title: Humane Disposability: Rethinking “Food Animals,” Animal Welfare, and Vegetarianism in Response to the Factory Farm

contributor:
Clark, David L.
Giroux, Susan Searls
Giroux, Henry A.
English and Cultural Studies

subject:
animal studies
ethics
vegetarianism
critical theory
cultural studies
pedagogy
American Popular Culture
Arts and Humanities
Continental Philosophy
Ethics and Political Philosophy
Other Arts and Humanities
American Popular Culture

abstract: Intensively industrialized animal agriculture, or factory farming, poses many challenges for our notions of “life” and how it should be treated. Factory farming’s mass instrumentalization and exploitation of animals potentially unsettles both our most basic notions regarding the justice of sacrificing certain lives in order to improve other lives, and our decisions about which lives belong to each category. This thesis examines the factory farm as a site that relies upon and produces particular lessons about life. The first chapter explores factory farming’s insistence that economically useful features of animals can be endlessly manipulated and optimized, summarily rendering disposable all other aspects of their lives. Recent work on “neoliberal” economic ideology identifies the emergence of similar conclusions about human life under neoliberalism, yet animal life remains largely un-theorized in this context. Meanwhile, the field of critical animal studies is generating a rich body of work theorizing our exclusion of animals from full ethical and political consideration, but has yet to grapple with how the factory farm brings to bear its own economizing logic that intensifies the “othering” of animal life. The resulting pedagogy of life reverberates throughout the range of cultural responses to factory farming. Chapter Two discusses factory farm designer Temple Grandin’s work in order to illustrate how attempts to situate the site within ostensibly non-economic narratives of life such as ecology, comparative epistemology, and spirituality reveal ways that those narratives can become complicit with the factory farm’s neoliberal pedagogy. Chapter Three examines current representations of vegetarian identity, demonstrating that even resistant responses can reinscribe the factory farm’s sacrificial economy. The thesis concludes that alternative futures for critical resistance to the factory farm depend upon a more thorough apprehension of its conceptual reach, and concerted pedagogical and ethical work through and beyond its framing of both human and animal life.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Condition Monitoring for Rotational Machinery

contributor:
Mohrenschildt, Martin v.
Khedri, R.
Leduc, R.
Computing and Software

subject:
condition monitoring
rotational machinery
vibrating screens
vibration analysis
fault diagnoses
waveform analysis
Computational Engineering
Computational Engineering

abstract:
Vibrating screens are industrial machines used to sort aggregates through their high rotational accelerations. Utilized in mining operations, they are able to screen dozens of tonnes of material per hour. To enhance maintenance and troubleshooting, this thesis introduces a vibration based condition monitoring system capable of observing machine operation. Using acceleration data collected from remote parts of the machine, software continuously detects for abnormal operation triggered by fault conditions. Users are to be notified in the event of a fault and be provided with relevant information.

Acceleration data is acquired from a set of sensor devices that are mounted to specified points on the vibrating screen. Data is then wirelessly transmitted to a centralized unit for digital signal processing. Existing sensor devices developed for a previous project have been upgraded and integrated into the monitoring system. Alternative communication technologies and the utilized Wi-Fi network are examined and discussed.

The condition monitoring system's hardware and software was designed following engineering principles. Development produced a functional prototype system, implementing the monitoring process. The monitoring technique utilizes signal filtering and processing to compute a set of variables that reveal the status of the machine. Decision making strategies are then employed as to determine when a fault has occurred.

Testing performed on the developed monitoring system has also been documented. The performance of the prototype system is examined as different fault scenarios are induced and monitored. Results and descriptions of virtual simulations and live industrial experiments are presented. The relationships between machine faults and detected fault signatures are also discussed.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: SELECTING THE MOST PROBABLE CATEGORY: THE R PACKAGE RS

contributor:
Childs, Aaron
Narayanaswamy Balakrishnan, Shui Feng
Narayanaswamy Balakrishnan, Shui Feng
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
ranking and selection
Statistics and Probability
Statistics and Probability

abstract: Selecting the most probable multinomial or multivariate hypergeometric category isa multiple-decision selection problem. In this package, xed sampling and inversesampling are used for selecting the most probable category. This package aims atproviding functionality to calculate, display and plot the probabilities of correctlyselecting the most probable category under the least favorable configuration for thesetwo sampling types. A function for finding the specified smallest acceptable samplesize (or cell quota and expected sample size) is included as well.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: An Empirical Study of Algebraic Reconstruction Techniques

contributor:
Nedialkov, Ned.
Computing and Software

subject:
Algebraic Reconstruction Techniques
Kaczmarz`s method
Relaxation Parameter
SART
Biomedical
Other Computer Engineering
Biomedical

abstract:
A computerized tomography scan enables the visualization of an object interior without opening it up. This technique is used in many fields e.g. in medical imaging, geology, and industry. To obtain information about an object, exterior measurements by means of X-rays are performed. Then, to reconstruct an image of the object’s interior, image-reconstructions methods are applied. The problem of reconstructing images from measurements of X-ray radiation belongs to the class of inverse problems. A class of important methods for inverse problems is Algebraic Reconstruction Techniques (ART). The performance of these methods depends on the choice of a relaxation parameter.

In this thesis, we compare numerically various ART methods, namely Kaczmarz, symmetric Kaczmarz, randomized Kaczmarz and simultaneous ART. We perform an extensive numerical investigation of the behaviour of these methods, and in particular, study how they perform with respect to this relaxation parameter. We propose a simple heuristic for finding a good relaxation parameter for each of these methods. Comparisons of the new proposed strategy with a previously proposed one shows that our strategy has a slightly better performance in terms of relative error, relative residual and image discrepancy of the reconstructed image. Both strategies showed relatively close numerical results, but interestingly enough, for different values of this parameter.

abstract: Master of Computer Science (MCS)


title: Optical Modulation by Controlling the Charge State of Deep Impurity Levels

contributor:
Knights, Andrew
Jessop, Paul
Xu, Chang-Qing
Engineering Physics

subject:
Optical
Waveguide
Modulator
Silicon
Indium
Thallium
Electrical and Electronics
Electromagnetics and photonics
Power and Energy
Electrical and Electronics

abstract: Measurements of thallium and indium doped Silicon-On-Insulator rib waveguidesshow optical absorption at a wavelength of 1550nm, dependent on the charge stateof the associated deep-level. Therefore, it is possible to use this effect to modulatewaveguide transmission by means of local depletion and/or injection of free-carriersto change deep-level occupancy. A one-dimensional model based on the generationand recombination process described by the modified Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH)mechanism was developed using MATLABc programming language in order to computethe optical absorption of a 1550nm wavelength as a function of the density ofneutrally-charged thallium or indium centers. This numerical model is in reasonableagreement with the experimental data for samples co-doped with low and mediumphosphorus concentrations. The values of optical absorption cross-section calculatedfor thallium are 2.9×10−17 ± 0.25cm2 and 3.2×10−17 ± 0.12cm2 for ion implantationdoses of 7.4×10−13cm−2 and 1.2×10−14cm−2, respectively. Also described is the thedesign, fabrication and characterization of an optical modulator using a four-terminalp+pnn+ diode on an indium-doped Silicon-On-Insulator rib waveguide. Modulationby controlling the charge state of deep impurity levels in silicon was thus demonstrated.Modulation bandwidth in the 2-10MHz regime was measured and the depthof modulation is approximately 0.48dB/V in forward bias and 0.25dB/V in reversebias. This is the first report of the implementation of an optical silicon-waveguidemodulator based on a periodically interleaved pn-junction configuration. In addition,the influence of indium, as a dopant in silicon (utilizing the Impurity PhotovoltaicEffect), as a means to increase the efficiency of a thin film silicon solar cell wasinvestigated using the same samples. Under certain doping conditions and geometricalconfigurations, a cell efficiency greater than 24% was measured —a somewhatremarkable result for these silicon thin films of 2.5μm

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Computational Study of Critical Flow Discharge in Supercritical Water Cooled Reactors

contributor: Engineering Physics and Nuclear Engineering

subject:
Supercritical water cooled reactors
LOCA
Critical flow
Thermal hydraulics
Safety Analysis
CFD
STAR-CCM+
Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear Engineering

abstract:
Supercritical Water-cooled Reactor (SCWR) is a Generation-IV nuclear reactor design that operates on a direct energy conversion cycle above the thermodynamic critical point of water (3740C and 22.1 MPa), and offers higher thermal efficiency and considerable design simplification. As an essential step in the design of SCWR safety systems, the accident behaviour of the reactor is evaluated to ensure that the safety systems can achieve safe shutdown for all the design basis accidents. Unfortunately, the computational tools and computer codes that are currently employed for safety analysis have little application in the supercritical region, and faces significant challenges in simulating the transitions from subcritical to supercritical conditions.

This thesis examines the predictive capabilities of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code STAR-CCM+ by evaluating critical flow (or choked flow) due to accidental release of coolant from supercritical fluid systems. The biggest challenge of this research is that the current version of STAR-CCM+ does not support supercritical simulations because the steam tables included in the package are only limited to the subcritical subset of the thermodynamic fluid properties.

The research was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, the CFD code STAR-CCM+ was customized to simulate supercritical conditions by, (i) Generating updated steam tables to include subcritical and supercritical fluid properties and using more pressure and temperature points in the pseudo critical region (22 – 25 MPa, 645 -660 K) to handle the rapid changes in the fluid properties, and (ii) Implementing a multi-dimensional steam table interpolation scheme to access the fluid property data at any thermodynamic state during the simulation. In the second stage, the customized CFD code was extensively evaluated by simulating several accidental release scenarios from supercritical conditions using rounded-edge and sharp-edge nozzles and the model results were validated with experimental data. To overcome the solution stability (or convergence) issues encountered during the supercritical simulations, a fine tuning procedure was proposed that guaranteed convergence for all the case studies considered in this thesis.

The simulation results revealed that the CFD model produced results that were in good agreement with experimental data and only about 10% prediction error was noticed for most cases considered in the thesis. Considering the sensitivity of the CFD model for upstream temperatures and pressures, these results appear to be quite reasonable. From the computational experience gained in this research , we believe that the CFD code STAR-CCM+ is a very useful tool to perform thermal hydraulic simulations for supercritical systems. However, an appropriate customization and extensive validation of the code is required before it can be exclusively used for safety analysis.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Microscopic calculation of deformation energies of nuclei

contributor:
Bhaduri, Rajat K.
Physics

subject: Physics Physics

abstract: For a given two-body force, we formulate a method for estimating the energy in a constrained Hartree-Fock calculation of a deformed nucleus. This is done by using the information from the first two iterations of the self-consistency cycle. After giving some simple illustrations, the method is applied to obtain the deformation energy curve of some medium heavy nuclei and the fission barrier of ²⁴⁰Pu. The results are compared with the corresponding self-consistent CHF calculations with a standard Vautherin-Brink type Skyrme force to ascertain the accuracy of the method. We investigate further the density dependence of the fission barrier of ²⁴⁰Pu by using five different Skyrme-type forces. The barrier height systematic in relation to the incompressibility and surface energy is investigated. The Kyoto S-MK interaction gives the best results. The energy surfaces of ²³²Th, ²⁵²Fm and ²⁵⁸Fm are also traced with this force. It is found that the Thorium-anomaly persists in our microscopic calculation. Consistent with the usual interpretation of the experimental data, we find a vanishing second barrier for ²⁵⁸Fm.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Defect-enhanced Silicon Photodiodes for Photonic Integrated Circuits

contributor:
Knights, Andrew
Jessop, Paul
Lapierre, Ray
Engineering Physics

subject: silicon photonics

subject: photodiodes

subject: semiconductor defects

subject: optoelectronics

subject: ring resonators

subject: Electronic Devices and Semiconductor Manufacturing

abstract: The continuous reduction of feature size in silicon-based electronic integrated circuits (ICs) is accompanied by devastating propagation delay time and power consumption that have become known as the “Interconnect Bottleneck”. Optical interconnection is a proposed solution that is poised to revolutionize the data transmission both within and between ICs. By forming the optical transmission and functional elements from silicon, they can be monolithically incorporated with standard ICs using the established CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) infrastructure with minimal incremental cost. A key required functional element is the photodetector, which provides optical-toelectrical conversion of signals. In this thesis, a method of achieving such conversion is explored, which uses the optical absorption at 1550 nm wavelengths provided by lattice defects. The physics governing defect-enhanced silicon waveguide photodiode operation is described, and a device model is used to verify the posited detection process and propose design improvements. The model was used to design a novel photodetector structure using a waveguide formed by the LOCOS (LOCal Oxidation of Silicon) process with a poly-silicon self-aligned contact. The fabricated device exhibited a responsivity of 47 mA/W, providing an improvement over previous devices of similar dimensions, although were ultimately limited by the quality of the poly-silicon/silicon interface. A sub-micron waveguide photodiode fabrication process using electron-beam lithography was developed, which produced photodiodes with responsivities of 490 mA/W. This process was used to integrate photodiodes onto micro-ring resonators, which exhibit resonant enhanced photocurrent. The physics of this enhancement were explored, and found to produce a 50 μm long resonant photodiode of responsivity equal to that of a 3 mm long non-resonant photodiode. Lastly, the integration of such sub-micron photodiodes as functioning power monitors throughout photonic circuits was demonstrated as a means to characterize and tune micro-rings during operation.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Relationships between Physical Activity and Health Measures in Preschool Children

contributor:
Timmons, Brian W.
Maureen MacDonald, Steve Bray
Maureen MacDonald, Steve Bray
Kinesiology

subject:
preschool
physical activity
fitness
young children
health
body composition
Exercise Science
Exercise Science

abstract: Physical activity (PA) in preschool children (3- to 5-year olds) is characterized by short bouts of intermittent movement, generally accumulated during free play activities. Little is known about how the amount of PA or the patterns of PA accumulation are related to health in preschoolers. Ninety-six healthy preschool children (46 boys, 50 girls; 4.4 ± 0.9 years) participated in assessments of PA, body composition, health-related fitness, blood pressure, and motor proficiency. PA data were collected for 7 consecutive days using Actigraph accelerometers. PA prevalence was assessed by the amount of total and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in min/day and as a % of wear; PA patterns were assessed by the frequency and duration of MVPA bouts and by the duration of breaks between MVPA. Younger preschoolers engaged in less PA than older preschoolers, according to measures of prevalence and patterns (p < 0.05). Girls participated in less PA, less frequent MVPA, and longer breaks between bouts of MVPA compared to boys (p ≤ 0.001, for all). Health-related fitness was higher in preschoolers who engaged in more total PA, more frequent bouts of MVPA, longer bouts of MVPA, and shorter breaks between bouts of MVPA (p < 0.05, for all). Blood pressure was higher in preschoolers taking longer breaks between bouts of MVPA (p < 0.05). Motor proficiency was poorer in preschoolers who participated in shorter bouts of MVPA (p < 0.001). Preschoolers who met current PA recommendations of 180 min of total PA and 60 min of MVPA daily had better body composition and health-related fitness, respectively, compared to their peers who did not meet recommendations (p < 0.05). To the best of our knowledge, these data are the first to provide support for new PA guidelines and to demonstrate relationships between PA and health-related fitness and blood pressure in preschoolers. Our findings indicate that PA patterns are just as important as PA prevalence in describing relationships between health measures in preschool children.

abstract: Master of Science in Kinesiology


title: Design of Minimum BER Linear Space-Time Block Codes for MIMO Systems Equipped with Zero-Forcing Equalizer{Correlated Channels

contributor:
Wong, Kon Max
Zhang, Jian-kang
Zhao, Dong-mei
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
MIMO
Space-Time Block Code
Zero-Forcing
Bit Error Rate
Signal Processing
Signal Processing

abstract: In this thesis, we consider a coherent MIMO system, emphasizing on the simplicity of implementation at both the code generator and the receiver. Specifically, we consider the transmission of a space-time block code (STBC) that is a linear combination of coding matrices weighted by the information symbols through a receiver-correlated flat-fading channel and received by a linear ZF detector. Our target is the design of a code which, while maintaining full data-transmission rate, minimizes the asymptotic average (over all the random channel coefficients) bit error probability of an ZF detector. To this end, we first ensure that the full data rate of symbols is maintained, and then, based on the BER for 4-QAM signals, we derive the conditions for optimal codes and establish a code structure that minimizes the asymptotic average bit error probability. We also prove that the diversity gain of our M × N MIMO system is N − M + 1. The resulting optimum code structure requires the individual coding matrices to be mutually orthogonal when vectorized and is related to covariance matrix of correlated channel. The first optimum structural characteristics of the coding matrices is described as trace-orthogonal. A new approach to express expected value of random correlated channel has been proposed as well. From simulation results we can see that advantage of optimum code over uncoded system is more apparent as channel correlation is higher.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: EFFECTS OF COVARIATES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING TESTS: LOGISTIC REGRESSION AND LATENT CLASS MODELS

contributor:
Walter, Stephen
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Cervical cancer
covariates
latent class models
logistic regression
screening tests
Biostatistics
Biostatistics

abstract:
In diagnostic accuracy studies, sensitivity and specificity are the most common measures to assess the performance of diagnostic or screening tests. The estimation of these measures can be done using empirical or model-based methods. The primary objective of this thesis is to use both the empirical and the model-based (logistic regression) approach to assess the effects of covariates on the performance of the visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and lugol iodine (VILI) tests using the data from women screened for cervical cancer in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo. The secondary objectives are: first, to adjust for the false negative and false positive error rates by the two tests through latent class models (LCM), and second, to evaluate the effects of covariates on the agreement between the measurements of the two tests taken by nurse and physician through Kappa statistic.

No particular pattern could be observed in the trend of empirically estimated sensitivity and specificity of the VIA and VILI tests measured by the nurse and by the physician across age and parity categories. From the logistic regression models, both age, parity, and their respective quadratic terms have significant effects on the probability of VIA and VILI tests to detect cervical cancer. However, there is no significant effect of marital status, smoking, and hybrid capture2 (HPV DNA) on the probability of VIA and VILI tests measured by nurse to detect cervical cancer while HPV DNA does in the probability of VIA and VILI tests measured by physician to detect cervical cancer. The trend of the estimated sensitivity of VIA and VILI tests measured by the nurse is not different across age groups but the specificity does vary. The trend of both the sensitivity and specificity of VIA and VILI tests are significantly different across parity groups. The reverse is the case for the sensitivity and specificity of VIA and VILI tests measured by physician across age and parity groups. The false negative and false positive error rates in the sensitivity and specificity of VIA and VILI tests measured by nurse are higher compared to that of physician. With Kappa statistic results, there is almost perfect agreement between the ratings by the nurse and physician for the dichotomized VIA and VILI test outcomes.

In conclusion, there is a significant effects of age, parity and the quadratic term of age on the performance of VIA and VILI tests outcomes measured by nurse. On the VIA and VILI test outcomes measured by physician, age, parity, HPV DNA and quadratic term of age have shown significant effects on the performance of VIA and VILI tests outcomes measured by physician alone.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Characterizing Clay-Microbe-Metal Interactions: Implications for Metal Immobilization

contributor:
Warren, Lesley A.
Luc Bernier, Jim Smith
Luc Bernier, Jim Smith
Earth and Environmental Sciences

subject:
sorption
metals
bentonite clays
clay minerals
bacteria
water treatment
Biogeochemistry
Biogeochemistry

abstract:
Bentonite clays and Fe-reducing bacteria have been independently identified as important geochemical agents possessing the ability to influence metal(loid) mobility in aqueous environments. In the context of metal(loid) immobilization, however, the interactions occurring between Fe-reducing bacteria and bentonite clays remain largely undescribed. This thesis examines the immobilization of Cu2+, Cd2+, and As5+ from aqueous solution by natural bentonite clays, and compares sorption to sterile bentonite clays with sorption in the presence of Fe-reducing bacteria. The research questions under investigation in this thesis are: 1) What are the influences of potentially metal-tolerant Fe-reducing bacteria on metal(loid) uptake by bentonite clay sorbents of varying smectite content and on the stability of bentonite clay-sorbed metal(loid)s?; and 2) Are there differences in the influence of Fe-reducing bacteria on Cd2+ and Cu2+ sorption to bentonite clays when As5+, a reducible, metabolically-available metalloid, is present in solution?

While the influence of bacterial augmentation on Cu2+ sorption was negligible in these experiments, Cd2+ sorption was enhanced in the presence of Fe-reducing bacteria, and most profoundly, As displayed time-dependent desorption during the experimental timeframe in the presence of Fe-reducing bacteria. These results highlight the existence of potential limitations to the use of bentonite clay sorbents for metal(loid)-contaminated wastewater reclamation, identifying the microbially-vulnerable nature of metal(loid) sorption reactions. Abundant facets concerning clay-bacterial-metal(loid) interactions exist which require further characterization and experimentation to generate deeper understanding of the potential utility of, as well as limitations to, the use of clay mineral-based sorbents for the sequestration of toxic metal(loid)s from aqueous solution.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Simulation of waveguide crossings and corners witih complex mode matching method

contributor:
Huang, Weiping
Chen, James
Chen, James
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
mode matching method
finite different method
smooth transition method
waveguide crossings
waveguide corners
optical cavity
Electromagnetics and photonics
Electromagnetics and photonics

abstract: The main contributions of this thesis include two points: firstly, we originally establish Complex STM to semi-analytically calculate the mode profiles of multi-layer planar waveguide terminated with both PML and PRB ; secondly, although CMMM has been generally applied to the simulation of waveguide facets, Bragg gratings, etc[52-53], we for the first time demonstrate that CMMM can also be utilized for the modeling of couplings of radiation field outgoing perpendicularly to the waveguide axis with an incident wave launched in the examples of high-index-contrast waveguide crossings and corners. CMMM is proved to be able to estimate the field profiles and power flows accurately through the validation with FDTD.

abstract:
Optical waveguides are basic building blocks of high-density photonic integrated circuits and play crucial roles in optical access networks, biomedical system, sensors and so on. Various kinds of dielectric waveguides apply the total internal reflection condition to transmit optical field [9] and even more complicated structures based on waveguide interconnects, Bragg grating, photonic crystals are actively developed by corporations and academic institutes. Especially, the fast developing pace of Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD), Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) and other fabrication techniques has predicted the increasing complication and thus more advanced function of modern optics integrated circuits. Under such circumstances, convenient and accurate modeling and simulation schemes are necessary for the exploration, designing and optimization of photonic devices, systems and networks before the time-consuming and expensive fabrication process.

The thesis summarizes several frequency-domain modeling schemes for the calculation of mode profile or beam propagation in 2D dielectric waveguide. The thesis mainly covers conventional Smooth Transition Method (STM), High Order Finite Difference (HOFD) scheme, Complex STM, and Complex Mode Matching Method (CMMM) based on the 2D waveguide model terminated with Perfect Matching Layer (PML) and Perfect Reflection Boundary (PRB). The mode spectrums and modal patterns obtained from Complex STM are compared with those of HOFD, and the simulation of waveguide crossings and corners with CMMM is validated with Finite-Difference-Time-Domain (FDTD) Method.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: A CONCEPTUAL AND EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF LEADER VIRTUES AND VIRTUOUS LEADERSHIP

contributor:
Hackett, Rick D.
Schat, Aaron
Connelly, Catherine
Business

subject:
Virtues
Leadership
Ethics
Effectiveness
Well-Beings
Scale Development
Human Resources Management
Organizational Behavior and Theory
Human Resources Management

abstract: The significance of the role of virtues in guiding people’s behaviours has been extensively discussed in the ethics literature. In leadership research, however, the concept of virtues has not been systematically examined. In this thesis, I propose two concepts, leader virtues and virtuous leadership, positioning the former as antecedent to the latter. I then identify six cardinal leader virtues (i.e., courage, temperance, justice, prudence, humanity and truthfulness) and develop an 18-item scale to measure them. Furthermore, I propose and empirically test a virtues-based model of leadership. Based on a sample of 230 leader-follower dyads, I found that virtuous leadership associates positively with followers’ perceptions of ethical leadership and leader effectiveness, and with follower ethical behaviours and in-role and extra-role performance as evaluated by leaders. Moreover, virtuous leadership positively predicts leader and follower self-reported happiness and life satisfaction. A discussion of the limitations to this research, applied implications of my findings, and future research directions conclude this thesis.

abstract: Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)


title: The Mosaic of Neptune and the Seasons from La Chebba

contributor:
Dunbabin, K.M.D.
Classical Studies

subject: Classics Classics

abstract:
This thesis analyses the Roman mosaic of Neptune and the Seasons from La Chebba in North Africa (Africa Proconsularis). The mosaic was excavated in 1902 in a seaside villa at La Chebba which is about 10 km. south of El Alia. The mosaic has received but brief mention in publications since the beginning of the century, in spite of its fascinating subject matter.

Chapter 1 gives a detailed description of the mosaic, which depicts in a central medallion, Neptune standing in a frontal chariot attended by two members of the marine thiasos. Four female Seasons appear in the corner diagonals of the pavement. They are flanked by seasonal animals and little scenes of seasonal activity. These seasonal vignettes and the combination of Neptune with Seasons are unique features of this mosaic.

Chapter 2 deals with the subject of the "triumph"; its modern art historical terminology, its symbolism, and the iconography of Neptune's "triumph". Some very interesting parallels appear.

In Chapter 3 the iconography of the Seasons in North African mosaics is discussed. Of particular significance is the frequent combination of the Seasonal theme with a divine personage. The uniqueness of the La Chebba mosaic is acknowledged again with the discovery that it is the only mosaic pavement that portrays the god Neptune in the company of the Seasons.

The discussion in Chapter 4 revolves around chronology, style, architectural location and the interpretation of the composition's motifs.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Mapping the (Con)textual Plight of Man: The Temporal and Spatial Logics of Postmodem Masculinity

contributor:
Szeman, Imre
English

subject:
English Language and Literature
English Language and Literature

abstract:
My thesis, Mapping the (Con)textual Plight of Man: The Temporal and Spatial Logics of Post modern Masculinity brings together a number of Marxist and Post-Structuralist theorists in order to make sense of the notion of "crisis" that surrounds contemporary masculinity. As the alleged crisis in masculinity is a discourse that is not only embedded within fictional texts, but is also a prominent figure in social science's theories on contemporary masculinity, a necessary beginning for this project is an introduction that proposes a new theoretical apparatus for the study of masculinity - one that builds upon the work of Marxist Postmodernist theorists in order to focus upon the impact that the shift i!n capitalist logics (from a society of production to one of consumption) has haal upon masculine identity.

This theoretical apparatus is then used as a grounds to study the sentiments and violence of men in three contemporary fictional texts: Brett Easton Ellis's and Mary Harron's American Psycho, George Walker's End of Civilization, and Chuck Palahniuk's and David Fincher's Fight Club. While the first chapter serves as a context from which to study the way that the cultural logics of postmodernism affect men, the second and third chapters document and analyse the way that men strive to locate and enact an outside to postmodemist culture through a nostalgia which is, paradoxically, simply another feature of post modernism. The ultimate aim of this project, then, is to provide an objective analysis of the temporal and spatial logics which act as scripts for the performance of contemporary masculinity, and to locate an outside to the notion of crisis which fuels the frustration and violence that is evident in these three texts. It is in the third chapter, with a turn towards Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's theory ofthe rhizome, that a viable outside to this postmodem crisis is proposed and explored.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Representing Discourse: Film and Photography in Selected Asian North American Works

contributor:
Goellnicht, Donald C.
English

subject:
English
English Language and Literature
English Language and Literature

abstract: Although many critics have written extensively on the representation of Asian North Americans in popular film, little has been written about the textual representation of film and photography in Asian North American works. This thesis examines the nature of this representation, focussing on the ways that camera technologies are used in selected works Chuang Hua's Crossings (1968), Joy Kogawa's Obasan (1981), and Trinh T. Minh-ha's Woman, Native, Other (1989) and Sur Name Viet Given Name Nam (1989) - to discuss such issues as historiography and identity politics. The wide body of published commentary on the history and sociopolitical significance of camera technologies, while useful, is not always directly applicable in an Asian North American context, for many writers appear to discount the heterogeneous ways that images signify. This is an oversight that suggests such theorizations, to an extent, are still insufficiently historicized and, with a few notable exceptions, have yet to acknowledge adequately the importance of race, gender, and class. This thesis reads the selected works through these theories, as well as the theories through the works, to illustrate how both can inform each other. By examining the figurative evocation of images and their literal incorporation in the texts and film, this thesis also interrogates the relationship between texts and images. The seemingly inevitable pairing of texts with images and vice-versa suggests a complementary and supplementary relationship. Yet texts and images are also more complexly related; co-existing yet frequently incommensurable, texts and images, as presented here, foreground the visualization of a discourse that frequently hides its very constructedness as a strategy of naturalizing and legitimating its own authority. In Asian North American works, the visualization of discourse, likened especially in the works of Kogawa and Trinh to a creative and fictive process, is a counter-hegemonic strategy that historicizes and re-visions what is commonly presented as incontestably "true" and natural.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Role of Attention in Exteroceptive-Cue-Aversion Learning

contributor:
Galef, B.G.
Psychology

subject: Psychology Psychology

abstract:
Exteroceptive-cue-toxicosis associations are usually difficult to produce and generally less robust than flavour-toxicosis associations. The following series of experiments investigates the paradoxical enhancement of aversion conditioning to exteroceptive cues induced by the presence of a novel flavour at the time of exteroceptive-cue-toxicosis conditioning.

It was found that this flavour facilitation effect is due, in part, to the operation of a mechanism that directs subjects' attention to stimulus attributes of ingesta (Chapter 3). Further experiments suggested that the attentional mechanism is not robust enough to facilitate visual-cue-aversion conditioning over long delays (Chapter 4) and that, consistent with an attentional interpretation, only certain stimuli were subject to the operation of the attentional mechanism (Chapter 5). Apparently rats are more likely to treat certain stimuli as attributes of food objects and these stimuli are more readily associated with toxicosis.

Adaptive-evolutionary accounts that dichotomize stimuli into those that are and those that are not associable with toxicosis or theories that suggest that all exteroceptive cues are contraprepared to be associated with toxicosis cannot account for the present finding of graded exteroceptive-cue-toxicosis conditioning with distance from the food object. The experiments of this thesis suggest that stimulus salience is not an inflexible characteristic of the stimulus itself. Rather, it is suggested that stimulus salience varies as a function of several factors amongst which the type of reinforcement and time of onset of reinforcement, the presence of other stimuli, the animal's past experience with the stimuli and the relation of the stimuli to the food object appear to play central roles.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Ethical Issues Surrounding the Censorship of Public Site Art

contributor:
Boetzkes, Elisabeth
Philosophy

subject: Philosophy Philosophy

abstract: This thesis is an examination of justifications for freedom of offensive, permanent, unavoidable artistic expression situated in a public place. I argue that sufficiently offensive public site specific artworks become profoundly offensive, and that insofar as they are profoundly offensive public site-specific artworks may justifiably be censored within the context of liberal democratic society. I show that a distinction between the aesthetic value of the content of an artwork and the offense given by that artwork allows us to recognize that artworks are contextually offensive independent of their aesthetic value. Given that the offensiveness of an artwork may be considered apart from its aesthetic value, I argue that sufficiently offensive public site-specific art is justifiably censored insofar as it is (1) an immediate harm to the privacy autonomy of individuals forced to interact with it, and (2) mediately offends symbols of shared values, and (3) an elitist dictation of taste which is out of keeping with the values of a democratic society.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Architectural Terminology of the Ancient Roman Theatre in the West: An Epigraphic Approach

contributor:
Slater, W.J.
Classics

subject: Classics Classics

abstract:
For too long, scholars have neglected and misunderstood the architectural terminology of the Roman theatre. The problem scholars face today is that they are forced to apply ancient terminology to our modern ideas of what they believe the people of the Roman world meant when they used these terms. The terminology has been approached minimally in the past by authors including Ch. Daremberg and E. Saglio in their Dictionnaire des Antiquites grecques et romains d'apres les textes et les monuments written in 1877 and, more recently in 1985 and 1992, by R. Ginouves and R. Martin in their Dictionnaire Methodique de l'architecture greque et romaine (2 vols), who have examined the archaeological record and literary evidence. These stuclies have shed some light on the architecture of the theatre, but unfortunately, the ambiguous meanings of the terms still persist.

To date, few scholars have investigated the terminology from the point of view of the epigraphy. This thesis focuses on an epigraphic approach to Roman theatre architecture of the West. It is a study which primarily uses inscriptional evidence and only considers archaeology and ancient literary material for clarification. Fifteen architectural terms are considered presently. The core of the thesis follows the format of a lexicon, one which first lists the inscriptional evidence of each term, and then offers possible meanings of the term. Innovative definitions are developed for terms such as locus, proscaenium and frons scaenae demonstrating the value of inscriptional evidence for studies in terminology and the need to combine literary, archaeological, and epigraphic approaches in an attempt to better understand architecture in the theatre. In the future, this approach may be applied to the study of other building types.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Triclinium-Grotto of Julia Felix: The Grotto in Roman Domestic Architecture

contributor:
D., Katherine M.
Classical Studies

subject: Classics Classics

abstract: Grottoes were incorporated into private domestic Roman architecture in the Republican era, and the popularity of the form continued into the Imperial period. As places of refuge from the strains of public life, artificial and structurally altered natural grottoes equipped with nymphaea provided a cool and refreshing escape for the Roman aristocrat. Chapter 1 summarizes the physical evidence for the role of the grotto in the Classical and Hellenistic Greek world, and examines the association of the grotto with the god Dionysus. In Chapter 2 the motif of the grotto in Roman literature is briefly discussed, with emphasis on references to decorated grottoes. The majority of the chapter considers the construction, decoration and function of the grotto-nymphaeum, an architectural type which appears in many Republican and early Imperial villas. Chapter 3 examines the triclinium and its changing role in the Roman house plan, a role which reflects a wider movement in the evolution of domestic Roman architecture. The arrangement and decoration of outdoor and nymphaea triclinia are considered in this context. The nature of the stibadium and its Dionsiac and secular connections are also discussed. Chapter 4 is devoted to an examination of the triclinium-grotto of the praedia of Julia Felix at Pompeii, in which the elements of grotto, nymphaeum and triclinium are combined and fully integrated into the fabric of domestic architecture.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Decolonizing Journey of the Aboriginal Health Centre and Living Rock Ministries: Partnering in Revolutionary Love

contributor:
Lee, Bill
Social Work

subject:
Social Work
Social Work
Social Work

abstract: This qualitative case study looks at a partnership between the Aboriginal Health Centre and Living Rock Ministries. I explore what makes for a humanizing partnership between two communities when one has historically been oppressed, and the other has historically held positions of dominance within the same context. It is crucial to this study that we understand the colonial culture and the ongoing collective trauma experienced by Aboriginal peoples. This will shape our understanding of the challenges faced in partnership between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples today. Healing and resistance are vital to the decolonization process that Aboriginal communities are focused on. Paulo Freire (1970) describes a false consciousness which both the oppressed and the oppressors internalize. Here I identify this consciousness as the colonial reality. I argue that dominant institutions, specifically the Christian church, are in serious need of critical reflection upon their roles in reproducing the colonial culture. Critical reflection is required in order to take action and experience liberation from the unjust social order which is largely reproduced through white hegemony and Eurocentric dominance. Both the Aboriginal Health Centre and Living Rock Ministries explain that they value and pursue individual and collective healing. Their partnership is characterized by equality, authentic dialogue, reciprocity, trust and love. Humanizing relationship can only be realized through an authentic collective commitment to critical reflection and action. This thesis explores how the partnership between the Aboriginal Health Centre and Living Rock Ministries became what it is today, and suggests some principles which have the potential to foster humanizing relationships in other contexts. III

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Distributive Lattices in a Localic Topos

contributor:
Banaschewski, Bernhard
Mathematics

subject: Mathematics Mathematics

abstract: In this thesis we examine various properties of bounded distributive lattices in the topos of sheaves on a locale. We prove that BooShℒ, the category of Boolean algebras in ℘Shℒ, is a reflective subcategory of ℘Sℒ, the category of bounded distributive lattices in Sℒ_ Injective distributive lattices in Sℒ are discussed, and two methods of constructing the injective hull of any lattice in ℘Sℒ are described. We characterize indecomposable injectives in ℘sℒ and show that they are exactly the prime bounded distributive lattices. Simple lattices in Sℒ are described and characterized in terms of the points of ℒ. We examine cogenerating sets in ℘Sℒ and the relationships among simple, prime and cogenerating objects in the category. Finally, we consider the initial object 2ℒ of ℘Shℒ, when it is complete and when a cogenerator; we then prove that any locale is isomorphic to the locale of congruences of 2ℒ.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Strong Mohawk Woman: Pauline Johnson's Literary Legacy

contributor:
Bowebank, Sylivia
English

abstract: To celebrate Pauline Johnson and the literary legacy she has left for contemporary Native authors is the primary aim of my thesis. Though breast cancer took her life in 1913, she nevertheless remains a living legend through biographies, scholarly writings, and words of fiction. My thesis pivots on two main questions: how do Native readers interpret Johnson's texts, and what is her continuing legacy for Native women? The trend in Western scholarship has been to interpret the various ways in which Pauline Johnson "conformed" to the stereotypes which sought to confine Native womanhood during her lifetime. My method, however, seeks Pauline Johnson's power as an agent. Pauline Johnson did not conform to stereotypes; she struggled to reconfigure the racist categories which reduced Native womanhood to various "squaw" or "princess" types. Through Johnson's strategic cultural negotiations, she rehabilitated the term "squaw," and transformed the view of the passiveprincess image into one of activity. In doing so, Johnson celebrated multiple stages of Native womanhood and the natural progression from youth to old age; therefore, my thesis is written in a manner which reflects this process.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Visions2011: [Re]solving the Rebus of William Blake's Visions of the Daughters of Albion

contributor:
Donaldson, Jeffery
Jenkins, Eugenia Zuroski
Walmsley, Peter
English and Cultural Studies

subject:
William Blake
Romanticism
Numerology
Schizosexuality
Virginity
Literature in English, British Isles
Literature in English, British Isles

abstract:
Lost-and-found purity is central to William Blake’s illuminated book Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793). In Visions, Blake’s central character Oothoon embraces the otherness of her sexual desires, flies off to be with her lover Theotormon, but not before being brutally raped and impregnated by Bromion. The assault leads to Theotormon’s refusal to be with Oothoon because of her putatively compromised state. Today, in the shadow of queer conceptualizations of gender, sexuality, and virginity, how do we understand Blake’s narrative of loss and rejection, of injurious force and sexual violence? This thesis lays the critical groundwork for a queer reading of the text that is more than critical – i.e. that is a re-visioning of the text’s details, and is re-writing of its narrative premise.

Through unconventional scholarly approaches, this thesis tackles issues of identity in Blake’s Visions from three separate vanguards that each further break open the heuristic and speculative possibilities in Blake’s work. Approaching Blake’s Visions from a Numerological perspective via deconstructing the central characters’ names and explicating the poem through their respective algorithms, the first section examines eighteenth century conceptions of the soul and its place within literature through locating and recognizing the souls of Blake’s poetry of lost souls. Considering sexual essentiality and the potential recovering of virginity, the second section reads Visions from the vantage of Schizosexuality (a fourth component to the hetero-/homo-/bisexual paradigm) to liberate Oothoon from both literal and metaphorical chains. From these critical approaches of Numerology and Schizosexuality, the thesis concludes with a visual book. Through inverting the gender axes of the love triangle central to Blake’s Visions, the visual book queerly re-visions Visions by following a male-Oothoon (Oathe13) flying off to be with his male lover (a homo-oriented Theotormon – Zucchicarro34) but not before being accosted by a female-Bromion (Aquabolt21). The critical chapters together with the visual book complete this thesis’ queer re-vision of Blake’s Visions of the Daughters of Albion.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Characterizing the Stability and Mechanism of Human Mismatch Repair Factor MutLα

contributor:
Guarné, Alba
Biochemistry

subject: Biochemistry Biochemistry

abstract: DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is a highly conserved process that is responsible for maintaining genome stability where its main role is repairing replication errors generated by DNA polymerase. Dysfunction in MMR leads to microsatellite instability – the hallmark of Lynch Syndrome, also known as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer. One of the essential proteins in MMR is human MutLalpha (hMutLα), which coordinates critical protein-protein interactions during mismatch recognition, strand removal, and DNA synthesis. It has been recently shown that hMutLα is a latent endonuclease, however it is unclear how the activity of hMutLα is regulated to selectively cleave the error-containing strand. All MutL homologs consist of an N-terminal ATPase domain joined to a constitutively dimerized C-terminal domain by a flexible linker. hMutLα is a heterodimer of hMLH1-hPMS2 with the endonuclease active site located in the C-terminal domain (CTD) of hPMS2. Efforts to structurally characterize hMutLα have revealed the unstable nature of hPMS2. This work presents the characterization of hMutLα through limited proteolysis and thermal denaturation experiments in comparison with stable bacterial MutL homologs. The DNA binding capability of the N-terminal portion of the linker is revealed for the first time. Additionally, we show that the C-terminal domain of hMutLα is capable of cleaving DNA in the absence of other factors under low salt conditions.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: BEACH HYDROLOGY: IMPLICATIONS FOR BEACH QUALITY ALONG SOUTHERN GEORGIAN BAY, CANADA

contributor:
Smith, James E.
Allan S. Crowe, Altaf Arain
Allan S. Crowe, Altaf Arain
Geography and Earth Sciences

subject:
hydrology
sand texture
Great Lakes
beaches
beach management
numerical modelling
Hydrology
Hydrology

abstract: Recreational beaches of the Great Lakes play a critical role in the quality of life for beach goers and contribute to the economic and environmental health of the Great Lakes region. Over the past decade, concerned local residents, municipalities, and public beach goers have observed the deteriorating beach quality along the shores of the Great Lakes. Numerous problems exist at these beaches including: high levels of E.coli, encroachment of invasive and non-native vegetation, iron staining, loss of sand. However, the more pervasive problem appears to be increased wet conditions at beaches that use to be dry. This study was undertaken to investigate the physical and hydrological factors that control wet and dry beaches, in order to determine why these beaches exist. Combined field, laboratory, and modelling methodologies were used to characterize four beach sites and calibrate beach models along southern Georgian Bay in Tiny Township, ON. The results of this research indicate that there are three interconnected factors that influence wet and dry beaches, including: (1) texture of a beach, (2) depth to the water table, and (3) elevation of the ground surface. Texture is the primary factor that controls the moisture conditions at a beach even though all beaches were classified as sands. This is a consequence of the fact that fine grained sands have significantly higher capillary rise and retain higher moisture contents above the water table compared to coarse grained sands. Depth to the water table influences the moisture conditions at a beach through its association with the relative position of the top of the capillary rise within respect to the surface of the beach. Ground surface elevation influences the depth of sand above the water table at a beach; lower and flatter surface elevations have the water table (and capillary rise) closer to the beach surface than at beaches with steeper elevations. In summary, wet beaches have high moisture contents at and near the surface of a beach (> 10 %), shallow water tables (~ < 50 cm), and flat ground surface elevations. Dry beaches have low moisture contents at and near the surface of a beach (< 10 %), deep water tables (~ > 50 cm), and steep ground surface elevations. Using the numerical model HYDRUS-2D, four calibrated beach models provide a framework for beach managers to gain insights into beach quality issues through scenario testing. Beaches with shallow water tables and flat surface elevations (either natural or human-induced) are at greater risk of becoming wet under high lake level scenarios than beaches with steeper surfaces (dry beaches). Heavy precipitation events are temporary and do not convert dry beaches into wet beaches and high evaporation rates do not convert wet beaches into dry beaches; conversion of beaches is mainly influenced by beach surface alterations (e.g. bulldozing and removing sand dunes). The conclusion of this study is that hydrological factors are primary controls on the quality of the beaches and the associated problems along the shores of the Great Lakes.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: THE IMPACT OF ACTION VIDEO GAME PLAY ON ATTENTION AND COGNITIVE CONTROL

contributor:
Shedden, Judy
Watter, Scott
Milliken, Bruce
Psychology

subject:
video games
cognition
attention
control
eeg
neuroscience
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms

abstract: Video games players (VGPs) regularly demonstrate marked success over non-video game players (NVGPs) on a variety of tasks that tap visuospatial attention. Localization of these benefits remains elusive. Drawing from experiments reported in this thesis and considering each in light of the current literature, it would appear that said benefits are the result of development of the mechanisms and processes involved in the representation of visuospatial information rather than due to a benefit of higher cognitive control mechanisms. This assertion is supported by a series of effects. First, experience with an action video game immediately prior to a measure of visuospatial attention showed no effect on performance. VGPs demonstrated only a general tendency to complete the task more rapidly than NVGPs. There was no indication that VGPs may have been engaging contextually-related control mechanisms to more efficiently search through displays. Second, VGPs did not experience a general task switching benefit during trials that included a high level of proactive interference, only outperforming NVGPs when provided with enough time and information to engage in endogenous task-set reconfiguration. Finally, previous work has demonstrated parietal slow wave ERP correlates of central executive activity in working memory, with greater amplitudes of these components indexing increased executive control demands. In the present work, VGPs showed distinctively smaller degrees of central-executive (CE) related ERP activity in a demanding visuospatial WM condition relative to NVGPs, while maintaining equivalent behavioural performance. Thus, VGPs appear to recruit smaller degrees of CE-related processing compared to NVGPs on difficult visuospatial tasks. Taken together, these findings suggest that the observed performance benefits for VGPs in visuospatial tasks are likely not due to improved cognitive control ability, but are more probably the result of a superior representational ability for visuospatial information.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Synthons for the Construction of Erythromycin

contributor:
Bell, Russell Arthur
Chemistry

subject: Chemistry Chemistry

abstract:
A unique approach to the synthesis of Erythromycins, involving the stereoselective synthesis of acyclic precursors, was studied. The simple materials; 3-pentanone, ethyl formate, and propionic anhydride were assembled to give the allylic ester 51. Subsequent stereoselective enolate formation of the propionate unit followed by a stereospecific Claisen rearrangement gave erythro-ϒ,δ-heptenoic acid 46. Stereo-selective epoxidation of the ϒ,δ-heptenoic acid followed by lactonization gave the ϒ-lactone system 49. This ϒ-lactone contains the correct array of functional groups and stereochemistry of the C₉-C₁₃ fragment of Erythronolide A, the aglycone of Erythromycin A and C.

The above starting materials; 3-pentanone, ethyl formate, and propionic anhydride together with propylene oxide were also assembled to give the allylic ester 55, which contains all of the carbon atoms and correct stereochemistry of the C₁-C₈ fragment of Erythronolide A (and B). The Claisen rearrangement of this ester is expected to give the carbon framework of the C₁-C₈ fragment. An important step in the synthesis of ester 55 was the mercuric assisted solvolysis of the α-methylthiohydrazone 61, which proceeded in a stereoselective manner. The reduction of enone 57, contrary to expectations, proceeded in a non-stereoselective manner.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: EXPLORING MOMENTS OF TENSION IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE

contributor:
GREENE, SAARA
SAMMON, SHEILA
FUDGE-SCHORMANS, ANN
Social Work

subject:
DIFFICULT PRACTICE MOMENT
SOCIAL WORK
EMOTION
UNCERTAINTY
FORMAL TRAINING
PRACTICE WISDOM
Social Work
Social Work

abstract: Social workers interact with clients, colleagues, policies and organizational structures regularly in their practice. There are times throughout a social worker’s field experience that she or he may encounter a difficult or challenging practice moment. Although there is an existing literature about ‘critical incidents’ in practice, there is minimal exploration of how social workers describe, experience, reflect upon and understand these difficult practice moments. What happens when we encounter difficult moments? Do we feel prepared and confident in our abilities? Do we experience it as a learning opportunity? How do these moments impact our practice moving forward? This study is based on six one-to-one, narrative-based interviews with social workers from various fields of practice and seeks to better understand how social workers experience difficult practice moments. I explore the personal ways in which the social workers chose to share their stories to demonstrate the significance of the moment to them individually. I also explore themes identified by the social workers including: emotional journeys, working through the moment, discomfort with uncertainty and theoretical versus practice wisdom. The themes identified by this particular group of social workers reveal the complexities and impacts of experiences with difficult practice moments. Furthermore, the social workers’ narratives revealed that a shift in language from ‘critical incident’ to ‘moment of tension’ would better conceptualize the fluidity of these experiences. Because social workers will continue to experience challenging moments in practice, it is essential that we enhance our understanding of these experiences. We must also appreciate the significance of these moments to social workers and promote the inclusion of their voices in further exploration of moments of tension in practice.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: The Effectiveness of Knowledge Translation Strategies in Public Health

contributor:
Dobbins, Maureen
Ciliska, Donna
Butt, Michelle
Nursing

subject:
knowledge translation
public health
systematic review
community
Public Health and Community Nursing
Public Health and Community Nursing

abstract:
 Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to identify the effectiveness of KT strategies used to promote evidence-informed decision making (EIDM) among public health decision makers.

 Methods: A search strategy was developed to identify primary studies published between 2000-2010. Studies were obtained from multiple electronic databases, supplemented by checking the reference lists of included articles and background papers. Two independent reviewers screened studies for relevance, assessed methodological quality and extracted data from relevant studies using standardized tools. Disagreements were resolved through consensus.

 Results: The search identified 92, 548 titles related to KT interventions. After duplicate articles were removed 64, 391 were imported into Distiller SR of which 345 articles were deemed potentially relevant on double title and abstract review. Of the 345 articles, 30 met all relevance criteria on full text screen and after revisions to the inclusion criteria, 6 studies of moderate quality were included in this review.

KT interventions tested in the systematic review included organization change, provider reminders, education, financial incentives and feedback. Interventions tested in the five primary studies ranged from; educational sessions; dissemination channels including print, CD-ROM and Internet; technical assistance and staff training; and web-based services such as databases, information services, registries of pre-processed research evidence and tailored targeted messaging.

KT strategies shown to be less effective included access to registries of pre-processed research evidence or print materials. Simple or single KT interventions were shown in some circumstances to be as effective as multifaceted ones including organizational change, provider reminders and tailored targeted messaging. While knowledge brokering did not have a significant effect generally, results suggest that it did have a positive effect on organizations with low research culture.

 Conclusion: KT research in public health is in early stages. Single interventions can be effective. Researchers and practitioners must pay attention to contextual factors.

abstract: Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)


title: UNDERSTANDING THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS AND CANCER RISK OF MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

contributor:
Boreham, Douglas
Medical Physics

subject: CT scans

subject: computed tomography

subject: cancer risk

subject: adaptive response

subject: DNA damage

subject: radiation biology

subject: medical diagnostic imaging

subject: Animal Diseases

subject: Biological Phenomena, Cell Phenomena, and Immunity

subject: Medical Cell Biology

subject: Medical Sciences

subject: Oncology

subject: Animal Diseases

abstract:
The need to understand and accurately assess the health risks of low dose ionizing radiation is more important now than ever before. The global applications of ionizing radiation in medicine, mining, manufacturing, and the nuclear industry have increased exponentially in recent years. Parallel to this increase are the health concerns regarding occupational and medical exposures to radiation. The research presented here investigates the biological and health effects of ionizing radiation, specifically from medical diagnostic exposures.

Medical diagnostic procedures such as x-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans account for a notable portion of the public's exposure to ionizing radiation. The health risk to humans associated with these low dose exposures is unknown. Often times they are correlated with risk estimates derived from much higher radiation doses. There is no doubt that very high dose ionizing radiation can be harmful; however, the same notion does not exist regarding exposures to low dose ionizing radiation such as that from medical diagnostic CT exposures.

The objective of this research is to address the effects and risks associated with diagnostic CT scans. This research focuses on the biological outcome of cancer which remains a primary concern in health care and the development of radiation risk policies. The investigation utilized various mouse models that have differing sensitivities to radiation and susceptibilities to developing radiation-induced cancer.

Results from this research found that low-dose diagnostic CT scans do not increase risk and can, in fact, induce protective effects. The hypothesis that harmful effects increase linearly with radiation dose is not supported by this research. With low doses of CT scans, protective biological effects such as reduced chromosomal aberrations, decreased radiation-induced oxidative DNA damage, and enhanced clearance of damaged cells have been observed. In cancer-prone mice, CT scans can increase longevity and reduce cancer risk by delaying the latency of specific cancers.

This research advances the understanding of the biological effects and health risk associated with low-dose medical diagnostic procedures. This research is timely and important to allow medical practitioners, policy makers, and regulators to make informed decisions about using ionizing radiation in the clinic. Such knowledge is valuable as better, more complex, and perhaps more damaging modalities are being used to image and manage disease.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: "All of this is surrounded by darkness": A Night at the Movies

contributor:
Adamson, J.
English

abstract: This thesis is concerned with Robert Coover's A Night at the Movies as an exploration of the construction of fictions in contemporary society through the intersection of writing and cinema, reader and spectator. The role of memory in the retention of these constructions is discussed in the interest of seeing how particular translations of filmic codes into writing operate, and what might be the effect of these translations.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Childhood in the Fiction of W.O. Mitchell

contributor:
Ferns, John
English

abstract:
For W.O. Mitchell, childhood is more than a period of innocent happiness to be remembered nostalgically. In his fiction, he shows that it may actually be the most significant time in anyone's life because the assimilation of childhood experiences, attitudes, values and aspirations are critical to the complete development of the mature adult consciousness. Mitchell strongly believes that "life is a balancing act" as each individual searches for meaning in the world and a strong personal identity, in response to the influence of such powerful forces as nature and civilization, God and human nature, imagination and conformist instruction, social responsibility and self-interest. In approaching the challenges of life and art, Mitchell always insists on the "whole view", so the central concerns expressed in his fiction are moral and affirmative, reflecting an essentially humanistic and existentialist philosophy. In his novels, Mitchell uses the image of the child as an active image, a representation of human potency, and through its innocence, an expression of infinite possibility for mankind.

In this thesis, I examine Mitchell's fiction as part of a particular, historical, literary tradition concerning the use of the figure of the child and the emphasis on childhood experience. I also consider the value of modern psychological studies in appreciating Mitchell's art, and ways in which his vision is distinctively Canadian. The body of this paper deals with Who Has Seen the Wind (1947) and How I Spent My Summer Holidays (1981) as a basis for discussion of Mitchell's treatment of childhood throughout his work.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Room Function in the Roman Domus: A Study of Five Pompeian Houses

contributor:
George, M.
Classics

subject: Classics Classics

abstract: Modem researchers struggle to ascertain spatial use in order to understand more fully the behavior of the inhabitants of the Roman house. As an artifact, the house has the potential to offer the most intimate glimpses of the interactions of the Roman family and Roman society. The artifactual, architectural, and decorative evidence which is preserved in Pompeian houses can provide insight into how the rooms and spaces of the Roman household functioned; room function itself can in tum tell more about the everyday lives of the people who inhabited the domus. But what is the value of the evidence found within the house? How much can the extant archaeological remains communicate to the modem researcher about the Roman family and how they used the spaces of the their homes? This thesis explores the potential of each type of evidence for evaluating room function and shows that only when all kinds of evidence are taken into account can the most informative picture of the Roman house emerge.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Slapstick; or Laughterhouse-Five: Vonnegut and Swift Misperceived

contributor:
Sigman, J.
English

abstract:
This paper is primarily concerned with demonstrating the influence of Jonathan Swift on Kurt Vonnegut; or, more specifically, of Gulliver's Travels on Slapstick. The introductory chapter establishes the possibility of a Swiftiian influence from Vonnegut's proposed "Preface" to an edition of the Travels ("Jonathan Swift Misperceived," Chapter XIV , of Vonnegut's Palm Sunday). Previous criticism that compares Vonnegut to Swift (Wymer, Sliaw), and how this study differs from this criticism, is examined. Some, general terms relevant to an examination of both I authors are subsequently defined (Abrams). The Introduction doses with a brief outline of the contents of the following chapters.

Chapter One surveys and assesses some of the more important reviews and criticism on Slapstick, and forms a basis for the following discussion. Chapter Two, the heart of the thesis, is a direct comparison of Slapstick and Gulliver's Travels. Chapter Three examines how Vonnegut reads Swift, as ascertained from his proposed "Preface," I and how this reading manifests itself in Slapstick--in essence, a Vonnegutian look at Swift. An "allegorical' examination of Vonnegut, constructed on the framework of the entire paper to that point, is then conducted--in essence, a Swiftian look at Vonnegut. The concluding chapter summarizes the contents of the earlier chapters, and determines the merit of the comparison study.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Ir/reconcilable Differences?: A Comparative Study of Margaret Laurence's The Diviners and Lee Maracle's Ravensong

contributor:
Hyman, Roger
English

abstract:
This thesis compares the presentation of Native characters and Native voice in Margaret Laurence's The Diviners and Lee Maracle's Ravensong. The purpose of the project is twofold: to evaluate Maracle's claim that Laurence's portrayal of the Métis people is racist, and to describe how Maracle challenges the racism she perceives in White writing about Native peoples. The introduction addresses the theoretical challenges facing White academics who want to engage critically with Native texts.

The first chapter examines how each author's social affiliations and political priorities determine the way that she represents Native characters, and Native/White interaction, in her fictional writing. Particular attention is paid to the writers' perceptions of the relationship between feminist and anti-racist interests.

Chapter Two summarizes the history of linguistic tyranny that has threatened Native cultural voice in Canada. It considers Laurence's invention of Métis stories and songs in terms of current controversies over "appropriation of voice," and shows how Ravensong acts as a distinctly "Native" narrative that fuses storytelling tradition with the new Native language, English.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Battle of the Five Spot: Omette Coleman and the New York Jazz Field

contributor:
Deaville, James
Music Criticism

subject: Music Music

abstract: In November 1959, Ornette Coleman arrived from Los Angeles to present his quartet at New York's Five Spot Cafe. Coleman's New York debut is often cited as the beginning of the "free jazz" style that became prevalent in the 1960s. His music polarized the jazz community between positions of avid support and stem disapproval. The French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's concept of artistic and intellectual "fields" can offer important insights to the dynamics of Coleman's reception. Bourdieu's depictions of the role of the avant-garde, the movements between "positions and position-takings," and the influence of "consecrating figures" in an artistic field, fit perfectly the range of reactions that greeted Coleman's music. It can be shown that many of the reactions to Coleman were not a reaction per se to how his music sounded, but to the exercise of power by the combined forces that helped bring Coleman to the Five Spot in 1959. On the side of his supporters, we can often see a "high modernist" agenda that was not always shared by the era's jazz musicians. Coleman's detractors often objected less to Coleman's music than they did to the combination of critical, scholarly and music industry forces that they felt were forcing Coleman into the limelight.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Vesiculovirus: Comparisons of protein structure and studies of the abnormal N protein of the vesicular stomatitis New Jersey D₁ temperature-sensitive mutant

contributor:
Prevec, L.A.
Biology

subject: Biology Biology

abstract:
Whereas the Vesiculovirus genus of the Rhabdoviridae is comprised of several more or less biochemically distinguishable serotypes, a study was undertaken to assess conservation of protein structure in Vesiculovirus members. It was of particular interest to assess protein structural conservation for Piry and Chandipura viruses which show only slight serological cross-reactivity with VS Indiana, the prototype of the genus. Three methods of peptide mapping were employed: tryptic peptide mapping by 2-dimensional thin-layer electrophoresis-chromatography, a novel mapping procedure which utilized limited cleavage of tryptophan peptide bonds with the chemical agent N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS) followed by fractionation using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, as well as an adjunct to the second method where proteins labeled at their amino-termini with f[³⁵S]Met were used to derive linear oriented maps of tryptophan positions. The methionine-containing tryptic peptides of the 5 constituent proteins of members of the Vesiculovirus: VS Cocal, VS New Jersey (Missouri and Concan strains), and Piry viruses were compared to the prototype member, VS Indiana (T) standard strain, by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography-electrophoresis. While the corresponding proteins of each virus isolate could be identified by their characteristics peptide map there were common peptides shared among the members tested. On comparison with the prototype VS Indiana(T), VS Cocal possessed common peptides from its N, M, and G proteins whereas VS New Jersey possessed common peptides from N and M proteins. Pity virus possessed one N protein peptide in common with the prototype. Comparison of the tryptic peptides of 2 members of the VS New Jersey serotype but from separate subtypes revealed characteristic differences between these closely related viruses. The partial cleavage products resulting from NCS treatment of [³⁵S] methionine-labeled Vesiculovirus proteins were analyzed. The resulting cleavage patterns of the N and M proteins of VS Indiana(T), VS Cocal, VS New Jersey Missouri and Concan strains, Chandipura and Piry, while unique, showed a number of similarities in peptide fragment position and pattern. Pattern similarity was detectable among all the NCS patterns of the N and M proteins, but less so in the case of the Chandipura M protein. The most pronounced similarity was observed among the N protein NCS patterns of the VS viruses or between Piry and Chandipura. The M protein NCS patterns did not demonstrate as unified a relationship among Vesiculovirus members as the N protein NCS patterns, but the same two groupings of members could be made.

Cleavage of f[³⁵S]Met-labeled N and M proteins of Vesiculovirus members with NCS and subsequent SDS-PAGE separation allowed the derivation of linear oriented maps of tryptophan positions. Visual comparison of linear peptide maps showed extensive conservation of tryptophan residues among N and M proteins of the VS viruses Indiana(T), Cocal, and New Jersey (M) as well as Piry virus. The VS New Jersey (M) and Pity tryptophan map of N protein were very homologous, both containing 6 sites in similar positions. There 6 tryptophan residues appeared to be conserved in VS Indiana(T) and VS Cocal, although these two viruses contained additional tryptophan sites. The M proteins of VS Indiana(T), VS Cocal, VS New Jersey(M) and Piry possessed 3 common tryptophan positions, although there seemed to be some form of molecular rearrangement in the case of Piry virus.

Considered in isolation, the tryptic peptide mapping analysis supports the existing serological interrelationships by demonstrating VS Indiana(T) to be closely related to VS Cocal and less related to VS New Jersey but equivocally related to Piry virus. By employing the NCS peptide mapping technique, paritcualrly when used to prepare linear oriented maps, an ancestral relationship was demonstrated among all of the Vesiculoviruses tested. However, Chandipura and Piry viruses could be distinguished from the VS viruses suggesting a closer ancestral relationship among members within rather than between these groups.

NCS peptide mapping proved to be a valuable method of structural comparison which complemented tryptic peptide analysis under the conditions employed. Tryptic peptide mapping was much more discriminatory than NCS peptide mapping and as a consequence the former was ideal for comparison of closely related members whereas the latter method was a powerful means of detecting homology among more distantly related organisms. Given the fact that genus classification within the Rhabdoviridae is primarily serologic, relying on conservation of protein structure, this study supports the classification of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses since it confirms the existence of conserved protein structures among members of the Vesiculovirus.

The D₁N protein abnormality is manifest by an increase in electrophoretic mobility in SDS polyacrylamide gels, suggesting a decrease in apparent molecular weight of 1,000. Some of the previously described methods were employed for the elucidation of the structural basis of the N protein abnormality in the VS New Jersey(M) D₁ temperature-sensitive mutant. It was hypothesized that the D₁ protein defect resulted from premature termination due to nonsense mutation. The N protein alteration was located on the linear map of methionine and tryptophan residues as determined by NCS and CNBr cleavage of protein labeled at its amino-terminus. This approach allowed identification of a region of ca. 2-3K molecular weight at the C-terminal end of the molecule which was required to detect the alteration. This was confirmed by removal of a similar sized portion of the C-terminal region with carboxypeptidases A and B. The tryptic peptides from the C-terminal region were identified by carboxypeptidase A plus B sensitivity and the C-terminal amino acid and tryptic peptide were identified after carboxypeptidase B treatment. The C-terminal amino acid of mutant, revertant and wild type was identified as lysine and the C-terminal tryptic peptide was indistinguishable among them. The carboxypeptidase A plus B susceptible tryptic peptides were indistinguishable as well, but a carboxypeptidase A plus B resistant tryptic peptide was altered in the D₁ N protein and was restored to wild type on reversion. Mutant N protein also differed from wild type in isoelectric point, but reversion resulted in restoration of wild type isoelectric point. From these data it was concluded that the D₁ N protein alteration was not a premature termination, but was probably a missense mutation which results in an apparent decrease in molecular weight as detected on SDS-PAGE. It was concluded that the protein defect was not contained in the C-terminal region (ca. 2K MW), but that this portion of the molecule was required to detect the abnormality on SDS-PAGE. The region of the molecule containing the alteration was located on the linear physical map and models are presented to explain the increased mobility on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: On the "Hungarian" in Works of Brahms: A Critical Study

contributor:
Walker, Alan
Music

subject: Music Music

abstract: This thesis explores the Hungarian influence on the German composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). His biographical details are sketched from his first concert tour to his last (Chapter 2). In 1853, he accompanied the Hungarian violinist Ede Remenyi, while travelling through Germany and Austria. In 1867 he concertized in Hungary for the first time. Between these tours, Brahms met and even worked with many other musicians, some of whom were Hungarian, and he composed many works which are overtly marked by this influence. The places he visited, the music he heard and the political events of the time are taken into account in weighing the effects of various influences. Four types of nineteenth-century Hungarian music are defined and the history of each is given. A discussion of Hungarian composers prior to, and contemporary with, Brahms is important in laying the foundation for our understanding of the "Hungarian". Brahms's connection with Hungarian folk music and salon music is traced in Chapter III, while Chapter IV outlines two types of gypsy music - gypsy folk music and gypsy band music. Brahms's usage of all of these is explained. The influence is extrapolated into the realm of Brahms's more German works, and is discussed in terms of the manner in which the "Hungarian" pervades his style. "On the 'Hungarian' in Works of Brahms" provides a discussion of this strong presence in Brahms's musical style and offers a deeper understanding of the creative personality of this composer.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Autonomy, Identity, Narcissism, and Relationship in the Novels of Margaret Atwood

contributor:
Hyman, R.
English

abstract: This study is an examination of all of Margaret Atwood's novels to date. In the first section of the thesis I argue that Atwood's first three novels concern themselves with a characteristically "feminine" form of heteronomy, and with the struggle to move away from a condition of heteronomy towards a state of autonomy. In the second section, I argue that Atwood's focus changes to a concern for the necessity of the Self to extend itself toward genuine relationship with the Other. The link between the two "periods" of Atwood's writing is the concept of narcissism. Different forms of narcissism are essential components in both the condition of heteronomy, and in the condition of tenuous, or on the other hand too-rigid, autonomy; once Atwood has explored the nature of "feminine" heteronomy and of woman's struggle for autonomy, she becomes interested in narcissism as a problem in itself, as it exists in various realms--personal, political, and academic. The ideological context of the thesis is eclectic, in that the assumptions underlying the development of my argument are rooted in feminist, existentialist, social-psychological, and religious discourses.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Social Work Values: Are We Expected To Do The Impossible?

contributor:
Sammon, Sheila
Social Work

subject:
Social Work
Social Work

abstract: The social work profession is founded on a set of values that guide practice behaviours. These values are first adopted through social work education programs and are reinforced by the profession's cultural practices. However, many obstacles prevent social workers from adhering to social work values in practice. Personal, societal and organizational values that contradict social work values prevent social workers from being true to their mission. Unfortunately, many prevailing societal and organizational interests, such as patriarchal norms, capitalist business interests and managerial philosophies, are diametrically opposed to social work values. Thus, social workers are entrusted with an extremely difficult task; they are expected to manage numerous competing values, meet client needs, and work toward social change simultaneously. This study has attempted to accurately examine and depict the experiences of six female social workers, in order to gain a better understanding of social workers' struggles to manage competing principles. The participants have offered poignant examples of how social work values can be easily overridden by other value systems. This is particularly true in mainstream organizations, whose structures are less supportive of social work values. On the contrary community- based and feminist agencies appear to be more likely to support social work values, due to a variety of organizational factors. In addition, the findings highlight several implications for social work education, and raise questions about the need to change our current practice to be more inclusive of a variety of professionals, as well as clients. Furthermore, although the findings offer some hope in terms of the influence of social work values on ethical practice behaviours, they also highlight the fact that social work values and goals may simply be impossible to accomplish at all times.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: TWO PRAIRIE TOWNS

contributor:
Hyman, R. L.
English

abstract:
The disparate themes of W.O. Mitchell's Who Has Seen the Wind and Sinclair Ross's As For Me and My House are linked to the abnormal elements of wind and weather that scourges the towns and prairie regions of Saskatchewan during the depression years of the 1930's.

Both novels are set ,in towns having strongly entrenched Calvinistic backgrounds, where the ministers of the respective churches suffer the indignities heaped upon them by well-meaning, but sublimely ignorant groups Qf people who fill the ranks of the churches' auxiliaries. However, neither Ross nor Mitchell underestimate the importance of, and the need for lay people who volunteer their services to the ichurch in the name of Christian charity. Ross's largely humorless novel emphasizes their weaknesses and faults in a forthright and direct manner. It also explores the nebulous area of communicatidm that exists between Philip Bentley and his parishioners.

Mrs. Bentley's diary entries move from one tension-filled episode to another. The Bentley's domestic upheavals are temporarily alleviated by compromise on the part of Mrs. Bentley, at least that is what the reade~ is led to believe. Moreover, it would seem that each compromise by the minister's wife was induced with a built-in mechanism for more tension. Ross tells his story in such a manner, that as sooln as one dramatic situation is resolved, another succeeds it. The I overwrought sensibilities of the Bentleys are further exacerbated by the intermittent wind continually sounding its discordant obbligato as if in derision of the occupants of the manse which, ironically, is dedicated to the servide of the Lord.

Mitchell imposes his pwn unique order upon Who Has Seen the Wind, one that bespeaks an intimate knowledge of town; and prairie life In Saskatchewan. His altruistic portrayal of a boy and his dog is expanded to exwlore and depict the relationship existing between the denizens of a I prairie town and its immediate environment. Threading the story line are the distinct themes of mortality and ecology, which, in: some measure, affect and shape the mind of Brian O'Connal during his pre-pubescent years. On the lighter side, Mitchell infuses the novel with a rare and satiric perception of temporary and local conditions that govern the actions of his principal characters in their everyday lives and pursuits.

Much of Who Has seen the Wind is inextricably bound up with the various objects of satire such as classes, literature, religion and small town bigotry. Mitchell balances the satiric thrust of his novel with a notable sense of altruism that finds expression in a caring sensitivity for the plight of humans and animals alike. That same sensitivity extends to the song of the meadow larks and the hum of the telephone wires which relay the message of the wind. The meadow larks are symbols of hope for the future, a future that Mitchell, guardedly and repeatedly, points to as being "from everlasting to everlasting".

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Body, Mind, Soul—The 'Cyborg Effect': Artificial Intelligence in Science Fiction

contributor:
Adamson, Joseph
English

subject: English Language and Literature

abstract:
Though this project is about representations of artificial intelligence (AI) in science fiction (SF), no discussion of 'artificial' intelligence could ever take place without considering 'real' intelligence. Consequently, at core and by default, this project is about human intelligence. Artificial intelligence throws into relief the essence of being human as a tripartite construction of body, mind, and their synergistic combination, by creating an intelligent, dialogical, and interrogative entity as a comparative Other.

Chapters one and two address two basic questions: What is science fiction? What is artificial intelligence? These evolve additional questions: How do science :fiction writers delineate the physical and intellectual capabilities and capacities of humans versus machines (in the broadest sense), their comparative behaviours, and thereby, consider humanl methods for understanding our universe and our place in it? What place do SF writers imagine machine intelligence taking in our world? What are the ethical, moral, and social implications for human verus machine inteHigence?

Chapters three and four consider how authors construct Als, what physical forms they might take, and the relative importance of the body versus the mind. The imaginative creations are compared to actual develops in the science of AI, thereby revealing some surprising prophecies. Discovered is that human beings are nervous about their own technological constructions, especially when those creations begin to match human intellect and mentation. Consequently, some of our worst bigoted behaviours are brought the fore. I designate two temporal periods as the 'animated automaton' (citing Frankenstein, Metropolis, R. UR) and the 'heuristic hardware' (2001: a Space Odyssey, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I, Robot).

Chapter five focusses on a single narrative (Galatea 2.2) as an excellent consideration of the cmTent state of AI research and the development of ever more effective systems for processing information. It begins with observing a change in the scientific worldvriew and the change from energy to information as the fundamental reality. The AI challenges a human to recognize and acknowledge humanity's own despotic and parodic behaviours. By considering exactly how human beings learn, know, and remember, it throws into dramatic relief our own assumptions about the superiority of human intelligence.

Chapter six looks at post-1980 literatures (Neuromancer, The Matrix, The Diamond Age, and Terminator) and the influence of the personal computer on the imaginations of SF writers I. The narratives' complexities increase and the boundaries between assumed 'reality' and 'virtual reality' erode. Human beings are clearly anxious about increasingly powerful thinking machines, probably because our confidence in the uniqueness and singularity of human intelligence is challenged directly. The connection between body and mind is, paradoxically, both broken and affirmed, thus forcing humans to find ways to understand the essence of consciousness, particularly as it may related to the 'soul.'

Ultimately, AI could teach human beings about ourselves, and may force us to more clearly define 'human being.' Potentially, though not an expressed goal, AI research could unify humanity globally and help us to help ourselves in re-structuring economic, educational, social disparity.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Drug Delivery to the Posterior Eye Using Etched Microneedles

contributor:
Sheardown, Heather
Jones, Kim
Selvaganapathy, Ponnambalam
Chemical Engineering

subject:
ocular drug delivery
microneedles
drug delivery devices
microfluidics
microfabrication
Biomaterials
Biomedical devices and instrumentation
Biomaterials

abstract:
Sight-threatening diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), affect the tissues of the posterior segment of the eye. Though modern classes of biomolecular based drugs are therapeutically useful, drug targeting for prolonged bioavailability to pathological sites within the eye is challenging. Current delivery approaches are invasive and lack control over drug release rates and tissue-specific localization. In this thesis, a device using microneedles embedded in a flexible platform was developed that could potentially overcome these challenges.

New methods for microneedle fabrication were developed by co-opting simple chemical etch methods commonly used for optical probe fabrication as an alternative to current complex and expensive photolithographic technologies to produce out-of-plane, high aspect ratio microneedles which are often constrained materially to silicon and metal. Microneedles with repeatable tip and taper sizes were obtained using hydrofluoric acid, an organic phase and fused-silica capillary tubing. Microneedles with 10 um tips were made using single and batch mode methods and were then integrated into poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) for alignment using low cost micromolding approaches offering the same degree of accuracy provided by conventional photolithography.

Single microneedle-based devices successfully delivered rhodamine intrasclerally, intravitreally, suprachoroidally and to the retina. This is the first demonstration of active delivery to specific spatial regions within the posterior eye at controllable rates using a non-implantable, biocompatible device – with minimal fabrication facilities, equipment and cost. The fabricated device demonstrated a new hybrid approach of coupling a rigid microneedle with a soft and pliable substrate that could conform to biological tissues.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: INVESTIGATING MECHANISMS OF CANCER VACCINE-INDUCED TUMOR IMMUNITY AND AUTOIMMUNITY

contributor:
Wan, Yonghong
Bramson, Jonathan
Ashkar, Aliahmad

subject:
cancer immunotherapy
T cells
tumor immunity
autoimmunity
immune regulation
viral vectors
Immunity
Immunoprophylaxis and Therapy
Immunity

abstract:
INTRODUCTION: Pre-clinical and clinical data strongly support the feasibility of employing immunotherapy as a strategy to treat cancer.

METHODS: Using the B16F10 murine melanoma model, we have been investigating mechanisms of T cell-mediated antitumor immunity following immunization with dopachrome tautomerase (DCT), a melanoma-associated antigen.

RESULTS: In Chapter 2, we uncovered an interesting dichotomy whereby DCT-specific CD4+ T cell-mediated tumor protection and autoimmunity are dependent on IL-4/STAT-6 and IFN-g/STAT-4, respectively. Our data also revealed that this phenomenon is extrinsic of CD4+ T cell polarization.

To gain further insight into the targets recognized by CD4+ T cells, we conducted in Chapter 3 extensive CD4+ T cell epitope mapping experiments using overlapping peptide libraries. Interestingly, while we were able to identify “helper” epitopes within DCT that were required for maximal CD8+ T cell expansion, we were unable to identify “effector” epitopes responsible for tumor rejection. Further examination of the requirements for the generation of CD4+ T cell effector epitopes showed that post-translational modifications of the protein were involved.

In Chapter 4, we investigated the modest efficacy afforded by DCT immunization in the context of established B16F10 melanomas. Using intratumoral transcriptional analysis, we demonstrated that the vaccine rapidly promoted an IFN-g-dependent immunosuppressive state inside the tumor. Concurrent treatment with the immunomodulatory antibodies anti-4-1BB and anti-PD-1 effectively counteracted this tumor immunosuppression, resulting in complete regression of tumors and long-term survival in 70% of the mice.

CONCLUSIONS: The research described in this thesis sheds new light into the mechanisms by which vaccine-mediated CD4+ T cell responses participate to tumor rejection and autoimmunity. Moreover, our findings indicate that cancer vaccine-induced tumor immunosuppression significantly limits tumor regression, emphasizing the requirement of combinatorial approaches for successful cancer immunotherapy. Overall, our research offers new insight for future vaccine development.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Science)