identifier: Jing, Liang <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Jing=3ALiang=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Field investigation and hydrological modelling of a sub-arctic wetland system by SLURP and WATFLOOD.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The wetlands existing as bogs, fens, swamps, marshes and shallow water comprise 14% of Canadian land. Recently, there are growing research interests in the hydrological characteristics of arctic and subarctic wetland systems in the need for more efficiently conserve wetlands and assess climate change related impacts. This research targeted the Deer River watershed near Churchill, Manitoba, which presents a typical subarctic wetland system in the Hudson Bay Lowlands. An extensive field investigation was first conducted from 2006 to 2008 to facilitate in-depth understanding of the wetland hydrology; and two semi-distributed hydrological models, SLURP and WATFLOOD, were employed to simulate the hydrologic cycle in the targeted subarctic wetland. -- The 28-year historic data (1978 - 2005) revealed a steady elevation of mean temperature and accumulative precipitation in the summertime (late June - early October). The 3-year field observation (2006-2008) also provided evidence to indicate a warming climate in the watershed. Frost table, soil moisture and streamflow were monitored and analyzed to advance the acknowledgement of the climatic, geographical and hydrological characteristics of the subarctic wetlands. The frost tables at the monitored transects were declining and reciprocal at their distances to the stream channels because of the subsurface flow within organic layer moving towards the stream and accelerating the thaw of frozen soil. Following the major recharge period during the snowmelt, soil moisture contents in the shallow layers of the wetland kept declining over time throughout the summer. The water discharges were low before September due to low precipitation and strong evapotranspiration as well as expansion of storage capacity of the organic soil layers, and then gradually increased due to the intensive precipitation in the fall. All the monitored streams showed prolonged responses to precipitation due to the combined effects of shallow impermeable frost table, porous soil, and varied soil storage capacity. -- Based on the watershed delineation by River Tools and TOPAZ, SLURP and WATFLOOD were applied to further justify the conclusions from field investigation and examine their applicability on subarctic wetlands. The results also revealed the distinguishable hydrological features of sub-arctic wetlands. It was observed that the snowmelt in the spring season produced the highest peak discharges and contributed to the majority of the annual streamflow. Peaks of the simulated spring flows from both models were to some extent lower than the observed ones. This could be attributed to the effects of extensive wetland ponds and shallow permafrost tables which could restrict the infiltration of rainwater and drive the snowmelt to form spring flow peaks. It was also shown that most of the small or moderate rainfall events during the summertime were unable to generate noticeable surface runoff possibly due to canopy interception, depression storage, porous soil layers, descending permafrost table and intensive evapotranspiration. A thorough comparison between SLURP and WATFLOOD was conducted from the aspects of modelling structure, formulation, parameters, and results, which indicated that SLURP presented a slightly better overall performance than WATFLOOD in most of the years at both watershed- and sub-basin level simulation.


identifier: Martin, Blayre <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Martin=3ABlayre=3A=3A.html>   (2007) Factors predicting participants' use of cardiac rehabilitation programs in St. John's, Newfoundland.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: The goal of this study was to identify the factors and gender differences that influence and predict the use of the cardiac rehabilitation program in St. John's, Newfoundland. The study attempted to cross-validate research conducted by Johnson, Weinert and Richardson, 1998. The Andersen-Newman framework (Andersen & Newman, 1973) consisting of three determinants of health care utilization (predisposing, enabling and need factors) was used to direct this research. The sample (N = 28; 13 females and 15 males) completed a variety of instruments that assessed various factors predicting the use of health services. The instruments were completed at two points, the first being at the outpatient clinic and the second after two months of participation in the cardiac rehabilitation program. Findings indicated that 17 (61%) of the participants attended at least one rehabilitation session. The predisposing variable, internal locus of control, was significant in regards to predicting number of sessions attended at rehabilitation (p = .053, SE B = .556). Gender differences were found to be significant for the predisposing factor of social support on the social interaction and tangible subscales (p =.048, d = .781 and p =.022, d =.906, respectively). The need factor of emotional health (vigour subscale) approached significance in regards to gender differences (p = .70, d = .709). Findings identified that barriers to participation and gender differences do exist in this small sample of cardiac rehabilitation patients which influenced participation and adherence to the local cardiac rehabilitation program.  Future research should focus on conducting a study with a larger sample size.


identifier: Lambert, Amanda <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lambert=3AAmanda=3A=3A.html>   (2007) Generalized linear mixed model analysis using quasi-likelihood.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: When investigating the relationship between two or more variables, regression is a commonly used method of analysis. Linear regression, in particular, is used when the expected value of the response is a linear function of the explanatory variables. If it is not a linear function, generalized linear regression is used. Furthermore, when the data is not independent, mixed models are used. There are various ways to analyze linear mixed models and generalized linear mixed models. In this thesis, we focus on the moment method of analysis, simulated approaches and the quasi-likelihood method of analysis. Analysis is conducted on simulated data for a linear mixed model, simulated data for a generalized linear mixed model and on a real data, set. The real data set is a clustered data set of the number of times a person visits a physician in a given year.


identifier: Simmonds, Charlene S. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Simmonds=3ACharlene_S=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Fetal-placental calcium metabolism in mice partly or fully deficient in parathyroid hormone.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: It is well established that parathyroid hormone (PTH) plays an essential role in regulating calcium and bone homeostasis in the adult. The role, if any, of PTH in fetal-placental mineral homeostasis has been uncertain. Therefore, the purpose of the present doctoral research was to examine the role of PTH in fetal-placental calcium homeostasis. It was hypothesized that: PTH, despite its low circulating levels during fetal life, plays an  important role in regulating not only fetal blood calcium and skeletal development, but also placental calcium transfer. To address this, two different genetic mouse models of PTH deficiency were utilized. The Pthtm1Dgo  knockout (i.e. Pth null) mice served as a model of complete absence of PTH because they have enlarged parathyroids that are incapable of making PTH, while the Gcm2tm1Kry knockout ( i.e. Gcm2 null) mice served as a model of severe hypoparathyroidism because they lack parathyroids but have some PTH. Both nulls displayed a fetal hypoparathyroid phenotype, experiencing hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, hyperphosphatemia, low amniotic fluid mineral content, and reduced skeletal mineral content. When Pth null fetuses were treated in utero with PTH (1-84), placental calcium transfer increased, and placental gene expression was altered. It was also discovered that PTH is expressed in the placenta of wild-type and Gcm2 null fetuses. Thus, from the present study it is evident that PTH does indeed play an important role in fetal-placental mineral homeostasis. More specifically, PTH is important for fetal blood calcium, fetal skeletal development, is expressed locally in the placenta, regulates placental gene expression, and may directly regulate the transfer of calcium from mother to fetus.


identifier: Ford, Rebecca <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Ford=3ARebecca=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Gene expression analysis of Xrel3-induced tumours in Xenopus laevis.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Xenopus rel3 (Xrel3) is one of five Xenopus members of the Rel/Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-kB) family of transcriptional activators. The role of Xrel3 in early embryonic development is unclear, however, its spatially and temporally restricted pattern of expression in larval and tadpole stages suggests a potential role in embryonic patterning. Overexpression of synthetic Xrel3 messenger RNA (mRNA) in the animal pole of Xenopus embryos induces the formation of tumours on the surface of embryos. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used in this study to investigate and identify genes that are activated in response to Xrel3 overexpression. My results show that sonic hedgehog (shh) glil, otx-2 and the fibroblast growth factors, fgf-8 and efgf(ii), are upregulated in response to Xrel3 overexpression. Interestingly, these genes are axial patterning genes required for the development of dorsal and anterior body structures, whose normal expression patterns overlap that of Xrel3 in neurula and larval stage embryos. In addition, Glil, Shh and Fgfs play normal roles in promoting cell proliferation and regulating the cell cycle. This suggests that perhaps the role of Xrel3 in development is to regulate cell proliferation and hence the differentiation of certain structures of the nervous system. The effect of Xrel3 overexpression on the levels of glil, shh and otx-2 was not an immediate one, but the use of the differential display technique has led to the identification of a potentially novel gene activated by Xrel3. The identification and characterization of the specific components of the Xrel3 signalling pathway and the biochemical nature by which Xrel3 exerts its influence will provide us with an insight into the mechanism by which it functions in development and cancer.


identifier: Fudge, Susan B. (Susan Beth) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Fudge=3ASusan_B=2E_=28Susan_Beth=29=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Fecundity and reproductive behaviour of Atlantic cod (gadus morhua) using active and passive acoustics.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Fecundity-size-age relationships in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) for the late 1990s and early 2000s off Newfoundland and Labrador were compared with historical data and with similar relationships from cod stocks in Icelandic and Norwegian waters and in the, Baltic and the North Seas. For southern Newfoundland stocks that have fared relatively well in the 1990s and early 2000s, fecundity-size relationships did not differ from historical norms, although age at maturity was lower. In the highly stressed northern stock off Labrador, however, age at maturity was much lower than historical norms or in southern stocks, and fecundity much higher in small and young fish. Mortality rates were higher in the northern fish. These changes are explored in the context of changed life histories and the potential for rebuilding in stressed gadoid stocks. -- For the behavioural component of the study, passive and active acoustic properties of an Atlantic cod spawning aggregation were observed at depths of 40-50 m at the Bar Haven grounds in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland in April 2003. Sounds recorded by hydrophone were identical to those recorded from captive spawning cod of the same stock, but heard less often. From a surface-mounted transducer (EK500; 38kHz), cod were observed to undertake relatively rapid periodic vertical migrations approximately half way to the surface (20-25 m) which resulted in the formation of cod columns. This work is the first to demonstrate the simultaneous incidence of cod sounding and vertical behaviours resulting in column formations during spawning.


identifier: Zuk, Gail <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Zuk=3AGail=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Honoring the subjective: an exploration of the self-reflexive portfolio in social work education.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The social work profession has a history of duality between what is taught in the academy and what is practiced in the field. This qualitative study explores the use of the self-reflexive portfolio as a pedagological tool to bridge the schism between social work education and practice. The self-reflexive portfolio encourages students to integrate the personal into the professional by valuing lived experience and embracing different ways of knowing. With the teacher serving as a guide, students direct their own learning in a process of exploration and processing in sharing circles. This research draws on Liane Davis' (1985) heuristic of the male voice represented in the academy and the female voice represented in practice; postulating that pedagological tools from within a feminist liberatory perspective can begin to bridge the divide between social work education and practice. The research asks nine Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal social work practitioners, all former undergraduate social work students in a Northern Alberta degree program to articulate their experiences with the portfolio courses and how they believe it informs their practice. Employing qualitative interviews and a sharing circle, data is analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. In presenting the data, a medicine wheel is used to represent the individual voices of the study participants. The resultant thematic model and visual of a pinwheel metaphor emerges to explore the themes shared in common by study participants. The need for congruence between pedagogy and classroom practices is emphasized, as is the need to bring the student voice forward into the practice-education discourse in social work. Implications for social work education and ideas for future research are presented.


identifier: Coombs, Keith <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Coombs=3AKeith=3A=3A.html>   (2001) Grade span and its effects.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

title: Grade span and its effects

abstract: In the spring of 1998 the Avalon East School Board was reorganizing due to declining student enrolment and a surplus of student spaces. A task force was initiated to investigate and provide to the board a plan for this realignment. -- A report on the desired grade configuration of the remaining schools was requested. A grade configuration committee was struck to investigate this topic and report to the programs committee its findings with appropriate recommendations. The researcher, as a participant/observer of this committee, provided an extensive literature review of the topic, designed a survey for distribution to representative stakeholders and provided an analysis of the results. -- Neither the research nor the results of the survey substantiated one ideal grade configuration. Factors which impacted the recommendations of the committee included available finances, an imminent Atlantic provinces curriculum model, building conditions, administrative requirements, and personal preference. -- A grade configuration of K-6, 7-9 and 10-12 was chosen as the most practical for the board given the existing situation. A policy outlining steps that the board could follow in reconfiguring schools in the future was developed by the researcher.


identifier: Dowden, Jeffrey John <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Dowden=3AJeffrey_John=3A=3A.html>   (2007) Generalized linear mixed effects models with application to fishery data.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The generalized linear model (GLIM) represents a versatile class of models suitable for several types of dependent variables. GLIMs are popular models and are often an appropriate choice for modelling fisheries data. However, fishery data and corresponding models tend to be complex, because of the complexity of the populations the data are sampled from. In this practicum we use generalized linear mixed effects models (GLMMs), which are GLIMs in which some parameters are random effects to model two different fisheries data sets. The first involves a time series of biological samples used to determine fish maturity, and the second involves paired-trawl catch data to determine if there is a difference in catch rates between two fishing vessels. In this research we find that GLMMs improve estimates of maturities in a selected fish stock and can be used to model differences in catch rates between fishing vessels effectively. This research also suggests that prediction and forecast accuracies are improved by using GLMMs. We also provide some simulation results and found that, overall, GLMMs appear to perform better than GLIMs in terms of bias, coverage errors, and power tests.


identifier: Knott, Christine. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Knott=3AChristine=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Health, occupation and community : social-ecological restructuring and Prince Rupert fish processing workers.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis is an exploratory study based on 16 in-depth interviews with fish processing workers and key informants, as well as statistical information from Statistics Canada and Work Safe BC, that examines how restructuring of the British Columbia fishery has affected fish processing workers in Prince Rupert. Using a feminist social-ecological framework, it traces the history of the fishery including the fish processing industry from its conception until 2008. The historical overview since 1980 focuses on the political, industrial, environmental, and social restructuring of the industry and the ramifications of this interactive restructuring for the occupational, personal, and community health of fish processing workers in Prince Rupert. Special attention is paid to the ways that gender, race, class, and ethnicity interact and overlap, resulting in harsh ramifications for most workers but particularly those who are female, aboriginal, and fighting to stay above the poverty line.


identifier: Handayanu, 1963 <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Handayanu=3A1963=3A=3A.html>   (2001) Failure mechanisms of suction caisson foundations in clay under vertical and inclined pullout loads.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: A suction caisson typically consists of a hollow cylinder or a cluster of cylinders made of steel or concrete with a closed top. This novel foundation consists of massive cells, typically 10 to 30 meters in diameter and up to 40 to 50 meters deep. The caissons will form a tight seal with the soft submarine sediments, and provide the necessary uplift resistance, when pressure reduction is created below the closed top. In this study, finite element method was used to investigate the development of suction force, based on D'Arcy's law, by implementing some user subroutines provided in ABAQUS. Contact between suction caisson and soil surface was simulated using a contact surface model. Soil material was modelled as a porous medium and its plastic behaviour was characterized using a modified camclay model. -- The study to validate the results of the above numerical analysis used four laboratory tests carried out in different locations, for different purposes and with different set-ups. The test data used are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suction caisson tests [Cauble, 1997], University of Texas at Austin suction caisson tests [El-Gharbawy, 1998], Indian Institute of Technology (ITT) Madras (India) friction single pile tests [Prasad, 1992], and suction caisson tests [Rao et al., 1997]. All these tests gave a total of twenty-nine experimental results to validate results from finite element analyses. In addition, scale model analyses for 1g, ng, and prototype models were also carried out. Failure patterns observed in soil were modelled by relevant soil failure models available in literature. Moreover, comparison of 3D and axisymmetric-asymmetric analyses for inclined pullout loads with different inclination angle and anchor point attachments, were also carried out. -- Suction pressure generation in suction caisson model finite element analyses consistently gave close matches with results obtained from laboratory vertical pullout tests carried out at MIT, University of Texas at Austin, and IIT Madras. Suction pressure development, carried out in this study, simulated the suction force or pressure (built up below the caisson top) properly, and the difference between good numerical and experimental results ranging between 0.3% to 7% (based on suction force) for the MIT tests, 10% to 20% (based on suction pressure) for the Texas tests, and 22.7% to 26% for the IIT Madras tests by Rao et al. However, less accurate results ranged from 27% to 70%. -- The finite element models gave a stiffer displacement response and as such did not match very well with some (especially University of Texas) of the experimental measurements. -- Based on the combined contours of shear stress to shear strength ratios (based on direct shear tests and triaxial extension tests) under vertical and inclined pullout loads, failure surfaces similar to the failure surfaces obtained for the Snorre suction caisson model pullout tests (carried out by the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute [Andersen et al., 1993]) were obtained in this study.


identifier: Liu, Guangxu <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Liu=3AGuangxu=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Gamete compatibility, gamete trait variation and their effect on fertilization success in northwest Atlantic blue mussel (Mytilus edulis l. and Mytilus trossulus gould) hybrid zone.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Mytilus edulis and M. trossulus coexist and form a natural hybrid zone along the Atlantic Canada coast, which provides an excellent model to study marine invertebrate evolution, speciation and especially reproductive isolation barriers that maintain species integrity. Gamete traits and their role in determining fertilization success among M. edulis, M. trossulus and their hybrids were investigated in the present study. Sperm of all three genotypes (the term genotypes was used throughout the thesis to include M. edulis, M. trossulus and their hybrids) conducted circular movement in a two dimensional plane, which may represent a trait that increases fertilization success under sperm limitation on a small spatial scale. Neither egg water nor egg presence elicited sperm chemotaxis in our experimental set-up, which suggests that sperm chemotaxis may not be necessary for successful fertilization of marine invertebrate species with dense aggregations, synchronized broadcast spawning and high gamete output. Although no significant difference in gamete output was detected among the different genotypes, sperm velocity differed among M. edulis, M. trossulus and their hybrids, F₁ hybrids producing the slowest swimming sperm. Sperm of M. edulis had faster VAP (average path velocity) and angle change rate than those of M. trossulus . Most of the variation in sperm velocity was attributed to variation within individuals, which may be caused by differences in stage of maturity among individual sperm. Both sperm velocity and sperm half life (T₅₀) decreased as temperature increased. F₁ hybrids had the shortest sperm longevity and M. trossulus was least temperature sensitive, which may be an adaptation to a longer spawning period, resulting in exposure to higher temperature fluctuations. M. edulis produced larger eggs than M. trossulus and F₁ hybrids, providing a larger target for sperm-egg interaction. Both homospecific and heterospecific fertilization success differed among parental combinations and may be due to the combined effects of gamete compatibility and gamete trait variation on fertilization success. Sperm velocity, egg size and especially the combination of these two gamete traits were positively correlated with fertilization success, supporting the hypothesis that fertilization success is partially determined by these gamete traits. The three parameters (β,β₀ and β/β₀) of the fertilization kinetics model differed significantly among the different crosses. The small β/β₀ detected for the heterospecific crosses between M. edulis and M. trossulus suggests strong reproductive isolation between these species and can explain the rarity of F₁ hybrids. In general, the poor gamete quality (small egg size, slow swimming speed and short life span of sperm) of F₁ hybrids can lead to reduced fertilization success and may help to explain the genetic composition, especially the bimodal structure, of the blue mussel hybrid zone in Atlantic Canada. The present study shows that gamete trait variation (sperm velocity, sperm longevity and egg size) and gamete compatibility are crucial factors affecting both homospecific and heterospecific fertilization success, and provides a better understanding of prezygotic reproductive isolation between and among broadcast spawning species.


identifier: Gholson, Martha Rachel <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Gholson=3AMartha_Rachel=3A=3A.html>   (2001) Folklore of Southern literature as folkloristic process : portrayals of the Cane River region in the short stories of Louisiana's Ada Jack Carver.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This dissertation examines the short stories of north western Louisiana writer Ada Jack Carver (1880-1972), focussing on her portrayal of Louisiana's regional ethnicities. While situating Carver's writing within historical and cultural contexts, the discussion also describes the Melrose plantation literary group, examining this group in terms of theories concerning the uses of folklore in literature and theories that define folkgroups in occupational environments. The consideration of diverse classifications leads to a discussion of the links between theory concerning regional literature, folklore as process, and folklore in literature through the example of Carver's writing and association with the Melrose plantation literary group. How elements of the folklore corpus interact with literary manifestations of elite culture creating and propagating regional stereotypes, which become part and parcel of both regional concepts of ethnicity and the tourism trade in the 1990s, is the central focus of this dissertation.


identifier: Wareham, Stacey <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Wareham=3AStacey=3A=3A.html>   (2007) Exploring safety behaviours in the Newfoundland fibreglass boat-building industry: a community based study.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The process of fibreglass boat-building (FBB) and repair requires the use of the chemical styrene, a known neurotoxin which contributes to a number of physiological and psychological problems. There have been concerns over the lack of self-protective behaviours among FBB plant workers. The objective of this study was to assess factors affecting safety behaviours in the FBB industry in NL from a social psychological perspective, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as a foundation. A mixed methods approach was taken involving qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Study 1 involved interviews with community members, managers, employees, and key informants. Qualitative analysis revealed several themes at the community, organizational, and individual levels that appear to affect safety behaviours in this industry. Study 2 involved the development of four surveys that were distributed to each group of interest (employees, managers, Occupational Health and Safety inspectors, and health care providers). Due to small samples sizes in three of the interest groups, subsequent analyses were conducted using only the employee survey data (N = 43, 80% response rate). Data from the employee surveys were used to (1) modify the survey instrument, (2) determine the factors that affect employee safety compliance, and (3) determine which of several potential factors (e.g., knowledge, safety climate, community attachment, perceived image risk, etc.) affect the proposed determinants of employee safety behaviour (e.g., attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, perceptions of risk, and affective reactions to risk). Results suggest that exploring employee safety behaviour requires an investigation of cognitive, social, and cultural factors. Employee safety behaviours appear to be associated with social influence beyond the workplace; that is, perceived behavioural expectations of significant others (i.e., family members and physicians) was associated with safety compliance. Results of this study also suggest that several distal determinants of behaviour (e.g., employee knowledge of the health effects of styrene, safety climate, and community attachment) are associated with the proximal determinants of behaviour. These findings underscore the importance of understanding behaviour by incorporating broader social factors into the TPB. The implications of these findings are discussed from both applied and theoretical perspectives.


identifier: Melanson, Rhea Lise <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Melanson=3ARhea_Lise=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Examination of the geminal acylation reaction and its application towards the synthesis of a steroid backbone.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The geminal acylation reaction has been extensively studied in the Burnell research group. Acetals and ketones react with 1,2-bis((trimethylsilyl)oxy)cyclobutene (2) in the presence of a Lewis acid to give 2-substituted-1,3-diketones. Based on the knowledge that, on unsymmetrical diketones, the reaction occurs preferentially on the less sterically hindered center, competition studies were undertaken to investigate the outcome of the geminal acylation reaction on substrate mixtures. Not surprisingly, the less sterically hindered ketones of the mixtures were seen to yield the corresponding products in greater yields. Mixtures with higher concentrations of the hindered ketones still preferentially resulted in the formation of the products of the less hindered ketones. Substrate mixtures were selected to examine various other effects. It was found that β-substituents had a slight effect on the reaction, but not as great as an α-substituent. Cyclic ketones reacted faster than acyclic ones, with cyclohexanones reacting faster than cyclopentanones. Various nucleophiles were also examined, and it was found that 2 reacted faster than any other. -- Selection of an appropriate diketone to react in a geminal acylation reaction could, in theory, give a compound which would cyclize to a steroid in a synthetically efficient manner. The D-ring and the A-ring of the steroid could be formed by sequential geminal acylations using 1,2-bis((trimethylsilyl)oxy)cyclobutene (2) and 1,2-bis((trimethylsilyl)oxy)cyclopentene (55), respectively.  The preparation of this diketone proceeded well and the first geminal acylation was performed in 95% yield. However, due to a shortage of time, the synthesis was not completed. -- Most of the work done in the past on the geminal acylation reaction has been with 1,2-bis((trimethylsilyl)oxy)cyclobutene (2). In the course of this work, novel compounds were prepared, mostly by the reaction of an acetal with 1,2-bis((trimethylsiiyl)oxy)cyclopentene(55).


identifier: Botting, Ingrid Marie <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Botting=3AIngrid_Marie=3A=3A.html>   (2000) "Getting a Grand Falls Job" : migration, labour markets, and paid domestic work in the pulp and paper mill town of Grand Falls, Newfoundland, 1905-1939.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: While it has been generally understood that domestic service was an institution of particular importance to working-class women and to middle-class householders in North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, we still know little about the interwar years, a period during which the occupation declined in overall importance, but still defined many women's working lives. In the 1920s and 1930s, a vast majority of women who grew up in Newfoundland's coastal communities, where household production and the family fishery remained the mainstay of the economy, spent part of their lives performing domestic tasks for pay. -- To begin to understand the historical and cultural significance of domestic service to women's lives in Newfoundland, this dissertation uses a case-study approach. It focuses on the pulp and paper mill town of Grand Falls, where there was a steady demand for domestics by mill workers and their families, the town's elite, and hotels and boarding houses during the 1920s and 1930s. One of a number of single-resource towns supported by Newfoundland's economic diversification policies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Grand Falls was built in the interior of the island by the Harmsworth brothers of Britain in 1905. By tracing domestics' lives and experiences from countryside to company town, into the household--as workplace--and then into their married lives, the study explores themes relating to the gendered nature of uneven development. For instance, many Grand Falls employers shared much in common with the women they hired, in terms of religion, ethnicity and social origin, which raises interesting questions about the gender and class dimensions of an employer/employee relationship that has traditionally been characterized as one of domination and subordination. It also considers that relations of gender and class within the company town were formed in conjunction with factors such as migration patterns, pre-existing concepts of the gender division of labour within household production, company paternalism, and social stratification within the workplace, the household and the town. The ways in which these factors overlapped and shaped the lives of domestics forms the backdrop of this study.


identifier: Islam, Sheikh Mominul <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Islam=3ASheikh_Mominul=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Grid impact of wind energy on isolated and remote power system.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: In this thesis, the impact of wind energy on isolated wind-diesel hybrid grid system and on remote grid connected wind farm were studied. In the case of the wind-diesel system a detailed mathematical model of Cartwright grid system is presented. The impact of a grid connected wind farm near St. Anthony, Newfoundland was also studied. Initially a pre-feasibility study was conducted to size the wind farm depending on wind data and local load data. In both cases voltage fluctuation and frequency variation in the grid power system due to the addition of wind energy were studied. Optimization software tool HOMER was used for pre-feasibility study for wind farm in St. Anthony. Detailed dynamic models of all system components and system parameters are provided in the thesis. MATLAB-S1MULINK was used for both cases for the dynamic modeling and system analysis. Finally, results are presented in both cases and future studies are proposed.


identifier: Cai, Haijie <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Cai=3AHaijie=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Flood forecasting on the Humber River using an artificial neutral network approach.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: In order to provide flood warnings to the residents living along the various sections of the Humber River Basin, the Water Resources Management Division (WRMD) of Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has generated flow forecasts for this basin over the years by means of several rainfall-runoff models. The first model used is the well-known Streamflow Synthesis and Reservoir Regulation Model (SSARR) which is a deterministic model that accounts for some or all of the hydrologic factors responsible for runoff in the basin. However, the accuracy of the model became worse over the years. Although it was calibrated well in the beginning, recalibration of the model has not been very successful. In addition, the model cannot take into account the snowmelt effect from the Upper Humber basin. The next model is the Dynamic Regression model, a statistically based model that uses the time series of historic flows and climate data of the basin to generate a forecast. This model was tried during the late 1990s to early 2000s. This model was found to provide better forecasts than the SSARR model, but it also does not take into account the snowmelt effect from the upper regions of the Humber River. The third model tried by the WRMD was an in-house Routing model. This method uses a series of water balance equations which can be easily implemented on a spread sheet at each gauging station. However, calibration is done subjectively and the forecast obtained for the snowy region of the Upper Humber is still a problem. In view of the foregoing issues with the above models, a better model that is easy to use and calibrate, provides accurate forecasts, and one that can take into account the snowmelt effects is required. Since 2008, the WRMD has been using the statistically based Dynamic Regression Model on an interim basis until a replacement model could be developed. -- This thesis presents the development of artificial neural network (ANN) models for river flow forecasting for the Humber River Basin. Two types of ANN were considered, general regression neural network (GRNN) and the back propagation neural network (BPNN). GRNN is a nonparametric method with no training parameters to be adjusted during the training process. BPNN on the other hand has several parameters such as the learning rate, momentum, and calibration interval, which can be adjusted during the training to improve the model. A design of experiment (DOE) approach is used to study the effects of the various inputs and network parameters at various stages of the network development to obtain an optimal model. One day ahead forecasts were obtained from the two ANNs using air temperature, precipitation, cumulative degree-days, and flow data all suitably lagged (i.e. of 1 day or 2 day before) as inputs. It was found that the GRNN model produced slightly better forecasts than the BPNN for the Upper Humber and both models performed equally well for the Lower Humber. The ANN approach also produced much better forecasts than the routing model developed by the WRMD but was not much better than the dynamic regression model except for the Upper Humber.


identifier: Fletcher, Samantha Breanne <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Fletcher=3ASamantha_Breanne=3A=3A.html>   (2007) "Good works" with benefits: using applied ethnomusicology and participatory action research in benefit concert production at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Within the rather limited applied ethnomusicology literature, what are lacking are methodological summations (how does one practice applied ethnomusicology and what are the implications of doing so?), as well as documented applied research wherein researchers have been or continues to be members of the community in which they are working. By documenting and critiquing the production of a benefit concert in partnership with the Unitarian Church of Vancouver, it has been my intention to contribute to this limited area of study by providing a process-oriented thesis investigating an applied project in a community of which I am a part In so doing, the ways ethnomusicologists may practically contribute their skills to community-based education and social justice actions, and the ways such initiatives might be effectively represented through scholarly writings, will be explored. -- Further, this thesis endeavors to respond to a set of questions that are raised when ethnomusicologists, musicians and community organizations are engaged in relationships of assistance with marginalized and disenfranchised members of the community: When do we help? How do we help? Why do we help? What kind of dialogues are we engaging in with those we are assisting? When is help desired, and when is it not? How can we re-think our processes, motivations, and communication techniques so that benefit events may become as respectful and reciprocal as possible? And finally, how can all participants both help and be helped? Though these questions have not been definitively answered, and though I have stated that responses will be project- and community-specific, the consideration of the issues they raise is of utmost importance in cultivating reciprocal and respectful benefit concert production techniques. -- Finally, the results of applying ethnomusicology in church communities, the methods that were utilized, and the participatory nature of this work approach will be thoroughly examined and critiqued, resulting in recommendations for the development of this form of applied ethnomusicological research.


identifier: Gould, Jillian <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Gould=3AJillian=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Heimish and home-ish: aging, Jewishness and the creation of home at a Toronto assisted-living residence, the Terraces of Baycrest.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis is an ethnographic study of how the elderly residents of the Terraces of Baycrest (the Terraces) - a Jewish assisted-living facility in Toronto - create and recreate tangible and intangible notions of home. While the Terraces is an ethno-specific setting, the diverse resident population incorporates many languages, experiences, beliefs and values. Nevertheless, through their shared cultural identities as Jews, old people, and as residents who live in the same institutional home, they form a unique collective group. This thesis examines the intricate relationships Terraces residents have not only with each other, but also with their current living space. In this instance, I am referring to both the larger home that is the institution, as well as to each individual home where residents actually live. In fact, residents live in both the institution as well as their private apartments. As such, they must constantly negotiate between the dichotomies of their spatial worlds. This thesis demonstrates that while we use ideal notions to talk about our spatial worlds: home and institution, religious and secular, public and private - the real story takes place in between these ideals. Home is not the physical structure, but the way we imbue spaces with value and meaning. Terraces residents achieve this in various ways: with the material objects they use to personalize their private spaces; by sharing and participating in Jewish creative rituals in public and private spaces; by sociability and hospitality; and by shared ethnic and cultural identities. Finally, this thesis suggests that although home is constructed through objects and the creation of meaningful space, home also is a feeling. As such, residents construct home so that they can feel at home - in turn, this allows them to live in comfort and to age well.


identifier: Etchegary, Victoria <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Etchegary=3AVictoria=3A=3A.html>   (2002) Exploring the connections between economic development and post-secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador : a case study.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Research suggests there is a natural connection between economic development and post-secondary education. Post-secondary educational institutions are viewed as sources of highly skilled graduates ready to work in a global economy, places of research and development for the benefit of society, and as meaningful contributors to the community. This thesis explores the nature of the relationship between public post-secondary education and economic development in Newfoundland and Labrador using a case study method. The primary research question is: What role does economic development play in the implementation of the mandates of Memorial University of Newfoundland and College of the North Atlantic? -- By using a case study method, the two public post-secondary institutions in the province - College of the North Atlantic and Memorial University of Newfoundland - and the sole federal agency responsible for economic development in the Atlantic region, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), were used as the subjects. Interviews were conducted with 12 senior administrators within the institutions and affiliated arms-length organizations and institutes involved in economic development and/or research and development as well as a representative from the provincial Corporate Services Branch for the Departments of Education and Youth Services and Post-Secondary Education. Government of Canada documents, such as policy and discussion papers, and literature pertaining to the topic were also analyzed as part of the research. -- While the secondary research was used to create a composite overview of the current issues related to economic development and post-secondary education in Canada, the interviews allowed the researcher to probe the nature of the relationship between the two and the issues pertaining to that relationship as it related to the institutions being studied, and to explore possibilities to enhance the relationships. -- This case study found that there are real and meaningful connections between economic development and post-secondary education and that the relationships between Memorial University of Newfoundland and College of the North Atlantic with ACOA is a necessary and positive one; However, many of the interviewees noted areas where the relationships could be improved, the result being a more systematic approach to economic development within the two post-secondary institutions.


identifier: Lambert, Carolyn <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lambert=3ACarolyn=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Far from the homes of their fathers : Irish Catholics in St. John's, Newfoundland, 1840-86.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Despite being the first substantial Irish Catholic settlement in British North America, little work has been done on the Irish Catholic community in St. John's, Newfoundland in the second half of the nineteenth century. Much of what has been written by historians has focused on the migrant generation, their settlement patterns and adaptation. There is little understanding of the development of the multigenerational Irish ethnic group after 1840. This study addresses this lacuna, examining the Irish Catholic ethnic group in St. John's between 1840 and 1886. There are many reasons to undertake such a case study. St. John's was not only the political, economic and social center of the colony, it was also the most populous area with the largest number of Irish Catholics. It provides an opportunity to study the evolution of an Irish Catholic group that was unique in North America in that it formed the majority of the city's population during that period. Demographically, St. John's was also distinctive because Catholics were counterbalanced by a Protestant population that was of English rather than Irish descent. This makes the context of study different from other urban areas of British North America, where Catholics formed a minority and Irish Protestants formed a large portion of the population. Lack of large-scale Irish migration to Newfoundland after the 1830s allows for an examination of the development of a Catholic group that was established in the pre-Famine period and that was majority Newfoundland-born by 1857. -- As the first detailed account of Irish Catholics in St. John's between 1840 and 1886, this study chronicles their political, religious and social evolution through an examination of the Catholic Church, education, associations, politics and support for Irish nationalism. As a community study viewed through the lens of ethnicity, it traces the evolution of the identity of the multi-generational community. The findings are placed within the context of the wider North American diaspora to illuminate how the Irish Catholic experience in St. John's compares to other regions. -- Catholics in St. John's did well compared to other urban areas in North America. By 1886, they were an integral part of the fabric of St. John's at all levels. The Catholic community of the late 1880s was confident, politically involved, and socially active due to the leadership of the Catholic Church and an expanded middle-class elite. Greater resources allowed the Church to assume control over education and associational life, which reinforced religious devotion and allowed it to impose its moral code upon the community. Catholics continued to have a say in the running of the colony as they dominated electoral politics and maintained a strong political voice. Politics became less divisive and less ethnically and religiously-based. By the 1880s, the growth of Newfoundland nationalism superseded that of Irish nationalism. For native-born Catholics and their political leaders, far removed from the everyday struggles of Ireland, local political issues and concerns became paramount. -- Between 1840 and 1886, the Catholic community in St. John's evolved from a largely immigrant one defined by an Irish ethnic identity and world view, to one where Catholicism and not ethnicity became the basis of community solidarity. Members identified primarily as Newfoundland-born Catholics, and it was their religion that provided them with an essential link to their Irish past. Although a romantic attachment to Ireland remained, they were far from the homes of their fathers.


identifier: White, Amanda Lynn <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/White=3AAmanda_Lynn=3A=3A.html>   (2000) From sacrificio to egoísmo : generation '75 in urban Galicia and the Spanish fertility rate.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: At 1.07. the Spanish fertility rate is currently one of the lowest in the world and is depicted by politicians as constituting a public 'crisis'. The fieldwork that I conducted in Lugo (Galicia) focused on local level interpretations of the fertility decline. Drawing on Michael Herzfeld's concept of "cultural intimacy" (1997). I explore in the first part of the thesis, the interconnection between the state's emphasis on the 'bettering' of the nation through an increase in population numbers, and citizens' focus on the 'bettering' of children through attentive and child-centered raising practices. In the second part of the thesis, I examine the interrelation between socioeconomic changes and shifts in gender ideologies as these relate to what people frequently told me is a main reason for the decline: that young women are behaving in a 'masculine' way by displaying egoismo (selfishness or self-centeredness). I look at how young people talk about the links between notions of gender difference and the 'low' fertility rate. I follow a post-structuralist approach in my analysis of the cultural construction of 'being selfish' which moves beyond previous research on gender in southern Europe. Moreover, I focus particularly on how young women experience the public criticisms of their femininity and I ask how this relates to their sense of identity and notions of motherhood. In addition to previous anthropological work on demographic patterns and the body-politic, the analysis-through the employment of Herzfeld's "social poetics" (1985 and 1997)--of the interplay between the ambiguous relationship of everyday practices, performances, and discourses adds context to Spain's "fertility puzzle" and people's interpretations of it.


identifier: McGowan, Colin <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/McGowan=3AColin=3A=3A.html>   (1996) Genetic mapping in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta).  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Segregation analysis of polymorphic genetic markers was performed using the hybrid progeny of a brown trout (Salmo trutta) x Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) cross. Three types of genetic markers, 1) RAPDs (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA), 2) microsatellites and 3) ESTs (expressed sequence tags) were examined. -- 1) Of the 271 random primers tested, 151 (56%) generated distinct, reproducible band patterns. A total 893 loci were scored, of which 126 could be attributed to the Atlantic salmon component of the genome and 173 to that of the brown trout. The majority (594) of loci were held in common by both parents. Three and 13 heterozygous loci were identified in the Atlantic salmon and brown trout parents, respectively. All of the markers segregated in a normal (1:1) manner. No linkage was observed in Atlantic salmon. Thirteen significant (P<0.05) pair-wise associations were identified in brown trout, five of which were highly significant (P<0.001). -- The RAPD procedure was also used for bulked segregant analysis of Atlantic salmon male and female DNA, to search for a sex-specific marker. A total of 1152 loci were screened using 200 different primers; however none were tightly linked to a male sex determining factor. -- 2) Two hybrid families were screened for polymorphisms at 14 microsatellite loci which have been described in previous studies. Seven and eight heterozygous markers were identified in the Atlantic salmon and brown trout parents, respectively. Segregation ratios of variant alleles in the hybrid offspring, were normal (1:1) in all but one case. In brown trout, seven significant (P<0.05) linkages were detected among microsatellite and RAPD loci, three of which were highly significant (P<0.001). In Atlantic salmon, five significant (P<0.05) linkages were identified, three of which were highly significant (P<0.001). Of three tightly linked microsatellite pairs identified in Atlantic salmon, only two are conserved in brown trout. -- 3) The partial sequences of 41 ESTs, isolated from two cDNA libraries, were submitted, by e-mail, for comparison with entries in the EMBL and GenBank data bases. Twenty of the sequences were similar to genes of known protein function, 12 of which were used as probes to search for RFLPs in the genomic DNA of Atlantic salmon and brown trout parents. Five different probes detected RFLPs, but multiple banding patterns were difficult to interpret. Variant alleles at a locus detected with the fibrinogen EST segregated normally (1:1) in hybrid offspring. Linkage was not observed between the fibrinogen marker and any of the microsatellite or RAPD loci. -- Three and six, highly significant (P<0.001), new linkage groups are reported for Atlantic salmon and brown trout, respectively. Linkage analysis using the hybrid offspring of these two species has been a success, however, faster gains may result from more extensive outbreeding prior to hybridization.


identifier: Yan, Junjie <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Yan=3AJunjie=3A=3A.html>   (2007) Hardware implementation of the Salsa20 and phelix stream ciphers.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis investigates the hardware implementation and statistical analysis of new stream ciphers, Phelix and Salsa20. Both are candidates for the eSTREAM project, a project highlighting the state of stream cipher design and analysis. -- From a physical technology perspective, hardware implementation methodology consists of Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) design and Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) design. When high performance is required, an ASIC is typically chosen as the implementation platform. However, FPGA platforms have become increasingly popular due to their flexibility and a diminishing performance tradeoff as compared with ASIC technology. Following this trend we have developed two versions of Salsa20, one for deployment on an ASIC, the other for an FPGA. The cipher Phelix is studied for application to ASIC environment. -- Implementing a cipher requires detailed knowledge of the cryptographic algorithm itself, particularly the underlying arithmetic. In the case of Phelix and Salsa20, both of which are composed of several simple operations: 32-bit addition, bitwise addition (exclusive or) and rotation, the most important operation is the 32-bit addition, for which we have investigated multiple structures for the adders and compared them in both speed and area. Different adder architectures are chosen for different designs, and the basic criteria is the concern of speed or area the overall implementation consumes. -- Two structures for Phelix have been implemented, one is a high speed design and the other one is aimed at compactness. The simulation results shows that it consumes about 12,000 two-input NAND gates in the compact design and achieves more than one Gbps throughput in the high speed design. The speed of the compact design is 260 Mbps and the area of the high speed design is 64,200 two-input NAND gates. Up to four different structures are investigated for Salsa20 as extra considerations are given to the utilization of FPGA. The proposed VLSI implementations achieve a data throughput up to 4.8 Gbps, and a compact FPGA design uses 194 slices and 4 memory blocks in a Xilinx device. The proposed designs in the thesis serve mainly as a quick evaluation of their hardware performance; hence, further architectural optimizations are certainly possible. --Security analysis is an important concern in cipher designs. Thus, we have applied certain statistical tests, which are publicly available in the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) test suite to test various sequences produced by using the Phelix and Salsa20 algorithms. Since the test suite has not considered the relationship between key, IV, internal state and the keystream, we also applied six novel tests to examine the ciphers. Two strategies are employed to interpret the test results: the examination of the proportion of sequences that pass a statistical test and the distribution of P-values to check for uniformity. NIST gives the definition of P-value: the probability that a perfect random number generator would have produced a sequence less random than the sequence that was tested. The experimental results show that both Salsa20 and Phelix have passed the tests in NIST, considering that P-value less than 0.01 indicate a possible weakness. An easily understood deviation is observed in the correlation test for the last internal state (the state after 9 double rounds) and the keystream in Salsa20. However, how this could be exploited in an attack is an open question.


identifier: Kean, Ashli <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Kean=3AAshli=3A=3A.html>   (2008) La mort, l'amour, le mort: les parcours d'Antigone de Sophocle.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Antigone de Sophocle est une pièce caractérisée par le destin et la destination des Labdacides, famille tourmentée par une malédiction divine qui cause sa ruine dans le monde humain. À travers l'étude des théories philologiques, dialectiques, anthropologiques, polémiques, éthiques et ontologiques, nous entrevoyons diverses représentations d'Antigone comme sujet en quête du désir ultime : la mort, l'amour, le mort... Les divers parcours d'Antigone, fille née de la liaison incestueuse entre Jocaste et Œdipe, sont marqués par certaines oppositions fondamentales du monde grec. À cause de la confrontation qui existe entre Antigone et Créon, la fille se trouve au milieu de la lutte entre l'homme/État et le divin, entre la famille et la polis, entre la vie et la mort. Malgré tout, Antigone doit agir et, en donnant une sépulture au cadavre de Polynice, elle accepte son propre destin ténébreux puisque la fin de son existence malheureuse sur la Terre signifie le commencement de sa non-vie avec Œdipe et les dieux dans l'éternité céleste. Alors que, pour Créon, l'État (humain) est le propriétaire du corps mort, pour Antigone, c'est le Ciel (divin)...


identifier: Kaderali, Ayiaz <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Kaderali=3AAyiaz=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Investigating anisotropy and inhomogeneity using tomographic inversion of VSP traveltimes: validation of analytic expressions for linearly inhomogeneous elliptically anisotropic models.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Tomographic inversions of zero-offset and walkaway VSP data were performed using an analytical traveltime expression for a linearly inhomogeneous elliptically anisotropic model. Both isotropic and anisotropic conditions were investigated by forward and inverse modelling. It was realized that to accommodate long offsets, i.e., beyond the turning-ray offset, the analytic equation for traveltime needed to be reformulated so that only single-valued functions were obtained with offset. -- A practical aspect of determining the elliptical anisotropy parameter, X, is in applying it in the expression for the curve that distinguishes between the downgoing and upgoing arrivals or 'turning points'. This has importance in the planning and designing of surveys, in that appropriate depths for receiver and source placements can be predetermined, with a reasonable estimation of inhomogeneity and anisotropy, to avoid acquiring data that would not be useful. -- Extensively applying the algorithm to a large volume of real and synthetic data is an indication of the robustness of the methodology.


identifier: Tagore, Mariathas Judes <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Tagore=3AMariathas_Judes=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Landau theory of the structural phase transition in antiferromagnetic CuFe02.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: A Landau-type free energy model is developed to explain experimental ultrasonic velocity measurements on the magnetoelectric compound CuFeO₂ (provided by Dr. G. Quirion at Memorial University) characterizing its low-temperature structural and magnetic phase transitions. -- In the first part of this thesis, we investigate the elastic properties of this compound in the neighbourhood of the magnetic and structural phase transitions at 11 K and 14 K. The goal is to understand the measured temperature dependence of the elastic constants of CuFeO₂. In the high-temperature rhombohedral R3m phase, we observe that the elastic constant C₆₆ shows a strong softening. This softening behavior is also non-linear. Our Landau model reproduces key features of the data and we therefore can conclude from our studies that the structural transition at 14 K is pseudoproper ferroe- lastic. The crystal structural symmetry changes from the high-temperature rhombohedral R3m to lower-temperature monoclinic C2/m at this structural transition. This work has recently been published ([1] G. Quirion, M.J. Tagore, M.L. Plumer and O.A. Petrenko, Phys. Rev. B 77, 094111 (2008)). -- In the last part of this thesis, we examine the impact of the magnetoelastic coupling. First, we develop a Landau model free energy which depends only on magnetic degrees of freedom (the spin density). Analysis shows that there are two magnetic phase transitions at Tn₁ and Tn₂, coincident with anomalies in the ultrasound data. Second, we analyze a Landau model free energy which contains spin, elastic, and magnetoelastic coupling energy. We again obtain the temperature dependence of three of the six independent elastic constants of CuFeO₂  and demonstrate strong effects due to spin-lattice coupling.


identifier: Copeman, Louise Audrey <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Copeman=3ALouise_Audrey=3A=3A.html>   (2001) Lipid nutrition during early development of yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea).  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea) is a candidate species for cold-water aquaculture development in Atlantic Canada. However, mal-pigmentation and high larval mortality are still major obstacles to the successful culture of this species. Starvation due to inadequate nutrition is believed to be a major cause of this mortality. In particular, lipid nutrition has shown significant effects on the early development in a number of marine species. This study is the first examination of the dietary lipid requirements of yellowtail flounder larvae. -- Specifically, marine fish require the dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) for normal growth and development. Consequently, in Chapter Two (Part A) an experiment was designed to study the role of dietary ratios of these fatty acids on the early growth, survival, lipid composition, and pigmentation of yellowtail flounder. Rotifers were enriched with experimental emulsions with high concentrations of DHA, DHA+EPA, or DHA+AA, or with a control (no DHA, EPA, or AA) emulsion. After four weeks, larvae fed the high DHA diet were significantly larger (9.7 ± 0.2 mm, p<0.05) and had higher survival (22.1 ± 0.4%), while larvae fed the control diet were significantly smaller (7.3 ± 0.2 mm, p<0.05) and showed lower survival (5.2 ± 1.9%). Larval lipid class and fatty acid profiles showed significant differences (p<0.05), with fatty acids reflecting dietary levels in the high PUFA diets. The incidence of mal-pigmentation was higher in the high DHA+AA diet (92%) than in all other treatments (<64%). It was concluded that yellowtail larvae require diets that are highly enriched with DHA while elevated dietary AA exerts negative effects on larval pigmentation. -- In Chapter Two (Part B) I examined the changes in growth and lipid composition that occurred when larvae of differing nutritional status were fed one diet of enriched Artemia. Significant changes in larval lipid class and fatty acid composition were observed after just two weeks of feeding on enriched Anemia. Control larvae showed a period of 'lipid recovery' while animals fed all other treatments showed a period of decreased lipid unsaturation. However, all larvae demonstrated a dramatic increase in size despite decreased dietary highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA). Therefore, it was concluded that high levels of HUFA may not be as essential during later larval development as during initial stages of first-feeding. -- In Chapter Three the lipid composition of mal-pigmented (MP) and normally pigmented (NP) newly settled yellowtail flounder were compared in order to elucidate a possible connection between lipids and pigmentation development. NP fish were found to be significantly larger than MP fish (p=0.04) at the time of 100% settlement. Higher relative amounts of triacylglycerols were found in NP fish (p=0.02) while MP fish had higher relative amounts of phospholipids (p=0.008). NP fish had higher relative amounts of DHA in the polar lipids of the body (p=0.03) and in the total lipids of the eye (p=0.04) than did MP juveniles. These data support previously proposed theories for the importance of DHA in pigmentation development.


identifier: Bride, Kate (Catherine Elizabeth) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Bride=3AKate_=28Catherine_Elizabeth=29=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Learning to love again: loss, self study, pedagogy and women's studies.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis is about foundational logic that shapes knowledge-making practices, subjectivity, and pedagogy in the disciplines of both education and women's studies. Some of these foundations in education include conceptualizations of the teacher as hero, the student as receptacle for knowledge, and prescriptive, standardized curriculum. In women's studies, some of these foundations include fixed understandings of sisterhood, experience, and the category woman. These foundations can be problematic because they function to singularize, set meaning, and stabilize knowledge, identity and pedagogy, and, they foreclose the possibility of a deeper and more complex understanding of the self and the other. -- With the emergence of postmodern and poststructural theories that recognize knowledge and identity as products of cultural construction, the truth of foundations has been, and continues to be, called into question. As such, we are faced with uncertainty about a future that is uncomfortable and disruptive of those foundations that have and continue to orient us in our academic disciplines. I argue that with these disruptions there is an increased need to face the losses that come with the uncertainty and unsettlement of crumbling meta-narratives; in other words, to make loss central to pedagogy. Letting loss orient pedagogy is a practice that attempts to interrogate the effects of projects of schooling on normative knowledge-making practices, the making of subjects and the workings of power. The central problem that I grapple with throughout these chapters, then, is attachment to foundations, how those form who and how we can be, and what it means to face the losses of those foundations. -- Through the theoretical lenses of poststructural and psychoanalytic thought, my approach to this thesis is, in part, what I am referring to as a pedagogical self study. While I am inquiring after the ways foundations work in education and in women's studies, I am also exploring and questioning my own attachments to foundations in education (what it means to be a teacher) and in women's studies - where they come from and how they structure my understandings of teaching and learning. The central themes of this thesis will address foundational truths in education and women's studies, attachment, loss, mourning, melancholia and pedagogy.


identifier: Brennan, Sandra Lee <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Brennan=3ASandra_Lee=3A=3A.html>   (2008) "In God's pocket": accidents, injuries, and perceptions of risk among contemporary Newfoundland fish harvesters.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: As research in provincial, national and international contexts has shown, commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations. Different approaches to risk and perceptions of risk (such as biophysical, structural, cultural, and human capital) often examine safety from a single perspective, resulting in partial understandings of the causes of accident and injury. This thesis presents fish harvesters' observations on safety at sea through their descriptions of risky events, accidents and near-misses, and their views on the effectiveness of recent safety initiatives, in an effort to create a more multidimensional understanding of risk and accidents at sea. Major findings include insights about the cascading effects of risk factors seen through the eyes of harvesters and their perceptions of the unintended safety consequences of conservation regulations. Tomer and colleagues' (1999) participatory safety intervention process is proposed as an effective way to address the interactive nature of such risk factors and improve prevention.


identifier: Paddock, Jeff <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Paddock=3AJeff=3A=3A.html>   (2000) Informed by silence.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

title: Informed by silence

abstract: Wittgenstein in his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus seeks to demonstrate the activity of purging from philosophical and scientific discourse all expressions of thought that are not stated clearly in a way that allows their veracity to be determined through truth-functional analysis; however, he concedes the language in which he expresses this project falls short of his standard for acceptable discourse and therefore cannot define his project didactically. This apparent contradiction has fostered both criticisms and interpretations of the Tractatus. The critic Gellner on this ground dismisses the text as meaningless while Feibleman faults Wittgenstein for denying rather than embracing the metalanguage the Tractatus employs along with its metaphysical implications. Those reinterpreting Wittgenstein's project read into the Tractatus elements he expressly rejects: Kantians such as Pears, the synthetic a priori and a transcendental standpoint; phenomenologists such as Black, reflexivity; and semiotical analysts such as Brown, a triadic rather than gapless dyadic relation of world, language and meaning. Nieli's and Edwards' presentations expose Wittgenstein's predilection for the ineffable truths of religion, ethics and esthetics for which the Tractatus clears a space in limiting sensible discourse to propositions of natural science. In this light, one must take seriously Wittgenstein's rejection of the metaphysical discourse the Tractatus employs, thereby allowing what Wittgenstein leaves to silence to inform debates regarding criticisms and reinterpretations based on what are clearly false readings of the Tractatus as a metaphysical treatise: in other words, letting the message of what he does not say show what is not meant by what he does say. As Marion demonstrates, Wittgenstein's idea -that one can never say what philosophy is but can only do it - is expressed and evolves during Wittgenstein's lifetime in his treatment of mathematics as anti-Platonist constructivism employing operations without classes. Following through on the radical implications of this approach, Wittgenstein abandons his Tractarian belief in a solitary pure transformational language of scientific discourse in favour of multitudinous ordinary language games. Wittgenstein's final anti-standpoint leaves him vulnerable to charges his approach is nonrational and mystical.


identifier: Martin-Caraballo, Miguel <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Martin-Caraballo=3AMiguel=3A=3A.html>   (1995) Investigation of the photosensitizing activity of 1,4-dihydropyridine compounds in rat smooth muscle.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The general aim of this work was to investigate the photodynamic action of 1,4-dihydropyridines (DHPs) with respect to contractile force generation in rat smooth muscle. The preparations chosen possessed (thoracic aorta) or lacked (oesophageal tunica muscularis mucosae (TMM) and pyloric sphincter) intrinsic photoresponsiveness. Exposure to 3'-NO₂-substituted DHP (3'-NO₂-DHP) photosensitized precontracted TMM preparations in a concentration-dependent fashion and this could be mimicked by photodegradable nitric oxide (NO) donors (streptozotocin, sodium nitroprussidem, sodium nitrite). -- 3'-NO₂-DHP- and NO donor-photoactivated responses in TMM, had at least three different components, consisting of (i) a transient fast relaxation, (ii) a fast "off-contraction", and (iii) a slow, delayed relaxation. Only the latter component persisted in calcium-depleted, calyculin A-precontracted preparations or following inhibition of the fast response by DHP L-type Ca⁺⁺ -channel antagonists, skinning of the plasmalemma and extracellular Ca⁺⁺ chelation. -- Both fast and slow relaxations in the TMM were diminished by NO scavengers (LY 83583, carboxy-PTIO), whereas the fast relaxation was also diminished by pre-irradiation of the 3'-NO₂-DHP solution. The selective cGMP-dependent phosphodiesterase inhibitor, zaprinast, enhanced the photorelaxation. -- Unbuffering of the sarcoplasmic reticulum with either cyclopiazonic acid or ryanodine inhibited the Bay K 8644-photoactivated fast response in TMM. This effect was accelerated in the presence of extracellular Ca⁺⁺ and resembles that seen in tissues exposed to the calcium ionophore A23187. -- In thoracic aorta, the endogenous photorelaxation was enhanced by all 3'-NO₂-DHPs tested. LY 83583 effectively inhibited both the endogenous and 3'-NO₂-DHP-augmented photorelaxation. In pyloric sphincter, photosensitization by the 3'-NO₂-DHP, (+)-PN 202 791, was evident as a transient inhibition of the muscarinic agonist-stimulated phasic contractions, followed by a post-irradiation contraction. -- The present study supports the following conclusions: (1) 3'-NO₂-DHP-photoactivated responses are tissue-specific and mimic the endogenous or NO donor-photoactivated response in smooth muscles, (2) photoactivated release of NO, presumably followed by stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase mediates both the fast and slow relaxations in the TMM, (3) functional L-type Ca⁺⁺-channels are required for the expression of the fast components of the photoactivated response, (4) the slow relaxation may involve direct regulation of contractile protein phosphorylation by a cGMP-dependent protein kinase. -- Keywords: guanylate cyclase; 3'-NO₂-1,4-dihydropyridines; L-type Ca⁺⁺-channel; nitric oxide; tunica muscularis mucosae; photosensitization; pyloric sphincter; sarcoplasmic reticulum; thoracic aorta.


identifier: Saputantri, Kushan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Saputantri=3AKushan=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Improving the two-electron integral computation in MUNgauss.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: A major step in the self consistent field method is assembling and diagonalizing the Fock matrix. In order to form the Fock matrix, one-electron integrals, overlap integrals, and two-electron integrals must be computed. Computation of the two-electron integrals is the most time consuming and computationally difficult among them. The focus of this research is to improve the two-electron integral computation code in MUNgauss.  -- Improved the two-electron integral computation code by introducing new Fortran 90/95 features, where applicable. Specialized subroutines were introduced to replace general two-electron computation subroutine I2ER_SPDF, in order to compute less complicated two-electron integrals. Parallel implementation of subroutine I2ER_SPDF was also investigated. -- The two-electron integral code was improved by using Fortran 90 modules to improve readability, efficiency, and organization. Derived types, "select case", and "do" constructs were introduced to improve readability. The introduction of dynamic memory allocation reduced the usage of memory and improved the code efficiency. -- Subroutine I2ER_SPDF can be specialized by identifying the shell (s,p,d,f) quadruplets before calling the subroutine to compute the two-electron integrals. Specialize4l subroutines were introduced to compute two-electron integrals belonging to the ssss quadruplet to dddd quadruplet. Introduction of specialized subroutines to compute simpler types of integrals reduces the memory usage and reduces the time spent on two-electron integral computations. -- Two-electron integrals are labeled using indices I, J, K, and L. For a given set of indices I, J, K, and L, there are three unique blocks of two-electron integrals. They are: IJKL, ILJK and IKJL. Three mutually independent blocks, IJKL, ILJK and IK.IL were computed in parallel using three processors on the same node. Shared memory parallel computing with OpenMP was used for this purpose. -- Results of the improved code and old code were compared for accuracy as well as time spent on computation using SGI Altix(Verdandi) housed at Memorial University.


identifier: Lau, Michael Wai-Hung <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lau=3AMichael_Wai-Hung=3A=3A.html>   (1999) Ice forces on a faceted cone due to the passage of a level ice field.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Faceted conical structures have been proposed as an alternative to the true conical form to ease the fabrication and to lower the construction costs. In considering ice forces on these structures, there was a concern with the validity of existing theories. The main objectives of this study are to improve the understanding of the interaction processes and the failure mechanisms of a level ice field against a faceted cone during continuous ice breaking, and to provide engineers with a set of easy-to-apply formulae for ice load calculation. In this thesis, the results of a three-part study, consisting of experimental and theoretical investigations, are documented. In Part I, a pilot series of physical model tests were conducted to provide a clear insight into the interaction processes. Some important interaction features were identified from analysis of the test data which provided a framework vital to further model development. In Part II, the unique rubble piling process was further examined with the aid of existing particulate mechanics and a comprehensive numerical analysis. A new rubble model was developed to predict the geometry of the rubble and the forces exerted on the structure and the base support. In Part III, an appropriate ice breaking model was selected from the existing theories for the adaptation of the new rubble model. The new model, which considers the salient aspects of the rubble piling process, agrees well with the experimental data. -- The above developments and results are significant, because, for the first time, to the knowledge of the author, an ice load model has been established to account for the effect of rubble in ice loading on a multifaceted cone based on essential features of the interaction. The results provide a useful framework for further model development. The state-of-the-art is such that it is now possible to incorporate rubble load in the force calculation with higher degree of confidence. The methodology for doing so has been developed and presented herein, and constitutes the main contribution of this work to the state-of-the-art.


identifier: Deemyad, Tara <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Deemyad=3ATara=3A=3A.html>   (2008) KCNQ/M channels in the midbrain dopaminergic system in the rat neonatal hippocampal lesion model of schizophrenia.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Increase in dopaminergic (DA) neurotransmission in the brain has been implicated in schizophrenia. One of the known mechanisms for promoting dopamine release is burst firing of DA cells. However, it is unclear whether alterations in firing patterns of DA cells are associated with the disease. In the present study at first I hypothesized that M current contributes to burst firing of DA cells in slices. I therefore studied the effect of M channel blockade on the firing behavior of DA cells in the ventral tegmental area. Then I hypothesized KCNQ channel expression in VTA DA cells in nVH lesion rats is reduced to promote the excitability of these cells. Therefore I examined the expression of KCNQ3, a subunit that forms heterodimeric channels with other subunits to carry M currents with much greater conductance, in rats that underwent ventral hippocampal lesion early in life which has been widely used as a rat model of schizophrenia. -- First, the effect of blocking M channels on the firing behavior was studies in horizontal brain slices that contained the ventral tegmental area using nystatin perforated patch clamp recording. Blocking the channel with linopirdine or XE-991 resulted in excitation of DA, but not GAB A cells in the ventral tegmental area. This increase firing was accompanied by a reduction of the medium hyperpolarizing afterpotential and a mild depolarization. In the majority of DA cells tested, blocking these channels also resulted in burst firing. -- Next, the expression of KCNQ3 channel in the ventral midbrain was studies in neonatal ventral hippocampal lesioned rats. Bilateral injection of ibotenic acid in the ventral hippocampus at postnatal 7 resulted in cell loss that was confirmed with Nissl staining at the end of the experiment. The lesioned group had a gradual increase in the deficit in prepulse inhibition tested at 35, 49 and 56 postnatal days, a hallmark of this model. The brains were processed immunohistochemically for the expression of KCNQ3 subunits in the midbrain. I found that the number of cells expressing KCNQ3 channels was decreased in the ventral tegmental area of the lesion group as compared with the sham group. Double immunofluorescence labeling with tyrosine hydroxylase and KCNQ3 showed a high percentage of colocalization in dorsal tier of ventral tegmental area, suggesting the reduction in KCNQ3 channel expression occurs in DA cells. In contrast, in the lesion group, the number of KCNQ3 positive cells was significantly increased in the red nucleus and the oculomotor nucleus. -- In conclusion, the results in this thesis suggest that neonatal hippocampal lesion leads to decreased expression of KCNQ3 channels in DA cells that may result in increased excitability and/or increased burst firing to enhance DA transmission. This maybe one of the mechanisms by which the DA system becomes overactive in schizophrenic brain.


identifier: Lenky, Crystal C. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lenky=3ACrystal_C=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2007) Interactions between seals and atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in rivers and estuaries of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The causes for the decline in some Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) stocks in eastern Canada are uncertain but many resource users consider predation by seals in rivers and estuaries to be a contributing factor. During the 1990s, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) received reports from resource users of increased seal-salmon interactions on several rivers in Newfoundland and Labrador. To address these concerns, semi-directed interviews (n=57) were conducted from 2004 to 2006 with resource users on 29 rivers throughout the Province. Respondents were requested to comment on any changes in the relative abundance, timing of migration, habitat use and foraging behavior of seals frequenting the area during the last 5 years (2000-2005), during the 1990s, and 1980-1990. Starting in the mid 1990s, harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) increased their residency time in some rivers and estuaries by 1-3 months. Potential harp seal predation on salmon was considered to be high for half of the 16 rivers frequented by harp seals on the northeast coast of Newfoundland and southern coast of Labrador. In 6 of these rivers, the reported increase in the occurrence and relative abundance of seals was concurrent with the migration or spawning of pelagic forage fish (e.g. capelin) in the area. One river was influenced by variable local ice conditions during late spring, and one river was affected by both of these conditions. The presence and relative abundance of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in some rivers and estuaries increased during the 1990s; potential predation was considered to be high on 10/24 of these rivers. In the case of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), relative abundance has increased in some Labrador rivers since 2000, with 3 rivers considered to have high potential predation. -- A directed harp seal diet study was carried out in 2005 and 2006 on the Campbellton River, one of the rivers considered to have high potential for predation during the smolt salmon run. A total of 122 seal stomachs were analyzed and no evidence was found that seals were feeding on salmon. Capelin, an energy-rich forage fish, was the major prey component in both years. Although information from resource users suggested that the potential for harp seal predation on salmon had increased since the mid-to late 1990s, the diet component of the project indicated that they were not necessarily feeding on salmon when these species co-occurred. Similar investigations on other seal species and rivers with high potential will be necessary before it can be concluded that harp, grey or harbour seal predation of salmon stocks is not occurring.


identifier: Uddin, Mohammed Nasir <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Uddin=3AMohammed_Nasir=3A=3A.html>   (2010) Investigation of the phase behavior of bicellar mixtures by differential scanning calorimetry and variable pressure Â²H NMR.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Depending on temperature, composition and hydration, mixtures of long and short chain lipids, namely, 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) can assemble into structures in which the DMPC lipids are aggregated in planar bilayer regions while the DHPC lipids are in the edges of planar bilayers. Such mixture is referred as 'bicellar' and can be used as model membrane to study membrane associated proteins and peptides. We have studied the phase behavior of DMPC/DHPC mixtures of molar ratios 3:1 and 4.4:1 with one or the other lipid deuterated, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and variable pressure ²H NMR. Application of pressure shifts the isotropic-nematic and the nematic-lamellar transition temperatures for both mixtures, by roughly the same rate as the DMPC gel-liquid crystal transition. DSC measurements show that DMPC-normalized transition enthalpy is similar to that of pure DMPC. In the nematic  temperature range, DMPC chain order does not change much and DSC shows samples absorb heat over that temperature range. Taken together, these observations suggest that isotropic-nematic-lamellar transitions are strongly coupled to the melting of ordered DMPC in the bicelles and the chain melting is not only the process absorbing heat at the transition. It thus appears that some of the heat input goes to changing the hydration of the DHPC headgroups. Pressure reduces the magnetic orientability in DMPC-d₅₄ of 3:1 mixture compared to 4.4:1 mixture in nematic phase temperature range. This may be due to particle size effects. In the nematic and lamellar phase, DHPC-d₂₂ chains become more ordered with increasing temperature. This reflects fast exchange of DHPC-d₂₂ between highly curved edge regions and planar DMPC-rich regions, and the fraction of time spent by a DHPC molecule in the DMPC-rich environment increases with increasing temperature. This work provides insight into how interactions between the long and short chain lipids in the bicellar mixture drive the observed changes in morphology.


identifier: Cooke, Sandra M. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Cooke=3ASandra_M=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2008) Investigation of the genetic cause of hereditary hearing loss in three large deaf, consanguineous Newfoundland families.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Three large Newfoundland families segregating with autosomal recessive hearing loss were studied in this thesis project: Family A, Family B and Family 41. Previous work on Family A identified a pathogenic mutation in the deafness gene PCDH15 which explained deafness in five family members homozygous for the mutation but did not fully explain the deafness in five other family members heterozygous for the mutation. A second deafness gene, CDH23 is located very close to the PCDH15 on chromosome 10. Single mutations in these two genes are known to cause both Ushers syndrome and non-syndromic deafness. All 69 exons and all intron/exons boundaries in CDH23 were sequenced in four Family A members which identified 45 SNPs. Only eight SNPs were potentially pathogenic because they were found in the coding region and they were polymorphic. However, no one variant of the eight SNPs segregated exclusively with deafness; in addition, all eight SNPs were previously reported as non-pathogenic. It was concluded that CDH23 does not contribute to the deafness in Family A. Previous work on Family B determined the familial deafness was due to mutations in TMPRSS3:c.782+3de1GAG, a novel mutation, and c.207de1C, a known mutation. Informative markers and intrageneic SNPs with the TMPRSS3 gene were used to construct and characterize the two TMPRSS3 mutation haplotypes. A single copy of the novel TMPRSS3 mutation (c.782+3de1GAG) was found in a deaf boy in Family 41 and his hearing mother and their TMPRSS3 haplotypes were constructed. It was found that carriers of the TMPRSS3 c.782+3delGAG mutation in Family B and Family 41 shared a haplotype spanning 10.1Mb. Since the two families are not known to be related, the TMPRSS3 c.782+3de1GAG was designated a founder mutation.


identifier: Chen, Tao <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Chen=3ATao=3A=3A.html>   (2009) Integrating unstructured data using property precedence.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Data integration involves combining data from a variety of independent data sources to provide a unified view of data in these sources. One of the challenging problems in data integration is to reconcile the structural and semantic differences among data sources. Many approaches have been introduced to resolve the problem. However, most of these models have difficulties in handling data with less structure and varying granularity. This thesis focuses on developing a novel data integration approach for unstructured data. To identify properties from unstructured data, we adapt a probability model to identify multi-term properties. To address the granularity issue, we use the concept of Property Precedence. Unlike other approaches, Property Precedence does not require that data be class-based and takes 'property' as the basic semantic construct. Considering that unstructured data might contain properties that are not explicitly revealed by the description, we design a model that derives knowledge about a property from the instances known to possess the property. We evaluate this model and the results indicate that it is capable of inferring that an instance possesses a property when this information is not explicit in the data. We build a property precedence schema using the above model to help decide the existence of a property in the instance. We compare the results with property precedence schemas built by other approaches and demonstrate that our approach performs better than the others. Finally, we implement queries based on property precedence and show that these queries overcome the semantic gap between data sources and can retrieve relevant data that cannot be retrieved using other approaches.


identifier: Thomas, Angelika Joanna <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Thomas=3AAngelika_Joanna=3A=3A.html>   (2008) L'absence maternelle dans les romans de Nancy Huston.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Comme la plupart des romans de Nancy Huston, Lignes défaille et La virevolte traitent la question de la maternité. L'ensemble de ces deux romans nous permettra de regarder trois types de rôles maternels qui seront représentés par trois mères : la mere écrasante, la mère fugitive et la mère absente. Chacune de ces mères fait le choix conscient d'être présente ou absente dans la vie de son enfant ce qui a pour l'enfant des conséquences troublantes. Ces trois types de mères produisent respectivement l'enfant suffoqué, l'enfant affamé, et l'enfant abandonné. L'absence totale de la mère biologique crée un enfant sans identité. Comme Nancy Huston ne propose pas de solution à quoi que ce soit, nous visons à montrer dans ce mémoire la difficulté et parfois même l'impossibilité de concilier le rôle de la mère avec les désirs et les rêves de la femme.