identifier: Valerio, Paul F.(Paul Federico) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Valerio=3APaul_F=2E=28Paul_Federico=29=3A=3A.html>   (1992) The role of antifreeze compounds in inhibiting ice crystal growth across the skin of marine fishes.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: It has been well established that antifreeze peptides are responsible for the ability of many marine teleosts to survive in icy sea water at temperatures below the colligative freezing points of their blood. However the in vivo site of antifreeze action has yet to be determined. The "ice-exclusion hypothesis" suggests that antifreeze proteins act within epithelial membranes (skin, gills, gut) and block the entry of external ice crystals. This hypothesis was examined by measuring ice propagation temperatures across isolated skin samples from the winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus). The results obtained were consistent with the hypothesis, indicating that fish skin is an effective barrier to ice propagation and that the effectiveness of this barrier improves with the addition of antifreeze proteins. The results also demonstrated that the skin ice propagation temperatures were substantially lower than the lethal freezing temperatures of the fish. Therefore, some other epithelial tissue (possible gill) must be less effective than the skin in blocking ice crystal penetration into the fish. -- Analysis of tissues from the cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus, revealed the presence of a thermal hysteresis compound in aqueous extracts of the skin. The apparent absence of this substance from cunner plasma provided further support for the hypothesis that antifreeze proteins block the entry of external ice crystals into the fish.


identifier: Singh, Karunesh Pratap <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Singh=3AKarunesh_Pratap=3A=3A.html>   (1992) On-line reconfiguration of systolic arrays.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

format: application/pdf application/pdf

abstract: Various existing reconfiguration algorithms for array processors cannot be used efficiently for on-line reconfiguration of the array because they require a central processor to initiate and control the reconfiguration. In addition, most of the existing algorithms assume that the switching network is operationally fault-free. -- This report presents an on-line reconfiguration scheme for array processors. The proposed algorithm can tolerate both processing element failure and switching network failure. The processing elements and switches are of a self-testing type and link failures are detected by the processing elements (by using parity bit checks). -- The array is provided with a bottom row of spare cells and when a processing element detects either a self fault or a link failure, it invokes the reconfiguration. A downward global shift (for the particular column) is performed to accomplish the reconfiguration. A number of reconfiguration requests are generated by the processing elements and switch modules to facilitate the reconfiguration. The network is modified and links for propagation of reconfiguration request are added. This scheme makes full use of non-faulty partial results and it blocks the faulty partial results. -- The reconfiguration in the case of a processing element failure is completed in two stages while the reconfiguration in the case of a link failure is completed in a single stage. The links are duplicated to achieve redundancy and in the case of a link failure the spare link is used.


identifier: Brown, Peter Wilfred <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Brown=3APeter_Wilfred=3A=3A.html>   (1993) Optimal design of bow plating for ships operating in ice.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Extensive work has been carried out in recent years to ensure that ice-capable ships are both safe and economical. The present analysis provides a methodology which can be employed by the designer to calculate the optimum bow plating thickness for operation in ice. To this end, a local ice load model is re-evaluated using a probabilistic analysis of full scale data, probabilities of failure for plating are calculated and plate thickness is optimised. -- Full scale data for the MV Canmar Kigoriak and USCGC Polar Sea were ranked; curves were fitted through the tail of each data set; and Type-I extreme probability, distributions were derived for the three panel sizes. The Canmar Kigoriak data were then subdivided based on contact area and a simulation was performed to derive the load distributions on subregions of the instrumented panel. Finally, a local ice load model which accounts for annual number of impacts and exposure was confirmed. -- To evaluate the strength of bow plating, three limit states (three-hinge collapse, permanent set and membrane collapse) were selected. Statistical distributions for each of the input parameters were established. The probability of failure was calculated, for each limit state using a range of plate thicknesses, frame spacings and annual numbers of impacts, using First Onler Reliability Method software. The probability of failure was approximated as a plane for each limit state and frame spacing. -- Plate thickness was optimised for minimum cost. Minimum safety levels for permanent set and membrane collapse were also specified. The objective function considered costs due to construction, aesthetics, repair and replacement. Cost due to lost use of the ship and increased weight can also be specified. These costs were considered to be specific to the vessel under consideration and hence, were considered outside the scope of the present analysis. Optimum plate thicknesses are presented and compared with those specified by the Proposals for the Revision of the Arctic Shipping Pollution Prevention Regulations.


identifier: Gnanam, Gnanaprabhu <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Gnanam=3AGnanaprabhu=3A=3A.html>   (1996) Optimal power flow including voltage stability.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis investigates the effects of including a voltage stability index as part of Security Constrained Optimal Power Flow (SCOPF). The formulation of Optimal Power Flow (OPF) and SCOPF, and their computational features are discussed. Different types of voltage stability indices are studied and an L-index based voltage stability index is used for the investigation. Two different approaches are used in formulating the L-index in SCOPF. In one method, the L-index was formulated as a part of SCOPF constraints. In the other, the L-index is used as the SCOPF objective function. The effects of these methods on the voltage stability of the system are determined by monitoring the voltage stability margin. Simulation results based on the two methods are presented for a 6-bus system and 30-bus system. The advantages and disadvantages of both the methods are discussed. Simulation results indicate that, the method with L-index as SCOPF objective function significantly improves the voltage stability margin compared to the standard SCOPF.


identifier: Large, E. S.(Edward Sean) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Large=3AE=2E_S=2E=28Edward_Sean=29=3A=3A.html>   (1986) Optimization of the cutting action of a spring supported sash saw through computer simulated tooth trace analysis.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The influences of various factors on the mechanics of wood cutting by a spring-supported, vertically oscillating frame saw are examined. These include saw tooth pitch, tooth gullet depth and capacity, saw blade overhang, oscillation frequency and amplitude, and log feed speed. -- The efficiency and effectiveness of the cutting process are dependent primarily on the relative path of motion taken by each tooth through the wood during sawing; thus it is the tooth traces upon which the attention of this study is focused. The factors listed above govern the shapes of these traces, and thus it is the determination of optimum values for some of these factors which is the main objective here. -- For the purpose of tooth trace analyses, a computer program has been developed which, when coupled with plotting facilities, allows the user to view a set of simulated relative tooth paths. The program incorporates features which accommodate the other than normal kinematic characteristics of the plate spring supported sash, and combines these influences with those of the factors listed above. Most importantly it allows for the introduction of a non-constant log feed speed function, specifically one which combines a constant with a sinusoidal portion. -- A detailed analysis of the produced plots with a view to solution to inherent sash saw problems comprises the final portion of this paper. From specific observations and assumptions with respect to the mechanics of cutting of the saw teeth, simultaneous equations are developed and solved for three system variables. Finally, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made with respect to the development of a more efficient MUN (Memorial University of Newfoundland) Sash Saw design.


identifier: Kearney, Peter <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Kearney=3APeter=3A=3A.html>   (1985) Oral tradition and the Scottish coal mines.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Work-based oral tradition in the Scottish mining industry developed historically. The roots of this tradition can be found in the culture of the independent collier artisan who existed prior to the industrial revolution. Through examining recent historical research and contemporary accounts, the miners' work culture can be seen as it developed from the early eighteenth century to cope with the pressures of industrial production methods and the consequent social changes. -- Oral tradition is a dynamic process which fuses both conservative and innovative elements. This process allowed the miners' work culture to develop and adapt to new social and economic situations. Often, however, where tradition interfered with the production process, attempts were made to eradicate it. In this case the miners suffered the same fate as other sections of the working class. However, the miners' unique social and cultural position between industrial worker and rural dweller ensured that a vigorous and lively oral tradition was maintained. The history of the miners' work culture can be linked, with the benefit of anthropological and folkloristic research, to field studies among living and working miners in order to chart its development. -- Through the accounts of present day miners of their life and work, a continuous process of tradition can be observed. How this tradition has developed and how it exists can be seen through the study of oral narrative, song and poetry. The unbroken line of tradition can be observed in detail as it functions within one family. How the oral history and tradition of the industry is passed on through narrative, song and poetry within the family can be seen through these artistic aspects of the work culture. Artistic oral communication exists within the mining industry, and is linked to the history of the industry. The content and sometimes the form of the expression of this tradition changes as social and economic relations change. However, the process of the traditions seems as likely to continue as the industry from which it developed.


identifier: Larkin, Maureen <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Larkin=3AMaureen=3A=3A.html>   (1990) Our way of living : survival strategies in lobster fishing households in Prince Edward Island.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The survival of the lobster fishery is dependent on many factors, both inside and outside the fishing household. This thesis argues that an adequate explanation of the survival of this petty commodity form of production necessitates an understanding of the tension between external structures such as state policies and the internal dynamics of fishing households. It examines the impact of changing state policies, during the period of the mid-1960s to the 1980s, on the survival of lobster fishing households. Recent changes in the area of licensing and unemployment insurance programs, resulted in both new constraints and new opportunities for the survival of lobster fishing households in PEI. -- Many analyses of the survival of fishing production have focused on the influence of state policy on the activities and decisions of the fisher. However, fishers are embedded in fishing households. State policies impact on members of fishing households, other than the fisher, and the survival of the fishing unit is dependent on the ability of the household as a whole to respond to changes in state policy. -- Drawing on data from interviews with men and women in fishing households in Naufrage, located in northeastern P.E.I., this thesis demonstrates that household members have actively and creatively responded to changes in state policy in developing strategies to reproduce their production unit. Initiatives on the part of women have been a key component in household survival strategies. They have creatively adapted to the constraints of external forces as well as lobbied for changes in state policy that, in turn, extended the survival options for fishing families. The success of survival strategies depends on the internal characteristics of the fishing household such as life-cycle and the intersection of gender relations and household dynamics.


identifier: Wettasinghe, Mahinda <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Wettasinghe=3AMahinda=3A=3A.html>   (1995) Oxidative stability and texture of meat as affected by salts and haem pigments.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Due to concerns over the role of nitrite and high sodium chloride concentrations in cured meat products, nitrite-free alternative meat curing systems consisting of a colorant, the pre-formed cooked cured-meat pigment (CCMP) and antioxidant/chelator mixtures with or without an antimicrobial agent and other usual curing adjuncts have been developed. The present study was conducted to examine the antioxidative efficacy of CCMP (at 2.2, 6.2 and 10 μM), alone or in combination with sodium ascorbate (SA) and/or sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), in a β-carotene/linoleate model system. For comparative properties, pro- or anti-oxidative effects of metmyoglobin (MMb), nitrosylmyoglobin (NOMb) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), were also investigated in the same model system at the same concentrations. CCMP exhibited an antioxidative effect at 6.2 and 10 μM concentrations and its activity was greater than that of NOMb, but less than that of BHA, whereas MMb exhibited a prooxidative effect. Moreover, the antioxidative properties of CCMP in the presence of both SA and STPP (at 550 and 500 ppm, respectively) was marginally enhanced when compared to that of CCMP alone. -- Sodium chloride, generally regarded as a prooxidant, is always used in curing mixtures. In order to investigate whether this prooxidant effect as well as the influence of salt on water-binding capacity (WBC) and texture originates from the sodium ion or the chloride ion of the molecule, a number of halides and sulphates of alkali and alkali-earth metals (at 100 and 200 meq/kg meat) were examined in a meat model system. Similar studies were carried out using Pan®-salt (52% NaC1 + 28% KC1 + 12% MgSO₄ + 3% Lysine.HC1), a commercially-available low-sodium salt, at 1, 2 and 3%. Results were compared with those for 1, 2 and 3% NaC1. Lipid oxidation was monitored over a 7-day storage period at 4°C using the 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) test. For systems exhibiting an antioxidative effect, further studies were carried out to determine their content of hexanal. Furthermore, salts with antioxidant activity were tested in a β-carotene/linoleate model system. Fluorides and iodides of alkali metals inhibited lipid oxidation in meat model systems as reflected in TBARS values and hexanal contents and in a β-carotene/linoleate model system. Meanwhile, chloride and bromide salts of alkali and alkali-earth metals had generally a minor prooxidative influence on lipid oxidation in both systems examined. Fluorides of alkali-earth metals did not exhibit an antioxidant activity, presumably due to an ion-pairing mechanism, while their iodide analogues remained effective. Pan®-salt showed a slight prooxidative effect in meat model systems similar to that of NaC1. -- Halides and sulphates of alkali and alkali-earth metals (except MgF₂, MgBr₂, MgI₂ and CaF₂) increased the cook yield (ie., WBC) of treated samples whereas most salts (except LiF, NaF and LiCl) imparted a firm texture (ie., high shear force values) to meat. The effect of Pan®-salt on increasing the cook yield and improving the texture of meat was generally less than that of NaCl at the same concentrations examined.


identifier: Jeans, David James <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Jeans=3ADavid_James=3A=3A.html>   (1973) Profile of delinquency : a background to the problem in Newfoundland; a project.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The purpose of this project was to provide background information on the inmates of the Boys' Home and Training Schools for the Committee for the Study of Correctional Services in Newfoundland. Included in this profile was home, academic, criminal, and institutional information, as gathered from a random sample of one hundred admissions over the period from 1967 to 1972. This data will be used as a basis for recommendations the Committee will make for correctional reform in Newfoundland. -- Generally, the study found that the boys were a product of unstable home backgrounds, characterized by unemployment, low income, and large families. The records indicated that many lacked the ability and inclination to succeed in the regular school program. Many were convicted of repeated crimes against property, and failed to comply with their probation requirements. However, once admitted to the home, most of them adjusted quite well, which indicated they were more deprived than delinquent. -- On the basis of the data, recommendations for the improvement of rehabilitation services and the prevention of delinquency were made. Included in these proposals were the following points: -- 1. An increased emphasis on probation services is needed. -- 2. A more vocationally oriented educational program, suited to the needs of the inmates, is required. -- 3. There is need for psychological testing and recording at the Home. -- 4. The legal age of wardship should be extended. -- 5. Further research is needed.


identifier: Devereaux, Lorraine <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Devereaux=3ALorraine=3A=3A.html>   (1995) A study of the leadership approach that facilitates adoption of school councils.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the leadership approach that facilitates adoption of school councils.  The project was accomplished in two different contexts by utilizing a combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches. This study was conducted through the participation of fifteen schools.  There were thirteen schools selected from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada for the quantitative approach to the study. From this participant group, seven schools were involved in the implementation of school councils and six were not involved.  In addition, two European schools were selected for the qualitative approach to the study based on a long history of site-based management and a recent more advanced form of site-based management having been introduced there. -- This study examines the attitudes of school council members toward power sharing, with particular emphasis on the degree of principal dominance the stakeholders feel should exist.  It also highlights the leadership approach that is best suited to successful implementation of school councils in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. -- The findings show that in the European environment the degree of principal dominance that school council members feel should exist is different than the principals' viewpoint. It appears, from the European case studies, that feelings toward dominance can be affected by leadership approach.  The study conducted in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador reveals that school council members and teachers perceive those principals who are involved in school councils as having a leadership approach that is more highly developed than principals who are not involved.  Involved principals are perceived to be more transformational in their leadership approach - more open to change - and therefore more open to adopting this new site-based management theory as their own. -- These findings have implications for the continued training of principals who are involved in school council implementation and their school council members. Even more importantly, however, this study highlights the need for training noninvolved potential school council implementers, principals and school council members, who will also, undoubtedly, be charged with the responsibility for effective school council implementation in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.


identifier: Edwards, Ethel Ann <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Edwards=3AEthel_Ann=3A=3A.html>   (1997) A guide to implementing and evaluating a vocational rehabilitation counselling program for individuals injured in motor vehicle accidents in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The purpose of this project was to develop a guide to implementing and evaluating a vocational rehabilitation counselling program. It was designed to assist clients who have been injured as a result of motor vehicle accidents and who are having difficulty returning to active employment. -- The majority of injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents are known as whiplash associated disorders. The client focus of this vocational rehabilitation counselling program includes clients who have experienced difficulty adjusting to, and coping with, their injury and disability as a result of their whiplash associated disorder. -- This Vocational Rehabilitation Counselling Program follows five phases - pre- evaluation, evaluation, planning, treatment, and job placement. A guide for implementing these phases and a guide for evaluating the program has been developed. -- Various conclusions, based on developing a guide to implementing and evaluating a comprehensive vocational rehabilitation counselling program, have been discussed. In addition, recommendations for further research, based on the project limitations, have been proposed.


identifier: Mercer, Ryan G. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Mercer=3ARyan_G=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2012) The regulation of production of the Rhodobacter capsulatus Gene Transfer Agent, RcGTA.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Horizontal gene exchange is the transfer of genetic material between cells and it plays an
important role in the evolution of bacterial genomes. One mechanism contributing to high
levels of transfer is virus-mediated transduction by bacteriophage (phage). Most bacterial
species encode prophages within their genome and play host to actively transducing
phage, which can lead to acquisition of new genes. An unusual form of genetic exchange
is carried out by a phage-I ike particle called a gene transfer agent (GT A). The purple,
non-sulfur, u-proteobacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus produces RcGT A that transfers - 4
kb of random genomic DNA in a process similar to generalized transduction. Expression
of the - 15 kb gene cluster encoding the RcGTA particle is under the control of a cellular
response regulator protein, CtrA, a homologue of the well-studied cell cycle regulator in
Caulobacter crescentus. Despite the requirement for CtrA, the complete regulatory
system controlling RcGT A has previously been poorly understood. The research in this
thesis has shown that loss of CtrA has pleiotropic effects, as the protein is required for
proper expression of - 6% of genes in the R. capsulatus genome. This includes all
flagellar motility genes and genes encoding a number of other putative regulatory
proteins. Mutations of the cckA and chpT genes in R. capsulatus revealed that the proteins
encoded by these genes, along with CtrA- P, are required for motility and release of
RcGTA from cells. It was also determined that both phosphorylated and
unphosphorylated CtrA are capable of stimulating RcGTA gene expression. Proper
expression of a set of genes encoding putative a factor regulatory proteins was also found
to require CtrA and mutations in these genes affected RcGT A expression, motility, colony morphology and stationary phase cell viability. The results indicate that CtrA
regulates RcGTA, at least in part, by controlling the activity of an important cr factor in R.
capsulatus. The results of this thesis work have provided an excellent framework for
further deciphering the regulation of this intriguing genetic exchange element.


identifier: Dawood, Ali Ahmed <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Dawood=3AAli_Ahmed=3A=3A.html>   (2014) A study of pipeline response during reel-lay installation.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Pipeline installation by reel-lay is among the most cost effective methods currently being utilized in the offshore industry. It is advantageous over other conventional methods both in terms of cost and the rate at which the pipeline can be laid on the seabed. Reel-laying however, subjects a pipe to large bending which induce plastic strain reversals as the pipe is reeled on and off followed by aligning and straightening before exiting the installation vessel. Bending of a pipe beyond its elastic limit can change its initial mechanical properties. The realm of analyzing pipe response subjected to plastic bending holds a significant research potential for accurate assessment of the mechanical behavior of the pipeline. The current research effort aims at addressing some of the scenarios that may arise during reeling with the help of finite element methods (FEM). Pipe reeling was simulated using two different calibrated models for a perfect pipe. The study of material variation and weld offset were examined initially. The study was then extended to incorporate the pipe geometric imperfections and bifurcations, ovality, material combination, weld offset and joint to joint variations. The FEM were used to examine pipe behavior and led to conclusions regarding the stress and strain distributions that the pipeline experiences during the reeling process. Moreover, it was concluded that the girth-weld area hold critical importance during pipe bending during various stages of the reeling process. Incorporation of anisotropic properties i.e., the sensitivity of a material against the direction of applied load, in the material model was suggested to provide a more realistic response of the pipeline.


identifier: Dewan, Asma <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Dewan=3AAsma=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Investigation of the potential of using seismic attenuation and velocity to identify massive sulphide ore deposits.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Massive sulphide ore deposits are one of the major sources of valuable minerals. Therefore, identifying massive sulphide ores from their associated host rocks is of great interest in mineral exploration. The seismic P-wave velocity and density of massive sulphides and associated host rocks has been studied significantly but there has been very little work on attenuation. This thesis reports on a comprehensive assessment of attenuation and loss factor along with velocity for the sulphide minerals (pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and pyrrhotite) and the felsic and mafic host rocks. The Spectral Ratio Technique is used to measure attenuation. The relationships among velocity, attenuation and loss factor along with their sensitivity with hydrostatic confining pressure (10-600 MPa) will be discussed. Seismic P-wave velocity for silicates and massive sulphides shows positive change with pressure. Except for low pyrite, Q shows modest pressure dependence for other rocks. The low pressure results for Q are not systematic and low pyrite shows anamolus behaivour for Q and loss factor at low pressure. The changes in loss factor in felsic and mafic silicates are not pronounced compared to that in massive sulphides, however the response of Q with pressure is much more complicated than loss factor. The applicability of the joint interpretation of these parameters (velocity, attenuation and loss factor) to identify massive sulphides is the key of this research. Moreover the response of these parameters in low (below 100 Mpa) and high (above 100 Mpa) pressure zones are observed separately to observe their pattern of change and gradient with pressure to establish a relationship with pressure.


identifier: Khanlari, Ahmad <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Khanlari=3AAhmad=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Teachers' perceptions of using robotics in primary/elementary schools in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Robotics, with its multidisciplinary nature, integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines and is considered a gateway to STEM education. This study aims to understand whether primary/elementary teachers perceive robotics as a useful tool for STEM education or not. This study also seeks to better understand primary/elementary teachers’ perceptions of the barriers of using robotics and the support that they need. A sample of 11 primary/elementary teachers from Newfoundland and Labrador English Schools District (NLESD) participated in this study. The results of this study revealed that the participants perceive robotics to have the potential to facilitate learning of primary/elementary science and technology-related topics, while they do not perceive robotics to be a useful tool for learning mathematics. The participants also perceived robotics to have positive effects on students’ lifelong learning skills. Furthermore, the participants indicated a number of barriers to integrate robotics into their teaching activities and expressed the supports that they need.


identifier: Le Bris, Arnault <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Le_Bris=3AArnault=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Mechanisms and consequences of variation in the migratory behaviour of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis aimed to characterize individual variation in the migratory behaviour of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, and to assess the consequences of this variation on the structure and management of the population. First, I reviewed interplays between genetic, environmental, and social factors in the evolution and maintenance of individual variation in the migratory behaviour of marine fishes, with an emphasis on Atlantic cod. Evidence of fine-grained responses to environmental changes suggested that phenotypic plasticity is a substantial source of variation in migratory behaviours. However, because the genetic basis of migratory traits has been overlooked, the relative contributions of genetic, environment, and genetic by environment interactions have not been quantified for any marine fishes. Within the cod population from northern the Gulf of St. Lawrence, reconstruction of migration routes of cod equipped with data-storage tags revealed undocumented concurrent presence of resident and migratory individuals. Depth time-series analyses revealed high individual variability in vertical patterns of migration. Consequences of the observed individual variation in migration propensity on the structure of the population were then evaluated. Focusing on the fjord of Bonne Bay where I previously identified resident and homing cod, I assessed the degree of demographic dependency of Bonne Bay cod with Gulf cod. Although local recruitment occurs, Bonne Bay does not harbour an abundance of adult cod and external sources of recruitment are substantial. The bay however provides a nursery and a spawning area for Atlantic cod. Finally, I quantified effects of variation in adult migratory behaviour and population density distribution on the performance of a fishery closed area designed to protect a spawning aggregation. Closed area usage by free-ranging individuals revealed disproportional levels of protection between migratory groups. Estimated population density distributions during two periods of contrasted abundance level suggested that, when a closed area is located on the core of a population distribution, density-dependent contraction of population range increases closed area performance. Both individual closed area usage and population density distribution indicated that a displacement south and a reduction of the enforcement period would improve the performance of the study closed area.


identifier: Pourazar, Baharehsadat <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Pourazar=3ABaharehsadat=3A=3A.html>   (2014) A comprehensive approach for evaluation of stereo correspondence solutions in outdoor augmented reality.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
For many years, researchers have made great contributions in the fields of augmented
reality (AR) and stereo vision. One of the most studied aspects of stereo vision
since the 1980s has been Stereo Correspondence, which is the problem of finding the
corresponding pixels in stereo images, and therefore, building a disparity map. As
a result, many methods have been proposed and implemented to properly address
this problem. Due to the emergence of different techniques to solve the problem
of stereo correspondence, having an evaluation scheme to assess these solutions is
essential. Over the past few years, different evaluation schemes have been proposed
by researchers in the field to provide a testbed for assessment of the solutions based
on specific criteria. Middlebury Stereo and Kitti Stereo benchmarks are two of the
most popular and widely used evaluation systems through which a solution can be
evaluated and compared to others. However, both of these models take a general
approach towards evaluating the methods, that is, they have not been designed with
an eye to the particular target application. In our proposed approach, steps are taken
towards an evaluation design based on the potential applications of stereo methods,
which enables us to better define the criteria for efficiency, that is, the processing
time, and the required accuracy of the disparity results. Since AR has attracted
more attention in the past few years, the evaluation scheme proposed in this research
is designed based on outdoor AR applications which can take advantage of stereo
vision techniques to obtain a depth map of the surrounding environment. This map
can then be used to integrate virtual objects in the scene that respect the occlusion
effects that are expected to occur based on the depth of the real objects.


identifier: Day, Kayla <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Day=3AKayla=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Exploring phonological relationships between babbling and early word productions.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
In this research, I set out to uncover relationships between the phonological composition of the
babbled utterances and early word productions. I track segmental development in onset position
across both babbled utterances and early word productions of two English-learning children
(Cameron and Georgia) from the English-Davis corpus, available through CHILDES/Phonbank
( http://childes.talkbank.org/phon ). Both children display a very strong tendency to produce
sounds in babbled utterances before attempting them in meaningful words. Also, these children
show very little variation away from English phonemes in their babbled utterances, which
suggests that these children have a good level of awareness of the native phonological system
from a young age. However, a close examination of the treatment of [l] in Cameron's babbles
and early word productions suggests that at least certain segments receive different treatment at
different stages of the child's phonological development. I also perform a formal analysis of the
productions of both children using descriptive features and Feature Co-occurrence Constraints
(FCCs). Both children's phonological development can be can be captured using this model.
However, many of the differences in their developmental paths remain unaccounted for given
this type of analysis. Addressing this issue, I conduct an analysis of both children's substitution
patterns to determine what factors (e.g. perceptual or articulatory) influenced their productions
of unacquired segments. As we will see, many of the substitution patterns displayed by both
children appear to have strong articulatory influences. The knowledge gained from each of these
analyses highlights the benefits of using a multi-faceted approach to phonological acquisition.


identifier: Brooks, Dianna <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Brooks=3ADianna=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Modelling self reported confessions and cooperation with police interrogators.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This study modelled self-reported confessions and cooperation with police interrogators.
Incarcerated men (N = 100) were interviewed about their most recent police interrogation.
A logistic regression analysis was performed to predict confession decision using nine
predictors: Humanitarian Style, Legal Advice, Interrogation Length, Perception of
Evidence, Age, Previous Conviction, Number of Convictions, Offence Seriousness, and
Attitude Toward Police. A model containing Perception of Evidence, Humanitarian Style,
Previous Convictions, Number of Convictions, and Legal Advice predicted confession
decision 79% of the time (versus 60% for a base model). A multiple regression analysis,
using the same predictors, revealed that Humanitarian Style, Previous Convictions, and
Number of Convictions accounted for 29% of the variance in self-reported cooperation.
The implications of the findings for interrogations practices are discussed.


identifier: Vásquez, Camila <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/V=E1squez=3ACamila=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Plato’s philosopher-lovers and the ladder to the forms: the roles of eros and beauty in Platonic epistemology.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This thesis examines the way in which the connection between eros and beauty informs the epistemological progression in Platonic philosophy, such that the particular experience of beauty works as a trigger for critical inquiry. This analysis focuses on the way eros for beauty is able to drive the philosophical movement towards knowledge, so that philosophical education becomes available via the experience of eros or love for what is beautiful. As follows, the advancement of Platonic epistemology with its ultimate end in the transcendent is brought back to the sensible and grounded in exclusive particularity as the basis of this move towards universality. This claim is based on the analysis of epistemology and metaphysics expounded in Plato’s Symposium, and to a lesser extent in the Phaedrus.
In Chapter 2 we begin with an examination of eros as a crucial element for the philosophical endeavor. In the Symposium eros is shown to be a powerful aspect of human nature that strives for communion with what is transcendent. This inquiry sheds light on aspects of how and why individuals seek knowledge to show why eros is the activity of the soul that motivates the pursuit of wisdom. This analysis emphasizes that the movement of the lover, from love of particular beauty to noesis of the Beautiful, is a philosophical movement at its core, as the lover follows the same epistemological progression as the philosopher. Chapter 3 examines why eros of beauty works so effectively to provoke critical inquiry through an examination of beauty’s cognitive advantage due to its perceptual availability. The appreciation of beauty is shown as having the capacity to provoke the aporetic state necessary for the practice of philosophy. The final chapter analyzes the possible dangers of using beauty as a pedagogical tool through an examination of Socrates and Alcibiades’ relationship; in addition, we examine how beauty can aid in healing the limitations of philosophy in terms of reaching its audience.
The entire examination shows how the particular experience of beauty is able to ground philosophical education through sensible experience that makes accessible the metaphysical goal. The aesthetic experience of the lover in his relationship to the object of love provides an accessible praxis that allows the individual to become a philosopher of sorts, embarking on the same journey as he who desires wisdom. In this fashion, Diotima’s description of the journey of the lover provides a philosophical approach to living and learning grounded in the practical and in an attainable experience for all: that of eros for what is beautiful and immediate.


identifier: Dupuis, Christopher Craig <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Dupuis=3AChristopher_Craig=3A=3A.html>   (2014) The influence of Pyrrho of Elis and the Pyrrhonian praxis of aporetic language.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This thesis aims to develop a specific understanding of Pyrrhonian scepticism that
follows an analysis of ancient scepticism as it began to form in the teachings of Pyrrho of
Elis, moved into the Academy, and reached its greatest clarity in Sextus Empiricus. The
focus of the thesis is to expose an understanding of Pyrrhonism as offering an approach
to finding a less troubled life by way of habitual alteration of everyday language.
The discussion of Pyrrho centers on several key passages that indicate a specific
attitude towards the human condition, towards the way beliefs are generated, and towards
the way language can be utilized to refine the generation of beliefs. Further, comparisons
are made between Pyrrho and Plato regarding aporia and how central uncertainty and
wisdom through awareness of ignorance were to both of these thinkers.
Turning to the Academic tradition, the thesis strives to underscore the
unargumentative, ascetic aspect of Pyrrhonian scepticism by showing the fundamental
differences between the ascetic, language oriented Pyrrhonians, and the eristic,
argumentative Academics. Looking at Arcesilaus and then Carneades as examples of the
Academic tradition, it is shown how the focus on finding the untroubled life as well as
the language praxis found in Pyrrho’s teaching are diminished and supplanted by
dialectical argument.
The final chapter briefly examines the revival of Pyrrhonism by Aenesidemus,
showing that he appeared to be aware of the language practice that Pyrrho espoused, as
well as the tangent that Academic scepticism took from Pyrrho’s original intentions for
living a less troubled life. A detailed discussion of Sextus Empiricus is contained in the
third chapter, which revolves around a treatment of the five tropes of Agrippa, includes
an explanation of several concepts key to understanding Sextus and an elucidation of the
sceptical utterances central to the linguistic practice that has once again been reinstated.
Ultimately Pyrrhonism is found to be a philosophy of revealed experience, such that she
who wishes to live a more tranquil life needs to practice what Pyrrhonism teaches in
order to experience its effects, beginning with aporia and epoche, and ending fortuitously
in ataraxia.


identifier: Sponarski, Carly C. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Sponarski=3ACarly_C=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Human-coyote interactions: risk perception and education evaluation in a national park.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Human dimensions uses theoretical frameworks (e.g., cognitive hierarchy) and
applied methods to understand human-wildlife conflicts. In this dissertation, the cognitive
hierarchy is used to understand the relationships among cognitions measured at different
levels of specificity. Cognitions can range from general (e.g., values/value orientations)
to specific (e.g., attitudes/norms), which in turn influence individual and/or agency
behaviour (e.g., management actions). This study examined different levels of cognition
in relation to human-coyote interactions in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova
Scotia, Canada. Since a coyote caused death the of a park visitor in 2009, safety has
become a primary concern for the park. Understanding human-coyote interactions
supports informed management decisions and planning, and extends theoretical insights
to human-wildlife conflicts.
Carnivores can ignite the imagination and polarize people’s beliefs, attitudes, and
preferences about acceptable management practices. Aspects of risk perception such as
the fear or likelihood of, and control over, an interaction with a potentially dangerous
species play a role in a person’s attitudes and management preferences. These risk
perceptions are examined and compared among residents, park visitors, and park staff
(Chapter 2). People’s beliefs, attitudes, and preferences of acceptable management practices are also influenced by emotions. Human dimensions of wildlife research has
traditionally focused on cognitions, which commonly explain 50% of the variance of
responses. Emotions may account for another portion of the variation, as wildlife issues
are often contentious. To assess the potential influence of emotions on behavioural
intention, emotional dispositions are examined relative to different types of humancoyote
interactions (Chapter 3). Understanding the cognitive and emotional influences on
management action acceptability is important for guiding management decisions and
helping to develop human dimensions of wildlife theory. Understanding which
management action is more or less acceptable in relation to different types of humancoyote
interactions is also important for guiding management actions (Chapter 4).
In this dissertation, risk perception, emotional disposition, and the acceptability of
management strategies are examined to better understand the nature of ongoing humanwildlife
conflicts. Based on this research, a practical management intervention was
developed. The effectiveness of an experiential coyote education program was evaluated
to see whether the program influenced change in attitudes and risk perceptions in
participants (Chapter 5). This study examined human dimensions of wildlife theory
within the context of the research questions and contributed a management intervention
for human-coyote interactions.


identifier: Sheppard, Bradley <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Sheppard=3ABradley=3A=3A.html>   (2014) DNA sequencing by hybridization.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

title: DNA sequencing by hybridization

abstract:
DNA Sequencing by Hybridization (SBH) is a method for reconstructing a DNA
sequence based on its k-length subsequences. In this thesis we investigate several
issues related to SBH. The set of all k-mers of a sequence is known as the k-spectrum.
Using graph theory it is possible to reconstruct the unknown DNA sequence using
only the information available in the k-spectrum, but unique reconstruction of the
DNA sequence is not always possible. In this thesis we examine probabilistic models
which determine the likelihood of a random DNA sequence of length N being uniquely
reconstructable based on its k-spectrum. We will also discuss extensions of SBH using
both additional information on the k-spectrum and restriction enzymes. The use of
restriction enzymes in SBH is a next generation sequencing technique whereby the
DNA sequence is split into fragments using restriction enzymes and sequencing is
performed on the individual fragments rather than the sequence as a whole. We
develop algorithms which use a library of restriction enzymes to cut the sequence and perform sequencing. The width of DNA graphs is also important in the sense of
computational complexity and we investigate the DAG-width of the graphs obtained
from SBH. We show that the DAG-width of the these graphs is usually small, enabling
polynomial time solvability of the Hamiltonian path problem, which is at the core
of sequence reconstruction when the problem is modeled using graphs. In the final
section, we discuss a next generation variant on SBH.


identifier: Chen, Dan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Chen=3ADan=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Predictive accident modeling for highway transportation system using Bayesian networks.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The highway network, as a critical infrastructure in our daily life, is an important component of the public transportation system. In the face of a continuously increasing highway accident rate, highway safety is certainly one of the greatest concerns for transportation departments worldwide. To better improve the current situation, several studies have been carried out on preventing the occurrence of highway accidents or reducing the severity level of highway accidents.
The principal causes of highway accidents can be summarized into four categories: external environment conditions, operational environment conditions, driver conditions and vehicle conditions. This research proposes a representational Bayesian Networks (BNs) model which can predict and continuously update the likelihood of highway accidents, by considering a set of well-defined variables belonging to these principal causes, also named risk factors, which directly or indirectly contribute to the frequency and severity of highway accidents. This accident predictive BNs model is developed using accidents data from Transport Canada's National Collision Database (NCDB) during the period of 1999 to 2010.
Model testing is provided with a case study of Highway #63 site, which is from 6 km southwest of Radway to 16 km north of Fort Mackay in north Alberta, Canada. The validity of this BNs model is established by comparing prediction results with relevant historical records. The positive outcome of this exercise presents great potential of the proposed model to real life applications. Furthermore, this predictive BNs accident model can be integrated with a Safety Instrumented System (SIS). This integration would assist in predicting the real-time probability of accident and would also help activating risk management actions in a timely fashion. This research also simulates 10 scenarios with different specific states of variables to predict the probability of fatal accident occurrence, which demonstrates how the BNs model is integrated with SIS.
The major objective of this research is to introduce the predictive accident BNs model with the capabilities of inferring the dependent causal relations and predicting the probability of highway accidents. It is also believed that this BNs model would help developing efficient and effective transportation risk management strategies.


identifier: Greene, Melanie Jennifer <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Greene=3AMelanie_Jennifer=3A=3A.html>   (2014) The hardest part is through: support services and graduate student persistence in the social sciences and humanities disciplines.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Student development is an integral process of graduate education, requiring a delicate balance between challenge and support. While a lack of sufficient support has been identified as a contributing factor to non-persistence, there is an absence of literature that matches the provision of specific types of support services and programs with student and institutional outcomes at the graduate level. This study makes an original contribution to the study of graduate education in exploring the following question: What support services are available to assist graduate students and what effects, if any, do they have on persistence?
A mixed methods approach was taken, consisting of an online survey, interviews, document analysis, and informal observation to attain a better understanding of the role of formal, institutional-based support services in students‟ decisions to stay (persist) or to leave graduate studies at the master‟s or doctoral level. There were a total of 152 survey respondents. This included individuals who were currently or had been previously enrolled in a graduate degree program in the Faculty of Arts at Memorial University between 2005 and 2012. Twenty follow-up interviews were conducted from a sample of those who completed the survey.
Overall findings point to the need to make transparent to graduate students the role of institutional units and the support services they provide; and the need to promote and raise awareness of these services. Financial, departmental, and supervisory support were found to be the most important types of support having the most influence on students‟ decisions of whether or not to persist. Recommendations for policy, practice, and further research are presented.


identifier: Dankwa, Ernest <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Dankwa=3AErnest=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Bias study of the naive estimator in a longitudinal binary mixed-effects model with measurement error and misclassification in covariates.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
When covariates in Longitudinal data are subject to errors, the naive estimates
of the model parameters are often biased. In this research, we exploit a Dynamic
Binary Mixed-effects Model using a Generalized Quasi-likelihood approach. Through
simulations, we shall study the patterns in the bias of the naive estimator of the
parameters that ignores the errors in the covariates.


identifier: Bedeer-Mohamed, Ebrahim E. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Bedeer-Mohamed=3AEbrahim_E=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Optimal link adaptation for multicarrier communication systems.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Link adaptation is the terminology used to describe techniques that improve multicarrier
communication systems performance by dynamically adapting the transmission parameters,
i.e., transmit power and number of bits per subcarrier, to the changing quality of
the wireless link. The research literature has focused on single objective optimization
techniques to optimize the multicarrier communication systems performance, e.g., maximizing
the throughput/capacity or minimizing the transmit power subject to a set of
constraints. In this dissertation, we adopt a novel optimization concept, namely multiobjective
optimization, where our objective is to simultaneously optimize the conflicting
and incommensurable throughput and power objectives.
More specifically, in Chapters 2 and 3, we propose novel algorithms that jointly maximize
the multicarrier system throughput and minimize its total transmit power subject
to quality-of-service, total transmit power, and maximum allocated bits per subcarrier
constraints. The proposed algorithms require prior knowledge about the importance of
the competing objective functions in terms of pre-determined weighting coefficients, or
they can adapt the weighting coefficients during the solution process while meeting the
constraints, in order to reduce the computational complexity. Simulation results show significant
performance gains in terms of the achieved throughput and transmit power when
compared to single optimization approaches, at the cost of no additional complexity.
Motivated by the obtained results, in Chapter 4 the problem is extended to the cognitive radio environment where the multicarrier unlicensed/secondary user, with limited
sensing capabilities, needs to satisfy additional constraints for the leaked interference to
existing licensed/primary users. In Chapter 5, a multiobjective optimization problem is
formulated to balance between the SU capacity and the leaked interference to existing primary
users, where the effect of the imperfect channel-state-information on the links from
the secondary user transmitter to the primary users receivers is considered. Simulation
results show improvements of the energy efficiency of the secondary user when compared
to its counterparts of the works in the literature, with reduced computational complexity.
In Chapter 6 we investigate the optimal link adaptation problem to optimize the
energy efficiency of secondary users while considering the effect of imperfect channelstate-
information on the links between the secondary user transmitter and receiver pairs
and the limited sensing capabilities of the secondary user. The proposed link adaptation
algorithm guarantees minimum required rate for the secondary user and statistical
interference constraints to the existing primary users.
Finally, conclusions and possible extensions to the optimal link adaptation problem is
discussed in Chapter 7.


identifier: Alsbou, Eid Musa <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Alsbou=3AEid_Musa=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Pyrolysis bio-oil as a renewable fuel and source of chemicals: its production, characterization and stability.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Bio-oil is a liquid fuel that can be produced from various lignocellulosic feedstocks via fast pyrolysis. It is a complex mixture comprised of hundreds of highly oxygenated organic compounds originating from lignin and carbohydrates and is recognized as a clean renewable bio-fuel, an attractive alternative to fossil fuels. It can be easily transported and used directly in boilers and modified turbines or upgraded/fractionated for drop in fuels or chemical production. Proper bio-oil characterization is important in optimizing the pyrolysis process, bio-oil upgrading and utilization, and its stabilization for long-term storage. With this in mind, research has been undertaken to develop better techniques to rapidly profile the composition of whole bio-oil samples, and an accelerated aging study performed to determine why bio-oil is unstable upon storage.
Pyrolysis-GC/MS and TLC-FID were used as tools to differentiate bio-oils of different lignocellulosic biomasses, and among thermal-cracking (upgrading) fractions. Results showed that birch bio-oil had high syringol derivatives compared to pine and barley straw bio-oils which had higher guaiacol and non-methoxy-phenolic compounds, respectively, compared with birch bio-oil. TLC-FID was successful in bio-oil differentiation, showing diagnostic chromatographic profile differences.
Direct infusion-ESI-ion trap MS and ESI-ion trap MS2 were successfully used in the analysis of forest-residue bio-oil and reference bio-oils from cellulose and hardwood lignin dissolved in methanol:water. NH4Cl can be used as a dopant to distinguish carbohydrate-derived products from other bio-oil components. NaOH and NaCl dopants resulted in the highest intensity peaks in negative ion mode and positive mode, respectively. Tandem MS, that is, ESI-Ion Trap MS2 was a successful tool for the confirmation of individual target ions such as levoglucosan and cellobiosan and for structural insight into lignin products.
In accelerated aging (at 80 °C for 1, 3 and 7 days) studies, the physical and chemical properties of bio-oil from ash wood (produced from a pilot-scale auger pyrolyzer) and birch wood (lab-scale pyrolyzer) were monitored in order to identify the factors responsible for bio-oil instability. Water content, viscosity, and decomposition temperature (by TGA) increased for both bio-oil samples with aging. Chemical analysis showed reduction in amount of most of the bio-oil components as aging progressed, typically for are olefins and aldehydes. The oils remained a single phase throughout until the 7th day.


identifier: Bakhtyar, Fahad <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Bakhtyar=3AFahad=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Low cycle fatigue assessment tool for wrinkled energy pipelines.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The majority of energy pipeline systems are buried. They may be subject to differential ground movement which as a consequence impose axial forces and bending moments onto pipeline sections that may result in local deformation of the pipeline section such as ovalization, wrinkling and buckling. For these pipelines with local plastic damage, there exists limited knowledge and guidance on the pipe mechanical integrity and remaining low-cycle fatigue life. This uncertainty influences management considerations with respect to pipe operations, repair and intervention that have potential implications for cost and safety.
Using continuum finite element methods, a numerical simulation tool was developed to simulate the local damage, using an analogue “strip test” coupon, and assess the remaining low-cycle fatigue life response. The numerical modelling procedures were calibrated using third-party data and experimental investigations performed in this study, which is a unique contribution on this subject.
The low-cycle fatigue response was influenced by the residual strain and incremental damage associated with strain energy during a loading cycle, which was characteristic of a Coffin-Manson type power law response. The low-cycle fatigue response was also correlated with other key parameters including damage radius of curvature to pipe wall thickness ratio, imposed stroke amplitude and opening or closing mode of deformation. Recommendations to refine the numerical modelling procedures and further establish confidence in the use of the analogue “strip test” for the assessment of low-cycle fatigue response of damaged pipelines is provided.


identifier: Goudie, Dylan J. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Goudie=3ADylan_J=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Simultaneous in situ determination of U-Th-Pb and Sm-Nd isotopes in monazite by laser ablation ICP-MS.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Results are presented for the in situ simultaneous determination of U-Pb and Sm-Nd isotopes in monazite using the Laser Ablation Split-Stream (LASS) method. This method uses a laser ablation system coupled to both a magnetic-sector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (HR) (ICP-MS) for measuring U-Pb isotopes and multicollector (MC) ICP-MS for measuring Sm-Nd isotopes. The ablated material is split using a glass Y-connector and transported simultaneously to both mass spectrometers. In addition to Sm and Nd isotopes, the MC-ICP-MS is configured also acquire Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Eu elemental abundances. This approach provides age, tracer isotope, and trace element data in the same ablation volume, thus reducing but not eliminating sampling problems associated with fine-scale zoning in accessory minerals. The precision and accuracy of the U-Pb method (along with the precision of the Sm-Nd method) is demonstrated by analysis of six well-characterized monazite reference materials. The LASS results agree within uncertainty with previously determined isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) ages. Accuracy of the Sm-Nd method is assessed by comparing the LA-MC-ICP-MS results with ID-TIMS determinations on a well-characterized, in-house monazite reference material. The LASS method is then applied to monazite from the Birch Creek Pluton (BCP) in the White Mountains of southeastern California as a case study to illustrate the utility of this method for solving geologic problems. The U-Pb ages and Sm-Nd isotopic data determined using the LASS method support the conclusions drawn from previous results that monazite can record both timing and potential sources of hydrothermal fluids.


identifier: Assadipour, Ghazal <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Assadipour=3AGhazal=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Analytical approaches to planning intermodal transportation systems for regular and hazmat freight.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The world container transportation industry has grown significantly over the past few decades. Large numbers of containers are transported everyday over long distances via a single or combinations of different modes of transportation (road, rail, water and air). Many of these containers contain hazardous materials (hazmat) whose transportation is regulated by governments due to the related risks. In contrast to other areas of transportation, operations-research-based models for intermodal transportation of containers, specifically hazmat ones, is still a young domain.
The purpose of the thesis is to provide analytical approaches to planning intermodal transportation for regular and hazmat freights. Planning of intermodal transportation can be addressed at the strategic, tactical or operational level. In this regard, this thesis contributes to the current literature in the following three ways. First, at the operational level, we study crane scheduling at an intermodal terminal, such that the unloading of inbound vessels and the loading of outbound vehicles could be completed in minimum weighted time. The approach calls for a multi-processor multi-stage scheduling methodology, where each crane has availability time windows. Second, at the tactical level, we propose a routing framework for transportation of hazmat and regular containers in a congested network to minimize two objectives: total cost and total risk. The model considers congestion as a source of exposure and makes a trade-off between congestion exposures and capacity costs. Third, at the strategic level, we study the regulation of intermodal transportation for hazardous materials. A bi-level network design model and a bi-level bi-objective toll-setting policy model, which consider government and carrier at two levels of administration, are proposed to mitigate the transportation risk.
The thesis concludes with comprehensive remarks. We summarize the contributions of this thesis, show the overall results obtained, and present the possible directions that this research may take in the future.


identifier: Smith, Amyanne <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Smith=3AAmyanne=3A=3A.html>   (2014) The animal voices of Edgar Allan Poe.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

title: The animal voices of Edgar Allan Poe

abstract: There are prominent animal figures and graphic moments of animal imagery in several of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories. These animals are at the heart of the action; they are often main characters. Poe’s animals have voices and these voices challenge the dominant monologue of the narrators and undermine the prevalent ideologies that the stories enact. Poe’s animals shriek, wail, and scream and their voices enable political critiques of some of the central issues at the heart of antebellum America. Without these animals, the marginalized voices could not be heard. The animal denizens in Poe’s stories speak: the cat of “The Black Cat” screams, interrupting and condemning a patriarchal narrator and the orangutan of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” shrieks, shaves, and murders like a human, challenging the dehumanization of slaves in America. Animal imagery also speaks in the final two stories, but not in the same way; animalizing another being capitalizes on a hierarchy of classifications. By categorizing their oppressors as animals, the patients of “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether” open up a discourse with the narrator in a place where the psychology of madness would silence the voices of the insane and the jester of “Hop-Frog” subverts the monarchical dominance that would oppress the court fool. Poe’s fictional animals reveal how the categories used to construct American ideologies could marginalize, abuse, and exploit different beings. These animal voices force these categories into crisis, destabilizing the definition of the human and problematizing the treatment of a variety of subhuman beings. Poe is not an animal rights advocate, but his animal figures are able to show us the problems and power of the categorical systems we use to structure our lives.


identifier: Beronich, Erika <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Beronich=3AErika=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Methodology to predict natural gas in loading and unloading of compressed natural gas (CNG) operations.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Exploiting stranded gas reservoirs, associate gas from offshore production platforms, condensate gas reservoirs may not be feasible using traditional approaches (i.e. pipelines) due to gas volumes, composition, location and/or climate. Marine Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology is a possible alternative; however, the required gas quality for CNG remains a challenge in commercial deployment. The optimal design conditions to safely and efficiently load, store, and unload CNG vessels are highly dependent on the quality of the gas. The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of moderate/rich gases in CNG technology by performing dynamic simulations of the loading and unloading operations. It was demonstrated that existing Equations of State (EOS) are limited in accurately predicting the behaviour of the gas under load/unload conditions, particularly for gases with large heavy hydrocarbons content. Experiments with laboratory-synthesized gas samples were conducted using a PVT cell. The accuracy of the EOSs in predicting dew points, liquid dropout percentages, and gas densities was evaluated using the experimental data from the laboratory and literature. After tuning Peng-Robinson (PR) and Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) equations to improve their predictions, their performance was evaluated using the HYSYS process simulator. A marked improvement in the EOS predictions was achieved by modifying a few EOS parameters. Dew point predictions were improved by adjusting binary interaction parameters (kij), the density predictions were improved by modifying the Peneloux parameters, and modifying both kij and Peneloux parameters enhanced the liquid dropout predictions. Dynamic simulations of the loading and unloading operations of a CNG tank were then performed to evaluate the effect of the heavy hydrocarbon content of the gases. Overall, removing all the heavier hydrocarbons appeared to produce very low temperatures during the unloading operation, while not removing these components caused an accumulation of liquids inside the tank at keel pressure. In addition, the simulation of the loading and unloading of a CNG tank was attempted in the laboratory using the PVT system; however, the attempt was unsuccessful as the system would require major modifications.


identifier: Harrington, Christina <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Harrington=3AChristina=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Living with the loss of Canada’s fallen soldiers: a qualitative study of family members' experiences following deaths in combat.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Canada‘s military involvement in Afghanistan following the September 11th attacks on the US resulted in the deaths of 158 Canadian soldiers. These deaths have left hundreds of family members to mourn their loss. These deaths have also illuminated gaps in bereavement epistemology and a dearth of literature (particularly Canadian) on the nature of bereavement following combat related deaths.
This qualitative study, drawing from phenomenology, sought to uncover the nature of bereavement experiences of family of origin, whose son/sibling was killed in action during the mission to Afghanistan. Questions guiding the study explored family members‘ perceptions of: the differences and commonalities of grief following this type of sudden death; family members‘ perceptions and experiences on how the public nature of the deaths and culture of the military influenced their grief and mourning; and, how surviving family members reconstructed meanings related to the death in their attempts to integrate the loss (and trauma) into their life narrative.
The rich data gathered in the study reveals three core themes. First, the analysis examines the predominant ways in which family members found and made meaning following the death. Second, the role and function that metaphorical articulation (e.g. ritual, symbology, memorial) played in the mourning the deaths and reconstructing meaning are discussed. Finally, the co-occurrence of trauma is discussed and how this influences the processes of meaning making.
The study illuminates the experience of family members (parents and siblings) who have lost a loved-one in combat and provides direction for further research, for intervention and social work practice with families as they deal with grief and bereavement, and has potential implications for policy and military protocol following combat related deaths.


identifier: King, Heather <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/King=3AHeather=3A=3A.html>   (2014) The Miocene-Recent evolution of the Antalya Basin, eastern Mediterranean Sea.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Detailed interpretation of high-resolution and industry multichannel seismic
reflection profiles and lithostratigraphy from onshore wells reveals that the Miocene
to Recent tectonic evolution of the western Antalya Basin occurred in three distinct
intervals: the pre-Messinian Miocene, the Messinian, and the Pliocene-Quaternary.
During the pre-Messinian Miocene, a prominent east-west striking fold-thrust belt
developed across the region. Today, this belt is characterized by NW-SE striking,
SW-verging thrust panels in the east and broadly N-S striking, W-verging thrust
panels in the west. The belt became buckled during the late Miocene assuming its
current configuration as an inverted V-shaped structure within the marine western
Antalya Basin. The Miocene fold-thrust belt mapped in the marine areas is readily
correlated with the onland Isparta Angle. The Messinian interval was tectonically
quiet and marked by the deposition of a thick evaporite succession within the deep
Antalya Basin. The Pliocene-Quaternary interval marked a major change in tectonic
style, where strain is partitioned into discrete regional morpho-tectonic domains. In
the east, the Miocene fold-thrust belt remained largely inactive; however, several
prominent thrusts became re-activated during this time. Mapping showed that these
three thrusts can be traced toward the southeast in the deep Antalya Basin and readily
correlated with the Ovgos, Kythrea and Orga thrusts mapped onland Cyprus. The
shallower slope and shelf in this area are characterized by broadly actuate and NW-SE striking and SE- and NW-dipping extensional faults with strike slip components.
In the west portion of the Antalya Basin, the structural framework was dominated
by a series of broadly N-S striking, invariably steeply E-dipping extensional faults
which form a 20-30 km wide zone of deformation. This zone occurs over the very
steep continental slope in western Antalya Basin, and extends westward into the
Kemer Peninsula and the Beydağları region. Correlations with the similarly striking
Pliocene-Quaternary transtensional faults mapped onland suggest that these faults
must also have notable strike slip components.


identifier: Sedziafa, Alice P. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Sedziafa=3AAlice_P=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Kinship ties and violence against married women in Ghana.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The socialization of men and women in Ghana is understood as conferring either patrilineal or matrilineal rights, privileges and responsibilities. Yet, previous studies that explored the causes of domestic and marital violence in sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana paid less attention to kin group affiliation and how the power dynamics within such groups affect marital violence. Using the most recent Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) conducted in 2008, and applying Ordinary Least Squares, this study examined what influences physical, sexual and emotional violence among matrilineal and patrilineal kin groups. Results show that patrilineal ever-married women experience more physical and sexual violence than matrilineal ever-married women. However, matrilineal ever-married women experience more male partner emotional violence than patrilineal ever-married women. Male dominance is the strongest independent predictor of physical, sexual and emotional violence. Also, women with higher education experienced reduced levels of sexual violence in patrilineal societies compared to those with no education. Contextualizing these findings within feminist scholarships on domestic violence against women, they suggest that interventions aimed at eradicating the occurrence of domestic violence in Ghanaian communities should appreciate the dynamics of kinship norms.


identifier: Aylward, Christopher P. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Aylward=3AChristopher_P=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2014) The Beothuk story: European and First Nations narratives of the Beothuk people of Newfoundland.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
European narrative history of Newfoundland’s Beothuk people has been characterized by
a series of related assumptions about their mysterious origins, their isolation on the island of
Newfoundland, their xenophobia and rejection of outside influences, and their ultimate
extinction with the death of Shanawdithit in 1829.
An analysis of the Beothuk grand narrative through a framework of narratology and the
philosophy of history illustrates the extent to which our understanding of Beothuk history has
been shaped by narrative, with the limitations of its predetermined, linear, cause and effect
structure, the pervasiveness of editing, selection, translation, and revision in its sources. Many of
the themes in Howley’s seminal The Beothucks or Red Indians: the Aboriginal Inhabitants of
Newfoundland (1915) are challenged by Speck’s Beothuc and Micmac: Indian Notes and
Monographs (1922), which presents a Native alternative to Howley’s primarily Eurocentric
narratorial perspective. The schism between Howley and Speck plays out in much of the
subsequent archaeological narrative, which emphasizes Beothuk agency through research into
their food storage, iron technology, paleoethnobotany, and interaction with both Europeans and
other Native groups. One such group is Newfoundland’s Mi’kmaq people, whose contemporary
oral history reveals a counter narrative challenging many accepted historical assumptions about
their place in Newfoundland and their role in the ostensible disappearance of the Beothuk.
Shaped by their own bias, oral history accounts by the Innu of Labrador and people from the
Great Northern Peninsula with a family history of Beothuk ancestry provide the Beothuk grand
narrative with a valuable alternative perspective. The extensive oral history research for this
dissertation was carried out in response to the growing need, expressed by scholars of Native
history and archaeology alike, for increased polyvocality in the analysis of the past.
Considered as fragments within the Beothuk narrative, French accounts from the early
17th century to the 20th century provide new insight into some fundamental assumptions
concerning the Beothuk, particularly their interaction with Europeans and other Native peoples.
More recent writing in areas such as osteoarchaeology, craniology, and DNA analysis reveals
how entrenched conventions of historical narrative continue to shape our understanding of the
Beothuk, even in the face of challenging and sometimes contradictory research findings.


identifier: Lu, Dandan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lu=3ADandan=3A=3A.html>   (2014) An investigation of the values and attitudes of Chinese teachers toward teacher accountability in China.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Teacher accountability has been a controversial topic in the academic domain for
many years. In different countries, teacher accountability is reflected in different
ways with distinctive characteristics. Compared with other countries, teacher
accountability in China was influenced and formed by its own social elements.
The purpose of this study was to examine Chinese teachers’ perceptions toward
accountability both on external and internal dimensions within the Chinese social
context. Three hundred Chinese primary and secondary teachers’ questionnaires,
which were mainly collected in four provinces, were analyzed using variables of
gender, age, geography, school level, teaching area, and leadership role.
Quantitative findings showed that Chinese teachers are both highly accountable
for external accountability (bureaucratic) and internal accountability
(professional).


identifier: Elnahas, Ahmed <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Elnahas=3AAhmed=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Experimental investigation of the effect of axial vibration generated by pressure pulses on drilling performance.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Considering the fact that improving drilling efficiency contributes to the industry success, many academic organizations, industrial research organizations and companies have invested in research that leads to better drilling experience, time wise and efficiency wise. This thesis is a research based study that aims to find new methods to improve drilling efficiency. The study investigates the effect of vibration generated using periodic pressure pulses created at the bit by a down-hole tool on the drilling efficiency, and in fact demonstrates that the technology can improve drilling efficiency. The study is based on various sets of laboratory experiments, which were conducted to characterize the functionality of a Pressure Pulses Generating (PPG) down-hole tool, and to test the effect of the down-hole tool output on actual drilling experiments. Two different setups were used to conduct the experiments in laboratory environment. In the drilling experiments synthetic rock was used as test specimens with highly controlled properties and strength. The drilling experiments were conducted at different simulated down-hole condition, including bottom hole pressures, and different fluid flow rates.
The study also highlighted the effect of varying the drill string compliance on the overall effect of induced down-hole axial vibration. Finally the study sets base for further investigation and experiment that will be conducted using a bigger scale setup similar to land drill rigs.


identifier: Daniels, Jennifer Kathleen <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Daniels=3AJennifer_Kathleen=3A=3A.html>   (2014) The river multiple: exploring place, identity and resource politics on the Gander River, Newfoundland.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Resources, identity and place are important concepts to explore for understanding questions around resource politics between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people and groups. On the Gander River, central Newfoundland, questions of how Mi’kmaw and non-Aboriginal people identify with this place and how they engage with each other and the resources therein are critical in addressing local governance and a larger set resource politics. With its focus on place and community-based and ‘ground-up’ participatory development, the place-based development model offers a great potential for communities to thoroughly engage with, and lead, in local development and governance processes. This analysis demonstrates a number of place-based development strategies in the Gander River region, which have helped a culturally diverse set of residents pursue local development and tackle common resource governance and rural development challenges. Within the geographic literature on place, it is argued that identity is highly intertwined with socio-spatial relations, and yet, in the vast majority of place-based development and natural resource geography literatures, such relations are not extended to the bio-physical landscape. Rarely do questions of materiality – conceived of as hybrid and heterogeneous relations existing in embodied forms – enter into discussions of resource governance and development. In adopting a critical, post-colonial approach to fieldwork – through open and reflexive interview techniques, participant observation and following local practices as they emerged on the river – in addition to drawing from science and technology studies literature, it became evident that the different practices on the river yield different kinds of places and resources. In constructing an account of the practices of Mi’kmaw and non-Aboriginal river users, this research demonstrates that the different practices enact ontologically distinct Atlantic salmon on the Gander River and these differences cannot be conceived in strictly rationalist or ‘common sense’ realist terms. Articulating these practices is critical in bringing these alternative places and resources into better view. Moreover, the existence of these multiple reals has deep implications on the appropriateness of typically technocratic and rationalist resource governance and development approaches.


identifier: Pentz, Brian <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Pentz=3ABrian=3A=3A.html>   (2013) The ecological and fisheries management implications of changing environmental conditions on the Flemish Cap, Northwest Atlantic.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.


identifier: Çınar, Ezgi <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/=C7==0131nar=3AEzgi=3A=3A.html>   (2014) The Miocene to recent tectonic evolution of an active transform fault at the junction of Hellenic and Cyrpus arcs, Eastern Mediterranean: the linkage between the western Antalya Basin, Finike Basin and Anaximander Mountains.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The interpretation of 3,500 km of high-resolution seismic reflection profiles
revealed that the tectonic evolution of the Finike Basin and its immediate surroundings
involves three phases of deformation since the Miocene. A protracted contractional phase
dominated by southwest-northeast trending fold-thrust structures ocurred during the
Early-Middle Miocene. This phase culminated during the Messinian, and was replaced
by an interval of relative tectonic quiescence. The transition from the latest Miocene to
Pliocene-Quaternary was marked by a reactivated tectonism. This phase was dominated
by partitioned strain, including: (i) reactivation and northwest-southeast directed
contraction in the Finike Basin extending into the southern Turkish continental margin,
(ii) extension and transtension along the westernmost Antalya Basin and the adjacent
continental margin, and (iii) contraction and transpression across the The Sırrı Erinç
Plateau and the northern slopes of the Anaxagoras Mountain.
A tectonic model is proposed where the development of these diverse
tectonic regions can be explained by the development and temporal evolution of the intracontinental
Beydağları Block, which experienced a 20º counterclockwise rotation during
the Late Miocene and earliest Pliocene. Here it is proposed that the western and eastern
boundaries of the block are delineated by the Burdur-Fethiye Fault Zone and the dextral
Antalya Fault, whereas the southern boundary is defined by the northern margin of the
Sirri Erinc Plateau and/or the southern margin of the Anaximenes and Anaxagoras
Mountains.


identifier: Yousefi Ghalehjoogh, Fatemeh <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Yousefi_Ghalehjoogh=3AFatemeh=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Verification of the HARPO language.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

title: Verification of the HARPO language

abstract:
Verification of sequential programs is hard. Verification of concurrent programs
is even harder because it involves considering the possibility of thread interference in
addition to the complexity of sequential reasoning.
The purpose of this thesis is to develop a methodology for the automated verification of the multi-threaded and object-oriented HARPO/L language. A verification
methodology is presented which allows verifying a program based on its contracts.
In particular, it gaurantees data-race-freedom, verification of data invariants (i.e. ab-
sence of data corruption), and, to the extent that the pre- and postconditions specify
it, correctness of the interface to shared objects. The methodology is built based
on implicit dynamic frames with fractional permissions. A specification language
is developed based on this methodology to allow programmers to express their de-
sign decisions formally. The verification technique is based on verification-condition
generation and automated theorem proving. A translation from HARPO/L to the
intermediate verification language, Boogie, is provided in the thesis. The e¢ cacy of
this approach is demonstrated by translating several examples to Boogie and using
automated verification on the translation.


identifier: Akese, Grace Abena <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Akese=3AGrace_Abena=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Price realization for electronic waste (e-waste) in Accra, Ghana.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The price realization literature suggests that a price is made through a process of
actualization that is different from that theorized by neoclassical economics in supposed
universal laws such as demand and supply. Empirical research demonstrating processes of
price realization have focused on standardized (e.g., cotton) and financial (e.g., stocks,
bonds) commodities. This begs the question: how are prices realized when the commodity
traded is something other than a standard commodity? That is, when the commodity
traded, such as electronic waste (e-waste), lacks a system of standardization practices that
contribute to something like a ‘world price’ (e.g., there is no ‘world price’ for discarded
computer monitors). Following the practices of trading e-waste in Accra, Ghana, the
thesis answers this question. It documents how prices are realized when e-waste is the
commodity traded. In doing so, this thesis draws three key lessons for the price realization
literature. First, it demonstrates that in the processes of price realization for e-waste goods
are qualified as both wholes and in pieces simultaneously, and this questions the
assumption of qualifying goods as wholes evident in the extant literature. Second, the
findings from this thesis raises questions about the notion of price realization itself by
flagging practices of exchange for e-waste such as bartering, gleaning and leasing.
Although discussed in other disciplines, the price realization literature has not looked at
price making within the exchange relations of bartering, gleaning and leasing. Thus, in
flagging these practices, the thesis points the price realization literature to other
economics activities that lead to non-monetary realization of price. Finally, the price
realization literature tells us that the processes of price realization are performed as relations of power in themselves. With the example of realizing prices for e-waste, the
current thesis contributes to this theorization by demonstrating different modalities of
power relations in play in verifiable instances of price realization.


identifier: Curtis, Gregory Chipman Thomas <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Curtis=3AGregory_Chipman_Thomas=3A=3A.html>   (2014) The green conversion of N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine into platform chemicals and biochar.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The green conversion of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine into substituted furans (3-acetamido-5-
acetylfuran [3A5AF], 5-hydroxymethylfurfural [5-HMF], 5-acetyl-3-amino-furan [5Ac3NH2F]
and 3-aminofurfural [3NH2F]) was achieved in subcritical water in the presence of boric acid
and sodium chloride. The maximum molar yield for 3A5AF was 75% with a selectivity of >
90% at 180⁰C in 10 minutes while 5-hydroxylmethylfurfural was obtained with a 69 mol %
(>85% selectivity) yield at 220⁰C in 10 minutes. Biochar was the main by-product of the
hydrothermal reaction and thus it was characterized and its potential will be discussed. Reaction
conditions were evaluated including substrate concentration, temperature, time, additive
concentration and solvent recycling. Based on previous research in our group, the additives with
desirable properties (low toxicity) are boric acid and sodium chloride. The synergy observed in
this catalytic system shall be discussed along with selectivity and comparison to additive-free
experiments.


identifier: Pearcey, Gregory <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Pearcey=3AGregory=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Simulated motion negatively affects motor task but not neuromuscular performance.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The objectives of this thesis were 1) to describe how motor task and neuromuscular performance is affected by various types of environmental perturbations and 2) to examine the effects of simulated motion on motor task and neuromuscular performance, conduct an experiment to examine the effects of one hour of simulated ship motion on motor task and neuromuscular performance. Sixteen males participated in two one-hour experimental testing conditions; 1) motion and 2) control. Motor task performance was measured through a simple reaction time and computerized visuomotor accuracy tracking task, while neuromuscular performance was measured through maximal voluntary contractions, voluntary activation, evoked muscle contractile properties and biceps brachii electromyography of the elbow flexors. Results indicated that motor task but not neuromuscular performance was affected by simulated motion due to ongoing sensorimotor adaptation that results in an overload of cognitive resources.


identifier: Liu, Xiao Hong  <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Liu=3AXiao_Hong_=3A=3A.html>   (2014) Biomechanical changes of acupuncture treatment for lower back range of motion : a clinical study to bridge the concept of traditional Chinese acupuncture with western scientific evidence of the efficacy of acupuncture treatment.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Acupuncture treatment remains one of the most common treatments for lower
back pain. Yet, there is very little research to show that acupuncture will also improve
mobility and function of the lower back. This study attempted to assess the effectiveness
of an acupuncture treatment protocol on lower back pain and lower back range of motion.
Three acupuncture treatments were provided for 21 participants (mean age: 44.6 +/- 10.9
years) reporting lower back pain averaging 6.8 years with an average 6.3 pain score. A
lumbar motion monitor was used to record trunk kinematics in 3-dimensions - the sagittal,
lateral and twist planes - before and after treatments.
Using pretest-posttest comparisons following three acupuncture treatments,
80.95% of oarticipants exhibited an increased sagittal range of motion. Changes in
angular range of motion were statistically significant in 3-dimensions. However, lifting
and lowering tasks were not statistically significant.
This study suggests that acupuncture treatments can increase a particpant’s
angular range of motion as well as to possibly improve the function of lifting tasks. Three
acupuncture treatments may actually demonstrate the earliest improvement that may be
expected for treating lower back pain.