title: Functional Nitroxyls in Polypropylene Based Thermoplastic Vulcanizates

contributor:
Parent, J. Scott
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Nitroxyls
Thermoplastic Vulcanizates
Peroxide Vulcanization

abstract:
Peroxide vulcanization of polypropylene (PP) based thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) is hindered by PP’s susceptibility to radical degradation. PP degradation occurs through chain scission of tertiary alkyl macroradicals, reducing molecular weight, and negatively effecting TPV blend morphology. Nitroxyl chemistry using acryloyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (AOTEMPO) was exploited to control the dynamics and rheological outcomes of peroxide polyolefin modifications. PP melt viscosity was partially retained by introducing a competition between macromonomer oligomerization and β-scission. Further improvements were observed when synergizing the polymer-bound acrylate functionality of AOTEMPO, with trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) a multifunctional coagent. Resulting TPVs contained smaller, more dispersed crosslinked elastomer particles when compared to peroxide-only formulations, owing to the retention of PP molecular weight.

A follow up investigation into the effects of AOTEMPO on TPV physical property performance was completed for low elastomer content blends (0-20wt%). AOTEMPO formulations provided improved particle dispersion compared to peroxide only formulations, owing to the retention of melt viscosity. These improved particle dispersions led to better impact performance for AOTEMPO formulations over peroxide only formulations. Additionally, AOTEMPO formulations provided improved tensile properties compared to peroxide only formulations, owing to the branched architecture formed during polyolefin modification.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Origin of Visean (Mississippian) Frobisher Group Coated Grainstone Shoals in the Williston Basin: Deposition and Diagenesis

contributor: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

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

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

rights: Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University

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

subject:
Carbonate Sedimentology
Geology
Williston Basin
Frobisher
Visean

abstract: The Frobisher Beds of southeastern Saskatchewan are part of an extensive conventional oil and gas play hosted in grainy carbonate rocks, long interpreted as marine oolites. This sedimentological and diagenetic study of core from the Frobisher in the Bryant and Pinto areas of southeastern Saskatchewan concludes that the ubiquitous coated grains in these rocks are in fact predominantly pedogenically modified rather than purely marine in origin. Areally, Frobisher grainstones form elongate finger-like carbonate sand bodies, persistently supratidal, separated by interpreted marine channel deposits. These shoals consist of numerous stacked shallowing-upward, cyclical deposits composed of peloids, coated grains and compound grains. Unmodified true marine ooids are a minor component. Units within paleochannels consist of allochems of open marine origin and lack the cyclicity seen in shoal units. The Frobisher succession consists of six facies: 1) Fenestral Peloid Packstone, 2) Peloid Coated Grain Grainstone, 3) Coated Grain Grainstone-Rudstone, 4) Multiple Crust Complex, 5) Argillaceous Mudstone/Wackestone, and 6) Skeletal Packstone-Grainstone/Rudstone with variable oolite. Facies 1 to 5 are found within shoal units, whereas Facies 6 occurs only in the channel deposits. Grains within Facies 2 and 3 display shrinkage cracks, inverse grading and irregular coatings, features which are common indicators of pedogenesis in a vadose environment. Mudstones of Facies 5 and complex crust horizons in Facies 4 suggest that the shoal was subject to early diagenetic alteration in an arid subaerial environment. In contrast, Facies 6 contains broken and abraded open marine allochems (bryozoans, crinoids, coral fragments and foraminifera) interpreted to have been deposited and transported in marine channels. Coated grain lithoclasts within the channel deposits suggest active erosion of the finger-like shoals, whereas well ordered ooids-pisoids on the shoals may have originated in the marine channels. These observations demonstrate that there is an alternative interpretation to the published subtidal ooid sand shoal model. In this revised interpretation each shoal cycle shallows up from a thin marine or restricted peritidal facies at the base to grainstones and rudstones of coated grains and complex carbonate crusts, interpreted as a paleo calcrete. Such pedogenic alteration is characteristic of an arid climate and occurred during base level falls which exposed the shoals, and occasionally the intervening channels.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Hydrogen bonding in radical copolymerization: A kinetic investigation under industrially relevant conditions

contributor:
Hutchinson, Robin A.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Radical solution polymerization
kinetics
PLP SEC NMR
industrial process
coatings
modelling
polymer reaction egineering

abstract:
Radical solution polymerization is a common method to produce a variety of plastics and coatings. Particularly in the automotive industry, large scale semi-batch operations are used to (co)polymerize monomers of the styrenic, acrylate and methacrylate families. To reduce solvent content, traditional non-functional feedstocks have been replaced or augmented with functional monomers like 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) or 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) to produce reactive polymer chains of lowered molar mass. The introduction of such polar and functional reactants affects the radical copolymerization kinetics and introduces solvent dependencies. The goal of this thesis is to identify and characterize these kinetic effects. Using specific kinetic parameters, a comprehensive model will be developed to describe copolymerizations under industrially relevant conditions, while also determining experimental limitations of comonomer incorporation.
Due to the limited availability of reliable kinetic parameters, initial studies focused on the determination of copolymerization parameters involving HEA. The IUPAC recommended pulsed laser polymerization (PLP) technique in combination with size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to determine propagation rate coefficients and reactivity ratios for HEA with both butyl methacrylate (BMA) and butyl acrylate (BA). Kinetics systematically diverged from classic kinetic behaviour and were solvent dependent. It was proven that hydrogen bonding causes these deviations by comparing HEA copolymerization to that of methoxyethyl acrylate. Simple terminal model predictions or implicit penultimate unit effects were used to represent chain growth kinetic parameters.
Further experimentation was performed to determine the influence of these changing kinetic parameters during production of low molar mass functional HEA copolymers in relevant solvents such as ketones or esters under starved-feed semi-batch operating conditions, similar to those used in industry. H bonding effects on kinetics were found to be well controlled to HEA contents of maximum 50 wt%. The BMA/HEA copolymerization in ketones is very well represented by a comprehensive copolymerization model that considers relevant methacrylate and acrylate side reactions and uses the kinetic chain growth parameters measured by the PLP investigations.

abstract: PhD


title: Distortions in Government Contract Awards, Executive Compensation, and Asset Prices: Three Essays in Finance

contributor:
Purda, Lynnette
Business

subject: Finance

abstract: In this thesis, I present three papers in finance. Chapter 1 introduces the thesis. Chapter 2 presents the paper Competition for Government Contracts and the Payoff to Political Activism. This paper exploits three shocks to the competition for procurement contracts including a Presidential memorandum, the formation of the Department of Homeland Security, and Hurricane Katrina. I find that greater competition disrupts the positive relationship between political activism by firms and government contract awards such that politically active firms receive reduced benefits. Chapter 3 presents the paper Discrimination in the C-Suite: Do Discriminatory Pay Practices Exist for the Positions of CEO and CFO? I test for discrimination in the C-suite by comparing the compensation and pay-performance sensitivity of white men and individuals belonging to a designated group (women and visible minorities). I find little evidence of discriminatory compensation practices against visible minority executives; however, I find that women receive less compensation in male-dominated industries. Chapter 4 presents Pricing in Auction Markets for Alternative Assets a coauthored paper with Dr. Daniel Thornton. We present a model of an auction market for collectibles and empirically test it using experimental data. Results indicate that overbidding by non-professionals forces professionals out of the market, ensuring that investments in collectibles return less than zero net present value.  Chapter 5 concludes.

abstract: PhD


title: Ediacaran Discs: Elucidating the Form and Function of the Discoid Fossils at the Root of Metazoan Evolution

subject: Ediacaran Taphonomy Paleobiology Aspidella Eoporpita Hiemalora

abstract:
Recent suggestions that Ediacaran discs, the most common and ubiquitous fossils of the Ediacara biota, represent the holdfasts of fronds has led them to be relatively unstudied in recent years.   This thesis utilizes biometric, sedimentologic, and morphologic data from Ediacaran sites in Avalonian Newfoundland and NW Canada to elucidate the biological and preservational nature of Ediacaran discoid fossils.

A study on the Avalon and Bonavista peninsulas of Newfoundland comparing Conception-style preservation of fronds visibly attached to discoid holdfasts to Fermeuse-style preservation of isolated discoid fossils confirmed that isolated specimens of the discoid fossils Aspidella and Hiemalora represent holdfasts whose petalodia were not preserved. Taphonomic studies suggest that taxa such as Charniodiscus and Primocandelabrum had holdfasts at the sediment-water interface, whereas taxa such as Charnia had holdfasts that were buried in the substrate.

Morphological and sedimentological studies of Aspidella, Eoporpita, and Hiemalora from the “June beds” in the Mackenzie Mountains of NW Canada showed considerably more internal complexity than has previously been described for Ediacaran discs.  Aspidella appears to represent a membrane-bound exterior surface that surrounded a tiered series of laterally-adjacent, hollow, club-shaped lobes within the holdfast that, if found separately, would be referred to the discoid genus Eoporpita.

Restudy of the enigmatic, Cryogenian-aged “Twitya discs” of Bluefish Creek in the Mackenzie Mountains of NW Canada reveals probable examples of Aspidella. This discovery extends the known time range of Aspidella by nearly 80 Ma and offers a glimpse of deep-water benthic organisms that presaged the Ediacara biota. The lack of a visible stem or petalodium on either specimen of Aspidella from Bluefish Creek may be taphonomic, in which case complex multicellularity may range considerably down into the Cryogenian.  Alternatively, it may imply that the disc was the ancestral structure, and that the overlying frondose structure evolved later as an oxygen-collection structure under the low and fluctuating oxygenation conditions that characterized Ediacaran seas.

abstract: PhD


title: Studying the Perceived Quality Consistency of Cross-Platform Mobile Apps

contributor:
Ahmed, Hassan
Computing

subject:
Cross-Platform Apps
Perceived Quality
Star ratings
User reviews

abstract:
In order to generate more revenue and reach more users, developers build cross- platform apps. To implement cross-platform apps, developers can either use multiple native development frameworks, or they can use hybrid development frameworks that generate cross-platform apps for each platform. Such hybrid apps are based on one single codebase. Hence, developers only need to implement and maintain one codebase and the hybrid development framework will then generate apps for each supported platform.

Little is known about the consistency in the perceived quality of cross-platform apps. The majority of existing work on the consistency of cross-platform apps are from a developer’s perspective (e.g., the CPU utilization of cross-platform apps). Consistency in the perceived quality of cross-platform apps is reflected in star ratings and user reviews. Studies show that users rely heavily on star ratings and user reviews to determine the quality of apps. Good star ratings and user reviews of an app increase the number of downloads and eventually generate more revenue.

The goal of this thesis is to understand the consistency in the perceived quality of cross-platform apps. In particular, we study the consistency in star ratings and user reviews of cross-platform native apps and cross-platform hybrid apps.

We first study the consistency in star ratings and user reviews of cross-platform na- tive apps. We identify 19 native cross-platform apps from the set of the most popular apps in Android and iOS. We find that cross-platform native apps lack consistency in star ratings and user reviews. Users perceive the quality of the studied cross-platform native apps differently across platforms. For the same app, users complain differently across platforms.

We then study the consistency in star ratings and user reviews of cross-platform hybrid apps. We identify 24 hybrid cross-platform apps from the set of most popular apps in Android and iOS. We find that cross-platform hybrid apps have better con- sistency in star ratings and user reviews. However, the improvement in consistency is small and developers should not rely on hybrid development frameworks to achieve consistency in star ratings and user reviews. We further analyze the releases of cross- platform hybrid apps. We find that releases consistency of cross-platform hybrid apps is still lacking. Hybrid development frameworks offer little help to developers who wish to keep a consistent release schedule across their supported platforms.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: An Empirical Study of the Impact of Experimental Settings on Defect Classification Models

contributor:
Hassan, Ahmed E.
Computing

subject:
Defect Classification Models
Classification Techniques
Feature Selection Techniques
Meta-Learners

abstract:
Software quality plays a vital role in the success of a software project. The probability of having defective modules in large software systems remains high. A disproportionate amount of the cost of developing software is spent on maintenance. The maintenance of large and complex software systems is a big challenge for the software industry. Fixing defects is a central software maintenance activity to continuously improve software quality. Software Quality Assurance (SQA) teams are dedicated to this task (e.g., software testing and code review) of defect detection during the software development process. Since testing or review an entire software system are time and resource-intensive. Knowing which software modules are likely to be defect-prone before a system has been deployed help in effectively allocating SQA effort.

Defect classification models help SQA teams to identify defect-prone modules in a software system before it is released to users. Defect classification models can be divided into two categories: (1) classification models that classify a software module is defective or not defective; and (2) regression models that count the number of defects in a software module. Our work is focused on training defect classification models such classification models are trained using software metrics (e.g., size and complexity metrics) to predict whether software modules will be defective or not in the future. However, defect classification models may yield different results when the experimental settings (e.g., choice of classification technique, features, dataset preprocessing) are changed.

In this thesis, we investigate the impact of different experimental settings on the performance of defect classification models. More specifically, we study the impact of three experimental settings (i.e., choice of classification technique, dataset processing using feature selection techniques, and applying meta-learners to the classification techniques) on the performance of defect classification models through analysis of software systems from both proprietary and open-source domains. Our study results show that: (1) the choice of classification technique has an impact on the performance of defect classification models --- recommending that software engineering researchers experiment with the various available techniques instead of relying on specific techniques, assuming that other techniques are not likely to lead to statistically significant improvements in their reported results; (2) applying feature selection techniques do have a significant impact on the performance of defect classification models --- a Correlation-based filter-subset feature selection technique with a BestFirst search method outperforms other feature selection techniques across the studied datasets and across the studied classification techniques. Hence, recommending the application of such a feature selection technique when training defect classification models; and (3)meta-learners help in improving the performance of defect classification models, however, future studies employ concrete meta-learners (e.g., Random Forest), which train classifiers that perform statistically similar to classifiers that are trained using abstract meta-learners (e.g., Bagging and Boosting); however, produce a less complex model.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Virtual Interest Point for Registration

contributor:
Greenspan, Michael A.
Marshall, Joshua A.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Point Cloud
Virtual Interest Point
Feature Extraction
Feature Descriptor
Registration
3D Sensor
3D Vision
Machine Vision
Mapping
Computer Vision

abstract:
A new method is presented for registration of two partially overlapping noisy point clouds that is robust to noise and data density variation with improved computational efficiency. The registration is driven by establishing correspondences of virtual interest points, which do not exist in the original point cloud data and are defined by the intersection of three implicit surfaces extracted from the point cloud. Implicit surfaces exist in abundance in both natural and built environments and can be used to represent stable regions in the data, which in turn leads to repeatable virtual interest points. Large regions in a point cloud can be represented by a few implicit surfaces, which reduces the computational cost of registration and also makes the algorithm robust to noise and data density variations.
The main contribution of this work is to represent the point cloud as implicit surfaces that results in repeatable interest points. The effect of noise is reduced during the modelling phase. Additionally, the feature descriptors computed for the virtual interest points are significantly different from the state of the art techniques. Surface properties and their relationships with each other are used to define a descriptor that is robust to data density variations compared to conventional support region based descriptors. Furthermore, the transformation between two point clouds can be computed by only one true correspondence, which makes the technique efficient compared to recently proposed competing techniques.
Experiments were performed on 11 data sets to characterize robustness to noise and data density variations as well as computational efficiency. The data sets were extracted from natural scenes, including as plants, rocks, and indoor architectural scenes such as offices and laboratories. Similarly, several 3D models were also tested for registration to demonstrate the generality of the technique. A range of sensors was used to collect the data sets, including the Microsoft Kinect version 1 and version 2, Swiss Ranger, and a NextEngine 3D scanner. For most data sets, the proposed method outperformed the Iterative Closest Point (ICP), Generalized Iterative Closest Point, a 2.5D SIFT-based RANSAC method, Super 4-Point Congruent Sets (4PCS), Super Generalized 4PCS (SG4PCS), and the Go-ICP method in registering overlapping point clouds with both a higher success rate and reduced computational cost. The convergence rate of VIP method was more than 75 % for all data sets. The minimum improvement ratio for computational efficiency was more than 1.5 as compared to 4PCS, SG4PCS and Go-ICP for all data sets except Sailor.

abstract: PhD


title: Ontario Outdoor Integrated Curriculum Programs: More than "just a fun semester"

contributor:
Bolden, Benjamin
Education

subject:
Integrated Curriculum
Outdoor Education
Experiential Learning
Environmental Education
Student Experience

abstract:
Integrated curriculum programs (ICPs) in Ontario consist of two to four secondary course credits taught by a single instructor to a cohort of students for a semester. ICPs often have a focus on outdoor and environmental education, and emphasize experiential and integrated learning. Despite challenges that such programs face (such as instructor burnout and limited administrative support), their prevalence has grown, with about 100 programs as of 2015 compared to 30 in 2000.
	While research provides evidence to suggest positive outcomes of outdoor ICPs with regard to the student experience, it has primarily focused on current students. Research investigating the long-term impacts of ICP experiences, and across multiple programs, is limited. Thus the purpose of this study is to explore further the long-term influence of a variety of outdoor ICPs on students’ lives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight former Ontario ICP students (4 to 13 years post-program) representing six different programs. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically using an inductive approach.
	The findings suggest that former students representing a variety of outdoor ICPs recall their experiences positively, even years later. During their programs, former students valued the sense of community they experienced, the educational approach, their personal growth throughout the semester, and the instructor. Outdoor ICPs also resonated with participants beyond their respective semesters, leaving them with a lasting connection to the program, influencing their academic and career goals, and driving them to enact environmental consciousness.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Information and Estimation Theoretic Approaches to Data Privacy

contributor:
Linder, Tamás
Alajaji, Fady
Mathematics and Statistics

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

subject:
Information theory
Estimation theory
Data privacy
Privacy-preserving mechanism design

abstract:
Warner [145] in 1960s proposed a simple mechanism, now referred to as the randomized response model,  as a remedy for what he termed “evasive answer bias” in survey sampling. The randomized response setting is as follows: $n$ people participate in a survey and a statistician asks each individual a sensitive yes-no question and seeks to find the ratio of "yes" responses. For privacy purposes, individuals are given a biased coin that comes up heads with probability $a\in(0,\frac{1}{2})$. Each individual flips the coin in private. If it comes up heads, they lie and if it comes up tails, they tell the truth. Warner derived a maximum likelihood unbiased estimator for the true ratio of "yes" based on the reported responses. Thus the parameter of interest is estimated accurately while preserving the privacy of each user and avoiding survey answer bias.

In this thesis, we generalize Warner's randomized response model in several directions:
(i) we assume that the response of each individual consists of private and non-private data and the goal is to generate a response which carries as much "information" about the non-private data as possible while limiting the "information leakage" about the private data, (ii) we propose mathematically well founded metrics to quantify the tradeoff between how much the response leaks about the private data and how much information  it conveys about the non-private data, (iii) we make no assumptions on the alphabets of the private and non-private data, and (iv) we design optimal response mechanisms which achieve the fundamental tradeoffs.

Unlike the large body of recent research on privacy which studied the problem of reducing disclosure risk, in this thesis we formulate and study the tradeoff between  utility (e.g., statistical efficiency) and privacy (e.g., information leakage). Our approach (which is two-fold: information-theoretic and estimation-theoretic) and results shed light on the fundamental limits of the utility-privacy tradeoff.

abstract: PhD


title: Exploring the Experiences of Elite Male Hockey Players

contributor:
Freeman, John G.
Education

subject:
Hockey
Well-Being
Motivation
Goals
Climate
Social Agents
Self-Determination Theory
Achievement-Goal Theory
Male
Coach
Parent
Peer
Canadian Hockey League
CHL
NCAA
Athlete

abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the sport experiences of six U Sports (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) male hockey players (three past CHL players and three past NCAA Division I players) through one-on-one interviews with them. The focus was the exploration of how parents, coaches, and peers had influenced current U Sports hockey players’ overall well-being in the transition through the CHL (Canadian Hockey League) or NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). This study included male participants only, because the CHL, one of the two development leagues investigated, is for males only. Interviews revealed meaningful hockey experiences within the CHL and NCAA, in climates that affected players' motivation, expectations, and goals. The key findings of this study arose from the analysis of these interviews: (1) coaches need to have a better knowledge of the ‘psychology of performance’ for their athletes; (2) coaches should provide feedback in a more ethical way regardless of competition level; and (3) all social agents, including the athletes themselves, need to create informed and appropriate expectations to avoid realizations that can result in negative outcomes to well-being. Future research should be expanded by broadening the range of interview questions, diversifying the participant pool, and targetting policies in addition to practices.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: The effect of anti-saccade training on cognitive function in healthy adults and Parkinson's disease patients

contributor:
Blohm, Gunnar
Khan, Aarlenne
Neuroscience Studies

subject:
Anti-Saccade
Pro-Saccade
Parkinson's Disease
Cognitive Training
Executive tasks
Top-down control

abstract: Our novel study investigated how the anti-saccade training can influence cognitive capabilities of healthy and Parkinson’s disease participants. The rationale is that the anti-saccade task requires top-down control and involves cortical cognition areas in the frontal and prefrontal cortices. We hypothesized that anti-saccade training may induce plastic changes in these brain areas resulting in improved top-down control, which would transfer to other unpracticed executive tasks. We conducted two experiments using a pretest-training-posttest design. In our first experiment, we tested the impact of 10 days of interleaved pro/-anti saccade training on cognitive functions in participants with Parkinson’s disease compared to healthy older controls. We tested 9 Parkinson’s and 11 healthy older participants in a spatial working memory task, decision making task, and visual search task before and after training. We compared performance after training to before training. Both Parkinson's and healthy older participants showed some improvements after training; however, these were limited to the visual search task in Parkinson's participants and visual memory and decision making tasks in older heathy participants. In the second experiment, we tested the validity of anti-saccade training; we trained a group of younger participants on the interleaved pro/anti-saccade task and a second group on a pro-saccade only task and compared performance on several cognitive tasks after training to before training. Overall, we observed an improvement after both types of training, with the exception of two tasks, the interleaved pro/-anti saccade task and an oculomotor capture tasks. These two tasks showed benefits only with the interleaved training. A significant interaction between group and testing time was observed for the interleaved task in which participants who performed the pro-only training made significantly more anti-saccade errors in the post-test. This could mean that the pro-only training had a maladaptive effect on anti-saccades. Taken together, the two studies suggest that anti-saccade training has promise to improve some cognitive functions in participants with Parkinson’s disease as well as older controls, however there is insufficient evidence to attribute the improvement to anti-saccade training specifically. Further research is required to address the current study limitations before a final conclusion can be reached.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Post-Nationality and the Bifurcated Nation-State in English-Canadian Fiction

contributor:
Willmott, Glenn
English Language and Literature

subject:
Canadian literature
Nationalism
Multiculturalism
Fiction
Whiteness
Laura Goodman Salverson
Frederick Philip Grove
Margaret Laurence
Gwendolyn MacEwen
Rudy Wiebe
Timothy Taylor
SKY Lee
Eden Robinson
Dionne Brand

abstract:
This study argues that expressions of national identity in modern and contemporary English-Canadian fiction often conceive of the nation as having bifurcated into, on the one hand, ethnic, and, on the other hand, pluralist or self-consciously immigration-based models, and that the former is frequently, if seldom explicitly, valorized at the expense of the latter. It examines fiction by Laura Goodman Salverson, Frederick Philip Grove, Margaret Laurence, Rudy Wiebe, Gwendolyn MacEwen, and Timothy Taylor (in comparison with novels by SKY Lee, Eden Robinson, and Dionne Brane), arguing that the separation of these two national models in such works results in a Euro-Canadian identity that endorses a pluralist existence “beyond the nation” and that disavows nationalisms based on ethnicity even as it subtly reaffirms (European) ethnicity as the central component of the ostensibly multicultural nation.

It makes this argument by reading the above works through the lens of the ethno-symbolist theory of Anthony Smith, in turn positing the latter as a productive alternative to the constructivist strain of political theory (exemplified by Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities) that has dominated critical engagements with Canadian literature. In providing a framework for remaining attuned to the persistence of subjective notions of ethnicity in contemporary constructions of nation, the study traces the emergence of a Canadian identity that continues to privilege whiteness but that also creates a new understanding of ethnicity in which a personalized alterity within defines post-national subjectivity. It ultimately suggests that the Euro-Canadian fixation on the inseparability of ethnicity and nation may result in a broader legacy of essentialism that is still being felt in even the most progressive Canadian writing, which sometimes manifests a related essentialism based not on renewed faith in the connection between nation and ethnicity, but rather in broader cultural or race-based essentialisms that pose such identity categories as at once constructed and natural—a contradiction that is directly descended from the Euro-Canadian understanding of ethnicity as the necessary precursor to and condition for membership in the nation.

abstract: PhD


title: Comprehensive Study of the Influence of Surface Roughness of Platinum Electrodes on their Interfacial Mass Changes as Examined Using the Electrochemical Quartz-Crystal Nonobalance

contributor:
Jerkiewicz, Gregory
Chemistry

subject: Electrochemistry

subject: Platinum

subject: Electrochemical quartz-crystal nanobalance

abstract: The electrochemical quartz-crystal nanobalance (EQCN) is an electroanalytical technique used to measure in-situ minute mass changes (Δm) associated with interfacial electrochemical phenomena.  The results acquired by combining the EQCN and electrochemical techniques provide a new insight into the nature of electrochemical processes and contribute to the understanding of their mechanisms at the atomic/molecular level.  The EQCN has been used for over three decades; however, its limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) have never been studied.  We propose a methodology for determining the values of LOD and LOQ for Pt electrodes in aqueous H2SO4 solutions.  The values of LOD and LOQ decrease as the concentration of the electrolyte decreases.  The EQCN measures changes in frequency (Δf) of a quartz-crystal resonator, which are converted into Δm using the Sauerbrey equation containing the characteristic constant (Cf); Cf is determined by physical parameters of the quartz and refers to an atomically smooth surface.  However, real electrodes are not atomically flat and it is unknown how surface roughness factor (R) affects Δm.  We examine Δm associated with H adsorption/desorption and surface oxide formation/reduction on Pt electrodes.  The value of R is fine-tuned through Pt electrodeposition and the surface morphology is examined using atomic force microscopy.  The results reveal linear relationships between Δm and R, and their extrapolation to R = 1.00 leads to the determination of Δm for atomically flat polycrystalline Pt electrodes.  The values of Δm for R = 1.00 are analyzed in terms of the number of electrolyte components interacting with each Pt surface atom.  A modified Sauerbrey equation, which takes into account the surface roughness, is proposed.  Also, we calibrate the system using Ag electrodeposition, and the experimental characteristic constant (Cf,exp) values are determined by analyzing the slopes of charge density versus Δf plots for the Ag electrodeposition.  They are different than the value of Cf and increase logarithmically with R.  The Cf and Cf,exp values are used in a comparative analysis of Δm for complete cyclic-voltammetry profiles.  It reveals that the employment of Cf instead of Cf,exp provides inaccurate values of Δm, and the magnitude of discrepancy increases with R.

abstract: PhD


title: Long-term (2003 - 2016) dissolved inorganic nitrogen fluxes from paired High Arctic catchments

contributor:
Lamoureux, Scott F.
Geography and Planning

subject:
Biogeochemistry
Hydrology
High Arctic
Dissolved inorganic nitrogen

abstract:
Climate change is expected to have strong impacts on permafrost and the frequency of landscape disturbances are expected to increase in response to warming temperatures and overall permafrost change. These disturbances can increase the export of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) from High Arctic catchments, having important effects on downstream aquatic ecosystems, thus motivating the need to better understand the impact of permafrost change on nitrogen exports. This study examined fluxes of DIN (ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-)) from paired catchments at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory, Nunavut. Water samples were collected from the outlet of the rivers during the melt season from 2003 to 2016. A range of surface water draining different landscape types were also sampled during the 2016 season to identify how specific locations in the catchments control downstream DIN concentrations. Both physical disturbances, including active layer detachments (ALDs), and thermal perturbations related to widespread deepening of the active layer in response to warm summers, occurred during this record. Widespread physical disturbances occurred at the end of the 2007 field season in response to exceptionally warm temperatures and a large rainfall event. Additionally, 2012 was the warmest sampling year, and is one of the warmest years on record (1970 – 2016).

River NO3- fluxes increased in 2008, responding to the 2007 disturbance, as the nitrification and mobilization of nitrogen is inferred to increase as soils were brought to the surface and exposed to flushing. The DIN fluxes recovered rapidly at the catchment scale, reaching pre-disturbance values by 2010. DIN fluxes increased strongly in 2012 as warm temperatures are assumed to result in deep active layer thaw and increased subsurface flow, resulting in high DIN export, especially during the baseflow and stormflow hydrologic periods. Recovery from widespread permafrost thaw was not observed after four years.

Fluxes are similar between the rivers, with minor deviations associated with variations in catchment morphology. Spatial analysis of the DIN concentrations from upstream locations along the rivers does not show a distinct pattern throughout the season, but rather indicates a complex interaction of inputs, dilutions, and biogeochemical transformations.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Polypropylene Thermosets by Functional Nitroxyl-Mediated Radical Crosslinking

subject:
Peroxide initiated crosslinking
Functional nitroxyl
Polypropylene

abstract: New chemistry for preparing polypropylene (PP) thermosets is described, wherein radical degradation suffered during conventional peroxide treatment is overcome using a nitroxyl additive bearing a polymerizable functional group.  A small amount of 4-vinylbenzoic-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-N-oxyl (VBTEMPO) is used to trap peroxide-derived, alkyl radical intermediates during the early stages of the modification process, yielding a macromonomer derivative in situ that crosslinks in the later stages through side-chain oligomerization.  This process has proven capable of producing thermosets with gel contents in excess of 90%, while providing the induction period needed to shape the formulation before it rendered thermoset. Control over PP crosslinking dynamics and yields have been gained by appropriate selection of peroxide initiator, polymerizable functional structure, and additional cure formulation components.  The thesis concludes with preliminary assessments of the stability of PP-derived alkoxyamines, and their potential to confer oxidative stability to a thermoset.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: CFD Analysis of Novel Variable Compression Ratio Rotary Engine

contributor:
Ciccarelli, Gabriel
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
CFD
IC Engines
Combustion Analysis
Variable compression ratio engine
Rotary Engine

abstract: In compression ignition engines, the soot-NOx paradox is an extremely challenging unresolved issue. Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) is one of the most promising solutions that combine the benefits of both Spark ignition and Compression ignition combustion modes. Fuel-lean premixed combustion helps to reduce or eliminate the formation of NOx and soot. HCCI engines have a high heat release rate at high load that results in knock. A unique variable compression ratio rotary engine based on the HCCI combustion mode (patented by Customachinery Inc) is under development at Queen’s University. The present study includes a computational fluid dynamics analysis of the air induction and compression, fuel injection, fuel and air mixing, and ignition process using Ansys Fluent. A unique dynamic mesh was adopted that allowed for the modeling of a fixed stator and rotating lobed rotor, as well as novel gates that extend and retract. A default Fluent fuel spray model was used and the optimum fuel injector location and orientation were determined. Two different combustion models (single-step and detailed chemistry) were investigated, and it was found that the results have significant differences. The detailed chemistry predicted a two-stage ignition process typical for heptane fuel that a single-step model cannot predict. The effect of other parameters such as compression ratio, fuel load, and fuel injection time on the ignition and combustion process were also studied.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Petrogenesis and Metallogenesis of the Ultramafic Layered North Lac Des Iles Intrusion in the Lac Des Iles Complex, Ontario, Canada

subject:
Lac Des Iles Complex
Ultramafic Intrusions
PGE Mineralization
Superior Province

abstract:
A detailed petrologic and metallogenic study was conducted on the eastern flank of the Northern Ultramafic Centre (NUC) of the North Lac des Iles Complex (North LDIC) to understand the petrogenesis of cyclically layered ultramafic cumulates and the processes involved in the formation of the PGE mineralization. Additional investigation of historical PGE-Cu-Ni prospects in the North LDIC provides insights into the styles of mineralization and how these styles compare with the stratiform PGE mineralization of the NUC and the Pd deposits hosted by the mafic Mine Block Intrusion of the South Lac des Iles Complex (South LDIC).
	Field relationships, mineralogical, textural, mineral chemical, and lithochemical data from the NUC reveal the presence of two distinct paragenetic sequences of cumulate rocks.  Cyclic Unit A (CUA) is characterized by an upward progression of Ol+Cr-SpOl+Opx+Cpx±Cr-SpCpx+Opx Pl+Opx±Cpx. Cyclic Unit B (CUB) exhibits a cumulate stratigraphic progression of Ol+Cr-SpOl+Cpx.  CUA sequences are interpreted to have formed by fractional crystallization of more siliceous ultramafic magmas relative to CUB parent magmas.
	Stratiform PGE mineralization of the Sutcliffe Zone is typically hosted within four different CUA units. PGE mineralization is commonly associated with >2% disseminated Cu-Ni sulfide, and is characterized by mantle-like S/Se ratios, Pd tenors in sulfide <1000 ppm, and Pd/Pt ratios < 5.  The Sutcliffe Zone is interpreted to have formed by a combination of fractional crystallization and dynamic recharge and mixing of CUA and CUB parental magmas.
            The majority of PGE-Cu-Ni prospects in the North LDIC share similar host rocks, sulfide and platinum group mineral compositions and textures, trace element signatures, Pd tenors, S/Se and Pd/Pt ratios as the stratiform PGE mineralization at Sutcliffe Zone, similar genesis.
            Similarities between stratiform PGE-Cu-Ni mineralization in the North LDIC and the magmatic breccia-style Pd mineralization in the South LDIC include the prevalence of orthopyroxene, widespread magmatic alteration, low sulfide content, Pd-rich PGE mineralization and the dominance of Pd-bismuthotellurides. Despite these similarities, the two styles of mineralization remain distinct in terms of structural controls on mineralization, host rocks, base metal sulfide and PGE mineralogy, PGE tenors of sulfide, and the source of parental magmas.

abstract: PhD


title: Kinky Reading: Power, Pleasure, and Performance in Middle English Texts

contributor:
Straker, Scott-Morgan
English Language and Literature

subject:
Medieval Literature
Queer Theory
BDSM
Kink
Medieval Romance
Chaucer
The Wife of Bath
Sir Gowther
The Book of Margery Kempe

abstract:
This dissertation expands upon the vibrant field of medieval queer studies by considering literary instances of medieval sexual power play via theory on contemporary BDSM (bondage and discipline, domination and submission, and sadism and masochism). It begins with a chapter outlining the history and theory of BDSM. The remaining chapters explore concepts of fantasy, performance, consent, and eroticized violence in three Middle English texts, Sir Gowther, The Book of Margery Kempe, and the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale, from the perspective of kinky reading, a methodology that draws on the traditions of feminist and queer theory and the new field of kink studies. BDSM has historically been pathologized, but this study interprets kink as a form of queerness rather than an expression of illness because of its non-reproductive, non-genital focus and embracing of fluid sexual identities and power dynamics. In each text this dissertation considers, reading with awareness of BDSM clarifies power dynamics and finds relationships between sex and power that can be both arousing and empowering for the characters involved.
Erotic discourses in these texts express the struggle of an individual character to relate to larger social power structures, a struggle complicated by race for Gowther and by gender for Margery and the Wife. Like contemporary BDSM, these texts manipulate and exaggerate existing power dynamics for erotic impact. In Sir Gowther, the queerness of sadism is ultimately displaced onto foreign enemies, while temporary masochism allows Gowther to secure his aristocratic position. Increased attention to eroticized violence and consent reveals how Margery’s relationship with God enables her to reclaim her body and both resist and demand recognition from Church authorities. A kinky approach to the erotic content of the Wife’s Prologue and Tale provides a solution to the feminist critical impasse over the Wife; this rereading argues that her texts advocate for flexible power dynamics and embrace sex as a positive part of life. This dissertation makes connections between medieval and modern sexualities that illuminate kink as an intense form of desire and a resistance to heteronormativity.

abstract: PhD


title: Electromagnetically Tracked Personalized Surgical Guides

contributor:
Ellis, Randy E.
Computing

subject:
Surgical Navigation
Electromagnetic Tracking
Personalized Guides

abstract:
This work improves surgical navigation by combining electromagnetic tracking and personalized guides in a novel system.

Surgical navigation assists a surgeon by tracking instruments relative to the anatomy of interest, typically by optically tracking specialized markers.  One recent navigation aid is a personalized guide, which is a mechanical device that is customized to a patient based on preoperative images.  A small "negative surface" physically registers the guide to the patient, and typically one or more through-holes in the guide constrain a physical path during surgical drilling.  A personalized guide may incorporate a surgical plan into their design but offers no means of intraoperative adjustment or correction.

Electromagnetic tracking uses a small antenna that is localized within an electromagnetic field. Advantages of electromagnetic tracking include small sensor weight and not being constrained to a line of sight; drawbacks include a lower positional accuracy than  optical tracking, and interference from nearby electrically conductive objects.

This work is based on a paired-lines registration algorithm that was used to create tracked guides for small, delicate bony anatomy. Electromagnetically tracked guides were applied to additively manufactured bone models.  The guides were compared to optical tracking in the presence of common metallic surgical instruments.  In every analysis, EM-tracked guides were found to statistically significantly outperform optical tracking.  A pre-clinical cadaveric case study demonstrated comparable performance to optical tracking.

This work suggests that EM-tracked guides successfully combined the flexibility of tracking with the simplicity of physical registration in surgical navigation.

abstract: PhD


title: The Influence of Secondary Mineral Phase Crystallization on Antimony and Arsenic Mobility in Mine Drainage

subject:
Antimony
Arsenic
Tailings
Antimony Secondary Minerals

abstract:
Mine waste containing high concentrations of the potentially toxic metalloids antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) poses a risk for the natural environment since they are toxic to various organisms. To assess this risk, it is necessary to understand the role of mineralogy, particularly the influences of solubility and variable chemical composition of minerals.
The sites selected for this study allow an insight into the Sb behaviour in three different systems: freshly deposited stibnite-containing tailings at Beaverbrook Sb mine (Newfoundland), historical mine waste at Špania Dolina-Piesky (Slovakia) where tetrahedrite is the main Sb host, and several historical Sb deposits in Slovakia where the Sb association with colloids was investigated. Water analyses using ICP-AS-OS, HG -AAS were combined with mineralogical analyses conducted using a combination of SEM, EMPA, MLA and synchrotron-based μXRD, μXRF and μXANES (see the list of abbreviations).
The study of tetrahedrite weathering reveals that after being released from primary tetrahedrite, Sb becomes a part of a structure of secondary Sb minerals tripuhyite and pyrochlore which are stable in near-surface conditions, whereas As and Cu are contained in µXRD-amorphous phase. It is concluded that Sb is not very mobile when tetrahedrite is weathering under oxidizing, near-neutral conditions.
At Beaverbrook, Sb is rapidly released from stibnite in tailings deposits to the pore water in an oxic environment where it transforms to highest oxidation state Sb5+. Arsenopyrite oxidizes less rapidly, and the formation of oxidation rims contributes to its slower dissolution. The formation of less soluble Sb-Fe secondary phases, and formation and dissolution of easily soluble brandholzite contribute to Sb cycling in the environment of freshly deposited tailings.
In mine drainage from several historical mine sites, it was determined that colloids influence As mobility more than Sb mobility. At the sites where As is the main contaminant, abundant Fe-As-Si-O colloids were detected on the surface of 0.01 µm filters. Only very high Sb concentration (above 6600 µg/L) promoted precipitation of low amounts of Fe-Sb-Si-O±S colloids.
Secondary Sb minerals with different stability are formed in mine waste environment. Understanding the conditions of their formation and their characteristics allow the prediction of potential environmental issues.

abstract: PhD


title: Incorporated: Student Mental Health Discourse and Higher Education in Canada

contributor:
King, Samantha J.
Varadharajan, Asha
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
mental health
higher education
corporatization
Canada

abstract:
“Student mental health” has recently emerged as a pervasive discourse on Canadian postsecondary campuses, characterized by non-profit organizations’ expanding role in defining and managing students’ mental health, students’ active participation in shaping and perpetuating discourses of distress and wellbeing, and institutions’ promises to build thriving communities. Prior to 2011, students’ psychological wellbeing received little concerted attention, but a number of student suicides propelled the topic onto the national stage. Although media coverage framed the problem in part as the crisis of a generation struggling to succeed in an inhospitable, overly demanding education system, the postsecondary sector embraced the language of “student mental health” and quickly transformed it into an institutional branding strategy. I address this seeming contradiction by considering the cultural, political, and economic work that student mental health discourse does to benefit the institution of postsecondary education.

Influenced by the theoretical perspectives of Nikolas Rose and by cultural studies methodologies, I map the shifting discursive terrain of student mental health discourse, focusing on three main figures: the student in distress, the campus community charged with identifying and responding to that student, and the student mental health leader. I examine documentary evidence including institutional reports, strategic plans, mental health models, organization websites, media reports, press releases, and student mental health campaign materials. I articulate these with public displays of student mental health promotion, through which students perform their understandings of distress as signs of biomedical problems and of mental health as something “we all have.”

My findings reveal that acknowledging student distress has become integral to Canadian postsecondary education’s corporatization process. Such acknowledgement prompts the emergence of a “caring community” that operates in the interest and image of the corporate world, melding the values and goals of the postsecondary sector’s market logic with the hopeful acts of the students who seek out the validation, warmth, and professional potential offered by this extracurricular education. I argue that student mental health discourse both draws in and retains willing student participants, thus intervening in postsecondary corporatization’s potential depletion of one of its greatest resources: human capital in the form of the student body.

abstract: PhD


title: The Role of Polarized Macrophages in LCMV Infection

contributor:
Basta, Sameh
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
LCMV
Polarized Macrophages
Spleen Macrophages
Antigen Presentation
CD8 T Cells

abstract:
Macrophages (MΦ) are a heterogeneous population of innate immune cells serving as the first line of defense during infection and as regulators of tissue homeostasis. During viral infections, MΦ rapidly sense infecting viruses to process and present antigen of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I for activation of virus specific CD8+ T cells. Moreover, through detection of pathogens and responding to environmental cytokines, monocytic derived bone marrow and peritoneal MΦ differentiate into polarized pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) states. However, little is known regarding the polarization capabilities of tissue resident MΦ, such as those of the spleen, which are of non-monocytic origin and how polarization influences CD8+ T cell immunity during viral infections.
Therefore, we tested to what extent spleen derived (Sp)-MΦ polarize into M1 and M2 states and the functional consequences of polarization. We found that Sp-MΦ respond concordantly with bone marrow (BM)- MΦ to M1 stimulation to increase expression of iNOS and produce NO, or to M2 stimulation induce Arginase and Urea production. In addition, polarization impacted the phagocytic function of MΦ. Thus in this section, we established the novel polarization capabilities of polarized Sp-MΦ and the outcome on phagocytosis an important MΦ function.
Next, we tested the MHC-I restricted antigen presenting abilities of polarized Sp-MΦ. To our surprise, we observed that M2 cells were proficient in inducing IFN-gamma secretion by effector CTL during peptide stimulation or following Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV) infection.  However, M2 MΦ exhibit a deficiency in their ability to stimulate memory CD8+ T cell proliferation, which was reversed by additional IL-2. These findings highlighted previously unreported functions of polarized MΦ with regard to direct antigen presentation.
Finally, we tested how virus priming into an in vivo M2 micro-environment influences subsequent CD8+ T cell immunity. In this study, we observed IL-4 pretreatment dramatically increased the quality of CD8+ T cell response enhanced viral clearance. The CD8+ T cell enhancement was prolonged into the memory phase of infection.
Taken together, this thesis provides novel information regarding the polarization of tissue MΦ and how such polarization influences CD8+ T cell immunity and the outcome of viral infection.

abstract: PhD


title: Beyond "The Henry Report": Racism and Diversity Practices at Queen's University

contributor:
McKittrick, Katherine
Jack-Davies, Anita
Cultural Studies

subject: Racism University Diversity

abstract: This thesis examines how neoliberal discourses of diversity operate at the university level through the administration’s policies, reports, and responses to racism. The perception of inclusion and acceptance, as present in the rhetoric of diversity policies and procedures, has shaped and obscured cultural perceptions of race (specifically the experiences of students and faculty of colour) while also upholding white supremacist logic. Using Queen’s University, a medium sized elite institution in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, as a case study, I discuss how academic spaces have been structured to reflect a vested interest in neoliberal capitalism, with the institution using diversity narratives to bolster excellence in reputation. In bringing together theories of race and education, as well as anti-racist theories that forefront racialization alongside issues space and belonging, this thesis argues that Queen’s University uses “diversity” to manage race.  Specifically, I explore how reports, assessments, workshops and courses name and/or teach “diversity” without comprehensively challenging practices of racism, colonialism, and white supremacy. The thesis concludes with a brief discussion of how racialized students and other collectives on campus have responded to racism at Queen’s University.

abstract: M.A.


title: Optimizing Data Locality in Analytic Workloads over Distributed Computing Environments

contributor:
Martin, Patrick
Computing

rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States

subject:
YARN
Hadoop
Data Locality
Simulation
Dynamic Replication
Load Balancing
Optimization

abstract:
With the explosion of data that are generated every second, there is an emerging need for big data analytics using scalable systems and platforms for exploration, mining and decision making purposes. To gain better business insights, the business users are interested to integrate different kinds of analytics to achieve their goals. These analytics may involve accessing the same data for different purposes.

Modern data intensive systems co-locate the computation as close as possible to the data to achieve greater e ciency. This placement of computation close to the data is called data locality. Data locality has a significant impact on the performance of jobs in a large cluster since higher data locality means there is less data transfer over the network.

In this work, we examine data locality in parallel processing frameworks and propose approaches to optimize it. First, we conduct a literature review of the existing systems that maximize data locality while processing big data analytics workflows.

Second, we provide YARN Locality Simulator (YLocSim), a simulator tool that simulates the interactions between YARN components in a real cluster to report the data locality percentages. This tool gives the users better insights about the expected performance of the computing cluster.

Third, we develop YARN Dynamic Replication Manager (YDRM), which is a new component in YARN that interacts with the existing YARN's Resource Manager to improve the data locality.

abstract: PhD


title: Poles Apart: Language and Cultural Barriers Pertaining to the Polish Army's 1st Armoured Division in Normandy, August 1944

contributor:
English, Allan
History

subject:
Polish Army in the West
Language and Culture
World War 2
Coalition Operations
Common Intent

abstract:
This thesis is a study of the effects language and culture on military operations using the experience of the 1st Polish Armoured Division under command of the II Canadian Corps in North Western Europe in August 1944. The challenges in multinational operations have been, and remain, understanding both allies and the environment in which one is going to be conducting operations. Rapid mutually intelligible communication is a key factor to mission success, whether during high tempo operations or while conducting deliberate planning and administrative work with non-English speaking allies.
This dissertation begins with background material on the cultural and linguistic effects on multi-national military operations, examining literature on the diaspora Polish communities and what has been said about the Polish and Canadian armies’ performances in North-West Europe in August 1944. This is followed by a description of the Pigeau-McCann common intent factors that will be used as a framework to highlight what could be done to overcome the effects of language and culture on the employment of military units and formations. Particular emphasis is placed on the effects of culture on leadership in both interpersonal and staff interactions, using the Pigeau-McCann Balanced Command Envelope (BCE) as a subsidiary model to help describe the effect that two commanders, Maczek and Simonds, had on the achievement of common intent.

Despite the linguistic and cultural challenges encountered, the 1st Polish Armoured Division fared well in combat and could possibly have done better had more emphasis been placed on bridging the gaps caused by linguistic and cultural differences, joint training, common understanding of the use of liaison teams and liaison officers and emphasis on concise written directions. These conclusions remain relevant in making more effective today’s multinational and, more often than not, multi-lingual military coalitions. There are valuable lessons that have been identified from the past; the time to learn from them is before commitment to operations.

abstract: PhD


title: Non-commutative Independences for Pairs of Faces

contributor:
Mingo, James A.
Belinschi, Serban
Mathematics and Statistics

subject: Bi-free probability

abstract:
In non-commutative probability theories, many different notions of independence arise in various contexts. According to the early classification work, there are only five such notions that are universal/natural in the sense of Speicher and Muraki, with free independence playing a prominent role.

This thesis follows Voiculescu's recent generalization of free independence to bi-free independence to allow the simultanous study of left and right non-commutative random variables. We consider similar generalizations of other types of independence in the literature and show that many of the important concepts such as cumulants, convolutions, transforms, limit theorems, and infinite divisibility have counterparts in the new setting. While many of the results in this thesis were to be expected, some peculiarities and difficulties do occur in this left-right framework as things become much more complicated.

abstract: PhD


title: Recasting Reform: An Analysis of Electoral Reform Initiatives in Fourteen Parliamentary Democracies

contributor:
Goodyear-Grant, Elizabeth
Rose, Jonathan
Political Studies

subject:
Electoral Systems
Electoral Reform
Institutional Change

abstract: While successful electoral system change has received considerable scholarly attention in recent years, comparatively little is known about the vast majority of cases where reform was unsuccessfully attempted or never attempted at all. Yet understanding these outcomes is vital to explaining the phenomenon of electoral reform. This dissertation illuminates the important spectrum of outcomes between stasis (no-change) and successful reform. In doing so, it examines the first step toward any potential voting system change: reform proposals and investigations. It asks how and when governments investigate electoral reform. Do reform investigations follow the same patterns as successful reforms? Using survival analysis of original data from 14 parliamentary democracies, this dissertation tests two complementary sets of hypotheses inspired by empirical studies of successful electoral reform and informed by different theoretical approaches to the study of institutional change. The first is a functionalist argument that suggests reform tends to occurs in order to bring "poorly performing" electoral systems closer to a better-functioning ideal. The second is a path-dependent explanation that emphasizes the self-reinforcing nature of political institutions. The analysis finds that reform is rarely proposed in response to apparent "failures" of the electoral system. Instead, the nature of the party system and the degree of institutional consolidation appear to be far better predictors of reform investigation.

abstract: PhD


title: Fine-Scale Mechanisms Influencing Germination Success, Seedling Growth and Survival in an Alpine Forest-Tundra Ecotone

contributor:
Danby, Ryan K.
Geography and Planning

subject:
altitudinal gradients
treeline dynamics
seed predation
shrub-seedling interaction
Picea glauca
seedling dynamics
reproductive ecology

abstract:
Despite the expectation that treeline will advance as climate continues to warm, it has only done so in approximately half of all sites studied. One of the explanations for the nonresponse of treelines is based on reproductive limitations including seed production, germination, establishment and growth of young seedlings. To that end, I studied the white spruce (Picea glauca) alpine treeline in the Kluane region of southwest Yukon to explore two important questions related to treeline ecology: (1) Is there sufficient viable seed dispersed at and beyond treeline for successful advance? (2) What are the most important variables influencing germinant presence, seedling growth and seedling survival in the alpine treeline ecotone? Four specific investigations were used to answer these questions, each one addressing a key aspect of seed production, germination, and seedling growth:

(1) Seed production, dispersal, and predation were quantified across the treeline ecotone. Results demonstrated that over 88% of seeds were damaged or not viable prior to dispersal. Less than 2% of all seeds were dispersed into alpine tundra. Additionally, germinant losses were also one third higher when seedlings were not protected from predators.

(2) Germination success was highest in partially scarified quadrats relative to unscarified and completely scarified quadrats. This was likely due to higher soil moisture and decreased temperature range. In non-experimental areas, naturalized seedlings were found at a higher frequency in areas with evidence of fine-scale soil disturbance.

(3) The most important variable that explained the presence of seedlings was the presence of shrubs: the higher the shrub cover, the greater the likelihood of finding tree seedlings up to a certain threshold, after which the probability declined.

(4) Tree seedlings grew at a slower pace in the presence of shrubs, but had significantly less tissue damage and higher survivorship than in plots where shrubs had been removed.

Collectively, my results suggest that seedling success is contingent on many factors, most notably the amount of erect shrubs in the immediate vicinity. Understanding the variables that influence seedling dynamics is critical, as treeline advance will only occur with the successful emergence, survival and growth of new individuals.

abstract: PhD


title: Self-Assembled N-Heterocyclic Carbene Monolayers on Gold as a Tunable Platform for Designing Biosensor Surfaces

contributor:
Horton, J. Hugh
Chemistry

subject:
Self-assembled monolayer
N-heterocyclic carbene monolayer
Biosensor surface
Surface plasmon resonance

abstract:
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based biosensing is an excellent tool to probe the recognition process between biomolecules in real-time, without need for labels. Thiol-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold have been widely used as linker layers for biosensor chips used in SPR. However, their use is hampered by the gold-thiol linkage’s high propensity for oxidation in ambient atmosphere. To this end, a new family of materials based on N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) has emerged as an alternative anchor for surface modiﬁcation. Most importantly, the NHC SAMs outperform thiol analogues under a wide range of harsh conditions.
Here, we compare the performance of an alkylated NHC SAM on gold with a commercial thiol-based analogue, a hydrophobic association (HPA) chip. Compared to the thiol-based sensor surface, the NHC sensor surface features a desired list of performance merits, including lower non-specific binding capacity, better chemical stability, higher reproducibility, shorter equilibration time, and longer life span. We also demonstrate that the NHC sensor surface can be used for rapid and efficient formation of a hybrid lipid bilayer for use in membrane interaction studies.
A sensor surface consisting of an NHC SAM coupled to carboxymethylated dextran was also developed. Standard SPR instrument tests demonstrated the NHC-dextran surfaces to be homogeneous and sufficiently responsive to meet performance standards. In terms of the real life biosensing validation, we found that the NHC-supported dextran surfaces yielded comparable performance to commercial thiol supported biosensor surfaces in kinetic analysis of drug/plasma protein and antibody/antigen interactions. Three types of NHC-based dextran surfaces derivatized with affinity capture functional molecules to enable specifically oriented binding of ligands for biosensing applications were developed: NHC-Streptavidin (SA), NHC-Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), and NHC-Protein A. Our results show that, when properly designed and applied, the NHC-based platform has the potential that allows facile tuning of surface properties in a highly divergent fashion, enabling various ligand to be efficiently immobilized for reliable biomolecular interactions. These results highlight the potential viability of chemical modifications to gold surfaces using NHC ligands as a robust and versatile platform to enable efficient evaluation of a wide range of biomolecular interactions.

abstract: PhD


title: The New Local Governance of Immigration in Canada: Local Immigration Partnerships and their role in Immigrant Settlement and Integration in Small- and Medium-sized Ontarian Cities

contributor:
Kobayashi, Audrey
Murakami-Wood, David
Geography and Planning

subject:
Local Immigration Partnership
Immigration
Canada
Governance

abstract: This research undertakes a policy analysis of the Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) program.  Initiated in Ontario in 2008, this national policy takes a local approach to the settlement and integration of immigrants. An objective of the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, the LIP is a community-built, multi-stakeholder strategy to attract and retain greater numbers of immigrants in small- to medium-sized municipal and regional areas in Ontario, and across Canada. The program serves to understand immigrant needs in these communities and to coordinate settlement service supports. Drawing on governmentality literatures, I seek to understand the process of policy localization as well as how this process and the enactment of policy in and through the local sphere governs immigrant settlement and integration. Between 2013 and 2015, I undertook a strategic analysis of existing federal-level immigration policies, federal-provincial agreements, provincial strategies, and LIP documents, and conducted semi-structured interviews with key informants such as government officials, political leaders, LIP coordinators and council members, and community stakeholders in Guelph-Wellington, Kingston, and Peterborough. Findings indicate a neoliberal reorganization of immigration management to control immigration, economic markets, and the outcomes of immigrants. Responsibility for aspects of settlement and integration are increasingly decentralized, but without an equal transfer of authority, leaving actors in the LIP organizations limited in their ability to make decisions and advocate for change. Federal funding and established measurements for project outcomes add layers of uncertainly for program success and sustainability. This research contributes to governmentality literatures as well as policy debates by offering new links between immigration policy and practice under advanced liberalism in Canada.

abstract: PhD


title: Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Human Brainstem and Cervical Spinal Cord

contributor:
Stroman, Patrick W.
Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

subject:
fMRI
Resting-state
Human
Brainstem
Spinal cord

abstract: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has been used to map extensive networks within the cortex, but its use to study resting-state connectivity in the brainstem (BS) and spinal cord (SC) has been limited. This is because of the challenge associated with using fMRI in this region. One reason for this is the small cross sectional area of the SC. The proximity of the BS and SC to the heart and lungs increases the amount of noise arising from physiological sources. The noise has a larger effect on the MR data acquired from the BS and SC than the cortex. Therefore, having a larger source of noise makes it harder to identify the source and separate from the data. The studies presented in this thesis try to tackle this problem. Data for both studies in chapters two and three, were obtained from 16 healthy participants. The study in chapter two used axially acquired images at the level of the periaqueductal gray, the rostral ventro-medial medulla and the sixth cervical SC segment. The study presented in chapter three used sagittal slice images from the thalamus to the T1/T2 vertebral disk spanning 9 sagittal slices centered on the SC.  The results of the study in chapter two identify specific sources of noise and quantify their contribution to the overall signal variance. The largest contributor to the signal variance was bulk motion (19%). Cardiac-related motion accounted for 14% of the signal variance followed by non-specific signal variations detected in white matter (10%), respiratory-related motion (2.6%), and end-tidal CO2 variations (0.7%). Significant left-right connectivity was detected in the dorsal horns and ventral horns of the SC after the noise was removed from the data. The study presented in the chapter three saw extensive connectivity within and across the BS and SC. Resting-state networks were observed between the BS and SC which involved primarily dorsal or ventral SC regions, and included specific anatomical regions within the BS as well. These results demonstrate the presence of resting-state connectivity within the BS and SC and are an important step towards developing rs-fMRI in this region.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Returns to scale and fire-sales in the Canadian Banking System

contributor:
Milne, Frank
Economics

subject:
stress test
Canadian banks
banking
Canadian financial system
returns to scale

abstract: My dissertation is divided into four parts. Chapter one summarizes and analyzes data on the Canadian banking system using data from CANSIM and a little used dataset from OSFI. I describe how the Canadian banks earn revenue, fund business activities, and pay expenses and a broad overview of the data, accounting rules, and trends in Canadian banking. Chapter two is an in-depth study on cost efficiency and returns to scale (RTS) in Canadian banking, and I estimate a transcendental log cost function for the six largest Canadian commercial banks. To my knowledge, this is the first work to find evidence of constant RTS among the Canadian banks and it is robust to a number of different asset and price specifications. In Chapter three, I compare the U.S. and Canadian banks from 1996 to 2015 and estimate both a trans-log cost function and, for robustness, an input-oriented distance function. Among the ten largest U.S. commercial banks, I find that constant returns to scale best describes the average bank in this period. However, the smaller banks in the sample exhibited increasing RTS but this became exhausted as bank size increased. In Chapter four, I apply a stress test model based on the work of Duarte and Eisenbach (2015) to estimate potential fire-sale losses in the Canadian banking system from 1996 to 2015. I find that the major banks are resilient to all but the most extreme event. This is because (i) Canada has strong macroprudential regulation that improves the quality of assets, (ii) if given a scenario of severe losses, banks retain a sufficient quantity of liquid assets that these could be used to meet short-term liabilities, and (iii) sufficient equity is available to absorb significant losses. However there remain some areas of concern. Using aggregate vulnerability (AV), I find that the Canadian banking system has become more vulnerable to a fire-sale episode since 2011 which could suggest a rising probability of future losses. The concentration of loans-to-households, including residential mortgages and consumer loans, should be of some concern to regulators.

abstract: PhD


title: Rule Egalitarianism: The Egalitarian Tilt of Classical Liberalism

contributor:
Lister, Andrew
Political Studies

subject:
Classical Liberalism
Social Justice
Friedrich Hayek
Market Capitalism
Egalitarianism
Basic Income
Rule of Law
Property Rights
Contract Law
Eminent Domain
High Liberalism

abstract:
Classical liberalism has wrongly been regarded as an ideology that rejects the welfare state. This study endeavours to replace this far too common reading of the classical liberal tradition with an approach I term “rule egalitarianism”. Not only is classical liberalism compatible with social justice, but it can also help us understand why some egalitarian endeavours are an essential feature of a market society. If a necessary link exists between the classical liberal tradition and the moral and institutional dimensions of the rule of law, then this tradition is bound to uphold a substantial form of social justice.

Coherence requires that classical liberals adopt an authentic egalitarian program by which I mean that if the set of beliefs classical liberals like Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, and Richard Epstein have favoured is justified, then it follows that we should have social justice in market societies. The neoclassical liberal tradition, represented by scholars like Jason Brenan and John Tomasi, has recently argued that social justice requires market capitalism. My argument, conversely, is slightly more ambitious – market capitalism requires social justice, or, to be more precise, classical liberals cannot argue for market capitalism without also arguing for social justice, because of their prior commitment to the rule of law. They must ameliorate poverty and limit extreme inequality of wealth. There is indeed a need to provide a principled grounding for egalitarian policies within classical liberalism, while at the same time showing how only some such policies are compatible with the main tenets of the classical liberal tradition. This grounding has two dimensions – showing what is compatible, and showing what is required. The rule egalitarian program provides us with such grounding from a classical liberal standpoint.

abstract: PhD


title: ‘It’s Only Water - Triple Bottom Line Analysis for Planners and Policy Makers about Direct Potable Reuse in Canada.’

subject: Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES

subject: Planning Water

subject: Urban Planning

subject: DPR

subject: Direct Potable Reuse

subject: Direct Potable Reuse United States

subject: Direct Potable Reuse Canada

subject: Blackwater

subject: Wastewater

subject: Water Governance

subject: Water Reuse

abstract:
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
This report provides an analysis of the existing literature about direct potable reuse of water in developed countries: mainly the United States, Australia and Canada.
Rudimentary indirect potable reuse of wastewater has been used for thousands of years, but only as direct potable reuse in the last half decade. A lack of public
understanding integrated with expensive technology, led to a lack of implementation in North America during the 1970s and into the 1990s. An insufficiency of research
or additional literature has furthered municipalities reluctance to invest in direct
potable reuse. In order to better evaluate direct potable reuse projects, this report outlined the existing social, environmental and economic research that has been
conducted about direct potable reuse. A mixed methods research approach was used to address the report’s three research objectives. The first method was a systematic review of the existing literature, particularly focusing on the areas of social,
environmental and economic indicators for direct potable reuse projects. This lengthy review provided insight into what various fields in the world focus on when reviewing and studying direct potable reuse. After the information was gathered and analyzed using the second method, document analysis, the report then developed a TBL framework based on a similar framework used by the City of Calgary, and by asking specific questions, evaluated some of the general ideas and concepts gathered from the systematic review.
The report addresses the following research objectives:
1 What evidence exists about the use of decentralized direct potable reuse as a
replacement for traditional Wastewater Treatment Plants, and how have these studies framed the transition and use of these systems in developed countries?
2 Propose a policy analysis for use in Canada that use a broad-based triple bottom line framework to measure the potential for direct potable reuse in communities (Slaper,
2011).
3 Discuss some of the policy and jurisdictional issues around implementing direct
potable reuse in Canada.
KEY FINDINGS
The key findings of this report are:
• More collaborative research and careful public engagement should be carried
out to ensure the public is supportive and understands the potential needs for DPR systems in Canada.
• Education and training should be adjusted to reflect more innovative
technologies and models that may not be currently taught in planning,
engineering, health or policy related curriculum.
• TBL frameworks and life cycle analysis will provide important models for
municipalities to ensure decision making processes for wastewater are fair,
rigorous and take into account the three pillars of sustainability.
• There needs to be much more research on life cycle analysis on water reuse and wastewater systems to understand the non-financial costs should be
evaluated on projects.
• There needs to be more scientific research carried out of the existing DPR
projects and more investment needed to bring more research projects on-line in municipalities.
• There needs to be more research to understand the policy implications of either allowing municipalities, the provinces and territories, or the federal government to take the lead on DPR policies and implementation


title: Early mechanisms of factor VIII immunity in hemophilia A

contributor:
Lillicrap, David
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

subject:
hemophilia A
factor VIII
immunity
glycosylation
vaccination
clearance

abstract:
The most serious complication in treating hemophilia A (HA) is the development of an immune response to the therapeutically-administered factor VIII (FVIII). A better understanding of initiating events leading to FVIII immunity may highlight alternative treatment interventions. We have explored this synapse at the level of the FVIII protein, the cellular interactions, and the surrounding microenvironment.

At the protein level, we have confirmed epidemiological findings suggesting that recombinant FVIII produced in a baby hamster kidney cell line is more immunogenic than FVIII produced in Chinese hamster ovary cell line. We have attributed this, in part, to differences in protein N-linked glycosylation, where incomplete occupancy of N-linked consensus sequences reveals epitopes for naturally circulating IgM antibodies.

To elucidate cellular immune responses, we observed that human FVIII interacts initially with MARCO+ macrophages in the marginal zone of the mouse spleen. Functional enrichment analysis of the upregulated splenic transcriptome 3 hours after intravenous FVIII administration suggests a modulation of STAT1 and STAT3 signaling, while a similar analysis in the liver implicate Wnt signaling. Interestingly, an endocytic receptor has never been implicated in FVIII immunity in vivo. A GWAS study recently implicated a role of the endothelial cell scavenger receptor, stabilin-2, on circulating FVIII levels. Here, we showed that stabilin-2 knockout mice exhibit an attenuated immune response against FVIII compared to wildtype mice in a human von Willebrand factor-dependent manner.

Lastly, we assessed the role of an inflammatory microenvironment on FVIII immunogenicity. The proximity of pediatric vaccination and the initiation of FVIII replacement therapy has prompted clinical concerns that concurrent exposure to inflammatory viral constituents may increase the risk of FVIII immune responses. In a transgenic HA mouse model, we have shown that intramuscular immunization against influenza decreases FVIII immune responses through a mechanism of antigenic competition leading to CD4+ T cell diversion towards the site of immunization.

Collectively, these studies highlight potential areas for therapeutic intervention, and also provide clinicians with mechanistic evidence that may aid in the treatment of HA.

abstract: PhD


title: Evaluation of the determinants and characterization of bleeding in hemophilia A and B carriers

contributor:
James, Paula
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

subject:
hemophilia carriers
bleeding assessment tool
desmopressin
DDAVP
FVIII
FIX

abstract:
Hemophilia A and B are bleeding disorders caused by a deficiency in coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) or coagulation factor IX (FIX), respectively. Due to the X-linked inheritance pattern, males are affected with the disease, while females are almost exclusively carriers of hemophilia. Although carriers were historically assumed to be asymptomatic, it is now known that many hemophilia carriers experience abnormal bleeding. Hemophilia carriers have higher bleeding scores compared to controls and have decreased health related quality of life. Despite this recognition, little is understood concerning the cause of this bleeding. As such, this study aims to evaluate hemophilia carrier bleeding to elucidate the cause of the abnormal bleeding phenotype.
	The objectives of this study are to evaluate hemophilia carrier bleeding in several contexts and with respect to numerous determinants of bleeding in order to elucidate the relative contribution of each determinant to the Self-administered Bleeding Assessment Tool (Self-BAT) bleeding score, and to examine the underlying pathophysiological mechanism of abnormal bleeding in hemophilia A carriers by comparing the response to desmopressin in hemophilia A carriers and controls.
	This study demonstrates that hemophilia carriers experience comparable levels of bleeding as women with other bleeding disorders and that there may be differences in the manifestation of bleeding between hemophilia A and B carriers. Importantly, we also demonstrate that increasing age, O-type blood, and low factor level may contribute to an abnormal bleeding phenotype in carriers.  Additionally, we show that hemophilia A carriers, even with normal baseline FVIII levels, have a significantly reduced and less sustained FVIII responses to DDAVP compared to controls.
	To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine multiple determinants of bleeding in hemophilia carriers in a single study and the first to fully characterize the response to DDAVP in hemophilia A carriers compared to controls.
In conclusion, these results have begun to elucidate the cause of hemophilia carrier bleeding. Ultimately, an improved understanding of what factors put a carrier at risk of abnormal bleeding and of the mechanism of this abnormal bleeding will allow for improved healthcare and quality of life for these women.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: A critical geography of physical activity: Investigating the role of gender in gym environments

contributor:
Davidson, Joyce
Rosenberg, Mark W.
Geography and Planning

subject:
Health geography
Geography
Gender
Gender and health
Health
Gyms
Physical activity
Health and place
Emotional geographies
Critical geography
Health inequities

abstract: This thesis develops a critical geography of physical activity by examining the implications of socio-spatial processes at the scale of the everyday exercise environment for gendered inequities. Around the world, men are more active than women. Meeting recommended physical activity guidelines significantly reduces risk of a range of chronic conditions and premature death; yet, on the whole, women are missing out on these health benefits as compared to their male counterparts. Gyms—although routine places for exercise—are conspicuously absent from health geography research. In this thesis, I investigate the central question: What is the role of an everyday exercise environment, specifically the gym, in the gendering of physical activity? Situated in a conceptual framework linking literature on gender, health geographies, and emotional geographies, my research design comprises an in-depth, multi-method qualitative study incorporating semi-structured interviews, participant-generated drawing, and journaling with 52 women and men in a mid-sized Canadian city. First, I investigate how gender manifests in gym environments and identify five multisensorial gendered performativities of place: bodily materialities; the soundscape; visual fields; the physical environment; and the imaginary. Next, I examine how gender influences gym-users’ practices and mobilities and identify three socio-spatial processes at play (embodying gender ideals, policing gender performance, and spatializing gender relations), along with a fourth theme illustrating the agency some individuals interject to disrupt gender hegemony. I then turn to consider how gender matters in the emotional geographies of the gym where I find three processes (dislocation, evaluation, and sexualization) that create a sense of gender displacement and configure an unevenly gendered emotional architecture of place, while individual factors can mediate negative emotional outcomes. My findings demonstrate that while gyms are potentially sites for health promotion, they are also places where gendered inequities in health opportunities emerge. I argue that addressing gender inequities requires attention to the complexities of the socio-spatial processes that naturalize, as well as challenge, gender differences and disparities in the very places where physical activities are undertaken. Interventions to improve gender equity in physical activity participation need to account for the gendered features of everyday exercise environments.

abstract: PhD


title: Going Political: Integration Policies, Group Resources and the Opportunities for Immigrants' Political Voice

contributor:
Banting, Keith G.
Kay, Fiona
Political Studies

subject:
Political Participation
Social Networks
Multiculturalism
Political Incorporation of Immigrants
Immigrant Civic Organizations

abstract:
This study examines the political integration of immigrants in the two advanced democracies of North America: Canada and the United States. Literature shows that immigrants tend to participate more and feel more politically efficacious in countries, such as Canada, characterized by multiculturalism policies that proactively support the integration of immigrants. The literature, however, leaves unexplained the mechanisms through which multiculturalism policies influence immigrants at the individual level, where political attitudes crystallize and behavior is carried out.  This inattention to mechanisms poses a serious inferential problem. As we cannot determine how multiculturalism policies influence immigrants’ integration, we cannot establish whether integration outcomes are actually a result of multiculturalism policies or rather, as critics of multiculturalism argue, of the selective immigration criteria in multiculturalism countries, which privilege highly-skilled immigrants who are arguably better able to integrate, regardless of integration policies.

Using an original data set I built through a survey with immigrants from India and El Salvador in the Greater Toronto Area (Canada) and the Santa Clara County (United States), I examine the processes through which multiculturalism policies influence the likelihood that immigrants will engage in politics and feel politically competent. I also address questions that remain empirically under-investigated in the literature, such as whether multiculturalism policies incentivize immigrants to develop ties within the immigrant community, to the detriment of wider social integration, and the relative influence of in-group and out-group connections for immigrants’ political participation.

The findings in the study shows that multicultural policies – through their effects on ethno-specific civic organizations-, redistribute social resources that are helpful for political incorporation in favor of more socioeconomically disadvantaged immigrant groups, while equalizing the distribution of such resources within better off immigrant groups. The findings also show that in-group and out-group connections are positively related in both Canada and the United States.

This study challenges the arguments of critics of multiculturalism who argue that these policies are inconsequential, or harmful to integration, or more beneficial to already better off immigrant groups. It shows instead that they matter particularly for more disadvantaged immigrant communities.

abstract: PhD


title: Understanding the variables influencing graduate nurse transition and retention in the workplace

contributor:
Edge, Dana S.
Nursing

subject: graduate nurse, transition, retention, intention to leave

abstract:
The transition of graduate nurses to practice has been identified as challenging. Graduate nurses report feeling stressed, ill prepared, and having intentions to leave (ITL) jobs and the profession. Concerns of ITL are worrisome for the nursing profession, especially when faced with the need to replace an aging nursing workforce, and to maintain quality patient care. Graduate nurse transition and ITL have been the focus of many studies, yet the constructs are typically studied separately without directly connecting graduate nurse transition to subsequent retention in a job and the nursing profession. Guided by a transition theory, the study aimed to test a theory linking ITL and transition, and the personal, community and societal conditions of transition.
A predictive, non-experimental design using cross-sectional data was employed. Using a random sample obtained from the provincial regulatory body, registered nurses within their first 24 months of practice were surveyed (N=217) between June and July 2015.  The mailed survey included validated tools to assess self-efficacy, work/family conflict, role stress, work environments, transition, and ITL.
An overall response rate of 32% was obtained. The mean transition rating, on a scale from 1 to 10, was 6.9, suggesting a positive transition. Intention to leave measures, assessing ITL jobs and the profession were low; however, 45% of respondents reported having left their jobs, and one percent reported having left the profession.  Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of all scales, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was completed to test the theory which hypothesized that transition is directly associated with ITL. Overall, the model was not supported by the data (χ2 245.07, df 106, p<.01, sRMR .07, GFI .88, CFI .88, RMSEA .08); however, significant relationships among study variables were identified. Thematic analysis of responses to an open-ended item revealed themes of facilitators (supportive work environment, personal factors, and policy), and barriers (feeling unprepared, negative work environments, personal struggles, and policy) to graduate nurse transition. Based on these findings, a number of implications targeting graduate nurse transition and retention at nursing practice, education, research and policy levels are proposed.

abstract: PhD


title: Cascaded ROADM Filter Replication and the Effects of Statistical Variations in the Response of Cascaded ROADMs on 100 Gb/s DP-QPSK System Performance

contributor:
Cartledge, John C.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Optical Communications
ROADM

abstract:
This thesis focuses on two distinct investigations: filter replications and the testing of a real-time system.
The filter replication section used a Finisar WaveShaper programmable filter, a Yenista adjustable bandpass filter and a Luna Optical Vector Analyzer to adjust the input to the WaveShaper in a feedback method. There were two different scenarios for the filter replication: bandwidth narrowing/ center frequency shift and passband impairments. Both were meant to model the effect of concatenating filters from a signal being transmitted through cascaded ROADMs.
The real-time testing section was based around using a WaveLogic 3 real-time transceiver in QPSK mode. In this setting, the transceiver sends and receives a QPSK signal, performing all of its digital signal processing in real-time. Similar to the filter replication section, the real-time performance of the WL3 transceiver was tested with bandwidth narrowing/center frequency shift as well as passband impairments. For the bandwidth narrowing, only the Yenista bandpass filter was used between the transmitter and receiver to provide the effect of bandwidth narrowing/center frequency shift. For the passband impairments, the WaveShaper and Yenista filter were used together to provide passband impairments with an adjustable bandwidth setting. Unlike the filter replication case, the WaveShaper was used in a feed-forward capacity.
For the filter replication, the metric for measuring success was the reduction of the mean squared error compared to the feedforward case. The bandwidth narrowing/center frequency shift case had limited success, with a mean MSE reduction of 16.08% and one scenario of 10 resulting in an increase in the MSE. The passband impairment filter replication was much more effective, resulting in a mean reduction in MSE of 73.53% and an improvement in all 10 scenarios.
With real-time testing, the penalty associated with narrow bandwidth filtering / center frequency shift was explored by determining the required OSNR for a BER of 1x10-3 at different bandwidths and amounts of center frequency shift. The overall range of ROSNR was 2.2 dB, after which there was breakdown in the Forward Error Correction coding.
It was found that for the passband impairments, passband ripple had a much larger effect on the performance of the system than passband slope, due to the interaction with the Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier. In the ranges tested, the slope was not correlated with the mean SNR, whereas the ripple amplitude was negatively correlated with the mean SNR. The ripple period was also found to influence the performance penalty.

abstract: M.A.Sc.