title: Theory of Spin Waves in the Heavy Rare Earth Metals

contributor:
Goodings, D. A.
Physics

subject: theory, spin waves, earth, metals, single-ion, crystal

abstract:
 A theory of spin waves for the spin structures found in the rare earth metals of hcp crystal structure is described. The theory is developed for the conical spiral spin structure which contains the planar spiral, the nonplanar ferromagnet and the planar ferromagnet as special cases. Included in the Hamiltonian are isotropic and anisotropic exchange interactions,
single-ion crystal field terms, and magnetoelastic terms, both of the single-ion type and the two-ion type. Equations of motion for the spin operators are linearized with the help of the random phase approximation which makes it possible to express some spin-wave interaction effects in terms of powers of the reduced magnetization. Expressions for the spin-wave energies are given for the four structures under consideration.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Local and Strong Local Paracompactness

contributor:
Lintz, R. G.
Mathematics

subject: local, strong, paracompactness, topological

abstract:
 This thesis gives basic properties of the newly defined topological properties local paracompactness and strong local paracompactness. An example is given to show that they do not coincide in T2 spaces; another example is given of a strongly locally paracompact T2 space which is neither locally compact nor paracompact. The existence of a one point paracompactification analagous to the Aleksandrov one point compactification is constructed
and proved for strongly locally paracompact T2 spaces. Also considered are conditions under which these two properties are preserved under closed maps and heredity.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Compliance and Dropout in a Supervised Exercise Program of Cardiac Rehabilitation: Contributing Factors and Follow-Up Status

contributor:
Oldridge, N. B.
Adapted Human Biodynamics

subject: compliance, supervised exercise, cardiac, rehabilitation, dropout rates

abstract:
 Exercise programs designed for cardiac patients frequently report high dropout rates. Little is known about the reasons for this high rate of dropout; further, little is known about health behavior patterns including physical activity subsequent to graduation or dropout from exercise programs. Identification of reasons for dropout and the pattern of physical activity after participation in formal exercise rehabilitation would provide information regarding
achievement and maintenance of treatment goals.

 Entry characteristics were determined for 84 male cardiac patients (45 compliers and 39 dropouts) from the McMaster Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Program. Follow-up information pertaining to areas of: a) health; b) employment, smoking, activity, and dietary status; c) reasons for joining the program; d) perceived benefits achieved; and e) factors contributing to compliance with or dropout from the exercise program was obtained from 63 subjects (41 compliers and 22 dropouts) who responded to a questionnaire by mail.

 The dropout rate at the end of the 6 month program was 46.4% (39 of 84 subjects) with one-half of all dropout occurring within the first 2 months of the 6 month program. Upon entry into the exercise program, a significantly greater proportion of dropouts (43.6%, n=17) than compliers (8.9%, n=4) were found to be regular smokers. Likewise, a significantly greater proportion of dropouts (82.1%, n=32) than compliers (55.6%, n=25) were found to be inactive in their leisure habits upon entry. Dropouts were also more likely to be blue collar workers (71.8%, n=28), and younger in
age (x̅ age = 48.4 years) when compared to compliers (37.8%, n=17; x̅ age = 54.3 years) upon entry into the exercise program. Upon follow-up, compliers were significantly more likely to report active leisure habits (85.4%, n=35) than were responding dropouts (45.5%, n=10). Compliers were also significantly more likely to report moderate work activity levels upon follow-up (54.8%, n=17) compared to dropouts (22.2%, n=4). Reasons for compliance to and withdrawal from the exercise program provided by respondents centred around psychosocial and personal convenience categories.

 Although statistically significant, the greater
follow-up activity levels noted among compliers in this study appear to be only temporary, short-term patterns which tend to diminish with time. It is suggested that compliance-improving strategies be developed through further study with the aim of encouraging the long-term maintenance of desired behavior change.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Mytran: A Programming Language for Data Abstraction

contributor:
Wood, Derick
Computer Science

subject: Mytran, programming, language, data abstraction

abstract: This project is about the design and implementation of a new programming language, Mytran. Two new control statements are implemented in Mytran. Data abstraction is supported through parameterized types or "type constructors".

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Mean and Median of PSD Matrices on a Riemannian Manifold: Application to Detection of Narrowband Sonar Signals

contributor:
Wong, Kon Max
Electrical and Computer Engineering

abstract:
We investigate the employment of power spectral density (PSD) matrix, which is
constructed by the received signals in a multi-sensor system and contains additional
cross-correlation information, as a feature in signal processing. Since the PSD matrices
are structurally constrained, they form a manifold in signal space. The commonly
used Euclidean distance (ED) to measure the distance between two such matrices are
not informative or accurate. Riemannian distances (RD), which measure distances
along the surface of the manifold, should be employed to give more meaningful measurements.
Furthermore, the principle that the geodesics on the manifold can be
lifted to an isometric Euclidean space is emphasized since any processing involving
the optimization of the geodesics can be lifted to the isometric Euclidean space and
be carried out in terms of the equivalent Euclidean metric. Application of this principle
is illustrated by having e cient algorithms locating the mean and median of
the PSD matrices on the manifold developed. These concepts are then applied to
the detection of narrow-band sonar signals from which the decision rule is set up by
translating the measure reference. In order to further enhance the detecton performance,
an algorithm is developed for obtaining the optimum weighting matrix which
can better classify the signal from noise. The experimental results show that the
performance by the PSD matrices being the detection feature is very encouraging.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: The Vibrational and Electronic Spectra of Ethynylbenzene

contributor:
King, Gerald W.
Chemistry

subject: vibrational, electronic, spectra, ethynylbenzene, excited state, energy

abstract:
 The infrared and Raman spectra of ethynylbenzene-h6, -d1, -d5 and -d6 have been analysed, and the fundamental frequencies assigned.

 Vibrational analyses of the electronic spectra of ethynylbenzene-h6, -d1, -d5 and -d6 in the 2900-2500 Å region have
been carried out. The transition is identified as an allowed A~1B2<--X~1A1 transition. A very strong "forbidden" component, which borrows intensity from a B~1A1<--X~1A1 transition by vibronic interactions, also appears in the spectrum.

 Semi-empirical LCAO-SCF-MO-CI calculations predict the lowest singlet excited state to be of B2 symmetry, at an energy
above the ground state close to the experimental values.

 Rotational band contour analysis substantiates the observation that both A- and B-type bands are present in the
electronic spectrum. Ethynylbenzene remains planar and shows little geometrical change on electronic excitation.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: THE ROLE OF EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES IN BREAST CANCER PROGRESSION AND DIAGNOSIS

contributor:
Al-Nedawi, Khalid
Health Sciences

subject: Breast Cancer, Extracellular Vesicles, Biomarkers

abstract:
Breast cancer (BC) is the second most commonly occurring malignant disease in
women and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide, globally
accounting for almost half-a-million deaths per year. In Canada, BC is the second leading
cause of death in women preceded only by lung cancer. Invasion and metastasis are the
most common causes of mortality in patients with BC. Studies show that extracellular
vesicles (EVs) play an important role in immune system evasion, invasion and metastasis.
Studies have shown a significant elevation of EVs in the serum of cancer patients
compared to healthy subjects. Furthermore, elevated secretion of EVs has been correlated
with cancer malignancy. Therefore, it has been suggested that EVs may be an important
non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic tool for cancer. Herein our in vitro studies show
that ER-α is secreted via EVs from MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, our mass spectrometry
(MS)-based proteomic study showed that the proteomic profile of EVs from the plasma of
BC patients differs from that of healthy subjects. In addition, we have also shown that
vesicular abundance of proteins associated with tumour malignancy, such as tissue factor
(TF), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 12
(ADAM12) and β-Catenin is different between primary tumour and metastatic disease.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: SULFUR NUTRITION STUDIES USING THE HALOPHYTE EUTREMA SALSUGINEUM

contributor:
Weretilnyk, Elizabeth
Biology

subject:
Sulfur
Plant Biology

abstract: Eutrema salsugineum is an extremophile plant that is naturally tolerant to abiotic stresses such as high salinity, drought and cold (Inan et al., 2004, Griffith et al., 2007; MacLeod et al., 2015). It is emerging as a stress tolerant model plant, due to its short life cycle and high genetic similarity to the model plant Arabidopsis (Inan et al., 2004). There are two well-studied ecotypes of Eutrema, the Shandong ecotype from the Shandong Province of China, and the Yukon ecotype that grows in the Yukon, Canada. Principal component analysis (PCA) comparing the transcriptomes of three Yukon cabinet plants, three Shandong cabinet plants, and three Yukon field plants revealed that Yukon cabinet plants load negatively along PC3, while the Shandong cabinet and Yukon field plants load positively. Of the top 50 genes that contribute to this negative loading, 12 are related to sulfur deficiency, leading to the hypothesis that the cabinet plants are deficient for sulfur. To test this hypothesis cabinet potting soil was supplemented with calcium sulfate dihydrate to raise the sulfur level to approximately that of Yukon field soil. Sulfur-treated plants were compared to those grown on unsupplemented soil and untreated plants had significantly reduced biomass and leaf area. Additionally, RT-qPCR showed that relative to sulfur-supplemented plants, untreated plants had 4 to 177-fold higher transcript levels of two sulfur deficiency marker genes, Sulfur deficiency induced 1 and γ-glutamylcyclotransferase 2;1. While these findings are consistent with untreated plants experiencing a sulfur deficiency, there was no difference in chlorophyll content, and rosette sulfur levels were only 1.1-fold higher in the sulfur-treated plants. The third most negatively loading gene on PC3 was identified as XLOC_003912, a long non-coding RNA of unknown function that is only expressed in Yukon cabinet plants. Because it shows a similar loading pattern to the 12 sulfur nutrition-related genes, it was hypothesized to be involved in sulfur homeostasis. RT-qPCR showed that XLOC_003912 expression was lower in sulfur-treated compared to untreated plants. A method was developed to suppress XLOC_003912 expression in Yukon Eutrema plants by Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS). In addition to providing insight into the function of XLOC_003912, this technique can be used in future studies for determining the role of novel genes in Eutrema salsugineum.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)

abstract: Eutrema salsugineum is a model for studies of plant abiotic stress tolerance. I determined that the Yukon ecotype of Eutrema displays elevated expression of sulfur deficiency genes when grown in cabinets. Increasing soil sulfur level roughly 10-fold in the potting mix led to significantly increased biomass, leaf area and leaf number and reduced transcript abundance of sulfur deficiency genes. One sulfur-responsive gene encodes a novel long non-coding RNA.  I adapted a method for transiently repressing its expression, an approach that can be used to explore the function of this and other novel genes in Eutrema.


contributor:
Kirkaldy, J.S.
Metallurgy

abstract: Title: The Constitution and Kinetics of the System Fe-Mn-S Between 1200° and 1800°C, Author: Peter N. Smith, Location: Thode

abstract:
This thesis is concerned with the determination of the constitution
of the ternary system Fe-Mn-S in the temperature range 1200° to 1600°C and
the establishment of the kinetics of phase transformation (in the form of
diffusion coefficients) within the system. Using the results of equilibration
experiments and diffusion couple experiments, together with free energy composition
diagrams, a solubility theory based on the Gibbs-Duhem equation,
and data from the literature, the Fe-Mn-S phase diagram is constructed and
presented as a compendium of isotherms. The significance of the phase
diagram, as related to commercial steels, is discussed by investigating both
quantitatively and qualitatively the quaternary effect of carbon on the
ternary constitution in the region of the melting point of iron. Also
discussed is sulfide inclusion formation and transformation during and
after solidification.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


contributor:
Wade, J.H.T.
Mechanical Engineering

abstract: Title: The Influence on Hydrodynamic Drag of High Molecular Weight Compounds in the Turbulent Boundary Layer, Author: John R. Smallman, Location: Thode

abstract:
This thesis describes in detail an experimental study made into the
evaluation and explanation of the reduction in hydrodynamic drag resulting
from the addition of small proportions of certain water soluble polymers
to distilled water.

An experimental apparatus was designed which would, it was hoped,
yield repeatable results. This apparatus consisted basically of a chamber
which was filled with the test fluid, and which contained a rotating disk
whose speed could be varied and whose torque could be measured.

To develop a theory which would explain this reduction in hydrodynamic
drag a boundary layer velocity profile was determined for pure water at
a given disk radius, and then for water containing the long chain polymer
"polyacrylamide MRL-159". These two velocity profiles were determined
using a special velocity probe developed for the purpose; and hence a
section of this thesis will describe in detail its development and operation.

All solution concentrations alluded to in the text, in the tabular and
graphical presentations, and in the calculations are in parts of solute
per million parts of solvent (P.P.M.), by weight.

The weights of the solutes used in the determination of concentrations
were corrected for moisture content as determined in oven drying procedures
fully described in section 4.2 entitled "Stock Preparation and Control".

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (ME)


contributor:
Bourns, A.N.
Chemistry

abstract: Title: Studies on the Elimination Reaction of 2-Arylethylammonium Salts, Author: Peter J. Smith, Location: Thode

abstract:
The mechanism of the elimination reaction of 2-phenylethyltrimethylammonium
ion with ethoxide ion in ethanol has been examined
using tracer and kinetic isotope effect methods. The absence of
exchange of the β-hydrogen with solvent and the observation of a
nitrogen-15 isotope effect of 1.4 per cent have eliminated a two step
process involving a carbanion intermediate. Tracer studies
using α- and β-deuterium labelled compounds have also excluded the
less probable reaction pathways involving ylide and carbene intermediates.
It is concluded, therefore, that the reaction is a concerted
E2 process.

Information concerning the extent of C-H and C-N bond
weakening at the transition state has been obtained by determining
the influence of base strength on the nitrogen isotope effect in the
reaction of ethyltrimethylammonium ion and the influence of parasubstitution
on both hydrogen and nitrogen isotope effects in the
reaction of a series of 2-arylethyltrimethylammonium salts. The
results have been interpreted in terms of a hypothesis that any
structural change which causes one bond to be weakened more at the
transition state will have a corresponding effect on the other bond.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


contributor:
Betak, J.F.
Physics

abstract: Title: An Analysis of Intra-Urban Consumer Spatial Imagery Fields, Author: Geoffrey C. Smith, Location: Thode

abstract:
The general objective of the thesis is to investigate
the mental information that consumers hold of the spatial
distribution of a set of retail outlets. An individual's
mental information on the spatial distribution of a specific
set of environmental elements, within an areal unit, is termed
a spatial imagery field. The selected areal unit for the
study is the city of Hamilton, Ontario . The specific
objectives are: (i) to indicate whether the spatial
properties of consumer spatial imagery fields are related
to length of residence; (ii) to indicate whether the spatial
properties of consumer spatial imagery fields are related to
social status; (iii) to indicate whether there is a
relationship between the social status of consumers and the
use-frequency of the types of information channels which
are used to build up their spatial imagery fields. Hypotheses
are formulated in accordance with these objectives. The
data are collected from a census tract located in Hamilton.
The hypotheses are tested by using objective statistical
inferential procedures. The findings suggest that length
of residence and social status are salient indicators of
the spatial properties of the fields. The postulated
relationship between social status and the use-frequency
of the information channels, however, is not substantiated.
Recommendations are made for future related research.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


contributor:
Reeds, L.G.
Geography

abstract: Title: The Effects of Isolation on Agricultural Development, Author: R.K. Smith, Location: Thode

abstract:
Agriculture, as with any human activity, is subject
to an extremely wide range of influences. This gives rise
to complexities of a rather broad scope which must be dealt
with when investigating the agriculture found on any-scale ,
be it farm, county, province , or country. In any study on
agriculture. These complexities must be reduced somehow so
t hat the scale of inve s tigation a l lo ws enough in- dep t h study
to permit reliable conclusions . The purpose of this study
is to investigate the effects of one factor, isolation 1 on
agricultural development. Let it be hypothesized that :
isolation of an agricultural area will affect : i) the rate
and nature of growth , and ii) the present agriculture ".

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Arts (BA)


contributor:
Woods, D.R.
Civil Engineering

abstract: Title: Coagulation of an Oil-Water Emulsion Waste, Author: Murray W. Slezak, Location: Thode

abstract:
A small scale continuous unit, jar test unit and
zeta. meter were used to study the effects of chemical
treatment on a stable emulsion waste from a steel rolling
mill.

The effect of coagulant dosage and pH of coagulation
on colloid mobility and on oil removed was studies. All
other system variables were kept constant.

Of the 15 combinations of chemicals tried, an effective
coagulant for breaking a fresh stable emulsion and a
corresponding pH range for effective separation was obtained.

Colloid mobility measurements indicated the feasibility
of using the zeta potential technique in the waste
field to determine and control coagulant dosage. However
the zeta meter in its present form has limited use with
emulsions.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (ME)


title: An evaluation of "old age" traits in transition analysis and mandibular ridge resorption in age estimation of older individuals

contributor:
Brickley, Megan
Anthropology

subject: bioarchaeology

abstract:
Mandibular ridge resorption reflected by mandibular bone height and the two “old age” traits, breakdown of the dorsal margin of the pubic symphysis and posterior exostoses of the iliac auricular surface, were tested for their potential as old age indicators. Samples with no known age-at-death come from the Lankhills School, Andover Road, and Hyde Street cemetery collections in Winchester, UK. The collections were dated to the 4th century AD, a time of Imperial Roman rule.
Results showed that mandibular bone height decreases with increasing age, however the correlation is only statistically significant in females. Statistically significant positive correlations exist between age-at-death and the two “old age” traits. Further, correlations between mandibular bone heights and the two “old age” traits were more pronounced in males. In general, mandibular ridge resorption, breakdown of dorsal margin of pubic symphysis and posterior exostoses of the iliac auricular surface can aid in the identification of old individuals; however, differences between the sexes is pronounced, indicating that besides age, sex-related factors, either physiological or cultural, play a role in the morphological changes of these skeletal features. Females tend to show more severe mandibular ridge resorption due to systemic bone loss affected by hormonal change around menopause. On the other hand, the two pelvic “old age” traits have stronger relationship with mandibular bone height in males because these two traits have more regular and predictable patterns of morphological changes. These changes are likely to be associated with the different roles of male and female pelves in reproduction.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Diagnosis of faults in plant operations and scheduling under uncertain production times

contributor:
Mahalec, Vladimir
Chemical Engineering

abstract:
Technical advances since 1970s in the areas of plant measurements and data archiving have enabled us to measure large number of process variables and record in the industrial plant historians.  Early stages of plant data analysis via charting have been replaced by methods which enable us to extract more useful information from plant data, thereby  providing valuable insight into plant operations.  Monitoring of plant operations needs enables us to assess whether production targets are met according to the schedule.  Both of these activities, monitoring and scheduling, are subject to uncertainties.  Uncertainty in the monitoring arises from the possibility that some measurements may not be accurate or that the process equipment has developed a fault.  Uncertainty in scheduling is caused by variations in the length of time required to complete individual tasks in the multi-step production system.
This Thesis deals with both of the above aspect.  The first part introduces novel process monitoring and fault diagnosis methods which have been developed to extract useful information from highly correlated process variables.  The second part focuses on modeling and optimizing manufacturing processes impacted by many uncertainties, which necessitates statistical techniques.
Multivariate statistical process monitoring (MSPM) techniques developed in this research extract useful information from a large number of highly correlated process variables and historical data sets. In order to capture the non-Gaussian features and relationships between input and output variables, a new quality relevant non-Gaussian latent subspace projection method is proposed by adopting the high-order statistics of mutual information for searching the latent directions within input and output spaces, respectively.  Moreover, to monitor quality related operational performance of nonlinear batch processes, a novel multiway kernel based quality relevant non-Gaussian latent subspace projection method is developed.  Furthermore, a new probabilistic graphical model based network process monitoring has been developed for the identification of the root-cause variable.
     Modeling of uncertainties in production times and scheduling under such uncertainties are subject of the research in the second part of this Thesis.  The Bayesian network models are proposed for accurate estimation of the production loads and the total production times in manufacturing processes.  The proposed models are applied to schedules for steelmaking continuous casting production.  Continuous casting scheduling is a difficult optimization problem due to a large number of binary variables that are needed to represent exactly process characteristics in the optimization model.  To solve the scheduling problems, a new two-level algorithm and parallel simulated annealing methods are developed.  Moreover, the proposed algorithm is extended to a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm in order to optimize simultaneously multiple objectives.  Real life steel production process data have been used to examine the effectiveness of all the above proposed algorithms.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The functional role of prostaglandin E2 in cigarette smoke-induced inflammation and exacerbated responses to bacterial challenge

contributor:
Stampfli, Martin
Medical Sciences

abstract: Cigarette smoking is the main etiological factor for the development of COPD, an inflammatory disease characterized by progressive and irreversible airflow limitation. Bacterial infections trigger disease exacerbation and accelerate the decline in lung function seen in COPD patients. Recent attempts to further the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of COPD have outlined a skewed release of lipid mediators of inflammation from the COPD-afflicted lung. Among these lipid mediators, pulmonary levels of PGE2 are increased in COPD patients, and even more pronounced increases in PGE2 are observed during disease exacerbation. Although PGE2 is capable of exerting both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects depending on the context of inflammation, its role in the chronic inflammatory processes observed in COPD has yet to be elucidated. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the functional relevance of PGE2 in cigarette smoke-induced inflammation and bacterial exacerbations of these inflammatory responses. Using a well-characterized murine model of cigarette smoke-induced inflammation and bacterial infection, we found that cigarette smoke exposure and NTHi infection elevate levels of PGE2 in the lungs of mice, through upregulation of mPGES-1. Moreover, utilizing mPGES-1-deficient mice, we showed that PGE2 attenuated pulmonary cellular inflammation in response to cigarette smoke exposure and NTHi infection. We found that this attenuated inflammation was not due to the actions of SOCS3, as expression of SOCS3 was redundant of PGE2. Finally, while we discovered that PGE2 enhanced the phagocytic abilities of cigarette smoke-exposed alveolar macrophages, it did not affect the dynamics of pulmonary NTHi clearance from smoke-exposed mice. Overall, the data presented here indicate that PGE2 likely plays an anti-inflammatory role in response to cigarette smoke exposure and bacterial infection, and direct the focus of future investigations with regards to the use of PGE2 as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of COPD.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: A Computer Assisted Instructional Program to Aid Secondary School Students in Understanding Computers

contributor:
Redish, K. A.
Computation

subject: computer assisted, instructional program, secondary school students, understanding

abstract:
 The project describes the implementation of a program to simulate a simple computer. The program is implemented on a micro-computer for portability.

 A Secondary School student, in the Ontario Educational System, at about the grade 10 or 11 level may write programs for the simulated computer. The student may also simulate, interactively, some of the processes involved in executing his program.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Water Balance of a Small Lake in the High Arctic

contributor:
Woo, M. K.
Geography

subject: water, balance, small lake, high arctic, storage, evaporation

abstract:
 In 1978, the water balance of a small lake near Resolute, N.W.T. was studied. Using measured water inputs and water outputs, the change in storage term was calculated. A positive net change in storage was partitioned between storage in the active layer and storage in the lake.

 A comparison of the magnitudes of the various components of the water balance equation shows that i) for the snow-dammed lake, outflow is most important for the few days following the breakup of the channel, ii) evaporation is an important process, removing almost as much water as summer precipitation received by the basin, and iii) depending on the condition of the active layer during freeze-up, considerable amounts of water may be held in storage at the end of summer.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Arts (BA)


title: Solution-Stability Relationships of Metal 8-Hydroxyquinolinates

contributor:
Corsini, A.
Chemistry

subject: solution, stability, metals, relationships, hydroxyquinolinates, ions, solvent, composition, bond

abstract:
 The solution stability of chelates formed between several metal-ions and 5-substituted-8-hydroxyquinolines has been determined. The dependence of solution stability on (a) the solvent composition, and (b) the basicity of the ligand donor sites has been examined.

 It was found that the effect of solvent composition on metal chelate stability is essentially independent of the metal-ion. A mathematical description of the relationship between metal-chelate stability and ligand basicity has been derived and gives excellent agreement with the experimental data. The relative contributions of the N-M and the O-M bond to chelate stability are evaluated and shown to vary slightly with the metal-ion. Also, the character of the bonding in the metal chelates is implied.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: A Generalization of Square-free Strings

contributor:
Soltys, Michael
Computing and Software

subject:
Strings
Repetitions
Square-free
Thue Morphisms
Formalism for strings
Proof Complexity
String Algorithms
String shuffle
Graphs and string shuffle

abstract:
Our research is in the general area of String Algorithms and Combinatorics on Words. Specifically, we study a generalization of square-free strings, shuffle properties of strings, and formalizing the reasoning about finite strings.

The existence of infinitely long square-free strings (strings with no adjacent repeating word blocks) over a three (or more) letter finite set (referred to as Alphabet) is a well-established result.  A natural generalization of this problem is that only subsets of the alphabet with predefined cardinality are available, while selecting symbols of the square-free string. This problem has been studied by several authors, and the lowest possible bound on the cardinality of the subset given is four. The problem remains open for subset size three and we investigate this question. We show that square-free strings exist in several specialized cases of the problem and propose approaches to solve the problem, ranging from patterns in strings to Proof Complexity. We also study the shuffle property (analogous to shuffling a deck of cards labeled with symbols) of strings, and explore the relationship between string shuffle and graphs, and show that large classes of graphs can be represented with special type of strings.

Finally, we propose a theory of strings, that formalizes the reasoning about finite strings. By engaging in this line of research, we hope to bring the richness of the advanced field of Proof Complexity to Stringology.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Evaluation of Unsatisfactory Student Performance in Professional Nursing Practice: A Hermeneutic Study

contributor:
Black, Dr. Margaret
Martin, Dr. Lynn
Mohide, Prof. Ann
Nursing

subject:
Evaluation
Unsatisfactory Student Performance
Professional Practice
Nursing

abstract: A professional practice instructor (PPI), as an evaluator of student performance in professional practice, makes important decisions as to whether nursing students are meeting course requirements. Several nursing education studies have reported that students whose performances are deemed unsatisfactory in professional practice courses nonetheless continue to receive passing grades. While this phenomenon, known as “failure to fail,” has been documented in studies involving nursing preceptors, it has yet to be the subject of an in-depth exploration among PPIs. Utilizing Gadamer’s (2011) philosophical hermeneutics and Fleming, Gaidys, and Robb’s (2003) hermeneutic methodology, this qualitative study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of PPIs (n = 8) in evaluating unsatisfactory student performance within three educational institutions using a collaborative undergraduate nursing program (UNP) in Southern Ontario. This study revealed that evaluating unsatisfactory student performance is an emotionally draining experience for PPIs. The perception of an overwhelming workload and complex challenges can make it difficult for PPIs to assign a failing grade to a student, especially among novice PPIs. Furthermore, both assigning a failing grade and failing to fail students were found to have a negative impact on all participants in this study. Amid these difficulties, ongoing critical reflection and seeking collegial support and feedback were deemed helpful in validating a PPI’s decision-making, as well as alleviating the emotional aspects of grading experiences. While this study reinforces that stressors are inevitable when evaluating unsatisfactory student performance, they may be ameliorated through the creation of mandatory multi-modal orientation programs for all PPIs within educational nursing institutions. Furthermore, mentorship programs for novice PPIs might better prepare and support them in coping with the complex issues related to managing failing students.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Littoral Karren of Neroutsos Inlet Northern Vancouver Island

contributor:
Ford, Derek C.
Geography

subject: Littoral Karren, Neroutsos Inlet, Vancouver Island, limestones, water, metabolites, rock

abstract:
 Limestones exposed in the intertidal zone display numerous pits and basins which form where bodies of water are isolated during tidal retreat. These harbour both macro- and microscopic organisms whose metabolites enhance aggressivity and cause solution; grazing and boring activities further aid rock removal.

 In this area the basins are similar in shape throughout the littoral zone but they vary in size, the maximum relief being at mid tide level. Unlike the exposed west coast of Ireland, zonation is not well defined: the clearly
identifiable morphologies associated with the biological zones in Ireland are not displayed here. Instead it resembles the karren of the more sheltered Bristol channel area but with less mechanical erosion. In both of these areas variations in lithology affect the details of the
geomorphology, some beds being significantly more fractured and less pitted than others.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Candidate in Philosophy


title: Understanding the role of assembly factors in 30S subunit biogenesis

title: The role of assembly factors in 30S subunit biogenesis

contributor:
Ortega, Joaquin
Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

subject: Ribosome Assembly

abstract: Our understanding regarding the function of YjeQ, RbfA, RimM and Era in ribosome biogenesis has been derived in part from the study of immature 30S particles that accumulate in bacteria strains lacking one of these factors.  However, their mechanistic details are still unknown.  Here, we demonstrate that the 30SΔyjeQ and 30SΔrimM immature particles are not dead-end products of assembly, but progress into mature 30S subunits.  Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that in vivo the occupancy level of these factors in these immature 30S particles is below 10% and that the concentration of factors does not increase when immature particles accumulate in cells.  Analysis of the binding interactions of these assembly factors with mature 30S subunits and the immature particles demonstrated that YjeQ and Era bind to the mature 30S subunit with high affinity, however binding of these factors to the immature particles and of RimM and RbfA to mature or immature particles is weak.  This indicates that binding of the assembly factors to the immature particles is not occurring at physiological concentrations.  These results suggest that in the absence of these factors, the immature particles evolve into a thermodynamically stable intermediate that exhibits low affinity for the assembly factors and that the true substrates of YjeQ, RbfA, RimM and Era are immature particles that precede the ribosomal particles accumulating in the knockouts strains.  We also developed an Era-depletion and ΔrbfA strain, which exhibited slow-growth, cold-sensitivity and an aberrant ribosome profile, which are all characteristic of ribosome assembly defects.  Cryo-EM structural analysis of the 30SEra-depleted particles revealed that multiple classes at various stages in the assembly process accumulate upon depletion of Era, suggesting that Era may have a global effect on biogenesis.  Ultimately, this thesis provides new insights into the nature of 30S particles that accumulate during assembly factor perturbation and advances our understanding of ribosome biogenesis as a whole.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

abstract: One of the most fundamental processes in all living cells is the synthesis of proteins by the ribosome.  The ribosome is a massive macromolecular complex that consists of both proteins and RNA, which must be manufactured from its individual components before it can perform its function.  There is a myriad of protein factors that assist in the assembly of ribosomes to ensure that biogenesis proceeds rapidly and efficiently.  The purpose of this thesis was to gain a better understanding of how the assembly factors YjeQ, Era, RbfA and RimM work by studying the intermediates that accumulate when they are removed or depleted from the cell.  Specifically, the fate, binding interactions and structure of the immature particles that accumulate in the assembly factor knockout or depletion strains were investigated.  The work here brings new insights into the nature of these immature ribosomal particles and the maturation reactions catalyzed by these factors.


title: Sensorimotor interactions in predictive timing: The benefits of moving to the beat

contributor:
Schutz, Michael
Psychology

abstract: The interplay between movement and sound shapes numerous behaviours, such as foot tapping to the beat of a song or playing a musical instrument.  Sensorimotor integration is critical for these tasks, allowing us to make predictions about upcoming events in time and synchronize movements in time with those predicted events.  The processing of predictable timing information is tightly linked with movement where listening to rhythmic information alone is sufficient to activate regions of the brain important for the planning and execution of movement.  My Ph.D. research has focused on motor timing and temporal prediction, particularly how audiomotor interactions are involved in listening to rhythmic information.  My research demonstrates how movement interacts with the perceived timing of external auditory events and improves objective timing abilities.  I have also documented ways in which sensory feedback, musical expertise and types of motor synchronization mediate this interaction.  Overall, my findings are the first to document that synchronizing movements with predictable auditory information can serve to improve the internal representation of timing, illustrating movement’s role in temporal prediction and suggesting one reason we may move to the beat in musical settings.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Design of Integrated Gasifier and Steam Methane Reformer

contributor:
Adams II, Thomas A.
Chemical Engineering

subject:
Polygeneration
Process Intensification
Gasifier
Steam Methane Reforming
Integrated

abstract: While the quest of the human civilization continues towards a more sustainable energy resource, current energy conversion technologies need to be improved such that the rate of environmental impact that has occurred due to the rapid industrialization since the 20th century is mitigated.  This search has motivated research into new energy conversion technologies that aim to reduce the environmental impact by either improving the efficiencies of existing technologies, developing new technologies with zero emissions or by improving reliability and reducing the cost of renewable energy. Process intensification through process integration is one of the areas of active research that improves the system efficiency by exploiting the synergies that exist between different processes. This thesis considers the design and operational feasibility of heat integrating two conventional industrial processes – gasification and steam reforming of methane for application in polygeneration. To this end, complex mathematical models that describe the integrated system are developed to study different design prospects and to determine if the device can be safely operated in a plant producing electricity, liquid fuels and hydrogen. The designs proposed in this thesis show that significant methane conversion comparable to industrial reformers can be achieved while providing the required cooling duty to the gasifier. The proposed integrated system produces hydrogen rich reformer synthesis gas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) that can be blended with the hydrogen lean coal synthesis gas providing flexibility to change the molar H2/CO ratio necessary for different downstream processes in a polygeneration plant. Moreover, the results show that the integration helps improve plant carbon efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.  The major contribution of this thesis is the development of designs based on representative mathematical models that are safe to operate for producing several chemicals in polygeneration plants.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Aerodynamic Design and Testing of High Turning Angle Turbine Blades

contributor:
Wade, J. H. T.
Mechanical Engineering

subject: aerodynamic, design, turbine, high angle, blades, testing, gas, compressible

abstract:
 Continuous development of Gas Turbines to realise higher work output has necessitated the design of turbine blades having large turning angles.

 Improvements to existing calculation methods have been carried out to better describe the potential flow near the leading and trailing edges of a blade originally designed by R. K. Malhotra at McMaster
University. An incompressible turbulent boundary layer program has been extended to calculate compressible flows, taking into account the adverse and favourable pressure gradients, and it has been used to describe the flow in the region near to the blade surface.

 A test facility of the intermittent blow-down type was constructed and instrumented to test two-dimensional blade cascades. Some of the blades were instrumented to measure the surface pressure distribution. The performance of the blades has been analysed both theoretically and experimentally over a range of angles of attack and pressure ratios. The effect of stagger angle was also investigated to show its effect on performance. The experimental results were compared to those obtained theoretically, and the agreement substantiates the main thrust of the thesis, which was to develop a rational design technique.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Radio Religion: War, Faith and the BBC, 1939-1948

contributor:
Heathorn, Stephen
De Barros, Juanita
Gauvreau, Michael
Harris, Alana
History

subject:
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)
Radio
World War II
Religious Broadcasting
Home Front
British National Identity
Propaganda
Persuasion
Faith
Christianity
Ecumenism
Ministry of Information
Spiritual Impact of War
Wartime Media
Wartime Experience
Wartime Religion
Global Broadcasting
Religious Propaganda
C.S. Lewis
Dorothy L. Sayers
William Temple
James Welch
William Haley
British History
Media History
Religious History
1939-1948
Religious Cooperation

abstract: This thesis offers an important reconsideration of the place of the Second World War within larger narratives of religious change in the twentieth century. While many scholars have subsumed these crucial war years within accounts of inter-war change, or dismissed them as a period of mellow or austere religion, the Second World War provides a significant opportunity for an analysis of religious change that relies on a confluence of vectors. International geopolitics, political consensus, myths of national cohesion, physical constraints, technological developments and currents in ecclesiastical thought each played a role in shaping the religious culture of wartime, one that the author describes as a “spiritual consensus” that prized unity and commonality over difference. This thesis also opens up an important new front for the history of modern Christianity in Britain. The relationship between mass media, religion and national culture has been under-examined by scholars, as has the particular ways that media shapes mental environments. The relationship between the Churches and the Ministry of Information seems to have sat in a penumbra between disciplines, leaving the rich trove of documents at the National Archives about the activities of the Religions Division of the MOI relatively unexamined. This thesis discusses in detail the global and domestic role afforded to an ecumenical Christianity in MOI propaganda. It also adds to existing scholarship that has emphasised the significant place afforded to Christianity in identity construction during the war, and its importance in the articulation of the narratives through which the urgency and necessity of the conflict was understood.

abstract: This is a study of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s religious broadcasting practices during the Second World War and its aftermath. Using documentary sources from the BBC Written Archives Centre and the National Archives, this thesis argues that the wartime context allowed the articulation and development of a particular kind of “BBC Religion,” one that celebrated commonality over difference, emphasized the importance of accessibility, and focused on individual rather than communal worship. BBC Religion was an important site of national propaganda and national identity construction, and was central to the celebration of key civil religious festivals, including the National Days of Prayer. BBC Religion provided listeners with daily prayers, devotionals, talks and entertainments to offer psychological and spiritual support during a time of crisis. Religion can be an effective tool of persuasion, particularly when propaganda builds on pre-existing beliefs and loyalties. The Ministry of Information and BBC used a generic, practical Christianity as an “ecumenical weapon” to foster unity in Britain and between Allies. This thesis argues that the medium of radio and the technological and physical constraints of war shaped the particular articulation of BBC Religion. While the BBC helped foster a “spiritual consensus” during the war, this consensus quickly degraded in the in the aftermath of the conflict. Instead, the BBC articulated principles of tolerance and liberty in a more straightforward way, celebrating the return of regional and religious diversity in radio programming. In 1948, the BBC broke with its former “ban on controversy” to allow Bertrand Russell to openly question the existence of God on the air for the first time. This study offers a revision to “caesura” and “gradual-declinist” narratives of religious change by suggesting that religious change in the mid-twentieth century may be more episodic in nature, and that current historiography would benefit from an approach that considers the formation, development and adaptation of multiple discursive Christianities.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

abstract: This is a study of the place of religion in British public life during the Second World War. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was tasked with creating popular, upbeat entertainment that could boost the morale of the nation while reminding listeners of the reasons to stay committed to the fight. They created a “BBC Religion” during the war, one that emphasised unity by stressing commonalities between all kinds of Christians, and offered psychological and spiritual comfort to listeners in a time of crisis. The Religious Broadcasting Department created engaging content that prized accessibility and simplicity above all, commissioning beloved programmes, including C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, Dorothy L. Sayers’ The Man Born to be King, and Lift Up Your Hearts, a precursor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. When the urgency of the conflict passed and victory became assured, this BBC Religion ceased to serve a propagandistic function. Instead, the post-war BBC celebrated diversity and respected differences in religious belief and interpretation instead of forcing conformity.


title: Time Dependent Studies of a 19-Element CANDU Fuel Bundle in the Blanket of a Thermonuclear Reactor

contributor:
Kushneriuk, S. A.
Engineering Physics

subject: time dependent, element, CANDU, fuel, bundle, thermonuclear reactor

abstract: This is Part A.

abstract:
 Effects in 19 element CANDU fuel bundles containing ThO2 and UO2, located in thermonuclear reactor blankets, have been examined for a variety of blanket designs. The buildup in time of nuclides derived from Th232 by neutron capture was studied. The essential CTR (Controlled Thermonuclear Reactor) blanket features that were examined were tritium breeding in the blanket (the fusion reaction of interest was the DT reaction resulting in the production of a 14.1 MeV neutron and a 3.5 MeV alpha particle), neutron multiplication in the blanket and the U233 production. Means of optimizing these features were also examined. Some conclusions concerning the use and influence of the CANDU bundle are made.

 It is of interest to study the details of the buildup of U233 in the bundles with the view of perhaps transferring bundles directly from the CTR blanket into a core of a fission power reactor. As such, it would be necessary to convert approximately 3% of the initial thorium present to U233 before transferral. This report examines time steps over which this could be achieved and looks at the performance of the blanket as a whole when such changes occur. The production of unwanted radioactive isotopes is looked at with suggestions of how to minimize this production without harming the rest of the blanket's basic functions.

 Procedures outlined in the preliminary report "Bench-Mark Neutronic Calculations for Fusion Reactor Designs" by S.A. Kushneriuk and P.Y. Wong form a basis for all of the calculations made in this report. Based on the findings of that report, it is expected that values presented
here do reflect, to a fair degree of accuracy, conditions encountered in the CTR blankets studied.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (MEngr)


title: Nitrate Assimilation in Seedlings of Zea mays L.

contributor:
Oaks, A.
Biology

subject: nitrate, assimilation, seedlings, amino acids, germination, embryo

abstract:
 The experiments described in this thesis were performed to investigate the: 1. Role of nitrate in the growth of maize seedling and 2. Role of amino acids in the assimilation of nitrate
by the growing embryo.

 Nitrate stimulated the germination of Zea mays L. seeds by 10 to 15 percent. Further growth of the embryo axis, up to 6 days, however, was not affected by nitrate. During the early growth of the seedling, endosperm nitrogen was able to support the requirements of the embryo for 6 to 8 days. After a lag of 2 days, the protein content of the embryo increased linearly up to 6 days at a rate of 597 μ g a day. Some increase was observed between 6 and 8 days also. After 8 days, the protein level of embryo plateaued. Addition of 10 mM nitrate caused an increase in the protein and total nitrogen of the embryo only after 6 days. The endosperm mutant of maize, opaque-2, also responded to the nitrate in
the same way.

 The protein content of the primary leaves increased linearly between 5 and 7 days. After 7 days, there is no increase in the leaf protein. Nitrate increased the protein level of primary leaves by 25 percent after 7 days. It protected against the further loss of protein in mature leaf. These results suggest that the primary role of nitrate in the growth of maize seedlings is to prevent protein loss.

 Out of 8 amino acids tested individually, only lysine and to a lesser extent arginine, inhibited the induction of nitrate reductase in the maize root tips. Different ammonium salts had no effect on the induction of nitrate reductase. The initial rate of induction in opaque-2 mutant (high lysine) was lower than the wild type, W64A (low lysine). From a comparison of the rate of induction of nitrate
reductase between young and mature leaf, it was suggested that the amino acid supply from the endosperm may inhibit the induction of nitrate reductase. In the young maize seedling, this effect of amino acids may be more effective in vivo and in this way the assimilation of exogenous nitrate could be restricted, when the endosperm amino acids are supporting the
growth of the embryo.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: A Comparison of Freeway Flow-Occupancy Relationship

contributor:
Hall, F. L.
Geography

subject: comparison, freeway, flow-occupancy, relationship

abstract:
 Traffic operations can be described by the relationship that occurs between flow and occupancy. This paper investigates the flow-occupancy relationship of an Ontario system and a
Minnesota system to see if the same general relationship occurs in different locations. It is hoped that this investigation will help to further the work being done at McMaster in developing a new incident detection algorithm.

 In comparing the two data sets, simple analytical procedures were employed to compare the full data set, the uncongested regime, and the calculated fitted lines for the uncongested data. Visual comparison was the basis for much of the analysis.

 When the comparisons were conducted the relationships were indeed very similar, signifying that the flow-occupancy relationship is the same for different locations.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Candidate in Philosophy


title: Prosocial Effects of Interpersonal Synchrony in Infancy

contributor:
Trainor, Laurel
Psychology

subject:
infancy
music
prosocial behaviour
synchrony

abstract: Musical behaviours, such as singing, dancing and musical production, encourage high levels of interpersonal synchrony. In adults, interpersonal synchrony (i.e. moving in time with others) has been shown to encourage affiliative behaviours among those involved. People are more cooperative, helpful, and trusting toward people with whom they have moved synchronously compared to asynchronously. Until the present thesis, it was unknown if these affiliative effects of interpersonal synchrony influenced social behaviour from an early age. In Chapter 2, I provided the first evidence that 14-month-old infants are more helpful toward synchronously- compared to asynchronously-moving partners. In Chapter 3, I showed that interpersonal synchrony only boosts infant helping directed toward their synchronously-moving partner, but not a neutral stranger. However, in Chapter 4, I showed that infants are more likely to help the positive affiliate (“friend”) of their synchronously-moving partner over the “friend” of their asynchronously-moving partner. Chapter 5 explores how background music in Chapters 2-4 contributed to the overall experience. Here, I found that even in a non-musical context, infants still helped synchronously-moving partners more than asynchronously-moving partners. However, infants were more distressed and took more time to help than in Chapters 2-4, suggesting that music may provide an emotionally regulating context within which interpersonal synchrony can be experienced. Together, these findings suggest that behaviours encouraging high levels of synchronous movement, such as musical behaviours, have important consequences for early social development.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: On the Off-Energy-Shell Behaviour of the Nuclear Reaction Matrix

contributor:
Sprung, D. W. L.
Physics

subject: off-energy-shell, behaviour, nuclear reaction, matrix

abstract:
 Even with a good fit to nucleon-nucleon scattering data, there is considerable freedom in the off-energy-shell behaviour of the nuclear reaction matrix because of (1) the unavailability of the elastic scattering data in the high energy region and (2) the assumptions about the non-locality of the interaction. We have investigated off-energy shell behaviour by developing 'super' soft core potentials and several pairs of phase shift equivalent separable, local and
momentum dependent potentials. Nuclear matter calculations were done using these potentials in order to study the sensitivity of the binding energy to the differences in the
off-energy-shell behaviour. The effective range formula has been extended to the off-energy-shell case.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Parities for virtual braids and string links

contributor:
Boden, Hans
Mathematics

subject:
virtual knot
virtual braid
virtual string link
parity

abstract: Virtual knot theory is an extension of classical knot theory based on a combinatorial presentation of crossing information. The appropriate extensions of braid groups and string link monoids have also been studied. While some previously known knot invariants can be evaluated for virtual objects, entirely new techniques can also be used, for example, the concept of index of a crossing, and its resulting (Gaussian) parity theory. In general, a parity is a rule which assigns 0 or 1 to each crossing in a knot or link diagram. Recently, they have also been defined for virtual braids. Here, novel parities for knots, braids, and string links are defined, some of their applications are explored, most notably, defining a new subgroup of the virtual braid groups.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: A Position Sensorless Control of Switched Reluctance Motors

contributor:
Emadi, Ali Jr
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
SRM
sensorless control

abstract:
Switched reluctance motor (SRM) is an attractive candidate for many industrial and domestic applications such as electric vehicles and home appliances. Rotor position detection is of significant importance for SRM control. However, external position sensors like absolute encoders and magnetic sensors reduce the reliability of SRM drive system in hash environments and increase the cost. Therefore, position sensorless control becomes a promising technique for SRM.
In this thesis, a new position sensorless control method for SRM is proposed to estimate rotor position and speed. Sliding mode observer is adopted at high speed and pulse injection method is adopted at low speed. Both of the two methods are adopted with a motion model based on the third order phase locked loop to improve the dynamic tracking performance. The analysis method of the proposed position sensorless method is also presented.
Both simulation and experiment results are presented to verify the proposed sensorless control method. The simulation results show that the proposed method can precisely estimate rotor position and speed with short response time. Experimental results further demonstrate the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed positon sensorless control method.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Infinite discrete group actions

contributor:
Hambleton, Ian
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
group actions
topological conjugacy
convergence groups
pseudo-Riemannian space forms
compactification of actions

abstract: The nature of this paper is expository. The purpose is to present the fundamental material concerning actions of infinite discrete groups on the n-sphere and pseudo-Riemannian space forms based on the works of Gehring, Martin and Kulkarni and provide appropriate examples. Actions on the n-sphere split it into ordinary and limit sets. Assuming, additionally, that a group acting on the n-sphere has a certain convergence property, this thesis includes conditions for the existence of a homeomorphism between the limit set and the set of Freudenthal ends, as well as topological and quasiconformal conjugacy between convergence and Mobius groups. Since the certain pseudo-Riemannian space forms are diffeomorphic to non-compact spaces, the work of Hambleton and Pedersen gives conditions for the extension of discrete co-compact group actions on pseudo-Riemannian space forms to actions on the sphere. An example of such an extension is described.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Some Studies on Loci Associated with Carotenogenesis in Neurospora crassa

subject: Loci, Carotenogenesis, Neurospora crassa, biosynthetic

abstract: This thesis proposed to analyse the recombination, complementation and biosynthetic implications of a series of hitherto unstudied carotenoidless mutant strains of Neurospora crassa and to confirm the reports of previous authors through analysis of a number of their mutant strains. A new selective technique permitted the fine structure analysis of the locus. Complementation studies with an extensive range of mutants including several recently discovered phenotypes permitted the resolution of new cistronic limits within the locus. A speculative model of the gene products was proposed to embrace the recombination, complementation and biochemical paradigms.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Details of a Study of Interfacial Momentum Transfer in Two-Phase Two-Component Critical Flows

contributor:
Heidrick, T. R.
Engineering Physics

subject: interfacial momentum, transfer, two-phase, two-component, critical, flows, shear stress

abstract:
 Preparations for an investigation of interfacial momentum transfer in two-phase two-component critical flows have been completed.

 The experiments involve the measurement of flow rates, axial pressure profiles, axial and transverse void fraction profiles, and axial wall shear stress profiles of steady-state gas-liquid critical flow in a vertical diverging nozzle. A photographic study is to be initiated to record the flow structure. The results of these experiments will be used to develop constitutive relations for interfacial momentum transfer.

 An experimental loop capable of circulating a gas-liquid mixture in a vertical test section was modified to suit the requirements of this investigation. The void fraction profiles are measured with a traversing gamma densitometer using a 20 mCi Co57 source. The wall shear stress profiles are obtained using the electrochemical method to measure the mass transfer coefficients of electrodes mounted flush with the test section wall. The liquid phase is an electrolyte and the gaseous phase can be air, nitrogen or freon. The latter is used to better approximate the densities of a steam-water flow.

 This report describes the required theory, measurement techniques, design and operation of the loop, and the experimental procedures.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (MEngr)


title: Design and assessment of novel thermochemical plants for producing second and third generation biobutanol

title: Design of thermochemical plants for biobutanol production

contributor:
Adams, Thomas
Chemical Engineering

subject: Biobutanol, Thermochemical; Second generation biofuel, techno-economics, greenhouse gas emissions, mixed alcohol synthesis

abstract: The use of biofuels as an alternative to gasoline in the transportation sector is seen by policy makers as an important strategy to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Biobutanol is one such biofuel that is gathering increasing attention in the biofuel community, because of its preferable fuel qualities over bioethanol. However, despite increasing research into biobutanol production, the thermochemical route for biobutanol production has not been adequately studied in the peer-reviewed literature. In light of this motivation, this thesis considers the design, and economic and environmental assessment of thermochemical plants for producing second and third generation biobutanol. In addition, the potential for using process intensification technology such as dividing wall columns (DWC) in place of conventional distillation columns is also investigated as a way to improve thermochemical biobutanol plants. As a first step, a novel thermochemical plant for producing second generation biobutanol is developed. Detailed economic analysis of this plant show that it is competitive with gasoline under certain process, and market conditions. The designed plant is then extended, with some modifications, to evaluate the economic and environmental potential of a thermochemical plant for producing third generation biobutanol from macroalgae. It was concluded from the results that the thermochemical route is preferable for producing second generation biobutanol over third generation biobutanol. The novel thermochemical plant design is then updated by using a kinetic model of a pilot-scale demonstrated catalyst to represent the critical mixed alcohol synthesis reaction step. This change allows optimal unreacted syngas recycle configurations for maximizing butanol yield to be established. Furthermore, integrating a DWC, designed using a methodology developed in the thesis, into the updated thermochemical plant leads to additional plant improvements. Overall, the work carried out in this thesis demonstrates that the thermochemical route is a viable option for producing second generation biobutanol.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Water Resources Development for High Arctic Communities

contributor:
James, W.
Civil Engineering

subject: water, resources, high arctic, communities, power supply

abstract:
 This research indicates that present methods of water supply and sewerage for high arctic communities are inadequate from the point of view of health, aesthetics and economics. This thesis examines these present methods and their problems.

 Field work was conducted in three communities of the Eastern Canadian Arctic. Data were collected with regard to, - the biological quality of the drinking water and raw water sources, the quantities of river water available, the soil conditions, the construction equipment and generating capacities of the small communities, water consumption, and the sizes and types of storage tanks within the communities.

 In order to improve existing conditions, an entirely new method of water supply is developed in which water is intermittently distributed through electrically traced pipes to storage tanks within all the buildings. Computer programs are presented which will optimize the design on the basis of net annual cost. The related problems of water quality, power supply and sewerage are also examined and social, health and aesthetic effects are considered.

 The results are novel in many respects: Distributed storage allows the use of very small diameter pipes and results in very low capital, construction and operating costs.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (MEngr)


title: Direct Variational Method of Analysis for Elliptic Paraboloidal Shells of Translation

contributor: Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

subject: direct variational, method, elliptic, paraboloidal, shells, translation

abstract: The Rayleigh-Ritz method of Trial Function has been adopted to solve problems of translational shells under uniform external pressure. The basic energetical expressions have been written in terms of direct tensor notation. The stress-strain displacement relations are given in linear sense. Three different kinds of boundary conditions --- all four edges fixed, one pair of edges fixed and another pair of edges simply supported, and all four edges simply supported --- have been analysed. The stress and moment resultants at different points of the shell have been computed by means of IBM 7040, and are plotted into curves and figures to show their variations. The convergence of the displacement function uz is roughly verified. Certain comparison with other established results have been made. The results obtained by the present approach are satisfactory, at least from an engineering point of view.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (MEngr)


title: Estimation Methods for Determining Failure Rates of Component Families from Observed Failure Rates of Units and Yields of Component Families from Observed Yields of Units

contributor:
MacDonald, P. D. M.
Wild, Antonin
Statistics

subject: estimation methods, failure rates, component families, yields, units

abstract:
 In the field of communications electronic plug-in units operating together form a system. In the event of failure a plug-in unit can easily be replaced by another. Each unit consists of electronic components soldered onto a board in a particular pattern. A component may be either a single electronic part such as a transistor or a combination of single parts such as an integrated circuit. Electronic components with similar properties have been grouped into families. This reduces the number of parameters to be estimated from the observations available.

 The method of maximum likelihood is used to estimate the failure rates of component families. The number of unit failures and the number of units in use observed during measured periods of time and the component family makeup of the observed units are used to make the estimates.

 The probability of an electronic component from a given component from a given family being acceptable after the production process will be referred to as the component yield for that family. Similarly, the probability of a given type of unit being acceptable after the production process will be referred to as the yield for that type of unit. By taking the logarithms of the yields, the estimation problem can be reduced to the linear problem of estimating logarithms of component family yields. Using unit yields, the total number of each type of unit produced, and the component family makeup of those units produced, component family yields are estimated. The method of maximum likelihood is applied directly to the data and the method of weighted least squares is applied to the linearized problem.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: A Modified Spherical Harmonics Approach to Solving the Neutron Transport Equation

contributor:
Harms, A. A.
Engineering Physics

subject: spherical, harmonics, neutron, transport, equation, geometry

abstract: This is Part B.

abstract:
 Another approach is adopted for deriving the moments equations in spherical geometry using a spherical harmonics expansion of the neutron transport equation over a variable range of the direction cosine. Because of complications and uncertainties in establishing boundary conditions for the equations, only the zero'th order equations are solved, in an idealized situation, in order that a feel for equations and boundary conditions may be obtained.

 The equations are compared to equations given in a paper 'Directionally Discontinuous Harmonic Solutions of the Neutron Transport Equation in Spherical Geometry', by A. A. Harms and E. A. Attia. Analytical solutions for the zero'th order equations are given for equations developed there and to the equations developed in this paper. Numerical values are presented to give an idea of what accuracies might be expected. It is hoped that similar techniques can be used to solve the higher order equations analytically, and that appropriate boundary conditions can be found.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (MEngr)


title: Subjective Response to Noise in Summer and Winter

subject: subjective, response, summer, winter, noise, months

abstract: Previous studies on subjective response to noise have been conducted during the summer months. These studies have served as the basis for noise standards and legislation; therefore an implicit assumption has been made that response to noise is similar in summer and winter. Whether or not this applies equally well to the winter months, which represent approximately one-half of the year, warranted investigation. Data on summer and winter responses to comparable noise levels were collected and hypotheses were tested for differences in response to overall noise levels and to specific noise sources. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between summer and winter responses.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Digital Latching Ferrite L-Band Phase Shifters

contributor:
Campbell, C. K.
Electrical Engineering

subject: digital, latching, ferrite, l-band, phase, shifters

abstract:
 The subject of this thesis is the design, fabrication and comparative testing of two prototype L-band ferrite digital latching phase shifters. One phaser is a variation of a design published by G.T. Roome and H.A. Hair, "Thin Ferrite Devices for Microwave Integrated Circuits", IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech, vol. MTT-16 pp. 411-420, July 1968. The second design is original and is experimentally and theoretical compared to the first phaser. A comparative study was made because of technological difficulties in making these devices. Insertion losses of 2dB and an order of magnitude less than possible phase shift occurred because of inadequate production facilities. Thus, the comparative study gave a common mode error to the published device and the new device.

 Also, the theory of ferrite microwave phasers and a discussion of a particular system application which prompted this study are included in this thesis.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (MEngr)


title: Preparation of Iron-Sulphur Alloys for Desulphurisation Studies

contributor:
McLean, A.
Chemical Engineering

subject: iron, sulphur, alloys, desulphurisation, gas stream, temperature, hydrogen

abstract:
 A levitation apparatus has been constructed for investigating the behaviour of liquid iron drops containing sulphur, whilst suspended in a moving gas stream.

 To further this investigation, a source of iron-sulphur alloys, in form and size suitable for levitation, was required. Four methods for the preparation of the desired alloys were suggested, and each was experimentally examined in sequence.

 The first 2 methods involved the quenching of a liquid solution of sulphur in iron, to give a solid alloy. The well-known behaviour of sulphur, to segregate on solidification, was observed, and the non-uniformity of the resulting alloys could not be tolerated. The third method involved preparing a large number of individual iron-sulphur samples by allowing drops of iron to fall and quench on particles of sulphur or iron sulphide. The repeatability of the method was found to be unsatisfactory. In the final attempt a levitated liquid drop of iron was equilibrated in a gas mixture of hydrogen-hydrogen sulphide. This method was considered more successful than the earlier three, and has the advantage that the prepared alloy drop is levitated and at the desired temperature.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (MEngr)


title: Publicani in the Principate

contributor:
Haley, Evan
Classics

abstract: Taxes were the lifeblood of the Roman Empire, and publicani, the private contractors who were responsible for collecting much of Rome’s tax revenue, were essential to the proper functioning of the Empire. This thesis examines the role of publicani in the collection of taxes during the imperial period. The introduction provides an overview of the various roles which publicani played in the Roman economy, as well as the structure and organization of tax-farming companies. Chapter 1 examines the role of publicani in tax-farming during the Republican period, while Chapter 2 examines the role of publicani during the imperial period (both chapters include a regional survey of tax-farming procedures across the Empire). Chapter 3 presents an analysis of the evidence for corrupt behaviour by publicani and assesses whether corrupt behaviour by publicani would have been less common during the Principate.

abstract: Dissertation

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Thwarting the silent thief: Informing nutrition-based osteoporosis prevention education for Canadian young adults

contributor:
Moffat, Tina
Anthropology

subject: osteoporosis nutrition

abstract:
This thesis makes recommendations for the design of future osteoporosis prevention education for young adults through the investigation of the relationship between nutrition knowledge and perceived osteoporosis risk. Osteoporosis is a significant public health issue in Canada and nutrition represents an important component of current osteoporosis prevention education. Most osteoporosis prevention is designed for older adults, excluding young adults who are making decisions that will affect their future disease risk. Designing osteoporosis prevention for young adults means creating tailored prevention programs for young adults. Using a mixed method approach that involved a survey, food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), qualitative interviews, and a pile sort activity, I explored how the interactions between perceptions of nutrition and health, dietary practices, and constructions of disease risk affected participation in osteoporosis prevention behaviors in sixty Canadian young adults (17-30 years). Three research questions represented the core of this investigation: How do perceptions of dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D compare to measured intake? How do perceptions of osteoporosis risk contribute to preventative dietary behaviors? Where and how do young adults acquire knowledge about bone health and nutrition and how can this be used to inform the design of prevention programs? These questions are addressed in this ‘sandwich’ thesis in three papers that have been submitted for publication.
Canadian young adults have been identified as having low dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D, which are essential nutrients for maintaining bone health. Understanding calcium and vitamin D consumption practices is therefore necessary to create targeted messaging that will result in greater intake of these nutrients. The majority of participants were found to perceive their intake of calcium and vitamin D to be adequate, when in fact they were estimated through the FFQ to be consuming inadequate amounts of both nutrients. Participants explained their perceptions of their diet as adequate due to their belief that their diet was healthy, the perceived absence of any nutrition-related symptoms, and the belief that calcium and vitamin D were present in many foods in their diet. Addressing these assumptions and encouraging young adults to question their intake is necessary in engaging them with prevention education and modifying dietary behaviors.
Osteoporosis risk is heavily gendered in contemporary prevention programs that primarily target women. This differential focus creates disparities in how risk is understood in terms of perceived susceptibility, severity, and individuals’ self-efficacy in undertaking prevention behaviors. The use of the Health Belief Model as a framework to investigate these perceptions of risk revealed that while neither gender was motivated to engage in osteoporosis prevention, beliefs about individual risk of disease were a negotiation between larger gender constructs of osteoporosis and a variety of risk factors. The design of new prevention programs needs to address these differential understandings of risk and create targeted education plans for men and women.
This study shows that designing prevention programs means adopting effective knowledge translation methods that recognize the sources of information that young adults rely on and their nutrition- and health-related interests. Making use of traditional (e.g., parents, doctors) and emerging (e.g., social media) sources, while creating messaging that is short, relatable and linked to current interests will help create prevention programs that engage young adults and motivate them to participate in prevention. The increasing incidence of osteoporosis signals a need for expanded prevention programs that move beyond the current at-risk population. To be effective these new programs need to address both the nutrition beliefs of young adults and the perceptions of disease risk in order to holistically address the barriers to engagement with prevention information experienced by this age group.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Three Essays on Predicting the Equity Premium and Asset Returns

contributor:
Balvers, Ron
Business Administration

abstract: This dissertation contains three essays on the predictability of asset returns and its implications.  All essays contain tests and applications that could be implemented in real time, and a summary of economic and statistical significance.  The dissertation as a whole adds to the growing literature that returns can be predictable, enough so to provide economically significant differences in returns.  The same applies to predicting market returns, or market timing.  The first essay modifies a popular measure of investor sentiment (Baker and Wurgler, 2006) with the idea in mind that market-wide sentiment will partially reverse itself in the next period.  Economic fundamentals are removed to provide a more pure measure of sentiment, which is found to predict returns better (with sentiment having a negative relationship with market returns), resulting in a better investment strategy.  The second essay implements a statistical methodology which allows many predictors (portfolio returns) to be aggregated into a composite index.  This index predicts returns well, and also gives insight into why two well-observed stock market anomalies, size and value premiums, may occur: they predict future market returns and are therefore an ICAPM state variable that reflects future wealth opportunities.  For this reason they carry a risk premium.  The third essay provides a new forecasting approach that imposes the restrictions of the popular arbitrage pricing theory (APT) on an existing statistical approach (principal components analysis).  The result is that the expected returns of asset positions hedged against systematic risk are better estimated, and average error is greatly reduced out-of-sample.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Retail Warehousing in the City of Mississauga

contributor:
Reader, Steven
Geography

subject: retail, warehousing, Mississauga, industrial, high order goods

abstract:
 The main focus of this paper is to investigate retail found in designated industrial districts within the City of Mississauga. Specifically, it will concentrate on the high order goods retailing or retail warehousing, its location and the planning policies that seek, in theory, to
control its development. This is a new trend in retailing that should be investigated in more detail.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Candidate in Philosophy


title: Acclimation of Activated Sludges to Industrial Wastes

contributor:
Norman, J. D.
Chemical Engineering

subject: acclimation, activated sludges, industrial, wastes

abstract: The procedures used to acclimate activated sludges for design criteria were reviewed. Experiments were performed to determine if cultures could be developed with the same characteristics as activated sludge from an actual treatment plant. Acclimation studies were performed with three refinery wastes. The resultant mixed cultures were compared, using removal rates, with activated sludge mixed cultures from the refinery's waste treatment plants. Soluble organic carbon was monitored for the removal rate curves. An acclimation procedure is proposed to be used in design studies so that a designer can place confidence limits on design data obtained from the batch reactor studies.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (MEngr)


title: Endogenous Lymphocytes Play a Critical Role in the Elimination of Solid Tumors in the Context of Adoptive Cell Combined with Oncolytic Vaccination

title: COOPERATION BETWEEN ENDOGENOUS LYMPHOCYTES AND ACT

contributor:
Wan, Yonghong
Medical Sciences

subject:
Immunotherapy
T cell
Rhabdovirus
Maraba
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus
Cancer
Oncolytic Viral Vaccine
Combination Therapy
Adoptive Cell Therapy
Lymphocytes

abstract: A major obstacle in the implementation of adoptive cell therapy (ACT) for solid tumors is CD8+ T cell quantity and functional quality. In order to address this issue, the ACT field has directed considerable effort toward the generation of less-differentiated memory T cells (Tm), which demonstrate superior effector function and engraftment over effector T cells. An obstacle in using Tm for ACT is their requirement for in vivo activation before full effector function can be acquired. We sought to determine if a rhabdovirus expressing a defined tumor antigen (i.e. a rhabdoviral oncolytic vaccine) could activate adoptively-transferred Tm in vivo and eliminate established tumors. We used ex vivo cultured DUC18 TCR-transgenic Tm combined with a rhabdoviral oncolytic vaccine to target established CMS5 fibrosarcomas in both balb/c and NRG mice, and we compared the efficacy of the combination treatment versus monotherapies. Our data demonstrate that the rhabdoviral oncolytic vaccine was capable of expanding adoptively-transferred Tm in order to eliminate established tumors. Furthermore, synergy between ACT and oncolytic vaccination was required for optimal therapeutic outcome. Interestingly, we observed a population of endogenous, tumor-primed lymphocytes which appeared to be required for complete tumor elimination and subsequent memory formation. This was in contrast to the current consensus in the ACT field which is that endogenous lymphocytes are detrimental to therapeutic outcome, thus necessitating lymphodepletion prior to the commencement of therapy. Our data suggest that endogenous lymphocytes may be a beneficial cell population which is overlooked by current approaches to ACT.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)

abstract: Current approaches to the T cell therapy of cancer are hindered by poor cell quality. It is simple to grow higher quality T cells, but it is difficult to grow very large numbers of them. Furthermore, higher quality T cells need a signal in order to “switch on” before they can start killing cancer cells. Here, we use a cancer-targeting virus as a signal for these cells to activate, grow to very large numbers in the patient, and destroy their tumor. Our vaccine also switches on other immune cells in the patient, which help guarantee the destruction of the tumor. The significance of this work is that it will improve T cell therapy for cancer by opening the possibility of using higher-quality T cells which are much better at killing cancer than the currently used type of T cells.


title: Sorption of Palladium onto Bentonite, Illite and Shale Under High Ionic Strength Conidtions

contributor:
Nagasaki, Shinya
Engineering Physics

subject: Sorption Palladium Speciation Bentonite Illite Shale

abstract:
Both crystalline and sedimentary rocks are being considered as potential host rocks
for a deep geological repository in Canada. Deep-seated sedimentary rocks in the
Michigan Basin, Ontario, Canada contain highly saline ground and pore waters. The
relatively high I of these waters may influence speciation and rock matrix sorption
properties. To this end, laboratory sorption experiments were conducted to examine
sorption of Pd(II) on sodium bentonite, illite and Ordovician age shale as a function
of pH and solution I and initial concentration of Pd. Solutions with pH values in the
range of 5 to 9, I ranging from 0.1 to 4 M and initial concentration of Pd ranging
from 5×10 −8 to 1×10 −6 M were considered. A sorption time of 14 days was used and
the separation method was by centrifuge. Experiments were performed under aerobic
conditions at 25
◦ CC, and the Eh value of the solution ranged from 300 to 600 mV. The
data from sorption experiments were used to validate surface complexation models
developed in PHREEQC with the JAEA TDB. The sorption of Pd on bentonite,
shale and illite all showed strong dependence on I and pH. The dependence on initial
concentration of Pd was used to plot sorption isotherms. The slope of the isotherms
showed that Pd was forming inner- and outer- sphere complexes inside the stern layer
for sorption onto bentonite and illite. It also showed however that shale was most
likely undergoing cooperative sorption. Strong fit was found between the single layer
surface complexation model for montmorillonite (the major constituent clay mineral
of sodium bentonite) and experimental data, but not for illite (the major constituent
clay mineral of shale).

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: CHARACTERIZING THE ROLE OF BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER DISRUPTION IN BIPOLAR DISORDER

contributor:
Frey, Benicio N.
Neuroscience

subject:
bipolar disorder
blood brain barrier

abstract:
Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depressive disorder, is associated with recurring episodes of depression and mania/hypomania. Currently, no definitive biological mechanisms have been pinpointed with regards to the origin and progression of BD, however, inflammation and oxidative stress have been shown to present in the brains of individuals with BD. Notably, other neurodegenerative disorders which also contain an inflammatory component including Alzheimer’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis display with disruption of the brain blood barrier (BBB). We thus propose a model of BD wherein BBB disruption facilitates inflammation and oxidative stress induced neural damage.
This study looked to utilize amphetamine (AMPH) induced mania model and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammatory model to represent BD like conditions in rats and to assess BBB permeability. We observed elevated locomotor data in response to AMPH administration and a trend of increased BBB permeability across regions following low dose chronic AMPH injections. In the LPS induced BBB permeability model, we did not detect any elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) or tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels but did see significantly elevated BBB permeability in the LPS group and lithium pre-treatment providing some protection against BBB permeability in one of our cohorts. These trends were further corroborated by a follow-up study and thus
warrant further investigation into the mechanistic nature of BBB breakdown in this model. This may provide a breakthrough in understanding the pathophysiology of BD and the underlying mechanistic effects of lithium, paving the way for new more target therapeutic remedies to combat this debilitating disorder.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Biological Fluidized Bed Denitrification of Wastewater

contributor:
Murphy, K. L.
Chemical Engineering

subject: biological, fluidized, denitrification, wastewater, Arrhenius, reactor

abstract: A half-order kinetic model (8-48 mg NO3+NO2-N/l), coupled with a temperature dependency described by the Arrhenius relationship (4°-27° C), adequately described biological denitrification of municipal wastewater in a pilot scale fluidized bed reactor. Biofilm support media (activated carbon or sand) and hydraulic flux (0.25-1.7 m^3/m^2·min) were not found to be significant factors in controlling denitrification rate within the reactor. Control of biofilm thickness on the support media was essential for satisfactory operation of the process; excess thickness contributed to elutriation of media and attached biofilm. Under similar influent wastewater conditions, the fluidized bed process was capable of equivalent NO3+NO2-N removal in about one-tenth of the time necessary in a suspended growth or a rotating biological contactor (RBC) process. Temperature dependency of the NO3+NO2-N removal rate appeared to be less than the dependency in a suspended growth or a RBC process, but similar to the dependency observed in a packed column.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Engineering (MEngr)


title: Pairing Effects in Impure Lattice Dynamics

contributor:
Taylor, D. W.
Physics

subject: pairing, impure, lattice, dynamics, crystals, force constant

abstract:
 A study is made of the effects of pairing of defects on the dynamics of impure lattices, with the prospect of calculating the properties of crystals with a reasonably high concentration of impurities. A harmonic theory is used, with a mass-defect model, i.e. mass differences only are considered.

 Various parameters of lattice dynamics are studied, such as the atomic mean square displacement, by use of the Green's functions of Zubarev (1960), as evaluated by Bruno (1971).

 Finally, a calculation is made of the shifts and widths in the phonon spectrum of Copper due to the addition of 20% Gold impurities. The theory of Aiyer et al. (1969) is used, as corrected by Nickel and Krumhansl (1971), with a derivation along the lines of Langer (1961).

 It is shown that pairing effects are small and that the high-concentration calculation does not reproduce the experimental results of Svensson and Kamitakahara (1972) so that a more detailed model must be employed, in particular the inclusion of force constant changes and volume effects appears to be necessary.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Chemical Analysis of the Murray Granite and Associated Dikes, Sudbury, Ontario

subject: chemical analysis, murray granite, associated dikes, x-ray fluorescence

abstract:
 Samples from two granitic offshoot dikes from the Murray granite, and from the Murray granite itself were analysed for eight major elements using X-Ray Fluorescence, to determine whether or not the dikes represented remobilized parts of the Murray granite and as such could have a different chemical composition from the parent material.

 The analyses show that only very minor chemical differences exist between the two granitic dikes and the main Murray granite. However four samples of the dike rocks appear to show element
exchange with the Sudbury norite surrounding them, resulting in increased Na2O and CaO contents and lower K2O contents, resulting in increased amounts of albitic plagioclase.

abstract: Thesis

abstract: Bachelor of Science (BSc)