title: The Governance of Waste in Iqaluit, Nunavut

contributor:
Hird, Myra J.
Environmental Studies

subject:
Arctic
Waste Management

abstract: Thesis (Master, Environmental Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-01 00:41:07.673

abstract:
Through ethnographic fieldwork and archival research, this thesis examines the historical and contemporary governing practices that inform waste management in Iqaluit, Nunavut.  I draw on governance theory to critically examine the diffuse network of power that influences waste management practices and outcomes, and that have contributed to the city’s waste issues. Like other communities in Canada’s Nunavut territory, Iqaluit lacks sophisticated technologies to manage waste and abandoned dump sites are littered throughout the city’s landscape. Across the territory, communities are concerned about their waste future.
This case study of waste governance is divided into three parts. In part one, waste is examined within the wider context of colonialism and contemporary neoliberal governance practices that have contributed to what scholars are referring to as the Anthropocene. It is argued that waste itself is part of a colonial context within which Inuit and other northerners continue to live. In part two, two of Iqaluit’s ‘trash animals’-- ravens and dogs--  are examined to highlight the role of nonhumans in waste governance. It is argued that waste materially reconfigures relationships between human and nonhuman animals, and that these relationships are bequeathed to future generations. In part three, I examine the 2014 Iqaluit ‘dumpcano’ controversy, which coincided with my field season in Iqaluit. The dump fire brought to the fore a history of contaminant exposure and federal government underfunding that was differently framed and responded to by community members and government officials; while government risk management practices privileged neoliberal epistemologies and governance, active participation by Iqaluit residents placed community understandings of health, wellbeing, and sovereignty at the forefront of the ‘dumpcano’ debate. Within the context of myriad social and environmental issues, increased community growth and development, and Inuit efforts to self-determine, I suggest that improvements to Iqaluit’s waste management infrastructure should integrate supports to Inuit culture and knowledge systems. Doing so involves replacing a technical configuration of waste with one of knowing, being, and relating to others and the environment; and would help meet community goals and definitions for sustainable community development.

abstract: This thesis should be restricted until publication of the manuscripts (Chapter 2 and 3) that have been accepted for publication in the edited collection Anthropocene Feminism (University of Minnesota Press) and the journal Environmental Humanities. This restriction should not last more than one year.

abstract: M.E.S.


title: Development and Validation of a Single-Camera Video Extensometer

contributor:
Ellis, Randy E.
Rainbow, Michael J.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

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:
Video Extensometer
Measurement

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-01 15:32:36.972

abstract:
Mechanical testing is used to estimate the properties of materials and constructs.  A video extensometer is a common measurement device in mechanical testing which uses a video camera to track fiducial markers on a specimen.  This work presents the development and validation of a custom video extensometer that was assembled from readily available components and can be used to track two dimensional motion for mechanical testing.

The video extensometer was used to track the motion of fiducials affixed to a linear XY translation stage, relative to static fiducials, to validate the accuracy in a static case.  The sensor error for tracking fiducials from targeted position to actual position was less than half a pixel.  A second validation assessed the accuracy in a low-speed mechanical testing case by tracking the motion of fiducials on the machine head of a Universal Testing Machine relative to static fiducials.  The sensor error of video measurements compared to Universal Testing Machine position data for tracking fiducials was less than a quarter pixel.

The video extensometer was then used as the measurement device in mechanical testing of distal radius fracture plates.  Fractured plastic distal radius models, repaired using either locking or non-locking screws, were tested through a simulated healing and rehabilitation period.  Changes with respect to failure criteria were measured using calipers and the video extensometer.  Similar trends were found between video and caliper measurements; the differences were largely due to angular changes in the constructs causing differences in the caliper measurements, as well as to uncertainties intrinsic to caliper measurements, such as repeatability of measurements and assumptions of verticality.  There was no clear advantage for either fixation method found in this study.

This work shows that a high accuracy video extensometer for planar motion tracking was easy to implement using commonly available materials and could have applications in a variety of fields.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Melatonin Patterns Among Female Hospital Employees On Day And Night Shifts: Assessment By Different Exposure Metrics

contributor:
Aronson, Kristan J.
Tranmer, Joan E.
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Melatonin
rhythm
cosinor
Light
Cancer
mesor
amplitude
Shiftwork
acrophase
DAG
Chronic disease
circadian

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-16 20:48:10.031

abstract:
Objective:
To assess the associations of different shift work exposure metrics with circadian melatonin mesor, amplitude and acrophase.

Methods:
In a cross-sectional study of 328 female hospital personnel working fixed-day or rotation schedules, shift work exposure metrics were determined through self-report. 6-sulfatoxymelatonin concentrations were analyzed by cosinor analysis.

Results:
Shift workers working at night had lower mesors and earlier acrophases than day workers. Shift workers working three or more consecutive nights had lower mesors and smaller amplitudes than those working less than three consecutive nights. After adjusting for confounders, acrophases were no longer different, while smaller amplitudes were apparent among shift workers compared to day workers. Shift length or duration of shift work were not associated with melatonin pattern.

Conclusion:
 Rotating patterns of shift work, specifically high intensity rotations, are associated with depressed melatonin rhythms, an indicator of circadian disruption.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Investigations into the Plasma Membrane Trafficking of Multidrug Resistance Protein 4 (ABCC4/MRP4)

contributor:
Cole, Susan P. C.
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

subject:
Multidrug Resistance Protein 4
Membrane Protein Trafficking

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-04 11:17:20.133

abstract: Multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4) is a member of subfamily C of the ATP-binding cassette superfamily of membrane transport proteins. In polarized cells, MRP4 localizes to the apical or basolateral plasma membrane depending on the tissue type. To gain insight into mechanisms regulating MRP4 plasma membrane trafficking, its interactions with the PDZ domain-containing CortBP1, a member of Shank2 family of adapter proteins, were investigated. Since CortBP1 is known to recruit proteins involved in endocytosis, it was hypothesized that CortBP1 plays a role in MRP4 internalization from the plasma membrane. Ectopic expression of CortBP1 led to decreased total MRP4 levels in HEK293T cells and cell surface biotinylation experiments and confocal microscopy showed that this decrease was at the plasma membrane. Pull-down experiments indicated that the interaction between CortBP1 and MRP4 requires the last four amino acids 1322ETAL of the transporter. They also suggested that MRP4 may exist in a complex with CortBP1 and endocytic proteins. In SH-SY5Y and BE(2)-C human neuroblastoma cells, RNAi-mediated knockdown of endogenous SHANK2 isoforms (including CORTBP1) resulted in increased total MRP4 levels. Confocal microscopy of SHANK2-depleted BE(2)-C cells suggested that this increase occurred at the plasma membrane. These observations demonstrate that the internalization of plasma membrane MRP4 is regulated by CortBP1, and possibly other SHANK2 family members. In addition to PDZ domain-containing adapter proteins, N-glycans can regulate the apical membrane localization of some proteins. Whether this is true for MRP4 is unknown. Based on in silico analyses and topological models of human MRP4, it was hypothesized that it is glycosylated at Asn746 and Asn754. Single substitutions of these Asn residues with Gln (N746Q, N754Q) increased the electrophoretic mobility of MRP4; double substitutions (N746/754Q) increased its mobility further such that it was comparable to wild-type MRP4 deglycosylated with PNGase F. Importantly, confocal microscopy indicated that the apical membrane localization of the single and double Asn mutants in polarized LLC-PK1 cells was comparable to wild-type MRP4. This suggests that N-glycans are not required for apical membrane localization of MRP4, at least in LLC-PK1 cells. Overall, the results of these studies provide novel insights into the membrane trafficking of MRP4.

abstract: Thesis contains data not yet published.

abstract: PhD


title: Fe and Mg isotopic compositions of clay minerals from the environs of the McArthur River uranium deposit, Saskatchewan, Canada

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

subject:
iron isotopes
uranium deposits
magnesium isotopes

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-10 22:13:03.815

abstract:
Iron and Mg isotopic composition of alteration minerals from the environs of the McArthur River uranium deposit Zone 4 in the Athabasca Basin are the main focus of this project. Iron isotopic signatures can be used to discriminate areas where significant redox reactions have occurred and thus, may provide indications of areas fertile for uranium mineralization. Therefore, this study investigates the premise that Fe isotopic values can be used to indicate how and where uranium ore deposition occurred. Fe has been known to play an important role as a reductant for U during the formation of U-deposits, acting as a reducing agent during their formation as follows:
U6+(aq) + 2Fe2+(aq) + 2H2O ↔ U4+O2(uraninite) + 2Fe3+(chlorite or hematite) + 4H+(aq)
Using Mg isotope ratios, this study also aims to ascertain whether δ26Mg values are useful in differentiating alteration minerals associated with diagenetic, hydrothermal, and retrograde alteration origins.
Mineral phases that control the isotopic composition for both Fe and Mg are illite (I1, I1bsmt), chlorite (C1, C1bsmt, C2 and C3), and illite-chlorite mixed-layer (ICML). There is a minor contribution from dravite (T1) on Mg isotopic values. Both the Mg and Fe isotopic compositions indicate that samples above the silicified zone (up to 300m) were affected by the primary dispersion of the mineralizing system. The initial δ56Fe and δ26Mg values at McArthur River deposit are constrained based on available literature. Fe is sourced from the basement rocks in the McArthur River area with δ56Fe values near 0‰, similar to most igneous and metamorphic rocks. Magnesium is mainly sourced from evaporated seawater, with background δ26Mg values ranging from -2 to -0.23‰, typical of evaporates and continental crust.
This study could become the stepping stone in exploration of unconformity related U deposits. The results obtained in this study support the role of Fe as a reductant for U in deposits in the Athabasca Basin. If δ56Fe values >0.5‰ are in fact reflecting hydrothermal alteration associated to the ore-stage alteration, then Fe isotopic signatures would prove useful vectors for mineralization.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Towards an Understanding of Ice and Hydrate Adsorption by an Antifreeze Protein from Lolium Perenne

contributor:
Walker, Virginia K.
Biology

subject:
Gas Hydrate
Green Inhibitor
Antifreeze Protein
Ice Affinity
Clathrate Hydrates

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-03 13:53:30.788

abstract: Lolium perenne (Lp), the perennial ryegrass, produces an antifreeze protein (AFP) when seasonal temperatures and levels of available sunlight drop in the autumn. This protein, along with other low-temperature induced stress proteins with distinct functions, allows the plant to survive sub-zero temperatures. LpAFP adsorbs to developing ice crystals, marginally lowering the freezing point of solutions but shows a more impressive capacity to prevent ice recrystallization. Its ability to inhibit ice recrystallization has resulted in interest in industrial applications of LpAFP, from its use as a frozen food additive and as a potential useful sequence for transgenic crop enhancement and even as a model to understand the inhibition of gas hydrates, which have a crystal structure distinct from ice. This thesis shows that the wild-type LpAFP sequence when placed in a suitable expression vector can be displayed on the bacterial membrane and increased the incorporation of the host bacterium into polycrystalline ice. Extensive in vitro mutagenesis has allowed the investigation of the relative importance of particular amino acids in LpAFP for adsorption to both ice and a model gas hydrate, tetrahydrofuran hydrate. Notably, certain steric mutations that disrupted ice affinity retained appreciable hydrate binding. These experiments have generated a greater understanding of LpAFP through the selective characterization of its recombinant mutants and wild-type states, and have prompted some suggestions and strategies to work towards the development of gas hydrate inhibitors modeled on this protein.

abstract: Chapter 2 contains data that has not yet been published. We hope to publish this data along with potential future experiments shortly.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Regulation of Emotion Systems: Assessing Acts of Down-Regulation of Negative Emotions

contributor:
Hollenstein, Tom
Psychology

subject:
Emotion Regulation
Emotion

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-09 18:57:21.167

abstract:
Research investigating emotion regulation (ER) has failed to accomplish three goals: (1) to develop a clear understanding of how ER relates to emotion theory; (2) to reach a consensus on which actions constitute ER; and (3) to assess patterns of ER behaviours rather than only one-to-one relations between specific regulatory behaviours and aspects of well-being. The current study aimed to address these gaps in the literature through the following objectives: (1) develop a self-report measure to simultaneously assess an individual’s propensity to use six regulatory acts identified by a new model of ER derived from emotion theory; (2) identify how regulatory acts cluster within individuals, and (3) identify the relation between ER groups and psychosocial outcome measures.
Using two independent samples, the first objective was achieved by creating the Regulation of Emotion Systems Survey (RESS), which was a reliable and valid measure of the six acts of regulation specified by the ER Acts Model. The second objective was achieved through Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), which determined that three distinct profiles of regulatory behaviour existed in the sample: Average ER Act Use (using the full range of ER acts), Suppression Propensity (using expressive suppression almost exclusively), and Engagement Propensity (using expressive engagement almost exclusively). Finally, the third objective was achieved through comparing psychosocial outcome measures for the three groups, which demonstrated significant differences between LPA group membership and well-being. The Average group had significantly lower levels of depression and  anxiety than the Suppression and Engagement groups; however, the Engagement and Suppression groups did not differ on depression and anxiety scores. Furthermore, the Suppression group showed significantly higher family and peer relationship quality than the Engagement group.
Based on these findings, one-to-one relationships between individual regulatory acts and well-being may not be ideal as it is the pattern of ER act use that has more meaningful relations with well-being.  Participants in either the Suppression or Engagement groups used these regulatory behaviours almost exclusively, thereby rendering problematic even ER acts traditionally thought of as beneficial.  Consequently, the ability to flexibly utilize a variety of ER acts may lead to more successful socio-emotional outcomes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Shift Work and Cortisol Production Among Female Hospital Employees

contributor:
Tranmer, Joan E.
Aronson, Kristan J.
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Cardiovascular Diseases
Female Hospital Employees
Shift Work Parameters
Cortisol
CVD
Shift Work

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-12 15:54:16.321

abstract:
Background: Shift work is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This thesis focuses on the potential disruption of cortisol production by shift work, a proposed underlying pathway to CVD.
Objectives: (1) To describe the diurnal quantity and pattern of cortisol production according to shift work status (exclusive-day, or rotating days and nights), and according to parameters of rotating shift work (timing, length, and intensity). (2) To determine how current shift work status and past shift work affects diurnal quantity and pattern of cortisol production. (3) To determine the effects of rotating shift work parameters on diurnal pattern and quantity of cortisol production.
Methods: 328 female hospital employees (160 day workers, 168 rotating shift workers) participated in a cross-sectional study consisting of: (1) an initial interview and anthropometric assessment, (2) completion of a questionnaire package to ascertain work characteristics, and (3) collection of urine over a 48-hour period to measure creatinine-adjusted cortisol. Cortisol profiles and unadjusted summary measures were used to describe the quantity and pattern of diurnal cortisol production by shift work status and parameters of rotating shift work exposure. The effect of shift work on diurnal cortisol was determined using multivariable linear regression modeling.
Results: Compared to day workers, rotating shift workers had flatter diurnal cortisol curves and produced less cortisol during their night shift cycle. However, during day shift cycles, there was no difference between shift workers and day workers in the quantity produced. Each additional year of shift work exposure was associated with an increase in diurnal cortisol production in day workers only. Conclusions: Night work is associated with acutely attenuated cortisol production, while a greater number of years of past shift work increased cortisol production. Thus, cortisol disruption may be a potential mechanism linking shift work to CVD development.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Conditioned Pain Modulation in the Human Brainstem and Cervical Spinal Cord Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

contributor:
Stroman, Patrick W.
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
CPM/DNIC
Human
Brainstem
Pain
fMRI
Spinal Cord

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-04 09:09:54.499

abstract: When one noxious stimulus is coupled with a second noxious stimulus applied to a remote region of the body relative to the first stimulus, the perception of pain is reduced.  This phenomenon is termed conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and it’s thought to engage descending inhibitory controls originating in the brainstem which modulate pain processing pathways, resulting in a decrease in pain. This thesis explores the CPM effect in humans, to further our understanding of pain modulation within the central nervous system (CNS).  Previous research reveals that CPM evokes pain inhibition in the majority of healthy pain-free individuals, while recent studies have shown that a significant proportion of healthy individuals also demonstrate pain facilitatory responses similar to those exhibited by individuals with chronic pain.  Currently, no imaging studies have exclusively explored subcortical changes in activity evoked by the CPM paradigm. Therefore, this thesis delves into uncovering the changes in the brainstem and spinal cord activity in response to the CPM paradigm by investigating the behavioral and neural responses of healthy females using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).  CPM was induced by delivering a heat test stimulus to the right thenar eminence and a cold conditioning stimulus to the left thenar eminence simultaneously, in 25 females aged 27.6 ± 7.82, while obtaining behavioral and imaging data. We found that the CPM paradigm evoked a significant reduction in perceived pain coupled with significantly greater blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) responses in the PAG, RVM, DRt and the DH of the spinal cord, compared to the control condition, where only the heat test stimulus was delivered.  Furthermore, the connectivity between these regions was greater during CPM than during the control condition.  Lastly, we found significant differences in the behavioral and neural responses between individuals demonstrating pain inhibition and those demonstrating pain facilitation in response to CPM.  Furthermore, connectivity findings suggest that different networks are engaged when experiencing an enhanced perception of pain compared to when the pain is reduced during CPM.  These findings enhance our current knowledge of the subcortical network involved in CPM, and provide novel insights into the neural correlates of pain modulation.

abstract: Publication of thesis is restricted to allow for publication of thesis results in journals accepting only original data not published elsewhere.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Effect of Eye-Movement Training on Gait and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Parkinson’s: A Pilot Study

contributor:
Wilson, Rosemary
Deluzio, Kevin J.
Nursing

subject:
Pilot Study
Parkinson's Disease

abstract: Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-09 19:13:46.267

abstract:
Medication and surgery, the traditional treatments for Parkinson’s disease, can have serious side effects for Parkinson’s patients. Nurses need low-risk and effective treatments for their patients. Some of the brain areas associated with bradykinesia, one of Parkinson’s diseases cardinal symptoms, can be trained using cognitive-training programs. The objective of this study was to test the effect of anti-saccade eye-movement training on bradykinesia and the ability to perform the activities of daily living in participants with Parkinson’s disease. Anti-sacccade eye-movement training asks participants to ignore a stimuli and look in the opposite direction, which trains their ability to exert control over their own movements.
A convenience sample of participants with Parkinson’s disease (N = 10) was recruited for this study. Over the span of 12 days, participants conducted a baseline data collection, which measured demographics; ability to complete activities of daily living (ADLs) and gait; used an eye-movement training program for 10 consecutive days; and then returned for a second data collection, which measured ADLs and gait.
The results of the study include detailed notes on barriers to adherance, such as understanding the program, using the tablet and finding time to train; changes that had to be made to scheduling; and difficulties with collecting motion-capture data from this population. The ADLs questionnaires had perfect scores pre- and post-intervention for all except one participant, and the change in gait speed was not significant.
Anti-saccade eye-movement training is a feasible intervention for this population given enough teaching and support. There was no significant change in walking speed or ADLs. The program requires modifications in order to increase the effect. This may include adaptive programming, improved feedback and more adaptive technologies. Also, using a more sensitive measure of ADLs may be beneficial and should be considered for future studies.

abstract: MNSc.


title: Aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities: the effect of frailty and health instability in home care users on admission to long-term care

contributor:
Ouellette-Kuntz, Hélène
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Home care
Frailty
Institutionalization
Developmental disabilities
Epidemiology
Aging
Health status
Intellectual disabilities

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-04 12:27:52.196

abstract:
BACKGROUND: An increasingly large proportion of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are frail. Measuring frailty is challenging, and generic measures of frailty inaccurately identify frailty in this population. In the general population, frailty reflects an increased risk of outcomes, including admission to long-term care. Institutionalization of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities may be a reflection of high levels of frailty.
OBJECTIVES: 1) To develop a frailty index for home care users with intellectual and developmental disabilities using Ontario standardized clinical assessment data, 2) to describe the prevalence of frailty among these adults, and 3) to determine the association between frailty and admission to long-term care.
METHODS:  A frailty index was developed using published criteria to select items from the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care. Assessments of 7,863 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Ontario (aged 18-99 years) provided the data. A comparison measure of health instability, the Changes in Health, End-stage disease, Signs and Symptoms scale, identified individuals as stable or unstable. Using a subset of this sample (n=3,034) retrospectively followed over four years, survival analyses determined differences in rates of admission to long-term care according to frailty and instability.
RESULTS: The frailty index combined 42 deficits from five domains of health (physiological, psychological, cognitive, social and service use). Almost half of the cohort was pre-frail (21%) or frail (27%). In the 4-year follow-up, 22% of the sample was admitted to long-term care. Adjusting for age, sex, rural status, caregiver status, living situation, and cognition level, at any given time, frail individuals were twice as likely to be admitted to long-term care compared to non-frail individuals.
CONCLUSIONS: The frailty index is developed from items currently incorporated into home care assessments, and can predict institutionalization in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Further research should evaluate the feasibility of implementing this measure.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Analysis of Idealized Numerical Simulations to Calibrate and Validate Boundary Layer Models

contributor:
Boegman, Leon
Piomelli, Ugo
Civil Engineering

subject:
Structure Function Method
Direct Numerical Simulations
Inertial Dissipation Method
Large Eddy Simulations
Boundary Layers

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-07 10:38:00.147

abstract:
The accuracy of the inertial dissipation method (IDM), commonly applied to estimate the observed rate of turbulent dissipation in bottom boundary layers (BBL), is evaluated by performing direct numerical simulations (DNS) and large eddy simulations (LES) of unidirectional turbulent channel flows. Errors in the IDM occur as the mean velocity is commonly used for the convection velocity and when the canonical Kolmogorov -5/3 constants, which assume isotropy and homogeneity of the flow, are applied. The optimal convection velocity, as previously shown by many researchers, is found to be 2 times greater than the local mean velocity near the bed and the Kolmogorov constants are significantly affected by anisotropy. Usage of the canonical Kolmogorov constants leads to significant errors (>50%) in computation of dissipation.
Using the same DNS and LES data, the accuracy of Kolmogorov 2/3 constants, used in the structure function method (SFM) to compute dissipation, is also investigated. As with the IDM, comparison of the dissipation, calculated directly from DNS/LES with that from the SFM, shows that usage of canonical constants results in considerable error (>50%) from the vertical or spanwise velocity components. Application of anisotropy-adjusted constants to data from the BBL of Lake Erie shows that these constants improve computed dissipation by a factor of two, with results within 20% of published dissipation obtained from the Batchelor fitting method.
 	DNS and LES of oscillating turbulent flows were also carried out to calibrate and evaluate common analytical models used in oscillatory BBLs in lakes and costal oceans. These include the log-law, Stokes second problem, the IDM, and a one-equation Spalart-Allmaras model. Velocity profile predictions from the Spalart-Allmaras model were found to be more accurate than those from the log-law and Stokes’ second problem. Comparison of the LES data and the turbulence models, with published field measurements, shows that the rate of dissipation from the IDM is more accurate than that obtained from the log-law, particularly when the flow reverses. The differences between the IDM and LES suggest that the errors in prediction of dissipation can be due to the anisotropy conditions in the BBL.

abstract: PhD


title: Mechanistic Analysis of the Organophosphonate-Degrading Enzymes PhnY and PhnZ

contributor:
Brown, Robert Stanley
Zechel, L. David
Chemistry

subject: Organophosphonates Oxygenase PhnZ

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-07 11:44:43.6

abstract: PhnY and PhnZ comprise a new microbial pathway for the degradation of the naturally occurring phosphonate 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid into glycine and inorganic phosphate.  PhnY is an α-ketoglutarate / Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenase that hydroxylates the α-carbon of 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid. PhnZ is a di-iron-dependent oxygenase that cleaves the C-P bond of the PhnY product, 2-amino-1R-hydroxyethylphosphonic acid, using a mechanism unlike that used by other C-P bond cleaving enzymes. Kinetic parameters for PhnY were determined with 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid. A series of substrate analogues were also tested for reactivity, but PhnY was strictly specific for its native substrate. Attempts to crystallize PhnY to provide insight into its mechanism were unsuccessful in spite of the development of improved procedures to obtain concentrated samples of PhnY suitable for crystallography. PhnZ and active site variants were assayed with the native substrate 2-amino-1R-hydroxyethylphosphonic acid and a series of analogues. A primary deuterium kinetic isotope effect of 1.36 ± 0.06 was measured for the PhnZ reaction, indicating that cleavage of the αC-H bond of the substrate is only partly rate limiting. PhnZ was observed to convert 2R-amino-1R-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid, 3-amino-1R-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid, and N-methyl-2-amino-1-hydroxyethylphosphonic acid to inorganic phosphate. New X-ray crystal structures of PhnZ complexed with 2R-amino-1R-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid, 3-amino-1R-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid, and 1R-hydroxyethylphosphonic acid provided further insight into its substrate specificity revealing that it can accommodate some additional bulk in the active site, however the amino group and its location on the substrate are crucial for activity. The structures of PhnZ also provided new insights into the importance of the flexible loop that closes the active site upon substrate binding, and the roles of two residues along this loop, Y24 and E27. Based on these results, a more complete mechanism for C-P bond cleavage by PhnZ is proposed.

abstract: Research performed by another group has been summarized in the introduction of this thesis.  This research is ground-breaking in the field and was therefore pertinent to this thesis, however the research in question has not yet been published, but it has been accepted to the highly prestigious journal Nature.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Six Essays Evaluating the Impact of  Universal Child Care on Developmental Outcomes in Quebec

contributor:
Lehrer, Steven F.
Economics

subject:
change-in-changes
child development
Universal child care
Quebec Family Policy

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Economics) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-08 09:21:14.102

abstract:
This thesis examines the impact of universal child care on child development outcomes.  Through the case of the Quebec Family Policy, one of the largest and most comprehensive child care policies enacted in North America, the six papers making up this thesis investigate the impact of universal child care on a variety of child outcomes, including cognitive, health, and behavioural, and demonstrate that the effects of this policy are complicated along a number of dimensions. Moving beyond average effects, this research instead considers heterogeneity to produce a more nuanced analysis of the effects of universal child care. This research contributes significantly to debates surrounding best practices in child care policies, and the ways in which child care fits into trends such as gender gaps in education and increasing rates of childhood obesity.

The first paper analyzes reporting of negative impacts of the Quebec Family Policy, confirming the notion that universal child care programs weaken individual and family outcomes but suggesting that substantial heterogeneity exists in response to child care attendance. The next paper examines these heterogeneous effects of universal child care through a consideration of differential impact according to child ability levels. Analysis reveals that formal child care can indeed boost developmental outcomes for some children, thus connecting a study of universal child care to the large literature on targeted programs. In the third paper aspects of the health outcomes of universal child care are examined, presenting both a complex image of the impact of child care on Body Mass Index and an initial investigation of the mechanisms driving these outcomes. The fourth paper demonstrates substantial heterogeneity across subgroups defined by child gender, and suggests that the availability of subsidized child care changed home environments disproportionately according to child gender. An analysis of heterogeneity in policy impacts by child age is the subject of the sixth paper, revealing that affects to young children drive the reported negative effects of the policy. Finally, in the sixth paper a triple difference identification strategy is used to consider the differential effects of exposure to policy access.

abstract: PhD


title: Integrative Analysis of Transcriptomic Data Applied to Prostate Cancer Metastasis

contributor:
Mousavi, Parvin
Computing

subject:
bioinformatics
gene expression
meta-analysis
prostate cancer

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-08 13:25:32.063

abstract:
Prostate cancer is the most common non-dermatological cancer amongst men in the developed world. The disease is manageable if detected early; treatment is thus becoming highly individualized, placing emphasis on detection and prediction of disease prognosis. This thesis is  concerned with the integrative analysis of gene expression data from prostate cancer, to reveal molecular signatures of metastases and the mechanisms of disease progression.

Meta-analytic procedures are used to integrate three datasets and compare primary tumors based on metastatic outcome. Four datasets are also integrated to compare primary and metastatic tumour tissue types. This statistical integration provides a more robust and accurate characterization of gene expression signatures, and helps minimize microarray noise and study-specific effects. Multiple methods of integration are explored. Once integrated, a subset of significantly differentiated transcripts is selected to form a tentative expression signature. A support vector machine was used to construct a predictive model of metastatic outcome based on the identified expression signature. Its performance was assessed using a nested cross-validation procedure and out-of-sample testing.

Data integration and network analysis have proved to be useful tools in providing context to the complex systems studied in system biology. This thesis makes use of a number of such techniques. Pathway enrichment analysis with DAVID and PathDIP were used to identify which biological pathways and related functions are most influenced by the signatures.  Pathways related to extracellular matrix were found to be significantly enriched in the metastatic outcome comparison. Integrating these lists using iCTnet and Cytoscape with heterogeneous disease-gene interaction networks revealed the relationships between the expression signatures and other cancers. Integrating the data with protein interaction datasets using the I2D database and Navigator network application allowed for the more robust comparison of various integration methodologies and expression signatures beyond just simple intersection. The results of the comparisons agree well with previous findings.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Contrasting Emotion Processing and Response Inhibition Deficits in ADHD and Bipolar Disorder

contributor:
Marin, Alina
Munoz, Douglas P.
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Eye Movements
Executive Function
Antisaccade
Social Cognition

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-08 17:18:53.324

abstract: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are prevalent in the population, highly comorbid, and have similar clinical features that complicate diagnoses despite rather distinct diagnostic criteria. Executive functioning deficits in ADHD are similar to those reported in BD but lack the specificity to distinguish between these groups. Emotion processing similarly affects both ADHD and BD and, by combining these processes on a single task, we may increase sensitivity to differences between these populations in a way that may better categorize each disorder. Therefore, we compared performance on a cognitively demanding, affective oculomotor task. Adults, aged 18-62, with ADHD (n=22), BD (n=20), and healthy Controls (n=21) performed an interleaved pro- and antisaccade task (look toward versus looking away from a visual target, respectively). Task irrelevant emotional faces (fear, happy, sad, neutral) were presented on a subset of trials either before or with the target. We observed a group by task interaction (F(2,58)=3.849,p=.027,ηp2=.117) where the ADHD group made more direction errors (looked in the wrong direction) than Controls in the antisaccade condition (p=.027). A three way interaction between image, task, and group (Fig.6; F(8, 58)=2.607,p=.013,ηp2=.082) revealed that presentation of negatively valenced, fear (p=.044) and sad (p=.053), and ambiguous, neutral (p=.003), emotional faces increased saccadic reaction time in BD. In summary, the antisaccade task in general differentiated ADHD from Controls and simultaneous emotion processing further impaired processing speed in BD only. These findings suggest that response inhibition-emotion processing interactions differ between BD and ADHD and reinforce that emotion processing deficits are fundamental in BD and may be attention-driven in ADHD. We propose that response inhibition is critical in both processing systems, but this inhibitory signal is selectively slowed down by concurrent emotion processing dysfunction in BD. We refer to a hypothetical framework integrating these systems and suggest potential loci of dysfunction, the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex, that may result in the emotional modulation of oculomotor behaviour we have observed here. The differences in how these processing systems interact in ADHD and BD may better characterize each disorder and suggests that refinement of an emotional antisaccade task may be clinically useful.

abstract: Certain journals are particularly strict with regard to publishing materials that may appear published elsewhere. I intended to submit my second chapter for publication and would rather avoid this issue.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Responsibility for Self: Agency and the Attitudes

contributor:
Kumar, Rahul
Philosophy

subject:
Action
Attitudes
Moral Responsibility
Resentment
Blame
Ethics
Punishment
Harry Frankfurt
Akrasia
Volitionism
Choice
Agency

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-08 20:41:10.951

abstract:
This thesis defends the claim that the core idea of moral responsibility is fixed by our best theory of agency. Such a theory concerns the proper conditions of attribution of an attitude or an action to an agent for the purposes of moral appraisal – or what I call the rational relations view. The first chapter attempts to outline and motivate the conception of agency that has as its core the idea that agents are responsible for the judgement-sensitive attitudes that can be appropriately attributed to them and that they can be morally responsible for those attitudes when their judgements have morally objectionable contents. In my second chapter I present and argue against what I take to be the strongest alternative to the rational relations view, the theory of moral responsibility that has been elaborated by Harry Frankfurt over a number of years. The third chapter addresses a concern that conceptions of responsibility that are too closely tied to theories of agency can either be too superficial in their assessment and evaluation of the agent or actually unfair in their determinations of responsibility. The fourth chapter extends this discussion of the unfairness charge by explicitly addressing the question of the value of moral responsibility. My final chapter concerns an issue that lies at the intersection of questions in the philosophy of agency and moral responsibility: how to make sense of and be open to criticism for our acts of irrationality. I take the example of akratic, or weak-willed action, where an agent acts contrary to her better judgement (or what she judges best in a situation) as a paradigm instance of irrationality. I argue that RR has adequate resources to make sense of this phenomenon.
At base, this thesis aspires to show that by elaborating an attractive picture of our agency we can at the same time shed light on what it means to be a responsible agent – one for whom it is intelligible and valuable to say we are morally responsible for our attitudes and actions.

abstract: PhD


title: Intermediate Inputs, Firm Heterogeneity and Gains From International Trade

contributor:
Lapham, Beverly J.
Keay, Ian
Economics

subject:
theoretical
empirical
macroeconomics
international trade

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Economics) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-10 13:17:40.204

abstract: This thesis studies the role of intermediate input goods in explaining international trade patterns and determining gains from trade based on heterogenous firms models. The first chapter provides a preview and literature review. In the second chapter, I extend two workhorse heterogenous firms trade models to incorporate intermediate inputs and value-added productivity differences across firms. This set-up yields a positive relationship between the international trade elasticity and the share of intermediate goods used in production. I test this relationship using trade and input-output data from the 1980s and 2000s, finding evidence which is consistent with the model's predictions. I then quantify the gains from trade based on this modified framework, finding values which are significantly higher than those from the standard models. In the third chapter, I extend a standard heterogeneous firms trade model by including sector-level productivity differences across production stages (intermediate and final). I then use input-output data from 2005 to explore the degree of cross-stage production specialization across countries. Based on the model and data, I find that the welfare gains from this margin are, on average, modest. For emerging economies, however, the gains are significantly higher than the average. In the fourth chapter, I explore the implications of the rising share of non-tradable services and rising share of intermediate inputs on the gains from trade based on a standard heterogeneous firms trade model. I use data from 1995 and 2011 to document and quantify these trends. Based on the model and data, I find that the negative impact of the rise of services and the positive impact of intermediate inputs growth roughly offset one another. I emphasize the role of intermediate inputs sectoral linkages in moderating these trends.

abstract: PhD


title: Wrapped in import: Kashmiri shawls in British paintings of the long nineteenth century

contributor:
Helland, Janice
Art History

subject:
Shawls
Paintings
Britain
William Holman Hunt
Francis Henry Newbery
Material Culture
Women's Fashion
Paisley
Nineteenth Century
Social Class
Social History
Victorian Era
Cultural History
India
Textiles
Clothing
Exoticism
Kashmir
Long Nineteenth Century
Fashion
Portraiture

abstract: Thesis (Master, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-09 10:54:33.486

abstract:
Woven shawls from the Kashmir region of the Indian subcontinent became a popular fashion in Europe during the latter half of the eighteenth century and throughout the nineteenth. European manufacturers soon picked up on this trend, producing textiles which imitated eastern designs but sold at competitively lower prices from the 1780s onwards. As a consequence of their fashionability, Kashmiri shawls and their imitations made frequent appearances within European paintings. To date, there has been an absence of art historical investigation into the visual representation of Kashmiri shawls and their imitations within nineteenth-century painting, though several scholars have examined their appearance within French and English literature. This paper seeks to fill a literary gap by investigating Kashmiri shawls and their imitations depicted in British paintings from 1850 to 1910, with several French paintings included to support the analysis. Paintings are an appropriate source for considering the materiality of the shawl as they are some of the only available visual evidence to how shawls were worn and consumed as textiles (and to who wore and consumed them).
Each of the three paintings selected for the three main chapters of this thesis serves as a case study. These are Hunt’s The Awakening Conscience (1853-1854) and The Children’s Holiday (1864-1865), and Francis Henry Newbery’s The Paisley Shawl (c. 1910). These examples have been selected for the visual centrality of the shawls within each painting, for their differing temporality (dated to the mid-1850s, mid-1860s, and c.1910, respectively) and settings (a London villa interior, English country park, and a Scottish cottage interior, respectively), and for the shawls’ dissimilar materiality and appearance. The women depicted are also of varying ages and social classes, representing diverse consumers of the shawls at separate moments of its history. Through a material culture-based analysis of the shawls, which combines close-reading of the depicted shawls as objects with consultation of ‘external’ historical sources, this thesis utilizes painted images as texts to interpret nuanced contemporary cultural and social information that was attached to the shawl during the long nineteenth century in Britain.

abstract: I intend to publish material from this thesis as an article, and, additionally, as a conference presentation in the near future.

abstract: M.A.


title: Distributed Object-Localization Using RFID Crowdsourcing

contributor:
Hassanein, Hossam S.
Computing

subject: RFID Localization

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-09 14:42:50.994

abstract:
Internet of Things (IoT) refers to an evolution of the current Internet in which a large number of “smart objects” sense their surroundings and communicate amongst themselves and to data analytic servers. IoT applications are rooted in our physical world to offer users more convenient context and location-aware services, for which a common requirement is the ability to locate objects. Two approaches are proposed to localize IoT objects based on Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology: localize mobile/stationary tagged objects through a set of coordinated readers that report to a central server and localize mobile reader based on connectivity information with a set of tags deployed at known locations. The former is based on a centralized and fixed infrastructure which provides limited scalability while the latter is not cost effective for IoT settings as a large number of objects have to be equipped with RFID readers. In a typical IoT environment, there are considerable RFID crowdsourcing resources in terms of a large number of tags attached to objects and a considerable group of ad hoc mobile readers which are possibly heterogeneous and un-coordinated and can be used for locating objects.
We investigate this promising direction and devise distributed localization schemes that leverage heterogeneous and independent mobile RFID readers along with RFID tags’ residual memories to cooperatively localize passive-tagged objects, while maintaining high scalability. In estimating object location, Multilateration is a commonly used technique that estimates object location based on the intersection of all plausible areas where the object is expected to exist. This technique requires at least three concurrent readings about an object to estimate its location which is a challenge under IoT settings. We address ways to overcome this challenge and provide better location accuracy in the absence of sufficient concurrent readings. We propose location information dissemination strategies that work on providing high location information availability with low overhead. We validate our schemes via extensive simulation and field experiments and show that our approach has the potential to provide localization service in typical IoT environments.

abstract: PhD


title: An Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Modulation of Pain Perception in the Human Brainstem and Cervical Spinal Cord Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

subject:
Functional MRI
Brainstem
Cognitive Modulation of Pain
Spinal Cord

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-10 12:02:19.67

abstract: Pain is a multifaceted and malleable sensory experience that is processed at all levels of the central nervous system. It can be influenced by cognitive factors such as attention, expectation, suggestion, and attitudes; the role of attention in cognitive modulation of pain is the focus for the work that is presented in this thesis. Behavioural studies showed that pain perception was reduced under cognitive loads that place a continuous demand on executive functions such as working memory. Neuroimaging, pharmacological, and electrophysiological studies provide evidence that the underpinnings of cognitive modulation of pain involve a network of descending modulation of pain among cortical and brainstem structures. However, the role and relationship of subcortical regions in the brainstem and spinal cord (SC) during cognitive modulation of pain is not well understood. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to confirm the behavioural effect of cognitive modulation of pain using a working memory task and to investigate the neural correlates of this modulatory mechanism in the brainstem and cervical SC using a combination of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Twelve female participants, ages 24-52, was given noxious thermal stimulation on the C6 dermatome while simultaneously performing three levels of the N-Back task. Our findings demonstrated a significant attenuation in pain perception across the group as a result of the task, along with high inter-subject variability in the degree of modulation. Functional MRI results exhibited neural responses in brainstem regions known to be involved in descending modulation of pain and the ipsilateral dorsal horn of the SC. SEM analysis revealed connectivity between the brainstem and SC at the group level and individual level that varied depending on the cognitive load and the degree of pain modulation, respectively. Altogether, the findings of this thesis demonstrate the behavioural effect of cognitive modulation on pain perception and give insight into the subcortical neural response to this process.

abstract: For publication purposes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: How Parents Influence Outdoor Active Play Among 7-12 Year Old Children

contributor:
Janssen, Ian
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
outdoors
child
health surveys
parental modeling
parental support
motor activity

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-10 12:39:05.795

abstract:
Physical inactivity is a public health problem and surveillance data indicate remarkably low levels of physical activity amongst children globally. In Canada, only 14% of children between the ages of 5-11 are meeting the guidelines for physical activity. Correspondingly, the time children spend outdoors has decreased in recent decades, which suggests that they engage in less outdoor active play. Outdoor active play refers to unstructured and self-directed physical activity which occurs during leisure time. Little is known about the determinants of outdoor active play, although it is likely that parents influence this behaviour.
The purpose of this thesis was to examine how parental encouragement for outdoor physical activity and parental role modeling for physical activity are associated with outdoor active play. An anonymous survey was completed by 514 parents of 7-12 year old children using FluidSurveysTM online survey software. The survey assessed outdoor active play frequency, parental encouragement for outdoor active play, and parental role modeling for physical activity. The survey also included items that assessed child and family demographics, other factors of parental influence (eg, independent mobility, facilitation, involvement), and neighbourhood factors such as perceptions of road safety and crime risk.
A key result of this thesis is that parental encouragement for outdoor play was strongly associated with outdoor active play. After adjusting for confounding variables, children who received the most parental encouragement engaged in outdoor active play nearly three times more often than children who received the lowest amount of encouragement (5-6 times per week or more vs. 1-2 times per week or less). Parental role modeling for physical activity was weakly associated with outdoor play after controlling for confounders as there was a 2.3 unit difference in outdoor active play frequency scores across parental modeling quintiles. A parental sex by role modeling interaction was found indicating that only mothers’ role modeling was positively associated with outdoor active play.
	These findings suggest ways that parents can promote their children’s outdoor active play, particularly by encouraging this behaviour. This work could inform future public health interventions aimed at increasing outdoor active play participation among 7-12 year old children.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Arithmetic and Intermediate Jacobians of Calabi-Yau threefolds

contributor:
Yui, Noriko
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Number theory
Modularity
Calabi-Yau varieties
Intermediate Jacobian
Arithmetic geometry

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-10 15:28:19.743

abstract:
This thesis is centered around particular Calabi-Yau threefolds. Borcea \cite{Borcea} and Voisin \cite{Voisin} construct Calabi-Yau threefolds using elliptic curves and K3 surfaces with non-symplectic involutions. This family has an incredible property, that a general member has a mirror pair within this family. We start by investigating if this construction works only for Calabi-Yau threefolds with non-symplectic involutions or with non-symplectic automorphisms of higher order as well. Thereafter, we generalize this construction to Calabi-Yau fourfolds.

After this, we focus on the underlying construction that lead Borcea to the families above, using a product of three elliptic curves with non-symplectic involutions. These threefolds do not come in families, so we cannot ask about mirror symmetry, but if we have models defined over $\Qbb$, we may ask arithmetic questions. Many arithmetic properties of the Calabi-Yau threefolds can be studied via the underlying elliptic curves. In particular, we are able to show (re-establish in the rigid case) that the Calabi-Yau threefolds are all modular by computing their $L$-functions. Then, guided by a conjecture of Yui, we investigate their (Griffiths) intermediate Jacobians and a relationship between their respective $L$-functions.

abstract: PhD


title: Genetic variation in vitamin D-related genes among European and East Asian women and risk of breast cancer and risk according to breast tumour subtypes

contributor:
Aronson, Kristan J.
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Breast cancer
Polymorphism
Genetic
Vitamin D

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-11 09:23:56.989

abstract: Vitamin D is hypothesized to decrease breast cancer risk by controlling cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and estrogen synthesis and signalling in breast tissue. Transport of circulating vitamin D to sites of action is facilitated by vitamin D binding protein, encoded by the GC gene, whereupon it binds to the vitamin D receptor, encoded by the VDR gene. Given that polymorphisms in the GC and VDR gene have not been consistently associated with breast cancer risk, our objectives were to assess the associations of vitamin D-related genes with overall, premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer risk; to determine these associations according to tumour receptor status; and, to assess associations between vitamin D receptor (VDR) haplotypes and breast cancer risk. A case-control study with 1,037 incident breast cancer cases and 1,050 age-frequency matched controls in Vancouver, British Columbia and Kingston, Ontario was conducted. Logistic regression in an additive genetic model was used to calculate age- and centre-adjusted odds ratios for associations between 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the GC and VDR gene and breast cancer risk. Polytomous regression was used to assess associations with breast tumour subtypes, and weighted logistic regression was conducted to calculate odds ratios for associations between VDR haplotypes and breast cancer risk. False discovery adjustments were made to address multiple testing. Among European women, two SNPs in the VDR gene, rs1544410 (OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.21 – 0.70) and rs7967152 (OR = 2.80, 95% CI: 1.62 – 4.85), were associated with risk of ER-/PR-/HER2+ breast tumour subtype, but not with other breast tumour subtypes. Although there were suggested associations with breast cancer risk for some SNPs and VDR haplotypes, there was no association after false discovery rate adjustment. In conclusion, breast tumour subtypes may be etiologically distinct disease states, with different risk factors and prognostic outcomes. Interactions between variations in vitamin D-related genes and breast tumour subtypes are biologically plausible given our current understanding of anti-carcinogenic properties of vitamin D elicited through the regulation of cell growth and reproductive hormone synthesis. Our findings provide additional insight into the etiologic differences among breast tumour subtypes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Detonation Hazard Classification Based On The Critical Orifice Plate Diameter For Detonation Propagation

contributor:
Ciccarelli, Gabriel
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
DDT
Detonation Propagation
Combustion

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-14 20:40:27.063

abstract: Accidental explosions in the chemical, oil & gas industry are a serious problem. The ultimate objective of this thesis is to establish a new parameter/process that can be used to categorize the relative detonation explosion hazard of a fuel that can be measured in a smaller, more practical apparatus. Experiments were carried out in an apparatus consisting of a 6.1 m long (composed of 2 equal length sections), 100 mm inner-diameter tube. A detonation was initiated in the first half of the tube using an acetylene-oxygen driver ignited by a weak spark. The second half of the tube contained orifice plates equally spaced at the tube diameter. Six different orifice plate diameters between 38.1 mm (1.5˝) and 76.2 mm (3˝), in increments of 6.4 mm (1/4˝) were used in the study. The average combustion front velocity was obtained from time-of-arrival measurements deduced from ionization probe signals. The critical (minimum) orifice plate diameter required for successful transmission of a detonation from a smooth tube was measured for different stoichiometric fuel-air mixtures. The ratio of the critical orifice plate diameter (d) and the mixture detonation cell size (λ) varies strongly with the orifice plate blockage ratio (BR), with a value approaching unity (d/λ→1) with decreasing blockage ratio. It is proposed that the critical orifice plate diameter could be used to categorize the detonation hazard potential of single or multi-component fuels. Additional experiments were performed in same apparatus to measure the Deflagration to Detonation Transition (DDT) and detonation propagation limits (distinguished by the method of initiation). Both the propagation and the DDT limits narrow with increasing BR, more significantly for the DDT limits. The narrowing of the limits with increasing BR also corresponds to a larger deviation from the d/λ=1 detonation limit criterion. These results indicate that the beneficial effects of the orifice plate in providing a reflection surface diminishes with increased BR due to the increased effect of shock wave weakening by the diffraction process. Novel use of soot foils showed that the structure of the detonation wave is very non-uniform and highly unsteady, characterized by local detonation initiation and failure.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The Effects of Fire Retardant Additives on the Properties of Flax Fiber Bio-Resin Composites at Room and Elevated Temperatures

contributor:
Cree, Duncan
Civil Engineering

subject:
Elevated Temperatures
Bio-Resin
Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites
Fire Retardant Additives
FRP

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-13 19:58:11.717

abstract:
Today, throughout the engineering world, there is a large emphasis being placed on the environment which requires the development of new greener materials. This is no different in the realm of composite materials with natural fibers and new bio-based resins being investigated to replace their synthetic alternatives. However, a large obstacle has prevented a more wide spread use of green Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer (NFRP) materials, and that is their poor elevated temperature (ET) and fire performance. One common method for increasing the fire performance of a material is the incorporation of fire retardant (FR) additives.
The purpose of this research was to investigate, and try to maximize, the ET properties of new NFRP composites. Specifically, this included evaluating the mechanical properties of NFRP composites at room temperature (RT) and ET, as well as assessing the effect of FR additives on these properties. A secondary goal of this research included comparing a synthetic epoxy resin, Biresin, with a bio-based epoxy resin, Super Sap.
This was accomplished using one type of natural fiber (flax), two resins (one synthetic, one bio-based) and three FR additives. In all, four different testing methods were employed. The first was Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis of all composite materials. The second type of testing evaluated the resin plus additive combinations without any fibers. The final two types of testing evaluated the mechanical properties of the fabricated NFRP at RT and ET.
Several important conclusions were reached with regards to this research. One of these noted the percentage loadings used in this research did not negatively affect the NFRP samples enough to be considered a major hindrance against their use in NFRP fabrication. It was also determined Super Sap composites could be used as an appropriate replacement for Biresin FRP composites in high temperature applications. Finally, two recommendations toward NFRP design, for RT and ET applications, are proposed. From this research, the gained knowledge will aid in the future design and construction of NFRP materials used in possible fire and ET situations.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The New Political Economy of Policing: an Exploration of the Militarization of Policing in the United States

contributor:
Wood, David Murakami
Sociology

subject: Militarization Policing

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-14 12:49:27.943

abstract: Public perceptions of policing in the United States have drastically shifted in the last decade as images of police brutality have dominated the media. This thesis asks whether or not the militarization of policing in the United States is a new phenomenon, or whether it represents the rebirth of traditional state modes of policing. Answering this question entails linking together various elements of urban militarism, urban policing, and geographical decentralization in order to understand the shift towards militarized policing. Using a “bricolage style methodology” consisting of a case study, complemented by thick description, documentary, and content analysis, an analysis of both the media and official government reports will provide the landscape through which the case study is to be analyzed. An historical overview of the police and policing in the United States provides a platform for comparing traditional and contemporary definitions of policing, police jurisdiction, and discourses of securitization, militarization, military urbanism, and risk. Additionally, an overview of America’s role in Vietnam contextualizes colonial influence and its role in shaping police-citizen relationships and encouraging militarization through “othering.” Using recent events in Ferguson, Missouri (death of Michael Brown in 2014) as the case study, there is a close reading of the March 2015 Justice Department Report to assess whether a series of transformations in United States policing have or have not occurred. In addition, an historical overview of the history of Ferguson and Missouri is presented. The results of the analysis challenge the original hypothesis. Although this thesis attributes current issues in American policing to militarization, it is argued that it is actually an emerging characteristic of the entrepreneurialism of policing in the United States that is increasingly responsible for the continuing conflict between police and citizen.

abstract: M.A.


contributor:
Martin, Patrick
Computing

subject:
Big Data
Analytic systems
Workflow Submitter
Apache YARN

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-14 18:00:28.306

abstract: In this era of BigData, designing a workflow to gain insights from the vast amount of data has become more complex. There are several different frameworks which individually process the batch and streaming data but coordinating the jobs between the engines in the workflow creates a performance penalty and other performance issues. Current workflow systems typically run only on one engine and do not offer the versatility required for today’s workflows. The process of submitting the jobs on different engines manually is not only time consuming, but also requires the expertise of working on these engines. In this thesis, we have overcome the above mentioned issues by proposing a MEWSE - Multi Engine Workflow Submission and Execution on Apache YARN. It should also have design with plug and play functionalities to allow the inclusion of new engines. MEWSE has been tested on Amazon EC2 with a sample workflow which requires the following engines, Hadoop, Mahout, java and some scripts to process the data.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Preparation of CO2-Switchable and Water-Redispersible Latexes Using Nitroxide-Mediated Surfactant-Free Emulsion Polymerization

contributor:
Cunningham, Michael F.
Chemical Engineering

subject: Emulsion NMP

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-15 06:42:23.629

abstract:
The main objective of this research project was synthesizing CO2-responsive latexes by nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP). Therefore, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA)  as a CO2-responsive monomer was chosen for the synthesis poly(DEAEMA) macroinitiator that can be used as a stabilizer for the preparation of poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, latexes.
     NMP of DEAEMA was performed in bulk with excellent control and livingness. The synthesized poly(DEAEMA) was then used in the protonated form as a macroalkoxyamine and stabilizer for the preparation of pH-responsive and CO2-switchable latexes with surfactant-free emulsion polymerization. The resultant latex particles were stable with small particle size and narrow size distribution. To simplify the process, PMMA latexes were prepared by one-pot two-step nitroxide-mediated surfactant-free emulsion polymerization. First, DEAEMA was polymerized for the first time in water and then at high conversions, MMA was added to the reaction media and amphiphilic diblock copolymers were formed, which converted to the latex particles when the hydrophobic block reached to the critical chain length based on polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) mechanism. However, the synthesized nanoparticles with poly(DEAEMA) shell and PMMA core were not redispersible after coagulation. It was figured out that the main reason for the irreversible coagulation of latex particles was the low glass transition temperature (Tg) of poly(DEAEMA) which causes the diffusion of the particles shell into each other. Also, it was demonstrated that DEAEMA is hydrolyzed very fast in the basic conditions and high temperatures suitable for NMP.
     To address these issues, dimethaminopropyl methacrylamide (DMAPMA) was used as another CO2-responsive monomer with higher Tg and also hydraulic stability in the synthesis of MMA and styrene latexes. In this case, the synthesized nanoparticles were redispersible by the stimulation of CO2.

abstract: PhD


title: Part Load Characterization of a Small-Bore Diesel Piloted Dual Fuel Compression Ignition Engine with Methane

subject:
Dual Fuel
Methane
Port Injection
Diesel
Diesel Pilot
I.C. Engine
Engine Testing
Compression Ignition

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-15 11:17:11.785

abstract:
A 0.8L, 3 cylinder turbocharged diesel engine was retrofitted for premixed and port injected dual
fuel operation. Diesel baseline testing was conducted and conventional diesel trends in efficiency and
emissions were found in relation to pilot start of injection (SOI) and load. However, at low loads the
combustion mode deviated from a conventional diffusion flame. The end of injection was found to occur
well before start of combustion (SOC), suggesting that combustion was closer to premixed charge
compression ignition (PCCI).
Dual fuel mode operation was carried out using two methods. First, the fuel proportions were
varied while maintaining 25% full load (FL). The brake fuel conversion efficiency (BCFE), unburned
hydrocarbons (UHC) and CO emissions suffered, while NOx emissions and peak pressure decreased with
increased methane substitution. Ignition delay increased with methane substitution. Port injected dual fuel
modes yielded improved BFCE, but similar UHC and CO emissions compared to premixed dual fuel.
Second, constant pilot tests with small pilot quantities resulted in decreased BFCE and increased
CO and UHC emissions compared to diesel-only. Increasing load resulted in improved BFCE relative to
diesel performance and decreased UHC and CO emissions. Constant pilot NOx emissions were lower
than diesel-only at low load, but far exceeded diesel levels above 50%FL. Increased pilot injection
quantity provided emissions and BFCE benefits compared to the minimum pilot quantity for low loads
only (below 50%). Advancing SOI increased peak cylinder pressure and temperature, and improved UHC
and CO emissions. Further advancement resulted in decreased BFCE due to very early heat release
(BTDC). Similarly at 50%FL SOI advance increased peak pressure and temperature. Much less
improvement in BFCE was found with SOI advancement, but UHC and CO emissions were reduced. At
very early SOI angles SOC and peak pressure was retarded and yielded a slow ignition event followed by
a single heat release event. Increasing the load and/or pilot quantity resulted in further advancement of
SOI timing compared to the smaller pilot quantity. All tests reported in this thesis were conducted at an
1800RPM nominal engine speed.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: The application of distributed optical sensing for monitoring support in underground excavations

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

subject:
Distributed optical sensing
underground
observational
Rock bolt
laboratory testing
strain
Monitoring
tunnelling
umbrella arch
Forepole
support
mining

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-26 13:12:41.699

abstract: An observational approach to excavation design and construction is commonly employed in order to assess excavation driven displacements which, in turn, affects the design of support systems used to maintain the stability within underground projects. A correct and accurate evaluation of the support system performance will therefore, be critical to both the safety and economics of the construction process. This necessitates a monitoring program capable of capturing the support system behaviour in order to verify assumptions made at the design stage and as the excavation advances. Conventionally, this has been approached from an external perspective where the behaviour of individual support elements has been inferred from the measurements of the excavation periphery (e.g. geodetic monitoring) and displacements surrounding the support (e.g. multi-point-borehole-extensometers). This is possibly due to the difficulties of operationally instrumenting ground support. However, this has ultimately lead to a gap in knowledge in terms of the distinct performance of each support element in isolation and as part of a multi-component support system. Within this context, a novel distributed optical strain sensing (DOS) technology has been implemented with rock bolt and forepole support elements. Unlike conventional, discrete strain measurement methods, the optical technology captures a distributed strain profile along the length of a standard, low-cost, single mode optical fiber (i.e. 1.25 millimeter spatial resolution). In this regard, this research has been devoted to developing a technique whereby the optical sensor is capable of being installed with rock bolt and forepole elements to be used as primary support in situ. The development of such an optical technique is a non-trivial undertaking. Furthermore, the DOS technology has never before been implemented within the geomechanics community and was therefore subjected to a comprehensive laboratory testing program, which considered: bending, axial loading, and shearing of optically instrumented support elements. Results of the testing program demonstrated the capability of the optical technique to capture expected loading mechanisms of the support elements throughout their serviceability life, agreeing well with numerical and theoretical predictions. Additionally, the optical technique was found to capture complexities of support behaviour at an unprecedented level, overcoming limitations of conventional monitoring.

abstract: A large portion of the thesis describes the development and manufacturing procedure for a novel optical instrumentation device for use within the civil, mining, and geological industry. The device described in this thesis will be further developed and patented in the near future.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Structural and Functional Studies of Regulatory Proteins in the Bacterial Exopolysaccharide Synthesis and Transport Pathways

contributor:
Jia, Zongchao
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
Regulatory Proteins
Lipopolysaccharide
Capsular Polysaccharide
Etk
LapB
Structural Biology

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-15 21:22:10.584

abstract:
Extracellular sugar polymers, or exopolysaccharides, play crucial roles in gram-negative bacteria that enable their survival and proliferation in hostile environments. As a result, the proteins involved in the synthesis, transport, and regulation of these sugars are potential targets for antibiotic development.
Escherichia coli tyrosine kinase (Etk) is an inner membrane protein that is part of the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) export complex. The autophosphorylation of Etk is considered to be the regulatory signal that controls CPS export, but the mechanism for transmitting this signal to the other members of the protein complex has yet to be elucidated. It is expected that the periplasmic domain of Etk is involved. The first portion of this thesis discusses progress towards determining an x-ray crystal structure for Etk’s periplasmic region. Significant advancement occurred when the unstable full-length Etk protein was truncated to include only the periplasmic domain and the two transmembrane helices. Attempts to improve the reproducibility and quality of crystals obtained provided the realization that detergent concentration was a crucial factor. This led to the development of an improved method for detergent concentration measurement in small-volume, membrane protein samples using a colorimetric reaction with 2,6-dimethylphenol. Other traditional chemical reactions that can be applied to detergent measurement were also tested.
Another important exopolysaccharide produced in E. coli is lipopolysaccharide. The second part of this thesis presents the first crystal structure of a newly identified, key regulator of lipopolysaccharide synthesis, lipopolysaccharide assembly protein B (LapB). Zn-SAD phasing with high-redundancy data was used to determine the experimental phases required for structure solution. Retrospective analysis of the same data revealed that this structure could also have been solved with lower redundancy data. The protein contains nine tetratricopeptide repeats and a rubredoxin metal binding domain that fold together in an unexpectedly intimate arrangement. Proper functioning of LapB, including the binding of the rubredoxin domain to the TPR helices appears crucial for optimum cell growth.

abstract: PhD


title: Alternative to Development?

contributor:
Epprecht, Marc
Global Development Studies

subject:
NGO
Non-governmental Organization
NGOs
Post-development

abstract: Thesis (Master, Global Development Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-16 09:59:17.703

abstract: Through an in-depth study of Canadian NGOs, my thesis explores the degree, if any, to which NGO discourse intersects with post-development theory. A growing body of post-development literature, Ferguson (1990), Matthews (2008), proposes that development goals should focus on making policy changes in the developed world while development projects themselves should be initiated at the grass-root level in the developing world. I will investigate if and how post-development theory parallels “development” practice of Canadian NGOs. To do so, I analyze five different NGOs through interviews and documents, such as published reports and studies released by the organizations in question.

abstract: M.A.


title: Female Perspectives on Breeding Phenology in Eastern Ontario Gray Treefrogs

contributor:
Lougheed, Stephen C.
Biology

subject:
Gray Treefrog
Phenology
Hyla Versicolor
Female Ecology
Reproduction

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-18 19:48:46.668

abstract: Studies of the forces that shape local adaptation contribute to our understanding of origins of range-wide variation, speciation, and potential responses to changing environments. Phenology is an important component of such local adaptation. Phenological research is central to studies of geographical range limits and species distributions, migration, speciation, response to climate change and ex situ conservation and re-introduction programs. Despite over 22,000 phenological studies published thus far, there is a lack of phenological information on reproductive patterns of temperate anurans, particularly for females. My thesis therefore focuses on gaining insights into temperate frog phenology primarily of females, and patterns of female choice. I focus on Hyla versicolor (Gray Treefrogs), an Eastern North American temperate frog. My data come from perimeter transect surveys done at two wetlands at the Queen’s University Biological Station over the entire 2014 breeding season. I compared male and female peak abundance using an N-mixture model. Both males and females peaked on Julian Day 154 (June 3rd 2014). Females arrived three days after males in my focal wetlands, and left three days before. Timing of arrival is most likely based on a combination of females responding to male advertisement calls, and both sexes responding to abiotic factors (e.g. temperature, precipitation) across the season. Additionally, I looked at trends in male size over the season and found a weak positive relationship between male size and Julian day. However, females showed no preference for larger males, implying that female choice may focus on other things like genetic quality. I did find evidence of positive assortative mating, perhaps because of biophysical limitations of small females carrying larger males during oviposition. A fuller knowledge of female phenology enhances our understanding of local adaptation, and potentially provides insights into speciation and responses to climate change.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing in the Arginase-1 Deficient Mouse Genome

contributor:
Funk, Colin D.
Biochemistry

subject:
Arginase-1 Deficiency
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Gene Editing
CRISPR/Cas9

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biochemistry) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-17 06:43:55.452

abstract:
Arginase-1 deficiency is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder of the urea cycle that normally converts ammonia to less toxic urea. Symptoms include neurodegeneration, spastic diplegia and mental retardation. We designed a Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 system to correct an induced Arg1 exon 7 and 8 deletion (Arg1∆) that produces arginase-1 deficiency in mice.
Three cell lines were generated to study this disease. The first was primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts isolated from Arg1∆-mice (Arg1∆-PMEF). The second was mouse induced-pluripotent stem cells converted from the aforementioned PMEFs (Arg1∆-miPSC). The third was human embryonic 293T kidney cells with introduced Arg1∆-transgenic DNA (Arg1∆-HEK). These three cell lines were transfected with a targeted Cas9:guide-RNA (gRNA) plasmid. PCR amplicons were subjected to a heteroduplex cleavage assay and sequenced to confirm Cas9 cleavage just upstream of the exon 7 and 8 deletion site.
DNA cleavage by Cas9:gRNA can promote homologous recombination with a single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide (ssODN) to produce small edits in the genome of miPSCs. This mimicked an editing strategy that could be used to correct single nucleotide mutations in Arg1. Homologous recombination was also used to introduce a targeting vector containing both wild-type exon 7 and 8 cDNA and a removable positive-negative selection cassette in miPSCs. PCR analysis and sequencing of “targeted” (positively selected) cells has shown the presence of the repair vector in the correct location in Arg1. Attempts were made to subsequently remove the selection cassette by PiggyBac transposase. The “repaired” (negatively selected) miPSCs were probed by PCR to test for the correct incorporation of exons 7 and 8, showing unclear results. These cells were converted to hepatocyte-like cells showing the correct morphology and staining positive for glycogen. Future tests will be conducted to introduce these hepatocyte-like cells into Arg1-deficient mice. These experiments will serve as a functional model to test gene editing in arginase-1 deficiency. Because the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be designed to target any gene precisely, it has far-reaching applications, particularly for genetic disorders.

abstract: My supervisor, Colin Funk, requested that this thesis be restricted. He would like to protect the information enclosed until these findings have been published.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: 'An Ancillary Weapon’: Cultural Diplomacy and Nation-building in Cold War Canada, 1945-1967

contributor:
McKay, Ian G.
History

subject:
Canada-Soviet Relations
Canada
Expo 67
Nation-Building
Cold War
Cultural Diplomacy
Performing Arts

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-20 15:02:46.022

abstract: This dissertation is a study of Canada’s cultural approaches toward the Communist world – particularly in the performing arts – and the ways in which the public and private sectors sought to develop Canada’s identity during the Cold War. The first chapter examines how the defection of Igor Gouzenko in 1945 framed the Canadian state’s approach to the security aspects of cultural exchanges with the Soviet Union. Chapters 2 to 4 analyse the socio-economic, political, and international context that shaped Canada's music, classical theatre, and ballet exchanges with communist countries. The final chapter explores Expo ’67’s World Festival of Arts and Entertainment as a significant moment in international and domestic cultural relations. I contend that although focused abroad, Canada’s cultural initiatives served a nation-building purpose at home. For practitioners of Canadian cultural diplomacy, domestic audiences were just as, if not more, important as foreign audiences.

abstract: For reasons related to the publication of my manuscript.

abstract: PhD


title: Examining Pakistani Identities in Non-Western Cinema in the Post 9/11 Landscape

contributor:
Naaman, Dorit
Cultural Studies

subject:
Pakistan
Terrorism
Mira Nair
media analysis
Occidentalism
Orientalism
Media Studies
Film and Media
Khuda Ke Liye
The Reluctant Fundamentalist

abstract: Thesis (Master, Cultural Studies) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-17 13:44:36.306

abstract: Pakistanis in Hollywood films and U.S. television shows have largely been depicted as a threat to the western world. Television shows such as Homeland and Numbers, and films like G.I Joe and Zero Dark Thirty, have depicted Pakistani characters as terrorists and as one-dimensional characters, lacking depth. Their screen portrayal has been particularly negative after 9/11/01. Given that most Pakistanis identify themselves as Muslims, Pakistanis in the U.S. have been automatically subjected to racial profiling and surveillance by the U.S. state apparatus following the September 11 attacks. As a Pakistani studying in North America, I decided to focus my MA research on exploring this fractured identity in the post 9/11/01 landscape. I chose to do this through films as they inform people’s interpretations of the world, of themselves, and of others. This thesis will review non-Western films, which I argue, offer a counter narrative to mainstream Hollywood’s treatment of Pakistanis. I will be examining two international co-productions, Khuda Ke Liye (2007; Pakistan and USA) and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012; USA, UK and Qatar). Both films depict the experience of the Pakistani “Other” in the U.S., immediately following the 9/11/01 attacks. This paper will review the ideological messages of both films, and analyze how the films portray their Pakistani protagonists. Through examining these non-Western films, I will show that such cinematic works can offer a global resistance, and a global solidarity, against the “us versus them” narrative prevailing in American entertainment. I thus investigate how these international co-productions viewed the 9/11 attacks while also considering the impact it generated on the lives of Pakistani Muslims living in the West.

abstract: I might decide to publish parts of this thesis in a journal and would like my research to remain hidden until such time.

abstract: M.A.


title: Evaluation of Heat Rejection Strategies for Liquid Desiccant Air-Conditioning Systems

contributor:
Harrison, Stephen J.
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
HVAC
Heat Rejection
Liquid Desiccant Air Conditioning

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-17 16:06:15.938

abstract:
The increased demand for space cooling and the resulting summer peak in electrical demands are motivating research into thermally-driven air-conditioning systems that can use renewable or waste heat. One promising technology is the use of a Liquid Desiccant Air-Conditioning (LDAC).
An evaporative cooling tower (ECT) was used as a cooling device to reject the heat from a LDAC at Queen’s University. Investigation of the ECT showed significant power consumption and ineffective operation in humid conditions which contributed to the low electrical and thermal coefficients of performance (COPE and COPT). Therefore, the present study was undertaken to identify and evaluate alternative heat rejection strategies that can provide a better thermal and electrical system performance.
The relationship between the relative humidity and the ambient air temperature at a variety of cooling water temperatures was modelled using TRNSYS, a transient simulation program, as the first stage of the study. To find the most promising heat rejection technologies, available cooling methods were reviewed and two were selected (based on the results of the first phase of the study), namely, (i) a cooling water storage (CWS) system and (ii)  a ground-source heat exchanger (GSHX) system. These were simulated and evaluated in detail. Finally, an experimental investigation of a stratified cooling water storage tank (SCWS) and night cooling water storage (NCWS) was undertaken to confirm the results of an additional simulation on the use of a stratified cooling tank.
From the simulation results and the overall comparison of the selected heat rejection strategies of the LDAC, it was concluded that GSHX system with 25 boreholes showed better COPE than the CWS system whereas the COPT improvement of both systems was almost same. The improved performance of the GSHX however, is expensive as the capital cost for boreholes is higher than the other systems. When comparing the CWS system (with mixed tank) and the SCWS (with stratified tank) it was observed that the stratified tank had the better potential of improving the COPT, depending upon the water flow rate and initial tank temperature.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: "Stuff" and Substantial Change

contributor:
Laycock, Henry
Philosophy

subject: Ontology Metaphysics Change Objects Substance Stuff

abstract: Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-17 18:37:58.907

abstract: I consider whether coincident objects can be avoided, while preserving matter’s survival of substantial change and the everyday understanding of identity, by recognizing the ontological category of stuff. In Chapter 1, I explain the “statue problem”, which will serve as the guiding example of substantial change, establish the demands on an appropriate solution to it, and define the “stuff ontology”. In Chapter 2, I present Grandy, Burge, and Jubien’s solutions to the problem, which avoid coincidence by eliminating all objects, and argue that they are inferior to ones which – like Burke’s and McKay’s – include things in addition to stuff because of the latter’s ability to preserve the analogy between the constitution of things by stuff and the constitution of wholes by parts. In Chapter 3, I defend Burke and McKay’s views from objections, and demonstrate their superiority over the rival account of four-dimensional objects. In Chapter 4, however, I argue that, by imposing identity conditions on stuff, Burke and McKay reduce it to technical objects, thereby arguing in favour of coincidence between conventional and technical objects. The charge might be avoided by denying that technical “quantities” are genuine objects, but this response appears to attribute identity conditions, generally features of objects, to stuff. I conclude that the most promising avenue is to eschew the applicability of identity to stuff, and that Burke and McKay’s account must be supplemented by a means of distinguishing the sense of sameness applicable to stuff from its counterpart applicable to things in order to present a coherent alternative to coincident objects.

abstract: M.A.


title: Park It: Examining urban green spaces in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario

subject:
Parks Planning
Green Spaces
Toronto
Downtown
Parks Spaces
Built Environment

abstract: AS the built environment continues to undergo intensification in urban areas, there is a growing interest to integrate green spaces within the city fabric.


title: Examining Sexual Correlates of Neonatal Circumcision in Adult Men

contributor:
Pukall, Caroline F.
Psychology

subject:
Quantitative Sensory Testing
Psychophysiology
Human Sexuality
Sexual Functioning
Male Sexuality
Circumcision

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2015-09-18 00:15:45.183

abstract: Circumcision—the surgical removal of some/all of the male prepuce (foreskin)—is among the oldest and most common surgical procedures globally. Research on circumcision—and the recent North American policy endorsing it—focuses on health outcomes; sexual correlates of circumcision remain largely unexplored. A review of the circumcision literature was conducted (Chapter 2), and four studies investigated the sexual correlates of neonatal circumcision. Chapter 3 employed quantitative sensory testing (detection/pain thresholds using punctate/thermal stimuli) to examine penile sensitivity in healthy adult men (circumcised, intact). Findings indicate minimal differences across circumcision status. Chapter 4, which compared sexual functioning across circumcision status, found no significant differences between circumcised and intact men with respect to genital response (via laser Doppler imaging: LDI), subjective experiences of sexual arousal, or sexual/urological history variables. Chapter 5 explored men’s attitudes towards their circumcision status and the implications of these attitudes on body image and sexual functioning. A proportion of circumcised men who completed this online survey indicated high distress about their circumcision status. Furthermore, negative attitudes towards one’s circumcision status—as opposed to circumcised status per se—was related to worse body image and sexual functioning. Chapter 6 assessed the impact of a man’s circumcision status on their female and male sexual partners. In this online study, circumcision status did not impact partner’s sexual functioning, but gender differences emerged with respect to attitudes towards one’s partner’s circumcision status (women preferred circumcised partners, men preferred intact). Overall, however, women and men were satisfied with their partner’s circumcision status and did not wish for it to change. Taken together, this research program indicates that minimal physiological differences exist between circumcised and intact men (i.e., sensitivity, sexual response, the experience of sexual arousal). However, attitudes towards one’s circumcision status—as opposed to circumcision status alone—was an important aspect of men’s and their sexual partners’ sex lives. In particular, dissatisfaction with one’s circumcision status is associated with worse body image and sexual functioning in men. Here, we provide a multidimensional perspective of the sexual correlates of circumcision with implications for public policy and individual stakeholders (e.g., medical professionals, parents, men).

abstract: PhD