title: BLACKNESS AND BRITISH ‘FAIR PLAY’: BURGEONING BLACK SOCIAL ACTIVISM IN ONTARIO AND ITS GRASSROOTS RESPONSES TO THE CANADIAN COLOUR LINE, 1919-1939

contributor:
Errington, E.J.
History

subject:
Black Canadians
Ontario
social activism
Black women
interwar period
anti-Black racism

abstract: “Blackness and British ‘Fair Play’: Burgeoning Black Social Activism in Ontario and its Grassroots Responses to the Canadian Colour Line, 1919-1939” centres community-building as an effective method to reject the notion of Blackness as racial alterity and second-class citizenship in Canada. This project highlights the understudied and informal everyday acts of resistance that Black Canadian women crafted to fight anti-Black racism during the interwar period.  After identifying how white Canadians expressed the colour line during the 1920s and 1930s, I consider how Black people pragmatically responded in Ontario. In this study, I argue that Black women worked as community leaders to engender a shared intra-racial collective among Black Canadians of varying backgrounds. Their dynamic leadership changed over time, developing through church fundraising social activities, starting church youth clubs, to launching much-needed leisure, recreation, and learning activities premised on a Black international scope and a Pan-Africanist ideology. A close examination of oral history interviews, church records, activist organization records, and newspapers offers a thoughtful consideration of historical contingencies. These factors informed the everyday, local ways that Black people in Ontario challenged their racialized alterity and ostracization in Canadian society.

abstract: PhD


title: Theory and Training in Epictetus' Program of Moral Education

contributor:
Miller, Jon
Philosophy

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

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

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

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

subject:
Stoicism
Ethics
Ancient Philosophy
Hellenistic Philosophy

abstract: This dissertation examines the educational function of training, as contrasted with the study of theory, within Epictetus’ program of moral education. The motivation for this research is that there exists an apparent tension in Epictetus’ moral philosophy. According to Stoicism, knowledge is sufficient for virtue; however, many students of Stoicism have learnt that virtue is the only good, and endorsed this claim as true, and yet fail to act appropriately. Epictetus seems to resolve this problem through the introduction of applied exercises. That Epictetus requires his students to train themselves in this way seems in potential conflict with his moral psychology. In this dissertation, I resolve this tension through three contributions: (1) First, I develop an account of why Epictetus believes moral failure occurs in dedicated students of Stoicism who wish to achieve virtue. It occurs primarily because of two factors, precipitancy and weakness, which impede the progressing student of Stoicism from properly reflecting upon a situation. (2) Second, I argue for a novel explanation of the function of training in Epictetus. Epictetus tells us that training is necessary to ‘digest’ our theory. Building upon this neglected metaphor, I argue that the ‘digestion’ of theory is the process by which students move from weak commitments to general principles (i.e., virtue is the only good), which are vulnerable to instances of precipitancy or weakness, to specific actionable beliefs (i.e., I should not desire this bribe because is not an instance of virtue). (3) Lastly, I demonstrate, by way of examples, the function of Epictetus’ applied training exercises. These exercises are shown to facilitate the ‘digestion’ of theory by mitigating weakness and precipitancy. This explanation accounts both for why these exercises are considered necessary, and why they do not conflict with Epictetus’ psychological commitments.

abstract: PhD


title: Attention and Depth Hallucination for RGB-D Face Recognition with Deep Learning

contributor:
Etemad, Ali
Greenspan, Michael
Electrical and Computer Engineering

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States

subject:
Computer Vision
Deep learning
Biometrics
Depth estimation

abstract: ace recognition approaches that are based purely on RGB images rely solely on intensity information, and therefore are more sensitive to facial variations, notably pose, occlusions, and environmental changes such as illumination and background. These approaches also tend to process the whole image uniformly, weighing distinctive and non-distinctive regions of the image equally. In order to extract more representative facial features, we first propose two fusion techniques based on RGB and depth modalities using attention mechanisms. The first fusion technique uses an LSTM network to selectively focus on feature maps, followed by a convolution layer to generate spatial attention weights. Our method achieves competitive results on CurtinFaces and IIIT-D RGB-D datasets, achieving classification accuracies of over 98.2% and 99.3% respectively. Our second proposed fusion method is a novel attention mechanism that directs the deep network ``where to look'' for visual features in the RGB image by generating an attention map from depth features extracted using a CNN. Our proposed solution achieves notable improvements over the current state-of-the-art on four public datasets, namely Lock3DFace, CurtinFaces, IIIT-D RGB-D, and KaspAROV, with average (increased) accuracies of 87.3% (+5.0%), 99.1% (+0.9%), 99.7% (+0.6%) and 95.3%(+0.5%) for the four datasets respectively, thereby improving the state-of-the-art. Although depth data can provide useful information for face recognition, acquiring depth data in the wild still remains a challenge. To address this problem, we present the Teacher-Student Generative Adversarial Network (TS-GAN) to generate depth images from a single RGB image in order to boost the recognition accuracy of face recognition systems, where depth images are not available. The teacher learns a latent mapping between input RGB and paired depth images in a supervised fashion which the student then generalizes from new RGB data with no available paired depth information. The fully trained shared generator can then be used in runtime to hallucinate depth from RGB for downstream applications such as face recognition. We demonstrate that our hallucinated depth along with the input RGB images boost performance across various architectures when compared to a single RGB modality by average values of +1.2%, +2.6%, and +2.6% for IIIT-D, EURECOM, and LFW datasets respectively.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: “It Was a Combination of Feeling Super Badass and...Super Inept”: Exploring Girls’ Experiences Playing on Boys’ Tackle Football Teams

contributor:
Adams, Mary Louise
Kinesiology and Health Studies

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

subject:
Feminim
Sport Sociology
Football

abstract:
This study explores girls’ experiences playing tackle football on boys’ teams to understand how girls experience a highly masculine sport space. Tackle football is largely a space reserved for men and boys. Girls’ opportunities to play football are limited and often involve playing on teams intended for and dominated by boys. The purpose of this research was to begin to understand girls’ experiences in tackle football to highlight girls’ ongoing oppression in patriarchal societies and to consider whether football can be empowering for girls.
The idea for this research originated from my own experiences playing tackle football on boys’ teams for four years. I present my experiences alongside data I collected in interviews with 12 women from Canada, the United States, and Poland who have played on boys’ tackle football teams. These interviews, paired with my personal experiences, allowed me to identify aspects of toxic youth football cultures and, maybe surprisingly, the opportunity football presents for embodied feminist empowerment for girls.
I identify some girls’ experiences as taking place in toxic football cultures based on their experiences with microaggressions and violence. These cultures work to retain boys’ and men’s control over football spaces by plaguing girls’ abilities to play football and hindering girls’ enjoyment of the sport. Discouraging girls’ football involvement is a powerful tool of oppression, because football could, in better circumstances, be empowering for girls. Playing football against boys allows some girls to confront embodied forms of patriarchy and challenge discourses about girls’ physical inferiority. This research highlights girls’ continued oppression in patriarchal societies and the embodied nature of patriarchal norms. It also shows how girls’ physicality could be used as a tool to challenge oppressive gender structures.

abstract: M.A.


title: Solution Radical Polymerization of Methyl Acrylate and n-tert butylacrylamide under Batch and Semi-batch Operation

contributor:
Hutchinson, Robin A.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Batch vs Semi- Batch operation
Radical Polymerization

abstract:
Free radical polymerisation is one of the most versatile methods to produce materials for diverse applications. With the world inclining towards sustainability, the industry is transitioning from the use of organic solvents to aqueous media. However, radical polymerization kinetics are affected by the use of hydrogen-bonding solvents, and there is limited information regarding the use of water as a solvent for hydrophobic and sparingly soluble monomers. Thus, the radical polymerisation of methyl acrylate (MA) and N-tert-butylacrylamide (t-BuAAm) is studied in water and ethanol (EtOH), as the copolymer product has commercial application in hair sprays and other personal care products, and as textile and paper coatings.
The copolymerization kinetics of the system are being studied in a parallel project by Maryam Agboluaje using an in-situ NMR technique that provides a continuous measure of both monomer conversion and composition. However, the evolution of the polymer molecular weight (MW) cannot be followed over the course of the batch reactions in the NMR tube. Thus, a stirred 250 mL reactor setup has been established, with samples removed over the course of the reaction analyzed by both NMR and size exclusion chromatography to determine monomer conversions and composition as well as copolymer composition and molecular weight distributions (MWDs). The results from the new setup are in good agreement with those from the in-situ NMR technique, and it is determined that there is a significant decrease in polymer average MWs and broadening of the MWD with reaction time.
Semi-batch reactors are used by industry to reduce the variation in polymer properties over the course of a reaction, as well as to better control the heat released by the exothermic reaction. In addition, semi-batch operation provides additional data to probe the influence of solvent on polymerization rate and polymer MWs, as the low monomer concentration maintained under starved-feed operation leads to a different solvent to monomer ratio than in a batch system. Thus, a series of semi-batch reactions have been conducted, to demonstrate that the copolymer can be successfully synthesized without significant drifts in product MW or composition. The effect of batch and semi-batch operating conditions (i.e., reaction temperature, initiator level, solvent to monomer ratio, comonomer composition) are interpreted in terms of the known features of the polymerization kinetics, which includes backbiting and solvent effects on rate. It is found that MA is preferentially incorporated into the copolymer relative to t-BuAAm and the molecular weight increases with increased t-BuAAm content in the system.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: A Voice Interactive 3-Phase Hybrid Question Answering System

contributor:
Zulkernine, Farhana
Computing

subject: QA system

abstract:
The technology of Artificial Intelligence (AI) makes it possible for machines to learn from experience through data and perform tasks in a human-like way. Deep learning is a subfield of AI, which is a machine learning method that has been successfully applied to a variety of tasks. In Natural Language Processing (NLP) domain, question answering systems can help humans to get the precise information they want quickly instead of searching online in web contents.

In this work, we integrated a voice and text chat interaction system with a 3-Phase hybrid QA system to provide a knowledge service. Our 3-Phase QA consists of a Phase-1 rule-based Question Answering (QA) System, a Phase-2 semantic question similarity-based QA system, and a Phase-3 information retrieval-based QA system. We started by investigating the existing voice and text chat-based QA systems and designed the Phase-1 system. For voice system, we studied different speech recognition APIs which can be used for Text-To-Speech and Speech-To-Text. For Phase-1 system,  we investigated the functionality of IBM Watson Assistant Chatbot Service and used it to build our rule-based dialog flow. After that, we investigated and explored different deep learning approaches for the Phase-2 and Phase-3 system. Our proposed Similarity Enhanced Concatenation-based Network (SECoN) on the Phase-2 system achieved 89.5\% accuracy and 89.4\% F1 score on question duplication detection task. In the Phase-3 system, we explored different data preprocessing strategies and BERT-style pre-trained models and validated the performance on reading comprehension dataset SQuAD2.0, and achieved 75.4\% Exact Match (EM) score and 78.8\% F1 score by using ALBERT-base pre-trained model.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Investigating the Clinical Effects and Mechanistic Underpinnings of Probiotics on Major Depressive Disorder

contributor:
Milev, Roumen V
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Depression
Probiotics
Gut-Brain Axis
Major Depressive Disorder
Nutritional Psychiatry

abstract:
Background: Probiotics have been hypothesized to improve symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Evidence suggests that these outcomes may be driven by probiotics reducing inflammation and regulating neurotransmission through the gut-brain axis.
Objectives: 1) Systematically review the current literature on the effects of probiotics in mental health in humans; 2) Examine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a probiotic supplement on depression in a pilot study; 3) Develop a protocol for a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial to examine the effects of a probiotic supplement on depression; 4) Compare the clinical effects of a probiotic supplement versus placebo on depression to determine whether probiotics may have a role in alleviating symptoms of depression; 5) Examine molecular and microbial activity for possible mechanistic underpinnings of the relationship between probiotics and depression.
Methods: I started by systematically reviewing the literature to evaluate the current state of the evidence and identify areas for further examination. I then implemented an 8-week open-label pilot study examining the effects of a probiotic supplement containing Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 on symptoms of depression in treatment-naïve adults diagnosed with MDD. Using data and knowledge acquired from the pilot work, I developed a protocol for a 16-week double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial (DBRCT) to further examine these effects and explore potential blood-based biomarkers and microbiome composition for response predictors and underlying mechanisms.
Results: My systematic review of the literature revealed promising preliminary evidence for probiotics alleviating symptoms of depression but highlighted significant gaps and inconsistencies in the current literature. In our pilot work, we observed significant improvements in depressive symptoms following probiotic supplementation. However, findings from our DBRCT did not support the pilot findings. We found that probiotics were no superior to placebo in reducing depressive symptoms which was reflected in no significant group differences in blood-based biomarkers. However, building off our pilot work, analyses revealed potentially important differences in microbiome composition between probiotic responders and non-responders.
Conclusions: These findings add to the growing body of research in this emerging field and provide crucial direction for developing future studies to examine the relationship between probiotics and MDD.

abstract: PhD


title: Rembrandt in the Country House: The Collecting and Display of Dutch Pictures in England c. 1700-1850

contributor:
Dickey, Stephanie
Art History

subject:
Rembrandt van Rijn
History of collecting
English art
Provenance
Sir Joshua Reynolds
Stowe House
Charles Jennens
George Frideric Handel
Gopsall Hall
Buckinghamshire
Temple-Grenville
Marquess of Buckingham
Marchioness of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
English country house

abstract:
The history of collecting paintings attributed to Rembrandt van Rijn in England is especially rich, and scholars have been examining the artist’s reception in that country for some time. These inquiries often take the form of broad surveys of the many collectors who sought out his work, including artists and theorists who wrote about and responded to Rembrandt in various ways. As insightful and critical as these studies are, they have overlooked or glossed over several notable collections of paintings thought to be by Rembrandt formed beginning in the eighteenth century. By detailing the history of two of those art collections, this thesis contributes to documenting the history of the English as art collectors and Rembrandt’s critical reception.

The aristocratic Temple-Grenville family amassed a wide-ranging art collection at Stowe House, Buckinghamshire. The first painting attributed to Rembrandt was recorded at Stowe in 1724, but by 1838 there were a total of ten paintings attributed to the artist at the estate; it was one of the largest private collections of work believed to be by Rembrandt in England at that time. I trace the provenance of these paintings, analyze the manner they were displayed, and situate the early acquisitions within the larger context of eighteenth-century art and culture. In this case, special attention is given to George and Mary, 1st Marquess and Marchioness of Buckingham, and their relationship with Sir Joshua Reynolds, who served them as an art advisor.

Charles Jennens is best remembered as the librettist to the composer, George Frideric Handel, but he was also an art collector. By the 1760s, six paintings attributed to Rembrandt and one copy were hanging at Gopsall Hall, formerly in Leicestershire. The copy was painted by Pieter Tillemans after Rembrandt’s celebrated picture of Belshazzar’s Feast, now in the National Gallery, London, but which was in the eighteenth century owned by the Earl of Derby at Knowsley Hall. While these ‘Rembrandt’ pictures have since lost their attribution to the master, I discuss the acquisition history of these paintings and propose reasons for why Jennens might have had a special interest in Rembrandt’s painted oeuvre.

abstract: PhD


title: Chinese Canadian Perceptions of the Social Credit System

contributor:
Murakami Wood, David
Sociology

subject:
Social Credit System
China
Chinese Canadians
Immigrant Perceptions
Authoritarianism
Surveillance

abstract:
In 2014, China announced that they would be implementing a Social Credit System
(SCS) in hopes of encouraging trustworthy behavior between Chinese citizens, corporations, and
government agencies (State Council, 2014). Currently, existing literature frames the SCS as a
surveillance mechanism for social management and behavior engineering (Hoffman, 2018;
Creemers, 2018; Dai, 2018; Langer, 2020). Additionally, research has also indicated that Chinese
citizens generally hold high levels of approval towards the SCS (Kostka, 2019). Kostka (2019)
further noted that because there was almost no disapproval amongst citizens, their opinions may
be highly influenced by the authoritarian regime they are situated in. Therefore, this thesis
explores the perceptions of Chinese Canadians regarding the SCS in hopes that this diaspora
population can further shed light on Chinese public opinion towards the SCS. Using a mixed
methods approach, my study incorporates a survey (n=63) which offers a quantitative snapshot
of Chinese Canadian perceptions, while the use of semi-structured interviews (n=8) provides for
an in-depth understanding of why they have those views. Based on this cross-sectional study, the
findings suggest that older and first generation immigrants hold more favorable views of the
SCS. Drawing from their own lived experiences in China and their understanding of Chinese
culture, participants explained that while the SCS could be understood as an instrument for
control, it also promotes trust, awareness, fairness, and a higher quality of living within a society
that is plagued by fraud and distrust.

abstract: M.A.


title: Investigation of Winter Recharge in Vulnerable Bedrock Aquifers Under Climate Change

contributor:
Novakowski, Kent S.
Civil Engineering

subject:
Fractured rock
Groundwater recharge
Stable isotopes
Multi-level wells
Isoscapes
Frozen soils
Snowmelt
Rain-on-snow
Soil-rock interface

abstract:
Many communities in cold regions depend on groundwater resources from shallow bedrock aquifers with thin overlying soil (0–5 m), yet these aquifers are vulnerable to surface contaminants and climate change impacts. The objective of this research was to investigate winter recharge in vulnerable bedrock aquifers for an improved understanding of how changing climate conditions may impact groundwater resources. In eastern Ontario, spatiotemporal sampling of stable water isotopes (δ2H and δ18O) from multi-level wells was conducted to improve the conceptual model of snowmelt recharge, groundwater flow/transport, and stable isotope attenuation in sedimentary and crystalline rock aquifers. This data was then combined with a regional southern Ontario dataset where statistical analyses aided in identifying the key drivers of groundwater recharge, and the limitations of isoscapes, in vulnerable bedrock aquifers. Lastly, surface-subsurface cryo-hydrogeologic conditions of a bedrock outcrop were monitored over an unseasonably warm and rainy winter to determine the mechanisms and conditions for mid-winter infiltration and recharge.

Temporal tracing of the isotopic snowmelt signature with depth was critical to revealing how different bedrock aquifers with thin soil are vulnerable to changing snowmelt patterns, extreme drought and flooding, and surface contaminants. Winter rain and snowmelt were identified as dominant sources of recharge suggesting that changes to winter precipitation will have a greater impact on bedrock aquifer resources than changes to other seasonal precipitation. Despite frozen ground, mid-winter rainfall and snowmelt generated rapid recharge due to lateral infiltration along the unfrozen soil-rock interface. Results indicated that under warmer winter conditions winter recharge may increase on/near bedrock outcrops, but it can also be limited by the freezing of ponded surface water from intense mid-winter rainfall. The novel datasets and knowledge generated from this work have improved our understanding of vulnerable fractured rock systems in cold regions and can aid in managing and predicting impacts to these water resources under climate change.

abstract: PhD


title: “The Severity of This Service…” Canadien Inland Mariners in the Early Post-Conquest Era,  1760 to 1817

subject:
Canadian Colonial HIstory
Quebec
Lower Canada
Maritime history
Labour History
French-English relations in Canada
Kingston history
Naval history
Logistics
Corvee
St. Lawrence River
New France
The Conquest
Great Lakes History

abstract:
Abstract

Beginning just a long decade after New France became part of the British Empire in 1763, a half-century of major crises engulfed British North America; the American Revolutionary War (1775-83), the postwar forced migration and resettlement of thousands of destitute and hungry British-American Loyalist refugees (1784-86), and the War of 1812 (1812-1814). In order to surmount, indeed, just to survive these crises, the British colonial regime in Quebec found it necessary to seek and retain the services of thousands of skilled, native-born, French-Canadian (Canadien) inland mariners in the newly acquired colony. For more than half a century, the Canadiens were needed to fulfill a variety of essential roles. Small boat (batteau) crews hauled virtually all the necessary supplies, including food, to sustain war and resettlement efforts west of Montreal for British soldiers and sailors, Loyalist settlers, militiamen, Indigenous allies and refugees. Canadien mariners also constructed, commanded, and crewed British warships on the Great Lakes. Some men were disabled in combat or became prisoners-of-war. Others died in shipwrecks or drowned on the river. The mariners left few personal records, but their actions were critically important for the successful defense and retention in the British Empire of the colonies that would eventually form central Canada. The contributions of Canadien inland mariners deserve serious consideration when examining the relationships between the people of the former New France and their new British rulers during the challenging, early transitional years of the British colonial regime.

abstract: PhD


title: Capturing Kinship: Visualizing the History of Chinese Adoption in Canada

contributor:
Dubinsky, Karen
History

subject:
Transnational Adoption
Adoption Studies
Race
Gender
Identity
Multiculturalism
Chinese Canadian
Kinship
Parenting
Visual Discourse Analysis

abstract: The Chinese government enacted the one-child policy during the late 1970s and early 1980s to curb the growth of the country’s swelling population. This extreme form of family planning marked the beginning of a radical social experiment that profoundly affected Canada’s social and familial landscape. In the forty years since China instituted its one-child policy, Western media remains obsessed with narratives about saving girls from China’s draconian state policies. As such, my MA research asks what claims images of needy children have made on Canadian audiences, and to what degree their meanings and interpretations were contoured by broader processes and ideologies. Special attention is paid to how the presence and visibility of the female Chinese adoptee have altered notions of Chinese Canadian identity, international humanitarianism, and interracial kinship, through a visual discursive analysis of the images that have saturated our national retina and animated the practice of Chinese adoption in Canada. I will demonstrate how visual mediums are historically rooted communication structures that act as alternative sites of ideological production and exchange, whereby constructions of needy children are transformed through a complex matrix of image-making and image-consuming practices. In this way, the visual representation of the Chinese adoptee becomes an opening through which to investigate both the historical record of intercountry adoption in Canada and the timeless power of symbolic children. Exploring Chinese adoption in Canada at the intersection of transnational adoption scholarship, visual discourse analysis, and adoptee subjectivities is a novel way of grappling with the history of intercountry adoption. In other words, surveying the visual landscape of adoption and its reciprocal constitutions is a way of getting at the public debates Chinese adoption has engendered, the actions and interests of private actors, and the collective memories and mythologies held by adoptees.

abstract: M.A.


title: Have watershed disturbances over the past ~200 years affected diatom composition in Algonquin Provincial Park lakes? A paleolimnological assessment

contributor:
Smol, John
Biology

subject: Lake Algonquin Paleolimnology Cottages diatoms limnology

abstract:
Algonquin Provincial Park (APP), located in south-central Ontario, spans an area of
7,635 km2 and is a destination for over 800,000 visitors a year. These visitors include cottage
owners, as cottages have been leased in APP since the early 1900s. In October 2017, policy
makers at the Ontario Ministry of Resources and Forestry (MNRF) announced the renewal of
cottage leases until December 2038, following a review process that included public consultation.
However, the impacts of these cottages and other current and historic anthropogenic stressors on
lake ecosystems are not yet well understood. To address this knowledge gap, paleolimnological
methods were used to assess whether anthropogenic stressors have affected APP lakes over the
past ~200 years. Using diatom assemblage composition, alongside spectrally-inferred chlorophyll
a and lake-water total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations from 210Pb-dated sediment cores
collected from five lakes, we determined pre-industrial (baseline) conditions and examined
whether historical catchment disturbances (e.g., logging, cottages, commercial establishments), as
well as regional climate change, have registered a response in the sedimentary records. To help
distinguish the effect of catchment development from natural variability, comparisons were made
between three lakes (Cache, Canoe, Smoke) that support cottages and commercial establishments
and two remote reference lakes (McIntosh, Welcome). Additionally, Cache Lake was included in
a productivity experiment in which large quantities of fertilizer were added between 1946 and
1947. In general, diatom assemblage changes were modest in all lakes, except for a clear response
to the nutrient manipulations in Cache Lake. In all lakes, early 19th century diatom compositional
changes together with trends in chlorophyll a and TOC appear to be a response to logging in the
region. Importantly, we found little evidence that cottages have made a discernible impact on
these lakes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: DIGITAL FINANCIAL REPORTING AND FIRM PRODUCTIVITY

subject:
Digital reporting
Productivity
TFP

abstract: I examine the effect of digital financial reporting on firm productivity. To the extent that digital communication of corporate financial data fundamentally changes how firm-specific information is disclosed, released, and disseminated to the public, it mitigates information asymmetry between corporate insiders and outsiders and facilitates the processing of firm-specific information. To test this hypothesis, I use the staggered implementation of the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval system (EDGAR) to investigate the impact of digital technology on firms’ productivity. I find that the implementation of EDGAR results in an economically meaningful and statistically significant positive impact on firms’ productivity, measured by total factor productivity (TFP). By focusing on the role of information dissemination in coordinating investments and production, my findings collectively provide evidence on the real effects of “going digital” in corporate reporting.

abstract: PhD


title: THE SIXTIES SCOOP: DECOLONIZING PRACTICES, THE STATE AND INDIGENOUS GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING

contributor:
Scott, Jill
Cultural Studies

subject:
Sixties Scoop
Indigenous Peoples
Social Movements
Grassroots

abstract: The Sixties Scoop displaced thousands of Indigenous children and resulted in their removal from their communities of origin, families, and kinship relations. In my dissertation, I examine the Sixties Scoop, Indigenous-state relations, and grassroots community organizing. As part of the data collection process, I conducted qualitative interviews with Sixties Scoop Survivors, Indigenous community organizers and advocates. Ethnographic examples additionally complemented these interviews from my activist and organizing experiences. The four central claims of my dissertation are the following: First, the experiential colonial convergence, including the Sixties Scoop, brought great harm upon the lives of Indigenous People and produced complex social problems that Indigenous survivors, advocates and community organizers have worked to counter and abate across different spaces and locales on Turtle Island; second, Indigenous People have employed the moccasin telegraph to pass along messages and to generate awareness of the Scoop and also to build networks and grassroots organizing responses; third, enduring Indigenous frameworks and practices sustain and affirm ongoing Indigenous connections to their homelands and offer us models for decolonial and generative alternatives to state solutions; and finally, Indigenous People both engage with state recognition approaches and disavow the ability of these processes to transform the relationship between Indigenous People and the settler-colonial state. As an activist involved in community-building, and as the daughter of a Sixties Scoop Survivor, I explore my own links to Indigenous resurgence and the pathways that Indigenous People are taking up to navigate a colonial legacy and a variety of complex and dynamic decolonizing practices.

abstract: PhD


title: USING VIRTUAL SIMULATION GAMING IN HEALTH SCIENCE EDUCATION: ENHANCING COMPETENCY IN TOBACCO BRIEF INTERVENTIONS

contributor:
Goldie, Catherine
Nursing

subject: smoking, cessation, tobacco, reduction, nursing, education, curriculum, evaluation, virtual, simulation, 5As (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange)

abstract:
Background: Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death
worldwide. Health care professionals (HCP) play a crucial role in motivating clients to reduce or
quit tobacco, however, few studies have compared the efficacy of different pedagogical
approaches to tobacco education in prelicensure training. This thesis will compare learning
outcomes resulting from virtual simulation gaming (VSG) with traditional learning modalities.
Methods: To evaluate the impact of a VSG on students’ tobacco brief intervention (TBI)
knowledge and communication skills, a prospective, experimental design was used. Ninety
health science students (nursing and rehabilitation therapy) were randomized into three
intervention groups (virtual lecture (VL) alone; VSG alone or combined VSG and VL). Five
main outcomes were measured: student TBI knowledge and communication skills; perceived
attitude, confidence, competence, and willingness to use TBI. User traits associated with TBI
knowledge and communication skills as well as student perceptions of VSG ease of navigation,
relevance to practice and future use were also investigated.
Results: Although, no significant difference was documented between type of learning modality
and student TBI knowledge and communication skills, self-reported attitude (F (1, 86) =93.91,
p < .001), confidence (F (1, 86) =253.10, p < .001), and competence (F (1, 86) =269.81,
p < .001) differed before and after students participated in their assigned intervention. There was
no difference in willingness (F (1, 86) =10.73, p =.001). When modelling the relationship
between TBI knowledge and communication skills and type of learning modality, age, sex,
program, tobacco use, and time spend on the written assessment tool (WA), the only significant
predictor was time spent on the WA. The more time a student spent on the WA, the lower their
overall score (B = -1.11, p=.05).
Conclusion: Students strongly agreed that VSG was easily navigated, relevant to practice, and
should be utilized for future health science education in health science programs. TBI education
and the use of VSG in health science programs has great potential but further critical
investigation of associated learning outcomes is warranted.

abstract: MNSc.


title: Modelling Human Behaviour Based on Similarity Measurements Between Event Sequences

contributor:
Skillicorn, David
Computing

subject:
weighted sequence comparison
behavioural modelling
user to user similarity
cosine correlations

abstract:
From a set of sequences, individual’s behavioural patterns can be identified.  Using these sequences of events, the metadata available can be processed into a weighted format to improve the meaningfulness of the sequence comparisons.  The usefulness of this process, identifying users’ behavioural patterns, is important in a number of areas such as cybersecurity.
This  work  examines  the  properties  a  cybersecurity  dataset  might  contain  and demonstrates its effectiveness on a dataset with those properties.
Building on the existing sequence comparison method, Damerau-levenshtein distance, this work develops a pipeline of steps that can be used to transform the metadata and integrate this weighted format into the sequence comparison calculation.  In this pipeline, one of the most significant transformations that is applied to the meta-data is based on previous work by Brand.  This transformation reduces the impact of high popularity pairwise relationships.  This pipeline is shown to incorporate the metadata information into the resulting distance values.  Thus, producing meaningful changes which demonstrate the benefit of these extra steps.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Nest emergence phenology of the Northern Map turtle (Graptemys geographica) near its northern range limit

contributor:
Lougheed, Stephen C
Biology

subject:
Northern Map Turtle
turtle
emergence
hatchling

abstract: Turtles are arguably the most threatened order of vertebrates, yet we still know surprising little about the ecology and annual cycle of most species across their respective ranges. This is also true of the eight freshwater turtle species that occur in Ontario, Canada, all of which are considered at risk. My Masters thesis focused on one of these species, the Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica), for which we have limited data on nest phenology from only two locales in the USA.  Hatchling emergence from the nest is not a straightforward product of time since oviposition, varies among species, and is not well understood. Map turtle hatchlings have been shown to be capable of overwintering in the nest, but do not always do so. I investigated the emergence phenology of an urban population of Northern Map Turtles near the northern limit of the species range to better understand the ecology of the species as a whole, and these local populations specifically. I sought to answer two broad questions: 1. What are the rates of survival and timing of emergence of hatchlings at this location relative to other sites and species? And 2. What proximate and ultimate factors might contribute to emergence timing?  I found, protected, and installed temperature data loggers in 61 Northern Map turtle nests in 2018 and 2019 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and nearby rural locations near the Queen’s University Biological Station. I compared emergence timing to nest temperature, air temperature and rainfall. The overall survival rate was 70% and 65% for overwintering clutches. 25% of clutches emerged in the fall and 75% of clutches remained in the nest over winter. I found that winter nest temperature below a threshold of -8°C negatively impacted the survival of overwintering clutches. Most notably, I found that higher amounts of rainfall and a smaller nest-air temperature difference increase the odds of emergence. I found some evidence of a latitudinal trend in proportion of fall versus spring emergence in temperate North American turtles implying adaptation or plasticity in response to local environmental conditions. These findings help fill the gaps in our knowledge of this species phenology and will help us to be better able to appreciate and conserve them.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Individual Heterogeneity in Ecology and Evolution

contributor:
Day, Troy
Nelson, William
Biology

subject:
Population dynamics
Life-history theory
Vital rates
Individual heterogeneity
Population growth rate
Matrix population models
Fixed condition
Dynamic condition
Life-history trade-offs
Positive life-history covariances
Individual stochasticity

abstract: Among-individual variation in vital rates, such as mortality rates and birth rates, can generate substantial diversity across individual life histories that scales up to influence population-level processes. The effects of this individual heterogeneity on population growth rates are of particular interest because ecological and evolutionary dynamics, such as rates of extinction and rates of evolution, depend directly on population growth rates. Current research suggests that population growth rates differ in the presence versus absence of individual heterogeneity, however the population-level consequences of different types of individual heterogeneity are still largely unknown. Here, I develop a mathematical model to explore how different types of individual heterogeneity affect population growth rates in age-structured populations. I first present my findings from a thorough literature review, which reveals inconsistencies and ambiguities in the use of terminology surrounding individual heterogeneity. More than just an issue in semantics, these discrepancies highlight the need for a conceptual framework to bridge empirical and theoretical studies. Therefore, I synthesize previous approaches into a comprehensive framework of individual heterogeneity with explicit terminology and definitions. I establish a novel distinction between prospective vital rates and realized vital rates, which forms the basis for a framework with precise translations to mathematical models of individual heterogeneity. The framework further separates individual heterogeneity in which prospective vital rates are permanent ("fixed condition") or can change ("dynamic condition") throughout life. Subsequently, I apply this conceptual framework to develop age-structured models that compare population growth rates when individual life histories are structured as fixed versus dynamic condition. I find that except for rare cases, the type of individual heterogeneity influences population growth rates and the average contributions of each age class to overall population growth. I also show that heterogeneity can affect population growth rates in ways that depend on the sign of the covariance among prospective survival probabilities and birth rates. These results emphasize the importance of considering individual heterogeneity and its different structures when making predictions about population growth rates. Moreover, their divergent effects on population growth rates imply that fixed and dynamic condition can have distinct consequences for ecological and evolutionary processes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Neutron Calibration System for the Cryogenic Underground Test Facility (CUTE)

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Dark Matter
Physics
Particle Physics
Cryogenics
SuperCDMS
CUTE
SNOLAB
Neutron

abstract: The mystery of Dark Matter in our universe has puzzled scientists over the past century, and a large number of experimental ventures have been conducted hoping to find an answer. The Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) is a well motivated dark matter candidate with a number of direct detection experiments dedicated to finding WIMPs or excluding them from being the solution to the dark matter problem. SuperCDMS is a cryogenic dark matter experiment with semiconductor detectors currently being constructed in the underground low background laboratory SNOLAB, with plans to begin taking science data in 2023. The Cryogenic Underground TEst (CUTE) facility is presently operating at SNOLAB to test the detectors which will go in the SuperCDMS experiment, and perform preliminary science runs using SuperCDMS detectors in a low background, low noise environment. Calibrations of detectors is critical in order to understand and quantify the signals which they produce. The design, construction, and testing of the neutron calibration system planned to be installed in CUTE are highlighted, and an analysis of the collection efficiency of a detector was conducted by identifying the signal associated with 71Ge decay. This thesis also discusses the contributions to the improved performance of CUTE through noise studies, and cooldown optimization.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Valley polarization in biased bilayer graphene using circularly-polarized light

subject: Graphene Valleytronics

abstract: There exist two inequivalent local minima in graphene's electronic band structure known as valleys or Dirac points which are labelled K and K'. The valley index is binary and the concept of using this two-state system to perform logical operations is known as valleytronics. Achieving a population imbalance between the K and K' valleys is a critical first step for any valleytronic device. A valley polarization can be induced in biased bilayer graphene using circularly-polarized light. Right-hand circularly-polarized light couples strongly to the K valley, while light of the opposite helicity couples strongly to K'. In this thesis, we present a detailed theoretical study of valley polarization in biased bilayer graphene. We show that a nearly perfect valley polarization can be achieved with the proper choices of external bias and centre frequency of the exciting pulse. We find that the optimal operating frequency \omega is given by \hbar\omega=2a, where 2a is the potential energy difference between the graphene layers (the external bias). We also find that the valley polarization originates not from the Dirac points themselves, but rather from a ring of states surrounding each. Our calculations indicate that intervalley scattering and thermal effects complicate the simple picture that the valley polarization is maximized for \hbar\omega=2a. Intervalley scattering via optical phonons greatly reduces the valley polarization for high-frequency pulses, while thermal populations significantly reduce the valley polarization for small external biases. A valley-polarized system exhibits an anomalous Hall effect whose sign depends on the valley index. When operating under optimal conditions, we find that the induced Hall conductivity can be comparable in magnitude to the longitudinal conductivity. In addition, we find that the Hall conductivity is largely insensitive to thermal effects, suggesting that experiments could be performed at room temperature without a significant reduction in signal. This work provides insight into the origin of valley polarization in bilayer graphene and will aid experimentalists seeking to study valley polarization in the lab.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Male advertisement calling tactics in northern and southern populations of spring peepers (pseudacris crucifer)

contributor:
Lougheed, Stephen
Biology

subject:
anuran
acoustics
mating systems
ecology
amphibian
advertisement

abstract: The evolution of reproductive isolation is the foundation of species formation but identifying the factors that underlie this process can be challenging. Reproductive isolation can arise because of ecological divergence or direct selection on traits associated with the mating system; however, these drivers are not mutually exclusive, and one may influence the other. Often populations of a species that are geographically isolated also display divergence in behavioural characteristics, as is evident in my focal species, the spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer), a broadly distributed North American treefrog. Male spring peepers in the northern portion of the species’ range exclusively call from ground-level within breeding aggregations, whereas individuals in populations at the southern portion of the species’ range tend to perch arboreally when calling. I test whether mating call perch site selection in spring peepers might relate to seasonal changes in vegetation structure and thus influence acoustic transmission success. Results of playback transmission experiments conducted in Florida and Ontario suggest that southern populations might have higher acoustic transmission success when calling from arboreal perches while transmission of spring peeper mating calls in northern habitats appear more effective at ground-level over short distances or exhibit no differences between the two perch heights over longer distances. Although relative humidity, air temperature, and obstacles such as vegetation can affect acoustic transmission, my samples sizes and thus statistical power were insufficient to compare directly variation of transmission success between Florida and Ontario; however, I did document trends that implied differences between the two regions. My results suggest that behavioural differences in male calling between Florida and Ontario are caused, at least in part, by pressures to optimize acoustic transmission of mating calls in their respective habitats. If true, these divergent selective pressures might ultimately contribute to the evolution of reproductive isolation. Future research should focus on determining why acoustic transmission of mating calls differs between northern and southern environments, and whether differences in calling behaviour would affect mating success in these two regions.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Military Grade: Maurice Tugwell, the Centre for Conflict Studies and Counterinsurgency on the Canadian Campus.

contributor:
Lovelace, Robert
Cultural Studies

subject: counterinsurgency, military history, department of national defence, neoliberalism, securitization

abstract: Towards charting the epistemological expansion of Anglo-American securitization priorities in the service of neoliberal economic modelling, into Canada, this thesis examines the regimented and regulated expansion of the Canadian Department of National Defence’s Military and Strategic Studies Programme into Canadian academia. Specifically, via heretofore unanalyzed primary source data, this thesis concentrates on the creation, operation – and impact upon Canadian security policy – of the University of New Brunswick’s Centre for Conflict Studies and the career path of its initial director, former British military psychological expert Maurice Tugwell.

abstract: PhD


title: The Role of Codes of Conduct and Mentoring as Social Controls that Encourage Honesty

contributor:
Brodt, Susan
Murphy, Pamela R.
Business

subject:
Social Controls
Management Control System
Misreporting
Whistleblowing
Group Misreporting

abstract:
Organizations typically lose 5% of their annual revenues to fraud (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners [ACFE], 2020). Despite the extensive investment in anti-fraud controls, reported fraud statistics are not declining (ACFE, 2020, 2018). Management can complement the existing anti-fraud controls that prevent participation in fraud (e.g., segregation of duties) with social controls that support employees to resist temptations to commit fraud. Focusing on fraudulent financial reporting, the costliest fraud category (ACFE, 2020), I examine how social controls can support honesty among employees, first in solo reporting and then in recruitment into group misreporting context. Across three online experiments, I examine how autonomy support conveyed by the language of codes of conduct and relational support from mentors influence employee honesty in both contexts.

In a solo reporting context, I find that code autonomy support does not affect the reporting of individuals with high internal motivations to report honestly (i.e., high internals). However, individuals with low internal motivations (i.e., low internals) are less likely to report honestly when receiving codes with high (versus low) autonomy support. Additionally, individuals report more honestly when paired with mentors with high (versus low) relational support, particularly when they prefer to consult their mentors.

In a group reporting context, I find that high internals are more likely to report honestly (i.e., refuse to join others to misreport) when receiving codes with high (versus low) autonomy support. However, code autonomy support does not influence honest reporting by low internals. Further, I also find that individuals are more likely to informally disclose peer misconduct to mentors who offer high (versus low) relational support. However, mentor relational support does not influence proteges’ whistleblowing, regardless of the moral courage of the protégés (i.e., fortitude to uphold one’s ethical stance in the face of social or economic pressure; Sekerka et al., 2010).

Collectively, my results illuminate the potential role of social controls in supporting honest reporting in organizations, with implications for accounting literature, theory, and practice.

abstract: PhD


title: Measurements of a DC Gas Discharge

subject:
Gas discharge
Electron kinetics
Plasma physics
Langmuir probe

abstract: To investigate properties of gas discharges and to evaluate the design and implementation of a Langmuir probe diagnostic, an array of several probes was designed and inserted into an intermediate pressure direct-current (DC) gas discharge. In particular, this work was motivated by: studying electron kinetics in gas discharge plasmas and measurement of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF). First, measurements of the discharge were performed including obtaining current-voltage (IV) characteristics and determining breakdown voltages for several gases. Images of discharges were recorded using a digital camera, and emission spectra were obtained using a visible light spectrometer. Then, Langmuir probe measurements were then taken of the potential distribution in the cathode region and IV characteristics were obtained to determine plasma properties. Electron density and temperature were determined both by a graphical method and by calculation of the EEDF from the second derivative of the IV characteristic. Probe measurements were taken at a vacuum pressure of 1Torr and an electrode separation of 5cm. The results from a single experiment are reported for which the discharge voltage was set to 276V and discharge current to 0.238mA. The plasma properties obtained graphically and by the EEDF calculation were compared and their interpretation discussed. The results of the graphical analysis method indicated a plasma density of 9e14m-3 and an electron temperature of 5.4eV. The results of the EEDF method indicated a plasma density of 1.17e14m-3 and an electron temperature of 11.0eV. The results were compared to simulations performed using the open-source Boltzmann equation solver called BOLSIG. The main input parameters were: average reduced field of 170Td, and degree of ionization of 1e-8. The output from the program indicated a mean energy of 7.65eV, which falls between the values obtained graphically and by the EEDF calculation.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Unsettling Notions of “Islamic Art” and the “Other”: Representations of Islamic Cultures in Contemporary Art in North America and the Middle East

contributor:
Aziz, Sylvat
Xavier, M. Shobhana
Cultural Studies

subject:
Islamic
art
middle east
saudi arabia
contemporary art
islamic culture
culture
appropriation
orientalism
shirin neshat
cultural appropriation

abstract: Islamic art is a diverse field, but it is commonly miscategorized and undervalued as a result of Western bias in both historical and contemporary contexts. As a response to this limitation in the scholarly study of Islamic Art, the following study analyzes the impacts of the history of Orientalism on museum spaces and contemporary artists, the propensity for culturally appropriating and self-appropriating trends among insider/outsider Islamicate artists, and the ways in which artists utilize and challenge Orientalist ideologies, and it further explores artistic responsibility in relation to cultural representation. This study unsettles the legacies of imperialism and Islamophobia that have propagated one-dimensional readings of Islamic art(s). It challenges inapplicable distinctions of “secular” and “religious,” probing the field’s 1,400-year history and exploring historical Islamic art and architecture, focusing on overlapping religious and cultural aspects and the incorporation of traditions from pre-Islamic, Indigenous, prior, and neighbouring cultures. Utilizing Edward Said’s Orientalism, it discusses Orientalist tropes represented in 19th and 20th century Orientalist paintings and explores how those ideologies have evolved into Islamophobic representations in modern Western popular culture and news media. Then, the overview of museum spaces and the imperialist legacies that underpin them connects the role of the museum space as gatekeeper to the art world with the motivation for artists to culturally appropriate or self-appropriate Islamic cultures to gain access to the art world. Through archival data analysis and fieldwork, the study compares case studies of artists Sandow Birk, M.C. Escher, Abdulnasser Gharem, Shirin Neshat, Jamelie Hassan, Sarah Al Abdali, Colleen Wolstenholme, Ajlan Gharem, Moath Alofi, and Nasser Al Salem. Ultimately, then I argue, cultural appropriation and self-appropriation of Islamic cultures are used by Islamic- context artists and non-Islamic context artists alike. Moreover, artists do capitalize on Orientalist expressions, but they also utilize opportunities to challenge these Western-biased representations and develop innovative ways to represent Islamic cultures. Throughout this study, I also draw on my own experiences as a female, Saudi, Muslim artist, and as such, this study is also a decolonial project. These conclusions lay the groundwork for future research on decolonization, issues of cultural appropriation in art, and further definition and interpretation of Islamic art as a valuable, influential field in its own right.

abstract: PhD


title: Compositional Associations of Time Spent in Sleep, Screen Time, and Physical Activity with Polysubstance Use in Adolescents

contributor:
Janssen, Ian
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
adolescent
substance use
physical activity
sedentary behavior
sleep

abstract:
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the movement behavior composition (time spent in sleep, screen time, and physical activity) and polysubstance use in adolescents.
Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 14,701 Canadian adolescents in grades 6-10. The independent variable was the composition of time spent in physical activity, screen time, and sleep. The dependent variable was high polysubstance, a composite measure reflecting the frequency of using cigarettes, alternative tobacco products, alcohol, cannabis, and illicit drugs. Compositional data analysis was used to investigate relationships between the movement behavior composition and its components with high polysubstance use. Compositional isotemporal substitutions estimated how relocating time from one movement behavior to another changed the risk of high polysubstance use.
Results: The movement behavior composition was significantly associated with high polysubstance use (p<0.001). In grades 6-8 students and grades 9-10 girls, relative time in sleep was negatively associated with high polysubstance use whereas relative time in screen time was positively associated with high polysubstance use (p<0.01). Time displacement estimates in grades 6-8 students and grades 9-10 girls showed that reallocating equal time from physical activity or screen time into sleep was associated with a lower risk of high polysubstance use.  In grades 9-10 boys, removing 60 minutes/day from physical activity and reallocating it into screen time or sleep was associated with an increased risk of high polysubstance use.
Conclusion: The movement behavior composition and movement behavior time displacements were associated with high polysubstance use.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Robustness to Approximations and Model Learning in MDPs and POMDPs

contributor:
Yuksel, Serdar
Mathematics and Statistics

subject: Stochastic Control

abstract:
This thesis develops a topological approach to robustness to incorrect-incomplete models in MDPs and POMDPs, and applications of this study to approximations, model learning and reinforcement learning.

In the first part of the thesis, we study continuity properties of multi-stage stochastic control problems with respect
to transition kernels, and applications of these results to the study of
robustness of optimal control policies  designed for incorrect models applied to a true system, and the convergence  (or lack of it) of the error due to mismatch as the incorrect model approaches the true one. We analyze the problem under the expected infinite horizon discounted cost setup for fully and partially observed models and under the expected infinite horizon average cost setup for fully observed models.
We show that continuity can be established under total variation convergence of the transition kernels under mild assumptions, and with further restrictions on the dynamics under weak and setwise convergence of the transition kernels. Using these continuity properties, we establish positive and negative convergence results on robustness. Compared to the existing literature, we obtain strictly refined robustness results that are applicable even when the incorrect models can be investigated under weak convergence and setwise convergence criteria (with respect to a true model). These entail implications on empirical learning in (data-driven) stochastic control since often system models are learned through empirical training data where typically the weak convergence criterion applies but stronger convergence criteria do not. We view approximation of MDPs with finite models as a particular instance of robustness and we establish how, in particular, continuous weak convergence applies under finite model quantization of weakly continuous kernels.

In the second part of the thesis, we focus on partially observed Markov decision processes (POMDPs). We first establish conditions on the weak Feller property of non-linear filter kernels for the study of POMDPs.  Establishing sufficient conditions for the weak Feller property for such processes is a significant problem, studied under various assumptions and setups in the literature. We provide a concise and unified proof for the weak Feller property of the non-linear filter process (i) first under weak continuity of the transition probability of controlled Markov chain and total variation continuity of its observation channel (a result due to Feinberg et. al. [\textit{Math. Oper. Res.} \textbf{41}(2) (2016) 656-681]), and then, (ii) under total variation continuity of the transition probability of controlled Markov chain.

Using the obtained regularity properties, we then study approximation techniques for POMDPs and application of these approximations to Q learning algorithms for partially observed models using only a finite memory of information variables. We rigorously establish near optimality of finite window feedback control policies in POMDPs under mild non-linear filter stability conditions and the assumption that the measurement and action sets are finite (and the state space is real vector valued). We also establish a rate of convergence result which relates the finite window memory size and the approximation error bound. This rate of convergence is exponential under geometric filter stability conditions. We apply these results to Q learning algorithms for POMDPs that use a finite window of history. We establish near optimality of policies that are learned using finite window history variables.

Finally, as a practically consequential application, we consider the Q learning problem for continuous state spaces and show near optimality of algorithms constructed by discretizing the state space where we view the problem as a partially observed model with a quantizer channel.

abstract: PhD


title: DEVELOPMENT OF NANOPLASMONIC PLATFORMS FOR PORTABLE SENSING APPLICATIONS

contributor:
Escobedo, Carlos
Ascanio Gasca, Gabriel
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Nanoplasmonics
Biosensing
Point-of-care platform
Surface plasmon resonance
Bacteria detection
Nanohole arrays
Crossed surface relief gratings

abstract:
In the last decade, the need for faster, real-time and highly sensitive methods to characterize biomolecular interactions has yielded tremendous progress in the development of label-free biosensor techniques. The rapid progress in nanofabrication techniques and material science has propelled the development of novel nanostructures. Specifically, (bio)sensing is a critical field that nanostructured materials have impacted in recent years. Metallic nanostructures, such as nanohole arrays (NHAs) and crossed surface relief gratings (CSRGs), can couple incident light with the free electrons on the metallic surface, promoting a photonic phenomenon called surface plasmon resonance (SPR). SPR offers label-free sensing with high-sensitivity and reproducibility, providing the technique with noteworthy popularity as a commercial biomolecular analysis technique. However, commercial SPR systems involve complex optical setups that increase the cost and the size of the devices, making them impractical for portable point-of-care (POC) applications. NHAs and CSRGs offer all the advantages of the SPR technique, but with the possibility of collinear optics that reduce cost and allow for miniaturization.
In this dissertation, novel plasmonic nanostructures such as nanohole arrays and cross surface relief gratings were designed, investigated and characterized to evaluate their sensing and biosensing potential. Theoretical and simulation approaches were performed to evaluate the plasmonic effects of the fabrication parameters, such as size, material, and periodicity. The fabricated nanostructures were experimentally characterized and implemented on the SPR-based POC platforms presented in this thesis. The platforms are built with collinear optical setups consisting of off-the-shelf electronics and optical components. The applications demonstrated in this work include: 1) the development of a portable POC platform for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs) using nanohole arrays and CSRGs — The platform allowed for the detection of pathogenic bacteria in clinically relevant concentrations in real-time analyte-analyte binding kinetic assays; 2) Variable pitch CSRGs evaluation for POC sensing applications; 3) Structural stability evaluation of flow-through NHAs; 4) A novel bioinspired template-stripped CSRGs (TS-CSRGs) demonstrated as a label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for biochemical sensing applications; 5) Study of diffusion kinetics of volatile organic compounds (VOC) on silicone-coated flow through NHAs for sensing applications. This dissertation demonstrates the potential of unique, miniaturized SPR-based POC platforms with high sensitivity and performance for several applications.

abstract: PhD


title: The Neighbourhood Physical Environment and the 24-Hour Movement Behaviour Composition Among Children

subject:
neighbourhood
children
24-hour movement behaviours
physical activity
sedentary behaviour
sleep

abstract:
INTRODUCTION: The combination of time spent in physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep within a day is known as the 24-hour movement behaviour composition. Recent research using compositional data analysis (CoDA), a branch of statistical analysis appropriate for compositional data, such as the 24-hour movement behaviour composition, has identified that the 24-hour movement behaviour composition is an important determinant of health. The potential for the physical features of a person’s neighbourhood environment to promote healthy movement behaviours has also been identified. However, research has not yet considered which neighbourhood environment features are associated with all components of the 24-hour movement behaviour composition. The objective of this thesis was to use CoDA to identify neighbourhood physical environment features that are associated with the 24-hour movement behaviour composition among children.
METHODS: 458 children aged 10-13 years from Kingston, ON, were studied. Neighbourhood physical environment features were measured in 1 km buffers from the participants’ homes using geographic information system (GIS) software and databases. Twenty-three neighbourhood environment characteristics were measured, and from these, six indices were created, including walkability, traffic safety, dedicated play and activity spaces, non-dedicated play and activity spaces, noise, and artificial light. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, light physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep duration were measured over seven days using accelerometers and sleep logs. CoDA was used to establish differences in the movement behaviours between groups defined by the neighbourhood physical environment features.
RESULTS: A total of 29 associations between neighbourhood environment features and movement behaviours were examined and only three exposures had statistically significant differences in movement behaviour compositions. All three significant associations were for non-dedicated play and activity spaces. These significant results included subtle differences, did not follow dose-response patterns, and were not always in the expected direction.
CONCLUSIONS: Neighbourhood physical environment features were not meaningful correlates of 24-hour movement behaviours.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Unbelonging and the Citizen-Other in Canada and France

contributor:
McKittrick, Katherine
Cultural Studies

subject:
Islamophobia
Citizenship
Radicalization-Industrial-Complex
Secularism
Canada
France
Belonging
Resistance
War on Terror
Laïcité

abstract:
Through a theorization of the production of the citizen-other, this dissertation investigates how "radicalization", "terrorism", and "laïcité" have been mobilized to erode citizenship rights of Muslims in two primary sites, Canada and France, and one secondary but related site, Quebec. Specifically, this research questions how the figure of the radicalized “homegrown terrorist” and the racialized surveillance that surrounds its epistemological construction is differently deployed by two different, but colonially connected nations to bolster normative (legal, governmental, media) articulations of citizenship. Reading across separate yet bounded colonial and contemporary archives, I point to specific moments when citizenship law was revisited, altered, and amended to account for the indigène, the immigrant, and the Muslim-other. Considering how gendered and racializing stereotypes construct the figure of the Muslim as dangerous foreign-other, I demonstrate how such cultural imaginaries are anchored in colonial and orientalist repertoires that continue to inform discourses of citizenship and belonging.

Setting the disciplinary norms of citizenship and belonging for tomorrow’s political subjects, schools and other educational systems constitute a fertile ground for the analysis of disciplinary and regulatory mechanisms to exclude those deemed to unbelong to the nation. I therefore analyze three “anti-radicalization” action-plans as case-studies, one in France through the Grande Mobilisation de l’École pour les Valeurs de la République, and two in Canada through Alberta’s Extreme Dialogue, and Quebec’s La Radicalisation au Quebec: Agir, Prévenir, Détecter et le Vivre Ensemble. These case-studies uncover how such programs are used to discipline Muslim youth and reflect particularized image of liberal values, rendering them docile and obedient national subjects. Following these insights, this dissertation argues for the need to critically reexamine how and in what ways each nation—Canada and France—navigates the tensions between Islam, citizenship, and belonging as direct outcome of their different, yet connected, histories.

abstract: PhD


contributor:
von Hlatky, Stéfanie
Political Studies

subject:
International Relations
NATO
Gender
Mixed Method
Deployment
Organizational Culture
Military
Canadian Armed Forces
Danish Armed Forces

abstract: While women’s representation in many western military forces is increasing, the composition of troop contributions to NATO-led operations is not following suit, despite policy commitments acknowledging the importance of diversity in operations.  Are Her Boots on the Ground? Women’s Deployment on NATO-led Operations questions why this may be the case. Determining what factors influence women’s military deployments and participation is essential to meet NATO’s international commitments, and member states’ ongoing commitments to gender equality. Using a mixed-method approach comprised of interview data with NATO elites and Canadian and Danish force generators, and a survey of military members from Canada and Denmark, I assess common explanations for barriers to women’s participation in masculine occupations. I argue that hidden resistances that comprise military organizational cultures hinder women’s deployment on NATO-led operations. These resistances are taken for granted and considered unchanging elements of military service, and include gendered assumptions held by force generators, the force generation process itself, and a hands-off approach to committing to more women on operations by NATO, Canada, and Denmark. In short: it is not simply that there are not enough women to deploy. The dynamics at play are much more complex. Ultimately, with a blind eye turned to these processes and assumptions, women will continue to be left behind on NATO-led operations.

abstract: PhD


title: Regulation of the intestinal smooth muscle cell phenotype by the antifibrotic drug nintedanib

contributor:
Blennerhassett, Michael
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
smooth muscle cells
inflammation
antifibrotic
hyperplasia
stricture
phenotype

abstract:
The phenotype of the intestinal smooth muscle cell (ISMC) is typically contractile and non- proliferative, but this can be modulated to allow for proliferation as a wound repair mechanism. While phenotypic modulation of ISMC is normal, chronic inflammation causes excessive proliferation of ISMC, which can contribute to the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Particularly, in Crohn’s disease (CD), as a consequence of ISMC hyperplasia and extracellular matrix (ECM) collagen deposition, intestinal strictures may arise, ultimately leading to obstruction. Since there are minimal effective treatment options for intestinal strictures, we explored the effects of a multimodal tyrosine kinase inhibitor, nintedanib (NIND), which was recently approved for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic and fatal lung condition resembling CD.
High-passage adult rat ISMC were used in vitro as a model system to study the growth and phenotypic changes that occur in the inflamed intestine. NIND successfully suppressed growth of ISMC but was ineffective against intestinal epithelial cells (IEC), showing selectivity towards cells of the mesenchymal origin. Interestingly, NIND showed protracted inhibition of growth, and pretreated cells grew at a slower rate after subculturing, suggesting heritable effects. Additionally, NIND induced collagen secretion in ISMC, showing that its multimodal capabilities can contribute to wound repair. Further, NIND treatment upregulated smooth muscle contractile marker expression in high-passage ISMC. Finally, and importantly, we showed that the proinflammatory cytokines, IL1β/TNFα, stimulate cytokine production in ISMC, causing a positive feedback loop, and this can be controlled with NIND treatment.
Overall, these findings provide evidence that NIND controls the phenotype of ISMC, and because these changes are heritable, the effects of NIND may be associated with epigenetic changes. The effect of NIND on ISMC elucidates its role as a therapy for intestinal strictures, through restoring contractility, and improving intestinal motility.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: New Stereoselective and Stereospecific Methods for the Preparation of Polysubstituted Olefins and Acyclic α-Ternary Ketones Using Cyanohydrins

contributor:
Evans, P. Andrew
Chemistry

subject:
Polysubstituted Olefins
α-Ternary Ketones
Cyanohydrins
Aryl Ketones
Tetrasubstituted Alkene
Trisubstituted Alkene

abstract: The cyanohydrin represents an important functional group in organic synthesis, which can be ascribed to its multidimensional role and the ability to be readily transformed into various functional groups via chemical and enzymatic reactions. In this context, the nitrile and hydroxyl groups within the cyanohydrin motif play pivotal roles in a variety of classical functional group reactions. Nevertheless, the most powerful feature of a cyanohydrin is its role as an umpolung reagent, namely, an acyl anion equivalent, to facilitate the stereoselective construction of carbon–carbon bonds through nucleophilic substitution and cross-coupling reactions. Consequently, the cyanohydrin carbanion provides excellent opportunities to prepare important intermediates and products in organic synthesis. The following thesis is divided into four chapters that delineate the developments of cyanohydrin pronucleophiles, including a comprehensive literature review of cyanohydrins as acyl anion equivalents, followed by three research chapters that detail the development, mechanistic aspects, and scope of the alkenyl and aryl cyanohydrins in alkylation and arylation reactions. Chapter 1 commences with a brief introduction of cyanohydrin’s importance in chemistry and biology, followed by discussing alkylation reactions with several electrophiles. The alkylation reaction of cyanohydrin carbanions is outlined from the seminal reports to the more modern approaches, for example, stereospecific alkylation reactions. The review is divided into two major subsections, namely, the reactions of O-carbon and O-silicon protected cyanohydrins, which describe the most significant achievements in each area. iii Chapter 2 highlights the development of a novel dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) and kinetic resolution (KR) of tetrasubstituted alkenyl cyanohydrins derived from α,β-unsaturated aldehydes for the construction of stereodefined tetrasubstituted alkenes. This chapter summarizes E→Z and Z→E isomerization methods for di-, and trisubstituted alkenes that employ thermal and photochemical reaction conditions to prepare stereodefined alkenes. In this regard, the limitations with these methods set the stage for developing an alternative approach to stereodefined polysubstituted alkenes. To this end, the chapter describes the development of novel DKR and KR protocols to enable the construction of acyclic E- and Z-tetrasubstituted alkenyl cyanohydrins. The DKR reaction is also extended to trisubstituted alkenyl cyanohydrins to prepare stereodefined E-trisubstituted alkenes. Chapter 3 illustrates the development of a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl cyanohydrins, which are deployed as an acyl anion equivalent with aryl bromides for the practical construction of biaryl ketones. This chapter begins with a brief introduction on acyl anion equivalents (e.g., N-tert-butylhydrazone, dithiane, etc.) in related metal-catalyzed cross-coupling arylation reactions followed by the development of a catalytic cross-coupling variant with the cyanohydrin. Notably, we demonstrate that several aryl and alkenyl ketones can be readily prepared utilizing this cross-coupling process. Chapter 4 demonstrates the stereospecific alkylation of acyl anion equivalents for constructing enantiomerically enriched acyclic α-ternary ketones. This chapter provides a brief introduction to the asymmetric synthesis of α-ternary ketones, which are versatile and ubiquitous intermediates. To circumvent the drawbacks with the previous approaches, a stereospecific reaction with readily available chiral nonracemic secondary tosylates that avoids using an exogenous catalyst was iv devised. Importantly, we demonstrate that a mixture of (E/Z)-di-, and trisubstituted alkenyl cyanohydrins deliver the corresponding stereodefined and enantiomerically enriched acyclic α-ternary ketones. Hence, this process constitutes the combination of a novel DKR with a stereospecific alkylation. In summary, the thesis defines three novel methods for applying cyanohydrins to address challenging knowledge gaps in the chemical literature. It is expected that these observations are likely to inspire other groups to develop and broaden the scope of these processes to prepare a multitude of new and important molecules.

abstract: PhD


title: Investigating the Role of Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor in Cellular Antiviral Responses

contributor:
Basta, Sameh
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject: immunity macrophage antiviral virus cytokine

abstract:
Granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a secreted glycoprotein with many well-defined immune-modulating roles; GM-CSF recruits and promotes myeloid cell maturation and acts as a hematopoietic growth factor and proinflammatory cytokine. Amongst these functions is the ability of GM-CSF to stimulate an activated inflammatory macrophage (Mφ) phenotype, termed an M1-like Mφ. Mφ are innate immune sentinels that can adjust their phenotype according to the cytokines present in their microenvironment. The classically activated M1 Mφ, typically associated with the Th1 cytokine IFN-γ, is one of many phenotypes that Mφ can acquire, with a well-characterized role in antiviral immunity. As GM-CSF has multiple immune enhancing functions, its distant and indirect role in promoting antiviral immunity has been highlighted in the literature. However, little is known about the response of GM-CSF polarized Mφ to viral infections and whether or not GM-CSF can play a role in directly stimulating antiviral responses.
To this end, we first characterized the murine Mφ cell line BMA as a model for in vitro M1-like polarization with GM-CSF (GM-Mφ). Next, we used our GM-Mφ model to investigate how Mφ activated by GM-CSF respond to virus infection. We report that GM-CSF treatment of Mφ promotes an antiviral response in these cells, whereby they show re¬sistance to viral entry, replication, and infectious progeny release compared to an untreated control Mφ (M0) phenotype. Finally, we investigated the expression of various antiviral factors that could be associated with the inhibition of viral infection/replication.
The results presented in this thesis highlight the need for a better understanding of the antiviral functions that GM-CSF may have and its potential use as an antiviral to target the innate arm of immunity against emerging virus infections.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Life Skills Training for Therapy Assistant Students: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Study

contributor:
Norman, Kathleen
Finlayson, Marcia
Rehabilitation and Health Leadership

subject:
college students
life skills training
life skills
therapist assistants
therapy assistants
occupational therapy assistant
daily living skills
independent living skills

abstract:
College students often struggle with basic life skills such as meal preparation and managing finances, which may lead to challenges with academic performance, stress management, practicum performance, and employability. Rehabilitation therapy assistant students face the same challenges as other college students that may impact performance when they are expected to work on life skills with clients. This research targets students in therapy assistant diploma programs to explore whether training in life skills can reduce the challenges these students face.
This research study included three phases: identifying therapy assistant students’ life skill needs, developing an approach to address needs, and evaluating the approach. In Phase 1, therapy assistant students, graduates, instructors, and preceptors participated in interviews and focus groups about life skills needs of therapy assistant students. Data were analyzed using applied thematic analysis. Identified themes related to life skill categories, life skill challenges, student success, impact of students’ life skills on clinical encounters, and life skills training needs. Challenges identified for the students included skills such as time management, stress management, managing money, and cooking.  Life skills training needs identified by participants included instrumental activities of daily living, non-technical skills (communication, professionalism, time management, problem-solving), and teaching skills.
In Phase 2, life skills training modules were developed based on the needs identified in Phase 1. Behaviour change theories, principles of digital and online learning related to health behaviors, and adult education principles guided module development. Modules on performance management, money management, and manual skills were developed and prepared for online delivery.
In Phase 3, modules were made available to 39 therapy assistant students at a college in Canada. Outcomes were measured using knowledge quizzes, the Occupational Self Assessment, and satisfaction surveys. Data were analyzed quantitatively (quizzes and assessments) and qualitatively (open comments on satisfaction surveys). Findings suggest that modules were received positively by participants and that their knowledge increased after completing the modules. No significant changes in students’ perceptions of their own occupational competence were detected. Further research is needed to explore the impact of life skills training on therapy assistant students’ self-efficacy and actual performance of important life skills.

abstract: D.Sc.


title: Tribunals, Trials, and Tribulations: The Impact of Administrative Law on Religious Freedom in the Supreme Court of Canada

contributor:
Hiebert, Janet
Political Studies

subject:
Administrative law
Supreme Court of Canada
Charter
Canadian Charter
Freedom of religion
religion
Canadian Constitution
section 2(a)
Constitutional law

abstract: Since the introduction of the Charter in 1982, the interactions between law and politics have become an increasingly important consideration in Canadian political science. The literature has focused primarily on how the Charter has expanded the Supreme Court’s authority to shape the development of legislation, as well as justifying the democratic legitimacy of judicial review of legislation. However, the Court’s relationship with our governing branches extends beyond the formation and review of legislation. In this dissertation, I address an aspect of the interaction between law and politics that has largely been ignored: the relationship between the Court and those administrative actors responsible for interpreting and applying policy. Over the past several decades, administrative law—which is the area of law responsible for structuring the relationship between the Court and administrative actors—has evolved dramatically. The evolution of the standards of review and the creation of the Doré framework have not only transformed how the Court responds to administrative actors but have also altered the relationship between administrative law and constitutional law – particularly when dealing with Charter complaints. That relationship is dynamic and raises significant questions for political scientists about who has the authority to interpret and apply the Charter, how the Court understands the role of legislative intent in judicial review, and the consequences of judicial deference for the protection of rights. Through an analysis of s. 2(a) (freedom of religion) cases under the Charter, this dissertation argues that administrative law has had a deep, and largely unrecognized, role in shaping how the Court interprets and applies the Charter. I suggest that the Court’s increasing deference to administrative actors has not only weakened rights protections in Canada but has also risked undermining constitutional law as the apex of our legal hierarchy and has diminished the Court’s self-declared role as “guardian of the Constitution.”

abstract: PhD


title: Growth variation and life history trade-offs of the invasive plant Lythrum salicaria

contributor:
Colautti, Robert
Eckert, Christopher
Biology

subject:
Phenology
Invasive species
Development
Rapid evolution
Life history trade-off

abstract: Trade-offs are useful for understanding patterns of variation among life history traits because they can explain why fitness cannot be maximized for all traits. Among these traits is flowering phenology, which is of ecological importance in Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife), an invasive plant in North America that has spread across a wide latitudinal range. Selection on flowering time is affected by differences in season length among environments, with early flowering strongly favoured in the north. However, due to a positive correlation between size at flowering and time to flower, late-flowering genotypes are favoured in the south. I test the hypothesis that developmental constraints produce the trade-off between size at flowering and time to flowering by quantifying developmental variation of L. salicaria with the aid of logistic growth models. In these models, I analyzed the growth of 2278 individuals from 221 maternal half-sibs families that I raised in a common garden at the Queen's University Biological Station. These families were collected from a total of 20 populations of L. salicaria across a 10° latitudinal gradient of eastern North America. I use nonlinear mixed-effects models to estimate the contribution of family and population effects to overall variation. I found strong positive correlations between two traits measured in the common garden, time to flower and size at flower, and two components of the growth function, asymptotic size and time to inflection. I characterized individual variation among these parameters using a principal components analysis, identifying three axes of variation. The primary axis, capturing 53% of total variation, was associated with asymptotic size and time to inflection. These findings demonstrate the importance of heterochrony, a mode of developmental variation with an implicit trade-off, in the evolution of invasive populations of L. salicaria. By linking the divergence of development among populations with the divergence of flowering time, my study deepens our knowledge of the mechanistic basis of this variation.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Paleoecology of microbial-rich Late Frasnian carbonate slope buildups, Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

subject: geology Devonian reef carbonate paleoecology microbial hyperspectral

abstract: The late Frasnian Nisku Formation in subsurface Western Canada hosts the last known episode of carbonate buildup in the Cynthia-Winterburn basin below the Frasnian-Famennian boundary. The Zeta Lake Member is composed of dozens of carbonate buildups around the basin, although many compose a NE-SW oriented structure informally known as the Pembina Pinnacle Reef Trend. Four paleoecological communities are present in these late Devonian reefal environs: coral-pelmetazoan-microbial, coral-stromatoporoid-bivalve, coral-stromatoporoid-microbial, and stromatoporoid-microbial. Paleoecological communities differ principally by function and substrate colonization. The majority of buildups accreted in two growth phases under similar oligophotic to mesophotic conditions but different hydrodynamic regimes. Phase I accumulated during transgression and highstand as a mud-mound core with a low diversity coral motif. Phase II accumulated during falling sea level as a reef. Framework facies are composed of i) sub-cm scale rugose colonies with polymuds that approximate a bank meadow, or ii) carbonate crusts with synsedimentary cement and microbial biolithites with relatively minor contribution from metazoans that mimic interior reef strata. Fine-grained sediment that infills boundstones is grouped into four mud microfacies.  Mud 1 and Mud 2 are reworked biogenic, resembling firmgrounds, with Mud 1 being microbial-enriched and low diversity while Mud 2 has highest skeletal diversity and terrigenous siliciclastics. Muds 3 and 4 are interpreted organic framework that could support stromatactis and create shelter cavities. Generally, Mud 3 has tubular calcimicrobes and is found in all coral-spongiostromate facies, whereas Mud 4 has dendritic calcimicrobes and increases within stromatoporoid facies relative to coral facies. These microfacies confirm a microbial-origin for fine-grained carbonate within late Frasnian buildups. Hyperspectral analysis in the short-wave infrared range is used to characterize four key buildup components: micrite, microbial carbonate (Renalcis), skeletal carbonate and pore-filling cement. Segmentation by threshold method reveals that the absorption feature strength of water and calcite are sufficient to distinguish target components. Renalcis has very high raw reflectance attributed to very fine crystal size and is readily distinguishable from other carbonate components. This study demonstrates the feasibility of short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy to isolate and potentially quantify microbial carbonate in compositionally similar ancient reef strata.

abstract: PhD


title: Exploring the measurement of quality participation over time in exercise for persons with physical disabilities

contributor:
Tomasone, Jennifer
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
physical disability
community-based exercise program
quality participation
dynamic structural equation modelling
confirmatory factor analysis
idiographic
meaning

abstract: Previous research into fostering full and effective participation for persons with disabilities has primarily focused on the quantity, or amount of involvement, in a given activity. However, this way of thinking about participation neglects the subjective experiences and satisfactions that a person derives from participating – referred to as quality of participation. A recent framework developed to conceptualize quality participation suggests quality experiences are comprised of six aspects: autonomy, belongingness, challenge, engagement, mastery and meaning. Quality participation is believed to vary depending on the individual, the context and over time; postulations that are supported by qualitative research. To facilitate quantitative inquiry, the Measure of Experiential Aspects of Participation (MeEAP) is a 12-item scale developed to assess the six aspects of quality participation. However, preliminary research suggests that measurement issues emerge when utilizing the scale in an exercise setting. Thus, this thesis sought to explore, over three sequential studies, the measurement of quality experiences in exercise for persons with physical disabilities. The first two studies utilized confirmatory factor analysis to assess the fit of the MeEAP when applied to persons with disabilities engaging in exercise; the first sample (N = 263) was national and cross-sectional, while the second was a smaller, longitudinal sample of members in a community-based exercise program (N = 18). In both samples, the aspect of meaning showed considerable statistical overlap with the other aspects, causing convergence issues. In the final study, 12-month intensive longitudinal data from a community-based exercise program were utilized to develop person-specific dynamic structural equation models (N = 8) to capture variability in quality experiences between people and over time. The model diagrams visually demonstrate key considerations of the quality participation framework. These findings extend our understandings of quality participation over time for persons with disabilities. Methodologically, the final study sheds lights on how emerging statistical modelling tools can help to quantitatively explore quality participation in a way that recognizes the idiosyncrasies of each individual’s lived experience.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Lone girls: Exploring the experiences of girls on boys' sports teams

contributor:
Martin, Luc
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Critical feminism
Positive youth development
Girls sport
Gender norms

abstract:
Existing literature informing our understanding of youth sport experiences has largely involved investigations of populations that are similar to each other (e.g., same age, sex). There are, however, instances in sport where individuals enter situations that counter traditional developmental pathways. An example of such a situation is a girl engaged in sport whereby the remainder of their teammates are boys—a phenomenon known as the ‘lone girl.’ Importantly, researchers have yet to explore the contextual considerations and subsequent developmental outcomes of the lone girl experience. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to engage with youth development literature to explore the experiences of lone girls in sport.
Through semi-structured interviews with former ‘lone girl’ athletes (n = 13) and the use of a dual-narrative analysis, four narrative typologies of the lone girl experience were identified: (1) From Insider to Outsider, (2) Boys’ or Bust, (3) High School Hang-up, and (4) No Road to the Show. Moreover, consultation with youth sport literature revealed implications with respect to the setting, activities, and social dynamics of a lone girl’s sport experience. Further, the application of a critical feminist lens highlighted societal constructions and expectations of gender that influenced participants’ sport involvement and outcomes—thus, providing a holistic understanding of the lone girl experience inclusive of important contextual elements. Finally, this thesis aims to advance knowledge within the positive youth development literature by offering theoretical suggestions, future research directions, and practical suggestions for key stakeholders (e.g., coaches, parents, organizations).

abstract: M.Sc.