar species in the North Atlantic. Geographic variation in growth rates is likely influenced by primary productivity.


identifier: Anstey, Jonathan S. (Jonathan Skanes) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Anstey=3AJonathan_S=2E_=28Jonathan_Skanes=29=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Time series novelty detection with application to production sensor systems.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Modern fiber manufacturing plants rely heavily on the use of automation.  Automated facilities use sensors to measure fiber state and react to data patterns, which correspond to physical events.  Many patterns can be predefined either by careful analysis or by domain experts.  Instances of these patterns can then be discovered through techniques such as pattern recognition.  However, pattern recognition will fail to detect events that have not been predefined, potentially causing expensive production errors.  A solution to this dilemma, novelty detection, allows for the identification of interesting data patterns embedded in otherwise normal data.  In this thesis we investigate some of the aspects of implementing novelty detection in a fiber manufacturing system.  Specifically, we empirically evaluate the effectiveness of currently available feature extraction and novelty detection techniques on data from a real fiber manufacturing system. -- Our results show that piecewise linear approximation (PLA) methods produce the highest quality features for fiber property datasets.  Motivated by this fact, we introduced a new PLA algorithm called improved bottom up segmentation (IBUS).  This new algorithm produced the highest quality features and considerably more data reduction than all currently available feature extraction techniques for our application. -- Further empirical results from several leading time series novelty detection techniques revealed two conclusions.  A simple Euclidean distance based technique is the best overall when no feature extraction is used.  However, when feature extraction is used the Tarzan technique performs best.


identifier: Abdel Rahman, Anas M. (Anas Mahmoud) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Abdel_Rahman=3AAnas_M=2E_=28Anas_Mahmoud=29=3A=3A.html>   (2011) Characterization of airborne allergens of selected crustaceans and monitoring of their occupational exposure levels using mass spectrometry.  PhD thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The number of workers in the processing and harvesting sector of the fishery has increased substantially in recent decades, seeing more than 41 million workers worldwide engaged in various activities related to seafood production. Serious allergies and asthma have developed in the seafood occupational workplace as the result of airborne allergenic proteins being aerosolized on fishing vessels and in processing plants. Traditionally, the identification and quantification of these allergens are performed by immunoactive-based techniques such as radioallergosorbent test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. -- In this study, a novel strategy of monitoring airborne seafood allergens was developed using tandem mass spectrometry. First, the major allergenic proteins of snow crab and black tiger prawn were identified and profiled using an allergeomics approach. The immunoblotting was performed against sensitized patients' sera and the active protein bands were characterized using peptide mass fingerprinting mass spectrometry. The purified forms of the target allergenic proteins, tropomyosin and arginine kinase, were used as reference materials for primary structural identification and for quantification method development. -- For protein sequencing, the samples were exposed to different enzymatic digestions (Trypsin, Glu-C V8, and Asp-N), the peptides analyzed by different mass spectrometry ion sources, and various derivatization protocols were used to maximize the amino acid sequence coverage. The product mass spectra of the enzymatically produced peptides were uploaded to a Mascot search engine and the national center for biotechnology information non-redundant database searched. Signature peptides that surrogate each individual allergenic protein were determined and chemically synthesized (purchased from third party) for use as analytical standards in both light and heavy forms. Subsequently, a quantification approach using liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring isotopic dilution tandem mass spectrometry was developed to measure snow crab tropomyosin and arginine kinase in air samples. A comprehensive validation study was performed for the quantification method with respect to the international conference on harmonization guidelines. The air sampling protocol, allergen extraction recovery, and the completeness of the protein digestion were optimized for real air sample collection. Actual air samples were collected from a simulated crab processing plant and analyzed by mass spectrometry.


identifier: Mazerolle, W. Joseph <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Mazerolle=3AW=2E_Joseph=3A=3A.html>   (2001) An analysis of the perceptions of educational leaders concerning school-business partnerships in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This is a qualitative research study dealing with the perceptions of educational leaders concerning the use of partnerships with the business community by schools in Newfoundland and Labrador.  This study explores the role of the educational leader in securing, monitoring and evaluating school-business partnerships.  It also delves into the perceptions of educational leaders regarding the efficacy of school-business partnerships in such areas as viability, the necessity of partnerships and the consequences of entering into such partnerships.  The data for the study included the existing body of literature and several individuals who agreed to be interviewed for the purposes of this study.  An examination of the data was conducted into the relationship between the body of literature that exists in relation to this subject and the responses of the educational leaders at various levels of governance who have had experience dealing with this issue. -- The data revealed that educational leaders in this province with experience in this area are in favour of these relationships.  They were aware of the issues and controversy surrounding the issues of school-business partnerships.  They acknowledged the potential hazards, but preferred to demonstrate that they were a viable and necessary component of a school today.  They stressed the need for sound and careful planning, and for all stakeholders in education to co-operate in facilitating the desired outcomes from public education.


identifier: Snow, Michael Harold <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Snow=3AMichael_Harold=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Control of a hybrid energy system.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

title: Control of a hybrid energy system

abstract: Renewable energy systems today are becoming more popular due to the rise in fuel costs and the demand for energy both small and large scale.  Many systems use one source of renewable energy such as wind or solar, and many control systems are designed to deal with only one source.  Wind and solar can be combined to make a hybrid energy system.  This allows for energy production almost all the time. For example, during the night solar systems have to rely on battery backup or diesel generation, but if a wind turbine is added to the system, power from the wind can be harnessed during the night and on cloudy days, and the solar can add to the wind or replace the turbine when there is no wind or a heavy load.  For a hybrid (wind-solar) system to work effectively there has to be a control system.  Combinations of single purpose controllers, such as a wind controller, solar controller and battery charger, are hard and complicated to integrate together.  They require a lot of wire, space and increase the probability of failure of the system with one controller may work against the other.  Some available controllers have solar added to a wind controller, but they can only handle a small amount of solar power with simple control and have no monitoring. -- The main aim of this research was to determine a more effective way to combine and control multiple renewable energy sources.  The methodology was to study prior art to determine how the problem was to be approached and what improvements are required to achieve the research task.  This thesis focuses on small wind and small solar (less than 2500 watts), and the most effective way to control and combine these energy sources in an effective and efficient way. -- This research introduces a new design to combine wind and solar together in a single controller called the Autonomous Renewable Control System - ARCS, to overcome different technical issues from industry and simplify renewable power.  The controller takes a priority approach of power from wind first, then from solar.  A system monitor was added to track performance of the system and to log historic data along with safety systems such as alarms and breakers.  Included in this research is historical data produced from the test system such as power outputs, energy savings and environmental savings and other useful data.  The data showed an increase power output from the wind turbine, combined power with the solar power and environmental savings.  The ARCS showed improved control, simpler installation and operation, and effective hybrid energy management.  This research provides the framework to expand on the design for larger systems and different control schemes.


identifier: St. John, Amy <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/St=2E_John=3AAmy=3A=3A.html>   (2011) An interpretation of French ceramics from a migratory fishing station, Dos de Cheval, Newfoundland (EfAx-09).  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Excavations at Dos de Cheval (EfAx-09) on Newfoundland's Petit Nord present the opportunity to study a complex and extensive ceramic assemblage from a French migratory fishing station. The 17th- to 19th-century ceramic assemblage includes Normandy stoneware, brown and white faïence, Ligurian-style coarse earthenwares and several varieties of French coarse earthenwares, including some obscure Breton products.  A morpho-functional vessel typology provides a framework through which to interpret these ceramics and a functional analysis of ceramics reveals social and economic contexts of the fishery on several scales. Ceramic trends aid in the understanding of features on the site, and use of space on the site as a whole. The non-sedentary nature of life on the Petit Nord is reflected in the archaeological dominance of vernacularly produced provisioning containers, primarily Normandy stoneware.  At the largest scale, provisioning links, trade links and links between vernacular industries in Newfoundland and France are examined.


identifier: Feng, Charles Yu <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Feng=3ACharles_Yu=3A=3A.html>   (2009) The identification, characterization, and expression analysis of genes relevant to immune responses in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is an important species for global fisheries and aquaculture industries.  A thorough knowledge of the genes and molecular pathways involved in Atlantic cod immune responses will likely lead to the development of new diagnostics, vaccines, and other methods of combating infectious diseases that threaten these industries.  Using functional genomic approaches, this research investigated the innate immune response in immune tissues (head kidney and spleen) of Atlantic cod following treatment with bacterial antigens (i.e. formalin-killed, atypical Aeromonas salmonicida, referred to as ASAL) or a viral mimic (i.e. polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid, referred to as pIC).  This research led to the identification of 4154 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) that were generated from cDNA libraries enriched for transcripts dysregulated following stimulation with ASAL.  From these transcripts, 10 genes with immune-relevant functional annotations were selected for quantitative reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (QPCR), and the full-length cDNA sequence of Atlantic cod IRF1 was obtained.  This study, along with other concurrent studies, collectively identified the biological process of apoptotic regulation as one of the key mechanisms involved in Atlantic cod innate immune responses.  Further studies led to the identification and characterization of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 sub-family genes in Atlantic cod including orthologues of: NR-13, Mcl-1, and Bcl-X.  For NR-13, Mcl-1, and Bcl-Xl, the full-length cDNA, genomic sequence, and promoter regions were obtained and thoroughly analyzed.  Although only partial cDNA and genomic sequences were obtained for Bcl-X2, the presence of two Bcl-X-like genes in Atlantic cod was evident.  In addition, the constitutive gene expression across tissues, and following treatments with ASAL and pIC, were also studied for these 4 genes.


identifier: Williams, Kristy L. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Williams=3AKristy_L=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2009) The regulation of the cytoskeleton in promoting axon growth.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The overall objective of this study was to investigate the role that the small heat shock protein Hsp27 plays in neurite initiation and growth, through its regulation of the neuronal cytoskeleton.  The present investigation was carried out using adult rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons to study the behavior of neurite initiation and extension. -- The extracellular environment triggers the production and extension of a neurite via extracellular cues.  To trigger morphological changes in the neuron these cues must be transformed into signals that converge on the cytoskeleton.  The cytoskeletal components, such as actin, tubulin and neurofilament light chain (NF-L), can be modified though interaction with other cellular proteins, including Hsp27.  Hsp27 is regulated through intracellular signaling cascades, and has been demonstrated to interact with cytoskeletal components.  This positioning of Hsp27 as a possible transducer of extracellular signals to the cytoskeleton formed the basis for my hypothesis that Hsp27 plays a role in neurite growth. -- In Chapter 2 I showed that Hsp27 was present and colocalized with actin and tubulin in lamellipodia, filopodia, focal contacts, neurite shafts, branch points and growth cones during the stages of neurite formation and growth.  The use of upstream p38 MAPK pharmacological inhibitors attenuated Hsp27 phosphorylation resulting in aberrant neurite growth.  Further study of the effects of the p38 MAPK inhibitors in Chapter 5 indicated they increased F-actin levels in the neuron, suggesting a link between Hsp27 phosphorylation and actin dynamics in neurite growth. -- Chapter 3 confirmed the importance of the presence, and protein level of Hsp27 in neurite growth.  Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to knock down endogenous Hsp27 protein levels in the DRG neurons, resulting in decreased neurite growth and altered actin localization.  Alternatively, overexpression of Hsp27, resulted in increased neurite growth. -- An attempt was made to clarify the role of Hsp27 phosphorylation in Chapter 4; this was done using rodent hamster Hsp27 constructs with mutations in their serine 15, and serine 90 phosphorylation sites to mimic either constitutively nonphosphorylated or constitutively phosphorylated Hsp27.  Results suggested that the phosphorylation state of Hsp27 plays a role in neurite growth; specifically, constitutive phosphorylation of either site was inhibitory to neurite growth. -- These results support my hypothesis that Hsp27 is involved in neurite growth via regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, although the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated in neurons.


identifier: Kozar, Seana <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Kozar=3ASeana=3A=3A.html>   (1993) Unmasking a "sitting ghost" : a cross-generic exploration of the Chinese heroine in stories told by Chinese in Newfoundland.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis is a cross-generic examination of the heroine in Chinese folklore and how the narrative tradition surrounding that figure is symbolic of the traditional roles and expectations placed upon Chinese women both from past and present generations. The heroine's existence and actions are defined by the parameters of her cultural context, and her final placement or displacement with respect to her society is at least partially predicated upon her decision to either stay within or to transcend her boundaries. This dilemma appears to be not unknown to many contemporary Chinese women and the narratives have survived and are transmitted today, though sometimes as part of a private, or "underground" tradition. -- Chinese folklore has had a longstanding reciprocal exchange with manuscript and print forms, and therefore none of the narratives discussed in this thesis can be said to come from a "purely" oral tradition. As the martial heroine comprises an extremely small part of a much more extensive body of heroic narratives, the scope of this thesis was widened to include amazons, scholars and transformed female animal and celestial spirits. The majority of informants interviewed during the course of this research are residents of Newfoundland, and are either emigrants, their children or graduate students from Mainland China who, like the heroine, can be seen as liminal or transitional with respect to the larger societies in which they live. -- This thesis explores the nature of the heroine figure and her narratives through a variety of analytical approaches. The researcher's experiences as a fieldworker balancing cross-cultural methodological concerns are critically examined. Issues relating to the dynamics of Chinese storytelling and the presentation of second language oral texts, as well as the academic interpretation of genre and function are also discussed.


identifier: Anderson, Elizabeth Louise <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Anderson=3AElizabeth_Louise=3A=3A.html>   (1986) A report on the development of an instructional package Exploring the elements of space, line, and color.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This report describes the development of an instructional package prepared to present three elements of design that are fundamental to art: space, line, and color. The instruction was developed as workshop material to be used with classroom teachers who have no formal training in art. This multi-media package contains three slide/tape presentations and an accompanying teacher guide book. -- A major objective of the art curriculum in Newfoundland and Labrador is not in training artists but in providing opportunities for students to develop aesthetic awareness. This has been and remains a problem area for teachers without formal courses in art education. -- A search of current curriculum materials and results of a teacher survey identified a need for more visual material that contained art and environmental scenes that were familiar to the teacher; materials that could provide a link between abstract theory and practical application. -- This instructional package was developed combining the core concepts of space, line, and color, relating them to the visual environment of the teacher and to the art of Canadian, Newfoundland and Labrador, and other well known artists. -- Two content specialists and two media specialists evaluated the content and technical quality of the package. A prototype of the package was tested on a pilot group and revised. The revised package was evaluated using students with teaching experience who were enrolled in university courses. -- Results of the tests and the survey showed positive learning and an acceptance of the units as potential material for teachers. -- When these slide/tape units are integrated into a workshop format, they should prove effective in providing classroom teachers with a knowledge of the elements of art. They should also assist the teachers in building a visual language by combining art theory and technique using visuals and practical applications.


identifier: Lamswood, Foster Milton <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lamswood=3AFoster_Milton=3A=3A.html>   (1978) An examination of the grade XII component of the high school program in Lethbridge, Alberta, with primary emphasis on existing curriculum and evaluation practices.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The major purpose of this research was to examine Grade XII curriculum and evaluation procedures in two Alberta school districts:  County of Lethbridge No. 26 and Lethbridge School District No. 51. -- This report includes a rationale for the research, a review of related literature, a description of the internship activities, a list of the interview questions used by the intern, a description of the Lethbridge Regional Office, as well as the County of Lethbridge No. 26 and Lethbridge School District No. 51, an examination of the curriculum and evaluation procedures in the six high schools visited, an analysis of the student and teacher questionnaires administered, perceptions of Newfoundland educators toward Grade XII, and finally, conclusions, implications and recommendations for introducing Grade XII in Newfoundland high schools. -- Four high schools were visited in the county and two large high schools in the city of Lethbridge.  Each school was examined independently regarding its curriculum and evaluation procedures.  Taped interviews with principals and guidance counsellors were synthesized and reported.  Research data were gathered through document analysis, taped interviews, observations, informal discussions and questionnaires. -- Results of the research indicated that the Grade XII program in Lethbridge, Alberta, offered a diversified, flexible curriculum with a carefully monitored and clearly articulated evaluation system for its students.  Quality and excellence of senior high school curriculum paralleled the strong financial commitment to education.  A semester system, individualized timetabling, and a credit system were central components of Grade XII in Lethbridge.  The retention rate for students from Grade X to Grade XII was in excess of 90 percent.  Procedures for the evaluation of Grade XII students were set forth by School Board accreditation policies.  Student achievement was assessed in an ongoing process throughout each semester with final examinations assigned a weighted percentage of final marks.  Guidance services for such a Grade XII program were of paramount importance.  Coordination and consultation between senior high schools and post secondary institutions were strongly emphasized.  Grade XII was the culminating year of a three-year senior high school program. -- An important component of this research was to communicate to a sample of Newfoundland educators the findings regarding the Grade XII program in Lethbridge, Alberta, and to ascertain their views concerning the form of Grade XII Newfoundland high schools should implement and what implications the adoption of a Grade XII program would have for the Newfoundland system of education.  The questions posed by the researcher and the reactions of these educators are included in this research.