title: Academic Loitering: Observations from Sitting in Three Toronto Parks

subject:
urban geography
urban planning
parks
leisure
park use
mixed methods

abstract: It is widely recognized that access to greenspace benefits the residents of urban centres in many ways. Correlations between access to greenspace and lowered rates of both mental and physical health issues have been shown in several studies. The health benefits of public greenspace are more notable in lower income areas where residents have less access to private greenspace. While there is a great deal of scholarship showing that higher income areas have greater access to greenspace, there has been little quantitative research on how much parks are used and how parks are used. This thesis involves the study of three Toronto parks and a methodological critique of park studies. My first chapter reports findings from 331 hours of observations of park use in Toronto’s Regent, Dovercourt, and Rosedale parks. Park users were categorized and tallied by use type (Leisure, sports/fitness, petcare, childcare, transit). I consider the socioeconomic status of each park’s neighbourhood, park facilities (benches, sports facilities, washrooms, playgrounds, etc), tree canopy coverage, weather, and seasonality. My second chapter concerns the physical design of parks centering on seating and its role in social infrastructure. The final chapter is a critique of the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) method used in previous studies of park use. My research demonstrates the importance of passive park use when planning for public health and I conclude with a number of suggestions for improving park planning processes and the study of public parks.

abstract: M.A.


title: Public School Kindergarten in Ontario - A Historical Perspective

contributor:
Bruno-Jofré, Rosa
Education

rights: Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada

rights: ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

rights: This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.

subject: Ontario Kindergarten

abstract: Beginning in 1883, Ontario was the first, and for many decades the only province in Canada that has continuously provided kindergarten as part of a public education. In 2010, Ontario made another innovative policy decision and introduced a new model of kindergarten, the Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten program (FDELK), extended to a two-year, full day play-based program instructed by a team of educators including a kindergarten teacher and an early childhood educator. Ontario is a leader in Canada in the field of publicly funded early childhood education and represents an interesting case of a program that has gone through many stages before reaching its current point. The success in establishing kindergarten may offer compelling evidence leading to changes to early years education policy in other jurisdictions. Although Ontario’s kindergarten has an almost 150 year history, it is scarcely represented in literature, especially its development between the 1960s and 2010. This thesis will attempt to fill this gap by analysing selected documents to trace the development of Ontario’s public kindergarten from its inception to the current FDELK, and will identify the evolving characteristics of kindergarten, trends, and paradigmatic changes in the analyzed period by using a longue durée approach and Quentin Skinner’s theoretical framework and his theory of interpretation. Using this method, this study explores the historical and intellectual foundations of the FDELK, power dynamics influencing the development of kindergarten, and the intersection of political agendas, ideologies, and economic and pragmatic considerations.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: A Training Framework for Graduate Teaching Assistants in Engineering Programs

subject: Graduate Teaching Assistants, Tutorials, Labs, Grading

abstract:
This project proposes a professional development framework that encompasses multidimensional institutional support to graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to enhance the level of their pedagogical knowledge and skills. This framework will provide institutional stakeholders with a tool to anticipate the essential needs for GTA support and tailor needed professional development activities to heighten the quality of their undergraduate teaching practices. Many of these GTAs will provide Canada with a pool of future faculty members who will be key players in the national higher education system in the near future; their pedagogical competence will thus be reflected in their teaching and instructional practices.
For the implementation of this project, I ran a training needs assessment, in which I collected data from faculty members and students using a faculty survey and faculty, undergraduate and graduate student interviews. The needs assessment showed a wide spectrum of training needs: learning and assessment theories, evaluation techniques, language barriers, cultural differences, communication skills, stage fright, and professionalism.
Informed by the training needs assessment and the available literature on the pedagogical professional development of GTAs, I developed a multidimensional framework, Teaching Assistants Professional Development (TAPD) program, which was adapted from Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory. This model eencompasses five dimensions: individual, microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. The proposed framework identifies the pedagogical needs of GTAs and provides tools for meeting these needs in order to enhance the quality of undergraduate teaching practices and responsibilities.
Mapping TAPD to the institutional available training options showed a need for departmental training programs that support the GTAs’ pedagogical content knowledge in a relatively short period of time and starts a community of practice among the GTAs. The project was implemented for two consecutive years in four departments, and plans for future trainings are laid. The main limitation of disseminating these departmental training programs is the financial commitment the departments must incur to have it as a mandatory training.
I appended this project document with a bibliography that includes a comprehensive collection of seminal work that tackles different perspectives of teaching assistants’ professional development.


title: Using diatoms preserved in peat deposits to track environmental changes in the Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru

subject: Research Subject Categories::NATURAL SCIENCES

subject: diatom

subject: peru

subject: peat

subject: bofedal

subject: environmental change

subject: ENSO

subject: climate change

subject: paleoenvironmental

subject: cordillera vilcanota

abstract: Recent climate change in alpine regions is outpacing many other parts of the world, threatening to degrade specialized ecosystems and their associated ecological services. Long-term data are sparse, especially in remote regions such as the Cordillera Vilcanota in Peru. Diatoms preserved in peat deposits (known locally as bofedales) have the potential to provide a long-term context for environmental changes resulting from recent climate change. This thesis examined diatom assemblages and other siliceous indicators preserved in a 90 cm peat core to reveal long-term environmental changes spanning the past several centuries. The diatom assemblages indicate that cool, oligotrophic conditions occurred contemporaneously with peat initiation at the end of the Little Ice Age, and that these conditions persisted until the late 20th century, at which point drier conditions became prevalent. Recently, the diatoms indicate a shift to wetter and more acidic conditions that are characteristic of a poor fen. These changes may reflect glacial retreat due to climate change or ENSO events, the latter of which is known to modulate precipitation in the western tropical Andes. This research also tracked peat accumulation rates that are amongst the highest in the world, highlighting the important role these environments play in carbon sequestration. Although there have been few paleoenvironmental studies in this region, these data generally match interpretations made from other archives such as ice cores and high alpine lake sediments. This thesis is the first to provide the environmental history of a bofedal in the Cordillera Vilcanota using diatoms and demonstrates the potential for future research in this region using siliceous bioindicators preserved in peat deposits.


title: Waterfront Sustainability Planning in Ontario: A Review of Toronto, Kingston, and Barrie

subject: Waterfront Sustainability Planning

subject: Historical Waterfront Development

subject: Urban Land Use and Regeneration

subject: Waterfront Regeneration

subject: Sustainability and Sustainability Assessment

abstract:
With increasingly large populations living in cities, it has become important for sustainable urban planning practices to optimize urban locations. As cities are commonly located on waterbodies, waterfronts have become a spotlight of urban sustainability planning. Waterfront regeneration therefore aims to revitalize waterfronts that have been left as vast areas of polluted, underutilized terrain. This concept has been made popular specifically within the Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront by David Crombie, who made recommendations on waterfront sustainability. My research utilizes various literature available on waterfront planning to design a Waterfront Sustainability Evaluation Framework, based predominantly on sustainability themes developed by Gibson (2006) within Sustainability Assessment: Basic Components of Practical Approach. The framework is applied to three urban waterfront case studies based on population comparisons; Toronto, Kingston, and Barrie. Document analysis, specifically conducted on NVIVO 12, was utilized to code specific aspects of the framework to references within the chosen city planning documents. The document analysis determined that Kingston most successfully met the Waterfront Sustainability Evaluation Framework. It can be predicted that this is because Waterfront Kingston has been developed in conjunction with Sustainable Kingston, using valuable expertise from Waterfront Toronto. Therefore, the framework focuses on many of the main Waterfront Sustainability Evaluation Framework themes. Closer analysis of the data also displayed successes per attribute for Toronto and Barrie. Examining each municipality identified common trends of where each city is lacking and where best management practices in support of sustainability are more commonly adapted. Data analysis between all three case studies also displayed less important aspects which were included in the Waterfront Sustainability Evaluation Framework and could be omitted. Additionally, safety, economic development, innovation and aesthetics, connectivity, and transparency were determined to be topics for future research applications. Overall, the research suggests that the framework developed was successful in helping understand the importance of specific themes within waterfront sustainability planning, and the literature review strongly reflected the themes which were displayed in the chosen case study city planning documents.

Through the research conducted, it is distinctly recognizable that waterfronts within cities are continuing to evolve to apply to the larger concept of urban planning. Sustainable waterfront planning has the capability of sparking improvements and progress within waterfront areas, as well as the entirety of a city, to promote positive sustainable change.


title: Evaluation of a Biomass-to-Biooil Supply Chain Using Forestry Products in British Columbia, Canada

subject:
Renewable Energy
Bio-oil
LCA

abstract: As one of the top ten emitters of carbon dioxide in the world, Canada has a crucial role to play in helping to meet the global emissions reduction target of 50% by 2050. In the past few decades, renewable energy sources have been pushed to the forefront of global energy policy, and biomass energy sources in particular have proved to be effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With an estimated 8-10 million oven dry tons of forest residue available in British Columbia each year, forestry products represent an underutilized resource in Canada that can offer significant opportunities as feedstock in biomass to bioenergy pathways. The goal of this project was to assess the feasibility of developing a pyrolysis plant in British Columbia, in which woody biomass could be used to generate renewable biooil. In order to determine how economic costs and environmental impacts of biomass-to-biooil supply chains are affected by different variables, 10 life cycle assessments (LCAs) were reviewed and analyzed. The main findings of this study were that total CO2 emissions can range significantly from project to project, but generally increase with scale and distance that residues are transported. Similarly, while total costs can vary considerably, transport costs tend to increase with haul distance, and cost per gallon of oil generally decreases with larger plant size. Overall, it was determined that while analyzing different LCAs can provide us with general trends, the varying functional units and parameters between assessments makes it very difficult to compare them directly. Therefore, further research unique to B.C is required before any project decisions can be made in the province. These findings provide insight into which details are often lacking in life cycle assessments, and can inform future research on biomass opportunities in British Columbia.


title: Life Cycle Assessment of a Glass Beer Bottle in Ontario, Canada

subject:
Glass Bottles
Circular Economy
Life Cycle Assessment

abstract: The glass beer bottle return program known provincial-wide as the Bag it Back program (a branch of the Ontario Deposit Return Program) began as a partnership between the Beer Store and Ontario’s Ministry of Finance in 2007. Using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework, the glass beer bottle was used as a case study with an emphasis on its disposal methods to identify the environmental advantages of a circular economy. Through the Bag it Back program, glass beer bottles will either be recycled into new bottles or refilled and reused. The aim of this project was to identify which result was more environmentally sustainable based on resource consumption and waste production. Using primary and secondary research, I have concluded that reuse of the bottle is the most sustainable option within the Bag it Back program. The only refillable glass beer bottle option available for breweries currently is the refillable amber bottle. This acts as a barrier to the success of a total circular flow and the full potential of the Bag it Back program within the context of environmental sustainability.


title: Understanding Institutional Responses to Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaigns at Canadian Universities

subject:
Divestment
Fossil Fuels
Activism
Queen's
Dalhousie
McGill
UBC
Carbon Bubble
Stranded Assets
Sustainability

abstract: Fossil fuel divestment has been a growing movement in the fight for climate justice, with college and university campuses as a key platform for the movement. While a great deal of literature has studied various aspects of fossil fuel divestment, none thus far has considered why certain institutions divest while others do not. Through a comparative case study of four Canadian universities, I found that their arguments fell into similar categories: ‘Social Injury’, ‘Supply and Demand’, ‘Engagement’, ‘Financial Risk’, ‘Sustainability Initiatives’ and ‘Risk of Losing Funding and/or Donations’. Investigative research and interviews at each university brought forward evidence of the types of influences on each institution by the fossil fuel industry. Fewer direct influences on the institution that has committed to divestment brought about an interesting comparison. The results from this research provide some evidence to suggest that the reasons institutions present for not divesting are not the whole story, and that donor and alumni influence deserves further attention.


title: The Flood of 2013: Investigating Seasonal Discharge, Turbidity, and Precipitation to Assess Changes in Channel Geomorphology and River Hydrology in The Elbow River, Alberta

subject: Flood Geomorphology Hydrology Alberta Discharge Turbidity River

abstract: In the face of global environmental change, inconsistencies in the frequency and intensity of storm events are a predicted result of climate change. An unprecedented flood event in 2013 caused widespread geomorphic and hydrological change to the Elbow River, located in southwestern Alberta. The aim of this study was to characterize how the hydrology and geomorphology of the Elbow River from Highway 22 to Highway 8 (Twin Bridges) changed during and after the flood of 2013. A seven-year-long time series of 15-minute discharge and turbidity data as well as daily mean values of discharge, turbidity, and precipitation were analyzed monthly (August, September, October), seasonally, and annually (2011 – 2018). Data from these stations along the Elbow River were also examined through SSC-discharge hysteresis. Google satellite imagery from Google Earth Pro provided a visual analysis of geomorphic change throughout the study period. The results show the complex relationship between precipitation, discharge, and turbidity, due to the forces of fluvial geomorphology, landscape characteristics, and an extreme hydrological event, that have additional controls on suspended sediment mobilization. Satellite imagery revealed widespread geomorphic restructuring as a result of high rates of sediment deposition and erosion immediately after the flood. SSC-discharge hysteresis demonstrated that the 2013 flood mobilized mass amounts of suspended sediment into the channel through counter-clockwise hysteresis. The results show the Elbow River’s sensitivity to change but also the capacity to stabilize years after the event. An analysis of the hydrological regime of the Elbow River provides insights into the fluvial and geomorphological response to changes in sediment availability, and how these changes affect sediment transport following an extreme hydrological event. Results contribute to background knowledge that policy-makers can use to inform flood risk management.


title: Embryotoxicity of Naphthenic Acid Fraction Components to Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas)

subject:
Oil Sands
Naphthenic Acids
Fish
Development
Behaviour

abstract: The extraction of bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands region generates large volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) that are stored in tailings ponds. New policy directives are planning to intentionally release OSPW into surrounding freshwater ecosystems. Presently, no water quality standards exist for the main toxic constituent of OSPW - naphthenic acid fraction components (NAFCs). To aid in the establishment of safe-release thresholds of OSPW, we exposed embryo fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) to OSPW-derived NAFCs (2.5-54 mg/L) from 1-day post-fertilization to hatch in semi-natural conditions. Observations on embryo heart rate, embryo development, and basal activity at hatch were examined, to assess the developmental and behavioural toxicity of NAFCs. Embryo heart rates declined with increasing exposure concentration. NAFCs caused embryo mortality (LC50=26.76 mg/L) and development impairments at hatch (EC50=14.38 mg/L). Non-viable fish displayed pericardial and yolk sac edemas, craniofacial defects, and spinal curvatures that increased in severity with increasing exposure concentration. Acute narcosis, cardiac dysfunction, oxidative stress, and alteration in gene expression were probable modes of toxic action. At concentrations above 21 mg/L, fish displayed erratic and repetitive twitching patterns indicative of nervous system impairment. Post-hatch mass increased with increasing exposure concentration, potentially as a short term, compensatory-like response. Additionally, a reduction in basal activity was observed for fish exposed to 2.5 and 6.5 mg/L. This result suggests there could be sublethal effects for fish exposed to NAFC concentrations much lower than those known to cause mortality and developmental impairments. Taken together, these results provide important toxicological information to inform future regulatory policies for the management of OSPW in Alberta, Canada.


title: Establishment of an in vitro model using immortal cell lines derived from trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to assess the epigenetic toxicity of the flame retardant triphenyl phosphate

subject:
Triphenyl phosphate
immortal cell line
epigenetic
toxicity

abstract: Since the banning of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), the use of alternative flame retardants such as triphenyl phosphate (TPP) has greatly increased. TPP is an organophosphate flame retardant that is added to a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. TPP has been found present across all environmental compartments, yet there remains limited knowledge on the toxicological profile and the environmental implications of its widespread use. Some studies suggest that TPP may operate as an endocrine and metabolic disruptor as well as causing possible developmental toxicity, which indicates the possibility for toxicity to occur in future generations via epigenetic modifications. This study aimed to establish a model to evaluate epigenetic toxicity following TPP exposure in aquatic ecosystems, using the immortal trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cell lines STE-137 (derived from steelhead trout embryonic tissue) and RTG-W1 (derived rainbow trout gill epithelial tissue). Specifically, this study was designed to investigate the occurrence of histone H3 acetylation, an epigenetic modification. Due to difficulties in the growth and maintenance of STE-137 and RTG-W1, a portion of this study uses CD57BL/6 fetal mouse tissue to establish protocols that can be applied in future studies to investigate changes to histone H3 acetylation in STE-137 and RTG-W1 cell lines following exposure to TPP. Preliminary histone analysis results using liver tissue from CD57BL/6 fetal mice exposed to either 0, 5, 25, or 50 mg/kg of TPP in utero indicated that there was no significant difference in H3 acetylation at any treatment group dose compared to control, but a non-significant trend of increased acetylation with increased dose was observed. The results from the future application of this model may be important in order to guide policy decisions on the use of TPP, seeing as TPP is not currently monitored on any federally regulated substances list in Canada.


title: Coral Reef Management: Analysis of the Management of the Coral Triangle Initiative within the Coral Triangle Region

subject:
coral triangle initiative
coral reef management
conservation

abstract: The Coral Triangle (CT) Region has the highest concentration of marine biodiversity. Anthropogenic stresses have been threatening the status of all coral reef systems worldwide. Reefs are in rapid decline, with marine ecosystem degradation and it is important that initiatives like the Coral Triangle Initiative are in place to protect these important habitats. This paper analyzed the management of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) within the countries of the Coral Triangle. This study aimed to specifically analyze the management of the Coral Triangle Initiative within the countries of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papa New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. Methods used in this paper included qualitative document and thematic analysis. Coral reef management was explored with a literature review and was used to create a thematic framework to compare the action plans of the CTI to. Prevalent themes found in marine conservation and coral reef management include marine protected areas, marine threatened species status and marine resource extraction. These themes can directly translate to conservation efforts. These efforts and results depend heavily on the dynamics of the conservation strategy. Looking at the structure of the CTI action plans, these themes were directly encompassed in their goals and throughout the years, have seen many successes within the marine realm. However, with their efforts, there were challenges these plans faced. Based on the CTI document analysis of the Regional Plan of Action, National Plans of Action and Senior Officials’ Meetings, recommendations for the CTI were made based off of the challenges encountered. This consisted of more development of modelling and marketing about sustainable marine economy, finding more sources of alternative funding, creating positions for locals as CT community liaisons, including more initiatives on marine waste management and increasing and continuing to support women in conservation efforts in this line of work. The CTI has many strengths with reef values that they uphold but struggle financially and with stakeholder participation. The CTI has the ability to become the leading organization in food security in the marine realm and marine resources management but needs continued support.


title: Green Buildings in Singapore: Assessing the Feasibility of an Energy Transition in the Building Sector under the Current Policy Approach

abstract: Singapore is widely recognized as a global leader in affairs pertaining to sustainable urban development. Green buildings that boast visually spectacular vertical gardens and feature technology to increase resource use efficiency have become an unofficial emblem of the city-state, representing a unique opportunity to position sustainability in the forefront of the intensively urban landscape. Government initiatives directed toward the less apparent features of sustainable operations have now taken precedence over aesthetic greenery to address pervasive energy challenges. Singapore has successfully introduced higher efficiency green buildings into the construction sector through a strong policy approach. To stimulate continued integration, the government has set an overarching goal to green a minimum of 80% of buildings in Singapore by 2030. This paper addresses the pertinent question: Do the existing policy initiatives offer sufficient regulatory support and market integration stimulus to fulfill Singapore’s green building objectives? Analysis involves conducting a policy scan to identify the legislative documents pertinent to green buildings and employing an original hybridized framework merging force-field and PEST analyses. The framework evaluates four macroeconomic classifications influencing green building uptake by the market: policy (separately evaluated by regulation and market stimulation proficiency), economic barriers, social barriers, and technological barriers. Singapore was found to excel in its regulatory role. The current policy approach is characterized by mandatory prescriptive policy and strong government involvement. This has largely been responsible for the successful initial introduction of green buildings. The numerous market barriers and policy implementation gaps identified by the study suggest that the current policy approach does not offer sufficient market stimulus. Economic and social barriers due to valuation issues, poor industry productivity, and low market demand were found to be significant. Technological barriers were moderate and generally associated with uptake issues. The results highlight the importance of utilizing different policy approaches at different stages of market maturity.


title: Guided by Local Elders and Teachers: How Non-Indigenous Teachers Can Support First Nations and Métis Students in Northern Saskatchewan

contributor:
Morcom, Lindsay
Education

subject:
Indigenous education
non-Indigenous teachers
student wellbeing
student achievement
northern Saskatchewan

abstract: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action report demands the better preparation of teachers to deliver Indigenous content (2015, p. 7). A major problem is that non-Indigenous teachers have not been adequately trained to teach Indigenous students (Bissell & Korteweg, 2016). The lack of Indigenous cultural knowledge and perspectives among teachers has been identified as a significant factor in the limited achievement of Indigenous students in the Canadian public-school system (Kanu, 2005). Non-Indigenous teachers require appropriate historical, cultural, and place-based knowledge to build positive relationships with Indigenous students and families who have been and continue to be silenced, marginalized, or failed by institutions that reproduce settler-colonial relationships through Eurocentric curriculum, texts, and teaching methods (Battiste, 2013). The purpose of this grounded study is to describe the expectations the Indigenous community has of non-Indigenous teachers in a northern Saskatchewan context, and to explore why some non-Indigenous teachers make long-term commitments. A post-colonial Indigenous research paradigm informs the study that is framed by decolonizing theory (Chilisa, 2012) and a de/colonizing theory of reconciliation (Madden, 2019). First Nations and Métis Elders and teachers in the study have asked non-Indigenous teachers to support Indigenous students by engaging in learning about students’ worldview and cultural identities, the historical context of the area, and systemic racism in education. Non-Indigenous teachers have been encouraged to continuously reflect to address personal privileges, biases, and assumptions that inform their relationship to the territory and its people. By respecting and including the community in students’ learning experiences, non-Indigenous teachers can form positive relationships with students that foster wellbeing. Student achievement should be locally defined and can be supported with collaborative goal setting and ongoing, respectful feedback. Indigenous content and perspectives should be taught every day, in meaningful, accurate, and positive ways, using appropriate resources from Indigenous sources and domains of knowledge, with the inclusion of land-based learning. Non-Indigenous teacher participants relocated to teach in northern Saskatchewan and have stayed for a minimum of five years; they have attributed their long-term commitment to a willingness to learn, community-mindedness, and positive relationships with the students and the land.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: International Investment Law and Environmental Justice Movements:  The Price of Justice in Latin America

subject:
Environmental Justice
Latin America
Free Trade Agreements
UNCITRAL
ICSID
Arbitration
Environmental Justice Movements
International Investment Law
Investor-State Dispute Settlement

abstract: Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) exists in over 3,000 trade and investment treaties. It allows foreign investors to challenge any government action, in private arbitration, that limits the profitability of their investment be that environment, health, or public interest laws. ISDS has been criticized by scholars for restricting host states’ sovereignty and their ability to regulate in the public interest. While the current literature has yielded important insights, most studies are dominated by a state-centrist perspective and neglect to acknowledge that a large number of disputes, particularly in the Global South, emerge as a result of conflicts between foreign investors and local communities. Building on existing literature, this study examines the Canadian mining industry in Latin America to understand the impact of ISDS claims on the environment from an environmental justice perspective. It argues that the asymmetric corporate structure  of the ISDS system has extended into community-investor relations, creating a power imbalance that sets the stage for conflict. It is hypothesized that ISDS protections exacerbate local tensions privileging the rights of investors over those of communities.  Host governments are more likely to fulfill obligations of investment treaties due to their ISDS enforcement mechanism, regardless of other obligations under international human rights treaties, such as the ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous Rights. This study draws connections between various injustices, highlighting the corporate preference of ISDS and the asymmetry in legal protections that preclude corporate accountability or justice for affected communities.

abstract: Kyla Tienhaara


title: Aiming with Assistance: Player Balancing for Differences in Fine Motor Ability

contributor:
Graham, T.C. Nicholas (Nick)
Computing

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States

subject:
Aim Assistance
Cerebral Palsy
Game Balancing
Fine Motor Ability

abstract: A significant barrier to players’ enjoyment of video games is the competitive nature of many multiplayer games. It can be difficult for people with different abilities to enjoy playing together. Player balancing (such as aim assistance) helps people of varying abilities play together by adjusting game mechanics. Player balancing is particularly important in games where differences in fine motor ability can have large impact on game outcomes, and in making games accessible to people with motor disabilities. The focus of this thesis is to determine whether aim assistance can reduce the barriers to group play with children who have cerebral palsy. We did this by evaluating whether aim assistance significantly reduces differences in player performance, and whether aim assistance negatively affects player perceptions of fairness and fun. Our evaluation involved a two-step process. The first step was a six-day study of a novel aim assistance algorithm with eight children with cerebral palsy. We tested the impact of this algorithm on balancing, player behaviour, and player perceptions through its incorporation in a two-player competitive aiming game. Our second step involved a qualitative evaluation with 18 pairs of typically developed adults of a revised game that implemented two improvements to the aim assistance algorithm. Our aim assistance algorithm did not significantly reduce the gap in player performance in a video game for children with cerebral palsy. However, it did reduce the difference in players’ scores in heavily imbalanced (“blowout”) games between players with different levels of fine motor ability levels. Aim assistance was generally viewed positively in social play settings and, players reported it had a positive impact on their play experience. We also found that game elements that draw attention to aim assistance need to be designed with attention to colour. When applying visual effects, players need to be informed of their purpose to make use of them effectively.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A Passion for Leadership: Three Studies

contributor:
Barling, Julian
Business

subject:
leadership
harmonious passion
obsessive passion

abstract: This dissertation sought to further our understanding of the nature of leadership by developing and investigating a novel construct: a passion for leadership. In Study 1, I developed a dualistic model of a passion for leadership by distinguishing between a harmonious and an obsessive passion for leadership. Harmonious passion for leadership involves an intense, controllable desire to engage in leadership thereby creating a flexible form of persistence. In contrast, obsessive passion for leadership reflects an intense, incessant need to engage in leadership such that activity involvement is considered rigid. Then, across 7 studies involving 9 separate samples, I developed a reliable and valid measure of a passion for leadership, in which the harmonious and obsessive passion for leadership demonstrated internal and temporal stability and manifested content, construct, convergent, discriminant, and concurrent-related validity. Study 2 extended the first study by testing whether the passion for leadership is psychometrically invariant across groups. In particular, I investigated whether the factor structure of the passion for leadership was equivalent across biological sex (male vs. female) and country (USA vs. China). Two separate cross-sectional online surveys were conducted with leaders for each group. The results demonstrated that, for both sex and country, the passion for leadership measure was partially invariant. Based on the dualistic model of a passion for leadership, Study 3 examined whether harmonious and obsessive passion for leadership predict transformational leadership and abusive supervision, respectively. I also investigated the moderating role of gender. Within the context of a laboratory-based experiment, the findings showed that priming harmonious passion for leadership led to higher levels of transformational leadership; in contrast, priming an obsessive passion for leadership had no effect on abusive supervision. Furthermore, gender did not moderate the effects of harmonious or obsessive passion for leadership on either transformational leadership or abusive supervision, respectively. I close this dissertation with a general discussion of the three studies and recommendations for future research.

abstract: PhD


title: A Blueprint for Student-Athlete Success: Understanding the Conditions Implemented by University Coaches

contributor:
Martin, Luc
Côté, Jean
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
university sport coaches
student-athlete success
condition-setting approach

abstract: Student-athletes represent a unique group of individuals that must balance their academic goals with their athletic pursuits in a high performance sport context. Coaches play a significant role in helping athletes achieve in both contexts, which involves extensive planning and preparation beforehand in order to create an environment for student-athlete success. This study used a foundational concept from the industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology literature to investigate the necessary conditions that interuniversity sport coaches implemented prior to and during a competitive season to facilitate performance for both their individual athletes and the collective team. Using a case-study approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five U Sports head coaches from soccer, cross-country running, ice hockey and basketball before and at the end of their seasons. As a way to triangulate information obtained from coaches and to enrich my understanding of the particular conditions discussed, I also interviewed student-athletes from each team (n = 5) and the High Performance Director who manages this particular U Sports Athletics program. The data were analyzed thematically to highlight the necessary conditions specific to each coach and their individual athletes, and were then generalized across all teams within the broader athletics program. The five conditions discussed with coaches are described in detail: (1) create a team vision with clear objectives, (2) opt for athletes of best fit, (3) assemble team roles and expectations, (4) confirm and allocate necessary resources and support, and (5) have competent and prepared team coaching. Within each condition, I first provide support for their relevance and importance based on participant responses, followed by strategies for how to implement conditions in practice. Lastly, and perhaps of most significance, I discuss considerations of the broader context within which these teams are situated, as well as at the case level for the conditions established. Both research and practical implications emanating from this thesis are discussed in Chapter 5.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Effects of dispersal on the response of zooplankton communities to salt contamination

subject:
dispersal
chloride
salt contamination
zooplankton

abstract: The application of road de-icing salts has become associated with elevated chloride concentrations in freshwater environments. The response of ecosystems to road salt may be dependent on the spatial exchange of organisms across landscapes as the dispersal of better adapted individuals, which are functionally redundant, have the potential to buffer environmental change. My research will test the prediction that the dispersal of zooplankton with previous exposure to elevated chloride concentrations will help increase community resilience and ecosystem function of freshwater habitats without previous chloride exposure. To assess the individual and interactive effects of zooplankton dispersal and salt contamination, I conducted a mesocosm experiment with a factorial design for salt and dispersal. Cladoceran, nauplii, copepodids, copepods, and rotifers were assessed to determine exacerbating, neutral or ameliorating effects of the treatment groups. Nauplii, copepodids and copepod abundances experienced an exacerbating effect with salinity treatments, whereas rotifers were found to increase in abundance with salinity treatments and cladoceran abundance did not significantly vary with salinity treatments. Dispersal was not found to have an effect on the abundance of any of the zooplankton groups assessed. An interactive effect of salt and dispersal was found in nauplii, where nauplii in the dispersal treatment were not found to be significantly impacted by elevated chloride but were adversely affected by salt in treatments that did not receive dispersers. A greater understanding of how dispersal may impact zooplankton community responses to salt contamination is critical for understanding the variation in which freshwater communities respond to elevated chloride concentrations.


title: Investigating Efficiency and Stability of Gait Using a Two Triaxial IMU Sensor System

contributor:
Costigan, Patrick
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Gait
IMU
Sensors
Wearable Sensors
Clinical Gait Analysis

abstract: This work aimed to develop a simple, two-sensor system to measure gait efficiency and stability. The system was tested by measuring the compromised gait pattern of 15 healthy adults (aged 18-30). The gait pattern was altered by forcing participants to walk on their toes on their right side using an ankle-foot orthotic (AFO) and heel wedges. There were 5 conditions: a control condition, a zero AFO condition (AFO with no restrictions or wedges), and a low (5 degrees of plantar flexion), medium (15 degrees of plantar flexion) and high (25 degrees of plantar flexion) wedge conditions. Participants were instrumented with two-sensors, one on their low back, and the other attached to their head, as well as motion tracking markers placed on landmarks of the lower limbs and a motion tracking marker on each sensor.  Participants completed ten, 7-meter, walking trials under each condition. Four outcome variables were calculated, two for efficiency and two for stability. The outcome variables were calculated from the movements of the low back and the head and the relationship between them. Repeated measures MANOVAs (Multivariate Analysis of Variance) found an overall decrease in gait efficiency and stability with increasing plantar flexion angle. There was no significant interaction between measurement tool and condition, suggesting that the sensors measured changes in the outcome variables that were similar to those measured by the motion capture system. This work is the first step in the validation of a simple two-sensor system to measure efficiency and stability of gait. Efficiency and stability are two objective and clinically relevant variables that when combined with the tests presently used in clinic will give a more holistic view of an individual’s gait.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Deep Learning for Legal and Medical Text Analytics

contributor:
Zulkernine, Farhana
Computing

subject:
NLP
Deep Learning
Legal Analytics
Machine Learning

abstract:
Applications of deep learning using text have shown wide success in detecting human emotions, analyzing social media feeds, classifying text and creating compressed representations. While deep learning has been widely applied across numerous domains, researchers have only begun to apply these techniques to the field of law. Recently, researchers have shown success in utilizing attention-based models for predicting criminal charges using unstructured text as an input. The legal field poses many challenges such as having a small amount of legal data available in Canada, the verbosity of judgements, the legal-jargon used in judgements, and the subjectivity of outcomes. In the medical domain, we have seen breakthroughs using machine learning to predict diseases using physicians' notes and classifying patients using ICD-9 codes. Unfortunately, many of the state-of-the-art systems required expensive hand-annotated labels that are often unobtainable.

In this work we investigated the prediction of reasonable notice and the identification of similar cases for personal injury in the field of law, and the prediction of PTSD in the medical domain. High costs in litigation currently create a barrier for the majority of Canadians. We believe with a deep learning approach for the prediction of reasonable notice, we can help people weigh the costs of their legal options with the potential outcomes. Similarly, in personal injury, identifying previous judgements with similar plaintiffs would help legal practitioners and laypeople anchor their expectations of damages. Lastly, intelligent systems in the field of medicine can help medical professionals provide a better patient care through the prediction of future complications.

For our legal research we utilized numerous attention-based models and pretrained models with legal judgement summaries typed by humans as input. The out-of-the-box pretrained RoBERTa model performed the best with a 69% accuracy. We believe our work approaches the upper-echelon of performance given the subjective nature of judges and the variability in outcomes. RoBERTa, modified with two classification layers, yielded the best qualitative results for identifying similar cases in personal injury. Lastly, the need for manual validation in our medical research led us to demonstrate a proof-of-concept using a weakly-supervised approach.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Hypoxia and the metabolic phenotype of Daphnia

contributor:
Moyes, Christopher
Nelson, William
Biology

subject:
Hypoxia
Daphnia
Physiology
Aquatic ecology

abstract: Environmental hypoxia is a phenomenon in which low oxygen conditions force organisms to respond behaviourally and physiologically to survive in an otherwise lethal habitat. Animals display different mechanisms to cope with the harsh living conditions of a hypoxic environment, most of which can be summarized as: (i) improvement of oxygen transport capacity, (ii) improvement of oxygen storage, and (iii) supply of energy via anaerobic metabolism. Daphnia respond to hypoxia by increasing the expression of extracellular hemoglobin (Hb), an oxygen transport/storage protein. It is generally thought that this upregulation is used as a strategy to sustain sufficient oxygenation to tissues, allowing Daphnia to stay systemically normoxic even when the environment is hypoxic. Although the changes/differences in Hb levels have been studied in many contexts, very little has been done exploring the basic properties of energy metabolism in Daphnia. My focus was on the link between the Hb response and the metabolic phenotype. I sampled different Daphnia species from 20 lakes in the Frontenac Arch Biosphere. The resulting metabolite analyses support the idea that the benefit of Hb is facilitating oxygen delivery rather than to increase oxygen storage. I found a distinct lack of coordination in the responses of the glycolytic enzymes relative to Hb. Daphnia pulicaria from four lakes appeared to demonstrate one of two strategies in relation to coordination of glycolytic genes and Hb. In some lakes D. pulicaria showed a pronounced induction of Hb without changes in glycolytic enzymes, whereas other lakes showed a blunted Hb response but pronounced glycolytic response. Serial sampling showed the Hb response early in the season (May-June) and a glycolytic response later in the season (September- October). Further studies should include transcriptome analyses exploring if lake-by-lake differences are due to microevolutionary variation or phenotypic responses to different degrees and durations of oxygen stress.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: An Analysis of the Feasibility of Circular Economies as a Method of Reducing Waste from Hospital Operating Rooms

abstract: Operating room (OR) waste accounts for a large proportion of total hospital waste. Current consumption, use and disposal techniques are highly standardized and regulated. This thesis investigates the possibility of reuse and recycling as feasible methods of reducing OR waste without negatively affecting the standard and quality of care. Data was collected from interviews with healthcare providers (HCPs) and through observational analysis in the OR at Kingston General Hospital. The data was used to identify the barriers preventing a classical or typical response to the waste hierarchy, a tool used for assessing waste management solutions. Analysis revealed that infection control is the most pressing issue, which restricts the amount of recycling and reuse initiatives that can be implemented. Additional factors identified include cost reduction, reliability, and administrative structures. Most healthcare professionals working in ORs are aware that surgeries create a large volume of waste; however, waste remains a low-priority issue. Results demonstrate that hospitals are an institution where responses to the waste hierarchy are restricted to reuse and disposal methods. Additional expansions to reuse or recycling, while possible, are limited in their magnitude and may result in adverse effects and increased risks to patients.


title: Drowned Out: How Marine Vessel Noise Impacts the Southern Resident Killer Whale Population in the Salish Sea

abstract:
The endangered Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) population that consists of a total of 73 members, concentrates in the Salish Sea off the coast of British Columbia, Canada and Washington, USA during the summer. The Salish Sea is also an area of high human occupancy and activity, resulting in high amounts of marine vessel traffic. The noise created by vessel traffic can negatively affect SRKW life processes, which threatens the small population’s survival. The purpose of this paper is to determine how marine vessel noise affects the SRKW population as well as how commercial and whale watching vessels specifically affect SRKW, as they are notable industries in the area. Another objective is to assess how affective current SRKW-specific legislation is.
An examination of published journal articles, theses, and other literature reveals that vessel noise originates from multiple characteristics of a vessel such as length, size, propeller cavitation, distance, and speed. Whale watching vessel noise is mainly due to certain practices such as leapfrogging which increases noise levels near pods, masking SRKW communication. Additionally, commercial shipping vessels increase background noise, masking SRKW calls, and interfering with echolocation. Vessel noise affects SRKW social behaviour including the reduction of SRKW communication space, vessel noise masking SRKW calls, SRKW decreased detection of calls, altering calls, and increased surface active behaviours. Vessel noise disrupts SRKW echolocation and navigation of prey, reduces the amount of resting and foraging time, causes avoidance behaviour, and decreases energy production. SRKW can also suffer from hearing loss due to the constant exposure of vessel noise. This constant exposure to vessel noise can also lead SRKW to permanently abandon their habitat.
Current Canadian and American SRKW legislation such as the Oceans Protection Plan and the Species at Risk Act establish protection zones, fines for violating SRKW critical habitat zones, and voluntary vessel slowdowns but overall, legislation isn’t properly addressing noise level effects on SRKW. Further, noise levels in critical habitat zones have been found to significantly affect SRKW communication. Findings have shown that voluntary regulations and boundaries established aren’t effective and enforcement of regulations is minimal. Recommendations include developing SRKW education campaigns as well as creating clear channels of communication among researchers, policy-makers and the public to increase awareness of current legislation. Additionally, creating one universal piece of SRKW legislation for easier management of vessels and SRKW, altering shipping routes in the summer to avoid critical habitats, and making all voluntary measures for vessel slowdowns obligatory could aid in the survival of the SRKW population in the Salish Sea.


title: Exploring Canadian Undergraduate Environmental Science/Studies Programs’ Engagement with The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, Indigenous Epistemologies and Climate Change

subject:
reconciliation
Indigenous ways of knowing (IWK)
Indigenous epistemologies
climate change
TRC
environmental science and studies,
decolonization
education
post- secondary

abstract: Since settlers began colonizing this country, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) person have been excluded from Canadian society, including educational institutions, and they are facing disproportional impacts of climate change. This research project fills gaps in knowledge of how Canadian Environmental Science/Studies Programs (CESSPs) are responding to the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report and Calls to Action, engaging with Indigenous epistemologies and addressing climate change. A case study of the ‘U15’ Group of Canadian Research Universities’ undergraduate Environmental Science/Studies Programs (ESS) programs used semi-structured interviews and content analysis to explore how programs are responding. This research found that CESSPs are responding to the TRC Calls to Action in a variety of ways, such as engaging with Indigenous Ways Knowing (IWK) in course curriculum, and having climate change curriculum embedded in their course. Programs particularly are engaging with IWK by having curriculum developed by Indigenous knowledge holders, and using experiential learning. However, engagement with the TRC Calls to Action has not been fully incorporated within CESSPs, and IWK are not embedded in climate change curriculum. The results from this research project indicate that there is need for CESSPs to engage with the TRC Calls to Action further, and begin to decolonize the academy. Also, that some Department Heads were performing ‘settler moves to innocence’ by indicating that their departments were not responding enough to the TRC Calls to Action, that Indigenous faculty are not present in the departments, or that their ignorance of IWK is preventing them from engaging. The aim of this research project is to aid CESSPs in evaluating their programs and curricula concerning engagement around IWK, TRC Calls to Action, and climate change, and to advance CESSPs in the reconciliation process.


title: Effective Incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge into Biological Field Stations/Place-based  Research Institutes

subject: Indigenous Knowledge, Western Science, Field Stations, Place Based Research, Co-production of Knowledge, Case Study Based

abstract: Indigenous Knowledge (IK) has emerged as a valued source of information for many non-indigenous researchers and practitioners. Until recently, the use of IK has been sparse and, in many cases, used with little respect, and the individuals who hold it tended to be excluded from credit. This fact, among others, has created barriers to collaboration between the scientific community and that of Indigenous peoples. In this study I explore thee use of IK and its incorporation into biological field stations and place-based research institutes. Specifically, I examine how integration of IK and western science (e.g. landscape ecology (LE)) is applied to research and management. I carried out a focussed literature review on the subject to develop criteria and themes on the use of IK in research and management. These criteria were used to assess the five case studies (Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, Queens University Biological Station, Haida Gwaii Institute, Turtle Island Conservation, and River Institute). The cases provide insight into relevant practices that are being used to efficiently and ethically incorporate IK into research and management. An understanding of how IK can be integrated with science through field station and place-based research Institute activities was developed based on these cases. This will allow other benefits to arise such as the further incorporation of IK into research projects as well as other unexplored fields including engineering and computer science.


title: The Peer Context of Sexual Harassment  in Early Adolescence

contributor:
Craig, Wendy M.
Psychology

subject:
Adolescence
Social Development
Peer Relationships
Sexual Harassment

abstract: This dissertation is composed of three studies that examined the relationship between early adolescents’ sexual harassment experiences (as targets, witnesses, and perpetrators) and the peer environments in which they are embedded. Taking a feminist-developmental perspective, these studies explored peer-contextual predictors of sexual harassment perpetration, as well as psychosocial correlates of perpetration and victimization. Students in Grades 7 and 8 (n = 435 participants at Time 1; n = 370 at Time 2) completed self-report measures of sexual harassment perpetration, victimization, witnessing, psychosocial functioning, and peer social networks at two time points, about four months apart. Study 1 examined cross-sectional associations among sexual harassment victimization, shame, and depressive symptoms, and explored how witnessing sexual harassment might affect these associations. Study 2 examined individual and peer contextual predictors of sexual harassment perpetration. Finally, Study 3 examined psychosocial consequences of sexual harassment perpetration, and explored how individuals’ social power might impact their experiences. The results of these studies suggest that peers play a complex role in the development of sexual harassment, and in predicting perpetrators’ and targets’ psychosocial responses to these behaviours. Findings can inform the development of effective intervention programs at the middle school level, with implications for preventing sexual harassment and mitigating its consequence.

abstract: PhD


title: Baseline Analysis of Microplastics in Remote Boreal Lake Sediments at the Experimental Lakes Area

subject:
microplastics
Experimental Lakes Area
sediment
baseline
environmental pollution

abstract: Microplastics have become a contaminant of emerging concern because they have been characterized as a ubiquitous and persistent pollutant. At < 5mm in size, these particles have proven to generate a multitude of physical and chemical effects in organisms at varying trophic levels. However, there have been few baseline studies examining long-term microplastic pollution trends in remote boreal lakes. In the present study, we sought to determine the difference in microplastic abundances between recently deposited surface (depth = 0-5 cm) sediments and pre-industrially deposited deep (depth = 30-35 cm) sediments in Lake 378 and Lake 373 at the International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area in Northwestern Ontario. We collected three replicate sediment cores per lake and sectioned cores to collect recent and pre-industrial sediment samples from each. Laboratory analysis was then conducted to extract particles from sediment samples, before counting, measuring and visually categorizing them by shape and color. Mean particle abundances in recently deposited sediments were not significantly different from pre-industrial sediments in Lake 378 (p = 0.151) and Lake 373 (p = 0.376). There were also no significant differences between the mean sizes of particles in recently and pre-industrially deposited sediments for both Lake 378 (p = 0.961) and Lake 373 (p = 1.000). In Lake 378 and Lake 373 the highest percent abundances of recovered particle shapes in recent sediments were fragments and fibers, while pre-industrial sediments were largely composed of fibers. No notable differences were observed in the colors of the recovered particles from recent and pre-industrial sediments for both lakes. Based on the results of this study, recently deposited sediments do not show significant differences in abundance and particle characterization from pre-industrially deposited sediment. Further investigation through the chemical analysis of recovered particles is needed to confirm these findings.

abstract: Ocean Conservancy, Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area


title: Assessing long-term changes in chironomid assemblages linked to past fluctuations in Leach’s Storm-Petrel populations on islands in the Western Atlantic Ocean

contributor:
Smol, John
Biology

subject:
Paleolimnology
Seabird
Conservation
Population dynamics
Chitin degradation
Chironomus spp.

abstract: Nutrient loading is an important factor that can indirectly deplete dissolved oxygen concentrations in lakes. In environments where seabirds nest and breed, guano is a prominent source of nutrients that can eutrophy waterbodies. Such external nutrient inputs may deplete bottom-water oxygen, resulting in shifts in bottom-water invertebrate communities that are sensitive to changes in oxygen. Chironomidae (non-biting midges) can be used as paleolimnological indicators to infer changes in past oxygen conditions due to their sensitivity to oxygen concentration, excellent preservation in sediments and abundance. I assessed the long-term changes in subfossil chironomid assemblages linked to reconstructed changes in the seabird colony size of the Leach’s Storm-Petrel in ponds located off the Canadian East coast on Baccalieu Island, Newfoundland, and Grand Colombier Island, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, France, to qualitatively reconstruct past changes in dissolved oxygen conditions, and thereby indirectly infer changes in colony size. Ornithological surveys indicate declines in the Leach’s Storm-Petrel colony in Newfoundland since the 1980s, whereas the colony in Saint Pierre and Miquelon is believed to be stable or increasing, albeit based on limited observational data. Using dated sediment cores from seabird-impacted lakes, I isolated chironomid head capsules, taxonomically identified them to the genus level, and determined their abundance and diversity. Using the chironomid assemblages, I qualitatively inferred lake oxygen conditions over the past ~1700 and ~5700 years on Baccalieu Island and Grand Colombier Island, respectively. Furthermore, I investigated if the timing of changes in chironomid-inferred oxygen coincided with known occurrences of seabird-derived inputs in the lakes’ catchments, as determined by surveys and other paleolimnological proxies. The chironomid data provides novel information on past oxygen levels in the lakes. In both sites, chironomid assemblages indirectly tracked past changes in the storm-petrel colony size, and their more recent declines. These data, alongside several paleolimnological proxies, will be used to determine the long-term natural variability and dynamics of Leach’s Storm-Petrel populations. This research provides data required to implement informed conservation and management strategies. Moreover, understanding the background conditions and responses of lakes to nutrient loading provides insights on the effects and tolerance of lakes to disturbance.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Advancement of Hadamard-Transform Excitation-Emission-Matrix Spectroscopy

contributor:
Loock, Hans-Peter
Chemistry

subject: Fluorescence Spectroscopy EEM Hadamard-Transform

abstract:
A multiplexed approach to multidimensional fluorescence spectroscopy is presented.  Numerous modifications were made to a home-built Hadamard-Transform Excitation-Emission Matrix (EEM) spectrometer resulting in a greatly improved spectral resolution of 5.3 nm, at a data acquisition rate of over 6 EEM spectra per minute. In addition, provisions were made to simultaneously record optical transmission spectra with the 3D EEM spectra. Integration of the spectrometer into a custom-designed stopped-flow injection device allowed for the simultaneous collection of UV/Vis absorbance and fluorescence EEM spectra of reacting solutions.
With this optimized configuration, over 8400 EEM spectra were collected while performing two kinetic studies on two rapidly evolving chemical reactions with multiple overlapping spectral components. Improved reproducibility reduced the uncertainty of kinetic rate constants from 40% to 4%. The third-order rate constant for the demetallation of chlorophyll-a to pheophytin-a was experimentally determined to be 611±20 ×102 M-2∙s-1 as derived from a parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis where absorbance and fluorescence data were combined. A PARAFAC analysis of data collected from the insertion of a copper atom into pheophytin-a resulted in several absorbing components and only a single fluorescence component. A reaction model with a pre-association complex and sitting-a-top (SAT) complex as intermediates explained the absorbance data resulting in a sequence of second-order reactions with rate constants of 4.03 ± 0.2 M-1 s-1,  2.71 ± 0.2 M-1 s-1, and 0.28±0.02 s-1∙M-1, respectively. The rate constant of fluorescence decay was determined to be 1.7±0.1 M-1∙s-1 which is consistent with the fluorescence signal being a combination of the pheophytin-a and the pre-association complex.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Norms, Reasons, and Moral Progress

contributor:
Kymlicka, Will
Philosophy

subject:
Social Norms
Moral Reasoning
Moral Progress

abstract:
In the literature of moral progress, there is an ongoing debate over the role of moral reasoning in enabling large-scale behavioural change. On the one hand, rationalists argue that more and better moral reasoning is key to overcoming moral ignorance, which is believed to undergird many problematic social practices. More specifically, many of them claim that monological introspection is the best form of moral reasoning. By abstracting oneself from the reality distorted by biasing emotions and arbitrary conventions, one is best able to identify objective moral truths. On the other hand, skeptics argue that moral reasoning often subverts moral progress by rationalizing and reinforcing the biased status quo.  Objectivity, on their view, is an illusion. Moral progress, if it exists, is to be pursued by nonrational means.

My thesis makes two contributions to the debate. First, I argue that we need not be skeptical of the progressive force of moral reasoning in reforming moral judgements (and the moral norms that embody them). Drawing on the empirical literature on motivated moral reasoning, I argue that while motivational biases are indeed often resistant to individual introspection, they can be reliably and effectively identified and corrected if we adopt a discursive and accountable form of moral reasoning. Second, I argue that by focusing exclusively on moral reasoning, both rationalists and skeptics miss a more important question, which is the role of social reasoning in reforming social judgements (and the social norms that embody them). This neglect is problematic because (a) social judgments, not moral judgments, guide the majority of social practices; and (b) social judgments can rarely be revised by impartial moral reasoning alone as they have a distinctly group-normative logic. To fill the gap in the literature, I develop a new normative model of social reasoning that guides groups to revise their group norms, using group-rational attitudes such as solidarity, trust, and trustworthiness. The upshot is that to advance moral progress, not only do we need impartial moral reasoning, we also need partial social reasoning.

abstract: PhD


title: Lightweight Authenticated Encryption for Vehicle Controller Area Network

contributor:
Zulkernine, Mohammad
Computing

subject:
In-vehicle communication security
Controller Area Network security

abstract: Vehicle manufacturers are installing a large number of Electronic Control Units (ECU) inside vehicles. ECUs communicate among themselves via a Controller Area Network (CAN) to ensure better user experience and safety. CAN is considered as a de facto standard for efficient communication of an embedded control system network. However, it has no built-in security features. In this thesis, the existing security solutions for the CAN protocol found in the literature are classified in terms of security enforcement procedures. The classification can facilitate the researchers to select an appropriate security technique depending on security requirements. We also propose a security framework to secure CAN communication using the Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD). The framework ensures confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of CAN data transmission. The experimental results show that the delay of the proposed approach can be reduced to 0.07 ms depending on hardware configurations. We consider it lightweight since it adds a low overhead regardless of performing encryption and authentication. We evaluate the approach using four metrics: communication overhead, network traffic load, cost of deployment, and compatibility with CAN specification. We show that the framework keeps the network traffic unchanged, has low deployment cost, and is highly compatible with the specifications of the protocol.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Using a Novel Complexity-based Human Dissection Course for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioners of Physical Manipulation: Utility and Effect on Clinical Practice

contributor:
MacKenzie, Leslie
Stockley, Denise
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
Anatomy
Dissection
Complexity
Education
Complementary and Alternative Medicine

abstract: Background and Purpose: There will always be a discrepancy between theory and practice.  The coevolution of the theory and practice of anatomy has become more difficult with the passage of time, and the advancement of knowledge extending into the histologic and chemical levels.  Professional life continuously presents situations that are not textbook accounts with clear answers, especially in the realm of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners.  The purpose of this research was to create a complexity-based course of human dissection to bridge the gap between clinical and laboratory anatomy.  Method: The creation of the self-organizing dissection course involved utilizing several characteristics of complex systems to frame an environment, which was supportive and inclusive of learners, rather than the creation of a unique list of anatomical structures or dissection procedure for the participants to accomplish.  A fully equipped laboratory supplemented by audiovisual aids was combined with treatment tables set up in an adjacent room, allowing participants to simultaneously manipulate willing fellow participants while performing a dissection.  Results: The utility of the complexity-based dissection course was shown to enhance perceived anatomical visualization skills and clinical efficacy for CAM practitioners practicing physical manipulation.  The nature of an emergent case study narrative within the course was also demonstrated, lending support for the use of this pedagogy in the anatomical education of CAM practitioners.  Conclusions: Participating in the complexity-based human dissection course was a valuable endeavor for practitioners of CAM who use physical manipulation, in their daily clinical work.  Previous dissection was not required nor was a great deal of clinical experience to have a positive impact on participants, making this approach flexible enough to have participants of all levels of experience, and differing philosophical backgrounds, work in an inter-professional team.

abstract: PhD


title: Conceptualization of Community Wellness in Three First Nations Communities

contributor:
Lévesque, Lucie
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Indigenous Health Promotion
Indigenous Health Research
Indigenous Wellness
Community Based Participatory Research
Participatory Analysis
Concept Mapping

abstract:
Introduction: It is well known, and well documented that Indigenous conceptualizations of wellness differ from Western conceptualizations. Using Western parameters and formulations to appraise Indigenous health and wellness is highly problematic.

Purpose: To address the need for Indigenous community-led conceptualizations of wellness in order to inform the creation of more culturally relevant and applicable indicators of Indigenous community wellness.

Methods: Conceptualizations of wellness were explored in three First Nations communities participating in the Kahnawà:ke Schools Diabetes Prevention Project (KSDPP) Community Mobilization Training (CMT). Kane & Trochim’s (2007) Concept Mapping for Planning and Evaluation was used to systematically collect and analyze data in partnership with each Indigenous community. The research consisted of three phases including Wellness Indicator Talking Circles, online unstructured sorting and rating, and concept map interpretation sessions.

Data Analysis: Using Concept Systems® Global Max™ software, three data analysis steps were conducted to create the concept maps including a similarity matrix, multidimensional scaling, and hierarchical cluster analysis. All interpretations of these outputs were completed using a participatory approach.

Results: The themes of balance and wholism, intergenerational relationships, the importance of Indigenous language and culture, connectedness, food systems and the environment were prominent in all three communities. However, each community’s concept map was distinct, highlighting that the meaning of wellness within each community was directly related to their local history, context, ideals, and resources.

Discussion: Given the diversity of perspectives, histories, cultures, contexts, values, and experiences across Indigenous nations, establishing generalizable Indigenous community wellness indicators is unrealistic. Conceptualizing Indigenous community wellness is a process that should be locally determined to foster ownership and sovereignty over strategic planning and evaluation efforts related to the promotion of wellness within a community.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Patient Narratives and Medical Decision Making: The Role of Transportation in Treatment Selection Bias

contributor:
Pukall, Caroline
Feldman-Stewart, Deb
Psychology

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

subject:
Patient Decision Making
Medical Decision Making
Narratives
Testimonials
Decision Aids
Transportation
Treatment Decision
Bias
Selection Bias
PDA
Anecdotes
Anecdotal Evidence
Patient Decision Aids

abstract:
Patient decision aids (PDAs) are tools that help patients select a treatment option for a medical condition. PDAs often include narratives about other patients’ experiences, but this inclusion may lead to biased decisions due to psychological transportation into the narrative world. Transportation has been shown to facilitate attitude changes, but it has not been studied in a medical decision context. Patients may be less susceptible to transportation if they are focused on extracting answers to specific questions that they have about the treatment options.

Winterbottom’s (2012) dialysis selection protocol was adapted to determine whether transportation could underlie decision bias in four experiments. Participants were asked to choose between two forms of dialysis to treat a hypothetical kidney failure. Information segments about others’ treatment experiences were presented in a narrative format or a non-narrative question and answer (Q&A) format, and transportation was assessed after the presentation of each information segment. In the first experiment, information about the dialysis options was presented in different formats (narrative versus Q&A) whereas the second experiment presented the two options consecutively in the same format. Overall, the results confirm that transportation can occur in a medical decision context. However, both formats were equally transporting when presented first, and participants were not biased toward the option presented in the narrative. When presented second, both formats were less transporting if preceded by a narrative, suggesting that transportation into one narrative world may hinder immediate transportation elsewhere. The last two experiments explored whether transportation can account for the biasing effect of patient narratives over doctor narratives reported in Winterbottom’s original study. A dialysis option was more likely to be selected if it was presented in a patient narrative than a doctor narrative and participants favoured the option described in the more transporting narrative. This effect of narrator identity was completely accounted for by a mediated path through transportation, however, there may be other mediators and/or moderators along this indirect path. Given this incomplete understanding of narrative bias and the aforementioned order effects, decision aid developers are advised to exercise caution when considering the inclusion of narratives in PDAs.

abstract: PhD


title: Using Historical Vertical Aerial Photography to Map Landscape Change Through Time in the Central Subarctic

subject:
Northwest Territories
Historical Vertical Aerial Photography
Landscape Features
Arctic Ponds
Tree Islands
Shrub Boundaries

abstract: In the era of climate change, landscape features and their systems are becoming altered in unpredictable ways. In sensitive areas such as the arctic, it is important to monitor these landscape features and develop protection strategies to keep the natural systems they are connected to in balance. However, the first step in this process is to quantify the extent to which these features are changing. One of the ways in which we can do this is through historical vertical aerial photography. This study looks at the feasibility of distinguishing landscape features from 20 historical vertical aerial photographs located in the central Northwest Territories and their feasibility of quantification through time. By narrowing in on the vegetated margins of ponds, tree islands between the forest-tundra ecozone and shrub boundaries this project discerned the feasibility of measuring change on the arctic landscape through time. This was done by comparing the historic photographs to contemporary satellite imagery, and were quantified through ArcMap v 10.5. The study found 110 ponds increased in area over time and 265 declined. 17 of those ponds decreased and fragmented dramatically, but it was not enough to attribute these outliers to landscape wide change. The number of trees found in the 10 plots surveyed on the landscape saw growth, with densities doubling through time, however areas of low density in 1946 were subject to low densities in 2010. Shrub boundaries were not measured, as through careful consideration, the orthorectification of the photographs did not prove to be reliable enough to produce conclusive results. The manipulation of the historical vertical aerial photographs proved to produce a number of opportunities for inaccuracies, and these were critically observed and a set of best practices was developed to help with the maneuvering and feature discursion of these remote photographs. Future research would include the ground validation of these results and a set of intermediate data between the two time periods.


title: N-Heterocyclic Carbene as Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold and Carbon

contributor:
Crudden, Cathleen
Chemistry

subject:
Organic Chemistry
Surface Chemistry
Material Chemistry
Electrochemistry

abstract:
N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have been shown to be exceptional ligands for molecular coordination chemistry due to their ability to form strong carbon-metal bonds. Only recent, our group and others have demonstrated that the strong carbon-metal bonding properties of NHCs can be leveraged for materials chemistry. In 2014, Crudden and co-workers showed that self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) derived from NHCs on gold surfaces were significantly more stable than thiolate SAMs; which, for decades, have been considered the state-of-the-art in SAM chemistry. Since then, our group has continued to advance the field by incorporating unique functionalities to NHCs and new methods of SAM formation. In addition, stability of NHCs in different chemical and electrochemical conditions was critical to determine NHCs use in biological and industrial applications.
In this thesis, I will present the use of electrochemical measurement of NHCs in phosphate buffer are discussed to confirm the prospective use of NHC-based SAMs in biological applications. The electrochemical stability of NHC-based SAMs at different levels of applied potential will also be presented. This study is crucial to employ NHC-based SAMs in electrochemical devices such as fuel cells, sensors, and catalysts. For both projects, 5-((6-ferrocenohexyl)oxy)-1,3-diisopropyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-3-ium bicarbonate (2-8•H2CO3) and  2-(6-(4-anthraquinyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)hexyloxy)-1,3-diisopropyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-3-ium bicarbonate (8-4•H2CO3) were synthesized as a new NHC-based electrochemical tag molecules to compare with the known NHC 5-((12-(4-(ferrocenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)dodecyl)oxy)-1,3-diisopropyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-3-ium bicarbonate (1-20•H2CO3) which was previously used in the Crudden lab for electrochemical analysis.
The capability of 3-6-ethyl-1,3-diisopropyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-5-carboxylate trifluorosulfonate (2-18•OTf) as a measles biosensor will be discussed. The mechanisms of SAM formation with NHCs will be discussed using free carbenes and their precursor bicarbonate and triflate salts. Finally, the first example of NHC depositions on Vulcan xc-72 carbon will be presented, and the effect of different oxidative treatments of carbon to facilitate NHC deposition will be discussed.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Variations in government spending across time and countries: evidence and theory

contributor:
Smith, Gregor W.
Gregory, Allan W.
Economics

subject:
Government spending
Fiscal policy
Political partisanship
Voting
Government ideology

abstract:
This dissertation examines the sources of government spending variations across time and countries. Overall, both theory and evidence indicate that government spending variations originate not only from economic forces, such as the state of the business cycle and inherited financial fragility, but are ultimately linked to a country’s domestic political environment.

In Chapter 2, I provide empirical evidence on the political determinants of government spending using a panel structural VAR. I use the full sample of OECD countries since 1990 and exploit time-varying ideological party positions. I find that
government spending appears to be the key channel through which government ideology affects economic growth. In particular, left-wing governments tend to increase government spending growth after being elected leading to a temporary increase in economic growth.

In Chapter 3, I introduce a theoretical framework that is consistent with the empirical evidence that decisions towards government spending vary according to the ideology of the ruling party on a left-right spectrum. I incorporate heterogenous voters, parties, and repeated elections into a traditional one-sector neoclassical model and calibrate the model for twelve advanced economies since 1950. The model predicts that a large fraction of the time series variations in government spending can be linked to the domestic political environment for most countries (54% on average) and especially in countries with more political polarization and higher persistence in government ideology, as in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Chapter 4 presents an empirical case study of an additional, potentially important source of government spending variations. I show that the lack of independent monetary policy may constrain Eurozone countries with a fragile financial position to implement austerity measures in the face of economic downturns such as the ones experienced since the financial crisis and subsequent European debt crisis.

abstract: PhD


title: Autonomous Misdirection

contributor:
Sismondo, Sergio
Philosophy

subject:
Philosophy
Baudrillard
Social Media
Epistemology

abstract:
This thesis will examine how the way we experience knowledge has changed due to the ubiquity of electronic media. Specifically, there will be an examination of how the new digital media – and social media in particular – are structured to continuously redirect the attention of the thinking subject into a series of logically enclosed spaces.

The structure of this thesis follows two core arguments. The first will be an examination of how misdirection evolved as a rhetorical technique whose origins are fundamentally grounded in the project of persuasion. This thesis will argue, that misdirection as a technique uses rhetoric to distract a thinking subject, as a means of persuading that subject to the rhetorician’s point of view. The foundational theory will derive primarily through an examination of Plato’s Republic and Harry Frankfurt’s On Bullshit to trace the origins of this rhetorical technique and to sketch a brief chronology of its evolution to the present day.

Secondly, misdirection will be placed in the context of a changed epistemological and technological landscape. Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation will provide an examination of how the electronic landscape has transformed misdirection from a rhetorical technique into a means of experiencing the world. This thesis will argue that Baudrillard’s simulated hyperreality – the constant act of imitating a poorly represented reality which leads to an enclosed world that no longer remembers its point of origin – is made possible by the self-referential and algorithmically determined structure of digital media that renders misdirection autonomous.

Finally, the thesis will conclude by taking this theoretical framework and using it to interpret recent real-world events that have occurred between the new millennium and the present day. Several phenomena, from art to political transformations, will be contextualised and interpreted as examples of autonomous misdirection.

abstract: M.A.


title: Parameter Estimation and Well Installation Optimization for Contaminant Plume Delineation

contributor:
Kueper, B.H.
Mumford, K.G.
Civil Engineering

subject:
Well Installation Optimization
Contaminant Plume Delineation

abstract:
Groundwater contamination by dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) continues to be a significant environmental problem. DNAPL site characterization forms the basis of DNAPL site remediation success and requires attention. Mathematical modelling was utilized to delineate a trichloroethene (TCE) plume resulting from the dissolution of DNAPL in a subsurface environment. A numerical model (DNAPL3D-RX) was used to generate high-resolution field-scale three-dimensional groundwater concentration datasets (referred to as “true” plumes) and semi-analytical models (SCOToolkit3D and SWIF routine) were used to predict the maximum “true” plume extent. The study of SCOTookit3D found that the applied model can predict the maximum “true” plume extent using different monitoring framework settings and having different uncertainties in model input parameters, yet this tool had the limitation of over predicting concentrations by one to three orders of magnitude. The failure of SCOToolkit3D to accurately characterize the “true” plumes motivated the development of the stochastic well installation framework (SWIF) routine, which not only mitigated the earlier discovered failure of SCOToolkit3D but also provided a formal decision support tool for groundwater practitioners to reduce cost and uncertainty in developing a conceptual site model (CSM) by supporting monitoring well or membrane interface probe (MIP) installation decisions through a probabilistic approach.

The study of the SWIF routine found that installing monitoring wells or MIPs within low and high probability target zones (a target zone is a specific probability contour range on the probability map generated by the routine) will likely result in a large quantity of monitoring unit installations and a corresponding high site characterization cost, compared to installing monitoring wells or MIPs in a medium level probability target zone. The results also demonstrated the successful estimation of key attributes of a CSM in both homogenous and heterogeneous porous media using monitoring well and MIP installations. The results of this research provide the necessary basis to understand the model input parameter uncertainty and the site investigation strategy by optimizing the well installations required for the development of a meaningful CSM.

abstract: PhD


title: American eel (Anguilla rostrata) prey consumption in the Upper St. Lawrence River, the Ottawa River and Eastern Lake Ontario: Stomach Contents in a Declining Population

abstract: In their peak abundance, the American eel, Anguilla rostrata, comprised 50% of the nearshore fish assemblage in the upper St. Lawrence River and Eastern Lake Ontario. Since the 1980s the population has faced rapid decline and is now classified as an endangered species in Ontario. This study used 1513 eels collected from Eastern Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and the Ottawa River between 2008 and 2016, 880 of which had stomach contents that were the focus of this stomach content analysis. Variables affecting ingestion were assessed through statistical analysis and descriptive summaries. The main prey types ingested by eels were fish, crayfish and invertebrates. In the spring, 60% of stomachs had contents, 67% in the summer and 37% in the fall. The strongest seasonal correlation was observed in the increased abundance of crayfish in the summer, the season in which they do not moult. The composition of prey types in stocked eels and non-stocked eels was very similar. Stomachs of stocked eels were three times as full as those from non-stocked eels. This difference was attributed to variation caused by location. Stomach fullness varied based on location, the greatest influence was observed in the Ottawa River. The composition of the prey types remained constant throughout locations. Eels caught in hoop-nets had increased stomach fullness compared to those caught in electrofishing surveys. The length of eel had the most predominate influence on prey ingestion. Small eels consumed mainly invertebrates, transitioning with increasing size to feed primarily on crayfish and eels greater than 400mm in length fed most heavily on fish. The stomach contents demonstrated unique ecological interactions that were not previously observed. There are benefits associated with ecological services that a higher population of eels provide, positively impacts the ecological integrity of this system. The results of this study provided a clear understanding of American eel feeding ecology that can be used as a historical reference for long term monitoring.


title: Predicting the Downstream Impacts of Headwater Burial in Kemptville Creek Watershed (Ontario) Using the SWAT Model

contributor:
Scott, Neal
Geography and Planning

subject:
Watershed Modeling
Hydrology
SWAT Model
Headwater Streams
Stream Burial

abstract: Headwater streams can compose up to 80% of the total stream length within a watershed but remain most susceptible to stream burial during land use change or management. Rerouting streams into tile drains, canals, non-perforated pipes and paving over, are all examples of stream burial.  This study explores the importance of delineating headwater streams within a watershed hydrological network and the downstream impacts of headwater burial. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to predict changes in discharge, chlorophyll a, DO and sediment for downstream ecosystems, following headwater stream burial. Within the study area of Kemptville Creek subwatershed of the Rideau River Watershed in Kemptville and surrounding area, Ontario, Canada, 908 headwater stream segments totaling 443km of stream length were delineated from a 10-hectare threshold. Model calibration was significantly improved with the inclusion of delineated headwater streams, increasing R2 by 0.49. Headwater streams were confirmed with field observations in 70% of 30 selected headwater stream sites.  Headwater streams were classified based on land use disturbance coefficients and potential downstream organic subsidy contribution. Each headwater class saw 100% stream burial through conversion into irrigation canals using SWAT model. Headwater stream burial was also applied to all headwater streams as one collective group at 25, 50, 75 and 100%.  Ontario Benthic Biomonitoring Network (OBBN) samples from Rideau Valley Conservation Authority were assessed using the Family Biotic Index (FBI) OBBN metric and Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index. Predicted discharge, chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen (DO) and sediment inputs were compared against the OBBN community structure, at 7 sample sites. Headwater stream burial results indicated significant decreases in discharge, chlorophyll a, DO and sediment to downstream ecosystems. Headwater stream burial within wetlands representing 33% of the headwaters within Kemptville Creek, had the most significant impact on downstream discharge, chlorophyll a, DO and sediment.  Changes for these variables correlated with several benthic macroinvertebrate families, which supported predictions of community structure shifts following headwater stream burial. Results from this work highlight the importance of headwater streams to ecohydrology within watersheds and contributes to the understanding of ecosystem response as hydrologic regimes are altered following stream burial.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Accelerated Monte-Carlo Techniques for Modeling of Chain Architecture and Semi-Batch Radical Polymerization Process Optimization

contributor:
Hutchinson, Robin A.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Radical copolymerization
Copolymer composition distribution
Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation
Starved-feed semi-batch reactions
Process Optimization
Distribution of Functional Groups

abstract:
This thesis introduces a new strategy to develop a comprehensive stochastic polymerization simulation with the capacity of considering the secondary reactions attributed to the radical acrylate/methacrylate/styrene polymerization carried out at high temperatures via semi-batch reactor operation. Unlike the conventional deterministic method of polymerization modeling (i.e., method of moments), the resulting kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) model can predict the distribution of comonomer units among polymer chains. A combination of acceleration methods is implemented to effectively reduce the computational cost of these simulations while preserving the accuracy of the solution. KMC model output is not only compared to a deterministic model implemented in Predici® but experimentally challenged by comparing predictions to the properties of polymer samples extracted after crosslinking of resin synthesized in a set of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA)/butyl methacrylate (BMA) copolymerizations.
While the simulation time has been greatly reduced, the KMC method is still computationally costly relative to deterministic methods. Thus, a methodology has been developed to use the instantaneous copolymer composition and number-average chain lengths output from a deterministic model to estimate the instantaneous mole and weight fractions of polymer chains with respect to the number of comonomer units they possess, with the cumulative quantities calculated through suitable integration.
Derivative-free optimization algorithms (e.g., Pattern Search and Particle Swarm) are combined with the accelerated kinetic Monte Carlo model to develop strategies to improve the traditional starved-feed policy often used by industry. Starved-intervals are introduced as an approach to modify the monomer and initiator feeding strategy. This concept is demonstrated using a simpler deterministic model based on the method of moments as a case study. A feeding schedule formulated by utilizing the Pattern Search optimization algorithm combined with the KMC model demonstrates remarkable improvement compared to the traditional starved-feed policy; in fact, this nonlinear feeding strategy reduces the total reaction time from 6 hours to less than 2 hours while the quality of polymer product is improved. This strategy is experimentally verified both at Queen’s University and Axalta Coasting Systems research facility.

abstract: PhD


title: Assessing the Usefulness of DNA Barcoding at Biological Field Stations

subject:
DNA Barcoding
cytochrome c oxidase 1
Evolutionary Affinity
Avian Collections

abstract: DNA barcoding is an effective tool for discovering and documenting biodiversity and can also provide insights into species origins, and within species, evolutionary patterns. In animals, DNA barcoding involves using a 648 base-pair region of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) to categorize and identify species. DNA barcoding using CO1 sequences has been effective in identifying bird species and, in some cases, distinct populations or subspecies. For my undergraduate thesis, I laid the groundwork for a DNA barcoding library for the bird species found at the Queen’s University Biological Station (QUBS), which is linked to a collection of identified and archived specimens. Bird collections provide a map of avian genetic diversity, reveal cryptic species, and can serve as a baseline for monitoring effects of anthropogenic and climatic changes on bird populations. Accessible resources such as DNA barcoding datasets and associated avian collections can increase the use and scientific prominence of field stations and their research and better position them to address environmental challenges. I evaluate the proposal that DNA barcoding of the bird species found at QUBS will provide information on the breeding population origin for migrants and on evolutionary affinities for both migrant and resident species where there is documented phylogeographic structure.