title: A Centrality Based Multi-Objective Disease-Gene Association Approach Using Genetic Algorithms

subject:
disease
gene
complex network
centrality
multi-objective

abstract:
The Disease Gene Association Problem (DGAP) is a bioinformatics problem in which genes are ranked with respect to how involved they are in the presentation of a particular disease. Previous approaches have shown the strength of both Monte Carlo and evolutionary computation (EC) based techniques. Typically these past approaches improve ranking measures, develop new gene relation definitions, or implement more complex EC systems.

This thesis presents a hybrid approach which implements a multi-objective genetic algorithm, where input consists of centrality measures based on various relational biological evidence types merged into a complex network. In an effort to explore the effectiveness of the technique compared to past work, multiple objective settings and different EC parameters are studied including the development of a new exchange methodology, safe dealer-based (SDB) crossover. Successful results with respect to breast cancer and Parkinson's disease compared to previous EC techniques and popular known databases are shown. In addition, the newly developed methodology is also successfully applied to Alzheimer’s, further demonstrating the flexibility of the technique.

Across all three cases studies the strongest results were produced by the shortest path-based measures stress and betweenness in a single objective parameter setting. When used in conjunction in a multi-objective environment, competitive results were also obtained but fell short of the single objective settings studied as part of this work. Lastly, while SDB crossover fell short of expectations on breast cancer and Parkinson's, it achieved the best results when applied to Alzheimer’s, illustrating the potential of the technique for future study.


title: Marx at 200 – Inquiries into the Measurement of Profitability and its Determinants: The US Economy, 1950-2016

subject:
value theory
rate of profit
capitalist production
crisis
fictitious capital

abstract: Since the 1950s, various Marxist political economists have confirmed the empirical actuality of the ‘law of the tendency of the rate of profit to fall’. While the present thesis contributes to the burgeoning body of empirical literature that has substantiated Marx’s law, it differs from many of them in the underlying theoretic-methodological specifications guiding how the data provided in the national accounts should be translated for purposes of empirical research. Informed by a theoretical, methodological and empirical survey of the relevant literature, the thesis engages in a value-theoretical re-specification of Marx’s fundamental value-ratios for purposes of ‘testing’ Marx’s most crucial historical forecasts in relation to the concrete post-war evolution of the global epicentre of “advanced” capitalism: the US economy. It suggests some innovative methods of measuring ‘systemically necessary unproductive labour’, the ‘composition of output’ and economic growth alongside Marx’s fundamental value-ratios: namely, the rate of surplus value, the organic composition of capital and the average rate of profit. It also proposes a unique normalizing procedure for distinguishing between components of financial profit resting on surplus-value production from ‘fictitious’ components deriving from relations of credit/debt. This ‘normalization procedure’ permits a more realistic assessment of the amount of actual surplus-value transferred to finance, and therewith a more accurate calculation of the average rate of profit for the social capital as a whole in the “era of fictitious capital.” In sum, the empirical results disclose a long-term tendency for a rising composition of capital to exert a downward pressure on the average rate of profit – a tendency that has been offset in the neoliberal era to some extent by a rising rate of surplus-value (exploitation) and by a proliferation of fictitious capital imputed in the national accounts. Accordingly, this study confirms the empirical actuality of Marx’s most crucial historical forecasts – most notably, his law of the tendency of the rate of profit to fall – while also revealing the systemic roots of the deepening malaise of the US economy and of world capitalism as a whole.


title: Upper Bounds for the Number of solutions for the Diophantine Equation $y^2=px(Ax^2-C), C \in {2, \pm 1, \pm 4}$

subject: Diophantine Equation

abstract:
A Diophantine equation is an equation of more than one variable where we are
looking for strictly integer solutions. The purpose of this paper is to give a new
upper bounds for the number of positive solutions for the Diophantine equation
$y^2 = px(Ax^2 − C), C \in {2, ±1, ±4}. Where p is an odd prime and A is an
integer greater than 1. The case where C = −2 is already complete, which
we go over in detail here. We look through examples of Diophantine equations
starting with linear Diophantine equations. We then look at Pell’s equation,
$x^2 − Dy^2 = C$ where D and C are natural numbers. We show the continued
fraction algorithm and how to use it to solve Pell’s equation. We will look at
proofs and lemmas surrounding particular cases of the Diophantine equation
$y^2 = px(Ax^2 − C)$. Then focus on finding the upper bounds of the equation.
Then we conclude by showing the new upper bounds of the Diophantine equation
$y^2 = px(Ax^2 − C), C \in {2, ±1, ±4}.


title: Central North Atlantic paleoceanography during the Late Early Pleistocene (spanning Marine Isotope Stage 21) based on a high-resolution dinoflagellate cyst record

subject:
Dinoflagellate
MIS 21
Palynology
MAT
Paleo-reconstruction

abstract:
A high-resolution dinoflagellate cyst record from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site
U1313, constrained by an ultra-high resolution δ
18O record from the same sample set, is
established to enhance our understanding of the paleoceanography and structure of Marine
Isotope Stage (MIS) 21 in the central North Atlantic. Changes in cyst abundance, composition
of cyst assemblages, and their diversity reflect major regional shifts in climate and ocean
circulation for this time interval (866–814 ka). The following paleoenvironmental indicators are
used: Operculodinium centrocarpum sensu Wall & Dale (North Atlantic Current),
Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus and Impagidinium pallidum (subpolar gyre), total
Impagidinium species (subtropical gyre), and protoperidiniacean cysts (biological
productivity). The integration of stable isotope and the generated dinoflagellate cyst data
shows MIS 21 to have been climatically unstable and interrupted between 830 and 840 ka by
two significant cool episodes. These are resolved using the relative abundance of cooler-water
species and by tracking the abundance of O. centrocarpum. During MIS 21, Site U1313 was
predominantly under the influence of the subtopical gyre until after 835 ka when the NAC was
re-established until the end of MIS 21. This study also extends the stratigraphic range of
Fibrocysta? fusiforma from its previously documented range top in the Lower Pleistocene at
2.3 Ma to ~812 ka in the present study. An unnamed Spiniferites species (Spiniferites sp. 1)
is confined to the latest phase of MIS 22. Two unidentified acritarchs (Acritarch spp. 1 and 2)
occur throughout MIS 21 and merit further investigation.


title: 50 Shades of Ambush Marketing:  Exploring the Effects of Ambush Marketing on Sport Employees

subject: Ambush Marketing, Sponsorship Servicing, National Sporting Event, Stress, Cohesion

abstract:
Academic research into ambushing has grown and developed as a subsection of sponsorship literature during this time, inspiring a number of important themes and areas of focus. To date, however, the effects of ambush marketing – and those counter-ambush efforts employed by event owners – on employees of the commercial rights holder have yet to be explored. This is a significant gap in the literature, given that employees are the individuals who must manage sponsorship deals, interact with sponsors, and enact counter-ambush efforts for their organizations.

As such, this study sought to explore the effects of ambush marketing on employees involved with hosting a professional, national-level, sport championship event, specifically examining the impact of ambush marketing on event host employee stress and group cohesion. Drawing on Doherty’s (1998) human resources conceptual framework and social identity theory (Tajfel, 1974), the present research explored ambush marketing’s effects on sport employees and group identification within the sponsorship department of the host organization. Specifically, within the lens of social identity the assumption was that the national sporting event would cause an emotional tie to the activity that impacts both entities of employee stress and group cohesion, therefore influencing employee behaviour.

Data collection was composed of two phases: participant observations and semi-structured interviews. These two methods were selected to enable the collection and analysis of data to gain the most insight, understanding, and creation of a holistic view of how and why ambush marketing affects employee stress and group cohesion. The participant pool included individuals involved in the delivery of the event from the host
organization, including Directors and Managers from the Sponsorship and Operations departments of the host organization.

Through exploring the impact of ambush marketing on employees, this study provides additional insight into the unique effects of ambush marketing on sponsorship relationships and its role as a stressor for the participants. Here, social identity provides a valuable lens to understand how external factors influence participants during the planning and delivery of a national sporting event. Based on the themes within the data triangulated from interviews and observations, theoretical and practical implications will be presented.


title: Public Communications and the Foreign Exchange Risk Around the Global Financial Crisis

subject:
Public communications
Macroeconomic news
Financial crisis
Exchange rates
High-frequency data

abstract: This study explores the effect of four public communication attributes and macroeconomic news surprises on the conditional mean, volatility, and the jump components of the euro-dollar, pound-dollar, and yen-dollar foreign exchange rates from November 1st, 2004 to February 28th, 2015. We extract key attributes from central bank senior official speeches and examine their impact on currencies. We show that price diffusion components respond differently to such attributes across economic states. In addition, volatility exhibits the highest response to the four attributes during the US crisis compared to return and jump components. We find that even though the central bank chairman position has significant impact in general on the price diffusion components, some chairmen have no effect. Yet, the name and personality of the central bank officials matter for the foreign exchange market. We also find that the market fluctuates significantly to speeches related to Economy, Monetary, Interest rate and Real Estate Market during the US crisis. Additionally, central banks play important roles in influencing the market. ECB has a significant effect on returns across all three currencies during the US crisis and plays an important role by affecting the volatility during all periods. Moreover, the central bank chairman can generate greater market reaction than the other positions as it consistently increases the volatility across our sample.


title: The Experience of International Students in Ontario Universities

contributor: Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education

subject:
international students
post-secondary
education
university
Ontario

abstract: This thesis uses qualitative research methods to examine the experiences of international students in universities across Ontario. The number of international students in Canada is significant, with over 494,525 foreign students in 2017 (Katem, 2018). However, little research has focused on experiences of international undergraduate students within Canada. My research goal was to allow international students to speak to their own experiences. As part of my research, I conducted interviews with six international students studying in Ontario universities, and coded the data to determine themes that emerged. Themes included reasons for attending university in Ontario, the cost of education, social connections within the province, and discrimination faced within their communities and university environments. Analysis of the recorded data was completed using grounded theory. This research shows areas in which Ontario universities are doing well in supporting their international students, while also providing improvement suggestions for other areas of support.


title: A Comparison of Modified Food Chaining and Simultaneous Presentation Plus Nonremoval of the Spoon to Treat Food Selectivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

subject: applied behavior analysis, simultaneous presentation, nonremoval of the spoon, escape extinction, feeding disorders

abstract: Feeding disorders can range from mild (e.g., food selectivity by taste or texture) to severe (e.g., total food refusal; Bachmeyer, 2009).  If left untreated, feeding disorders can result in serious health ramifications, including malnutrition, growth delays, and developmental delays (Kern & Marder, 1996).  Recent studies comparing commonly used occupational therapy (OT) treatments and empirically supported applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatments found that the ABA treatments were effective for all children while the OT treatments were ineffective for all children exposed to the OT treatment (Addison et al., 2012; Peterson, Piazza, & Volkert, 2016).  We used a multielement design to compare a modified version of a commonly used treatment, food chaining, and an empirically validated ABA treatment to treat the food selectivity of 2 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  For both children, consumption of the target foods only increased during the ABA-treatment condition.  We subsequently faded the size of the preferred food within the simultaneous-presentation arrangement, moved to a sequential-presentation arrangement, and then thinned the schedule of reinforcement.  We will discuss the results within the context of treatment implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research.


title: The Effects of Greek Yogurt and Exercise on Strength, Muscle Thickness and Body Composition in Untrained, University-Aged Males

subject:
Body Composition
Greek Yogurt
Resistance Training
Muscle Thickness
Strength

abstract: Previous research has shown the effectiveness of milk/whey protein plus exercise on increasing muscle size, optimizing body composition and increasing strength in adult males and females. Greek yogurt (GY) contains similar muscle-supporting nutrients as milk yet it is different in several ways including being a solid food, and it has yet to be investigated in this context. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the effects of GY consumption plus exercise (resistance and plyometric) training on strength, muscle thickness and body composition. Thirty untrained, university-aged (18-25 years) males were randomized to 2 groups (fat-free, plain GY; n= 15, or a Placebo Pudding [PP; isoenergetic carbohydrate-based pudding]; n= 15) and underwent a combined resistance/plyometric training program 3d/week for 12 weeks. They consumed either GY (20 g protein per serving) or PP (0 g protein per serving) daily (GY: 3x200 g on training days and 2x150 g on non-training days; spread throughout the day). After 12 weeks, both groups significantly increased strength, muscle thickness and fat-free mass from baseline (p<0.05). GY gained more strength (GY; 26.8%, PP; 15.1%) than PP in 3 of 4 exercises determined by 1-RM (p<0.05). GY gained more biceps brachii muscular thickness (GY; 16.4%, PP; 7.1%) than PP determined by ultrasound (p<0.05). GY also increased fat-free mass (GY; 3.9%, PP; 2.3%) and reduced % body fat (GY; -1.1%, PP; 0.1%) more than PP determined by air-displacement plethysmography (p<0.05). Thus, consumption of GY during a training program resulted in improved strength, muscle thickness and body composition over a carbohydrate-based placebo. Given the benefits of consuming GY and its distinctiveness from milk, GY may offer a plausible, post-exercise, nutrient-rich alternative for positive strength, muscle and body composition adaptations.


title: Toxocariasis in Honduras: Seroprevalence and Risk of Infection in Schoolchildren from a Coastal Community in Tela, Honduras

subject:
toxocara
toxocariasis
parasites
infections
seroprevalence
Honduras
zoonotic
infectious diseases

abstract:
Background: Human toxocariasis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease mainly caused by Toxocara
canis, a common intestinal parasite of domestic dogs. In Honduras, favorable conditions for T. canis are
widespread and dog infection is widely known. However, epidemiological data for animal and human
infection are severely lacking.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of anti-Toxocara antibodies in rural Honduran schoolchildren and
to identify socioeconomic and biological factors associated with seropositivity. A secondary objective of
comparing performance of the screening with the confirmatory test was also set.

Methods: Two cross-sectional studies conducted in 2015 and 2017 among schoolchildren living in rural
Honduras. Demographic and socio-epidemiological data were collected though individual interviews. A
blood sample was drawn to determine serum anti-Toxocara antibodies using a screening and a confirmatory test, TES-ELISA and Western blotting (WB), respectively. Eosinophilia was determined by complete haematological assay.

Results: Eighty-eight children completed the study. An overall prevalence of 90.9% was found by the TESELISA however, the confirmatory Western blot revealed a prevalence of 88.6% for anti-Toxocara
antibodies. TES-ELISA and WB showed an agreement of k = 0.87, an indicator of an almost perfect
agreement between the two diagnostic tools. Most WB-positive children were so for the lower molecular
protein bands, suggesting specificity for T. canis infection. Higher levels of eosinophilia were observed in
immunoreactive children and a statistically significant difference between the geometric means of
circulating eosinophils in seropositive versus seronegative children was found. None of the socioeconomic
factors analyzed were found statistically associated with antibody positivity.

Conclusions: The study confirms that T. canis transmission is present in Honduras and is affecting children
in the rural countryside. The high exposure as determined by high antibody titres and eosinophilia levels
among the studied children is a serious concern. Clinical examination of these children to assess their health status is warranted.


title: New Pyrazole-Based Ligands and Their Complexes for Application in Transfer Hydrogenation and Hydrosilylation

subject:
Ruthenium
Lithium
Zinc
Catalysis
Transfer hydrogenation

abstract:
A series of bidentate and tridentate ligands bearing pyrazolyl moiety in combination with phosphine, oxazoline, amine, and sulfide were synthesized. These ligands were applied for the synthesis of ruthenium complexes, that would be efficient in catalyzing transfer hydrogenation reaction in alcohol. From a number of obtained complexes, a mixture of two isomeric ruthenium complexes was found to be the most efficient in reduction of acetophenone and N-benzylideneaniline, as model substrates, with 2-propanol. These ruthenium complexes were successfully applied in transfer hydrogenation of nitriles, heterocyclic compounds, olefins, and alkynes. Activated esters were reduced under similar catalytic conditions when ethanol was used as a hydrogen source.
These isomeric ruthenium complexes were also applied in the synthesis of secondary amines via hydrogen borrowing methodology. A number of primary amines and anilines were combined with primary alcohols under the conditions, optimized for transfer hydrogenation of nitriles, resulting in corresponding secondary amines. Furthermore, ammonium formate was used as a nitrogen source for alcohol amination. Thus, secondary and tertiary amines were obtained from primary alcohols.
Another project was focused on transfer hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds with lithium isopropoxide. Addition of various ligands and small molecules was found to improve the reaction efficiency for aromatic substrates. Further studies revealed that lithium cation forms stable adduct with aromatic alcohols, while different additives help to break this interaction, thus resulting in significant improvement of the conversion to alcohols. Another strategy that was applied to improve the reaction yields was the addition of a cheap source of lithium cations, such as LiCl.
Finally, a new zinc complex was synthesized and applied in the catalytic hydrosilylation of carbonyl compounds. The optimization of reaction conditions reviled that the presence of substoichiometric amounts of methanol in the system significantly accelerates the process. The reaction can proceed at very low catalyst load (down to 0.1mol%) under relatively mild reaction conditions. The substrate scope analysis showed the tolerance to carbon-carbon double bond. Thus, this procedure is efficient for the synthesis of allylic alcohols from α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones.


title: A Critical Examination of Women with Acquired Physical [dis]abilities: Reclaiming a Sense of Community Belonging Through Physically Active Leisure

subject: acquired physical disability, community, feminist, physically active leisure, resistance, women

abstract: Using a feminist social constructivist lens, the purpose of this study was to understand the physically active leisure meanings and experiences of women with acquired physical [dis]abilities. Specifically, it aimed to critically examine how women with acquired physical [dis]abilities negotiate, resist and/or become empowered through physically active leisure within the community context. A grounded theory approach was used and a purposive sample of eight women, between the ages of 27-45, participated in this study. Three major themes emerged that best reflect my interpretation of the participants’ experiences: 1) The Essentiality of Physically Active Leisure to Negotiating Her Changing Health Considerations, 2) Confronting the Stigmatizing Gaze as a Woman with an Acquired Physical [dis]ability, and 3) Building Agency and Sense of Connection in the Community. Moreover, the major themes resulted in the culmination of experiences leading to the core theme: Reclaiming a Sense of Community Belonging Through Physically Active Leisure. This study highlights the opportunity for women with acquired physical [dis]abilities to re-engage with physically active leisure and develop a sense of belonging within both [dis]ability specific and mainstream community spaces.


title: Proximate influence on eusocial caste behaviour

subject: Sweat bee, vitellogenin, foraging, halictid, social evolution

abstract: Queens and workers of eusocial sweat bee species are morphologically and developmentally similar, which means that each female is capable of behaving as a queen or a worker.  However, few females lay eggs and behave as queens, while the majority of females provision the queen’s offspring, rarely lay eggs, and behave as workers.  This makes eusocial sweat bee species, such as Lasioglossum laevissimum, excellent models to study the underling environmental (social) and genetic factors that contribute to variation in caste behaviours.  My research focused on describing some of the proximate mechanisms that influence caste behaviours in L. laevissimum females. The social environment of a sweat bee colony, specifically the behaviour of a queen, can have a dramatic impact on worker behaviour.  Queens suppress worker reproduction by physically bullying their workers.  In a nesting aggregation at Brock University, almost half of L. laevissimum nests became queenless, which provided me with a natural experiment to assess the direct influence by queens on worker behaviour.  Dissection data showed that a small proportion (17%) of workers developed their ovaries in both queenright and queenless nests. This suggests that L. laevissimum queens exert an early, negative, and strong influence on worker egg-laying behaviour, which lasts after she is gone. Next I assessed the relationship between gene expression and L. laeivsismum caste behaviours. I predicited that queens would express a gene associated with egg-laying, vitellogenin, more than workers, and that workers would express genes associated with foraging, the foraging gene, more than queens.  Lasioglossum laevissimum queens had higher vitellogenin expression levels than workers, and females with high ovarian development had high vitellogenin expression, regardless of caste.  On the other hand, queens and workers had similar foraging expression levels. Gene expression comparisons between queens and workers highlight two important behavioural characteristics of sweat bee castes.  First, in eusocial sweat bees, both queens and workers actively provision brood at some point during the breeding season, which is reflected in their similar foraging expression levels. Secondly, queens lay eggs while a small proportion of workers have queen-like ovarian development, reflected in vitellogenin expression differences between castes.


title: Synthesis and Reactivity of Main Group Complexes for Applications in Small Molecule Activation

subject:
Germylone
Phosphinidene
Pincer ligands
Main group compounds

abstract:
The work described in this thesis is focused on the preparation of a series of novel main group complexes, featuring unusual structural and bonding situations, and the study of their reactivity toward small molecules.
	The new zinc complexes dimphZnBu (V-2) and dimphZnCl2Li(THF)3 (V-3), supported by a diiminophenyl (dimph) ligand were prepared. The reaction of complex V-3 with LiHBEt3 resulted in hydride transfer to the C=N imine group to give an unusual zinc dimer (V-7). The latter transformation occurs via formation of compound (ɳ1(C),ĸ1(N)- 2,6-(2,6-iPr2C6H3N=CH)2C6H3)2Zn (V-5) which can be also accessed by reduction of V-7 with KC8.
	Diiminophenyl (dimph) proved to be an excellent ligand platform to stabilise a low-valent phosphorus centre. The resultant compound dimphP (VI-2), which can be rationalised as an imino-stabilised phosphinidene or benzoazaphopshole, shows remarkable chemical stability toward water and oxygen. VI-2 reacts with excess strong acid HCl to generate the P(III) chloride (dimHph)PCl (VI-6). Surprisingly, substitution of the chloride under some nucleophilic (KOBut) and electrophilic conditions (Me3SiOTf) regenerates the parent compound VI-2 by proton removal from the weakly acidic CH2N position. A related species (dimH2ph)P (VI-10) is produced upon thermal rearrangement of the hydride (dimHph)PH (VI-9). The molecular structure and reactivity of compounds VI-2 and other related compounds are also discussed.
	The reduction of the O,C,O-chelated phosphorus (III) chloride (VI-16) ( O,C,O =  2,6-bis[(2,6-diisopropyl)phenoxyl]phenyl) with KC8 or PMe3 resulted in the formation of a cyclic three-membered phosphorus compound (VI-18). The intermediacy of phosphinidene VI-17 was confirmed by trapping experiments and a VT 31P{1H} NMR study. The reaction of in-situ generated phosphinidene with either PhSiH3 or HBpin resulted in the formation of an unprecedented phosphine (VI-23). The treatment of VI-16 with two equivalents of DippNHC carbene led to ArP(Cl)NHC product (VI-24).
	The germylone dimNHCGe (dimNHC = diimino N-Heterocyclic Carbene, VII-8) was successfully prepared by the reduction of germanium cation (VII-7) with KC8. The molecular structure of VII-8 was unambiguously established, using NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The reactivity of VII-8 was investigated.  VII-8 is inactive towards butadiene but undergoes an oxidative cyclization with tetrachloro-o-benzoquinone to give a tetragermanium derivative. VII-8 undergoes oxidation addition of CH3I and PhI, followed by an unusual migration of the Me and Ph groups from germanium to the carbene ligand. Related chemistry takes place upon protonation with dry HCl, which results in the migration of the hydride to the carbene ligand.


title: Behavioural, Pharmacological, and Immunohistochemical Investigation of 50 kHz USVs as an Expression of Positive Emotional Arousal in the Long Evans Rat

subject:
50 kHz USVs
emotional expression
amphetamine
positive emotional states
mesolimbic dopamine

abstract: The emission of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in Rattus norvegicus is thought to effectively represent an underlying emotional state within the organism manifested at the behavioural level. The main goal of my thesis was to characterize, at multiple levels of analysis, the 50 kHz USVs of the adult rat as an overtly expressed form of positive emotional arousal. In chapter 2, I found evidence of individual differences in 50 kHz emission possibly reflective of a trait that does not merely overlap with approach motivation. The predisposition to emit 50 kHz USVs was found to provide additional information about the USV response to psychostimulant administration beyond approach motivation alone. In chapter 3, I found evidence that various social and non-social behavioural contexts appeared to exert influence on the frequency-modulation characteristics of 50 kHz USVs. My findings suggest that the highest rates of calling and frequency modulation inducible by non-pharmacological stimuli may be observed following exposure of a male rat to a naturally cycling female. Moreover, my research in chapter 3 established that despite context-specific modulation of 50 kHz USVs all such calling could be blocked by antagonism of dopamine receptors. In chapter 4, I utilized microinjections of dopamine into the shell of the nucleus accumbens to establish that dopamine is sufficient to induce 50 kHz USVs. Additionally, my findings from chapter 4 supported the observed association between frequency-modulated 50 kHz USVs and call rate typically induced by psychostimulants. In chapter 5, I used a minimal sensitization protocol with amphetamine to establish that 50 kHz USVs and measures of general ergometric activity could be dissociated. Additionally, in chapter 5 I attempted to find brain region activation patterns associated with calling. My chapter 5 findings failed to find any direct relations between immunostained brain regions and behavioural expression. However, exploratory analyses suggest possible associations between prefrontal and striatal regions may be involved in the USV behavioural response to amphetamine. In aggregate, my empirical findings are consistent with the existence of a putative subcomponent of the ascending mesolimbic dopamine system responsible for positive emotional arousal reflected by emission of 50 kHz USVs in the rat.


title: Exploring Recreation and Sense of Community in the Canadian Military

subject: military, sense of community, recreation,benefits of recreation

abstract: Communities across North America are seeing a decline in participation in community services such as recreation. In relation to this decline, a decrease in feelings of community may be occurring as a result. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between recreation and sense of community at a single Canadian Armed Forces base. A total of 148 participants from a single Canadian Army Base completed a questionnaire on recreation participation and sense of community as it relates to military recreation programs and services. T-test and regression analyses were conducted. The sense of community factors, voluntary action, common interest and administrative consideration were significant within the Canadian Armed Forces. Future research should explore sense of community across all Canadian Armed Forces bases to further understand the role of recreation and sense of community across the Canadian Armed Forces and also include other variables (e.g. civilian organizations, leadership) that may contribute to military sense of community.


title: Integrating Artful Practices as a Sustainable and Innovative Approach to French Language Learning

subject: Arts French Language Teaching Music

abstract: This study investigated the successes and barriers that surround the implementation of artful practices into French elementary classrooms within Ontario. The literature demonstrates that integrating the arts has many benefits, allowing students to become more engaged and kinaesthetically involved in their language learning. By examining the narratives of educators who use music and the arts as a teaching tool, this narrative inquiry explored the experiences of teachers integrating the arts into their teaching practices, and also identified the supports needed to implement more elements of the arts into the French programs of teachers who may not be implementing arts-based strategies. Along with my own personal narrative as a co-participant, the remaining 2 participants were engaged in their storied landscapes through qualitative interviews, focusing specifically on what Dewey (1938) refers to as the nature of experience. Particularly, the relationships between teachers and the arts, and teachers and French were examined to uncover how these relationships have affected their teaching experiences with this integration.


title: Investigation of the effect of microwave irradiation (2.45 GHz) on biological systems at constant bulk temperature

subject: Microwave irradiation, Enzyme activity, Cell membrane permeability, Bacterial growth, Constant bulk temperature

abstract:
In this thesis the effect of MW irradiation (2.45 GHz) at constant bulk temperature was investigated on several biological systems.

Studies on enzymatic activity revealed that MW irradiation could enhance the activity of trypsin, however the enzymatic activity of α-amylase and alkaline phosphatase towards the hydrolysis of starch and 4-nitrophenyl phosphate was not affected.

We found that the incorporation of a BODIPY fatty acid (4,4-difluoro-5-methyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-dodecanoic acid) into the cell membrane of PC-3 (human prostate cancer) cells was facilitated by microwave treatment at constant temperature. Also, microwave treatment while non-apoptotic, significantly increased the rate of reduction of MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) by PC-3 cells. Further studies revealed that MW irradiation (10 W, SAR: 700 mW/ml) could significantly increase the uptake of an anticancer drug (doxorubicin) by PC-3 and MCF-7 (human breast cancer) cells at constant bulk temperature.

Studies on bacterial growth revealed that MW irradiation could significantly decrease the growth of Escherichia coli at constant bulk temperature and the impact appeared to be transient. A 2D-gel electrophoresis-based proteomic analysis revealed that the expression of a series of proteins likely involved in metabolism was affected by the exposure to the MW irradiation.

Overall, the results demonstrated in this study provided additional evidence for the “microwave-specific effects” that are capable of altering the behaviour of biological systems in a way that is quite different from conventional heating (through conduction). Appropriate interpretations of these observations have to also consider the possibility of local heating and/or micro-hotspot formation during MW irradiation. In this respect, the “microwave-specific effects” may not be interpreted either entirely or partially as non-thermal in nature.


title: Investigating the Effects of Aerobic Exercise with Blood Flow Restriction on Vastus Lateralis Muscle Oxygenation

subject:
Blood flow restriction training
Muscle oxygenation
Aerobic exercise
Near-infrared spectroscopy

abstract: Blood flow restriction training (BFRT) is a novel adaptation to traditional forms of aerobic or resistance exercise. By restricting blood flow to the active skeletal muscles, previous research has demonstrated that it can induce similar benefits to musculoskeletal health as non-blood flow restricted (BFR) exercise, despite exercising at lower intensities and for a shorter duration of time. The mechanisms through which BFRT stimulates physiological adaptations remains uncertain however, one proposed stimulus is localized skeletal muscle hypoxia. This thesis aimed to investigate this stimulus by assessing muscle oxygenation during low-intensity aerobic exercise with BFR. Vastus lateralis oxygenation was assessed using continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy in 15 participants (n=15) during 20 minutes of BFR and non-BFR exercise sessions. Significant differences in muscle tissue oxygenation was observed (P<0.001) indicating that BFR during low-intensity walking exercise reduced muscle oxygenation more so than non-BFR exercise. Furthermore, significant differences in total hemoglobin (THb) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb) were observed (P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively), such that THb and HHb were significantly greater during BFR-exercise versus non-BFR exercise. Oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb) on the other hand, was not significantly different between exercise sessions. These findings suggest that BFR during low-intensity aerobic exercise may induce a localized hypoxic response in the skeletal muscle tissues distal to the cuffs. The reduction in muscle oxygenation in the presence of increased tissue blood volume may suggest that BFRT influences oxygenation by moderating blood flow through the active skeletal muscle tissues during exercise.


title: Self-Esteem and Obesity: A Longitudinal Analysis among Children and Adolescents in Niagara, Canada

subject:
childhood obesity
self-esteem
global self-worth
longitudinal
bi-directional

abstract:
As the prevalence of obesity has surged in the past decade, with a marked increase in the rates among North American youth, it is important to comprehensively understand its downstream effects and the burden these may have on society. Besides the countless physical comorbidities of overweight and obesity in youth, several psychosocial effects have been identified including self-esteem issues.
The purpose of this study is to understand the longitudinal relationship between obesity and self-esteem in Canadian children and adolescents. By quantifying this association, it may not only provide evidence for prevention, but be useful for future resource planning. The research questions are as follows: Is there a correlation between body mass and self-esteem? Is obesity status and body mass over time associated with changes in self-esteem, and if so among which sub-domains? Is the temporal relationship bi-directional where self-esteem also predicts changes in body mass? Is the relative difference in body mass between those in the same cohort also associated with self-esteem change longitudinally? Which covariate factors are significant in these suggested relationships?
Data was obtained from the PHAST cohort study conducted from 2004-2010 among 2,278 children at baseline from Niagara, Canada. Participants were excluded if missing all data related to body mass and self-esteem, and multiple imputation regression was utilized to impute missing observations. Cross-sectional analysis between variables was conducted using the Pearson correlation test. Linear mixed modelling regression was conducted to examine the proposed bi-directional relationships longitudinally, accounting for fixed and random variables as well as relevant covariates and interactions.
There were weak to moderate significant negative linear correlations between BMI and all self-esteem sub-domains. Baseline obesity status and BMI increases were significant predictors of decreased physical, global, athletic, and social self-esteem longitudinally. With each kg/m2 increase in BMI, physical appearance self-esteem was reduced by 0.25 units (95% CI: -0.29, -0.21, p<0.0001) over a 5-year period. Compared to those of a normal weight, those obese at baseline had an average athletic self-esteem 1.51 units lower (95% CI: -2.15, -0.87, p<0.0001). With each standard deviation increase from the mean BMI of one’s sex and age, global self-esteem was reduced by 0.53 units (95% CI: -0.62, -0.43, p<0.0001). Also, low baseline self-esteem and decreases in physical, global, and athletic self-esteem levels significantly predicted increased BMI over time. Physical activity was a significant covariate, predicting both increased self-esteem levels and decreased BMI longitudinally.
The results suggest that there is a bi-directional relationship present between body mass and self-esteem in school children. Having a greater body size impairs areas of self-esteem, and having stronger self-esteem helps mitigate obesity. Physical activity is a key factor in maintaining appropriate self-esteem and body mass levels. This study can be used to guide public health officials and resource planners given the escalation of the obesity epidemic in youth.


title: Evaluation of genetic and strain specific factors on root colonization in  endophytic insect pathogenic fungi (EIPF) Metarhizium and Beauveria,  with special emphasis on hydrophobins

subject:
Beauveria
Endophyte
Insect pathogenic fungi
Hydrophobins
Metarhizium

abstract: The Ascomycete genera, Metarhizium and Beauveria, are traditionally known as insect pathogenic fungi and are widely used as mycopesticides in agricultural settings. More recently, an additional role of these fungi in nature as root symbionts, with the ability to transfer nitrogen from dead insects to host plants, has been recognized. In this study, the genetic as well as strain-specific factors of Metarhizium and Beauveria were assessed during interaction with the plant and insect hosts. Hydrophobins are small proteins, unique to filamentous fungi, that provide hydrophobicity to aerial hyphae and conidia, and also supports fungal attachment to host surfaces. The role of two hydrophobins (hyd1 and hyd2) in insect pathogenicity were previously described in Beauveria, but little is known about their possible role in root colonization. Gene expression and plant root colonization assays revealed that the deletion of hyd1 or hyd2 subjected Beauveria to stress, which subsequently altered the expression of genes involved in signaling pathways, pigment production, specific adhesins, as well as fungal association with the root. The involvement of six Metarhizium genes on plant root colonization and insect pathogenesis were also investigated. Nitrogen transporter genes, Mep2, MepC and Urease, were selected due to sequence similarity with previously characterized plant-associating fungal ammonium transporters. Root colonization assays showed that the targeted deletion of MepC and Mep2 genes in M. robertsii enhanced the rhizoplane colonization on barley roots and insect-derived nitrogen transfer to plant hosts. Three other genes were selected on the basis on RNA-Seq data that showed high expression levels on bean roots; these encoded a hydrophobin (Hyd3), a subtilisin-like serine protease (Pr1A) and a hypothetical protein. Root colonization assessment revealed that the loss of Hyd3, Pr1A, or the hypothetical protein gene from M. robertsii had no influence on establishing association with barley roots. We also assessed ten Metarhizium generalist and specialist strains and a related endophytic fungus Pochonia, for insect pathogenicity and their ability colonize plants; however, regardless of whether the Metarhizium species was a generalist or specialist insect pathogen all strains tested showed some ability to associate with plants. Moreover, Metarhizium spp. were able to colonize monocots better than dicots. Our data indicates that even after divergence as generalist or specialist insect pathogens, Metarhizium spp. maintain their ancestral ability to colonize plants. Overall, this study provides useful insights into the genes involved in EIPF-root interactions and also highlights the impact of gene deletion in triggering compensatory pathways.


title: North Gale Landform and the Volcanic Sources of Sediment in Gale Crater Mars

subject:
Mars
Gale Crater
volcanology
geochemistry
petrological modelling

abstract: An investigation into the origins of a previously unidentified landform north of Gale Crater, Mars (North Gale Landform, NGL) using remotely sensed datasets and morphological mapping has determined that it is a volcanic construct that collapsed and produced a hummocky terrain deposit to the south. Volcaniclastic sediments have been detected in the sedimentary rocks of Gale Crater by APXS. They can be grouped into distinct classes: Jake_M and Bathurst_Inlet. Jake_M are float rocks and cobbles made of igneous sediments with evolved, alkaline compositions and pitted, dusty surfaces. Bathurst_Inlet are least altered potassic basaltic sediments in siltstone sandstone to matrix-supported conglomerates. Simple petrologic models demonstrate there is a need for more than one distinct crystalline source. Bathurst_Inlet class targets are not mantle melts and Jake_M class targets are not differentiated from Bathurst_Inlet or Adirondack. NGL may be one source for the volcaniclastic sediments in Gale Crater.


title: Idiosyncratic Momentum and Option Markets

subject:
Traditional momentum
idiosyncratic momentum
stock option trading
short sale constraints

abstract: This study examines whether the idiosyncratic momentum strategy can generate excess returns following the emergence of traded options. Portfolios are formed based on past residuals of the Fama-French three factor model in idiosyncratic momentum, while those are formed based on past total returns in traditional momentum. We find that the idiosyncratic momentum profits show attenuation since options started trading in 1996. Our results show that momentum returns for stocks with options in idiosyncratic momentum are positive and significant for three, six, and twelve months following the formation date, while those for stocks with options in traditional momentum are insignificant or even turn to negative. We also find strong evidence that the enhanced information efficiency led by allowing short selling has more impact on traditional momentum returns than on idiosyncratic momentum returns. Overall, our results show that the idiosyncratic momentum strategy demonstrates an even bigger challenge to the conventional asset pricing literature.


title: Impacts of Top Five Executives’ Compensation on Employee Wages

subject:
Executive incentive compensation
pay-performance sensitivity
average employee wages
income inequality
agency conflicts

abstract: This paper studies the impacts of incentive compensation to the top five executives on employee wages. We employ pay-performance sensitivity (PPS) to measure executive incentive compensation. Using data for firms from Wharton Research Data Services over 1992 to 2017 period, we find that there exists a negative relation between executive incentive compensation and employee wages. In addition, we examine the impacts of executive incentive compensation on employee wages in different industries and find that the impacts are more severe in non-technology firms than in technology firms. Finally, we show that the executives with higher incentive compensation are more likely to suppress employee wages in financially distressed firms. Since the impacts of incentive compensation to top five executives on employee wages are similar to those to CEO, top executives appear to work together as a team, which supports executive compensation as team perspective. Furthermore, firm performance may not be promoted by granting high incentive compensation to executives.


title: A Phenomenological Analysis of Chronic Pain Self-Management

subject:
Chronic Pain
Self-Management
Phenomenology
Qualitative

abstract: Self-management is a poorly understood concept from both the academic and patient perspectives. Within the literature it is known as a vague concept which is often mistaken for other terms such as self-care and self-help. The ambiguity surrounding self-management in academia is then transferred to patients through their physicians. Living with a debilitating, invisible condition, such as chronic pain, can force patients to self-manage their conditions. This study set out to not only to define this concept and those related to it, but also to understand the meanings persons with chronic pain ascribe to their self-management. A literature search as well as qualitative interviews were conducted to explore, with more depth, the meanings that participants associate with the phenomenon of self-managing their chronic pain. Five themes emerged from the analysis of interviews: Doctors, Getting Through the Day, Being Limited, My Hidden Burden, and What’s Next. Chronic pain proved to be a controlling factor in the lives and decisions of all participants. Overall the self-management behaviours that participants found the most useful, other than medication, were relaxing behaviours that reminded them of their childhood and families.


title: A Week in the Life of Community Programs: Describing Barriers Experienced by Three Transition Age Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their Caregivers

subject:
Barriers
Autism
Transition Age Youth
Community Programs
Emancipatory Research

abstract:
Various barriers for participating in physical activity for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been identified; specifically, the insufficient availability of programs and knowledgeable personnel to run them (Taub & Greer, 2000; WHO, 2015). Ironically, there are a magnitude of proven benefits specific to ASD that accrue from being physically active, including a decrease in stereotypic behaviours (hand flapping, object spinning) and sleep deprivation (Taud & Greer, 2002; Todd & Reid, 2006; Gaskin, Anderson & Morris, 2009; Connolly, 2008). Previous research has focused on investigating barriers for individuals experiencing disability in relation to environment, economic and political components (McDermott & Turk, 2011). However, minimal research involves the perspective of the individuals experiencing ASD who do not use verbal communication and require greater supports.
The purpose of this phenomenological study was twofold. Firstly, to unearth barriers experienced by three transition aged youth with Autism who require 1:1 support or greater and their caregivers in a ‘typical week’. Secondly, to examine whether Priestley’s (1997) 6 principles of emancipatory research could be applied to this research process.
In the process of engaging with the three youth participants and their caregivers in this study, I completed multiple observations of the youth participants in community programs and activities, then conducted semi-structured interviews with their caregivers, and non-traditional, alternative communication interviews with the youth participants.
Analysis revealed that implementing Priestley’s 6 principles of emancipatory research could not be applied to this research process because of controversies with the ethics board. As well, barriers to participation in community programs included lack of staff training and inability to adapt to individual needs.
The findings of this study imply a greater need for rapport based and embedded research with individuals experiencing complex ASD. Similarly, Research Ethics Boards need a greater understanding of individuals who do not use words to communicate to enable researchers to pursue authentic emancipatory research with complex and typically, under-represented participants.


title: Understanding Canadian Winegrowers’ Perceptions of Climate Change and Their Implications for Adaptation Behaviors

contributor: Environmental Sustainability Research Centre

subject: Climate change, wine, grapes, sustainability, adaptation

abstract: Climate change (CC) is currently impacting and will continue to affect the international and the Canadian wine industry in the future. Understanding how Canadian winegrowers perceive CC and address its consequences through adaptation can help support the grape and wine industry in the context of CC. The thesis aimed to understand how winegrowers perceive CC and the ways CC adaptation is occurring throughout Canada. Two studies were conducted in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, Québec and Nova Scotia. The first study of this thesis characterizes winegrowers with respect to their environmental values, CC knowledge and beliefs, and their perception of the consequences of CC on their winegrowing operations. The second study describes the present state of CC adaptation in the Canadian wine industry, as well as the adaptation strategies currently used and considered for future implementation to cope with specific weather events associated with CC. This study also investigates the attributes that drive CC adaptation throughout the country. Together, the two studies provide an overview of CC perception and adaptation in the main winegrowing provinces of Canada for the first time in literature. The thesis also contributes to the scholarly literature on CC perception and adaptation by highlighting the drivers that influence winegrowers’ adoption – or lack thereof – of adaptation practices in their operations. It also offers practical information that can be used by stakeholders of the industry to communicate CC information and adopt new practices to address its effects.


title: The Cycle of Abuse for Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities who Engage in Sexually Offending Behaviour

subject:
sexual offending
Cycle of abuse
intellectual disability

abstract: Individuals with an intellectual disability (ID) have higher rates of childhood sexual abuse than other clinical groups, and the general population. Over the past 15 years, research has lent support to the theory of a cycle of abuse, which postulates a relationship or pattern between prior experience of sexual abuse and later sexual offending. However, there is limited research examining this pattern in samples of sex offenders with ID. To contribute to and expand on previous research, two studies were carried out to examine the cycle of abuse. Study 1 was an exploratory retrospective clinical file review study, which examined the co-occurrence of previous sexual abuse and later sexual offending in a clinical sample of individuals with ID who had received treatment. Results of study 1 indicated that having a history of sexual abuse was as common in my sample than in previously studied samples of offenders. Study 2 systematically reviewed the literature examining the cycle of abuse across populations and samples in an attempt to replicate and extend previous meta-analytic findings. Study 2 provided further evidence to support the theory of a cycle of abuse and revealed potentially mediating factors including gender and presence of intellectual disability. Future research is needed to examine the specific factors that may predict or prevent the onset of offending behaviour in individuals with ID who have experienced sexual abuse.


title: Perfectly Alone (and Anxious): A Test of the Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model in Adolescents

subject:
perfectionism
personality
adolescents
anxiety
social disconnection

abstract: Perfectionism contributes to psychopathology in youth. Yet, little research has examined the pathways that may explicate why perfectionism is a risk factor for poorer outcomes, particularly among youth. Consequently, in this program of research I examined associations between trait dimensions of perfectionism (i.e., perfectionistic strivings and concerns) and anxiety within the framework of the Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model (PSDM). In Study 1, I tested whether perfectionistic strivings and concerns (as measured by the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised; Slaney et al., 2001) were related to adolescent-reported and mother-reported anxiety via social disconnection in a high-risk sample of adolescents. Social disconnection was assessed as a latent variable comprised of three indicators: relational victimization, school connectedness, and parental acceptance. Overall, results indicated that perfectionistic concerns were related to higher levels of adolescent-reported anxiety and that social disconnection emerged as an explanatory pathway linking higher levels of perfectionistic concerns to higher levels of adolescent-reported anxiety. In Study 2, I tested whether perfectionistic strivings and concerns (as measured by the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale; Flett et al., 2001) were related to adolescent-reported anxiety in a community sample of adolescents via social disconnection. For Study 2, I used a more comprehensive latent variable for social disconnection that was comprised of four indicators: relational victimization, school connectedness, parental acceptance, and subjective loneliness.  Replicating the findings from Study 1, social disconnection again emerged as an explanatory pathway linking higher levels of perfectionistic concerns to higher levels of adolescent-reported anxiety. These findings support the PSDM in youth, raise important questions about the link between perfectionism and social functioning, and have implications for prevention and intervention development.


title: Novel Tridentate N,S,N-Metal Compounds of Zinc, Germanium and Phosphorus

subject:
non-innocent ligand
main group

abstract:
A novel ligand based on a flexible NSN tridentate framework, and main group compounds
of the general formula M(NSN) were prepared on zinc, germanium, and phosphorus. The
compound ZnNSN(dimethylaminopyridine) (III-45a) is fluxional with III-46a in tetrahydrofuran,
and its exchange parameters were calculated from NMR measurements. An X-ray structure was
obtained for GeNSN (III-47a) crystals isolated from diethylether and exhibits an envelope-like
geometry with coordination of the soft sulfur donor to the germanium centre. III-47a was not
reactive with CH3I but showed reactivity with 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone. ClPNSN (III-53)
was prepared both by transmetallation of III-46a and by a reaction of an in situ generated Li2NSN
and PCl3. HPNSN (III-52) was prepared by halogen exchange of III-53 and L-selectride.


title: Learning Product Attributes from User-Generated Content for Dynamic Promotion Strategies

subject:
Classification of products
Search and experience goods
Text analytics

abstract: One widely adopted product attribute classification in the literature is the “Search” versus “Experience” dichotomy. Because the costs involved in searching and experiencing products vary across consumers and over a product’s life time, it is important for marketers to understand consumers’ evaluation of these attributes in order to formulate scalable and dynamic promotion strategies. This thesis attempts to address this challenge by proposing a text analytics framework for understanding consumers’ evaluation of product attributes to support agile promotion strategies. In the past, researchers have attempted to classify entire product categories as search or experience via questionnaires or using quantitative approaches by analyzing review star ratings. This thesis uses objective consumer reviews and text mining techniques to extract product features that can define search or experience attributes. A hybrid of unsupervised and supervised learning techniques was used to generate labelled training data from eight different product categories of Amazon and train classification models to determine the likely position of a product within the search-experience product classification spectrum. Extensive experiments using best-case and worst-case scenario were used to improve the accuracy levels of decision-tree based classification models and demonstrate the scalability of the text analytics framework. The proposed approach also incorporated a mechanism to aggregate the scores that the model gives to each individual review in order to determine the likely position at a product level. It is also shown that a product’s position in the search-experience spectrum may change during its review cycle, indicating that marketers need to investigate reviews for any periods of interest to develop effective promotion strategies in a more agile fashion. From a theoretical view, the text mining approach significantly adds to the existing body of knowledge in the classification of product attributes for supporting promotions. In addition to detecting dominant signals for search and experience positions, marketers can uncover a great deal of contents to formulate more specific advertising messages.


title: Does e-Government Always Fit? Moderating Role of Technology-Job Fit on Employee Acceptance of e-Government Technology.

creator:
Belkhiria, Fares
Belkhiria

subject:
e-government
technology acceptance
public administration
job fit
technology fit

abstract: E-government technologies have widely been praised by academics, policy makers and the public. However, despite that many governments heavily invest in these technologies, they still struggle to implement them into their organisations because of employees not accepting them. In my study, I argue that this is due to the lack of “fit” of these technologies with the structure, processes, and practices of the employees. Against this backdrop, my study draws from organisational job fit, task-technology fit and technology acceptance literatures to examine the “Technology-Job fit” construct and explore its moderating role on how employees of government organisations perceive and adopt e-government technologies. I test my model on a sample of 347 employees of different government organisations in a developing country (Thailand). I find that employees’ judgements and satisfaction regarding a technology are significantly moderated by their perception of fit of the technology with their job. My study presents several contributions to research, policymaking, and practice of e-government and technology acceptance.


title: An Examination of Concussion Education Practices

subject: Concussion Education Evaluation

abstract: The purpose of this research project was to examine concussion education practices, and to recommend effective ways of delivering concussion education materials. A blended design included both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative component was an evaluation of three separate concussion education tools (video, athlete’s story, video + athlete’s story) with parents, coaches, managers, and trainers of girls’ minor hockey teams using the RoCKAS-ST questionnaire completed pre- and post-educational seminar. A repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that all groups scored high on the baseline measure of concussion knowledge and there were no significant differences in the effectiveness of the education tool used. There were some marked discrepancies between concussion knowledge scores and attitude scores. The qualitative component examined conference materials from the 4th International Concussion Summit hosted by the District School Board of Niagara in April 2016, using manifest and latent analysis. Qualitative analysis findings indicated the target audience should be the ‘driver’ for who delivers the educational message, messages should be tailored towards the specific audience, e.g. parents, coaches, athletes, and knowledge transfer should be an ongoing process.


title: Resveratrol slows cell growth by targeting the Warburg effect and stimulating mitochondria metabolism

subject:
Resveratrol
Warburg effect
Mitochondria
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1
Mitochondrial dynamics

abstract: Resveratrol (RES) is a plant-derived polyphenol that has been widely studied due to its health promoting effects, which are associated with RES ability to positively impact mitochondria function. Here, I investigated the interaction between RES’s effects on growth and metabolism in PC3 prostate cancer cells and demonstrated that RES-mediated growth inhibition is coincidental with an increase in mitochondrial network fusion, biogenesis and cellular respiration. This indicates that a metabolic reprogramming towards oxidative phosphorylation might be essential for RES antiproliferative effects. Indeed, when RES-induced metabolic reprogramming was prevented either by growing cells in galactose or stabilizing hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression, RES effects on growth and metabolism were attenuated or even abolished. Furthermore, consistent with RES ability to reduce HIF-1α levels, I observed that RES’s cell growth inhibitory effects were enhanced under hypoxia. This denotes the importance of conducting in vitro studies under conditions that better represent the physiological environment. However, , most in vitro studies are performed at supraphysiological levels of oxygen (O2) (18% O2; compared to the usual 1-5% O2 range observed in vivo) and glucose (25mM, which is close to five-times higher than normal plasma (glucose) in a healthy human). This artificial environment can affect a wide variety of cellular activities that may compromise in vitro studies’ reliability. It is therefore important to determine how cell culture conditions might affect RES in vitro effects. This was achieved by growing PC3 human prostate cancer and C2C12 mouse myoblasts cells under different culture conditions: physiological O2 (here considered 5% O2) and glucose levels (5mM); physiological O2 and high glucose (25mM); supraphysiological O2 (18% O2) and high glucose (25mM). Overall, RES effects on cell proliferation and mitochondrial network were less effective when cells were grown at 5% O2 and 5mM glucose (media condition that best resembles the physiological environment). In conclusion, these findings demonstrate the importance of oxygen and glucose levels as key determinants of RES in vitro antiproliferative effects, which may contribute to the discrepancy observed for resveratrol’s effects both in vivo and in vitro.


title: Reactive stepping strategies following lateral surface translations in individuals with a unilateral lower limb amputation

subject: lower limb amputation, reactive stepping strategy, surface translation, balance control, prosthetic leg

abstract: Following a loss of balance, individuals may utilize specific stepping strategies to prevent themselves from falling. The stepping strategies that are used by lower limb amputees, which likely consist of unique properties because of the limitations when using a prosthesis, have not been thoroughly identified. Therefore, this study examined the lateral reactive stepping strategies used eight amputees and ten non-amputees. They experienced four support-surface translations in both the leftward and rightward direction. Results indicated that amputees use unique reactive stepping strategies, particularly with the unloaded leg and when the direction of the perturbation causes unloading of the prosthesis. Amputee stepping strategies were characterized by fewer steps, lower quality of balance recovery, and wider variety compared to non-amputees. This study's findings highlight the reliance on the hip strategy in amputee reactive balance, and future studies should explore how amputees use their hip and trunk while executing reactive stepping strategies.


title: An Analysis of Invasive Species Management in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada: Establishment of a Database to Improve Knowledge Sharing

subject:
invasive species management
invasive species database
sustainability science
Ecosystem Approach Principles
Niagara Region

abstract: Worldwide, 17,000 invasive species drive biodiversity loss, and cost the global economy at least $1.4 trillion annually. The UN and Convention on Biological Diversity have declared invasive species a global initiative and requested increased data sharing on invasives. Existing worldwide and local databases focus on distribution, abundance, identification, and impacts of invasives, but not management activities. No database focuses on invasive management for the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. This study used sustainability science and the Ecosystem Approach Principles to guide the design of an invasive species management database. The goal of the study was to document current aquatic and riparian invasive management activities in the Niagara Region and develop a database that would become a tool to facilitate collaboration at the regional level. The objectives were to (1) inventory current invasive detection and control activities in the Niagara Region and make comparisons to recommended techniques in the literature; (2) examine perceived efficacy of control techniques; and (3) develop a database integrated with a GIS mapping component. Seventy-one organizations involved in riparian/aquatic invasive management in the Niagara Region were contacted and 16 were interviewed in-depth. In 2017/2018 there were 35 separate control efforts reported, involving 10 riparian invasives and two aquatic invasives, with most concentrated along the Niagara River. Collaboration efforts were minimal, occurring for only six specific projects. Recommendations from this study include: develop a regional invasive species plan; increase control efforts along the Welland Canal and Lake Erie shoreline; consider a wider variety of control techniques; and increase collaboration, information-sharing and resource-sharing among organizations. Overall, this database provides a baseline for the current state of aquatic and riparian invasive management activities in the Region, and can be used as a tool to identify resource-sharing opportunities, management efficacy, priority areas, areas of improvement, and future resource needs. This can help Niagara progress towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal Target 15.8.


title: Bioinformatic and morphological characterization of Catharanthus roseus mutants

subject: Catharanthus roseus mutagenesis bioinformatics morphology EMS plant

abstract:
Catharanthus roseus, a member of the Apocynaceae family, has been studied extensively for its valuable chemotherapeutic monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs). Ethyl methanesuphonate (EMS) mutagenesis is a screening tool that has been used to look for altered MIA profiles in hope of discovering mutations of crucial MIA biosynthetic genes. Without a high-throughput mutation detection screen for C. roseus sequencing data, a range of techniques must be used to discover the EMS-induced changes within the plant.

Bioinformatic and morphological analysis revealed the likely alterations leading to unique MIA profiles in two C. roseus EMS mutants: the high-ajmalicine accumulating line M2-0754 and the low-MIA accumulating line M2-1582. Expression of geissoschizine synthase (GS) was downregulated almost seven-fold in the leaves of M2-0754, leading to the accumulation of an alternate pathway MIA from the labile intermediate. The low-MIA profile and increased auxin sensitivity of M2-1582 is likely due to the expression of a dysfunctional auxin influx transport protein homologue.


title: The European Union and the Politics of Migration: An Interdisciplinary Examination of the Intersections of Migration, Citizenship and Statelessness

subject:
European Union
Citizenship
Migration
Statelessness

abstract:
In 2016, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) recorded that 5,096 people died attempting to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe. So far this has been the peak in the total number of deaths. However, the journey has become more dangerous, as the UNHCR reported that in 2018, 1 out of every 18 people who crossed the Mediterranean died, an increase from 2017, which saw 1 out of every 42 people that crossed the Mediterranean dying. The Migration Crisis on Europe’s southern border is only one aspect of a politics of migration that is a fundamental characteristic of the European Union (EU) and its right of the free movement of peoples. Rather than being understood as a contemporary development, this dissertation argues that the EU entails a crisis of the movement of peoples whose complexity and multi-faceted nature can be understand by going back to Hannah Arendt’s theoretical analysis of the inter- and post-war periods. This dissertation makes the case that the European Union and its Member States are struggling to resolve problems of migration (the social and political inclusion of migrants) which require us to draw on multiple theoretical and political frameworks of understanding that place the issues of migration and statelessness at the centre of the discussion.

This dissertation presents an interdisciplinary analysis of a larger migration crisis that speaks to (and threatens) the heart of the project of European integration, from the integration of national economic sectors within a coal and steel community after the Second World War to a supranational political community, which includes transnational Union citizenship and the free movement of peoples. This dissertation attempts to forge new avenues of discussion concerning European integration and issues of social and political exclusion by highlighting the situation of the Roma (as migrants with Union citizenship). The experience of the Roma in Europe highlights the ongoing crisis, on a practical and theoretical level, of ‘statelessness’, a situation depicted by Arendt and re-formulated by thinkers like Jürgen Habermas and Rosi Braidotti. It is a goal of this dissertation to develop new angles in which academics and political actors can analyze the intersections of migration, citizenship and the issue of statelessness in the 21st century, both on theoretical grounds and in practical discussions of alleviating social and political discrimination and exclusion.


title: Defining Freedom:  An Ethnographic Study with American Vanlifers

subject: Vanlife Mobility Nomadism Automobility RVing

abstract: Moving alongside the “snowbirds” and grey nomads that have been discussed in the academic literature, there is a group of nomads that appears to have escaped scholarly attention. United under the “vanlife” and “buslife” hashtags, these individuals belong to a community of nomads who convert ordinary (and sometimes, extraordinary) vehicles into living spaces, and travel North America’s backroads in search of freedom and adventure. Using Cresswell’s definition of mobility as the combination of movement, representation, and practice, this thesis explores the meanings that American vanlifers assign to their mobility. Relying on participant observation and ethnographic interview data collected on the road during the summer of 2017, this thesis argues that when we deconstruct vehicle nomads’ use of the word “freedom,” it reveals important information about how they understand their mobility. By using a relational ontology and employing an epistemology of mobility rather than place, this thesis also attempts to expand the ways in which mobility can be understood by geographers. Through a detailed exploration of participants’ representations and practices, this study finds that when vanlifers used the word “freedom,” they were referring to their mobility in three specific senses: as freedom from social norms, freedom from routines and schedules, and freedom to pick up and go whenever they liked. As existing studies on RVers and British traditional nomads have already captured similar uses of the word “freedom” among their participants, this finding draws the existing research on vehicle nomadism into conversation in a productive way.


title: Gendered Power Relations and Household Decision Making in Rural Ghana. A study of Zambo in the Lawra District of the Upper West Region of Ghana

contributor: Social Justice and Equity Studies Program

subject: Gender roles, Gender relations, rural households, decision-making

abstract: Some Western scholarship on African studies have shown that patriarchy is absolute in many African societies and women are mostly the victims of this system. Such patriarchy has created wide gender gaps between men and women, resulting in women being either overlooked, oppressed, or suppressed. The main aim of this research was to examine the nature of gender relations and gendered power dynamics between husbands and wives, and how such power dynamics impact women’s household decision-making powers. Drawing on African feminist epistemologies and feminist standpoint theories, this research drew significantly from the experiences and narratives of 10 rural women, who form the most marginalized demographic in Ghana. The study focused on decisions around reproduction and child upbringing, household income generation and distribution, and religious practices. Findings reveal that women bear major economic responsibilities in their families, making them the ultimate decision-makers in almost all aspects of household decision-making. However, they are constrained by many social, economic, and cultural factors that limit their opportunities to gain any economic or social independence. The findings further show that women, in their subordinate positions, are capable of resisting patriarchal power in complex ways despite public declarations of rural African women as powerless. The study recommends that future research should investigate, among other things, the varied ways in which both the state and non-governmental organizations may promote both the social and economic development of women. Further research could highlight the perspectives of men considering the negative views women have of men.


title: Mindfully Making Our Way in the World: The Exploration of Mindfulness Among Post-Secondary Students

subject:
mindfulness
post-secondary students
mental health
experience
qualitative research

abstract:
Abstract
Students across North America are facing new challenges due to the competitive economic climate, increased debt from student loans, and infinite access to technology. The practice of mindfulness shows great promise as an intervention to aid young people to cope with the daily challenges of student life. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore mindfulness among post-secondary students. The major research question guiding this inquiry was What is the meaning of mindfulness among post-secondary students? The design of the study followed a narrative methodology. Data consisted of interview transcripts and journal entries. Six participants were interviewed in the first round and three were selected for a second storytelling interview. Data were analyzed using qualitative thematic techniques and followed narrative principles of re-storying. The central finding of the study is that mindfulness is experiential and comprised of three core elements: the practice, the journey and the impact. Analysis highlighted a) the journey is extremely unique, includes some kind of pivotal moment, and is transformative in nature on the individual’s life, b) the practice can be divided into two types of mindfulness: “state mindfulness” or “situational mindfulness” and, c) mindfulness has a positive impact on mental health, perspective, and happiness. Findings suggest post-secondary students who adopt a mindfulness practice find purpose and meaning in their lives and have positive mental health. Building on this study, future research should continue to collect rich qualitative data on the lived experience of students in order to empower them and give meaning to their experience. This research can be used to inform the development of curriculum and programing and community health interventions.


title: Analysis of the pattern and trend of human genomic variations in the form of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small insertions and deletions (INDELs)

subject:
SNPs
INDELs
ancestral allele
genetics
human genome

abstract:
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small insertions/deletions (INDELs) are the most common genetic variations in the human genome. They have been shown to associate with phenotype variation including genetic disease. Based on data in a recent version of the NCBI dbSNP database (Build 150), there are 305,651,992 SNPs and 19,177,943 INDELs, and together as all small sequence variants, they represent approximately 11% of the human reference genome sequences. In this study, we aimed first to examine the characteristics of SNPs and INDELs based on their location and variation type. We then identified the ancestral alleles for these variants and examined the patterns of variation from the ancestral state. Our results show that the occurrence of small variants averages  at 104 SNPs/kb and 6.5 INDELs/kb for a total of ~11% of the genome. Chromosome 16 and 21 represent the least and most conserved autosomes, respectively, while the sex chromosomes are shown to have a much lower density of SNPs and INDELs being more than 30% lower in the X chromosome and more than 85% lower in the Y chromosome. By gene context, SNPs are biased towards genic regions and INDELs are biased towards intergenic regions, and further, INDELs are biased towards protein-coding genes and intron regions within the genic regions and SNPs are biased towards non-coding genes in the genic regions. Within the coding regions, SNPs and INDELs are biased towards missense and frameshift variations, respectively. Some of the biases were due to biased sources of the variation data targeting at genic regions, while the bias towards intron regions is due to selection pressure. Further, genes with the highest level of variation showed enrichment in functions related to environmental sensing and immune responses, while those with least variation associate with critical processes such as mRNA splicing and processing. Through a comparative genomics approach, we determined the ancestral state for most of these variants and our results indicate that ~0.79% of the genome has been subject to SNP and INDEL variation since the last common human ancestor.
Our study represents the first comprehensive data analysis of human variation in SNPs and INDELs and the determination of their ancestral state, providing useful resources for human genetics study and new insights into human evolution.


title: Responses to adversity in childhood: The effect of sex on attachment style and personality disorder traits

subject:
Adversity
Attachment
Borderline traits
Psychopathy
HEXACO

abstract: The current study had 3 objectives; 1) examine the indirect effects of childhood adversity on personality disorder traits through attachment style, 2) examine the effect of biological sex on the relationship between adversity and attachment, and adversity and personality disorder traits and, 3) examine how personality disorder traits can be represented within a model of basic personality. For the first objective, I tested a structural equation model (SEM) examining the indirect effects of adversity (i.e., abuse and neglect) through attachment style (anxious and avoidant) to antisocial, borderline, and psychopathic traits (lifestyle and behavioural aspects). Specifically, the regression analyses found attachment to be a mediator in the relationships between adversity and borderline traits and Factor 1 psychopathic traits, yet the SEM model did not. Because biological sex may affect the relationship between adversity and attachment (Belsky et al., 1991; Del Giudice, 2009; Del Giudice & Belsky, 2010) and antisocial (Gawda & Czubak, 2017), borderline (Gawda & Czubak, 2017), and psychopathic personality outcomes (Cale & Lillienfeld, 2002), I examined sex as a potential moderator (Objective 2). No sex differences emerged in the relations between adversity and the other variables in the model. Finally, I explored antisocial, borderline, and psychopathic personality outcomes using the HEXACO model of personality (Objective 3; Ashton & Lee, 2009). Consistent with previous research (Book, Visser, & Volk, 2015; Book et al., 2016), I found that psychopathic traits were negatively related to Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Antisocial behaviours were predicted by low Honesty-Humility, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness in the current study. Borderline traits were found to be related negatively to Extraversion and Conscientiousness but had a significantly positive relationship with Emotionality. Limitations, future research, and implications are discussed.


title: Breaking down barriers: An analysis of pre-service health and physical education teachers’ beliefs and preparation for working with LGBTQ students

subject: LGBTQ students, Health & Physical Education pedagogy, Pre-service education, Teacher preparation, Teacher beliefs

abstract: In this research, I investigate the values, beliefs and preconceived notions teachers of health & physical education (H&PE) possess as they educate LGBTQ students. H&PE teachers hold a significant responsibility to create safe spaces for LGBTQ students, as PE and sport are contexts in whch LGBTQ students feel especially vulnerable, due to the pervasive cultures of hyper-masculinity and conservatism (Linghede & Larsson, 2017). Yet, little is known about how these teachers are prepared to work with LGBTQ students. In response, my research provides an opportunity for pre-service H&PE teachers to describe their feelings of preparedness and their values, beliefs and preconceived notions to working with this population. Information gathering and analysis was accomplished through a qualitative methodology. Four pre-service H&PE teachers where recruited to partake in three semi-structured interviews utilizing a past, present and future structure. Through this process, three main findings were generated. First, this group of pre-service H&PE teachers possessed varying beliefs in working with LGBTQ students. Secondly, many of the participants articulated a commitment to inclusionary practices. Third, the participants believe that their formal university experiences have not prepared them to teach issues relating to gender and sexuality. As such, participants have taken it upon themselves to learn effective strategies through their own research and personal experiences. Implications for school H&PE, teacher development and future avenues of research are discussed in light of these findings.


title: Identification and characterization of polymorphic mobile elements (MEs) in humans

subject: genetics, DNA, polymorphism, diversity, evolution

abstract: Retrotransposons are mobile elements (MEs) that propagate in a “copy and paste” fashion in the genomes via RNA intermediates. In the human genome, retrotransposons consist of long terminal repeats (LTRs), long interspersed elements (LINEs), short interspersed elements (SINEs), SINE-VNTR- Alus (SVAs), and processed pseudogenes (PPSGs), and they collectively contribute close to 50% of the genome. Some members of these MEs continue to undergo retrotransposition, thereby generating a type of structural variations (SVs) within and between human populations by the presence and absence of ME insertions at specific genomic locations. A large number of such polymorphic MEs have been previously reported and documented, including cases associated with diseases, but with limited sequence characterization and genotype analysis. In this study, we performed extensive computational analysis and compilation of polymorphic MEs from multiple sources. We focused on characterization of complete sequences representing the insertion alleles and pre-integration alleles of ME polymorphic loci, using methods including local sequence assembly based on rich personal genome sequence data for many entries. Further, we performed in silico genotyping and population distribution for these polymorphic MEs for 2600 human subjects representing 28 well recognized populations around the world, as well as phylogenetic analysis of these human subjects using these polymorphic MEs as markers. We identified a total of 4400 polymorphic MEs with full sequence characterization for both the pre-integration and insertion alleles. Among these, 1267 entries represent new insertions not previously documented in the Database of Retrotransposon Insertion Polymorphisms in humans (dbRIP), and 1777 entries represent ME insertions outside the current human reference genome. By individual populations and all samples as whole, all 5 ME types displayed a similar allele distribution pattern with the majority having an allele frequency at 0.5, while differences across ME types are also seen at the very low frequency range. Nevertheless, polymorphic MEs do show substantial geographic differentiation, with numerous continent-specific loci identified. Polymorphic ME-based clustering of human subjects seems to correlate well with what we know about the history and relationship of human populations, indicating the usefulness of polymorphic MEs as markers for studying human evolution. Furthermore, polymorphic MEs were found to participate in both coding and regulatory sequences, signifying their potential contribution to the phenotypic diversity present among human populations and individuals. In conclusion, polymorphic MEs represent a significant source of human genetic diversity with potentials on impacting the structure, function, and evolution of the human genome.


title: Student Equity and Inclusive Education Policy in Ontario: Perspectives of Three High School Principals

subject:
Principals
Equity
Inclusion
Policy Implementation

abstract:
Embracing diversity within schools is a complex endeavour. Data on student achievement
in Ontario’s urban high schools indicate a disconnect between the expectation of
equitable and inclusive education as stated in the Ontario Ministry of Education’s (2014)
vision, Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario, and the social
realities of discriminatory barriers in schools. This study employed semi-structured
interviews to obtain the perspectives of 3 urban high school principals on the
implementation of policies that support the goal of ensuring equity—identified as a key
goal in Achieving Excellence. Findings suggest that the interconnectivity of policies, how
principals translate policy messages, and the character traits associated with leadership
are factors that muddy the implementation process in urban high schools. It was
suggested that policy implementation is not static and occurs in a fluid system consisting
of individuals with differing lived experiences, beliefs, and intersectional identities.
Emphasizing the delicate state of Ontario’s current political climate, participants
proposed the dismantling of tokenism and assumptions placed on principals, the
incorporation of practical support in professional development, and changing the
pathologizing nature of teacher professional judgment as strategies to improve principal
policy implementation.


title: Investigation into the Magnetoelectric Effect and Magnetic Properties of Iron-doped Cobalt Molybdate

subject:
magnetoelectric
magnetocapacitance
Co2Mo3O8
cobalt molybdate
multiferroic

abstract:
The plausibility of revealing linear magnetoelectric coupling is investigated in the cobalt
molybdate (Co2Mo3O8). Recently, Wang et al.[Scientific Reports. 2015;Vol. 5:Article 12268]
showed that iron molybdate(Fe2Mo3O8) can be induced into a ferrimagnetic state from a
nominal antiferromagnetic state via application of a magnetic field. As such, it may be
possible that cobalt molybdate exhibits a similar effect intrinsically or with addition of iron
dopant. Single crystals of the hexagonal molybdate (Co(1-x)Fe(x))2Mo3O8 (x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75,
1) were synthesized via chemical vapour transport. The magnetic properties were investigated
along the polar axis and in the basal plane. Despite doping with iron, no metamagnetic phase
transition was present in (Co(1-x)Fe(x))2Mo3O8 (x=0.25, 0.5, 0.75). Low field measurements of
the susceptibility reveal the presence of an anisotropic ferromagnetic-like moment, which is
suppressed at moderate fields. This is believed to be a product of an exchange-bias-like
phenomena, which is not fully understood. The magnetocapacitance was measured along the
c-axis for x=(0.25, 0.5). Co1.5Fe0.5Mo3O8 exhibits the conventional magnetodielectric effect,
with a proportionality constant of 5.1(0.3) x10^(-14) Oe^(-2) at 40K, while the capacitance of
Co1Fe1Mo3O8 shows linear dependency on H, with slope -6.99(0.07) x10^(-9) Oe^(-1) at 49K.


title: Surface Areas of Some Interconnection Networks

subject:
Interconnection networks
Surface area
(n, k)-arrangement
(n, k)-star

abstract:
An interesting property of an interconnected network (G) is the number of nodes at distance i from an arbitrary processor (u), namely the node centered surface area. This is an important property of a network due to its applications in various fields of study.
In this research, we investigate on the surface area of two important interconnection networks, (n, k)-arrangement graphs and (n, k)-star graphs.
Abundant works have been done to achieve a formula for the surface area of these two classes of graphs, but in general, it is not trivial to find an algorithm to compute the surface area of such graphs in polynomial time or to find an explicit formula with polynomially many terms in regards to the graph's parameters. Among these studies, the most efficient formula in terms of computational complexity is the one that Portier and Vaughan proposed which allows us to compute the surface area of a special case of (n, k)-arrangement and (n, k)-star graphs when k = n-1, in linear time which is a tremendous improvement over the naive solution with complexity order of O(n * n!). The recurrence we propose here has the linear computational complexity as well, but for a much wider family of graphs, namely A(n, k) for any arbitrary n and k in their defined range. Additionally, for (n, k)-star graphs we prove properties that can be used to achieve a simple recurrence for its surface area.


title: Effects of Post Exercise Protein Supplementation on Bone Turnover in Adolescent Swimmers

subject:
Bone Turnover
Protein Supplementation
Acute Exercise
Pediatric Population
Bone Turnover Rate

abstract:
Objective: To compare the effects of whey protein supplementation to an isocaloric carbohydrate beverage consumed immediately after an intense swimming trial on the promotion of bone turnover in adolescent swimmers, with water provided as a placebo to the control group.
Methods: Fifty-eight male (n=27, 14.04±1.5 years) and female (n=31, 13.75±1.8 years) swimmers were stratified into three groups matched for age, body mass and male/female split. The protein group consumed two post-exercise beverages of 0.3 g/kg of whey protein each, the isocaloric carbohydrate group consumed two post-exercise beverages of 0.3g/kg of maltodextrin and the control group had flavoured water. Participants provided one morning, fasted, blood sample, performed an exercise trial consisting of multiple bouts of intense swimming and then consumed their respective post-exercise beverages 2h apart. Participants provided a second blood sample ~8h from baseline, and returned 24h later for a follow-up, morning, fasted blood sample. Markers of bone formation (procollagen type 1 intact N-terminal propeptide [PINP]) and resorption (carboxy-terminal collagen crosslinks [CTXI]) were measured in serum. Bone turnover rate and balance were estimated using the Multiple of Medians of CTXI and PINP.
Results: A three-way repeated measures ANOVA (time-by-group-by-sex) showed a significant time-by-group interaction for CTXI (p=0.021), with no effect of, or interaction with sex, reflecting a significant increase from baseline to 8h in the protein group only, which subsequently decreased significantly to lower values than baseline at 24h. For PINP, there was a time-by-group-by-sex interaction (p=0.04); however, despite the 3-way interaction, none of the post-hoc comparisons were statistically significant. The bone turnover rate showed a time-by-group interaction (p<0.001), with no effect of, or interaction with sex. Specifically, the bone turnover rate significantly increased at 8h in the protein group only, with the bone turnover balance favouring formation at 8h and 24h.
Conclusion: These results shed light on the potential importance of protein supplied shortly after intense exercise in promoting bone turnover up to 24h following the exercise in adolescent athletes.