title: Targeting gp41 as a strategy to induce mucosal and humoral immunity against HIV-1

contributor: Marek Smieja, Charu Kaushic, Jonathan Bramson

contributor: Medical Sciences (Molecular Virology and Immunology Program)

subject:
HIV-1
gp41
antibodies
mucosal
vaccine
IgA
Infectious Disease
Infectious Disease

abstract: Majority of new HIV-1 infections world-wide occur via the genital tract. Therefore, achieving effective mucosal immunity will be a critical component of vaccine strategies in the prevention and control of infection during early stages of transmission itself. Rigorous efforts have been made to identify conserved epitopes and develop rational design of immunogens, in order to elicit broadly-reactive protective Abs against HIV. Newly emerging data have highlighted the significance of Ab effector functions other than classical IgG-mediated neutralization in HIV infection. In the studies contributing towards this thesis, an optimized vaccine model is described that successfully elicits potent systemic and mucosal Abs against the highly conserved epitopes of the membrane-proximal external region and the coiled coil region of gp41. Intriguing observations are reported on the IgA-inducing capacity of the coiled coil epitope, QARVLAVERY, which highlight the potential of this epitope as an attractive candidate for mucosal vaccines. Most importantly, the epitope-specific Abs proved to be functional in neutralizing HIV in a standardized assay. With particular relevance to mucosal protection, epitope-specific IgA also effectively inhibited the transcytosis of HIV in an optimized transwell assay. The effect of gp41-specific Abs was also assessed against a novel panel of HIV-1 viral clones, and exhibited significant protection. These clones selectively express envelopes from viruses that would be desired targets of prophylactic immune responses, the earliest founder population in the mucosa after virus transmission.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Characterization of local mass transfer rate downstream of an orifice

contributor:
Chan, Ching Y.
Mechanical Engineering

subject:
mass transfer
orifice
flow accelerated corrosion
Nuclear Engineering
Transport Phenomena
Nuclear Engineering

abstract: Flow accelerated corrosion(FAC) results in wall thinning of pipes, tubes or vessels from exposure to flow due to corrosion. If FAC is not detected, it can lead to sudden failure of piping components. Orifices are used in piping systems to monitor and control the flow. Flow separation and reattachment downstream of an orifice can enhance the mass transfer of the pipe wall. In this thesis, the effect of Reynolds numbers and surface roughness on the mass transfer rate downstream of an orifice was investigated. A dissolving wall method was used to measure the wall mass transfer. The test sections were cast from gypsum with water as the working fluid. Multiple destructive tests were performed for different test times in a 2.5 cm diameter flow loop, and the wear topology measured by a laser scanner to obtain the progression of wear with time over the pipe surface. None-destructive tests were performed in a 20 cm diameter flow loop using test section with an inner gypsum lining, and measured online at selected locations using an ultrasonic method. Experiments were performed at Reynolds numbers of 80000, 140000 and 200000 in the 2.5 cm diameter flow loop, and at 180,000 in the 20 cm diameter flow loop with an orifice to pipe diameter ratio of 0.5. The results show that different surface roughness patterns are developed at different Reynolds numbers from the initially smooth surfaces. The different surface roughness patterns have a significantly different effect on the mass transfer rate downstream of an orifice. A larger population of scallops developed from the smooth pipe surface, as the Reynolds number was increased, which enhanced the mass transfer rate. The mass transfer rate in the 20 cm diameter test section was much smaller than in the 2.5 cm diameter test section at a similar Reynolds number. The pattern of the roughness in the 20 cm diameter test section was formed as isolated roughness which is similar to the roughness pattern in 2.5 cm diameter test section at much lower Reynolds number.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: HYDROLOGIC IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN SEMI-URBAN WATERSHEDS

contributor:
Coulibaly, Paulin
Civil Engineering

subject:
climate change
semi-urban
hydrologic model
climate model
frequency analysis
extreme events
Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering

abstract: The thesis aims to investigate the impact of climate change on the hydrology of four semi-urban watersheds in southern Ontario. The study is mainly concerned with future changes in climate variables and flow regimes. The study also assesses future changes in the frequency and magnitude of peak and low flows. The hydrologic effects of climate change were assessed using a couple of climate and hydrological models. Three regional climate models (RCMs), namely, Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM), United States Regional Climate Model 3 (RCM3), United Kingdom Hadley Regional Model 3 (HRM3) were used to extract raw climate variables. The raw RCM data were corrected using a bias correction method. The method performance statistics and the nonparametric test results revealed that the bias corrected climate variables followed the patterns of the observed climate variables for all weather stations. Future climate scenario was then simulated and analyses show increases in annual precipitation about 5-8% and increases in mean annual daily mean temperature about 2.6-3.2 oC. Three hydrological models (namely HBV, MAC-HBV, and SAC-SMA) were used for flow simulation. The models' validation results show a good agreement with the observed flow with a Nash Sutcliffe efficiency around 0.49-0.75 and a correlation coefficient of around 0.7-0.8 for all sub-basins. The three hydrologic models coupled with the bias corrected RCMs data were used to simulate current and future flow. For future period (2050s), the models predicted increasing winter flow and decreasing spring, summer and autumn flows. Mean annual flow shows slight to moderate changes. Significant increases in peak and low flow magnitude are predicted for higher return periods (20-100 years). Overall, the effects of projected future changes in precipitation and temperature clearly govern the significant changes in seasonal and annual flows, peak and low flow magnitudes and frequencies. Using three hydrologic and three climate models projections, a comprehensive picture of probable hydrologic impact of climate change was assessed in the study area. The wide range of predicted changes will have significant implications for future water resources development in the selected semi-urban watersheds.

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Microsatellite DNA Mutations and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Metabolites in Wild Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) from Hamilton Harbour Associated with Exposure to Airborne Pollutants

contributor:
Quinn, James S.
Solla, Shane de
Biology

subject:
Lake Ontario
Lake Erie
contaminants
steel mill
waterbird
genotoxicology
Life Sciences
Life Sciences

abstract: Hamilton Harbour is one of the most polluted sites on the Great Lakes, affected by airborne and sedimentary contamination as a result of both heavy vehicle traffic and thousands of kilograms of industrial steel emissions. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous mutagenic byproducts of incomplete organic combustion; they are present at very high concentrations in the air and sediment of Hamilton Harbour. We quantified DNA mutation rates in three different nesting colonies of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) using five microsatellite markers. These colonies were located at various distances from sources of PAHs and other contamination. We compared pollution-exposed and reference colonies, hypothesizing that cormorants living closest to pollution will have higher rates of germline microsatellite mutations than those living farther away from pollution sources. Using a pedigree approach, we identified mutations when chicks showed microsatellite alleles not found in either parent, and other explanations such as extra-pair parentage had been ruled out. Microsatellite mutation rates were 4.4 times higher at the Hamilton Harbour site closest to the industrial sources of PAH contamination than the other Hamilton Harbour site, and both were higher than the reference colony. Metabolites of the PAH benzo[a]pyrene in cormorant tissues from both Hamilton Harbour sites were identified by LC-MS/MS, demonstrating that cormorants in Hamilton Harbour are exposed to, and metabolizing, PAHs. Diet was not substantially different between the two Hamilton Harbour colonies when measured with regurgitated samples and fatty acid analysis. This suggests airborne pollution in Hamilton Harbour induced germline mutations in cormorants.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Mechanisms for Cellulose-reactive Polyvinylamine-graft-TEMPO Adhesive

contributor:
Pelton, Robert
Chemical Engineering

subject:
PVAm
TEMPO
laccase
cellulose
wet adhesion
adhesive
Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering

abstract: Weak wet strength of paper is one of the major challenges limiting the increase use of paper products. It is difficult to form strong adhesive joints between hydrophilic wet cellulose surfaces. Previous research disclosed an approach using polyvinylamine (PVAm) with grafted TEMPO for oxidation of cellulose to improve wet cellulose adhesion. The object of this research is to further develop new and more eco-friendly approaches to induce adhesion between wet cellulose surfaces. PVAm-graft-TEMPOs (PVAm-TEMPO) with various TEMPO grafting extents were prepared and characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and conductometric titration. The stability studies of fully hydrolysed PVAm in sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) environment were conducted. PVAm can be oxidized and degraded by NaClO in alkaline solution. Furthermore, PVAm-TEMPO was applied into the TEMPO/laccase/O2 oxidation of cellulose. Increased wet adhesion between cellulose surfaces were achieved with this enzyme catalyzed approach and the mechanism of this approach was investigated. PVAm-TEMPO and laccase works together as mediators catalyzing the oxidation of primary alcohol groups on cellulose into aldehyde groups that react to form covalent bonds with primary amines on PVAm. However, cationic PVAm-TEMPO and anionic laccase can form complexes during the oxidation process. Grafted TEMPO in enzyme catalyzed approach offers three significant advantages over small molecule TEMPO (free TEMPO). First, as PVAm has high molecular weight, the oxidation of porous fibers is restricted to the exterior surfaces only, which avoids the excessive oxidation of interior surfaces and prevents from weakening the mechanical property of fibers. Second, TEMPO is concentrated on cellulose surfaces by tethered it to PVAm, compared with water-soluble free TEMPO. Thus the total dose of TEMPO required to oxidize fibers by PVAm

abstract: Master of Applied Science (MASc)


title: Sparse Principal Component Analysis for High-Dimensional Data: A Comparative Study

contributor:
Beyene, Joseph
Jemila Hamid, Roman Viveros-Aguilera
Mathematics and Statistics

subject: Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

subject: High Dimensional Data

subject: Sparse Principal Component Analysis (Sparse PCA)

subject: Simulations

subject: Loading Vectors

subject: Tuning Parameters

subject: Applied Statistics

subject: Biostatistics

subject: Multivariate Analysis

subject: Statistical Methodology

subject: Applied Statistics

abstract: Background: Through unprecedented advances in technology, high-dimensional datasets have exploded into many fields of observational research. For example, it is now common to expect thousands or millions of genetic variables (p) with only a limited number of study participants (n). Determining the important features proves statistically difficult, as multivariate analysis techniques become flooded and mathematically insufficient when n < p. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a commonly used multivariate method for dimension reduction and data visualization but suffers from these issues. A collection of Sparse PCA methods have been proposed to counter these flaws but have not been tested in comparative detail. Methods: Performances of three Sparse PCA methods were evaluated through simulations. Data was generated for 56 different data-structures, ranging p, the number of underlying groups and the variance structure within them. Estimation and interpretability of the principal components (PCs) were rigorously tested. Sparse PCA methods were also applied to a real gene expression dataset. Results: All Sparse PCA methods showed improvements upon classical PCA. Some methods were best at obtaining an accurate leading PC only, whereas others were better for subsequent PCs. There exist different optimal choices of Sparse PCA methods when ranging within-group correlation and across-group variances; thankfully, one method repeatedly worked well under the most difficult scenarios. When applying methods to real data, concise groups of gene expressions were detected with the most sparse methods. Conclusions: Sparse PCA methods provide a new insightful way to detect important features amidst complex high-dimension data.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Conversational Code-Switching in Autobiographical Memories By Italian Immigrants

contributor:
Cecchetto, Vittorina
Stroinska, Magda
Colarusso, John
Cognitive Science of Language

subject:
Code-Switching
Autobiographical Memory
Furlan
Bilingual
Cingulate Cortex
Immigration
Other Linguistics
Other Linguistics

abstract: Conversational code-switching is common among bilingual speakers, in fact, we consider this routine; however, the reasons for switching and the location of this mechanism in the brain remain largely unknown. There is much to be discovered about bilingual code-switching especially in relation to autobiographical memories shared between immigrants. This study investigates the two phenomena: code-switching and autobiographical memories. The research is based on the following major theories: 1) Schrauf (2009) who said that one’s “…particular personal memories are associated with one or the other of the bilingual’s languages” (p. 26), which he called the language-specificity effect; 2) Marian & Neisser (2000) who proposed that “…memories become more accessible when language at retrieval matches language at encoding…any increase in the similarity between the linguistic environments at encoding and at retrieval should facilitate recall” (p. 361); 3) Marian & Kaushanskaya (2005), who found that “…bilinguals are more likely to code-switch to the other language when the language of encoding does not match the language of retrieval” (p. 1483). The results of this study both supported and disproved the above mentioned research, which indicate that language alone may not be the only influence on autobiographical memory recall or code-switching in elderly bilinguals. It is my belief that both phenomena stem from a higher process that is involved with cognitive control and located in the cingulate gyrus, one part of the limbic system.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: The Relationship Between Childhood- And Adolescent-Onset Psychopathology And Adult Body Weight

contributor: Clinical Health Sciences (Health Research Methodology)

subject:
child psychiatry
obesity
depression
disruptive behaviour
epidemiology
Psychiatry and Psychology
Psychiatry and Psychology

abstract:
Current public health initiatives recognize that obesity is increasing to epidemic proportions in developed countries. In keeping with the view of obesity as a developmental, progressive condition, targeting childhood factors that predict increases in body mass index (BMI) may result in the development of more effective prevention interventions. To date, prospective studies of child-onset psychopathology and adult overweight in representative community samples are limited by short duration of follow-up into adulthood and an inability to make psychiatric diagnoses. Where available, childhood data has been analyzed together with adolescent data, such that it is difficult to disentangle the relationship between early psychological distress and adult overweight in these developmentally heterogeneous groups. The main objective of this thesis is to examine the relationship between childhood and adolescent symptoms of (i) Depression (ii) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] and (iii) Conduct Disorder [CD] with adult overweight, in a large, prospectively followed, community sample of Canadian children.

 This thesis includes the 1,992 children aged 4-11 years and 1,302 adolescents aged 12-16 years who participated in the Ontario Child Health Survey (OCHS), a provincially funded, prospective cohort study of the psychiatric and general child health of a representative sample ofOntario community children undertaken in 1983 with follow-up assessment in 2000. Data are collected from multiple informants; psychiatric disorders are determined by a combination of parental, youth and teacher self-report and interviewer-administered measures. BMI is a derived variable determined from self-reported height and weight in 2000. Multiple regression analyses are undertaken to examine the association of child and adolescent mental illness with adult overweight, after controlling for the effects of age, sex, socioeconomic status, parental psychiatric history and, among the adolescent subgroup, cigarette smoking and alcohol use.

Adults with a history of depression, ADHD or CD identified in childhood have increased body mass (BMI = 27.2 kg/m2, 27.7 kg/m2, and 27.9 kg/m2, respectively) compared to their nonaffected peers (BMI= 24.8 kg/m2). Children who experienced increased depressive symptoms (among boys) and CD symptoms (boys and girls) are at greater risk for future weight gain than children with fewer symptoms. Adolescent girls with Depression or Conduct Disorder are heavier in adulthood than their psychologically healthier peers. Although ADHD was initially found to be associated with adult overweight, this relationship is accounted for by the effect of conduct disturbance, regardless of child sex.

This thesis suggests that psychopathology in childhood and adolescence predicts increased adult body mass in a large community sample ofOntarioyouth. In childhood, boys with depressive symptoms and boys and girls with disruptive behaviour are at particular risk. Among adolescents, girls with greater depressive symptoms or conduct disturbance are at increased risk of future weight gain. Research examining the trajectories of children with depressive and externalizing disorders is needed to understand the mechanism of the relationship between these disorders in childhood and eating behaviours in adulthood.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: EXPERIMENTAL AND ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF STEEL BEAMS AND COLUMNS TO BLAST LOADING

contributor:
Razaqpur, Ghani A.
Tait, Michael
Sivakumaran, K.S.
Civil Engineering

subject:
Blast loads
Buckling
Damage
Dynamics
Explosions
Field tests
FEM
Single-degree-of-freedom model
Stability
Strain rate
Structural Engineering
Structural Engineering

abstract:
In this thesis the dynamic response of wide-flange steel beams and columns to blast loading was experimentally evaluated. A total of twenty six steel members were field tested using live explosives, where the charge size ranged from 50 to 250 kg of ANFO and the ground stand-off distance from 7.0 to 10.3 m. Blast wave characteristics, including incident and reflected pressures were recorded. In addition, time-dependant displacements, accelerations, and strains at different locations along the steel members were measured, and the post-blast damage and mode of failure of the test specimens were observed. This study also presented detailed analysis of the experimental data. The blast load characteristics were compared with those obtained using the Technical Manual UFC 3-340-02 model (UFCM). The spatial and temporal variations of strain rate were computed from the recorded strain time histories and analyzed. In addition, time-dependant deformations were analyzed to study the contributing modes of vibration in the dynamic response using Power Spectral Density (PSD) function. Moreover, the effect of the axial load on the maximum deformations, vibration periods, strain rates, and contributing modes in the dynamic response were study by comparing the beam results with the column results tested in the same blast shots.

The experimental results were compared with those obtained from an equivalent Single-Degree-of-Freedom (SDOF) model, which included material nonlinearity, strain rate effect, and P-δ effect. To account for strain rate effect on member stiffness and strength, its full moment-curvature response is determined by dividing its cross-section into a number of layers and a strain rate-dependent stress-strain relationship, based on the Cowper-Symonds strain rate model, was used to capture the nonlinear stress distribution over the section. The P-δ effect was modelled using the equivalent lateral load (ELL) method to simulate the secondary moment due to axial load. To determine the effects of higher modes of vibration and the variation of steel member mechanical properties along its length on its dynamic response, the test steel members were also analyzed using Multi-Degree-of-Freedom (MDOF) models, based on Finite Element Modelling (FEM). These dynamic models were also used to investigate the effect of axial-bending interaction and dynamic stability of columns. In addition, the results of the dynamic models were used to evaluate the results of the Moment Magnification Factor (MMF) commonly used in the interaction formulas to design steel beam columns under blast. Moreover, the effect of strain rate caused by the blast loading on the local stability of steel columns was also evaluated insofar as it might lead to a shift in the governing mode of failure.

Results showed the UFCM pressure predictions compared reasonably well with the measured pressure in the positive phase in terms of both the peak pressure and overall time variations. Results also showed that when proper accounting for secondary-moment due to axial load and strain rate effect on the member resistance function, the SDOF model adequately captured both the overall response, such as the time-dependant deformations and internal forces, and instability behaviour of steel columns under blast loading. It is also shown that using MMF method overestimates the column capacity for ductility ratios µ greater than one, irrespective of the axial load to Euler elastic buckling load ratio (P/Pe). Also for P/Pe > 0.5, even if µ >1.0, the UFC method still overestimates the actual column capacity. The results of the dynamic models were used to generate stability diagrams for the assessment of the critical load and Pressure-Impulse (PI) diagrams for checking the column performance against the allowable deflection limits, which can be implemented in design standard of steel structures under blast loading.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Chemistry and Immunochemistry of Carrageenans

contributor:
McCandless, E. L.
Biology

subject: Biology Biology

abstract: A turbidimetric assay was adapted so as to enable kinetic measurements (rates of precipitation) of antigen-antibody reactions (i.e. agarose medium turbidimetric assay). This technique provides a simple rapid method for investigating differences in the immunochemical reactivity of carrageenans of a given type to a specific antibody preparation. Antibodies to κ- λ- and ι-carrageenan were raised in goats and characterized; the antigenic structural components responsible for interaction with the antibody were determined. An investigation of the finer details of carrageenan structural, chemical and immunochemical variability was undertaken. The agarose medium turbidimetric assa was used as an efficient probe to detect gross or subtle variations in carrageenan structure. These structural variations were further characterized by chemical and physical procedures. A carrageenan from P. middendorfii (P. franciscana) was found to represent a unique polymer herein referred to as π-carrageenan.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Neoplastic Human Embryonic Stem Cells as a Model of Radiation Resistance of Human Cancer Stem Cells

contributor:
Boreham, Douglas
Bhatia, Mick
Parise, Gianni
Medical Physics

subject:
radiation resistance
cancer stem cells
embryonic stem cells
radiation
Medical Biophysics
Medical Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences
Medical Biophysics

abstract: Recent studies have implicated that a small sub population of cells within a tumour, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), have an enhanced capacity for tumour formation in multiple cancers and may be responsible for recurrence of the disease after treatment. Further work has suggest that CSCs are radioresistant relative to other cell types composing tumours, in several solid cancers. The genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of malignant CSCs, as well as the difficulty associated with culturing these cells in vitro, limits the capacity to study the response of CSCs to ionizing radiation. Further, the absence of normal known counterparts for many CSCs has made it difficult to compare the radiation responses of CSCs with the normal stem cells required for post radiotherapy tissue regeneration. Here we have shown that transformed human embryonic stem cells (t-hESCs), showing features of neoplastic progression, produce tumours resistant to radiation relative to their normal counterpart. We further show that t-hESCs have a reduced capacity for radiation induced cell death via apoptosis and exhibit altered cell cycle arrest in vitro, relative to hESCs. We found that decreased levels of p53ser15, following DNA double strand break induction, is associated with this radiation resistance.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: A Very Pretty Object: The Socially Constructed Landscape of Burlington Heights 1780-1815

subject: History History History

abstract: [missing page 123]

abstract: Landscape is a way of seeing. It is a social construction. Land is viewed, used and transformed by the humans who inhabit it. The different worldviews of people provided the basis for what Burlington Heights could and should be used for. Following the cycle of scarcity and abundance, the Mississauga people using Burlington Heights were egalitarian, stewards of the land, finding in the natural features around them -- a spiritual potency which defined their place on the landscape. Following the pattern of his merchant patrons, Richard Beasley built material prosperity as well as social and political influence, which he demonstrated by developing his property in picturesque style. Faced with the prospect of losing complete control of the Niagara Peninsula during the War of 1812, the British army occupied the Heights and exerted a tyrannical influence across a landscape that it considered as indefensible, devious and unhealthy.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Vocational Guidance

subject: Education

abstract:
[missing pages 62, 74, 92 and 110]
Master of Arts (MA)


title: Elizabeth Bowen: Impressionism and Characterization

contributor:
Berland, Alwyn
English

subject:
English
English Language and Literature
English Language and Literature

abstract: [missing pages 34-45]

abstract:
Elizabeth Bowen's merit as a writer lies in her style. She depicts people and places and British upper middle class life impressionistically. The impressionistic quality of her characterization and description is the central concern of this thesis.

Bowen's use of the subject of love and marriage as a theme is explored and is approached by dividing the broad topic into certain more specific themes. The author's use of death as an impressionistic tool, her description of environment, and the uniqueness of her language, provide additional topics for investigation.

Although the small body of criticism on Elizabeth Bowen deals extensively with her treatment of character and her descriptive style, nothing to my knowledge has been said about how her impressionistic technique relies on a sense of isolation. The way characters, author, and reader function in isolation from each other is a consideration that underlies this dissertation's examination of Bowen's fiction.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Choice of Policy Instruments: The Case of Automobile Insurance in Ontario

contributor:
Atkinson, Michael
Political Science

subject:
Political Science
Political Science

abstract: According to the public choice approach to public policy, the objective of any political party is to garner enough votes to form or maintain a government. The ancillary hypothesis of poli-tical rationality dictates that governing parties choose policy instruments which best serve this purpose. In essence, this means choosing policy instruments which a plurality of voters find favourable. In this paper, the hypothesis of political rationality is first examined from a theoretical perspective. This analysis .points out certain shortcomings in the hypothesis, particularly the notion. that voters are the focus of instrument choice. In view of this, the case of automobile insurance in Ontario is presented. In particular, the events leading up to the government of Ontario's enactment of compulsory automobile insurance in 1980 are examined. In the end, the hypothesis of political rationality is rejected, and in its stead the framework of a new hypothesis of instrument choice based on interest groups and bureaucracy is laid.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: "This Unpopular Art": The Role of the Urban Poet in the Writings of W.H.Auden.

contributor:
Rosenblood, B.N.
English

subject:
English Language and Literature
English Language and Literature

abstract: [missing page :30]

abstract: This study is an analysis of the complex presentation of the city motif, with its vast range of cultural" and psychological connotations, in the poetry and prose of W.H.Auden (1907 - 1973), leading to the troubling question for the poet of his role in this environment, a subject which significantly pre-occupied him throughout his career. The thesis also follows the parallel development of Auden's poetic style from his "Poems" of 1930, through to the highly distinctive verse of his maturity, showing the relationship between altering form and altering content across that time.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Melodrama, Characterization, and Female Characters in Three Works by Joseph Conrad: The Secret Agent, Under Western Eyes, and Victory

contributor:
Aziz, Maqbool
English

abstract: [missing page 11]

abstract:
The novels of Joseph Conrad present the reader with plots full of action, mystery, political intrigue, and moving depictions of human nature. The emotional intensity of the novels' characters, and of the action unfolding around these characters, however, often leads critics of Conrad's novels to attack the works as being melodramatic. The present study explores the aspect of melodrama in Conrad on the hypothesis that such criticism of the works may actually stem from a misunderstanding of the images and themes Conrad attempts to convey. The discussion centres around the significance of Conrad's focus on characters and characterization. I hope to show how several of his most realistically constructed female characters actually diffuse the sense of melodrama in the novels.

I begin with a brief history outlining the development of melodrama in both nineteenth-century theatre and the Victorian novel in order to provide a framework for a discussion of the element of melodrama in Conrad. In the chapter that follows the introductory discussion, I begin to examine the aspect of characterization in the novels. The Secret Agent (1907) and Under Western Eyes (1911) are the works considered in this chapter. Much of the discussion centres around the actions of Winnie Verloc and Natalia Haldin as I consider how the similarities and differences in the portrayal of each character contribute to, or detract from, the sense of melodrama in each novel. In the final section of the thesis, I continue to examine the aspects of characterization and melodrama in Conrad's Victory, and through the character of Lena in particular. Her influence on the events in Victory is even greater than the influence that Winnie and Natalia have on the events in their stories. The strength and integrity that Conrad gives to Lena suggest that she is the portrait of the ultimate heroine, and the standard against which both Winnie and Natalia can be measured. The argument that Victory offers little more than a melodramatic plot, filled with exaggerated emotion and spectacle, is hard to accept after examining the realistic presence that Lena brings to the novel. Through a detailed study of all three characters, I hope to show that Conrad's novels may be considered melodramatic, but only when the element of characterization is not fully explored. The capacity for suffering and endurance that Conrad presents through his heroines creates a believable and moving account of human existence.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: REGIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT AND POLICY ANALYSIS: A Geographical Study of Canadian Federal Unemployment Policy, 1969-1976

contributor:
King, L.J.
Dear, M.J.
Kubursi, A.A.
Geography

subject: Geography Geography

abstract:
This study is concerned with analysing and evaluating the impact of Canadian macroeconomic policy upon regional unemployment disparities over the 1969-1976 period. To accomplish this task, three interrelated steps are undertaken. First an economic model is developed which seeks to help explain why macroeconomic policy may have variable regional impacts. The model emphasizes the role that regional economic structures may have in promoting differential regional adjustment to national demand and money wage rate fluctuations. In particular the degree to which a region is dominated by high and low growth industries (defined on the basis of labour productivity, market concentration, demand elasticity and employment growth) is hypothesized to be a key factor in explaining regional adjustment.

Second, the actual impact of macroeconomic policy upon Canadian regional unemployment is estimated using the Recession-Recovery time series method developed by the National Bureau of Economic Research. These results are then evaluated according to a set of equity criteria which emphasize absolute, comparative and relative rules of social justice. Third, the results of analysis derived from the first two steps are linked with a set of predictive models to evaluate two alternative macro-policy scenarios and their implications for the future of Canadian regional unemployment disparities. The scenarios are those of the present Liberal Government and the New Democratic Party and the predictive models are based upon the Box and Jenkins time series technique.

The economic model's hypotheses were generally confirmed and the model may provide a means of understanding why there may be differential regional adjustment to national demand and money wage rate fluctuations. It is found, although with some variations over a particular phase of the total 1969-1976 period, that the impact of macroeconomic policy was to widen Canadian regional unemployment disparities. Thus it is concluded that the effects of macro-policy over the 1969-1976 period are contrary to the interests of regional unemployment disparities, a national full employment policy such as that advocated in the NDP scenario, is seen as preferable to the Liberal scenario. However these results and their relevance for policy makers are predicted upon developing a strategy that would significantly lower the rate of national money wage rate inflation.

A number of avenues for future research are noted: first, the development of more appropriate wage determination models in space; second, the development of more efficient space-time predictive models, and; third, the development of more general models of the State that could help explain its actions and its role in maintaining spatial inequality.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: When Small Pots Speak, The Stories They Tell: The Role ofChildren in Ceramic Innovation in Prehistoric Huron Society As Seen Through the Analysis of Juvenile Pots

contributor:
Cannon, Aubrey
Archaeology

subject: Archaeology

abstract: [missing page 206,207,208]

abstract: The archaeology of children is a burgeoning sub-field within archaeology whose purpose is to make children visible by unearthing the child's world through the analysis of the archaeological correlates of their activities. The overarching goal of this research is to demonstrate the feasibility in conducting an archaeology of children while providing an example of how such a study can be executed. This is done through examining the role of children in ceramic innovation in prehistoric Huron society. The artefact category ofjuvenile pots is used to address this question. Traditionally juvenile pots have been subjectively classified according to small size and assumptions ofcrudity. In this study, the traditional criteria are re-evaluated and a diachronic stylistic comparison between juvenile and adult pots is conducted. The results indicate that juvenile pots are generally not as well made as the adult pots, so there is some validity to the traditional criteria, and that the forming of the vessels seems to be ofgreater importance than their decoration. Through the examination of style transmission, interactions between three generations became visible. Children were being influenced by and interacting with mothers and grandmothers in a learning environment which appears to have been sufficiently informal to allow style transmission to travel back and forth. Children then appear to have been part of the process of innovation.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Entrapment of E. coli in Sol-Gel-Derived Silica for Compound Screening

contributor:
Brennan, John D.
Chemistry and Chemical Biology

subject: Chemistry and Chemical Biology

subject: Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

subject: Chemistry

abstract: Sol-gel derived silica provides a bio-compatible material for the solid-phase entrapment of viable cells. A selection of E. coli cells containing unique promoter-linked GFP expression vectors were applied to fluorescence microwell plate assays, plate counting and various microscopy methods to assess changes in the entrapped bacteria and compatibility towards compound screening. Materials screening showed that a fastgelation sol-gel composition from sodium silicate precursor and PBS buffer provided a consistently greater fluorescence signal than non-entrapped cells. It is shown for the first time that entrapped cells are capable of dividing within pockets of the silica gel, and can di vide at a comparable rate to free cells. The entrapment of cells within a silica matrix does not induce the basal expression level of promoters tested here. Silica entrapment provides improved storage capabilities over non-entrapped cells in solution. A set of 12 related GFP-linked promoters were induced in solution and within silica when screened by two DNA gyrase inhibitors, providing similar expression profiles but greater signal-tonoise ratios in silica. The sol-gel derived material is amenable in an array format, and is a prospective material for the fabrication of sol-gel cell microarrays.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Contempory Sepik River Art , A study of Stylistic Change

contributor:
Mead, S. M.
Anthropology

subject: Anthropology Anthropology

abstract: [missing pages: 201, 218, 225, 246.258, 346, 357, 384, 408, 430]

abstract:
This thesis is a study of the arts of acculturation and is thus concerned with change in the arts of nonwestern people under acculturative influence. The primary interest is the stylistic analysis of contemporary Sepik River art forms which form part of the Austin Collection now housed in the Royal Ontario Museum. These objects were collected during the period between 1961 - 1966 from the Sepik River Province of Papua New Guinea.

To understand the p0sition of contemporary Sepik River art the art forms are considered in their cultural contexts. The overall cultural composition of the Sepik River Province is first presented and then followed by an overview of the tourist industry in Papua New Guinea so that the changes in art can be considered in the light of the prevailing socio-economic conditions.

In order to document the changes which have occurred in Sepik River art the stylistic features of the art forms from the Austin Collection are compared with those which are considered to be traditional. Included in the examination of traditional objects and illustrated in the appendix are art forms from the Margaret Mead Collection at the American Museum of Natural History,from the Staatliches Museum fur Volkerkunde in Munich, Germany, and objects from the Ryan Collection exhibited at Isaacs Gallery in 1974, and 1975.

The results of analysis and comparison show that changes in the Sepik river Province as illustrated by the Autin Collection follow four main trends. These are: expansion, permutation, adjunction, and simplification. Expansion involves increased size , as well as the introduction of new forms, motifs and colours replacing traditional ones. Permutation refers to new translation of traditional content. The incorporation of new forms, motifs, colours, and materials to already existing ones resulting in a hybrid of traditional and foreign elements refers to adjunction. The simplification trend involves the reduction, elimination and standardization of traditional stylistic elements.

The stylistic analysis of the Austin Collection reveals that artistic activity appears to be very much alive in the Sepik Rivel' Province and is creatively adapting to the socio-economic changes of the twentieth century. As such, the Auotin Collection reflects not only the sweeping changes that have occurred in contemporary Sepik River art. production but becomes also a valuable document of change which anthropologists should consider. This thesis is a contribution then to both the study of culture change and stylistic change. The illustrated catalogue represents a valuable reference tool for future studies and should be considered for any studies documenting stylistic change in the Sepik River Province of Papua New Guinea.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Democracy and Ethnic Fusion

subject: Sociology

abstract:
[missing page 26]
Master of Arts (MA)


title: Lydgate's Hertford Mumming and London Mumming: an Edition with Introduction and Notes

contributor:
Braswell, Laurel
English

abstract: [missing page 51]

abstract:
In this Master's thesis I have attempted to provide a reliable and readable text of Lydgate's Hertford Mumming and London Mumming. This text is generally faithful to that of Trinity College Cambridge MS. R.3.20, although the copy contained in British Library Additional MS. 29729 has been consulted at all points. The method of editing applied here could and should be applied to the other poems by Lydgate which are contained only in these two manuscripts, especially his other Mummings.

Following the text itself, a full commentary is provided in the form of notes. This commentary is intended to shed light on Lydgate's craftmanship and his use of specific traditions and techniques in writing for performed presentations. In addition, it is designed to clarify difficult points within the text itself.

A further aim of this thesis has been to establish a starting point for the understanding of secular "dramatic" activity in and around London during the first quarter of the Fifteenth Century. The intention of my Introduction has been less to envision a pattern of development of dramatic forms and practices than to give a description of the various uses to which staged performances were put at this time. Lydgate's own role as foremost public poet of his time; his probable involvement in major events and celebrations; his awareness of contemporary literary and dramatic conventions in England and France; and his possible emulation of what he saw to be a Classical tradi tion of recitation and performance: all these factors are to be considered in determining his particular contribution t o secular dramatic activity at Court and in the City of London.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Rome without Cicero: A Collection and Analysis of the Evidence for 58 B.C.

subject: Classics Classics

abstract:
<p>[missing page 103]</p>
Master of Arts (MA)


title: Leo Strauss on Modernity

contributor:
Ajzenstat, S.
Philosophy

subject: Philosophy Philosophy

abstract:
<p>[missing page:123]</p>
Master of Arts (MA)


contributor:
Bellous, Joyce E.
Divinity College

subject: Religion Religion

abstract: [missing pages:42,43]

abstract:
Toward an Educational Model for Leaders in Multicultural Congregations

The author articulates a Christian response to multiculturalism that informs the development of an educational model to enable the growth of congregational leaders in multiculturaI self-awareness and intercultural dialogue skills. A contrast is indicated between the mono-cultural, homogeneous congregation and the multicultural, heterogeneous congregation. The author draws upon multicultural social theory, biblical studies, theological reflection, leadership studies, a social research project conducted with leaders in multi-ethnic congregations, intercultural communication skills and adult education methodologies. These studies support the development of two analytical tools---a Multicultural Leader Profile, and a Developmental Matrix for Multicultural Leaders-and suggested an educational model for fostering multiculturaI self-awareness and intercultural dialogue skills in congregational leaders. The author's conclusion is that leaders in multi-ethnic congregations must move through a process of cognitive and affective redefinition to enable the development of authentic multicultural congregations.

abstract: Master of Arts in Religion (MAR)


title: Certain young women confronting their destiny: A Reconsideration of Middle-march, The Rainbow and Women in Love in the light of recent feminist criticism

contributor:
Ross, M.
English

abstract: [missing page 130]

abstract: Concurrent with the resurgence of interest in feminism over the past twenty years has been a reconsideration of the portrayal of women in literature and an attempt to define a self-consciously feminist aesthetic. The first chapter of this thesis attempts to provide an over-view of the theoretical questions being raised by feminists about literature. The three subsequent chapters re-examine the search for self-identity in George Eliot's Middlemarch and D.H. Lawrence's The Rainbow and Women in Love in the light of feminist critiques of the novels.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: McMaster Premium Literature Service (Plus) Performs Well for Identifying New Studies to be Included in Updated Cochrane Systematic Reviews

contributor:
Haynes, Brian R.
Health Research Methodology

subject: Health Research Methodology

abstract:
Objective: We compared the performance of PLUS to that ofthe Cochrane Trial Registry (CCTR), Medline and EMBASE for locating studies added during an update of Cochrane Systematic reviews. We investigated the effect of excluding studies not found in PLUS on meta-analysis results.

Study Design and Setting: A sample of new studies in updated Cochrane Systematic Reviews was used to establish a reference standard. Searches were performed for each study in PLUS, CCTR, Medline and EMBASE. Where a primary study was not indexed in PLUS, we examined the effect on the review of excluding the study. We compared the result of each selected meta-analysis including only new studies obtained in PLUS to the result using only those not found in PLUS (non-PLUS) via ratio of odds ratios (ROR). The sensitivity of Hedges filters for randomized trials was measured.

Results: Ninety-eight updated reviews were identified and 87 included a meta-analysis suitable for calculation of RORs. The relative recall rates for PLUS, CCTR, Medline and EMBASE were 23%, 95%, 90% and 86%, respectively. PLUS contained all new studies for 13 of74 reviews. No statistically significant difference between PLUS and non-PLUS new studies was found when RORs were pooled across 39 reviews (ROR 0.929; 95% CI, 0.79-1.093). Nineteen updated reviews had no new studies indexed in PLUS. Hedges filters for Medline demonstrated 99.4% sensitivity to detect new trials.

Conclusions: PLUS included less than a quarter of the new studies in Cochrane Review updates but the majority of reviews in our sample appeared unaffected by the use of PLUS as a sole source of literature. This may be because PLUS captures the most important studies although no predictors of PLUS retrieval performance were found. Reviewers should consider adopting PLUS and Hedges filters to keep their reviews up to date.

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: Genesis and Constitution in Phenomenology: The Metaphysical Foundations of Emperical Ontology

contributor:
Madison, G.
Hitchcock, David
Philosophy

subject: Philosophy Philosophy

abstract:
<p>[missing page 9]</p>
Master of Arts (MA)


title: Thomas D'arcy McGee, A Maker of Canada

subject: History

abstract:
[missing page 31]
Master of Arts (MA)


title: Investigating the Role of Synapsin II in Neurological Disorders Involving Dysregulated Dopaminergic Transmission

contributor:
Mishra, R.K.
Neurosciences

subject:
Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Neuroscience and Neurobiology

abstract: Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a debilitating mental illness that affects roughly I % of the world's population. Current theories about the etiology of this disease highlight dismptions in dopamine (DA) and glutamate. However, a more recent theory, the 'synaptic hypothesis' proposes that the fundamental pathology of this illness involves disruptions in synaptic transmission. The synapsins are a family of neuron specific phosphoproteins that play an important role in neurotransmitter release, synapse formation and maintaining a reserve pool of synaptic vesicles. Previous research has suggested that synapsin II has a role in the etiology of SCZ. For example, synapsin II mRNA is significantly reduced in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) of patients, and synapsin II knockout rats display a variety of behavioural abnormalities which mimic human SCZ. Considering that SCZ may result from changes at the synapse, we wanted to further elucidate the role of synapsin Il by measuring protein expression in post-mortem PFC samples. Overall, our results revealed that synapsin Ira and lIb are not significantly different betv,Ieen patients and controls, however, we hypothesize that synapsin Il expression has been nOlmalized in patients due to antipsychotic drug (APD) use. In fact, we discovered that treatment with atypical APDs significantly increases synapsin Il in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of patients, which may underlie the beneficial effects of these dmgs. Another objective of our work was to investigate the expression of various presynaptic proteins in post-mortem samples from patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Parkinson's disease, like SCZ, is an illness which involves dysregulated dopaminergic transmission and synaptic dysfunction. Therefore, we hypothesized that synapsin II might also be disrupted in patients with PD. Our results demonstrated that synapsin IIa and lIb are significantly reduced in the substantia nigra (SN), but not the striatum (STR) or PFC of patients, when compared to controls. Further, no changes were observed in the other synapsins (I or III), or synaptophysin, which suggests that synapsin II dysregulation may be specific to disorders which involve disruptions in dopamine (DA).

abstract: Master of Science (MS)


title: STUDY OF CRYSTAL MORPHOLOGIES OF HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL AS A RHEOLOGY MODIFIER

contributor: Robert Pelton, Gianluigi Botton, Todd Hoare

subject:
morphology
rheology
hydrogenated castor oil
crystallization
emulsion
suspension
Complex Fluids
Complex Fluids

abstract:
Hydrogenated castor oil (HCO) crystals as a rheology modifier have been widely used in paints, cosmetics and household products. In this thesis, we are interested in the effect of crystal morphology on the suspension rheology of products. Three major types of micron-sized crystal morphologies have been observed: fiber, rosette and irregular crystal. Fibers show a high aspect ratio with the length ranging from 5 to 33 µm and width around 1~3 µm. The rosette (2~50 µm) is a three-dimensional spherulitic structure with nano-fibrous arms extruding from a heterogeneous central point. Irregular crystals with equivalent diameter ranging from 4 to 84 µm are hard solid and show irregular shapes. There is an additional fourth type of crystal morphology which is a nano-sized fibrous structure that is assumed to be broken down from arms of micron-sized rosettes and fibers. Due to the relatively small amount, the effects of nano-fibrous fragments on rheology were not considered separately in this work.

The effect of temperature and shear history on the HCO crystal morphology has been studied. The energy barrier to nucleation for fibers is suggested to be higher than that of rosettes. Irregular crystals are thermodynamically less stable and tend to transform into stable polymorphs. A non-isothermal crystallization study showed that the formation of rosettes and fibers was favored by a slow cooling rate (1°C/min) while the formation of irregular crystals was favored by a fast cooling rate (5°C/min). Shear rates from zero to 100 s-1 have been applied at cooling rates from 1°C/min to 5°C/min. Nucleation has been found to be promoted with the increase of shear rate. Morphological analysis indicated that the formation of fibers was favored by gentle shear (e.g., 1 s-1), but fibers can be broken with the increase of shear time.

Kinetics of isothermal crystallization of hydrogenated castor oil in water emulsions exhibiting multiple crystal morphologies has been studied in the temperature range of 55°C to 70°C. The induction time of nucleation increases with the increase of the isothermal temperature under which crystallization occurred. A linear increase in induction time with increased temperature was found for both fibers and rosettes. A modified Avrami model was developed by introducing the volume fraction of each type of morphology into three dimensional and one dimensional full Avrami models. It was found that the experimental trends for mixed crystal morphologies could be captured by the modified Avrami model.

Due to the difficulty of obtaining samples with a single crystal morphology, rheological studies of suspensions containing mixtures of the three morphologies in a surfactant solution have been undertaken. The viscometry of dilute suspensions has shown that the magnitude of intrinsic viscosity is dominated by the fraction of a crystal morphology type, i.e. fiber > rosette > irregular crystal. A modified Farris model was fitted to the rheology data from mixtures of crystal morphology with interacting particles. A yield stress exists for concentrated suspensions followed by a shear thinning behavior with the increase of shear rate. A power-law relation has been found between yield stress and total particle volume fraction with a constant exponent of 1.5 regardless of crystal morphology.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: DESIGN METHODS FOR LARGE RECTANGULAR INDUSTRIAL DUCTS

contributor:
Sivakumaran, Ken Siva
Halabieh, Bassam
Tait, Michael J.
Civil Engineering

subject:
Large Rectangular industrial duct
Stiffened plate panel
Finite element model
Parametric study
Large deflection plate theory
Partial yielding
Stiffener spacing
Plate thickness
Initial Imperfection
Residual Stress
Plate buckling
Overall buckling
Distortional Buckling
Shear Buckling
Normalized ultimate Shear
Diagonal Tension Field
Dimensional Analysis
Dimensionless parameters
Structural Engineering
Structural Engineering

abstract:
A large rectangular industrial duct consists of plates stiffened with parallel wide flange sections. The plates along with stiffeners acts to resist the pressure loads and to carry other loads to the supports. The behaviours of the components of large industrial ducts are significantly different from the behaviours on which the current design methods are based on. Investigation presented herein deals with the design methods for spacing stiffeners, proportioning stiffeners and calculating shear resistance of side panel.

Current method of spacing stiffeners is based on large deflection plate theory. A parametric study was conducted on dimensionless parameters identified in order to benefit from membrane action in partially yielding plate for spacing stiffeners. Design equations were established in terms of dimensionless pressure, plate slenderness and normalized out-of-plane deflection for three cases namely; 0%, 16.5% and 33% of through thickness yielding of the plate. Results show that approximately 50% increase in stiffener spacing when yielding of 16.5% of thickness is permitted.

Under suction type pressure load, the unsupported compression flange and restrained tension flange lead to distortional buckling of the stiffeners. The current methods do not address distortional buckling adequately. A parametric study on dimensionless parameters governing the behaviour and strength of stiffened plat panels was conducted. The study indicated that the behaviour and strength of the stiffened panels could be a function of web slenderness and overall slenderness of the stiffener. The study also identified the slenderness limit of stiffener web for which the stiffener reaches the yield moment capacity. This study demonstrated the conservatism of current method. Finally a method was established to calculate the strength of stiffened plate panel subjected lateral pressure.

Side panels adjacent to the supports transfer large amount of shear to the supports and, in addition, resist internal pressure. Currently the design of side panels for shear is based on the methods used for the web of fabricated plate girders. The behaviour and the characteristics between the web of plate girder and the thin side panels are significantly different. A parametric study was conducted on dimensionless parameters identified. It was concluded that the plate slenderness dominates the normalized shear strength of stockier side panels. The aspect ratio and plate slenderness influence the normalized shear strength of slender side panels. Design methods to calculate the shear strength of side panels were proposed.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: The Role of TIM-4 in the Intestinal Inflammation

contributor: Medical Sciences (Molecular Virology and Immunology Program)

subject:
TIM-4
colitis
IEC apoptosis
Treg
macrophage
adaptive immunity
Digestive, Oral, and Skin Physiology
Medical Immunology
Digestive, Oral, and Skin Physiology

abstract:
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal inflammation that has caused many challenges for healthcare providers in treating the disease and also altered the quality of life of the patients. The cure for IBD is still symptomatic-based; the causes mechanism and pathogenesis of IBD are to be further investigated. Currently, IBD has been considered as an excessive immune response to commensal flora that in normal condition is tolerable to the host. Antigen presenting cells (APCs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of IBD. Macrophage is one of the professional APCs that present antigen information to T cells and induce the T cell subtype proliferation. Aside from this role, macrophages also phagocytose pathogens and clean cell debris in thebody.

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain (TIM)-4 is a glycoprotein expressed on the surface of macrophage, which recognizes phosphatidylserine (PS) that is expressed mainly on the surface of the early apoptotic cell phospholipid membrane; the latter is a negatively charged molecule that can bind to the TIM-4 to enhance the phagocytosing activity. In IBD, the loss of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) due to apoptosis is prominent in the site of inflammation especially in ulcerative colitis (UC).

The aim of this study is to elucidate whether there is an increase of TIM-4 expression in colitis mice model after exposure to excessive number of apoptotic IECs and whether TIM-4 plays a role in the development of colitis in mice.

The expression of TIM-4 is measured with several tests; including flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, western blotting and real time RT-PCR. In the first step, we tried to see if there is a difference in the TIM-4 expression in colitis mice and ethanol control mice. After the association was established, we further observed the role of TIM-4 in the pathogenesis of IBD by injecting TIM-4+ macrophages into the mice prior to inducing a mild colitis in the mice and finally injected neutralizing anti TIM-4 antibodies to block the available TIM-4 receptors.

We found that TIM-4 expression was higher in a colitis mouse model compared to the control. Also by injecting TIM-4+ macrophages into the mice, the frequency of intestinal T regulatory (Treg) cells was decreased significantly. Finally in the group treated with anti-TIM-4 neutralizing antibodies prior to colitis induction, the frequency of intestinal Treg cells increased significantly and the inflammation response was less severe than the colitis control group. This study revealed, for the first time in the world, that TIM-4 expression in the colon of colitis mice was significantly increased, which suppressed Tregs and promoted T effector cells.

abstract: Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS)


title: Enduring Nature: Everyday Environmentalisms in Postcolonial Literature

contributor:
O`Brien, Susie
Strauss, Helene
Posthumus, Stephanie
English and Cultural Studies

subject: Postcolonial literature

subject: postcolonial thought

subject: ecocriticism

subject: environmental studies

subject: nature

subject: everyday.

subject: Literature in English, Anglophone outside British Isles and North America

subject: Nature and Society Relations

subject: Other Race, Ethnicity and post-Colonial Studies

subject: Women's Studies

abstract: This dissertation draws on a broad range of postcolonial literature in order to explore literary representations of environmentalism in the global South. Although this project draws heavily on the particular environmental histories of different nations and geographic regions, I am also interested in areas of overlap. In this study I do two interrlated and simultaneous things that I hope will refine postcolonial ecocriticism. The first involves a broadening of the definition of 'environment,' informed by the environmental justice movment, in ways that make it more applicable and accountable to people's lived lives. This expanded definition of the environment includes those spaces where people live and work. Such a redefinition, I argue, is a crucial counter-measure to ecocriticism's Anglo-American focus, where traditional American environmental values of conservation, preservation, and the cult of the wilderness prevail. The second intervention involves using ecocriticism alongside this expanded notion of the environment to unearth the everyday environmentalisms at work in postcolonial literature that may go unnoticed through traditional ecocritical approaches. I argue that this everyday approach successfully avoids some of the common hurdles in postcolonial ecocriticism. These hurdles include debates over the origins of environmental thought, questions about the link between affluence and environmental consciousness, and the contentious space of animals in postcolonial thought and literature. By beginning with an examination of the ways in which people interact with their own local environments, I am able to explore environmental thought and action on the ground and can begin theorizing there. What is revealed through these analyses is that this expanded definition of environmentalism and this new ecocritical approach open the door to viewing environmentality as a common and foundational feature of postcolonial literature. My chapters explore various facets of these everyday environmentalisms, including ecofeminist perspectives, anthropocentric versus biocentric representations of the environment, urban space, and finally the idea of going back to the land. The issues that I explore throughout these chapters include legacies of colonialism, globalization, racism and speceism, ecolocial/ecocritical imperialism, and postcoloniality.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Catalytic-Kinetic Determination of some Transition Metals

contributor:
Fritze, K.
Chemistry

subject: Chemistry Chemistry

abstract:
A method has been developed for the determination of iron, copper, cobalt and manganese at levels ranging from a few to several hundred parts per million. A Landolt reaction employing peroxydisulphate, iodide and thiosulphate was used to accomplish this.

All four metals can be determined alone and their binary mixtures, except for mixtures of cobalt and manganese, can be analyzed. These determinations can be carried out by means of simple equipment and procedures.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: DEVELOPMENT OF REACTIVE POLYANIONS FOR ENCAPSULATION OF LIVE YEST CELLS WITHIN POLYMER HYDROGEL FILMS

contributor:
Stover, Harald
Chemistry

subject:
Polymer Chemistry
Polymer Chemistry

abstract:
Conformal coating is a promising method of encapsulating therapeutic cells for immunoprotection during implantation in the human body. Therapeutic cells can include donor-derived primary cells, genetically modified lab lines, or stem-cell derived cells, that can express an enzyme or hormone needed by the recipient. Layer-by-Layer (LbL) assembly, a common method for conformal coating, uses sequential deposition of alternating layers of positively and negatively charged polymers. This permits the preparation of small capsules with thin walls that maximize metabolic exchange while protecting cells from the hosts’ immune system. The current work describes the use of auto crosslinking synthetic polyelectrolytes to coat the surface of individual living yeast cells. It is proposed that such crosslinked coatings will provide greater protection than existing, non-crosslinked ones.

The thesis also introduces new reactive polyanions formed by copolymerization of N-acryloxysuccinimide and acrylic acid (AA) using both free radical and photo induced radical polymerization. The resulting reactive polyanions bind under physiological conditions to poly-l-lysine coated calcium alginate hydrogel beads and spontaneously crosslink with the polyamine to form covalent networks of interest for long-term therapeutic cell encapsulation.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: MATERNAL PRE-PREGNANCY BODY MASS INDEX, MACROSOMIA, AND MENTAL HEALTH IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

contributor:
Boyle, Michael H.
Szatmari, Peter
Georgiades, Katholiki
Health Research Methodology

subject:
Maternal
Pre-Pregnancy
Body Mass Index
Macrosomia
Mental Disorders
Child
Epidemiology
Mental Disorders
Neurosciences
Psychiatric and Mental Health
Psychological Phenomena and Processes
Epidemiology

abstract:
Objectives: To examine associations between macrosomia, maternal body mass index (BMI) during pregnancy, and psychopathology in youth, and to determine if these are due to prenatal environmental exposures or confounding variables.

Methods: Study 1 reviewed studies examining associations between macrosomia and mental health. Data from the Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS) were then used to explore these links in youth (Study 2). A second review summarized studies assessing associations between maternal pregnancy BMI and psychopathology in offspring (Study 3). Data from the Western Australia Pregnancy Cohort were then used to quantify associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and child behaviour at age 1 and 2 (Study 4), and from 5-17 years of age (Study 5).

Results: Seven of the 15 studies that had examined associations between macrosomia and psychopathology supported a link. In the OCHS, youth born macrosomic had elevated externalizing scores compared those born at appropriate birth weights. Eight of 12 studies suggested that links exist between elevated maternal BMI during pregnancy and psychopathology in offspring. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was positively associated with offspring externalizing problems from age 2 to 17 and linked to less favourable trajectories of internalizing symptoms from 5-17. These findings persisted despite adjustment for confounders.

Conclusions: Youth born macrosomic have elevated levels of externalizing symptoms, though a more robust association was noted with maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. The data comprising this thesis suggest that associations between macrosomia/maternal BMI and externalizing and internalizing problems in youth may be due to intrauterine exposures rather than confounding variables.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: A Density-Matrix Renormalization Group Study of Quantum Spin Models with Ring Exchange

contributor:
Sørensen, Erik
Lee, Sung-Sik
O`Dell, Duncan
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
density-matrix renormalization group
dmrg
heisenberg model
logarithmic corrections
two-leg ladders
four-spin ring-exchange
Condensed Matter Physics
Condensed Matter Physics

abstract: In this thesis we discuss in detail the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) for simulating low-energy properties of quantum spin models. We implement an original DMRG routine on the S=1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain and benchmark its efficiency against exact results (energies, correlation functions, etc.) as well as conformal field-theoretical calculations due to finite-size scaling (ground-state energy and spin gap logarithmic corrections). Moreover, we apply the DMRG to a two-leg square ladder system, where in addition to bilinear exchange terms, we also consider an additional cyclic four-spin ring-exchange. The transposition of four spins gives rise to biquadratic exchange terms which are non-trivial to implement in the DMRG. Intermediate results of the ring-exchange are presented along with the difficulties presently encountered.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Mechanisms and response properties of duration-tuned neurons in the vertebrate auditory midbrain

contributor:
Faure, Paul A
Becker, Suzanna
Deda Gillespie, Ian Bruce
Psychology

subject:
Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Bats
Auditory Physiology
Computational Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience

abstract:
This thesis aims to elucidate the mechanisms and response characteristics of neural circuits in the vertebrate brain capable of responding selectively to stimulus duration. The research within focused on, but is not limited to, auditory neurons; however, most of the results extend to other sensory modalities. These neurons are known, appropriately, as duration-tuned neurons (DTNs). Duration-tuned neurons tend to prefer stimulus durations similar to the duration of species-specific vocalizations and have preferred durations ranging from 1 ms up to over 100 ms across species.

To study the mechanisms underlying DTNs, biologically inspired computational models were produced to explore previously hypothesized mechanisms of duration tuning. These models support the mechanisms by reproducing the responses of in vivo DTNs and predicting additional in vivo response characteristics. The models demonstrate an inherent flexibility in the mechanisms to extend across a wide range of durations and also reveal subtleties in response profiles that arise from particular model parameters.

To quantify the encoding efficiency of in vivo DTNs, information theoretic measures were applied to the responses of 97 DTNs recorded from the auditory midbrain (inferior colliculus) of the big brown bat. Stimulus duration encoding robustness, as measured by stimulus-specific information, tended to align with the stimulus durations that produce the largest responses. In contrast, stimulus durations with the most sensitivity to changes in stimulus duration, as measured with an approximation of the observed Fisher information, tended to be stimulus durations shorter or longer than the duration evoking the largest response. Remarkably, both optimal and non-optional Bayesian decoding methods were able to accurately recover stimulus duration from population responses, including durations that lacked neurons dedicated to best representing that duration. These results suggest that DTNs are excellent at encoding stimulus duration, a feature that has been generally assumed but not previously quantified.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: USING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE MODELS: A PHENOMENOGRAPHIC STUDY OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE EXPERTS' CONCEPTIONS

contributor:
McKey, Colleen
Peachey, Gladys
Tompkins, Catherine
Nursing

subject:
professional practice models
professional practice leaders
phenomenography
practice model utilization
Health and Medical Administration
Health and Medical Administration

abstract:
Abstract

Health care practice environments are central to the safety and quality of patient care. Hospitals often develop and implement a professional practice model (PPM) to improve practice environments. In the United States, magnet hospital designation is a driving force in PPM implementation. In Ontario, Canada, despite the lack of magnet hospital designation, many hospitals have implemented PPMs. There appear to be differences in how PPMs are implemented in Ontario.

This phenomenographic study examined professional practice experts’ conceptions of PPM implementation and use in Ontario acute care hospitals. The findings indicate that PPM implementation is a dynamic and emergent phenomenon that occurs in cyclical phases of growth and reduced activity.

Seven categories of PPM use are described (a) creating alignment/consistency, (b) supporting evidence-based practice, (c) enabling interprofessional practice, (d) enhancing professional accountability, (e) enabling patient-centred care, (f) creating/ strengthening linkages, and (g) strategic positioning of professional practice. Categories exhibited hierarchical relationships, with more foundational uses providing support for higher level uses.

Three structural themes are identified (a) model design/structure, (b) professional practice leadership, and (c) organizational support. These themes work individually and synergistically, within and across the categories to influence use and potential impact of the PPM. Progressively fuller and more complex use of the PPM appears to occur under increasingly intense influence of the structural themes.

The analysis provides unique information about relationships within and among categories of PPM use. This provides insight regarding how organizations might maximize return on investment with PPM implementation. Seven recommendations are identified.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF MODEL SYSTEMS: FROM FERROFLUIDS TO BRAIN MEMBRANES

contributor:
Rheinstaedter, Maikel
Physics and Astronomy

subject:
x-ray
neutron
membrane
lipid
Biological and Chemical Physics
Condensed Matter Physics
Biological and Chemical Physics

abstract:
Soft condensed matter systems are a very diverse and challenging subject to study. To understand the complex macro-properties of such systems one approach is to characterize the microscopic structure and dynamics. A powerful technique for determining micro and nanoscale properties is scattering of radiation sources. Light, electron and neutron scattering techniques provide insight into the complicated molecular structures and the processes happening on these small scales.

We have used neutron and x-ray scattering techniques to determine structural and dynamical information from two different types of soft condensed matter systems. The microscopic nature of a cobalt magnetic fluid was studied using neutron scattering, and the structure and dynamics of molecules within lipid bilayers was studied with the use of both neutron and x-ray scattering.

Under strong magnetic fields, our cobalt fluid's small magnetic particles formed short chains, which we observed using neutron scattering.

In the lipid bilayer systems which were studied we determined the positional orientation of cholesterol, Aspirin, and ethanol molecules, observed the effect of temperature on some of these systems, characterized domains and dynamics, and recreated the molecular structures of Alzheimer's protein in a brain-like membrane.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: VIRAL-ALLERGEN INTERACTIONS: INSIGHTS INTO THE ORIGINS OF ALLERGIC ASTHMA.

subject:
allergy
asthma
infection
influenza A
respiratory disease
inflammation
respiratory virus
Medical Immunology
Medical Immunology

abstract: Asthma is a chronic immune-inflammatory disease of the airways, characterized by reversible airflow obstruction and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), and is associated with the development of airway remodeling. While our understanding of the pathophysiology of allergic asthma has increased remarkably in the last few decades, the origins of the disease remain elusive. Indeed, studies indicate that the prevalence of allergic asthma, has increased dramatically over the last 30 years. Within this context, a number of environmental factors including respiratory viral infections have been associated with the onset of this disease but causal evidence is lacking. The work presented in this thesis examines the interactions between a respiratory viral infection, specifically influenza A, and the common aeroallergen house dust mite (HDM) in an experimental murine model. To this end, we investigated the impact of an acute influenza A infection on the exposure to a subclinical dose of HDM (Chapter 2) and addressed potential underlying immune mechanisms using a global, genomic approach (Chapter 3). Our data demonstrate an enhancement of immune inflammatory responses to HDM and reveals multiple immune pathways by which influenza A may enhance the response to subsequent allergen exposure. Collectively these immune pathways are capable of lowering the threshold of HDM responsiveness. Lastly, as allergic asthma develops in most instances during infancy, we investigated the impact of an influenza A infection on allergen responses in infant mice (Chapter 4). In this setting, acute influenza A infection subverts constitutive allergen hyporesponsiveness thus resulting in sensitization, airway inflammation and, ultimately, structural and functional alterations persisting into adulthood.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Quantification of Oxygen Saturation of Venous Vessels Using Susceptibility Mapping

contributor: Michael Noseworthy, Spencer Smith, Alan Wassyng and Dr. Maureen Macdonald

subject:
oxygen saturation
susceptibility mapping
susceptibility weighted imaging
Bioimaging and biomedical optics
Bioimaging and biomedical optics

abstract: Quantitatively measuring oxygen saturation is important to characterize the physiological or pathological state of tissue function. In this thesis, we demonstrate the possibility of using susceptibility mapping to noninvasively estimate the venous blood oxygen saturation level. Accurate susceptibility quantification is the key to oxygen saturation quantification. Two approaches are presented in this thesis to generate accurate and artifact free susceptibility maps (SM): a regularized inverse filter and a k-space iterative method. Using the regularized inverse filter, with sufficient resolution, major veins in the brain can be visualized. We found that different sized vessels show a different level of contrast depending on their partial volume effects; larger vessels show a bias toward a reduced susceptibility approaching 90% of the expected value. Also, streaking artifacts associated with high susceptibility structures such as veins are obvious in the reconstructed SM. To further improve susceptibility quantification and reduce the streaking artifacts in the SMs, we proposed a threshold-based k-space iterative approach that used geometric information from the SM itself as a constraint to overcome the ill-posed nature of the inverse filter. Both simulations and in vivo results show that most streaking artifacts inside the SM were suppressed by the iterative approach. In simulated data, the bias toward lower mean susceptibility values inside vessels has been shown to decrease from around 10% to 2% when choosing an appropriate threshold value for the proposed iterative method, which brings us one step closer to a practical means to map out oxygen saturation in the brain.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Interfacial Synthesis of Metal-organic Frameworks

contributor:
Zhu, Shiping
Chemical Engineering

subject: Interfacial synthesis; metal organic framework membranes

subject: Membrane Science

subject: Membrane Science

abstract:
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered as a type of very useful materials for the gas separation/purification industries. However, control over the growing position and growing shape of the crystals remains a challenge and must be overcome in order to realize the commercial potentials of MOFs.

In this thesis, a method based on interfacial coordination is developed to address this issue. Zinc-benzenedicarboxyl (Zn-BDC) is chosen as a model system for the proof of concept. In a typical liquid-liquid interface protocol, the MOF precursors, zinc nitrate [Zn(NO3)2] and terephthalic acid (TPA or H2BDC), and the catalyst, triethylamine (TEA), were dissolved into two immiscible solvents, dimethylformamide (DMF) and hexane, respectively. The reaction site, i.e. the MOF growing position could thereby be confined at the interface of the two solvents. It was found that a free-standing membrane could be formed with the combinations of high Zn-H2BDC and low TEA concentrations. The combinations of low Zn-H2BDC and high TEA concentrations yielded MOF particles precipitated out from DMF. Similar results were obtained by changing the liquid-liquid interface to liquid-gas interface, with the TEA-hexane solution replaced by saturated TEA vapor. The dependence of product shape on precursor and catalyst concentrations can be explained by the competition between MOF formation and TEA diffusion into the precursor phase.

The morphology, constitution and surface area of the MOF products were characterized by SEM, XRD and nitrogen adsorption testing, respectively. The particles were found to be exclusively MOF-5. The membranes were characterized as asymmetric. The top layer was particulate while the bottom layer had a sheet-like morphology. This was further revealed by XRD data as MOF-5 and MOF-2 (ZnBDC·DMF), respectively. This asymmetry was caused by a change of TEA diffusion rate during the synthesis process, which might result in a change in pH value for the membrane growth. Decent surface areas of the particles and membranes were measured.

Apart from the free-standing membranes, MOF membranes on Anodisc support were also synthesized employing the same interfacial techniques. The MOF formation site, i.e. the interface, was confined to the upper end Anodisc pores and sealing the pores after the reaction. The difference in wetting force between DMF and hexane with Anodisc membrane material resulted in the difference of MOF layer morphology from liquid-liquid protocol and liquid-gas protocol. The later gave a continuous MOF membrane due to the absence of air bubble interference.

abstract: Master of Science (MSc)


title: Peripheral Sympathies: Gender, Ethics, and Marginal Characters in the Novels of George Eliot

contributor:
Kehler, Grace
English and Cultural Studies

subject:
George Eliot
sympathy
characterization
gender
Victorian literature
Literature in English, British Isles
Literature in English, British Isles

abstract: This dissertation explores the connections between sympathy, gender, and characterization in four novels by George Eliot. It contributes to studies of George Eliot’s work by offering readings of minor characters in Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Middlemarch, and Daniel Deronda. Focusing on these characters, who have tended to be ignored in critical studies of the novels, this dissertation argues for a re-evaluation of the relationship between gender and sympathy as understood by George Eliot. Taking into consideration a number of characters who exhibit a range of gendered behaviours and identities, this study explores how both normative and non-normative expressions of masculinity and femininity inform individuals’ sympathy. It uses the concepts of sympathetic economies and sympathetic ethics to demarcate the tension between realism and idealism in George Eliot’s representations of sympathy. The goal of this dissertation is to begin to map out some of the ways in which careful attention to peripheral characters can enhance readings of sympathetic ethics and economies in George Eliot by showing the subtle and challenging ways in which sympathy inflects, and is in turn inflected by, discourses about femininity and masculinity.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: High Spin States in ¹⁷⁶,¹⁷⁷Ta

contributor:
Waddington, J.C.
Physics

subject: Physics Physics

abstract:
The level structures of the odd and odd-odd deformed nuclei ¹⁷⁷Ta and ¹⁷⁶Ta have been studied by means of (Heavy, Ion, xn) reactions. Gamma singles, Υ-angular distribution, delayed gamma singles, ϒ-ϒ prompt, coincidence, ϒ-ϒ delayed coincidence and delayed conversion electron measurements were used. Isomeric states with half-lives of 78 ns and 3.8 μs were established at (1309.0) keV and 2826.8 KeV in ¹⁷⁶Ta and ¹⁷⁷Ta, respectively.

The interpretation of the high spin states has been carried out within the framework of the quasiparticle model, these states being assigned many-quasiparticle configurations. Experimentally deduced energy levels in ¹⁷⁷Ta were found to agree well with calculated values using the experimentally determined energies of lower-order many-quasiparticle states in ¹⁷⁶Hf and ¹⁷⁷Ta and a zero-range interaction between unpaired nucleons.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Essays On the Economics of Volunteerism, Charity, and Healthcare

contributor:
Veall, Michael R.
Sweetman, Arthur
Magee, Lonnie
Economics

subject:
volunteer
compulsory volunteering
monetary donation
tax price
delisting
public health insurance
Economics
Health Economics
Public Economics
Economics

abstract:
This thesis studies the impacts of three government policy interventions in Canada on individuals' behaviour and attempts to bound structural coefficients implied by economics theories using the estimated treatment effects. While the last chapter is on the healthcare market, the first three chapters focus on individuals' charitable behaviour, especially volunteer behaviour. A compulsory volunteer policy in Ontario is investigated from theoretical and empirical perspectives in chapters one and two respectively. In a theoretical overlapping generation model with social capital accumulation, we find that such a policy likely increases total public good provision and the social capital level. However, whether it increases long-run volunteering by those no longer subject to the policy depends crucially on the size of a public good demand elasticity. Chapter two empirically examines the impact of a “compulsory volunteerism” policy for adolescents on subsequent behaviour in Ontario, which mandates 40-hours of community service for high school students as a requirement for graduation. We estimate that: 1) the compulsory volunteer policy increased volunteer participation during high school; 2) those affected by the policy likely volunteered less than they otherwise would have after high school completion; 3) young people in Ontario who were not directly affected by the policy volunteered less after its introduction.

The third chapter examines the impact of tax policy changes on individuals' volunteer behaviour and attempts to analyze the relationship between donations of time and money. We develop a model where individuals are heterogeneous in their labour market and volunteer productivities, and in their tastes, which shows that positive cross sectional correlation between donations of money and time may occur because of individual-specific effects even though each individual would regard such donations as substitutes. Exploiting the exogenous variation in the tax price introduced by a series of tax policy changes in Canada, we find that individuals make more time donations as the tax price of charitable donations increases, which casts doubt on earlier findings in cross sectional data that monetary and time donations are complements and suggests that they may be substitutes as most theories would imply.

The last chapter exploits changes in Canadian public health insurers' reimbursement schedules regarding chiropractic services to identify the impacts of subsidies for providers and patients. Over the past two decades, fiscal pressures have seen these services partly or completely “delisted” from public health insurance programs. Despite a large sample of individuals, there are challenges for inference in this situation where the source of exogenous variation derives from a small number of jurisdiction-level policy changes. To address them, we employ aggregation, a wild cluster bootstrap that provides asymptotic refinement, and other approaches. The results show appreciable decreases in providers’ incomes and in utilization with the latter concentrated among low and middle income patients. But, chiropractors also augment their labour supply, perhaps increasing administration, marketing/promotion, or time per patient visit.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: DISTRIBUTION OF TOBACCO USE IN POPULATIONS: A COMPARATIVE MULTILEVEL AND LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF CANADA AND INDIA

contributor:
Teo, Koon K
Boyle, Michael H.
Chow, Clara
Health Research Methodology

subject:
Tobacco
Geography
Multilevel
Socioeconomic status
Canada
India
Epidemiology
Epidemiology

abstract: Smoking/tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide. Despite understanding the health consequences of smoking, less is known as to how and why the effects of smoking emerge differently between countries and within populations both over time and across socioeconomic groups and geographic locales. In this thesis, we examined socioeconomic status (SES) and geography as two potential causes of variability in current rates of tobacco use and cessation in Canada and India, countries at diverse levels of economic development and epidemiological transition. The major findings were: (i) low SES, defined by education, income, and occupation, was associated with increased risk of tobacco consumption in both Canada and India, although there was variability in the strength of this association by form of tobacco use in India; (ii) in a 60-year longitudinal study, rates of smoking have fallen over time in Canada but socioeconomic gaps have widened; (iii) smoking quit rates were higher in Canada than India; although in both countries there was a positive association between SES and quitting; (iv) geographic variation in tobacco use and quit rates remained after accounting for individual socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, suggesting the importance of place in shaping patterns of tobacco use in Canada and India. Taken together, these findings indicate that tobacco use in populations is strongly patterned along socioeconomic and geographic dimensions. Future prevention and cessation programs will need explicit consideration of socioeconomic and geographic aspects of the tobacco use distribution to effectively improve the situation across all areas and groups.

abstract: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)


title: Understanding experiences of food insecurity for lone mothers in Hamilton, Ontario

contributor:
Williams, Allison
Geography and Earth Sciences

subject:
Food insecurity
lone mothers
Hamilton
feminist geography
qualitative research
community-based research
Human Geography
Human Geography

abstract: Food—where we obtain it, how we obtain it, and so forth—is just one of myriad considerations in everyday life. Considerations about food can be particularly salient for lone mothers, who face a set of challenges in supporting their families, including being the sole caregivers of their children. In examining a case study of Hamilton, Ontario, this research utilizes qualitative methods (interviews and mental maps) and a feminist geography lens to understand the complexity of food insecurity for lone mothers living in two neighbourhoods characterized by a low socio-economic status. Feminist geography offers a unique perspective for understanding food insecurity with its philosophy of improving women’s lives and its story-telling and meaning-making methods. This thesis will explore qualitative themes from face-to-face interviews (n=7) and a focus group (n=1, 5 participants) that include: the distance and time taken to acquire food; loving and caring for one’s child(ren); contextual considerations mothers have to weigh in order to choose food resources, the need for structural change; strategies mothers used to provide for their families; and feelings around being a lone mother. Together, these themes paint a rich and nuanced picture of food insecurity for lone mothers in Hamilton and they illuminate how and where food intersects with household functions and structural forces, such as social assistance. The findings also point to places where social change can take place to improve quality of life.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: "Straight as a Line": Simplicity in George Herbert's "A Wreath"

contributor:
Wood, Chauncey
English

subject:
English
English Language and Literature
English Language and Literature

abstract:
The popularity of the frequently anthologized pattern poems, "Easter-Wings," and "The Altar," is such that readers not well-versed in George Herbert's larger body of poems could associate him solely with that genre. Although Herbert's "A Wreath" has not been identified as a pattern poem per se, it nevertheless frequently suffers from the same dismissal that most critics apply to pattern poetry in general, that is, of being simply playful and technically quaint. This study will offer a formalist reading of "A Wreath," to show how the poet uses existing pattern poetry forms to weave a complex garland that conceals aesthetic, devotional, and theological rewards. We will place the poem within the tradition of pattern poetry, extending its definition to include not just those poems in which the text on the printed page suggests a particular shape, but also those poems in which rhyme schemes or repeated terminal words of lines convey a shape - that is, poems in which the language suggests a shape not fully realized by the layout.

The form of the poem demands that we understand it within the context of existing pattern poetry forms; in order to elucidate the theological meaning, we must look to the Bible, as well as the writings of Jèrôme Savonarola and Saint Augustine. By studying both the poem's elaborate artistic form and its pious matter, this study will consider whether Herbert fulfills the poem's stated intention of praising God.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: The Internal Tension in William Blake's America: A Study of the importance of Blake's earlier works in the interpretation of the poem

contributor:
King, James
English

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: "When the soul unto the lines accords": Locating the Poet Within The Temple

contributor:
Silcox, Mary
English

abstract:
The goal of this thesis is to examine the ways in which the areas of art and religion coincide within George Herbert's The Temple. It is my contention that Herbert constructs the figure of the religious poet as a mediating tool; the religious poet, more than any other figure within The Temple, is granted access to both the secular realm and the divine realm. The religious poet, as constructed by Herbert, acts as a human interpreter of divine will and in doing so illustrates the importance of self-understanding in worship. Although the religious poet never fully attains union with God, it is within his failure to do so that some of the most moving and interesting poems are created, for self-understanding includes both grief and bliss.

Herbert's religious poet emphasizes the value of individual interpretation of scripture; of writing oneself into the divine story. His position within The Temple calls attention to the more "human" aspects of religion, such as the human struggle to understand divinity and locate itself in relation to it. As such, he functions as a model for Christian worship and his poetry becomes the prayer uttered by the devotee.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)


title: Raising in Persian

contributor:
Colarusso, John
Anthropology

subject: Anthropology Anthropology

abstract:
'Raising', a rule of transformational syntax, is considered to be a language universal. This thesis challenges its universality on the basis of evidence from Modern Persian. Whereas in English the subject of the embedded sentence may be raised to object of the matrix verb, in Persian the embedded sentence is restructured, forming a noun phrase, and the S-node is pruned. This renders centre-embedding more manageable and precludes extrapositioning.

Interviews with native speakers and my own knowledge of Persian provide the data for these conclusions.

abstract: Master of Arts (MA)