title: Dune Erosion and Beach Profile Evolution in Response to Bichromatic Wave Groups

contributor:
Mulligan, Ryan P.
da Silva, Ana Maria Ferreira
Civil Engineering

subject:
Sand Dune Erosion
Coastal Engineering
Beach profile erosion
XBeach

abstract: Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-01 14:54:35.257

abstract:
On sandy coastlines dunes provide a barrier of protection from strong environmental forces that can naturally occur during storm events including storm surges that expose the dunes to large waves. A set of laboratory experiments were used to investigate the morphological processes during the erosion of a steep dune face under bichromatic wave conditions for two different mean water level elevations, corresponding to storm surges and waves that collide with or overwash the dune. In the collision regime, episodic slumping due to the undercutting of the dune resulted in sudden erosional events followed by long periods of wave-driven reshaping at the dune toe. In the overwash regime, dune erosion was faster and occurred at a more consistent rate. Small scale bedforms (ripples) measured during the overwash test evolved in height faster and to greater overall heights than collision test while bedform lengths were not affected by the change in water level.
A numerical model, XBeach, was calibrated to examine the ability to predict erosion of the steep dune due to waves in the two water level regimes. XBeach was not able to recreate the spatial variability of the significant wave height profile from the laboratory measurements; however, mean velocities were in good agreement with observations suggesting that bed shear stress is well estimated. During mobile bed simulations of erosion in the two regimes, the model was in agreement with measured dune erosion after initial adjustment. XBeach was very sensitive to several parameters that control the rate of erosion including the critical avalanching slope under water, the threshold water depth and the sediment transport formulation. The model did not perform well at predicting erosion rates until these parameters had been modified. Overall, XBeach performed better when simulating dune erosion in the overwash regime than the collision regime.

abstract: This thesis contains details that will be submitted to journals soon. It is the wish of the authors to not make this information publicly available until these papers have been accepted

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Characterization of DAF-18/PTEN’s Role in Survival and Cellular Proliferation During Larval Arrest in Caenorhabditis elegans

contributor:
Chin-Sang, Ian D.
Biology

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

subject: Biology

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-02 12:11:57.927

abstract: The role of insulin/IGF signaling (IIS) in regulating longevity and dauer formation in C. elegans is well defined. However, the role of IIS in stress responses such as L1 arrest is less studied and poorly understood. One of the regulators of longevity and lifespan in the worm is the homolog of the human tumour suppressor PTEN, called DAF- 18 in C. elegans. DAF-18 is known to act through the IIS pathway to regulate longevity, lifespan, dauer formation and also control germline proliferation during L1 arrest. I show that daf-18 mutants cannot properly L1 arrest and that the arrest phenotype is only partially rescued by IIS genes, indicating regulation of L1 arrest independent of the IIS pathway. Additionally, I identify a germline role for DAF-18/PTEN during L1 arrest. EMS mutagenesis screens were performed to find unbiased suppressors and worm homologs of candidate human cancer genes were tested for suppression of the L1 arrest phenotype. Finally, I show that in addition to controlling germline proliferation during arrest, DAF-18/PTEN controls divisions of some somatic tissues during L1 arrest, including in the muscle cell lineage and the mechanosensory neuron cell lineage.

abstract: Restriction to allow follow up experiments to be completed in lab.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Range of Motion and Impingement in Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty

contributor:
Deluzio, Kevin J.
Bryant, J. Tim
Mechanical and Materials Engineering

subject:
Biomechanics
Arthroplasty
Reverse prosthesis
Orthopaedics
Shoulder
Range of motion

abstract: Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-03 13:34:07.404

abstract:
Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is a joint replacement procedure used mainly to treat patients with severe shoulder osteoarthritis combined with massive rotator cuff tears. It involves reversing the `ball and socket' orientation of the glenohumeral joint in the shoulder. While RSA has been largely successful in treating pain and improving function in these patients, complication rates remain high. Many of these complications, including joint instability and scapular notching (excessive bone wear), are caused or exacerbated by impingement of the humerus or the humeral component against the scapula. Adduction deficit refers to a patient's inability to fully adduct the arm due to impingement. Minimizing adduction deficit may improve RSA patients' functional outcomes.

An existing mechanical shoulder simulator was further developed to model glenohumeral range of motion in RSA. The three heads of the deltoid were modelled using polyethylene cable and electric linear actuators with inline load cells. RSA components were implanted in Sawbones scapula and humerus bone models. The scapula was fixed in the frame of the simulator. Triads of optical tracking markers were attached to the humerus and simulator frame and used to track segment motion.

A data analysis technique was developed to determine when joint impingement occurred. The convex and concave surfaces of the glenoid and humeral components were digitized, and a least-squares sphere fit was used to find their centres. The distance between these centres was then calculated during passive abduction and adduction of the humerus, and labeled d_GH. Impingement onset was defined as the point where d_GH was five standard deviations above its baseline value, indicating that the components were no longer concentric. This technique was used to determine the effects of humeral neck-shaft angle, socket depth, glenosphere diameter and eccentricity on range of motion and adduction deficit.
A retentive humeral cup depth increased adduction deficit by 14 degrees and reduced range of motion by 26 degrees. A decreased neck-shaft angle reduced adduction deficit by 10 degrees but had little effect on overall range of motion. Diameter and eccentricity had no effect on either measure.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: 'Undesirable Practices': Women, Children, and the Politics of Development in Northern Ghana, 1930-1972

contributor:
Shenton, Robert W.
History

subject:
Women and Children
Development
Northern Ghana
Female Circumcision
Bawku
Colonialism

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, History) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-03 14:33:00.037

abstract:
Following the First World War, colonial policy in West Africa underwent a transition as British administrators began to adopt indirect rule reforms to help usher in peasant-driven agricultural development in Northern Ghana.  This thesis addresses the impact of these important policy changes on women and children through a study of local colonial and indigenous responses to four bodily practices: female circumcision, human trafficking (female pawning and illicit adoption), nudity and prostitution. Although much has been written about colonial and post-independence legislation of the female body, especially the female circumcision controversy in Kenya and prostitution in the mines and cities of east and southern Africa, few historical studies have fully considered the role of West African development doctrine, or the importance of ‘tradition’ and ‘community’, in colonial policies affecting women and children in Northern Ghana. Through a Parliamentary inquiry in 1930, West African departments came to reluctantly engage with questions of women and children’s status. Collectively, they decided that a gradualist path which sought to preserve community or ‘tribal’ cohesion was preferable to legislation promoting individual rights and civil society. This thesis situates this reluctance to introduce potentially destabilizing legislation in the context of development doctrine in northern Ghana.
This thesis focusses on the north-eastern borderland corridor of northern Ghana where in the 1930s anthropologists and district officials investigated questions of female circumcision and as a solution to Parliamentary inquiry, sought to encourage a milder form practiced in infancy, rather than adolescence. The refusal to legislate reflected West African officials’ privileging of ‘community’ over the ‘individual’ and was repeated in their responses to ‘undesirable practices’, including nudity, pawning, and in post-independence times, illicit adoption and prostitution. In exploring state officials’ handling of these practices in a gradualist manner, this thesis illuminates the connections between development doctrine and the role of the male colonial gaze in managing undesirable practices in north-eastern Ghana, West Africa.

abstract: PhD


title: "The Camera Cannot Lie": Photography and the Pacific Non-Fiction of Robert Louis Stevenson (1888-1894)

contributor:
Bongie, Christopher
English

subject:
South Pacific, Photography
Robert Louis Stevenson

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-03 14:57:53.217

abstract: This archivally-based dissertation re-contextualizes Robert Louis Stevenson’s South Pacific photographic collection (1888-1894), situating it in relation to his incomplete and posthumously published anthropological study of the Pacific, In the South Seas (1896); his unpublished pamphlet about Samoan colonial conflict, “A Samoan Scrapbook”; and his wife Fanny Stevenson’s diary The Cruise of the ‘Janet Nichol.’ Despite the recent and ample scholarship on Stevenson, few critics have engaged significantly with his photography. These (usually) anonymous photographs, taken by different members of the Stevenson family, were intended as illustrations for a projected book entitled The South Seas. Although this literary project was never completed, a dense photographic archive remains and discloses the many functions of photography during Stevenson’s Pacific career. In this truly interdisciplinary dissertation, I recognize the interdependent relationship between Stevenson’s Pacific non-fiction and his family’s photographic practice and stress that the photographic project was more important to Stevenson’s Pacific writing than has been acknowledged previously. This dissertation addresses the relationship between Stevenson’s photography and non-fiction writing, and demonstrates the important and underlying ways in which Stevenson’s photographs are related to his written accounts of Pacific Islanders and their societies. Furthermore, I contribute a series of close readings of individual (and previously unpublished) photographs, which I contextualize in their appropriate literary, cultural, and historical milieu. This dissertation contributes to a limited body of work that addresses the intersections of Pacific photography, anthropology, and Stevenson’s non-fiction.

abstract: Forthcoming monograph.

abstract: PhD


title: Intraspecific Variation of Three Phenotypic Morphs of Daphnia pulicaria in the presence of a Strong Environmental Gradient

contributor:
Nelson, William A.
Biology

subject:
Environmental gradient
Hemoglobin up-regulation
Daphnia
Diel Migration

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-08 12:07:42.757

abstract: Freshwater lake ecosystems often exhibit strong oxygen, and temperature gradients across which many zooplankton species live. Daphnia sp. vary in their ability to up-regulate hemoglobin in response to low oxygen environments. However; the role that hemoglobin up-regulation plays in diel vertical migration, and how it might mediate coexistence of Daphnia within lakes is still unclear. Using an oligotrophic lake in Ontario, I studied three distinct phenotypes of Daphnia pulicaria, which differed in the ability to up-regulate hemoglobin (classified as red, pink, and pale). Twenty-four hour surveys were conducted during the fall of 2012 and samples were drawn at 1m intervals to monitor changes in diel vertical migration. At each 1m interval Daphnia were color indexed, photographed, and preserved for genetic analysis using cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Red and pink Daphnia showed little change in distribution over the water column through time, suggesting individuals experienced little vertical migration. Pale individuals showed strong changes in vertical distribution through time suggesting vertical migration. The phenotypes are strongly correlated with multi-locus genotypes, suggesting genetic differences in migration behavior. Mesocosm experiments were used to manipulate migration over heterogeneous environments to test the hypothesis that vertical migration impacts genetic and phenotypic diversity in Daphnia pulicaria. The first mesocosm experiment contained two treatment groups; a migrating and non-migrating treatment containing the three phenotypes. The migrating treatment permitted unrestricted movement throughout the water column, and the non-migrating treatment restricted Daphnia to discrete 1m intervals. The second mesocosm experiment comprised two non-migrating treatments; red non-migrating and pale non-migrating. Results from the first set of mesocosm experiments indicate decreased genetic and phenotypic diversity in the migrating treatment. Shifts in hemoglobin up-regulation between pales and reds in the second mesocosm experiments suggest hemoglobin up-regulation is plastic, whereby pale, pink, and red individuals have the ability to up and down regulate hemoglobin. The differences in Daphnia migration patterns and the plastic response in hemoglobin up-regulation permits migrating genotypes to withstand low oxygen conditions. Overall implications of this study suggest that migration over a strong environmental gradient plays a key role in fostering phenotypic plasticity and genetic diversity in organisms living in heterogeneous environments.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Role and Nature of Willingness to Sacrifice in Marketing Relationships

contributor:
Dacin, Peter
Management

subject:
Marketing
Brand Community
Sacrifice
Relationship Marketing
Willingness to Sacrifice
Community Success
Sacrifice in Marketing
Community Management
Reciprocity
Communities of Interest

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-09 10:41:22.156

abstract: Studies of human relationships in anthropology, religion, community studies and psychology have determined that willingness to sacrifice plays an important role in reinforcing and strengthening social bonds. It is remarkable that given the increasing prominence of the relationship marketing paradigm, marketers have spent little time investigating willingness to sacrifice as a potential variable of interest. This dissertation extends relationship marketing theory by defining, developing and testing the willingness to sacrifice construct in the context of brand communities. It not only establishes a role for willingness to sacrifice in the nomological network of relationship marketing, but also develops a typology of sacrifices members make in brand communities. Results from two experiments and a field study of two brand communities suggest there are significant relationships between willingness to sacrifice and established constructs in relationship marketing research, such as identification, satisfaction with peers, and norms of reciprocity. Moreover, these findings indicate that willingness to sacrifice is positively associated with beneficial marketing outcomes such as word of mouth, purchase intentions and brand community longevity. By integrating literature from personal psychology, sociology anthropology–all of which discuss sacrifice in terms of how it can benefit and strengthen relationships– this research challenges the conventional marketing assumption that sacrifice is merely “the price one pays.” Taken together, these studies enrich our understanding of willingness to sacrifice in a marketing context, and more specifically, identify a process through which it contributes to brand community success and related marketing outcomes.

abstract: PhD


title: Compossibility

contributor:
Della Rocca, Michael
Miller, Jon
Philosophy

subject: Possbility World Compossibility Logical Lawful Leibniz

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-09 13:03:19.752

abstract:
This thesis is a study of G.W. Leibniz’s views on compossibility. Leibniz calls substances that can be brought into existence together “compossible,” and he says that substances that cannot be brought into existence together are “incompossible.” Incompossibility and compossibility together divide substances into sets of individual substances that make up possible worlds. God then chooses from these possible worlds the best one to bring into existence. Thus without compossibility, the contingency of the world, and even God’s choice could have no rational basis. It is on these grounds that Leibniz thought compossibility was the most powerful—and perhaps, only—defense against the position that the actual world is the only possible world. This is a position that was powerfully argued for by Benedict de Spinoza. For largely theological reasons Spinoza’s position was unacceptable to Leibniz.
        Since Leibniz’s own time thinkers have found it difficult to see why all the substances are not compossible with one another given certain other philosophical and theological claims Leibniz is committed to. This state of affairs has been exacerbated by the fact that Leibniz himself seems not to have been concerned with providing a clear answer to this conundrum. In an attempt to fill in this omission, and to justify Leibniz’s intuition philosophers have proposed varying accounts of compossibility. Unfortunately, all of these accounts fall short of upholding a comprehensive rational explanation of the world’s contingency based on the objective rational choice of God. My dissertation presents a picture that is multi-faceted in its sensitivity to Leibniz’s theological, physical and logical concerns while nevertheless harmonizing with other tenets of Leibniz’s overall philosophy. I seek to achieve this end by defending the view that compossibility is based on the logical properties of the complete concepts of substances understood as embedded within networks of mutual intelligibility.

abstract: PhD


title: Pilot Tone-Aided Detection for Cognitive Radio Applications

contributor:
Ibnkahla, Mohamed
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
feature detectors
SNR Wall
spectrum sensing
cognitive radio

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-15 15:31:27.253

abstract:
Feature-based spectrum sensing techniques have emerged as good balance between energy-based techniques and coherent-based techniques, where the former require minimal prior information of the observed signal, and the latter have robust detection performance when the observed signal is very weak. In this thesis, we focus on pilot tone-aided detection as a feature-based detection class. We propose an improved pilot tone-aided spectrum sensor that utilizes the presence of the pilot tone and the overall energy of the received signal. We show that the optimal Neyman-Pearson detector is a weighted summation of a feature-based component and an energy-based component. The former provides coherent gains at the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime, whereas the latter provides non-coherent gains at moderate SNR levels. The proposed detector intelligently adapts its weights based on the SNR of the observed signal and the power allocation factor of the pilot tone. This helps it attain significant performance gains compared with the conventional pilot tone-aided detectors.

In addition, we present suboptimal detectors that reduce the computational complexity. For instance, we demonstrate that moment estimators are effective techniques for spectrum sensing. Motivated by insights gained from the derivations of these moment estimators, we present a selective mean-variance estimator that performs well in the absence of the prior knowledge about the pilot tone.

Moreover, we analyze the impact of two model uncertainties on the detection performance of the proposed detector: Noise uncertainty and imperfect pilot-matching. We show that unlike the energy detector, the proposed detector does not suffer from the SNR wall under the noise uncertainty model due to the coherent gains embedded in the feature-based component. Also, unlike existing pilot tone-aided detectors, the proposed detector is resilient against imperfect synchronization due to the non-coherent gains embedded in computing the overall energy of the signal. Also, we show that the proposed detector achieves the lowest sample complexity, leading to tangible improvements to the aggregate throughput of the secondary user. Extensive simulation and analytical results are provided to verify these conclusions.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Cold In-Place Recycling with Expanded Asphalt Mix (CIREAM)

contributor:
Hesp, Simon
Chemistry

subject:
Cold in-place Recycling
Early Strength
Moisture Resistance
Expanded Asphalt

abstract: Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-16 08:42:24.313

abstract:
Cold in-place recycling with expanded asphalt mix (CIREAM) has become an accepted road rehabilitation technique in Ontario and other parts of the world given its advantages over regular cold in-place recycling (CIR) and other methods. Although CIREAM offers early strength advantages and extended paving periods among other benefits, late season CIREAM can be burdened by distresses such as ravelling, potholing and other moisture-induced damage. Limited information on the behaviour and failure mechanisms of CIREAM has also hindered its utilization in spite of the numerous benefits.
This research investigated effects of additives on foam properties of roofing asphalt flux (RAF) binder in order to evaluate the suitability of the binder for CIREAM. The study also investigated how mixture variables and test protocols affect performance properties that relate to early strength and moisture resistance of CIREAM versus CIR. Indirect tensile strength testing with moisture conditioning was used to assess the effects of asphalt cement type (80, 300 pen grades and polymer modified asphalt), conditioning time, and additives such as Portland cement, foam stabilizers, polymers and fibers. Uniaxial cyclic compression with partial confinement was used to assess effect of additives on deformation resistance of recycled mixes. Although a siloxane-based stabilizer significantly improved the stability of RAF foam, the binder may not be suitable for CIREAM due to its limited expansion. The optimum binder content was found to be around 2 percent, which is significantly higher than the minimum 1 percent currently used in Ontario. Both Portland cement and the siloxane additive exerted significant positive effects on strength behaviour and moisture resistance of the recycled mixes. In regular CIR mixes, 2 percent binder content gave desirable early strength and strain performance compared to 1 percent.
Application of controlled amounts of additives (e.g. Portland cement, foam stabilizers) and case-by-case evaluation can improve the performance properties of CIREAM and address the associated problems. The entire research effort described in this thesis was designed to provide advice on potential improvements in the CIREAM process as it is currently carried out in Ontario, and also help in developing quality control standards in CIREAM and other cold mix processes.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: The Risk of Serious Respiratory-Related Events Following Immunization with the Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (qHPV) Vaccine: The Ontario Grade 8 HPV Vaccine Cohort Study

contributor:
Lougheed, Diane M.
Lévesque, Linda E.
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Anaphylaxis
Epidemiology
Asthma
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine
HPV vaccine

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-16 19:20:41.019

abstract:
Background: The qHPV vaccine has the potential to significantly reduce the burden of HPV-related diseases, including cervical cancer. However, a recent systematic review of clinical trials has suggested that the risk of bronchospasm may be increased by this vaccine, and a large observational study has reported an increased risk of anaphylaxis.
Objectives: To determine whether qHPV vaccination increases the risk of incident asthma, asthma exacerbation, and anaphylaxis.
Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort of grade 8 girls eligible for Ontario’s HPV immunization program between 2007 and 2011 was identified using the province’s administrative health and immunization databases. Cohort members were followed from September 1st of their grade 8 year until their date of death or end of study (March 31st, 2012). The self-controlled case series method, a self-matched, case-based analysis was used to assess the effect of qHPV vaccination on the risk of SRREs, and rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals for each outcome was estimated using conditional Poisson regression.
Results: The cohort consisted of 125,575 girls with a mean age of 13.2 years, 57.7% of whom received at least one dose of the qHPV vaccine. During an average of 2.5 years of follow-up, 1473 cases of incident asthma, 901 of asthma exacerbation and 38 of anaphylaxis were identified. HPV vaccination was not associated with an increased risk of incident asthma or asthma exacerbation (RRadj 0.76, 95% CI 0.37-1.54 and RRadj 0.74, 95% CI 0.27-2.00, respectively), and these associations were unchanged by the presence of risk factors and time since vaccination. There was also no evidence of an increased risk of anaphylaxis following qHPV vaccination as demonstrated by an absence of cases of anaphylaxis occurring on the day of vaccination.
Conclusions: This large, population-based study provides strong evidence that the qHPV vaccine does not increase the risk of developing or exacerbating asthma, and additional evidence for the lack of an increased risk of anaphylaxis in the younger populations targeted by HPV immunization programs. These findings add to the growing body of evidence on the safety of the qHPV vaccine.

abstract: Data Sharing Agreement with Ontario's public health units

abstract: M.Sc.


title: What Are Project Members’ ISD Project Mental Models and How Do They Affect the Management of ISD Projects?

contributor:
Staples, Sandy D.
Management

subject:
Repertory Grid Technique
Multidimensional Scaling
Cognition
Knowledge Structures
Work Relationships
ISD Methodologies
Understanding
ISD Project Management
Mental Models

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-17 11:18:07.356

abstract:
To help organizations better understand and improve the management of information systems development (ISD) projects, this dissertation aims to understand what ISD project knowledge and beliefs ISD professionals work with and how the knowledge and beliefs are organized in their minds. Drawing on the cognitive perspective using a mental model approach, I define a new construct, ISD Project (ISDP) mental model, which refers to ISD professionals’ knowledge and belief structures that help them understand, conduct, and manage ISD projects. Particularly, two essential elements of ISDP mental models - content and structure – were explored. Regarding the content, forty fundamental concepts were derived from literature reviews and cognitive interviews with 19 ISD experts. Analysis of 95 ISD professionals’ cognitive responses using Multidimensional Scaling revealed four types of evaluative beliefs - customer-, team-, enterprise-, and product-oriented beliefs. This new construct, along with its assessment procedures, provides a useful starting point for academics and organizations to explore the people factor in ISD.
     To investigate the impact of ISDP mental models, I examined work relationships between project managers and developers where effective work relationships are crucial to project success. Specifically, I explored how the similarity of mental models and an understanding of others’ mental models influence work relationships. Through a multiple case study on 6 project manager-developer pairs in different case conditions (i.e., similarity of mental models x accuracy of understanding), the results provide preliminary support that the project manager-developer pairs who hold accurate understanding have more effective implicit coordination - they are sensitive to one another’s knowledge, beliefs, and preferences and they adjust their task and interpersonal coordination accordingly. Accurate understanding also stimulates the process of knowledge integration in which the dyad builds upon one another’s knowledge to resolve project challenges.
     This dissertation contributes to the literature on ISD project management by capturing the organization of ISDP knowledge in ISD professionals’ minds and identifying underlying beliefs. Furthermore, it contributes to an understanding of how project managers and developers can coordinate effectively when they have high cross-understanding, despite dissimilarities of knowledge and beliefs.

abstract: A series of papers from this dissertation is due for publications.

abstract: PhD


title: Pattern Discovery in Protein Structures and Interaction Networks

contributor:
Glasgow, Janice I.
Computing

subject: 3D Structural Motif Matching

subject: Protein Structure Classification

subject: Protein Structure Alignment

subject: Protein Interaction Networks

subject: Protein-Protein Interaction Prediction

subject: Multi-Start Particle Swarm Optimization

subject: Fitness-based Agile Restart

subject: Efficient Stagnation Detection

subject: Proteomic Pattern Matching and Discovery

subject: Protein Contact Maps

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-21 12:54:03.37

abstract:
Pattern discovery in protein structures is a fundamental task in computational biology, with important applications in protein structure prediction, profiling and alignment. We propose a novel approach for pattern discovery in protein structures using Particle Swarm-based flying windows over potentially promising regions of the search space. Using a heuristic search, based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is, however, easily trapped in local optima due to the sparse nature of the problem search space. Thus, we introduce a novel fitness-based stagnation detection technique that effectively and efficiently restarts the search process to escape potential local optima.
The proposed fitness-based method significantly outperforms the commonly-used distance-based method when tested on eight classical and advanced (shifted/rotated) benchmark functions, as well as on two other applications for proteomic pattern matching and discovery. The main idea is to make use of the already-calculated fitness values of swarm particles, instead of their pairwise distance values, to predict an imminent stagnation situation. That is, the proposed fitness-based method does not require any computational overhead of repeatedly calculating pairwise distances between all particles at each iteration. Moreover, the fitness-based method is less dependent on the problem search space, compared with the distance-based method.
The proposed pattern discovery algorithms are first applied to protein contact maps, which are the 2D compact representation of protein structures. Then, they are extended to work on actual protein 3D structures and interaction networks, offering a novel and low-cost approach to protein structure classification and interaction prediction.  Concerning protein structure classification, the proposed PSO-based approach correctly distinguishes between the positive and negative examples in two protein datasets over 50 trials. As for protein interaction prediction, the proposed approach works effectively on complex, mostly sparse protein interaction networks, and predicts high-confidence protein-protein interactions — validated by more than one computational and experimental source — through knowledge transfer between topologically-similar interaction patterns of close proximity.
Such encouraging results demonstrate that pattern discovery in protein structures and interaction networks are promising new applications of the fast-growing and far-reaching PSO algorithms, which is the main argument of this thesis.

abstract: PhD


title: Adult Attachment Orientation and Physical Distance:  Do Threat Primes Alter Perceptions of Interpersonal Proximity?

contributor:
MacDonald, Tara K.
Psychology

subject:
attachment
distance perception
judgmental bias
interpersonal threat

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-21 12:36:58.104

abstract: The purpose of my dissertation was to examine whether adult romantic attachment and interpersonal threat bias people’s perceptions of physical distance within a social context. Across three separate studies, I assessed the interactive effects of attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and threat on perceptions of distance. In the baseline (control) condition, I predicted that people higher in attachment anxiety would perceive greater interpersonal closeness than people lower in attachment anxiety. However, in the threat condition, I predicted that this perceptual difference would disappear or, alternatively, that people higher in attachment anxiety would perceive greater interpersonal distance than people lower in attachment anxiety. Furthermore, I hypothesized that higher levels of attachment avoidance would be associated with greater perceptions of physical distance regardless of condition. In Study One, I used a loneliness prime and measured attachment orientation to examine their influence on the strength of the tendency to perceive an ambiguous, computerized figure as walking toward oneself. In Study Two, I investigated how attachment and the threat of separation affected estimations of physical distance from one’s romantic partner who was standing relatively close by. In the third and final study, I examined the impact of attachment and separation threat on perceptions of physical distance from one’s romantic partner when the partner was absent and imagined to be in another city. A meta-analysis of the experiments revealed that the influence of attachment anxiety on distance perception was not only dependent on condition, but also on attachment avoidance. Specifically, for people high in attachment avoidance in the control condition, higher attachment anxiety was associated with smaller perceptions of distance. In contrast, for people high in attachment avoidance in the threat condition, higher attachment anxiety was associated with greater perceptions of distance. For people low in attachment avoidance in both conditions, attachment anxiety did not predict distance perception. This pattern is partially consistent with, but also more complicated than, my original predictions. Explanations for the findings are discussed as well as future directions for investigation. Additionally, the important implications of this research for real-life interactions and, ultimately, the development and maintenance of attachment orientation are explored.

abstract: PhD


title: Assessing the Risk for Autoimmune Disorders Following Use of the Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: the Ontario Grade 8 HPV Vaccine Cohort Study

contributor:
Lévesque, Linda E.
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject: HPV

subject: Epidemiology

subject: Observational study

subject: Self-Controlled Case Series

subject: Vaccine Safety

abstract: Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-23 22:30:41.428

abstract:
Introduction: In 2007 Ontario implemented a grade 8 quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccination program targeting the virus that causes cervical cancer. Despite being 6 years post-implementation, few post-licensure studies have assessed the safety of the qHPV vaccine in this adolescent population. Since autoimmune disorders are often targeted for post-marketing surveillance by regulatory agencies, it is important to assess the risk of developing an autoimmune disorder post-qHPV vaccination.

Objectives: The objectives of this thesis were to assess the risk for developing an autoimmune disorder following qHPV vaccination, assess for effect modification by the presence of predisposing risk factors, identify the period of highest risk and explore the risk for individual autoimmune disorders.

Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort of girls eligible for Ontario’s qHPV vaccination program was identified using population-based databases. The risk of autoimmune disorders following qHPV vaccination was ascertained using the self-controlled case series method.

Results: The risk of developing a new autoimmune disorder, adjusted for age, seasonality, concurrent vaccines and infections was 1.28 (95% CI: 0.87 – 1.89), and this association was independent of a history of immune-mediated disorders (p=0.39). The risk was not increased during days 7-24 post-vaccination (adjusted RR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.43 – 1.74), but appeared to increase thereafter (adjusted RR = 1.36, 95% CI: 0.77 – 2.41 and RR = 1.62, 95% CI 0.94 – 2.78 respectively, for days 25 – 42 and days 43 – 60), although these differences were non-significant. The risk may be increased for certain disorders including Bell’s palsy (RR = 2.30, 95% CI: 0.67 – 7.95), systemic autoimmune rheumatic disorders (RR = 1.84, 95% CI: 0.42 – 8.02), Hashimoto’s disease (RR = 1.39, 95% CI: 0.46 – 4.22), and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (RR = 1.31, 95% CI: 0.83 – 2.08), although none of these associations were statistically significant.

Conclusion: This thesis demonstrated that no statistically significant increased risk for autoimmune disorders following qHPV vaccination was detected. However, there remains some uncertainty about the safety of the qHPV vaccine for a subset of the autoimmune disorders. The results from this analysis need to be pooled with those of other studies to confirm whether these are true safety signals.

abstract: This thesis must be restricted until we have fulfilled the conditions outlined in the data sharing agreement. The results of this thesis must first be communicated to all Ontario Medical Officers of Health prior to public dissemination.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: "See Love, and so refuse him": The Poetics, Philosophy, and Psychology of Love in Algernon Charles Swinburne's "Poems and Ballads" [1866]

contributor:
Morrison, Robert
English

subject:
Victorian Poetry
Love
Algernon Charles Swinburne

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, English) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-23 10:34:46.253

abstract: This dissertation studies the concept of “love” in Algernon Charles Swinburne’s "Poems and Ballads" [1866]. As I argue in Chapter One, there has been surprisingly little critical discussion of the concept of love in "Poems and Ballads," and what there has been is flawed in that it inadvertently reinforces the longstanding charge of Swinburne’s “meaninglessness,” obscures the ways in which the love of "Poems and Ballads" is an informed critical response to the culture of the time, and tends to render the poems and their dramatic speakers interchangeable. In Chapter Two, I attempt to redress the ahistoricism that has dominated these discussions by explaining how the love of "Poems and Ballads" arose in response to the “cult of love” of Swinburne’s contemporaries, which he, informed by ideas that he inherited from his Romantic forbearers, viewed as an impoverishment of sensual experience, and consequently of humankind’s creative capacities—as dramatized through his speakers’ “refusals” of love and its imaginative possibilities. In Chapter Three, I explore two such “refusals,” expressed through the voices of the very different speakers of the “Hymn to Proserpine” and “The Triumph of Time.” After clarifying some sources of confusion, I trace how both of these characters, by means of different philosophical and psychological pathways, come to turn away from love and (in doing so) their own poetic potential. In Chapter Four, I turn to “Dolores,” in which the speaker’s rejection of love drives him to the “perverse spiritualism” that Swinburne identifies with the Marquis de Sade. Although the speaker succumbs to creative impotence, I argue that he is capable of recognizing his own inadequacies, and to welcome a poet who can “kiss” and “sing” like Catullus once did (340-42). Finally, in Chapter Five, I argue that, in the Sappho of “Anactoria,” Swinburne provides a dramatic model of (the development of) the kind of poet who could “see love,” in all of its volatility and violence, and still “choose him.” In concluding the chapter, I also claim that Swinburne suggests, in Sappho’s relation to her future readers, how such a poet might inspire others to “choose” love.

abstract: For purposes of publication.

abstract: PhD


title: Children in Need of Protection: Reporting policies in Ontario school districts

contributor:
Cooper, Amanda
Education

subject:
Maltreatment
Abuse
iI Need of Protection
Child
Report
Neglect
Policy
Teacher
Analysis

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-23 15:44:40.667

abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore the case, organizational, decision maker, and external factors that influence teaching professionals when deciding to report children suspected to be in need of protection. Teachers report 24%, or 175,920 cases to Children’s Aid Societies annually in Canada; researchers who have examined teacher reporting practices, speculate that teachers fail to report between 50 to 84%, or 87,960–147,773 cases of suspected cases to authorities.The conceptual framework for the study came from Baumann, Dalgleish, Fluke, and Kern’s (2011) decision-making ecology framework which claims that individuals consider case, organizational, external, and decision-maker factors when making a decision.  Phase one included an analysis of 64 policies on reporting children suspected to be in need of protection from English speaking, public and Catholic school districts and geographically isolated school authorities.  Crosson-Tower’s (2013) policy analysis framework was used to analyze education factors, the legal system, document properties, procedures, support systems, training opportunities, and community relationships.  Phase two consisted of one hour, semi-structured interviews (n = 7) with individuals who are mandated to report, and who had made at least one report.  Interview questions were based on the conceptual framework and from the findings from phase one. Results revealed that many school districts omitted information that could have been beneficial to teachers who were required to report. Throughout the province it also appeared that training opportunities were minimal. This study did not explore whether training actually took place in school districts.  Interview data, although not generalizable due to the sample size, appeared to suggest a lack of communication between school districts and parents, and teachers and Children’s Aid Societies (CAS).
Conclusion: More research is needed to see how much of the supports listed in school district policies, such as training opportunities and support systems, are actually implemented and the subsequent effect of these actions on teacher’s reporting practices.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Determinants of Chinese Students' Academic Success in Korean Universities

contributor:
Cheng, Liying
Education

subject:
language profiency
academic self-efficacy
Test of Proficiency in Korean
academic success

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-23 14:54:05.315

abstract:
The present study investigated the key determinants of Chinese students’ academic success in terms of GPA and the number of credit hours earned. The determinants investigated included gender, age, prior academic performance, academic self-efficacy, the TOPIK score, self-perceived Korean and English proficiency, and the previous length of Korean and English study. This study specifically focused on three research questions concerning the prediction of Chinese students’ academic success in Korean universities, the additional contribution of Korean and English language proficiency, and the examination of prediction patterns for undergraduate and graduate students.
   A questionnaire was issued and collected from 138 undergraduate and 63 graduate Chinese students studying in 27 different Korean universities. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: demographic information, academic background, language proficiency and psychological factors. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted to address the proposed research questions.
   The findings demonstrated that traditional factors, including gender and prior academic performance, were effective predictors of academic success. However, academic self-efficacy did not play an influential role in participants’ academic success. Language proficiency had a moderate effect on Chinese students’ academic success, which is consistent with previous studies that reported a positive statistically significant relationship between language proficiency and academic success. In this study’s context, Korean proficiency contributed to undergraduate GPA and graduate credit hours whereas both Korean and English proficiency contributed to graduate GPA. The different natures of undergraduate and graduate studies determined that the predictors of undergraduate and graduate students’ academic success were different.
   The determinants of international students’ academic success are complex and not yet completely understood, and language proficiency is only one of the factors contributing to international students’ academic success. The present study addressed the research gap by integrating theoretical constructs from both psychology and language education, and also by exploring the relationships between language proficiency and academic success in a less researched test, TOPIK, and in two second languages, Korean and English, at the same time. The findings contribute to the overall understanding of international students’ academic success, in particular the success of Chinese students studying in Korean universities.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Using Paleolimnology to Assess the Impacts of Historical Insecticide Use on Chironomid Assemblages in the St. Lawrence River, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

subject: Pesticides Montreal Paleolimnology

abstract: In 1962, Montreal was awarded the host site of the 1967 World Exhibition. Considered one of the most successful fairs in history and a part of Canada’s centennial celebration, preparations for the event were extensive and included a project in collaboration with Agriculture Canada to control pest populations of mayflies, shadflies, and midges that would frequently swarm Montreal in the summertime. Between 1965 and 1967, over 16,000 kg of the larvicide dicholorodiphenyldichloroethan (DDD) were applied directly to the St. Lawrence River around the around Île Saint-Hélêne. The purpose of this paleolimnological study is to assess the chironomid (non-biting midge) community of the St. Lawrence River prior to, during, and post DDD inputs related to the 1967 World Exhibition. No thorough ecological study was performed prior or following the application of DDD, and so in the absence of long-term monitoring, a paleolimnological approach is the only technique capable of reconstructing how invertebrate insect assemblages responded to such intensive pesticide inputs. Subfossil chironomid assemblages preserved in a sediment core recovered from the affected area of the St. Lawrence River were studied to assess the biological impacts of the World Expo DDD applications. This study found that while total chironomid abundance remained low in sediments associated with elevated DDD levels, abundance levels were not out of the range of natural variability. However, certain taxa were found to have increased, while others decreased in response to the increasing DDD levels during the 1967 World Exhibition, but interpretation of species changes was difficult due to the complex history and continually changing state of the water quality of the St. Lawrence. The results of this study suggest that chironomid may be effective indicators of tracking the impacts of pesticide use in fluvial systems.

abstract: NSERC


title: Assessing the applicability of an environmental justice framework to corporate social responsibility in the Canadian extractives industry

subject: CSR Extractives

abstract: The Canadian extractives industry faces uneven adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice, and unclear roles and responsibilities for corporate, government, and civil society actors. This is resulting in unjust corporate activity in areas of operation, especially in the developing world where drivers of CSR are weaker. The goal of this report is to describe the applicability of an environmental justice (EJ) framework in addressing these issues of CSR, in the hopes of providing a jumping-off point for the industry-wide adoption of a universal CSR framework which ensures that justice is done to all relevant stakeholders in extractives activities. Through dcument analysis of the English-language literature on CSR, EJ, and associated actors, including an illustrative case study of the Marlin mine in Guatemala, it was determined that environmental justice is well-suited to describing failings of CSR practice. Given this, and the simplicity of the EJ framework, it is proposed that EJ could potentially guide development and implementation of future CSR programs. The justifications for and limitations of CSR will be described, followed by an illustration of the applicability of EJ to CSR practice using the Marlin mine case. Incentives for participation by government, corporate, and civil society actors will then be outlined, as well as the proposed roles of each of these sectors in CSR planning, implementation and enforcement.


title: Image Retrieval using Landmark Indexing for Indoor Navigation

contributor:
Greenspan, Michael A.
Electrical and Computer Engineering

subject:
Image retrieval
Bag of visual words
Landmark indexing
Indoor navigation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-24 12:44:41.429

abstract: A novel approach is proposed for real-time retrieval of images from a large database of overlapping images of an indoor environment. The procedure extracts visual features from images using selected computer vision techniques, and processes the extracted features to create a reduced list of features annotated with the frame numbers they appear in. This method is named landmark indexing. Unlike some state-of-the-art approaches, the proposed method does not need to consider large image adjacency graphs because the overlap of the images in the map sufficiently increases information gain, and mapping of similar features to the same landmark reduces the search space to improve search efficiency. Empirical evidence from experiments on real datasets shows high (90-100%) accuracy in image retrieval, and improvement in search time from the order of 100-200 milliseconds to the order of 10-30 milliseconds. The image retrieval technique is also demonstrated by integrating it into a 3D real-time navigation system. This system is tested in several indoor environments and all experiments show accurate localization results in large indoor areas with errors in the order of 15-20 centimeters only.

abstract: M.A.Sc.


title: Co-simulation Environment for Modeling Networked Cyber-Physical Systems

contributor:
Taha, Abd-Elhamid M.
Hassanein, Hossam S.
Computing

subject:
Co-simulation
Network Simulation
Modeling and Simulation

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-24 14:38:30.039

abstract: Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) represent a new generation of engineered systems that tightly integrates computations, communications (cyber) and physics. Simulation plays a considerable role in validating CPSs as it substantially reduces the costs and risks in the design-testing cycles. Reliable simulations, however, mandate realistic modeling for both the cyber and the physical aspects. This is especially the case in various networked mobile CPSs (e.g., excavation robots and vehicular networks), where cost and risk may become substantial. Current CPS modeling tools lack complete models of communication. Co-simulation attempts to overcome this limitation by integrating multiple modeling and simulation tools to offer complete models of all aspects of CPSs. In this thesis, we design and implement a co-simulation environment for modeling and simulating networked CPSs. The environment is called AcumenNS3 and it integrates Acumen, a language for modeling hybrid physical systems, with NS-3, a discrete-event network simulator. This environment allows users to augment network simulations with physical models using an easy-to-use modeling language. It provides a seamless integration between network and physics models by providing mobility based on the physical simulation in addition to generic access to the physical state. Using the AcumenNS3 environment, we demonstrate and model example simulation scenarios of networked CPSs.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Psychosocial Aspects of Health Care Experiences in Women With Vulvovaginal Pain: Patients and Physician Perspectives

contributor:
Pukall, Caroline F.
Psychology

subject:
Genito-Pelvic Pain Penetration Disorder
Vulvovaginal Pain
Health Care
Biopsychosocial Model
Medical Training
Vulvodynia

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-24 16:39:05.723

abstract:
Vulvodynia, a common form of chronic vulvovaginal pain, is conceptualized as a multifactorial chronic pain condition. Research has examined the role of numerous physiological, psychological, and social factors in the development and maintenance of vulvodynia, however, health care experiences have not been closely examined in this clinical population. Three online studies were conducted to investigate the health care experiences of women with chronic vulvovaginal pain. Study 1 examined pelvic examination (PE) experiences in women with and without chronic pain during intercourse. During their last PE, women with pelvic and vulvovaginal pain reported significantly more pain and anxiety compared to women without pain during intercourse. Various predisposing (first PE experience), examination (quality of patient- physician interaction, physician gender), and psychological factors (vaginal penetration cognitions, body image) predicted PE ratings in women with and without pain during intercourse. Study 2 more broadly examined pain and adjustment in women with vulvovaginal pain. Pain-related beliefs (i.e., attributional style, perceived control) were related to health care variables and predicted adjustment. First, global attributions predicted depressive symptoms and pain-related cognitions/responses after controlling for pain severity and interference. Second, chance beliefs moderated the relationship between pain-related cognitions/responses and internal attributions. Third, women with higher chance and lower physician pain beliefs reported lower social support. Study 3 investigated the knowledge, attitudes, and comfort of Canadian medical residents in Family Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) about vulvodynia. OBGYN residents later in their training reported greater knowledge and comfort with vulvodynia and its symptoms than their more junior counterparts; ratings did not significantly differ between specialties. Residents did report significantly more positive attitudes toward patients with
ii
vulvovaginal pain of identifiable pathology in comparison to patients with no physical findings. Comfort discussing sexuality in medical practice was a significant predictor of knowledge, attitudes, and comfort with vulvodynia after controlling for demographics/training variables. These findings offer a multidimensional perspective on the role of health care in biopsychosocial models of vulvovaginal pain, and have implications for the assessment and treatment of vulvodynia and Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder.

abstract: To ensure the results are not publicly accessible before they are published in a peer reviewed publication.

abstract: PhD


title: Chronic prenatal ethanol exposure produces neurobehavioural and metabolic dysfunction in guinea pig offspring

contributor:
Reynolds, James
Brien, James
Pharmacology and Toxicology

subject:
Metabolism
Ethanol Teratogenicity

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Pharmacology & Toxicology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-25 10:52:50.048

abstract: Maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy can produce teratogenic outcomes in offspring, which are collectively termed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction is a debilitating and permanent manifestation of FASD.  Recent studies indicate that chronic prenatal ethanol exposure (CPEE), via maternal ethanol administration, also impairs metabolic function in offspring. The mechanism of ethanol teratogenicity is multi-faceted and could involve alterations in insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathways. These pathways are not only important for metabolism, but are also involved in CNS neuronal survival and plasticity, which are impaired by CPEE. The overall goal of this thesis research was to study, in the guinea pig, neurobehavioural and metabolic effects of CPEE and to investigate whether these effects were associated with altered CNS and peripheral insulin/IGF signaling pathways. In postnatal offspring, CPEE decreased brain weight and altered performance of the modified Biel-maze task, which was a sensitive measure of apparent cognitive dysfunction and executive function deficits. Furthermore, CPEE produced various manifestations of metabolic teratogenicity in offspring, including decreased birth weight, postnatal catch-up body growth, increased whole-body adiposity, disrupted pancreatic morphology, dysregulation of blood glucose concentration and increased liver weight in adulthood. The CPEE-induced neurobehavioural and metabolic effects were associated with alterations of the insulin/IGF signaling pathways in the CNS and periphery. In the liver, CPEE decreased mRNA expression of IGF-1, IGF-1 receptor, and IGF-2 in male and female offspring, and increased mRNA expression of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-2 in male offspring only compared with nutritional control. Female CPEE offspring had decreased hepatic mRNA expression of insulin receptor compared with male CPEE offspring. In the prefrontal cortex, IRS-2 mRNA expression was increased in male and female CPEE offspring compared with nutritional control. The studies of this thesis have contributed to the understanding of the neurobehavioural and metabolic consequences of CPEE in offspring, which are associated with impairment of the insulin/IGF signaling pathways.

abstract: PhD


title: The role of dietary exposure to heterocyclic aromatic amines and genetic susceptibility in colorectal adenoma etiology

contributor:
King, Will D.
Massey, Thomas E.
Community Health and Epidemiology

subject:
Heterocyclic aromatic amine
Colorectal adenoma
Molecular epidemiology
Meat-derived carcinogens
Gene-environment interactions
Colorectal cancer
Genetic susceptibility

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-25 11:32:30.392

abstract:
Background: Meat consumption is associated with an elevated risk of colorectal cancer (CRC); exposure to heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), carcinogens produced when meat is cooked at high temperatures, is one hypothesized explanation for this relationship.  HAAs form adducts with DNA; left unrepaired, DNA adducts can induce mutations which may initiate and/or promote the development of colorectal adenomas, precursors to the vast majority of CRCs.  Along this continuum, genetic differences in the ability to biotransform or metabolize HAAs and repair DNA is postulated to modify the HAA-CRC relationship.

Methods: This thesis examined the HAA-CRC relationship in two studies (Phase 1 and 2).  In a cross-sectional study of 99 healthy volunteers, Phase 1 investigated the relationship between dietary exposure to HAAs and the levels of bulky DNA adducts in blood leukocytes.  In Phase 2, a cross-sectional study examined the relationships between dietary exposures to: a) HAAs and; b) meat mutagenicity, and the prevalence of colorectal adenomas among 342 patients undergoing a screening colonoscopy.  Both Phase 1 and 2 examined potential gene-diet interactions between dietary HAAs and genetic factors relevant to the biotransformation of HAAs and DNA repair.

Results: In Phase 1, an interaction was observed for dietary HAAs and NAT1 polymorphisms where a positive association between HAA intakes and bulky DNA adduct levels was found among those with the NAT1 slow acetylator genotype, hypothesized to confer a lower ability to biotransform HAAs.  In Phase 2, polymorphisms in genes involved in the biotransformation of HAAs (CYP1B1 rs10012 and rs1056827) and DNA repair (XPC rs2228001) were found to determine colorectal adenoma risk.  As well, gene-diet interactions were observed for dietary HAAs/meat mutagenicity exposures and polymorphisms in CYP1B1 and XPD (rs13181 and rs1799793).  Overall, a higher risk of colorectal adenoma was observed with higher HAA and/or meat mutagenicity exposures among those with polymorphisms which confer a greater activity to biotransform HAAs and/or a lower ability to repair DNA.

Conclusion: This research supports the contribution of dietary HAAs and genetic susceptibility to the risk of developing colorectal adenomas and highlighted bulky DNA adduct formation as a potential biologic pathway through which HAAs may influence cancer risk.

abstract: PhD


title: Health Monitoring of Machinery Fluids Using Excitation-Emission Matrix Spectroscopy and Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy

contributor:
Loock, Hans-Peter
Chemistry

subject:
Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Fiber-Optics
Chemometrics
Lubricant Oil

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-25 13:24:37.761

abstract:
The quality of machinery liquids plays a critical role in ensuring safe and cost-effective operation of engines. Especially in the aviation industry, there is a great need for real-time and online monitoring of the purity, lubricity and age of machinery fluids.
In this work, two optical techniques, excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMS) and cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), are used for monitoring of degradation and contamination of aero-turbine lubricants and jet fuels using optical fiber probes.
We implement EEMS combined with a modified fiber probe design to characterize lubricant quality through the characteristic fluorescence of antioxidant additives. Multi-way analysis procedures, such as parallel factor analysis, are applied to correlate spectral features to antioxidant concentration, oxidative stability, and lubricant age. The spectroscopic data are then correlated to commonly used, off-line parameters such as the induction time and the breakdown number.
It is shown that the decrease in fluorescence intensities of antioxidants coincides with the decomposition of the oil base stock. The induction times of synthetic jet turbine oil degraded at 150ºC, 195ºC and 215ºC are found to be at about 10,000, 3,500 and 400 min respectively. Simple kinetic models are developed that are capable of describing antioxidant reactions as pseudo first-order processes.
We also demonstrate that with fluorescence detection it is possible to determine the concentration of oil contamination in jet fuel from about 10 to 1000 ppmv.
In addition, a fiber-loop cavity ring-down spectrometer has been developed to quantitatively identify oil contamination of jet fuel by measuring optical absorption in the UV region. CRDS is a very sensitive, path-enhanced absorption technique that may be used for trace-species measurements in gas and liquids. The absorption measurements on samples with small volumes are characterized by measuring the concentration of turbine oil in jet fuel from 100 000 ppmv to a limit of detection of 400 ppmv.
In summary, the obtained results permit us to specify the life time of lubrication oil and to determine the contamination of jet fuel with turbine oil qualitatively and quantitatively. In a simple optical configuration the fiber-coupled EEM and CRD methods permit in situ sampling of the machinery fluids.

abstract: PhD


title: Papermusic: a Tangible Audio Manipulation Platform With Large Flexible Displays

contributor:
Vertegaal, Roel
Computing

subject: HCI

abstract: Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-25 17:17:15.747

abstract:
Audio editing environments, geared towards touch screens and mobile computing form factors, are prevalent, predominant and continue to gain in popularity. However, touch-based gestures on mobile devices are typically singlehanded tasks and limited to 2D interaction space, which is less intuitive and efficient for music manipulation. Also, with the constraint of limited screen assets, a user has to frequently switch between different audio sample contexts while editing.
We present PaperMusic, a novel audio manipulation interface, for enabling simple and intuitive audio manipulation for novice musicians. PaperMusic uses multiple flexible displays, 3D tracking system, bend sensors, and a set of tangible audio interaction techniques, which take advantage of Organic User Interface and bimanual interactions, to enable users to tangibly and collaboratively create and edit audio.
PaperMusic draws from both the traditional music editing environment and novel audio interfaces. During making our first prototype, we consider the following design goals: (1) Low learning Curve; (2) Consistent Metaphor; (3) Lightweight & portability; (4) Spatial awareness; (5) Multimodal with richer forms of tactile and visual feedback; (6) Bimanual tasking and multi- display interaction; (7) Collaborative music editing. Based on this, we have designed and explored five interaction techniques: (1) Layering; (2) Collocation; (3) Pointing; (4) 3D spatial awareness; (5) Bending & discrete touching.
We performed a qualitative user experiment to obtain feedback from participants who were amateur musicians. Our user study indicates that, compared with traditional music editing software, our tangible prototype had a lower mental demand and facilitates bimanual asymmetric tasks.

abstract: My thesis is about to be published as a paper in future

abstract: M.Sc.


title: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF SOFT-WATER CALCIUM DECLINE ON THE LIFE-HISTORIES STRATEGIES OF VARIOUS DAPHNIA SPECIES

subject:
softwater calcium decline
Daphnia

abstract: Soft-water calcium decline is of growing concern for Ca-rich aquatic organisms such as Daphnia, a cladoceran zooplankton. Survival and reproduction thresholds across daphniid species have not been well studied in Ca-limiting conditions. In hopes to establish Ca-thresholds, the life-history of ten iso-female Daphnia clones, composed of Daphnia pulex/pulicaria, D. catawba and D. ambigua, were tracked over 21-day trials exposed to five Ca-treatment groups (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg of Ca/L).  D. catawba and D. pulex/pulicaria survivorship was significantly affected by the Ca-gradient, while the survivorship of the smaller-bodied D. ambigua was not. Increased survivorship across the Ca-gradient was most notable in D. catawba, which is surprising as it is often viewed as a species tolerant to low-Ca conditions. However, it is believed that species-specific Ca responses are driven by large variations in survivorship, attributed to differences both within and across clone lines. At low-Ca (< 2.5 mg of Ca/L) all species exhibited premature mortality (<10 days), most likely due to high-Ca demands of juveniles. In general, survivorship did not increase with increasing Ca-level, as the greatest survivorship within all species was seen at moderate Ca-levels (2.5 mg of Ca/L). It is suggested that acclimation to moderate Ca-levels (2.5 mg of Ca/L) is from mother clone lines and batch cultures being raised in the same Ca-concentration. Acclimation to 2.5 mg of Ca/L conditions is further supported by evidence that this Ca treatment also experienced the greatest reproductive output as well as fewer delays in reproduction. Nevertheless, inherent concerns over establishing conservative Ca-thresholds in the laboratory emerge; this in combination with the difficulties that arise here in culturing Daphnia, may highlight the need for in situ studies to identify Ca-thresholds across daphniids.


title: A Prospective Study of Psychache and its Relationship to Suicidality

contributor:
Holden, Ronald R.
Psychology

subject:
Suicide Ideation
Psychache

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-26 12:13:48.797

abstract:
Suicide takes the lives of over 3,500 Canadians each year, making prevention an important public health concern. Identifying psychological predictors of suicide risk is essential because these variables may be amenable to change in treatment, unlike demographic or historical factors. Although past research reveals that both hopelessness and depression are moderately strong predictors of suicidal outcomes, neither one of these constructs alone, or combined, is able to fully account for suicidality. Shneidman postulated that a different psychological construct, termed psychache, is a unique predictor of suicide when controlling for depression and hopelessness, and research has supported this assertion. Although evidence for psychache as a predictor of suicidal outcomes is accumulating, previous research has limitations, namely the use of cross-sectional research and a focus on healthy student populations. In addition, it has been suggested that because scales measuring depression, hopelessness, and psychache correlate highly, they are not distinct constructs, but instead represent a single syndrome.
The general purpose of the current studies is to establish the importance of psychache as a predictor of suicidal ideation. In order to address past limitations in the literature on psychache, three related studies were conducted. The first study was cross-sectional and examined a general group of undergraduate students. Factor analysis showed that psychache, depression, and hopelessness are three correlated, but distinct, variables. The second study was a longitudinal study where self-report measures were administered to high-risk undergraduate students. A two-year follow-up revealed that psychache was the only significant predictor of suicidal ideation at follow-up, and that its inclusion rendered the predictive value of depression and hopelessness to nonsignificant levels. The final study involved two groups of undergraduates and was a longitudinal study with a five-month follow-up. One group was a general university sample, and the other was a group of high-risk students. The two groups were analyzed separately, but showed almost identical results, lending support to the generalization of results from university samples to clinical samples. In addition, for each group, psychache was a unique predictor of suicidal ideation and suicide preparation, after controlling for depression and hopelessness. Overall, these studies suggest that psychache is distinct from depression and hopelessness, and is a better predictor of suicidality than depression or hopelessness when studied longitudinally in both general and high-risk undergraduate students. The findings also indicate congruence between low and high-risk samples, highlighting the generalizability of psychache as a predictor. This research has implications for the assessment of suicide risk and treatment for individuals experiencing suicidal ideation. It is hoped that these studies will help bring psychache forward as a pre-eminent risk factor alongside depression and hopelessness.

abstract: PhD


title: Racking Up The Twitter Points: How Professional Hockey Player Identities Are Affected By Twitter Usage

contributor:
King, Samantha J.
Kinesiology and Health Studies

subject:
Twitter
Labour
National Hockey League
Identity
Athletic Identity
Digital Fandom
Performance
Goffman
Foucault
Social Media
Grounded Theory
Colby Armstrong
Professional Sport
Blake Geoffrion
Montreal Canadiens
Celebrity Culture

abstract: Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-27 14:50:32.902

abstract: In this thesis, I examine the use of Twitter by NHL athletes to determine how and in what ways professional hockey players’ personal and professional identities are shaped by their use of this medium. I explore the current cultural moment surrounding the lives of NHL athletes, focusing on the increasingly blurred line between their private and professional identities. By grounding my analysis of their Twitter use in a new labour context that is academically situated betwixt the literatures on media studies, celebrity culture and identity presentation, I show that participation in this medium allows both athletes and fans to actively reshape their own and each others’ identities, constructing a new set of standards for professional hockey players that takes into consideration the heightened demand for access to the behind-the-scenes of their lives. The ability of professional hockey players to interact with fans and media on Twitter is also creating new types relationships and producing new discourses for the typical hockey player identity, and the labour this career involves. Finally, through interviews with NHL players, I draw out their motives for using Twitter, their understanding of the impact of their interaction with fans on the perceptions those fans have of their professional identity, and their desire for work-life balance as their professional and personal identities seemingly merge on Twitter in a postmodern labour context fuelled by heightened celebrity culture.

abstract: M.A.


title: An exploration of the associations between work and life stress, and indicators of cardiovascular risk among female shift work and non-shift work hospital employees.

contributor:
Tranmer, Joan E.
Nursing

subject:
Hospital
Women's Health
Stress
Cardiovascular Risk
Cardiometabolic Risk
Life Stress
Metabolic Syndrome
Cardiovascular Disease
Shift Work
Work Stress

abstract: Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-27 21:22:11.951

abstract:
Objective: To compare psychological work and life stress indicators among female hospital employees in both shift work (SW) and non-shift work (NSW) positions, and determine associations with demographic and vocational factors, and indicators of cardiovascular risk (CVR).
Methods: Female employees from one Southeastern Ontario acute care hospital (n=212) provided fasting blood samples, demographic and work related data, and completed a physical assessment and questionnaires.  Work stress was measured with the Job Content Questionnaire and Effort-Reward Balance Index (ERI).  Life stress was assessed with the Derogatis Stress Profile. Metabolic Syndrome (MS) was determined based on Interim Societies Joint Guidelines.
Results: SW in comparison to NSW employees reported higher mean scores in: global ERI (.70 (SD .4) vs. .58 (SD.29) p<.05), psychological job demands (21.2 (SD 4.8) vs. 19.2 (5.7) p<.01), physical job demands (13.8 (SD 2.6) vs. 10.2 (SD 3.8), skill discretion (36.5 (SD 4.4) vs. 34.7 (SD 5.4) p<.01), lower decision authority (31.6 (SD 5.8) vs. 33.5 (SD 6.5) p<.05), and lower total life stress scores (39.2 (SD 7.3) vs. 42.1 (SD 9.4) p<.05). There were no significant differences between SW and NSW group for MS or CVR factors. MS was present among 17% of all employees, 18.5% of SW, and 15.5% of NSW. In logistic regression analysis MS occurrence was associated with chronic SW exposure of 6 or more years  (AOR 5.41 (95% CI, 1.84 – 15.87), decisional authority (AOR 1.09 (95% CI, 1.00 – 1.18), skill discretion (AOR 1.13 (95% CI, 1.01 – 1.26), and depression (AOR 1.26 (95% CI 1.08 – 1.46).
Conclusions:  Women working in SW positions experience more psychological and physical work stress, and effort-reward imbalance.  The interplay between effort and reward aspects of the work environment may significantly contribute to psychological work stress and persist with increasing age among female hospital employees regardless of SW status.  Among female hospital employees SW status and psychological stress measures do not appear to have an immediate effect upon CVR, as measured by the MS, but may contribute to its development with prolonged exposure.

abstract: MNSc.


title: Arithmetic problems around the ABC conjecture and connections with logic

contributor:
Murty, Maruti Ram
Mathematics and Statistics

subject:
Hilbert's tenth problem
ABC conjecture

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-28 10:47:54.064

abstract: The main theme in this thesis is the ABC conjecture. We prove some partial results towards it and we find new applications of this conjecture, mainly in the context of B\"uchi's n squares problem (which has consequences in logic related to Hilbert's tenth problem) and squarefree values of polynomials. We also study related topics, such as arithmetic properties of additive subgroups of Hecke algebras, function field and meromorphic value distribution, and undecidability of the positive existential theories over languages of arithmetic interest.

abstract: PhD


title: Using Communication Technology to Facilitate Scientific Literacy: A Framework for Engaged Learning

contributor:
Chin, Peter
Education

subject:
ICT
science education

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-28 10:22:27.875

abstract:
The purpose of this research project is to describe how existing communication technologies are used to foster scientific literacy for secondary students. This study develops a new framework as an analytic tool to categorize the activities of teachers and students involved in scientific literacy to describe what elements of scientific literacy are facilitated by such technologies. Four case studies are analyzed using the framework to describe the scientific literacy initiatives.
Data collection at each site included interviews with the teacher, student focus groups, student surveys, and classroom observations. Qualitative analysis of the data provided insight into the learning activities and student experiences in the four cases.
This study intentionally provides a platform for student voice. Very few previous empirical studies in the area of scientific literacy include the student experience. This represents a significant gap in the current literature on scientific literacy. An interpretation of scientific literacy that promotes student engagement, interaction, and initiative corresponds to a need to listen to students’ perspectives on these experiences.
Findings of the study indicated that the classroom activities depended on the teacher’s philosophy regarding scientific literacy. Communication technology was ubiquitous; where the teacher did not initiate the use of social media in the classroom, the students did.  The goal of supporting scientific literacy in students is an objective that extends beyond the boundaries of classroom walls, and it can be facilitated by technologies that seem both abundant and underutilized. Technology-enhanced pedagogy altered the classroom practices and resulted in more student participation and engagement.

abstract: PhD


title: Assessing Biological Recovery of Cladocera from Sudbury-Area Lakes Using Paleolimnology

contributor:
Smol, John P.
Biology

subject: Acidification Zooplankton Paleolimnology Recovery Cladocera

abstract: Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-28 12:26:39.903

abstract: Lakes near Sudbury, Ontario, experienced widespread acidification and metal-contamination beginning in the late-19th century. These stressors caused extreme damage to regional aquatic systems and their catchments, with aquatic biota experiencing reduced species richness and, in some cases, extirpations. Emission control measures markedly improved pH, however biotic recovery continues to lag water quality improvements, prompting investigation into mechanisms leading to this phenomenon. Due to the lack of long-term monitoring data, I use paleolimnological approaches to examine temporal trends in cladoceran zooplankton, from pre-impact conditions, through the period of acidification/metal contamination, and following the implementation of emission controls. I assess the degree of biotic recovery that has taken place in these lakes, and review the mechanisms that continue to structure cladoceran assemblages. Lakes closest to Sudbury recorded increases of ~15-65% relative abundance of Chydorus brevilabris, concurrent with the late-1800s industrial development. The relative abundance of C. brevilabris remains elevated above pre-impact levels in two Sudbury lakes; however, in Middle Lake, which was neutralized with calcium carbonate, declines in C. brevilabris (to ~pre-impact levels) occurred following neutralization. Conversely, lakes located ~60 km southwest of Sudbury, in Killarney Provincial Park, experienced muted assemblage change, with minor (< ~5%) increases in grazers (e.g., Daphnia spp., Holopedium glacialis) occurring within the past ~40 years. Lakes in Sudbury and Killarney acidified to pH < ~5, however those in Sudbury additionally received high inputs of nickel and copper, which have toxic effects on aquatic organisms, including some Cladocera. Contamination with these metals may have been a primary driver of cladoceran assemblage change. Elevated metal concentrations likely continue to structure the cladoceran assemblages in the Sudbury lakes. In addition, many of the lakes contain altered food webs (e.g., large populations of yellow perch) as a legacy of the acid and metal contamination, acting as a potential barrier to recovery. Finally, warming air temperatures over the past ~40 years, which I link to increases in primary production, may alter the composition of cladoceran species found in these lakes, and therefore prevent a return to pre-impact conditions.

abstract: M.Sc.


title: Us3 disrupts PML nuclear bodies through its interaction with KLHL21 to promote viral gene transcription in interferon-exposed cells

contributor:
Banfield, Bruce
Microbiology and Immunology

subject:
Us3
PML nuclear bodies
KLHL21
Herpesvirus
Interferon
Serine/threonine kinase
PML

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Microbiology & Immunology) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-28 16:36:54.079

abstract:
Us3, a serine/threonine kinase encoded by all alphaherpesviruses, plays diverse roles
during virus infection. Recently, work done in our laboratory determined that Us3 orthologues from herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) and pseudorabies virus (PRV) are capable of disrupting promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) protein nuclear bodies (-NBs). PML-NBs are discrete, dynamic nuclear bodies named for PML, their essential structural component and one that plays a key role in diverse cellular processes, including transcriptional regulation, apoptosis, and cellular antiviral defense. In infected cells, PML-NBs exert transcriptional silencing on the viral genome to prevent viral gene expression and virus replication.
Based on this finding, my studies were aimed to understand the mechanism and physiological function of Us3-mediated PML-NB disruption. The degradation of one or more cellular proteins seems necessary for this Us3 activity, as the proteasome inhibitor, MG132,
dramatically reduced Us3-mediated PML-NB disruption. The target of this proteasome activity is not likely PML protein, as Us3 expression did not lead to detectable PML protein degradation. Nonetheless, the involvement of proteasome activity suggests that Us3 may utilize the host ubiquitylation pathway to disrupt PML-NBs. Supporting this hypothesis, PRV and HSV-2 Us3 orthologues were shown to interact with KLHL21, a substrate adaptor protein for cullin-3 ubiquitin ligase. PRV and HSV-2 Us3 were re-localized to PML-NBs when co-expressed with KLHL21, and knock-down of KLHL21 prevented Us3-mediated PML-NB disruption. Taken together, these findings suggest that Us3-KLHL21 complex recruits the cullin-3 ubiquitin ligase to PML-NBs, where subsequent ubiquitylation of unknown target(s) leads to PML-NB disassembly.
Since it is well established that PML is an important antiviral effector induced by
interferon (IFN), Us3 may contribute to viral resistance to IFN by disrupting PML-NBs.
Favoring this hypothesis, virus yield and viral gene transcription were dramatically reduced in IFN-exposed cells in the absence of Us3. These reductions were associated with an increased number of PML-NBs in the absence of Us3, and were partially recovered in cells knocked down for PML. Therefore, by disrupting PML-NBs, Us3 may alleviate IFN-induced, host-mediated transcriptional silencing of the viral genome, allowing efficient viral gene transcription and replication in cells exposed to IFN.

abstract: Some data described in this thesis are pending publication.

abstract: PhD


title: Substituting Biofuel for Coal:  Determining the Optimal Perennial Grass Species and Nitrogen Fertilization Level for Bioenergy Production in Eastern Ontario

subject:
Bioenergy
Perennial Grasses
Bioenergy Crops
Nitrous Oxide Emissions
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Biomass
Soil Emissions

abstract: Renewable energy production has become increasingly important in recent years due to climate change and energy security issues, and bioenergy crops may be able to supply a large amount of the world’s energy needs. Bioenergy is a carbon-neutral energy source, and perennial grasses are an ideal bioenergy crop due to their high growth rates and ability to grow under a range of conditions. To enhance grass productivity, nitrogen fertilization is often applied to these crops, but this can lead to increased emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), from the soil. In collaboration with Lafarge Cement in Bath, Ontario, three perennial grass species (Panicum virgatum, Schizachyrium scoparium and Andropogon gerardii) were grown in conjunction with three fertilization treatments (0, 50 and 150 lbs/acre of nitrogen as urea) to explore the tradeoffs associated with using nitrogen fertilizer in these bioenergy systems. Soil N2O emissions were measured weekly during the growing season, following fertilizer application in May 2013. At the same time, various soil properties known to influence N2O emissions (pH, soil temperature and soil moisture) were measured. Crop productivity was measured at the end of the growing season to determine the species and fertilization level at which GHG emission benefits are maximized. N2O fluxes were significantly higher in the 150 lbs./acre treatment, with no significant difference between the 0 and 50 lbs./acre treatments. Grass species had no effect on N2O fluxes from the different fertilization treatments. Total GHG fluxes, which incorporate CO2 and CH4 in addition to N2O, exhibited similar results among the fertilization treatments, and were also shown to be higher in the control treatment than the other three species treatments due largely to differences in soil CO2 production.  Nitrogen fertilizer, however, did not significantly increase grass aboveground biomass. My results indicate that these perennial grass species are viable bioenergy crops in Eastern Ontario, and that the addition of nitrogen fertilizer at this site would reduce the benefits of the bioenergy crop to the climate system.

abstract: Lafarge Cement Inc., Carbon Management Canada


title: The Synthesis and Characterization of Phosphonium Indenylide Complexes of Ruthenium(II)

contributor:
Baird, Michael C.
Chemistry

subject: Inorganic Organometallic

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-29 12:07:41.085

abstract: Phosphonium indenylides (PHIN) are a promising, yet relatively unexplored class of transition metal ligands. The ylidic resonance structure b of this compound is isoelectronic with the cyclopentadienyl ligand which is ubiquitous throughout organometallic chemistry. Phosphonium indenylides have been found to have electron donating properties between those of η6-benzene and η5-cyclopentadienyl ligands and are tuneable based on the nature of the phosphine used. In addition, upon coordination, phosphonium indenylides exhibit planar chirality. These properties may potentially lead to interesting coordination chemistry and applications in catalysis.The phosphonium indenylides 1-C9H6PPh3 (I), 1-C9H6PMePh2 (II) and1-C9H6PMe2Ph (III) have been synthesized and reacted with [CpRu(MeCN)3]PF6 to form complexes of the type [CpRu(I-III)]PF6 (V-VII) which were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, ESI MS and X-ray crystallography. In an attempt to synthesize Ru-PHIN complexes with labile ligands attached to the metal centre, an arene exchange reaction between a PHIN ligand and RuCl2(η6-ethylbenzoate)(PPh3) was employed to produce RuCl2(II)(PPh3) which was characterized by extensive NMR spectroscopy.

abstract: PhD


title: The Development of the SNO+ Experiment: Scintillator Timing, Pulse Shape Discrimination, and Sterile Neutrinos

subject:
sterile neutrinos
scintillator physics

abstract: Thesis (Ph.D, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-28 20:52:42.41

abstract:
The SNO+ experiment is a multi-purpose neutrino detector which is under construction in the SNOLAB facility in Sudbury, Ontario. SNO+ will search for neutrinoless double beta decay, and will measure low energy solar neutrinos.

This thesis will describe three main development activities for the SNO+ experiment: the measurement of the timing parameters for the liquid scintillator cocktail, using those timing parameters to estimate the ability of SNO+ to discriminate
alpha and beta events in the detector, and a sensitivity study that examines how solar neutrino data can constrain a light sterile neutrino model.

Characterizing the timing parameters of the emission light due to charged-particle excitation in the scintillator is necessary for proper reconstruction of events in the detector. Using data obtained from a bench-top setup, the timing profile was modelled as three exponential components with distinct timing coefficients. Also investigated was the feasibility of using the timing profiles as a means to separate alpha and beta excitation events in the scintillator. The bench-top study suggested that using the peak-to-total method of analyzing the timing profiles could remove >$99.9% of alpha events while retaining >$99.9% of beta events. The timing parameters measured in the test set-up were then implemented in a Monte Carlo code which simulated the SNO+ detector conditions. The
simulation results suggested that detector effects reduce the effectiveness of discriminating between alpha and beta events using the peak-to-total method. Using a more optimal method of analyzing the timing profile differences, specifically using a Gatti filter, improved the discrimination capability back to the levels determined
in the bench-top setup.

One of the physics goals of SNO+ is the first precision measurement of the pep solar neutrino flux at the level of about 5% uncertainty. A study was performed to investigate how current solar neutrino data constrains the allowed parameters of a light 3+1 sterile neutrino model. The impact of adding a SNO+ pep solar neutrino measurement on the allowed parameters of the sterile model was then examined.

abstract: PhD


title: Medical Students’ Experience Using an e-Portfolio for Self-Regulated Learning in the Context of the Intrinsic CanMEDS Roles

contributor:
Shulha, Lyn
Education

subject:
CanMEDS
Self-regulated learning
Medical Education
e-Portfolio

abstract: Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-29 12:53:15.642

abstract:
Self-regulated learning (SRL) is associated with academic and clinical achievement. Using Zimmerman’s (2002) framework, SRL includes a cycle of forethought, performance, and reflection. To support SRL, a web-based portfolio (e-Portfolio), in the context of the intrinsic CanMEDS Roles, was introduced for undergraduate medical students at a Canadian Medical School.
This exploratory, qualitative study was designed to capture students’ descriptions of their behaviours using the e-Portfolio, to examine the extent to which these were consistent with SRL processes, and to analyze the gaps between intended and actual use.
Data were collected using both semi-structured interviews and a 20-item, 5-point Likert-type instrument to prompt discussion. Second-year medical student volunteers were recruited for data collection until saturation of information was reached (n=14). Thematic and content analysis were used; data were interpreted using constructivist grounded theory (Creswell, 2007). Use of one interviewer, a standardized protocol, and member checking assured consistency and trustworthiness of the data.
Students explicitly described the value of the e-Portfolio as an organizational tool, and as a form of assessment. Participants identified some elements of forethought and reflection but seldom described plans to achieve and measure outcomes. During the process of uploading materials to their e-Portfolio many of the students were able to make connections between the intrinsic CanMEDS Roles they are to assume as practicing physicians and the behaviours that operationalize these roles. Students viewed the e-Portfolio as a working folder compared to the faculty goal of a cumulative portfolio. Students endorsed self-selection of artifacts and faculty mentorship to improve relevance and future motivation for learning. Limitations included privacy concerns.
Participants described a goal-oriented, in contrast to a process- or learning-oriented, approach to keeping their portfolios. The gap between students’ descriptions of portfolio use and SRL were most significant for the performance phase. The dual use of a portfolio for learning and assessment resulted in some compromises to the students’ use of the portfolio for learning.  Strategies to improve SRL could include specific instruction on the nature and value of SRL, faculty mentorship during the learning process, and assessment of students’ learning processes.

abstract: M.Ed.


title: Illnesses Associated with Non-Point Source Contamination of Recreational Water and Potential New Management Tactics to Minimize Health Risk

subject: recreational water management

subject: non-point source contamination

subject: predictive modelling

subject: quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA)

abstract: The timely and accurate detection of contamination events that may pose a risk to public health is a critical aspect of recreational water management. Currently, regular microbial monitoring of fecal indicator bacteria species Escherichia coli and Enterococcus is standard procedure for detecting changes in water quality and establishing the need to implement beach advisories or closures. In locations where predominant sources of pollution are those originating from agricultural or urban runoff as well as other animal waste however, the detection of these fecal indicator bacteria species may not consistently or accurately predict the presence of a human health risk. Furthermore, factors such as increased precipitation, elevated temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events associated with climate change will likely result in the increased prevalence of these types of contamination events and the need for them to be more immediately addressed in water management. A review of literature addressing recreational water management strategies and microbial monitoring procedures has been conducted in order to establish current knowledge gaps in the field, opportunities for future research, as well as potential alterations of the current management system that may be able to provide more effective public health protection. A number of limitations are associated with the reliance on indicator species detection to predict a public health risk. The establishment of additional or alternative species to monitor, as well as more efficient technologies to perform tests on water samples may eventually be able to address some of these issues. The incorporation of predictive modelling strategies into water management systems, which will allow beach managers to implement advisories or closures following likely contamination events prior to human exposure, may be an effective alternative to microbial monitoring, especially in locations where contamination results mainly from runoff and animal waste.