title: ENCOUNTERING ANNE: JOURNEYS TO SAINTE ANNE DE BEAUPRÉ

contributor:
Badone, Ellen E.F.
Rothenberg, Celia
Runesson, Anders
Religious Sciences

subject:
pilgrimage
tourism
Roman Catholic devotions
visions
religious healing
ethnography
Anthropology
Anthropology

abstract:
This study examines the experience of visitors to the shrine of Sainte Anne de Beaupré in Québec, Canada. Drawing on ethnographic data, narratives and historical research, this project describes the ways in which Saint Anne is meaningful to people. I focus on the themes of pilgrimage and tourism, devotional expressions, visionary experiences and religious healing.

While the earliest visitors to the shrine were primarily motivated by stories of the miraculous, contemporary visitors have many different motivations, blurring the scholarly boundaries constructed between pilgrimage and tourism.

Devotional expressions at Sainte Anne de Beaupré, understood as “media of engagement” or “relationships of presence,” encompass a wide range of practices, meanings and functions. Power is invested and diffused through Saint Anne by forming “cogent connections” to her through the media of devotional expressions.

This study also considers visionary experiences that are associated with Saint Anne, especially visions that are related to pilgrimage and religious healing at Sainte Anne de Beaupré. Rather than focusing on the “epiphany” of the visionary experience itself, I suggest that agency is key to understanding visions, particularly as they relate to issues of empowerment.

Finally, I situate pilgrimage, devotional expressions and visionary encounters in the context of religious healing. The term healing encompasses a broad range of meanings, and I demonstrate that journeys to Sainte Anne de Beaupré involve a quest for therapy, self-transformation, identity and/or personal empowerment.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Fourier & Wavelet Methods for Finding Speech Onset Latencies

contributor:
Watter, Scott
Humphreys, Karin
Yoon, Tae-Jin
Psychology

subject:
Fourier
Wavelet
Speech
Onset
Latencies
VAD
Other Computer Sciences
Psychology
Quantitative Psychology
Other Computer Sciences

abstract: Localization of speech onsets to determine onset latencies is a complicated problem with as many different methods for finding them as there are different areas which use such measurements. A majority of research performed in cognition uses a standard amplitude threshold voice key for estimating the speech onset latencies but a number of studies have shown that this method is incredibly inaccurate and can bias data or produce contradictory results. A number of alternative methods based on modifications to traditional voice-keys have been proposed to deal with the inconsistency although still show a number of deficiencies. Previous work has suggested that switching from the amplitude domain of a signal to the frequency domain a number of the issues present with voice keys can be overcome and when used in conjunction with a number of highly sensitive heuristics highly accurate onset latencies can be produced reliably under ideal conditions. This research is refined and paired with a new user interface to improve the ease of use and increase the adoption rate of this type of analysis. Recent work in the telecommunications industry also suggests that wavelet-based algorithms in conjunction with the Teager Energy Operator (TEO) can accurately detect speech even in the presence of noise. Four wavelet-based methods are investigated and tested; a simple wavelet transform test, and three methods using wavelet-packet transforms in conjunction with the TEO. Although these methods do not perform very well compared to traditional methods a number of potential issues with the implementation are discussed.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: EVALUATION OF A FEEDBACK KIOSK SYSTEM IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL

contributor:
Archer, Norman P.
Head, Milena
Anand, Christopher
eHealth

subject:
kiosk
feedback intervention
recognition
Patient Centered Care (PCC)
Internal Medicine
patient
Computational Engineering
Health Services Administration
Health Services Research
Computational Engineering

abstract: The practice of medicine has evolved from individual practice, mainly led by physicians, towards an interdisciplinary team-based activity that takes into consideration patients’ needs, preferences and values. This shift towards what is known as the patient-centered care (PCC) model requires better communication among medical staff and patients. Feedback is a key factor to improve team learning processes and also to understand patient perspectives. The objective of this thesis was to create a system to facilitate feedback processes within the Toronto General Hospital (TGH). To do so, a kiosk-based system was designed, allowing patients and health care providers to send feedback messages as well as positive recognition messages in appreciation of other people’s commitments and achievements. A pilot test was conducted by placing a kiosk in the General Internal Medicine unit at TGH for seven weeks. During this study, the application running the kiosk registered all user actions, with the objective of understanding how patients and staff interacted with the system. The kiosk was perceived as a positive, easy to use, and valuable tool by patients and providers. The different elements that need to be improved for future upgrades of the system are discussed. Overall, the use of kiosk-based systems to gather feedback should be considered when creating high performing teams in the health care domain.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Les Misérables à l’écran : de l’adaptation à l’innovation

contributor:
Stout, John
Santos, Eugénia Dos
Rush, Jane
French

subject:
adaptation
les miserables
film
intertextuality

abstract: L’adaptation cinématographique se présente régulièrement dans la culture contemporaine. Sa présence mérite une exploration plus détaillée. Il faut, d’abord, bien définir ce que c’est qu’une adaptation. Dans cette thèse, nous ferons appel à deux théories : la théorie de l’adaptation présentée par Linda Hutcheon et la théorie de l’intertextualité de Kristeva et celle de la transtextualité de Gérard Genette. En utilisant ces théories, nous observerons comment le texte se transforme lorsqu’il est adapté. Dans ce but, le roman Les Misérables de Victor Hugo sera examiné, ainsi que deux adaptations cinématographiques de ce roman. Les deux adaptations, créées par deux réalisateurs différents, correspondent aux catégories descriptives que Linda Hutcheon présente dans son livre. Ainsi, à travers son film, Claude Lelouch modernise l’histoire hugolienne et, de l’autre côté, Bille August nous offre une adaptation classique, mais pas entièrement fidèle. Les deux films sont des exemples de types d’adaptations différents. Par ailleurs, ils ont un style visuel très diffèrent et un rapport diffèrent au texte original.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: RESILIENCY AMIDST THE FRAGMENTED LIVES OF AFGHAN REFUGEE WOMEN

contributor:
Carranza, Mirna
Zhou, Rachel
Greene, Saara
Social Work

subject: Afghanistan

subject: Afghan women

subject: Refugee

subject: Resettlement of Afghan Refugee women in Canada

subject: Resiliency

subject: Forced Migration

subject: Social Work

subject: Social Work

abstract:
According to the latest refugee statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR 2011), the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide has reached 43.7 million, the highest number in 15 years. Roughly 80% of this population are women and children. Afghanistan continues to be the place of origin for the largest number of refugees under UNHCR responsibility across the globe. From 1979 to 1990, the largest and most enduring forced migration in human history occurred when 6.2 million Afghans were displaced and fled their homeland to neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Iran.

During the processes of conflict, upheaval, exile, and resettlement, refugee women face numerous traumatic events and are exposed to various challenges at every stage of their refugee journey. Very little scholarly research has examined their strengths and resiliency during this time.

The primary purpose of this study is to provide insight into the challenges that Afghan refugee women have faced during pre-migration, exile, and resettlement. Specifically, this inquiry using feminist theory and method examines (a) their experiences in all three contexts in which they have lived and managed, (b) the significant roles that they have played, and (c) the coping mechanisms that they have used to overcome the problems in these situations.

The sample for this interpretive qualitative research was drawn from Afghan refugee women in the city of Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. The study was conducted with six in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The results provide contextually laden detail of the Afghan refugee women’s unique lived experiences. The results revealed Afghan refugee women as resilient and as strong leaders. The dominant discourse that portrays Afghan women as weak and oppressed should be challenged. Implications for social work practice, education and policy are identified, and recommendations for improved services are outlined.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Preparation, Structure and Electronic Properties of the Series RETi0₃, RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Y, and LaᵪY₁₋ᵪ

contributor:
Greedan, J.E.
Chemistry

subject: Chemistry Chemistry

abstract:
Members of the RETi0₃ series, RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Gd, Y and LaᵪY₁₋ᵪ, have been prepared and characterized. Single crystals (or crystals with a small volume of twinned component) of many of these phases have been obtained from the melt for the first time using Czochralski and Stockbarger techniques.

Crystal structures of selected members of this series have been solved using single crystal X-ray diffraction data. The solutions were complicated in some cases by twinning, but all phases were found to be isostructural with GdFe0₃, space group Pbnm. While most aspects of the structures varied smoothly across the series, the environment of the Ti⁺³ ion becomes distorted in a tetragonal-like fashion for RE = Gd and Y.

The electronic behaviour of the d-electron associated with Ti⁺³ has been investigated. In transport studies, metallic behaviour is observed at high temperatures for RE = La and Ce, accompanied by a transition to semiconducting behaviour at lower temperature. The other RETi0₃ show semiconducting behaviour over the temperature range investigated, the activation energies increasing with decreasing RE⁺³ radius. In the magnetic properties, all phases show critical temperatures well above 4.2 K, except for RE = Nd.

An attempt is made to account for the observed properties of the RETi0₃ phases in terms of a model proposed by J.B. Goodenough in which the d-electron behaviour depends upon the effectiveness of relevant orbital overlaps.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: DESIGNING DUAL THERMORESPONSIVE & PHOTORESPONSIVE MATERIALS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

contributor:
Hoare, Todd
Sheardown, Heather
Brook, Michael A.
Biomedical Engineering

subject: thermoresponsive photoresponsive design PLS responsive-polymers NIPAM Biomaterials Biomaterials

abstract:
Multi-stimuli-responsive materials with dual sensitivities to both temperature and light were designed and investigated for their responsive properties in aqueous media.

Amphiphilic polymers were synthesized by copolymerizing monomers of thermoresponsive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with vinyl cinnamate (VC), using different chain transfer agents to both control the molecular weight and impart functionality of an amine-terminal or carboxylic acid- terminal end groups. Linear polymers based on pNIPAM-VC were characterized and their thermo- and photo-responsive properties confirmed by 1H NMR, GPC, and UV-visible spectroscopy.

To obtain desired solubility and phase transition properties for the copolymer, latent variable methods were applied to past polymer data to identify the correlated reaction variables. Using model inversion, the ability to predict polymer properties was possible. The outcomes helped to determine ideal reaction reagents and conditions for future designs, facilitating the synthesis of both amine-capped and carboxylic acid-capped poly(NIPAM-co-VC) polymers with high solubility and phase transition onset below physiological temperature (<37°C)

The designed poly(NIPAM-co-VC) polymers were subsequently grafted to a polysaccharide, hyaluronic acid (HA) or carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), via carbodiimide chemistry. The graft material’s mechanical strength was compromised by both the linear polymer size and the architecture (end-group-grafting) which lead to unsuitable materials.

Microgels with multi-responsive properties were synthesized by copolymerizing NIPAM with either acrylic acid (AA) or methacrylic acid (MAA) by conventional precipitation-emulsion methods. These microgels were aminated and subsequently grafted with a cinnamate pendant group. As an alternative, microgels were fabricated by microfluidics using linear polymers precursors. Both types of microgels exhibited significant deswelling upon changes in temperature, light, and pH, suggesting their potential utility as smart, photo-responsive drug delivery vehicles.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Subversion and the Storyteller: Exploring Spirituality and the Evolution of Traditional Narratives in Contemporary Native Literature in Canada

contributor:
Coleman, Daniel
Monture, Rick
York, Lorraine
English and Cultural Studies

subject:
storytelling
spirituality
windigo
oral tradition
Monkey Beach
Through Black Spruce
Harry Robinson
Literature in English, North America
Literature in English, North America

abstract: This thesis explores the intersection of storytelling and spirituality in contemporary Native literature in Canada. The invocation of the oral tradition and its history will be examined in the works of Eden Robinson, Joseph Boyden, and Harry Robinson, as each author attempts to orient his or her narratives within a First Nations framework. By gesturing towards orality in their written literature, these authors acknowledge the dialogic nature of a narrative that has been shaped by ancestral experiences and memory and thus write against the colonial master narrative of the contemporary Canadian nation-state. In Joseph Boyden's Through Black Spruce, Eden Robinson's Monkey Beach, and the transcribed collections of Harry Robinson's stories, the invocation of orality becomes the vehicle through which to explore Indigenous ways of knowing and traditional spiritual beliefs. This thesis first considers the ways in which the mode of storytelling allows each author to create a new narrative that introduces readers to an Indigenous perspective on the processes of history. It then examines the evolution of specific spiritual beings from traditional narratives into contemporary settings as a way to explore neocolonial attitudes and the compromised contexts of modern Indigenous life in communities across Canada that continue to be haunted by a legacy of colonialism. I end with an exploration of the potential for healing that each author envisions as communities move into a decolonization process through the regeneration of tribal languages, a reconnection to sacred space, and a reimagining of the Canadian master narrative and its colonial interpretation of history.

abstract: Master of English


title: THE TIME OF OUR LIVES: ARISTOTLE ON TIME, TEMPORAL PERCEPTION, RECOLLECTION, AND HABITUATION.

contributor:
Panagiotou, Spiro
Johnstone, Mark
Hitchcock, David
Philosophy

subject:
Aristotle
Time
Memory
Perception
Ethics
Physics
History of Philosophy
History of Philosophy

abstract: In Physics IV, Aristotle poses the question whether time depends on mind for its existence (223a25-27). This thesis begins by arguing that Aristotle’s account of time is, in fact, one in which time is mind-dependent. The remainder of the thesis demonstrates how this interpretation of time informs and explains Aristotle’s accounts of perception, recollection, and habituation. The thesis is divided into four chapters, each dealing in detail with the topics of time, perception, recollection, and habituation. In Chapter One I argue that time is a phenomenon which requires minds in order to be actualized. In the second chapter I argue that time, as mind-dependent, is an incidental object of perception perceived by the common sense, and that this is consistent with Aristotle’s description of perception in De Anima. Chapter Three provides arguments that recollection, as understood in De Memoria, is a capacity which allows for the association between present perceptions and memory-images. In the final chapter, I argue that the process of habituation in the Nicomachean Ethics is best understood with reference to the associative power of recollection. In this way, I hope to demonstrate how Aristotle’s analysis of time in the Physics has significant implications for our understanding of his views on perception, recollection, and habituation.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: SMA Observations of the Local Galaxy Merger Arp 299

contributor:
Wilson, Christine D.
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Arp 299
Galaxy Mergers
SMA
Molecular Gas
Star Formation Rates
External Galaxies
Physical Processes
External Galaxies

abstract: Ultra/Luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) are some of the most amazing systems in the local universe exhibiting extreme star formation triggered by mergers. Since molecular gas is the fuel for star formation, studying the warm, dense gas associated with star formation is important in understanding the processes and timescales controlling star formation in mergers. We have used high resolution (∼2.3”) observations of the local LIRG Arp 299 to map out the physical properties of the molecular gas. The molecular lines 12CO J=3-2, 12CO J=2-1 and 13CO J=2-1 were observed with the Submillimeter Array and the short spacings of the 12CO J=3-2 and J=2-1 observations have been recovered using James Clerk Maxwell Telescope single dish observations. We use the radiative transfer code RADEX to measure the physical properties such as density and temperature of the different regions in this system. The RADEX solutions of the two galaxy nuclei, IC 694 and NGC 3690, show two gas components: a warm moderately dense gas with T_kin ∼ 30-500 K (up to 1000K for NGC3690) and n(H2)~0.3-3×10^3 cm^−3 and a cold dense gas with T_kin~10-30 K and n(H2) > 3 × 10^3 cm^−3. The overlap region is shown to have a well-constrained solution with T_kin ∼ 10-30 K and n(H2)~3-30 × 10^3 cm^−3. We estimate the gas masses and star formation rates of each region in order to derive molecular gas depletion times. The depletion time of each region is found to be about 2 orders of magnitude lower than that of normal spiral galaxies. This can be probably explained by a higher fraction of dense gas in Arp 299 than in normal disk galaxies.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: SURFACE MODIFICATION WITH POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL-PROTEIN CONJUGATES FOR IMPROVED BLOOD COMPATIBILITY

contributor:
Brash, J.L.
Zhu, Shiping
Sheffield, William P.
Biomedical Engineering

subject:
Biomaterials
Blood Compatibility
Surface Modification
Protein Adsorption
Anticoagulants
Polyethylene Glycol-Protein Conjugate
Biomaterials
Biomaterials

abstract: I put department up there as Biomedical Engineering. The full title should be: School of Biomedical Engineering.

abstract:
The work presented in this thesis was focused on the surface modification of biomaterials with combinations of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and bioactive molecules (protein anticoagulants) for improved blood compatibility. Since the fate of biomaterials in contact with blood depends significantly on plasma protein-surface interactions, the objective of this work was to reduce non-specific protein adsorption using PEG and to promote specific protein interactions that could inhibit clot formation using protein anticoagulants as modifiers.

Two anticoagulant molecules were used in this work: hirudin, a specific inhibitor of thrombin and corn trypsin inhibitor (CTI), a specific inhibitor of clotting factor XIIa. Gold, used as a model substrate, was modified with PEG and anticoagulant molecules using two methods referred to as sequential and direct. In the sequential method PEG was first immobilized on the surface and then the bioactive molecule was attached (conjugated) to the PEG. In the direct method, a PEG-bioactive molecule conjugate was first formed and then immobilized on the surface. Surfaces were characterized by contact angle, ellipsometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Uptake of the bioactive molecules was measured by radiolabeling. Biointeraction studies included plasma protein adsorption, bioactivity assays using chromogenic substrates and clotting time assays. For PEG-hirudin and PEG-CTI surfaces (both direct and sequential) the protein resistance was similar to that of the PEG-alone surfaces. Despite having a lower density of bioactive molecule (both hirudin and CTI), the sequential surfaces showed superior bioactivity compared to the direct ones.

To determine the optimal ratio of free PEG and bioactive molecule-PEG conjugate on the surface (best combination of protein resistance and bioactivity), PEG-CTI was immobilized on gold substrate with varying ratio of conjugated to free PEG using both direct and sequential methods. As the ratio increased, protein resistance was maintained while specific interactions (bioactivity) increased. The optimal composition appeared to be where all PEG molecules are conjugated to a CTI molecule.

In the final part of this project, PEG and CTI were immobilized on polyurethane as a material with applicability to medical device construction. A sequential method was developed for this substrate. Comparison of the PEG-CTI surface with PEG only or CTI only surfaces indicated that the combination of PEG-CTI was effective both in reducing non-specific protein adsorption and promoting the specific interactions of CTI with its target plasma protein, factor XIIa. In fact, the presence of PEG improved CTI interactions with FXIIa compared with CTI only surfaces. Thus, sequential attachment of PEG and CTI may be effective for modifying polyurethane surfaces used in blood-contacting medical devices.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Functional Structures: The Role of XRCC4 and XLF in Mammalian DNA Double-Strand Break Repair

contributor:
Junop, Murray
Biochemistry

subject: XRCC4

subject: XLF

subject: Non-homologous end-joining

subject: DNA repair

subject: X-ray crystallography

subject: Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

abstract: DNA double-strand breaks pose a serious threat to genomic integrity. Double-strand breaks can cause chromosomal rearrangement, leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation, or even cell death. However, mammalian systems have in place the non-homologous end-joining pathway for repair of DNA double-strand breaks, which requires a core group of proteins to function: Ku70/80, DNA-PKcs, and Artemis for recognition, protection, and processing of the DNA ends, and XLF, XRCC4, and DNA LigaseIV for ligation of the DNA break. The work presented here focuses on the specific roles of XLF and XRCC4 within non-homologous end-joining. Initially, the structure of the N-terminal 224 residues of XLF was determined and found to consist of a head and tail domain, structurally homologous to XRCC4. Furthermore, L115 of XLF and K63, K65 and K99 of XRCC4 were identified as essential for an interaction between both proteins. This interaction was then shown to be required for stimulating ligation of mismatched DNA ends. To further understand how XRCC4 and XLF enhance LigaseIV activity, an XRCC4-XLF complex was crystallized. Truncated XRCC4 (1-157) was co-crystallized with truncated XLF (1-224), grown under conditions of decreasing temperature and increasing dehydration. The resulting structure at 3.94Å confirmed the necessity of L115 (XLF) and K63, K65 and K99 (XRCC4) to the XRCC4-XLF interaction, but also illustrated that XRCC4-XLF exists as an extended helical filament. DNA binding regions in both XRCC4 and XLF were also identified and used to construct a structural XRCC4-XLF-DNA binding model. Interestingly, XRCC4-DNA binding occurs in the same region of XRCC4 required for homo-tetramerization and binding to LigaseIV. These results culminate in a proposed model of non-homologous end-joining where XRCC4-XLF is involved not only in ligation of the double-strand break, but also in initial protection of the DNA ends.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Family Physician Continuity of Care in End-of-Life Homecare Cancer Patients and its Association with Acute Care Services Use

contributor:
Seow, Hsien
Brazil, Kevin
Pond, Greg
Health Research Methodology

subject:
continuity of care
palliative
homecare
end of life
family physician
Health Services Research
Health Services Research

abstract: Background and Objectives: Previous research has examined the effect of family physician continuity of care within end-of-life care cancer patients and its association with reduced use of acute care services. However, such research has not been examined in the end of life homecare cancer population. Objectives: To investigate the association of family physician continuity with location of death, hospital and emergency room (ER) visits in the last 2 weeks of life in end of life homecare cancer patients. Research Design: Retrospective study involving secondary data analysis of 7 linked databases. Subjects: All those who died of cancer between January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006 in Ontario who had at least 1 visit to a family physician and enrolled in homecare for at least 2 weeks. Methods: The relationship of family physician continuity of care and location of death, and hospital and ER visits in the last 2 weeks of life was examined using logistic regression. Results: The Usual Provider of Care (UPC) measure demonstrated a dose response relationship with increasing continuity resulting in decreased odds of dying in the hospital and visiting the hospital and ER in the last 2 weeks of life. The Family Physician visits per week measure demonstrated a threshold effect relationship with location of death and hospital visits and dose response relationship with ER visits in the last 2 weeks of life. Conclusions: These results demonstrate an association between family physician continuity of care and location of death and visits to the hospital and ER in the last 2 weeks of life. This indicates the need for more involvement of family physicians in end of life cancer care.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Computational approaches to predicting and characterising chemical and biochemical processes

contributor:
Ayers, Paul W.
Randy Dumont, Alex Bain
Randy Dumont, Alex Bain
Chemistry and Chemical Biology

subject:
Fast marching method
QSM-NT
caffeine
pKa prediction
Physical Chemistry
Physical Chemistry

abstract:
The prediction and characterisation of chemical and biochemical processes are fundamental tasks in computational chemistry. Small chemical systems can be characterised by the stationary points on potential energy surface and reaction paths linking them. For large biological systems, statistical sampling is required to characterising their average properties.

This thesis presents my Ph.D. work on developing new methods to predict and characterise chemical and biological processes. Two path-finding methods for finding the minimum energy reaction path and alternative reaction paths for small gas-phase reactions have been elucidated with examples, and molecular dynamic simulations have been used to characterise the binding affinity of protein-ligand complex and the free energy of protonation processes in a protein.

Specifically, the fast marching method (FMM) has been used to find the minimum energy path (MEP) on the potential energy surface (PES) for small gas-phase reactions. In this thesis, FMM is shown to be one of the most general and reliable surface-walking algorithms for finding the MEP. However, it is an expensive method. Some improvements have been illustrated in chapter 2 and chapter 3.

I also proposed a new method (called QSM-NT) for finding all stationary points, accordingly all alternative reaction paths on the PES. Unlike other path-finding methods, QSM-NT overcomes the need of an initial guess of the path, and it can find all stationary points on the PES. QSM-NT has been proven to be efficient and reliable through applications on analytical PES and real chemical reaction. The difficulties and pitfalls associated with QSM-NT have been elucidated with examples.

Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation and associated postprocessing procedures have been used to study the binding properties of caffeine-A2A complex. The binding affinities of different binding modes have been calculated using MM/PBSA method. The binding pocket has been characterised with MM/GBSA energy decomposition. Our computational work provides significant insight to the targeted drug design of the adenosine A2A receptor.

The pH-dependent properties of a protein play important roles in the fundamental biological processes. The protonation states, namely, the pKa values of ionisable residues, especially active-site residues are the prerequisites to understanding of the mechanisms of many biological processes. In this thesis, acetoacetate decarboxylase (AADase) is used as a test case for studying different types of pKa prediction methods. Our computational results have shown that the site-site interactions from other ionisable residues are crucial to the pKa prediction of the target residue.

This thesis covers the range from small gas phase reaction prediction to large complex biological systems characterisation using quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical methods.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Power Conservation in Energy Harvesting Sensor Networks

contributor:
Down, Douglas
Computing and Software

subject:
sensor networks
energy harvesting
power conservation
Digital Communications and Networking
Power and Energy
Digital Communications and Networking

abstract: We examine energy harvesting sensor networks, more specifically, a sensor network using the Geographic Routing with Environmental Energy Supply (GREES) algorithm. We start with a discussion of other sources of energy conservation both in energy harvesting and non-energy harvesting sensor networks. Ideas presented in these works are combined where possible with the GREES algorithm. A sensor network was actually built to test and (if possible) improve the algorithm. There were problems along the way, but they were overcome to produce a functioning energy harvesting sensor network that used solar cells as the energy harvesting unit. Tests were run on the network by giving a consistent light and battery supply, and then changing parameters of the algorithm to see their effect on the lifetime of the network, indicating the network's sensitivity to individual parameters. These results are presented, along with their interpretation, as well as an error analysis detailing the behaviour of the algorithm. We discuss how sensitive the network is to each parameter, indicating which parameters are more important to calibrate or measure correctly.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Formation of Bromate and Other Brominated Disinfection Byproducts during the Treatment of Waters Using a Hybrid Ozonation-Membrane Filtration System

contributor:
Masten, Susan J.
Civil Engineering

subject:
bromate
bromide
ceramic membrane
ozone
water
modeling
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Engineering

abstract:
In this research, ozone hydrodynamics and disinfection by-products formation in a novel hybrid ozonation-ceramic membrane filtration system was studied to minimize membrane fouling while also ensuring that the system meets regulatory criteria for disinfection by-products. The influence of important operating parameters including inlet ozone mass injection rate, initial bromide concentration, membrane molecular weight cut off (MWCO), membrane coating, hydroxyl radical scavenger (t-butanol), pH, and temperature on bromate concentration in the absence and presence of natural organic matter (NOM) was examined. Experiments were also conducted under various operating conditions to investigate the formation of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and halo-acetic acids (HAAs) in the water distribution system due to post chlorination. Moreover, variations in the TOC, UV254, color and turbidity with respect to operating parameters were monitored.

Bromate and TTHMs formation increased with increasing ozone mass injection rate, and initial bromide concentration. An increase in the bromate concentration was observed with decreasing membrane MWCO. Less bromate and TTHM was formed with the coated membrane and t-butanol significantly reduced bromate and TTHM formation. Bromate formation decreased significantly with decreasing pH. Increasing the temperature resulted in enhanced bromate formation. NOM exerted a favorable effect on bromate formation as the bromate concentration was observed to decrease as the NOM content was increased.

Experimental results indicated that ozonation can greatly reduce color and turbidity of water and can be used to overcome membrane fouling. Ensuring a minimum ozone residual in the system enables the continuous treatment of water at a relatively high permeate flux (up to 85% of the clean water flux) and eliminates the need for membrane cleaning procedures.

An empirical model was developed to predict bromate formation in the hybrid ozone- membrane system (R2=0.903). Theoretical models were developed to estimate the rate of bromate formation and to describe the ozone mass transfer in a hybrid system. In all cases, good correlation between the model predictions and the experimental data was achieved.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Le Monstre et le matérialiste dans Le Neveu de Rameau et Le Rêve de D'Alembert

contributor:
Rush, Jane
French

subject:
Diderot
matérialisme
monstres
monstruosité
French and Francophone Literature
French and Francophone Literature

abstract: Au milieu du XVIIIe siècle, le pouvoir et la censure exercés par l’État et l’Église étaient très bien connus par Denis Diderot. Incarcéré en 1749 pour la publication de son texte La Lettre sur les aveugles à l’usage de ceux qui voient, et persécuté sans cesse pour son travail sur L’Encyclopédie, Diderot cherchait un moyen d’exprimer sa philosophie matérialiste et d’éviter la prison. Dans Le Rêve de D’Alembert et Le Neveu de Rameau, écrits entre 1762 et 1773, le philosophe a trouvé ce moyen dans les monstres, et il a utilisé la monstruosité physique ainsi que morale comme outils littéraires. Les monstres sont employés de manière didactique, afin d’instruire le lecteur et d’élucider ses idées sur la nature, la biologie, le matérialisme, et même certains aspects de la philosophie athée. L’hybridité associée avec la monstruosité a même influencé la forme de ces deux dialogues, qui sont des œuvres uniquement structurées pour véhiculer leurs messages. À partir d’une analyse du Rêve de D’Alembert et du Neveu de Rameau, ainsi qu’une étude des textes critiques, cette thèse démontre comment la monstruosité est devenue un élément-clé dans l’expression de la philosophie matérialiste de Diderot.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Politics of Low-Income Housing in Depression-Era Toronto

contributor:
Harris, Richard
Gauvreau, Michael
Frager, Ruth
History

subject: Canada slum clearance class social space

abstract: The thesis offers an interpretive account of the formation of a field of struggle relating to low-income housing in Toronto during the Depression. The stakes in the struggle are established by showing how rival authorities competed for influence over the definition of a housing problem and promoted new state projects of slum clearance, district redevelopment, public housing, and neighbourhood rehabilitation. A particular contribution of the research is to link interventions made to direct state development with the production and reproduction of spatially constituted social structures of Toronto. Through the reconstruction of the form and trajectory of a local housing market using oral histories, archived commentaries, photographic and quantitative sources, practices of housing provision are connected with patterns of service that contributed to class relations in the city.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Analytic Optimization Modeling of Anti-Reflection Coatings for Solar Cells

contributor:
Kleiman, Rafael
Engineering Physics

subject:
anti-reflection coatings
solar cells
optical modeling
multi-junction
light trapping
texturing
Semiconductor and Optical Materials
Semiconductor and Optical Materials

abstract:
The world’s dependence on oil cannot continue indefinitely. As reserves dwindle and demand continues to increase, prices will soar to new highs and fundamentally change the way society deals with energy generation and consumption. Use of oil and other carbon-based fuels also have detrimental effects on human health, as pollution that arises from the combustion of these fuels necessitates treating respiratory problems in millions of people annually. Moreover, evidence that climate change is anthropogenic has become undeniable and has been proven to be direct related to dependence on carbon-based fuels.

Renewable energy offers clean and dependable alternatives for electricity, heating and transport. In particular, solar energy looks to be the most promising owing to its sheer abundance and ubiquity. The main obstacle hindering the adoption of solar cell technology en masse is cost. One of the ways to reduce cost is to fabricate thinner solar cells, but this compromises efficiency due to lower optical absorption that results, especially in silicon. In order to become a serious competitor in the energy market, highly absorptive solar cells must be developed at reduced material costs, which is the essence of light-trapping.

In this study, two of the most common ways to trap light by reducing reflection were investigated: the application of anti-reflection coatings and surface texturing in silicon. Analytic models were created to optimize optical design in both single-junction and multi-junction solar cells. The single-junction silicon models accounted for non-normal incidence, which allowed angle-averaged calculations to be made for planar and textured surfaces. Single-junction GaAs models included a GaInP window layer whose optical effects were considered in anti-reflection coating optimization. The multi-junction GaAs-on-silicon (GaAs/Si) and AlGaAs-on-silicon (AlGaAs/Si) models that were created clearly demonstrated the need to adjust individual subcell thicknesses in order to optimize optical design.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: CLOSED GEODESICS ON COMPACT DEVELOPABLE ORBIFOLDS

contributor:
Boden, Hans U.
Hambleton, Ian
Nicas, Andrew J.
Mathematics

subject:
orbifolds
geodesics
finite group actions
infinite torsion groups
Geometry and Topology
Geometry and Topology

abstract: Existence of closed geodesics on compact manifolds was first proved by Lyusternik and Fet in the 1950s using Morse theory, and the corresponding problem for orbifolds was studied by Guruprasad and Haefliger, who proved existence of a closed geodesic of positive length in numerous cases. In this thesis, we develop an alternative approach to the problem of existence of closed geodesics on compact orbifolds by studying the geometry of group actions. We give an independent and elementary proof that recovers and extends the results of Guruprasad and Haefliger for developable orbifolds. We show that every compact orbifold of dimension 2, 3, 5 or 7 admits a closed geodesic of positive length, and we give an inductive argument that reduces the existence problem to the case of a compact developable orbifold of even dimension whose singular locus is zero-dimensional and whose orbifold fundamental group is infinite torsion and of odd exponent. Stronger results are obtained under curvature assumptions. For instance, one can show that infinite torsion groups do not act geometrically on simply connected manifolds of nonpositive or nonnegative curvature, and we apply this to prove existence of closed geodesics for compact orbifolds of nonpositive or nonnegative curvature. In the general case, the problem of existence of closed geodesics on compact orbifolds is seen to be intimately related to the group-theoretic question of finite presentability of infinite torsion groups, and we explore these and other properties of the orbifold fundamental group in the last chapter.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Immune-Effector Pathways Leading To Peanut-Induced Anaphylaxis

contributor:
Jordana, Manel
Zhou Xing and Ken Rosenthal
Zhou Xing and Ken Rosenthal
Health Sciences

subject:
Food allergy
Mast Cells
Platelet-activating Factor
IgE
IgG
Macrophages
Allergy and Immunology
Medical Immunology
Allergy and Immunology

abstract: Among food allergies, peanut has attracted the most research attention because the allergy is typically lifelong, often severe and potentially fatal. Furthermore, other than epinephrine, there are no treatments available to date. A decade of research has provided a great deal of insight into the factors that promote and regulate the development of allergic responses. However, less in known about the factors involved in the elicitation of the most common and severe manifestation of peanut allergy, namely anaphylaxis. The research in this thesis centers on the investigation of cellular and molecular pathways leading to peanut-induced anaphylaxis (PIA) as well as potential therapeutic targets. Specifically presented are: i) the development and characterization of a mouse model of PIA (Chapter 2), ii) the role of molecules including histamine, leukotrienes (LT) and platelet-activating factor (PAF) (Chapter 3) and, iii) the relative contribution of mast cells, basophils and macrophages as well as IgE and IgG1 (Chapter 4). Our data show that oral sensitization to peanut in C57BL/6 mice generated local and systemic markers of type-2 immunity that was associated with robust and consistent clinical anaphylaxis following antigen challenge. In this context, concurrent blockade of PAF and histamine receptors markedly decreases the severity of these reactions. Moreover, they demonstrate that distinctive immune effector pathways involving activation of mast cells (via IgE and IgG1) and macrophages (via IgG1) cooperate to elicit a broad range of systemic reactions to peanut. These findings highlight that concomitant and progressive recruitment of immune-effector pathways leads to a full range of anaphylactic reactions and therefore, therapeutic strategies for PIA may need to target several pathways or, alternatively shared components within these pathways. Combination therapy blocking both PAF and histamine may represent such as a therapeutic approach.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Science)


title: Altered States of Rurality: Cultural Forays into Southern Ontario Country

contributor:
Coleman, Daniel
O`Brien, Susie
Hyman, Roger
English and Cultural Studies

subject: rurality

subject: southern Ontario

subject: multiculturalism

subject: critical race studies

subject: gender and sexuality studies

subject: Canadian literature and culture

subject: Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

subject: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies

subject: Literature in English, North America

subject: Literature in English, North America, ethnic and minority

subject: Modern Literature

subject: Other Music

subject: Other Race, Ethnicity and post-Colonial Studies

subject: Visual Studies

subject: Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

abstract: This dissertation examines contemporary cultural representations of rurality in southern Ontario. It demonstrates how literary and cultural texts construct, support and/or expand our understandings of the social composition and character of rural culture. Examining various literary forms (drama, life narrative, and the novel), music, and photography, my research and analysis responds to Chris Philo’s pivotal call in the field of rural geography “to pay more careful attention to ‘the multiple forms of otherness’ present in . . . rural areas” (“Neglected” 199) and to foreground what he identifies as “neglected rural geographies.” I argue that dominant literary and cultural representations of rural southern Ontario overwhelmingly mobilize and rarely contest white heteromasculinist rural discourses that support rural cultures of sameness and exclusion. As a means of exposing the motivations for and deleterious effects of these discourses, I draw attention to alternative representations of the region’s rural social geography that expand the imaginative scope circumscribed by hegemonic conceptualizations of what it means to be rural in southern Ontario. As such, my project responds to Philo’s call in three ways: first, it repositions southern Ontario as a rural locale of critical relevance; second, it addresses a gap in Canadian literary and cultural studies by taking up new and evolving approaches in rural studies, with respect to rural “others,” being developed in disciplines like geography, sociology, history and political science; third, it intervenes in dominant socio-spatial discourses currently circulating in Canadian literary and cultural studies that eagerly address issues of gender, sexuality, race and class in Canada’s urban environments while too often neglecting how they intersect with discourses of rurality.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: DEVELOPMENT OF FREQUENCY MODULATED VOCALIZATIONS IN BIG BROWN BAT PUPS

contributor:
Faure, Paul A.
Reuven Dukas, Laurel Trainor
Reuven Dukas, Laurel Trainor
Psychology

subject:
Eptesicus fuscus
echolocation
development
morphology
pups
vocalizations
Other Animal Sciences
Other Psychology
Other Animal Sciences

abstract: Developing bat pups produce distinct vocalizations called isolation calls (I‐calls) that serve to attract the bat’s mother. How individual pups shift their vocalizations from I‐calls to downward frequency modulated (FM) sweeps during development remains unclear. By recording individual bat pups from the day of birth to twenty‐five days postnatal we observed behavioural and bioacoustic (temporal and spectral) changes in pup calls. Temporal characteristics examined were call duration and call rate; spectral characteristics were minimum frequency, maximum frequency, peak spectral frequency, total signal bandwidth, maximum frequency of the fundamental acoustic element and bandwidth of the fundamental. I‐calls were produced only until a certain point in development, after which pups change from emitting long‐duration, tonal I‐calls to downward FM signals and eventually short‐duration biosonar vocalizations. We discovered additional spectral changes in the harmonic structure of pup calls, with the number of harmonic elements decreasing with age. We also recorded pup vocalizations during prolonged separation from their mothers to determine if extended isolation alters the type, number or acoustic structure of emitted vocalizations. Rate of calling was influenced by prolonged separation; younger pups had higher calling rates and called longer than older pups. We also compared temporal and spectral characteristics of spontaneous and provoked calls. We found that provoked calls were more similar to vocalizations produced by younger pups. By documenting the vocal behaviour and acoustic structure of pups calling in different situations, this research provides groundwork for further studies on the ontogeny and development of FM vocalizations in bats and other mammals.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Decarburization Kinetics of Fe-C-S Droplets in Oxygen Steelmaking Slags

contributor:
Coley, Kenneth
Materials Science and Engineering

subject:
Decarburization kinetics
slag
carbon boil
droplets
internal nucleation
BOF steelmaking
Metallurgy
Metallurgy

abstract: The slag metal emulsion may play a significant role in the global furnace decarburization kinetics in oxygen steelmaking. In recent years, the important interaction between droplet generation rate, droplet residence time in slag and droplet decarburization rate has become more evident in the literature. The decarburization kinetics of Fe-C-S droplets in CaO-SiO2-MgO-FeO slags were investigated for highercarbon droplets (approximately 4.2 % C). The effect of slag FeO, droplet mass and Sulphur content on decarburization rate were evaluated. The limit between external and internal nucleation of CO gas was investigated. A model was developed for prediction oftime to the onset of carbon boil.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Modeling and Sensitivity/Uncertainty Analyses of ZED-2 Benchmark Experiments Using DRAGON, DONJON & SUSD3D

contributor:
Buijs, Adriaan
Marleau, Guy
Marleau, Guy
Engineering Physics

subject:
Nuclear
Thorium
DRAGON
DONJON
SUSD3D
ZED-2
Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear Engineering

abstract:
Due to the strong interest in thorium fuels in CANDU reactors rooting back to 1970’s and 1980’s, four experiments were done in the ZED-2 critical facility at Chalk River Laboratories to test the properties of (Th,Pu)O2 fuel. The fuel was placed in five bundles with a typical CANDU design, stacked vertically in the center of the core (K0 site) and surrounded by natural uranium fuel.

The simulation of these experiments using the transport code DRAGON coupled with the diffusion code DONJON is presented. DRAGON is initially used to model two lattices and the full cores in 2D. These models are designed to calculate direct/adjoint flux, k∞ and keff values using the collision probability method. Furthermore, the models determine a set of homogenized and condensed cross sections in two energy groups. Subsequently, DONJON is used to model the full core facility in three dimensions. Using the homogenized and condensed macroscopic cross section libraries obtained from the DRAGON models, DONJON is able to calculate the flux alongside with the keff values for the specific cases in two energy groups. The results are then compared to those from the experiments and will further validate the accuracy of the simulations.

Sensitivity and uncertainty results for the infinite lattices and the 2D full core model using DRAGON and SUSD3D code are discussed. The direct and adjoint flux values determined by DRAGON for the lattices and the full core model are used by SUSD3D to calculate the sensitivity profiles for specific reactions of the isotopes present. The sensitivity profiles are then used alongside with the covariance matrices to calculate the uncertainty contribution of nuclear data to criticality. The sensitivity and uncertainty (S/U) results of the 2D model for full core, using the DRAGON/SUSD3D code coupling are then compared with the S/U results of a 3D model of the full core using the code TSUNAMI within the SCALE6 package in reference. The comparisons will show an excellent degree of consistency between the two methods, while reasons for possible differences in the results are also presented.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Magnetic Characterization of Electrodeposited Nanocrystalline Ni and Ni-Fe alloys

contributor:
Niewczas, Marek
Botton, Gianluigi
Botton, Gianluigi
Materials Science and Engineering

subject:
Electrodeposited
Nanocrystalline
Magnetic properties and measurements
Ni-Fe alloy
Anisotropic Magnetoresistance
Texture
Other Materials Science and Engineering
Other Materials Science and Engineering

abstract:
This research study has been devoted to the study of magnetic properties and magnetic transport of nanocrystalline Ni and Ni-15% Fe alloys consisting of randomly oriented grains with an average size of 23 and 12 (nm), respectively. The structures of the deposits were confirmed by the XRD analysis using Rietveld refinement technique. The as-deposited Ni and Ni-15%Fe sample was comprised exclusively of the γ phase with lattice parameter of 3.5270 (nm) and 3.5424 (nm), respectively. The small increase in lattice parameter was attributed to the replacement of iron solutes in the Ni sites in lattice. Texture analysis of nanocrystalline Ni and Ni-15%Fe revealed that textures components of both materials is qualitatively the same and vary in terms of volume fraction. Both material showed strong <100> fibre texture with some contribution of the <111> component. The calculated volume fraction of the <100> and <111> components were respectively 17.157% and 3.201% for Ni and, 22.032% and 6.160% for Ni-15%Fe and the rest being confined to the random texture.

Magnetic measurements show that all samples exhibit low loss hysteresis loops with high permeabilities. The presence of 15%Fe in Ni leads to enhancement of the saturation magnetization (Ms) regardless of the direction of the applied field. Ms shows an increase from 60.169 (emu/gr) in nanocrystalline Ni to 93.67 (emu/gr) in Ni-15%Fe sample at T=2K. No strong temperature–dependence of the magnetization was observed for samples, but the magnetization of the Ni-15%Fe samples at T=2K were slightly higher than that of T=298K. The coercivity values of nanocrystalline Ni-15%Fe were in all cases smaller than that of nanocrystalline Ni samples. Good agreement between random anisotropy model (RAM) theory and experiment for nanocrystalline Ni and Ni-15%Fe samples was observed. The ferromagnetic exchange length (Lex) was larger than the average grain size (D) for samples at all times. The effective magnetic anisotropy constants (Keff) of the nanocrystalline Ni and Ni-15%Fe alloys were measured using the law of approach to saturation. At T=2K, the Keff of Ni-15%Fe samples were measured to be 1.7037´105 (erg/cm3) and 2.71996 ´105 (erg/cm3) at field parallel and perpendicular, respectively. These values were almost half of the values obtained for nanocrystalline Ni samples 4.66091´105 (erg/cm3) and 4.19703´105 (erg/cm3). Temperature dependence measurements showed that Keff constants decrease with increasing temperature. The angular dependence MR studies on nanocrystalline Ni and Ni-15%Fe resulted in a twofold, and a fourfold symmetric behaviour, respectively. The field dependence MR measured at various sample tilt with respect to the applied field, showed various trends from pure positive MR to pure negative MR, which partially could be explained by magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the samples.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: DE L’INTÉRIEUR À L’EXTÉRIEUR : LE PROCESSUS DE L’EXTIMATION DANS L’USAGE DE LA PHOTO D’ANNIE ERNAUX ET MARC MARIE

contributor:
Grodek, Elzbieta
Stout, John
Stout, John
French

subject:
Annie Ernaux
L'Usage de la photo
photographie
extimation
Marc Marie
French and Francophone Literature
French and Francophone Literature

abstract: Cette thèse vise à analyser les rapports entre l’intérieur et l’extérieur dans L’Usage de la photo d’Annie Ernaux et Marc Marie (2005). On remarque dans ce livre le processus d’« extimation », c’est-à-dire la tendance de l’expérience intime à s’extérioriser dans la rencontre de l’intime avec le monde. On commence par une analyse de L’Usage de la photo comme témoignage de la relation entre les deux auteurs et de la maladie de la femme. Le témoignage, qui s’interroge sur la spécificité de l’expérience vécue, est une expression de l’intimité. Ensuite, dans un mouvement d’antithèse, on démontre la présence dans L’Usage de la photo d’une mise en scène du réel, qui co-existe avec les traces du témoignage. La théâtralisation implique la manipulation du réel qui a précédé la représentation. Elle révèle aussi une tendance vers l’extériorisation puisque le théâtre est le lieu d’une illusion explicite et de la fiction extériorisée. Finalement, on met en dialogue l’intérieur et l’extérieur, le témoignage et la mise en scène, en expliquant comment cet ouvrage représente un récit anonyme et collectif, tout en présentant une histoire personnelle et intime. On remarque que les frontières entre soi et les autres sont brouillés, l’individu est présenté comme un membre du groupe et son expérience intime comme une expérience universelle. Nous soutenons dans tout notre travail que l’usage de la photographie et la présence réelle des images dans ce livre corroborent le mouvement de l’extimation.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF “NEIGHBOURHOOD REVITALIZATION” ON RESIDENTS’ DESTIGMATIZATION PRACTICES, HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN TORONTO’S REGENT PARK COMMUNITY

contributor:
Dunn, Jim
Rachel Zhou, John Eyles
Rachel Zhou, John Eyles
Health and Aging

subject:
urban redevelopment
stigma
health and wellbeing
resistance and resilience
social housing
Regent Park Toronto
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Social and Behavioral Sciences

abstract: Social housing residents’ lived experiences and understandings of their neighbourhood and home are key factors influencing their health and wellbeing, but remain under-examined in the urban redevelopment literature. This thesis investigates the ways in which people living in Toronto’s Regent Park, Canada’s oldest and largest social housing development undergoing “neighbourhood revitalization,” experience their community and respond to neighbourhood stigma. Drawing on Lamont’s (2009) destigmatization practices concept, the aim of this study was to understand “neighbourhood revitalization” as a place destigmatization strategy that may influence the ways in which residents engage in personal destigmatization practices as well as affect their perceived health and wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 15 Regent Park residents and NVivo 9 software was used for data analysis. Findings show that participants utilize various counter-narratives as destigmatization practices that challenge dominant narratives and stereotypical representations of their neighbourhood. However, since re-housing in revitalized buildings, participants’ narratives describing their neighbourhood have changed and may further stigmatize some Regent Park residents. Counter-narratives may be implicitly linked to resiliency and wellbeing, while place destigmatization through revitalization was strongly associated to residents’ perceived improvements in health and wellbeing. The findings of this thesis may contribute to the developing literature on the impacts of urban redevelopment on residents’ health and wellbeing.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Christian Labour Association of Canada; Competing From the Outside

contributor:
Lewchuk, Wayne
Baines, Donna
Storey, Robert
Labour Studies

subject:
Christian Union
CLAC
Union Renewal
Healthcare
Work, Economy and Organizations
Work, Economy and Organizations

abstract:
The Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) is a relatively small but growing independent Canadian labour union that has attracted a great deal of criticism from many mainstream unions. CLAC’s basis in Christian principles, which emphasize cooperation and reconciliation over conflict and reject the socialist notion of class struggle, have led the organization to develop a unique approach to labour relations that puts it at odds with traditional Canadian unions and labour organizations. This approach also seems to have contributed to strong membership growth over a period when the membership of other unions was stagnant or in decline.

This paper attempts to provide some insights on CLAC’s competitiveness by squaring its alternative approach to labour relations with its strong growth relative to other unions. The findings of this paper build on existing research and literature on CLAC’s background and philosophical underpinnings and are based heavily on firsthand interviews with workers and union executives. The key findings of this paper are that CLAC’s competitiveness is strongly related to its conciliatory brand of labour relations, its organizational structure, rooted in its founding role as a religiously based cultural institution, and its position on the outside of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) umbrella. Another important conclusion is that the competitiveness of unions is heavily influenced by its ability to align its values and organizational culture with the values and identities of workers and the specific regulatory and economic environment in which they work.

abstract: Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC)


title: A SCOPING STUDY OF ADVANCED THORIUM FUEL CYCLES FOR CANDU REACTORS

contributor: Engineering Physics and Nuclear Engineering

subject:
Nuclear
Advanced Fuel Cycles
Thorium
CANDU
Nuclear resources
Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear Engineering

abstract:
A study was conducted to scope the relative merits of various thorium fuel cycles in CANDU reactors. It was determined that, due to the very large reprocessing demands of the self-sustaining equilibrium thorium fuel cycle, an additional fissile driver fuel is required for a practical thorium fuel cycle. The driver fuels considered were PWR- and CANDU- derived plutonium, PWR-derived MOX fuel, and low-enriched uranium. The addition a RU-fuelled CANDU reactor with possible americium, curium, and lanthanides recycling was also considered. The fuel cycles were evaluated for natural uranium consumption and reprocessing demands as well as spent fuel characteristics such as: thermal and gamma power, radioactivity, and ingestion and inhalation hazards.

The two-dimensional multigroup code, WIMS-AECL, was used to calculate the burnup and some controllability properties of the CANDU reactors. ORIGEN, a depletion and decay module, was used to evaluate the spent fuel characteristics and the systems code, DESAE, was used to simulate the introduction of the thorium fuel cycle to a growing global reactor park.

It was determined that 233U production in the thorium fuels is optimized at lower exit burnups. Therefore, less external fissile driver material is required for the operation of the thorium reactors and natural uranium savings of the overall fuel cycle are increased. Furthermore, it was determined that driving the thorium fuel cycle with low-enriched uranium is the most efficient way to minimize natural uranium consumption. Assuming that a 40 MWd/kg exit burnup was achieved in the CANDU reactors, the fuel cycle yielded an 82% savings of natural uranium, compared to a scenario in which all power came from PWRs, while a 20 MWd/kg exit burnup increased the savings to 94%. The savings ranged over those exit burnups from 55%-69% for the variant with PWR-derived plutonium, 60%-73% for PWR-derived MOX fuel, and 78%-87% for CANDU-derived plutonium. The thermal power, radioactivity, and health hazards of the spent fuel were the highest for the case with MOX fuel driver but americium recycling proved effective for decreasing the long term dangers. In a global reactor park, the introduction of the thorium fuel cycle was hampered by the availability of fissile resources and, for a PWR-derived driver, natural uranium consumption was only reduced by 22% over 100 years relative to the PWR only scenario.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Cold Flows in Galaxy Formation

contributor:
Couchman, Hugh
Wadsley, James
Parker, Laura
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Galaxy Formation
Simulation
Gas Accretion
Cosmology
Other Astrophysics and Astronomy
Other Astrophysics and Astronomy

abstract: We present a numerical study of gas accretion into galaxies using the SPH code, Gasoline. Numerical tests on shock treatment in Gasoline are run to evaluate how well cosmological-scale, high Mach number shocks are treated. We find that shock solutions are far too noisy, and in specific density and metallicity regimes, this seeds a phase separation instability of hot and cold gas. We propose this instability as the source of cold blobs seen in many numerical simulations. We find that improved shock behavior is primarily attained through increased viscosity parameters. Analysis is also performed on four cosmological simulations from the McMaster Unbiased Galaxy Simulations (MUGS) (Stinson et al. 2010). In agreement with recent literature, we find cold flows of gas seeded by dark matter filaments stretching far into the inner galaxy in all analyzed galaxies. Tracking of star and gas particles is performed, and we find that cold mode accretion makes up between 40% and 60% of total gas accretion. As well, we find that cold gas is in general very quickly formed into stars, and that between 40% and 70% of total star mass comes from cold gas accretion.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: LES GENS DE DUBLIN EN TRADUCTION DANS LA TRILOGIE DE BARRYTOWN DE RODDY DOYLE

contributor:
Kliffer, Michael
Moyal, G.
Sevigny, A.
French

subject:
Roddy Doyle
traduction
argot
expressions familières
termes culturels
traductologie
French and Francophone Literature
French and Francophone Literature

abstract: En écrivant La Trilogie de Barrytown l’auteur, Roddy Doyle, a choisi d’utiliser le parler des gens de Dublin, en Irlande. Par conséquent les histoires sont pleines de caractéristiques du vernaculaire comme, par exemple, des expressions familières, de l’argot et des termes culturels. Nous faisons un examen du langage de Doyle et les défis spécifiques qu’il pose pour les traducteurs afin d’analyser leurs méthodes. Nous faisons appel à la capacité du traducteur à interpréter le sens de l’original et à sa créativité pour le rendre dans la langue cible. Nous étudions l’aspect lanagier et l’aspect culturel des traductions. Une interview avec l’un des traducteurs, Bernard Cohen, nous donne plus d’information sur le processus de traduction et le rôle que les traducteurs jouent dans le monde de la traductologie (l’étude de la traduction) aujourd’hui.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Implementing Efficient Algorithms for Computing Runs

contributor:
Franek, Frantisek
Antoine Deza, Emil Sekerinski
Antoine Deza, Emil Sekerinski
Computing and Software

subject:
run
repetition
periodicity
string
Theory and Algorithms
Theory and Algorithms

abstract:
In the first part of this thesis we present a C++ implementation of an improved O(n log n) algorithm to compute runs, number of primitively rooted distinct squares, and maximal repetitions, based on Crochemore's partitioning algorithm. This is a joint work with Mei Jiang and extends her work on the problem. In the second part we present a C++ implementation of a linear algorithm to compute runs based on the Main's, and Kolpakov and Kucherov's algorithms following the strategy:

1. Compute suffix array and LCP array in linear time;

2. Using the suffix array and LCP array, compute Lempel-Ziv factorization in linear time;

3. Using the Lempel-Ziv factorization, compute in linear time some of the runs that include all the leftmost runs following Main's algorithm;

4. Using Kolpakov and Kucherov's approach, compute in linear time the rest of all the runs.

For our linear time implementation, we partially relied on Jonathan Fischer's Java implementation.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: The Standard Assessment of Global Activities in the Elderly (SAGE) scale: Validation process of a new tool for the assessment of disability in older adults

contributor:
Teo, Koon
Thabane, Lehana
Law, Mary
Health Research Methodology

subject:
Disability
older adults
validation
Medicine and Health Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences

abstract:
Background The possibility of ageing independently during the past 2 decades assumed a meaning which comprises different aspects. It has been recognized, in studies involving older adults but also by important Health Organizations (such as WHO), that disability could originate from different causes: physical limitations, external causes (such as personal assistance or building barriers), individual causes (lifestyle, behavior, positive attitude) and societal factors. Measuring the level of disability in a comprehensive way could help predict the amount of help and the best resources needed for older adults to cope with disability and remain independent as much as possible. The SAGE scale has been developed to be a complete and easy to use tool to measure independence in older adults.

Objectives The aim of this thesis is to describe the methodology and the design of a study and to assess the validity and reliability of the SAGE scale.

Design SAGE validation will be measured in a cross sectional study, involving 240 older adults conveniently sampled from 3 different facilities in the Hamilton area. Community dwelling older adults, patients recovering from a stroke and subjects living in a nursing home, will be assessed at one point in time with the new tool (the SAGE scale) together with four widely used scales to assess cognitive abilities (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), functional abilities (The Franchay Activity Index), the modified-Rankin scale and the CSHA Clinical Frailty Scale. This thesis will describe the processes through which assess the content, construct and criterion validity. The hierarchical sequence of items will also be investigated as well as specificity and sensitivity of the new tool.

Conclusion The development of the SAGE was motivated by the recent need for an instrument able to capture all the activities that are important for the elderly to be able to age with dignity and independence. The results of this study, if positive, will be useful for further investigation of the SAGE, as a screening tool to recognize and detect early loss of independence in this group of individuals.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Influence of Additives on the Foamability of Potato Starch based Biopolymers

contributor:
Thompson, Michael
Hrymak, Andrew
Hoare, Todd
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Hydrolyzed Starch
Poly (lactic acid)
Chian Extender. Batch Foaming
Polymer Science
Polymer Science

abstract:
In this study, attempts were made to diversify the application of potato starch based biopolymer as foam-grade materials. To improve foamability, which is largely dependent on melt strength, it is possible to modify hydrolyzed starch based biopolymers by bulk modification with bi- and multi- functional epoxy chain extenders. The modification work was carried out using a twin screw extruder (TSE) and an internal batch mixer (Haake Mixer) with four different chain extenders. The modified blends were characterized by Parallel Plate Rheometry, DSC, Intrinsic Viscosity and SEM techniques. Finally, foamability of the modified blends was examined by using supercritical CO2 as a physical blowing agent in a high-pressure batch vessel. Variables such as saturation pressure, saturation time and saturation temperature were adjusted to determine their influence on the cell morphology of the foamed parts.

The multi-functional epoxy chain extenders effectively increased the bulk melt viscosity and reduced the crystalline content of both hydrolyzed starch based biopolymers. The intrinsic viscosity measurements were quantified the chain extension reaction, which primarily occurred in the PLA/AAC or PLA phase in both biopolymers and the starch phase made no contribution towards increased bulk melt viscosity. The multi-functional Joncryl® ADR 4370S was the most effective chain extender for improving the stability of foams by yielding smaller cell size and higher cell density in comparison with the original biopolymer during the batch foaming process at 10 MPa saturation pressure and 30 min saturation time. The use of other chain extenders proved to be mostly ineffectual in producing uniform cellular structure in their corresponding modified biopolymer at those same processing conditions.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Exploring Blackness from Muslim, Female, Canadian Realities: Founding Selfhood, (Re)claiming Identity and Negotiating Belongingness Within/Against a Hostile Nation

contributor:
Rothenberg, Celia
Takim, Liyakat
Sinding, Christina
Religious Studies

subject: African-Canadian

subject: Muslim

subject: Convert

subject: Women

subject: Toronto

subject: Discrimination

subject: Race, Ethnicity and post-Colonial Studies

abstract: From what specific socio-cultural “positionality” are African-Canadian Muslim females living their realities? What methods do they employ to locate, (re)claim, and/or assert selfhood from these peripheral spaces within the white nation? How does their shared socio-religio-racial and gendered marginality, potentially, act as a site for inciting a sense of camaraderie towards one another? Such queries frame the content of this thesis which commissions qualitative research methods to unearth answers that rely upon the “particular”--by intimately gazing at 13 Black Muslim women’s gendered-racialized experiences in Toronto. Dividing analysis by religious status this work examines the dynamics distinct to 1. convert and 2.“life-long” Muslim participants’ cultivation of a religious/racial identity. The anti-Black and anti-Islamic discrimination punctuating “multicultural” Canada later collapses investigation into a unified survey of the ways African-Canadian Muslim women in general, contend with the oppressive socio-cultural forces attempting to infringe on their humanity. Research concludes that the adverse or hospitable responses of surrounding communities (these are: the ethnic-majority Muslim community; the non-Muslim Black population; Eurocentric secular society at large) to these women, influences how they both place themselves in their environments and interact with their Black-Muslim female fellows. This thesis argues that the persistent ostrasization of African-Canadian Islamic women within the religious and secular-public spheres of society establishes a necessary, defensive solidarity amongst these individuals; specifically, their communions can erect a nurturing platform to challenge or minimize the impact of oppressive forces--particularly protecting against the mental and social violence inflicted by racist-sexist Islamophobic white supremacist powers.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Topics in Stochastic Control with Applications to a Tubular Reactor

contributor:
MacGregor, John F.
Wright, Joseph D.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering

abstract:
This thesis represents part of an ongoing study on the modelling and control of a pilot scale packed bed tubular reactor carrying out the hydrogenolysis of n-butane. The use of time series modelling and stochastic control to analyze and develop control strategies for this process was investigated.

The mass and energy balances describing the hydrogenolysis of n-butane in this tubular reactor are a set of nonlinear partial differential equations in time and two spatial co-ordinates. In spite of their complexity, an analytical solution to these equations exists for certain linear combinations of the reaction species. These linear combinations, known as reaction invariants, define the reaction stoichiometry.

A dynamic model of the process suitable for on-line computer control had previously been developed from the material and energy balances. This dynamic model, and a stochastic model for the inherent process disturbances, were used to investigate the optimal location of thermocouples along the central axis of the reactor. The results of this analysis indicated that good state estimation and control of the temperature profile, and effluent concentrations, could be achieved when one or two thermocouples were located in the vicinity of the hot spot (maximum) temperature. The location of the thermocouples was insensitive to the statistical properties of the disturbances. A canonical variate anlaysis of the reactor temperatures using this model indicated that the variation of the hot spot temperature and average temperature had significant predictable components. Other linear combinations of the axial temperatures were essentially white noise processes, and therefore unpredictable. Control of the hot spot temperature and average temperature would control most of the predictable variation in the temperature profile, and as a result, most of the predictable variation in the effluent concentrations.

Univariate stochastic controllers designed for processes with deadtime have some very unusual spectral characteristics. The spectral characteristics of these controllers depend on the process deadtime and the structure and parameters of the stochastic disturbance model.

A number of univariate self-tuning regulators were implemented to control the hot spot temperature. The self-tuning controller gave good control over the hot spot temperature when compared to digital propotional plus integral type controllers. This algorithm quickly tuned the controller parameters and was robust to the assumption in its derivation.

Linear quadratic controllers designed for stochastic disturbance are identical to those designed to compensate for an 'equivalent' class of deterministic disturbances. When the controller structures are identical, it is the manner in which the state variables are reconstructed that determines how well a control strategy will perform. Although controllers can be readily designed to compensate process subject to deterministic and stochastic disturbances, reconstruction of the state variables in such instances is complicated by the presence of both type of disturbances.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Study of non-contact on-site surface roughness measurement

contributor:
LaPierre, R. R.
Engineering Physics

subject:
non-contact
on-site
rotating
surface roughness
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Other Engineering
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

abstract: A non-contact on-site surface roughness measurement method was investigated in experimental and simulation approaches. The resolution of the vertical surface roughness was obtained at 20 nm by using self-interference theory. Various surface roughness measurement techniques, such as mechanical stylus, AFM and Michelson interferometer, were employed for different roughness samples. The novelty of this study was to measure the surface roughness on a rotating sample. For each sample with different step height, corresponding intensity distribution data was obtained and analyzed. The fringe visibility ratio resulted in a curve that is related to the step height, which represents the roughness. The results from simulations for all samples were compared with experimental data. Good agreements were obtained for the studied conditions.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Modulation of Hemostatic Pathways by Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Agents

contributor:
Liaw, Patricia
Jeffry Weitz, Geoff Werstuck
Jeffry Weitz, Geoff Werstuck
Medical Sciences

subject:
thrombosis
cancer
chemotherapy
thrombin generation
tissue factor
protein C pathway
Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases
Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases

abstract: Thrombosis is a common complication of chemotherapy for breast cancer patients. However, the specific mechanisms by which chemotherapy agents modulate these hemostatic pathways are not well understood. In this thesis, we investigated the mechanism(s) by which chemotherapy agents can upregulate procoagulant pathways (tissue factor (TF), phosphatidylserine exposure, and cell-free DNA (CFDNA) release) and impair the protein C (PC) anticoagulant pathway. We examined the effects of chemotherapy agents doxorubicin, epirubicin and the cyclophosphamide metabolite acrolein on cell surface procoagulant activity. We found that treatment of endothelial cells with the chemotherapy drugs increased phosphatidylserine exposure and TF activity on treated endothelial cells, blood monocytes and/or smooth muscle cells. This corresponded to an increase in thrombin generation on chemotherapy-treated cells exposed to recalcified, defibrinated plasma. We also found that found that doxorubicin and epirubicin can increase CFDNA release from breast cancer chemotherapy patients and healthy mice, which corresponds to an increase in thrombin-antithrombin levels. Treatment of venous whole blood and isolated neutrophils with doxorubicin and epirubicin increased CFDNA release. We found that exposure of recalcified plasma to CFDNA isolated from epirubicin-treated whole blood increased thrombin generation by activating the contact pathway. We investigated the effects of chemotherapy on the PC anticoagulant pathway. We found that acrolein decreased EPCR while increasing thrombomodulin expression on treated endothelial cells. A corresponding decrease in activated PC generation was measured on acrolein-treated endothelial cells exposed to recalcified, defibrinated plasma. Healthy mice treated with acrolein and cyclophosphamide increased PC antigen levels, but no measurable increase in plasma APC levels. Breast cancer chemotherapy drugs elevate thrombin generation by activating coagulation through the TF and contact pathways, and by promoting phosphatidylserine exposure, as well as by impairing PC activation EPCR expression. These studies provide insight into the mechanisms of breast cancer chemotherapy-induced hypercoagulation.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Science)


title: The Regulation of Human Muscle Stem Cells in Response to Muscle Damage and Aging

contributor:
Parise, Gianni
Phillips, Stuart
Tarnopolsky, Mark
Kinesiology

subject:
Muscle Stem Cells
Human
Exercise
Aging
Satellite Cells
Myostatin
Exercise Science
Exercise Science

abstract: Skeletal muscle exhibits a remarkable capacity for growth and regeneration in response to physiological stimuli. This extensive plasticity is, in part, due to a tissue-resident stem cell called the satellite cell. Satellite cells respond to myotrauma by upregulating a class of transcriptional networks which orchestrate myogenic specification. This process is controlled by four main transcription factors known as the myogenic regulatory factors: Myf5, MyoD, MRF4 and Myogenin. Satellite cells respond to molecular cues released from the muscle fiber or inflammatory cells in response to muscle damage. Although several regulators have been implicated in the control of the satellite cell response to exercise or damage, very few of these have been examined in humans. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been demonstrated to enhance satellite cell proliferation in animal and cell culture models. IGF-1 has also been shown to induce myogenic differentiation, however little is known about IGF-1 and IL-6 in humans, in response to physiological levels of muscle damage. Myostatin has been identified as a negative regulator of muscle growth and an inhibitor of satellite cells in mice. To date no data exists regarding the relation of myostatin to the satellite cell response to exercise and in the context of aging. The work outlined in this thesis provides support for the proposed divergent effects of the IGF-1 splice variants on satellite cell function. IGF-1 appears to be preferentially spliced as IGF-1Ec during the proliferative phase of the myogenic program while IGF-1Ea and Eb appear as the predominant splice variants during the initiation of differentiation based on the expression of the MRFs. Furthermore, the localization of IGF-1 with Pax7 in muscle-cross sections in the post-exercise time-course lends support to the importance of IGF-1 in the myogenic response to myotrauma. This thesis also provides novel evidence to support the role of IL-6 in the regulation of satellite cell proliferation in response to acute muscle damage in humans. These data confirm that IL-6 imparts its action on the satellite cell via the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. In addition, for the first time, myostatin is demonstrated to be altered by acute exercise in both young and older adults and this effect is most notable in the satellite cell compartment. In addition, these data implicate myostatin as a contributing factor to age-related satellite cell dysfunction in response to exercise (or myotrauma).

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Software-Defined MicroGrid Testbed for Energy Management

contributor:
Haykin, Simon
T. Kirubarajan, Rafael Kleiman
T. Kirubarajan, Rafael Kleiman
Computational Engineering and Science

subject: Microgrid

subject: Testbed

subject: Energy Management

subject: Smart Grid

subject: Computational Engineering

subject: Other Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject: Computational Engineering

abstract:
The advent of small-scale, distributed generators of energy has resulted in the problem of integrating them in the conventional electric power system, which is characterized by large-scale, centralized energy generators. MicroGrids have emerged as a promising solution to the integration problem and have duly received increasing research attention. Microgrids are semi-autonomous collections of controllable microsources and loads, which present themselves to the utility grid as single, controlled entities. In order to achieve the semi-autonomous and controlled nature of microgrids, especially,overcoming the challenge of balancing demand and power generation, an intelligent energy management scheme is required.

Developing an energy management scheme is an interesting and challenging task, which provides the potential to exploit ideas from a plethora of fields like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Constrained Optimization, etc. However, testing energy management strategies on a microgrid would pose a multitude of problems,the most important of them being the unreliability and inconvenience of testing an energy management strategy, which is not optimal, on a functional microgrid. Errors in a test strategy might cause power outages and damage installed devices. Hence it is necessary to test energy management strategies on simulated microgrids.

This thesis presents a Software Testbed of MicroGrids, specifically designed to suit the purposes of development of energy management strategies. The testbed consists of two components: Simulation Framework and Analysis Tool. The modular simulation framework enables simulation of a microgrid with microsources and loads,whose configurations can be specified by the user. The analysis tool enables visual analysis of data generated using simulations, which would enable the improvement of not only the management strategy and prediction techniques, but also the computer models used in the simulation framework. A demonstration of the software testbed's simulation and analysis capabilities is presented and possible directions for future research are suggested.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: VALIDITY OF PRE-DISCHARGE FUNCTIONAL MEASURES FOR PREDICTING HARM IN OLDER ADULTS

contributor:
Letts, Lori
Eva, Kevin
Richardson, Julie
Rehabilitation Science

subject:
outcome assessment
psychometrics
older adult
safety
patient discharge
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy

abstract:
Older adults admitted to hospital often must make discharge decisions about whether they will be able to safely manage at home. Decision-making for clients and teams is supported by occupational therapy assessment. This thesis presents three manuscripts from a single study that was designed to address a need for evidence of validity of two measures for predicting harm.

The design was a prospective observational study in which older adults from an inpatient unit (n=47) were followed for six months for reports of incidents of harm. Baseline data included independent variables (e.g. age, sex, education, living alone, comorbidities, caregiving hours, ADL score) and scores on two measures: the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) and the Cognitive Performance Test (CPT).

The first manuscript contributed needed validation evidence for the CPT. The CPT correlated moderately with cognitive measures, and scores were not affected by age, and years of education. The CPT differentiated impaired persons differently from other measures. Results highlighted that further evidence to test the CPT against a criterion related to outcomes in the community was needed.

The second manuscript tested the trustworthiness of the outcome “incidents of harm”. Test-retest reliability was high and validation against daily logs and medical charts supported this method of measurement of incident of harm.

The third manuscript determined whether the AMPS and CPT were valid for predicting incidents of harm after discharge. The results showed that, compared with all independent variables, AMPS-Process scores were the most significant predictor of harm outcome. The CPT had a high specificity for identifying persons who did not have harm. Living alone, age and sex contributed to the prediction of harm. The implications of these results are that scores on the measures can inform patients, families and the team about older adults’ risk of incidents of harm after discharge.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Dark Matter Haloes of Galaxies in Groups

contributor:
Parker, Laura
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
gravitational lensing
astronomy
evolution
galaxy groups
observational cosmology
Astrophysics and Astronomy
External Galaxies
Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Astrophysics and Astronomy

abstract: Galaxies live in extended, non-luminous haloes of dark matter. How dark matter haloes are affected by environment has been examined using cosmological simulations, and resulting predictions tested for isolated and cluster galaxies. However, predictions have have yet to be tested in the intermediate density environment of galaxy groups. We present a weak galaxy-galaxy lensing analysis of galaxies in groups, with the aim of examining how the group environment affects the dark matter haloes of member galaxies. In particular, we address three questions: 1) whether the dark matter haloes of galaxies in groups are truncated relative to galaxies in the field, 2) how dark matter is distributed within the group environment and 3) whether the halo-to-stellar mass ratio is different between field and group galaxies. We use a basic stacking method and a maximum likelihood technique to parameterize the dark matter haloes of group and field galaxies. Our samples of intermediate redshift group and field galaxies were identified by the Group Environment and Evolution Collaboration in the CNOC2 Redshift Survey. For these data, we measure the average radial extent of a group galaxy dark matter halo to be $s_* = 54^{+114}_{-39}$ kpc, which hints at the possible truncation of galaxy haloes in the group environment. We develop a method of examining the distribution of dark matter within the galaxy group itself, but obtain inconclusive results. Our preliminary analysis of star formation efficiency (halo-to-stellar mass ratio) indicates group galaxies may be less efficient at forming stars compared to galaxies in the field. Larger data samples are required in order to conduct a more rigorous analysis.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Character at Work: A Virtues Approach to Creativity and Emotion Regulation

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

subject: positive psychology; emotion regulation; virtues; character strengths and virtues

subject: Organizational Behavior and Theory

subject: Organizational Behavior and Theory

abstract:
The study of character strengths is a promising new approach available to positive psychology in its campaign to focus on the positive aspects of people, work and society, and encourage individuals to thrive in all aspects of their lives. Character strengths have been linked to satisfaction with life, but no previous work has investigated how these positive aspects of individuals lead to greater life satisfaction. The current work investigates how different combinations of character strengths, termed strength profiles, predict the use of two emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal and emotional suppression. Also investigated was the ability of these strength profiles to predict associative creativity, positive and negative affect, and life satisfaction.

A sample of 205 students was used. Participants completed the Virtues in Action survey of character strengths, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Satisfaction with Life Scale and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. An experimental design was employed to investigate the effects of positive and negative emotions on performance on a task requiring associative creativity, the Remote Associates Test. Furthermore, the relationship between character strengths and emotion regulation strategy was investigated.

Character strengths predicted cognitive reappraisal as a preferred method of emotion regulation. Character strengths also positively predicted positive affect, negatively predicted negative affect, and were positively associated with satisfaction with life. Additionally, cognitive reappraisal mediated the relationship between a profile designed to up-regulate positive emotions and self-reports of positive emotions.

Results were compared for the proposed strength profiles and Peterson and Seligman's (2004) original six virtues. Differences in predictive ability between the strength profiles and virtues are highlighted. Finally, theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are suggested.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: DEMENTIA CARE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE: CHALLENGES IN LONG TERM CARE

contributor:
Aronson, Jane
Sinding, Christina
Sammon, Sheila
Social Work

subject:
dementia
behavioural disturbances
long term care
organizational culture
Social Work
Social Work

abstract:
ABSTRACT

In the current climate of downsizing and cost cutting within the health care system in Ontario, the Long Term Care (LTC) sector is faced with the present and future challenge of providing care for a growing population of people afflicted with dementia. LTC facilities are generally regarded as a suitable location for people with dementia experiencing behavioural disturbances to live out the last years of their lives. Critics, advocates and researchers are concerned with the capacity of facilities to meet the complex care needs of this vulnerable population. Confronted by barriers such as staff shortages, increased workloads and acuity of resident care facilities are struggling. The purpose of this study was to explore what characterizes a LTC facility that allows the staff to receive and respond well to the care needs of their residents experiencing behavioural disturbances, to better understand the organizational culture and practices that distinguish them from facilities that are not as successful in their efforts to provide resident-centred care.

A small qualitative study of specialized geriatric outreach case managers working within a number of different LTC facilities was conducted using personal interviews to draw forward their experiences and observations. This group of professionals was uniquely positioned to witness the organizational cultures and practices within facilities associated with good and responsive care. Analysis of their accounts suggests that an organizational culture within a LTC facility that is able to create an environment that builds capacity among the staff to provide responsive care, was resident-centred, had an inclusive work culture, provided support and work flexibility was better able to be responsive to the needs of residents with dementia experiencing behavioural disturbances. The findings also revealed the importance of not losing sight of the impact front-line staff can have on making changes and pushing back against the current social policy agenda and constraints in LTC.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: RECONCEPTUALIZING INCLUSIVE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN TORONTO

contributor:
Collins, Stephanie Baker
Social Work

subject:
Citizen Participation
Consultation
Social Policy
Newcomers
Inclusion
Best Practice
Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation
Social Policy
Social Work
Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation

abstract:
The City of Toronto has become synonymous with themes of culture and diversity. With close to one half of the city’s population now comprised of those born outside of Canada, Toronto represents a dynamic and exciting cultural mosaic. Yet, underneath this surface exist real disparities in health and well being for many newcomers and racialized communities. In addition to and because of such disparities, changes in the demographics of Toronto have led to challenges and questions involving the participation of such communities within the formal political realm. Much research to date has focused on issues of representation and the exercise of political franchise within such communities.

As opposed to the formal political realm, the aim of this research is to better understand the substantive participation of newcomers and members of racialized communities in processes of government sponsored citizen participation at the municipal level by asking: what is the ability of this approach to policy making to meaningfully include a diverse range of voices? This question is important because it is decisions in this realm that most immediately impact residents of the city. Additionally, if social policy developers are to keep up with shifts in demographics and create inclusive and responsive policy, then consideration must be given to all community members.

To understand the ability of government sponsored citizen participation to be inclusive of a diverse range of voices, a literature review was conducted. Also, an analysis of the case of the 2000-2001 Community Consultations on Social Development held in Toronto was undertaken. Finally, five interviews were held with policy practitioners within Toronto to gain insight into the ability of practices of government sponsored citizen participation to be inclusive. The findings of this research study highlight that political will and increased funding must be directed towards the purposeful inclusion of newcomers and racialized communities in processes of government sponsored citizen participation so as to foster increased experiences of inclusion and the creation of responsive and effective policies of social development.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)