title: Distribution of points on spherical objects and applications

creator:
Selvitella, Alessandro
Selvitella, Alessandro

contributor:
Balakrishnan, Narayanaswamy
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Probability
Statistics
Geometry
Hypothesis Testing
Analysis
Geometry and Topology
Multivariate Analysis
Other Statistics and Probability
Statistical Theory
Analysis

abstract: In this thesis, we discuss some results on the distribution of points on the sphere, asymptotically when both the number of points and the dimension of the sphere tend to infinity. We then give some applications of these results to some statistical problems and especially to hypothesis testing.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Fashioning Gender: A Case Study of the Fashion Industry

contributor:
Fetner, Tina
Heath, Melanie
McLaughlin, Neil
Sociology

subject: Sociology Gender Inequality Work Culture Fashion Sociology Sociology

abstract:
This dissertation uses the case of the fashion industry to explore gender inequality in creative cultural work. Data come from 63 in-depth interviews, media texts, labor market statistics, and observation at Toronto's fashion week. The three articles comprising this sandwich thesis address: (1) processes through which femininity and feminized labor are devalued; (2) the gendered distribution of symbolic capital among fashion designers; and (3) the gendered organization of the fashion industry and the “ideal creative worker.”

In chapter two, I apply devaluation theory to the fashion industry in Canada. This chapter makes two contributions to literature on the devaluation of femininity and “women's work.” First, while devaluation is typically used to explain the gender wage gap, I also address symbolic aspects of devaluation related to respect, prestige, and interpretations of worth. Second, this paper shows that processes of devaluation vary and are heavily shaped by the context in which work is performed. I address five processes of devaluation in fashion: (1) trivialization, (2) the privileging of men and masculinity, (3) the production of a smokescreen of glamour, (4) the use of free labor and “free stuff,” and (5) the construction of symbolic boundaries between “work horses” and “show ponies.”

In chapter three, I use media analysis to investigate male advantage in the predominantly female field of fashion design. I find that the “glass escalator” concept typically used to explain male advantage in feminized work, is insufficient when applied to a cultural field. The glass escalator illustrates movement upward in well-defined organizational hierarchies where success is measured by pay and promotion. But success in cultural fields is also measured by symbolic capital (celebrity, cultural consecration, prestige). I find that male designers are attributed more symbolic capital by prestigious industry sources and the fashion media. In order to illustrate these advantages I make use of the concept of a “glass runway,” whereby designers are pushed forward into the spotlight, rather than upward within a single workplace or organization. I also take note of how these advantages are structured by the intersection of gender and sexuality.

In chapter four I investigate the gendered organization of creative cultural work in the fashion industry. Literature suggests that these types of work are characterized by: (1) the need to mitigate risk through entrepreneurial labor and (2) an ideology of passion. I find that these organizing logics create a gendered conception of the “ideal creative worker.” Men more easily conform to this ideal since they have lower family responsibilities, are offered more flexible working arrangements, and since it is more culturally acceptable for men to put work before intimate life. Findings also suggest that gender intersects with age and class. The gendered organization of fashion not only reinforces inequalities between women and men, but also different groups of women. Women who are younger, childless, and have independent financial support can more easily conform to the “ideal creative worker.” Still, even women who closely match this ideal are questioned and criticized in ways that men are not.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Supramolecular Functionalization of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Conjugated Polymers

contributor:
Adronov, Alex
Chemistry and Chemical Biology

subject:
Carbon nanotube
conjugated polymer
supramolecular functionalization
polyfluorene
polythiophene
molecular weight
glucose biosensor
Polymer Chemistry
Polymer Chemistry

abstract:
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are of special interest in current research due to their extraordinary mechanical, electronic and optical properties. Their unique structure, remarkable thermal and electrical conductivity, and high mechanical strength make SWNTs viable candidates for a wide range of device applications. However, pristine CNTs are not dispersible in most solvents, the main difficulties in CNT applications are related to their purification and solution-phase processing. In recent years, the supramolecular functionalization of SWNTs with conjugated polymers has received significant attention. Research within this field has been driven by the desire to find polymer structures that can selectively disperse certain nanotubes species with high efficiency.

After a brief overview of the studies that are related to the investigation of the supramolecular interaction between various conjugated polymers and SWNTs (chapter 1), the synthesis of fluorene and thiophene-based conjugated polymers and their supramolecular complex formation properties with SWNTs are described (chapter 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). In order to understand the effect that conjugated polymer structure has on formation of supramolecular complexes with SWNTs, various factors were investigated by: (1) altering the polymer backbone composition; (2) varying the polymer molecular weight; (3) introducing different solubilizing groups while the polymer backbone remained the same; (4) changing the polymer conformation. All of the resulting polymer-nanotube assemblies exhibit excellent solution stability in THF in the absence of excess unbound free polymer. The spectroscopic characterization of the polymer-SWNT complex materials indicated that the interaction between the conjugated polymers and SWNTs is strongly influenced by polymer structure.

The interaction between a water soluble polythiophene derivative, poly[3-(3-N,N-diethylaminopropoxy)-thiophene] (PDAOT), and SWNTs is discussed in chapter 7. It is also demonstrated that the PDAOT-SWNT complexes form stable aqueous solutions that can be used for the fabrication of highly sensitive amperometric glucose biosensors.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Changing the Story: Postcolonial Studies and Resistance

contributor:
O`Brien, Susie
English

subject:
English Language and Literature
English Language and Literature

abstract: The concept of resistance provides a primary framework for the critical project of postcolonialism. Despite its significance, however, resistance has been under-theorized within the field. In postcolonial criticism and theory, resistance signifies any opposition to, or subversion of, colonial authority. This study analyzes the dominant constructions of resistance within the field of postcolonial studies and argues for a theory of resistance that identifies the way in which acts and practices transform the discursive and material structures of colonial power rather than simply subvert or oppose certain aspects of these structures. Chapter One analyzes the concept of resistance as it is constructed within Homi Bhabha's colonial discourse theory. Critics argue that the theoretical deconstruction of colonial power ignores the material structures of colonialism and the agency of the colonized; South Asian resistance to repression in early Twentieth Century South Africa, however, reveals the way in which colonial authority was challenged at the level of its cultural assumptions. Chapter Two identifies an oppositional paradigm of resistance with origins in the work of anti-colonial intellectuals such as Frantz Fanon. Oppositional models of resistance often reinforce colonial representations of power and reduce the identity of the colonized to a function of the anti-colonial struggle. Chapter Three demonstrates how Gandhism constructs the end and means of struggle as interdependent. Gandhi constructs colonial authority in terms of the cooperation of the colonized; resistance requires the transformation of the colonized subject. Finally, Chapter Four investigates the way in which the concept of reconciliation - as it has been theorized within the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa - aims at transforming the antagonistic relationship of colonial authority. As models of resistance, both Gandhism and reconciliation construct the experience of colonial power much differently than do the dominant conceptions of resistance within postcolonialism.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: PRECEPTORS’ ROLE MODELLING OF SENIOR B.Sc.N. STUDENTS EXPLORED THROUGH REFLECTIONS OF FACULTY

contributor: Noori Akhtar-Danesh, Colleen McKey, Catherine Tompkins

subject:
role modelling
preceptor
experiential learning
clinical teaching
Q-methodology
Nursing
Nursing

abstract: Preceptorship is an experiential learning approach whereby a senior B.Sc.N. student, a direct care Registered Nurse (preceptor), and a faculty member collaborate to successfully facilitate a students’ learning in a clinical course. Preceptors act as both clinical teachers and professional role models to students. Role modelling can be a powerful experiential teaching-learning strategy. The objective of this cross-sectional survey was to examine students’ viewpoints about role modelling by their preceptors during senior clinical courses, as viewed through faculty members’ reflections. A conceptualization of preceptors as stage role models was developed, providing a unique perspective that includes role modelling typology, re-examination of “negative” role modelling, and intentionality. Data were collected and analyzed using Q-methodology procedures. By-person factor analysis revealed that students’ priorities for role modelling by preceptors vary. Four distinct student viewpoints emerged: the importance of explicit teaching (Factor 1), the significance of socialization behaviours (Factor 2), the foundations of practice knowledge and skills (Factor 3), and the pivotal role of preceptor authenticity (Factor 4). The findings also highlighted the importance of harnessing role modelling as an intentional teaching-learning strategy, including use of critical reflection on the part of the role model and the learner, and being explicit about what is being role modelled. Implications for education, clinical practice, and future research are discussed.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Understanding Determinants of Home Dialysis Use in Canada: A Mixed-Methods Study

contributor:
Guyatt, Gordon
Clase, Catherine
Walter, Stephen
Health Research Methodology

subject:
dialysis modality selection
home dialysis
knowledge translation
barrier management
theoretical framework
taxonomy
Knowledge Translation
Nephrology
Knowledge Translation

abstract:
This thesis consists of three related studies presented as three separate manuscripts. The first two comprise part of a larger sequential mixed-methods study with a qualitative and subsequent quantitative (survey) component. The overarching goal of this study was to understand the factors that influence the use of home dialysis, from the perspectives of Canadian nephrologists. The third study was a methodological study (a clinical trial) embedded in the survey, evaluating a novel strategy to incentivize survey responses.

In the first paper, we aimed to develop a theoretical framework describing determinants of dialysis modality choice. We selected informants using a maximum-variation sampling strategy, and used in-depth interviews to explore their perspectives. We used a grounded theory-informed analytical approach to construct a taxonomy of barriers and related facilitators to home dialysis use. We triangulated our findings against related published studies and qualitative results from our survey study. This study informed the development of the questionnaire that is the focus of the second study.

The second paper describes the development, administration, and results of a 47-item survey measuring Canadian nephrologist perspectives on the relevance of barriers to home dialysis use, and the utility of candidate interventions to overcome them. We used factor analysis to aggregate items into domains, and examined the relationships between respondent and practice characteristics with domain-level scores. Respondents expressed enthusiasm and reluctance towards a number of strategies to optimize home dialysis use. Our findings will guide policy development and further research directed at managing barriers to home dialysis use.

The third and final study tests the effectiveness of a promised donation as an incentive for survey completion. We randomized survey recipients to receive standard notifications versus notifications that offered a charitable donation of $40 CAD to the Kidney Foundation of Canada in exchange for returning a completed survey. Contrary to our hypothesis, the intervention was not effective, thus adding to the cumulative evidence that such incentives do not impact on physician response rates.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: EXPLORING THE ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY IN THE IMMIGRATION EXPERIENCE OF ROMANIAN EVANGELICALS: A CRITICAL REALIST PERSPECTIVE

contributor:
Baker, Stephanie Collins
Gladstone, James
Dumbrill, Gary
Social Work

subject: spirituality

subject: religion

subject: immigration

subject: Evangelicals

subject: Romanian

subject: Critical Realism

subject: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)

subject: poetic inquiry

subject: Social Work

subject: Social Work

abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore intersectionality of Religion/Spirituality and immigration in the experience of Romanian evangelicals in Canada from a Critical Realist perspective. In the first two chapters I provide background information outlining the interconnection between spirituality/religion, social work and immigration and examine the existing body of knowledge of present literature on ways of utilizing relevant concepts, methods, emerging themes and I address some of the implications and critiques pertaining to the literature perused. In the following two chapters I present the theoretical framework of Critical Realism, the methodological approach utilized -Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, and the dual gathering methods employed, semi-structured interviews and poetic inquiry. In the main part of the theses I review the findings and discuss them from a theoretical and practical perspective, concluding with a number of recommendations and observations which, if implemented, would in my opinion effect a more spiritually sensitive practice in working with specific ethno-religious groups.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS FOR A CONTEXT-AWARE MULTI-AGENCY EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM

contributor:
Yuan, Yufei
Business

subject: context-aware

subject: multi-party coordination

subject: disaster response

subject: emergency management information systems

subject: Management Information Systems

subject: Management Information Systems

abstract: Society faces many natural and man-made disasters which can have a large impact in terms of deaths, injuries, monetary losses, psychological distress, and economic effects. Society needs to find ways to prevent or reduce the negative impact of these disasters as much as possible. Information systems have been used to assist emergency response to a certain degree in some cases. However, there is still a lack of understanding on how to build an effective emergence response system. To identify the basic requirements of such systems, a grounded theory research method is used for data collection and analysis. Data from firsthand interviews and observations was combined with literature and analyzed to discover several emergent issues and concepts regarding disaster response. The issues and concepts were organized into four categories: i) context-awareness; ii) multi-party relationships; iii) task-based coordination; and iv) information technology support, which together identified the needs of disaster response coordination. Using evidence from the data, these factors were related to one another to develop a framework for context-aware multi-party coordination systems (CAMPCS). This study contributes to the field of emergency management as the framework represents a comprehensive theory for disaster response coordination that can guide future research on emergency management coordination.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: TACTILE SPATIAL ACUITY FROM CHILDHOOD INTO ADULTHOOD

contributor:
Goldreich, Daniel
Gillespie, Deda
Psychology

subject:
somatosensory perception
touch
psychophysics
cutaneous mechanoreceptors
development
computational neuroscience
Behavioral Neurobiology
Behavioral Neurobiology

abstract:
Measurement of human tactile spatial acuity – the ability to perceive the

fine spatial structure of surfaces contacting our fingertips – provides a valuable

tool for probing both the peripheral and central nervous system. However,

measures of tactile spatial acuity have long been plagued by a prodigious amount

of variability present between individuals in their sense of touch. Previously

proposed sources of variability include sex, and age; here we propose a novel

source of variability – fingertip size. Building upon anatomical research, we

hypothesize that mechanoreceptors are more sparsely distributed in larger fingers.

In this thesis, I provide empirical and theoretical support for the hypothesis

that fingertip growth from childhood into adulthood sets up an apparent sex

difference in human tactile spatial acuity during young adulthood (Chapter 2), and

also predicts changes in acuity more strongly than does age over development

(Chapter 3). To further understand how fingertip size could limit an individual's

tactile spatial acuity, we develop an ideal observer model using

neurophysiological data collected by other labs (Chapter 4).

In summary, this research provides support for a novel source of variability

in the sense of touch: one that parsimoniously explains an apparent sex difference,

and helps clarify the source of changes in tactile spatial acuity occurring with age

during childhood.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: 'TAKING THE HEAT': FRONT-LINE EXPERIENCES OF DISCHARGE PLANNING

contributor:
Sinding, Christina
Aronson, Jane
Social Work

subject: social work; discharge planning; CCAC; case managers;home care

subject: Social Work

subject: Social Work

abstract: With government pressure to cut healthcare costs, the hospital sector in Ontario has directed increased attention to moving patients out of the hospital as soon as they are deemed not to require acute care. Discharge planning has become a highly measured and managed process facilitated by social workers and Community Care Case Managers. The purpose of this thesis is to look at the experiences of hospital social workers and CCAC case managers and the common (and distinct) ways they experience their discharge planning roles and responsibilities. Information was obtained from two focus groups: one with hospital social workers and the other, with hospital CCAC case managers. Themes from the focus group of social workers emerged that illustrated the ‘heat’ in discharge planning and the implications this pressure had on patients and families, and the role of social work. Two dominant sources of pressure on discharge planning were the provincial focus on reducing wait times and organizational performance markers related to patients’ length of stay. Social workers voiced their concerns about government rhetoric and the inadequacies in community resources for ‘aging at home’, constrained choices and coerced caregiving that had implications for patients and families. CCAC case managers experienced similar pressures to discharge patients quickly while wanting more time to spend with them so that they could arrange the most appropriate services and care plans. CCAC case managers described the unique experience of working in an organization that is not their employer and having to facilitate ‘their’ discharge planning policies. This study looked at the inter-professional relations between social workers and CCAC case managers and how professional identity impacts the role of discharge planning. Social workers associated a certain “character” as needed to stand up against a system that is not always working in the best interests of patients and families.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Dream-Visions in the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls: Shared Compositional Patterns and Concerns

contributor:
Machiela, Daniel
Schuller, Eileen
Westerholm, Stephen
Religious Studies

subject: pseudepigraphy; rewritten and parabiblical literature; priestly theology; historiography; apocalypses; discourses

subject: Biblical Studies

subject: Biblical Studies

abstract:
Twenty-nine of the some 900 fragmentary Scrolls recovered from the caves off the northwest shores of the Dead Sea were penned in the Aramaic language. It is generally agreed that this cross-section of Aramaic literature among the predominantly Hebrew collection derives from before and beyond the scribal community that lived at Qumran. Whether or not the Aramaic texts constitute a cohesive collection, however, is an ongoing debate. While their compositional origins are unknown, this dissertation avers that enough common traits exist among the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls to indicate an inherent unity in the group. Paramount among these traits is the pervasive usage of the dream-vision in a constellation of at least nineteen Aramaic writings.

This study advances our understanding of the Aramaic texts by exploring the dream-vision as a literary convention from two interrelated perspectives. Part One maps out the major compositional patterns of dream-vision episodes across the collection. Special attention is paid to recurring literary-philological features (e.g., motifs, images, phrases, idioms, etc.), which suggest that pairs or clusters of texts are affiliated intertextually, tradition-historically, or originated in scribal circles in close proximity. Part Two articulates three predominant concerns advanced or addressed by dream-vision revelation. It is argued that the authors of these materials utilized the dream-vision (i) for scriptural exegesis of the patriarchal traditions, (ii) to endorse particular understandings of the origins and functions of the priesthood, and (iii) for historiography by creating ex eventu revelations of aspects or all of world history. In tandem these two components affirm the centrality of the dream-vision to the thought world of the Aramaic texts as well as demonstrate that this revelatory topos was deployed using a shared stock of language in order to introduce a closely defined set of concerns.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: BAREFOOT RUNNING: THE ROLE OF SENSORY FEEDBACK AND ITS THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

contributor:
Pierrynowski, Michael
Rehabilitation Science

subject:
running
injury
barefoot
cutaneous sensation
learning
Rehabilitation and Therapy
Rehabilitation and Therapy

abstract:
Introduction: Barefoot running is growing in popularity as runners seek strategies to avoid running-related injuries (RRIs). A new theoretical perspective suggests that the improved cutaneous sensation during barefoot running results in a less injurious running style characterized by increased cadence, landing on the forefoot and more knee flexion. The mechanisms by which the barefoot running style may have an effect on RRIs are not well understood.

Purpose: Explore the new theoretical perspective on RRIs that supports the barefoot running style and investigate the effects of modified cutaneous sensation on the adaptation to and retention of the barefoot running style.

Methods: First, a scoping review was performed to identify implicit theory underlying both traditional shod and barefoot running research and practice. Second, a feasibility study investigated altered cutaneous sensation as a proposed mechanism by which a person learns and retains the skill of barefoot running. Sixteen participants ran shod on a treadmill then were randomized to receive one of four cutaneous sensation treatments. They then ran barefoot for the first time and 48 hours later. Changes in the cadences, foot angles and knee angles means and variations across runs and treatment groups were used to quantify learning and retention.

Results: The scoping review provided evidence that improved plantar cutaneous sensation, such as when one runs barefoot, could reduce the risk of RRIs. In the feasibility study, our findings suggest that barefoot compared to shod running increased plantar cutaneous sensory thresholds, and increased mean cadence and mean foot angle. Improved retention of the barefoot running style was shown in the treatment group with anaesthetic cream on their legs.

Conclusions: Plantar cutaneous sensation is proposed as an important factor when exploring the etiology of RRIs. This knowledge may influence an individual’s risk of experiencing a running-related injury.

abstract: Master of Science Rehabilitation Science (MSc)


title: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of Neural Circuit Abnormalities in: Medication Naive Children with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Normal Healthy Adults During Acute Alcohol Intoxication

contributor:
Noseworthy, Michael D.
Soreni, Noam
Bock, Nicholas
Biomedical Engineering

subject:
resting state networks
mri
brain circuits
neural networks
obsessive-compulsive disorder
alcohol

abstract: The human brain is possibly the most complicated structure in the known world. It contains 100 billion neurons, each making contact with 1,000 to 10,000 other neurons. The neurons themselves have hundreds of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters / receptors with which to use to activate or de-activate other neighbouring neurons. Ultimately these neurons are organized into locally defined functional neural networks, which in turn connect with other neural networks to create non-localized highly-complex brain circuits. These brain circuits are responsible for the higher order functions such as perception, emotions, learning, language and conscious thought. In healthy brain states, these networks and circuits are communicating and signalling appropriately. With mental illness, or in an intoxicated brain state, however, this network and circuit functioning can become disrupted: either in a very specific manner, or in a generalized form. Alcohol (in the form of ethanol) is one of the oldest and most widely used psychoactive drugs in the world. In recreational doses, it can have drastic effects on how a person thinks and behaves. Small doses will lead to feelings of euphoria, increased sociability, and impaired judgement, while larger doses will lead to impaired memory and comprehension, and at extreme doses will lead from confusion and stupor to coma and death. The current understanding of alcohol’s effects on the brain is that it acts in a very specific way on a variety of brain enzymes and receptors. This in turn affects specific brain circuitries, making alcohol intoxication a promising model of pharmacological neural network and brain circuit modulation. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a major psychiatric disorder that affects many (lifetime prevalence of between 1-2.5%) and can cause significant disability and impairment in one’s life. The onset of OCD is usually during childhood and adolescence, with more than 50% of adults with OCD reporting its onset occurring before the age of 18. The etiological origin of OCD lies ultimately in specific neuropathological processes, with current theories postulating either a neurochemical model that emphasizes the dysfunction of the serotonergic and possibly dopaminergic systems; or a neuroanatomical model that emphasizes the dysfunction of a specific corticostriatal pathway; or both. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with its safe, non-invasive ability to image both anatomy, brain function and brain metabolism, provides a unique tool with which to probe brain circuit changes, such as in healthy subjects under a pharmacological challenge (ethyl alcohol), or in medication naïve children with OCD. In the ethanol intoxicated brain, functional MRI can be used to probe specific resting state networks (RSN; functionally connected networks that exhibit low frequency blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) fluctuations), measure brain BOLD time-signal complexity using fractal analysis, and to correlate these findings with measured alcohol levels in the brain in vivo using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). In subjects with OCD, functional MRI can be used to once again probe RSNs, and as well, MRS can be used to look at potential differences in brain metabolites in axonal projections that connect OCD relevant brain circuits. It is the purpose of this thesis to show how brain circuits and neural networks in atypical brain states (such as intoxication or mental illness) can be probed and better understood using advanced MRI techniques, such as resting state fMRI. Over a series of three studies, one involving MRI scans of healthy male adults before and after drinking a substantial amount of ethanol, and two others comparing RSNs in children with OCD versus healthy matched controls, and MRS differences in prefrontal white matter between the same two groups, we examined brain circuit changes using advanced MRI techniques. In the alcohol study, evidence was found of brain signal complexity decreasing after 60min and 90min post alcohol consumption. Simultaneously, a mixture of increased and decreased functional connectivity in the default mode network was found after 60min post alcohol consumption, which became general decreased functional connectivity after 90min post alcohol consumption. These changes took place while alcohol in the brain increased substantially after 60min. These findings may help provide insight into the neurofunctional underpinnings of the cognitive and behavioural changes observed during acute alcohol intoxication. In the first study on medication naïve children with OCD, we observed increased connectivity (OCD>control) in the right section of Brodmann area 43 of the auditory cortex, as well as decreased connectivity in the right section of Brodmann area 8 and Brodmann area 40 in the cingulate network. In the second study looking at medication naïve children with OCD, we observed higher levels of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) and choline in the right prefrontal white matter (RPFWM) in children with OCD compared to healthy controls, as well as a positive correlation of creatine, NAA, and myo-inositol levels in the RPFWM and OCD symptom severity. Both studies lend further support to the cortico-striatal-thalamiccortical hypothesis of OCD, while the first study further implicates other regions of the brain outside of the CSTC. Both of these OCD studies further demonstrated the differences in brain circuits of neuropsychiatric disorders between children and adults.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: An Exploration of Female Reproductive Plasticity in the Context of Strange Male Exposure and Stress in Mice (Mus musculus)

contributor:
deCatanzaro, Denys
Psychology

subject:
endocrinology
stress
reproduction
implantation
estradiol
progesterone
corticosterone
Biological Psychology
Biology
Endocrinology
Physiology
Biological Psychology

abstract: Females experience reproductive plasticity in several situations. Under stress, females can experience implantation failure. In the presence of unfamiliar males, females can also experience implantation failure (Bruce effect), or hastened sexual maturation (Vandenbergh effect). Sexual maturation and implantation failure are also induced by 17β-estradiol (E2). Male mice excrete E2 in their urine; furthermore, stress can increase endogenous E2 in females. Accordingly, I explored the role of male urinary E2 in the Bruce and Vandenbergh effects, and examined E2 and progesterone (P4) during stress-induced implantation failure in mice. I showed that a male mouse’s ability to induce the Bruce and Vandenbergh effects depends on his urinary E2, as castration removed this ability,and injections of E2 restored it and urinary E2 levels. I also developed urinary measurements of the stress hormone, corticosterone, for use in subsequent stress studies. I showed that serum and urinary corticosterone follow a similar circadian rhythm, and that urinary corticosterone responds appropriately to acute stress in male mice. Also, urinary and serum corticosterone, P4, and E2 in female mice show similar responses to stress, with slightly different time courses. Lastly, I showed that rat-exposure is stressful and causes implantation failure in female mice. Furthermore, P4 suppressed and E2 is elevated in stressed females losing their pregnancies. Exogenous P4 did not mitigate stress-induced pregnancy failure, unless it was combined with a low dose of E2. Taken together, I suggest that exogenous and endogenous E2 contribute to reproductive plasticity in female mice, particularly their ability to abandon early pregnancy.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Spectroscopic Studies of Some Iron-Sulfur Systems

contributor:
Birchall, T.
Chemistry

subject: Chemistry Chemistry

abstract:
Transition metal complexes bonded to sulfur are of interest both from the theoretical standpoint of the bonding involves and from their chemical and biochemical properties. Iron is by far the most widespread and important transition metal with a functional role in living systems. Current interests in nonheme iron proteins containing iron-sulfur bonds and in complexes of nitric oxide with hemoglobin and related substances have received increasing attention and it was the purpose to investigate various aspects of the coordination chemistry of iron with sulfur ligands.

Mössbauer spectroscopy is a very useful probe with which to obtain information about the immediate iron environment. This technique gives information about the s-electron density at the Fe nucleus which is related to the oxidation state of the metal and in addition provides information about the symmetry of the electronic distribution around the nucleus. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy is also invaluable in providing structural information on paramagnetic transition metal complexes. In this work, some iron-sulfur complexes have been studied by means of these and other spectroscopic techniques.

Spectroscopic evidence has shown that the structures of iron-nitrosyl complexes with thioamide ligands should be formulated as Fe(NO)2LX rather than [Fe(NO)2L]+X‾. The crystal structure of Fe(NO)2(thiobenzamide)Br shows that it is a covalent compound where bromine is coordinated to the iron atom and thioamide being attached as a monodentate ligand.

A series of iron-dithiooxalate complexes have been shown to be distorted from a cubic symmetry due to the effect of cations and/or solvent of crystallisation. The usefulness of Mössbauer spectroscopy to study the behaviour of complexes in solution has been demonstrated by a study of aqueous solutions of the thiooxalate and ferric (or ferrous) ions.

The orientation of [C5H5Fe(CO)2]2 in liquid crystals was studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy. A similar study on the Fe(NO)2LX complexes in liquid crystals was not successful.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Illuminating Struggles for Gendered Responses: Practice with Women Offenders of Intimate Partner Violence

contributor:
Aronson, Jane
Collins, Stephanie Baker
Social Work

subject:
offender treatment
intimate partner violence
critical feminist analysis
practice informed evidence
policy frame analysis
Social Work
Social Work

abstract:
The Duluth Model of intervention for those charged with domestic violence offences has for the past thirty years been instrumental in conceptualizing violence, abuse, power and control, how to hold offenders accountable and keep victims safe, and is reflective of a collaborative, feminist approach to violence intervention. The model’s design assumes that violence is perpetrated by men against their female partners as a mechanism to maintain/gain power and control. However, increasing numbers of women are now being charged with violence against their male partners and being referred for service. Problematically, there has been little development of policies or formal practices that recognize the different meanings of women’s violence or the particularity of their programming needs so that service providers in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) treatment programs find themselves working with female offenders under a male model of violence.

The purpose of this project was to engage in a critical feminist analysis of the resulting tensions, specifically to ask how conceptualizations of gender and violence undergird policy development and how, in Duluth-dominated programming approaches, service providers understand and respond to women’s needs. To explore these questions, I took a two-fold methodological approach: an analysis of the extensive literature on Partner Assault Response (PAR) programs and female offenders, using the concept of policy framing; and an online survey of service providers that explored dimensions of their work and that included questions incorporating the policy frame distinctions that emerged from the literature analysis.

The policy frame analysis underscored the power of problem construction and shed conceptual light on the challenges of working under the Duluth model with women. Survey participants described those challenges in the, as yet, dimly lit front-lines of practice, as well as their engagements at times in creative, subversive program delivery to meet women’s needs. Future research drawing forward the seldom heard voices of women charged with violence will be critical, as will continued endeavours to fashion gender-specific, need-driven policy.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Impact of One Session of Mindfulness vs. Cognitive Restructuring Skills on Worry and Associated Symptoms in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

contributor:
McCabe, Randi
Key, Brenda
Psychology

subject:
Anxiety
Mindfulness
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Clinical Psychology
Clinical Psychology

abstract: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is recognized as an evidenced-based psychological treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Despite proven efficacy of CBT (i.e., large effect sizes), not everyone responds. One promising alternative approach is Mindfulness-based therapy, which has been shown to be effective in preliminary research in GAD. The purpose of this study was to directly compare a brief (1 hour) Mindfulness to CBT intervention to determine efficacy in reducing excessive worry and associated anxiety symptoms in a GAD population. Forty-five participants with a principal diagnosis of GAD were assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID-IV) and randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Mindfulness, CBT, or Information (control condition). Following the intervention, all participants completed daily practice for one week. Assessment consisted of self-report measures of worry and factors associated with GAD symptoms pre-and post-intervention. Overall findings did not support the main hypothesis that the brief interventions (Mindfulness and CBT) would be associated with a significant reduction in worry compared to the control group. However, group differences on factors associated with GAD were found. Individuals in the CBT condition reported a significant reduction in current level of general anxiety symptoms compared to the Mindfulness and Information conditions. Individuals in both CBT and Mindfulness conditions reported a significant reduction in current stress symptoms compared to the Information condition. In addition the CBT condition also demonstrated a trend for reduction in symptoms of depression compared to both Mindfulness and Information conditions. In summary, although a more intensive intervention may be needed to affect chronic worry, the CBT intervention was associated with greater benefit then the mindfulness intervention and may be useful as a brief pre-treatment intervention for individuals on a waitlist for standard treatment.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Hope Conceptualized: An Analysis of Settlement Workers' Understandings of Hope

contributor:
Dumbrill, Gary
Carranza, Mirna
Social Work

subject:
hope
refugee
settlement
settlement worker
hope theory
social work
Social Work
Social Work

abstract: This qualitative study examines the similarities and differences in settlement workers’ conceptualizations of hope. This study begins with a literature review of existing hope theories, as well as an examination of how hope is significant in refugees’ lives. It uses an interpretivist, social constructionist framework to do a comparative analysis of three in-depth interviews with settlement workers in southern Ontario. Emphasizing relationships, experiences, and multiple understandings, this study demonstrates the socially constructed nature of hope, which is found to be personally nuanced to each participant. The findings suggest that hope is understood differently by different people, with many underlying themes and similarities. These findings encourage settlement workers and social workers to reflect on their own conceptualizations of hope, as well as consider how their clients might understand it differently. Doing this will lead to increased client-centered practice and reduce misunderstandings about hope in practice.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Transport of H+, Na+ and K+ across the posterior midgut of blood-fed mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti)

contributor:
O’Donnell, Michael
Nurse, Colin
Biology

subject:
blood meal
postprandial diuresis
epithelial transport
digestion
transport inhibitor
channel blocker
Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology
Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology

abstract: Mosquitoes pose significant threats to human health because they act as vectors for disease causing viruses and protozoans. Indeed, Aedes aegypti is known as the Yellow Fever Mosquito because of its role as a vector for viral infections that kill thousands of people each year. A more thorough understanding of mosquito physiology will aid development of novel control strategies. Previous work on ion transport across the midgut has been focused primarily on larval A. aegypti, while research on the midgut of the adult stage is less complete. The posterior midgut of the adult female is of particular interest because it is used for the storage and digestion of the blood meal which is required for the production of eggs. This study used an array of electrophysiological methodologies such as the Scanning Ion Electrode Technique (SIET) in order to elucidate the patterns and mechanisms of Na+, H+ and K+ transport across the posterior midgut at intervals during postprandial diuresis and digestion of the blood meal. Measurements of transepithelial potential indicated that the lumen was at its most negative (-13.2 mV) three hours after the blood meal and then gradually became less negative during the time course of digestion. Na+ was absorbed (from lumen to bath) at all intervals after the blood meal (6 min, 30 min, 2h, 24 h); calculations of the electrochemical potential indicated that absorption required active transport. H+ absorption at all times (6 min – 48 h) after the blood meal was also active (i.e. against the electrochemical gradient for H+) and was greatly reduced by inhibition of carbonic anhydrase. K+ transport across the midgut exhibited two distinct phases. During diuresis, luminal concentrations of K+ were in the range 24 – 28 mM and secretion into the midgut was opposed by the electrochemical gradient, indicating active transport. After diuresis, during blood meal digestion, concentrations of K+ in the midgut contents were high (95 – 134 mM) and absorption of K+ was favoured by the electrochemical gradient. K+ absorption was sensitive to the channel blocker Ba2+ during this period.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF REVERSIBLE POLYMERS AND SELF-ASSEMBLY OF CARBON NANOTUBES

contributor:
Adronov, Alex
Stover, Harald
Potter, David
Chemistry and Chemical Biology

subject:
Reversible polymers
Diels Alder
self-healing
nanoindentation
self-assembly
carbon nanotubes
Polymer Chemistry
Polymer Chemistry

abstract:
A series of bismaleimide and bisfuran monomers were synthesized and then combined to produce thermally reversible polymers. Reversibility was demonstrated through multiple heating and cooling cycles, and verified using 1H NMR spectroscopy. Variation of the spacer chemistry in the monomers was found to profoundly influence the physical properties of the resulting polymers. A tripodal maleimide and furan system was then synthesized, but it was found that the incorporation of cross-linking into the polymer network did not significantly alter the mechanical properties of the resulting polymers.

Dilute solutions of polystyrene (PS)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends containing PS- or PMMA-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) were spin cast and annealed at 180°C for 12 h. Characterization of the annealed films by scanning Raman spectroscopy confirmed that the migration of the nanotubes in the films could be controlled using the appropriate functionality on the nanotubes, thus the PS-functionalized nanotubes were found to migrate to the PS domains, while the PMMA-functionalized nanotubes migrated to the PMMA domains.

SWNTs were then functionalized using linear reversible polymers, resulting in significant solubilization of the nanotubes. Heating of this solution resulted in the collapse of the DA polymer, and precipitation of the dissolved nanotubes, illustrating the reversible nature of the polymers, and their influence on carbon nanotube solubilization.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Crossing the midline: An exploration of reference frame conflict

contributor:
Shore, David I.
Milliken, Bruce
Watter, Scott
Psychology

subject:
reference frame
midline
crossed-hands
egocentric
allocentric
rubber hand illusion
temporal order judgments
vision
tactile
sex difference
Cognition and Perception
Cognition and Perception

abstract: Multiple reference frames are used to interact with our surroundings. When these reference frames are in conflict, processing errors can occur. For tactile stimuli, this conflict is highlighted when the hands are crossed over the midline of the body. In this posture, vibrotactile temporal order judgments (TOJs) presented to the hands are impaired compared to an uncrossed posture. This decrease in temporal processing is known as the crossed-hands deficit. The deficit was explored in depth throughout this thesis. In Chapters 2, 3 and 4 different elements of the crossed-hands deficit were evaluated including its connections to the rod and frame test, individual and sex differences within the TOJ task, as well as the influence of vision and body position. These elements were framed with underlying goal of investigating the root cause of the deficit. The data presented here provided evidence for a conflict model of crossed hands processing. A conflict between the internal and external reference frames produced the deficit in temporal processing when the hands were crossed. The role of the body’s midline in understanding multisensory integration was further considered in Chapter 5 through the rubber hand illusion, which is a visuotactile phenomenon whereby an unseen real hand is mislocalized towards a seen rubber hand. When the real hand, rubber hand, or both were crossed over the midline the illusion did not occur. It was hypothesized that a failure to integrate the tactile information presented to the real hand with the visual rubber hand was responsible for the absence of the illusion. Taken together, the data presented in this thesis contribute to the greater understanding of how reference frame conflicts are resolved, particularly when the conflict occurs across the body’s midline.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Examining Mortality Patterns in the Epidemic Emergence of Poliomyelitis in Southern Ontario, Canada (1900-1937)

contributor:
Herring, D. Ann
Moffat, Tina
Mercier, Michael
Anthropology

subject: infectious disease; epidemics; hygiene hypothesis; public health; Toronto; Hamilton

subject: Biological and Physical Anthropology

subject: Biological and Physical Anthropology

abstract:
This thesis examines patterns in poliomyelitis mortality in Wentworth and York Counties of southern Ontario, Canada, from 1900 to 1937. This period marked polio’s shift from endemic to epidemic status. It was also a time of shifting social, cultural, demographic, and economic patterns. Contemporaries struggled to understand polio’s epidemiology, and even today, with the poliovirus on the verge of global eradication, models to explain its changing patterns and impact continue to be revised.

This thesis uses both qualitative and quantitative data collected from a variety of archival sources, including death, birth, and marriage registrations, census records, and newspaper articles, among other records. This information was used to build a geodatabase which forms the basis for analyses of mortality patterns in relation to age and sex, illness duration, seasonality, nativity, birthplace, ethnicity, and religion. Further analyses included family size, birth order, socioeconomic status, and place of residence patterns.

Examined in the context of Wentworth and York Counties in the early 20th century, the results both reveal a local pattern to polio’s epidemic emergence and provide a means to test broader hypotheses regarding polio’s epidemiological patterns. Specifically, results from this study were compared to the expectations of the intensive-exposure and cross-sex transmission hypotheses proposed by Nielsen and colleagues. Among the most important contributions of this thesis are the results showing a pattern of change over the study period, with two distinct stages. Stage One (1910 to 1927) is characterized by an equal sex ratio and a median known family size of four. Stage Two (1928 to 1937) is characterized by excess male deaths and a median known family size of two. These results link polio mortality patterns to demographic and ecological shifts in the early 20th century and confirm that there is still much to learn from the history of this disease.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Epistemology or Politics? Deweyan Inquiry and The Epistemic Defence of Democracy

contributor:
Allen, Barry
Griffin, Nicholas
Sciaraffa, Stefan
Philosophy

subject:
pragmatism
John Dewey
Richard Rorty
democracy
politics
epistemology
Epistemology
Ethics and Political Philosophy
Epistemology

abstract: I propose a Deweyan understanding of the relationship between epistemology and politics. The standards of legitimate political debate are an irreducibly political concern and cannot be invoked to justify the politics they facilitate. Yet, such standards cannot be left outside of the scope of legitimate political discourse, because they are both politically contestable and politically significant. A Deweyan account of inquiry, extended to moral and political questions, provides fruitful ground for integrating epistemological concerns within a political framework without reducing either kind of consideration to the other.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Exploring Technological Style and Use in the Ontario Early Late Woodland: The Van Besien Site

contributor:
Roddick, Andrew
Warrick, Gary
Ramsden, Peter
Anthropology

subject:
Ontario
Ceramics
Technological Style
Late Woodland
Pottery
Sustainable Archaeology
Archaeological Anthropology
Archaeological Anthropology

abstract:
This thesis explores social identity and group membership at the Van Besien site by identifying the social patterning in the production and consumption of ceramics. Since potting is a social event involving transmission of knowledge, production exists within social constraints specific to each potter and influences the technological choices he/she makes. Such technological choices culminate in what is regarded as technological style, created by the repetition of activities or choices that create discernible patterns to allow for identification of styles that demarcate social boundaries.

By identifying stylistic traditions of production and use of ceramics at Van Besien, I found evidence for both fluidity and rigidity of social boundaries. There are constant technological choices that traditionally would be viewed as evidence of rigid social membership. In contrast, the presence of variability at the Van Besien site indicates that social groups were not rigid. To identify if social membership was spatially represented, variability was explored throughout the site. I found that there were unexpected social divisions visible spatially in the pottery.

The results demonstrate that with new theoretical frameworks, new interpretations regarding village social spheres can be discerned. My thesis represents a successful re-evaluation of an extant collection with missing and deficient documentation. This case study shows that extant collections can be revisited, reevaluated, and shed new light on academic debates in Ontario archaeology.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Mode of Action of Nitrofurazone on Bacteria

contributor:
McCalla, D.R.
Biology

subject: Biology Biology

abstract:
Studies are described which show that activated nitrofurazone is able to cause damage to covalently closed circular DNA in minicells from Escherichia coli strain x 1256. These results are discussed in terms of the nature of the damage and of the repair of this damage in minicells.

Studies on the effect of nitrofurazone on macromolecules in Escherichia coli B/r have shown that the activated nitrofurazone inhibits the synthesis of RNA and ribosomes and causes damage to the function of ribosomes. Studies have also shown that the activated nitrofurazone inhibits aerobic and anaerobic metabolism and lowers the ATP levels in bacteria. The mechanism by which these effects are produced are discussed.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Looking for Children: An Alternative Crown Ward Review

contributor:
Dumbrill, Gary
Greene, Saara
Gladstone, Jim
Social Work

subject:
child welfare
children in care
crown ward
anti-oppressive practice
Social Work
Social Work

abstract: As child welfare practice in Ontario attempts to move toward increased partnerships with families, and recognition of the ways in which social work is implicated in perpetuating marginalities through the application of an anti-oppressive lens, direct social work practice with children lacks a similar critical discourse. Social work practice with children in care in Ontario occurs in the context of a guided practice model, Looking After Children, and within numerous audited standards and compliances. It is a bureaucratic and managerial environment which can constrain the social work agenda with children whose voices are easily silenced. This qualitative research study looks at the plans of care or social work recording for 10 Crown Wards in Ontario, in a search for a ‘real child.’ A critical analysis revealed that children are known in the recordings created about them in limited and prescribed ways. A “looked after” child is revealed: a child known according to the specific developmental dimensions of the Looking After Children model, and within “compliant” social work practice. What is lost is a child who exists in their child welfare record, in all of their complexities, contexts and relationships, while the social work relationship is rendered invisible.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Redeeming Wrath and Apocalyptic Violence: Girard and von Balthasar in Response to Nietzsche’s Critique of Atonement Theology

contributor:
Kroeker, Travis
Widdicombe, Peter
Planinc, Zdravko
Religious Studies

subject: Atonement

subject: Theology

subject: Nietzsche

subject: Girard

subject: von Balthasar

subject: Violence

subject: Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

abstract: This dissertation compares the soteriologies of René Girard and Hans Urs von Balthasar as they engage and respond to the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche, and specifically, to Nietzsche’s critique of atonement theology. It examines a problematic shared by all three figures, one defined by the relationship between the violence and redemption. Chapter 1 traces the development of this problematic from Anselm through Luther and Calvin, and attends to the way changes in the metaphysical framework underlying the language of satisfaction led the Reformers to construe divine wrath in more strictly punitive terms. The subsequent chapters examine the responses offered by Nietzsche, Girard, and von Balthasar. Nietzsche argues that Christian priests used the event of Jesus’ violent crucifixion as a symbol to hold the weak in thrall; the Cross came to symbolize the threat of divine wrath and the hope of a quasi-magical salvation. Girard and von Balthasar each argue that Christian soteriology does not enslave Christians to a lie but orients all human beings to the truth. They also agree that the violence of the crucifixion is significant. But whereas Girard argues that the Christian doctrine of divine wrath is a residue of violent pagan religion and thus has no place in interpreting the meaning of the crucifixion, von Balthasar argues that this doctrine serves to highlight the unique quality of God’s re-ordering love. By analyzing and interpreting their responses to Nietzsche, this dissertation seeks to evaluate the contributions Girard and von Balthasar offer for a post-Nietzschean soteriology.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Agency Restructuring and Amalgamation of Children Aid Societies: Social Workers in Northern Ontario

contributor:
Baines, Donna
Aronson, Jane
Gladstone, Jim
Social Work

subject:
Amalgamation
Restructuring
Centralization
New Public Management
Neoliberalism
Managerialism
Social Work
Social Work

abstract: This research project explores the effects of neoliberal policy reform at Children Aid Society (CAS) in Ontario with a specific focus of a newly amalgamated agency in Northern Ontario. For the purpose of this research paper, the agency currently restructuring is referred as Agency # 1. The amalgamation has been initiated by the Ontario Ministry of Youth and Children Services (MYCS). In order to provide these changes, the MYCS formed the Commission to Promote Sustainable Child Welfare (CPSCW) to look into approaches that would make services more efficient and sustainable. This project focuses on the interpretation of the amalgamation through three lenses: the academic literature reviewed; five interviews conducted with administrators and front line workers; and finally the researchers lived experience at Agency # 1 will form a backdrop to the research questions in order to highlight the voices of the research participants. A qualitative approach was conducted to analyze and outline specific themes and sub themes that relate to the literature review such as Neoliberalism, Centralization and New Public Management (NPM). The findings support that neoliberal policy reform has impacted employees at Agency # 1 through a series of miscommunication on policy and procedures along with a delayed process to agreeing on a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The data outlines that the process has been highly influenced and developed by the MYCS, CPSCW and senior administration. The data supports the conclusion that neoliberal reform through managerial approaches is highly entrenched in restructuring of Agency # 1.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Facing Differences: An Analysis of Media Representation of Facial Difference

contributor:
Schormans, Ann Fudge
Sammon, Sheila
Dumbrill, Gary
Social Work

subject:
Media
Representation
Facial Difference
Social Work
Social Work

abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to explore how the mainstream media in Western society represents facial difference, and in turn, how such representations impact individuals who identify as having a facial difference. The study is based on findings from a four-hour focus group with individuals (aged 18-30) who identify as having a facial difference. The data is interpreted and discussed using a critical framework; specifically, Critical Disability Theory.

The subsequent findings indicate that how the media represents facial difference has a significantly negative impact on individuals with a facial difference, in terms of their development of self-esteem and self-worth. It was also apparent from this study that the media plays a large role in the development and maintenance of one’s “understanding” of facial difference.

Major themes emerging from this research include: How individuals feel ‘othered’ because of their facial difference; How language plays a role in maintaining stereotypes of “difference”; How pre-natal testing for “birth defects” can lead to termination of life, and how this related to eugenics; How powerful and pervasive messages from the media can be in relation to physical difference; and how subsequent stigmas impact individuals with facial difference.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: AN INVESTIGATION OF LEANING BEHAVIOURS DURING ONE-HANDED SUBMAXIMAL EXERTIONS WITH EXTENDED REACHES

contributor:
Potvin, Jim
Kinesiology

subject:
Leaning
Ergonomics
Biomechanics
Constrained Reaching
Biomechanics
Biomechanics

abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate leaning behaviours when completing tasks with constrained reaches. A logistic regression was developed, with the input of individual subject anthropometry and specific task characteristics, and the resulting model was able to provide a very accurate prediction of when an individual would lean. The inputs to this model give insight into what factors are important in the decision making process when a worker chooses whether lean. The task hand locations with the longest reaches resulted in the most frequent choice to lean. Leaning appears to be particularly common, and important, with long reaching and pulling tasks that can reduce task hand shoulder and trunk loads and improve balance, while allowing the worker to get closer to the task. Leaning hand forces were highest during pulling tasks. These findings are very important to document, as current ergonomic tools neglect to consider that different task characteristics may change how, and when, a worker leans. Even when only the direction of the task hand force was changed, leaning hand forces differed significantly. In this study, leaning hand height was slightly higher for the shoulder height, when compared to the umbilical height, task hand locations. The average height of the leaning hand did not vary considerably and ranged between 106.6cm to 116.3cm, depending on the condition. The leaning hand force magnitude changed as task hand location, force direction and force level changed. Leaning hand forces increased with increasing task hand load. Task hand forces in the push direction were higher compared to push and down exertions, regardless of task hand location or task hand load. The findings from this study are of particular use to industry as ergonomists now have representative forces and heights, to help guide leaning estimates during proactive risk assessments.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: THE PIERS-RUBINSZTAJN REACTION: NEW ROUTES TO STRUCTURED SILICONES

contributor:
Brook, Michael A.
Chemical Biology

subject:
Silicones
Surfactant
Functional silicones
elastomers
foams
Organic Chemistry
Polymer Chemistry
Organic Chemistry

abstract:
Silicones are a class of polymeric materials broadly used in numerous commercial applications, primarily due to the significant advantages they poses over their carbon-based analogues. The technology utilized to synthesize them is rather mature, and most ‘new’ synthetic strategies involve only incremental changes to the existing norm. The high level of structural control that has become the hallmark of organic synthesis and increasingly of polymer chemistry is essentially absent from silicone chemistry. The origin of this deficiency is the susceptibility of silicone polymers to redistribution (metathesis/rearrangement) under acidic and basic conditions, which will destroy any existing controlled architectures. The Piers-Rubinsztajn reaction, catalyzed by tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (B(C6F5)3), involves the direct coupling between an alkoxysilane and hydrosilane forming a new siloxane linkage, (R3Si-OMe + H- SiR’3 → R3Si-O-SiR’3 + Me-H). The reaction avoids any unwanted acidic/basic reaction conditions and has been shown previously to provide an efficient route to precise, well-defined silicones.

Herein, the functional tolerance of the Piers-Rubinsztajn reaction is reported. It has been shown that in the presence of Lewis basic functional groups (such as – OH, -NH2, -SH) unwanted side reactions result. However in the presence of haloalkanes and alkenes the reaction is fully tolerant, leading to the synthesis of over twenty new, well-defined functional silicones.

The ability to utilize prepared functional silicones in common organic transformations is also reported. It has been shown that prepared halocarbon- modified silicones can readily be converted to their subsequent azido derivatives and tethered to alkyne-modified poly(oxyethyene) (PEG or PEO) of a variety of molecular weights. This led to the synthesis of over fifteen new, well-defined silicone surfactants. Structure activity relationships have also been reported for the synthesized surfactants, showing that subtle manipulations to the silicone hydrophobe can substantially alter the properties the surfactants possess. The use of thiol-ene click chemistry which involves the reaction between prepared well-defined alkene containing silicones and thiol modified poly(oxyethylene) of varying molecular weights is also reported, providing another route to well- defined silicone based surfactants.

The use of the Piers-Rubinsztajn reaction in the synthesis of larger, well-defined silicone based macrostructures is also reported. It has been shown that through alternation between the Piers-Rubinsztajn reaction and platinum catalyzed hydrosilylation, well defined silicone dendrimers can be obtained with relative ease through a combination of both divergent and convergent growth methods.

Finally, a new method for the preparation of both silicone elastomers and silicone foams is reported. Through use of the Piers-Rubinsztajn reaction, elastomers can be readily obtained. A detailed analysis of the many factors that may alter the overall properties of the elastomers produced including solvent volume, crosslinker concentration and type and the molecular weight of the starting hydride terminated polydimethylsiloxane (H-PDMS-H) is discussed.

Taking advantage of the volatile hydrocarbon byproducts of the Piers-Rubinsztajn reaction, silicone foams can also be prepared using this method. A study analogous to that carried out on the silicone elastomers is also reported, showing that through subtle manipulations to the silicone foam formulations, significant changes to the materials properties can be obtained.

abstract: Doctor of Science  (PhD)


title: INTERNET CONSUMPTION IN A NEW HOME

contributor:
Schormans, Ann Fudge
Carranza, Mirna
Gladstone, Jim
Social Work

subject:
international students
social capital
internet
Social Work
Social Work

abstract: Through an interpretative lens, the current study examined how international students’ Internet use affects their new lives in the host country. Eight Chinese graduate students participated in this study. The data was collected through face-to-face qualitative in-depth interviews, which were guided by a semi-structured interview guide using open-ended questions. It was found that the Internet plays a significant role in the development of these students’ social capital in a new country. International students use internet to maintain the newly-built social relations in Canada and the old ones in China. Through the Internet, the students can get informational and emotional supports, which are essential in the acculturation process. It was also indicated that the Internet is a transnational space where these students can manage the complex interactions of differing cultural values and norms between China and Canada without synthesizing differences. The findings of this study are expected to make contributions to the knowledge of the experiences and support needs of International students on campus. Recommendations for school programs and policies are outlined.

abstract: Master of Social Work (MSW)


title: Mass Transfer in Back to Back Elbows arranged in an Out of Plane Configuration under Single & Annular Two-Phase Flow Conditions

contributor:
Ching, Chan Y
Mechanical Engineering

subject:
mass transfer
flow accelerated corrosion
out of plane bends
single-phase flow
two-phase flow
piping
Nuclear Engineering
Other Mechanical Engineering
Nuclear Engineering

abstract:
Flow-Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) is a pipe wall thinning mechanism affecting carbon steel piping systems in power generation plants. Mass transfer is the rate limiting factor, even though chemistry and materials determine the overall potential for FAC. Different localized thinning rates in back to back elbow configurations between the first and second elbow have been noted at nuclear power plants, and this difference depends on the length of pipe between the elbows, flow conditions, and the configuration of the back to back elbows (e.g. S, C, or out of plane). In this thesis, mass transfer measurements in back to back elbows arranged in an out of plane configuration under single and annular two-phase flow conditions are presented.

The mass transfer measurements were performed using a wall dissolving technique with bend sections cast from gypsum. The diffusivity of gypsum in water is similar to the diffusivity of iron from the magnetite layer of carbon steel pipe in water, thus providing analogous mass transfer conditions to FAC in power generation plants. The wall dissolution of gypsum allows the surface roughness to develop due to the flow. The mass transfer is determined by passing water through the gypsum test sections in a flow loop system. The test sections are then sectioned into two halves to expose the worn surface. The surface topology is measured using a three dimensional laser scanner. The wear progression of the surface with time provides local mass transfer rates, locations of high mass transfer and local surface roughness.

The single-phase flow experiments were performed at a Reynolds number of 70,000 for different lengths of pipe (0, 1, 2 and 5 pipe diameters) between the elbows. The mass transfer results show regions of higher mass transfer in the second elbow in comparison to the first elbow. The maximum mass transfer rate in the second elbow decreases when the length of the pipe between the elbows was increased from 0 to 5 pipe diameters. Surface features corresponding to flow streaks on the second elbow surface indicated swirling flow, and its strength decreases with increasing separation distance between the elbows. The surface roughness was found to be higher in the regions of high mass transfer and decreases with increasing elbow separation distance.

The effect of air and water superficial velocities on the mass transfer for the bends with a separation distance of 0 pipe diameters was measured under two-phase air-water annular flow. In addition, the effect of separation distance of 0, 1 and 5 pipe diameters in length between the elbows was studied for one annular flow condition. The highest mass transfer was found on the outer wall of the first elbow for all cases. The maximum mass transfer in the second elbow was found to be approximately 60 percent of the maximum value in the first elbow, and was not affected significantly when the elbow separation distance was increased from 0 to 1 and 5 pipe diameters. The separation distance between the elbows did not affect the maximum mass transfer on the outer wall of the first elbow. The mass transfer increased with an increase in either the water or air superficial velocity, with the air velocity having a greater effect. The mass transfer enhancement factor relative to that in a straight pipe only increases significantly with increasing air superficial velocity. The roughness development in the pipe was modest, but increases significantly in the high mass transfer region of the first and second elbow.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: L'EXPRESSION DU DESIR SEXUEL CHEZ CHRISTINE DE PIZAN

contributor:
Jeay, Madeleine
French

subject: French and Francophone Language and Literature

abstract:
This work explores the expression of female sexual desires in the pastourelle. As female sexuality remains to this day a "dark continent", it is necessary to turn to the Middle Ages, when the concept of love, and consequently of sexuality, that would dominate western civilization, was first established. The pastourelle was predominantly used by male poets, and thus Christine de Pizan's pastourelle provides a rare glimpse of the feminine perspective within the male discourse of the pastoral genre.

The first chapter examines the pastourelle as a literary genre. In the first part of this chapter, questions as to its origins and definition are set forth. The second part deals with the subject and themes expressed in this genre. The final part concerns the existence of the pastoral and how it distinguishes itself from the pastourelle.

In Chapters 2 and 3 I discuss Christine de Pizan's life and works as well as her feelings about the treatment of women in her society, and in particular about the tenuous position they held within the courtly system.

The fourth chapter raises the question of sexual violence present in 18% of the pastourelles as well as the potential for rape in all of the pastourelles. This element of sexual violence, or potential rape, remains a point of contention. Some scholars have interpreted it in terms of sexual aggression against women, with the poem itself constituting an act of aggression. Others see it as pure erotic fantasy that remains unfulfilled, thus rendering the pastourelle a poetic joke, with no reference to actual historic sexual violence. In this chapter, I examine both points of view.

The final chapter looks at how Christine de Pizan uses this literary genre in order to express her own ideas about female sexual desires and love. Unable to create an alternative to the male gender system, Christine's expression of sexual desires are paralleled by a feeling of anguish and anxiety. This chapter discusses the ambivalence in female sexual expression and its inevitable culmination in the desire to die.

Is the equivalence between sexual desire and the desire for death a tragic inevitability when a woman tries to express herself within a male gender system? Is it a sign of rnasochism? The present study does not claim to answer these questions, but merely to suggest that an ambivalence in female sexual expression in medieval Iyric exists and should be further researched if we wish to have a new understanding of female sexuality.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Effect of Market Power in Emission Permit Markets

contributor: R. Andrew Muller, Stuart Mestelman, Steven Elliott

subject:
Economics
Philosophy
Emission Permits
Other Philosophy
Other Philosophy

abstract:
Emission permit markets are being actively implemented as a regulatory method to control various types of pollution in the United States because of the potential efficiency improvements they offer. In Canada, regulators have been more cautious, frequently citing concern that proposed Canadian markets are expected to be thin and/or dominated by a single firm. In these circumstances, such a firm could manipulate prices to reduce its own emission control costs while increasing the total cost of pollution control across the market. Such activity might also cause emission permit markets to be viewed as unviable on efficiency and equity grounds. This thesis investigates the potential problems such markets might experience if one firm (or a group of firms) has the ability to manipulate market prices to their advantage. Given the lack of empirical data, experimental economic methods are used in an attempt to determine whether it is reasonable to assume violations of the basic competitive market assumptions should be expected to seriously undermine the efficiency benefits emission permit markets offer in a controlled setting.

The experiments reported here show that in double auction markets with one dominant firm and a number of fringe firms, strategic manipulation occurs repeatedly in the laboratory. The dominant firm uses emission permits in a socially inefficient manner in order to reduce its costs, increase its profits and exclude rivals in downstream product markets. Far from finding increased market efficiency and decreased cost of pollution control, this study confirms that implementing permit markets when there are firms with market power may decrease efficiency. The resultant loss in gains from trade could also reduce the political viability of emission trading programs.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Recovery Project and Artifactual Ecology: A New Direction for Environmental Thought

contributor:
Allen, Barry
Philosophy

subject: Philosophy Philosophy

abstract:
This thesis identifies a major paradigm in environmental philosophy. According to many environmental philosophers, the root of our ecological problems is our Modernist world view. Modernity has created a dangerous dualism between humanity and nature. This dualism both encourages a destructive, anthropocentric attitude, and portrays nature as passive, mechanistic, and suitable for domination. Many of these philosophers, most notably deep ecologists, think that the solution to our ecological problems lies in recovering the wild, true aspect of nature and replacing the Modernist world view with an ecological world view. I call this paradigm ''the Recovery Project."

I reject this paradigm on the basis that it contains too many problematic premises, notably the idea that nature is ontologically independent. I use contemporary theories in philosophical anthropology to criticize the Recovery Project's realist thesis and their argument that Modernity is responsible for our ecological crisis. This criticism reveals the essential relationship between humanity and artifacts. Although I formulate a constructivist position, it is not the social constructivist thesis critiqued by many environmental philosophers.

I propose a new starting point for environmental philosophy-an idea I call "artifactual anthropocentrism." This version of anthropocentrism accounts for the phenomenon of unintended consequences, which is neglected by standard versions of anthropocentrism and the Recovery Project. I then examine the ecological problems associated with our urban environment. Through a discussion of urbanization and traditional agricultural methods, I explain the difference between domesticating and socializing natural entities and the problems associated with these processes. Continuing the focus on the relationship between humans and artifacts, I conclude that environmental philosophy may be able to address these problems by reorienting itself as a philosophy of technique.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Toward an Operational Model of Daily Household Activity-Travel Behavior

contributor:
Kanaroglou, Pavlos
Geography and Earth Sciences

subject:
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of Science

abstract: Since the late 1970s, the rapidly expanding literature subsumed under the activity-based paradigm has increased significantly our understanding of urban travel behavior and provided insights into new approaches to replace current models of urban travel demand-namely, the Urban Transportation Modeling System. A basic tenet of this paradigm is that decision-making occurs in a household context, taking into account interactions among household members. This differs, however, from the reality of activity-based research to date. With few exceptions, the decision-making unit in both empirical studies and modeling efforts is the individual, not the household. In this dissertation, it is argued that there is a need to develop activity-based travel demand forecasting models at the household level. To this end, a conceptual framework is proposed for modeling daily household activity-travel behavior. This framework is developed for the heads of five common household types and consists of two modules: Activity-Episode Generation and Activity-Episode Scheduling. The statistical models underlying the former module are discussed and estimated using data from a trip diary survey conducted in the Greater Toronto Area in 1987. The Activity-Episode Generation module is then implemented as an object-oriented simulation model. This model is used to evaluate the effects of a large-scale adoption of the compressed workweek on the daily number of out-of-home activity episodes for the heads of households in the Greater Toronto Area in 1986.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Media Influence on Regional Government Decision-Making

contributor:
Sproule-Jones, M
Political Science

subject: Politics Politics

abstract:
It is often said that the media are one of the most powerful forces shaping contemporary political life. To explore this assertion, the following thesis considers the relationship of community decision-makers to dominant newspapers in two regional government systems.

The investigation begins with a theoretical review of community decision-making and media analyses and proposes to combine these in a unified study. Next, through the use of four case studies and personal interviews, it analyses the community power structures of the two regional government systems. Finally, it considers the media's influence upon decision-makers and policy outcomes.

The evidence uncovered suggests the media possess the ability to influence decision-makers in at least four ways: agenda-setting and building; publicizing decisions; controlling information; and legitimizing policy participants. Sometimes this power is used deliberately and on other occasions unwittingly. In none of the instances considered, though, were the newspapers capable of exerting influence when acting independently without the cooperation of some community influentials. For this reason, the media were collectively regarded by policy participants as either a useful ally or dangerous foe occupying an ambiguous place in relation to the community power structure.

At the same, this investigation also discovered that traditional elite and pluralist community power theories are inadequate for describing local decision-making. Instead, there appears to be a demand for an analytical approach that incorporates elements of both schools.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: On/Off Sleep Scheduling in Energy Efficient Vehicular Roadside Infrastructure

contributor:
Todd, Terence D.
Dongmei Zhao, George Karakostas
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Vehicular networks
Green wireless communication networks
Roadside infrastructure
Energy efficiency
Scheduling
Sleep cycling
Graph theory
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Systems and Communications
Electrical and Computer Engineering

abstract: Smart downlink scheduling can be used to reduce infrastructure-to-vehicle energy costs in delay tolerant roadside networks. In this thesis this type of scheduling is incorporated into ON/OFF roadside unit sleep activity, to further reduce infrastructure power consumption. To achieve significant power savings however, the OFF-to-ON sleep transitions may be very lengthy, and this overhead must be taken into account when performing the scheduling. The OFF/ON sleep transitions are incorporated into a lower bound on energy use for the constant bit rate air interface case. An online scheduling algorithm referred to as the Flow Graph Sleep Scheduler (FGS) is then introduced which makes locally optimum ON/OFF cycle decisions. This is done by computing energy estimates needed both with and without a new OFF/ON cycle. The energy calculation can be efficiently done using a novel minimum ow graph formulation. We also consider the fixed transmit power, variable bit rate, air interface case. As before, a lower bound on RSU energy use is computed by formulating and solving an integer program. Results from a variety of experiments show that the proposed scheduling algorithms perform well when compared to the energy lower bounds. The algorithms are especially attractive in situations where vehicle demands and arrival rates are such that the energy costs permit frequent ON/OFF cycling.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: REFUSE TO RELIC: NEOPASTORAL ARTIFACTS AND THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF ENVIRONMENT IN AMERICAN MODERNIST POETICS

contributor:
O`Connor, Mary
Jeffery Donaldson, Joseph Adamson
English and Cultural Studies

subject:
neopastoral
environmental aesthetics
picturesque
waste poetics
artifacts
object ontology
American Literature
American Material Culture
Archaeological Anthropology
Interdisciplinary Arts and Media
Literature in English, North America
Modern Literature
Social and Cultural Anthropology
American Literature

abstract: Building on concepts of the pastoral, the picturesque, the “vernacular ruin,” and frontierism in an American context, this thesis explores the interest in ruin and commodity-oriented refuse within rural, wilderness, and what Leo Marx in The Machine in the Garden calls “middle ground” environments. Chapter one analyzes how “nature” has been conceptualized as a place where human-made objects become repurposed through the gaze of the spectator. Theories surrounding gallery and exhibition space, as well as archaeological practices related to garbage excavation, are assessed to determine how waste objects, when wrested out of context, become artifacts of cultural significance. Chapter two turns to focus on the settler experience of the frontier in order to locate a uniquely American evolution of the interest in everyday waste objects. Chapters three and four return to the rural and the pastoral to focus on Marx’s concept of the “middle ground.” In dialogue with Marx’s theories, I propose a definition of the “neopastoral” as that which evolves from the interjection of domestic waste into these middle spaces to the aesthetic appropriation of everyday, common objects in modernist American poetry. The final chapter focuses on selected poems by modernist writers such as Wallace Stevens, Robert Frost, and W.C. Williams to analyze their explicit references to everyday waste in conjunction with the mythologized American pastoral. These poets provide evidence for how the drive to poeticize an abandoned, human-made object’s proximity to a natural environment plays a significant role in the perception of the fragmented object-subject relationship in modernity.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Elastic Registration of Medical Images Using Generic Dynamic Deformation Models

contributor:
Sirouspour, Shahin
Capson, David
Noseworthy, Michael D.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
image registration
finite element modeling
deformable registration
state estimation
magnetic resonance imaging
ultrasound imaging
dynamic deformation tracking
Biomedical
Biomedical

abstract: This thesis presents a family of automatic elastic registration methods applicable to single and multimodal images of similar or dissimilar dimensions. These registration algorithms employ a generic dynamic linear elastic continuum mechanics model of the tissue deformation which is discretized using the finite element method. The dynamic deformation model provides spatial and temporal correlation between images acquired from different orientations at different times. First, a volumetric registration algorithm is presented which estimates the deformation field by balancing internal deformation forces of the elastic model against external forces derived from an intensity-based similarity measure between images. The registration is achieved by iteratively solving a reduced form of the dynamic deformation equations in response to image-derived nodal forces. A general approach for automatic deformable image registration is also presented in this thesis which deals with different registration problems within a unified framework irrespective of the image modality and dimension. Using the dynamic deformation model, the problem of deformable image registration is approached as a classical state estimation problem with various image similarity measures providing an observation model. With this formulation, single and multiple-modality, 3D-3D and 3D-2D image registration problems can all be treated within the same framework.The registration is achieved through a Kalman-like filtering process which incorporates information from the deformation model and an observation error computed from an intensity-based similarity measure. Correlation ratio, normalized correlation coefficient, mutual information, modality independent neighborhood descriptor and sum of squared differences between images are similarity/distance measures employed for single and multiple modality image registration in this thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Poets on the Hill: A Contemporary Exploration of Canadian Political Poetry in English

contributor:
Donaldson, Jeffery
York, Lorraine
Kehler, Grace
English and Cultural Studies

subject:
Political inquiry
political poetry
Canadian poetry
Rogue Stimulus
The Blasted Pine
Howl Too Eh
Literature in English, North America
Literature in English, North America

abstract:
In this thesis, I investigate Canadian poetry that is explicitly about the political (politicians, political parties, or political policies) written in English. I begin by defining political poetry and its aims in Canada and then progress through an examination of three collections of poetry and one poem: The Blasted Pine; Howl Too, Eh?; and Rogue Stimulus. This allows for a comprehensive look at how political poetry has evolved in Canada from a pointed and critical genre that aims to mock and argue to a more subtle, playful genre that utilizes parody and wit. It also demonstrates the evolution and complication of voice in political poetry, given that each poem contains the voice of the poet, the speaker, the public, and the political.

I argue that political poetry in Canada is not poetry as dissent, protest, or witness, but rather poetry as inquiry/commission (in the political sense). This definition relies on the fact that Canadian political poetry seeks to ascribe accountability for political actions and decisions and utilizes the poet as spokesperson, speaking for the public to the political (and the public in turn). Canadian political poetry hence arises out of a demand from the public, much like political inquiries do, and through the satirical use of politically correct language and explicit political references calls for action from the political sphere and the public. I further argue that poetry as inquiry also comments on the public itself (including the author/speaker as a member of that public) and that political poetry is transideological.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Explorations of a Pi-Striped, d-Wave Superconductor

contributor:
Kallin, Catherine
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Condensed Matter Theory
Superconductivity
Bogoliubov-de Gennes Theory
Self-Consistent Mean Field Theory
Pi-Striped Superconductor
Pair Density Wave
Condensed Matter Physics
Condensed Matter Physics

abstract: The pi-striped, d-wave superconducting (SC) state, which is a type of pair density wave wherein the SC order is spatially modulated, has recently been shown to generate the key ingredients for quantum oscillations consistent with experimental observations (Zelli et al., 2011, 2012). This was accomplished with a phenomenological approach using non-self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) theory. The objective of this thesis is to explore two aspects of this approach: the addition of a charge density wave (CDW) order to the previous non-self-consistent calculations, and an attempt at stabilizing the pi-striped state in fully self-consistent BdG theory. It was found that the CDW order had a minimal effect on the Fermi surface characteristics of the pi-striped state, but that a sufficiently strong CDW degrades the Landau levels which are essential for the formation of quantum oscillations. The self-consistent mean-field calculations were unable to stabilize the pi-striped state under a range of modifications to the Hamiltonian. Free energy calculations with the modulated SC order treated as a parameter demonstrate that the pi-striped state is always less energetically favourable than the normal state for the scenarios which were considered. The results of this study constitute a basis for future, more comprehensive studies, using the BdG approach, of the stability of possible pi-striped SC phases.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: UNLOCKING THE PROPERTIES OF THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM OF CENTAURUS A AND M51

contributor:
Wilson, Christine
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
astrophysics
interstellar medium
submillimetre
galaxies
gas
dust
Astrophysics and Astronomy
Astrophysics and Astronomy

abstract:
I investigate the interstellar medium (ISM) of two nearby, resolved galaxies, M51 (NGC 5194) and Centaurus A (Cen A; NGC 5128) using spectroscopic and photometric data from the Herschel Space Observatory to search for local variations of the characteristics of the ISM. I find that the average characteristics of the ISM in Cen A, a giant elliptical galaxy, are similar to those typically found in normal star forming galaxies, despite its unique morphology and classification as a radio galaxy with an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Using Herschel photometry I find radial trends in the dust temperature, the dust mass, and unexpectedly, the gas-to-dust mass ratio. I hypothesise that the AGN is removing nearby dust grains via dust sputtering or expulsion via jets. A comparison of Herschel spectroscopy of important cooling lines to a photon dominated region (PDR) model reveals the strength of the far-ultraviolet radiation field, G0, and the hydrogen gas density, n, in the PDR gas within Cen A are consistent with values found in other nearby galaxies. I do not observe any obvious radial trend in these characteristics and conclude that the high inclination of Cen A may be inhibiting the identification of any impact the AGN is having on the surrounding gas.

An investigation of the gas in M51 using a similar spectroscopic dataset as with Cen A shows for the first time that a large fraction of the observed [C II](158 μm) emission in the centre of M51 originates in diffuse ionised gas. This fraction falls off with radius out to the arm and interarm regions. I also find via PDR modelling that there is a decreasing radial trend in the values of G0 and n, and that in the arm and interarm regions they are the same. Thus, there appears to be no difference in the physical properties of the molecular clouds in the arm and interarm regions of the galaxy. The results of this thesis contribute to further understanding the characteristics of the ISM of nearby galaxies, as well as the evolution of the ISM in galaxies containing an AGN.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: EMOTIONAL MEMORY IN PREGNANT WOMEN AT RISK FOR POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

contributor:
Frey, Benicio
Sue Becker, Margaret McKinnon
Neuroscience

subject:
Emotional Memory
Cognition
Pregnancy
Postpartum Depression
Major Depressive Disorder
Hormones
Cognitive Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Maternal and Child Health
Mental Disorders
Women's Health
Cognitive Neuroscience

abstract:
Thank you to all who were involved in this research including Drs. Benicio Frey,
Sue Becker, Margaret McKinnon, Luciano Minuzzi, and Lauren Cudney and Marg Coote. I would like to express my very great appreciation to the midwives at Community Midwives of Hamilton for enabling me to visit the clinic and recruit their pregnant clients. Finally, I would like to thank Lorenda Williams, John Williams, and Eric Johnson for their continued support.

abstract:
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious disorder associated with debilitating effects on mothers and their infants. A previous history of depression appears to be the strongest risk factor for PPD. Previous studies showed that individuals with history of depression accurately recall more negative compared to positive content. The objective of this study was to compare emotional memory for negative and positive images between pregnant women with previous depressive episodes and pregnant women with no lifetime depression. This is the first study to investigate emotional memory in pregnant women with or without previous history of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). A total of 77
participants between the ages of 18 - 44 (mean age: 27.3  6.2yo) completed the study (14 pregnant women with previous depressive episodes, 30 pregnant women with no lifetime depression, 13 non-pregnant women with previous depressive episodes, and 20 non-pregnant healthy). Participants took part in an emotional encoding task consisting of positive, negative, and neutral images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) where they were asked to rate these images based on perceived emotional intensity. Participants returned a week later for a surprise incidental recognition memory task. A multivariate general linear model revealed a significant main effect of group (F(1,71)= 8.04, p=.01). Women with history of MDD demonstrated poorer memory performance than women with no history for negative images, but the two groups did not
differ on memory for positive images. This suggests that having a history of depression selectively impaired the memory recognition of negative images.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)