title: Biogeography and Diversification of the Andean Seedsnipes (Thinocoridae): An Antarctic Avian Lineage?

contributor:
Friesen, Vicki L.
Lougheed, Stephen C.
Biology

subject:
Phylogeography
Antarctica
South America
Morphology
Andes
Mountains
Population Genetics
Evolution
Morphometrics
Phylogenetics
Cold
High Altitude
Landscape Genetics
Hemoglobins
Mitochondrial DNA
Environment

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-17 23:30:31.324

abstract:
South America and the Andes harbour a rich biodiversity. High levels of in-situ speciation, survival of relict lineages into modern times, and mixing of biotas (Gondwanian and North American), have been demonstrated to contribute to the extant biodiversity. Here I examined the four species in the shorebird family Thinocoridae (seedsnipes) as a test case of complementary hypotheses about the origins of this diversity: 1) that some lineages arose from cold-adapted Antarctic ancestors (post-Gondwana), and 2) that the Andes have promoted diversification through vicariance and via the creation of novel alpine niches.
First, I reviewed the tectonic and environmental history of the Andes, and the major biogeographic patterns in South America. Second, I reviewed Antarctic and Southern Hemisphere paleoenvironments, putative refugia, colonisation routes, molecular and biogeographic studies, and found strong evidence supporting the role of Antarctica as a source of global cold-hardy biodiversity. Third, I developed universal protocols to purify mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Using these methods, I uncovered nuclear pseudogenes, true mtDNA heteroplasmy, and possible hybridisation between seedsnipe lineages. Fourth, I investigated geographic patterns in seedsnipe morphology in four species. I also investigated the relationships of ecogeographic variables related to cold on morphology. I found strong and significant regional differences particularly in the smaller Thinocorus species, including an effect of the high Central Andes. Altitude, latitude, and wind (the effect of cold) have shaped seedsnipe morphology; Thinocoridae as a group generally support Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules. Fifth, based on phylogeographic and phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA and hemoglobin sequences, a putative southern origin for seedsnipes was supported, and an early origin in alpine habitats is suggested. Sixth, I compared data on Andean uplift and glaciation in South America, and found concordance between seedsnipe diversity, known areas of endemism in other taxa, and paleoenvironmental history. Finally, I briefly examined molecular evolution in hemoglobins and mtDNA and found preliminary evidence of adaptations to high altitude (hemoglobins) and to cold (mtDNA and hemoglobins). In summary, an Antarctic ancestor for seedsnipes, pre-adapted for life in the Andes, is supported. Antarctica may have contributed a great proportion of cold-hardy biodiversity to the South and globally.

abstract: PhD


title: Calling for resistance: The political economy of Indian and Canadian call centre industries

contributor:
Mosco, Vincent
Sociology

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

subject:
sociology
call centres
labour
political economy

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-18 11:21:44.794

abstract:
Call centres have in the last three decades come to define the interaction between
corporations, governments, and other institutions and their respective customers, citizens, and members. From telemarketing to tele-health services, to credit card assistance, and even emergency response systems, call centres function as a nexus mediating technologically enabled labour practices with the commodification of services. Because of the ubiquitous nature of the call centre in post-industrial capitalism, the banality of these interactions often overshadows the nature of work and labour in this now-global
sector. Advances in telecommunication technologies and the globalization of
management practices designed to oversee and maintain standardized labour processes
have made call centre work an international phenomenon. Simultaneously, these
developments have dislocated assumptions about the geographic and spatial seat of work in what is defined here as the new international division of knowledge labour. The offshoring and outsourcing of call centre employment, part of the larger information technology and information technology enabled services sectors, has become a growing practice amongst governments and corporations in their attempts at controlling costs.
Leading offshore destinations for call centre work, such as Canada and India, emerged as prominent locations for call centre work for these reasons. While incredible advances in
technology have permitted the use of distant and “offshore” labour forces, the grander
reshaping of an international political economy of communications has allowed for the acceleration of these processes. New and established labour unions have responded to
these changes in the global regimes of work by seeking to organize call centre workers. These efforts have been assisted by a range of forces, not least of which is the condition of work itself, but also attempts by global union federations to build a bridge between international unionism and local organizing campaigns in the Global South and Global North. Through an examination of trade union interventions in the call centre industries located in Canada and India, this dissertation contributes to research on post-industrial employment by using political economy as a juncture between development studies, critical communications, and labour studies.

abstract: I wish to prepare several of the chapters as article publications in peer reviewed journals. It is also my intent to transform the dissertation into a book manuscript.

abstract: PhD


title: Encapsulation of Protein Microfiber Networks Supporting Pancreatic Islets

contributor:
Neufeld, Ronald J.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Gelatin
Bioencapsulation
Genipin
Microparticle
Pancreatic Islets
Microfiber
Alginate

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-18 15:05:50.917

abstract:
A method was developed to produce and incorporate a network of discrete, genipin-crosslinked
gelatin microfibers around a pancreatic islet within a barium alginate microcapsule. This
technique allows for the encapsulation of a porous fibrous matrix without the geometrical
restrictions required for cellular aggregate seeding. Microfibers were produced from a novel
vortex-drawn extrusion system with an alginate support matrix. Optimization culminated in a
hydrated fiber diameter of 22.3 ± 0.4 μm, a 98% reduction in cross sectional area, while making
the process more reliable and less labour intensive. The optimized microfibers were encapsulated
at 40 vol% within 294 ± 4 μm 1.6% barium alginate microparticles by an electrostatic-mediated
dropwise extrusion system. Pancreatic islets extracted from Sprague Dawley rats were
encapsulated within the microparticles, and analyzed over a 21-day preliminary in vitro study.
Acridine orange and propidium iodide fluorescent viability staining and light microscopy
indicated a significant increase in viability for the fiber-laden particles relative to fiber-free
control particles at days 7, 14, and 21. The fiber-laden system also reduced the incidence of
disrupted islet cohesion from 31% to 8% at day 21, and showed evidence of islet-fiber adhesion.
Preliminary investigations into insulin secretion and metabolic activity showed no significant
difference between test and control groups. Further investigation into benefits of islet
encapsulation within an extracellular matrix fiber network will be the subject of future studies
with this body of work serving as a foundation.
The system developed in this investigation could be developed into a modular scaffold system for
tissue engineering beyond the field of islet research.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Design improvements to in vitro gastrointestinal models to evaluate effectiveness of insulin encapsulation in nanoparticles

subject:
oral insulin delivery
nanoparticles

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-19 19:29:52.804

abstract: The goal of this study was to develop a model of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) to be used for in vitro testing of oral insulin delivery devices.  The method and intensity of mixing and effects of gastrointestinal fluids with and without enzymes were evaluated.  Comparisons were made between an actively mixed simulator and a passively mixed simulator, where the actively mixed simulator is a magnetically stirred flask while the passively mixed simulator is a flexible container on a rocking stage.  Slower mixing times and larger time constants for mixing were seen for the passively mixed simulator during a pH tracer experiment.  Release studies were performed with several oral insulin delivery device models to evaluate the effects of different mixing techniques on insulin release.  In all cases, the more intense mixing of the actively mixed simulator resulted in more insulin release.  When using a nanoparticle model in intestinal fluid for example, 100% insulin release was observed in the actively mixed simulator while only 53% was released in the passively mixed simulator after 1 hour.  Trypsin and pepsin were used to determine the ability of a drug delivery device to protect insulin from enzymatic degradation in which trypsin was added to simulated intestinal fluid and pepsin was added to simulated gastric fluid.  Premature insulin release and insulin denaturation at body temperature occurred in the intestinal fluid so the protective effects against trypsin were unable to be effectively evaluated.  An increase in insulin loss from 70% to 95% was detected in the presence of pepsin compared to gastric fluid without enzymes in the actively mixed simulator, indicating that acid hydrolysis of insulin as well as protease attack by pepsin will impact the behavior of an insulin delivery device.  An improvement in insulin retention was observed in the passively mixed simulator.  After 1 hour, insulin retained was increased from 4% in the actively mixed simulator to 10% in the passively mixed simulator, and after 2 hours, this increase was 2% to 7%.  Premature insulin release from the delivery device, acid hydrolysis, temperature denaturation, and enzymatic degradation are factors limiting the effectiveness of oral insulin.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Electrophysiological Comparison of NaV1.5 Expressed in HEK293 Cells to Native NaV Currents in Cardiac Myocytes

contributor:
Ward, Christopher Andrew
Physiology

subject:
Cardiac
Reperfusion Injury
Hydrogen Peroxide
Sodium

abstract: Thesis (Master, Physiology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-19 14:46:42.665

abstract:
Contraction of cardiac muscle is a highly regulated event that relies on a delicate balance of ions entering and leaving the cell through ion channels. In particular, voltage gated sodium channels are responsible for the rapid depolarization that leads to a contraction. During an oxidative challenge, sodium channels rapidly activate, but do not fully turn off. This alters the rate of cardiac repolarization and can induce cardiac arrhythmias. It is currently unknown whether the most common sodium channel isoform found in the heart, NaV1.5, generates this oxidant-induced persistent current or if other isoforms are responsible. Therefore, I sought to further explore the biophysical properties NaV1.5, and determine if it can enter this persistent mode.
I tested the biophysical properties of native INa in cardiac myocytes and in NaV1.5 transfected HEK293 cells under macro cell-attached voltage-clamp. I used a sodium channel enhancer (Anemonia sulcata toxin II; 10 nM), a sodium channel blocker (tetrodotoxin; 10 nM) and a model of oxidative stress (H2O2; 100 µM, 200 µM, 1000 µM) to compare and contrast the cellular responses between both cell types. I observed that transfected HEK293 cells and cardiac myocytes were unaffected by H2O2 at various concentrations. Given the lack of other isoforms in transfected HEK293 cells, and the low abundance (<5%) of other isoforms in cardiac myocytes, I propose that NaV1.5 function is unaffected by H2O2. Furthermore, ATX II prolonged the inactivation process in both HEK293 cells and cardiac myocytes in a voltage-dependent manner, indicating that NaV1.5 can give rise to persistent sodium current.  Finally, by comparing both cell types under control settings, I found that transfected HEK293 cells inactivated at a much slower rate and at more negative potentials compared to the current in cardiac myocytes. My results suggest that NaV1.5 does not underlie oxidant-induced persistent current and that β subunits likely play a significant role in the inactivation process.

abstract: Work is currently being submitted for publication.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: In Vivo Phosphorylation of Bacterial–Type Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase From Developing Castor Oil Seeds at Threonine-4 and Serine-451

contributor:
Plaxton, William C.
Biology

subject: PEPC Phosphorylation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-22 19:05:03.077

abstract:
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is a tightly controlled anaplerotic enzyme situated at a pivotal branchpoint of plant C-metabolism. Plant genomes encode several closely related plant-type PEPC (PTPC) isozymes, and a distantly related bacterial-type PEPC (BTPC). Two physically and kinetically distinct oligomeric classes of PEPC occur in the endosperm of developing castor oil seeds (COS). Class-1 PEPC is a typical homotetramer composed of 107-kDa PTPC subunits, whereas the novel 910-kDa Class-2 PEPC hetero-octameric complex arises from a tight interaction between Class-1 PEPC and 118-kDa bacterial-type PEPC (BTPC) subunits. BTPC functions as a catalytic and regulatory subunit of the allosterically-desensitized Class-2 PEPC, hypothesized to support PEP-flux to malate for leucoplast fatty acid synthesis. Previous studies established that BTPC: (i) subunits of COS Class-2 PEPC are phosphorylated at multiple sites in vivo and (ii) phosphorylation at Ser425 provides a new tier of enzyme control in developing COS. LC MS/MS and LTQ-FT MS identified Thr4 and Ser451 as additional in vivo phosphorylation sites of immunopurified COS BTPC (corresponding to acidophilic and basophilic protein kinase consensus sequences, respectively). Immunoblots probed with a phosphorylation-site specific antibody raised against a synthetic phosphopeptide indicated that Ser451 phosphorylation is promoted during seed development, becoming maximal in stage VII (full cotyledon) COS. Although several pThr4 containing BTPC peptides were non-immunogenic, the collective results indicate that Thr4 is also phosphorylated in vivo. Kinetic effects of each phosphorylation site were examined using phospho-mimetic mutants of heterologously expressed COS BTPC. BTPC’s phosphorylation at Ser451 appears to be inhibitory, as reflected by significantly increased
Km(PEP) values, and reduced I50(malate) and I50(Asp) values of a S451D mutant. By contrast, kinetic characterization of a T4D phosphomimetic mutant indicated that Thr4 phosphorylation is not regulatory in nature. However, Thr4 exists in a conserved forkhead-associated (FHA) binding domain (pTXXD) that has received considerable prominence as a phospho-Thr dependent protein interaction module. These results further our understanding of multisite phosphorylation of BTPC in developing COS and its possible contribution to the control of Class-2 PEPC activity.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Clinical validation of the Walking Impairment Questionnaire in patients with peripheral arterial disease: defining high and low walking performance values

contributor:
Tranmer, Joan E.
Brown, Peter
Pickett, William
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Peripheral arterial disease
Vascular
Epidemiology
Validation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-25 13:03:34.694

abstract:
Objective: The validity of the Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ) as a clinical tool for use by clinicians in the conservative management of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has not been well established.  The objective of this study was to determine the validity of the WIQ as a tool to identify high and low walking ability (performance) in patients with PAD.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study and enrolled 132 new and existing PAD patients who consecutively attended the vascular clinic at Kingston General Hospital between May 2010 and May 2011.  Patients with an Ankle Brachial Index ≤0.9 were approached for study inclusion.  Participants were excluded if they had (a) severe ischemia requiring intervention; (b) comorbid conditions that limited walking (angina, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or severe arthritis); (c) wheel chair, cane or walker requirement; (d) non-compressible arteries; and/or (e) severe cognitive impairment.  Walking performance was assessed with the Walking Impairment Questionnaire (surrogate measure) and a standardized graded treadmill test (gold standard measure).  Other study variables were obtained via questionnaire (age, sex, comorbid conditions and smoking status) or direct measurement (weight, height, waist circumference).
Results: 123 patients completed the treadmill test (70.7% males, mean age of 66.5 and mean ABI of 0.6 with range 0-0.9).  The scores on the WIQ ranged from 0 to 100 and absolute claudication distance (ACD) ranged from 0.03 to 0.98 miles.  All WIQ subscale and overall scores were positively and moderately associated with the ACD (r values 0.63 to 0.68, p<0.05).  Based on the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics curve analysis, an overall WIQ score of 42.5 or less identified low performers (sensitivity 0.9, specificity 0.7, area under the curve 0.89) while a combined distance and stair score of 75.5 or more identified high performers (sensitivity 0.4, specificity 0.9, area under the curve 0.81).
Conclusions: Based on these findings, the WIQ, an easily administered self-report questionnaire, and the cutoffs identified could be used to quantify and classify walking ability in PAD patients, making this a potentially useful tool for clinicians to manage PAD patients.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Photochromic N,C-Chelate 4-Coordinate Organoboron Compounds

contributor:
Wang, Suning
Chemistry

subject: Photochromic, organoboron, N,C-chelate, heterocyclic

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-22 11:50:50.811

abstract:
The objective of this thesis is to prepare new photochromic N,C-chelate four-coordinate organoboron compounds and investigate their photophysical and photochemical properties.
Phenylpyridine-based organoboron compound (PhPyBMes2) was prepared and studied with NMR, X-ray, and UV-Vis. Experimental and theoretical results established that PhPyBMes2 is photochromic and the photoisomerization process involves a reversible intramolecular C-C bond formation/breaking. The structure of the dark colored isomer of PhPyBMes2 was established by 2D NMR experiments and computational studies. The discovery of the photochromic behavior of PhPyBMes2 led to the investigation of other phenylpyridine-based organoboron compounds.
 A series of substituted PhPyBMes2 compounds were synthesized with substituents on the phenyl ring or the pyridine ring of the N,C-chelate. Two other compounds were synthesized by substituting the mesityl rings in PhPyBMes2 with phenyl or pentaflurophenyl rings. The photophysical and photochemical properties of these compounds were studied by NMR, UV-Vis, and DFT/TD-DFT. The studies established that the steric hindrance imposed by the mesityl groups and the nature of substituents on the N,C-chelate  have substantial effects on the photoisomerization process.
New organoboron compounds based on N,C-chelates other than phenylpyridine were prepared and their photochemical and photophysical properties studied using NMR, UV-Vis, and DFT/TD-DFT. The phenyl group in the N,C-chelate was replaced by TMS-furan, TMS-thiophene, benzofuran, benzothiophene, and N-phenyl pyridylindole groups. The conducted studies show that these new compounds have photochromic properties similar to those of phenylpyridine-based compounds. Crystals of the dark isomer of the N-phenyl pyridylindole organoboron compound were successfully grown and the structure of the dark isomer was determined by X-ray diffraction.
New organoboron compounds based on phenyl-benzoxazole and phenyl-benzothiazole have been also prepared and studied. The photoisomerization of these compounds is similar to the other N,C-chelate organoboron compounds but their thermal behavior is different.

abstract: PhD


title: Embeddings of flag manifolds and cohomological components of modules

contributor:
Dimitrov, Ivan
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Representation theory
Mathematics

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-23 11:55:57.845

abstract:
This thesis is a study in Representation Theory and Geometry. These two branches of mathematics have a fruitful interaction, with many applications to Physics and other sciences. Central objects of interest are homogeneous spaces and their symmetry groups. The geometric and analytic properties of homogeneous spaces relate to the structure and representation theory of the corresponding groups. The focus of this work is on certain representation theoretic phenomena related to equivariant embeddings of homogeneous spaces.

The Borel-Weil-Bott theorem, a milestone in Representation Theory and Geometry, provides realizations for every irreducible module of a semisimple complex Lie group as various cohomology spaces of homogeneous vector bundles on flag manifolds of the group. The purpose of this dissertation is to initiate a study of the behaviour of the Borel-Weil-Bott construction under pullbacks along equivariant embeddings of flag manifolds. These pullbacks provide certain geometric branching rules for representations. This is where the notion of a cohomological component arises from.

The central result of the dissertation is a criterion for nonvanishing of the pullback. The framework used for the formulation and proof of the result is Kostant's theory of Lie algebra cohomology. After the general criterion is established, various specializations and applications are presented: special classes of embeddings are considered, for which the criterion takes simpler forms; relations are established between pullbacks along embeddings of complete and partial flag manifolds; properties of the set of cohomological components are obtained; various examples are considered, the most interesting of which is related to the theory of invariants of semisimple Lie algebras.

abstract: PhD


title: Pulsed RF Circuits for Ultra Wideband Communications and Radar Applications

contributor:
Saavedra, Carlos E.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject: Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits

subject: Ultra Wideband

subject: Communications

subject: Radar

subject: CMOS

subject: Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-23 15:29:58.93

abstract:
This thesis explores the design of fast-settling pulse generators and pulsed low noise amplifiers (LNAs) for Ultra-Wideband (UWB) applications. These components are critical in pulsed UWB transceivers, and a high energy efficiency is sought without adversely affecting RF performance and functionality. To this end, new pulse generators with a subnanosecond settling time and a low energy consumption of only a few picojoules per pulse are targeted. Moreover, a novel pulsed LNA is investigated for a low power consumption that can be scaled with the duty cycle.

First, an energy-efficient tunable pulse generator is proposed for high-data-rate 3.1-10.6 GHz UWB applications. A current-starved ring oscillator is quickly switched on and off, and the amplitude envelope is shaped using a passive attenuator. The energy consumption per pulse is below 4.2 pJ while the pulse amplitude is 150 mV, yielding a high energy efficiency.

A quadrature pulse generator is then presented for 22-29 GHz UWB applications with a settling time below 0.5 ns. An inductor-capacitor (LC) oscillator is quickly switched on and off with a new technique, and the amplitude envelope is shaped using a variable passive attenuator. The energy consumption per pulse is only 6.2 pJ, and the pulse amplitude is more than 240 mV, yielding the highest energy efficiency reported to date in CMOS.

Next, a 3-10 GHz pulsed ring oscillator that offers direct quadrature phase modulation is demonstrated. Current impulses are injected into the oscillator to enable fast startup and implement quadrature phase modulation. The energy consumption and voltage swing varies from 13 pJ and 300 mV at 3 GHz to 18 pJ and 200 mV at 10 GHz respectively, yielding a high energy efficiency.

Lastly, a fast switching noise cancelling LNA is proposed for 3.1-10.6 GHz UWB applications that settles within 1.3 ns for switching speeds as high as 200 MHz. Inductive peaking is introduced in the noise cancelling topology to achieve a sub-4dB flat noise figure and a high gain of 16.6 dB for frequencies up to 10 GHz. The average power consumption is also below 10 mW with a 50% duty cycle clock.

abstract: PhD


title: Inertial Sensors in Estimating Spatio-Temporal Parameters of Walking: Performance Evaluation and Error Analysis

contributor:
Li, Qingguo
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
stroke
gait analysis
biomechanics
kinematics
inertial sensor
gait asymmetry
walking speed

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-23 19:38:16.965

abstract: The portability, ease of use and improved accuracy of miniature inertial sensors brought by current microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology has inspired researchers to develop human movement monitoring system with body-fixed sensors. Although a large number of studies have attempted to explore the use of miniature inertial sensors in estimating walking speed for the past two decades, there still remain some questions regarding applying inertial sensors in estimating walking speed under different walking conditions and for different subject populations. In this thesis, I focus on evaluating and improving the performance of a shank-mounted mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU) based walking speed estimation method. My research can be divided into four parts. The first part was a systematic review regarding the state of the art of current development of the inertial sensor based walking speed estimation method. A total of 16 articles were fully reviewed in terms of sensor specification, sensor attachment location, experimental design and spatial parameter estimation algorithm. In the second part, a comprehensive performance evaluation was conducted, which included the treadmill and overground walking experiments with constraint on the walking speed, stride length and stride frequency. A systematic error was observed in the error analysis of this study, which was adjusted by subtracting the bias by linear regression. In the third part, a post-stroke subject overground walking experiment was carried out with an improved walking speed estimation method that reduced the systematic error caused by previous false initial speed assumption. In addition to walking speed estimation, the gait asymmetry for post-stroke hemiparetic gait was also evaluated with the proposed method. The last part was the sensor error model analysis. We elaborately analyzed and discussed the estimation errors involved in this method in order to completely understand the sensor error compensation in walking speed estimation algorithm design. Two existing sensor error models and one newly developed sensor error model were compared with the treadmill walking experiment, which demonstrated the effect of each sensor error component on the estimation result and the importance of the sensor error model selection.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Impact of RNA Viruses on the Regulation of IL-23 in Mouse and Human Models of Infection

contributor:
Gee, Katrina
Microbiology and Immunology

subject:
Virus
Interleukin-23 (IL-23)

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Microbiology & Immunology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-24 07:52:24.898

abstract: Interluekin-23 (IL-23) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine critical to the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. The main role for this cytokine is in the proliferation and differentiation of the IL-17 producing CD4 T helper cell, Th17. Virus infection deregulates IL-23 expression and function, but little is known about the mechanism behind this phenomena. Here, I demonstrate a reduction of Toll like receptor (TLR) ligand-induced IL-23 expression in lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-infected bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs), indicating that a function of these cells is disrupted during virus infection. I propose a mechanism of TLR ligand-induced IL-23 expression inhibition upon LCMV infection via the deactivation of p38, AP-1, and NF-κB. Further analysis revealed a direct relationship between LCMV infection with the IL-10 and SOCS3 expression. To understand IL-23 function, I characterized IL-23-induced JAK/STAT signalling pathway and IL-23 receptor expression on human CD4 T cells. My results demonstrate that IL-23 induces activation of p-JAK2, p-Tyk2, p-STAT1, p-STAT3, and p-STAT4 in CD4 T cells. For the first time I show that IL-23 alone induces the expression of its own receptor components, IL-12Rβ1 and IL-23Rα, in CD4 T cells. Blocking JAK2, STAT1, and STAT3 activation with specific inhibitors detrimentally effected expression of IL-23 receptor demonstrating that activation of JAK/STAT signalling is important for IL-23 receptor expression. I also addressed the effect of viral infection on IL-23 function and receptor expression in CD4 T cells using cells isolated from HIV positive individuals. These studies were based on earlier reports that the expression of IL-23 and the IL-23 receptor are impaired during HIV infection. I demonstrate that the phosphorylation of JAK2, STAT1, and STAT3 induced by IL-23, as well as IL-23 receptor expression are deregulated in CD4 T cells isolated from HIV positive individuals. This study has furthered the understanding of how the expression and function of IL-23 is regulated during viral infections.

abstract: Chapter 2 and chapter 3 are still in preparation to be submitted for publication.

abstract: PhD


title: Biomechanical and physical requirements of stair negotiation with respect to aging and stroke

contributor:
Brouwer, Brenda
Rehabilitation Science

subject:
Rehabilitation Science
Biomechanics

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-25 09:24:26.106

abstract:
The ability to safely and efficiently negotiate stairs is an essential skill for independent ambulation. To date, basic research to identify biomechanical and physical costs is limited in older adults. In persons with stroke, this aspect of mobility is virtually unexplored. The main objective of this thesis was to investigate biomechanical alterations during stair negotiation and to evaluate the physical costs of the task in older adults and persons with stroke. This was approached by conducting four studies.  The first study identified age-related alterations in joint kinetics during stair negotiation. The results showed age-related differences in moment magnitudes, an exaggerated net support moment and sustained abductor moments through stance. To gain insight into these adaptive changes with respect to mechanical efficiency, the second study evaluated age-related changes in mechanical energy transfers during stair negotiation. During ascent, older adults achieve similar efficiencies as young adults by slowing their cadence. During descent, age-related differences in mechanical energy expenditures and related variances in mechanical energy compensation coefficients reflect a loss in mechanical efficiency. The impact was likely the provision of enhanced extensor support and stability. The results also highlight a functional role for concentric energy expenditures during descent. The third study provided a detailed biomechanical description of stair negotiation in people with stroke, revealing important differences in how stroke survivors manage stairs and how handrail use modifies the magnitudes of lower limb joint moments. The fourth study evaluated the strength and aerobic requirement of stair ambulation in persons with stroke. The findings reveal increased costs of the task, primarily due to reduced neuromuscular and aerobic capacities and serve to identify factors that may be limiting during stair negotiation.
This thesis provides new information regarding movement control in older adults during stair negotiation, providing a normative benchmark of age-related alterations in movement patterns. In persons with stroke, this work is the first to quantify the biomechanical patterns and physical requirements of stair negotiation. Future work may extend these findings to explore mobility challenges in persons with greater levels of impairment as well as guide the development of targeted and task oriented rehabilitation programs.

abstract: PhD


title: Dispossessing bare life: Towards a theoretical framework for examining power relations through economic development at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

contributor:
King, Samantha J.
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Power relations
International development
Sport mega events

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-25 12:25:02.401

abstract: In the past twenty years an increasing number of Global South nations have vied for the rights to host prestigious and expensive sport mega events. This trend requires significant reflection given the enormous economic costs of these events, which often produce little capital gain for the host nation (Whitson & Horne, 2006). Furthermore, sport mega events are often utilized for their symbolic capital (Belanger, 2009), which sometimes manifests through forcing people from their land for the sake of “beautification” (Davis, 2006). In this project, then, I asked how technologies of power were utilized by FIFA, corporate stakeholders, and the South African government to control people who were marginal to, or impeded the success of, the World Cup in Nelspruit, South Africa. This project consisted of two parts: the first involved constructing a theoretical framework for better understanding power as it operates through sport mega events in general. To this end I employed Marxian notions of the ordering of physical space, Foucauldian conceptions of sovereignty and governmentality, and Agamben’s (1998) state of exception to determine how particular bodies are constituted and controlled through sport mega events. In the second part, I applied this theoretical framework to the events in South Africa to better elucidate how people became displaced and killed because of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I used South African popular news and documentaries as empirical evidence and conducted a discursive analysis of said news media. Through this coverage it became apparent that the mega event created the conditions in which new forms of rogue sovereign partnerships could arise through a historically and spatially contingent process of capitalism. The rogue sovereigns’ para-juridico-political orders, the discourses and practices of accumulation by dispossession as a tactic and effect of govermentality, and other historical non-capital subjectivities such as racial identity, all contributed to constituting Agamben’s state of exception in which people could be displaced, killed or left to die in the events surrounding the World Cup.

abstract: I would like to restrict this thesis to protect rights to commercial publication, as I will be publishing various material from this document over the next couple of years.

abstract: M.A.


title: The Influence of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on the Cross-Priming of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Nucleoprotein

contributor:
Basta, Sameh
Microbiology and Immunology

subject: 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3

subject: Cross presentation

subject: 1,25-(OH)2D3

subject: Cross priming

abstract: Thesis (Master, Microbiology & Immunology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 14:53:18.766

abstract: Biologically active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) binds the vitamin D receptor (VDR) to exert its effect on target cells. VDR expression is found in a number of immune cells including professional antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells.  It has been found that the actions of 1,25-(OH)2D3 on the immune system are mainly immunosuppressive.  The cross-presentation pathway allows for exogenously derived antigens to be presented by pAPCs on MHC-I molecules to CD8+ T cells.  CD8+ T cell activation results in the expansion of epitope-specific T cell populations that confer host protection. These epitopes can be organized into an immunodominance hierarchy.  Previous work demonstrated that introducing LCMV-NP via the cross-priming pathway significantly alters the immunodominance hierarchy of a subsequent LCMV infection.  Building upon these observations, our study assessed the effects of LCMV-NP cross priming in the presence of a single dose of 1,25-(OH)2D3.  Treatment with 1,25-(OH)2D3 was found to have biological effects in our model system.  In vitro pAPCs were demonstrated to up-regulate IL-10 and CYP24A1 mRNA, in addition to the transactivation of cellular VDR, as demonstrated by a relocalization to the nuclear region.  Mice treated with 1,25-(OH)2D3 were found to produce up-regulated IL-10 and CYP24A1 transcripts.  Expression of VDR was increased at both the transcript and protein level.  Our results demonstrate that a single dose of 1,25-(OH)2D3 does not affect the cross-priming pathway in this system.  Treatment with 1,25-(OH)2D3 did not influence the ability of differentiated pAPCs to phagocytose or cross-present exogenous antigen to epitope-specific CD8+ T cells.  Furthermore, 1,25-(OH)2D3  did not alter cross-priming or the establishment of the LCMV immunodominance hierarchy in vivo.  By confirming that 1,25-(OH)2D3  does not suppress cross-priming in our model,  our study helps to expand the understanding of the immunomodulatory role of exogenous 1,25-(OH)2D3 on the outcome of virus infection. Collectively, our data supports the observation that the role of 1,25-(OH)2D3 in the immune system is not always associated with suppressive effects.

abstract: In the process of prepaing a manuscript for submission based on this work.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Man-Made Messages: Investigating the influence of health messaging on men's physical activity behaviours

contributor:
Latimer, Amy
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Physical activity
Messages
Risk
Efficacy
Extended parallel process model
Men
Health

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-30 17:32:12.392

abstract: Men engage in fewer health-promoting behaviours than women.  Despite being more active than women, the majority of men are inactive.  Physical activity (PA) decreases the risk of developing numerous chronic conditions and may be an optimal behaviour to target in men’s health interventions.  However, informational resources and health-promotion interventions for men are lacking.  To address this gap, we conducted two studies using the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM; Witte, 1992) as a guiding framework.  Study 1 examined relevant and appealing health message content for men and explored the relevance and applicability of EPPM constructs to men’s health messages and PA messages in particular.  Four semi-structured focus groups and four semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted.  Participants (n=26) easily related to the EPPM constructs.  Participants preferred demographically-tailored health messages that addressed modifiable behaviours (e.g. PA) and self-regulatory strategies (e.g. planning) and included reputable sources, strong language, and sex appeal.  From these findings, four sets of PA messages with different combinations of risk and efficacy information were developed.  Study 2 tested the effectiveness of these EPPM-based messages to increase men’s PA intentions and behaviours.  Inactive participants (n=353) were randomly assigned to one of four message groups and read four health messages over four consecutive days.  Intentions were assessed at baseline and the first follow-up (Day 5) while manipulation check items were assessed at Day 5.  PA behaviour was assessed at baseline and the second follow-up (Day 14).  Men who received low efficacy and risk information were less likely to meet the Canadian PA guidelines at Day 14 than men who only received low efficacy information (OR=2.15 95% CI:0.963-4.80, Wald=3.49, p=0.062).  Providing risk information led to increases in PA behaviours (F(1, 157)=7.29, p=0.008, d=.22).  Intentions to be active were greater in the high efficacy group than the low efficacy group (F(1, 345)=4.10, p=0.044, d=.21).  Bivariate correlations indicated a disconnect between fear and efficacy perceptions, intentions, and defensive avoidance.  From these collective findings, we provide insight into the EPPM as it relates to men’s PA behaviours, propose preliminary recommendations regarding the development of PA messages for men, and suggest areas for future research.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A Psychosocial Model of Disability in Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome

contributor:
Tripp, Dean A.
Psychology

subject: Disability

subject: Catastrophizing

subject: Social Support

subject: Pain

subject: Structural Equation Modeling

subject: Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome

subject: Negative Affect

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 14:18:29.478

abstract: Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome (IC/PBS) is a persistent and refractory medical condition that is characterized by chronic pelvic pain along with abnormal urinary frequency and urgency. There is no widely accepted etiology or efficacious cure for IC/PBS, thus treatment often relies on pain and symptom management. IC/PBS is associated with strong functional disability but theoretical models of disability have yet to be tested with these patients. As well, psychosocial factors associated with various IC/PBS outcomes (i.e., depression, catastrophizing, social support) are also associated with disability in a variety of chronic painful medical conditions but remain untested in disability models for IC/PBS. Thus, this research evaluated psychosocial factors as potential mediators of disability within the Disablement Process Model. Female patients diagnosed with IC/PBS by a urologist in a tertiary care hospitals were recruited (n=196; females). In using structural equation modeling of a final IC/PBS disability model, negative affect and catastrophizing were found to be partial mediators on the relationship between impairments and functional disability and social support was not a significant mediator of disability. Negative affect and catastrophizing may be key psychosocial factors in IC/PBS disability. Research implications for the Disablement Process Model and potential clinical interventions are discussed in light of the current findings.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Topological Prosperity:  Tracing the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America

contributor:
Mosco, Vincent
Murakami-Wood, David
Sociology

subject:
Surveillance
North America
Borders
Power Elite
Political Economy

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-28 15:18:47.858

abstract: This thesis synthesizes theoretical and methodological insights of actor-network theory with the political economy of communication in order to trace the history of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, 2005-2009. The purpose is to demonstrate how a power elite of transnational corporate actants are increasingly structuring transnational border policy, encouraging the deployment of ubiquitous surveillance technology and the liberalization of transborder data flows and markets, primarily for the purposes of maximizing capital accumulation, ideological legitimation and the suppression of resistance. This hybridization of state and corporate actants exemplifies how prosperity partnerships and other similar informal working groups are increasingly being used as powerful vehicles for mobilizing the private sector into influencing border policies throughout North America, effectively creating powerful socio-technical scenarios for influencing global markets. The argument advanced is that borders are increasingly becoming topological spaces which unevenly distributed objects and people across various networks and flows, in turn re-shaping urban landscapes towards private interests. As such, topological prosperity entails configuring networked infrastructures and spaces such as borders and airports in ways which favour particular socio-economic groups, primarily an ascending global economic elite.

abstract: M.A.


title: Schooling the Body as Venture Capital: A Genealogy of Sport as a Modern Technology of Perfection, Domination and Political Economy

contributor:
Beamish, Rob
Sociology

subject: Sport, Body, Modernity, Genealogy, Foucault, Rose

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 13:43:27.429

abstract:
From a normative perspective, sport is often viewed as a form of benign entertainment and an optimal vehicle for health and community development devoid of political bias. This thesis examines the way sport has been constructed and mobilized as an instrument of neoliberalism, especially through a nexus of biopedagogies that instruct ways of knowing, ordering and conditioning bodies. Historically, sport's instrumental role to the politics of governance similarly continues to be a powerful way and useful vehicle to exercise dominance and mastery over one's own body, nature and others. Building upon the work of Michel Foucault and Nikolas Rose, I contend that psy-prefixed disciplines that surfaced from Western capitalism play a distinct role in mobilizing sport to reconfigure the body in such a way that it serves political economic goals.
	This thesis offers a sociological approach to critically examine the disciplining of the body through sport with the intent to foster moral development, social inclusion and peace-building according to a neoliberal framework of health. Drawing from Foucault’s work as a kind of theoretical toolbox to inform a geneaology, with some archaeological examples, of the biocitizen as he or she has been made a useful subject of neoliberal health. This geneaology addresses the shifts and splits in the human sciences that have contributed to the ubiquity of psy- practices and disciplining techniques that shape the youth education of bodies, movement and physicality. Foucault’s notion of “dividing practices” and the relational interdependency of what is constructed as normal or deviant, reveals a co-dependent producing of the self and its normalization as well as the problematizing and policing of the “other.” These systems of difference undermine the diversity of physical cultures and practices while also creating a binary oriented approach to healthism discourses, which effectively order, dominate and subordinate specific bodies, thereby furthering networks of inequality and exclusion. Finally, the last section turns to the period of modern aestheticism, theatre performance and critical pedagogy in order to rethink possibilities of sport beyond the present limits of the competitive capitalist rubric that shapes body knowledges and practices in current physical education.

abstract: M.A.


title: Enabling Ultra Large-Scale Radio Identification Systems

contributor:
Hassanein, Hossam S.
Computing

subject:
deployment
Distributed Systems
RFID
Anti-collision
Coverage
Internet of things
Wireless Sensor Network

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-30 23:41:02.937

abstract:
Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) is growing prominence as an automated identification technology able to turn everyday objects into an ad-hoc network of mobile nodes; which can  track, trigger events and perform actions. Energy scavenging and backscattering techniques are the foundation of low-cost identification solutions for RFIDs. The performance of these two techniques, being wireless, significantly depends on the underlying communication architecture and affect the overall operation of RFID systems. Current RFID systems are based on a centralized master-slave architecture hindering the overall performance, scalability and usability. Several proposals have aimed at improving performance at the physical, medium access, and application layers. Although such proposals achieve significant performance gains in terms of reading range and reading rates, they require significant changes in both software and hardware architectures while bounded by inherited performance bottlenecks, i.e., master-slave architecture. Performance constraints need to be addressed in order to further facilitate RFID adoption; especially for ultra large scale applications such as Internet of Things.

A natural approach is re-thinking the distributed communication architecture of RFID systems; wherein control and data tasks are decoupled from a central authority and dispersed amongst spatially distributed low-power wireless devices. The distributed architecture, by adjusting the tag's reflectivity coefficient creates micro interrogation zones which are interrogated in parallel. We investigate this promising direction in order to significantly increase the reading rates and reading range of RFID tags, and also to enhance overall system scalability. We address the problems of energy-efficient tag singulations, optimal power control schemes and load aware reader placement algorithms for RFID systems. We modify the conventional set cover approximation algorithm to determine the minimal number of RFID readers with minimal overlapping and balanced number of tags amongst them. We show, via extensive simulation analysis, that our approach has the potential to increase the performance of RFID technology and hence, to enable RFID systems for ultra large scale applications.

abstract: PhD


title: Don’t Touch: Social Appropriateness of Touch Sensor Placement on Interactive Lumalive E-Textile Shirts

contributor:
Vertegaal, Roel
Computing

subject:
Lumalive Display
Interactive E-Textile
Social Touch
Wearable Computing

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 16:27:36.37

abstract:
We discuss the design of an e-textile shirt with an interactive Lumalive display featuring a touch-controlled image browser. To determine where to place touch sensors, we investigated which areas of the Lumalive shirt users would be comfortable touching or being touched. We did so by measuring how often participants would opt out of touches. Results show signiﬁcant diﬀerences in opt-outs between touch zones on the front of the shirt. For both touchers and touchees, opt-outs occurred mostly in the upper chest touch zone. We also found signiﬁcant diﬀerences in comfort ratings between touch zones on the front as well as on the back of the shirt. On the front, the
upper chest and lower abdominal zones were the least comfortable touch zones. We found no gender eﬀects on overall comfort ratings, suggesting the upper chest area
was equally uncomfortable to males as it was to females. Interestingly, touching some areas rated as most uncomfortable produced a signiﬁcantly greater calming eﬀect on heart rate. Findings suggest participants were less comfortable with touches on the upper chest, the lower abdomen, and the lower back. We conclude that the most appropriate areas for touch sensors on a shirt are on the arms and shoulders, as well as on the upper back. Based on these ﬁndings, we created an interactive shirt for
a proximity-based game of tag using Lumalive e-textile displays. This custom shirt features touch sensors located on the shoulder and lower arm regions of the shirt.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Unter Dem Deckmantel Von Ich Und Er: Stefan Zweig Im Vergleich Zu Henry Adams. Autobiographie als Geschichtsschreibung oder Geschichtsschreibung als Autobiographie?

contributor:
Scott, Jill
German

subject:
Stefan Zweig
Henry Adams
History
Literature
Autobiography

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, German) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 09:09:58.611

abstract:
Stefan Zweig had an extraordinary gift for mirroring the complexity of humankind and the human mind, and was undoubtedly one of the most translated authors in the 1930s, but he is still considered a “poor cousin” in the academic world. Indeed, both his life and his work have been consistently viewed through the events of history, something neither caused nor endorsed by him, with the result that his worldview and the general perception of that view often have been misunderstood. In the 1950s and 1960s, scholars focused on the author’s use of genres and language, as well as his political views during the Second World War, rather than on the analysis of his literary texts. Although recent research points to the importance of Zweig’s humanistic worldview, which insists on viewing all human action equally, the poor image of the author caused by his earlier reception still prevails. This thesis focusses on Zweig’s autobiographical work Die Welt von Gestern: Erinnerungen eines Europäers (1942) as an adaptation of both culture and history. This dissertation demonstrates, how through the subject perception of the “I,” “life writing” becomes “history writing,” dismantling a cultural and political world. Not only does this “I” hold multiple functions, but each function illuminates a different fragment of an event in search of a “truth.” Zweig’s autobiography incorporates elements from other genres, which enables us to see him in part as a postmodern author. To illustrate the game-like use of Zweig’s subjective worldview, Philippe Lejeune’s “autobiographical pact,” Mieke Bal’s concept of focalization, and Walter Benjamin’s essay “Der Erzähler” will form the framework for a linguistic, narratological, and philosophical analysis. In order to show that autobiographical writing resides in the tradition of alternative history, rather than in the simple enumeration of facts, Henry Adams’ The Education of Henry Adams (1918) has been woven into the analysis of Zweig’s text, as an example of an autobiography from a historian’s point of view, who, although motivated by different circumstances, exposes a similar philosophy of history to Zweig’s.
Besides Zweig’s autobiography this dissertation will also include other works of the author, such as Triumph und Tragik des Erasmus von Rotterdam (1934), Maria Stuart (1935) und “Schachnovelle“ (1942) as part of the analysis in order to show the reflexion of history and life in the author’s biographical work as well.

abstract: PhD


title: Histamine Influences Depolarization-Induced Calcium Ion Influx in Sympathetic Neurons

contributor:
Lomax, Alan E.
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Sympathetic Neuron
Histamine

abstract: Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 11:15:09.484

abstract:
The superior mesenteric ganglion (SMG) provides sympathetic input to areas of the small intestine, colon, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes. Interactions between the nervous and immune systems in the SMG influence sympathetic regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) and immune function. Previous work in our laboratory has demonstrated changes in SMG neuron activity resulting from exposure to inflammatory mediators such as tumour necrosis factor α
(TNFα). The current project focused on interactions between mast cells and sympathetic neurons.
Mast cells within the SMG release mediators, including histamine, that can act on neurons and alter their activity. We tested the hypothesis that histamine influences signaling in SMG neurons by inhibiting calcium ion influx during cell depolarization using immunohistochemistry and calcium imaging.
Immunohistochemistry revealed H3R on the majority of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive
sympathetic neurons in the ganglia. Dissociated neurons were incubated in the ratiometric fluorescent calcium indicator dye Fura-2 acetoxymethyl ester, then superfused with extracellular solution containing histamine receptor agonists (histamine, HTMT, imetit) and antagonists
(thioperamide) before being depolarized with a KCL solution (70 mM). Application of both
histamine (10 μM) and the H3 receptor agonist imetit (100 nM) caused a decrease in
depolarization-induced calcium ion influx. However, the inhibition of calcium ion influx became smaller as the concentration of histamine was increased (100 μM, 1 mM) until the inhibition was no longer
statistically significant. Application of H3R antagonist thioperamine (300nM) reversed the inhibition of calcium ion influx caused by histamine (10 μM). Application of H1R & H2R agonist histamine trifluoromethyl toluidide (HTMT) (10 μM) caused an increase in calcium ion influx during depolarization. We conclude that activation of H3R decreases calcium ion influx through voltage-gated
calcium ion channels, while activation of H1R / H2R increases calcium ion influx. H3R has a higher affinity for histamine, and therefore is preferentially activated at lower concentrations. Increases in histamine receptor activation may alter SMG input to the spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, small
intestine, and colon, resulting in changes in immune and gut function, such as those described in irritable bowel syndrome.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Evaluating the Effects of Structural Holds on Pointing and Dragging Performance with Flexible Displays

subject: flexible performance

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 12:41:13.725

abstract: We present a study of the effects of structural holds and rigidity of a flexible display on touch pointing and dragging performance. We discuss an observational study in which we collected common holds used when pointing on a mock-up paper display. We also measured the force patterns each hold generated within the display surface. We analyzed this data to produce 3 force zones in the display for each of the four most frequently observed holds: the grip zone, rigid zone, and the flexible zone. We report on an empirical evaluation in which we compared the efficiency of pointing and dragging operations between holds, and between structural zones within holds, using a real flexible Lumalive display. Results suggest that structural force distributions in a flexible display affect the Index of Performance of both pointing and dragging tasks, irrespective of hold, with rigid parts of the display yielding a 12% average performance gain over flexible areas.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A Suicide Prevention Approach: Expanding One’s Time Perspective

contributor:
Holden, Ronald R.
Psychology

subject:
Randomized Control Trial
Suicide Prevention

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 13:29:07.463

abstract: The current study examined the efficacy of a 1 month future time perspective modification intervention over a 1 month and 6 months period. Participants (N = 92) with elevated scores on measures of depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation were assigned to either the intervention condition or a no-intervention control condition. A repeated-measures manova revealed that those in the time perspective modification intervention condition showed significant reductions in psychache and hopelessness at 1 month, relative to those in the control condition. Repeated-measures manovas did not reveal significantly greater changes in depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, or future time perspective. No results at 6 months were found to be significant. These results suggest that a future time perspective modification intervention can reduce important predictors of suicidality, although the sustainability of these gains and their relation to suicide is unclear.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Monitoring Role of Board Directors in Not-for-Profit Organizations’ Expense Misallocation: Effects of Donors’ Evaluation Focus and Transparency of Expense Disclosures

contributor:
Salterio, Steven
Libby, Theresa
Management

subject: Expense Misallocation of Not-for-Profit Organizations

subject: Directors' Monitoring Role

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 14:29:22.41

abstract: Directors in not-for-profit organizations are not only monitors who ensure that financial reports are free from misreporting but also often act as fundraisers. This paper examines the intensity of directors’ monitoring when management misallocates expenses to solicit donations; especially whether the directors’ oversight is influenced by the organization’s expense disclosure transparency and the donors’ evaluation focus. The results from two experiments indicate that directors play a monitoring role to not allow management’s expense misallocation. Further, the enhanced transparency of expense disclosures increases directors’ tendency not to endorse management’s expense misallocation. However, the donors’ adoption of a balanced evaluation process (i.e., considering both financial and nonfinancial performance metrics) reduces directors’ monitoring compared to the donors’ adoption of an expense-focused evaluation process (i.e., focusing solely on financial metrics). This effect of the donors’ adoption of a balanced evaluation process occurs when directors anticipate donors will not donate to the not-for-profit organization, but not when directors anticipate donors will donate. This paper contributes to a richer understanding of directors’ role in not-for-profit organizations’ expense misallocations. Implications for nonprofit governance are discussed.

abstract: PhD


title: The Transportation and Transformation of Energy Through Reversible Hydrogenation

contributor:
Jessop, Philip G.
Davis, Boyd R.
Chemistry

subject:
Hydrogen Energy
Green Chemistry

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-29 16:19:06.012

abstract:
Cycles of reversible hydrogenation reactions are important for at least two different energy-related applications: reversible chemical hydrogen storage and  thermally regenerative fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel is a green alternative to conventional hydrocarbon fuels for transportation applications. This is because the combustion product of hydrogen is simply water, which is non-toxic and ubiquitous. Hydrogen is also an attractive fuel because of its high energy content; however, because it is a gas it has poor volumetric energy density. In Chapter 2, ionic liquids consisting of both cations and anions that can undergo reversible dehydrogenative aromatization were used to chemically store hydrogen. Cations investigated included pyridinium ions, which were easily hydrogenated but could not be regenerated through the dehydrogenation of piperidinium ions; and carbazole containing ammonium (whose synthesis failed) and imidazolium (which failed to hydrogenate) cations. The anions studied were heterocyclic carboxylates and sulfonates, these ions were observed to undergo both hydrogenation and dehydrogenation to various degrees when reacted in solution. However, as components of ionic liquids, they fail to react at a significant rate. The viscosity of the fluids was suspected to be hindering the diffusion of either hydrogen or the ions to or from the catalyst surface.
	In addition to using hydrogen as the primary source of energy in a vehicle, reversible hydrogenation can form the basis of a thermally regenerative fuel cell: a device that converts low grade vehicle waste heat, from a conventional engine, into electricity for the vehicles auxiliary power units. In Chapter 3, secondary benzylic alcohols, in particular 1-phenyl-1-propanol, were determined to be able to undergo dehydrogenation to the corresponding ketone rapidly and with extremely high selectivity over a palladium on silica catalyst. The dehydrogenation gave an initial rate of hydrogen evolution of 4.6 l of hydrogen per gram of palladium per minute and the enthalpy and entropy of the dehydrogenation is +56 kJ mol-1 and +117 J mol-1 K-1. This adsorbed energy can then be released as electricity in a fuel cell and be used to power auxiliary units in a vehicle without decreasing fuel economy.

abstract: PhD


title: On Renyi Divergence Measures for Continuous Alphabet Sources

contributor:
Alajaji, Fady
Linder, Tamás
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Renyi divergence rate
probabilistic distances
Kullback divergence
divergences
Renyi divergence

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-30 13:37:41.792

abstract: The idea of `probabilistic distances' (also called divergences), which in some sense assess how `close' two probability distributions are from one another, has been widely employed in probability, statistics, information theory, and related fields. Of particular importance due to their generality and applicability are the Renyi divergence measures. While the closely related concept of Renyi entropy of a probability distribution has been studied extensively, and closed-form expressions for the most common univariate and multivariate continuous distributions have been obtained and compiled, the literature currently lacks the corresponding compilation for continuous Renyi divergences. The present thesis addresses this issue for analytically tractable cases. Closed-form expressions for Kullback-Leibler divergences are also derived and compiled, as they can be seen as an extension by continuity of the Renyi divergences. Additionally, we establish a connection between Renyi divergence and the variance of the log-likelihood ratio of two distributions, which extends the work of Song (2001) on the relation between Renyi entropy and the log-likelihood function, and which becomes practically useful in light of the Renyi divergence expressions we have derived. Lastly, we consider the Renyi divergence rate between two zero-mean stationary Gaussian processes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Role of Facial Gestural Information in Supporting Perceptual Learning of Degraded Speech

contributor:
Johnsrude, Ingrid S.
Psychology

subject:
Perceptual Learning
Degraded Speech
Cochlear Implants
Noise-vocoded Speech

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-01 16:50:58.923

abstract: Everyday speech perception frequently occurs in degraded listening conditions, against a background of noise, interruptions and intermingling voices. Despite these challenges, speech perception is remarkably successful, due in part to perceptual learning. Previous research has demonstrated more rapid perceptual learning of acoustically-degraded speech when listeners are given the opportunity to map the linguistic content of utterances, presented in clear auditory form, onto the degraded auditory utterance.  Here, I investigate whether learning is further enhanced by the provision of naturalistic facial gestural information, presented concurrently with either the clear auditory sentence (Experiment I), or with the degraded utterance (Experiment II). Recorded materials were noise-vocoded (4 frequency channels; 50- 8000 Hz). Noise-vocoding (NV) is a popular simulation of speech transduced through a cochlear implant, and 4-channel NV speech is difficult for naïve listeners to understand, but can be learned over several sentences of practice. In Experiment I, each trial began with an auditory-alone presentation of a degraded stimulus for report (D). In two conditions, this was followed by passive listening to either the clear spoken form and then the degraded form again (condition DCD), or the reverse (DDC); the former format of presentation (DCD) results in more efficient learning (Davis et al, 2005). Condition DCvD was similar to DCD, except that the clear spoken form was accompanied by facial gestural information (a talking face). The results indicate that presenting clear audiovisual feedback (DCvD) does not confer any advantage over clear auditory feedback (DCD). In Experiment II, two groups received a degraded sentence presentation with corresponding facial movements (Dv); the second group also received a second degraded (auditory-alone) presentation (DvD). Two control conditions and a baseline DCvD condition were also tested. Although they never received clear speech feedback, performance in the DvD group was significantly greater than in all others, indicating that perceptual learning mechanisms can capitalize on visual concomitants of speech. The DvD group outperformed the Dv group, suggesting that the second degraded presentation in the DvD condition further facilitates generalization of learning. These findings have important implications for improving comprehension of speech in an unfamiliar accent or following cochlear implantation.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Social Capital, Neighbourhood Environments and Physical Inactivity Among Montreal Adults

contributor:
Moore, Spencer
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Social Capital
Physical Inactivity
Neighbourhoods

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-30 16:22:36.884

abstract: Research on social capital and physical activity has relied on proxy measures of trust and participation to assess individuals’ social capital. However, less is known about how social network capital is associated with physical inactivity. More recently, the association between neighbourhood context and health behaviours has been highlighted, suggesting that the social and physical environments can enhance or deter physical activity. The purpose of these two studies was to 1) assess and compare the association of trust, participation and network capital with physical inactivity; and 2) to assess the association between neighbourhood factors and physical inactivity in Montreal. These studies used data from the 2008 Montreal Neighbourhood Networks and Health Survey (MoNNET-HA), which consisted of 2707 adults residing in 300 Montreal neighbourhoods. Physical inactivity was assessed using an adapted version of the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Social capital was measured in three forms: generalized trust, social participation, and network capital. Network capital was measured using a position generator and consisted of network diversity, upper reachability, and range dimensions. Neighbourhood socioeconomic status and population density were used to assess aspects of the neighbourhood social and built environment. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the association of physical inactivity with social capital and neighbourhood factors. In the first study, network diversity (OR: 0.88; 95% CIs:  0.80-0.96), and social participation (OR: 1.81; 95% CIs: 1.08-3.01) were significantly associated with lower odds of physical inactivity. This study directs attention towards the association between network capital and physical inactivity. Further investigation of network capital might lead to a better understanding of how social capital is associated with physical inactivity. In the second study, population density was significantly associated with lower odds of physical inactivity (OR: 0.97 95% C.I: 0.95, 0.99). Further investigation of neighbourhood context is recommended to understand the underlying mechanisms involved in the association of neighbourhood population density and physical inactivity. Greater knowledge of neighbourhood context could lead to the development of supportive neighbourhood social and physical resources that promote and enhance physical activity behaviour.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Patterns among emotional experience, arousal, and expression in adolescence

contributor:
Hollenstein, Tom
Psychology

subject:
Arousal
Adolescence
Discordance
Emotion Regulation
Emotion
Expression

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-31 15:21:33.479

abstract:
Adolescence is a developmental period marked by heightened emotional intensity, negative emotions, and self-consciousness. Problems with emotion regulation during adolescence have been linked to the development of internalizing and externalizing disorders (Hastings et al., 2009). Emotion regulation involves changes across several integrated emotion domains: (1) Experience, (2) Arousal, and (3) Expression (Ekman, 1992; Gross, 2007; Lang, 1994; Lazarus, 1991; Levenson, 1994). Emotion is not necessarily regulated equally across these three domains, in fact discordant responses are more common than concordant ones (Mauss & Robinson, 2009). Discordance represents how emotion is being regulated during a specific event, but it has not been directly linked with habitual emotion regulation strategies. Different patterns among these emotional domains have been linked to internalizing and externalizing problems and coping skills (Hastings et al., 2009; Mauss et al, 2005; Zalewski et al., 2009a, b). The current study expands on previous research by (1) simultaneously measuring and analyzing experience, arousal, and expression, and (2) understanding how patterns of concordance and discordance relate to individual difference factors such as gender, habitual emotion regulation strategies, and internalizing and externalizing problems in a typically developing adolescent sample.
	This study involved measuring the experience, arousal, and expression of self-conscious emotion in 138 adolescents (55% female) during a video-recorded social stressor speech task. Participants rated their emotional experience via questionnaire after the speech task. Physiological data were reduced from recordings during the speech and observational coders rated the emotional expression of participants from video files of the speeches. Patterns of responses across experience, arousal, and expression were grouped using cluster analysis. The different patterns of response were related to different profiles of habitual emotion regulation strategies and problematic internalizing and externalizing behaviour. Adolescents classified as “Experience-Expressive” (high experience, moderate arousal, high expression) or “Suppressive” (high experience, high arousal, low expression) had more problematic socioemotional functioning than those classified as “Expressive” (low experience, moderate arousal, high expression) or “Low-Reactive” (low experience, low arousal, low expression).   There was not strong evidence for differences across gender. The current study contributes to the understanding of adolescent emotional regulation and the development of psychopathology in adolescence.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Effect of Disorder on Strongly Correlated Electrons

subject:
screening
Hubbard
Gutzwiller variational wavefunction
strongly correlated electrons
projection
disordered materials
localization length
VMC
Anderson Hamiltonian

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-31 09:51:47.155

abstract: This thesis is devoted to a study of the effect of disorder on strongly correlated electrons. For non-interacting electrons, Anderson localization occurs if the amount of disorder is sufficient. For disorder-free systems, a Mott metal-insulator transition may occur if the electron-electron interactions are strong enough. The question we ask in this thesis is what happens when both disorder and interactions are present. We study the Anderson-Hubbard model, which is the simplest model to include both interactions and disorder, using a Gutzwiller variational wave function approach. We then study Anderson localization of electrons from the response of the Anderson-Hubbard Hamiltonian to an external magnetic field. An Aharonov-Bohm flux induces a persistent current in mesoscopic rings. Strong interactions result in two competing tendencies: they tend to suppress the current because of strong correlations, and they also screen the disorder potential and making the system more homogenous. We find that, for strongly interacting electrons, the localization length may be large, even though the current is suppressed by strong correlations. This unexpected result highlights how strongly correlated materials can be quiet di erent from weakly correlated ones.

abstract: PhD


title: In vivo regulatory phosphorylation of bacterial-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from developing castor oil seeds

contributor:
Plaxton, William C.
Biology

subject:
oilseed metabolism
regulatory phosphorylation
phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-04 16:46:22.024

abstract: PEPC [PEP(phosphoenolpyruvate) carboxylase] is an essential and tightly controlled enzyme located at the core of plant C-metabolism. It fulfils a broad spectrum of non-photosynthetic functions, particularly the anaplerotic replenishment of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates consumed during biosynthesis and N-assimilation. In plants, a small multigene family encodes several closely related plant-type PEPC (PTPC) isozymes along with a distantly related bacterial-type PEPC (BTPC) isozyme. The PTPCs are well studied ~110-kDa subunits that typically exist as a homotetramer (Class-1 PEPC).  By contrast, little is known about the larger ~118-kDa BTPC isozyme except that it occurs in developing castor (Ricinus communis) endosperm in tight association with PTPC subunits as a ~900-kDa hetero-octameric complex (Class-2 PEPC) that is greatly desensitized to metabolic effectors compared to Class-1 PEPC. This thesis elucidates the physiological purpose of the BTPC subunits by examining their structure/function relationship within Class-2 PEPC and identifying mechanisms of post-translational control. Recombinant expression and purification of the castor bean BTPC revealed unusual physical and kinetic properties including a remarkable insensitivity to metabolic effectors and a dependence upon PTPC subunits for structural stability. The first purification of a non-proteolyzed plant Class-2 PEPC complex was performed, and the kinetic analysis determined that the BTPC and PTPC subunits have complimentary catalytic properties. The BTPC subunits’ high Km(PEP) and desensitization to metabolic effectors may function as a metabolic overflow mechanism for sustaining flux from PEP to malate when PTPC subunits become feedback inhibited. An anti-PTPC co-immunopurification strategy was utilized to highly enrich non-proteolyzed BTPC from developing castor endosperm for downstream immunological and mass spectrometric analysis. BTPC was in vivo phosphorylated at multiple novel sites, identified by mass spectrometry as Thr4 or 5, Ser425 and Ser451. Phosphosite-specific antibodies towards Ser425 and Ser451 confirmed the existence of these sites in vivo and comparisons of Ser425 phosphorylation patterns established that the castor BTPC and PTPC phosphorytation sites are regulated independently. Phosphomimetic mutants of Ser425 caused BTPC inhibition by increasing its Km(PEP) and sensitivity to feedback inhibition. These results establish a novel mechanism of PEPC control whose implications within plant carbon metabolism are discussed.

abstract: PhD


title: Remediation of Mine Tailings by Nano-Scale Zero-Valent Iron

contributor:
Archibald, James F.
Mining Engineering

subject:
mine tailings
zero-valent iron

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mining Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-01 11:04:28.869

abstract:
The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the potential ability of nano-scale zerovalent iron (nZVI) to remediate multiple metal contaminants, specifically in the context of mine tailings. The project began by adopting techniques reported on by investigators researching the remediation effectiveness on metal contaminants of nZVI within the framework of civil engineering applications, such as groundwater treatment (Karabelli et al, 2008). This phase of the project saw the treatment of laboratory prepared samples of copper contaminated waters (at 10, 30, 50 and 100 ppm) by the addition of unstabilized nZVI. Results showed that all but the 100 ppm samples were effectively cleared of nearly all metal contamination following treatment additions of 1 mL nZVI to 50 mL of sample water. The second phase of the project sought to expand on this success by subjecting laboratory prepared water samples containing multiple metal contaminants to the same dose on nZVI. A collection of metal contaminants, known as the Arctic Suite, containing arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, nickel, lead and zinc, was made up as contaminated waters (at 1, 3, 5, and 10 ppm concentrations) and was tested for nZVI remediation.

Results showed that only the 10 ppm samples were not effectively remediated and furthermore showed preferential treatment of arsenic, chromium and lead instead of an even distribution of treatment amongst all metal contaminants present. The final phase of the project saw the testing of contaminated waters produced from five mine tailings, acquired from separate sources, by the same dose of nZVI as in the first two phases of the project. Results showed that where contaminant metals were present some remediation effect did occur. However, an inability to produce highly contaminated leachates from the mine tailings meant that no trends in nZVI remediation effectiveness could be determined with any certainty.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Melissa, Trisha, and Ruth: Hearing the Voices of Three Home Schooled Adolescents With Learning Disabilities

contributor:
Freeman, John G.
Education

subject:
Learning Disabilities
Home Schooling

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-31 14:16:05.533

abstract:
ABSTRACT

The intent of this study was to explore the life and values of three home schooled adolescents with learning disabilities and their families, to determine the level of social inclusion for the students and to examine academic individualization within the learning process of these students. The data were collected through interviews with teaching parents, the students and non-parent coaches or teachers. Observations took place in the home and outside the home in various locations for each student. Socially, the role of interest, context, friendships and social networks were all significant factors. Academically, the home school environment provided a dynamic intersection of different schooling environments with instructional characteristics that were deemed essential for learning.
Despite the differences between families, the themes were similar across the case studies. The social landscape of these students looks different from regularly schooled children but it is healthy, with many opportunities for friendship and social networks. The academic environment allows for the advantages of tutorial and small-group instruction as well as opportunities to be included in larger, classroom-style groups in certain contexts. These three case studies demonstrate that home schooling can support the needs of children with learning disabilities through instructional strategies and through contextual advantages. For non-home schoolers, the qualities found within this context are promising and worth considering in other educational environments.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Probing Molecular Dynamics with Non-Linear Optical Techniques

subject: Optics Physics

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-31 14:55:11.636

abstract:
The dynamics of molecules in the gas and liquid phase is investigated using ultrafast
optical techniques. The development of sub-25 fs ultrafast sources using noncollinear optical parametric amplification is discussed. These intense pulses are utilized in coherent
anti-Stokes Raman scattering to investigate vibrational motion in I2 Br2 and
IBr.
For larger bio-molecules relevant dynamics may not be related to the absorption of
light. Here, a new technique is introduced, in which an optically excitable molecule
is incorporated into the bio-molecule. Photoisomerization of the trigger molecule
initiates structural rearrangement in the larger system. To demonstrate this approach,
azobenzene was synthesized into short strands of DNA to time-resolve base
pair destacking dynamics and DNA melting. The isomerization of azobenzene in thin
polymer films (and their corresponding change in optical properties) was also used to write birefringence and surface relief gratings. This method was used to demonstrate
a rewritable Bragg filter for telecom wavelengths.
Lastly, an alternative to typical crystal based wavemixing is presented for the generation of ultrafast tunable ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet pulses. The approach utilizes difference frequency four wave mixing in hollow waveguides filled with noble gas.

abstract: PhD


title: Red Coats and Wild Birds: Military Culture and Ornithology Across the Nineteenth-Century British Empire

contributor:
Cameron, Laura
Schwartz, Joan M.
Geography

subject:
Mediterranean
British Empire
Ornithology
Military Officers
Nineteenth Century
Historical Geography

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-02 09:17:17.931

abstract: “Red coats and wild birds: military culture and ornithology across the nineteenth-century British Empire” investigates the intersections between British military culture and the practices and ideas of ornithology, with a particular focus on the British Mediterranean.  Considering that British officers often occupied several imperial sites over the course of their military careers, to what extent did their movements shape their ornithological knowledge and identities at “home” and abroad?  How did British military naturalists perceive different local cultures (with different attitudes to hunting, birds, field science, etc.) and different local natures (different sets of birds and environments)?  How can trans-imperial careers be written using not only textual sources (for example, biographies and personal correspondence) but also traces of material culture?  In answering these questions, I centre my work on the Mediterranean region as a “colonial sea” in the production of hybrid identities and cultural practices, and the mingling of people, ideas, commodities, and migratory birds.  I focus on the life geographies of four military officers: Thomas Wright Blakiston, Andrew Leith Adams, L. Howard Lloyd Irby, and Philip Savile Grey Reid.  By the mid-nineteenth century, the Mediterranean region emerged as a crucial site for the security of the British “empire route” to India and South Asia, especially with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.  Military stations served as trans-imperial sites, connecting Britain to India through the flow of military manpower, commodities, information, and bodily experiences across the empire.  By using a “critical historical geopolitics of empire” to examine the material remnants of the “avian imperial archive,” I demonstrate how the practices and performances of British military field ornithology helped to: materialize the British Mediterranean as a moral “semi-tropical” place for the physical and cultural acclimatization of British officers en route to and from India; reinforce imperial presence in the region; and make “visible in new ways” the connectivity of North Africa to Europe through the geographical distribution of birds.  I also highlight the ways in which the production of ornithological knowledge by army officers was entwined with forms of temperate martial masculinity.

abstract: for publication

abstract: PhD


title: The Discursive Power of Risk: Rewriting the Goudge Report on Paediatric Death Investigation in Ontario

contributor:
Snider, Laureen
Sociology

subject:
risk
death investigation
governmentality

abstract: Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-31 16:33:55.671

abstract: This study examines the mentalities and sensibilities of government that get (re)produced in one programmatic narrative about ‘child abuse’ and child homicide. It shows how a perspective of governance takes shape through the lens and language of risk, and how a discourse of risk can take very different forms even within one governmental programme.  Empirically the study examines the major report released from the Public Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario (known after its chairperson as the Goudge Inquiry/Report). The Goudge Inquiry (2008) was commissioned by the Ontario government in the wake of a Chief Coroner’s Review into the problematic practices of Dr. Charles Smith, the province’s most trusted paediatric forensic pathologist for nearly 15 years. The resultant Goudge Report presents a rationalization of Ontario’s paediatric death investigation system and its failures. It presents an ideal-typical narrative that carves out the image of a fully formed and perfected risk management complex for combatting ‘child abuse’. To understand the mentalities and sensibilities of government that shape and get shaped by the Report’s risk management narrative, this study probes what ‘risk’ does in the Goudge Report. Risk discourse in this case proves to be entangled in a ‘volatile and contradictory’ set of ‘superficial’ connections, associations and activities, one that operates at the nexus of ‘common sense’ mentalities and populist sensibilities. That the Report depends for its rhetorical power on the silencing of alternative claims, discourses and rationales is central to this analysis.

abstract: M.A.


title: Convicts and Human Rights: A Comparative Study on Prison Treatment in Europe and Canada

contributor:
Corbett, Stanley
Law

subject:
Corrections
Human Rights
Torture
Inhuman Treatment

abstract: Thesis (Master, Law) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-31 16:39:13.535

abstract:
Prisoners are among the most vulnerable categories of citizens in every country, due to the large amount of control the state has over them. Enforcing Human Rights Law is a challenge in all areas that it covers. However, ensuring human rights for those behind bars sometimes seems nearly impossible because of the isolation, the lack of interest of the outside world and mostly because of the sometimes conflicting goals that Correctional Law and Human Rights Law seem to have.
This is why this thesis focuses on the protection of convicts against torture and ill-treatment. The structure is that of a comparison between the regional protection granted to these people by the European Court of Human Rights and the local avenues granted in Canada, a country that does not benefit from a regional protection for its citizens. The purpose is to analyze how convicts can best fight abuses in a world where their inherent rights are increasingly ignored in the name of security. The parallel between a regional system and a national one will be developed by discussing and comparing the shared human rights framework provided by international instruments, the case law and the evolving principles for convicts’ protection in Europe and Canada, the abuses that take place in both regions under consideration and, finally, how these abuses are addressed and remediated by the authorities.
I conclude by pointing out the importance of developing a strong national correctional system that obeys Human Rights Law and that is permanently under the national courts’ jurisdiction. Nevertheless, based on this analysis, I believe it is crucial that there also be an external monitoring and juridical mechanism that can enforce human rights when the national authorities deliberately or accidentally ignore them. It is hazardous to leave the protection of human rights, especially of those in an enclosed environment, to the state which sometimes has conflicting interests and which in most cases is the one that trespasses them.

abstract: LL.M.


title: Childhood Maltreatment and Stress Sensitization in Depression: Moderation by Age Group and Depression History

contributor:
Harkness, Kate
Psychology

subject:
depression
childhood maltreatment
stress

abstract: Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-31 19:15:16.313

abstract: Major Depressive Disorder is a highly prevalent and recurrent psychological disorder, affecting approximately 12% of Canadians across their lifetime and 5% each year. Studies have shown that a history of childhood maltreatment increases risk for depression by conferring a vulnerability to the effects of stressful life events (i.e., stress sensitization). The goal of the current investigation was to examine whether the relation between childhood maltreatment and stress sensitization in depression is influenced by age group and depression history. This study also sought to investigate whether specific characteristics of the maltreatment experience differentially relate to stress sensitization. Two hundred and seven clinically depressed adolescents (i.e., 12 – 17 years; n = 59) and adults (i.e., 18 – 64 years; n = 148) participated in this study. Childhood accounts of maltreatment were assessed using the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Scale, and stressful life events experienced 3 months prior to depression onset were assessed using the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule. Results revealed that individuals with a history of severe maltreatment reported lower severity levels of stressful life events prior to depression onset than did those without such a history, but only among adolescents. Further, this relation was specific to independent stressors (i.e., those totally or nearly totally independent of the behaviour of the individual) and not dependent stressors (i.e., those at least partly due to the individual’s behaviour), and was specific to emotional abuse. Results also suggested that it is the experience of severe maltreatment, rather than particular aspects of it, that sensitizes individuals to the effects of stress. In summary, this study provides support for the relation of childhood maltreatment to stress sensitization in adolescents. Maltreated adolescents may be especially vulnerable to the depressogenic effects of stress, perhaps because their maltreatment experience is more proximal to depression onset. In contrast, other relevant processes (e.g., cognitive schema and neurobiological consolidation, chronic stress) may drive stress sensitization in adulthood; however, further research is required to investigate such mechanisms. Limitations and clinical implications are discussed.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: "The Black Imprint of Sandals in White Mosaic Floors": H.D.'s Mythomystical Poetics

contributor:
McIntire, Gabrielle
English

subject: Midrash H.D. Mysticism Modernism

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-31 20:54:49.581

abstract:
My dissertation examines the traces of inverse (mytho)mysticism, more synchronous with mythical alchemy than transcendent mystery, in H.D.’s mature work (1946-1961).  Whereas H.D.’s earliest works respond to a fin de siècle occultism and a collective psyche troubled by the eschatological distress that, as Susan Acheson writes, “was widespread amongst modernist writers grappling with …world events and with the implications of Nietzsche’s inaugural annunciation of modernity in terms of the death of God” (187), her later oeuvre is dedicated to the same work of soul undertaken by the “secret cult of Night” in Vale Ave.  Here, her thematic scope faces two ways: backward to ancient Greek mystery cults and their palingenesic rites and forward to depth psychologists searching for the Soul of the World. Vale Ave plays a pronounced role in my study as symbolic guide; in its seventy-four sequences the layering of time in the “trilogy” of past, present, and future that H.D. had explored during the years of the Second World War in order to get behind the fallen walls of cause and effect collapses into two distinct phases of human origin—“meeting” (evolution) and “parting” (involution)—and the poem invites Lilith and Lucifer to be its archetypal guides. My method for the study is imaginal, entering such disciplines as history, philosophy, and theology and bringing psychological understanding to them.
	John Walsh’s introduction to Vale Ave notes H.D.’s theme “that the human psyche exists in a dimension outside of time and space as well as within them. In Vale Ave, H.D. presents the extremity of this dual-dimensionality: metempsychosis” (vii).  However, the concept that H.D. investigates is more than a literary processus of characters who adopt different masks and appear at various junctures in a chronological unwinding of history.  I explore H.D.'s works as part of a Modernist tradition of writing “books of the dead” designed not to guide the soul after death, but to draw the gaze upon “a nearer thing,” as H.D. writes in Erige Cor Tuum Ad Me In Caelum, the wisdom intrinsic in the spirit of life itself.

abstract: The Committee recommend that thesis be published as a book and requested that I restrict it while seeking a publisher.

abstract: PhD