title: Target localization in MRI-guided prostate biopsy

contributor:
Fichtinger, Gabor
Computing

subject:
MRI-guided prostate biopsy
biopsy target localization
image registration
biopsy accuracy validation

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-01 11:45:55.8

abstract:
Prostate cancer is a worldwide health concern for men. Needle biopsy is the most definitive form of cancer diagnosis. Target-specific biopsies can be performed under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance. However, needle placements are often inaccurate due to intra-operative prostate motion and the lack of motion compensation techniques. As a result, malignant tumors can be missed, which in turn will lead to an increased number of repeated biopsies and delaying of treatment. To increase the needle targeting accuracy, intra-operative prostate motion and deformation need to be studied so that motion compensation techniques can be developed accordingly. This thesis intends to make three main contributions:

1. A comprehensive survey of the state-of-art in image-guided prostate needle placement interventions.
2. Retrospective clinical accuracy validation of a MRI-guided robotic prostate biopsy system that was used in the U.S. National Cancer Institute for over 6 years. A 3D-3D registration algorithm consists of an initial two-step rigid alignment followed by a B-spline deformable transform was developed to align the pre- and post-needle insertion images. A total of 90 biopsies from 24 patients were studied. The mean target displacement, needle placement error, and clinical biopsy error were 5.2, 2.5, and 4.3 mm, respectively.
3. Development of a multi-slice-to-volume registration for intra-operative target localization. The algorithm aligns the planning volume with three orthogonal image slices of the prostate acquired immediately before needle insertion. It consists of a rigid registration followed by a deformable step using only the prostate region. The algorithm was validated on 14 clinical images sets from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. All registration errors were well below the radius of a clinically significant tumour (5 mm), and are considered clinically acceptable.

The results show that there was a substantial amount of biopsy error caused by prostate motion and deformation during MRI-guided biopsy. This error can be reduced by using quantitative imaging techniques for prostate registration and motion compensation. In particular, the multi-slice-to-volume registration algorithm demonstrated the feasibility of intra-operative target localization and motion compensation; which in turn may improve the quality of MRI-guided prostate interventions.

abstract: PhD


title: Modeling Biophysical Variables in the Canadian High Arctic Using Synthetic Aperture Radar Data

contributor:
Treitz, Paul
Geography

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

subject:
Remote Sensing
SAR
Arctic

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-03 16:52:26.856

abstract:
The estimation or modeling of biophysical variables such as surface roughness, vegetation phytomass, and soil moisture in the Arctic is an important step towards understanding arctic energy fluxes, effects of changing climate, and hydrological patterns. This research uses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, along with ancillary optical and environmental data, to create models that estimate these biophysical variables across different High Arctic landscapes, with the goal of applying the models across even larger areas.
Field work was conducted at two High Arctic locations on Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada. At each location, surface roughness values were measured at a number of randomized plot locations using a pin meter. Soil moisture values were measured using a time domain reflectometry (TDR) instrument within six hours of multiple overpasses of the RADARSAT-2 SAR sensor.
Surface roughness models were generated with multi-incidence angle and fully polarimetric SAR data, with resulting R2 values ranging between 0.39 and 0.66, and normalized root mean squared error (N_RMSE) values of 14% - 22%. The output from the final surface roughness model was used as an input to the soil moisture models.
Vegetation phytomass was modeled with multi-angular SAR data, using a soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) derived from optical data across the study area as a measure of verification. The resulting model had a significant (p <0.05) relationship to the SAVI values, with an R2 of 0.60. This model was then compared to field-collected above-ground phytomass values, and a model was derived that related SAR data directly to phytomass. This model again showed a strong relationship, with an R2 value of 0.87.
The final biophysical variable that was modeled, soil moisture, showed moderate agreement to field-measured soil moisture values (R2 = 0.46, N_RMSE = 0.15%), but much stronger relationships were found for relative moisture values at fine scales across the landscape.
These models, when taken together, demonstrate that SAR data is capable of modeling biophysical variables across high latitude environments. These models will help address larger questions, such as how SAR can be used to better understand moisture and energy exchanges over regional areas in high arctic environments.

abstract: PhD


title: Health, Fitness, Neoliberalism and Niche Markets: Does Planet Fitness Deliver?

contributor:
Beamish, Rob
Sociology

subject: Fitness Neoliberalism Gym Health

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-03 09:31:17.172

abstract:
In today’s neoliberal climate, a burgeoning health consciousness pervades American society. Health and fitness discourses are increasingly framed through neoliberal ideologies, contributing to the rise of “healthism”. This theory prescribes that health should be taken up as an individual responsibility and moral obligation. Healthism, coupled with societal pressure to adhere to certain cultural bodily ideals, propels individuals to take ownership of their health and well-being. More specifically, Americans are encouraged to strive towards cultivating a “healthy” body, which is a fit body, because the physical body has come to symbolize health and morality.
	With the phenomenal growth of the health and fitness industry, gyms have become an increasingly popular venues where individuals go to address their health and fitness needs. However, class status plays a critical role in Americans’ capacity to pursue health-promoting knowledge and resources. Structural barriers related to economic inequalities alienate individuals of low-socioeconomic status from mainstream health practices, including gym participation.
	The current project draws upon ethnographic fieldwork in a commercial gym in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Through a qualitative investigation of Planet Fitness, I seek to contribute to the empirical base of knowledge surrounding gyms, specifically, and health and fitness discourses, at large. Planet Fitness, a hugely successful gym franchise across the United States, has developed a unique brand that recognizes the various economic and social barriers that prevent and discourage gym participation. Findings reveal that by dramatically lowering the price of memberships, developing an inclusive environment, called the “Judgment Free Zone”, and offering the convenience of nearly 700 locations nationwide, Planet Fitness makes health and wellness more affordable and accessible for Americans.

abstract: M.A.


title: Essays in Monetary Policy and Banking

contributor:
Sun, Amy Hongfei
Economics

subject:
Asset Purchase Programs
Central Banks
Monetary Policy
Banking

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Economics) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-03 10:31:40.883

abstract:
This dissertation investigates the impact of central banks' asset purchase programs on the economy and the role of frictions in the corporate loan markets. It builds a series of models with trading and information frictions in goods market and credit market. Chapter 1 introduces the main idea in this thesis and presents a review on central banks' asset purchase programs and unconventional monetary policies.
Chapter 2 constructs a model of the monetary economy with multiple nominal assets. Assets differ in terms of the liquidity services they provide. I show that the central bank can control the overall liquidity and welfare of the economy by changing the relative supply of assets. A liquidity trap exists away from the Friedman rule that has a positive real interest rate; the central bank's asset purchase/sale programs may be ineffective in instances of low enough inflation rates. My model also enables me to study the welfare effects of a restriction on trading with government bonds.
Chapter 3 investigates the effects of open-market operations on the distributions of assets and prices. It offers a theoretical framework to incorporate multiple asset holdings in a tractable heterogeneous-agent model. This model features competitive search, which produces distributions of money and bond holdings as well as price dispersion among submarkets. At a high enough bond supply, the equilibrium shows segmentation in the asset market; only households with good income shocks participate in the bond market. Segmentation in the asset market is generated endogenously without assuming any rigidities or frictions in the asset market. Numerical exercises show that when the asset market is segmented, the central bank can improve welfare by purchasing bonds and supplying money.
Chapter 4 develops a model of loan markets in which lenders post an array of heterogeneous contracts, then borrowers tradeoff terms of loan contracts and matching probability between themselves. I show that a unique separating equilibrium exists where each type of borrower applies to a certain type of contract. Chapter 4 also provides empirical evidence of both price dispersion and credit rationing in the corporate loan market. Chapter 5 offers concluding remarks and possible extensions.

abstract: PhD


title: Principle, Practice, and Mindset: Understanding an Internationally-Minded Context for Teaching and Learning

contributor:
Luce-Kapler, Rebecca
Education

subject:
music education
narrative
internationalization
international education

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-03 13:09:11.145

abstract: This qualitative research study investigates teaching and learning in an international school, and asks: (1) What are the stories of principle, practice, and mindset that foster internationally-minded teaching and learning in an international school context?; and (2) How might those stories inform the practices of teachers in increasingly culturally diverse domestic schools? A trifold conceptual framework of principle, practice, and mindset (Guo & Jamal, 2007) was used to design the process for data collection: (1) document analysis to examine principles such as intercultural competency; (2) classroom observations to identify elements of internationally-minded teaching practices; and (3) interviews to address the mindset of educators and administrators. The data collected from 25 documents, 60 hours of classroom observations, and 8 interviews were subsequently analyzed using van Manen’s (1997) three steps for hermeneutic phenomenological reflection, and were guided by Fowler’s (2006) approach to understanding narrative. Four resulting themes have been established: (1) personalized learning; (2) creative professionalism; (3) (con)temporary community; and (4) international-mindedness. These themes indicate a complex interconnectedness between stories of principle, practice, and mindset in an international school context, and highlight the significant role that teachers as intercontextual inquirers play in enhancing internationally-minded approaches to teaching and learning.

abstract: PhD


title: The Missing Link as Othering: A Critical Genealogy of Paleoanthropology

contributor:
Burfoot, Annette J.
Sociology

subject:
Paleoanthropology
Neanderthals
Governmentality
Orientalism
Social Control
Othering

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-04 12:53:52.631

abstract: The science of human origins, known formally as ‘paleoanthropology’, was effectively born in the fierce late nineteenth century debate as to the human status of Neanderthal.  Critical social theory on ‘scientism’ has generated a wealth of research on the ways the various human sciences contribute to the structuring and organizing of social relations.  This includes Foucault’s well-known genealogical studies of clinical medicine, which have provided sociologists with crucial insight into how classifying and ordering practices actually create ‘Man’ in the way they operate as a field – or “technology” – of power (Foucault 1970).  However, as yet there has been very little produced by sociologists interested in the impacts of science on society with regards to paleoanthropology specifically.  This is especially surprising considering that Neanderthal, the quintessential ‘missing link’ and the hub of paleoanthropology’s speculative and explanatory universe, clearly occupies a central place in the socio-historical emergence of ‘humanness’ as an ontological category.  Moving forward from the basic observation that the original 1856 discovery of fossilized Neanderthal remains in a cave in Germany’s Neander Valley generally coincided with the end of the colonial period, my dissertation seeks to fill a void in sociology via a genealogical study of paleoanthropological science.  Drawing largely upon the insight of Foucault but also that of Saïd, I undertake a discourse analysis of the early debates surrounding Neanderthal with an aim toward shedding light upon the ways in which Neanderthal propagated or concealed certain anxieties, particularly as they relate to biological kinships.  This is then applied to an exploration of how the debates surrounding Neanderthal were in turn pivotal to the emergence of today’s prevailing paleoanthropological models of human origins.  The profound ontological and epistemological tensions embodied by these models, I argue, wholly reflect the inherently ambiguous nature of the missing link as both concept and metaphor.  The result is that missing links, because of the discursive field in which they function, are a powerful source of normativity and stratification.

abstract: I have intentions of publishing my dissertation as a book, and worry that entering my dissertation into the public domain will preclude that possibility.

abstract: PhD


title: Modeling of pCO2 Point-of-Care Devices

contributor:
McAuley, Kimberly B.
McLellan, P. James
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Modeling
Point of Care

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-06 15:00:47.555

abstract:
A dynamic model is developed and presented that predicts the voltage response for a Severinghaus electrode-based point-of-care pCO2 sensor. Eight partial differential equations are derived to describe the diffusion and reaction phenomena in the sensor. The model is able to predict the potential response versus time behaviour from different CO2 concentrations in the calibration fluid and control fluids.

The two most influential and uncertain parameters in the model are determined to be the forward rate constant for benzoquinone consumption at the gold surface ( k_(f_Au ) ), and the partition coefficient for CO2 between the membrane and the electrolyte (κ_(〖CO〗_(2_m ) )). These parameters were adjusted heuristically to obtain a good fit (within 2 mV) between the dynamic voltage response data and the model predictions during a critical 4 second period.  The model predictions are sufficient for design sensitivity studies, however an improved fit might be possible using a formal least-squares parameter estimation approach, or if additional parameters were estimated.

Several design parameters are varied to study the influence of the electrolyte concentration and the sensor geometry on the voltage response. The most influential design parameter studied is the amount of water present in the electrolyte during sensor operation. This can be affected by the amount of water evaporated during manufacturing and storage, and by the amount of water present when the sensor “wets up” again during operation. The amount of water picked up by the sensor in turn is affected by design parameters such as component/membrane dimensions and thicknesses. The initial buffer concentration in the electrolyte is the second most influential parameter. The resulting model can be used to perform “what if” analyses in order to understand the impact of design decisions on the sensor performance, and to potentially improve the sensor from performance and manufacturing cost perspectives.

abstract: The thesis needs to go through our industrial sponsor's censorship review. That process will take at least 2 months.  Once it has gone through the process, I will remove the restriction clause.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Numerical Modeling of Thermal Enhancement of In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) and Enhanced In Situ Bioremediation (EISB)

contributor:
Kueper, Bernard H.
Civil Engineering

subject:
DNAPL
Subsurface Contamination
Groundwater
Numerical Modeling

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-10 18:59:23.177

abstract: A numerical model was utilized to assess the effects of elevated temperature on the application of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) and enhanced in situ bioremediation (EISB) for the subsurface remediation of trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE). Temperature adjustment of the contaminant physicochemical properties as well as the chemical/biological reactions associated with ISCO and EISB were accounted for in the model domain. ISCO reaction rates were estimated using Arrhenius principles; microbial growth rates for EISB were estimated using non-linear fits to published literature data. The results from this study showed that temperature did provide remedial benefits to ISCO and EISB treatment during the short-term timeframe of oxidant/substrate injection. During these time periods, heated ISCO and EISB treatment exhibited greater DNAPL mass removal and mass flux reduction compared to heated abiotic dissolution. In the long term, after oxidant/substrate injection was terminated, the treatment enhancements achieved by ISCO and EISB were negated. Permeability (k) reduction due to rind formation (ISCO) and bioclogging (EISB) inhibited DNAPL dissolution and contributed to greater dissolution tailing effects. Tailing effects caused by ISCO were more severe compared to EISB since rind formation contributed to permanent k reduction; partial k recovery was observed in the EISB scenarios due to biomass decay. Even though higher temperatures were beneficial to ISCO and EISB during the short-term oxidant/substrate injection period, treatment efficacy was ultimately controlled by the detrimental by-products (rind from ISCO and biomass from EISB) formed as a result of the associative chemical/biological reactions.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Proteomic Analysis of the Hypertensive Phenotype in Rats

contributor:
Kawaja, Michael D.
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Proteomics
Sontaneously Hypertensive Rat
Hypertension

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-11 15:35:00.525

abstract:
Hypertension is a major risk factor for developing cardiovascular, renal and nervous system pathologies. Refractory hypertension is prevalent at approximately 30% despite diet, lifestyle and multiple pharmacologic interventions. Blood pressure can be influenced at the level of the nervous system, at the level of the kidney, and at the level of the vasculature. This document describes investigations performed into each of these systems during the development of hypertension using a model of human essential hypertension, the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), by a proteomic approach of 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. A transgenic mouse model with deficits in p75 neurotrophin receptor (NTR), which has been implicated in hypertension, was similarly investigated.  Proteomics is a scientific strategy that is not entirely hypothesis driven, rather it has the hypothesis that functional and phenotypic changes in pathophysiology are reflected at the protein level. Proteomics compares the proteome of a disease state, treatment, temporal state, to an appropriate control to determine changes in the level of protein present and its biochemical properties.
	Proteome changes in the SHR mesenteric arteries included the novel observation of  increased CLIC1 association with the adventitia in the SHR, the decreased expression of HSP90 alpha and beta in the SHR, and the presence of an additional protein spot for tropomyosin beta and MLC20 in the SHR.  These proteome changes are suggestive of an increased contractile state in the mesenteric resistance arteries of SHR. In the renal proteome, there was a decrease of alpha-2μ globulin and a decrease in MAWDBP in the SHR demonstrating molecular changes in the kidney before known pathological changes. In superior cervical ganglia, sstereological measurement showed significant increases in the number of sympathetic neurons in both lines of p75NTR-deficient mice, relative to wild type mice with an enhanced survival of sympathetic neurons associated with shifts toward the more basic isoforms of Annexin V in the proteomes of p75NTR-deficient mice.

abstract: PhD


title: What Elders Want: A Qualitative Meta-synthesis of Elders’ Views on Interactions with their General Practitioners

contributor:
Burfoot, Annette J.
Cultural Studies

subject: Communication Senior Meta-Synthesis Health Doctor Patient Physician Qualitative Medical Geriatric

abstract: Thesis (Master, Cultural Studies) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-27 14:34:32.474

abstract: Effective communication in the doctor-patient relationship is an essential component to proper diagnosis and treatment (Gordon & Gerber, 2010). While a greater focus on improving doctor-patient communication needs to be addressed, nowhere is it more important than in interactions between geriatric patients and general practitioners. This study analyzes and synthesizes the findings of 16 selected socio-medical journal articles that report on the views of geriatric patients’ needs and desires when interacting with general practitioners. The findings of this study contribute a geriatric perspective to the current debate regarding patient-centred care and also identify communication barriers and facilitators that can be avoided or used by physicians when interacting with geriatric patients. By bringing together multiple socio-medical qualitative studies that look at geriatric patients’ perspectives, this research seeks to create an evidence base that is valued by both medical practitioners and policy-makers.

abstract: M.A.


title: Wavelet Frequency-Temporal Relative Phase Pattern of the Surface Electromyogram for Investigation of Intramuscular Synchronization

contributor:
Morin, Evelyn
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Correlation
Electromyography
EMG
Dynamic contraction
Cross correlation
Coupling
Upper limb
Biomechanic
Wavelet
Cross-correlation histogram
Synchronization

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-13 11:58:16.014

abstract: Cross-correlation is often used as the primary technique to compare two biological signals. The cross-correlation technique is an effective means to measure the synchronization of two signals if the relative phases at all frequencies are distributed linearly, that is, there is a group delay. The group delay assumption of cross-correlation analysis imposes an unfavourable restriction on signals with relative phase correlation which varies at different frequencies. Traditional Fourier analysis applied to a short data segments, namely the Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT), provides phase information for each frequency component, but it is not suitable for biological signals with non-stationary statistics for which the ideal segment length is unknown. The application of a wavelet based phase analysis technique is discussed in this study. The frequency decomposition and temporally localized nature of the wavelet transform provides localized phase-frequency information for two signals. A wavelet frequency temporal relative phase pattern (WFT-RPP) technique to extract relative phase information at specific frequencies over the time course of a time-varying signal was developed. The technique was tested on simulated data and surface electromyographic (sEMG) data recorded from upper limb muscles in human subjects as they performed a series of dynamic push and pull tasks. Selected sEMG channel pairs are compared against each other using the WFT-RPP technique to extract the relative phase information and repetitive relative phase patterns for certain muscle pairs were observed. The properties of the WFT-RPP and the merits and weaknesses of using the technique for determining intermuscular sEMG synchronization is discussed.

abstract: Currently working on a journal paper to be submitted in about a month, the content of this thesis is incorporated into this publication.  As such, I would like to restrict public access to this thesis until the work is published in a third party academic journal.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Greening Organizations: The Roles of Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors

contributor:
Barling, Julian
Management

subject:
Leadership
Workplace Pro-Environmental Behaviors
Corporate Environmental Sustainability
Organizational Citizenship Behaviours
Organizational Behaviour

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-12 16:26:52.658

abstract: Climate change is a serious global issue that poses one of the greatest challenges facing human kind (Kazdin, 2009; Stern, 2011; Swim et al., 2011). Given that organizations are often cited as the largest contributors to climate change (Trudeau and Canada West Foundation, 2007), research needs to investigate how organizations can positively affect climate change. Accordingly, the purpose of this dissertation is to investigate how organizations can positively affect climate change through workplace pro-environmental behaviors. To this end, three studies were conducted. The first study investigated the influence of leaders’ environmentally-specific transformational leadership and their own workplace pro-environmental behaviors on employees’ workplace pro-environmental behaviors. The second study examined if environmentally-specific and general transformational leadership are empirically distinct but related, whether environmentally-specific transformational leadership evokes higher levels of workplace pro-environmental behaviors than general transformational leadership, and if so, examined through mediation why this is the case. The third and final study conceptualizes and defines workplace pro-environmental behaviors as a form of organizational citizenship behaviors that are targeted at benefiting the natural environment (OCBE), and subsequently, developed and refined a measure of OCBE and assessed the measure’s psychometric validity. This dissertation concludes with a general discussion and highlights areas for future research.

abstract: PhD


title: Black Africans as ‘Domestic Enemies’ in Late Italian Renaissance Narrative Painting

contributor:
D'Elia, Una
Art History

subject:
Renaissance
Black Africans
Italy

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-13 15:34:27.666

abstract: This dissertation investigates the role of black African slaves and servants in relation to Italian Renaissance anxieties about them as ‘domestic enemies.’ Three case studies form the basis of this investigation, and include late Renaissance paintings of Judith and Holofernes, the Rape of Lucretia, and Bathsheba at her Bath. Virtually none of the biblical or classical textual accounts of these subjects ascribes an ethnicity to the servile figures. Artists, by depicting black African men, women and children as participants in scenes of threatened or enacted sexual violence, added tension to the iconography. To uncover contemporary cultural attitudes about domestic slaves and servants, documents and textual sources, such as poems and short stories, are examined. These sources provide insight about the types of fears and prejudices that people had about black domestics as potentially insidious, or even nefarious. By including such figures in their paintings, artists were able to exploit the contemporary fascination that people had with the potentially threatening nature of black slaves and servants, thereby adding a degree of titillation to their artworks. The presence of black Africans in narrative paintings evoked deeply ambivalent attitudes about these figures as both faithful and potentially threatening.

abstract: To allow time to produce publications stemming from the dissertation research.

abstract: PhD


title: It’s Everything and Everyone’s Responsibility: Patient Safety Culture in a Rural Hospital

contributor:
Medves, Jennifer M.
Nursing

subject:
Healthcare Professional roles
Rural Hospital
Patient Safety
Culture

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-20 09:15:25.007

abstract:
Healthcare professionals are expected to know their role in patient safety.  In a rural hospital, they may have different roles along with their professional role.  Staff and services are fewer and the community is often part of the hospital. This can influence patient safety culture.  Researchers and governing bodies have focused on developing processes to assist healthcare leaders developing their patient safety culture. Researchers and governing bodies have tended to focus on urban hospitals and then implement the same processes in rural hospitals. This strategy has not always been successful. The purpose of this study is to explore the roles and responsibilities in patient safety culture of health care professionals in rural hospitals.
A systematic review, using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) review process, was completed to discover how patient safety culture and rural hospitals are described and measured.  Some common elements in the literature were unique characteristics of rural hospitals, leadership, error reporting and the use of patient safety culture surveys.
Ethnographic methods were used to explore healthcare professional’s roles in patient safety culture in a rural hospital. Healthcare professionals describe their roles differently than described in the literature. A patient safety culture model was developed from the literature and refined with the study findings. The affinity model was developed based on the study findings from the small rural hospital and the literature.  Everything they do is how rural hospital practitioners described their role in patient safety.

abstract: I would like to submit the systematic review for publication.

abstract: PhD


title: QoS Representation, Negotiation and Assurance in Cloud Services

contributor:
Martin, Patrick
Brohman, Kathryn
Computing

subject:
Cloud Services
QoS Measurement
QoS Negotiation
QoS Assurance
Computer Science

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-20 14:26:06.616

abstract:
Cloud services are Internet-based IT services. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) are three representative examples. As the cloud market becomes more open and competitive, Quality of Service (QoS) will be more important. However, cloud providers and cloud consumers have different and sometimes opposite preferences. If such a conflict occurs, a Service Level Agreement (SLA) cannot be established without negotiation.

To allow service consumers to express their QoS requirements, and negotiate them with service providers, we argue for cloud service negotiation. It aims to establish and enforce SLAs for cloud services. Specifically, we study how to measure, negotiate, and enforce QoS requirements for cloud services, and so formulate three research problems, i.e., QoS measurement, QoS negotiation, and QoS assurance. In terms of its scope, the topic covers business side automated negotiation and technical side resource allocation techniques. As a result, it has a potential impact on cloud service adoption.

To address QoS measurement, we initiate a quality model named CLOUDQUAL for cloud services. It is a model with quality dimensions and metrics that targets general cloud services. CLOUDQUAL contains six quality dimensions, i.e., usability, availability, reliability, responsiveness, security, and elasticity, of which usability is subjective, whereas the others are objective.

To address QoS negotiation, we present a mixed negotiation approach for cloud services, which is based on the “game of chicken”. In particular, if a party is uncertain about the strategy of its counterpart, it is best to mix concession and tradeoff strategies in negotiation. In fact, the mixed approach, which exhibits a certain degree of intelligence, can achieve a higher utility than a concession approach, while incurring fewer failures than a tradeoff approach.

To address QoS assurance, we propose a QoS-driven resource allocation method for cloud services. It can meet users’ QoS requirements while minimizing resources consumed. Especially, to honor a QoS specified in a SLA, we develop QoS assurance mechanisms, and determine the minimum resources that should be allocated. As a result, the method makes both technical and economic sense for cloud providers.

abstract: PhD


title: Hitting the roads with alternative modes; An evaluation of York Region's TDM policies

type:
thesis
working paper

subject:
transportation demand management
planning
transportation
urban
york region
regional municipality of york
demand management
tdm

abstract:
Traffic congestion is a growing and urgent concern for municipal governments. Congestion mitigation policies have traditionally sought to increase the capacity for cars, yet this approach has a tendency to actually increase congestion. The Transportation Demand Management approach, on the other hand, influences the convenience, price and safety of alternative travel modes while reducing the demand for driving.

York Region has incorporated TDM policies into several of its plans, and this report investigates the TDM components of its plans by finding whether its interpretation of TDM is accurate and whether its policy environment is supportive of TDM. The report finds that the Region’s interpretation was consistent with those of best practice case studies, and that it performs fairly well against a set of evaluative criteria. Nine recommendations are provided on how to improve York Region’s interpretation of TDM and on how it can better meet all the evaluative criteria.

abstract: SSHRC, TAC Foundation, Queen's University


title: The Mexican-American Diaspora and its Influence on American Trade Policy

contributor:
Pentland, Charles
Political Studies

subject: Mexican-American diaspora, AmericanTrade Policy, NAFTA, Ethnic Interest Groups, Mexico, America, International Relations

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Political Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-25 15:32:54.122

abstract:
This study focuses on the Mexican-American community in the US, the American and Mexican governments, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and trade in general between the US and Mexico.  The empirical focus of this study is the influence of the Mexican-American diaspora on US policy, specifically with respect to trade.  I attempt to trace the influence of the diaspora in the political debates over NAFTA, and in the post-NAFTA debates.  I pose the following questions: 1-Does the Mexican-American diaspora have influence in US domestic politics and the US-Mexico relationship? 2-Does the diaspora use what influence it has to achieve its interests?  3-If so, is it generally successful?  These questions will be explored in the context of American trade policy.  The Mexican-American diaspora has the resources and characteristics needed to exert influence, but is it so inclined?  In order to measure its influence, it must first be asked whether the diaspora attempts to use it in pursuing specific interests.
An important component of this analysis will be to determine whether Mexican-Americans are able- and perceived as able- to influence decision-making in the US government through the vote.  Other important questions therefore include: Do Mexican-Americans vote?  If so, whom do they vote for?  And, are Mexican-Americans politically active?  The answers to these questions will help us paint a more accurate picture of Mexican-Americans and their influence on US trade policy.  This study will reveal that the Mexican-American community has played an increasingly important role in American politics.  It will show that the Mexican-American diaspora has an impact on domestic issues such as immigration, but that it is also interested and influential in foreign policy, particularly trade.  I intend to demonstrate this influence by exploring its role in the establishment of NAFTA and in the ensuing American debates on hemispheric trade policy.

abstract: PhD


title: 'Heroes for the Helpless': How National Print Media Reinforce Settler Dominance Through Their Portrayal of Food Insecurity in the Canadian Arctic

contributor:
Power, Elaine
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Canadian print media discourse
food security
Nunavut
settler colonialism

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-27 10:52:16.947

abstract: The Inuit have experienced significant cultural changes since initial contact with European settlers and explorers in the 17th Century, changes that accelerated in the mid-20th century. Basing their relationships to the Inuit in imperialism (the policy and practice of empire expansion), Europeans used political, economic and cultural tactics to swiftly establish a cultural hierarchy and solidify the Inuit’s position as ‘The Other’ – an ‘out-group’ viewed as inherently inferior to the ‘in-group’. The Arctic has remained hierarchized because of implicit settler colonial processes that permeate political and cultural relations and underpin modern policy development. An examination of the nutrition transition – the shift away from traditional foods to commercialized market options – brings these implicit settler colonial processes into focus. The transition to a Western diet has accompanied chronic poverty and provoked high levels of food insecurity, resulting in numerous negative health outcomes among Inuit. Current health promotion initiatives employ an ineffective downstream approach to reduce Nunavut food insecurity – which is approximately three times greater than the Canadian average – when the issue is a result of rampant poverty. Disproportionately high rates of food insecurity are a manifestation of settler  colonialism and fuel a covertly racist national attitude toward the Inuit, maintaining their marginalized position. This study examines national coverage of Nunavut food insecurity as presented in two of Canada’s most widely read newspapers: The Globe and Mail and National Post. A critical discourse analysis (CDA) was employed to analyze 24 articles, 19 from The Globe and Mail and 5 from National Post. Analysis suggests national print media propagates the Inuit’s position as The Other by selectively reporting on social issues such as hunger, poverty and income. Terms such as “Northerners” and “Southerners” are frequently used to categorically separate Nunavut from the rest of Canada and Inuit-driven efforts to resolve their own issues are widely ignored. This effectively portrays the Inuit as helpless and the territory as a failure, and allows Canadians to maintain colonialist views of Inuit inferiority and erroneously assume Federal initiatives effectively address Northern food insecurity.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A G-protein coupled receptor is involved in the regulation of sleep and metabolism

contributor:
Bendena, William G.
Biology

subject: GPCR Genetics

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-26 22:24:32.243

abstract: Sleep is an evolutionary conserved behaviour which in most species is essential for survival. However, the mechanisms involved in the genetic regulation of sleep remain poorly understood. C. elegans exhibit a number of sleep-like behaviours: a) lethargus which is a developmental period between moults, b) satiety which occurs after feeding and c) after long durations of thrashing in liquid media.  We have isolated a C. elegans G-protein coupled receptor, named NPR-14,that is most similar to the human orexin receptor 2 and is involved in the above behaviours and functions through a protein kinase G - dependent and independent pathways. NPR-14 works together with other signalling pathways that have been implicated in sleep regulation including Notch, GABA, and insulin signalling. A null mutation in npr-14 results in anachronistic quiescence especially in the presence of food. It also results in egg-laying defects, episodic swimming behaviour, asynchronicity during development and despite feeding less these mutants appear to accumulate more fat than N2 worms.

abstract: Not sure when data is going to be published.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Performance of Geosynthetic Clay Liners in Cover, Subsurface Barrier, and Basal Liner Applications

contributor:
Rowe, Kerry
Civil Engineering

subject:
Concrete
Landfills
Sewage Treatment Lagoons
Interface Transmissivity
Covers
Cation Exchange
Hydraulic Conductivity
Geosynthetic Clay Liner
Arsenic Contamination
Wet-Dry Cycles
Gold Mine Tailings
Jet Fuel Contamination

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-28 08:53:29.171

abstract:
The use of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) as (i) covers for arsenic-rich gold mine tailings and landfills, (ii) subsurface barrier for migration of hydrocarbons in the Arctic, and (iii) basal liner for sewage treatment lagoons were examined.
After 4 years in field and laboratory experiments, it was found that best cover configuration above gold mine tailings might include a layer of GCL product with polymer-enhanced bentonite and a geofilm-coated carrier geotextile serving above the tailings under ≥ 0.7 m overburden. However, acceptable performance could be achieved with using a standard GCL with untreated bentonite provided that there is a minimum of 0.7 m of cover soil above the GCL.
When GCL samples were exhumed from experimental landfill test cover with complete replacement of sodium in the bentonite with divalent cations in the adjacent soil, it was observed that the (i) hydraulic head across the GCLs, (ii) size of the needle-punched bundles, and (iii) structure of the bentonite can all significantly affect the value of the inferred in-situ hydraulic conductivity measured at the laboratory. The higher the hydraulic head and the larger the size of the needle-punched bundles, the higher the likelihood of internal erosion/structural change of bentonite at bundles that will cause a preferential flow for liquids to occur. A key practical implication was that GCLs can perform effectively as a single hydraulic barrier in covers provided that the water head above the GCL kept low.
The hydraulic performance of a GCL in the Arctic was most affected by the location within the soil profile relative to the typical groundwater level with the highest increase in the hydraulic conductivity (by 1-4 orders of magnitude) for GCL below the water table. However, because the head required for jet fuel to pass through the GCL was higher than that present under field conditions, there was no evidence of jet fuel leakage through the barrier system.
The leakage through GCLs below concrete lined sewage treatment lagoons was within acceptable limits, in large part, due to the low interface transmissivity between GCLs and the overlying poured concrete.

abstract: PhD


title: Longevity of HDPE Geomembranes in Geoenvironmental Applications

subject:
Exposed Geomembrane
Stress Crack Resistance
Ageing
Geosynthetics
Landfill
Liner
Oxidative Induction Time
Degradation

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-28 04:59:20.834

abstract:
With sufficient time, a high density polyethylene geomembrane will degrade and lose its engineering properties until ruptures signal the end of its service-life. This thesis examines the longevity of nine different geomembranes; five of them were of different thickness manufactured from the same resin. The degradation of properties and time to failure are investigated for geomembranes: in immersion tests; as a part of a landfill composite liner; and, exposed to the elements. The different thermal and stress histories associated with manufacturing geomembranes of different thickness are shown to affect their morphological structure; consequently, their stress crack resistance.
When immersed in synthetic leachate, it was found that: (a) thicker geomembranes have a longer antioxidants depletion time but the effect of thickness decreases with temperature and is less than expected; (b) inferences of geomembrane’s longevity based on its initial properties may be misleading because a geomembrane may chemically degrade (as manifested by the change in melt index) despite the presence of a significant amount of stabilizers (as manifested by the measured high pressure oxidative induction time); and, (c) stress crack resistance may change before antioxidant depletion or chemical degradation takes place, likely, due to changes in geomembrane morphological structure with the maximum decrease being observed at 55oC. Reductions also were measured for geomembrane immersed in air and water at 55oC.
The geomembrane aged in a simulated landfill liner at 85oC is shown to have service-life as little as three years with 30,000 to >2.0 million ruptures/hectare at failure. For exposed geomembranes in Alumbrera (Argentina), samples were exhumed from two mine facilities after ~16 years of exposure. The antioxidants in exposed samples depleted to residual and the stress crack resistance had dropped to as low as 70 hours. Samples were exhumed from a different exposed geomembrane in a test site in Godfrey (Canada) after six years of exposure. The antioxidants were partially depleted, with depletion to residual projected to take at least 20 years; however, despite no evidence of chemical ageing, the stress crack resistance had decreased from 330 to 190 hours, likely due to changes in the morphological structure of the geomembrane.

abstract: To avoid plagiarism until the chapters of the thesis published as journals.

abstract: PhD


title: Dissident Secularism: Queer Exegesis, Transatlantic Modernism, and the Discipline of Modernity

contributor:
McIntire, Gabrielle
Varadharajan, Asha
English

subject: Theory Secularism Poetry Criticism Queerness Modernism Religion

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-28 10:37:43.026

abstract:
This dissertation examines the interplay of queer sexuality, theology, and transatlantic modernism in the oeuvres and critical receptions of T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), Hart Crane (1899-1932), and W.H. Auden (1907-1973). As an interdisciplinary study in literary criticism and of each author’s reception history, this thesis reads the poetry, critical prose, and correspondence of Eliot, Crane, and Auden with focused reference to queer theory and continental philosophies of religion extending from Immanuel Kant’s Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone and Søren Kierkegaard’s pseudonymous authorship to Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction of aesthetics, ethics, and politics in the post-Kantian legacy.
Gauging the “post-secular turn” in cultural criticism, the dissertation develops a critique of “epistemic secularism,” which constitutes a normative framework for scholarship in many branches of the humanities. To examine “the secular limits of discipline” at the junction of queer theory and modernist studies, it examines how literary critics and queer theorists define modernity and conceptualize subjectivity at the secular limits (or limitations) of their fields. Imbrications of theology and queerness in the works of Eliot, Crane, and Auden occasion this study’s response to epistemic secularism and prompt its recalibration of secularism in the ethical terms of “mere reason,” rather than as an episteme rife with antireligious politics.
Research undertaken for this thesis is guided by two foundational questions: 1) Do extant models for the study of queer sexualities presuppose secularism or enforce secularization as a benchmark for the “achievement of modernity”? 2) Are religious foundations conceivable for queer subjects to whom secularism remains a key factor in the emancipatory history of sexual cultures? The dissertation argues that, for better and for worse, secularism has become a blueprint in the metropolitan West for thinking sexual modernity as progressive and achievable. Notwithstanding such provisos, this study finds that the “proper” subject in queer-modernist studies is in essence neither nonreligious nor antireligious. Rather, reading with and against the grain of secularism’s episteme, it uncovers in the corpuses of Eliot, Crane, and Auden a radical conception of theology as a positively queer endeavour in an era of “liberated” secularist polities.

abstract: Dissertation will be reworked as a monograph.

abstract: PhD


title: Electrokinetically Enhanced Sampling of Bacteria in Planar Quadrupolar Microelectrodes

contributor:
Docoslis, Aristides
Chemical Engineering

subject:
AC Electrrokinetics
Sampling
Quadrupolar Microelectrodes

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-28 14:53:46.437

abstract:
The detection of biologically infectious agents, such as bacteria, in water is often a cumbersome process that can only be performed by trained personnel in a well-equipped laboratory and may require sufficient time (sometimes days) until detectable concentration levels of the pathogen are reached. Surface-based biosensors, on the other hand, have shown great promise as miniaturized devises that can provide efficient and de-centralized detection of bacteria. Their operation involves the selective capture of the target pathogen from a liquid sample to a surface (“sampling”) and their subsequent detection via signal transduction. Sampling currently presents a major bottleneck in the successful operation of these sensors as it relies on the extremely slow diffusive transport of the target particle from the bulk of the sample to the capture surface.
The present work investigates how alternating current (AC) electric field effects produced by planar microelectrode arrays embedded into a solid surface can improve capture of bacteria. Specifically, numerical and experimental work is combined toward the analysis of a host of electric field generated phenomena (electrophoresis, electroosmosis, and electrothermal fluid flow) that can potentially guide and enhance the transport of K12 E. coli bacteria to the capture surface inside an electric field to find the effective frequency/voltage combination for an efficient capture. Bacteria capture at concentrations as low as 104 particles/mL was experimentally achieved. Proof of principle demonstrations on how antibody-functionalized microelectrode arrays can accelerate and selectively capture K12 E. coli bacteria (target pathogens) from samples containing debris or mixed bacteria populations are also demonstrated.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: An Approach to Clone Detection in Behavioral Models

contributor:
Cordy, James R.
Alalfi, Manar H.
Computing

subject:
Access Violations
Clone Detection
Behavioral Models

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-03 19:36:25.776

abstract:
In this thesis, we present an approach for identifying near-miss interaction clones in reverse-engineered UML behavioural models. Our goal is to identify patterns of interaction ("conversations") that can be used to characterize and abstract the run-time behaviour of web applications and other interactive systems. In order to leverage robust near-miss code clone technology, our approach is text-based, working on the level of XMI, the standard interchange serialization for UML. Behavioural model clone detection presents several challenges - first, it is not clear how to break a continuous stream of interaction between lifelines (lifelines represent the objects or actors in the system) into meaningful conversational units. Second, unlike programming languages, the XMI text representation for UML is highly non-local, using attributes to reference information in the model file remotely.
In this work we use a set of contextualizing source transformations on the XMI text representation to reveal the hidden hierarchical structure of the model and granularize behavioural interactions into conversational units. Then we adapt NiCad, a near-miss code clone detection tool, to help us identify conversational clones in reverse-engineered behavioural models. These conversational clones are then analysed to find worrisome patterns of security access violations.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The evolutionary consequences of sperm senescence in Drosophila melanogaster

contributor:
Chippindale, Adam K.
Montgomerie, Robert
Biology

subject:
evolutionary consequences
Drosophila melanogaster
nutrition
sperm senescence

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-07 10:38:12.879

abstract: Sperm senescence, a decline in sperm quality caused by male ageing and by sperm ageing before or after copulation, may have fitness costs manifested as infertility or lowered genetic quality of offspring. This thesis tested the distinct evolutionary roles of sperm senescence using a laboratory-adapted population of Drosophila melanogaster. We developed a practical approach to avoid confounding male age with sperm age by standardizing pre-copulatory sperm age and mating history in young and old male age groups. Applying this approach, we documented sperm senescence in D. melanogaster and discussed its potential evolutionary importance. First, ageing males declined in fitness as evidenced by the reduction in fertilization potential of their ejaculates but not by decreased offspring fitness (the ability that a fly can survive to adulthood, successfully mate and produce viable offspring). This suggests a decline in the quality or quantity of seminal fluid or spermatozoa, with no decline in the genetic quality of sperm that actually fertilized ova. Second, post-copulatory sperm senescence has significant negative impacts on offspring fitness, indicating degraded genetic integrity of the spermatozoa stored in females. In both cases, male ageing and sperm ageing had similar fitness impact on male and female offspring, different from what has been suggested by previous work. In addition, We demonstrated that female fecundity, fertility, and length of the fertile period after a single mating were positively associated with the concentration of yeast in their food, and were negatively associated with the duration of yeast restriction in their diet, which suggested that sperm storage is affected by the nutritional status of the females. By revealing the significance of sperm senescence on male and female fertilization success and the fitness of the next generation, this thesis sheds light on a number of evolutionary and applied issues, and provokes new questions for future research on sperm senescence.

abstract: PhD


title: Failure and Workspace Analysis of Parallel Robot Manipulators

contributor:
Notash, Leila
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Interval analysis
Workspace
Parallel manipulators
Uncertainty
Failure recovery

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-09 16:18:12.74

abstract:
A failure recovery methodology based on decomposing the platform task space into the major and secondary subtasks is proposed which enables the manipulator to minimize the least-squares error of the major subtasks and to optimize the secondary criterion. A methodology for wrench recovery of parallel manipulators is proposed so that the platform task is divided into the recoverable and non-recoverable subtasks based on the number and type of actuator failures, manipulator configuration and task/application purposes.
It is investigated that when the Jacobian matrix of the manipulator is of full row-rank and the minimum 2-norm of the joint velocity vector satisfies the velocity limits of the joints, the full recovery of the platform twist will be provided. If the full recovery of the platform twist cannot be achieved, the optimization method followed by the partitioned Jacobian matrix is used to deal with the failure recovery. It is verified that the optimization method recovers as many as possible components of the platform velocity vector when the objective function, 2-norm of the overall velocity vector of the healthy joints, is minimized.
To model uncertainty in the kinematic parameters, the interval analysis is proposed. Different interval-based algorithms to enclose the solution set to the interval linear systems are applied and the solution sets are compared. A novel approach in characterizing the exact solution of the interval linear system is proposed to deal with the failure recovery of parallel manipulators with velocity limits of the joints and uncertainty in the kinematic parameters. Simulation results show how the solution sets of the joint velocity vector are characterized by introducing uncertainties in the kinematic parameters. The calculation of the exact solution takes more computation time compared to the interval-based algorithms. However, the interval-based algorithms give the wider solution box with less computation time.
The effect of variations and/or uncertainties in design parameters on the workspace of wire-actuated parallel manipulators without and with gravity is investigated. Simulation results show how the workspace size and shape are changed under variations in design parameters.

abstract: Chapters 4 and 5 of the thesis contain materials that have not been published.

abstract: PhD


title: Compartmentalized phosphodiesterase 4D isoforms expression, targeting and localization in vascular myocytes

contributor:
Maurice, Donald H.
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

subject:
cell migration
vascular smooth muscle cell
cAMP
compartmentalization
phosphodiesterase 4D

abstract: Thesis (Master, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-13 13:00:31.684

abstract: Video I: Time-lapse video of GFP-expressing cell migration in HASMC. GFP expressing cells did not differ in cell migration or morphology compared to non-injected control cells. HASMCs were microinjected with GFP construct. Representative images of micoinjected GFP cells were taken 24 h post-injection overnight at 30min intervals using a Zeiss Axiovert S100 microscope and processed as described in Materials & Methods. (10X)

abstract: Video II: Time-lapse video of NT-PDE4D7/GFP-expressing cell migration in HASMC. NT-PDE4D7/GFP expressing cells exhibit elongated tail and decrease in cell migration compared to non-injected control cells. HASMCs were microinjected with NT-PDE4D7/GFP construct. Particle tracking of NT-PDE4D7 cells showed cleaving and full detachment of elongated tail. Representative images of micoinjected NT-PDE4D7 cells were taken 24 h post-injection overnight at 30min intervals using a Zeiss Axiovert S100 microscope and processed as described in Materials & Methods. (10X)

abstract: During the development of atherosclerosis, contractile vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) change to cells capable of migrating and proliferating to mediate repair, where the responses may be adaptive or mal-adaptive in effect. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-elevating agents have been shown to inhibit migration of VSMC. cAMP activity within the cell is known to be ubiquitous and dynamic, requiring control through signal termination mechanisms for cellular homeostasis. Phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes are central to this critical regulatory process catalyzing the hydrolysis of cAMP. A great deal of insight into the role of PDEs in defining compartmentalization of cAMP signaling has arisen predominately from recent studies on the cAMP-specific PDE4 family. Compartmentalization of PDE4 is mediated by their unique N-terminal domains, which have been proposed to provide the “postcodes/zipcodes” for cellular localization. PDE4D isoforms vary widely, yet their conservation over evolutionary time suggests important non-redundant roles in distinct cellular processes. To study the potential role of individual PDE4D isoforms we seek to utilize the unique N-terminal targeting domains that are proposed to be responsible for their protein-protein interactions and site-directed localization. Herein, we report on the expression, targeting and localization of five “long” PDE4D isoforms and the impact on cell morphology of certain amino-terminal domains of individual PDE4D constructs expressing green fluorescent protein (NT-PDE4D/GFP) in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs). Through the development of engineered NT-PDE4D/GFP expression plasmids, we were able to study the cell biological impacts associated with the overexpression of individual PDE4D amino-terminal variants in HASMCs. We show that NT-PDE4D5/GFP and NT-PDE4D7/GFP expressing cells exhibited an elongated cell morphology, where this effect was much more marked in NT-PDE4D7/GFP expressing cells, exhibiting multiple leading edge structures and highly elongated “tails”. We identify a potential role for PDE4D7 targeting in the regulation of cell polarity and migration. Our results suggest the novel idea that PDE4D7, rather than the four other long PDE4D isoforms (PDE4D3, PDE4D5, PDE4D8, or PDE4D9), represents the dominant PDE4D variant involved in controlling cAMP-mediated effects on cell tail retraction dynamics.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Perceptions and Attitudes of a Group of Grade 4 Students From an Anglophone Community While Communicating With Their Peers From a Francophone Community

contributor:
Cheng, Liying
Education

subject:
Attitude Toward Learning French
Culture in Language Education
Culture Exchange
Language Learning
Core French
The Savoirs
Acceptance of Otherness
French as a Second Language
Cultural Diversity
Second Language Learning
ICC Model
Elementary Students
Grade 4 French
FSL Curriculum
Intercultural Education
Perception of French Community

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-23 18:35:56.721

abstract:
This qualitative study was guided by the framework of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). In Canada, although researchers recognize that learning French through a cultural context will promote understanding and acceptance of cultural diversity, as well as the learning of the target language, there is little evidence to support the ways in which this methodology may influence the learning of elementary Core French students.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which a group of Grade 4 students, from an English community, perceived their peers from a French community, and to describe any changes in their attitudes toward learning French as a Second Language in response to the opportunity to learn through a cultural context. This action research study used a questionnaire, an observation checklist of task-related behaviour, and semi-structured group photo-interviews to explore 15 Grade 4 students’ perceptions and attitudes in response to a new research-based teaching approach.
As the cultural exchange unfolded, I sought evidence of the three savoirs (that according to the ICC model, primary students have the ability to develop), in order to promote interculturality: savoir être (related to students’ attitudes towards the other students), savoirs (related to knowledge of the other culture), and savoir apprendre/faire (related to behaviour toward the other culture). Results indicated that students showed evidence of two savoirs: savoir être and savoirs. Savoir apprendre/faire, however, was not shown. In addition to the two savoirs, the exchange promoted the learning of French in the classroom, and supported the development of students’ confidence in communicating in French.
The findings of this study contribute to the teaching of Elementary Core French in Ontario, by providing valuable insights into the possible ways that learning French through an intercultural experience holds potential in developing students’ communication abilities as well as awareness and acceptance of otherness, which is the bedrock upon one can develop effective communicators in the target language.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Black Gloss Ceramics From Cerveteri: The Vigna Marini Project 2012

contributor:
Colivicchi, Fabio
Classics

subject:
Caere
Black Gloss Ceramics
Rome
Production
Etruscan

abstract: Thesis (Master, Classics) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-19 11:29:32.695

abstract: The purpose of this thesis is threefold: to catalogue the black gloss ceramics excavated by the Vigna Marini project in Cerveteri in 2012; to understand the relationship between Rome and Caere in terms of ceramic production, especially in the third century BCE; and to highlight the importance of archaeometric analysis in ceramic studies. Using a firmly established typology of black gloss ceramics, a qualitative analysis of the ceramics of this type recovered in Cerveteri, and archaeometric studies, I show that black gloss production remained relatively stable in Caere during Rome’s expansion into Italy. This is significant for the understanding of Caere’s economy during this period: it has been commonly held that Caere suffered an economic crisis in the third century BCE, but this thesis strongly argues for economic stability.

abstract: M.A.


title: Intimate Partner Victimization in Canada: A Test of Risk Factors, Self-Control, Routine Activities, Social Disorganization, and Collective Efficacy

contributor:
Kay, Fiona
Sociology

subject:
Sociology
Criminology
Intimate Partner Victimization

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-21 16:34:44.083

abstract:
Over 12 million incidents of intimate partner victimization (IPV) occur each year in the U.S (Black et al. 2010). Moreover, approximately 363 per 100,000 Canadians are victims of IPV each year (Statistics Canada 2010). Due to these high victimization rates, many scholars have turned their attention to IPV research. However, there is still some debate as to what are the strongest correlates of IPV. This thesis examines risk factors (gender, geographic location, presence of children, Aboriginal status, and minority status) and theories (self-control, routine activities, social disorganization, and collective efficacy) as predictors of IPV. I use Statistics Canada’s 2009 General Social Survey (GSS) to develop our understanding of IPV. More specifically, this thesis examines how these theoretical perspectives help to explain three particular forms of IPV: physical, sexual, and financial.  In order to help policy creation, this thesis explores differences between the explanatory power of risk factors, self-control, routine activities, social disorganization, and collective efficacy on IPV and general victimization (e.g., abuse carried out by someone not necessarily known to the victim).
	Overall, the findings provided some support for the theoretical expectations.  With regard to the risk factor variables, women were more likely to experience sexual and financial IPV. Aboriginals were more likely to experience sexual IPV. Self-control theory worked in the opposite direction than was expected. Low self-control decreased the risk of financial IPV. Routine activities theory explained physical IPV to some degree in that routinely going out to a bar at night decreased the odds of physical IPV. Moreover, the findings revealed that low collective efficacy increased the odds of physical IPV and mediated the effects of routine activities theory. Finally, this thesis provided policy suggestions to reduce IPV and victimization in general.

abstract: M.A.


title: A Comparison of Higher Education and Previous Work Experience on Military Police Academy Performance

contributor:
Klinger, Don A.
Education

subject:
Police Performance
Military Police
Police Professionalization
Higher Education

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-22 16:42:11.736

abstract:
This research is an attempt at understanding the value of higher education with respect to police officer performance.  This study used a sample of 331 Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP) recruits who attended the Canadian Forces Military Police Academy (CFMPA) from January 2012 to April 2013 for the six month Military Police Qualification Level 3 (MP QL3) course.  It examines between group differences in performance, among MP recruits with higher education – a college diploma or higher – and those with previous work experience – five years experience in another branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) or another police agency.
The study used demographic and performance data obtained from the recruits’ CFMPA files.  Descriptive statistics described central tendencies, standard deviation, kurtosis and skewness.  This was used to assist in the description of recruits between groups and in order to determine distribution characteristics.  Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted on 34 tests – 14 percentage and 20 pass/fail – administered during the course to determine their factor structure.  Chi-squared was used to explore between group differences in course completion.  Finally Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) analyses were used to explore between group differences in performance based on the factor structure determined during EFA and the recruits overall course average.
No significant between group difference with respect to performance were discovered, however, it is hoped that the results of this study will be used to inform the debate of the requirement for higher education in the field of policing and what factors contribute to police professionalization.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Novel formulation and decomposition-based optimization for strategic supply chain management under uncertainty

contributor:
Li, Xiang
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Optimization
Supply chain management

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-24 20:39:42.761

abstract:
This thesis proposes a novel synergy of the classical scenario and robust approaches used for strategic supply chain optimization under uncertainty. Two novel formulations, namely the naïve robust scenario formulation and the affinely adjustable robust scenario formulation, are developed, which can be reformulated into tractable deterministic optimization problems if the uncertainty is bounded by the infinity-norm. The two formulations are applied to a classical farm planning problem and an energy and bioproduct supply chain problem. The case study results demonstrate that, compared to the scenario formulation, the proposed formulations can achieve the optimal expected economic performance with smaller number of scenarios, and they can correctly indicate the feasibility of a problem. The results also show that the affinely adjustable robust scenario formulation can better address uncertainties than the naïve robust scenario formulation.

Next, a strategic optimization problem for an industrial chemical supply chain from DuPont was studied. The supply chain involves one materials warehouse, five manufacturing plants, five regional product warehouses and five market locations. Each manufacturing plant produces up to 23 grades of final products from 55 grades of primary raw materials. The goal of the strategic optimization is to determine the capacities of the five plants to maximize the total profits of the supply chain system while satisfying uncertain customer demands at the different market locations. A mathematical model is developed to relate the material and product flows in the supply chain, based on which the classical scenario approach and the affinely adjustable robust scenario formulation were developed to address the uncertainty in the demands. The case study results show the advantages of the affinely robust scenario formulation over the scenario formulation.
Using the affinely adjustable robust scenario formulation often results in problems with very large sizes, which cannot be solved by regular optimization solvers efficiently. In order to exploit the decomposable structure of the formulation, Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition is studied in the thesis. Two approaches to implement Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition are developed, and both approaches involve the solution of a sequence of linear programming (LP) and mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) subproblems. The computational study of the industrial chemical supply chain shows that a combination of the two Dantzig-Wolfe approaches can achieve an optimal or a near-optimal solution much more quickly than a state-of-the-art commercial LP/MILP solver, and the computational advantage increases with the increase of number of scenarios involved in the problem.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Chiral Polymer Photodetector

contributor:
Nunzi, Jean-Michel
Buncel, Erwin
Chemistry

subject:
Polymer
Circular Polarized Light
Chirality
Limonene
Chiral induction
Photodetector

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-25 14:37:23.168

abstract:
A polymer photodetector is fabricated using polythiophene with chiral alkyl side chains. The Cotton effect is observed in the CD spectrum of the photodetector, indicating an unequal absorbance of left- and right-handed circular polarized light (CPL). The photodetector is proven to be able to identify incident left- and right-handed CPL.
     Polymer photodetectors that are made from R- and S-limonene induced achiral polymers are fabricated. A “hot spin-coating” process is introduced to cast uniform limonene induced polymer films. As a result of chirality transfer, Cotton effects are also observed in these photodetectors’ CD spectra.
     A model is suggested to explain the chirality generation of the polythiophene with chiral alkyl side chains and limonene induced achiral polymers.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Modeling and Development of Three-Dimensional Gel Dosimeters

contributor:
McAuley, Kimberly B.
Schreiner, John L.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Radiochromic
3D Dosimetry
Micelle
Surfactant
Leuco-Dye
Gelatin
Cancer Radiotherapy
Leuco Crystal Violet
Polyacrylamide
Brachytherapy
Polymer Gel Dosimeters
Simulations
Phantoms
pentacosa-10,12-diynoic acid (PCDA)

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-27 11:11:47.655

abstract:
A dynamic mathematical model was developed to simulate the response of polyacrylamide gel (PAG) dosimeters to a single spherical radioactive brachytherapy seed. Simulations were conducted for a high dose-rate (HDR) seed using 192Ir and a low dose-rate (LDR) seed using 125I. The model is able to predict the amount of polymer formed, the crosslink density, and the volume fraction of aqueous phase as a function of radial distance and time. Results show that PAG dosimeters can provide accurate HDR brachytherapy dosimetry at distances larger than 4 mm from the centre of the seed but will give poor results for LDR due to monomer diffusion.
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential for using pentacosa-10,12-diynoic acid (PCDA) as the reporter molecule in micelle gel dosimeters for optical computed tomography (CT) readout. Several gels containing PCDA that was solubilized using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) responded to radiation by changing from colourless to blue. Unfortunately, all phantoms that showed colour changes were turbid, making them unsuitable for optical CT scanning. Several techniques were used to produce transparent gels containing PCDA but none of these gels responded noticeably to radiation. Only turbid gels with precipitated PCDA responded, indicating that the colour change was due to oligomerization within PCDA crystals and that PCDA molecules solubilized in micelles did not undergo oligomerization. As a result, PCDA is not suitable for use in radiochromic micelle gel dosimeters.
A new recipe for a radiochromic leuco crystal violet (LCV) micelle gel dosimeters with enhanced dose sensitivity was developed for optical CT readout. The recipe contains LCV, trichloro acetic acid (TCAA), Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB), 2,2,2-Trichloroethanol (TCE), and gelatin. Experiments were conducted to improve understanding about interactions between the different components of LCV micelle gel, highlighting the importance of pH on dose sensitivity and transparency. Results also showed the effectiveness of chlorinated compounds in improving dose sensitivity. Statistical techniques were used to build empirical models that were used to optimize the gel recipe. Additional testing in larger phantoms will be required to assess the effectiveness of the proposed gel for clinical dosimetry.

abstract: PhD


title: The Integration of Physical Rock Properties, Mineralogy and Geochemistry for the Exploration of Large Hypogene Zinc Silicate Deposits: a Case Study of the Vazante Zinc Deposits, Minas Gerais, Brazil

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

subject:
Gamma Ray Spectrometry
Mineral Exploration
Physical Rock Properties
Brasilia Fold Belt
Zinc Silicate Deposits

abstract: Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-27 13:32:54.132

abstract: Exploration for large zinc silicate deposits is more challenging than zinc sulfide deposits, as they do not exhibit similar geophysical anomalies. The Vazante deposit, which is the world’s largest zinc silicate deposit, occurs in brecciated dolomite and comprises mainly willemite with various proportions of hematite, and minor franklinite and sphalerite. In the Vazante region, the exploration challenge is enhanced as outcrops are rare, bedrock generally sits below 10s of metres of laterite cover and barren hematite-rich breccias have a similar geophysical signature to willemite ore bodies. In order to evaluate the applications of geophysical surveys in the exploration of this type of deposit, data from 475 samples were investigated from drill holes representative of the various types of ore, host rocks and zones of known geophysical anomalies in the Vazante District. Geochemical (ICP-MS and XRF) and mineralogical (optical, EMPA, SEM and MLA) data were integrated with physical rock properties (density, magnetic susceptibility and K-U-Th gamma ray spectrometry) to assist in finding new ore zones. The most distinct physical property of the ore is density (3.0-4.3 g/cm3), compared with the host rocks (2.7-3.0 g/cm3). This is due to high proportion of denser minerals (hematite and willemite) in the ore. However, barren hematite breccias also have high densities (3.0-4.5 g/cm3). The zinc ore and hematite breccias yielded higher magnetic susceptibilities (0.1-38 x10-3 SI) than the surrounding host rocks, with the highest values associated with greater proportions of franklinite and magnetite (7-38 x10-3 SI). The zinc ore has an elevated U concentration (up to 33ppm) relative to the various host rocks (up to 7 ppm), yielding higher gamma spectrometric values. The results of this investigation indicate that an integration of magnetic, gravimetric and radiometric surveys would be required to identify zinc silicate ore zones and potentially differentiate them from barren hematite breccias and host rocks.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Gas Dynamics during Bench-Scale Electrical Resistance Heating of Water, TCE and Dissolved CO2

contributor:
Mumford, Kevin G.
Civil Engineering

subject:
Soil and Groundwater Remediation
Electrical Resistance Heating
Gas Production and Transport
Groundwater Boiling
TCE-Water Co-Boiling
CO2 Exsolution

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-27 15:26:30.683

abstract: In situ thermal treatment (ISTT) applications require successful gas capture for the effective remediation of chlorinated solvent dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source zones.  Gas production and transport mechanisms during bench-scale electrical resistance heating (ERH) experiments were examined in this study using a quantitative light transmission visualization method.  Processed images during water boiling indicated that gas bubble nucleation, growth and coalescence into a connected steam phase occurred at critical gas saturations of Sgc = 0.233 ± 0.017, which allowed for continuous gas transport out of the heated zone.  Critical gas saturations were lower than air-water emergence gas saturations of Sgm = 0.285 ± 0.025, derived from the inflection point of ambient temperature capillary pressure-saturation curves.  Coupled electrical current and temperature measurements were identified as a metric to assess gas phase development.  Processed images during co-boiling of pooled trichloroethene (TCE) DNAPL and water indicated that discontinuous gas transport occurred above the DNAPL pool.  When colder zones were introduced, condensation prevented the development of continuous steam channels and caused redistribution of DNAPL along the vapour front.  These results suggest that water boiling temperatures should be targeted throughout the subsurface (i.e., from specific locations of DNAPL to extraction points) during ERH applications.  Because convective heat loss and non-uniform power distributions have the potential to prevent the achievement of boiling temperatures, a thermal enhancement was developed where dissolved gas delivered to the target heated zone liberates from solution at elevated temperatures and increases gas production.  Processed images of ERH-activated carbon dioxide (CO2) exsolution indicated that discontinuous gas transport occurred above saturations of  Sg = 0.070 ± 0.022.  Maximum exsolved gas saturations of Sg = 0.118 ± 0.005 were sustained during continuous injection of the saturated CO2 solution into the heated zone.  Estimated groundwater relative permeabilities of krw = 0.642 ± 0.009 at these saturations are expected to decrease convective heat loss.  Discontinuous transport of exsolved gas at sub-boiling temperatures also demonstrated the potential of the enhancement to bridge vertical gas transport through colder zones.  In conclusion, sustained gas saturations and transport mechanisms were dependent on the mechanism of gas production and effects of condensation.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Family Structure and Delinquency: Testing the Leading Theoretical Perspectives

contributor:
Baron, Stephen W.
Sociology

subject: Criminology Sociology

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-27 16:49:37.968

abstract: Family life in North America has changed dramatically over the past five decades. This rapid transformation of the household has serious implications for children, ranging from emotional and behavioural problems, to delinquency. This study investigates how certain family transitions affect children differently with regards to delinquency. This thesis uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth conducted in 1995 by Statistics Canada to update our knowledge of the impact that broken homes can have on children’s engagement in delinquent activities. Prior research has established that there is a positive association between family structure and delinquency. However, prior research has failed to explain why this relationship exists. Hence, one of the goals of this study is to investigate if variables representing social control, self-control, social learning, and strain theories can help to explain the association between family structure and crime. Another goal of this study is to determine if the broken homes effect is predominantly a function of parental absence or if the gender of the absent parent matters. Results indicate that in some circumstances certain forms of broken homes are directly associated with specific types of crime, while in other types of broken homes, after taking into account differences in parental attachment, self-control, associations with deviant peers, and strain, they are not. Avenues for future research are discussed, including ways to help establish the causal ordering linking broken homes to delinquency.

abstract: M.A.


title: Spinoza's Version of the PSR

contributor:
Miller, Jon
Philosophy

subject:
Spinoza
Ethics
Michael Della Rocca
Principle of Sufficient Reason

abstract: Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-28 11:35:29.035

abstract: Michael Della Rocca has provided an influential interpretation of Spinoza relying heavily on the principle of sufficient reason. In order to challenge this interpretation, I identify three assumptions Della Rocca makes about the PSR and demonstrate that it is not clear Spinoza shares them. First, Della Rocca contends that the PSR is unlimited in scope. I show that the scope of Spinoza’s version of the PSR is ambiguous. While it is clear that substances and modes are included, it is unclear just how widely the scope extends. Second, Della Rocca argues that the PSR demands there are no illegitimate bifurcations. I argue that Della Rocca’s account of illegitimate bifurcations is too strong. I show that Spinoza offers a distinction in explanatory types that should be considered illegitimate and inexplicable according to Della Rocca’s definition of illegitimate bifurcations. Third, Della Rocca argues that explanations which satisfy the demands of the PSR must be in terms of the concepts involved. I show that Spinoza does not use conceptual explanations. Instead, in almost all cases, the explanations Spinoza relies on to satisfy the demands of the PSR are in terms of a thing’s cause.

abstract: M.A.


title: Alternate Bars Under Steady State Flows: Time of Development and Geometric Characteristics

contributor:
da Silva, Ana Maria Ferreira
Civil Engineering

subject:
Development time
Alternate bars
Geometric characteristics
Predictive equation
River process

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-30 16:27:07.025

abstract:
This thesis concerns the development of alternate bars under steady state flows. The movable bed is flat at the beginning of the experiment; the bars reach their equilibrium or developed state at the time Td. The thesis has two objectives. The first is to introduce new equations for the geometric characteristics, namely height and length, of alternate bars at the fully developed stage, and to evaluate them against the existing equations. The second objective is to present the results of two series of experiments carried out to characterize the process of development of alternate bars and obtain estimates of their time of development. The data resulting from these experiments are intended as a foundation for future work towards the establishment of a predictive equation for the development time of alternate bars.
The new equations for bar height and length rest on dimensional considerations and all the available data. Bars produced under rough turbulent and transitional flows are treated separately. The proposed equations are found to consistently give more accurate estimates of alternate bar dimensions than existing equations.
The experiments to quantify the time of development of alternate bars are carried out in the 21 m long, 0.76 m wide sediment transport flume of the Queen’s Coastal Engineering Laboratory. In addition to providing estimates of the time of development of alternate bars, these experiments reveal aspects of the process of development of alternate bars that had not been reported previously. In particular, they show that, all other conditions being the same (including the sediment transport capacity of the initial flow), the more pronounced alternate bars formed under shallower flows develop faster than less pronounced bars formed under deeper flows.
 The findings of this study highlight the fact that the previously unexplained wide variation in alternate bar dimensions is related to the plotting position of the data point in the alternate bar existence region of Ahmari and da Silva (2011). This study also sheds light on the evolution and development of alternate bars, which establishes a strong foundation for future studies on the topic.

abstract: The work in the thesis is part of an on-going research that is to be completed.

abstract: PhD


title: Food Quality Effects On Life History Trait Correlations In Daphnia

contributor:
Nelson, William A.
Biology

subject:
Coexistence
Food Quality
Daphnia
Quantitative Genetics
Paradox of the Plankton
Life History Evolution

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-31 07:01:21.774

abstract: Life history theory assumes that correlations among fitness-related life history traits should be negative among individuals, reflecting resource allocation constraints among traits such as growth and reproduction. These traits trade off because they cannot be simultaneously maximized in individuals facing finite resource acquisition. Positive correlations among traits that are expected to be negative (e.g. between energetically costly traits) have been regularly observed, however, and have usually been ascribed to genetic or resource acquisition differences. In the freshwater zooplankton Cladoceran Daphnia, positive correlations have been particularly well documented even when genetic and environmental variation have been controlled. The sign of these correlations represent a problem for life history theory, which is underpinned by the notion of universal and unavoidable costs associated with investing in a given trait. It has been suggested, however, that costs vary with environment and thus can change the sign of a correlation. A change in correlation sign over an environmental gradient may indicate that the assumed universality of costs and constraints are not as universal as expected by life history theory. Few life history experiments have examined traits in multiple environments, and fewer have done so while controlling resource acquisition and genetic variation. Here I ask whether the positive genetic correlations among somatic growth rate, egg production rate, and longevity are present in the face of equal ingestion, clonal individuals, and a finely resolved gradient of food quality, an environmental factor that frequently affects Daphnia. I partition trait covariation into genetic and residual, or environmental, sources. All resulting genetic correlations were non-significant. Residual correlations trended from significantly positive to negative between longevity and growth rate and remained near zero between longevity and egg rate. The residual correlation between growth and reproduction, two expensive traits, displayed significantly positive residual correlations across the food quality gradient remained significantly positive. Given the experimental controls in place, I suggest that differences in individual ontogeny may give rise to differential resource utilization or assimilation efficiency. This may be a mechanism for differential resource acquisition in the absence of ingestion variation. Additionally, the different ways genetic and residual correlations change over an environmental gradient may provide insight on one manner by which genotypes might coexist and provide a candidate explanation for the second paradox of the plankton.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Vitamin D and mammographic density in postmenopausal women: A cohort study nested within a chemoprevention trial

contributor:
King, Will D.
Richardson, Harriet
Meyer, Ralph
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
mammographic density
modifiable risk factors
Breast cancer
chemoprevention
vitamin D

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-31 11:20:23.963

abstract:
Background: Vitamin D may be important in the causal pathway to breast cancer (BC) by influencing mammographic breast density (MD). However, previous study results in postmenopausal women are inconsistent. Study objectives were to prospectively examine the relationship between biomarkers of vitamin D (25-OH-D) and percent MD in postmenopausal women at northern latitudes. Potential effect modification by exemestane therapy, calcium or genetic polymorphisms in the vitamin D pathway was also examined.
Methods: This study evaluated a sub-cohort of postmenopausal women at elevated BC risk who participated in the NCIC Clinical Trials Group placebo-controlled MAP.3 trial with exemestane. Levels of 25-OH-D were measured using LC-MS/MS from serum samples collected at baseline and year 1, averaged and adjusted for month of collection. Baseline and follow-up (≥ 3 year) percent MD was centrally assessed from film and digital mammograms with Cumulus software. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate the effect of 25-OH-D on log transformed percent MD at follow-up and on the change in percent MD from baseline.  Percent MD was also dichotomized and multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate 25-OH-D levels between 1) women with lower (<25%) compared with higher (≥25%) percent MD and 2) women with a decrease compared with no change or an increase in percent MD over time.
Results: Percent MD was measured for 568 participants with a follow-up mammogram and for 388 participants with a baseline mammogram in the same format as the follow-up.  The geometric mean percent MD of the follow-up mammograms was 4.3% and few women (13.4%) had percent MD ≥ 25%. The unadjusted mean 25-OH-D concentration was 36.5 ng/mL (SD=10.6) based on pooled baseline and year one samples. After controlling for age, month of sampling and potential confounders, 25-OH-D was not predictive of log transformed percent MD at follow-up (p=0.36) or with annual mean changes from baseline (p=0.33).  Similarly, results from the logistic regression analyses were not statistically significant and no interactions with exemestane, calcium or genetic polymorphisms were detected.
Conclusion: No association was observed between vitamin D levels and percent MD at ≥3 year follow-up or change in percent MD from baseline.

abstract: PhD


title: "The Burden of the Image:" Jane Morris in Art and Life

contributor:
Helland, Janice
Art History

subject:
Artists' Models
Arts and Crafts Movement
Women Artists
Morris, Jane Burden (1839-1914)
Pre-Raphaelites
Collaboration
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel (1828-82)
Aesthetic Movement

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2014-03-31 13:33:52.106

abstract:
"'The Burden of the Image:' Jane Morris in Art and Life" examines the work and life of Pre-Raphaelite model Jane Burden Morris (1839-1914). Burden Morris, an embroiderer and wife of the arts and crafts designer William Morris (1834-96), became famous in her own lifetime as the model for a number of Pre-Raphaelite works, particularly the paintings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-82). Although she was not considered conventionally beautiful by Victorian standards, artists drew heavily upon Burden Morris’s appearance, particularly her striking features and unusual artistic dress, in order to heighten the exoticism of their works and to suggest moments outside contemporary Victorian time and place. Burden Morris’s features became synonymous with the Pre-Raphaelite ideal in female beauty and several contemporaries reflected upon the surreal experience of meeting the enigmatic woman thought only to exist in paintings.
	Borrowing from a material culture approach which views images as both reflective and formative of identity, this work considers the relationship between Jane Burden Morris and her painted representation, and focuses in particular on the works produced through Burden Morris’s long-standing collaboration with Rossetti. Through an examination of Burden Morris’s appearance, activities, and demeanour, this dissertation considers the aspects of Burden Morris’s identity which contributed to her use in numerous Pre-Raphaelite images, and further explores the way in which these paintings may have altered how Burden Morris conceived of her own identity. “The Burden of the Image” examines three dominant modes of representing Burden Morris, including depictions of Burden Morris as medieval damsel, myth, and monster. It also considers Jane Burden Morris’s role within the broader context of aestheticism, and explores her relationship to the artistic dress movement and the aesthetic interior.

abstract: Restricted in order to reserve rights for future publication.

abstract: PhD