title: Assessing openness to counselling referrals and exploring patients' reports of who helps in the management of Fibromyalgia.

contributor:
Egeli, Natasha (author)
MacMillan, Peter

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 99

subject:
Fibromyalgia -- Diagnosis.
Fibromyalgia -- Treatment.
Patients -- Counseling of.
RC927.3 .E34 2007

abstract: This study explores the openness of people with Fibromyalgia (FM) to counselling referrals, and the issue of who helps in the management of symptoms. Data were collected from 190 support group members using an online survey. Results indicate that 52% of particpants believe they would benefit from seeing a counsellor. Further, in 67% of cases, reports of illness distress, emotional and practical problems correctly differentiated those who believed they would benefit from counselling referrals from those who did not. Participants report that health care, community, and interpersonal resources are helpful in the management of symptoms. In conclusion, health care professionals should explore the role of psychosocial factors in illness, and consider the benefits of community and interpersonal resources in the management of FM.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1362348


title: Factors influencing the distribution of Bathurst barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) during winter.

type: Text thesis

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 97

subject: Barren ground caribou -- Habitat -- Northwest Territories -- Bathhurst Inlet Region.

subject: Barren ground caribou -- Behavior -- Northwest Territories -- Bathhurst Inlet Region.

subject: Barren ground caribou -- Habitat -- Nunavut -- Bathurst Inlet Region.

subject: Barren ground caribou -- Behavior -- Nunavut -- Bathurst Inlet Region.

subject: QL737.U55 B37 2011

abstract: Across the circumpolar north, many herds of Rangifer have decreased in abundance. In the Canadian central Arctic, the Bathurst herd of barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) declined from 472,000 ± 72,900 (± 95% confidence interval) caribou in 1986 to 31,900 ± 10,900 caribou in 2009 ...A reduction in winter forage due to forest fires has been suggested as a factor contributing to the decline. I employed a multi-scale study design to identify the influence of vegetation, fire history, snow cover, and predation risk on the occupancy of winter habitats by Bathurst caribou. Between 2008 and 2009, I collected forest stand and understory data at habitats used by caribou, as well as paired control sites. At a larger spatial scale, I used animal location data recorded from 1996 - 2009 to characterize the spatial and temporal distribution of Bathurst caribou on the winter range. At the scale of the feeding patch, caribou foraged in habitats with a high-percentage ground cover, high biomass of lichen, and few or small trees. Similarly, the consensus among the models of habitat selection was that collared caribou avoided areas of the winter range with a high density of burns and favoured older patches of forest characterized by a high percentage of ground cover of lichen and herbaceous forage and a close proximity to lakes and rivers. However, there was considerable use of habitats adjacent to the burn boundary, and some caribou occupied early-seral habitats significantly more than expected. Although the abundance of fruticose (having branched, shrubby thalli) lichens was relatively high (2464 kg/ha) in areas burned within the last 43 - 264 years, my results suggest that an increased incidence and severity of forest fires due to climatic warming could cause a temporary decrease in the habitat available to the Bathurst caribou herd during winter. In the event that reduced lichen availability becomes a limiting or regulating factor for caribou, fire suppression may be necessary to mitigate

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1741115


title: Adolescent girls' experiences of unwanted intercourse and unintentional pregnancy: A retrospective study.

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 231

subject:
Teenage girls -- Sexual behavior.
Sexual intercourse.
Pregnancy.
Teenage girls -- Health and hygiene.
HQ27.5 .S53 2011

abstract: In this study, unwanted intercourse refers to intercourse that took place with or without consent and in which a girl was neither physically harmed nor threatened with physical harm but which she engaged in due to social or interpersonal pressure, or substance use. Unwanted sexual experiences are linked to lower contraception use and higher rates of pregnancy as well as negative physical, psychological, and emotional consequences. Evidence suggests that experiencing unwanted sex in adolescence leads to a continuation of this pattern in adulthood. In this sample, 16% of adult women had experienced unwanted intercourse often or always during their adolescence. Statistical and thematic analyses identify a number of relational and contextual factors that affect sexual compliance, providing the basis for further studies concerning relationships between gender ideologies and adolescent girls' sexual development. Frequency of unwanted intercourse is associated with experiences of childhood sexual abuse, low socioeconomic status, Aboriginal ethnicity, unintentional pregnancy, and with knowing, at the time, that the intercourse was unwanted. --P. ii.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1755251


title: Dance training and feedback system using wearable wireless sensors.

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 82

subject: Dance -- Study and teaching.

subject: Wireless sensor networks.

subject: Affect (Psychology) -- Computer simulation.

subject: GV1589 .B35 2012

abstract: Teaching and learning the art of human body motion practices such as dance are interesting activities and they are usually performed at traditional training centres. Nowadays, learning the art of dance is becoming challenging proposition with a huge time and energy commitment. In recent times, there has been a vast advancement in computing and sensing technologies, and they are easily accessible. Based on these observations, we proposed a wireless sensor-based dance training and feedback system, which is convenient, flexible, and portable. This system is unique in terms of providing prompt feedback with various teaching and learning flexibilities to both trainees and trainers. In this thesis, an architectural framework of generic body movement training system, proposed in [1], is tuned and expanded to develop a dance training and feedback system. The proposed feedback system and its prototype implementation is the main contributions of this thesis. The proposed teaching and learning tool presents a method for generating meaningful feedback by capturing and analyzing the motion data in real time. The usage of the proposed system is demonstrated using Tap dance. Performance metrics are devised to evaluate the performance and a weighted scoring scheme is applied to compute the performance. The functionalities of the feedback system are illustrated using suitable scenarios. A combination of quantitative and qualitative feedbacks can be generated and presented to the trainees in three different forms: textual, graphical, and audio. The system also accommodates varying teaching styles and preferences of different trainers. We believe that such a two-end customization is a unique feature of the proposed system. With further tunning, we expect it will be a useful tool for teaching and learning of dance at the beginner's level.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1805846


title: Small-scale disturbances and stand dynamics in Inonotus tomentosus infected and uninfected old-growth and partial cut wet, sub-boreal forests in British Columbia.

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 160

subject: Spruce -- British Columbia -- Prince George Region -- Roots.

subject: Roots (Botany) -- Diseases and pests -- British Columbia -- Prince George Region.

subject: Inonotus -- British Columbia -- Prince George Region.

subject: Forest dynamics -- British Columbia -- Prince George Region.

subject: SD397.S77 N49 2001

abstract: No abstract available.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1224281


title: Alcohol consumption and health status in older middle-aged and elderly persons:  Findings from a longitudinal national population health survey.

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 51

subject: Older people -- Alcohol use -- Canada.

subject: Drinking of alcoholic beverages.

subject: Older people -- Health risk assessment -- Canada.

subject: HV5138 .C44 2008

abstract: The thesis objective was to assess the prospective relationship of alcohol consumption to mortality and changes in mental and functional health in older adults ten years later. In a national population survey, 4,187 participants aged 50 years and older at baseline provided information on alcohol consumption, potential confounders, and follow-up vital status. Odds ratios were estimated for mortality, increase in psychological distress, and decline in functional health. Compared with lifelong abstainers, light and moderate drinkers were at non-significantly lower risk of mortality. Among survivors, alcohol consumption showed no consistent relationship with increase in psychological distress. Occasional and light drinkers had significantly reduced risk of a substantial functional health decline, while moderate drinkers had non-significantly reduced risk. Findings suggest that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption confers some health benefits in older adults.--P.ii.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1513744


title: Exploring gender equity in a multimodal novel study.

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 113

subject: Language arts (Middle school) -- Sex differences.

subject: Sex differences in education -- Canada, Northern.

subject: LB1631 .E98 2010

abstract: This study documents one teacher's attempts to address a gender gap in language arts. Concerned about the interest and achievement of grade seven boys in a northern Canadian resource town, the researcher developed a gender-equitable novel study based on research recommendations. Using professional inquiry that drew on action research cycles and traditions of critical reflection, she taught the unit to gender separated groups of boys and girls. Although student choice of mulitmodal [sic] activities appeared to support learning for both genders, the key finding was related to teacher learning. The researcher developed awareness of classroom power dynamics and resolved to shift from an emphasis on controlling students to facilitating their learning, which corresponds to a systemic shift from sorting to learning as the primary function of schools. The study contributes an example of the power of professional inquiry to shift paradigmatic assumptions to support substantial and sustainable changes in practice. --P. ii.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1737649


title: Nine decades of glacier change in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 117

subject: Glaciers -- Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.) -- Measurement.

subject: Glaciers -- Climatic factors -- Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.)

subject: Climatic changes -- Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.)

subject: GB2430.R63 T46 2012

abstract: Glaciers adjust their physical properties to changes in climate, but long records of glacier change needed to examine this relation are spatially and temporally limited. I determined changes in glacier area in the central and southern Canadian Rocky Mountains and changes in length, area, elevation, and volume of the Columbia Icefield over the past nine decades. I used Interprovincial Boundary Commission Survey (IBCS) maps of the Alberta-British Columbia (BC) border (1903-1924), aerial photographs (1948-1993), BC Terrain Resource Information Management (TRIM) data (1982-1987), and satellite imagery (1999-2009) in my analysis. From 1919-2006, total glacierized area in the Canadian Rocky Mountains decreased by 590 ± 100 km² (40 ± 7%); glaciers smaller than 1.0 km² experienced the greatest percentage loss. Slope and minimum elevation are negatively correlated with absolute area loss, and mean and median elevations are negatively correlated with relative area loss. From 1919-2009, glaciers of the Columbia Icefield retreated 1149.9 ± 34.1 m, decreased 59.60 ± 1.19 km² (22.5 ± 5.0%), thinned 49.4 ± 25.2 m w.e., and lost 14.30 ± 2.02 km³ w.e. Debris-covered ice thinned 30-60% less than bare ice. Changes in temperature and precipitation explain some of the observed changes. I detected a lag of two to ten years between climate and glacier response.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1805494


title: Changes and impacts to aboriginal uses on the landscape: forest change and the Lake Babine Nation, northern British Columbia

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 108

subject: Indians of North America -- Land tenure -- British Columbia.

subject: Land use -- British Columbia -- Babine Lake Area (B.C.)

subject: HD319.B7 S56 1997

abstract: This thesis examines aboriginal land uses and how they are impacted by changes in landscape patterns. The research is interdisciplinary in that it combines both social and natural science methodologies. The geographic research area is located in northern British Columbia in a sub-boreal spruce forested environment. Information on aboriginal land use was acquired through interviews and mapping exercises with land users from the Lake Babine Nation. Data collection focused on activities related to the hunting of large mammals, the trapping of furbearers and the gathering of wild foods. The interview data were combined with ecological landscape information in order to associate the uses with biological landscape criteria. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to create a digital hypothetical landscape called "Resource Use Area I". Disturbances representing the spatial and temporal patterns of conventional harvesting, natural fire and fire-mimicked harvesting, were applied to the landscape with GIS modelling. The model for fire-mimicked harvesting was based on patterns that approximated the spatial and ecological characteristics of natural fire by matching the perimeter to area ratio and by leaving island remnants of original forest within the harvested area. A forest growth model was also applied in order to examine change 120 years into the future. Available land for each aboriginal land use was calculated in the modelling at 60 and 120 years into the future. The research revealed significant variations in impact between the disturbances. Each of the land uses was affected differently by the disturbances. Examination of the results on the aboriginal use landscape as a whole further showed the landscape-level change caused by the various disturbances. The modelling showed that the conventional harvesting pattern significantly fragmented the landscape, especially in the long-term, and in turn, drastically reduced availability for aboriginal uses. The fire-mimicked harvest pattern, on the other hand, more closely approximated natural landscape evolution and allowed for continued aboriginal uses in the long term. These results are discussed and illustrated by a series of accompanying maps.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1185855


title: Development of an alternative method for the desulferization of fluid catalytically cracked gasoline.

subject:
Gasoline -- Canada.
Petroleum -- Sulphur content -- Canada.
TP692.2 .H46 2006

abstract: No abstract available.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1301868


title: Evaluation of a Public Participatory GIS tool within a public planning case study.

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 159

subject: Geographic information systems.

subject: Information storage and retrieval systems -- Rural development.

subject: Rural development -- British Columbia -- Bulkley Valley -- Public opinion.

subject: Sustainable development -- British Columbia -- Bulkley Valley -- Public opinion.

subject: Community development -- British Columbia -- Bulkley Valley -- Public opinion.

subject: G70.212 .T75 2007

abstract: The purpose of Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) is to use the practices of GIS and mapping to promote knowledge production and efficient decision-making. PPGIS has the ability to empower potentially marginalized populations, who have limited ability to express themselves in the public arena, using geographic technology education and participation. PPGIS is being increasingly recognized as a valuable method for gathering public knowledge and opinions. This study evaluates the usefulness of a PPGIS tool compared with a traditional participatory method in an environmental planning case study within north-western British Columbia (BC), Canada. Attitudes of lay public and expert planners were surveyed on the usefulness of the PPGIS tool and paper PP (Public Participation) method. The results of this study suggest that the PPGIS tool has the ability to be used, in certain situations, as a means of providing and collecting public information. However, its use is limited for certain public groups as it requires a certain level of computer literacy and technological infrastructure. As a result, the simplicity and familiarity of traditional participatory methods need to be integrated with GIS-based participatory methods.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1434918


title: Is Canada a middle power?: an empirical test of the middle power debate

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 109

subject:
Middle powers.
Canada -- International status.
JC364 .O44 2006

abstract: At the core of this thesis is an attempt to address two primary questions: is Canada a middle power and how can we tell? As such, there are a variety of corollary questions: What is a middle power? What characteristics do middle powers have? And finally, is a state's middle power classification sourced in behavioural or capability characteristics? All of these questions are addressed here, and ultimately it is concluded that Canada is and was a middle power on the basis of the selected behavioural and capability indicators, and that both behaviour and capability are useful elements in differentiating or predicting whether a state is a middle, small, or great power.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1302341


title: Leading to learn: motivating student engagement in Japanese composition

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia College of Arts, Social, and Health Sciences (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 139

abstract:
This action research explored the most effective teaching method to motivate students
learning Japanese composition in INTS 222: Intermediate Japanese II, at the University of
Northern British Columbia. The researcher implemented three different teaching approaches: the
kata, ikebana, and writing workshop approaches during the winter semester, and invited
volunteer students to participate an independent interview session. This qualitative research was
carried out using action research, based on the cycle of analyzing, interpreting, and interviewing
(Auerbach & Silverstein, 2003) in order to improve the current situation (Berg & Lune, 2012).
Findings focused on student responses and teacher learning. The results of this case study will be
used to find alternative ways than the traditional teaching method by focusing on pre-writing
guidance in order to strengthen students’ motivation rather than post-writing instructional
feedback.

abstract: Japanese composition


title: Investigating British Columbia wild mushrooms for growth-inhibitory activity

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 118

abstract: This thesis documents that crude extracts from B.C. wild mushrooms possess potent growth-inhibitory properties. In addition, this work shows, for the first time, that ethanol extracts from Piptoporus betulinus and Ganoderma applanatum have a strong growth-inhibitory activity and that methanol extracts of Echinodontium tinctorium, a previously untested fungus, exhibits growth-inhibitory activity as well. In addition to human cervical cancer HeLa cells, E. tinctorium extracts also exhibited a growth-inhibitory effect on human breast, ovarian, liver, lung, and colon cancer cell lines. Upon purification using Sephadex LH-20 gel filtration chromatography, two distinct growth-inhibitory compounds were documented: a higher molecular weight growth-inhibitory compound(s), likely to contain carbohydrate and a lower molecular weight growth-inhibitory compound(s), likely to be a small molecule. This thesis provides the foundation work to allow further purification and characterization of these potentially novel growth-inhibitory compound(s) from E. tinctorium, an essential step towards future therapeutic use.


title: Female identity formation: relationships in Toni Morrison's novels

subject: Morrison, Toni. Sula.

subject: Mentoring in nursing -- British Columbia.

subject: Nursing -- Study and teaching -- British Columbia.

subject: PS3563.O8749 Z5336 2016

abstract: This thesis uses the multiplicative approach developed by Deborah King and Patricia Hill Collins to analyze female identity formation in Toni Morrison's novels Sula, Jazz and Beloved. I focus on black women's differential experiences and the female characters' relationships with female friends, romantic partners, elders and ancestors. Female friendship is often formed through solidarity among female characters. Race plays an important role in the formation of this bond, although at times, class and gender inform the meaning of race. Through friendship, women overcome emotional pain. Without first accomplishing self-fulfillment, women are not able to enter successful romantic relationships, although in certain cases, race and class change the meaning of gender and a romantic partner plays a crucial role in a female character's ability to overcome emotional trauma. Pivotal in female identity formation is also women's relationships with their elders, who, through the process of "~rememoration,' connect the characters to their ancestors. --Leaf ii.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b2140949


title: The observed behavioural effects of a universal social-emotional learning program in an elementary school setting

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 124

subject: Affective education -- Study and teaching (Elementary)

subject: Human beings -- Effect of environment on -- British Columbia -- Vanderhoof Regon.

subject: Nature -- Health aspects.

subject: Human beings -- Health and hygiene -- British Columbia -- Vanderhoof Regon.

subject: LB1072 .J64 2016

abstract: In this thesis, I identified and addressed the need for social-emotional skill development in schools by creating and implementing a tailored social-emotional learning program in an inner-city, faith-based school. Evaluation of the program was done by using quantitative and qualitative methods through a questionnaire, survey, and interviews. This thesis aimed to answer the question: In what ways does implementing the prosocial, leadership and self-regulation-based ROAR program affect elementary school student behaviour? The program was found to have positive effects on the school community across various domains including community building, leadership and social-emotional awareness. --Leaf ii.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b2144738


title: Women and youth of Wekweeti reveal the impacts of the diamond mines located in the Tlicho region.

subject: Dogrib Indians -- Social conditions.

subject: Dogrib Indians -- Economic conditions.

subject: Diamond mines and mining -- Economic aspects -- Northwest Territories -- Tlicho Region.

subject: Diamond mines and mining -- Social aspects -- Northwest Territories -- Tlicho Region.

subject: Wekweètì (N.W.T.) -- Social conditions.

subject: E99.T4 D44 2010

abstract: This qualitative study was conducted as an attempt to better understand how the diamond mines in the Northwest Territories impact the remote Native community of Wekweètì socially, economically, and culturally. A blended methodology using participatory action and narrative approaches was used to strengthen rapport and work collaboratively with the community. The research participants were male and female youth between the ages of 12 and 24 and women 25 and older. Five talking circles, seven personal interviews, and the author's reflective journaling were three methods of collecting data. A thematic analysis identified nine main themes: Social impacts - Alcohol and Drugs, Parenting, and Jealousy Cultural impacts - Traditions Still Occurring, Traditions Occurring Less, and Loss of Language Economic impacts - Debt, Education/Training, and Standard of Living. The findings will be used to help the community advocate for social, economic and cultural services and supports from the diamond mines and various levels of government. --P. ii.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1741111


title: Has urban water privatization worked in the Global South?

contributor: Boroojeny, Jalil Safaei (Thesis advisor)

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 131

subject: Water supply -- Privatization -- Developing countries.

subject: Water supply -- Political aspects -- Developing countries.

subject: Water utilities -- Dereguation -- Developing countries.

subject: Right to water -- Developing countries.

subject: Privatization -- Developing countries.

subject: TD327 .V37 2013

abstract: This thesis seeks to determine whether urban water privatization has worked in the Global South. As water is required for domestic purposes, privatization is a contentious reform in most countries. Water privatization is investigated in six different prominent Global South cities to determine whether it has led to improvements over the previous publicly-provided water models. A comparative qualitative analysis of contracts, governance, contextual factors, and outcomes is conducted along with a partial quantitative analysis comparing water coverage, consumption and pricing before and after privatization. The results generally show that water privatization has mainly failed to improve water services beyond levels attained during previous public water services. There are a few exceptions though, highlighting both the complexities of delivering water service and a general lack of easily verifiable information to clearly compare the water models. --Leaf. ii.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1864014


title: The physiological stress response of salmonids: considerations for field procedures and environmental monitoring

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 103

subject: Chinook salmon -- Effect of stress on.

subject: Bull trout -- Habitat -- British Columbia -- Torpy River Watershed.

subject: Stress (Physiology) -- Testing.

subject: QL638.S2 C46 1999

abstract: Investigating the physiological state of wild salmonids is challenging on many levels. The sensitive nature of an integrated physiological stress response directs how biological data is collected in the field and, consequently, how the results are interpreted. This thesis is comprised of two main components. The first component encompasses laboratory-based studies addressing the potential confounding effects of: 1) anaesthesia with either tricaine methanesulphonate (tricaine) or clove oil (eugenol) prior to blood/tissue sampling, and 2) capture by electroshocking, on the immediate and short-term responses of plasma/serum cortisol and glucose concentrations, haematocrit, plasma/serum lysozyme activity, and total leucocyte abundance in juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The second component involves a field-based exploration of the in situ physiological status, using the same five physiological traits, of wild bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in the Torpy River watershed, B.C., in relation to selected habitat attributes (stream gradient, discharge rate, and riparian canopy-closure). Anaesthetization and electroshocking did not significantly alter values for the five physiological traits provided that post-capture blood sampling occurred immediately. Tricaine and clove oil immobilization produced similar effects on the physiological stress response of juvenile chinook salmon. Clove oil (eugenol) shows promise as a viable and safe alternative to tricaine for aquacultural purposes and in laboratory- and field-based research. Electroshocking is an acute stressor from which juvenile chinook salmon can recover physiologically (usually within 12-24 h). Handling without shocking, however, significantly reduced serum lysozyme activity for up to 2 wks post-stress. Radiographs indicated that while some degree of spinal abnormality exists naturally in domestic chinook juveniles, individuals exposed to a single brief shock incur significantly more spinal deformities. Some of the variation in the stress physiology and non-specific immune function of wild bull trout in the Torpy River system were explained by the combined effects of stream gradient, discharge rate, and riparian canopy-closure. The physiological measurements of wild bull trout generally did not differ from those reported in the literature for other salmonid species. The "background" effects of these habitat features on the physiology of wild salmonids must be considered when interpreting field-collected data.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1205733


title: Empowering people with concurrent disorder in a clinical context: a structural perspective.

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia Social Work (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 92

subject:
Psychiatric social work.
Social work with drug addicts.
Mentally ill -- Services for.
Addicts -- Services for.
HV689 .V46 2015

abstract: Concurrent Disorder (CD) is a nascent area of study relative to mental health and addiction. Conceptions of effective treatment and desirable outcomes in the field remain contested. In my examination of CD literature, most researchers concluded the preferable outcomes of treatment to be a reduction or cessation of mental health symptoms and abstinence from substance use. The preferences of people with CD were largely absent in the literature review I conducted. The dissonance between CD literature and my structural social work values prompted me to adopt an empowerment lens for my practicum. Empowerment is defined in this report from a structural perspective. Structurally informed empowerment acknowledges that systematic discrimination is a factor precluding people with CD from living as they desire. In a clinical setting, the reduction of adverse effects from CD and oppression are the most prevalent forms of empowerment. Empowerment in a clinical context is aided by utilizing the recovery movement in determining what people define as a meaningful life recovery from CD is possible with the continued presence of mental health symptoms and substance use. Shared decision making (SDM), harm reduction, personal medicine, and treatment modalities are possible empowering clinical methods to enact a person's vision of recovery. Common needs for the increased well-being of people with CD were ascertained through dialogue and observation at the practicum site. Resources to contribute to fulfilling many of the needs were available in Prince George, British Columbia, yet knowledge of their existence is often esoteric. Social workers in the clinical context are able to address many of the needs in micro and mezzo capacities. --Leaf i.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b2006853


title: War gothic of the western front: Decay, landscape, and identity in WWI fiction

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia English (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (iv, 116 pages)

subject: World War, 1914-1918--Literature and the war.

subject: Literature--History and criticism.

subject: Gothic fiction (Literary genre)--History and criticism.

subject: Identity politics in literature.

abstract: The First World War was a unique and unrepeatable Gothic event, and so, this thesis examines its modern and postmodern literary accounts within the War Gothic framework. Analysing Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Gabriel Chevallier’s Fear, Sebastian Barry’s A Long Long Way, and Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road, it looks at the relationships of transformative states; specifically, the decomposition and destruction of the body, the landscape, identity, and masculinity along the trenches of the Western Front. Moreover, this thesis explores how the Gothic nature of WWI affects identity politics in the four novels according to personal, cultural, and national authorial subject positions. The War Gothic unites the German and French narratives with the previously unrepresented, and now re-imagined, Irish Catholic and Indigenous Canadian war experiences for the Gothic communicates the ineffable complexities of human nature and of war.


title: Worms, worms, everywhere, and not a one to see: The connotative role of worms in Shakespeare's canon

contributor: Wessel Lightfoot, Dana (committee member)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (vi, 122 pages)

subject: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Criticism and interpretation.

subject: Worms in literature.

subject: Death in literature.

subject: Symbolism in literature.

abstract: The study of animals in Shakespeare’s collected works has expanded over the last 30 years. While a number of different animals have been discussed, the importance of the worm in the larger scope of the canon has largely been ignored. By focusing on the perception and presentation of worms in relation to cultural ideas of death, corruption, and consumption, ideas surrounding the body and soul are brought to the forefront. Worms are integral to our understanding of the Early Modern cultural constructs of the body and soul as the presence of worms reveals the state of the individual or the broader environment. Overall, the depiction of worms in Shakespeare’s works serves as a way to understand the metaphysical processes surrounding death and corruption.


title: The cross-section of expected stock returns and components of idiosyncratic volatility

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia Business Administration (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (ix, 92 pages)

subject:
Stock exchanges--Research.
Stocks--Research.
Stocks--Prices.

abstract: We examine the relationship between stock returns and components of idiosyncratic volatility—two volatility and two covariance terms— derived from the decomposition of stock returns variance. The portfolio analysis result shows that volatility terms are negatively related to expected stock returns. On the contrary, covariance terms have positive relationships with expected stock returns at the portfolio level. These relationships are robust to controlling for risk factors such as size, book-to-market ratio, momentum, volume, and turnover. Furthermore, the results of Fama-MacBeth cross-sectional regression show that only alpha risk can explain variations in stock returns at the firm level. Another finding is that when volatility and covariance terms are excluded from idiosyncratic volatility, the relation between idiosyncratic volatility and stock returns becomes weak at the portfolio level and disappears at the firm level.

abstract: Idiosyncratic volatility

abstract: Stock returns

abstract: Time-varying alpha and betas

abstract: Conditional model

abstract: Stock returns volatility


title: Evaluating the impact of stand composition and competition on white spruce and aspen wood attributes in the boreal mixedwood.

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (99 pages)

subject: Plant competition.

subject: Forest management.

subject: Forest management.--British Columbia, Northern.

subject: Trees--Growth.

subject: White spruce.

subject: Populus tremuloides.

abstract: I evaluated how intra- and inter-specific competition affects the development of eleven wood attributes of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) over 34 years. My analysis was conducted in a mixedwood trial site in Northern British Columbia, Canada, that included treatments consisting of 0, 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10000 stems per hectare of aspen. Competition was found to negatively influence wood attribute development in aspen and positively impact spruce (at low levels of competition). Plot level competition indices were the best predictor of variation in aspen wood attributes, while stand level competition (population density) best explained the majority of spruce wood attributes. Maintaining aspen at lower densities in intimate mixture can have a positive effect on spruce wood quality, while incurring relatively small reductions in spruce volume production and also retaining the ecological benefits associated with managing for mixed stands.


title: Curious case of the coastal tailed frog (ascaphus truei) near the northern extent of its range.

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia Natural Resources & Environmental Studies (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (xv, 127 pages)

subject: Tailed frog.

subject: Tailed frog.--British Columbia.

subject: Tailed frog--Research.

subject: Tailed frog--Conservation.

subject: Tailed frog--Variation.

subject: Tailed frog--Effect of habitat modification on.

abstract: Ascaphus truei, an ancient species of frog, migrated into British Columbia, Canada, following the last ice age. A. truei is of conservation interest because forestry practices, and the associated infrastructure, may reduce habitat quality. There is also concern that a warmer and drier climate will change the distribution and abundance of this species. I used two genetic methods, microsatellites and next-generation sequencing, to compare the genetic diversity of A. truei from the northern extent of its range in British Columbia, CA to southern Washington, USA. Both methods suggested a dramatic reduction in diversity across the northern portion of the species’ range. The phylogeography suggests a northern range expansion from a single refugium. I used DNA metabarcoding to compare the gut contents of larvae across three stream reaches and two development classes near the northern extent of A. truei's range. Gut contents differed between stream reach but did not differ among development class. Wetted width and ultimately stream volume may influence differences in gut content among stream reaches. I also quantified the relationship between an index of larvae density and environmental factors hypothesized to influence population density near the northern extent of the range. I assessed the segregation of larvae at various developmental stages. Wetted width and wetted depth correlated with differences in the abundance of larvae. Older developmental stages were captured in stream reaches with greater slopes than younger stages. Management should minimize modifications of stream structure, such as in-stream siltation due to road building. We should maintain habitat connectivity and gene flow to ensure the continued migration and adaptive capacity of A. truei.


title: Modelling universal design for learning to faculty as learners developing engaging educators

format:
electronic
1 online resource (xii, 149 pages)

subject: Universal design.

subject: Inclusive education.

subject: College teachers--Education (Continuing education).

abstract: The question explored through this research study is: Does modelling Universal Design for Learning to university faculty as learners deepen their engagement as educators? Through providing training where faculty themselves are learning about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) through a UDL modelled environment (CAST, 2018b; Meyer, Rose, & Gordon, 2014), this research project investigates if this experience translates into a stronger role as educators for these faculty. Participants in this research project are faculty members teaching in disciplines associated with Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. Through a virtual World Café, participants of the workshop shared their reflections and experiences as they learned about learning. Using the UDL framework’s horizontal organization, as conceptualized by CAST, as a lens, participant reflections were themed to determine their progression towards learning and understanding the UDL framework in this context. Evaluation of this research data indicated that faculty in this study are located along UDL Access and Build rows of the UDL Guidelines reflecting a novice learning stage where greater cognitive energy is required (Posey, 2019a, 2019b). This knowledge provides evidence that professional development opportunities should support strategies and provide the guidance necessary to foster their skills towards the UDL goal of becoming an expert learner. Elevating faculty to the UDL expert teacher level in this context enhances their skills and understanding in their creation of inclusive learning environments for their classrooms (Meyer, Rose, & Gordon, 2014).

abstract: Universal Design for Learning

abstract: UDL

abstract: Faculty engagement

abstract: Education

abstract: Higher education

abstract: Inclusive education


title: Long-term effects of timber harvesting on coarse woody debris dynamics and marten habitat

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia Natural Resource & Environmental Studies (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (v, 72 pages)

subject: Forest management.

subject: Clearcutting.

subject: Martens--Effect of habitat modification on.

subject: Martens--Effect of forest management on.

abstract: At a long-term experimental trial in northern British Columbia, Canada, I analysed the impact of varying amounts of timber retention: 0% (clearcut), 40%, 70%, 100% (unharvested) on CWD volume, decay class, and inputs from windthrow over 27 years. I used attributes (diameter, length, decay class, and height above the ground) known to be favourable to marten to create an index for assessing the impact of harvesting intensity on CWD habitat features. I then used airborne laser scanning (ALS) to predict CWD volume, habitat value, and piece attributes over the landscape. Stands with 70% retention had CWD attributes that resulted in CWD habitat features similar to unharvested stands. Clearcuts contained pieces that were smaller, more decayed, and closer to the ground, which contributed less valuable habitat, compared to stands with higher retention. Windthrown trees were the majority of CWD inputs and volume change was positively related to percent retention.


title: The effects of primary care accessibility and continuity of care on less-urgent emergency department use

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia Health Sciences (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (xi, 198 pages)

subject: Primary health care.

subject: Primary health care.--Canada.

subject: Health services accessibility--Research.

subject: Continuum of care--Research.

subject: Hospitals--Emergency services.

abstract:
Background/Aims. Since the early 2000s, Canada’s primary care system has undergone substantial reforms, including the incorporation of interdisciplinary teams and strategies to optimise accessibility. However, the effects of primary care accessibility and continuity of care on less-urgent emergency department (ED) use are unclear. Three studies were undertaken to investigate the effects of primary care accessibility and continuity of care factors on less-urgent ED use.
Methods. Study One employed a cross-sectional analysis of responses to the Canadian Survey of Experiences with Primary Health Care to predict self-reported ED visit avoidability; Study Two employed a longitudinal time-to-event analysis of responses to Ontario’s Health Care Experience Survey linked with subsequent National Ambulatory Care Reporting System data to predict medically assessed less-urgent ED use; and Study Three employed time-series analyses of presentations to two northern British Columbia EDs following changes in walk-in clinic coverage.
Results. Study One (n = 2,625) found no significant associations between self-reported ED visit avoidability and all measures of primary care accessibility and continuity of care. However, rural respondents reported greater ED visit avoidability. Conversely, Study Two (n = 34,686) found that all accessibility factors were significantly associated with medically assessed less-urgent ED use, including the presence of a regular PCP, the regular source of care, and the availability of after-hours care through the PCP. However, time with the same PCP was not associated with medically assessed less-urgent ED use. Rurality was also found to moderate the effect of after-hours care accessibility, with only rural respondents reporting a beneficial effect. Finally, Study Three found that changes in walk-in clinic coverage resulted in short-term impacts on less-urgent ED use, with a walk-in clinic closure resulting in an immediate increase in less-urgent presentations and an opening resulting in an immediate decrease. Conclusions. The findings of Studies Two and Three provide evidence that primary care accessibility factors are associated with medically assessed less-urgent ED use; however, the findings of Study One suggest that these factors do not influence self-perceived ED visit avoidability. Future studies should consider this discordance when measuring the impact of primary care accessibility on less-urgent ED use.


title: Experimental approach to overexpress pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) specifically in the hypothalamus

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia Biochemistry (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (xiv, 102 pages)

subject:
Obesity--Endocrine aspects.
Obesity--Research.
Polypeptides--Research.

abstract: Obesity is adetrimental health condition that occurs when energy intake, exceeds energy expenditure. Pituitary adenylatecyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) regulates energy expenditure, including adaptive thermogenesis, through the hypothalamic-sympatheticnervous system-brown adipose tissue axis. We hypothesize that PACAP expression in the ventromedial nucleus (VMN) is required for adaptive thermogenesis. To assess this, our goal is to develop an animal model that expresses PACAP specifically in the VMN of the hypothalamus. As a first step to achieving this goal, we established a protocol to deliver an adeno-associatedvirus (AAV) expressing the visible protein eGFP under the control of a VMN-specific promoter, steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) using stereotaxic surgery. A second step was to develop a protocol to detect PACAP mRNA in the brain using in situ hybridization. Our results showed that the stereotaxic protocol was successful and provides significant progress towards achieving PACAP-specific expression in the VMN.


title: Exploring people's experiences with casket building related to the death of a loved one

format:
electronic
1 online resource (vi, 128 pages)

subject: Coffins--Design and construction--Psychological aspects.

subject: Death--Sociological aspects.

subject: Death--Psychological aspects.

subject: Grief.

abstract: Exploring the experiences of people who build a casket for a loved one is not clearly delineated in academic literature. This study focused on identifying and sharing the experiences of people who engaged in casket building for a loved one. The purpose of the research was to explore and interpret people’s experiences with casket building. Using an interpretive description approach and thematic data analysis, my research encompassed the experiences of four people who engaged in casket building for a loved one. Ultimately, four themes were generated: 1) A Desire for Something Different, 2) Influential Death Rituals, 3) The Importance of Relationships, and 4) Maintaining Wellness. The research supports those who may choose to follow in their footsteps. The study also encourages social workers to utilize practices, which some may consider non-traditional, to best meet the needs of the populations they serve.

abstract: Casket

abstract: Grief

abstract: Death ritual

abstract: Social work practice


title: Foster parents’ experiences with animal companions and children and youth in foster care

format:
electronic
1 online resource (viii, 76 pages)

abstract: This study describes the experiences of foster parents who have companion animals in their homes and the perceived impacts these animals have on children and youth in foster care. Six participants were interviewed regarding their experiences with animals in their home environment, their relationship with their foster children, and themselves, and the benefits and challenges of having a companion animal in the home. A qualitative, exploratory inquiry was conducted. Data analysis was completed using thematic analysis which revealed six central themes with 12 subthemes: (1) provision of companionship (subthemes include unconditional love); (2) strengthening of the foster home environment (environmental connection, increased feelings of safety); (3) teaching empathy (including responsibility and compassion); (4) emotional regulation (grief, emotional support, and calming presence); (5) benefits to foster parents (companionship, unconditional love, emotional support, additional support); (6) challenges. These findings have important implications for future social work practice and specific recommendations were created from the findings of this study.


title: Behavioural, physiological, and movement relationships between barren-ground caribou and industrial infrastructure in the Northwest Territories

format:
electronic
1 online resource (xiv, 120 pages)

abstract:
I investigated the behavioural, physiological, and movement responses of barren-ground caribou to the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road in the central Northwest Territories. Previous
research on the zone of influence around industrial infrastructure indicates that caribou avoid these industrial disturbances. This response implies changes in the behaviour, physiology, and movement of caribou as well. I used a multi-method approach to investigate these hypothesized changes for caribou adjacent to the road, employing behavioural observations, assessment of levels of fecal glucocorticoids, and GPS collar data. My results suggest that caribou change their behaviour and movement near the winter road. They engaged in more walking and less foraging near the road, though no relationship was found between the level of fecal glucocorticoids and proximity to the winter road. Using a novel estimation of traffic activity, I demonstrated that caribou crossing of the winter road was negatively correlated with the level of traffic. This barrier effect was not just related to the road’s right-of-way as caribou crossed roads when they were closed to traffic and the probability of selecting a crossing site was extremely low when normal levels of traffic occurred. My results provide new insights on the spatial, behavioural, and physiological responses of caribou when adjacent to industrial features. These findings can guide monitoring and mitigation of existing infrastructure and assist with the evaluation of impacts of proposed mines and roads.


title: Intersections of immigration and violence against women in relationships: A case study of the lived experiences of West African immigrant women in Northern British Columbia

format:
electronic
1 online resource (ix, 159 pages)

abstract: This research is for the researcher’s graduate thesis, as a requirement to obtain a Master of Social Work degree. The thesis research was conducted via distance (using telephone and password-protected audio conferencing) with four immigrant women. Using a case study approach and framed by socialist feminist intersectional theories and transformative framework, this thesis examines the intersections of immigration and violence against women in relationships (VAWIR) on multiple axis including gender, race, class, immigrant, and economic status to better understand factors that shape the experiences of visible minority immigrant women dealing with domestic violence and abuse. The findings of this thesis would contribute to different viewpoints on the experiences of VAWIR among immigrant women and bring more understanding to a variety of ways immigrant women respond to and cope with violence in their relationships as well as shape future policies and practices to more effectively service immigrant women of African descent.


title: Elemental composition and antibacterial efficacy of Moringa oleifera and Zingiber officinale root powders against E. coli

format:
electronic
1 online resource (ix, 110 pages)

abstract:
Shortage of clean drinking water is a serious problem faced by the world at present times, with water borne diseases claiming 5 million deaths globally each year. Many methods are available to treat contaminated drinking water; however, cultural, economic, and social factors often impair implementation of these methods, particularly in developing countries. Moringa and ginger root powders appear to offer a promising alternative to treat contaminated drinking water. This study examines the nutrient composition of Moringa and ginger roots and determine their antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli (E. coli). After growing Moringa and ginger plants in a greenhouse for seven months and three years respectively, their roots were harvested, dried, powdered and analysed for their chemical composition using ICP-MS and Elemental analysis. The most abundant metal found in both the root powders was potassium, while calcium, magnesium, sulphur, sodium, and phosphorus were other elements present in high amounts. However, the concentration of these metals in Moringa and ginger root powders varied significantly. The abundance of essential elements in the two root powders justifies their use as a point-of-use water treatment method. For both Moringa and ginger root powders, 1400 mg/L concentration was determined to be the most effective concentration as it
reduced E. coli in contaminated water by 88.66% and 62.63% respectively. The combination of the two root powders appeared to have a synergistic effect on E. coli as Moringa and ginger root powders combined in 1:1 ratio reduced bacterial counts by 94.78% when added to the contaminated water at 2000 mg/L.


title: Approximation by pairs of functions.

format:
electronic
1 online resource (56 pages)

subject:
Approximation theory.
Functions.
Polynomials.
QA221 .M55 2005

abstract: The problem of approximating a fixed function ⨍ ∈ Ϲ[a,b] by a pair of functions ⨍₁,⨍₂ ∈ Ϲ[a,b] will be explored. A natural error function gf is defined and approximation pairs are chosen from [equation], where IIn represents the set of all algebraic polynomials of degree less than or equal to n. The questions of existence of best approximations, characterization of such approximations, and uniqueness of best approximations are examined. Best approximations will be shown to exist. A partial characterization of these approximations will be developed along with some local uniqueness results. Extensions to approximation by k-tuples, and approximation from Haar spaces are also considered.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1295215


title: An investigation of the role of the body representations in higher order cognition

format:
electronic
1 online resource (vii, 119)

abstract: Grounded cognition is a theoretical stance that suggests that sensorimotor simulation is constitutive of knowledge. I sought to investigate the role of sensorimotor simulation in higher-level conceptual tasks, such as reading and categorization. Body Ownership Illusions (BOIs) were used to interfere with effector-specific representations. Using Representational Similarity Analysis (RSA) of Electroencephalographic (EEG) data, I identified time points during which representations of different information were active. The neural geometry was compared to two different hypothesized representational geometries. The hypothesized representational geometries were constructed from ratings about effector and sensorimotor information. During the control conditions, two distinct types of information were represented early in the epoch: information about the effector and information about the sensorimotor profile of the word. In the illusion condition, both effector and sensorimotor information representations were pushed to later time points in the epoch. These results demonstrated that sensorimotor and effector information are represented when reading in normal conditions, which supports a weak grounded cognition position, whereby sensorimotor information is activated as we understand concepts. In the illusion conditions, the typical representation of action concepts was disrupted, supporting the hypothesis that BOIs could be used to interfere with concept representation during the understanding of verbs. Effector-specific illusions effects were inconclusive; there was no consistent pattern for hand words in the hand illusion or foot words in the foot illusion. Thus, I did not provide evidence that the information that serves concept representation is effector specific.


title: Rank and duality of escalator algebras.

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 75

subject:
Duality theory (Mathematics).
QA155.5 .B48 2002

abstract: We define a specific family of finite bi-unary algebras called escalator algebras. These algebras were introduced in the work of Hyndman and Willard [9] and Little [10]. We show that they have infinite rank, are dualizable but are not strongly dualizable.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1230507


title: Dynamics of integrodifference and reaction-diffusion equations in heterogeneous media

format:
electronic
1 online resource (vi, 88 pages)

abstract: In this work, we study two different models that appear in population dynamics. The first problem is concerned with an integral equation that models discrete time dynamics of a population in a patchy landscape. The patches in the domain are reflected through the discontinuity of the kernel of the integral operator at a finite number of points in the whole domain. We prove the existence and uniqueness of a stationary state under certain assumptions on the principal eigenvalue of the linearized integral operator and the growth term as well. We also derive criteria under which the population undergoes extinction (in which case the stationary solution is 0 everywhere). In the second problem we consider a reaction-diffusion model with a drift term in a bounded domain. Given a time T, we prove the existence and uniqueness of an initial datum that maximizes the total mass [equation] in the presence of an advection term. In a population dynamics context, this optimal initial datum can be understood as the best distribution of the initial population that leads to a maximal the total population at a prefixed time T. We also compare the total masses at a time T in two cases: depending on whether an advection term is present in the medium or not. We prove that the presence of a large enough advection enhances the total mass.


title: A survey of pure algebraic quartic fields.

format:
electronic
1 online resource (55 pages)

subject:
Quartic fields.
QA247 .S85 2012

abstract: The properties of the pure quartic field [equation] are examined in detail. More specifically the norm, minimal polynomial, integral basis, and the fundamental system of units of these fields will be the main focus of the thesis. An examination into the prime ideal decomposition and class number of these fields will also be taken.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1807849


title: Sums of Fourier coefficients of automorphic cusp forms

format:
electronic
1 online resource (iv, 79 pages)

abstract: No abstract available.


title: Measurements and controls on mid-winter alpine ground thermal regime in the Purcell mountains, British Columbia

format:
electronic
1 online resource (xii, 113)

abstract:
Alpine snow is an important water reservoir for mountain hydrology, climate, ecosystem functions, and has substantial economic value. Snowmelt during spring and summer is driven primarily by incoming shortwave and longwave radiation fluxes, and the ground heat flux is considered to be negligible during this time. However, during the accumulation phase, the ground heat flux may contribute to snowpack thermal conditions and midwinter melt, though this subject has not been studied extensively. The objective of this study is to quantify the alpine ground thermal regime and its relation to topographic setting and the overlying snowpack. The effects of elevation, maximum winter snow depth, snow cover duration, slope, ruggedness, aspect, total potential solar radiation, proximity to glacial ice, and depth
of thermistor were evaluated. Four transects consisting of 29 temperature data loggers at the ground-snow interface and one meteorological station collected data from 16 August 2020 to 6 August 2021 at an alpine site in the Purcell Mountains in British Columbia. Snow
cover duration, onset, and end-of-winter depths were found to have the greatest influence on the ground thermal regime. Total potential solar radiation had an inverted relation with ground temperatures, however, this was likely related to snow cover duration. Modeled
ground heat flux scenarios revealed that snow depth or onset is the most influential of the variables tested. Snow thermal conductivity has the second greatest influence on total ground heat flux, however, true snow thermal conductivity likely varies throughout the winter season and was not measured in this study. Wind has the greatest influence on snow distribution within the Conrad basin with wind scoured slopes coincidentally sharing the same aspect as slopes that receive the greatest total potential solar radiation. There is little evidence to suggest that the ground thermal regime has any influence over the overlying snowpack.


title: "It’s our law to protect the land and the people": Perspectives on traditional governance and Keyoh stewardship with S̲aik’uz̲ Whut’enne

contributor: Pawlowska-Mainville, Agnes (committee member)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (vii, 159 pages)

abstract: The traditional governance system of S̲aik’uz̲ Whut’enne is rooted in a deep relationship with their Keyoh – their homelands that sustain all life, including the waters, rocks, mountains, plants and animals. Based in S̲aik’uz̲’s inherent Rights and Title, as well as the legal and political context of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and evolving Aboriginal case law, this research explores the key institutions and principles of S̲aik’uz̲ traditional governance. Alongside this, it challenges the ways that colonization has disrupted and eroded S̲aik’uz̲ traditional governance through its attempt to remove S̲aik’uz̲ Whut’enne from their Keyoh, impose a colonial Western system of land management, and outlaw their governance system, the Balhats. Informed by decolonizing and Indigenous methodologies, this research has been developed and carried out in collaboration with the S̲aik’uz̲ First Nation and uses qualitative methods including archive and document review, semi-structured interviews, and group review meetings. It offers insights about the persistence of S̲aik’uz̲ Whut’enne against colonial forces, and the ways that S̲aik’uz̲ traditional governance is alive, evolving across time, and of utmost relevance to the present and future.


title: Bioactive polysaccharides and small molecules from the native North American fungus Echinodontium tinctorium

format:
electronic
1 online resource (xviii, 268 pages)

abstract: Mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of fungi, are known to be powerful sources of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals but there are limited studies focusing on exploring the medicinal value of mushrooms native to North America. Here, I describe the isolation of two novel bioactive polysaccharides from the aqueous extracts of the fungus Echinodontium tinctorium: an immunostimulatory complex polysaccharide (EtISPFa) of 1354 kDa, and a growth-inhibitory β-glucan of 275 kDa. In addition, six small molecules including a phenol derivative, a new diphenylmethane derivative and three lanostane-type triterpenes were isolated from the organic extracts of E. tinctorium. The molar mass of these isolated small molecules (labelled 1-6) was determined to be 124, 260, 506, 498, 496, and 440 g/mol respectively. Phase separation, Sephadex LH-20 size exclusion, Sephadex DEAE ion exchange chromatography, Sephacryl S-500 HR size exclusion, silica column chromatography, and HPLC were used for bioactivity-guided purification. Chemical structures and linkages of EtISPFa and EtGIPL1a polysaccharides were determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Final structures of small molecules were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), NMR, and X-ray crystallography. Immuno-stimulatory activity of EtISPFa was assessed by immunoassay in Raw 264.7 murine macrophage cells and growth-inhibitory activity of EtGIPL1a and small molecules were assessed by MTT growth-inhibitory assay in cancer cell lines. The mechanism of growth inhibition was assessed via apoptosis and cell cycle assays. EtISPFa stimulated the immune response by inducing TNF-α and other inflammatory cytokines in murine macrophage cells. In contrast, EtGIPL1a showed promising anti-proliferative activity against U251 glioblastoma cells and on ten other cancer cell lines. EtGIPL1a induced apoptosis in U251 cells with an increased cleaved caspase-3 apoptotic marker and significant DNA fragmentation in cell cycle analysis. Amongst the small molecules, compounds (2), (4) and (5) caused growth-inhibition in U251 cells; compound (4) also showed promising effects on multiple other cancer cell lines; all its bioactivities are reported here for the first time. The crystal structures of compounds (2), (4) and (5) have also been reported for the first time. Molecular targets of (1), (2), (4) and (5) by MolTarPred were predicted and warrants further experimental investigation.


title: Fate of hatchery-reared juvenile Nechako white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus): Assessment of predation by river otters (Lontra canadensis)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (x, 114 pages)

abstract: Predation of fish raised and released as part of conservation aquaculture programs can pose a threat to the recovery of endangered populations. Therefore, understanding the impact of specific predators is important to inform these programs. In central British Columbia, a conservation aquaculture program exists for the endangered Nechako white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus). In Chapter 1, I provide evidence that river otters (Lontra canadensis) are a notable predator of these released sturgeon through the collection of over 500 sturgeon PIT tags from river otter latrine sites and finding sturgeon radio tags in suspected otter feeding sites. In Chapter 2, I used the collection of additional PIT tags to estimate the extent of predation and to identify spatial and temporal patterns in the predation. My results suggest a confirmed minimum of 3.9% of released sturgeon were consumed by otters, however, I also identify several factors that suggest this number is much higher. Predation hotspots were identified and varied depending on release year and location, and predation evidently decreased with a shift to low release numbers and fewer sturgeon being present in the river. In Chapter 3, I present the results of laboratory experiments I performed that revealed an inability of naïve juvenile white sturgeon to be conditioned to recognize otters as a threat using conspecific alarm cues. However, spatial avoidance was identified as an important anti-predator response and suggestions are provided to improve future experiments. My findings specifically inform the recovery of the Nechako white sturgeon, however, may also be informative where other populations of sturgeon and otters coexist. Additionally, as this predator-prey interaction was previously unstudied, my results contribute to a growing knowledge of sturgeon predators.


title: Simon’s song

format:
electronic
1 online resource (v, 94 pages)

abstract:
Simon’s Song is a self-reflexive creative-critical text composed of journal entries, research notes, and various other records written by fictional undergraduate student Simon Goodsworth, and compiled by an anonymous archivist. Through the organized presentation of Simon’s writings, there appears a fragmented narrative which follows Simon as he joins his university’s musical theatre club and becomes absorbed in planning and research for a Master’s thesis applying poststructuralist theory to the study of musical theatre. Simon’s research and original insights into the work of Roland Barthes, Jacques Derrida, Martin Heidegger, and Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari destabilize the hidden structures implicit in his perception of his self and his world. Through his writing Simon stages
explorations of the ubiquity of performativity, the relationship between life and writing, and the inescapability of what Derrida calls “différance,” the precondition of language and meaning in general.
Implicit in Simon’s Song is a recognition that each act of engagement with this text is an uniterable performance. Were it not for this recognition of provisionality, it would be safe to assert that Simon’s Song is, above anything else, a thesis about itself.


title: Chromium transformations during aging in contaminated soils

format:
electronic
1 online resource (xvi, 194 pages)

abstract:
Extensive industrial activities have led to Cr contamination in the environment, which poses threats to ecosystems and human health. Currently, very little is known regarding the Cr accumulation in soils during aging. The purpose of this dissertation was (i) to enhance our understanding of Cr transformations occurring over a long period of time; (ii) to investigate the reduction of toxic Cr(VI) to non-toxic Cr(III) by soil microorganisms for developing bioremediation strategies for Cr-contaminated sites. Soil samples were collected from a longterm (> 30 years) tannery waste contaminated area in Shuitou (China) for this research. Chemical extraction methods showed the Cr(III) form was dominant (> 96.7% of total Cr) in these aged Cr-contaminated soils, with toxic Cr(VI) up to 144 mg kg-1. Of the total Cr(VI) present, immobile Cr(VI) represented > 90%. Synchrotron-based X-ray near edge structure spectroscopy demonstrated Cr species present were CrFeO3, CrOOH, and CaCrO4. The occurrence of immobile Cr(VI) species in long-term contaminated soils was further verified by a spiking experiment over 240-day aerobic incubation. Available Cr(VI) in soils continually decreased
during aging, with immobile Cr(VI) increasing by 4.5 – 31% and immobile Cr(III) increasing by 68 – 95% of total spiked Cr(VI). These findings reveal that Cr(VI) reduction and immobilization were occurring concurrently in soils. Cr(VI) reduction occurs in soils with low pH and high organic carbon content via both chemical and biological processes, while Cr(VI) immobilization occurs in soils with cations (such as Ca2+) and Fe oxides. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the microbial community composition in the soils and a batch solution experiment was employed to determine the Cr(VI) reduction capacity by soil microbial consortia. The results demonstrated the accumulation of high levels of Cr in a soil (e.g., 3141 mg kg-1 in S3-2) led to the increased abundance of Cr resistant and reducing microorganisms: Proteobacteria (69.9%) at phylum level, Betaproteobacteria (39.1%) at class level, and Massilia (12.6%) and Bacilli (0.57%) at genus level. Batch experiment results showed the addition of 1.0 g Cr-contaminated soils reduced 10 – 20 mg L-1 Cr(VI) in 20 mL of K2Cr2O7 solution at the condition of 30 oC at pH 7.8 – 8.0 within 7 days anaerobically and aerobically, when supplied with 0.2 g L-1 of Na-acetate as carbon and electron sources. The amount of Cr(VI) removed was highest (29.0 mg L-1) at 40 mg Cr(VI) L-1 in the presence of soil S3-2. Therefore, prospective application of mixed microbial consortia from high Cr-contaminated soils for bioremediation of Cr(VI)-polluted environments could be expected.


title: ‘Walking the talk’ of environmental social work practice: Lessons learned from social workers committed to land-based practice in the Northwest  Territories

format:
electronic
1 online resource (ix, 142 pages)

abstract: The research presented in this thesis explored environmental social work; in particular, it responds to a gap in the literature regarding the lack of a clear practice model for social workers to follow, by focusing on how environmental social work is done. In order to offer an in-depth, qualitative look at what environmental social work can look like in practice and in specific places, I looked to self-identified social workers living and working in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. The six social workers who responded to this call are all working in ways that integrate land, place, and the physical environment into their social work practice. Due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the research was conducted entirely via distance using telephone, e-mail, and Zoom. Using a critical place inquiry approach and framed by theories of ecosystem approaches to health, grounded normativity, and relational validity, six in-depth interviews were conducted with social workers who shared their experiences of land-based practice in their personal and professional lives. Findings took the shape of five themes: ‘Lessons from the Land’, ‘Lessons in Ways of Being for Social Workers’, ‘Lessons from Being in Relationship’, ‘Lessons for our Workplaces and Profession’, and ‘Lessons in Practice’. The findings offer insight and practical examples for social workers seeking to connect their practice to the land; they also contribute practice wisdom to emerging discussions regarding both what can be done in environmental social work practice and how.


title: The role of Big Data in humanitarian organisations in developing countries: A systematic literature review

format:
electronic
1 online resource (iii, 95 pages)

abstract: Being financially and technologically worse off than their counterparts in developed nations, many developing countries face natural disasters that cut them off from the rest of the world and cause excessive damage to invaluable human life and property. Sudden disasters require timely and accurate response from stakeholders to provide immediate relief while deploying scarce resources effectively.  However, due to the large number of humanitarian aid agencies from different developed countries and a lack of knowledge, there is duplication of relief in many areas while countless more are left unattended. In this thesis, Resource Dependence Theory and Stakeholder Theory were employed to analyse how humanitarian organisations deliver services during a disaster. Systematic literature review was utilised for collecting data and the data was analysed using thematic analysis. During the data collection process, 300 papers were initially identified however, after further reassessment, 33 papers were left to be further analyzed. From this the researcher was able to identify that the use of Big Data in developing countries is proving to be extremely beneficial to humanitarian efforts, according to this thesis. It also explains how humanitarian organizations can make better use of big data by overcoming obstacles. The thesis suggests that increasing the number of data scientists and specialists by conducting big data training for staff, improving data governance (regulations, controls, and transparency), and enhancing privacy and security will result in major improvements in humanitarian operations. Give the importance of private stakeholders, companies' roles extend far beyond delivering profits to their shareholders, they must also address social issues by participating in disaster and humanitarian operations in developing countries.


title: Environmental monitoring for the 21st century: Exploring Indigenous evaluations of the Canadian government’s Indigenous Guardians pilot program

format:
electronic
1 online resource (89 pages)

abstract: In response to the exclusion of Indigenous people from natural resources management, the Canadian federal government announced that they would provide $25 million over four years to support the development of Indigenous Guardians programs across Canada. The program was promised to “provide Indigenous Peoples with greater opportunity to exercise responsibility in stewardship of their traditional lands, waters and ice” (Government of Canada 2020). I used a case study approach to explore the role of this funding to support Indigenous communities in their Guardians initiatives. I facilitated semi-structured interviews with staff from five Indigenous Guardians programs from BC and Manitoba, Canada. Participants suggested that the federal pilot program was a step in the right direction to support environmental stewardship initiatives led by Indigenous governments or communities. In particular, this program was successful in increasing monitoring of the land, collaboration with like-minded groups, and facilitating the education of youth by community Elders.


title: Persistence of glyphosate, and associated influence on available nutrients, in native plant tissues following sublethal herbicide application in northern British Columbia forests

format:
electronic
1 online resource (iii, 118 pages)

abstract:
Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are highly effective, nonselective herbicides that have been used in British Columbia’s forest industry since the early 1980s to remove deciduous vegetation competing with commercially important coniferous tree seedlings. Long term persistence of glyphosate and its metabolic byproduct aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in the forest ecosystem has not previously been monitored beyond one year, although it is known that glyphosate may be stored in tissues of plants that received a sublethal dose of GBH. The primary objective of this research thesis was to determine the duration (up to twelve years) of glyphosate and AMPA persistence in the roots, shoots, and fruits of selected perennial plant species in GBH-treated forest cutblocks. Due to the ability of glyphosate to form insoluble complexes with metal ions, it was suspected that metal nutrient concentrations in surviving plants might be affected by persistent glyphosate. The second main objective of this thesis was to determine if concentrations of calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) were significantly altered by GBH treatment. Plant tissue samples from five forest understory perennial species growing in two distinct biogeoclimatic (BEC) zones of northern BC were analyzed for glyphosate and AMPA content, and comparisons were made between species, plant tissue type, and BEC zone. Residues persisted for up to 12 years in some tissue types, and root tissues generally retained
glyphosate residues longer than shoot tissue types. Samples from the drier, colder, more northern Boreal White and Black Spruce (BWBS) BEC zone retained significantly higher levels of glyphosate for longer than samples collected from the warmer Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS) BEC zone. Shoot samples from three species in the SBS zone were further analyzed for nutrient contents. Nutrient concentrations were more variable over time in treated samples than in control samples, and comparison of treated and control samples resulted in significant differences in 47 % of all cases, and in 61 % of year one samples. Generally, Ca, Mg and Ni decreased with treatment in all three species; Zn increased with treatment for each species; and Fe and Mn had inconsistent changes with treatment. Both the persistence of glyphosate and related changes in plant nutrient concentrations may have cumulative health effects for wildlife. More research should be conducted in this field, as many questions remain unanswered.


title: Resource acquisition and allocation in mountain bluebirds (Sialia currucoides)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (xxi, 240 pages)

abstract:
The strategic allocation of resources to maximize fitness is the organizing principle shaping the evolution of life histories. The physiology and behaviour of animals is a manifestation of trade-offs in resource allocation among traits and activities that benefit current or future reproduction. In theory, traits subject to such trade-offs are expected to show negative correlations, but numerous field studies have documented apparent contradictions to theoretical expectations: in some populations, parental effort (allocation to current reproduction) and reproductive performance (i.e., a fitness
component) are not negatively correlated to self-maintenance (allocation to future reproduction). One explanation for such findings is that inter-individual variation in resource acquisition can obscure trade-offs by altering the overall quantity of resources individuals are able to invest. Acquisition may influence both the quantity of resources allocated in trade-offs as well as reproductive success. Asymmetries in acquisition may be the product of differences in intrinsic quality (individual phenotypes) and/or environmental factors (territory quality). In a population of breeding mountain bluebirds
(Sialia currucoides), I sought to determine how resource acquisition varied, and to identify how it may affect life-history trade-offs and reproductive performance. In my research, I used several lines of inquiry to characterize how resource acquisition varies and affects trade-offs in the study population. First, I showed that offspring quality, a contributor to fitness, is influenced by the types of prey nestling bluebirds are fed by their parents, and that the resources parents provide to their broods vary seasonally and as their nestlings age. Next, I used a short-term manipulation of brood age to find that parents have limited flexibility in their capacity to acquire resources while provisioning broods, which may be due to intrinsic or extrinsic constraints. I then identified relationships among the landscape characteristics of breeding territories (extrinsic factors, potentially influencing acquisition) and the reproductive performance of bluebirds, over an 11-year period. These characteristics, elevation and distance to forest edges, are subsequently linked to differences in microclimate, microhabitat, and parental prey use, providing a partial explanation for why occupancy and reproductive success are spatially clustered and consistent over time. Finally, I used a brood size manipulation to induce changes in parental effort, revealing that acquisition (quantified as both individual and territory quality) influences how mountain bluebirds trade-off one proxy for self-maintenance (energy metabolites) with providing food to their offspring. Interestingly, these effects differed between the sexes. Females generally biased allocation towards current reproduction, increasing provisioning to larger broods, regardless of territory quality; females on low-quality territories subsidized increased
provisioning activity by catabolizing stored resources. In contrast, only males on high-quality territories increased parental effort in response to larger broods, and among these individuals, only high-quality males incurred an energy deficit to subsidize this activity. My findings showed that resource acquisition may be critical to understanding why trade-offs differ among individuals, and that both intrinsic and extrinsic limits on acquisition may influence the patterns of allocation we observe in wild populations.


title: Carbon accounting - disclosures of carbon emissions and their impact on a firm's value

format:
electronic
1 online resource (x, 230 pages)

abstract: Environmental sustainability is key to the long-term sustainability of a business during these times of climate change crises and global warming. Otherwise, survival will be challenging for large carbon emitters. This dissertation travels through carbon accounting to carbon reporting to corporate level environmental sustainability efforts and a firm’s value. It examines whether the corporation-level environmental sustainability efforts increase its value, focusing on Global 500 companies for 2010-2018. Measures used for corporate-level ecological sustainability include the choice of voluntary disclosure, carbon emission amounts, carbon intensity, and carbon disclosure quality. Different proxies used to measure a firm’s value comprise the market value of equity, return on assets, return on equity, Tobin’s Q, and enterprise value. During the study period, those corporations that chose to disclose their carbon-related data on the CDP’s public platform noticed that the market valued their environmental sustainability efforts by increasing their market value – showing the market value-relevant content of voluntary carbon disclosures. Carbon disclosure quality stands out among the proxies used to measure environmental sustainability efforts at a corporate level. Some interesting findings showed that measuring and disclosing Scope 3 emissions must have played a significant role in increasing a firm’s disclosure quality and so its market value. Similar to Assidi's research, this study provides guidelines for investors and managers to increase a firm’s value by using better quality carbon disclosures. This study also compared the firm’s value of disclosing and non-disclosing firms and, unfortunately, did not find any significant relationship between a company’s disclosure decision and market value in the context of global companies. These results are alarming given the current and potential hazards related to climate change and global warming. It seems that investors ignore climate-related urgency and focus on short-term profits. Companies do not find any incentives to reveal their environmental-related information on any public platform such as the CDP. This study examined and found that social pressure, market pressure, economic pressure, legal/institutional pressure, and previous year disclosure make the companies disclose their carbon information to the CDP. Based on the sample of the Global 500, the results support the notion that larger firms are aware of their social responsibility. So, they disclose environmental-related information voluntarily even in the absence of any mandatory requirement. Furthermore, high-levered firms are more likely to release their carbon-related information. However, the results report that a large proportion (25%) of the sample companies chose not to disclose carbon information. Also, this study showed that regulatory provisions had an observable influence on a company’s disclosing decision. These policies can force companies to reduce carbon emissions and make carbon disclosures their strategic priority. This study emphasized the impact of carbon disclosures, related information, their link to a firm’s value, and corporate-level environmental sustainability efforts. It also posits that corporation-level carbon disclosures can be a prerequisite to corporation-level ecological sustainability. In addition, these disclosures can serve as necessary and valuable environmental-related information for existing and potential investors and other interested stakeholders such as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments, policymakers, accountants, sustainability experts, and researchers. On positive notes, around fifty-five percent of the corporations whom CDP approached for their environmental-related disclosures in 2010 reported to the CDP for the study period, to indicate that these firms are already in the war against climate change and working on business and environmental sustainability. Moreover, these efforts could pay off more in a mandatory environmental-related disclosure regime provided that these disclosures include all scope of emissions. Therefore, this study recommends that environmental-related disclosures be required as part of a company’s annual reports to be more informative for current and potential investors. Moreover, standards of environmental sustainability are needed from standard setters’ bodies to guide the companies to provide consistent and accurate information in their annual reports so that investors can make informed investment decisions.


title: Nourishing Land: Health experiences of food sovereignty

format:
electronic
1 online resource (viii, 150 pages)

abstract:
Indigenous food sovereignty— a living reality prior to colonization, which violently disrupted Indigenous food systems—is characterized by Indigenous peoples’ self-determination in controlling their food systems and culturally informed foods practices. Directly related to ongoing coloniality, food insecurity is central to the disproportionately high burdens of poor health affecting Indigenous peoples. By exploring the health-related experiences of food sovereignty and Indigenous food sovereignty leaders living in northern BC, this project asks both: How does engaging in food sovereign practices affect peoples’ health? What are the factors that foster (or limit) food sovereignty practices? Being sensitive to past and ongoing colonial and paternalistic research approaches, this research enacts a community-informed ethos, anchored in community-based participatory research (CBPR) processes, wherein research is conducted with and for those involved. This research draws on qualitative methods, including semi-structured (virtual) interviews with community members and knowledge holders, including diverse food
sovereignty and Indigenous food sovereignty champions. Champions are involved in various capacities, including direction of research design, engaging in interviews, and informing research outputs. Addressing gaps in the literature, this research documents holistic health experiences of food sovereignty and Indigenous food sovereignty leaders in northern BC. By highlighting experiences faced by those enacting food sovereignty practices, this research offers a counterview to existing bodies of food and health-related research and literature that rely
predominantly on quantitative food security metrics. This project’s findings contribute to a growing body of scholarship documenting food sovereignty praxis: the work thus has the potential to inform policy that helps to support the resilience and self-determination of those doing food sovereignty and Indigenous food sovereignty.


title: I must record the grit of my little wife Millie': Experience, representation and rural women in early 20th century British Columbia.

format:
electronic
Number of pages in document: 125

subject: Rural women -- British Columbia -- Bulkley Valley -- History.

subject: Rural women -- British Columbia -- Nechako Valley -- History.

subject: Rural women -- British Columbia -- Vanderhoof Region -- History.

subject: British Columbia, Northern -- History -- 1918-1945.

subject: HQ1459.B8 T69 2006

abstract: No abstract available.

abstract: The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b1304183


title: Then, we were wolves, again: the mutable lycanthropy mythos and its challenge to anthropocentrism and androcentric thought

format:
electronic
1 online resource (vii, 218 pages)

subject:
Werewolves in literature.
Literature--History and criticism.
Androcentrism.
Werewolves--History and criticism.

abstract: In literature and film, werewolves have gone through an incredibly varied series of portrayals, but, throughout all of their changes (cycling largely between being antagonists and protagonists), werewolves have always interacted with the essentialist concept of the human-animal binary. Mutable at their core, werewolves reflect the people, places, and times of their various manifestations; the werewolf is whatever we need it to be. The fact that werewolves are inherently liminal creatures means that, for the purposes of my thesis' discussion, werewolves can serve as a tool for addressing preconceived notions of human exceptionalism (i.e., anthropocentrism). I question the assumptions of boundaries and socalled human traits with a story about embracing the uncertainty that our classifications and labels seek to efface. Simultaneously, I draw attention to female werewolves to level a concurrent challenge against patriarchal scripts that denigrate the association of human females with non-human animals. Just as many historical portrayals of werewolves reinforce the negative connotations of a woman-animal alignment, so too do contemporary representations of female werewolves become subject to portrayals that reinforce patriarchal values, rather than challenge them. Therefore, my focus is two-fold: to present an alternative narrative (in the form of a theory piece married to a novel) that draws attention to the artificial nature of both anthropocentrism and androcentrism. These two ways of thinking—that humans are inherently more important than animals and that the perspectives of male humans, in particular, trump all other points of view—are inextricably linked in their ideological othering of alternative experiences of being. The female werewolf, an embodiment of both inferior entities, is a well-suited symbol to decentralize dominant patriarchal narratives. Presented herein is my theory piece and the first fifteen chapters of my novel, Then, We Were Wolves, Again. It is a story about a woman who becomes the wolf she was all along and a man who undergoes a transformation but does not change. As a human, the protagonist, Harley, drifted through life like a lone wolf, but now, as an actual werewolf, she struggles to reconcile her instinctual need for her pack with her growing sense of disenchantment with her fellow lycanthropes. Indoctrinated by their leader, Arden, they're convinced of their sovereignty as a superior species to humans, but this new werewolf picks away at the cracks of hypocrisy, revealing the same species-centric thinking the wolves claim to transcend.


title: Mapping maleficia: The borders of witchcraft and a woman's world through the witch trials of Zug, Switzerland, 1737-1738

contributor: Lightfoot, Dana Wessell (thesis advisor)

contributor: University of Northern British Columbia History (Degree granting institution)

format:
electronic
1 online resource (vi, 142 pages)

coverage:
Zug (Switzerland : Canton)
18th century
Zug (Switzerland : Canton)
18th century
Zug (Switzerland : Canton)

subject: Catholic women--Social conditions

subject: Catholic women--Social conditions--Zug (Switzerland : Canton)--18th century

subject: Trials (Witchcraft)

subject: Trials (Witchcraft)--Zug (Switzerland : Canton)--18th century

subject: Witchcraft--History

subject: Witchcraft--History--Zug (Switzerland : Canton)

abstract: This thesis argues that the witch trial of Zug, Switzerland, held between August of 1737  and January of 1738 provides a window into the world and spatial conceptualizations of lower status Catholic women living in eighteenth-century Switzerland. Through the examination of the  accounts of the accused, the realities and fantasies held by these women are laid bare in the  narratives of witchcraft they constructed, informing their interactions with the world around  them. The marginal spaces of the Canton of Zug and the broader Swiss context were the  backdrop to localized and broader diabolical concepts of witchcraft. Geographic information  systems (GIS) databases and maps of the accused’s worlds as demonstrated through the trial  record were created, allowing for the visualization of the records. These maps demonstrate that  the boundaries of these women’s worlds were intrinsically tied to their regional Catholic  identities, forming the basis of their interactions with the world around them.


title: "Body Language" pilot and gendered language in modern Canadian television

format:
electronic
1 online resource (vi, 109 pages)

subject:
Gender identity in mass media.
Queer theory.
Gender nonconformity on television.
Deconstruction.
Television.
Television.--Canada.

abstract:
In this thesis I draw on deconstruction theory and queer theory to analyze the current representation of sex, gender, and sexuality in Canadian television. Through this research I found that although Canadian television is portraying an increasing number of queer genders and sexualities, misinformation and stereotypes continue to perpetuate a one-dimensional characterization of people.
This research pertains directly to my creative thesis: a pilot episode of a TV series which fraternal twins, Jed and Theodora, grow up with the ability to switch into one another's body. I dive directly into the correlation between sex and gender and the lived experience of being in a body that does not necessarily represent gender. The will both create a new gendered "construction" as well as question the need for gender identifications.