title: Exploring the Ecological Self: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis with Gifted Adults

subject:
ecological self
nature connectedness
mental health
environmental behaviour
gifted adults

abstract:
The nature connectedness research suggests that (re)creating human-nature connections can address both escalating ecological issues and rising mental health concerns by fostering (ecological) self-realization. Given that the nature connectedness literature oversimplifies experience of ecological self, however, there remains a need to explore lived ecological self experience, and how this experience influences mental health and environmental behaviour. In this exploratory interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), I sought to flesh out the nature connectedness research by investigating ecological self experience among a small group of gifted adults (n=8) who measure relatively high in nature connectedness. Three research questions guided the study. The project’s primary research question was: How do gifted adults experience ecological self? Two secondary, theory-driven sub-questions refined the project further:
1.	How does experience of ecological self influence mental health?
2.	How does experience of ecological self influence environmental behaviour?
Analysis of data collected via two semi-structured interviews held with each participant reveal that while ecological self experiences might often enhance mental health, nature experiences can also be intense, distressing, and/or ambivalent, and environmental concerns can precipitate anguish and anger. Findings also illustrate how experience of ecological self can be inconsistent: conceptions of the human-nature relationship varied, and experience of ecological self seemed to oscillate along with diurnal and seasonal cycles and appeared to evolve over the lifespan. Finally, results demonstrate that while ecological self experience may motivate pro-environmental behaviour, movement from experience to action is not automatic. Findings show how a variety of intra- and interpersonal factors can hinder pro-ecological engagement. Taken together, study results nuance the nature connectedness literature by illustrating the complexity of ecological self experience. While (re)creating human-nature connections can be considered one approach to addressing escalating ecological issues and rising mental health concerns, findings from this project suggest that the back-to-nature strategy is not a cure-all.


title: Increasing father involvement in the care of their infant using text messages: The DadRocks study

subject:
father
infant
intervention
technology
text message

abstract:
Studies have shown that interventions aimed at the transition to fatherhood can have benefits to fathers. Yet there are few studies specifically designed for fathers at their transition to parenthood, despite fathers having asked for resources specifically tailored for them. DadRocks is a minimalist (i.e., low-cost) intervention that uses text messages to address fathers as they transition to fatherhood. DadRocks has been successfully piloted with Vietnamese fathers, but not in a Western sample of fathers. In our pilot of DadRocks with Canadian fathers, SMS messages were sent to seventeen fathers 3-5 times a week. Messages provided developmentally appropriate information such as games to play with their infants, milestones to observe and links to credible websites for information.
Fathers who had more positive attitudes towards father-infant relationship reported significantly more father-infant interaction. Father-infant interaction, especially play, increased between baseline, three months and six months. Fathers who reported more engagement with the messages had significantly more positive attitude and more affectionate behavior. First-time fathers felt most supported by the texts. Fathers with greater anxiety also reported using more recommended resources. Fathers generally liked the intervention, and provided suggestions for future messages. Our pilot data support the development of a more comprehensive experimental study of DadRocks. with a large community sample that could help determine the extent to which this low-cost intervention can improve father-infant relationships. Overall, our data suggest that text messages may be a lost-cost way to communicate with fathers in ways that promote and support positive paternal care.


title: Exploring leadership efficacy and locus of control of sport management undergraduate students: A qualitative case study

subject: leadership efficacy locus control undergraduate

abstract:
Leadership efficacy is “a specific form of efficacy associated with the level of confidence in the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with leading others” (p. 669). Researchers suggest that a student’s level of leadership efficacy (LE) may impact one’s decision-making, willingness to undertake leadership roles, and one’s subsequent affinity to seek out and obtain a managerial/leadership position upon graduation. One’s lower levels of LE may result in prematurely eliminating certain career options and/or developing self-limiting behaviours— and for female students in particular.
Drawing on Bandura’s (1977) sources of efficacy information and Rotter’s (1966) Internal-External scale, the two purposes of this study were first, to explore sport management undergraduate students’ perceived leadership efficacy (LE) and locus of control (LOC); and second, to explore the relationship between these students’ LE and LOC.
An instrumental case study research design was employed where the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with sport management students. By exploring the perceived LE and LOC of these students, insight was gleaned into how students manifest such beliefs and how they may impact students’ academic journey and subsequent entrance into the competitive sport industry.


title: A denoising algorithm for surface EMG decomposition

subject: electromyography, decomposition, validity, error-filtered estimation, motor units

abstract: The goal of the present thesis was to investigate a novel motor unit potential train (MUPT) editing routine, based on decreasing the variability in shape (variance ratio, VR) of the MUP ensemble. Decomposed sEMG data from 20 participants at 60% MVC of wrist flexion was used. There were two levels of denoising (relaxed and strict) criteria for removing discharge times associated with waveforms that did not decrease the VR and increase its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the MUP ensemble. The peak-to-peak amplitude and the duration between the positive and negative peaks for the MUP template were dependent on the level of denoising (p’s <0.05). The error-filtered estimation (EFE) algorithm was used to calculate the inter-discharge interval (IDI) for the denoised MUPTs. In total, VR decreased 24.88% and the SNR increased 6.0% (p’s < 0.05). The standard error of estimate (3.2 versus 3.69%) in mean IDI before and after denoising using the relaxed criteria, was very similar (p>0.05). The same was true between denoising criteria (p>0.05). Editing the MUPT based on MUP shape resulted in significant differences in measures extracted from the MUP template, with trivial difference between the standard error of estimate for mean IDIs between the complete and denoised MUPTs.


title: The Effects of a Menthol-Based Topical Analgesic on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness-Induced Changes to Running Biomechanics and Pain Perception

subject:
Biomechanics
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Menthol
Running
Pain Perception

abstract:
The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of a menthol-based topical analgesic on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) induced changes to running biomechanics and pain perception in well-trained runners. A menthol-based topical analgesic (n=10) was compared against a placebo group (n=10) on measures of kinematics, spatio-temporal parameters, and the perception of pain. Three-Dimensional (3D) kinematics of the ankle, knee and hip as well as subjective pain (Comparative Pain Scale and Pressure Threshold) were measured during level treadmill running at baseline, 48 hours after a 30-minute DOMS-inducing downhill run, and after the application of a menthol analgesic. DOMS was induced from the downhill run as identified by our pain measures, however it had little effect on kinematic variables. Pressure threshold was significantly lower at both measurement sites for both groups and Comparative Pain Scale scores were significantly higher after inducing DOMS. There were significant interactions for condition x group, regardless of running speed; average knee and hip range of motion (ROM) during stance and swing were significantly different than baseline after inducing DOMS. The application of a menthol-based topical analgesic had no significant effect on kinematics or pain perception. Our well-trained participants may have been more well-adapted to manage DOMS-induced soreness while limiting changes to running biomechanics. Variability in gait mechanics may have also played a role in the unexpected changes between participants after inducing DOMS. Regardless of the effectiveness of the DOMS-inducing protocol, the menthol analgesic appeared to have no effect on kinematics or pain variables in well-trained runners.

Key Words: Biomechanics, Gait, Menthol, Analgesic, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness


title: Clinical Depression, Antidepressant Use, and Metabolic Syndrome-related Comorbidities among Canadian Older Adults: A Cross-sectional Analysis of Baseline Data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging

subject:
Clinical Depression
Antidepressant
Metabolic Syndrome
Cancer
Cardiovascular Disease

abstract:
Background: Clinical depression is associated with a number of biological alterations and behaviours that can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Antidepressant medications (AD) are frequently used to treat depressed patients, but it often has side effects such as metabolic abnormalities. MetS is a well-known risk factor for multiple chronic diseases including cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, it is unclear how clinical depression, AD use, and MetS are associated with cancer and CVD.
Objective: To explore the relationship between clinical depression, AD use, and MetS-related chronic disorders, with a specific focus on cancer and CVD, and to assess how associations differ by MetS status, among Canadian older adults.
Methods: The baseline data of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Comprehensive Cohort of 29,366 men and women aged 45 years and older was used in the analysis. Clinical depression was defined by self-reported clinical diagnosis of depression. Current depression treatment type was categorized into three groups: AD use only, other types of depression therapy, and no current depression therapy. MetS was defined by the harmonized criteria developed by the International Diabetes Federation, and American Health Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Logistic regression was used to estimate the associations of cancer or CVD on the basis of distribution of depression, current treatment types, and MetS.
Results: The overall prevalence of clinical depression was 17.3%, and AD use was 8.1%. Compared to non-depressed individuals, depressed individuals taking AD had higher odds of colorectal cancer, and lung cancer. Depressed individuals using AD had higher odds of CVD, except peripheral vascular disease. Regardless of depression status, MetS showed no association with cancers. Among non-depressed individuals, MetS was associated with CVD compared to those without MetS. Within depressed individuals using AD, MetS did not appear to be associated with CVD.
Conclusion: Clinical depression and AD use are associated with colorectal cancer, but the association may be independent of MetS. The positive associations between clinical depression, AD, and lung cancer or CVD were mitigated by comorbidity. MetS did not appear to play a role in the association between clinical depression, AD, and MetS-related chronic diseases.


title: Decisions, Decisions … Understanding the Brand Associations Attached to U Sports Hockey: A Means-End Analysis of U Sports Hockey Players Who Transferred from The NCAA

subject:
Brand Associations
Means-End Theory
U Sports
NCAA
Laddering Interviews

abstract: The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is often considered the pinnacle of colligate sports, drawing athletes from around the world to compete at one of its 1,281 institutions. Of the thousands of athletes imported to the NCAA each year, Canada who themselves bolster comprehensive colligate sport organizations (U Sports), experience the greatest exodus of athletes. While there is still a tremendous number of Canadian athletes heading to the NCAA, statistics have shown that many of these athletes return to Canada after at least one year since the recent adjustments to U Sports policy. As these student athletes begin to return to Canada at a rapidly growing rate, an opportunity to explore their unique brand perceptions has emerged. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of brand associations on student athletes school choice selection as they return to Canada. Brand associations can be characterized as the attributes, benefits and personal values that consumers attach to a product or service to help develop their perception of it. To investigate the current study, 12 interviews were conducted using a laddering interview technique. Findings indicate that there a complex web of six attributes, nine benefits, and five personal values that are the most influential in student athlete school choice selection. Some of these include: location, coach, academics, comfort, relationship, family, achievement, safety and belonging. The intricate relationship that exists amongst these attributes, benefits and personal values is discussed in detail, and recommendations for industry practitioners is suggested.


title: An Analogue of the Laplace-Runge-Lenz Vector for Timelike Geodesics in Schwarzschild Spacetime

subject:
Schwarzschild
geodesic
LRL
first integral
General Relativity

abstract:
In Schwarzschild spacetime, the timelike geodesics are the trajectories of free, massive particles, orbiting a singularity at the origin r = 0. In this work we derive four scalar first integrals of timelike geodesics in Schwarzschild spacetime. Two of the first integrals, corresponding to energy and angular momentum, are well-known. The other two first integrals, an angular quantity and a temporal quantity, are not as well-known.
Using the freedom to shift first integrals by a constant value we set a ‘zero-point’ for each of the four first integrals. By choosing a natural point on a non-circular trajectory such as a turning point or inertial point to set the zero-point value, the angular and temporal first integrals will correspond respectively to the angle and time of the chosen zero-point. We then take the Newtonian limit of the angular and temporal first integrals, and show that using a natural choice of zero-point they provide a generalization of the classical Laplace-Runge-Lenz (LRL) vector.
We then evaluate the angular first integral for each type of timelike geodesic in Schwarzschild spacetime. In most cases we are able to choose a turning or inertial point to set a zero-point. For an unbound or asymptotic trajectory which falls into the singularity of the metric at r = 0, however, we find that we must take a different point, such as the point where the trajectory crosses the horizon at r = 2M, which we call the ‘horizon point.’ For the case of a precessing elliptic orbit we find that the angular first integral is multi-valued, with the zero-point jumping each time the trajectory crosses an apoapsis.
It is found that the angular and temporal first integrals provide a relativistic generalization of the classical LRL vector, where we the first integrals correspond to a larger class of physically meaningful points compared to Newtonian orbits and where the LRL vector and angular and temporal first integrals may always correspond to the periapsis.


title: Role of Exopolysaccharide in Pantoea agglomerans Interactions with Bacteriophages

subject: Pantoea agglomerans bacteriophage exopolysaccharide fire blight

abstract: Fire blight is the common name given to a disease caused by phytopathogen, Erwinia amylovora. This pathogen infects plants belonging to the rosaceous family, particularly the commercially grown apple and pear cultivars in North America. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research team has focused on the use of bacteriophages as biological control agents for the control of fire blight. Bacteriophage persistence in the orchard environment can be affected by various environmental factors such as exposure to ultraviolet light and dry conditions. In order to improve phage viability during application, a carrier-phage system was developed that uses a non-pathogenic epiphytic bacterium, named “the carrier”, that protects the bacteriophages during processing and field applications. The bacterium used is Pantoea agglomerans, which delivers and propagates the phages to the open blossoms, prior to the arrival of E. amylovora. In addition, the carrier alone may act as a biological control agent on the blossom surface, competing for space and producing antibiotics targeting E. amylovora. The aim of this study was study the interaction between the phage and the carrier bacterium, P. agglomerans. The exopolysaccharide (EPS) layer, is the first cellular component which bacteriophages encounter during the infection of P. agglomerans. PCR was conducted and it confirmed that 6 genes involved in EPS biosynthesis were present within the four different isolates of P. agglomerans. A CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and lambda red recombineering protocol was used to construct EPS deficient P. agglomerans mutants. The deficient populations were confirmed using colony appearance, PCR and Sangar sequencing. A quantitative PCR was conducted to quantify and compare the different bacteriophage populations between the wild-type and deficient EPS mutants. The EPS mutants were found to have shown a significantly decreased or complete lack of growth in both Myoviridae and Podoviridae infections.


title: The Development of a Novel Pitching Assessment Tool

subject:
Pitching Mechanics,
Three-Dimensional Motion Capture
Kinematics
Ergonomics

abstract: Posture based ergonomic assessment tools are widely used to evaluate posture and injury risk for many workplace/occupational tasks. To date, there is no validated equivalent that can be used to assess the posture of a pitcher during baseball pitching. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop an inexpensive tool which can allow for the rapid assessment of a pitcher’s posture at lead foot strike, and establish the inter- and intra- rater reliability of the tool. For this study, 11 participants threw 30 pitches (15 fastballs, 15 curveballs) off an indoor pitching. Full body 3D kinematics were measured using reflective markers attached to anatomical landmarks and rigid bodies attached to body segments using a 10-camera Vicon Motion Capture system along with two high-speed video cameras (rear and side view) to record each pitch during the experimental trials. The kinematic data was analyzed, after which the highest velocity fastball of each of the 11 pitchers was selected for further analysis. A Pitching Mechanics Tool was designed to evaluate 16 different parameters at lead foot strike. Each of the 16 parameters had posture ranges or categories established based on scientific literature. Six evaluators with at least five years of experience working with adult pitchers completed the Pitching Mechanics Tool. Findings showed moderate to good levels of repeatability across multiple sessions as well as across multiple evaluators. Additionally, PMT results suggested that 2D qualitative analysis is a viable alternative to 3D motion capture.


title: Travelling Wave Solutions on a Non-zero Background for the Generalized Korteweg-de Vries Equation

subject:
Solitary wave on a background
Heavy-tail wave
Kink wave
gKdV equation

abstract:
In presenting this thesis, we try to find all non-periodic travelling waves of the generalized Korteweg-de Vries (gKdV) equation
u_t +\alpha u^p u_x +\beta u_{xxx}=0
using an energy analysis method. Since the power p in the gKdV equation is arbitrary, we consider positive integer values for $p$. We first check the method for two cases where p=1 and p=2 which are known as the KdV and the mKdV equations, respectively.
Then, we look at the general case where p greater than or equal 3 is arbitrary.

By applying the energy analysis method on the KdV and the mKdV equations, we will find an explicit form of solitary waves on a non-zero background. Afterwards, we reparametrize the derived solutions in terms of speed and the background size to interpret these solutions physically. We also look at some limiting cases in which heavy-tailed and kink waves arise in the mKdV equation.

At last, we split up the gKdV equation into two cases of odd and even $p$ powers and apply a similar derivation. In each case, the implicit solutions are introduced and characterized by their features.


title: A Canadian Perspective on the ‘NCLEX-RN World’: Pragmatism When the Stakes are High

subject:
NCLEX-RN
Canada
RN experience
Licensure examination
Registered Nurse

abstract: According to the Ontario nursing regulatory body, the American-designed high stakes nursing licensure examination, the NCLEX-RN, is a valid measure to assess the Canadian entry-to-practice competencies requisite of each new graduate registered nurse.  This examination is used to “…ensure that it grants registration only to those who demonstrate the nursing knowledge to provide safe care” (para. 1).  However, limited research exists that explores, examines and evaluates the impact of the NCLEX-RN in Canada since adoption from the United States of America in January 2015.  Particularly, no studies existed that explored the experiences and perceptions of practicing Registered Nurses (RNs) who have written the NCLEX-RN, outside of the first-year test-takers.  This thesis document describes the findings of a collective case study to better understand the NCLEX-RN, as experienced by six Canadian RNs from both acute and non-acute healthcare environments in Ontario, Canada.  A within-case, document, and cross-case thematic analysis was used.  The participants described their experiences with, and perceptions about, the NCLEX-RN within four main themes – influencing preparedness; examining the Canadian RN; becoming ready for safe practice; and reflecting as a practicing RN.  The findings of this study support existing literature that a lack of content reflective of Canadian healthcare values exists in the NCLEX-RN.  The educational impact and consequences of high stakes testing such as, curricular molding to external evaluation and concerns related to exam validity, are also highlighted.  Presently, Canadian nurse educators and future test-takers must approach the NCLEX-RN pragmatically to ensure licensure of graduates with minimal disruption to the Canadian baccalaureate nursing education.


title: Comparing the High-Probability Instructional Sequence with and without Food to Increase Consumption of Nonpreferred Foods in Children with Food Selectivity

subject:
high-probability instructional sequence
food selectivity
non-removal of the spoon
re-presentation

abstract: The high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence is a non-intrusive procedure involving the presentation of a series of high-p instructions followed by 1 low-probability instruction. To date, 9 studies – with mixed findings – examined its effectiveness to treat food selectivity in children. We used a multielement within a reversal design to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of 2 iterations of the high-p sequence to increase food consumption in 2 food-selective children: high- p with preferred food on a spoon and high-p with an empty spoon. For both participants, neither high-p sequence alone increased consumption. For one participant, consumption increased in the high-p empty spoon condition with the introduction of non-removal of the spoon (NRS). For the other participant, consumption initially increased in the high-p with food condition with the introduction of NRS plus re-presentation but subsequently decreased. Results are discussed within the context of treatment implications and suggestions for future research.


title: Animal Cruelty Officers and the Intersections of Daily Labour and the Law

contributor: Social Justice and Equity Studies Program

subject:
human animal studies
law enforcement
animal cruelty investigation work
animal cruelty
multispecies labour

abstract: This study explores the relationship between animal cruelty investigation work and the legal terrain. Specifically, I analyze how Ontario’s animal cruelty investigation officers understand and navigate the legal requirements of their work. A convenience sample of eight animal cruelty investigation officers participated in this study. The data was viewed through an interspecies solidarity and gendered labour process lens. The results show that there are significant structural and interpersonal constraints, particularly mixed levels of support from the Crown Attorneys and veterinarians. At the same time, the officers exercise their agency to try and improve the efficacy of animal cruelty enforcement and prosecution. Overall, the structural constraints and the exercise of agency are both central to the officers’ daily labour. This study grounds the findings in solutions and proposes ways to strengthen anti-cruelty work.


title: A Relation-Algebraic Approach to L - Fuzzy Topology

subject:
Fuzzy sets
Arrow categories
Topology

abstract:
Any science deals with the study of certain models of the real world. However, a model is always an abstraction resulting in some uncertainty, which must be considered. The theory of fuzzy sets is one way of formalizing one of the types of uncertainty that occurs when modeling real objects. Fuzzy sets have been applied in various real-world problems such as control system engineering, image processing, and weather forecasting systems.
This research focuses on applying the categorical framework of abstract L - fuzzy relations to L-fuzzy topology with ideas, concepts and methods of the theory of L-fuzzy sets. Since L-fuzzy sets were introduced to deal with the problem of approximate reasoning, t − norm based operations are essential in the definition of L - fuzzy topologies. We use the abstract theory of arrow categories with additional t − norm based connectives to define L - fuzzy topologies abstractly. In particular, this thesis will provide an abstract relational definition of an L - fuzzy topology, consider bases of topological spaces, continuous maps, and the first two separation axioms T0 and T1. The resulting theory of L - fuzzy topological spaces provides the foundation for applications and algorithms in areas such as digital topology, i.e., analyzing images using topological features.


title: Application of Density Functional Theory to Study the Mechanism of Alkali Metal Enolate Oxidation by N-sulfonyloxaziridines, Umpolung Amide Synthesis from Halo-Amino-Nitro Alkanes, Alkali-Metal Catalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones, and Asymmetric Catalyzed Aza-Henry Reactions

subject:
Density Functional Theory
Catalysis
Non-Covalent Interactions
Natural Bond Orbitals
Stereoselectivity

abstract: Density functional theory (DFT) and other computational methods are useful tools for determining reaction mechanisms and the factors governing stereoselectivity. To illustrate the versatility of DFT methods, the following reactions were studied: (1) Li+, Na+, and K+ enolate addition to chiral N-sulfonyloxaziridines, stereoselectivity was found to be controlled by enolate, sulfonyl, and oxaziridine oxygen-cation chelation and steric contacts. From this study it was found that the mechanism proceeded in a SN¬1 rather than SN¬2 like fashion. (2) umpolung amide synthesis working from 1,1,1,1-halo-amino-nitro-alkanes leading to the finding that the amide oxygen originates from the nitro group but also from explicitly interacting water molecules in competing pathways. (3) alkali (Li+, Na+, and K+) metal-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone, the mechanism of which was found to proceed via a six-membered transition state affording direct hydrogen transfer to acetophenone generating the product phenylethanol. The TMEDA ligand had a profound effect in stabilizing the transition state which in turn, lowered the activation energy in comparison to the use of isopropanol ligands. Lastly, (4) asymmetric catalyzed Aza-Henry reactions. Controlling the stereoselectivity of such reactions catalyzed by HMeOQuin((Anth)Pyr)-BAM was an H-bonding manifold of specific hetero- and homonuclear hydrogen bonding motifs (N-H-O and N-H-N respectively) observed in the favored transition state structure (syn-(2S,3R)-TS(eq)). There was a central theme of sterics and other non-covalent interactions, such as - stacking or CH/ interactions, which also played significant roles in determining the stereoselectivity in the investigated reactions.


title: Objective reduction in many-objective optimization problems

subject:
objective reduction
many-objective optimization
random reduction
correlation reduction

abstract: Many-objective optimization problems (MaOPs) are multi-objective optimization problems which have more than three objectives. MaOPs face significant challenges because of search efficiency, computational cost, decision making, and visualization. Many well-known multi-objective evolutionary algorithms do not scale well with an increasing number of objectives. The objective reduction can alleviate such difficulties. However, most research in objective reduction use non-dominated sorting or Pareto ranking. However, Pareto is effective in problems having less than four objectives. In this research, we use two approaches to objective reduction: random-based and linear coefficient-based. We use the sum of ranks instead of Pareto Ranking. When applied to many-objective problems, the sum of ranks has outperformed many other optimization approaches. We also use the age layered population structure (ALPS). We use ALPS in our approach to remove premature convergence and improve results. The performance of the proposed methods has been studied extensively on the famous benchmark problem DTLZ. The original GA and ALPS outperform the objective reduction algorithms in many test cases of DTLZ. Among all reduction algorithms, a linear coefficient based reduction algorithm provides better performance for some problems in this test suite. Random based reduction is not an appropriate strategy for reducing objectives.


title: Protecting Animals and People: The Role of the Public Sector in Improving Animal Cruelty Investigation Work

subject:
humane jobs
public sector
animal protection
multi-species well-being
workers’ rights

abstract: Animal cruelty investigation work in Canada has typically been the responsibility of humane societies and/or SPCAs (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), charities that are mandated to enforce government legislation. This unusual model is unique to investigations into crimes against animals. Manitoba offers an alternative approach with a publicly-funded and public-private hybrid delivery model. Through an examination of Manitoba’s Chief Veterinary Office which oversees investigations, this thesis considers the multi-species implications of this kind of publicly-funded animal cruelty investigations. More specifically, it assesses the benefits and drawbacks that the approach has for animals, their owners, and animal protection officers. Using the lenses of engaged theory, interspecies solidarity, and multi-optic vision, and by building from textual sources and interview data, this thesis describes and analyses animal cruelty investigation work in Manitoba and considers the role the public sector could have in improving animal protection work in Canada.


title: Investigation of Periodontal Outcomes After Sanative Therapy Among Patients With or Without Dry Mouth

subject:
sanitize therapy
dry mouth
probing depth
saliva
periodontal maintenance

abstract: Untreated periodontal disease can have detrimental consequences on oral health. Consequences such as tooth loss can significantly affect an individual’s daily habits such as eating, speaking, and socializing. Sanative therapy (ST) followed by ongoing periodontal maintenance appointments is necessary to attenuate periodontal disease and prevent tooth loss. In addition to ST and periodontal maintenance appointments, saliva has an essential role in oral health. However, the relationship between salivary flow and periodontal outcomes, particularly in terms of low salivary production, has not been extensively investigated. The first objective was to determine if patients with dry mouth have similar probing depths as patients without dry mouth when receiving regular periodontal maintenance post-ST. The second objective was to determine if patients who alternate periodontal maintenance appointments between a general dental clinic and a periodontal specialty clinic have different probing depths than patients who solely have periodontal maintenance at a periodontal specialty clinic post-ST. Patients who had completed initial ST 1 to 5 years prior and continued with routine periodontal maintenance provided an unstimulated saliva sample and completed questionnaires assessing their symptoms of dry mouth. It was hypothesized that patients who have inadequate salivary flow exhibit worsened probing depths than patients who have adequate salivary output. However, periodontal health was maintained post-ST to present day for both groups.  The second hypothesis was that patients who have periodontal maintenance performed solely at a periodontal specialty clinic have improved periodontal outcomes than those who alternate appointments 1 to 5 years post-ST There was a significant difference in probing depth between patients who do or do not alternate appointments (p < 0.05). Patients who do not alternate appointments had significantly greater probing depth than those who alternate. This may be due to the periodontist’s recommendation for patients of unstable periodontal health to be solely seen at specialty clinic.


title: The Development of a Time-Resolved, Vesicle-Based, Fluorescence Assay for the Activity of the Lipid Kinase Pik1

subject: Phosphatidylinositol

subject: Pik1

subject: Sec14

subject: Fluorescence

subject: Lipid Kinase Assay

abstract:
Pik1 is a yeast phosphatidylinositol-4 kinase that is critical for vesicular traffic to the
plasma membrane and endosomes from the trans-Golgi (1, 2). Pik1 is a soluble enzyme,
and the small myristoylated, Ca2+ binding, EF hand protein, Frequenin (Frq1) facilitates
its membrane localization (3). It has been suggested that Pik1 finds its substrate,
phosphatidylinositol (PI), within phospholipid bilayers with assistance from the PI/PC
transfer protein Sec14 (4). It is proposed that Sec14 stimulates the activity of Pik1 by
partially removing PI from the bilayer and presenting it to the kinase as a more suitable
substrate (4). In order to test this hypothesis, the Bellbrook Labs Transcreener ADP2 FI
Assay kit, a fluorescence-based enzyme assay kit that reports the production of ADP, was
adapted to create a time-resolved, vesicle-based assay. The assay was developed and
validated with the catalytic subunit of Protein Kinase A (PKA) and the commercial
human PI kinase PIK3C3. An expression system for Pik1 was created in yeast. To
preserve the stability of the 125 kDa enzyme it was co-expressed with both Frq1 and the
heat shock protein, Cdc37, producing the Pik1-Frq1 complex with a removable
10xhistidine tag on Pik1. The growth of the yeast transformants was investigated using
different culture conditions, media, and methods of inducing protein expression. The
expression of the Pik1-Frq1 complex was confirmed on a Western blot that showed a
band corresponding to the molecular weight of the complex. Next steps will involve
optimizing the purification of the Pik1-Frq1 complex on a metal affinity resin, with the
ultimate goal being to test the Sec14 presentation mechanism by measuring the kinase
activity of Pik1 from purified fractions in the presence and absence of Sec14.


title: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Functional Movement Screen Scores in  Male AAA Minor Hockey Players

subject:
Functional Movement Screen
Youth
Hockey

abstract: The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) has been used as a screening tool to assess inefficiencies and asymmetries associated with movement patterns that could potentially lead to injury risks in athletic populations (Kiesel, Plisky, & Voight, 2007; Parenteau-G et al., 2014; Mokha et al., 2016). The primary purpose of the study was to compare FMS scores across four hockey-specific chronological age groups and five stages of maturity in adolescent male ice-hockey players. The secondary purpose of the study was to determine if years of experience in a specific sport, correlated with movement pattern asymmetries. One hundred and eleven male (9-17 years) AAA players completed a battery of physical measurements including; height (cm), weight (kg), grip strength (kg), sit and reach (cm) and the FMS. FMS scores were analyzed by total score (TS), FMS subgroups (FMS movement, FMS flexibility and FMS stability), frequencies of individual movement pattern scores and left/right asymmetries. Significant differences in FMS TS were revealed across both chronological age, categorized by hockey age groups (F (3,107) = 7.002), p<.001 and stage of maturity (F (4,106) = 4.790), p<.001, suggesting that FMS TS improved with both age and physical maturity. However, ANCOVA results revealed no significant differences across hockey age groups (F (3,106) =1.917), p=.131, when maturity was entered as a covariate, suggesting that maturity did not influence FMS TS beyond the effect age. FMS sub-groups revealed significant differences in FMS move and FMS stab across both hockey age group and stage of maturity. No significant differences were found in the frequencies of individual screen scores or left/right asymmetries across hockey age groups or stages of maturity. Therefore, the results did not support the assumption of hockey being a significant unilateral training stimulus.


title: Synthesis and Investigation of Light Responsive Molecules Containing Cyclopropenium Ions

subject: Cyclopropenium, Fluorescence, Hydrogen Bonding, Proton Sponges,

abstract: The present thesis describes recent advances in the pursuit of novel light-responsive molecules containing cyclopropenium ions. In an effort to understand the underlying factors regarding the photophysical properties of cyclopropenium ions, emphasis was placed on the previously reported “Janus sponge”, where systematic structural modifications to four individual components of the molecule led to measurable and predictable changes in molar extinction coefficients, quantum yields, and Stokes shifts.  Using time-dependent density functional theory calculations, the origin of these trends were traced to internal charge transfer. Additionally, modulating hydrogen bonding between intermolecular, bifurcated, and intramolecular interactions by choice of counterion was used to alter the quantum yield of cyclopropenium ion-containing fluorophores. The basis of this switchability was examined using X-ray diffraction analysis, 1H NMR spectroscopy, density functional theory calculations, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Notably, this work led to the development of the first cyclopropenium ion containing “true” proton sponge. As an extension, light responsive molecules are not isolated to fluorescence. This thesis also outlines the development of the first cyclopropenium ion containing an azo group. Key findings include the fact that cyclopropenium ion containing azo compounds are stable and cyclopropenium ions red-shift the absorbance wavelength in comparison to azobenzene by 75 nm. The synthetic, structural, electronic, and photophysical properties of these compounds are discussed.


title: Social Problems and Moral Panic: Primary, Secondary, and Oppositional Definers in the Social Construction of Canada's Opioid Crisis in Select Corporate Print Media

subject: social problems; moral campaigns/panics; social constructionism; opioids; social closure

abstract: This thesis seeks to explore the viability of a composite model of social problems using Canada’s current “opioid crisis” as a case study. Drawing on and modifying Joel Best’s (2017) and Herbert Blumer’s (1971) social problems models, I develop a four-stage composite model that aims to explain how primary, secondary, and oppositional definers construct competing claims over the discovery of a variously labeled opioid crisis. Relying on a materialist theoretical formulation of social constructionism and a critical assessment of the news media as both source and interlocutor for primary, secondary, and oppositional definers, I contend that in the making of the opioid crisis primary and elite secondary definers have a resource advantage in laying claims of expertise and “definitional dominance” over the construction of social problems.  As an epistemological inquiry into the making of social problems, this study relies on the print news media as the locus for the articulation of competing claims in the construction of social problems. Respecting the social construction of the latest drug scare, I use the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail as my primary data sources. This study uses a range of theoretical perspectives—symbolic interactionism, labelling theory, and a Marxian perspective on conflict and inequality—to operationalize processes of representation at each stage of my composite model of social problems. Since the composite model seeks to make sense of “text and talk” in the making and experience of reality, this study employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) to analyze how primary, secondary, and oppositional definers engage in exclusionary and usurpationary closure while in the process of mobilizing and resisting discourses, narratives, and constructions of folk devils, as these relate to meanings of a perceived opioid crisis in Canada.


title: Associations between Selected Dietary Factors, Selected Obesity-Related Metabolic Markers (Leptin, C-peptide, and High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein), and Lung Cancer: A Matched Case-Control Study Nested in the Prospective PLCO Trial

subject:
lung cancer
public health
diet
obesity
metabolic marker

abstract: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the associations between selected dietary factors, body mass index (BMI), selected obesity-related metabolic markers, and lung cancer risk as well as histological types in ever-smokers (former and current-smokers). Characteristics of interest included BMI at age 50, fruits and vegetables daily frequency, supplemental beta-carotene intake, C-peptide (CP), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and leptin concentrations. Data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial were analyzed. Linear regression models were used to describe the associations between quantitative variables. The relationships between variables of interest and lung cancer were studied by logistic regression modelling. Multivariable fractional polynomial (MFP) models were utilized to address non-linearity in these associations. Higher fruits and vegetables daily frequency and supplemental beta-carotene intake were associated with a lower risk of lung cancer in ever-smokers. Metabolic markers, C-peptide and hsCRP, were positively associated with lung cancer risk. Inverse relationships were observed between BMI and leptin with lung cancer risk. The relationships between selected dietary factors, BMI, selected metabolic markers, and lung cancer risk were more prominent in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in comparison with those in small cell lung cancer (SCLC).


title: Development of Field-deployable  Nucleic Acid Testing Platforms

subject:
Nucleic acid testing
Point-of-care
Paper based device
Soil-transmitted helminth

abstract: This thesis is focused on the development of field-deployable nucleic acid testing platforms to allowed rapid detection and quantification of nucleic acids. Two distinct platforms suitable for nucleic acid testing in resource-limited settings were developed. First, a paper-based diagnostic device was developed. The principle of this paper-based device was based on the unique interfacial interaction of DNA and the DNA intercalating dye with cellulose on chromatographic paper. Second, a colorimetric reader was developed. The principle of the reader was based on measuring the absorbance change of a chromogenic substrate which is triggered by DNA and DNA intercalating dyes under light illumination. The performance of both devices was tested using synthetic DNA, nucleic acid amplicons, and actual parasites nucleic acid samples collected from school-age children in rural areas of Honduras.


title: To Know Their Stories: Using Playbuilding to Develop a Training/Orientation Video on Person-Centered Care

subject: playbuilding, person-centred care, arts-based research, dementia, traumatic brain injury

abstract: This study explores the experiences of health care staff and family members who provide support for people living with dementia and traumatic brain injury. Using a playbuilding methodology (Belliveau, 2006; Norris, 2009; Perry, Wessels & Wager, 2013) in which theatre performers devised short vignettes based on focus group interviews with health care providers, an educational video was produced. The video will be shown to the focus group interviewees in order to generate further conversation—knowledge co-creation—on the supportive and resistive practices in person-centred care (Leplege, Gzil, Cammelli, Lefeve, Pachoud & Ville, 2007; Kadri, Rapaport, Livingston, Cooper, Robertson & Higgs, 2018; Santana, Manalili, Jolley, Zelinsky, Quan & Lu, 2018), a philosophical approach that privileges the holistic needs of the individual rather than the bio-medical and administrative urgencies of the medical system. I outline the process of developing vignettes, videoing them and editing the video using a constructivist approach and an application of narrative and film theory. This work adds to the discussion of how the health care system may benefit from arts-based methods of knowledge construction.


title: The Effect of Blade Alignment on Kinetic and Kinematic Characteristics During the Execution of Goaltender-Specific Movement Patterns

subject: Kinematics Kinetics Goaltender Skate Alignment

abstract: The goaltender skate traditionally consists of the boot, cowling, and blade runner. The cowling protects the foot and positions the blade on the boot. Innovations in boot design and material properties have deemed the cowling redundant, presenting the opportunity to manipulate skate blade alignment and potentially reveal a performance advantage. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of blade alignment on select kinetic and kinematic variables during the execution of two goaltender-specific movement patterns; Butterfly Drop to Recovery, Lateral Butterfly Slide to Recovery. A male goaltender (n = 1) with professional hockey experience completed an A-B-A, quasi-experimental design across three days investigating four blade alignment conditions. Blade alignment conditions were defined by the blade holder type and positioning on the boot [alignment neutral cowling (ANC), alignment neutral (AN), alignment lateral (AL), and alignment medial (AM)]. Five trials were executed per blade alignment condition for both movements (n=30 trials per day, n=90 trials overall). All trials were executed in a controlled laboratory environment on synthetic ice (xHockeyProductsTM). Kinetic measures included; in-skate peak plantar pressure [PPP(psi)], time to peak plantar pressure [TPP(s)] collected with in-skate LogRTM insoles (Orpyx® Medical Technologies Inc.). Kinematic measures included; butterfly drop velocity [BDV(m/s)], left leg recovery velocity [LLRV(m/s)], right leg recovery velocity [RLRV(m/s)], lateral butterfly slide velocity [LBSV(m/s)], butterfly width [BW(m)] collected with 3D motion capture (ViconTM). Results revealed no significant differences in nineteen of twenty kinetic and kinematic analyses between the two neutral alignment conditions (ANC, AN) defined by different holder types. True Hockey blade holders were retrofit with slots to facilitate the blade alignments. Results revealed significantly higher Butterfly Drop PPP on the AM compared to AN, and higher Left and Right Leg Recovery PPP on AM compared to AL and AN during the Butterfly Drop to Recovery. Results also revealed significantly higher BDV on AM compared to AL and AN during the Butterfly Drop to Recovery, and higher BDV on AM compared to AN during the Lateral Butterfly Slide to Recovery. Study outcomes provide insight into the contribution of manipulating blade alignment to positively impact the execution of goaltender-specific movement patterns.


title: Swarm-based Algorithms for Neural Network Training

subject: neural network swarm-intelligence saturation overfitting

abstract:
The main focus of this thesis is to compare the ability of various swarm intelligence algorithms when applied to the training of artificial neural networks. In order to compare the performance of the selected swarm intelligence algorithms both classification and regression datasets were chosen from the UCI Machine Learning repository. Swarm intelligence algorithms are compared in terms of training loss, training accuracy, testing loss, testing accuracy, hidden unit saturation, and overfitting.
Our observations showed that Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) was the best performing algorithm in terms of Training loss and Training accuracy. However, it was also found that the performance of PSO dropped considerably when examining the testing loss and testing accuracy results. For the classification problems, it was found that firefly algorithm, ant colony optimization, and fish school search outperformed PSO for testing loss and testing accuracy. It was also observed that ant colony optimization was the algorithm that performed the best in terms of hidden unit saturation.


title: THE RISE OF THE GREEN ALGAE:  USING ALGAL PALYNOMORPHS AS PROXIES OF NATURAL EVENTS AND ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIVITIES

subject:
green algae
cyanobacteria
Anthropocene
palynology
paleolimnology

abstract: Anthropogenic activities can speed up eutrophication by increasing the rate of nutrient influx into lakes. Climate change threatens the health of freshwater ecosystems, increasing the frequency and intensity of harmful algal blooms and associated anoxia. The acid-resistant remains of freshwater algae and cyanobacteria commonly found in palynological macerations remain underutilized, even though their fossil record extends back to the Precambrian. Comparing algal palynomorph assemblages in sediments deposited in two meromictic lakes in northeastern Massachusetts illustrated their response to different stressors over the last few centuries. The abundance and diversity of algal palynomorphs increased as nutrient influx to both Sluice and Walden Pond increased with land clearing by European colonists, recorded by an increase in Ambrosia and other non-arboreal pollen in the same slides. As the City of Lynn became heavily industrialized, Sluice Pond received a lot of effluent, and algal palynomorph diversity declined sharply. Walden Pond remained recreational and primarily impacted by summer day-visitors, so a diverse dinoflagellate cyst assemblage together with planktonic colonial cyanophytes and chlorophytes persisted until major fires occurred in Walden Woods in the early 20th century. The different types of land-use between the two sites were hypothesized to be the driving factor that determines algal palynomorph assemblages. Sediments deposited since the mid-20th century at both sites contain abundant green algal palynomorphs, an observation noted in several other studies world-wide. The observed rise of the green algae at two different sites is likely attributed to increasing atmospheric CO2  and the Great Acceleration. This might be a useful auxiliary proxy marking the proposed Anthropocene Epoch, but further research is needed to better understand the taxonomy and taphonomy of algal palynomorphs, with a focus on green algae and cyanobacteria, to improve their utility as biomonitors and paleolimnological proxies.


title: Tamoxifen or Estradiol Limited to the Induction Phase of Nicotine Sensitization Enhances the Expression of Locomotor Sensitization in Ovariectomized and in Intact Female Rats

subject:
Estradiol
Nicotine
Locomotor Sensitization
Tamoxifen
Female

abstract: In both humans and rodents, females are more vulnerable to addiction than males, which has been linked to higher concentrations of the hormone estradiol in females. In rats, nicotine injections produce greater sensitization (neurological changes responsible for drug cravings) in females than in males, which could contribute to sex differences in susceptibility to addiction. The purpose of these experiments was to investigate the effects of estradiol during three nicotine injections (two consecutive days and a third injection nine days later). Results from these experiments indicate that depletion of estradiol via ovariectomy attenuates nicotine sensitization in females, which can be rescued by estradiol injection limited to the induction phase of sensitization. Administration of tamoxifen (antagonist at nuclear estradiol receptors, agonist of the membrane-bound estradiol receptor GPER1) did not alter sensitization in gonadally intact rats, and was sufficient to restore expression of sensitization in ovariectomized females (similar to estradiol). Findings from these experiments indicate that the enhancing effects of estradiol on nicotine sensitization occur during the induction phase, and may be mediated by membrane bound estrogen receptors (e.g., GPER1).


title: In the Eyes of a Rover: An Educational Game Exploring the Ubehebe Volcanic Craters, Death Valley California, which Mimics the Traverse of a Rover

subject: Educational Tool Mimicking Martian Rover

abstract: The game application, Hebebot: A Martian Expedition through a Terrestrial Analog, was developed for high school students and first year university/college students to promote planetary science, using analyzed data from the Ubehebe Volcanic Field in Death Valley, California. The Ubehebe Volcanic Field are hydrovolcanic landforms created by phreatomagmatic eruptions, which formed a series of maars, which last erupted in the Holocene. The Ubehebe craters are circular depressions, which resembles the crater rich landscape of Mars. The game illustrates how scientists interpret geologic features on Mars by using the techniques and theories used to interpret geologic features on Earth through analog sites. Maar craters resemble impact craters as both are open depressions below the ground surface. The objective of the game is to assist the student participants to identify the origin of the craters, whether they are volcanic or impact. The student participants identified the craters as maars. Photographic images including panoramas and MAHLI images, geochemical analysis- XRF, and petrographic images used to develop the game proved that the craters are maars formed by phreatomagmatic explosions.


title: Market Reaction to the Passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

subject: Accounting

abstract: I investigate the market reaction to the events leading up to the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) using short and long window event studies. Using the sample of S&P 1,500 firms, I find positive market reaction to the enactment of the TCJA only in one short window; market reaction to other windows remains weak. This study documents that firms with high marginal tax rate have positive market reaction only in one long window. Further investigation reveals that for the firms with deferred tax assets the market reaction is positive only in one short window and in another long window market reaction is negative. I also find weak evidence that firms with high deferred tax liabilities have a positive market reaction to the passage of the TCJA. In addition, I document that firms with high executive compensation record negative market reactions in the short windows, but no market reaction in the long windows. I finally find that market reaction to the marginal tax rate varies with firm corporate governance only in one short window. Overall, my study contributes to the existing tax and accounting literature by examining investor reaction to the passage of TCJA based on dominant firm characteristics such as marginal tax rates, corporate governance structures, the nature of deferred taxes, and the level of executive compensation for events leading to and after the passage of the Act.


title: INNOVATION AND CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY OUTCOME

subject:
Innovation
Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Reorganization
Liquidation
DIP Financing

abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship between a firm’s innovation and Chapter 11 bankruptcy outcome. Innovation is measured as R&D expenditure, the number of patents and the number of citations to capture both input and output of a firm’s innovative activity. We find no significant relationship between innovation and bankruptcy outcome when we relate recent innovation to bankruptcy outcome. However, the relationship between innovation and bankruptcy outcome becomes significant when we consider the entire accumulated innovation prior to the bankruptcy, indicating older patents matter more in bankruptcy. We demonstrate that firms investing more in R&D expenditure and generating a higher number of patents before bankruptcy are more likely to reorganize than be liquidated or acquired. On the other hand, bankrupt firms with highly cited patents are more likely to be acquired than reorganize. Similar to other studies, our empirical results show that larger, more levered and liquid firms are positively associated with successful reorganizations. Finally, firms that file for prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy and receive debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing during bankruptcy are more likely to reorganize than liquidate or be acquired. Firms file for bankruptcy during the 2008 economic crisis are prone to liquidation. Industry factor only matters for firms in the manufacturing industry, where firms with more innovation are more likely to reorganize than liquidated.


title: Detached from Our Bodies: Representing women's mental health and well-being with graphic memoirs

subject:
graphic memoirs
embodiment
representation
women's mental health
feminist geographies

abstract: Geography has recently undergone a creative return whereby influences from the humanities inspire the production, analysis, and incorporation of creative works in geographical research (de Leeuw & Hawkins, 2017). With their ever-growing popularity in the humanities, graphic novels are one example of a creative work gaining epistemological momentum in geography. Graphic novels have proven attractive to geographers for their ability to represent knowledges that challenge dominant social structures and discourses. In this thesis, I conduct visual, textual, and discourse analyses of three graphic memoirs by women that challenge pathological mental health discourses: Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green, Inside Out: Portrait of an Eating Disorder by Nadia Shivack, and My Depression by Elizabeth Swados. Using an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research approach, I build on the literatures from the geohumanities, feminist geographies, graphic medicine, and health geographies to argue that subjective and embodied representations of women in graphic novels subvert dominant mental health narratives promoting pathology, ableism, and invisibilization. I analyze the graphic novels to support three key claims: 1) graphic novels can contribute to, and contest dominant mental health discourses, 2) graphic novels can operate as a means to contest universalized pathographies by representing marginalized experiences, and 3) graphic novels can challenge the limits of Cartesian dualism in mental health practice that exclude women’s experiences. With these ideas at the fore, the implication of this research is to offer healthcare providers, patients, and the general public alternative ways of understanding mental health. This research also serves to advocate for the merits of using graphic novels to provide options for access to health care and health equity.


title: A Structural Analysis of Smooth-Topped Chaotic Terrains in Southern Circum-Chryse, Mars

subject:
Mars
Chaotic Terrain
Collapse
Flooding
Climate

abstract: The presence of large outflow channels on Mars shows the importance of water in shaping the surface of the planet over geologic time. Chaotic terrain has been identified as the source region for flood waters responsible for carving out many of these channels. There are still many unanswered questions regarding chaotic terrains on Mars. Using the most up to date CTX, HRSC, and MOLA coverage, DEM and TIN models were used to investigate examples of smooth-topped chaotic terrains which include Hydraotes Chaos, a crater pair in Hydraspis Chaos, Baetis Chaos, and Candor Chaos, all south of Chryse Planitia. The findings of this study suggest that the collapse of chaotic terrains is not regionally controlled. This study also suggests that the largest chaotic terrains do not require external heat sources to form. Finally, there is evidence that chaotic terrain forming events have occurred from the Middle Noachian to the Late Hesperian/Early Amazonian.


title: Examining Longitudinal Patterns of Psychotropic Medication Use by Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities Relocating from Institutions to Community Settings

subject:
Deinstitutionalization
intellectual disabilities
psychotropic medication
polypharmacy
longitudinal

abstract: For 133 years, institutionalization was the primary model of care provided for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Ontario. By March 31, 2009, the last remaining institution in Ontario was closed. Given that individuals with intellectual disabilities are more likely to develop health and mental health comorbidities than the general population, investigating outcomes after relocation is critical for ensuring safe and successful transitions to community settings. This study examined changes in psychotropic medication usage following deinstitutionalization as well as changes over time in the community. Various proxy measures were collected on demographic variables (e.g., age, sex, etc.), adaptive functioning, challenging behaviour, psychotropic medication usage, health status, and mental health status. A multilevel model was used to investigate within and between-person changes in psychotropic medication usage longitudinally across three points in time. Variables, including adaptive functioning, challenging behaviour, and health and mental health status, were investigated as potential predictors of psychotropic medication usage. Health variables and mental health status positively predicted psychotropic medication. Cognitive performance and health instability from the facility to the community had a negative influence on the total number of psychotropic medications. Challenging behaviour did not predict psychotropic medication usage in this study, possibly due to the measure used. Further examination of these results may be used to inform policy and practice for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Ontario.


title: Investigation of the anti-cancer effects of rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L.) extract in human breast and prostate cancer cells

subject:
Cancer
Rosemary
Polyphenols
Proliferation
Survival
Cell Culture

abstract: Breast and prostate cancer are the most frequently diagnosed cancers in women and men respetively, in North America. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells do not express estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2). TNBC accounts for 15% of all breast cancer cases, is aggressive in nature, and is characterized by resistance to chemo and radiotherapy thus, finding new approaches to inhibit it are urgently needed. Similarly, prostate cancer is typically characterized by the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Prostate cancer that is AR positive can be treated with hormonal therapy. In contrast, AR negative prostate cancer is more aggressive and does not respond to hormone therapy, thus new approaches, including identifying specific signaling molecules that are overactivated and could be targeted, are required to effectively treat this subtype of prostate cancer. Rosemary extract (RE) has been shown to have anti-cancer properties in vitro and in vivo. However, limited evidence exists regarding its effect on triple-negative breast cancer and AR negative prostate cancer. In this study, we examined the effects of RE on triple-negative breast cancer cell (MDA-MB-231) and androgen insensitive prostate cancer cell (PC-3) proliferation, survival/apoptosis, and migration. In addition, we investigated the effect of RE treatment on key signaling molecules involved in cancer cell proliferation and survival.


title: MACROECONOMIC NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS, US PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS AND EMERGING CURRENCY MARKETS DURING THE POST-GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

subject: emerging currencies, exchange rates, return, volatility, jumps, cojumps, macroeconomic announcements, public communication

abstract: In this study, we examine the relationship of foreign and domestic macroeconomic news announcements and US public communication from senior officials in the Federal Reserve and the US Department of the Treasury with high-frequency exchange rates in 5 emerging currencies over 2010-2017. To be more specific, we investigate the impact of the announcements and communications on return, volatility and price discontinuity (jump) of the emerging currencies. First, we study the return and volatility reaction to the announcements and communication releases, and then analyze the effects of those announcements and communications on jumps and cojumps. We find that a great majority of the announcements and communications have strong impacts on return and volatility, however, only a few of them can trigger jumps and cojumps. Effects of communications and European announcements specifically are more pronounced and consistent on return and volatility adjustments than on jumps and cojumps. Though less in number, US and domestic macroeconomic news announcements consistently affect jumps and cojumps across most of the emerging currencies. Like in previous studies, we observe in ours that currencies are most sensitive to US announcements. Though previous studies cannot establish any significant relationship with domestic announcements, we evidence that currencies have become very responsive to domestic announcements after the global financial crisis in 2008. Most important US announcements, when it comes to affecting return and volatility, are FOMC rate decisions, FOMC meeting minutes, non-farm payrolls, CPI, GDP, ISM, PPI, retail sales and unemployment rates. Jumps and cojumps, on the other hand, exhibit tendency to respond significantly to FOMC rate decisions, FOMC meeting minutes, non-farm payrolls and CPI out of all the US announcements. With regards to domestic announcements, releases on central bank’s rate decision, CPI, trade balance and bond trading are very important.


title: Fitspiration Photos and Quotes: Effects on Body Image in University Women

subject: Fitspiration; social media; Instagram; body image; body appreciation; body satisfaction; self-objectification

abstract: Fitspiration refers to a type of social media that aims to inspire people to exercise using photos  and/or quotes. However, while evidence suggests it can lead to increased exercise motivation, it has also been shown to have a negative effect on body image and mood. The purpose of this study was to investigate which component of Fitspiration messages (photos and/or quotes) causes a negative effect on body image and mood and to investigate if this content has an inspiring effect on related health behaviours. A total of 145 women aged 18-29 years were randomly assigned to view one of four Instagram accounts: Fitspiration photos, Fitspiration quotes, a combination of photos and quotes, or travel images (control condition). They completed pre and post-measures of body image and mood (i.e., body satisfaction, self-objectification, body appreciation and negative mood) as well as a measure of inspiration to exercise, eat healthy, and travel after viewing the account. Results of a series of ANCOVAs showed that women in the image-only condition reported lower body appreciation and higher negative mood compared to women in the travel condition. Further, women in the combination condition reported higher self-objectification and lower body satisfaction compared to those in the control condition. Women in the image group also reported greater inspiration to exercise than those in the travel group and greater inspiration to eat healthy than those in both the travel and quote groups. These results suggest that, in general, viewing Fitspiration images (either alone or with a quote) is associated with poorer body image and mood in young adult women, although it did lead to greater inspiration to engage in health behaviours. Given that social media, and Fitspiration in particular, is growing in popularity, it is important to develop protective measures, such as social media literacy programs, to reduce their negative impact.


title: Quantification of gamma-secretase activity in an endogenous context reveals biphasic GSI-mediated Notch/APP selectivity switch and the novel detection of potential proteolytic cleavage fragments of the Notch Intracellular Domain

subject: Alzheimer's Notch Cell Signalling gamma-secretase

abstract: Gamma-secretase is a promiscuous intra-membrane protease implicated in the proteolytic processing of two notable substrates: amyloid-precursor-protein (APP), in which gamma-secretase will irreversibly cleave to produce Amyloid-beta (Aβ) in Alzheimer’s disease; and the Notch receptor, where gamma-secretase is essential for liberating the Notch intracellular domain (NICD) to activate Notch-mediated transcriptional regulation in the nucleus. Gamma-secretase inhibitors such as DAPT and Avagacestat have been tested as therapies to prevent the formation of amyloid plaques, however, off-target interference with the Notch signalling pathway leading to Notch-related malignant side effects in clinical trials makes these pharmaceuticals unsuitable. The high-throughput search for selective drugs that block the production of Aβ but don’t interfere with the Notch signalling pathway has been hindered by a lack of reliability in detecting Notch signal inhibition in pre-clinical, cell-based assays with ectopic substrate expression. Therefore, the development of a highly-sensitive, high-throughput cell-based assay to quantify the level of proteolytic processing of APP and Notch by gamma-secretase is a promising addition to the gamma-secretase inhibitor drug discovery pipeline. This thesis presents the combination of immunofluorescence staining, western blotting, and the bromo-deoxyuridine (BrdU) cell proliferation assay as three orthogonal methods to sensitively quantify the gamma-secretase cleavage of Notch and APP in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, which rely on active Notch signalling to maintain proliferation. Using our assay, we found that the selectivity for gamma-secretase to cleave APP versus Notch was dependent on the time the GSI was replenished before harvesting, which may directly reflect a GSI concentration-dependent selective potency. Using this high-throughput cell-based assay, cleavage of APP and Notch activation by gamma-secretase was sensitively quantified; while a novel profile of cell-type specific proteolytic fragments of the Notch ICD have been identified that may have biological implications in normal development and the pathological proliferation and metastasis of some cancers.


title: Deformations of Maxwell gauge field theory

subject: Maxwell gauge deformation non-Lagrangian

abstract:
Deformations of Maxwell gauge theory are studied in 2+1 dimensions. Unlike in previous
work in the literature, no Lagrangian structure is assumed for possible deformations, and
instead the requirement of gauge invariance of the deformed  field equations under the
deformed gauge symmetry is used. The results yield a new nonlinear generalization of
Maxwell gauge theory. A non-abelian extension of this theory is also obtained.


title: “You’re on one side or the other. You’re either a Leafs fan or a Sabres fan”. An Interpretive Study of Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs Fans in Fort Erie, Ontario

subject: Sport Fan Borderland Hockey Identity

abstract:
Few sports consumer behavior researchers will contest that it is common for people to become fans of their local, hometown, easily-accessible team (Wann & James, 2019), but what if obvious-sounding concepts like “local”, “hometown”, and “accessible” are in dispute? What team would people cheer for then? Such an interesting case is found in the border town of Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, that is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, USA. National Hockey League (NHL) fans in Fort Erie typically cheer for either the Buffalo Sabres (whose arena is visible from Fort Erie’s shoreline), or the Toronto Maple Leafs, who play in a Canadian city 95 miles (152 km) away. To understand how they became fans and maintain that fandom, nine Sabres fans and nine Leafs fans from Fort Erie were interviewed face-to-face and one-on-one in the interpretive tradition.

Fans from both teams painted a picture that in both becoming fans and maintaining fandom, the culture and image associated with not only the teams themselves, but also the city and country they play out of were crucial factors. Leafs fans often referred to hockey’s cultural importance to Canadians, making it almost traitorous to cheer for an American NHL team. Sabres fans often referred to the scrappy, working-class image of Buffalo aligning with the scrappy, working-class image of Fort Erie. Sabres fans would also discuss how accessible the team was, in terms of both proximity and cheaper tickets, allowing them to easily attend games. Leafs fans would also discuss how accessible their team was, but in terms of media access, allowing them to watch almost all Leafs’ games on television.

Interestingly, their attitude towards Americans aligned with their team choice. Helleiner (2016) studied Canadians who live across the border from Buffalo, and found four attitudes towards the difference between Canadians and Americans: Pretty much the same as Americans, “Americanized” Canadians, Non-Americans, and Anti-Americans. Sabres fans typically were in the first two categories, and Leafs fans typically were in the latter two.

In conclusion, Leafs fans (filled with non-American sentiment) felt that even though Buffalo was right next door, the Leafs would be considered the local, hometown, accessible team as the Sabres played in a foreign country, the Leafs were the closest Canadian NHL team to Fort Erie, and all their games were typically televised in Fort Erie. Sabres fans (more sympathetic to Americans overall) considered them the local, hometown, accessible team as they were right across a bridge, the team and the city aligned with the blue-collar image of Fort Erie, and live attendance was extremely easy.

Borderland living is different than living inland (Helleiner, 2016), so it comes as no surprise that borderland sport fandom would be different. Future research should study how fans living in regions like Southwestern Ontario (across from Detroit, Michigan), or Western New York (close to Toronto, Ontario) create and maintain their fandom where terms like “local”, “hometown”, and “accessible” are influenced by perceptions of culture and image moderated by questions of national identity.


title: Behavioural Thermoregulation and Escape Behaviour: Investigating the Thermal Biology of Round Gobies

subject: Round goby; Temperature; Behavioural thermoregulation; Burst swimming; Risky swimming behaviour

abstract: The invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) has successfully colonized all of the Great Lakes since its discovery in the region in 1991, yet little is known about its thermal biology.  The focus of this thesis was to examine the effect of acclimation to unseasonably warm temperatures on round goby behavioural thermoregulation, as well as behavioural and physiological performance during escapes with warm acute temperatures.  Juvenile gobies were acclimated to either 21°C or 24°C for each set of experiments.  I first examined goby thermal preference in a shuttlebox through their ability to escape from unfavourable temperatures.  I found that escape temperatures were plastic following acclimation to a rise in 3°C rise in temperature (+3°C) and associated positively with acclimation temperature, even though gobies showed slightly lower-than-expected average escape temperatures in each acclimation treatment.  Interestingly, acclimation to +3°C  leads to lower exploratory behaviour in warm waters and lower overall activity levels during behavioural thermoregulation.  In risky situations involving threat of predation, exploratory behaviour is often linked to boldness.  Next I investigated exploratory swimming through two behavioural traits: ability to voluntarily enter a tunnel and subsequent swimming activity while being chased in a detour task.  Detour tasks require a fish to swim down a narrow space and then detour to the left or right as they approach a barrier.  A strong correlation between behavioural traits suggests the two behavioural traits are a good measure of risky swimming behaviour.  With respect to the impact of warm acute temperatures, I observed an increase in strength of risky swimming behaviour following a rise in acute temperature of 6°C (+6°C).  Finally, I examined burst swimming performance (C- and S-starts) during the detour task.  While there was no observed effect of warm acute temperatures on most C- and S-start performance measures, there was a significant increase in S-start time to maximum velocity at +6°C.  Along with the observed plasticity in strength of risky swimming behaviour, my findings showed that acclimation to +3°C shifted physiological performance of escapes.  My findings provide a greater understanding of round goby physiological and behavioural functioning during short- and long-term rises in temperature.


title: INHUMAN TARGETS: Psychopathy, Dehumanization, and Sexist and Violent Attitudes Towards Women

subject: Psychopathy Dehumanization Sexism Violence

abstract: The current work presents three studies that examined the role of dehumanization in the association between psychopathy and sexist and violent attitudes towards women. This program had two overarching goals in examining psychopathy, dehumanization, and sexist and violent attitudes towards women. The first goal was to examine whether an indirect association between psychopathy and negative attitudes towards women existed through dehumanization. The second goal was to explore if, by introducing information that humanizes women, levels of dehumanization could be mitigated for individuals high on psychopathic traits. Employing mixed samples for both studies (student and community), Study 1 (n = 514) and Study 2 (n = 202) provided evidence that psychopathy demonstrated an indirect relationship with sexist and violent attitudes towards women via dehumanization. Study 2 also expanded on Study 1 by including a behavioural measure of violent attitudes towards women. Finally, Study 3 (n = 206), again using a mixed sample, attempted to manipulate dehumanization to see if it, and the sexist and violent attitudes associated with it, would be mitigated. Unfortunately, the manipulation failed, but we were able to use the data from Study 3 to provide a replication of the results of Study 2. Across three studies results suggested that the path from psychopathy to negative attitudes towards women was at least partially (if not fully) indirect through dehumanization. This suggests that dehumanization may be an important mechanism to consider when examining the tendency of individuals high in psychopathic traits to engage in violence towards women. Furthermore, because psychopathic traits are associated with violence perpetrated against women, dehumanization could be an important construct to consider when examining potential avenues for clinical interventions. Even more broadly, dehumanization could be an important construct for mitigating the association between psychopathy and violence generally.


title: Influence of adolescent social instability stress on the intake of ethanol and sucrose in a rodent model

subject: adolescence, social instability stress, alcohol drinking, sucrose, reward

abstract: Adolescence is a sensitive period in which the effects of stress and alcohol can have long-lasting impacts. Social instability stress in adolescent rats (SS; postnatal day 30-45, daily 1 hour isolation + new cage partner) alters behavioural responses to psychostimulants and increases anxiety-like behaviour, but differences in voluntary consumption of natural and drug rewards are unknown. The main goal of my thesis was to investigate the effects of adolescent social instability stress (SS) on immediate and long-lasting changes on reward-related behaviours in male rats using voluntary alcohol intake paradigms. Another goal was to investigate the influence of social context on the propensity to drink alcohol, as well as the influence of these factors on sucrose intake. In chapter 2, I found that adolescent SS increased alcohol intake irrespective of social context, and adolescents drank more alcohol than adults. The intake of sucrose was not altered by stress, except during context of competition. In chapter 3, I found that history of alcohol drinking reduced synaptic plasticity markers in the dorsal hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, and this reduction was sometimes further reduced by SS. The propensity to drink alcohol was found not to differ between SS and CTL rats in the first experiment, and reduced among SS rats in the second experiment. After nine days of alcohol absence, the propensity to drink alcohol was not increased by previous alcohol access, and SS increased intake only in alcohol-naïve rats. History of alcohol drinking reduced anxiety-like behaviours and blunted SS-induced reduction in social interactions. Both SS and alcohol decreased corticosterone levels at baseline and after fear recall without changing freezing behaviour. My findings indicate that using a model of mild social stressor can have great impact on adolescent rats, but moderate effects in adult rats. The behavioural changes caused by stress can be enhanced later in life by history of alcohol drinking, but that does not necessarily cause an increase in the propensity to drink during adulthood, as other studies have shown. Adolescent stressed rats drink more alcohol than other groups, but they don’t seem to continue drinking more when they reach adulthood. These results indicate that the effects of social instability stress are transient in regards to propensity to drink, and can be the basis for alterations caused by both alcohol and stress.


title: Microplastics and microfibres in the municipal water systems and agricultural lands of the Niagara Region, Ontario

subject:
Microplastics
agricultural soils
wastewater treatment
freshwater
microfibres

abstract:
Microplastics are ubiquitous in freshwater and terrestrial environments across the globe. Undoubtedly, plastics are entering Niagara (Ontario) water systems as well; entering as microplastics and microfibres derived from household products and materials. These microplastics are known to enter wastewater treatment plants with untreated municipal influent and exit with the treated effluent (up to 99%), making their way into water bodies where they may be taken up by aquatic organisms. Furthermore, wastewater biosolids are applied to agricultural fields as fertilizer throughout southern Ontario. Thus, microplastics may be making their way into agricultural soils where runoff can further transport these particles to downstream environments.
To investigate the microplastic pathways facilitated by the wastewater treatment system to the environment, monthly effluent sampling was conducted on a local wastewater treatment plant, and monthly tap water sampling at three sites in the Niagara Region. Surface waters upstream and downstream of effluent discharge were also sampled. Wastewater effluent had an average concentration of 1.22±1.59 microplastics per litre, dominantly polyester fibres. In surface waters, greater microplastic concentrations were found downstream than upstream (3.17±2.37 and 0.35±0.33 microplastics per m3, respectively), dominantly polyethylene. In tap water, an average of 0.89 microplastics per litre was recovered (dominantly polyester). One year of monthly effluent sampling showed significant seasonal differences in microplastic concentrations, suggesting that longer studies are necessary to account for seasonal change. This study also highlights the influence of combined sewer overflows on microplastic concentrations in surface waters, which has not been thoroughly discussed in previous studies.
To investigate microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils in Niagara, two receiving biosolid application and one control site were investigated. An average concentration of 4.4±4.8 and 4.3±2.4 microplastics per gram was found in soils and biosolids, respectively. Controlled-release plastic fertilizer coatings were found to be a dominant source of microplastics to agricultural soils. This study is the first to our knowledge to highlight the accumulation of polymeric fertilizer coatings in agricultural soils.


title: Examining Student Preparation for Certification Examination:  An Exploratory Case Study

subject:
licensure exam
curriculum
baccalaureate
NCLEX-RN

abstract: This research paper explores three university-level programs with mandatory licensing exams for graduates who wish to attain professional certification. Specifically, the study explored the affordances and constraints associated with curricular alignment and program accreditation, student success on licensure, and student satisfaction. The specific programs and the licensure exams are: the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN), who are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN), the Master of Applied Disability Studies (MADS), who write the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Exam, and the Bachelor of Accounting/Master of Accountancy (BAcc/MAcc), who are eligible to take the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) Common Final Examination (CFE). The study used a scoping review of the literature specific to the NCLEX-RN to help inform an exploratory case study of three academic programs that are offered through a University in Ontario, all leading to licensure exams. The programs are designed to ensure that students are prepared to write the licensure exams and provide more material that is integral to the practice but is not necessarily tested on the licensure exam. Using curriculum and accreditation review processes, administrators/faculty and students can provide insight into processes that could aid future students for licensure exams. When comparing the findings from analyses of transcripts from one program and documents across all three programs, it is apparent that there are many similarities across the programs despite the differences in the actual curricular goals and licenses. However, there appears to be a disconnect in the Nursing program, since they use the greatest number of the identified techniques/tools, but still have lower percentages of first-time pass rates than the other two programs. This provides an area for future study and analysis.


title: Comparative Review of Mental Health Policies and Standards of Professional Practice in Ontario and Iran: Emphasis on a Cultural Framework

subject: Mental health, Policy, Standards of professional practice, Review, Culture

abstract: Mental health systems require well-defined government regulations, acts and policies as well as ethical codes created by professional organizations and standards of practice established by regulatory bodies. Cross-cultural review studies can help to identify similarities, differences and cultural variations in the policies and standards of regulatory bodies that exist in different jurisdictions. With an emphasis on cultural framework, this review aimed to compare the policies and standards of professional conduct established by the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) and the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) with those developed by the Psychology and Counseling Organization of Iran (PCOI). Data were collected from governmental documents, the organizational websites (CPO, CRPO and PCOI), and other relevant resources. The American Psychological Association’s Ethics Code (2017), the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (2017), documents from the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) and the State Welfare Organization of Iran were also included in the analysis as complementary data where relevant. Results revealed that the standard of controlled acts (psychotherapy and communicating a diagnosis) and a quality assurance program for current members have not been included in the PCOI. Additionally, some standards (e.g., communicating client care, record-keeping and documentation) may have been detailed in the PCOI Code of Ethics. Some standards (e.g., referral and unnecessary treatment) may have been explained more thoroughly in the CPO’s document about Standards of Professional Conduct (2017). However, although not explicitly mentioned, CPO members follow related acts and regulations for these standards. Providing pro-bono may have been incorporated in the CRPO’s standards. In this review, cultural variations in administrating the standards under professional conduct and client-therapist relationships, as well as the standards of competency and clinical supervision were interpreted in detail. This research may help policy makers and field practitioners to improve the quality of mental health services. Implications for future studies are discussed.


title: Sexual Health Education (SHE) in Ontario: Exploring a Sample of the Public Discourse Surrounding the 2015 Update to Ontario’s Human Development and Sexual Health Curriculum

contributor: Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education

subject:
sexual health education
human development and sexual health

abstract: In an increasingly hypersexualized culture, Canadian youth face challenges (e.g., increased risk for unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, social ostracization and bullying, and mental health challenges) associated with sexuality and sexual health (Brady & Halpern-Felsher, 2007; Drouin, Ross, & Tobin, 2015; Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], 2008) on their way to adulthood. The need for relevant sexual health education that helps youth make healthy and informed choices is well established (Bourke, Boduszek, Kellher, McBride, & Morgan, 2014; Frappier et al., 2008; Reis, Ramiro, Matos, & Diniz, 2011). Ontario, as part of its ongoing comprehensive curricular review and revision processes, updated the Human Development & Sexual Health curriculum, a central component of the province’s Health and Physical Education curriculum. The comprehensive revision to the Human Development & Sexual Health curriculum released initially in 2010, and again in 2015, was met with both support and controversy. The purpose of this research study was to explore a portion of the public discourse surrounding the province of Ontario’s 2015 update to the Grades 1 through 8 Human Development & Sexual Health curricula. Specifically, the research investigated documentation from six key stakeholder groups: i) news organizations; ii) parents; iii) field-related professionals; iv) non-governmental organizations; v) lobby groups; and vi) the provincial government. Using qualitative document analyses techniques, data sources were described and analyzed. An identification and summary of main themes are offered. Finally, implications for future educational policy reforms and recommendations for future research are addressed.


title: Investigating the Impact of Lessons Based on Marzanoʼs Theory of Learning on Student Attitude, Engagement, and Achievement in Grade 10 Academic Mathematics

subject: engagement, attitude, Marzano's New Taxonomy, mixed methods

abstract: Motivation is an important construct in education, both for its links to student learning and in its own right as a factor in student development. The relationship between motivation and student learning is particularly important in mathematics since numerous studies have demonstrated that motivation in mathematics is linked to student achievement, and that student achievement and student attitudes toward mathematics are reciprocally related. This study investigated the impact of an instructional intervention that specifically addressed two dimensions of motivation: engagement and student attitudes.  Based on Marzano’s (1998, 2007) New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives©, a unit of study in Grade 10 Academic Mathematics was developed that utilized targeted activities and complete lessons to positively influence student engagement and attitudes. This mixed methods study used pre–post comparisons as well as treatment-control comparisons of 70 students in 3 classes of Grade 10 mathematics to investigate the impact of the instructional intervention on student engagement, attitude, and achievement in order to determine whether such an intervention could function as an exemplar for development of similar interventions that positively impacted student learning. The results of the study showed statistically significant changes in student engagement and student attitudes, but not for student achievement. Implications of these results pointed to directions for future research in this area.


title: Facebooking for Feminism: Social Network Sites as Feminist Learning Spaces

subject: Adult Education, Social Movement Learning, Feminism

abstract: Social media such as Facebook have become a significant space where social interactions increasingly take place. Within these spaces, users construct and engage with information that may facilitate social movements such as feminism. This study explored ways feminists learn, challenge, and reproduce discourses related to gender and feminism through Facebook. This research is positioned within current literature and theory related to gendered contexts of social media engagement and feminist social movement learning. Using qualitative interviews and a digital focus group, I investigated the experiences of 9 women who either learn about or engage with feminism through Facebook. Using critical feminist discourse analysis, I coded and analyzed themes that related to ways feminism is represented, constructed, navigated, and limited through Facebook. Specifically, I considered ways in which feminism can be learned, ways Facebook can be used as a learning platform, and ways gendered power relations can influence feminist engagement online. I advocate for continued exploration of and engagement with feminist uses of Facebook.


title: Synthesis and Derivatization of Amaryllidaceae Constituents – Narciclasine and Pancratistatin

subject: Amaryllidaceae, alkaloids, narciclasine, pancratistatin

abstract:
This thesis describes the synthesis and derivatization of narciclasine and pancratistatin. A detailed
description is given to the total formal synthesis of pancratistatin through a reductive transposition
approach and the total and semi-syntheses of 2-epi-narciclasine and its discovery as a new natural
product. The last part of this work focuses on the search for a divergent approach to access C-1
narciclasine and C-1-pancratistatin derivatives from natural narciclasine. Experimental and
spectral data are provided for the new compounds.


title: Utilizing ESL Learners’ Socio-Cognitive Resources to Enhance  General Academic Vocabulary Acquisition

subject:
vocabulary learning strategies
socio-cognitive resources
culturally relevant imagery
L1 in L2 learning

abstract: This study examined the extent to which English as a Second Language Learner (ESL) graduate students’ socio-cognitive resources (the combination of culturally relevant imagery and first language (L1) facilitate their Second Language (L2) general academic vocabulary acquisition in a social learning setting. The study investigated whether the use of culturally relevant imagery and L1 translation equivalents facilitate retrieval of new general academic vocabulary. The study was informed by the following theories: Levels of Processing Theory (Craik & Lockhart, 1972), Vocabulary Learning Strategy Taxonomy (Gu & Johnson, 1996), Social Constructivist Theory (Vygotsky, 1978) and the Bilingual Dual Coding Theory (Paivio & Desrochers, 1980)—which assumes that bilinguals’ cognitive activity is mediated by their two verbal systems and the image system representing their knowledge of the world. Utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed method strategy, the study first explored the general vocabulary learning strategy (VLS) preferences of 41 ESL graduate students with a survey. Then with a sub-sample of nine ESL graduate students, in a collaborative setting. the study used a case study approach to determine the extent to which a VLS that utilizes the socio-cognitive resources of the bilingual might activate the connections in the verbal systems and image system that lead to deep processing and retrieval of new vocabulary. The findings of the study indicate that the ESL learners’ socio-cognitive resources have a positive impact on their general academic vocabulary acquisition. Outcomes of the study inform students and educators alike on how a VLS honouring ESL learners’ socio-cognitive resources can be utilized to enhance general academic vocabulary acquisition. It also contributes to a domain of teaching and learning where there is a dearth of literature