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  • Entropy, triangulation, and point location in planar subdivisions

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Langerman, S., Morin, P., Dujmovic, V., Iacono, J., and Collette, S.
    Abstract:
    A data structure is presented for point location in connected planar subdivisions when the distribution of queries is known in advance. The data structure has an expected query time that is within a constant factor of optimal. More specifically, an algorithm is presented that preprocesses a connected planar subdivision, G, of size n and a query distribution, D, to produce a point location data structure for G. The expected number of point-line comparisons performed by this data structure, when the queries are distributed according to D, is H' + O(H^{1/2}+1) where H'=H'(G,D)$ is a lower bound on the expected number of point-line comparisons performed by any linear decision tree for point location in G under the query distribution D. The preprocessing algorithm runs in O(n log n) time and produces a data structure of size O(n). These results are obtained by creating a Steiner triangulation of G that has near-minimum entropy.
    Date Created:
    2013-02-25

  • Information Management in the Canadian Federal Government: Principles, Practices and the Role of Information Professionals

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Stricker, Ulla de and Jordan, Isla
    Abstract:
    Information management (IM) in the Canadian public sector is a complex area involving many professions such as librarians, archivists, records managers and information technology professionals. This exploratory study looks at the literature and experiential (qualitative) evidence from IM professionals in order to paint a picture of information management principles and practice in the Canadian federal government. Personal interviews were conducted with 20 librarians, information managers, records managers and other information professionals. Responses indicated that although the public sector has made tremendous strides in IM, there is often a gap between IM policy and practice as shown by inconsistencies and confusion in day to day operations compounded by the decimation of federal libraries (which are repositories of external as well as government information). The study also looks at roles of librarians and other IM professionals now and in the future. These professionals are well positioned to help close the gap between information policy and practice, moving forward toward more coordinated and integrated practices in information management as well as making information accessible and usable for their clients. Such functions aid the Canadian public sector in becoming a more effective knowledge organization.
    Date Created:
    2013-04-02

  • Personal Learning Environments (PLEs): Ecologies for building student capability for lifelong learning

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Renon, Flavia
    Abstract:
    The purpose of this working paper is to examine the role of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) in higher education. This information will serve as a framework to inform a study of PLE use at Carleton University.
    Date Created:
    2013-04-30

  • Publishing Graduate Student Research in Geography: The Fundamentals

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Tudin, Susan and Ballamingie, Patricia
    Abstract:
    This paper offer practical advice on publishing graduate student research within the discipline of geography, addressing the following questions: why, when, where, what, how and with whom? Section 'The paper chase' delineates the importance of publishing, identifies potential material to publish, suggests venues in which to publish and offers pragmatic advice on how to negotiate the publishing process (with regards to peers, supervisors and editors). Section 'In library resources' discusses the effective use of library resources, demystifies the significance of impact factors and elucidates the history of Open Access publishing.
    Date Created:
    2013-09-18

  • Assessment Practice in Canadian University Libraries: Survey Results

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    McKenna, Julie and Jordan, Isla
    Abstract:
    Accountability and data-informed decision-making are increasingly important for Canadian public institutions such as governments and universities. Canadian university libraries also appear to be placing more emphasis on evaluating and assessing their services and products. To discover more about the current assessment culture in Canadian university libraries, in 2007 Isla Jordan from Carleton University and Julie McKenna from the University of Regina conducted an online survey of services assessment practices in Canadian university libraries. The goals of this project were to gain a sense of assessment practices within the libraries and to provide a baseline for future comparisons and research into services assessment practice. Results showed that survey respondents were at different stages in assessing a variety of services and products. Respondents indicated that their libraries intended to increase their assessment activities in the future, particularly the LibQUAL survey.
    Date Created:
    2013-09-30

  • Vividness of visual imagery and incidental recall of verbal cues, when phenomenological availability

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Zakizadeh, Jila, Runge, Matthew, Faulkner, Andrew, D'Angiulli, Amedeo, Morcos, Selvana, and Chan, Aldrich
    Abstract:
    The relationship between vivid visual mental images and unexpected recall (incidental recall) was replicated, refined, and extended. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to generate mental images from imagery-evoking verbal cues (controlled on several verbal properties) and then, on a trial-by-trial basis, rate the vividness of their images; 30 min later, participants were surprised with a task requiring free recall of the cues. Higher vividness ratings predicted better incidental recall of the cues than individual differences (whose effect was modest). Distributional analysis of image latencies through ex-Gaussian modeling showed an inverse relation between vividness and latency. However, recall was unrelated to image latency. The follow-up Experiment 2 showed that the processes underlying trial-by-trial vividness ratings are unrelated to the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ), as further supported by a meta-analysis of a randomly selected sample of relevant literature. The present findings suggest that vividness may act as an index of availability of long-term sensory traces, playing a non-epiphenomenal role in facilitating the access of those memories.
    Date Created:
    2013-01-02

  • Adaptive Plasticity in Wild Field Cricket’s Acoustic Signaling

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Fitzsimmons, Lauren P., Harrison, Sarah J., Thomson, Ian R., and Bertram, Susan
    Abstract:
    Phenotypic plasticity can be adaptive when phenotypes are closely matched to changes in the environment. In crickets, rhythmic fluctuations in the biotic and abiotic environment regularly result in diel rhythms in density of sexually active individuals. Given that density strongly influences the intensity of sexual selection, we asked whether crickets exhibit plasticity in signaling behavior that aligns with these rhythmic fluctuations in the socio-sexual environment. We quantified the acoustic mate signaling behavior of wild-caught males of two cricket species, Gryllus veletis and G. pennsylvanicus. Crickets exhibited phenotypically plastic mate signaling behavior, with most males signaling more often and more attractively during the times of day when mating activity is highest in the wild. Most male G. pennsylvanicus chirped more often and louder, with shorter interpulse durations, pulse periods, chirp durations, and interchirp durations, and at slightly higher carrier frequencies during the time of the day that mating activity is highest in the wild. Similarly, most male G. veletis chirped more often, with more pulses per chirp, longer interpulse durations, pulse periods, and chirp durations, shorter interchirp durations, and at lower carrier frequencies during the time of peak mating activity in the wild. Among-male variation in signaling plasticity was high, with some males signaling in an apparently maladaptive manner. Body size explained some of the among-male variation in G. pennsylvanicus plasticity but not G. veletis plasticity. Overall, our findings suggest that crickets exhibit phenotypically plastic mate attraction signals that closely match the fluctuating socio-sexual context they experience.
    Date Created:
    2013-07-22

  • The social biology professor: Effective strategies for social media engagement

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Katti, Madhusudan and Bertram, Susan
    Abstract:
    Evolutionary biology and ecology have always been collaborative enterprises, benefitting enormously from active communication of ideas among traditional academic networks of peers. The Internet age, with its thriving online social networks, offers new tools that can help our current generation of biologists to collaborate, and communicate with the public, more effectively. Having a dynamic web presence, being part of an active blogging, Facebook, or Google+ community, and being a strategic tweeter can help your research, teaching, and service programs. Below we outline how to be a strategically savvy and active social media scientist, and discuss some of the pitfalls to avoid wasting time. We highlight some ecologists and evolutionary biologists who are active in social media to help you understand the many ways social media can help you in your academic life.
    Date Created:
    2013-07-07

  • Circannual changes in stress and feeding hormones and their effect on food-seeking behaviors.

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Holahan, Matthew, Cahill, Shaina, and Tuplin, Erin
    Abstract:
    Seasonal fluctuations in food availability show a tight association with seasonal variations in body weight and food intake. Seasonal variations in food intake, energy storage and expenditure appear to be a widespread phenomenon suggesting they may have evolved in anticipation for changing environmental demands. These cycles appear to be driven by changes in external daylength acting on neuroendocrine pathways. A number of neuroendocrine pathways, two of which are the endocrine mechanisms underlying feeding and stress, appear to show seasonal changes in both their circulating levels and reactivity. As such, variation in the level or reactivity to these hormones may be crucial factors in the control of seasonal variations in food-seeking behaviours. The present review examines the relationship between feeding behavior and seasonal changes in circulating hormones. We hypothesize that seasonal changes in circulating levels of glucocorticoids and the feeding-related hormones ghrelin and leptin contribute to seasonal fluctuations in feeding-related behaviors. This review will focus on the seasonal circulating levels of these hormones as well as sensitivity to these hormones in the modulation of food-seeking behaviors.
    Date Created:
    2013-07-23

  • Flavonol-rich dark cocoa significantly decreases plasma endothelin-1 and improves cognitive responses in urban children.

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    D'Angiulli, Amedeo, Aragón-Flores, Mariana, Mukherjee, Partha S., Cross, Janet V., Gómez-Garza, Gilberto, Zhu, Hongtu, Chao, Chih-kai, Mora-Tiscareño, Antonieta, Franco-Lira, Maricela, Engle, Randall, Jewells, Valerie, Solorio, Edelmira, Weili, Lin, Medina-Cortina, Humberto, Torres-Jardón, Ricardo, Calderón-Garcidueñas, Lilian, and Ferreira-Azevedo, Lara
    Abstract:
    Air pollution exposures are linked to systemic inflammation, cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality, neuroinflammation and neuropathology in young urbanites. In particular, most Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) children exhibit subtle cognitive deficits, and neuropathology studies show 40% of them exhibiting frontal tau hyperphosphorylation and 51% amyloid-β diffuse plaques (compared to 0% in low pollution control children). We assessed whether a short cocoa intervention can be effective in decreasing plasma endothelin 1 (ET-1) and/or inflammatory mediators in MCMA children. Thirty gram of dark cocoa with 680 mg of total flavonols were given daily for 10.11 ± 3.4 days (range 9–24 days) to 18 children (10.55 years, SD = 1.45; 11F/7M). Key metabolite ratios in frontal white matter and in hippocampus pre and during cocoa intervention were quantified by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. ET-1 significantly decreased after cocoa treatment (p = 0.0002). Fifteen children (83%) showed a marginally significant individual improvement in one or both of the applied simple short memory tasks. Endothelial dysfunction is a key feature of exposure to particulate matter (PM) and decreased endothelin-1 bioavailability is likely useful for brain function in the context of air pollution. Our findings suggest that cocoa interventions may be critical for early implementation of neuroprotection of highly exposed urban children. Multi-domain nutraceutical interventions could limit the risk for endothelial dysfunction, cerebral hypoperfusion, neuroinflammation, cognitive deficits, structural volumetric detrimental brain effects, and the early development of the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
    Date Created:
    2013-08-02

  • Charting the role of the number line in mathematical development

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    LeFevre, Jo-Anne, Kamawar, Deepthi, Jimenez Lira, Carolina, Sowinski, Carla, Cankaya, Ozlem, and Skwarchuk, Sheri-Lynn
    Abstract:
    Individuals who do well in mathematics and science also often have good spatial skills. However, the predictive direction of links between spatial abilities and mathematical learning has not been firmly established, especially for young children. In the present research, we addressed this issue using a sample from a longitudinal data set that spanned 4 years and which includes measures of mathematical performance and various cognitive skills, including spatial ability. Children were tested once in each of 4 years (Time 1, 2, 3, and 4). At Time 3 and 4, 101 children (in Grades 2, 3, or 4 at Time 3) completed mathematical measures including (a) a number line task (0–1000), (b) arithmetic, and (c) number system knowledge. Measures of spatial ability were collected at Time 1, 2, or 3. As expected, spatial ability was correlated with all of the mathematical measures at Time 3 and 4, and predicted growth in number line performance from Time 3 to Time 4. However, spatial ability did not predict growth in either arithmetic or in number system knowledge. Path analyses were used to test whether number line performance at Time 3 was predictive of arithmetic and number system knowledge at Time 4 or whether the reverse patterns were dominant. Contrary to the prediction that the number line is an important causal construct that facilitates learning arithmetic, no evidence was found that number line performance predicted growth in calculation more than calculation predicted number line growth. However, number system knowledge at Time 3 was predictive of number line performance at Time 4, independently of spatial ability. These results provide useful information about which aspects of growth in mathematical performance are (and are not) related to spatial ability and clarify the relations between number line performance and measures of arithmetic and number system knowledge.
    Date Created:
    2013-08-29

  • Covariation and repeatability of male mating effort and mating preferences in a promiscuous fish.

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Godin, Jean-Guy and Auld, Heather L.
    Abstract:
    Although mate choice by males does occur in nature, our understanding of its importance in driving evolutionary change remains limited compared with that for female mate choice. Recent theoretical models have shown that the evolution of male mate choice is more likely when individual variation in male mating effort and mating preferences exist and positively covary within populations. However, relatively little is known about the nature of such variation and its maintenance within natural populations. Here, using the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) as a model study system, we report that mating effort and mating preferences in males, based on female body length (a strong correlate of fecundity), positively covary and are significantly variable among subjects. Individual males are thus consistent, but not unanimous, in their mate choice. Both individual mating effort (including courtship effort) and mating preference were significantly repeatable. These novel findings support the assumptions and predictions of recent evolutionary models of male mate choice, and are consistent with the presence of additive genetic variation for male mate choice based on female size in our study population and thus with the opportunity for selection and further evolution of large female body size through male mate choice.
    Date Created:
    2013-10-03

  • Can convict cichlids (Amatitlania siquia) socially learn the degree of predation risk associated with novel visual cues in their environment?

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Barks, Patrick M. and Godin, Jean-Guy
    Abstract:
    For many animals, the ability to distinguish cues indicative of predation risk from cues unrelated to predation risk is not entirely innate, but rather is learned and improved with experience. Two pathways to such learning are possible. First, an animal could initially express antipredator behaviour toward a wide range of cues and subsequently learn which of those cues are non-threatening. Alternatively, it could initially express no antipredator behaviour toward a wide range of cues and subsequently learn which of them are threatening. While the learned recognition of threatening cues may occur either through personal interaction with a cue (asocial learning) or through observation of the behaviour of social companions toward a cue (social learning), the learned recognition of non-threatening cues seems to occur exclusively through habituation, a form of asocial learning. Here, we tested whether convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania siquia) can socially learn to recognize visual cues in their environment as either threatening or non-threatening. We exposed juvenile convict cichlids simultaneously to a novel visual cue and one of three (visual) social cues: a social cue indicative of non-risk (the sight of conspecifics that had previously been habituated to the novel cue), a social cue indicative of predation risk (the sight of conspecifics trained to fear the novel cue), or a control treatment with no social cue. The subsequent response of focal fish, when presented with the novel cue alone, was not influenced by the social cue that they had previously witnessed. We therefore did not find evidence that convict cichlids in our study could use social learning to recognize novel visual cues as either threatening or non-threatening. We consider alternative explanations for our findings.
    Date Created:
    2013-10-03

  • Neuroplasticity and the next wave of antidepressant strategies

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Hayley, Shawn and Litteljohn, Darcy
    Abstract:
    Depression is a common chronic psychiatric disorder that is also often co-morbid with numerous neurological and immune diseases. Accumulating evidence indicates that disturbances of neuroplasticity occur with depression, including reductions of hippocampal neurogenesis and cortical synaptogenesis. Improper trophic support stemming from stressor-induced reductions of growth factors, most notably brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), likely drives such aberrant neuroplasticity. We posit that psychological and immune stressors can interact upon a vulnerable genetic background to promote depression by disturbing BDNF and neuroplastic processes. Furthermore, the chronic and commonly relapsing nature of depression is suggested to stem from “faulty wiring” of emotional circuits driven by neuroplastic aberrations. The present review considers depression in such terms and attempts to integrate the available evidence indicating that the efficacy of current and “next wave” antidepressant treatments, whether used alone or in combination, is at least partially tied to their ability to modulate neuroplasticity. We particularly focus on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, ketamine, which already has well documented rapid antidepressant effects, and the trophic cytokine, erythropoietin (EPO), which we propose as a potential adjunctive antidepressant agent.
    Date Created:
    2013-10-30

  • Getting ready for RDA: a modular approach to training library staff

    Resource Type:
    Poster
    Creator:
    Cross, Emma
    Abstract:
    Resource Description and Access is the new content standard coming Spring 2013, with national libraries using RDA effective March 30, 2013. Libraries need to address training for staff in all departments on how to interpret, catalogue and use RDA records.
    Date Created:
    2013-02-13

  • Inquiry-based training improves teaching effectiveness of biology teaching assistants

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Ellefson, Michelle R. and Hughes, William
    Abstract:
    Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are used extensively as undergraduate science lab instructors at universities, yet they often have having minimal instructional training and little is known about effective training methods. This blind randomized control trial study assessed the impact of two training regimens on GTA teaching effectiveness. GTAs teaching undergraduate biology labs (n = 52) completed five hours of training in either inquiry-based learning pedagogy or general instructional "best practices". GTA teaching effectiveness was evaluated using: (1) a nine-factor student evaluation of educational quality; (2) a six-factor questionnaire for student learning; and (3) course grades. Ratings from both GTAs and undergraduates indicated that indicated that the inquiry-based learning pedagogy training has a positive effect on GTA teaching effectiveness.
    Date Created:
    2013-11-11

  • Interruption of Ghrelin Signaling in the PVN Increases High-Fat Diet Intake and Body Weight in Stressed & Non-Stressed C57BL6J Male Mice

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Isaacs, Albert M., Abizaid, Alfonso, Patterson, Zachary R., and Parno, Tamara
    Abstract:
    Chronic social stress has been associated with increased caloric intake and adiposity. These effects have been linked to stress induced changes in the secretion of ghrelin, a hormone that targets a number of brain regions to increase food intake and energy expenditure and promote increased body fat content. One of the brain sites targeted by ghrelin is the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a region critical for both the regulation of the stress response and the regulation of energy balance. Given these data, we examined the contribution of ghrelin receptors in the PVN to the metabolic and behavioral changes that are seen during chronic social stress in mice. To do this, mice were implanted with cannulae attached to osmotic minipumps and delivering either vehicle or the ghrelin receptor (growth hormone secretagogue receptor) antagonist [D-Lys-3]-GHRP-6 (20 nmol/day/mouse). Following a week of recovery, half of the animals in each group were exposed to chronic social defeat stress for a period of 3 weeks whereas the other half were left undisturbed. During this time, all animals were given ad libitum access to standard laboratory chow and presented a high-fat diet for 4 h during the day. Results showed that the ghrelin receptor antagonism did not decrease stressed induced caloric intake, but paradoxically increased the intake of the high fat diet. This would suggest that ghrelin acts on the PVN to promote the intake of carbohydrate rich diets while decreasing fat intake and blockade of ghrelin receptors in the PVN leads to more consumption of foods that are high in fat.
    Date Created:
    2013-09-17

  • Calling, Courtship, and Condition in the Fall Field Cricket, Gryllus pennsylvanicus

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Harrison, Sarah J., Thomson, Ian R., Bertram, Susan M., and Grant, Caitlin M.
    Abstract:
    Theoretically, sexual signals should provide honest information about mating benefits and many sexually reproducing species use honest signals when signalling to potential mates. Male crickets produce two types of acoustic mating signals: a long-distance mate attraction call and a short-range courtship call. We tested whether wild-caught fall field cricket (Gryllus pennsylvanicus) males in high condition (high residual mass or large body size) produce higher effort calls (in support of the honest signalling hypothesis). We also tested an alternative hypothesis, whether low condition males produce higher effort calls (in support of the terminal investment hypothesis). Several components of long-distance mate attraction calls honestly reflected male body size, with larger males producing louder mate attraction calls at lower carrier frequencies. Long distance mate attraction chirp rate dishonestly signalled body size, with small males producing faster chirp rates. Shortrange courtship calls dishonestly reflected male residual mass, as chirp rate and pulse rate were best explained by a curvilinear function of residual mass. By producing long-distance mate attraction calls and courtship calls with similar or higher effort compared to high condition males, low condition males (low residual mass or small body size) may increase their effort in current reproductive success at the expense of their future reproductive success, suggesting that not all sexual signals are honest.
    Date Created:
    2013-03-20

  • Visualizing Meaning : Managing Perception and Meaning in Visual Communication Design

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Craib, David
    Abstract:
    Visual communication designers strive to create effective visual messages that are easily perceived and meaningful, but various forms of visual noise can compromise their designs. A set of visual design criteria and tools, aimed to increase design efficiency and effectiveness will be developed through a literature review of communication-related disciplines, including psychology, linguistics, semiotics, communications studies, information theory and statistics design. A sampling of these criteria and tools will then be applied to case studies of web- and print-based visual presentations to research their viability, and expert interviews will further inform and develop the criteria list. The final criteria and tools, developed from the studies, will be used to build a prototype of a corporate at a glance presentation for a government organization, to research the usability of the criteria set. The research aims to develop visual communication design theory based on fundamental, interdisciplinary concepts that could, through further research, offer visual communication designers improved science-based design and research tools.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Design (M.Des.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Industrial Design
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Engaged histories : Wendat women's souvenir arts of cultural preservation and entrepreneurial invention

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    De Stecher, Annette Windsor
    Abstract:
    The nineteenth century souvenir arts of the Wendat (Huron) women of Wendake, Quebec, works of virtuosity in technique and design, were sought after as collectibles by European visitors and Euro-Canadians, and today appear in substantial numbers in European, Canadian, and American museum collections. Although souvenir wares have been the object of study in the fields of anthropology and art history, an in-depth systematic analysis of the tradition, situated within a history of Wendat visual arts, had yet to be written. This study addresses two problems: First, the lack of a corpus of material to place nineteenth-century souvenir arts in the context of art from earlier periods created for ceremonial and community use and drawn both from archaeological and ethnological collections. Second, it addresses the need to explore the relationship among modes of production and to carry out a close reading of the imagery and women’s egalitarian status in Wendat society from pre- and early-contact periods through the nineteenth century. 1 argue that souvenir arts, produced during a period of intense change and challenges to Wendat identity and economic self-sufficiency caused by increasing settler populations and colonial pressures of assimilation, offer a site for the exploration of Wendat women’s economic and social roles in their community. I base these arguments in archival and historical research and in consultation with Wendat community members, who have provided important insight into symbolic content of the souvenir works and their significance for the Wendat as well as for European buyers. The development of souvenir arts was intertwined with the diplomatic and political agenda of Wendat community leaders, reflecting Wendat women’s agency in creating commercial works that inspired the admiration of European collectors, and could serve as ceremonial gifts that contributed to harmonious relations with settler communities.The research database of over 220 examples of Wendat and Eastern Great Lakes objects, on which my arguments are based, is the foundation for Appendix B and the illustrations referred to in the text. In keeping with the collaborative research methods of the thesis, I will present a copy of the thesis to Wendat Grand Chief Conrad Sioui, together with a DVD of the database.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Cultural Mediations
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Sensory gating in Schizophrenia and its implications for auditory hallucinations : a combined time-frequency, event-related potential and neuroanatomical study

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Blais, Crystal Marie
    Abstract:
    Schizophrenia is a devastating disorder with cognitive deficits in a wide variety of domains. One prominent brain-based mechanism that has been proposed to account for a wide variety of deficits seen in this group is sensory gating, which refers to the ability to suppress extraneous sensory input in the environment. Impairments in this function have also been shown to be associated with positive symptoms in schizophrenia, including auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs), which represent a core feature of the disorder; however, the neurophysiological basis of sensory gating dysfunction and its relationship to the state and trait of experiencing AVHs remain ill-understood. Furthermore, although the finding of sensory gating impairments in schizophrenia is robust, there is a substantial amount of variability in both schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, leaving questions regarding the validity of this measure as an endophenotype for schizophrenia. Event-related potential (ERP) and evoked power (EP) indices of sensory gating were assessed in 24 patients with AVHs and 24 healthy controls stratified into high and low suppressors. In patients specifically, structural volumes for cortical regions associated with both sensory gating and auditory hallucinations were assessed, and were correlated with electrophysiological measures of sensory gating, as well as with state and trait measures of AVHs. While it was suppressor type (i.e., low vs. high suppressors) rather than group (i.e., patients vs. controls) that differentiated participants with respect to most ERP and EP measures, patients did differ in a standard ERP measure of gating ability.  Analyses also showed differences in cortical volume (with an emphasis on temporal region) associations with state assessments, depending on the experimental condition in which the AVHs were experienced. Furthermore, sensory gating function (as indexed by several ERP indices) was shown to be influenced by volumes in temporal, hippocampal and anterior cingulate regions. The study revealed basic electrophysiological gating mechanisms to regulate AVH experiences. Results also point to the influence of cortical volumes in regions associated with AVHs (and the state vs. the trait of such experiences) on electrophysiological measures of sensory gating function.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctoral (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Cognitive Science
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Facilitating Recommendation Uptake: The Role of Feasibility, Stakeholder Involvement, and Stakeholder Commitment

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Nadin, Shevaun
    Abstract:
    A central goal of program evaluation is to provide recommendations that will inform programming decisions. Yet, recommendations often do not translate into practice; wasting precious resources and thwarting evaluators‘ ultimate goal of social betterment. Despite identifying numerous variables related to evaluation use in general and recommendation uptake in particular, the literature on this topic derives almost exclusively from evaluators‘ practice-based observations. Moving beyond a 'shopping list‘ approach, with this research I sought to identify, empirically, the relative importance of facilitators of recommendation uptake. Moreover, this work draws on reports from those actually responsible for implementing evaluation recommendations, adding an important perspective to the use and recommendation uptake literature.Two studies were conducted with recommendation implementers; one using a structured Q-sort task, and the other using an open-ended interview method. The research questions were: i) are there different perspectives among implementers about the most important facilitators of recommendation uptake?; and ii) is there a subset of variables that reliably facilitate uptake regardless of the implementers‘ specific point of view?  Together the results suggest that there are indeed four unique implementer points of view regarding important facilitators of recommendation uptake. The results also suggest that stakeholder involvement in the evaluation process, stakeholder commitment to evaluation use, and the feasibility of the recommendation are reliable facilitators of uptake. This research has important theoretical and practical implications, and also reveals important avenues for future research on evaluation use.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Nunatsiavummi Sananguagusigisimajangit / Nunatsiavut Art History: Continuity, Resilience, and Transformation in Inuit Art

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Igloliorte, Heather Lynette
    Abstract:
    This dissertation provides a timely and critical assessment of Nunatsiavummiut [Labrador Inuit] visual arts, both historical and contemporary. While encounters with Nunatsiavummiut have been well documented for over four centuries, and a number of excellent studies from archeology, anthropology, ethnohistory and sociology exist, the art historical literature and documentation is scant. Museum collections, exhibitions and scholarly publications on Inuit art and visual culture have been noticeably devoid of Nunatsiavut content. In light of the advances the field of Inuit art has made in a little over half a century, the near-complete absence of Nunatsiavummiut visual culture from exhibitions and collections as well as from art historical texts is highly conspicuous. Yet despite the lack of an enduring arts industry, a cooperative system, institutional support or scholarly interest, the Nunatsiavut Territory continues to produce exceptional artists. This dissertation thus aims to fill a critical gap in Inuit art scholarship by providing an overview of Nunatsiavummiut artistic productions through time and across a variety of practices including sewing, grasswork, carving, and now also drawing, photography and other contemporary arts. Drawing on Visual Culture’s interdisciplinary theoretical toolkit as well as critical Indigenous research methodologies, this thesis provides a social history of Labrador Inuit visual culture spanning over four centuries of production, in order to illuminate how the complex history of contact, trade, cultural imperialism and Inuit resistance strategies have shaped the production of art in the region. It situates Labrador Inuit visual culture within broader discourses of contemporary Inuit art history. This dissertation argues that the production of Inuit art has played an integral role in fostering and safeguarding Inuit cultural knowledge throughout our long history of contact and exchange; that art making demonstrates the continuity and resilience of Nunatsiavummiut culture despite centuries of colonization; and that in this new era of self-governance, the arts hold the potential to assert and secure our unique cultural identity.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Cultural Mediations
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Lake Diatoms as Indicators of Late Holocene Climate Variability in the Boreal Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Dalton, April Sue Rogers
    Abstract:
    This thesis is comprised of two manuscripts that focus on diatom ecological change through a late Holocene record from a 116.2 cm freeze core obtained from Danny’s Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada. The diatom results indicate that climate in this region has been relatively stable through the past 3330 cal. yr BP, although three distinct diatom assemblages are recognized. Time-series analysis was also carried out on select diatom species from the Danny’s lake sediment core. We correlate the c. 89 and c. 145 year cycles with the 90 – 140 year Gleissberg cycle, while the c. 309-year cycle is attributed to the 300-year overtone of the 2115-year Hallstadt cycle. This research is part of a multi-proxy project mandated to determine late Holocene climate variability along the route of the economically important Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road (TCWR), a seasonal ice road that stretches 600 km from Yellowknife to Nunavut.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Earth Sciences
    Date Created:
    2013

  • A Key Distribution and Management Scheme for Clustered Ad Hoc Sensor Networks

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Liu, Fei
    Abstract:
    Presently, the most practical approach for bootstrapping initial secret keys in sensor networks is to load keys into sensor nodes before they are deployed. However, some of them are vulnerable to impersonation attacks. We describe a novel key distribution and management scheme for clustered ad hoc sensor networks. The scheme uses the Boneh-Franklin’s ID-based encryption (IBE) scheme and Yi’s ID-based signature scheme to achieve mutual authentication between nodes. The signature scheme is used to distribute a cluster key which can be updated. We also derive a master key from the signature which can also be updated when needed. Our contribution is that we resolved the impersonation problems that exist in current key distribution schemes for ad hoc sensor networks. A timestamp is incorporated in the signing procedure, avoiding message replay attacks. Finally, This scheme can be extended to hierarchical ad hoc sensor networks.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2013

  • 3D Laser Imaging and Modeling of Iron Meteorites and Tektites

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Fry, Christopher A.
    Abstract:
    3D laser imaging is a non-destructive method devised to calculate bulk density by creating volumetrically accurate computer models of hand samples. The focus of this research was to streamline the imaging process and to mitigate any potential errors. 3D laser imaging captured with great detail (30 voxel/mm2) surficial features of the samples, such as regmaglypts, pits and cut faces. Densities from 41 iron meteorites and 9 splash-form Australasian tektites are reported here. The laser-derived densities of iron meteorites range from 6.98 to 7.93 g/cm3. Several suites of meteorites were studied and are somewhat heterogeneous based on an average 2.7% variation in inter-fragment density. Density decreases with terrestrial age due to weathering. The tektites have an average laser-derived density of 2.41+0.11g/cm3. For comparison purposes, the Archimedean bead method was also used to determine density. This method was more effective for tektites than for iron meteorites.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Earth Sciences
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Legalizing the imagination : an examination of how the geographic imagination of the new world led to its construction as free space within international law for the purpose of the English appropriation of North America

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Barr-Klouman, Agnes
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Legal Studies
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Distributed Multiple Access for the Uplink of Multi-cell OFDMA Networks

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Dang, Jing
    Abstract:
    It is expected that wireless data services with diverse QoS requirements will account for most of the traffic in the future 4G networks. Current centralized scheduling requires a substantial amount of overhead when the number of wireless devices is very large in order to collect users’ CSI (Channel State Information). We explore a distributed scheduling method for the next-generation cellular networks, in which the scheduling decisions are performed jointly by the wireless devices and the BSs in order to reduce the complexity at the BSs and to reduce the protocol overhead. We propose a distributed multi-channel multiple access protocol for the uplink data transfer in TDD (Time-Division Duplex) mode for a multi-cell network. The protocol may be used as a low-overhead scheduling solution for delay-tolerant services especially with large numbers of devices, and can coexist with the legacy centralized scheduling schemes.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Investigation of Pedestrian Movement in Groups and in High-Density Bottlenecks Using Discrete Choice Modelling Framework

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Rashedi-Ashrafi, Zohreh
    Abstract:
    Walking as a non-motorized mode of transport is an essential component of sustainable environment. To increase the share of walking in transportation and accordingly to plan and manage pedestrian areas, a deep understanding of pedestrian movement behaviour is required. The aim of this thesis is to provide walking behaviour models based on discrete choice framework to study the behaviour of pedestrians in different situations. Data has been extracted from real-world video recordings of pedestrian crowds for calibration and validation purposes. In the first part of this thesis, the behavior of pedestrians walking in groups has been modeled based on the tendency of group members to maintain group unity. In the second part, a simulation tool has been developed to calibrate and validate a model presenting pedestrian behaviour at high density bottlenecks. The validation results confirm the acceptable performance of walking models proposed in both parts of the thesis.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Civil
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Welfare Production in Canada and Tanzania: The Ismaili Imamat, Ismaili Community Institutions and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Jiwani, Farzana Nanji
    Abstract:
    This dissertation examines the evolution in thinking about public policy devoted to social protection by drawing on welfare theory and its extensions, state-civil society frameworks, and transnational networks. It does this through case studies of the Ismaili Imamat, Ismaili community institutions, and AKDN in Canada and Tanzania. The key question posed is: How are we to understand the role in welfare provision of an evolving trans-state or perhaps international non-state cluster of institutions that have their origins and owe their existence to a religious faith? The importance of understanding hybridity, intermediary roles, scale, and regional configurations are highlighted. The dissertation comes to the following conclusions on the AKDN and welfare provision. First, regarding AKDN, although the Imamat level may be occupying that intermediary space and is involved in the orchestration and management of welfare production, the capacity for the mechanisms of the Imamat to also engage in a fully realized potential of a logic of hybridity is a more difficult proposition. AKDN is a culmination of elements that began in the Ismaili community, and it is still evolving. So the capacity to seamlessly engage in a logic of hybridity or not be confined to a particular sector or scale is an ongoing process. Second, regarding welfare provision, the focus on self-reliance and independence are important factors in meeting welfare needs. However, context is important. For example, in Canada, the Ismaili community institutions are more robust, highly professional, and are operating within the context of Canadian state welfare provision and other external services. This in not the case in Tanzania where community institutions are resource strapped and government or external services are unavailable. The extent of collaboration between the more comprehensive AKDN entities and community institutions in Tanzania are unresolved. Although there were pockets of collaboration between AKDN entities and government, it could be described as strategic cooperation rather than co-production. Finally, the level of Imamat engagement in welfare production demonstrated that innovation in this area is rooted in the need to break away from sector confinements and re-evaluate thinking about how and where welfare production can take place.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Public Policy
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Unravelling the P-T-t History of Grenvillian Metamorphism in the Mazinaw Domain, Southeastern Ontario: Insights from Phase Equilibria Modeling and Geospeedometry

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    McCarron, Travis
    Abstract:
    P-T-t conditions of Grenvillian metamorphism were derived from mineral assemblages, growth zoning in garnet and monazite geochronology from metapelites of the Flinton Group in southeastern Ontario. Initial conditions of garnet growth determined through isopleth thermobarometry yielded 3.7 kbar and 515°C and geothermal gradients of 40°C km-1. Phase equilibria modeling revealed an increase from 615 to 715°C and 5.6 to 7.9 kbar across the study area. Forward modeling of growth zoning in a population of garnet porphyroblasts with the THERIA_G software revealed a clockwise path over the P-T interval 3.7 to 5.9 kbar and 513 to 615°C. Diffusional relaxation of growth zoning in relatively small porphyroblasts of the population provided an average heating rate of 2°C Ma-1. In situ U-Pb monazite geochronology revealed a major age population at 977 ± 4 Ma, interpreted to represent monazite growth at the expense of allanite near the peak conditions of garnet growth and metamorphism.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Earth Sciences
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Place Matters

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Lioubachevskaia, Elena
    Abstract:
    This thesis explores past and present directions of architectural theories and designs of libraries with a focus on the study of the progression of cultural transmission methods, from oral to written and from written to digital. As recorded memory shifts from physical mediums to digital media in a virtual space the amount of physical space needed for housing the information diminishes. The tension between spatially embodied memory and digital memory raises a critical question: ‘WHAT IS THE CONTEMPORARY LIBRARY?’ We are witnessing a change in the way people share information. The impact of the current “information age” on architectural design is examined through a three part structure: first chapter will discuss Architectural Medium as the Message and the Message without the Architecture, second chapter will examine Architecture that Houses the Message as well as the Message without the Architecture, and third chapter will discuss the proposed Contemporary Library project.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Architecture
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Springtime in n'Daki Menan, the Homeland of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai: Babies, Cradleboards and Community Wrapping

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Nahwegahbow, Alexandra Kahsenniio
    Abstract:
    This is a study of how the tikinaagan (cradleboard) as an object related to pre-colonial Indigenous childcare can be metaphorically investigated as a model for traditional social frameworks that illustrate the central place and role of babies and young people within Anishinaabe families and communities. Through this, I approach the ornamentation and arrangement of a small cradleboard collected by Frank Speck in the early-twentieth century during his visit to the territory of n'Daki Menan in northeastern Ontario. By exploring the historical context in which this cradleboard was created, used, and collected I address the gaps in the early literature where the Indigenous voice and value placed on these objects were disregarded or overlooked. I argue that cradleboards, through their stylistic design and contextual power, have the ability to communicate traditional knowledge and values of parenting, family and community across generations to present day.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Art History
    Date Created:
    2013

  • On configuration and control of the thermal plant for fuel cell micro-cogeneration

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    McMurtry, Stephen James
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Sustainable Energy
    Date Created:
    2013

  • An Economic Analysis of Children's Behavior and Academic Experiences in Canadian Schools

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Ci, Wen
    Abstract:
    Using a confidential Canadian dataset of children and youth (National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth), I have provided empirical evidence of the school performance, bullying behavior, and language immersion of children in four chapters of the Ph.D. thesis. In the first chapter, the academic performance of children of immigrants is compared with that of their classmates of Canadian-born parents. The comparison starts when children are in kindergarten and continues until they grow up to become adolescents. In the second chapter, the bullying behavior of children is explored. This chapter focuses on the identification of causality between parental control and children’s bullying behavior, which is generally under-investigated in the existing literature. First, we build a theoretical model to capture the strategic dependence of children’s bullying behavior and the corresponding parental control. Then, we employ conditional fixed effects logistic estimation to test the theoretical conclusions. The empirical results support our hypothesis that stricter disciplinary measures taken by parents are more effective in deterring the child from bullying when all the other factors are held constant. The causality is carefully justified by making great efforts to account for all possible identification issues. Chapter 3 studies the children’s bullying behavior in a dynamic scenario by answering the question of when is the best time to stop bullying. Results from the semi-parametric propensity score matching suggest that early bullying detection and intervention contributes to a positive suppression effect on it. In the last chapter, we provide empirical evidence on who are in French immersion programs and who are more likely to drop out of French immersion. Results from the two-stage least-squares estimation indicate that children with higher reading ability are more likely to enter French immersion programs. Both simple logistic estimation and duration analysis
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Economics
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Endwall Flows in Transonic Turbine Cascades

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Taremi, Farzad
    Abstract:
    The results of an investigation of the midspan and endwall flows in transonic linear turbine cascades are documented here. A family of five turbine cascades with different levels of flow turning and aerodynamic loading were used for this study to quantify the effects of these parameters on loss generation in compressible flows. Experimental data on these flows are scarce in the open literature. In addition, the application of two different passive flow control techniques for reducing the endwall losses is examined here: these are referred to as endwall contouring, and airfoil pressure-side modification. The experimental investigations were conducted in the Pratt and Whitney Canada (PWC) High-Speed Wind Tunnel Laboratory at Carleton University. The measurements were made using a seven-hole pressure probe downstream of the cascades at both design and off-design Mach numbers. In addition to the measurements, surface flow visualization was conducted to assist in the interpretation of the flow physics. The results from complementary numerical investigations are also presented, and compared with the experimental data. Overall, the examined secondary flow structures are in agreement with previous low-speed findings. However, in contrast to low-speed results, the downstream mixing losses are mainly attributed to the dissipation of primary kinetic energy in the present study. Raising the exit Mach number results in weaker secondary flow structures and smaller secondary losses. The experimental results demonstrate that endwall contouring is a viable option for mitigating the secondary flows, particularly for the more highly-loaded cascade. The modification of the airfoil pressure surface is also found to provide a significant benefit in terms of endwall loss reduction. The differences between the measurements and the computational results highlight the need for detailed experimental investigations.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Aerospace
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Towards Efficient and Fair Radio Resource Allocation Schemes for Interference-Limited Celluar Networks

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Bin Sediq, Akram Salem
    Abstract:
    The focus of this thesis is on studying the tradeoff between efficiency and fairness in interference-limited cellular networks. We start by characterizing the optimal tradeoff between efficiency and fairness in cellular networks, where efficiency is measured by the sum-rate and fairness is measured by the Jain's fairness index. Finding the optimal Efficiency-Jain Tradeoff (EJT) corresponds to solving potentially difficult non-convex optimization problems. To alleviate this difficulty, we derive sufficient conditions, which are shown to be sharp and naturally satisfied in various radio resource allocation problems. These conditions provide us with a means for identifying cases in which finding the optimal EJT can be reformulated as convex optimization problems. The new formulations are used to devise computationally-efficient resource schedulers that achieve the optimal EJT and surpass baseline schedulers in terms of EJT, median rate, and user satisfaction, without incurring additional complexity. Finding the optimal EJT in the long-term average rates in interference-limited cellular networks is tackled by designing an efficient inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) scheme to manage interference by coordinating the allocation of radio resources across multiple cells. The goal of the ICIC scheme is to solve a multi-cell weighted sum-rate maximization optimization problem. By identifying a separable structure and a network-flow structure, we show that such optimization problem is amenable to powerful optimization methods, including the primal-decomposition method, the projected-subgradient method, and the network-flow optimization methods. Using these optimization methods, we propose a polynomial-time distributed ICIC scheme that finds a near-optimum multi-cell resource allocations. In comparison with baseline ICIC schemes, the proposed scheme is shown to achieve higher gains in efficiency, Jain’s fairness index, cell-edge rate, and outage probability.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Negotiating power : gender and body politics in the new wave Japanese cinema

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Briciu, Bianca Otilia
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Cultural Mediations
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Dynamics control approaches to improve vibratory environment of the helicopter aircrew

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Wickramasinghe, Viresh Kanchana
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Aerospace
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Engineering English : a multimodal case study of one Engineering and two EAP textbooks

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Fontenelle, Renee
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Behavioural correlates of atypical brain morphology in individuals with high levels of autistic-like traits

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Hill, Simon
    Abstract:
    The current study investigated whether atypical brain morphology extends to individuals in the normal population who are high in autistic-like traits. It was hypothesised that autistic-like traits would be negatively correlated with hemispheric lateralization and communication. Additionally, males and individuals enrolled in mathematically intensive university programs were expected to display higher levels of autistic-like traits than females and individuals enrolled in less mathematically intensive programs. A sample of 130 university students completed the AQ questionnaire and three measures of brain morphology to assess autistic-like traits as well as hemispheric lateralization and communication. Results indicated that autistic-like traits were not associated with measures of hemispheric lateralization or communication. Only group differences based on university program yielded significant results on the AQ. It was concluded that the measures were not sensitive enough to detect atypical brain morphology differences in the present sample or that these differences do not exist in subclinical populations.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Non-Native Production of Arabic Pharyngeal and Pharyngealized Consonants

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Alwabari, Sawsan
    Abstract:
    Grounded on the theoretical constructs of cross-language speech learning, this research investigates English L1 speakers’ production of Arabic pharyngeal and pharyngealized consonants (/ħ, ʕ/ and /tˤ, sˤ, dˤ, ðˤ/, respectively). Central to this study is how English speakers’ proficiency in Arabic affects their ability to produce these sounds differently. In particular, it examines the effect of Arabic proficiency on the production of pharyngealized versus non-pharyngealized consonants; pharyngeals versus non-pharyngeals; pharyngeal versus pharyngealized sounds; intra-category differences among the target consonants; and pharyngeal and pharyngealized consonants which differ in the adjacent vowel. The study adopts the posttest-only control group design in which Arabic learners and non-learners constitute the research groups. This thesis exploits Best’s (1995) perceptual assimilation model (PAM); Flege’s (1995) speech learning model (SLM) and principles of gestural phonology in interpreting the split-plot ANOVA results. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on the study results.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies
    Date Created:
    2013

  • The General Counsel, Gatekeeping, and the Investor Public: Uneasy Bedfellows?

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Alipour Malamiry, Mahnam
    Abstract:
    This thesis examines the role of the general counsel across Canadian and American comparisons, specifically with reference to Enron, Livent, and Hollinger cases of fraud. General Counsel is in a unique position as both a business executive, and a law professional that can mediate their ethical obligations as a professional, as well as their fiduciary obligations as a corporate executive. Two models of responsibility will be examined: that of transaction engineer, and that of gatekeeper. Transaction engineer is primarily situated as a means of maximizing value for the corporation through the general counsel’s legal expertise, and this can include “loophole lawyering”. Counsel may be failing to provide adequate representation for corporate fiduciary responsibilities, as well as their ethical responsibility to not undermine the law in the pursuit of aggressive competitive advantage and short-term profit.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Legal Studies
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Characterization of a PEDOT:PSS Electrolytic Device Using an in situ Spectroelectrochemical Technique

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Barrera Ramirez, Eduardo Alberto
    Abstract:
    PEDOT:PSS, a conjugated polymer, has demonstrated great potential in emerging applications due to its variable conductivity and spectral attenuation. However, it is necessary to understand the relationship between these properties and the doping state of PEDOT:PSS. This work uses an in situ spectroelectrochemical experiment to measure conductance and spectral attenuation of PEDOT:PSS while being dedoped quasi-statically with lithium ions. Results show a reversible decrease in conductivity during dedoping with a maximum on/off ratio of 2500. The relationship between conductivity and doping state displays a sigmoidal shape with minimum conductivity at ~1.2mC of intercalated charge. Migration speed of lithium through PEDOT:PSS was found to have a power-law speed-time relationship, where the exponent was on average 0.715 for applied voltages of 2V-5V. This work provides important parameters to facilitate simulation of complex PEDOT:PSS polymer-electrolyte devices.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Improvement in Metal-on-Metal Bearing of Hip Implants with Advanced Stellite Alloys

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Hu, Peishan
    Abstract:
    CoCrMo alloy Stellite 21 has been used as hip implant material decades. However, its limited metal-on-metal bearing has resulted in loosening in hip implants. Three advanced alloys, Stellite 720, Stellite 21 with increased 10 wt%Cr (named modified Stellite 21) and Stellite 21 with additional 0.4 ~ 0.6 wt%CrN (named nitrided Stellite 21), are proposed in this research to improve the bearing. The wear test is performed on a pin-on-disc tribometer. The corrosion tests are conducted in the simulated human body environment. The results demonstrate that the proposed alloys all exhibit better wear resistance than the conventional Stellite 21. The corrosion resistance of modified Stellite 21 is much better than that of Stellite 21 while Stellite 720 and nitrided Stellite 21 are worse than Stellite 21 in corrosion resistance. Modified Stellite 21 with combined superior wear and corrosion resistance properties is highly recommended.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Materials
    Date Created:
    2013

  • The Impact of Socio-cultural Issues on Mature Women and Alcohol Use in Glasgow, Scotland: An Anthropological Exploration

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Jones, Angeline Maria
    Abstract:
    This thesis explores the connection between women’s health and alcohol consumption in Glasgow, Scotland. The purpose of the project is to investigate how social, economic and other factors affect women’s alcohol consumption, and whether or not female alcohol consumption has a direct effect on women’s ill-health in Glasgow, Scotland. The data gleaned from participant observation and semi-structured interviewing of thirteen Glaswegian women provide evidence that female alcohol consumption is inseparable from issues of gender, identity, class, and power. The data will be examined using three unique levels of analysis: the individual, the societal, and the institutional. Such an examination helps to capture the lived reality of Glaswegian women. Furthermore, it situates women's alcohol use in the contemporary context of Scotland's political economy. Finally, the thesis concludes with a discussion of women’s alcohol use in Glasgow and its connection to the ‘Glasgow Effect’.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Anthropology
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Leveraging Collective Intelligence in Participatory Design Research Using Information and Communications Technology

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Grigoriev, Michael
    Abstract:
    Design is in the midst of undergoing significant changes in its potential to engage large crowds of people using information and communications technology (ICT) in participatory processes. As design becomes increasingly tasked with playing a role in improving the human condition, it must determine how to best engage existing diverse knowledge from crowds and evolve beyond traditional design approaches to solve non-traditional problems. The notion of using information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) to aggregate diverse knowledge within participatory processes represents great promise, yet it must be better understood in an emerging design landscape. This research combines leading perspectives into a set of comprehensive guidelines to inform the use of ICT within participatory design research capable of engaging the collective intelligence of participants. It also documents the exploration and evidence of a social movement known as ‘Idle No More’ as potential for a future application of these guidelines.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Design (M.Des.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Industrial Design
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Do malware warnings reduce the likelihood of installing bad software? The case of the Trojan Horse

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Chowdhury, Wahida
    Abstract:
    My research focused on increasing computer security by reducing users’ likelihood of installing Trojan Horses: malware hiding inside attractive software. Social cognition research suggests that reading security warnings in software reviews could reduce the likelihood of installing malware. In Study 1, 43 undergraduates viewed user reviews of hypothetical games. Half the reviews were malware warnings. Ratings of the warnings’ strength were used to select strong and weak warnings for Study 2. In Study 2, 45 undergraduates viewed reviews of real computer games. I manipulated the strength and number of warnings in the reviews. Results showed the likelihood of installing a game was influenced by both the number and strength of malware warnings in reviews: two warnings reduced ratings of installation likelihood more than did one warning; strong warnings reduced the ratings more than did weak ones. Implications and limitations of the findings for social contributions to computer security are discussed.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Cognitive Science (M.Cog.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Cognitive Science
    Date Created:
    2013

  • Design Research for Instructional Graphics: A Focus on Fall Prevention Exercises for Older Adults

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Shamloo, Yasaman
    Abstract:
    Falls are a major cause of injury in old age and the leading reason for loss of independence. Regular exercise lowers the risk of falls among the elderly. The elderly display little motivation towards exercise programs. The objective of this interdisciplinary research is to explore the role that design research can play in increasing seniors’ motivation towards exercise, by creating recommendations for engaging exercise instructions. In order to investigate the role of design elements in exercise instructions, mixed research methods were utilized. The key findings of this research include, figure representations; acknowledge the benefits of exercise; and take advantage of the positive opportunities for exercising while multi-tasking. The findings resulted in design recommendations for exercise instructions that, when applied, could enhance motivation towards physical activity. Designers may use the findings from this research study as a guide for designing instructional graphics that contribute to motivating seniors in fall prevention exercise.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Design (M.Des.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Industrial Design
    Date Created:
    2013

  • The Dendroclimatic Signal in White Spruce (Picea Glauca) Ring-Widths, Central Northwest Territories

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Muise, Phil
    Abstract:
    White spruce samples were collected at 10 sites along a latitudinal gradient in the central Northwest Territories near treeline. Extending to 1643, the chronologies represent the oldest tree ring-width records in the region. Composite chronologies were developed: COMP1 is composed of five sites situated in the northern part of the sampling area; COMP2 is composed of the three southernmost sites. Growth patterns of COMP1 and COMP2 are highly synchronous until the 1930s. After the 1930s, COMP1 exhibits increasing growth, while COMP2 exhibits decreasing growth. COMP1 is positively correlated with summer temperatures and precipitation. COMP2 is inversely correlated with summer temperatures and May precipitation. Rising temperatures may have caused landscape scale patterns of moisture stress at COMP2 sites and improved growing conditions at COMP1 sites. The earlier onset of the growing season is hypothesized to have shifted the limiting factor for growth of COMP1 from July to June precipitation at ~1977.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Geography
    Date Created:
    2013