title: Experimental investigations of sand-water coaxial and swirling jets in stagnant water

contributor:
Azimi, Amir
Liao, Baoqiang
Deng, Jian
Billah, Muntasir

subject:
Sand jets
Particle clouds
Coaxial jet
Signal processing

abstract:
Sand jets and particle clouds are found in many engineering applications, such as
marine bed capping, dredging material disposal, and discharge of wastewater. A coaxial jet is
composed of an inner jet surrounded by an annular jet and is often employed as an effective
method to mix two different flow streams. Swirling jets form when an azimuthal velocity is
added to the axial flow. Adding a swirling motion or carrier fluid can influence the
hydrodynamics of flow and enhance mixing efficiency. Understanding the dynamics of sand
particles and ambient water is important for proper design and optimizing coaxial and swirling
jets in engineering systems. The coaxial sand-water or swirling impinging process can be used
as an effective way to optimize the releasing condition and to enhance the placement of
materials in ambient currents.
In the first part of this thesis, detailed laboratory experiments were conducted to study
the dynamics of gravity-driven finite amount of sand particles (i.e., particle cloud) vertically
released downward into stagnant water. The importance of nozzle diameter, sand particle mass,
and particle size in spreading and mixing of particles in water was studied, and the main
parameters controlling particle motion and mixing were identified by the aspect ratio and
Stokes number. The axial and radial profiles of sand concentration and velocity were measured
by an accurate and robust optical probe (PV6). Practical formulations to estimate the decay rate
of sand concentration and velocity were developed to assist the analysis and design of dredge
disposal. Parameters were calculated inside particle clouds to better understand the evolution
of particle clouds in stagnant water.


title: Assessment of strength profiles in adolescents and the relationship to mental health concerns

subject: Mental illness

subject: Assessment and treatment of youth with mental health concerns

subject: Adolescent strengths and mental health

abstract: The purpose of the proposed investigation was to advance our understanding of the strengths concept in the adolescent population. The relationship between adolescent strengths and mental health, and individual differences in the strengths and mental health relationship were explored. The secondary purpose of the present study was to empirically validate the Strength Assessment Inventory (SAI) for Children and Adolescents. One hundred and thirty youth were recruited through the Lakehead Public School Board and the Children’s Centre Thunder Bay. Each participant completed a battery of questionnaires, and additional questionnaires were completed by parents or guardians. It was hypothesized that there would be an inverse relationship between strengths and mental health concerns, and that this relationship would be moderated through other variables. Results were largely consistent with this prediction. Strength scores were negatively correlated with mental health scores, and sex was identified as a moderator in the relationship between strengths and mental health. Results also suggest that the newly developed SAI is a psychometrically robust instrument. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the prevention, assessment, and treatment of mental health disorders among the adolescent population.


title: Reversibility of PVDF membrane performance and structure caused by cold water temperature and elevated conditioning water temperature

contributor:
Liao, Baoqiang
Gao, Wa

subject: Polyvinylidene fluoride membrane structure

subject: Water treatment

subject: Membrane technology

subject: Membrane fouling

abstract:
Thousands of dollars are wasted each year due to the impact that cold temperature has on membrane filters. There are many areas around the world that are subjected to cold climate, and the study of how cold temperature has an impact on membrane filters and whether or not that impact could be reversed is of great interest.
The impact that cold temperature, warm water treatment, and treatment time would have on the performance and structure of a polyvinylidene fluoride flat sheet membrane was studied. Three modules were used and the flux was maintained 30LMH while the TMP was monitored for three month duration in the cold temperature. One module stayed in the cold temperature constantly, while every two weeks, the other two modules were treated with 23⁰C or 35⁰C water for six hours. In addition, pieces of the polyvinylidene fluoride membrane were placed in the cold temperature for the three months and treated every two weeks in the same manner for six and 24 hours, and the structural changes (pore size) that occurred were tested.
The use of periodical warm water (35°C) membrane treatment could completely or almost completely recover the membrane performance and pore size structure loss caused by cold water temperature, while the use of room temperature (23±1°C) treatment recovered majority of the membrane permeability and structure loss caused by cold water temperature. Membranes periodically treated in warmer water temperature showed a better membrane performance (higher permeability) than that periodically treated at room temperature from a long-term operation of three months. The results suggest the change in polyvinylidene fluoride membrane structure caused by cold water temperature is almost completely reversible after periodical warm water treatment, and thus the use of warm water treatment and/or chemical cleanings will benefit the recovery of membrane performance and structure change caused by cold water temperature in cold regions.


title: Some dielectric and spectroscopic studies on hydrogen bonding

subject:
Dielectrics
Spectrum analysis
Hydrogen bonding

abstract:
Dielectric relaxation studies were carried out
principally on some hydroxy compounds (e.g., phenols) and
some carboxylic acids in polystyrene (PS) matrices and,
in some cases, in compressed solids (CS). The hydroxy
compounds in PS showed at least one absorption each
corresponding to the molecular relaxation. In CS and,
in some cases, in PS, a second absorption process due to
the O-H group relaxation was observed in some of these
compounds. The relaxation parameters as well as the
Eyring activation parameters for both the molecular
relaxation and group relaxation were found to be significantly
influenced by hydrogen bonding in several cases.
In general, carboxylic acids showed two families of
absorptions. The common absorption process observed for
all the acid molecules was attributed to the 0-H group
relaxation in cyclic acid dimers which has to be preceded
by the breakage of hydrogen bonds in the cyclic structures.
The other absorption process for a number of the
acid molecules was attributed to the molecular relaxation
and/or segmental motion. In case of ester molecules a
common process due to O-R group reorientation was
observed.


title: Copying speed in school children : comparison of meaningful and non-meaningful materials and desk vs. board copy

contributor:
Mountain, M. A.
Netley, Charles

subject: Penmanship Note-taking Writing

abstract:
The purpose of this study was to develop a measure
of children's copying speed {conditions: making X's in
boxes, copying unfamiliar alphabet-like figures, writing
pronounceable nonsense syllables, and copying grade
appropriate paragraphs from the Gray Oral Reading Tests
presented as desk copy or board copy) and copy span. Four
hundred twenty-five children in grades 2 through 8 were
tested. It was found that copy speed and copy span
increased with age and grade, that the relative speed of
the tasks varied between grades, and that girls were
faster than boys on tasks involving alphabet letters.
The Copy Speed and Span Test is a reliable measure of
children's copy speed and span that should be useful in
future research.


title: Design and evaluation of novel fluorescent molecular probes targeting cathepsin B

contributor:
Floriano, Wely
Phenix, Christopher
Curiel, Laura
Campbell, M.

subject:
Cathepsin B
Fluorescent substrate
Fluorescent probe
Dichlorofluorescein reporter

abstract:
Lysosomal cysteine proteinase cathepsin B (CTB) is a member of the cysteine protease family
known to participate in intracellular degradation processes and protein turnover in the lysosomes
of healthy cells. Cathepsin B plays a crucial role in tumor invasion and progression by controlling
extracellular degradation and participating in a proteolytic cascade activation (Gondi and Rao
2013). Its role in tumor invasion and progression makes CTB a promising biomarker and target
for antibody-directed prodrug therapy (Dheer, Nicolas et al. 2019). The development of novel
CTB-specific molecular probes opens new possibilities for image-based diagnostic methods for
different types of cancers (Podgorski and Sloane 2003, Tan, Peng et al. 2013). Since aberrant
expression of this protein has been an indicator of cancer development, detecting CTB expression
and activity might be beneficial for the early detection of cancer or revealing aggressive lesions
(Gondi and Rao 2013). Developing probes capable of binding with CTB is challenging due to
binding site homology to other members of the cysteine cathepsin family (Turk, Stoka et al. 2012).
In this study, to identify unique residues in human CTB compare to other members of the cathepsin
family, amino acid sequences of these proteins were exposed to. multiple sequence alignments.
Cathepsin B in humans has three active site residues critical for catalysis: Cys108; His278, and
Asp298 (Ruan, Hao et al. 2015) were confirmed with multiple sequence alignment as fully
conserved residues. The initial step in the development of a detection assay for CTB is finding
appropriate fluorescent small molecules for enzyme binding. In this study, two ligand candidates
CID8795 and CID535684 were identified and successfully conjugated to the dye ATTO680 and
were tested for binding affinity and specificity to CTB. For CID535684ATTO680, no binding
interaction was observed in the fluorescence polarization (FP) assay. CID8795ATTO680
demonstrated increases in fluorescence polarization assays in the presence of CTB with the half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) at 3.27 ± 1.27 nM. A third probe, Benzyloxycarbonyl
(Cbz)-Lys-Lys-p-Aminobenzyl alcohol (PABA)-2’, 7’-dichloro-6’-methoxy-fluorescein (DCMF),
was designed based on a known substrate scaffold for CTB. This novel substrate-based fluorescent
probe was shown to be hydrolyzed by CTB having a specificity constant kcat/KM = 41.9 ± 0.07
mM-1 × s-1
. Finally, we investigated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the coding
region of the CTSB gene within the general population (random data from 2,504 samples) included
in the 1,000 Genomes project. The mapping of SNPs onto the 3D structure of cathepsin B indicates
that the active site of CTB is fully conserved among humans – as no SNPs were identified within
the binding pocket of CTB. According to these results, probes that bind to the enzyme’s active site
should be generally useful for detecting CTB in all populations studied in the 1,000 Genomes
project.


title: Experiences of female students completing a full-time aboriginal program by computer-mediated communication

contributor:
McLeod, Roderick W.
Fennell, Hope-Arlene

subject: Computer-assisted instruction evaluation

subject: Indians of North America education

subject: Computer-assisted instruction case studies

abstract:
This naturalistic inquiry examines the experiences of female Aboriginal students who
were completing a full-time college program by computer-mediated communication (CMC).
The college program was designed for the preparation of Aboriginal Teacher Assistants. The
background literature examines the work of previous scholars on listening to women’s
voices, connected learning, appropriate technology for Aboriginal learners and the use of
computer-mediated communication in meeting learners’ needs. Eight students volunteered to
participate in the study. Two were lost through attrition.
Data were collected through two sets of face-to-face interviews, one set of
telephone interviews, field notes and observation of online messages posted by the
participants. Participant profiles were created from the participants’ own words, and the data
were analysed for emergent themes. Three themes were identified. These included
demographics, prior educational experiences and learning preferences.
The analyses of the interrelationships resulted in the identification of barriers to
positive post secondary educational learning experiences and to the participants’ concepts of
themselves as learners. The participants’ experiences in the Aboriginal Teacher Assistant
Program were then examined in relationship to these barriers.
The participants’ successfully completed this full-time college program and reported
positive experiences in doing so. Through the analyses of their experiences, factors that led
to the participants’ success were identified. It was determined that for these women to be
successful, not only must education must be community-based, flexible, and holistic but also
foster and nurture relationships between and among students and instructor. These factors
were supported by the CMC method o f delivery.
Implications include providing (1) appropriate technologies, (2) multiple ways of
connecting and interacting and (3) face-to-face components when delivering Aboriginal
programs to women at a distance. It also is important that we identify the characteristics of
teachers who are respectful to Aboriginal values and who are successful in creating
interpersonal connectedness through computer-mediated communicative alternatives.


title: Mood reactivity and oral contraceptive use : do oral contraceptives act as mood stabilizers

subject: Oral contraceptives (Psychological aspects)

subject: Mood (Psychology) Physiological aspects

subject: Hormones and mood

abstract:
Previous research has suggested that oral contraceptives (OCs) may provide a stabilizing
effect on mood. The present study attempted to examine the differences between OC
users, nonusers, and men on measures o f mood and heart rate in response to mood
primes, in order to determine whether exogenous and endogenous hormones affect mood
and physiological reactivity to hormonally-relevant stimuli. A sample of 108
undergraduate students (41 OC users, 36 nonusers, and 31 men) completed a mood
questionnaire before and after completing a randomized series of four mood-inducing
tasks (to induce positive affect, jealousy, social ostracism, and parental feelings) while
their heart rate was monitored. Partial support for the hypothesis that OC users would
experience less mood reactivity than nonusers was found in that OC users experienced a
blunted positive affect response to the tasks when compared with nonusers. The groups
did not differ in terms o f their negative affect, jealousy, parental feelings, feelings of
ostracism, or HR reactivity in response to the four tasks. Possible mechanisms for an OC-induced
positive affect stabilization effect are discussed.


title: Submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactors for Kraft evaporator condensate treatment : feasibility and membrane fouling studies

subject:
Wood-pulp industry (Waste disposal)
Sulfate waste liquor
Sulphate pulping process

abstract:
In this study, the primary goal was to develop better treatment technologies for energy recovery from Kraft evaporator condensate (EC) using thermophilic and mesophilic submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactors (SAnMBRs). Specific objectives were to study the feasibility of using submerged AnMBRs for Kraft evaporator condensate treatment, to quantify the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and biogas production (chemical composition and rate), to characterize sludge properties, including particle size and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and to understand and control membrane fouling.
The feasibility of using a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for
Kraft evaporator condensate treatment was studied at 3 7°C over a period of 7 months.
Under the various tested organic loading rates, a high, stable chemical oxygen demand
(COD) removal efficiency was achieved for three stages of influent CODs. The permeate
was of high quality, and the resulting biogas, composed of 85% methane, was of
excellent fuel quality. It was found that the bubbling of recycled biogas was effective for
in-situ membrane cleaning, depending on the recycle flow rate of produced biogas. Toxic
feed shocking, due to total reduced sulfur (TRS) compounds and a high pH (due to pH
probe failure) resulted in deflocculation, which led to an increase in membrane filtration
resistance caused by fine floes.


title: Does fire severity difference create divergent plant communities in black spruce-Kalmia forests of eastern Canada?

contributor:
Mallik, Azim
Mackereth, Robert
Morris, Douglas
Rempel, Robert

abstract:
After fire, some conifer-ericaceous plant communities in Western Europe and eastern
North America have demonstrated divergent succession from traditional conifer stand
replacement to Ericaceae-dominated community states. Divergence may be of function of
species‟ responses to changes in fire severity as determined by the amount of residual organic
matter (ROM) remaining after fire. ROM depth may act as an abiotic habitat filter to conifer
species by physically inhibiting species establishment or through chemical afterlife effects in the
unburned organic matter. If post-fire community assembly is predominantly determined by ROM
depth, then post-fire species composition and their functional traits should correspond with the
depth and distribution of ROM. But if species interactions are the primary constraint on
community assembly, then post-fire species composition and their functional traits should be
independent of the depth and distribution of ROM. I tested these predictions in black spruce
(Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.)-Kalmia (Kalmia angustifolia L.) plant communities of eastern
Newfoundland among three post-fire plant community types (heath, wood savannah and forest)
with similar pre-fire stand types (forest).
To determine if the three communities were similar prior to fire, I reconstructed stand
types by sampling unburned portions of adjacent stands and by compiling pre-fire forest resource
inventory data. I quantified post-fire differences in species composition by determining percent
cover of all vegetation along three 20 x 1 m belt transects in replicated 20 x 20 m plots. From the
species list, I compiled functional trait information from the literature for each species, and
weighted traits by the total cover of species that possessed a given trait. Species and trait
response (total abundance, richness and diversity) was then compared using one-way ANOVA.
Indicator analysis was also performed to characterize species and functional traits among
communities. I estimated fire severity as ROM by taking soil cores sampled contiguously in one
20 x 1m belt transect from the replicated 20 x 20 m plots in each community. ROM was
estimated by the depth of organic matter not consumed by the most recent fire under the
uppermost charcoal layer. Multivariate ordination (Canonical correspondence analysis) and
exponential growth and decay models were then used to test the effect of ROM on species
composition and their functional traits.
I found that the relative importance of abiotic and biotic filtering in post-fire community
assembly was a function of ROM. When ROM was less than 2 cm, abiotic filtering favored the
establishment of black spruce and other seed regenerating species, leading to black spruce
recovery. When ROM was greater than 2 cm, substrate conditions and biotic interactions favored
Kalmia and other vegetatively regenerating species, resulting in successional divergence. Also,
when abiotic filtering was the predominant habitat constraint, it controlled species composition
and functional traits directly by filtering species mode of regeneration, and indirectly through
differences in the dominant species‟ performance between the heath and forest. The
independence of species composition and functional traits to shallow ROM in the wood
savannah suggests that priority effects may play an important role in determining the relative
importance of abiotic vs. biotic filtering when ROM is around a threshold value (~2 cm).


title: Child Development Programme in Thunder Bay : an evaluation

subject: Developmentally disabled children Ontario Thunder Bay


title: Control of doubly fed induction generator based wind energy conversion system

contributor:
Natarajan, Krishnamoorthy
Uddin, Mohammad

subject:
Wind power system
Wind energy
Doubly fed induction generator
Wind energy conversion

abstract: The doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is widely used in today’s wind energy conversion industry. The DFIG is essentially a wound rotor induction generator in which the rotor circuit can be controlled by external devices to achieve variable speed operation. This machine stands out for its flexibility and robustness, which make it an ideal device for efficient wind energy exploitation. This thesis modifies a vector-control scheme for DFIG operating as a variable-speed generator. The controller is developed in the d-q axis frame and can be used to control both active and reactive power output separately. The new speed control scheme simplifies and improves Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) control over conventional PI control schemes. The machine model, control system and the modified scheme are simulated and the results are discussed. To implement the control scheme, a new position-sensorless estimation scheme for slip angular velocity is also presented in this thesis.


title: The artificial facilitator: guiding participants in developing causal maps using voice-activated personal assistant

subject:
Casual maps
Voice-activated personal assistant

abstract:
When it comes to any problem, their causes, and solutions, people
often have very different perspectives, primarily due to the environment
in which they were raised (culture, education, socio-economic status,
and so forth). Complex problems often require coordinated actions from
all stakeholders to achieve a resolution. Agreeing on the same course
of action can sometimes be difficult, as the stakeholders might have a
different perspective of the specific problem. Causal map is a way to
capture different perspectives people have about any situation. Thus,
we posed the following research question - is it possible to use conver-
sational artificial intelligence to capture and store the thought process
of a particular problem? In this research, we have conducted an exper-
iment which consisted of two parts: 1) developing a model for a voice-
activated personal assistant that interacts, captures, and converts the
responses of the participant into causal maps and 2) a detailed pre-test
and post-test questionnaire that focuses on assessing interactions and
willingness of the participants to collaborate with the developed model.
We were able to build an Alexa skill that could successfully capture
participants thought process and transform it into a causal map that
could be analyzed along with data from other participants. The results
of our pre-test and post-test surveys conducted with ten researchers who
participated showed that they rated the Alexa skill as a useful tool for
capturing the thought process of a problem. In our view, understanding
the human thought process is crucial for stakeholders to agree on the
same course of resolution. The research concludes with a discussion of
future uses and limitations.


title: Understanding aging impact on membrane structure and seasonal variation of natural organic matter in water from a membrane drinking water treatment plant

contributor:
Liao, Baoqiang
Rezaei, Ebrahim

subject:
Drinking water treatment
Fractionation of natural organic matter
Ultrafiltration membranes
Membrane fouling

abstract:
An autopsy of hollow fiber (HF) PVDF membrane samples at different ages from a full-scale drinking water treatment was performed to investigate the membrane aging impact on membrane structures and properties. Scanning electron microscopic images indicated the fouling occurred on membrane surface; diameter of membrane lumen and pore size decreased with an increase in membrane aging. Membrane aging decreased membrane porosity and breaking strength. Clean water test showed the membrane permeability decreased within aging. Contact angle values decreased with an increase in membrane age, and hypochlorite cleaning resulted in a more hydrophilic membrane surface. Chemical cleaning could partially restore membrane permeability and porosity but negatively impact the breaking strength. Organic foulants dominated in membrane fouling.
Natural organic matter (NOM) in all surface and groundwater can be problematic during the drinking water treatment and vary spatially and temporally. It can be quantitatively expressed as the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). By characterizing bulk NOM in feed samples between 30/11/2016 and 29/03/2017, the peak NOM content in raw water occurred on December 7, 2016, and reduced afterward in March 2017 over the sampling period. By separating the NOM using XAD resins into hydrophobic, hydrophilic, transphilic fractions, NOM type of most raw water, membrane permeates, and concentrates is dominated by the hydrophilic fraction (HPI). The DOC concentrations in water samples in Nov and Dec 2016 were generally higher than that from March 2017. NOM removal in this treatment plant seemed to be inefficient.


title: Modeling of a high frequency field effect transitor on indium gallium nitride: the metal oxide semiconductor capacitor 1=channel model

contributor:
Alexandrov, Dimiter
Butcher, Scott

subject: Quantum devices

subject: Gallium nitride

abstract: Quantum devices are an important class of modern heterostructure devices in which quantum effects are exploited directly. A Gallium Nitride high frequency field effect transistor (FET), the subject of this work, exploits a newly found exciton source in Indium Gallium Nitride InxGa1-xN. These quasi-particles are used as a quantum electron source for the FET channel, made of Intrinsic Gallium Nitride (GaN). The present work addresses the natural need for providing this high frequency transistor with a device model. Following the same steps as those used in classical Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) modeling, a model for the metal oxide heterojunction capacitor; core of this high frequency field effect transistor, is first developed.


title: Determinants of incidents in a forensic psychiatric program

subject:
Forensic psychiatry
Mentally ill (Care)
Forensic psychiatric nursing

abstract:
Nursing staff in forensic psychiatric contexts are
significantly more likely to be the victims of assault-related
incidents than patients. Evidence in the scientific
literature warrants the consideration of interpersonal factors
between nursing staff and patients and these factors
relationship to incidents. The purpose of this study was to
further investigate the nature of this relationship.
Consistent with previous investigations, a disproportionate
number of patients were responsible for the majority of
incidents. The high frequency of schizophrenia related
incidents was however, inconsistent with the literature. An
examination of nursing team incident involvement showed
significant frequency of incident variation with only nonviolent
categorized incidents. A number of. correlational
relationships were observed between incidents, personality,
and individually perceived work environment factors,
relationships which are explored further within this paper.


title: The effects of biogeographic factors on the persistence and distribution of the common five-lined skink in Southern Ontario

subject:
Skink
Five-lined skink
Habitat management
Non-equilibrium metapopulation
Biogeographic factors

abstract:
The management of biogeographic factors associated with species at risk
populations is an excellent conservation tool if the effects of such factors are thoroughly
understood. Biogeographic factors, or habitats, such as prairie/savannah remnants and
sandy shorelines, and their effects on the distribution of the Common Five-lined Skink
populations in Ontario, were analyzed. Results indicate strong effects of varying degrees
from both biogeographic factors on the two skink populations, the Great Lakes – St.
Lawrence and the Carolinian population, indicating that these habitats influence the
distribution of this lizard species. The effects of said biogeographic elements changed
between each population, implying that variations in latitude lead to changes in critical
habitat. Within each population extant and extirpated/historical locations showed no
significant variation in proximity to sandy shoreline and prairie/savannah habitat. This
indicated that extant populations have not survived due to closer proximity to essential
habitat, and the isolation of local populations has remained consistent, leading to longterm
extinction rates which prevent recolonization (non-equilibrium metapopulations).
Considering these biogeographic elements as critical requirements allows for more
effective habitat management tactics for the Common Five-lined Skink to prevent future
population losses. Ultimately, biogeographic components associated with species at risk
can be a useful addition to habitat management used in the conservation of any species.


title: Biodiversity and forest management : five forest management plans evaluated

contributor:
Euler, David L.
Brown, K. M.
Tripp, P.
Szuba, K.

subject:
Forest management Ontario Evaluation
Biological diversity Ontario

abstract: The five forest management plans evaluated are: Trout Lake, Nipissing, French-Severn, Kapuskasing, and, Whiskey Jack.

abstract:
Biodiversity is a complex concept that encompasses the structure, composition and
function of the four levels of biological organization (genetic, species, ecosystem and
landscape). A thorough understanding of these concepts and the implementation of the
concepts in management are central to the conservation o f biodiversity. Examining
Ontario forest management plans to evaluate their approach to biodiversity is important
to identify how well forest management is dealing with the concepts o f biodiversity. Five
Ontario forest management plans were examined using an evaluation form and associated
criteria. The five plans were: the Trout Lake Forest Management Plan, the Nipissing
Forest Management Plan, the French-Sevem Forest Management Plan, the Kapuskasing
Forest Management Plan, and the Whiskey Jack Forest Management Plan. The
evaluation procedure was developed based on current literature that identified
management techniques for the conservation of biodiversity. A score was assigned based
on the comparison of the plan against the criteria. A chi-square test was conducted to
determine if there were significant differences between the selected plans. There were no
significant differences among the plans regarding their individual approaches to
biodiversity. The Whiskey Jack Forest Management Plan was most thorough in its
attempt to address important biodiversity concepts. Four of the five plans failed to
identify the genetic level of biodiversity as a consideration in management. Addressing
important biodiversity concepts in the context of forest management planning is essential
to biodiversity conservation. By identifying areas where management plans could
improve would initiate ground-level research into the biodiversity of northern regions and
as a result would promote the conservation of biodiversity.


title: Effects of alternative vegetation management treatments on epigeal insects, coleoptera, carabidae and non-insectan arthropods

subject:
Beetles Effect of herbicides on
Arthropoda Effect of herbicides on
Ground beetles Effect of herbicides on
Vegetation management alternatives

abstract: The primary objective of this study was to examine the effects of alternative vegetation management on epigeal insects, Coleoptera, Carabidae, and non-insectan arthropods. This study, which is a component of the Fallingsnow Ecosystem Project, 60km southwest of Thunder Bay, Ontario, utilized roofed pitfall traps containing a saline preservative. Four blocks were treated with four vegetation management alternatives including a manual brushsaw treatment, a mechanized treatment (Silvana Selective-Ford Versatile cleaning machine), and two herbicides (Vision [a.i. glyphosate] and Release [a.i. triclopyr]). In addition, a Control (untreated) plot was located within each block. All insects and non-insectan arthropods were identified to the order level.


title: Attitudes and motivation for learning English among elementary francophone students

subject: English language Study and teaching (Elementary) French speakers

abstract:
Canadian society allows for group traditions and supports
a rich variety of cultures. The pluralistic nature of this
country makes it beneficial for a growing number of children
and adults to acquire a second language. Parents of school
children and prospective employers see this as an important
endeavor. Several reasons might explain this. Firstly, the
acquisition of a second language may be perceived as increasing
chances of securing employment. Secondly, many people want
to retain their cultural identity. For example, many adults
who come from French speaking families have lost the ability
to speak their maternal language fluently. Later, and for
different reasons, they may want their children to learn the
language that they (the parents) have lost. As a result, they
may place their children in schools where the indigenous culture
and language can be cultivated.
For years now educational communities have witnessed
the expansion and growth of second language programs in
elementary and secondary schools across the country (Ontario
Ministry of Education, 1976; 1977). These have been strongly
supported by both federal and provincial governments. Evidence
of the promotion of English/French bilingualism and biculturalism
in Canada, particularly in Ontario, is highly visible. One
only has to look at the hundreds of research projects the
government has funded to investigate factors related to the
acquisition of a second language (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1979; 1983; 1994). Furthermore, the subventions and interest
generated by the government to investigate factors related
to the acquisition of a second language has prompted several
researchers to study motivational characteristics of students
in second language programs.
There are various reasons why students study and persist
in studying a second language. It is the purpose of this study
to investigate affective components, such as competence, interest
and utility, shown to be involved in second language learning.
Hopefully, then, any contribution that this study can make
to the understanding of attitudinal and motivational variables
in second language acquisition will be an asset to the
educational community.


title: Social anxiety and alcohol use: examining the relationships among social anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and alcohol-related variables

contributor:
Maranzan, Amanda
Mushquash, Christopher

subject:
Social anxiety
Anxiety sensitivity
Alcohol-related problems
Drinking motives
Undergraduate students

abstract: Socially anxious undergraduates tend to report more alcohol-related problems despite consuming less alcohol than non-anxious counterparts. The present study aimed to clarify this paradox by examining the roles of anxiety sensitivity, motives for drinking and cognitive/behavioural factors proposed to maintain social anxiety (SA): rumination, post-event processing, anticipatory processing, self-focused attention, and safety behaviours.


title: Determining the predictability of acute mountain sickness using a regression analysis

subject:
Acute mountain sickness
Hypoxia
Secondary regression analysis
Physiologic susceptibility
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase
Angiotensin converting enzyme

abstract: AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) is an altitude-related illness that occurs as a direct result of hypoxia. To date there is no consistent diagnostic measurement tool, leaving AMS as a subjectively-measured illness. An exploratory retrospective analysis was completed to determine the predictability of several physiologic and genetic parameters on AMS.


title: Efficacy of various Hypholoma spp. and Phlebiopsis gigantea as biocontrol agents against root rotting fungi Armillaria ostoyae

contributor:
Kanavillil, Nandakumar
Reyes, Gerardo

subject:
Armillaria root disease
Annosus root rot
Phlebiopsis gigantea
Hypholoma spp.

abstract:
Conifer plantations are thinned to maximise production of high-quality timber for lumber, fire wood, and utility poles. However, thinning increases susceptibility to pathogens such as Armillaria ostoyae, a native basidiomycete species that causes root rot. Armillaria root rot is detrimental to the forestry industry as it is responsible for substantial revenue loss due to tree mortality in both establishing and mature stands. Thus, finding an effective means to inhibit or reduce its impacts and spread is critical for the industry. Past studies have suggested that biocontrol treatments based on competing basidiomycete species (i.e., Hypholoma spp. and Phlebiopsis gigantea) show promise. The objectives of my study were to: (1) determine the ability of several species and strains of Hypholoma spp. and Phlebiopsis gigantea to function as biocontrol agents against two Armillaria ostoyae strains by examining their in-vitro interactions during competition trials, and (2) examine the ability of H. fasciculare to survive and grow during the winter months at different soil depths in a number of Simcoe County, Ontario forests to determine its potential as a biocontrol treatment for Armillaria root rot in northeastern temperate forest regions.
Several strains of Hypholoma fasciculare, H. sublateritium, H. capnoides, and one strain of P. gigantea were grown in both solo (absence of competition) and paired (competing with one of two strains of A. ostoyae - high virulence and low virulence) conditions to examine impacts of competition on radial growth. The solo and pairings were grown and monitored on 2 % malt agar and pine wood infusion medium at 15oC. Radial growth was measured and compared between solo and paired conditions, and macroscopic and microscopic interactions were qualitatively assessed. Hypholoma fasciculare strain Pinnel B was identified as a potential candidate to develop as a biocontrol agent against Armillaria root rot. Radial growth was the highest from the H. fasciculare strain Pinnel B when paired with either of the A. ostoyae strains. Characterisation of the interactions at macroscopic and microscopic levels indicated that it was most effective at inhibiting A. ostoyae growth.
Soil temperatures and snow depth were monitored from November 4, 2017 to May 13, 2018 at thinned and non-thinned red pine (Pinus resinosa) plantations located in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Pine blocks inoculated with H. fasciculare were buried in pine plantations from February 1, 2018 to May 13, 2018 at 30 and 100 cm depths to examine how winter soil temperatures, soil depth, and snow presence impacted growth. Soil temperatures at the 30 cm depth were consistently colder than at 100 cm (F1,6 = 63.46, p < 0.001). Hypholoma fasciculare continued to grow over the winter months (F1,36 = 50.41, p < 0.001). Soil depth did not impact growth rate (F1,18 = 1.87, p = 0.188). Mean growth rates were 0.25 ± 0.11 and 0.31 ± 0.10 mm per day at 30 and 100 cm depths, respectively. While snow depths were significantly lower in non-thinned plantations, this had little impact on soil temperatures. This study will aid in the development of a H. fasciculare biocontrol treatment against Armillaria root rot given H. fasciculare’s ability to continue to grow underground throughout the winter months, a period during which Armillaria ostoyae has a reduced growing rate.


title: Family centred case management approach in long-term health care for children : parents' perceptions of care

subject: Children Long-term care

subject: Children Long-term care Ontario Thunder Bay

subject: Child health services


title: A comparison of the effectiveness of ground versus aerial chemical site preparation

subject: Silvicultural treatments

subject: Herbicide (forest management)

subject: Chemical site preparation

subject: Competing vegetation removal

subject: Jack pine seedling establishment

subject: Aerial vs ground application of herbicide (effectiveness)

abstract: Silviculture operations in northwestern Ontario can include the use of chemical site preparation to remove competing herbaceous vegetation to promote the establishment of conifer seedlings. Aerial and ground applications of herbicide are two common methods of chemical site preparation. There is limited literature on site-specific comparisons of these two methods, which can inform management decisions. Data was collected approximately 53 km west of Thunder Bay, Ontario (48°29'04.1"N 89°48'19.7"W) on the Lakehead Forest Management Unit from two adjacent sites. Each site received one of the two methods of chemical site preparation in 2016 and was planted with jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) container stock in 2017. An analysis of the crop species’ survival, height, current growth, and the competing species’ height yielded no significant difference between methods of chemical site preparation. The results indicate that either method of herbicide application can be implemented with the same degree of effectiveness.


title: Efficient analysis of oscillators with multiple time dimensions

subject:
Electric circuits, Nonlinear
Harmonic functions
Electric circuit analysis

abstract:
Harmonic Balance (H B ) analysis is an established technique for the analysis of nonlinear
circuits. In this thesis, we present a method to find the transient and steady-state behavior of
oscillators based on a harmonic balance implementation which proves to be faster than traditional time domain simulations. It is derived from the warped multi-time partial differential
equation (WaMPDE) approach developed in recent years. This approach efficiently separates
the frequency modulation (FM) and amplitude modulation (AM) in oscillators. A review of
Multi-time Partial Differential Equation (MPDE) and WaMPDE is presented along with the
motivation and interest in warped multiple time axes. The first proposed method shows how
to obtain initial boundary conditions for a WaMPDE system consistently with arbitrary physical
initia l conditions in the system of ordinary differential equations in transient analysis. The
second proposed method improves steady-state analysis since it does not require a good initial
guess of the oscillation frequency and exploits the frequency-domain latency of circuits by using
a different number of harmonics in each state variable. The WaMPDE approach is used to simultaneously
bring the circuit state to the region of convergence of the HB analysis and determine
the optimum number of harmonics required at each node in the circuit. In both transient and
steady-state, an adaptive time step control technique is employed in one of the time axes and
this considerably reduces the computational effort. Simulation results of different applications
are described to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method. Finally, the proposed
methods are validated with experimental results.


title: Organic semiconductors containing multi-heteroatom rings

contributor:
Mackinnon, Craig
Mawhinney, Robert
Kinrade, Stephen
Ylijoki, Kai

subject:
Semiconductivity
Hetero(aromatic) compounds
Sandmeyer reactions with heterocycles

abstract:
Oligomers of thiophene are ubiquitous in molecular materials research. Other ring systems,
especially those lacking at least C2v symmetry are much less common. We investigated
thiophene-thiazole, pyrrole-thiazole, thiophene-furan, and thiophene-selenophene co-oligomers,
which nominally have the same conjugation length and physical dimensions as thiophene
oligomers but contain a heteroatom, that should impact the electronic properties. The lower
symmetry of the 1,3-thiazole system, among other attributes, makes these new systems
chemically challenging to synthesize; however, the electronic and steric variability makes them
interesting targets. One common method of synthesizing thiazole is the ring-closing reaction that
generates an amino-substituted thiazole. We have done a systematic study to convert the
aminothiazole to a more useful synthon using Sandmeyer conditions. We herein present the
synthesis, characterization, and molecular or photoelectronic structures of selected mixed
oligomer systems, along with a computational study to measure bond length alternation,
localization indices, and HOMO-LUMO (band gap) energy. Aminothiazole can be deaminated
using Sandmeyer conditions. As conjugation length increases with the addition of a more
electron withdrawing group, there is a general decrease of the band gap as well as of the HOMO-
LUMO energies.


title: Biomechanical constraints on intra-limb coordination in boys with and without development coordination disorder

subject:
Developmental coordination disorder
Coordination
Constraints
Intra-limb coordination
Torque modulation

abstract: It is known that children with DCD have difficulties organizing actions involving coordination between limbs or limb pairs (e.g., Astill, 2007; Volman, Laroy, & Jongmans, 2006). It is also apparent that a coalition of constraints forces certain movement patterns to emerge at any level of organization (Newell, 1985). No research has examined how children with and without DCD solve the degrees of freedom problem, in the face of relevant constraints, during uni-manual goal-directed actions.


title: Exploring the relationship between health-related fitness and biological CVD risk factors in Canadian young adult men and women

subject:
Cardiovascular disease
Physical inactivity
Health-related fitness

abstract: It is well known that physical inactivity leads to development of poor musculoskeletal health and obesity, two major modifiable risk factors for the development of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD; Eyre, Kahn, & Robertson, 2004). Unfortunately, physical inactivity is on the rise in Canada. Recent data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (Statistics Canada, 2005) suggests that 53.5% of Canadians are physically inactive, placing them at increased risk for CVD. In Canadian adults, gender differences in physical activity levels suggest that women appear to be less physically active than men (Heart and Stroke, 2003). The CVD risk associated with physical inactivity appears more substantial when, the relative risk for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) associated with physical inactivity is equal to that of hypertension, high blood cholesterol, and cigarette smoking (Stewart, 2005).


title: Investigating high performance perfectionist athletes' perceptions of the junior to senior sport transition

contributor:
Crossman, Jane
Gotwals, John
Witcher, Chad

subject: Perfectionism: dimensions and orientations

subject: Perfectionist athletes

subject: Junior to senior sport transition

subject: Perfectionistic strivings

subject: Athletic career and transitions

abstract:
Whether or not perfectionism is a healthy personality characteristic is a topic of much debate among researchers (Flett & Hewitt, 2005). One way to investigate this is to differentiate how “healthy” or “unhealthy” perfectionists perceive achievement demand s. During their athletic careers, athletes experience the achievement demands of transitioning to higher levels of performance. One of the most demanding of these transitions is the junior to senior sport transition. As of yet, there is no research regarding how perfectionists experience and perceive
the junior to senior sport transition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how healthy and unhealthy perfectionist athletes experience the transition from junior to senior sport. This study employed a sequential mixed method design. In step 1, 27 current and former members of a high-performance cross-country skiing training program completed the Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-2 (Sport-MPS-2: Gotwals & Dunn, 2009), and coaches rated the athletes’ respective levels of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. Using intra-sample and inter-sample criteria scores for the Sport-MPS-2, and the coaches’ ratings, the athletes were designated as either healthy perfectionists, unhealthy perfectionists, or non-perfectionists. However, these characterizations did not yield a sufficient number of participants to compare healthy and unhealthy perfectionists. Therefore, the focus of the study
was redirected toward athletes with high perfectionistic strivings, which is one of the overarching dimensions of perfectionism (Stoeber & Otto, 2006). In step 2, using an open-ended interview guide, six athletes who met the criteria of high perfectionistic strivings were interviewed regarding their respective experiences and perceptions of the junior to senior sport transition. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Eight themes emerged from
the analysis: Balancing Priorities, Expectations as National Training Program Skiers, Overthinking and Overdoing, Team Dynamics, Competition, Poor Performance and Related Emotions, Negative Effects of Training, and Hindsight. These themes are contextualized within the stress process, the athletic career transition literature, and the perfectionism literature. The implication of this study is that perfectionistic strivings should be accounted for during the junior
to senior sport transition.


title: An enhanced Teager Huang transform technique for bearing fault detection

contributor:
Wang, Wilson
Liu, Xiaoping
Siddiqui, Sultan
Roy, Murari

subject:
Rolling element bearings
Signal processing
Bearing fault detection
ZigBee
WiFi DAQ
Teager-Huang transform technique

abstract:
Rolling element bearings are widely used in rotating machinery. Bearing health condition
monitoring plays a vital role in predictive maintenance to recognize bearing faults at an early
stage to prevent machinery performance degradation, improve operation quality, and reduce
maintenance costs. Although many signal processing techniques have been proposed in
literature for bearing fault diagnosis, reliable bearing fault detection remains challenging.
This study aims to develop an online condition monitoring system and a signal processing
technique for bearing fault detection. Firstly, a Zigbee-based smart sensor data acquisition
system is developed for wireless vibration signal collection. An enhanced Teager-Huang
transform (eTHT) technique is proposed for bearing fault detection. The eTHT takes the
several processing steps: Firstly, a generalized Teager-Kaiser spectrum analysis method is
suggested to recognize the most representative intrinsic mode functions as a reference.
Secondly, a characteristic relation function is constructed by using cross-correlation. Thirdly,
a denoising filter is adopted to improve the signal-to-noise-ratio. Finally, the average
generalized Teager-Kaiser spectrum analysis is undertaken to identify the bearing
characteristic signatures for bearing fault detection. The effectiveness of the proposed eTHT
technique is examined by experimental tests corresponding to different bearing conditions. Its
robustness in bearing fault detection is examined by the use of the data sets from a different
experimental setup.


title: A smart monitoring system for bearing fault detection

subject: Data Acquisition (DAQ) Systems

subject: Bearing fault detection

subject: Signal processing

subject: Adaptive variational mode decomposition (AVMD)

abstract:
Rolling element bearings are commonly used in rotating machinery to support shafts,
reduce friction, and increase power transmission efficiency. For a machinery system, bearing
fault could be the most possible cause of mechanical failures. If bearing defect can be
detected at its early stage, mechanical performance degradation and even economic losses
can be avoided. Although many signal processing techniques have been proposed in the
literature for bearing fault detection, reliable bearing fault diagnosis is still a challenging task
in this R&D field, especially in industrial applications. The objective of this work is to
develop a smart condition monitoring system and a signal processing technique for bearing
fault detection. Firstly, a Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) based sinusoidal generator
is developed to generate controllable sinusoidal waveforms and explore FPGA’s potential
applications in a data acquisition system to collect vibration signals. Secondly, an adaptive
variational mode decomposition (AVMD) technique is proposed for bearing fault detection.
The AVMD includes several steps in processing: 1) Signal characteristics are analyzed to
determine the signal center frequency and the related parameters. 2) The ensemble-kurtosis
index is suggested to select the optimal intrinsic mode function (IMF) to decompose the
target signal. 3) The envelope spectrum analysis is performed using the selected IMF to
identify the representative features for bearing fault detection. The effectiveness of the
proposed AVMD technique is examined by simulation and experimental tests under different
bearing conditions, with the comparison of other related bearing fault techniques.


title: Site fidelity and habitat characteristics of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus) nursery areas in Wabakimi and Woodland Caribou provincial parks, Northern Ontario / by Natasha Lynn Carr.

contributor:
Rodgers, Art
Schraft, Heidi
Lankester, Murray W.
Lipsett-Moore, Geoff

subject:
Woodland caribou - Habitat
Woodland Caribou Provincial Park
Wabakimi Provincial Park
Northern Ontario

abstract:
To prevent further range recession, habitat features essential to the life history requisites of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) such as calving and nursery areas need to be protected for the persistence of the species. Forest-dwelling woodland caribou may minimize predation risk during calving by either spacing out or spacing away from predators in the forest to calve on islands, wetlands, or shorelines.
The first objective of this thesis was to determine if in fact the same female caribou was using the same area for calving and nursery activity year after year. Caribou faecal samples for DNA extraction were collected from nursery areas in 2 provincial parks in northern Ontario: Wabakimi and Woodland Caribou Provincial Parks. Extraction yield was poor in summer-collected faecal samples and site fidelity on a specific lake could not
be demonstrated. However, differentiation of caribou DNA samples between parks suggests that caribou may be exhibiting female philopatry during the nursery period: female caribou typically return to a particular area year after year for calving and nursery activities (Brown and Theberge 1985, Gunn and Miller 1986, Fancy and Whitten 1991).
Another objective was to determine the fine-scale characteristics of shoreline habitats used as calving and nursery areas by female woodland caribou in the 2 parks. Detailed vegetation and other site characteristics were measured at shoreline nursery sites used by cow-calf pairs and compared to shoreline sites that were not used by caribou within each
park. Important characteristics were used to develop and evaluate Resource Selection Functions (RSFs) for calving woodland caribou in northern Ontario. Habitat characteristics determined at nursery sites were postulated to reflect predator avoidance strategies. Observed differences in habitat variables selected by female caribou in the 2 study areas primarily reflected broad ecoregional differences in vegetation and topography rather than differences in female choice. In Wabakimi Provincial Park, higher understorey tree density and lower ground detection distance played key roles in distinguishing nursery sites from sites that were not used. In Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, groundcover vegetation and shrub density were important in the selection of nursery sites by female caribou. Generally, female caribou in both parks selected nursery sites with greater slope, lower shrub density, but thicker groundcover vegetation, and higher overstorey cover than shoreline sites that were not used.
The last objective was to determine what physical characteristics caribou might be using at a larger scale (i.e., distance to nearest land feature from nursery sites, distance to closest fly-in outpost from nursery sites). In Woodland Caribou Provincial Park more nursery sites occurred in the coniferous forest landcover type when compared to unused or random sites. In Wabakimi Provincial Park, there was no difference between nursery
activity and landcover types randomly available in the study area. Generally, female caribou in both parks selected nursery sites with shorter escape distances than provided by unused or random sites, and islands were the feature type most frequently used for nursery activity. Female caribou also used clusters of land features within shorter distance of one another as compared to random points along the shoreline. Caribou cowcalf
pairs typically used areas for nursery activity that were 9.0km (± 6.5km, range 2.3-20.6km) in Wabakimi Provincial Park and 10.0km (± 6.9km, range 0.7 - 32.6km) in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park from any human recreational disturbance.
The identification of these important characteristics of caribou nursery areas at 2 different spatial scales provides baseline information that may be used to predict the locations of potential caribou nursery sites both within protected area boundaries and across the broader range of this valued species in northern Ontario. It is suggested that a first iteration spatial model be developed from the outcomes of this study to enable validation
and refinement and to enhance the management and understanding of this critical life history requisite.


title: Dielectric studies of molecular and intramolecular motions in polystryrene matrices

subject:
Polystyrene
Dielectrics
Molecular dynamics

abstract:
Dielectric absorption studies of a variety of polar
solutes containing rotatable groups and of some analogous rigid
molecules dispersed in atactic polystyrene have been carried out.
Preparation of the solutions as solid disks, and the dielectric
measurements using a General Radio 1615-A capacitance bridge and
a Hewlett-Packard Q-meter with appropriate temperature-controllable
cells have been described. The experimental data as a function
of frequency at different temperatures were subjected to analysis
by a series of computer programmes written in the API language.
The activation energy barriers opposing the dielectric relaxation
processes were obtained by the application of the Eyring rate
equation.
Different types of polar rigid molecules have been
studied mainly to provide sources of relaxation data and activation
parameters for comparisons with those of flexible molecules of
analogous size. Attempts have also been made to correlate the
activation parameters with size, shape, and rotating volume of
the rigid molecules. Studies of some nitrogen-containing heterocyclic
rigid molecules and the comparison of their Eyring analysis
results with those of the analogous non-heterocycles showed no significant molecular interaction with the polymer matrix.
Of the flexible molecules, a wide variety of compounds
containing the carbonyl group have been studied. Intramolecular
processes involving the rotation of the polar carbonyl group with
one or more segments from the alkyl substituents have been observed
for phenyl alkyl (aryl-alkyl) and dialkyl ketones. Significantly
higher energy barriers to acetyl group rotation around the C — N
bond have been found in N-acetylimidazole in which the N atom
is involved in ring conjugation. However, this barrier appeared
to have been reduced considerably due to the effect of saturation
as in N-acetyl-4-piperidone...


title: Illuminating autism: exploring identity transitions among adults diagnosed with autism

subject: Autism Spectrum Disorder (adulthood)

abstract:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a relatively new diagnostic label that has undergone some
changes in the latest edition of the DSM. This research is a study of individuals diagnosed during
adulthood with ASD. Its aim is to understand the impact of diagnostic labels on the identity of
autistic adults and examine how these individuals negotiate the labels within their social
environment. To this end, the study focuses on exploring four key aspects of the subject-matter in
question: (1) the labelling process from informal labelling by peers, families, and institutions to
formally acquiring a diagnostic label; (2) identity formation as a consequence of informal and
formal labelling; (3) needs of autistic adults who are formally diagnosed; and (4) autism advocacy
as a means of making life more inclusive for high functioning autistic adults. Given the study’s
focus on the lived experiences of individuals diagnosed with ASD during adulthood, participants
18 years of age or older who were formally diagnosed with either AS or ASD were interviewed.
The study’s findings show that for autistic adults receiving a diagnosis is often a positive
experience that, in many cases, enables them to finally understand their “self” and develop a
feeling of belonging; however, the lack of knowledge, services, resources and policies attuned to
their needs is the main obstacle to removing barriers preventing autistic individuals from
participating in social life as independent and autonomous members of society.


title: Control measures of gypsy moth and the effect of STS modeling in Canada

subject:
Entomology
Gypsy moth
Invasive insect control
Biological control methods (Gypsy moth)

abstract: Gypsy moths are an introduced invasive species which causes decline in oak and maple in southern Ontario. In 1869 the moth was introduced into Massachusetts by Leopold Trouvelot, whose mission was to start a silk industry in America. The experiment was to breed European gypsy moths with the North American silkworms. During the experiment some European gypsy moths had escaped and an outbreak started shortly after. STS or “Slow The Spread” modeling which was used in the United states has proven to work and it should be implemented in Canada as well. It would cover 75 million Ha and would cost $15 million per year. Due to high populations and yearly potential for population increase it is extremely difficult to manage gypsy moths in urban areas. There are multiple biological, chemical, and mechanical control methods available for gypsy moth control, but they are expensive. Using pheromone traps has proven to be the most cost-effective method of capturing and controlling the populations. Slow the spread programs in the USA have proven to be successful in limiting the spread of gypsy moths.


title: Apparent competition and the differing effects of generalist and specialist predators on cervid populations

subject:
Apparent competition hypothesis
Predator-prey interactions
Specialist/generalist predators
Wildlife management

abstract:
Apparent competition is an important ecological function that has been extensively
studied in wild cervid populations, but little is known about how to manage it or why
some cervid populations are more affected by it than others. This meta-analysis attempts
to give insight about how much numerical response to increases in competing alternate
prey occurs for a generalist (Canis lupus) or specialist (Puma concolor) predator. The
rate of change (λ) and survival rate of cervid prey populations affected by apparent
competition were extracted from multiple studies and it was found that there was little to
no difference in either parameter for the populations hunted by the two different
predators. This suggests that more factors, like the habitat in the areas inhabited by
multiple predators, need to be researched to obtain a clear understanding of the theory
involving apparent competition.


title: Development and analysis of a self-tuned neuro-fuzzy controller for induction motor drives

subject: Electric motors, Induction Automatic control

subject: Fuzzy logic

subject: Induction motors

abstract:
Induction motors (IM) have been widely utilized in industry for variable speed
drives due to some of their advantages, such as rugged construction, low cost and
reliable service with easy maintenance, as compared to conventional dc motors. For
variable speed drive applications, the controller plays an important role so that the
motor can follow the reference trajectories without any significant deviation.
Furthermore, a controller which can provide fast speed response and handle
uncertainties and disturbances, is absolutely necessary for high performance drive
systems. Traditionally, fixed gain proportional-integral (PI) and some adaptive
controllers have been utilized in industry for a long time. However, there are some
disadvantages of these controllers to handle uncertainties which are inherent to a
nonlinear IM. As a result, recently researchers paid their attention to apply intelligent
algorithms to control the IM for high performance variable speed drive applications.
Intelligent algorithms such as fuzzy logic (FL), neural network (NN), neuro-fuzzy
(NF), etc, have inherent advantages as compared to the conventional controllers.
In this thesis, a novel neuro-fuzzy controller (NFC) has been developed for speed
control o f EM. For the complete drive, the indirect field orientation control is utilized
in order to decouple the torque and flux controls. Thus, the induction motor can be
controlled like a dc motor and hence the high performance can be achieved without
lacking the advantage o f ac over dc motors. The proposed neuro-fuzzy controller
incorporates Sugeno model based fuzzy logic laws with a five-layer artificial neural network (ANN) scheme. The controller is designed for low computational burden,
which will be suitable for real-time implementation. Furthermore, for the proposed
NFC an improved self-tuning method is developed based on the IM theory and its
high performance requirements. The main task o f the tuning method is to adjust the
parameters o f the fuzzy logic controller (FLC) in order to minimize the square of the
error between actual and reference output. In this thesis, a model reference adaptive
flux (MRAF) observer is also developed to estimate the d-axis rotor flux linkage in
both constant flux and flux weakening regions based on motor voltage, current and
reference trajectories for flux linkage. Thus, it provides safe operation to control the
motor at high speeds, especially, above the rated speed. The d-axis reference flux
linkage of the indirect field oriented control is provided by flux weakening method.
Furthermore, a proportional-integral (PI) based flux controller is used to provide the
compensation for the reference flux model by comparing the flux reference and the
observed flux from Gopinath model flux observer. A complete simulation model for
indirect field oriented control of IM incorporating the proposed MRAF observer
based NFC is developed in Matlab/Simulink. In order to prove the superiority of the
proposed controller, the performance of the proposed controller is compared with a
conventional PI as well as fuzzy logic controller (FLC) based IM drives. The
performance of the proposed IM drive is investigated extensively at different
operating conditions in simulation. The performance of the proposed MRAF
observer based NFC controller is found robust and a potential candidate for high
performance industrial drive applications.


title: Metaboreflex response to isometric handgrip exercise in people with Parkinson disease

contributor:
Johnson, Michel
Bedard, Michel

subject: Parkinson's disease (Exercise therapy Testing)

subject: Exercise (Physiological aspects Testing)

subject: Muscle contraction (Physiological aspects Testing)

abstract:
The metaboreflex is a peripheral feedback mechanism involved in the neural
regulation of cardiovascular response to exercise. In young, healthy adults, this reflex
responds to the accumulation of exercise- induced metabolites in active skeletal muscle,
stimulating an increase in sympathetic nerve activity. This results in vasoconstriction and
a significant rise in blood pressure, assisting in the maintenance of adequate muscle
perfusion during physical activity (Smith, Mitchell, & Garry, 2005).
The purpose of this study was to evaluate metaboreflex response to isometric
handgrip exercise in participants with idiopathic Parkinson Disease (N=IO) and in an age-matched
control group limited (N=3) due to difficulties with recruitment.
Metaboreflex response was evaluated using a standard protocol; heart rate and
blood pressure were evaluated during (a) rest, (b) isometric handgrip at 40% of maximal
voluntary contraction force, (c) post- exercise circulatory occlusion, and (d) recovery.
These measurements were repeated following participation in an eight- week community
exercise programme to determine the impact of initiation of regular physical activity on
metaboreflex response in people with Parkinson Disease (PD).
Consistent with previous studies, participants with PD demonstrated a significant
elevation in heart rate in response to isometric handgrip exercise (p< 0.001). Heart rate
returned to baseline values upon cessation of exercise. There was no observable blood
pressure response to isometric handgrip or post- exercise circulatory occlusion in either
the PD or age- matched control groups suggesting a diminished metaboreflex response in
both.
The diminished metaboreflex response seen in both the PD and control groups
suggests impairment in peripheral response to exercise. As participants in both groups
were significantly older than in previously reported literature (greater than 70 years o f
age compared to 55 - 66 years o f age), this has important implications for future research
and the monitoring of response to physical activity in older adults and people with PD, as
altered responsiveness o f this system may negatively impact upon fatigue and exercise
tolerance in both populations.


title: Studies in Group VIII metal-phosphine-tetrahydroborate chemistry

contributor:
Holah, D. G.
Hughes, A. N.

subject:
Borates
Transition metal compounds
Complex compounds

abstract:
Co(I) and nickel(T) complexes containing both
bidentate and monodentate tetrahydroborate have been
prepared from the reductions of divalent metal
compounds in the presence of triphenylphosphine with
ethanolic sodium tetrahydroborate.


title: Investigation of an epidemic of balsam poplar leaf blotch miner, Phyllonoricter Nipigon, (Leptidoptera: Gracilleriidae) in Thunder Bay, Ontario

subject:
Balsam poplar
Trembling aspen
Leaf blotch miner
Phyllonorycter
Forest health

abstract:
In the summer of 2018, an outbreak of Phylonorycter nipigon, commonly known as the balsam poplar leaf blotch miner, was identified on the Lakehead University campus in Thunder Bay, Ontario. All balsam poplar and trembling aspen trees in the study area were affected. Leaf blotch mines created by the larvae of this species were present on nearly 100% of leaves, thereby prompting this study.
This study investigated leaf blotch mine counts and frequency distributions, leaf surface areas and two methods of measuring them. It was determined that leaf blotch mine frequency distributions follow a poisson-like pattern, and that a linear relationship exists between leaf surface area (cm2) and number of leaf blotch mines present on a leaf.
Although balsam poplar has a significantly higher average leaf area (cm2) than trembling aspen, its leaves did not have a significantly larger average number of leaf blotch mines.


title: Health, nutritional condition, and productivity of female moose (Alces alces) in Northwestern Ontario

subject: Moose (Ontario, Northwestern, Nutrition)

subject: Moose (Effect of logging on Ontario, Northwestern)

subject: Moose Health (Ontario, Northwestern)

abstract:
Creation or maintenance of moose habitat through logging requires an understanding of
how particular timber-harvest practices affect nutritional interactions of adult females and their
subsequent production of young. I compared ultrasonographic fat measurements of free-ranging
adult female moose in northwestern Ontario, Canada, 1998-2001, inhabiting two forest
management regimes; a modified clear-cut, following the Timber Management Guidelines for
the Provision o f Moose Habitat, and an unmodified, progressive, and contiguous clear-cut. I also
determined pregnancy and in utero twinning by radioimmunoassay of pregnancy-specific protein
B (PSPB) and compared the number of expected calves born to the number of calves surviving to
winter. As an adjunct to evaluation of reproductive performance, I also examined blood
parameters, hair mineral content, and stress hormone metabolite concentration in feces.
For these comparisons to be made, however, reference ranges for blood and hair
parameters needed to be established and the effects of handling, individual, temporal, and spatial
factors on blood parameter variability measured. Likewise, the radioimmunoassay used to
quantify stress hormone metabolites in feces had not been previously used in moose and the
affinity of the antibody to the fecal glucocorticoid (GC) metabolites of moose was unknown.
In Chapter 1, Validation o f a generalized fecal glucocorticoid assay fo r use in moose, I
investigated whether a commercially available multi-species assay (ICN Biomedicals) accurately
reflected acute adrenal activation in moose. Recent development of assays for GC metabolites
has provided a non-invasive means to assess a variety of human-induced disturbances and
environmental conditions on free-ranging animals. Fecal samples are easy to collect year-round
and provide an integrated reflection of all GC secretion over a period of time prior to sample
collection; however, species-specific differences in steroid metabolism necessitate validation of the assay used to quantify GC concentration. I pharmacologically challenged 2 captive-raised
moose (1 male and 1 female) with adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH). A change in fecal GC
metabolite levels was detected at 15 and 22 hours after the administration of the ACTH and
levels remained elevated for 12 and 50 hours, respectively. Accuracy and parallelism tests
demonstrated there was negligible interference from other substances in the feces and that the
antibody binds with serially diluted fecal GC metabolite extracts in a dose-dependent manner. I
concluded the ICN Biomedicals’ antibody could be used to detect a stress response in moose.
Further study will be required to define seasonal patterns in adrenal activity, measure response to
different types of stress, and evaluate the consequences of chronically elevated stress hormones.
In Chapter 2, Comparative health status, nutritional condition, and productivity of female
moose in northwestern Ontario under two forest management regimes, the age structure
(assessed by tooth wear), body size, and manner in which animals were handled were shown to
be similar between landscape treatments. Reference ranges generated for blood chemistry,
hematology, and hair mineral content are presented. After controlling for the effects of handling
and sampling year, body fat and/or landscape treatment explained little of the variance in these
parameters.
In 1999-2000,1 collected feces and evaluated stress hormone metabolite concentrations.
Values were similar between landscape treatments and comparable to values observed in wild
Alaskan moose during mid-winter. Because fecal metabolites represent stress hormone secretion
over the previous 1-2 days, the values obtained are unaffected by capture stress making this
technique suitable for monitoring adrenal activity in free-ranging moose.
February body fat stores in adult females averaged 8.54% and exhibited little annual
variation. Successfully raising a calf to winter modestly affected lipid reserves (8 vs. 9%) and apparently did not affect subsequent reproductive effort. Nutritional condition and intrauterine
fecundity were similar between landscape treatments. Estimates exceeding 165 calves in
utero/100 cows were indicative of populations below K carrying capacity. Calf survival to
winter (Jan - Feb) was greater in the clear-cut landscape modified by the Timber Management
Guidelines fo r the Provision of Moose Habitat than the progressive, contiguous clear-cut (67.3
calves/100 cows vs. 44.2 calves/100 cows) however, which suggested environmental factors
affecting calf survival were different between the 2 landscape treatments.


title: Personality, drinking motives and protective behavioural strategies among undergraduates

contributor:
Mushquash, Christopher
Mazmanian, Dwight
Mushquash, Aislin

subject:
Alchohol-related problems
Alcohol consumption
Alcohol-use disorders among students
Heavy episodic drinking (HED)

abstract:
There is a high level of both heavy episodic drinking and related problems among Canadian
undergraduates. Four personality traits and five motives for alcohol consumption place students
at risk for experiencing increased levels of alcohol-related problems. Protective behavioural
strategies represent a novel, harm reduction approach to ameliorating the negative consequences
that individuals experience as a result of their drinking behaviour. In order to explore the
relationships between personality traits, motives for drinking, protective behavioural strategies
and alcohol-related problems, a 2-wave longitudinal study was conducted to examine two
hypotheses: 1) Does PBS use at wave 1 moderate the relationship between personality traits at
wave 1 and alcohol outcome at wave 2?, and 2) Does PBS use at wave 1 moderate the
relationship between motives for alcohol use at wave 1 and alcohol outcome at wave 2? Results
indicated that PBS do not moderate the relationship between any personality traits and problems,
but do moderate the relationship between two motives for use (coping with anxiety and coping
with depression) and alcohol-related problems, however, relationships did not emerge as
predicted. For those who drink to cope with anxiety or depression, increased PBS usage was
related to increased alcohol-related problems, demonstrating that PBS may not provide a
protective effect at high levels of these drinking motives. Unique aspects of undergraduate
lifestyle may impact the usefulness of PBS for this population, and more directive or intensive
strategies to reduce related harms may be required.


title: Development of simulation and machine learning solutions for social issues

contributor:
Mago, Vijay
Latimer, Eric
Giabbanelli, Philippe

subject:
Simulation and machine learning
Tent detection algorithm
Homelessness (simulation)

abstract:
When developing solutions for social issues, it can be difficult to evaluate the impact they
may have without a real world implementation. This may not be possible for reasons such as
resource, time, and monetary constraints. To resolve these issues, simulation and machine
learning models can be used to mimic reality and provide a picture of how these solutions
would fare. In Chapters 3 and 4, a deep learning approach to simulating homelessness
populations in Canada is presented. This model would provide policy makers with a tool to
test different solutions for this societal problem without the need to wait for approvals or
funding from local officials. In addition to this solution, data enhancement techniques are
presented as a comprehensive dataset on homeless population transitions for such a model
to learn from does not exist. Lastly, Chapter 5 presents a transfer learning architecture to
detect tents in satellite images. The motivation for this work was that “tent camps” are
common for homeless populations to live in and by having a solution to detect these from
images, policy makers can easily see where to focus resources such as shelters for example.
Similar to the constraint present with the homelessness simulation, a comprehensive dataset
on tents in satellite images does not exists. Therefore, this chapter also presents a solution
to generate an comprehensive dataset for the architecture to learn from. The result of this
thesis is developed solutions to social issues that utilize the power of machine learning and
simulation models.


title: Amorphous selenium (a-Se) gamma camera for image-guided breast brachytherapy

contributor:
Reznik, Alla
Linhananta, Apichart

subject:
Brachytherapy methods
Radioisotope brachytherapy
Neoplasms radiotherapy


title: An enhanced passkey entry protocol for secure simple pairing in bluetooth

subject:
Bluetooth technology
Passkey entry protocol
Bluetooth security
Bluetooth attacks
Enhancing bluetooth security

abstract:
Bluetooth devices are being used very extensively in today's world. From simple
wireless headsets to maintaining an entire home network, the Bluetooth technology
is used everywhere. However, there are still vulnerabilities present in the pairing
process of Bluetooth which leads to serious security issues resulting in data theft and
manipulation. We scrutinize the passkey entry protocol in Secure Simple Pairing in
the Bluetooth standard v5.2. In this thesis, we propose a simple enhancement for
the passkey entry protocol in the authentication stage 1 of Secure Simple Pairing
(SSP) using preexisting cryptographic hash functions and random integer gener-
ation present in the protocol. Our research mainly focuses on strengthening the
passkey entry protocol and protecting the devices against passive eavesdropping and
active Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks in both Bluetooth Basic Rate/Enhanced
Data Rate (BR/EDR) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). In addition to increasing
the security of the protocol, our proposed model will also signi cantly reduce the
computation cost and the communication cost of the protocol. This model can be
implemented for any Bluetooth device which uses the passkey entry protocol and
is of version 4.2 or greater.


title: Mechanical properties (MOE and MOR) of glulam

subject:
Glued-laminated timber (glulam)
Black spruce

abstract:
Glue-laminated (glulam) timber has strong mechanical properties and is a great building material. It is composed of small diameter wood. There has been a shortage of large dimensional lumber for construction projects. Glulam is the solution for this since it can be manufactured to have impressive dimensions and unique arches.
Glulam from Nordic, a manufacturer in Quebec was tested for density, MOE and MOR values. Samples were cut from bolts and only the pieces that make up the glulam bolt were tested. The density was tested on 20 samples and a two-way ANOVA was completed to compare the orientation (parallel and perpendicular) of the glulines and to compare the samples with adhesive to the clear samples (joint type). There was a significant difference in the orientation, parallel wood was a higher density. Two-way ANOVAs were also run to compare the MOE and MOR values for each glulam bolt, orientation and joint type. There were 80 samples used and no significant differences found. This can be explained due to the nature of glulam. It was the pieces that make up the beam being tested and there were many inconsistent defects (ex. knot size and frequency) throughout the samples. Many defects are hidden within a glulam beam. As a whole product it is accepted that glulam is a strong, effective building material.


title: Adapting reproduction: portrayals of sex, birth, and bodies in four early modern women's metaphors for writing

subject:
Early modern women writers
Writing and reproduction
Women's writing
Reproductive metaphor

abstract: The metaphor for writing as reproduction was common in literature by both men and women in the early modern period. Indeed, Donald W. Foster argues that the comparison between texts and children, “is the single most frequent metaphor encountered in Renaissance book dedications” (44-5), and he goes on to claim that “the original author is always figured as the only begetter” (45) or parent (44). I will focus on ways that early modern women writers adapt the reproductive metaphor, and I seek to answer the question: since reproduction was the most frequent metaphor for print and since women’s writing was criticized because it was associated with promiscuity, how do women who print appropriate the reproductive metaphor to counter charges against their sexuality? I examine representations of bodies and sexual behaviour in moments when early modern women writers make reference to the writing process, and I find that this metaphor serves as a tool to defend their sexual behaviour, insult others’ perceived unchastity, gain an authoritative position from which to write, and question the connection between writing and reproduction. I conduct close readings of passages that discuss both writing and reproduction, and I use Eric Partridge’s Shakespeare’s Bawdy, Rebecca Bach’s Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature Before Heterosexuality, Wendy Wall’s The Imprint of Gender, and the Oxford English Dictionary as my main authorities in identifying and analyzing vocabulary that refers to both of these events.


title: RF coils design for small animal MRI lung imaging at 3T using hyperpolarized 129Xe and inert fluorinated gases

contributor:
Curiel, Laura
Albert, Mitchell

subject:
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
RF coils theory

abstract:
This thesis described the investigation, construction and testing of two sets of RF coils for their applications in novel lung MRI imaging techniques.
In the first part of the thesis, a quadrature-driven birdcage coil for rat lung MRI using inert fluorinated gases was developed. Methods for coil tuning and impedance matching were presented and discussed. The sensitivity improvement resulted from a quadrature-driven mode was quantitatively measured, and compared to the linear reference. A dual-angle method (DAM) was studied and implemented to quantitatively measure the B1 field homogeneity, and a B1 field map was generated at the center of the coil. In vivo rat lung imaging experiments were conducted using the constructed coil, and the multi-slice images acquired from the rat lung were presented.
In the second part of the thesis, a 1H-129Xe double-birdcage coil for rat lung MRI using hyperpolarized 129Xe gas was developed. The Q factors of each coil was measured and compared before and after the double-birdcage structure was formed. The coupling between the two coils was tested, and a geometrical decoupling method was implemented and optimized. Imaging scans using thermal xenon phantom and saline syringe phantom were conducted with image registration post-processing performed, and the dual-frequency scan ability of the developed coil was verified and evaluated.


title: The parasite communities of two populations of walleye (Sander vitreus) from Black Bay and Circle Lake, Ontario, Canada

contributor:
Carney, Joseph
Hecnar, Stephen
Mackereth, Rob

subject:
Walleye parasites in Lake Superior
Parasite community ecology

abstract: The parasite communities of fishes can provide important information on certain aspects of host biology such as where they have been, what they are eating, and what’s eating them. Unfortunately, fish parasite studies in the Laurentian Great Lakes have been considerably neglected in recent years—with this being especially true for Lake Superior. Black Bay once harboured the most economically important walleye (Sander vitreus) population on Lake Superior; however, historically it has been subject to a wide array of anthropogenic influences that ultimately contributed to a population collapse. Recently, this population has shown signs of recovery. This in turn presents a unique opportunity to investigate its parasite community and gain insight on the biology of the host. In the absence of historical parasite data within Black Bay, walleye parasite communities were compared to that of Circle Lake instead. Circle Lake is considerably different in both abiotic and biotic composition; however it is close in geographic proximity and resides in a watershed that drains into Black Bay. Thus, available parasite species were predicted to be similar. Quantitative parasite data were gathered from 43 walleye from Black Bay, and 46 walleye from Circle Lake. In total, 7 parasite species were found infecting Black Bay walleye (Ergasilus caeruleus, Urocleidus aculeatus, Bothriocephalus cuspidatus, Azygia angusticauda, Prosorhynchoides pusilla, Diplostomum sp., Echinorhynchus sp.) and 14 were found infecting Circle Lake walleye (Ergasilus caeruleus, Urocleidus aculeatus, Clinostomum complanatum, Glochidia, Bothriocephalus cuspidatus, Prosorhynchoides sp., Triaenophorus nodulosus, Azygia angusticauda, Sanguinicola occidentalis, Diplostomum sp., Prosorhynchoides pusilla, Neascus sp., Camallanus oxycephalus, Raphidascaris sp.). The relationship between host attributes and parasite abundance and intensity was variable across both sample locations. There was no relationship between host attributes and species richness or diversity. In 2 of 6 co-occurring species, prevalence was significantly higher in Circle Lake walleye. There was no statistically significant difference in the intensity of shared parasite species. Circle Lake walleye had significantly higher mean infracommunity richness and diversity. Nestedness analysis was used to determine if walleye parasite communities from either sample location were structured. All groupings exhibited a significant nested structure for both sample locations. Despite differences in richness, the order in which species are added as communities assemble showed a similar pattern across sample locations—that is, directly transmitted parasites are acquired first, followed by those using copepods/invertebrates as an intermediate host, and lastly those using forage fish as intermediate hosts. The information gathered in this study reveals that the parasite communities of Black Bay and Circle Lake, although markedly different, perhaps have similar processes contributing to their assembly.


title: Comparative analysis of soil properties influenced by wildfire and sustainable forest licence harvesting practices

subject:
Forest harvesting
Sustainable forest management
Forest soil properties
Wildfire disturbance

abstract:
This thesis outlines the main differences and similarities between current forest
harvesting practices and wildfire disturbances in the boreal forest. Boreal harvesting is carried
out in a way that looks very similar to wildfire disturbances. But the chemical and physical
changes that occur after each disturbance do not show to be identical. Where harvesting displays
more physical change on the forest, wildfires tend to have stark chemical changes to the stand
that succeeds the old one. This will outline the main differences in both of these disturbances and
potentially suggest ways of more closely replicating a wildfire disturbance.


title: (Re)i-magining identity : plural subjectivities in Beryl Gilroy's Frangipani House and Michelle Cliff's No telephone to heaven

contributor:
Siddall, Gillian
Leggatt, Judith

subject: Identity (Psychology) in literature

subject: Women authors, Black 20th century History and criticism

subject: Women authors, Caribbean 20th century History and criticism

abstract:
This thesis uses the concepts, definitions, theories, and poetry of black
women, in particular highlighting those of Africaribbean women, to look at the
construction of identity in two novels by two women of the Caribbean diaspora;
Frangipani House by Beryl Gilroy and No Telephone to Heaven by Michelle Cliff.
Black women’s self-articulations counter the dichotomies of self/other, black/white,
the West/Third World, and oppressor/oppressed that underlie dominant Western
stereotypes of black womanhood. Attending to black women’s voices opens up the
complex, shifting matrix of social and political relations that constitute the lives of
the people populating Gilroy’s and Cliffs novels. The plural and migratory
subjectivities that surface not only counter the Cartesian concept of identity, but
also differ from a generalized post-structuralist subjectivity by drawing on the
specificities of women whose histories are anchored in West Africa, the Middle
Passage, and slavery. The plural subjectivities of women such as Mama King and
Clare Savage (the “protagonists” o f the two novels) reveal the intersections of self
and community, past and present, ancestors and inheritors, imagination and reality,
and the political and the spiritual. Central to this thesis is a close look at Gilroy’s
and Cliffs re-writing of English and English Literature through an analysis of each
author’s particular use o f language, her narrative strategies, and the structure of her
novel. In this thesis, then, I highlight the intersections of language and subjectivity,
and by looking at memory, the community and the self, develop the idea that a
black woman’s identity is multiply situated and shifting, and that a multiplicity of
voices constructs her story. In other words, her story is always already plural.


title: NMR studies of lignin models, derivatives and bleaching effluents

subject:
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Lignin
Sulphate pulping process

abstract:
NMR problems related to assignment techniques and relaxation restrict the use of
NMR in the structural analysis of lignin. These problems have been addressed in three
practical studies in this thesis involving a lignin model trimer and peroxide bleaching
effluents from spruce and investigation of correlation times of lignin using NMR
relaxation. Complete chemical shift assignments for aliphatic and aromatic protons and
carbons of a lignin model trimer were made using one- and two-dimensional NMR
experiments. Measurements from experiments using the nuclear Overhauser effect were
consistent with conformations of this model compound determined from semi-empirical
methods and the published experimental crystal structures of model dimers. Structures
present in the peroxide bleaching effluents of spruce ground wood were identified using
proton, phosphorus and COSY NMR experiments. Correlation times for acetylated kraft
lignin fractions varied between 2.7 x 10' s and 8.1 x 10' s when temperature, molecular
weight and concentration were changed. A greater concentration dependence was shown
for high mass samples.


title: Seeing without rods or cones: contributions of intrinsically-photosensitive retinal ganglion cells to the image-forming visual system

subject: IpRGC physiology

subject: Image-forming vision

subject: Retinal ganglion cells

subject: Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell (IpRGC)

subject: Short-wavelength-sensitive cones (S-cones)

subject: Melanopsin

abstract: It was long thought that rods and cones were the only components of the mammalian retina capable of conveying light information to the brain. Recently, a novel class of transduction-capable retinal ganglion cells containing the photopigment melanopsin were discovered in the mammalian retina identified as an “intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell” or ipRGC. Most of the functionality associated with ipRGCs has been linked to nonperceptual, non-cortical visual operations such as circadian (day-night) phase modulation and pupillary constriction. More recently, however, two subpopulations of ipRGCs have been identified called M1 and M2 cells, with the latter showing “blue-yellow” chromatic opponency that possibly links to brightness or colour pattern vision – properties associated with the retinogeniculostriate, or image-forming visual system. The present study expands on the current understanding of these putative image-forming non-traditional photoreceptor systems. To this end, I developed two stimulus paradigms that target short-wavelength-sensitive cones (S-cones) to tease out the unique contributions of ipRGCs that have neural associations with S-cone visual functioning. In the first paradigm, I measured detection thresholds using short-wavelength selective stimuli that are temporally presented with either an onset or offset “sawtooth” profile to ascertain ipRGC input to the S-OFF, “brightness” pathways. The results revealed differences in the asymmetry between S-ON and S-OFF pathways dependent upon adapting field conditions that were expected to influence ipRGCs over other photoreceptors. In the second experiment, I used a modification of an S-cone contrast sensitivity task employing homochromatic “blue” sine-grating gabors of varying spatial frequencies to directly test ipRGC involvement in spatial pattern vision. The results from the second experiment showed a slight advantage to the perception of low spatial frequency gabors superimposed on chromatic adapting fields that were expected to influence ipRGCs more than the others. Preliminary evidence supporting a spatial tuning property of ipRGCs was also found. Overall, these findings suggest that ipRGCs have measurable influences on conscious, image-forming perceptions, and shed further light on the microcircuitry of the retinogeniculate pathway.