title: Scoliosis visualization using ultrasound data

contributor:
Fichtinger, Gabor
Mousavi, Parvin
Computing

subject: scoliosis visualization ultrasound

abstract: Scoliosis is a disease characterized by spinal deformation which typically appears during adolescence and growth. Regular assessment to monitor the progression of the disease is important to ensure timely intervention. Routine assessment is performed with X-ray but other techniques are used for preliminary screening or advanced assessment. The limitations of various imaging modalities leave a need for a method for producing 3D patient-specific spinal visualizations suitable for scoliosis assessment using ultrasound imaging. This thesis presents a collection of techniques which, taken together, constitute such a method. After exploring the related background material, a method for producing visualizations from ultrasound-accessible skeletal landmarks is presented. The method uses the transverse process locations to deform a healthy-shaped spine model to match patient anatomy. Visualizations were generated and compared to CT to validate the method. Subsequent developments to the ultrasound assessment process were aimed at reducing operator interaction by automatically segmenting the spine from ultrasound, and generating landmarks to use with the visualization method. A bone segmentation method recently integrated into PLUS  was used to identify the bone surfaces in ultrasound scans. Then a variation on k-means estimates the landmark locations. Automatically generated landmarks are prone to containing defects, so a Slicer  module offering various correction operations was developed. An ultrasound scan was used to produce a visualization with automatically generated, and subsequently repaired, landmarks. Initial results demonstrate the challenges of automatically generating 3D spinal visualizations from ultrasound data. Landmarks are essentially an under-sampling of a segmentation, and degrade results through a loss of information. Furthermore, operator controlled reparation operations reintroduce user interaction. There is still promise in the overall workflow. The landmark-based visualization method has been used in published work, and modular and incremental developments may improve segmentation generation and interpretation.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Eye Movement Control as a Functional Biomarker of Brain Development in the Child Welfare Population

contributor:
Reynolds, James
Neuroscience Studies

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

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

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

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

subject:
Eye Movement Control
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Child Welfare
Infant and Young Children
Early Biomarker
Eye Tracking
Early Screening

abstract:
Background: Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) can result in a continuum of neurological, behavioural, physical and learning deficits collectively referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Eye movement tasks have been shown to be a promising approach to assessing brain dysfunction in children with FASD. However, these studies were limited to school-aged children because of the nature of the structured tasks. Our objectives were to investigate whether (i) a set of standardized screening tools (Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ)) were able to identify specific patterns of developmental delay in young children who have a history of PAE, and (ii) the pattern of eye movement behaviours obtained from watching video clips could be used to differentiate young children 10-78 months with a history of PAE from control participants.
Methods: Sixteen children with a history of PAE and twenty-one control participants watched 6-16 minutes of video clips comprised of 2-4 second clipets that were semantically unrelated. Eye movements were recorded using the Eyelink 1000.
Results: The overall gaze distributions of children with a history of PAE did not differ from controls. Data were analyzed for both developmental and group effects. The average amplitude of saccades increased with age in the control, but not the PAE, group. Both groups exhibited developmental effects of age on fixation duration and the number of saccades per movie. Group differences were also observed; children with a history of PAE exhibited smaller amplitude saccades. Further analysis revealed that in typically developing children, the frequency of smaller amplitude saccades decreased with age. This developmental change was absent in children with PAE. Results from the ASQ indicate that children who scored poorly across one domain tended to score poorly across multiple domains.
Conclusions: The results of this study extend previous findings that eye tracking has the potential to quantify brain damage associated with PAE. Future studies should continue to explore free viewing as a means to identify children with PAE who would benefit from further diagnostic assessment.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Multistep Kinetic Models for Oxygen Reduction Reaction and Platinum Dissolution in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

contributor:
Karan, Kunal
Chemical Engineering

subject:
PEM Fuel Cell
Multistep Kinetic Model
Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Platinum Dissolution

abstract:
Oxygen electrochemistry on platinum comprises of three well-known phenomena - oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), platinum oxide growth and reduction during cyclic voltammetry (CV) and logarithmic growth of oxides potentiostatically at high potentials. Many of the elementary reaction steps are common to the three reaction systems but usually separate kinetic models for the three phenomena are reported in the literature. In this thesis, we present a single reaction framework comprising multistep mechanism, that captures the key characteristics of ORR, CV and potentiostatic oxide growth. Comparison between experimental data and proposed model as well as other models is presented in this work.

Furthermore, a mechanism for platinum dissolution was developed within the reaction framework. The proposed dissolution model captured transient platinum dissolution trends reported experimentally.

Finally, an impedance model for the cathode catalyst layer was developed assuming the agglomerate structure. Analytical solution to oxygen transport within the catalyst agglomerate were derived.

abstract: PhD


title: Understanding Mediolateral Stability During Gait in Persons with Early-Stage Multiple Sclerosis

contributor:
Deshpande, Nandini
Rehabilitation Science

subject:
Multiple Sclerosis
Gait
Balance
Exploratory
Mediolateral

abstract:
Background: Among the most common and disabling symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis (MS)
are problems with balance, during both stance and gait. Balance during gait is highly dependent on stability in the mediolateral (M-L) direction. It is currently unknown how M-L stability is affected in those with low levels of disability due to MS. The objective of this multiple case series was to explore how M-L stability during gait is affected in persons with early-stage MS using narrow-base walking. Narrow-base walking has not previously been used in the MS population. The secondary objective was to explore the other common symptoms of this disease that may contribute to the experience of postural instability, using of both commonly used and novel testing techniques for the MS population.
Methods: Three individuals with early stage MS (MS1 = female aged 25, MS2 = female aged 33, MS3 = female aged 23) were included in this study and compared to healthy age and sex-matched controls. Balance during gait was assessed using a narrow-base walking paradigm on a path 25cm in width while participants were instrumented with body-worn motion sensors. Center of mass (COM) displacement and velocity as well as head movement were assessed during these trials. Standing balance was assessed using a force-plate to derive center of pressure (COP) displacement and velocity data. Levels of fatigue, muscle weakness, sensory function, physical activity, falls frequency, and mood were also assessed.
Results: All three participants with MS showed slight changes in M-L stability during gait as compared to healthy controls. This was evidenced in differing ways between participants and included increased peak and average M-L COM velocity and decreased gait speed. All participants with MS showed an increase in sensory thresholds on a measure of ankle proprioception and increased COP displacement while standing with their eyes closed on a foam surface.
Conclusion: Subtle differences in M-L stability could be detected using the narrow-base walking paradigm. Using body-worn motion sensors to assess stability during gait in the MS population may be a useful technique in detecting small changes to stability early in the disease.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Importance of Geospatial Inputs in Assessing Fine-scale Landscape Genetic Patterns of a Temperate Treefrog

contributor:
Lougheed, Stephen C.
Fotopoulos, Georgia
Biology

subject:
Pseudacris crucifer
landscape genetics
geospatial science
LiDAR

abstract:
Recent technological advancements in next generation sequencing techniques, enabling the use of thousands of genetic markers across an individual’s genome, and continued improvements to the spatial resolution and information content of remote sensing data, present a unique opportunity to investigate the finest geographic scale at which genetic structuring within and between populations becomes detectable. However, in order to exploit the integration of both high resolution genetic and geospatial data, an understanding of the uncertainties associated with both data sets, and the accuracy requirements of landscape genetic analyses of geospatial models, is required. In this thesis, I begin by highlighting some sources of uncertainty and bias in landscape models derived from high resolution LiDAR data which have the potential to impact downstream analyses of the correlation between patterns of genetic structuring and landscape heterogeneity. I then investigate the patterns of genetic structuring between breeding aggregations of the spring peeper, Pseudacris crucifer.

I discovered that while different methodologies to derive land cover from airborne LiDAR data may result in similar overall accuracy, the configuration of landscape heterogeneity within the landscape, and class-specific recall and precision differed between models. A significant finding is that some classification methodologies did not accurately represent the contiguity of a road, which is often considered a putative barrier for amphibians. While ddRADseq could not resolve signatures of fine-scale genetic differentiation between breeding aggregations of Pseudacris crucifer within distances of <10 km, some differentiation between sampling locations separated by 60 km was detected. This grants some insight into the scale of genetic structuring of Pseudacris crucifer, and provides some representation of hylids in the population genetic literature. Ultimately this thesis highlights the importance for communication and collaboration between biologists and geospatial scientists to ensure the optimal modeling of heterogeneity with landscapes to address a wider array of applications in ecology and landscape genetics, as well as an accurate representation of uncertainty in geospatial models in ecological and landscape genetic analyses.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Using Statistical Analysis to Examine the Relationship between Hydraulic Characteristics and Pipe-Level Energy Performance

contributor:
Filion, Yves
Speight, Vanessa
Civil Engineering

subject:
Water Distribution Systems
Energy Metrics
Energy Efficiency
Pipe Leakage
Head Loss

abstract:
Energy efficiency has been a long standing issue faced by municipal managers when dealing with water distribution systems as these systems are energy intensive. Perhaps energy in per se is one of the most widely used indicators in identifying how well a distribution network is running. This study brings the idea of energy auditing from the network level to the pipe level by means of a set of novel energy metrics. This way once analysed a system would merit values for each pipe which helps to distinguish low from high-efficiency pipes in large networks.
The originality of this work is guaranteed by examining the energy dynamics of pipes across 18 systems in North America including over 40,000 pipes, ensuring the diversity of characteristics and the statistical significance of findings. Multivariate statistical analyses including correlation, regression and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are employed to find relationships between energy metrics and hydraulic factors. Also, common practice unit headloss thresholds as well as replacement approaches are put into perspective from an energy standpoint.
Energy efficiency has been a long standing issue faced by municipal managers when dealing with water distribution systems as these systems are energy intensive. Perhaps energy in per se is one of the most widely used indicators in identifying how well a distribution network is running. This study brings the idea of energy auditing from the network level to the pipe level by means of a set of novel energy metrics. This way once analysed a system would merit values for each pipe which helps to distinguish low from high-efficiency pipes in large networks.
The originality of this work is guaranteed by examining the energy dynamics of pipes across 18 systems in North America including over 40,000 pipes, ensuring the diversity of characteristics and the statistical significance of findings. Multivariate statistical analyses including correlation, regression and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are employed to find relationships between energy metrics and hydraulic factors. Also, common practice unit headloss thresholds as well as replacement approaches are put into perspective from an energy standpoint.
Chapter 3 introduces a set of pipe-level energy metrics and shows how location and flow intensity (as a result of diurnal changes of demand) can affect energy metrics in pipes. Technical Chapter 4 illustrates that energy indicators such as Net Energy Efficiency (NEE) and Energy Lost to Friction (ELTF) would be driven by average unit headloss. Subsequently, using regression analysis mathematical relationships between unit headloss and the two metrics of NEE and ELTF are explored to assess common-practice unit headloss thresholds as well as stricter ones, regarding efficiency. Stricter levels of NEE and ELTF energy based upon thresholds of unit headloss are expected, though at high cost. PCA results in technical Chapter 5 reveal relative importance of hydraulic parameters in energy efficiency. Also, some factors such as diameter and CHW are not as key as typically expected by water utilities in earmarking low-efficiency pipes. Further, efficiency as a missing link in common-practice replacement approaches can add value to bigger asset management landscape.

abstract: PhD


title: Gender, Power, and Regnant Queenship in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem

contributor:
Husain, Adnan
History

subject:
Queenship
Medieval history
Crusades
Kingdom of Jerusalem

abstract: This thesis will explore the relationship between regnant queenship and power in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Specifically, the reigns of Queens Melisende (r. 1131-1153), Sibylla (r. 1186-1190), Isabella (r. 1190-1205), Maria (r. 1205-1212), and Yolande (r. 1212-1228) are considered here. Through analyzing their reigns and the ways in which these queens regnant exerted power, this thesis will propose that current notions of power as military and political in nature are too limited to fully appreciate the ways in which medieval queens regnant were able to exert power.

abstract: M.A.


title: How Consumers Create Alternative Consumer Journeys Via Imaginative Mental Experiences

contributor:
Dacin, Peter A.
Business

subject:
Consumption
Consumer Journey
Imagination
Imaginative Mental Experience
Desires
Consumption Desires
Unattainable Consumption Desires
Wants

abstract:
Consumers who desire consumption items are thought to engage in a process of steps allowing them to seek out information, engage in transactions and thereby gain value from their consumer journey. However, not all desired consumption items are immediately accessible to, or realistic for, all consumers and may be deemed “unattainable” by consumers, even though they are also desired and explored via the imagination. Thus, might it be possible for some consumer journeys to exist solely in the mind of the consumer?
This dissertation conceptualizes how consumers engage in imaginative mental experiences to create alternative consumer journeys for desired yet unattainable consumption items by integrating prior literature. Evidence derived from exploratory interviews suggests consumers do explore their desired yet unattainable consumption items through imagination, prompting three successive research questions that are the focus of this dissertation. First, when consumers explore desired consumption via imaginative mental experiences, what factors influence their engagement in imaginative mental experiences? Second, when consumers engage in imaginative mental experiences, what are the experiences of consumers who create alternative consumer journeys via imaginative mental experiences? And, third, what outcomes do consumers gain from creating alternative consumer journeys via imaginative mental experiences when consumption is deemed unattainable?
Empirical testing of the extended conceptual framework includes a consumer survey, interviews and experimental designs. When consumers identify desired consumption items as unattainable, they are likely to increase their engagement in activities which support and coincide with imaginative mental experience engagement. The imaginative mental experiences consumers create involve an immersive exploration of the experiences they wish to have when they attain their consumption desires. These experiences incorporate their prior knowledge and prior experience. Imaginative mental experiences offer consumers who find their desired consumption to be unattainable the ability to create alternative consumer journeys.  This dissertation contributes an augmented understanding of the consumer journey framework by suggesting imagination as an important touchpoint of consumer journeys. As well, this thesis contributes an understanding of the outcomes consumers can experience relating to their imaginative exploration of desired, yet unattainable, consumption items even though they are not engaging in consumption at this time.

abstract: PhD


title: Cladoceran Responses to Environmental Change in High Elevation Andean Lakes

contributor:
Smol, John P.
Biology

subject:
Paleolimnology
Cladocera
Zooplankton
Andes
Climate Change

abstract: Andean lakes are hotspots of biodiversity and serve as critical freshwater resources for millions of people. However, little information is available regarding their ecological responses to anthropogenic climate change, which is occurring rapidly in the Andes. Recent paleolimnological work has revealed marked shifts in diatom species in relation to enhanced water column stratification, caused by warming air temperatures and declining wind speeds. However, the response of higher trophic order consumers in the lakes is not well understood. A paleolimnological examination of Cladocera from four lakes in Cajas National Park, southern Ecuador, recorded relative increases in Daphnia and decreases in Bosmina during the period of recent warming. Cajas lakes were formerly believed to be polymictic, however many now thermally stratify by several degrees for large portions of the year. The deployment of temperature data loggers in four Cajas lakes revealed maximum thermal stratification between November to May, when air temperatures were highest and wind speeds were lowest. The mechanism driving cladoceran assemblage shifts is likely a combination of direct thermal response, as well as indirect bottom-up (food supply) and top-down (predation) factors. In a further examination of three shallow (< 5 m) non-stratified Cajas lakes, climate-related cladoceran shifts did not occur, though long-term assemblage changes appeared to track size of the littoral area, perhaps reflecting water level shifts caused by catchment alteration and/or precipitation shifts. To determine climate change impacts elsewhere in the Andes, three non-stratified lakes were examined from the Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru. The cladoceran assemblages from the two deepest lakes showed marked shifts in the past (i.e., > 150 years ago), possibly related to glacier activity and water level changes. However, none of the three lakes experienced marked cladoceran shifts over the past century, despite climate stations ~60–70 km away recording temperature increases. The relatively stable assemblages over the last century may be due to the lack of thermal stratification, caused by a climate-moderating effect from nearby glaciers. Collectively, this thesis provides among the first paleolimnological cladoceran data from the Andes and highlights the potential importance of lake stratification and related limnological changes in driving cladoceran assemblage composition.

abstract: PhD


title: Humour and Humilitas: Wall Painting in the Palaces and Castles of Henry III of England (r: 1216-1272)

contributor:
Reeve, Matthew
Art History

subject:
Henry III
Patronage
Medieval Art
Wall Painting
Kingship
England

abstract:
This dissertation examines Henry III of England’s residential wall painting patronage, its relationship to the king’s unique views of kingship, and the role of wall painting in the fashioning of thirteenth-century Plantagenet court culture. I consider the presence of humour, humility, sanctimony, and devotion in Henry III’s ideals of kingship and as demonstrated through repeated iconographies in the king’s halls. I propose new avenues of inquiry and interpretation, rather than submitting a comprehensive survey of Henry III’s artistic and architectural patronage.

This dissertation begins with an examination of the documentary, architectural, archaeological, and antiquarian evidence of Henry III’s wall painting commissions (Chapter 2), followed by an in-depth discussion of the methodological approaches and analyses explored throughout (Chapter 3). Three iconographical case study chapters are at the core of this dissertation, each examining a favoured narrative or allegory. The first (Chapter 4) concerns Henry III’s commission of the parable of Dives and Lazarus in his great halls at the castles of Ludgershall, Guildford, and Northampton. The second (Chapter 5) reviews the narrative painting of the Dialogue of Solomon and Marcolf in the lesser hall at Westminster Palace. The third (Chapter 6) is a study of Henry III’s choice of painting the Wheel of Fortune in the great hall at Winchester Castle and the king’s hall at Clarendon Palace. These chapters highlight the subversive nature of Henry III’s wall painting commissions as they relate to the playful reversal of social hierarchies and a deviation from traditional models of kingship.

abstract: PhD


title: Effect of Sagittal Foot Alignment on Centre of Pressure Progression Velocity in Transtibial Prosthesis Users

contributor:
Bryant, Timothy
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Centre of Pressure Progression
Transtibial Amputee
Alignment
Prosthesis

abstract:
The performance of dynamic prosthetic foot devices is influenced by both the functional design and alignment of the device in the prosthetic system. Although this is recognized, studies of the interaction of these factors are limited. One measure of performance in unilateral transtibial amputee gait is the progression of the centre of pressure (COP) throughout stance. Recently, Klenow et al., developed a method of quantitatively identifying the “dead spot” phenomenon (DSP), described as an interruption of the forward progression of prosthetic foot COP during stance in amputee gait, as measured by COP progression velocity. The aim of this study was to isolate the effects of sagittal alignment changes on three DSP measures in the rearfoot and forefoot. These were: 1) DSP Time – the duration of the interruption in forward progression, 2) DSP Magnitude – the minimum forward velocity during the interruption and 3) DSP Progression – the displacement of the COP during the interruption.

A study was designed in which a cohort of patients representing a range of prosthesis users were assessed in a clinical setting at the time of alignment of their prosthetic system. A custom portable gait analysis system was fabricated and commissioned to analyse over-ground walking trials of eight unilateral transtibial amputees fitted with prescribed prosthetic devices. Rearfoot and forefoot DSP of the intact and affected limbs were analysed during pre-alignment and post-alignment conditions using the three DSP measures.

DSP Progression was determined to be a clinically appropriate measure, capturing the effect of clinical alignment in the sagittal plane with the presence of observed DSP. Observed effects of alignment corresponded with clinical goals in forward progression and limb symmetry. Based on the analysis of aligned systems completed by the partnered prosthetist, recommendations of clinically significant values were determined to be 4mm of rearfoot DSP Progression and 3.5mm of asymmetry in rearfoot DSP Progression. Forefoot DSP Progression was observed to increase on average of 4mm in the intact limb.  The recommended DSP values can be used as a clinician tool to confirm alignment changes and to help develop prosthetic foot prescription guidelines related to DSP.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Identification of Individuals with Lower Versus Higher Exercising Limb Oxygen Delivery: Does Fatigue Progression Differ?

contributor:
Tschakovsky, Michael
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Muscle Blood Flow
Oxygen Delivery/Demand Matching
Leg Exercise
Inter-Individual Differences
Fatigue

abstract: Background: In exercising skeletal muscle, oxygen delivery (O2Del) increases in proportion to oxygen cost (O2) to support aerobic production of the cell’s energy currency, ATP, and sustained exercise efforts. When O2Del/demand matching is acutely reduced within an individual, even if VO2 is maintained, greater fatigue occurs.  Whether functionally significant differences in O2Del/demand matching exist between individuals, and whether these also impact fatigue, remains unknown. Purpose: 1. Identify inter-individual differences in exercising leg O2Del across a range of work rates (WR). 2. Determine whether those with relatively lower delivery exhibit increased fatigue progression. Methods: Ten healthy men completed multiple trials of progressive isometric knee extensor exercise (IKEE) to exhaustion to quantify individual O2Del/WR relationships. O2Del was determined as leg blood flow via ultrasound x arterial oxygen content (blood sampling). Higher and lower responder identification was based on O2Del/WR responses.  A submaximal exercise fatigue test (SEFT) at 70% of peak, with intermittent maximal effort contractions, was used to track fatigue. Results: Higher versus lower O2Del/WR response individuals (p < 0.001) were identified and grouped accordingly.  Differences in vasodilation accounted for O2Del/WR differences (p < 0.05). However, there was no between group difference in fatigue index (FI) (p = 0.43). This may have been because of the large variation in exercise efforts during the SEFT, confounding fatigue assessment.  In a follow up study, it was determined if practice would improve repeatability and accuracy of exercise efforts to guide future study design.  Participants performed 3 SEFTs on separate days. Initial MVC demonstrated good repeatability between trials (COV < 10%) but this did not improve with practice (p = 0.2).  FI repeatability was problematic (COV > 10%), and did not improve with practice (p = 0.258). No significant interaction between the trial number and MVC interval on the average WR efforts (p = 0.673) suggests that the WR performed remained consistent within and between trials. Conclusion: In IKEE, there are inter-individual differences in O2Del/WR, which are attributable to differences in vasodilation. The SEFT did not detect any impact of O2Del/WR on fatigability, perhaps because of poor repeatability of FI, that was not improved with practice.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Radiation Damage Effect on Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of X-750 Ni-based Superalloy

contributor:
Yao, Zhongwen
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Radiatio Damage
X-750 superalloy
Nano-scale mechanical test
Transmission Electron Microscopy
Defects
Gamma-prime Precipitate
Obstacle Hardening Model

abstract: Inconel X-750 is an age-hardened Ni-based superalloy with high mechanical strength and creep resistance. The X-750 alloy is extensively used in the cores of reactors, such as spacers in CANada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) fuel channels. The recent mechanical tests on the ex-service Inconel X-750 spacers indicate significant embrittlement and reduced load carrying capacity compared to as installed condition. The primary degradation mechanism remains unclear, and thus provides the focus of this investigation. Heavy-ion irradiation was employed as an emulator for neutron irradiation to explore the microstructural evolution and mechanical property degradation in X-750 Ni-based superalloy. The ion-irradiation has been conducted at different temperatures and up to different doses. In addition, helium-implantation prior to heavy-ion irradiation was used to investigate the effect of helium on microstructural changes. The discussion of the microstructural evolution is focused on characterization of irradiation-induced defects, including dislocation loops and cavities along with examination of the stability of strengthening phase γ'-precipitates. A major contribution of this work is to utilize a focused ion beam (FIB) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to perform precise defect characterization. The microstructure is correlated to the mechanical properties obtained via nano-hardness test on irradiated materials. In order to estimate the individual contribution of defects in radiation-induced hardening, three different obstacle-hardening models have been applied to fit TEM-obtained microstructural data. The superposition of contributions is made in each model and compared with nano-scale experimental results. This approach is unique to the literature since it demonstrates both the individual and the combined effects of the microstructural features on mechanical behavior. Furthermore, the effect of gamma-prime instability on mechanical properties of irradiated X-750 was investigated and the strength softening raised from disordering and also dissolution of gamma-prime was evaluated.

abstract: PhD


title: Ecological Restoration on the Oak Ridges Moraine: in the context of provincial policies in the GTA

abstract:
Conducted an qualitative analysis of ecological restoration (ER) on the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM). Evaluated the evolution of ER practices from the inception of the Oak Ridges Moraine Act (ORMA) in 2001 to the recent (2015-2017) co-ordinated review of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP). Developed a conceptual framework based on ER in the academic literature and compared it to themes uncovered from document analyses, along with three interviews to validate and refine my findings. Main findings of this research were that:
•	Environmental values and balancing the protection versus development dichotomy are key parts of planning for ER and making it possible to achieve ER projects on the ground.
•	Developing networks of communication and education, over the course of multiple years, is required to keep local landowners informed and aware of the importance of ER on the ORM.
•	Provincial policy and ER projects implemented by the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation (ORMF) and its partners both seem to highly emphasize the natural components of the ORM environment.
•	Both provincial policy and ER private-public partnerships have complementary and necessary roles in stewardship on the ORM.
•	The ORMF has proven, through multiple ER projects, to be effective in advocating for the ORM environment and local residents’ best interests.
•	Evidence and themes extracted makes the claim that the ORMF, although a top-down government and industry funded foundation, can only work successfully if driven by local citizens from the ground up.
•	ER implementation requires funds and expertise from a wide range of partners.
This research concludes with some recommendations for both ER practitioners and stakeholders involved in the development of environmental protection policies in southern Ontario to consider.


title: Influence of the UGT2B17 Gene on the Relationship Between Exemestane and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women

contributor:
Richardson, Harriet
Cheung, Angela M.
Public Health Sciences

subject:
Breast Cancer
Bone
UGT2B17
MAP.3
UGT2B17 Deletion
Chemoprevention
Exemestane
Aromatase Inhibitor
Bone Mineral Density

abstract:
Background:  In the Mammary Prevention.3 (MAP.3) randomized placebo-controlled trial of exemestane, postmenopausal women experienced a loss in bone mineral density (BMD). UGT2B17 facilitates excretion of androgens and exemestane. For Caucasian postmenopausal women, this gene deletion is hypothesized to have 1) a protective effect on BMD and 2) worsened BMD in exemestane users.

Objective: The study objectives include studying the relationship between UGT2B17 genotype and 1) total hip and lumbar spine BMD at baseline with effect modification by previous bone medication or HRT use and 2) a meaningful decline total hip and lumbar spine BMD after two-years with effect modification by exemestane.

Methods: The BMD of all MAP.3 participants was assessed at study entry, and two-year follow-up BMD was obtained from two bone sub-studies, MAP.3 Bone Strength Substudy and MAP.3 Bone Substudy.  The relative risk was calculated from multivariate modified Poisson regression models to assess the association between the UGT2B17 genotype and BMD with interaction by previous bone medication or HRT use and two-year change in BMD with interaction by exemestane.

Results: Amongst women who never used bone medications or HRT, the UGT2B17 deletion polymorphism had a borderline significant association with lumbar spine BMD at baseline (RR=0.72, 95% CI: 0.51-1.00), but the relationship was null with the total hip. There were no statistically significant associations between the UGT2B17 gene deletion and change in the total hip and lumbar spine BMD two years from baseline (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.64-2.12 and RR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.58-1.64 respectively), nor was there a significant interaction with treatment (pinteraction = 0.57 and pinteraction = 0.18 respectively).

Conclusions: While the UGT2B17 deletion polymorphism was associated with a borderline protective effect in lumbar spine BMD amongst postmenopausal women who never used bone medications or HRT, it was not significantly associated with two-year change in BMD. There was no evidence of a statistical interaction by treatment between UGT2B17 genotype and two-year change in BMD. Future goals of research pertaining to the UGT2B17 gene deletion should focus on its effect on endogenous estrogen availability in relation to BMD.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Hydraulic Performance of Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs) in Containment of Brine and Landfill Applications

contributor:
Rowe, R. Kerry
Civil Engineering

subject:
Geosynthetic Clay liners
Interface Transmissivity
Brine
High Saline Solutions
Leakage

abstract:
The interface transmissivity (θ) and hydraulic conductivity (k) of conventional and multicomponent geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) were examined for a range of normal stresses (i.e., 10 kPa, 25 kPa, 50 kPa and 150 kPa) when placed in contact with smooth and textured geomembranes (GMBs). Solutions that vary in ionic strength and chemical composition (i.e., RO water, synthetic landfill leachate (SL3) and synthetic high saline solution (brine)) were examined to assess their effect on GCL interface transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity. In addition, several parameters including: GMB stiffness, GMB texture, bentonite enhancement, GCL pre-hydration condition, coating orientation and texture for multicomponent GCLs, and presence of defects were examined for different normal stresses. The interface transmissivity decreased non-linearly with increasing normal stress, with most of the decrease occurring for stresses up to 50 kPa; the effect was relatively small between 50 kPa and 150 kPa. The effect of GMB stiffness and texture was minor for the GCL-GMB combinations examined at high stress levels, but could be quite significant at low stress levels. High saline solutions suppressed the swelling capacity of bentonite leading to high interface transmissivity. Bentonite enhancement and pre-hydration of GCL with RO water improved the GCL performance when hydrated and permeated with brine leading to lower interface transmissivity (θ). Coating defects in multicomponent GCLs resulted in two modes of flow for which interface transmissivity: (i) flow at the GMB-geofilm interface (θGMB/Geofilm) and (ii) flow at the geofilm- rest of GCL interface (θGeofilm/GCL).
 Assessment of leakage (Q) and contaminant concentration (cp) at the underlying aquifer for a hypothetical containment facility using semi-analytical and finite element approaches was conducted. The results highlighted the effect of interaction between interface transmissivity (θ) and hydraulic conductivity (k) on the estimated leakage (Q), hence the contaminant concentration (cp) at the aquifer level. The results also suggested that wrinkle and failed seam lengths have a significant effect on the performance of the contaminant facility but that this is also closely linked to the interface transmissivity.

abstract: PhD


title: Phenotypic Plasticity Drives Phenological Change in Mandt's Black Guillemot (Cepphus Grylle MandtII)

contributor:
Friesen, Vicki
Biology

subject:
Phenotypic Plasticity
Ecology
Climate Change
Evolution
Quantitative Genetics
Seabirds

abstract: The ability of individuals to change breeding time is predicted to be an important aspect of adapting to climate change. Changes in breeding time could occur through either behavioural adjustment of breeding time or evolution. To date, few studies have investigated these processes in Arctic environments, where temperature is rising at a greater rate than the global mean. I evaluated the contribution of behavioural adjustment of breeding time and evolution to changes in breeding time associated with annual variation in snow melt and female breeding age over a 42-year dataset from an Arctic population of Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle mandtii). I used an Animal Model to decompose the variance observed in breeding time and I used three fitness metrics in a bivariate Animal Model to estimate selection on clutch initiation DOY. Finally, I examined the temporal trend in the genetic component of variation in clutch initiation date to determine if evolution contributed to the shift in breeding time. During the study period mean clutch initiation date advanced 7.8 days, snow melt date advanced 7.6 days, and the average female breeding age increased by 4.7 years. Earlier clutch initiation was associated with experienced mothers, earlier snow melt, and higher fitness. Individuals advanced clutch initiation at different rates as they aged but responded similarly to variation in snow melt. Heritability of clutch initiation date was negligible (h2 = 0.04, 95% CI [0.00-0.11]), and there was no evidence of evolution contributing to the change in breeding time. My results suggest that covariation between clutch initiation date and fitness is driven by environmental, but not genetic factors. Consequently, changes of breeding time in Black Guillemots are likely driven by plastic behavioural adjustment with limited potential for evolutionary change.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Investigations into Carbon-Based Lewis Acids for Frustrated Lewis Pair Catalysis

contributor:
Crudden, Cathleen
Chemistry

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

subject:
Catalysis
Frustrated Lewis Pairs
Main Group
Chemistry

abstract:
Over the past decade, significant advancements in main group chemistry have led to an exciting renaissance in the field. The pioneering discoveries made in the mid 2000s by Dr. Stephan and Dr. Erker have paved the way for the flourishing field of frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) catalysis that we are familiar with today. Continued efforts have been made in the field to find alternative Lewis acids that are more robust, synthetically simple and air and moisture stable than the highly fluorinated aryl boranes commonly employed as FLP catalysts.  A variety of group 14-16 element Lewis acids have been examined, however, to date none offer a competitive alternative. Recently, there has been interest in using carbon-based Lewis acids, specifically pyridinium based salts as FLPs.
This thesis describes our attempts to synthesize carbon-based pyridinium Lewis acids and their application as FLP reduction catalysts. We report the synthesis of two 1,4-dihydropyridines and their corresponding pyridinium salts: N-phenyl Hantzsch ester (HE) and N-(4-trifluoromethyl)phenyl HE. We examined the activity of both pyridinium salts for the hydrosilylation of many carbon-heteroatom double bonds and determined that N-(4-trifluoromethyl)phenyl HE pyridinium was the most active catalyst. However, a troubling induction period was observed in all catalytic reactions. Upon changing the reaction solvent to 1,4-dioxane, the reaction rate was dramatically increased and no induction period was observed.
Subsequently, while employing a control reaction, it was determined that N-(4-trifluoromethyl) phenyl HE pyridinium may not be the catalytically active species. Instead, in situ generated cationic silylium species, may be the active catalyst. More research must be completed to identify the catalytically active species and determine how these species are generated.
A brief study of the potential of N-(4-trifluoromethyl)phenyl HE pyridinium as a hydrogenation catalyst for the reduction of aldimines has been presented. It was observed that the desired amine was generated in low quantities. Furthermore, N-(4-trifluoromethyl)phenyl HE pyridinium has the potential to be an active catalyst however, further optimization of catalytic conditions must be accomplished.
The research described herein will detail the work completed to identify the potential of carbon-based N-aryl HE pyridinium salts as Lewis acids for FLP-type reduction catalysis.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Characterization of γδ T cells in Peripheral Nociception and Inflammatory Pain Hypersensitivity

contributor:
Ghasemlou, Nader
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
Pain
Nociception
T cells

abstract:
Inflammatory pain can occur following tissue insult, bacterial infection, arthritis and various autoimmune diseases and is initiated and maintained by a well-orchestrated response of recruited and tissue-resident immune cells. When activated, these immune cells secrete inflammatory factors that have the capability to modulate pain through excitation of nociceptive primary afferent sensory neurons (nociceptors). Current treatments for inflammatory pain include NSAIDs and opioids, which provide modest, short-term benefits, but adverse side effects. Thus, there is a need for novel, safe and efficacious treatments for inflammatory pain.
     It is increasingly clear in the literature that interactions between nociceptors and immune cells regulate pain. The use of cell depletion strategies is necessary in order to assess the involvement of immune cells in inflammatory pain in pre-clinical studies. Previous work has considered the contribution of mast cells, αβ T cells, neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages to inflammatory pain outcomes, and only a subset of myeloid cells were necessary contributors to mechanical hypersensitivity outcomes, but not thermal hypersensitivity.
     We sought to understand the contribution of skin-resident γδ T cells in nociception and inflammatory pain. To achieve this, we used wild-type (TCRδ+/+), heterozygous (TCRδ+/-) and knock-out (TCRδ-/-) mice to determine if there is a link between γδ T cells and pain outcomes. Mouse responsiveness to pain was assessed using behavioural tests to measure mechanical and thermal sensitivity in both male and female TCRδ mice, before and after injury. The characterization of these cells in naïve animals demonstrated that γδ T cells are not necessary for modulating mechanical and thermal sensitivity in male or female mice, excluding the female response to high heat stimuli (55°C). Using three inflammatory pain models (formalin, incisional wound and Complete Freund’s adjuvant), hypersensitivity outcomes between TCRδ strains did not differ in their responses to mechanical and thermal stimuli after injury. Together, these results suggest that γδ T cells do not contribute directly to peripheral nociception and inflammatory pain in mice. Future studies should consider other skin-resident immune cells and their secreted factors as they may provide alternative results and potentially novel therapeutic targets for inflammatory pain.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Molecular Regulation and Disruption  of the Progesterone Receptor Signaling Pathways During Frog  Embryonic Development

contributor:
Langlois, Valerie
Environmental Studies

subject:
Ecotoxicology
Endocrinology
Progesterone
Endocrine Disruption
Frog
Melengestrol Acetate

abstract: Gestagens are a class of steroid hormones capable of binding and activating progesterone receptors. Gestagens include endogenous progestogens, such as progesterone (P4), which have critically important roles in vertebrate physiology and reproduction and synthetic P4 analogues (progestins), such as melengestrol acetate (MGA). Both gestagens are administered as growth promotants in beef cattle and have been measured in surface water receiving runoff from animal agricultural operations. This project aims to understand the roles and the regulatory mechanisms of P4 in early amphibian development and to assess the consequences of exposures to environmental gestagens on the P4-receptor signaling pathways in frog embryos. We first established the developmental transcript profiles of the three P4 receptors in Western clawed frog (Silurana tropicalis) embryos. P4-receptor mRNAs were detected but differentially expressed throughout embryogenesis. Secondly, we conducted P4 and MGA acute exposures to an environmentally realistic range of concentrations to determine the effects of embryonic exposure to gestagens on development, mortality, and gene expression of reproduction-related genes. Acute exposure to P4 induced a 2- to 5-fold change increase of steroid hormone receptor mRNA levels, whereas MGA exposure induced a dissimilar transcriptional profile than P4. Therefore, we conclude that that MGA and P4 may signal through different molecular cascades in frogs. This is the first study to report developmental transcript profiles in embryonic frogs and to assess the molecular effects of MGA exposure in frogs. While our data suggests that P4 and MGA have dissimilar effects, exposure to either P4 or MGA induced multiple endocrine responses and adverse effects at environmentally realistic concentrations in S. tropicalis. Therefore, we conclude that environmental gestagen contamination may pose a risk to wild populations of amphibians.

abstract: M.E.S.


title: Assessing Pet Rabbit Welfare Based on  General Discussion on Human-Animal Relationship

subject:
human-animal relationship
animal welfare
pet rabbit
anthropomorphism
dominance and affection

abstract: Pets are popular worldwide, and more than half of human population keep pets. Cats and dogs have the highest percentage of being kept in households, and the population of rabbits is about one-tenth of cats or dogs. Humans’ love for pets can be dated back to Holocene when humans started to domesticate animals. With the intensification of the relationship, domestic animals become pets shaped by humans. Pets are kept by human owners because of several proven health benefits and, most of all, humans’ affection. Humans show affection and dominance to pets, and both have a direct link with the making of pets. Affection cannot be separated from dominance, and it is the reason for anthropomorphism, a tendency to attribute humans’ mental states such as feelings, motivations and belief to nonhuman companions. Anthropomorphism contributes to human affection for young pets and drives humans to keep pets, but it may cause poor animal welfare. The core concept of animal welfare is the “five freedoms”, including diets, housing, health, companionship and behavior. Good animal welfare in organic farms is related to ecological sustainability. The concept of five freedoms provides valuable references for a guideline for pet animal welfare. Despite the fact that rabbits are the third popular pets in the U.K., the status of pet rabbit welfare is not ideal. Inappropriate diets and housing, low percentage of insurance and vaccinium, attempt to change rabbits’ natural behavior and insufficient research conducted in the area result in poor welfare status. Owners may improve rabbits’ welfare out of affection and establish dominance to improve welfare.


title: Quantitative Assessment of the Pivot-Shift Test in an Awake and an Asleep State

contributor:
Costigan, Patrick
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
ACL Injuries
Anterior Cruciate Ligament
Pivot-Shift Test

abstract: Researchers have accurately quantified the Pivot-Shift Test of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury over the past decade using navigation systems, electromagnetic sensors and inertial sensors. However, these tests have been conducted under anesthetic, which negate the contribution of muscular guarding from structures surrounding the knee that could make it difficult to generalize the measures for a pre-operative diagnosis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if the quantification of the Pivot-Shift Test differed between a non- anesthetized and anesthetized state (intra-operatively where no muscle activity is possible), and if the difference could be attributed to muscular guarding. To achieve this, 12 patients who had acquired a unilateral ACL-injury were tested on the day of their ACL reconstructive surgery. Acceleration and muscle activity were recorded over 10 consecutive Pivot-shift tests on their injured and uninjured knee pre-operatively and intra-operatively from 8 Delsys Trigno wireless EMG electrodes and 2 Delsys accelerometers. From the results, the slope of net tibial acceleration could differentiate between the injured and uninjured knee (mean difference, 2.14 g/s, p<0.05). Furthermore, the slope was larger in intra-operatively than in pre-operatively (mean difference, 1.92 g/s, p<0.05) indicating that a difference between conditions. Non- normalized semitendinosus muscle activity explained a proportion of the difference in slope between the pre-op and intra-op (b = 0.6, p<0.05), suggesting hamstring muscular guarding was at play. However, comparing muscle activity during the Pivot-Shift Test to the participant’s maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) produced results over 100%, suggesting that maximums were taken incorrectly. Thus, without normalizing, the generalizability of the muscular activity results is limited. Finally, no correlation between the slope and the clinical grade in either pre-op or intra-op was found. As a result, the objective quantification of the clinical grade was not possible. The lack of a correlation was speculated to be, in-part, due to the subjective grading scale that was the reference measurement for the grade of injury. Future research should consider changing the method by which MVICs are taken and the grade of injury should be based on diagnostic imaging.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Use of environmental DNA to investigate the distribution of microcystin-producing Microcystis in Eastern Ontario

type: image thesis

subject: Environmental DNA

subject: microcystin-producing Microcystis

subject: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction

abstract: The emergence and persistence of algae blooms, comprising multiple toxicity-producing cyanobacteria genera, pose great threats to aquatic environments, to many native species, and to human health. In Ontario, cyanobacteria blooms were reported from across the province spanning 2009 to 2014, mainly occurring in Eastern Ontario as well as the southeastern part of Northern Ontario. Eastern Ontario is predicted to face increasing risk of cyanobacteria blooms in the future. microcystin-producing Microcystis is one of the dominant toxin-producing cyanobacteria genera, which presents many of the most significant challenges for water quality and public health. In this study, I develop and test a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and environmental DNA (eDNA) approach to assess the distribution of microcystin-producing Microcystis in Eastern Ontario and estimate potential toxicity in 43 water bodies sampled in the summer of 2017. The qPCR assay was used to detect the Microcystin synthetase gene E (mcyE gene) in water samples. The limit of detection of qPCR was 3.06E+05 copies/L for mcyE. microcystin-producing Microcystis was detected in 28 out of total 43 water bodies. My research proved that a qPCR assay developed to target Microcystis gene fragments was specific and efficient for rapid detection of Microcystis and for diagnosing its toxicity.

abstract: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery, Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), Ontario-Jiangsu Industrial Research and Development Program (OJIRDP) (Project 29237)


A review of the potential impacts and mitigation techniques of noxious weeds  in the Lennox and Addington County


title: Exposing the Colonial Mind: Epistemologies of Ignorance and Education in Ontario, Canada

contributor:
Godlewska, Anne
Geography and Planning

subject:
Settler Colonialism
Place
Indigenous
Education
Ignorance

abstract: This dissertation weaves Indigenous and decolonial scholarship together with recent work on ignorance to consider the constraints and possibilities of decolonizing education in the current Canadian context of reconciliation. While the study of knowledge and its nature has been the focus of Western thought since ancient times, it is only recently that scholars have begun to grapple with ignorance as a social and political phenomenon in its own right. Ignorance, as these scholars use the term, is not a neutral or incidental absence of knowledge, waiting to be filled. Rather, it is epistemological, a powerful organizing logic that emerges from and works to sustain strategic methods of not knowing that, consciously or not, function to perpetuate the status quo, privilege, and domination. Ignorance in this sense is deeply tied to settler colonialism. To survive as a political and economic system, settler colonialism requires normalization of the ways of thinking that legitimate denigration and subjugation of Indigenous nationhoods. This dissertation elucidates the role of formal education in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, in encouraging the formation of political subjects with deep, and often unacknowledged, investments in the maintenance of settler colonial relations of power. My colleagues and I worked with over 200 Indigenous educators to develop a research tool that seeks to assess how Ontario high school graduates are learning to think about colonialism and its relationship to First Nations, Métis and Inuit people(s) and Canadian society. This co-designed questionnaire was then disseminated to the first-year cohorts at 10 Ontario universities (over 42,000 students). Results from this study, together with findings from analysis of the most recent generation of Ontario K-12 curricula and textbooks, demonstrate the endurance of colonial modes of thought and their role in undermining the epistemological and affective orientations necessary for the development of decolonizing relations. I argue the importance of epistemic responsibility to enacting the decolonizing promise of new educational emphases. Moving racism and colonial violence to a different place in Canadian public consciousness requires disrupting the economies of value and attention that work to perpetuate colonial ignorance and legitimate ongoing Indigenous dispossession.

abstract: PhD


title: Low Effort Management of Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Growth in an Aeroponic System

subject: Aeroponics

abstract:
Empowering individuals in high-density urban environments with the tools to affordably grow
their own food with minimal effort could be a solution to sustainably increase global food
security. Aeroponic farming could potentially be used to achieve this goal. This study
investigates the low effort maintenance of basil (Ocimum basilicum) growth in an aeroponic
system. Aeroponic units that were supplied with nutrients and water at the start of a twentyeight-
day experiment (experimental treatment) were compared with units where the nutrients
and water were replaced on a weekly basis (reference treatment). This experiment was run
twice, the first trial under solar light, and the second trial under T5 fluorescent light. The
differences in biomass yields between trials was visibly noticeable, however not statistical
significantly different. The biomass yields between treatments was not statistically significantly
different. At the end of the first trial (solar light), the experimental treatment and reference
treatment had mean total wet weights of 0.0182 g and 0.0151 g respectively. At the end of the
second trial (T5 fluorescent light), the experimental treatment and reference treatment had
mean total wet weights of 1.6564 g and 1.6484 g respectively. Further research using a longer
experimental trial with more samples should be conducted to test for statistical biomass
variance between treatment groups and between trials.


title: A Physical Investigation of the Flow Structure and Mobility Behaviour of Collisional Granular Landslides

contributor:
Take, W. Andy
Civil Engineering

rights: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

subject:
Landslides
Granular flow
Smart Rocks sensors
Physical Modelling
Collisional flow

abstract: A fundamental understanding of the mechanisms affecting the mobility of granular landslide flow is critical for the management of risk to life and infrastructure below unstable slopes. Modelling methods used in practice are frequently semi-empirical and require calibration against high-quality physical data. Large scale physical landslide modeling in the Queen’s University landslide flume was conducted with the primary objective of quantifying the effect of collisional flow on the mobility of granular landslides. A series of monodisperse landslide tests was conducted with a constant volume of material, using various nominal grain sizes. A second series of monodisperse tests was conducted using a constant nominal particle size, while varying the size of the source volume. Flow velocities and flow thicknesses were quantified using high frame rate digital image data captured from top-down and side-profile viewing angles. Shear rates and volume fractions were calculated using data from the side-profile viewing camera. Highly instrumented “Smart Rock” sensors embedded within the landslide flow experiments were used as a means to measure the accelerations within the flows. Terrestrial laser scanning provided a method of accurately capturing deposit shape results, used for mobility analyses. Highly collisional landslide flows were produced when flow thicknesses were small relative to the particle size of the constituent landslide materials. Collisional flows were more dilute, travelled faster, were sustained for shorter durations, and resulted in larger measurements of acceleration magnitude. Landslide flows with similar collisional activity were observed to exhibit similar mobility behaviour. The flows with largest observed differences in collisional activity produced a change in the Fahrböschung of nearly 15 %. Collisional flows exhibited increased mobility and spreading compared to more frictional flows.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Selling Canada: How 'Branded Nationalism' Has Shaped the Nation

type: thesis project

subject:
Branded Nationalism
Canadian History
Canadian Retail
Canadian Department Stores
Canadian Business
Modernity
Consumption
Nation Building


title: The Effects of Diluted Bitumen on Developing Fathead Minnow (Pimephales Promelas)

subject: Dilbit

subject: Access Western Blend

subject: Cold Lake Blend

subject: Polycyclic  Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

subject: Blue Sac Disease

subject: Oxidative Stress

abstract:
Canada has experienced a significant increase in the transport of diluted bitumen (dilbit), a
predominant oil sands product that is created by combining bitumen with diluents derived from
oil-gas condensates and other proprietary compounds. The chemical composition of dilbit varies
to meet season and transport conditions. While the toxicological effects of a variety of crude and
refined oils are well studied, the toxicity of dilbit to fish embryos, which are immobile and thus at
a high a risk of exposure to oil in the event of a spill remain largely unknown. To fill this gap, this
study assessed the toxicity of two Winter dilbit blends, Access Western Blend (AWB) and Cold
Lake Blend (CLB), to fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) embryos. Embryos were exposed
to a range of water accommodated fractions (WAF) and chemically enhanced WAF (CEWAF;
using Corexit®9500A as dispersant) for both AWB and CLB. After exposure, hatched fish were
assessed for blue sac disease (BSD) and expression of selected biomarker genes. Developmental
malformations were observed more frequently with increasing concentrations of AWB and CLB
in both WAF and CEWAF treatments and included tube heart, pericardial edema, and
craniofacial deformities. Levels of cyp1a and gst mRNA were elevated with increasing total
concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in both AWB and CLB WAF and CEWAF
conditions. However, there were no significant changes in mRNA levels for p53, sod, cat, and
gsr. These results suggest that expression of cyp1a and gst may serve as biomarkers for dilbit
exposure in fathead minnow, furthering our understanding of dilbit-responsive indicators of
toxicity in fish species native to North America. This study is important as it utilizes the same
exposure methodology to examine the toxicity of two commonly used Canadian dilbits,
facilitating the comparison of dilbit toxicity.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A Flexible Machine Vision System for Small Parts Inspection Based on a Hybrid SVM/ANN Approach

contributor:
Surgenor, Brian
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Machine Vision
Inspection
Hybrid
Flexible System
Classification
Pattern Recognition
Quality Experiments
Support Vector Machine
Artificial Neural Network

abstract:
The automated inspection and sorting of parts is a common application of Machine Vision (MV). The sorting of parts is possible only after reliable classification. The goal of this thesis was to develop and validate a flexible MV system that can reliably classify small parts. Support Vector Machines (SVMs) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are popular choices as classification algorithms. Classifiers developed from supervised algorithms perform well when trained for a specific application with known classes. Their drawback is that they are considered inflexible as they cannot be easily applied to a different application without extensive retuning. Moreover, for a given application, they do not perform properly if there are unknown classes. Classifiers developed from semi-unsupervised algorithms can work with unknown classes but cannot work with multiple known classes.
A novel solution to these limitations has been developed using a hybrid two-layered approach with supervised SVMs, semi-unsupervised SVMs and supervised ANNs. With the hybrid approach as the basis for the classifier, a flexible MV system was designed with four key characteristics: 1) cost effective hardware, 2) a realistic and manageable image database, 3) an effective image conditioning process and 4) a comprehensive features library. Four hybrid classification methods were developed and tested: 1) semi-unsupervised SVM followed by supervised SVM (USVM-SSVM), 2) supervised SVM followed by semi-unsupervised SVM (SSVM-USVM), 3) semi-unsupervised SVM followed by supervised ANN (USVM-SANN) and 4) supervised ANN followed by semi-unsupervised SVM (SANN-USVM). The target performance criteria for the system was an accuracy of 95% with 0% false positives.
To validate the system and to demonstrate its flexibility, experiments were conducted with two hardware setups, three applications (gears, connectors, coins) and five sets of high quality images with known/unknown classes. The effect of image quality was studied by digitally blurring and dimming the conditioned images. It was found that SANN-USVM gave the best results and exceeded the target performance criteria. A software package known as FlexMVS for Flexible Machine Vision System was written to evaluate the hybrid approach and to enable easy execution of the image conditioning, feature extraction and classification steps.

abstract: PhD


title: Build Automation And Optimization for Models of Embedded Real-time Systems

contributor:
Dingel, Juergen
Computing

subject:
Models
Embedded Real-time Systems
Build
Optimization
uml-rt

abstract:
Model Driven Development (MDD) enables users to construct complex systems by leveraging models, often in some graphical notation, and pre-built application components. With MDD, users create a model using a language such as the Unified Modeling Language (UML) or UML for Real-Time (UML-RT). Certain tools supporting these languages allow building the code from the created models.
Build systems transform source code, libraries, and data files into deliverables, such as deployment-ready executable files. Build tools play a critical role in the software development process by automating the compiling and packaging process. In a large MDD project, building accounts for a significant amount of time and effort, and optimization of the build process is still an actively researched topic. MDD tools rely heavily on the existing build tools, so there are possibilities of inheriting limitations and issues from the existing tools. This calls for making the existing build process more efficient.
Hence, we propose a methodology to optimize the build process at the model level by comparing any two model versions, determining the impact of the change on a model, and generating a patch for the changed and impacted model elements.
Finally, we present a prototype tool that serves to optimize the build process by generating a patch for the changed and impacted model elements. Also, using the prototype tool, we measure the time taken to compute the impacted elements.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Transforming the Attitudinal Impact of Text

contributor:
Skillicorn, David
Computing

subject:
Computing
Social Robotics

abstract:
Authors of persuasive documents strive to influence the attitudes of their readers in such a manner that they are encouraged to respond in a desired way. For instance, companies produce advertisements with the goal of persuading consumers to purchase those companies' products or services. We designed a system to transform the language used in documents to either increase or decrease the evaluation, activity or potency (EPA) level of the documents. We validated the effectiveness of our system by transforming the language used in several persuasive documents and asking participants, by means of a survey, to identify whether the original version or the transformed version of the text was more positive, passive or potent. The purpose of the survey was to determine if participants are able to detect the transformations
produced by our system. Participants were able to detect many of the transformations. Our survey revealed that the degree to which participants are able to detect the transformations is related to the EPA dimension of the transformation, as well as whether the transformation increased or decreased the EPA level of the text. There was no significant correlation between the gender of participants and the ability of participants to detect the transformations.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Effect of Varying Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Chain Length and Content, and the Infusion of Free Silicone Oil on the Antismudge Properties of NP-GLIDE Polyurethane Coatings

contributor:
Guojun, Liu
Chemistry

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States

subject:
Antismudge
Polymer
Coating
Polyurethane
Slippery Surfaces

abstract:
NP-GLIDE polyurethane (PU) coatings are prepared by curing a commercial polyol, a hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer (HDIT), and P1-g-PDMS, a graft copolymer consisting of a polyol backbone and grafted poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) side chains.  These coatings are termed NP-GLIDE coatings because most test liquids with surface tension values higher than ~22 mN/m have no problem to glide cleanly off them and the coatings contain on their surfaces and within the PU matrix nanopools of a grafted liquid ingredient (PDMS) for dewetting enablement. To optimize the dewetting performance of the NP-GLIDE coatings, the effect of varying the length of the PDMS chains in the P1-g-PDMS samples was investigated.  P1-g-PDMS polymers with PDMS molecular weight of 1.00 × 103, 5.0 × 103, and 10.0 × 103 g mol-1 were synthesized and cast together with a commercial polyol and HDIT as transparent antismudge coatings.  Studies showed that when the PDMS molecular weight was 10.0 × 103 g mol-1, the dewetting ability of the coating was lower than that prepared from P1-g-PDMS with PDMS molecular weight at 5.0 × 103 g mol-1.  This result should be due to the higher viscosity of the higher molecular weight PDMS and therefore lower mobility of the surface PDMS chains.  When the PDMS molecular weight was 1.00 × 103 g mol-1, the resultant coating did not perform well either, likely due to the fact that the surface PDMS layer was not thick enough to fully cover the surface.  Using a PDMS molecular weight in between (MW = 5.0 × 103 g mol-1), proved to provide the best compromise between surface coverage and viscosity and resulted in the best dewetting performance.

The effects of varying PDMS content and incorporating free silicone oil into the coatings were also examined.  Coatings with 1.00 to 6.0 wt. % PDMS showed good dewetting properties, with higher PDMS content performing slightly better.  1.00 wt. % PDMS was proved to be the lower limit of PDMS content as coatings with 0.50 wt. % PDMS were unable to shrink ink or paint.  Infusing the sample with free silicone oil also showed improved contact angles, sliding angles, and contact angle hysteresis especially when water was used as the test liquid.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Extending Papyrus-RT to Facilitate Model-Driven Development of Rover Software

subject:
Rover
Papyrus-RT
UML-RT
Model-Driven Development
Real-Time Embedded Systems

abstract:
Model-Driven Development is based on the principle that the code can be automatically generated from software models that capture the high-level implementation of the system. This process of software development can save a lot of time and cost, in addition to eliminating the need for writing complex code.

An example of MDD is the development of complex real-time embedded software systems using a real-time proﬁle of UML (UML-RT). Development of this software is diﬃcult mainly due to timing constraints in a resource-constrained environment.
Adequate consideration of these timing constraints is very important for ensuring the integrity and reliability of a real-time software system. Papyrus for Real-Time(Papyrus-RT) is an open source modeling environment, which can be used to model
complex real-time systems using the UML-RT language.

In our thesis, we have taken a rover, an autonomous embedded system vehicle, as our case study. We are extending Papyrus-RT by adding new features to facilitate the model-based development of rover software. The goal of the project is to streamline the process of developing rover software using Papyrus-RT by making it more user-friendly and simpler. One of the key research outcomes is a highly customizable conﬁguration page in the multi-editor panel of Papyrus-RT. The conﬁguration view provides a centralized visualization of a select number of relevant design parameters such as attribute value, property when designing the software for the rovers. Further, it also serves as a single point for all the design modiﬁcation and customizations.

Finally, as a proof of concept, a fully functioning rover is constructed, and the code that is generated through the customized version of our tool is used to drive the rover.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A Reinforcement Learning Approach to Predictive Control Design: Autonomous Vehicle Applications

contributor:
Yousefi, Shahram
Givigi, Sidney
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Model Predictive Control
Learning Automata
Machine Learning
Reinforcement Learning
Fast Orthogonal Search

abstract: This research investigates the use of learning techniques to select control parameters in the Model Predictive Control (MPC) of autonomous vehicles. The general problem of having a vehicle track a target while adhering to constraints and minimizing control effort is defined. We further expand the problem to consider a vehicle for which the underlying dynamics are not well known. A game of Finite Action-Set Learning Automata (FALA) is used to select the weighting parameters in the MPC cost function. Fast Orthogonal Search (FOS) is combined with a Kalman Filter to simultaneously identify the model while estimating the system states. Planar inequality constraints are used to avoid spherical obstacles. The performance of these techniques is assessed for applications involving ground and aerial vehicles. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the combined FOS-FALA architecture reduces the overall number of design parameters that must be selected. The amount of reduction depends on the specific application. For the differential drive robot case considered here, the number for parameters was reduced from six to one. Furthermore, the learning strategy links the selection of these parameters to the desired performance. This is a significant improvement over the typical approach of trial and error.

abstract: PhD


title: Stochastic Sampled-data Model Predictive Control for Nonlinear Systems

contributor:
Guay, Martin
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Stochastic
Sampled-Data
MPC
Model
Predictive
Control
Model Predictive Control
SMPC
NMPC
Nonlinear Systems
Constraint Tightening

abstract:
Stochastic Model Predictive Control (SMPC) has been the focus of intense research in the last years. The objective of SMPC is to design control systems corrupted by stochastic noise. Existing solutions include the implementation of Robust MPC schemes, where the worst case scenario is taken into account. As this approach often results in conservative and expensive solutions, a number of researchers have addressed the need for more optimistic and realistic tailored control schemes that can handle stochastic process behaviour. SMPC gives practitioners a tool to take most realization of uncertainty in the controller design, while guaranteeing feasibility and stability. The work presented in this thesis focuses on developing an SMPC algorithm for nonlinear systems with additive stochastic uncertainty. The scheme is carried out in a fast sampled-data approach, which yields an advantageous computational load.

We develop a sampled-data scheme for deterministic systems through sampling control moves. Two sampled-data schemes have been proposed and examined in benchmark simulations including a CSTR system. The first scheme considers a hybrid control system, where a continuous-time flow control occurs during a fine time grid, and a discrete-time jump control looks after jumps in a coarse time grid. The second scheme is a complete sampled-data system through discrete control moves throughout the two time grids. It was shown that the second control scheme succeeded in reducing the cost function along with a huge reduction in CPU time for all the simulations.

Secondly, the latter sampled-data scheme was modified to handle stochastic noise through the inclusion of an expected cost and probabilistic constraints. The resulting control can handle moderate noise signals and produce much better results than conventional nonlinear SMPC schemes. The proposed stochastic sampled-data MPC scheme is designed to tackle nonlinear dynamical systems with moderate noise signals with a large precision and low CPU time.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Passports to Adulthood, Strong Families and Good Mothers: A Critical Examination of Developmental Disability Discourse in Ontario Between 2008-2014

contributor:
Burfoot, Annette
Sociology

subject:
Developmental Disability
Family
Motherhood
Discourse

abstract: This study investigates ways in which motherhood and family are implicated in contemporary policy and practice relating to adults diagnosed with developmental disabilities in Ontario, Canada.  In Ontario, recent policy changes emphasize the importance of supporting families and stress inclusion, choice and independence as desirable and attainable outcomes for disabled adults.  At the same time, Ontario’s provincially regulated developmental services system has been charged by families, journalists and government officials as failing to adequately provide for adults with developmental disabilities and their families, many of whom are said to be in crisis.  Conducted from a feminist and disability studies informed, post-structuralist perspective, the current research explores how meanings associated with disability, family and motherhood make contemporary disability related policies and practices possible. More specifically, the current research was undertaken to describe developmental disability discourse in Ontario between 2008-2014, especially as it engages with conceptualizations of motherhood and family.  Results from a discourse analysis of policy documents, interviews with eight mothers of adults diagnosed with developmental disabilities and Legislative Assembly of Ontario Select Committee on Developmental Services transcripts indicate that the disabled adult subject embodies discursive flows, tensions and contradictions.  Belonging to a category of fixed, medicalized difference from a norm, the disabled adult subject is envisioned as legitimately unable to enact the demands of successful neoliberal citizenship; while simultaneously envisioned as deserving recognition as a unique adult human who should exercise choice and individual potential to approximate normative adulthood and successful neoliberal citizenship.  This tension-laden discourse is made possible by and perpetuates gendered ideals and practices of parenting and a related familialization of care, thereby extending and expanding intensive mothering practices and expectations.  At the same time, developmental disability discourse also makes it possible for mothers to draw boundaries around their mothering roles and make demands of the province.

abstract: PhD


title: Catalytic Formylation of Amines with Co2 and H2 Using Complexes of Abundant Metals

contributor:
Jessop, Philip
Chemistry

subject:
Hydrogenation of CO2
Formamide
Complexes of Abundant-Metals
Amines

abstract:
Catalytic formylation of amines with CO2 and H2 is an efficient and selective way to produce formamides, which have many applications in the industry. However, all of the highly active catalysts reported in the literature have used precious metals, which are expensive, scarce, at risk of depletion, and toxic. Recently, research has focused on formylation of the amine with CO2 and hydrogenation using inexpensive abundant-metals.
In this regard, this thesis focuses on the development of homogeneous catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO2 to formamides using abundant-metals. Firstly, in situ formation of catalysts from abundant-metal salts and phosphine ligands was tested for the formylation of dimethylamine, 2-ethylhexylamine, morpholine, aniline, and N-methylaniline with H2 and CO2. From the screening tests, efficient in-situ catalysts such as Ni(acac)2 and Ni(OAc)2·4H2O/dmpe (acac- = acetylacetonato; dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane) were identified for the formylation of morpholine and 2-ethylhexylamine, respectively.
The hydrogenation of CO2 to formamide using a primary/secondary amine was also tested in the presence of preformed catalysts ([NiX2(dmpe)] or [NiX(dmpe)2]X, where X = Cl-, CH3CO2-, acac-, BPh4-) in DMSO. Morpholine and 2-ethylhexylamine are formylated at 100 °C and 135 °C, respectively at a total pressure of 100 bar with TONs (TON = turnover number) up to 18,000, and 1,610, the highest TON using any abundant-metal phosphine complex to date. With the appropriate selection of catalyst and reaction conditions, >90-98% conversion of amine to formamide was achieved, and the effect of changing the metal to amine ratio was also investigated.
Nickel complexes have not been much explored for the hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid derivatives. We describe the syntheses of Ni(II) complexes, [Ni(dmpe)2Cl]Cl; [Ni(dmpe)Cl2]; [Ni(Me2(O)P(CH2)2P(O)Me2)(acac)2]n; and [Ni(acac)(MeO)(MeOH)]4. The preformed Ni(II) complexes were also tested as homogeneous catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO2 to formamide using morpholine and dimethylamine as substrates. It was found that DMF formed with a TON value of 6,300, the highest TON for that product using abundant-metal phosphine complexes to date.
Co(II)/Ni(II)-PPN (PNN = (2-(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)-6- diethylaminomethyl)pyridine) complexes have also been prepared and characterized, and tested for CO2 hydrogenation to formamide. Unfortunately, these complexes were not catalytically active.

abstract: PhD


title: Phytoremediation of a Cement Kiln Dust (CKD)-Contaminated Landfill Using Halophytes

contributor:
Zeeb, Barbara
Rutter, Allison
Environmental Studies

subject:
Phytoremediation
Halophyte
Soil Salinization
Cement Kiln Dust
Composting
Haloconduction
Chloride
Salt Tolerance Mechanism
Phytotechnology
Phragmites Australis
Spartina Pectinata
Distichlis Spicata

abstract: Soil salinization is an environmental issue affecting global soil quality and plant productivity. Landfilling of cement kiln dust (CKD), a saline waste by-product from the cement manufacturing process, results in soil salinization, negatively impacting the physical and chemical characteristics of soil, and potentially affecting the health of plant and aquatic communities. Phytotechnologies were selected and implemented in an effort to remediate a CKD landfill located in Bath, ON. Halophytes are salt tolerant plants that make up ~1% of the world’s terrestrial flora and have been previously employed to remediate salinized soils. Objective 1: following the phytoextraction of chloride via a resident, invasive grass, Phragmites australis (common reed), aboveground biomass was harvested and placed in composters in a laboratory and directly at the field site. Significant reductions in biomass (28  6%) and reductions in chloride, with rinsing, (43.7  37.4%) were achieved in the laboratory, and significant reductions in both closed composters (87  6%) and in open compost piles (89  8%) were achieved at the field site, indicating that composting is a feasible alternative disposal method to landfilling and incineration of salt-contaminated plant material. Objective 2: recretohalophytes utilize specialized salt glands, which excrete salt onto their shoot surfaces. In a theory referred to as ‘haloconduction’, excreted salt has the potential to be transported away from the site of contamination via wind. Two native recretohalophytes, Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass) and Distichlis spicata (inland saltgrass), were selected to explore the theory of haloconduction in the field. Under ideal conditions, this study found that both species have the potential to remediate the site in 0.5 – 3.5 years. Three windborne salt collection methods were devised and implemented at the field site, and were able to confirm the transportation of salt via wind. Their continued use will be critical for establishing further understanding of the theory of haloconduction before a full-scale method of phytoremediation is established at the site. This thesis provides promising results for the use of phytotechnologies to remediate a salt-impacted CKD landfill that may be applied to other industrial sites, roadsides, or agricultural operations in the future.

abstract: M.E.S.


title: New Algorithms for 3D Registration Using Raw Point Techniques

contributor:
Greenspan, Michael
Rappaport, David
Computing

subject:
Registration
3D
Computer Vision

abstract:
Registration of two 3D point clouds is a problem encountered in many domains in
3D computer vision. A correct correspondence between the overlapping portions of
the point clouds can be used to generate a transform that registers the two point
clouds. The search for correspondences can be done using techniques that attempt
to find similarity between local or global surface geometry. However, such methods
have their limitations. Global methods fail when there is significant surface occlusion,
while local ones degrade in performance in the face of noise and outliers. In cases
of significant occlusion, noise, and outliers, it is best to rely on a large number of
correspondences between very small subsets of points [3]. The higher the number
of correspondences, the more likely it is to find the correspondence that represents
the correct transformation to achieve registration. In this thesis, a generalization to
these subsets that allows us to control the degree of their ambiguity is introduced.
Our generalization provides a way to optimize the number of correspondences as to
achieve the maximum speed up without sacrificing robustness. We show that for
the problem of offline registration we can achieve a speed up factor of up to 4.4x
using our generalized version of the algorithm. We also use our generalization with
and improved version of 4PCS [52], and show that we can achieve further efficiency
improvements over the state of the art in raw point registration
iIn addition to the generalization of the 4-Point Congruent sets method, we present
a novel RANSAC framework for 3D registration. Unlike the standard RANSAC ap-
proach, our approach requires sampling only 2 points and thus reducing the worst
time complexity of the algorithm. We present two flavours of this approach and evalu-
ate it by comparing it to 4PCS and Super 4PCS. We achieve a speed up improvement
of up to 57x over 4PCS and are on par with Super 4PCS in most cases.

abstract: PhD


title: Simulations of the Muon Veto and Background Expectations for the PICO500 Dark Matter Experiment

contributor: Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy

subject:
Physics
Experimental Physics
Astroparticle Physics
Dark Matter
PICO
Geant4
PICO500
Muon-Induced-Neutrons

abstract: PICO500 is an upcoming dark matter experiment searching for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter. The experiment is a 500L bubble chamber and is currently in the design phase. This thesis presents simulations of neutron backgrounds which will be incident on the PICO500 detector, the results of which indicate that the rate of single-bubble events caused by backgrounds will be <1.67 events/year in the case of internal backgrounds, and <2.18 events/year in the case of external backgrounds, assuming a muon veto efficiency of 80%. Also presented is a new piece of simulation code which allows for the consistent simulation of muon-induced-neutrons using Geant4 and an analysis of the efficiency of the simulated muon veto.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Menadione as a Novel Approach to Increasing Carbon Monoxide Production in Pregnancy: Establishing a Possible Therapeutic Role in Pre-eclampsia

contributor:
Smith, Graeme N
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
Pre-Eclampsia
Pregnancy
Menadione
Vitamin K3
Carbon Monoxide

abstract:
Despite its negative connotation as a toxic gas, carbon monoxide (CO) is involved in anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective and vasodilatory processes, suggesting a possible therapeutic role in many disease states. Endogenous CO production results in a resting percent carboxyhemoglobin (%COHb) level of 0.5 – 1.5% in humans. In smokers, this can rise to 17%.
It has been shown that women who smoke have a lower risk of developing pre-eclampsia (PE), which is thought to be due to an increase in CO. PE is a pregnancy-related disease that is characterized by new-onset hypertension and proteinuria. PE is multifactorial, but a common belief is that poor placentation and systemic maternal endothelial dysfunction are involved in its pathogenesis.
Menadione (MD), synthetic vitamin K3, increases CO production in rat brain microsomes. This research tested the hypothesis that MD could also raise CO in the blood and tissue of pregnant mice. A dose-response study was first conducted in non-pregnant mice to determine an efficacious, non-lethal dose. After determining their baseline water consumption rate, non-pregnant CD-1 mice were given one of three doses of MD in drinking water for seven days. No significant differences in %COHb between groups were observed. Splenic CO production and mass doubled in the 4 g/L and 6.5 g/L MD groups, compared to the 1.5 g/L and control cohorts.
In a separate experiment, the effect of MD on gestational day (GD) 15 placental tissue CO production was tested using two different tissue preparation methods. Non-linear regression showed that while absolute levels of CO were higher in sonicated placentas than whole placentas, the relative increase in CO between concentrations was the same using either method.
Lastly, oral administration of 6.5 g/L MD from GD10.5 – 17.5 significantly decreased maternal weight gain and fetal survival. Significant increases in %COHb and splenic CO were seen in the treatment group on GD17.5, with a positive trend for CO production in the liver, placenta and kidney. Overall, the findings demonstrate that MD can induce CO production in vivo. However, further studies in a mouse model of PE at a safer dose must be done to establish the drug’s therapeutic potential.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Neoliberal Modernizers: The American Friends of the Middle East and Its Subversion of Arab Nationalism, 1951-67

contributor:
Brison, Jeffrey
History

subject:
United States
AFME
US Foreign Relations
Arab Nationalism
Middle East
Cold War
Nasser
Third World
Cultural Exchange
Development

abstract: The American Friends of the Middle East (AFME) was a civil society organization that operated various cultural and technical programs in the Middle East. This thesis analyzes its activities and interactions with Arab states, particularly Egypt, during the early Cold War era. The AFME was committed to an agenda of neoliberal modernization. Its operations aimed to improve the political, economic, and cultural conditions of the Middle East via integration into the US orbit. The American private sector, rather than state actors, would oversee this process. The AFME broke with the foreign policy orthodoxy of the US state while subverting the postcolonial ambitions of Nasserist pan-Arabism by facilitating the expansion of US corporate development in the Middle East. Arab nationalism was committed to neutrality and economic sovereignty, neither of which the AFME respected, despite its professed commitment to friendship and understanding with the strategically vital Middle East.

abstract: M.A.


title: A MAC Protocol For Harsh Industrial IoT Applications

contributor:
Hassanein, Hossam
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
IoT
MAC protocols
Networks

abstract: Heavy industries such as mining, constructions and transportation manufacturing are currently facing many dilemmas due to the critical and harsh conditions that they collide with during their operations. Such environments faces many challenges in managing the wireless communication due to the heavy equipment, large machine and wide areas that might cause failures in such systems. Thus, there is a great need for solutions to overcome those critical issues. We introduce single channel-MoT (SC-MoT) Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol that runs on top of LoRa physical layer. The protocol adapts the multiple channel protocol MoT for industrial applications enabling ease of implementation and lower cost and delay. SC-MoT uses LoRa modulation to offer an extended range of communication with high sensitivity and low noise. Similar to MoT, SC-MoT uses the centralized scheduling technique to achieve collision-free transmissions with low delays and long power source lifetime. In addition, features such as broadcasting and rapid acknowledging are also implemented in SC-MoT. We evaluate SC-MoT against MoT with respect to waiting times, energy consumption and cost. We also show results from field experiments in a harsh Industrial environment.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Lumped Element Transdirectional and Codirectional Coupler

contributor:
Freundorfer, Alois
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject: Transdirectional Codirectional Contradirectional

abstract: Directional couplers are an essential component in several microwave applications. Lumped element directional couplers gained a lot of attention due to their compact size. This thesis represents a lumped element model for transdirectional and codirectional couplers. Unlike the classical inductive coupling used for modelling, capacitors are used to represent the coupling mechanism between the two coupled lines. Transdirectional couplers are recommended for many applications such as power dividers and power combiners because of the direct current (DC) isolation between the input and output ports. Generic design equations are demonstrated at any frequency with arbitrary coupling coefficients for the lumped element transdirectional coupler. In addition, design equations for lumped element codirectional couplers at any frequency with 3 dB coupling coefficient are presented. lumped element transdirectional coupler and codirectional coupler are designed and fabricated at 1 GHz to verify the design methodology. Both are fabricated using FR-4 substrate. There is good agreement between the simulated and measured results for both designs.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Establishing Policies of Envrionmental Protection in Hubei, 1970-1990

contributor:
Hill, Emily
History

subject:
Envrionmental Protection
Hubei, China
1970-1990

abstract:
This dissertation investigates the evolution of environmental protection (EP) policy in Hubei Province from the early 1970s to the middle 1980s. It addresses the local impacts of economic and environmental policies during this remarkable period of transition in China, taking Hubei as a case study to capture the local evolution of policy implementation and establishment of EP by state agencies in China. Discussion illuminates the early origins of a shift in governance in Hubei from an agenda dominated by economic growth objectives toward more balanced regulation, revealing a series of features in China’s early policy failures in the regulation of industrial waste emissions, and later policy adaptations by sub-national government agencies.
The study consists of an introduction and six substantive chapters. Chapter 2 outlines Hubei’s historical and environmental setting. Chapter 3 examines how agencies responsible for EP were established in Hubei from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, identifying four groups of agencies. Chapter 4 reviews scholarly writing by Chinese economists on EP issues, illuminating the early formation and underlying assumptions of China’s national economic policies of EP during the 1970s and 1980s. Chapters 5 and 6 present case studies on Hubei’s industrial waste pollution, describing how communities were affected by industrial waste emissions that imposed enormous damage to water, air and soil. Chapter 7 examines how local EP agencies struggled with administrative red tape, under-funding, and under-staffing. Guided by their mandate to protect the environment and by growth-oriented economic principles, Hubei’s EP agencies also demonstrated local initiative and policy adaptation in implementing EP policies. In conclusion, I discuss how practices of pricing the “right to pollute” evolved in Hubei and how the practical recognition of industries’ right to pollute compromised the local implementation of national environmental policies.

abstract: PhD


title: Effects of Reticular Activation on Long-Term Depression in Primary Visual Cortex of the Long-Evans Rat

contributor:
Dringenberg, Hans
Psychology

subject:
Synaptic Plasticity
Long-Term Depression

abstract: Long-term depression (LTD) is a widely studied form of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, typically induced by prolonged low-frequency stimulation (LFS). LFS is highly eﬀective in eliciting LTD in vitro, but several studies have failed to induce LTD using LFS in vivo, for reasons that remain unclear. The main objective of this thesis was to assess whether different levels of ongoing background activity in the primary visual cortex (V1) alter the effectiveness of LFS to induce LTD under in vivo conditions, using urethane anesthetized rats. LFS applied to the lateral geniculate nucleus resulted in LTD of field postsynaptic potentials (fPSPs) recorded in the primary visual cortex (V1). Pairing LFS with stimulation of the brainstem (pedunculopontine) reticular formation resulted in the appearance of faster, more complex activity in V1 and prevented LTD induction. Reticular stimulation alone (without LFS) had no eﬀect on cortical fPSPs. Application of scopolamine and mecamylamine did not restore LTD or prevent the complex oscillatory activity seen in V1. These results show that excitation of the brainstem activating system blocks the induction of LTD in V1. Thus, higher levels of neural activity may inhibit depression at cortical synapses, a hypothesis that could explain discrepancies regarding LTD induction in previous in vivo and in vitro work.

abstract: M.Sc.