title: The Effect of Spectral Line Components on Coefficients in Time Series Regression Models

contributor:
Takahara, Glen
Burr, Wesley
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
statistics
spectrum estimation
time series
regression
covariance
correlation

abstract:
Inference on the fitted parameters from two time series regressions can be improved by considering their correlation structure. We investigate the performance of an estimator of covariance between two time series regressions in which the responses are correlated, which is based on the multitaper method (MTM) cross-spectral estimator for the response series. We compare the MTM-based covariance estimator to the "standard" one based on the Bartlett estimate of the cross-covariance function of the two response series. A simulation study is used to evaluate performance using realizations of bivariate autoregressive processes with different characterizations of their cross-covariance function, and the effect of embedding a common deterministic line component in the response and predictor is examined.

We find that the presence of a deterministic sinusoidal component has an effect on the estimated covariance between the two regressions, and greatly increases the bias of both estimators. When common line components are detected and removed using tools within the MTM framework, covariance estimates with lower estimated mean squared errors are produced. In all cases, the MTM-based covariance estimator is found to have greater efficiency than the Bartlett-based estimator.

In an application to hourly electricity demand and price data for the province of Ontario, Canada, a linear regression model is fit in overlapping time segments in which price is designated as the response variable, and a vector of regression coefficients is obtained. Using our MTM-based covariance estimator, a covariance matrix for the coefficient vector is estimated, and more informative confidence intervals for each coefficient are obtained.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: On a Mission to Put Children First: Integrity in Charity Media

contributor: Film and Media (Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies)

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.

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

subject:
poverty
youth
charity
Canada
Ontario
victim stories
consent
ethical representation
marginalized individual
marginalized community
registered charities
youth shelter

abstract:
Accusations of child exploitation have been levelled at the charitable sector due to its use of so-called poverty porn marketing tactics since the watershed “Live Aid” concert for Ethiopia famine relief in 1985. These problematic advertisements have been broadcast across channels presenting over-simplified presentations of children experiencing poverty to privileged audiences who have an opportunity to flex their saviour muscles by making an armchair donation and considering their role and responsibility for social justice to be complete. Yet, despite the ongoing outcry, the lucrative practice persists across the sector, from global humanitarian non-governmental organizations to locally mandated registered charities.
	I focus herein on the latest marketing campaigns of charitable agencies located in Ontario, Canada, that serve abandoned children in two different contexts: urban centres that have youth shelters (focusing on Covenant House Toronto as the largest), and the primarily rural District Municipality of Muskoka that does not. To cover the full child welfare spectrum in the province, the Children’s Aid Societies of Ontario are also examined for evidence of poverty porn tactics. In addition to the textual analysis of the agency media itself, the contexts of media production are also scrutinized. What is revealed is an inherent conflict of interest in the charitable sector that compromises social missions by prioritizing a competing need for fiscal stability.
Through this process, I conclude that the practice of using the images of children in charitable marketing campaigns should be abolished as it negatively impacts the very children such charities purport to help, while enabling an inadequate child-welfare system. This, at least until or unless a non-exploitive media model replaces the poverty porn approach that currently holds sway.

abstract: M.A.


title: SYNTHESIS OF GUANINE QUADRUPLEX LIGAND AND PARTITION COEFFICIENT MEASUREMENTS OF ANIONS

contributor:
Petitjean, Anne
Chemistry

subject:
Organic Synthesis
Cancer
Drug Formulation

abstract:
Guanine quadruplexes (G4s) are secondary architectures of nucleic acids which have gained much attention in the medicinal world for many years. They are present in telomeres and oncogene promoters and found in both DNA and RNA. Stabilizing these G4s by organic binders (ligands) may inhibit the telomerase enzyme, shorten the telomeres, and impede cancer cell growth. Likewise, these G4 binding ligands may also repress the activity of oncogenes. My thesis aims to explore the synthesis of G4 stabilizing ligands and determine the partition coefficients of permanent salts as a means to rank counter-anions in terms of their hydrophilicity. The latter study would be valuable since many G4 binders are cationic and therefore accompanied by anions.
The first part of the thesis reports the attempted first steps in the synthesis of two G4 ligands. One is organic (acridine-based), and the other one was designed to generate a coordination binder (terpyridine). None of these two G4 ligands were successfully synthesized. Four steps in the terpyridine synthesis, and one reaction in the acridine ligand synthesis, were investigated.
The second part of the thesis was initially inspired by the data previously obtained by Linclau and his group using fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for logP determination. Control experiments were reproduced, and the logP of six salts of N-benzyl-3-fluoropyridinium was studied. Ion-exchange chromatography was applied to produce the five new salts, and nuclear magnetic resonance was used to determine (i) the efficiency of anion conversion and (ii) LogP values. Reliable logP values would be of interest in the selection of anions, as counter-anions to cationic potential drugs, in the context of improved cell uptake.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Dissolving Critiques: Capitalism and Space-time in the American Novel, 1888 - 1996

contributor:
Wallace, Molly
English Language and Literature

subject:
American Literature
Chronotope
Realism
Naturalism
Utopian Romance
Critical Utopia
Capitalism

abstract:
Dissolving Critiques examines the late nineteenth- and twentieth-century American
novel’s critical engagement with the conditions of life under capitalism. Reading works of
realism, naturalism, and utopian fiction through M.M. Bakhtin’s theory of the literary
chronotope, I argue that the novels under consideration render the capitalist production of
space legible as a social injustice antithetical to the ideals of freedom and human flourishing
and represent capitalism’s transcendence as an imperative of reason. However, I also contend
that these critiques risk dissolving, as the texts confront and inevitably fail to manage the
seemingly irresolvable problems inherent in their own progressive desires. In choosing
“dissolve” as a key term, I mean to highlight the term’s potential visual, “scenic” qualities, for
like a film dissolve, the dissolving critique seems to offer one scene of possible alternative that
then dissolves back into the original scene, as though unable to hold. In this sense, the
dissolving critique exposes the mechanisms of narrative failure. But although such dissolution
inevitably disappoints any progressive desires of a reader/critic such as myself, I also argue that
even when the critical image dissolves, a lingering sense of possible alternatives to capitalism
remains—like afterimages in a scene.

abstract: PhD


title: Development and Evaluation of an Energy-Removing Lower-Limb Exoskeleton for Human Gait Assistance

contributor:
Li, Qingguo
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Exoskeleton
Biomechanics
Gait
Energy-removing lower-limb exoskeleton
Energetics
Metabolic cost
Biomechanical energy harvesting
Mechanical engineering
Biomedical engineering

abstract:
Walking is a metabolically demanding activity. Scientists have developed two general approaches to reducing the metabolic cost of walking using exoskeletons: 1) adding energy to the human-device system to assist concentric muscle contractions, and 2) transferring energy from one gait phase to another (or from one joint to another) to assist isometric muscle contractions. Despite several exoskeletons' success in reducing the metabolic cost of walking, the practical application of these devices is limited by their short operational lifespans and poor adaptive control.

This thesis outlines the design and evaluation of a novel lower limb exoskeleton capable of reducing the metabolic cost of walking. This device applies a novel approach to user assistance—removing energy to assist the hamstrings’ eccentric contractions during the swing period. Although devices that assist with concentric and isometric contractions have yielded larger metabolic cost reductions, we show that assisting with eccentric contractions can significantly reduce metabolic cost with the concurrent benefit of electricity production. This capacity to convert removed energy into electricity suggests that devices employing this assistive technique can be self-powering, extending their operational lifespan and enabling adaptive control. We also provide direct evidence that the assistance profile's timing and magnitude are important factors in reducing the metabolic cost of walking. We demonstrate that applying a moderate level of assistance during the terminal swing phase results in the greatest metabolic cost reduction under the present experimental conditions.

The present work advances our understanding of the complex human-device interactions that occur during walking with an exoskeleton, as well as the general principles governing human gait. In addition to elucidating the energetics and biomechanics of walking, the present work provides insights into the design, control, and evaluation of devices that remove energy for their users during walking. Based on our findings, we recommend that future lower-limb exoskeletons employ muscle-specific parameters and profiles to provide the largest amount of metabolic assistance.

abstract: PhD


title: Parenting in the Digital Age: An Examination of Predictors and Outcomes of Parental Mediation

contributor:
Craig, Wendy
Psychology

subject:
parental mediation
technology
parenting
adolescence
theory of planned behaviour
cyberbullying

abstract:
Parents are important socializing agents who influence their children’s development
throughout childhood and adolescence. The parenting practices they choose to engage in or not
can have significant impacts on youth outcomes, including mitigating risks associated with
technology use in adolescence. There is limited research, however, focused on understanding
factors that influence parents’ decisions to engage in parental mediation (i.e., practices to manage
youth technology use). As well, few studies have examined how child-factors (perceived parental
legitimacy and parent-child disagreement about parental messaging) may influence the
effectiveness of parental mediation on cyberbullying. The objectives of the current research were
to investigate factors that predict parents’ use of parental mediation and assess the effects of
mediation strategies (enabling and restrictive) on youth’s online experiences.
In the first study, a self-report measure of parental mediation grounded in theory
(Predicting Parental Mediation Questionnaire; PPMQ) was developed and validated. Results
indicated that the scale is a psychometrically valid instrument. The second study examined what
factors best predict parents’ use of mediation strategies, using the newly developed measure from
Study 1. Findings indicated that attitude and perceived behavioural control emerged as the best
predictors of parents’ intentions to use both enabling and restrictive mediation. The third study
assessed the influence of child-factors on the effectiveness of parental mediation in reducing
cyberbullying perpetration and victimization in youth. It found that child-factors (perceived
parental legitimacy and parent-child disagreement) strengthened this relationship for restrictive
mediation but not enabling mediation. Together, these findings emphasize the bidirectional
relationship between parents and children and demonstrate the need to consider both parent and
child factors when examining youth technology use.

abstract: PhD


title: Frequency Domain Modelling of Series LC- Parallel LC Resonant Converter with Capacitive Output Filter

contributor:
Jain, Dr. Praveen
Pahlevani, Dr. Majid
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
LCLC
Resonant Converter
series parallel converter
four element resonant tank

abstract:
Multi-element DC-DC resonant converters have been a topic of interest over the past several years. The need for reduced sizes of passive components in the converter, has stimulated substantial research towards the high- frequency operation of these converters, specifically pertaining to high voltage applications. Hence, the series LC-parallel LC (LCLC) resonant converter with capacitive output filter is an emerging favorite for high frequency, high voltage applications. The use of the capacitive output filter ensures reduced peak voltage stress of the rectifier diodes, which is equal to the clamped output voltage. Although the topology exhibits various modes of operation, it predominantly operates in one mode with a lagging power factor. Existing literature utilizes conventional fundamental harmonic approximation (FHA) due to its simplicity. However, FHA has accuracy limitations when applied on low quality factor (Q<2) tuned resonant circuit since higher order harmonics are neglected.
	To resolve this issue, this thesis presents an improved frequency domain-based analysis of the LCLC resonant converter with a capacitive output filter, considering the harmonics of both the input and load side of the converter. The proposed analysis can be extended to study converter operational characteristics under variable frequency and fixed- frequency PWM control. Closed- form expressions for the performance characteristics such as voltage gain, resonant tank RMS current, and ZVS angle (β) were derived from the nth harmonic equivalent circuit. The proposed model is validated using simulation studies performed on PSIM (Power Simulation) and by using a hardware prototype. This model improves the accuracy over conventional FHA by 4%.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Nondeterministic State Complexity of Site-Directed Operations

contributor:
Salomaa, Kai
Computing

subject:
Automata Theory
Regular Languages
Formal Languages
Descriptional Complexity
Nondeterministic Finite Automata

abstract:
In this thesis, we consider the nondeterministic state complexity of PCR-inspired (polymerase chain reaction) operations. Site-directed operations are used to formally describe the behavior of certain DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) editing methods which need to identify a subsequence in a host DNA strand prior to editing. These operations can be considered as language operations acting to match patterns between two sets of strings.

The site-directed insertion and deletion operations, insert or delete into a host string based on a directing string. The directing string must have a non-empty outfix that matches a substring in the host before operating. Prefix and suffix directed insertion are similar to site-directed insertion except, instead of matching a non-empty outfix, a non-empty prefix or suffix is matched before insertion. We consider the nondeterministic state complexity of site-directed insertion and deletion. Constructing a nondeterministic finite automaton (NFA) for the operation provides an upper bound for the state complexity of the operation. Our construction improves the earlier upper bound in the literature. Existing literature did not give lower bounds for the nondeterministic state complexity of site-directed insertion and deletion. Using the fooling set method we establish lower bounds that are fairly close to the upper bound, albeit the lower bound is not tight.

The other operations considered are those that identify subsets of a language. The prefix, suffix, infix and outfix operations check to see if a word from another language is contained as a prefix, suffix, infix or outfix of the target word. We introduce NFA constructions which apply these operations over regular languages, and establish bounds for the prefix, suffix, infix and outfix operations.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Efficacy of recreational watercraft decontamination practices to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

contributor:
Arnott, Shelley
Johnson, Tim
Biology

subject:
invasive species
dispersal
secondary spread
recreational watercraft
decontamination
clean drain dry
aquatic nuisance species

abstract: The spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) is a threat to the biodiversity and ecosystem services of invaded environments, and human activities largely facilitate their dissemination. Recreational boating activities enable the overland dispersal of AIS among disconnected lakes, as invertebrate and plant species can become attached to, caught on, or contained within watercraft and equipment used in invaded waterbodies. As AIS can survive transport aboard fouled watercraft, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry recommends decontaminating watercraft and equipment by washing them at high pressure, rinsing with hot water, or air-drying all parts for up to seven days to inhibit this mode of secondary spread. There is a lack of studies on the efficacy of several recommended methods, especially under realistic conditions, and that consider their feasibility to implement by recreational boaters. Hence, I conducted experiments addressing this knowledge gap, using AIS present in Ontario, namely zebra mussels, banded mystery snails, spiny waterfleas, Eurasian watermilfoil, Carolina fanwort, and European frogbit. I found that washing at high pressures of 900-1200 psi removed the most biological material (90%) from surfaces. Brief exposure to water at ≥ 60°C caused almost 100% mortality among all species tested, except snails which required water at ≥ 65°C. Additionally, acclimating specimens to a range of temperatures (15°C to 30°C) before hot water exposure had little effect on the minimum temperature required for no survival. Air-drying durations producing complete mortality were ≥ 60h for zebra mussels and spiny waterfleas, and ≥ 6 days among plants, whereas survival remained high among snails after a week of air-drying. Nonetheless, hot water exposure followed by air-drying was more effective than either method separately against all species tested, reducing either the minimum water temperature or air-drying duration necessary. These findings can inform management strategies against the spread of AIS. Although individual methods can be effective, and combining methods improves efficacy while also reducing time or temperatures needed, the best approach would be to sequentially implement several simple measures that target a diversity of species.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: CHARACTERIZATION OF THE AGE-DEPENDENT CHANGES IN HUMAN HEMATOPOIETIC STEM AND PROGENITOR CELLS

contributor:
Abraham, Sheela
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells
Aging
Age-related clonal hematopoiesis
Clonogenicity
Cell cycle
Proliferation
Mitochondrial activity

abstract:
Biological aging leads to a reduced capacity of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) to efficiently produce blood and immune cells, which contributes to various age-related pathologies. Further understanding of this aging process in HSPCs may provide insight into novel strategies for diagnosis and pharmacological interventions aimed towards minimizing the detrimental effects of aging, thereby promoting a longer and healthier lifespan. Past studies have highlighted multiple changes in the characteristics of the HSPC compartment in both mice and humans, as well as various mechanisms underlying these progressive deteriorations. However, major knowledge gaps remain, which prevent a definitive conclusion to be drawn regarding the age-dependent changes in human HSPCs (CD34+ cells).
This thesis is aimed towards investigating the potential age-dependent changes in the proliferation, clonogenicity, cell cycle activity, and mitochondrial activity of human HSPCs. For the first objective, HSPCs were enriched from human cord blood (young) and bone marrow (aged; 50 – 90 years old), followed by in vitro functional characterizations. Aged HSPCs produced fewer myeloid but not erythroid colonies in the colony-forming cell assay. Cell cycle and proliferation analyses showed that aged HSPCs contained fewer proliferating cells (Ki67+), albeit with more cells in S-G2-M phases, and display more asynchronous proliferation in vitro compared to young HSPCs. Additionally, fluorescence microscopy indicated a significant increase in active mitochondria (p < 0.0001) in aged HSPCs.
For the second objective, next-generation sequencing was employed to detect somatic mutations that are associated with age-related clonal hematopoiesis (ARCH) in mature hematopoietic cells (CD34-) collected from the same bone marrow donors. The mutational status of each individual was correlated to the clonogenicity of their HSPCs. Mutations in the epigenetic modifiers DNMT3A and TET2 were observed in 28.6% of individuals above 50 years old (VAF > 2%). HSPCs derived from individuals with these mutations produced more colonies (p = 0.0137), with a bias for granulocytic-monocytic-immature erythroid lineages, compared to those without mutations.
This study has further explored the age-dependent changes in human HSPCs and provided preliminary evidence of a positive correlation between ARCH and the clonogenicity of HSPCs in the elderly.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: How early career experiences shape teachers' approaches to classroom assessment

contributor:
DeLuca, Christopher
Education

subject:
classroom assessment
assessment education
classroom teacher
teacher candidate
teacher educator
assessment literacy
assessment competence
assessment capability
assessment identity

abstract:
In order to enhance the use of high-quality assessment practices to support student learning, it is critical to understand how early career experiences influence teachers’ approaches to assessment. Early career experiences are shaped by educational researchers’ conceptualizations of assessment constructs, how assessment education is structured and operationalized by teacher educators, and the assessment learning experiences of teacher candidates during teacher education and classroom teaching. This dissertation explores these dimensions with participants from across Canada through a range of methodologies including a scoping review, semi-structured interviews, and quantitative questionnaires.

The first study of this multiple-manuscript dissertation presents a scoping review of peer reviewed literature on the assessment constructs of assessment competence, literacy, capability, and identity that have shaped the field of teachers’ assessment education. The second study is an examination of the landscape of assessment education in 12 teacher education programs from across Canada through interviews with 25 teacher educators. The third study utilizes latent class analysis to examine how teacher candidates’ approaches to classroom assessment are shaped by their teacher education program. Finally, the fourth study examines teachers’ approaches to assessment at four distinct career stages through a cross-sectional research design. Collectively, findings from this dissertation indicate a degree of contention across and within assessment scholarship, assessment education, and classroom assessment practice.

Based the notion of contention and informed by the key findings of this research, a framework for re-imagining assessment education is proposed. This framework includes recognizing that assessment practice is a social and emotional endeavour, that assessment requires teachers to be trusted to exercise their professional judgement, and that teachers’ assessment learning is a career-long process that is shaped by teacher agency. In conclusion, this research provides the framework for re-imagining assessment education that strives to acknowledge and re-orient existing contentions as a positive force on shaping teachers’ assessment practice.

abstract: PhD


title: The Practice of Tax in Canada: Understanding the Community, the Work and Structural Initiatives of an Emergent Profession

contributor:
Malsch, Bertrand
Business

subject:
Tax profession
Sociology of the professions
Collective identity
Boundary work
Tax expertise
Tax specialization
Mixed methods

abstract: Considering it as a distinct occupation, I investigate the practice of tax in Canada through three separate studies. My first study examines the community of tax practitioners. Using a mixed-method approach, I integrate the insights obtained from in-depth interviews with 38 professionals and the results of a survey of 116 individuals working in the tax area. The notion of collective identity is used to confirm the existence of a distinct occupational community and to elaborate the suggested boundaries. I introduce the concepts of boundary erasure and boundary emergence into the literature as variants of boundary blurring and boundary making to suggest how the boundaries of a field can be reconfigured. Analyzing the work of tax practitioners, my second study maps the sets of tasks that characterize the tax field. Drawing on Abbott’s (1988) theorization on professional work, I explore the nature of the specific expertise involved in tax and explain how it differs from the expertise associated with the work that accountants and lawyers more traditionally perform. The framework I develop offers a more integrated understanding of tax work, which can be used to explain why neither the accounting nor the legal profession have come to dominate the core of the field. My third study considers the aspect of structure in the Canadian tax field. Relying on a review of archival material, as well as in-depth interviews with 29 closely associated individuals, I examine the most far-reaching effort to accredit tax specialists in Canada, an initiative by the CICA, which occurred between 1997 and 2002. Finding that the professional associations, the national firms, and the rest of the membership were each driven by different interests, ranging from narrower individual concerns to broader professional ideals, I suggest that the conflicts between the different segments contributed to the ultimate demise of the initiative. Developing a more integrated understanding of the field, my studies have implications for future research on tax professionals. They should also assist those charged with training practitioners, and be of interest to the profession more widely, particularly those wishing to recognize or govern tax work more formally.

abstract: PhD


title: Detecting changes in cognitive load through audified EEG

contributor:
Davies, Claire
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
EEG
Cognitive Load
Cognition
Audification
Electroencephalography

abstract: Concussion is an increasing concern in society, especially with the popularity of contact sports. New research continues to show the dangers of letting concussions go undetected and untreated. Current assessment methods are lacking in their reliability to detect concussions and track healing. Electroencephalography (EEG) consists of data measured from electrical signals from the brain that can give insight into the activity and health of the brain. It would benefit many to achieve an objective assessment method for concussion. The first step in assessing concussion through EEG is to understand the signal properties while performing different cognitive tasks. While these signals are often displayed graphically, they can be converted to sound (audification) to translate the data into a more intuitive medium. By using EEG to understand how the brain processes information under different levels of cognitive load and interpreting this data through audification, this research can pave the way for audified EEG being used to assess brain health, specifically concussion. Untrained participants were asked to differentiate between high and low cognitive load by listening to audified EEG data relating to different tasks. The data were conveyed in ten-second audio samples; each related to tasks of varying cognitive demand. Eighty-six percent of participants were able to detect the difference between high and low cognitive load, when listening to a total of sixty-four audified samples of EEG data. This study is presented as a proof of concept that shows audified EEG can be used by novices to differentiate between high and low cognitive load. This approach provides initial evidence to support the theory that EEG could be used to objectively detect changes in brain activity due to concussion.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Liquid Phase Exfoliation of Graphite into Graphene Nanoplatelets using Graphene Oxide as Surfactant

contributor:
Barz, Dominik
Kontopoulou, Marianna
Chemical Engineering

subject: Graphene GNP Exfoliation Surfactant

abstract:
In this study, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) are prepared using graphene oxide (GO), a derivative of graphene, as the dispersing agent in the liquid phase exfoliation of raw fake graphite. Graphene oxide has similar properties to that of graphene, however, it contains functional groups such as epoxides, hydroxyls and carboxyls. This added
functionality makes GO amphiphilic and a suitable dispersing agent in water. In order to prepare stable GNP dispersions during exfoliation, the sheets need to overcome the van der Waals attractive forces and π-π interactions. Preliminary research shows that more widely stable GNP dispersions can be achieved by adjusting the pH of dispersions to 10. The major variables influencing the exfoliation of graphite are: the concentration of GO and graphite, along with shear rate, and time. Using dimensional reasoning and according to the factorial design of experiments, we obtain a correlation to optimize the GNP yield by a response surface methodology. The exfoliated GNP content in the dispersions is determined from UV-vis spectroscopy, via a GO/GNP standard calibration curve. Furthermore, the exfoliated GNP is characterized using, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Finally, the GO/GNP dispersions are then concentrated and used to synthesize graphene hydrogels. The resulting hydrogels are used as an electrode material for making flexible supercapacitors and their performance is evaluated.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Voyageur Philosophers: Exploring Canoe Expedition Pedagogy

contributor:
MacEachren, Elizabeth
Education

subject:
canoe
wilderness travel
Kurt Hahn
Transformational learning theory
Canada
canoe expedition

abstract: In Canada, the canoe is an integral part of the history and development of nationhood (Raffan, 1999), a vital part of its leisure and tourism industry (Stebbins, 2005), and a central focus of many summer camps and outdoor education programs (Baker, 2005). While a recreation activity for many, each summer there are expedition canoeists who decide to paddle through the waterways of Canada over a distance and duration that many would consider extreme . As canoeing in Canada is part of the national historiography (Dean, 2006; Raffan & Horwood, 1988), this study examines the personal and cultural components of canoeists who have embarked on cross-Canada or extended canoe expeditions of 30 days or more. The intent of this phenomenological study is to explore the motivations and meanings that expedition canoeists make of their travels. Through semi-structured interviews with “modern-day voyageurs”, this study explores how attitudes towards canoeing and wilderness travel are intertwined with national and historical perceptions, the human/nature relationship, spirituality, and the dual search for community and individual identity. The testimony of the participants suggests that there is increased advocacy and education from the paddlers upon their return and that the duration of their trip suggests an extension of flow theory into the expedition culture. In part, the applications of these findings lead to the creation of an example secondary school history curriculum that allows students to paddle with purpose.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: WHERE DID THE NEIGHBOURHOOD GO?  A LOOK INTO THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF STUDENTS ACROSS ONTARIO MID-SIZED CITIES

subject:
Student
Urban Planning
Canada
GIS
Spatial Analysis
Studentification

abstract: Enrollment in higher educational institutions (HEI) has been steadily increasing across Canada, while on-campus accommodation provided by the HEI has plateaued. As a result, a majority of upper-year students now turn towards near-campus neighbourhoods for accommodation, displacing many long-term residents and occupying many low-income units. This process, by which residential neighbourhoods become dominated by student occupation, is known as studentification. Surprisingly, municipalities and HEIs collect little information about the locations of student dwellings. Fortunately, the Canadian Census does not clarify students living away from their parents’ home as occupants of a dwelling, so we can assume that “unoccupied” dwelling units near an HEI are filled with students. This report estimates unoccupied dwellings as potential student dwellings to provide a picture of the geographies of studentification in eleven mid-sized university cites in Ontario.


title: A Series and Parallel Tuned DC-DC Resonant Converter with Hybrid Modulation

contributor:
Jain, Praveen
Pahlevani, Majid
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Power Electronics
Resonant Converter
LCLC
Series and Parallel tuned
DC-DC
Hybrid modulation

abstract:
Series and parallel tuned resonant converters have traditionally been operated at a constant frequency by employing Phase-Shift Modulation (PSM). It provides excellent efficiency from full - load to near no - load while maintaining zero-voltage switching (ZVS). However, the range of input voltage variations is limited. For the applications, where there is a wide variation in the input voltage as well as in the output load, the PSM technique is not able to maintain ZVS, resulting in switching losses. This thesis has studied the behavior and performance of the same converter under hybrid modulation in which both the frequency and the phase-shift are varied. It has been shown that the hybrid modulation technique allows the ZVS operation of the converter under widely varying input voltage and output load.
Frequency-domain modelling is presented, and the performance of the converter is, first, studied under the variable-frequency modulation, and then under the hybrid modulation. It has been shown that the converter can provide better control against the input voltage variations than the fixed frequency modulation by ‘jumping’ the operating frequency from one region to another while maintaining ZVS. The range of the input voltage can be extended further by employing variable pulse-width modulation in addition to variable frequency.
Unlike the constant-frequency operation, the converter exhibits some very interesting characteristics. The new characteristics help in minimizing the conduction losses and allow its operation under a wide range of input voltage and output load.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Dynamic Modelling for the Design of Head-Neck Load Carriage Systems

contributor:
Bryant, Timothy J
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Multibody Dynamics
Head-neck Modelling
Neck Pain
Head-neck Simulation

abstract:
Head load-carriage systems have broad application, allowing people to carry awkward or heavy loads, but can cause chronic pain when the neck is loaded improperly. Studies have identified military helicopter crew neck pain as a significant issue, with reported incidence of neck pain amongst Canadian flight crews in excess 70% [1][2][3], leading to high costs and operational downtime. Although the problem is multi-factorial, one area of interest is due to the adoption of helmet mounted night-vision goggles, which create large, unbalanced moments on the neck. While no single point solution has been identified, research has ranked external neck support devices fourth out of twelve recommended measures, following education, exercise, and workload distribution, that could have the greatest benefit to reducing neck pain, with an estimated efficacy of 66.1%[4].
The objective of this study was to develop a simplified multibody dynamics (MBD) model to evaluate the C7-T1 moments in flexion-extension (down-and-up motion of the head) and in yaw (side-to-side rotation of the head) for a series of visual scanning tasks. Three base head load conditions were considered: the head-only, a head and helmet, a head and helmet with night-vision googles and battery pack.
The model was used to evaluate three potential countermeasures in effort to return the neck moments to the baseline condition (head and helmet). The countermeasures evaluated were: a counterweight, a single line-of-action spring system, and a dual line-of-action spring system. The model demonstrated that the counterweight solution provides increased moments in virtually all situations except for the neutral posture, which is unlikely to reduce long-term injury risk. In contrast, both spring systems have potential to return the flexion moments to the baseline, however these suffer from a restorative moment when the head is rotated in yaw.
The potential for improvement however is significant, and the results show further development of implementable solutions is merited. Further work should also be performed to upgrade the MBD model to include a broader set of environmental and task-based loading conditions, and to improve the treatment of variability such as differences in base geometry and how the head-to-helmet connection is simulated.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: INVESTIGATING THE ROLES OF HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE 2 PROTEINS UL21 AND US3 IN REGULATION OF THE NUCLEAR EGRESS COMPLEX

contributor:
Banfield, Bruce
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject: Herpesvirus

subject: Nuclear Egress

subject: Inner Nuclear Membrane

subject: Us3

subject: UL31

subject: UL34

subject: UL21

subject: Tegument

subject: Alphaherpesvirinae

subject: Herpes Simplex Virus

subject: HSV-2

subject: Primary Enveloped Virion

subject: Viral kinase

subject: Phos-tag western blotting

abstract: Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2) nuclear egress is mediated by viral nuclear egress complex (NEC) proteins, pUL31 and pUL34, found at the inner nuclear membrane of infected cells (INM). Nuclear egress requires successful primary envelopment of a capsid at the INM, budding of the resulting capsid-containing vesicle into the perinuclear space (PNS), de-envelopment of the perinuclear virion at the outer nuclear membrane and release of the capsid into the cytoplasm. In this work, we demonstrate that HSV-2 pUL31 and pUL34 are phosphorylated by a viral protein kinase, called pUs3, which serves to prevent excessive INM deformation and accumulation of the primary enveloped virions (PEVs) in PNS after successful primary envelopment of capsids. It was found that a tegument protein, pUL21, modulates pUs3 dependent pUL31 and pUL34 phosphorylation. We also determined that in UL21-knockout infected cells, pUs3 is differentially modified, and this modification is likely an autophosphorylation. Higher levels of pUs3 phosphorylation were shown to result in augmentation of pUs3/PKA substrate phosphorylation levels, including pUL31 and pUL34. Excessive phosphorylation of the NEC components caused their aberrant distribution at the INM, extravagation of the nuclear envelope and failure of the capsids to undergo primary envelopment at the INM. We, therefore, postulate that that Us3 and UL21 deletions cause different types of the nuclear envelope defects in infected cells and that pUL21 acts upstream of pUs3 as a modulator of its kinase activity. This regulation mechanism was shown to be specific to HSV-2 and does not function in HSV-1 infected cells.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Excitation of colonic afferent nerves by fecal supernatants from gastrointestinal disease patients

contributor:
Lomax, Alan E.
Reed, David E.
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Visceral pain
Gut microbiota
IBD
IBS
Proteases

abstract:
Increased excitability of extrinsic afferent nerves has emerged as an important mechanism of visceral pain during inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). While host-derived mediators have been the main focus of studies investigating this increased excitability, little is understood regarding the role of intestinal microbiota in pain development in IBD and IBS. Therefore, to examine the role of the microbiota in pain in these disorders, this thesis aimed to determine the effects of fecal supernatants (FS) from patients with active IBD (5 Crohn’s disease (CD) and 7 ulcerative colitis (UC)) patients and 6 healthy volunteers (HV) on colonic afferent nerves. Additionally, the effects of FS from 5 IBS patients were characterized before and after a low fermentable carbohydrate diet (LFD) that has been shown to improve the symptoms of IBS patients. The effects of FS were assessed using ex-vivo extracellular recordings of colonic afferent nerves of the distal colon of control mice.
FS from HV decreased the basal firing frequency and the mechanosensitivity of afferent nerves compared to vehicle controls (P< 0.001, and P<0.01 respectively). Conversely, FS from IBD patients increased the basal firing frequency of afferent nerves compared to vehicle controls (P<0.0001 in both CD and UC FS samples). Furthermore, FS from CD augmented the mechanosensitivity of the afferent units compared to vehicle controls (P<0.05), with a significant effect on high threshold (HT) afferent units (P<0.001). These effects were inhibited when I blocked the activity of bacterial proteases. In contrast to CD FS, UC FS reduced the mechanosensitivity of colonic afferent nerves (P<0.05). IBS FS also increased the basal firing frequency of afferent nerves (P<0.001) and increased the mechanosensitivity of the HT afferents (P<0.05) compared to vehicle controls. These effects were induced by both histamine and proteases. Excitingly, FS from the same IBS patients who followed a LFD decreased the basal firing frequency (P<0.01) and blocked the excitatory effect of IBS FS on mechanosensitivity of HT afferent units. Together, these results suggest that FS from IBD and IBS patients contain microbial mediators that could exacerbate pain by activating colonic afferent nerves and increasing afferent input to the CNS. Additionally, a LFD may reduce pain in IBS by modulating the production of these microbial mediators.

abstract: PhD


title: The Effects of Financial Reporting Irregularity on University Major Choices

contributor:
Zhang, Ning
Business

subject: Financial Fraud, Accounting Education

abstract: I examine whether financial reporting irregularity in the form of financial fraud leads to a decline in the enrollment of accounting programs in U.S. colleges. I find that the percentage of students awarded a bachelor’s degree in accounting decreases after the revelation of financial fraud for colleges geographically close to the fraud firms. The enrollment of female students declines more than that of male students. These effects persist for at least two years after the regulatory authorities reveal the fraud to the public. In addition, while financial fraud events lead to a decrease of enrollment in accounting programs, they do not have a similar negative impact on other business majors. In the cross-sectional analysis, I show that students who hold moral values—such as fairness and justice—in high regard are more likely to choose other disciplines. Further analysis reveals that financial fraud involving top management, such as the CEO or CFO, causes a more significant decline in accounting program enrollment than do fraud cases not involving top management. Finally, I find that the decrease in accounting program enrollment is greater when the fraud is perceived to be more severe by the students. These findings extend our understanding of the negative societal impact of financial reporting irregularity. They also highlight the importance of accountants holding high moral values in promoting the long-term sustainable development of economics and the profession.

abstract: PhD


title: Experimental speed distribution measurements and NHC self-assembly on Au(111)

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject: Evaporation

subject: Effusion

subject: Velocity selection

subject: Electron-beam evaporation

subject: N-heterocyclic carbenes

subject: Adsorption

subject: Self-assembly

subject: Self-assembled monolayer

subject: Adatom extraction

abstract:
In Part 1, I present experimental measurements of the speed distribution in atomic beams produced by physical vapour deposition. These measurements are still needed in the literature, especially in collisionless beams produced by thermal evaporation. They also have a practical importance for the deposition of high-quality thin film materials, and may provide new strategies for advanced nanostructural control as well. Accordingly, we developed a unique experimental apparatus and procedure to measure this distribution. We used a rotating slotted cylinder velocity selector, or spindle, to mechanically generate velocity-selected atomic beams. Two detectors that operate on different physical principles, a hot-filament ionization gauge and a quartz crystal microbalance, were positioned directly above the spindle to detect transmitted atoms. The distribution of transmission measurements as a function of rotation speed is related to the speed distribution. This work reports on the theory-guided design and testing of the mechanical and control system equipment we built to perform these measurements. The experimental data obtained using an effusive oven, an open effusion cell, and an electron-beam evaporator highlight some interesting and important aspects of evaporation.

In Part 2, I present a detailed scanning tunnelling microscopy study of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) adsorption and self-assembly on Au(111). Surface modification and functionalization by the formation of a strongly bound self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of organic molecules has received considerable interest as a tool for the protection and stabilization of nanoparticles and the development of lab-on-chip sensors. Although SAMs are most commonly formed by the adsorption of alkanethiols, NHCs have recently attracted considerable interest. NHCs have important advantages compared to thiol-based systems, most notably their chemical tunability and ability to form strongly bound monolayers with improved stability. Given their novelty in the field of materials science, many fundamental properties of NHC-based SAMs are not well understood. This work provides much needed information on the NHC adsorption and self-assembly processes, including factors that control orientation, ordering, mobility, and adatom involvement. Efforts to understand these processes were crucial in advancing the chemistry and applications of thiol-based SAMs, and will similarly offer critical strategies for the design of NHC-based SAMs and their applications.

abstract: PhD


title: THE INFLUENCE OF URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH LAND COVER, SCALE, AND SEASONALITY IN A LOW-DENSITY URBAN CENTER

contributor:
Chen, Dongmei
Geography and Planning

subject:
Urban Heat Island
Land Surface Temperature
Air Temperature
Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper
MODIS
Urban Heat Island Footprint
Surface Urban Heat Island
NDVI
Moisture
Scale
Low Density Urban Center
Milton
Southern Ontario

abstract:
Land surface temperature (LST) and air temperature (Tair) are the primary metrics applied to measure and analyze urban heat island (UHI) effects, a thermal phenomenon caused by urbanization. This thesis aims to study the UHI effect of a rapidly expanding low-density urban center using two satellite based LST products. Milton, Ontario, Canada was selected as the study site due to its rapid urban development from 2000 to 2019. Two LST products extracted from Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) through Google Earth Engine at 30 m resolution and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) at 1 km resolution were compared. The influence of the spatial resolution, land cover, vegetated surfaces and seasonality on the relationship between LST and in situ Tair were examined.  UHI footprint (UHIFP) and the surface UHI (SUHI) models were compared to measure the local UHI impact on rural vegetation based on the time series LST data from Landsat 7.  The UHI impact on surrounding land in the suburban and rural environment from 2000 to 2019 was analyzed.
Results show that MODIS LST from Terra had stronger relationships with Landsat 7 LST than those from Aqua. Tair demonstrated weaker correlations with Landsat LST than with MODIS LST in sparsely vegetated and urban areas during the summer. Due to the winter’s ability to smooth heterogenous surfaces, both LST and Tair showed stronger relationships in winter than summer over every land cover, except with coarse spatial resolutions on forested surfaces. The UHI footprint of the studied low-density suburban center is about 1.4 times larger than the urban center. All vegetated land covers experienced their maximum cooling effects well before reaching the UHIFP perimeter while urban surfaces only begin to diverge from the SUHI Gaussian model outside of the UHIFP. The similar results from both methods indicate a strong urban cover influence overpowering the dominantly distributed agricultural surfaces throughout the growing season.  Moisture index was shown as the dominant variable, above vegetation health, correlating with the UHI residuals within every land cover throughout the growing season. This research has helped us better understand the UHI effects of small communities with varied vegetation phonology based on the distribution of built-up pervious and impervious surfaces within the neighborhood structure.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF THE DUAL-TARGETED 'MAMMALIAN TYPE' PURPLE ACID PHOSPHATASE ATPAP17 IN ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA PHOSPHATE AND ROS METABOLISM

contributor:
Plaxton, William
Biology

subject:
purple acid phosphatase
peroxidase
phosphate starvation
salinity

abstract: Secreted and intracellular purple acid phosphatases (APases) play a central role in the recycling and acquisition of inorganic phosphate (Pi), a limiting macronutrient that is vital for plant growth. In mammals, a single low molecular weight (LMW) secreted purple APase (PAP) isozyme (e.g. HsACP5 in humans) is expressed that exhibits bifunctional phosphatase and peroxidase (PRx) activities to support dual roles in dephosphorylating extracellular bone matrix phosphoproteins or generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) for immune-related pathogen defense. Similarly, AtPAP17 (At3g17790), one of twenty-nine predicted Arabidopsis PAP isozymes, is a LMW (35 kDa) HsACP5 ortholog that exhibits APase and PRx activity. A 35 kDa monomeric PAP was unexpectedly purified from cell wall (CW) extracts of Pi-starved (–Pi) suspension cell cultures of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and identified as AtPAP17 (At3g17790). AtPAP17 was de novo synthesized and dual-targeted to the secretome and/or intracellular fraction of –Pi or salt stressed, or senescing leaves of Arabidopsis. Transiently expressed AtPAP17-GFP localized to lytic vacuoles of the Arabidopsis cells. No discernible biochemical or phenotypical changes associated with AtPAP17 loss of function in an atpap17 mutant occurred during Pi deprivation, leaf senescence, or salinity stress. Nevertheless, AtPAP17 is hypothesized to contribute to Pi metabolism owing to its marked upregulation during Pi starvation and leaf senescence, broad APase substrate selectivity and pH-activity profile, and rapid repression and turnover following Pi-resupply to –Pi plants. While AtPAP17 also catalyzed the peroxidation of luminol, which was optimal at pH 9.2, it exhibited a low Vmax and affinity for H2O2 relative to horseradish peroxidase. These results, coupled with absence of a phenotype in the –Pi or salt stressed atpap17 mutant, do not support proposals that AtPAP17’s PRx activity contributes to the detoxification of ROS during stresses that trigger AtPAP17 upregulation.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Evaluation of basal and stimulated von Willebrand factor release from endothelial colony forming cells derived from Type 1 von Willebrand disease patients

contributor:
James, Paula
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

subject:
von Willebrand disease
von Willebrand factor
Bleeding disorders
Endothelial cells
Transcriptomics

abstract:
Type 1 von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common bleeding disorder and is thought to be caused by a quantitative deficiency in von Willebrand factor (VWF). Endothelial cells release VWF into the circulation in an unstimulated manner through basal secretion, but they can also be stimulated to release large stores of VWF in response to hemostatic challenge. VWF levels measured during the diagnostic workup for Type 1 VWD are taken at baseline and therefore only represent the contributions of basal VWF secretion. It has been consistently reported that baseline VWF levels exhibit no correlation to bleeding severity in Type 1 VWD which greatly complicates diagnosis, management, and stratification of patients based on future risk of bleeding.
Our lab has previously shown that Type 1 VWD patients exhibit a blunted response to surrogates of hemostatic challenge that correlates with their bleeding severity, but the underlying cause of this poor response is not understood. This thesis aims to use endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs), a population of circulating endothelial progenitor cells, from Type 1 VWD patients and healthy controls to further explore this question. We employed VWF secretion analysis and transcriptomic analysis to identify differences between control and Type 1 VWD-derived ECFCs during basal and stimulated VWF release.
Through VWF secretion analysis, we found that control and Type 1 VWD-derived ECFCs secrete comparable amounts of VWF during basal release, but during stimulated release, VWF secretion was reduced in the Type 1 VWD group. mRNA-seq showed differential regulation of coagulation, cell shape, the cell cortex, and cellular receptor complexes between control and Type 1 VWD-derived ECFCs during stimulated VWF release. Finally, we identified seven miRNAs during basal VWF release and five miRNAs during stimulated VWF release that are differentially regulated between control and Type 1 VWD-derived ECFCs.
We have shown for the first time distinct transcriptional differences between control and Type 1 VWD-derived ECFCs. These differences are more apparent during stimulated VWF release, which supports the notion that the ability to respond to hemostatic challenge may be a better predictor of bleeding severity than baseline VWF levels alone.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: EVALUATION OF WHEAT STRAW, HAMMER-MILLED HEMP, RICE HULLS AND CELLULOSE SETTLEMENT BEHAVIOUR FOR LOOSE- FILL INSULATION APPLICATIONS

contributor:
MacDougall, Colin
Civil Engineering

subject:
Straw Bale
Insulation
Loose-fill
Low Embodied Carbon
Hemp
Rice Hulls
Cellulose

abstract:
Straw bale construction has gained attention in the building industry for its purported sustainability and its low embodied carbon footprint. Research on straw bale construction has examined its thermal and structural performance, as well as the influence moisture and the environment have on long-term performance. Most of this work has examined straw in a baled configuration. The following thesis examines the use of loose-fill fine and coarse cut wheat straw, hammer-milled hemp, rice hulls and cellulose as insulation alternatives. To effectively evaluate the thermal and long-term performance of these loose-fill materials, the installation density and physical behaviour needs to be better understood.
The following thesis addresses: 1) the vertical settlement behaviour and stable volume densities under S1 classification following the EN-14064-1 standard for the five materials when exposed to vibrational loading (18 Hz); 2) the vertical settlement of fine cut wheat straw for static and vibrational loading (18 Hz) when exposed to high humidity conditions of 80% relative humidity and 23 oC; and, 3) the design of large-scale wall assemblies for experimental long-term testing of loose-fill straw and cellulose in a double-stud wall cavity. The relationship between density and settlement follows a comparable trend across all materials, where an increase in density decreases the settlement. A decrease in void frequency and size was observed with increasing density in wheat straw and hemp specimens. Wheat straw with longer average fibre length was correlated with a decrease in the density needed for stable behaviour. A minimal change in settlement was observed for wheat straw subjected to high humidity, which led to fibre moisture content of 12-14.5% (this is below the 20% moisture content typically believed to lead to decay of straw). The lowest density meeting S1 classification for each of the materials are as follows: fine cut wheat straw (75.1 kg/m3), coarse cut wheat straw (50.7 kg/m3), hammer-milled hemp (113.4 kg/m3), rice hulls (155.1 kg/m3), and cellulose (49.1 kg/m3). The study provides evidence for the importance of density on the stability of bulk loose-fill material for its long-term performance and provides density
values for installing these materials in large-scale wall panels.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Dancing for Canada/Dancing Beyond Canada: The History of the National Ballet of Canada and Royal Winnipeg Ballet's International Tours, 1958-1974

contributor:
Dubinsky, Karen
History

subject:
National Ballet of Canada
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
non-state actors
ballet
touring
Canadian cultural diplomacy

abstract: This thesis traces the growth of the National Ballet of Canada (NBC) and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) through international ballet exchanges and reveals how foundational they were to the companies’ current reputations. In the mid-twentieth century, the development of Canadian ballet was intertwined with international exchanges because the Canada Council of the Arts viewed national success as synonymous with international success. The National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet developed different ways of being viewed as Canadian while abroad and established themselves as noteworthy cultural institutions. This thesis is also a study of the non-state actors’ role – ballet companies’ personnel, artistic directors, dancers, and media – in producing or furthering diplomatic relations with host countries and how they either upheld or contradicted state interests. Chapter two examines ten years (1958-1968) of negotiations between the NBC and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes to show how the NBC used Canadian cultural policies and Canada’s national language to attain international tours that focused on fostering the company’s growth. Also, the tour resulted in the NBC building a relationship with Mexico without much help from the government. Chapter three studies the RWB’s engagement with Jamaica for the country’s independence celebrations in 1963 from the perspective of non-state actors – the dancers, media, and private sectors – to understand the motivations in carrying out state interest. Chapter four compares the NBC exchange to Europe in 1972 and the RWB visit to Latin America in 1974. It explores cultural diplomacy policies, Canadian public reactions, and ‘Canadianness.’ Ultimately, this thesis aims to reveal the complex relationship between national identity/governmental interests and artistic development in cultural diplomacy endeavours.

abstract: M.A.


title: Are we there yet? The road to reconciliation in Ontario public school curricula since 2007

contributor:
Davis, Jennifer
Christou, Theodore
Education

subject:
Indigenous studies
Ontario curricula
Decolonizing classrooms
reconciliation

abstract: This research is a multi-layered examination of existing policy frameworks and curricula surrounding Indigenous education in Ontario public elementary schools: how these documents have evolved and been adapted within the Ontario public elementary school system, focusing on the years since the turn of the 21st century. Since 2007, the Ontario Ministry of Education has taken a new approach to Indigenous education within public school classrooms. They have certainly made strides towards providing an equitable workspace for Indigenous students within mainstream classrooms and curricula, but have policy makers and educators alike gone far enough? Does the existing framework adequately provide for the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for teaching and learning by upholding Indigenous world views and knowledge systems within the constraints of colonial curricula and pedagogy? Or do these provisions simply mask a modern and more covert form of assimilation within the public education system? If this is so, why should we, and how can we, provide a more authentic Indigenous educational experience within Ontario’s public elementary school classrooms?

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Savings Groups: Model, Welfare and Design

contributor:
Cotton, Christopher
Economics

subject:
financial inclusion
macroeconomics
savings group
development economics
heterogenous agent
optimal interest rate

abstract: Savings groups (SGs) are a low-cost way of providing access to financial services to the most marginalized in the developing world. We develop a model of SGs—a Bewley-Huggett-Aiyagari-type heterogenous agent model—that captures the main distortionary features of VSLA-type (Village Savings and Loan Association) SGs. Calibrating the model to data from Uganda, we find that SGs provide benefits equal to 1.38% of consumption (consumption equivalent variation; CEV) or US$2.76 (financial value; FV) per member per month relative to autarky, which easily justify the low implementation costs. The optimal interest rate on borrowing is found to differ significantly across measures of welfare, with the CEV peaking at 2.46% at an interest rate of -9.5% and the FV peaking at US$2.77 at an interest rate of 4%. Alternative designs of SGs are considered. Loosening the cash-flow constraint by al- lowing members to repay their loans using their share-out equity increases the CEV to 1.76% and the FV to US$3.04. Finally, a continuous SG design that eliminates the share-out cycle and its associated distortions raises the CEV to 3.86% and the FV to US$6.75.

abstract: PhD


title: Improvement of a high throughput method for identification of T-DNA insertion events in an activation-tagged population of Populus tremula x Populus alba.

contributor:
Regan, Sharon
Biology

subject: poplar sequencing populus activation-tag

abstract: Mutant populations are a cornerstone of modern studies in genetics; their usefulness in gene discovery, and in understanding the various forms of gene regulation, can not be overstated. Since the introduction of mutation in plants nearly a century ago (Stadler, 1928), mutant populations have been generated in every major crop as well as many additional species (Sikora et al., 2011). While mutant populations have become commonplace in the study of plant biology, the usefulness of each population is limited by the ability of researchers to characterise the mutations present. This limitation has led me to search for an improved method to characterise the random T-DNA insertions sites of the activation tagged Populus tremula x Populus alba population generated by the Regan lab. In this thesis, I explore the potential of using a capture-based sequencing method to construct a high-throughput sequencing method that can be used to identify the genomic flanking regions that border T-DNA insertions. This theoretical process is then used to evaluate experimental data generated in 2 sequencing runs, examining the output for quality, consistency, and accuracy. Finally, I use my method to positively confirm T-DNA insertion sites in 4 selected lines of activation tagged P. tremula x P. alba, demonstrating the viability of my method to identify random T-DNA insert locations.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Anomaly Detection via Latent Variables Learned by Variational Autoencoders

contributor:
Skillicorn, David B.
Computing

subject: Anomaly Detection

subject: Variational Autoencoders

subject: Latent Variables

subject: Deep Learning

subject: Expected Latent Representation

subject: Latent Dimensions

subject: Reconstruction Error of Expected Latent Representation

subject: Subsets of Latent Dimensions

subject: Approximate Expected Reconstruction Error

subject: Anomaly Detection Evaluation Guidelines

subject: Individual Latent Dimensions

abstract:
Modeling normality is a popular approach to anomaly detection. Learning good models of normality and choosing appropriate ways of identifying differences from normality are critical tasks for effective anomaly detection. Variational autoencoders are state of the art modeling techniques that incorporate latent variables, hidden variables that are not directly observed but instead inferred from observed variables. Approaches to anomaly detection via variational autoencoders either adopt reconstruction error as a sole anomaly detection metric, ignoring the potential of latent variables in the anomaly detection task, or consider the latent space as whole. However, reconstruction error on its own creates an incomplete picture of the latent space representation, while individual latent dimensions often fail to represent useful features for anomaly detection, dragging down the overall performance.

I focus on making subtle choices using latent variables discovered via variational autoencoders to help find anomalies, from two different perspectives. The first leverages the stochastic nature of the latent variables, as each point in the latent space is sampled from probability distributions that are parameterized during the learning process. I develop the concept of expected latent representation, which I use for anomaly detection by evaluating differences between the expected latent representation and the prior. Additionally, I extend the expected latent representation to reconstruction error, by adopting the reconstruction error of the expected latent representation as an anomaly detection measure. Results from evaluations on benchmark datasets reveal similar performance or incremental improvements, in comparison to unmodified variational autoencoders, and competitive results to comparable anomaly detection techniques.

The second perspective focuses on finding latent dimensions that contain valuable features for anomaly detection, where I explore subsets of dimensions. Evaluations on benchmark datasets suggest that subsets and individual dimensions, can significantly outperform the entire latent space. I propose a heuristic method for carefully selecting subsets of latent dimensions in a supervised manner. Although dataset dependent, the relative performance is improved by as much as twofold.

In the end, these two perspectives demonstrate that subtle choices in crafting models of normality and measuring differences from normality, can significantly improve the anomaly detection task in a variety of datasets.

abstract: PhD


title: Central Party Authority and Constituency Campaign Discipline in Canadian Federal Elections

contributor:
Goodyear-Grant, Elizabeth
Rose, Jonathan
Political Studies

subject:
Canadian Politics
Political parties
Local campaigns
Elections
Party discipline

abstract:
Canadian political parties are known for their centralized power and strong party discipline (Godbout 2020; Marland 2020; Savoie 1999; 2019). However, there are conflicting expectations for how these tendencies are reflected during federal elections, which are composed of 338 distinct constituency campaigns under single-member-plurality (SMP) electoral rules. Central party headquarters demand cohesion and cooperation from constituency campaigns, which in turn face incentives to cater to regional and local imperatives, or even to disregard instructions and deviate from their parties in certain cases (Carty and Eagles 2005, 2; Kam 2009: 154; Koop 2011, 9-10; Sayers 1999, 146). In addition to the centralizing forces of party discipline, decentralizing pressures derived from SMP rules, a stratarchical franchise model of party organization (Carty 2002), and Canada’s substantial territorial and sociocultural diversity, may simultaneously drive constituency campaigns to act independently and divergently from the national party.

This dissertation asks to what extent and why constituency campaigns behave in a disciplined manner during Canadian elections. Drawing from an original dataset of 96 interviews with local candidates and party strategists, campaign documents, and field observation of ten constituency campaigns, I examine the extent to which constituency campaigns adhere to central party preferences. I emphasize four main findings. First, undisciplined constituency campaign behaviour is greater than anticipated by existing research. Second, my analyses identify patterns of undisciplined behaviour by constituency campaigns, which I categorize using a novel typology, as instances of insubordination, innovation, and incompetence. Third, the central party has a limited ability to monitor or control constituency campaigns and must instead exert indirect influence. Fourth, constituency campaign self-discipline, rather than party authority or coercion, is the most compelling explanation for why constituency campaigns behave in a disciplined manner during federal elections. The mechanisms that underlie self-discipline are primarily rooted in behavioural logics of appropriateness. They help to explain the appearance of strict campaign discipline and to trace the origins of party caucus discipline. Nonetheless, these findings indicate the persistence of shared authority that is understood to characterize Carty’s franchise model, as well as the endurance of meaningful local campaign agency. As such, they offer potential avenues for enhanced local representation and democratic responsiveness.

abstract: PhD


title: Causal Uncertainty and Computer-Mediated Communication

contributor:
Jacobson, Jill
Psychology

subject:
computer-mediated communication
causal uncertainty

abstract:
Causal uncertainty is the experience of persistent doubts about one’s ability to identify the causes of social events (Weary & Edwards, 1996). Causally uncertain people are more depressed (Weary & Edwards, 1994, 1996), more likely to be rejected by their roommates (Jacobson, Rytwinski, & Passey, 2006), and report more negative perceptions about their close relationships (Boucher, 2015; Boucher & Jacobson, 2012). If causally uncertain people experience interpersonal difficulties in face-to-face (FtF) exchanges, they may use other means of communicating, such as computer-mediated communication (CMC; e.g., texting, email). The current research tested if causally uncertain people preferred CMC over FtF communication.
	For Studies 1 and 2, data were collected at two time points, the original data collection in 2004-2005, and the replication data collection over 10 years later, in 2018-2019. In Study 1, causally uncertain people self-reported that they preferred CMC over FtF in both data collections. In Study 2, participants interacted with a stranger in the lab either via CMC or FtF to determine their communication preferences during a real conversation. In the original data collection, causally uncertain people preferred CMC over FtF. However, in the replication study, causally uncertain people disliked both conversation modes. In an attempt to reconcile the discrepant results from Study 2, I manipulated instruction conditions for in-lab CMC conversations in Study 3. I replicated the results found in the present-day cohort in Study 2, suggesting that communication preferences for causally uncertain people have changed since 2005, perhaps due to the ubiquity of smart phones and online communication.

abstract: PhD


title: Multi-Material Topology Optimization Considering Dissimilar Material Joining Cost And Natural Frequency

contributor:
Kim, Il Yong
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Topology Optimization
Multi-Material Design
pseudo-cost domain
Design Optimization
manufacturability

abstract:
The recent drive for producing lightweight and high-performance designs on reduced timelines in both automotive and aerospace industries has promoted the development of computational design, analysis, and optimization tools. Topology optimization (TO) has been recognized as a foremost method to reduce weight in both component and assembly level design. Optimum loadpaths within a designable region are determined, providing non-intuitive designs that can result in significant weight savings while adhering to structural performance criteria. Multi-material topology optimization (MMTO) is a subset of TO, which is recently gaining greater focus due to its lightweighting capabilities and increased industry focus on the adoption of composites in design. MMTO extends the TO problem to consider material selection and material existence simultaneously. Multi-material solutions, therefore, represent an assembly where each section of dissimilar material is a different component. Conventional MMTO; however, presents two complications first being that it does not consider dissimilar material joining during the optimization process and second that it provides design ideas requiring significant manual interpretation to be manufactured using conventional methods. This manuscript address both of these challenges and further extends the MMTO methodology to consider fundamental frequency in the design process.

The first topic of Material Interface Control in Multi-Material Topology Optimization using Pseudo-Cost Domain Method presents a novel pseudo-cost domain (PCD) method to mathematically determine individual material interfaces in MMTO solutions. The proposed methodology employs a user-defined joint cost model to weigh the distinct material interfaces relative to each other. An innovative approach to tailor the MMTO design considering the relative cost of each material interface is presented. The proposed methodology can consider any number of materials and their respective interfaces. This proposed PCD method is used to design an electric all-terrain vehicle. During the designing process, it was found that using the PCD method 80% reduction in the total joining cost of the design was obtained while sacrificing just 4.2% of the design’s stiffness when compared to conventional MMTO design.

The manuscript also extends the MMTO methodology to incorporate frequency, symmetry, extrusion, and draw direction constraints in large scale practical models providing designers with more manufacturable and institute design from onset thus, requiring less manual reinterpretation.

abstract: PhD


title: Moving waste around: Unpacking how socio-political decisions are made about municipal solid waste and its transportation

contributor:
Parizeau, Kate
Environmental Studies

subject:
environmental sociology
waste management
circular economy
environmental studies
waste transportation
case study research
Canadian waste management

abstract: This thesis uses waste transportation as a lens to understand how socio-political actors make decisions about waste, and more specifically, waste transportation and the mechanisms that are employed to achieve this end. As waste is transported from its point of generation to its place of disposal—which is very seldom a linear route—issues emerge around scale, perceived risks, governance, responsibilisation, and ideological (and often technological) alternatives. This dissertation seeks to address how waste transportation offers insight into how we relate to, problematize, divest, and generally understand complicated waste systems. I draw on the related concepts of waste governance, waste regimes and risk avoidance, and the circular economy to critically examine how networks of actors across scales maintain and facilitate long-distance waste transportation practices. Data come from interviews with 14 participants and critical document analyses of publicly available literature from municipal and provincial governments, waste management industries, and non-governmental environmental organizations. This dissertation is comprised of three core manuscripts. The first manuscript uses waste transportation as a lens through which to better understand how diversion becomes synonymous with recycling in Ontario as a mode of governance, which requires substantial waste transportation. The second manuscript situates waste transportation as a means of avoiding unacceptable risks in a waste regime that focuses on diversion. The third manuscript explores how moving to a legislated circular economy will have socio-political consequences while still requiring—or perhaps increasing—Ontario’s reliance on waste transportation. Taken together, I suggest that waste transportation is a site for understanding how decisions about how waste societies are made and maintained. In this view, waste can be regarded as a medium that creates new connections between people in otherwise unconnected places and influenced by different perceptions of waste materials and policy frameworks. Waste transportation represents the ultimate downstream technology that maintains the throwaway society while itself producing significant environmental impacts. In these ways, and with respect to how waste transportation has only recently become an issue, the dissertation contributes to the growing critical literature on waste transportation.

abstract: PhD


title: Experiential Blackness: Race, Identity, and Memory in Contemporary Dominican Society

contributor:
van Deusen, Nancy
History

subject:
Race
Memory
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Blackness
Identity
Dominicanidad

abstract: The controversial subject of blackness resides at the center of discussions of race in the Dominican Republic. Traditionally, scholars have painted the Dominican Republic as a society ignorant of its own history of blackness and devoid of a black consciousness. They argue that Dominicans deny their African ancestry because of their hatred toward their African descent Haitian neighbours, even though the two island nations share the same land mass, traditionally known as Hispaniola. In this thesis, I argue that despite blackness being pushed to the margins of official or State conceptions of dominicanidad (Dominicanness or Dominican identity), blackness is integral to the shaping of history, collective and individual memories, and identity on the island. My work focuses on experiential blackness to highlight the complexity of blackness in Dominican culture. Experiential blackness is a methodology that shows how individuals, despite racial classification, understand and relate to blackness in the past and in the present. A consideration of the unique and traumatic histories of the Trujillo dictatorship (1930-1961) and the authoritarian rule of Joaquín Balaguer (1966-1978) in the Dominican Republic, reveals the ways anti-blackness and anti-Haitian rhetoric have informed Dominican conceptions of race, memory, and identity to this day. At the same time, Black Dominican voices, throughout history, have attempted to amplify and record their experiences to quell traditional state practices of silencing, denigration, and erasure. I utilize a mix of traditional archival sources and non-traditional sources, including oral history and social media, to analyze how the past and the present are constantly informing and shaping one another. The purpose of this thesis is not only to center blackness and highlight its profound influence on the culture of the Dominican Republic but to demonstrate how the recentring of discussions of blackness can lead to radical change in any given society.

abstract: M.A.


title: Creativity in the Ontario Elementary Curriculum 1853–2018: A Historically Situated Document Analysis

contributor:
Christou, Theodore
Education

subject:
Creativity
Curriculum
Curriculum theory
Document analysis
Ontario Education

abstract: The purpose of this study is to provide descriptions of conceptions related to creativity in the context of public elementary education in Ontario through an examination of Ontario curriculum documents from 1853 until 2018. Analysis of these documents was informed by a historical understanding of conceptions of creativity as well as the use of an interpretive framework with regards to the ideological purposes behind the curricula. It proposes that there are five conceptions of creativity that have been dominant during different periods in the history of the Ontario elementary curriculum. The first is Divine Creation (1853–1884), where creativity was viewed as property of God alone, and students, therefore, were not encouraged to be creative. The second is Froebelian Creativeness (1885–1936), in which students were seen as having an inner essence which needed to unfold according to its own nature in accordance with “the great Froebelian doctrine of creativeness.” The third is Creative Experience (1937–1974), where students were viewed as being actively engaged in creative activities as a means of self-expression and in solving social problems. The fourth is Creative Thinking Skills (1975–2002), where students were to develop creative skills to help them compete in the global marketplace. The most recent period is that of Critical and Creative Thinking Skills and/or Processes (2003–2018), in which creativity continued to be primarily conceived as a skill for students to develop for economic reasons, but which also emphasized the importance of being critical of the creations of others. At the policy level, this research hopes to provide a basis for curriculum developers and ministry officials to understand differences in conceptions of creativity and to help generate curricula with greater conceptual consistency according to the curriculum ideology behind them. For teachers, this research will provide tools that will help them understand and incorporate conceptions of creativity in their classrooms.

abstract: PhD


title: Intelligence-Captivated Policing: Real-Time Operations Centres and Real-Time Situational Awareness in Canadian Police Services

subject: surveillance policing technology intelligence canada

abstract:
Over the last decade a new organisational entity has appeared in Canadian police forces. Based on post-9/11 US homeland security and developments in digital surveillance technology, real-time operations centres (RTOCs) have quietly sprung up in cities from Vancouver to Halifax. Sold as providing digital backup to responding officers, they are fundamentally restructuring how data is acquired and used and shifting the relations of power between police and citizens.
	Based on interviews, site visits, access to information requests, and various international trade shows, this thesis investigates the inception, development, operation, and likely effects of RTOCs on policing. It first deploys an STS framework to unravel the processes of heterogenous engineering and sociotechnical co-construction involved, and identifies ‘real-time situational awareness (RTSA)’ as the sociotechnical imaginary at the heart of the RTOC project.
	On this basis, the thesis then isolates the modally distinct yet operationally interconnected dispositifs of surveillance, power, and policing at work in RTOCs: a pre-emptive, yet event-based and hyper-reactive, risk-driven surveillant assemblage that serves to extend policing into new digital data spaces. It then draws on research into analogous surveillance systems to postulate the likely dangers involved: hypervisibilization, mission creep by design, context collapse, and the reification of racist, classist, or gender-based prejudices in novel sociotechnical procedures. The thesis then places these conclusions within the discourse on intelligence-led and big data policing to identify a fundamental shift in the operational logic of police intelligence work caused by RTOCs and RTSA towards the prioritization of tactical reactivity and immediately actionable intelligence over strategy and preemption, as well as non-consensual or exploitative information collection over transparent or democratic methods.
	Finally it argues that, in terms of progressive resistance and reform, this research makes it clear that police forces are struggling to develop a response to the ongoing digitalisation of society, and have become captivated by the only model on their horizon: the military and counter-terrorism theory of RTSA. Prohibiting individual technologies will not prevent the hegemony of this rationality: we need alternative systemic approaches to citizens, data, and governance.

abstract: PhD


title: Performance of IHC3-Uro Immunohistochemistry-based Molecular Subtyping in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

contributor:
Berman, David
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

subject:
Bladder Cancer
Lund Taxonomy
Immunohistochemistry
Molecular Subtyping

abstract: Molecular subtyping in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) has shown important relationships to both prognosis and chemosensitivity. However, insufficient validation and complex testing methods have prevented molecular subtyping from being clinically implemented. To address these shortcomings, 13 immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were previously validated to identify Three key intrinsic subtypes of MIBC. We distilled this work into a three-antibody algorithm termed IHC3-Uro which uses GATA3, p16 and KRT5 to identify key IHC-based subtypes in MIBC. If effective in determining subtype, this simple IHC-based test could serve as a useful tool in pathologic practice to guide clinical decision making. We applied IHC3-Uro to three independent MIBC cohorts in order to identify molecular subtypes and explore their relationships to clinicopathologic variables and outcomes.  In this work, 89% of samples were assigned to Uro, GU and Basal intrinsic molecular subtypes. This subtyping appeared to be the most effective in TURBT samples, where GATA3 staining was most consistent. These subtypes showed prognostic associations, where the GU subtype and a subset of Uro tumours termed Uro-KRT5 had increased risk of death compared to the Uro subtype. Altogether, this work suggests that a simple IHC-based test may serve as an effective alternative for identifying prognostically relevant subtypes previously discovered using complex transcriptomic methods. Additional validation and investigation of these IHC-based subtypes may provide opportunities for clinical use and optimizing patient stratification according to risk of death.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Dark Matter-Neutrino Scattering in the Galactic Centre with IceCube

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject:
dark matter
neutrino
physics
beyond standard model
DM
scattering
IceCube

abstract: While there is evidence for the existence of dark matter, its properties have yet to be discovered. Simultaneously, the nature of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos detected by IceCube remains unresolved. If dark matter and neutrinos are coupled to each other, they could exhibit a non-zero elastic scattering cross section. Such an interaction between an isotropic extragalactic neutrino flux and dark matter would be concentrated in the Galactic Centre, where the dark matter column density is the greatest. This scattering would attenuate the flux of high-energy neutrinos, which could be observed in the IceCube South Pole Neutrino Observatory. In this thesis, an unbinned likelihood analysis is performed to set sensitivities for the seven year medium energy starting event cascades dataset for a signal considering possible dark matter-neutrino interaction scenarios. This signal would be observed as a suppression of the high-energy astrophysical neutrino flux in the direction of the Galactic Centre. It is shown that IceCube can set constraints on possible dark matter-neutrino interactions that are complementary to constraints set by large scale structure surveys and the cosmic microwave background.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Asm2Seq: Explainable Assembly Code Functional Summary Generation

contributor:
Ding, Steven H. H.
Zulkernine, Mohammad
Computing

subject:
Machine Learning
Assembly
Code Summary
Attention
Long Short-Term Memory
Gated Recurrent Unit
Summary Generation
Sequence-to-Sequence Learning
Asm2Seq

abstract:
Technology is at the forefront of nearly every aspect of the modern world. Humans write code for technology to function as we desire, but often times little is understood about the code needed to control the computer without significant human analysis. This research aims to bridge this gap by producing human-readable summarizations of the functionality of the assembly code needed for computer execution. Vulnerability datasets are used as starting datasets on the model because finding and understanding vulnerabilities in a program are important for software maintenance, software anal- ysis, and software development. Source code files exhibiting various vulnerabilities are compiled to produce their assembly code counterparts and used as input to the model. Descriptions of how the vulnerabilities function are extracted from the source code files and used as the desired output for the model.
Various neural network architectures make up the encoder-decoder experiments to determine the best model. Each experiment undergoes significant training in order to produce accurate predictions. Attention was added in order to understand what aspects of the assembly code had the biggest effect on generating the summary. The models produced high rates of accuracy and Bilingual Evaluation Understudy (BLEU) score, which are both indicative of a well performing network. Comparisons between model predictions and the true descriptions showcase the favorable results.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: "Alive & Kicking": Queer Cultural Memory of Toronto's Gay and Lesbian Liberation Movement Through Photographs of Violence and Protest in The Body Politic (1971-1987)

contributor:
Caron, Caroline-Isabelle
History

subject:
cultural memory
Canada
queer
Toronto
visual history
sexuality studies
Gay and Lesbian Liberation Movement
photography
protest
violence
collective memory

abstract: This thesis examines the collective memory of Toronto’s Gay and Lesbian Liberation Movement (GLLM) in the 1970s and 1980s through queer cultural memory. This queer cultural memory is informed by photographs and articles of protest and violence in the gay liberation magazine, The Body Politic (1971-1987). The thesis first develops the theory of queer cultural memory as a type of collective memory specific to queer communities. This memory takes a redemptive form and is informed by “figures of memory” including texts and photographs which have a unique relationship to ephemeral records in queer community archives. Crucially, these texts and photographs inform different queer cultural memories; the texts communicate the textual metanarrative (dominant narrative of the GLLM), while the photographs show the visual narrative. Both comprise the movement’s collective memory. To analyze these photographs, this thesis establishes a visual methodology based on techniques in cultural history and visual anthropology. Using these techniques, it performs a quantitative analysis of 165 images and qualitative analysis of 40 images to establish the visual form of queer cultural memory. Subsequently, it compares the visual narrative to the textual metanarrative in order to reveal the obscured and excluded narratives. Overall, it argues that in the queer cultural memory, the textual metanarrative of the movement differs from the visual record in the magazine. Furthermore, it contends that queer cultural memory, as a tool, can be used to reveal voices and experiences obscured by the dominant narrative, which is largely a reflection of white, cis, gay, men.

abstract: M.A.


title: Nitroxyl-Mediated Peroxide Modification of Polypropylene

contributor:
Parent, J. Scott
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Polypropylene
Peroxide modification
Nitroxyl
Fluorescence
Polymer
Polyethylene

abstract:
The thermal stability of alkoxyamine derivatives of polypropylene (PP) is examined through studies of model hydrocarbon systems and atactic-PP substrates. Primary, secondary and tertiary alkoxyamines are integral to modern techniques for modifying the architecture of linear PP materials, and detailed knowledge of their stability at polymer processing temperatures is needed to further understand the underlying principles of nitroxyl-based formulations.
GC analysis of alkoxyamines derived from 2,4-dimethylpentane + TEMPO show that the tertiary regioisomer is susceptible to disproportionation to alkene + HOTEMPO at temperatures as low as 140C.  Extension of these thermolysis experiments to atactic PP-g-HOTEMPO mirrored the model compound results, with appreciable extents of nitroxyl generation observed over a 20 min timescale at 180C. This reaction extent is not expected to dramatically alter the performance of nitroxyl-based formulations that modify the structure and composition of PP homopolymers.
The yield of H-atom abstraction by peroxide-derived alkoxy radicals is another fundamental reaction that underlies polyolefin modifications. Indirect measures based on analysis of peroxide byproducts are supplemented with a fluorescence spectroscopy method that quantifies polymer-bound alkoxyamines. H-atom transfer from high density polyethylene (HDPE) and poly(ethylene-co-propylene) (EPR) was gained by using napthoyloxy-TEMPO, whose fluorophore supports a highly sensitive analytical method. This technique is extended to studies of reactive HDPE/EPR blending to ascertain the extent of peroxide migration from one phase to the other during the compounding process. The data indicates that mass transfer of the peroxide is competitive with the rate of peroxide breakdown, causing both polymers to incur structure modification irrespective of how the initiator is charged to the blend components.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: A MUSICAL MONARCH: QUEEN VICTORIA’S INTEREST IN THE MUSIC AND COMPOSERS OF HER AGE

contributor:
den Otter, Sandra
History

subject:
Music
Queen Victoria
Victorian
Empire
Prince Albert
Royalty
Monarchy
Culture
Art
Composers
Musicians

abstract: This thesis explores Queen Victoria’s engagement with the musical world of the nineteenth century and seeks to identify the impact that she had on the music of her age. This research is undertaken using the queen’s journals and letters as the central source. Although heavily edited, the journals are the most significant source when it comes to understanding Queen Victoria and building on the scholarship that exists. Through a close examination of the monarch’s opinions and views on the music that she heard, her early enjoyment of music, the musical education that she received, the influence of Prince Albert during their married life, and the personal interest Victoria took in the music of her age, the thesis examines the impact that Victoria had on British music during her lifetime as both patron and enjoyer. Together with her husband Prince Albert, Victoria sought to elevate British music into what the royal couple saw as professional and sophisticated. In addition to elevating British music and composers through her support, Queen Victoria influenced the Victorian music scene through her patronage of composers and her interest in the musicians and singers she heard perform. Victoria’s impact on Victorian music, through her role as patron of the arts during her lifetime and in terms of her curated musical experience, is explored through the themes of gender, class, and race, with particular attention to the limitations and boundaries of the Queen’s musical explorations. Through these themes, Victoria’s musical experience is investigated to better understand the role of music in her life and identifies what she heard and why, but also identifies the silences in her listening experience. Additionally, the thesis looks at how Victoria herself was an inspiration for musical compositions that sought to either venerate or demonize the monarch.

abstract: M.A.