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- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Zhou, Wenjun, Albert, Jacques, Zhang, Yang, and Shen, Changyu
- Abstract:
- A fiber twist sensor based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of an Au-coated tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) is proposed. The SPR response to the twist effect on an Au-coated TFBG (immersing in distilled water) is studied theoretically and experimentally. The results show that the transmission power around the wavelength of SPR changes with the twist angle. For the twist ranging from 0° to 180° in clockwise or anti-clockwise directions, the proposed sensor shows sensitivities of 0.037 dBm/° (S-polarized) and 0.039 dBm/° (P-polarized), which are almost 7.5 times higher than that of the current similar existing twist sensor.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Albert, Jacques and Andreyuk, Alexander
- Abstract:
- Phosphate glass samples doped with silver ions through a Na+-Ag+ ion-exchange process were treated in a hydrogen atmosphere at temperatures near 430 °C for durations ranging from 4 to 5 h. Such treatment causes metallic silver precipitation at the surface as well as nanoclustering of silver atoms under the surface under conditions very similar to those used for silicate glasses. The presence of silver clusters resulted in a characteristic coloring of the glass and was verified by the observation of a plasmon resonance peak near 410-420 nm in the absorption spectra. Applying a DC voltage between 1.4 and 2 kV at temperatures between 120 and 130 °C led to dissolution of the clusters in the area under the positive electrode, thereby bleaching the glass color. The use of a patterned doped-silicon electrode further led to the formation of a 300 nm thick surface relief on the glass surface and of a volume complex permittivity grating extending at least 4 μm under the surface. Such volume complex refractive index gratings may find applications in passive or active (laser) photonic devices in rare-earth doped phosphate glasses, where conventional bulk grating formation techniques have limited applicability.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- MacIsaac, Gregory
- Abstract:
- I examine the relation between sensation and discursive thought (dianoia) in Plato, Plotinus, and Proclus. In Theaetetus, a soul whose highest faculty was sensation would have no unified experience of the sensible world, lacking universal ideas to give order to the sensible flux. It is implied that such universals are grasped by the soul's thinking. In Plotinus the soul is not passive when it senses the world, but as the logos of all things it thinks the world through its own forms. Proclus argues against the derivation of universal logoi from the senses, which alone can't make the sensible world comprehensible. At most they give a record of the original sense-impression in its particularity. The soul's own projected logoi give the sensible world stability. For Proclus, bare sensation does not depend on thought, but a unified experience of the sense-world depends on its paradigmatic logoi in our souls.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Mac Neil, Michael
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Riva, Pat, Cross, Emma, Andrews, Sue, Oliver, Chris, and Grover, Trina
- Abstract:
- This article describes the progress made toward implementing Resource Description and Access (RDA) in libraries across Canada, as of Fall 2013. Differences in the training experiences in the English-speaking cataloging communities and French-speaking cataloging communities are discussed. Preliminary results of a survey of implementation in English-Canadian libraries are included as well as a summary of the support provided for French-Canadian libraries. Data analysis includes an examination of the rate of adoption in Canada by region and by sector. Challenges in RDA training delivery in a Canadian context are identified, as well as opportunities for improvement and expansion of RDA training in the future.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Lesparre, Nolwenn, Adler, Andy, Komorowski, Jean-Christophe, Grychtol, Bartłomiej, and Gibert, Dominique
- Abstract:
- The electrical resistivity distribution at the base of La Soufrière of Guadeloupe lava dome is reconstructed by using transmission electrical resistivity data obtained by injecting an electrical current between two electrodes located on opposite sides of the volcano. Several pairs of injection electrodes are used in order to constitute a data set spanning the whole range of azimuths, and the electrical potential is measured along a cable covering an angular sector of ≈120? along the basis of the dome. The data are inverted to performa slice electrical resistivity tomography (SERT) with specific functions implemented in the EIDORS open source package dedicated to electrical impedance tomography applied to medicine and geophysics. The resulting image shows the presence of highly conductive regions separated by resistive ridges. The conductive regions correspond to unconsolidated material saturated by hydrothermal fluids. Two of them are associated with partial flank collapses and may represent large reservoirs that could have played an important role during past eruptive events. The resistive ridges may represent massive andesite and are expected to constitute hydraulic barriers.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Bose, Prosenjit and Van Renssen, André
- Abstract:
- We present tight upper and lower bounds on the spanning ratio of a large family of constrained θ-graphs. We show that constrained θ-graphs with 4k2 (k≥ 1 and integer) cones have a tight spanning ratio of 1+2 sin(θ/2), where θ is 2 π/ (4k+2). We also present improved upper bounds on the spanning ratio of the other families of constrained θ-graphs.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Guo, Yuhong and Li, Xin
- Abstract:
- Multi-label classification is a central problem in many application domains. In this paper, we present a novel supervised bi-directional model that learns a low-dimensional mid-level representation for multi-label classification. Unlike traditional multi-label learning methods which identify intermediate representations from either the input space or the output space but not both, the mid-level representation in our model has two complementary parts that capture intrinsic information of the input data and the output labels respectively under the autoencoder principle while augmenting each other for the target output label prediction. The resulting optimization problem can be solved efficiently using an iterative procedure with alternating steps, while closed-form solutions exist for one major step. Our experiments conducted on a variety of multi-label data sets demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed bi-directional representation learning model for multi-label classification.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Maheshwari, Anil, Nandy, Ayan, Smid, Michiel, and Das, Sandip
- Abstract:
- Consider a line segment R consisting of n facilities. Each facility is a point on R and it needs to be assigned exactly one of the colors from a given palette of c colors. At an instant of time only the facilities of one particular color are 'active' and all other facilities are 'dormant'. For the set of facilities of a particular color, we compute the one dimensional Voronoi diagram, and find the cell, i.e, a segment of maximum length. The users are assumed to be uniformly distributed over R and they travel to the nearest among the facilities of that particular color that is active. Our objective is to assign colors to the facilities in such a way that the length of the longest cell is minimized. We solve this optimization problem for various values of n and c. We propose an optimal coloring scheme for the number of facilities n being a multiple of c as well as for the general case where n is not a multiple of c. When n is a multiple of c, we compute an optimal scheme in Θ(n) time. For the general case, we propose a coloring scheme that returns the optimal in O(n2logn) time.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Guo, Yuhong and Li, Xin
- Abstract:
- Semantic scene classification is a challenging problem in computer vision. In this paper, we present a novel multi-level active learning approach to reduce the human annotation effort for training robust scene classification models. Different from most existing active learning methods that can only query labels for selected instances at the target categorization level, i.e., the scene class level, our approach establishes a semantic framework that predicts scene labels based on a latent object-based semantic representation of images, and is capable to query labels at two different levels, the target scene class level (abstractive high level) and the latent object class level (semantic middle level). Specifically, we develop an adaptive active learning strategy to perform multi-level label query, which maintains the default label query at the target scene class level, but switches to the latent object class level whenever an "unexpected" target class label is returned by the labeler. We conduct experiments on two standard scene classification datasets to investigate the efficacy of the proposed approach. Our empirical results show the proposed adaptive multi-level active learning approach can outperform both baseline active learning methods and a state-of-the-art multi-level active learning method.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- LeFevre, Jo-Anne and Sénéchal, Monique
- Abstract:
- One hundred and ten English-speaking children schooled in French were followed from kindergarten to Grade 2 (Mage: T1 = 5;6, T2 = 6;4, T3 = 6;11, T4 = 7;11). The findings provided strong support for the Home Literacy Model (Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2002) because in this sample the home language was independent of the language of instruction. The informal literacy environment at home predicted growth in English receptive vocabulary from kindergarten to Grade 1, whereas parent reports of the formal literacy environment in kindergarten predicted growth in children's English early literacy between kindergarten and Grade 1 and growth in English word reading during Grade 1. Furthermore, 76% of parents adjusted their formal literacy practices according to the reading performance of their child, in support of the presence of a responsive home literacy curriculum among middle-class parents.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Labiche, Yvan, Genero, Marcela, and Torre, Damiano
- Abstract:
- Context: The Unified Modeling Language (UML), with its 14 different diagram types, is the de-facto standard tool for objectoriented modeling and documentation. Since the various UML diagrams describe different aspects of one, and only one, software under development, they are not independent but strongly depend on each other in many ways. In other words, the UML diagrams describing a software must be consistent. Inconsistencies between these diagrams may be a source of the considerable increase of faults in software systems. It is therefore paramount that these inconsistencies be detected, analyzed and hopefully fixed. Objective: The aim of this article is to deliver a comprehensive summary of UML consistency rules as they are described in the literature to date to obtain an extensive and detailed overview of the current research in this area. Method: We performed a Systematic Mapping Study by following well-known guidelines. We selected 94 primary studies from a search with seven search engines performed in December 2012. Results: Different results are worth mentioning. First it appears that researchers tend to discuss very similar consistency rules, over and over again. Most rules are horizontal (98.07%) and syntactic (88.03%). The most used diagrams are the class diagram (71.28%), the state machine diagram (42.55%) and the sequence diagram (47.87%). Conclusion: The fact that many rules are duplicated in primary studies confirms the need for a well accepted list of consistency rules. This paper is a first step in this direction. Results indicate that much more work is needed to develop consistency rules for all 14 UML diagrams, in all dimensions of consistency (e.g., semantic and syntactic on the one hand, horizontal, vertical and evolution on the other hand).
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Labiche, Yvan and Khalsa, Sunint Kaur
- Abstract:
- For functional testing based on the input domain of a functionality, parameters and their values are identified and a test suite is generated using a criterion exercising combinations of those parameters and values. Since software systems are large, resulting in large numbers of parameters and values, a technique based on combinatorics called Combinatorial Testing (CT) is used to automate the process of creating those combinations. CT is typically performed with the help of combinatorial objects called Covering Arrays. The goal of the present work is to determine available algorithms/tools for generating a combinatorial test suite. We tried to be as complete as possible by using a precise protocol for selecting papers describing those algorithms/tools. The 75 algorithms/tools we identified are then categorized on the basis of different comparison criteria, including: the test suite generation technique, the support for selection (combination) criteria, mixed covering array, the strength of coverage, and the support for constraints between parameters. Results can be of interest to researchers or software companies who are looking for a CT algorithm/tool suitable for their needs.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Becker, Hilary
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Bucking, Scott, Zmeureanu, Radu, and Athienitis, Andreas
- Abstract:
- This paper presents a multi-objective redesign case study of an archetype solar house based on a near net zero energy (NZE) demonstration home located in Eastman, Quebec. Using optimization techniques, pathways are identified from the original design to both cost and energy optimal designs. An evolutionary algorithm is used to optimize trade-offs between passive solar gains and active solar generation, using two objective functions: net-energy consumption and life-cycle cost over a thirty-year life cycle. In addition, this paper explores different pathways to net zero energy based on economic incentives, such as feed-in tariffs for on-site electricity production from renewables. The main objective is to identify pathways to net zero energy that will facilitate the future systematic design of similar homes based on the concept of the archetype that combines passive solar design; energy-efficiency measures, including a geothermal heat pump; and a building-integrated photovoltaic system. Results from this paper can be utilized as follows: (1) systematic design improvements and applications of lessons learned from a proven NZE home design concept, (2) use of a methodology to understand pathways to cost and energy optimal building designs, and (3) to aid in policy development on economic incentives that can positively influence optimized home design.
- Date Created:
- 2014-01-01
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Creator:
- Lee, Minjoon, Tonetti, Christopher, Shapiro, Matthew D., Caplin, Andrew, and Ameriks, John
- Abstract:
- This paper introduces the Vanguard Research Initiative (VRI), a new panel survey of wealthholders designed to yield high-quality measurements of a large sample of older Americans who arrive at retirement with significant financial assets. The VRI links survey data with a variety of administrative data from Vanguard. The survey features an account-by-account approach to asset measurement and a real-time feedback and correction mechanism that are shown to be highly successful in eliciting accurate measures of wealth. Specifically, the VRI data reflect unbiased and precise estimates of wealth when compared to administrative account data. The VRI sample has characteristics similar to populations meeting analogous wealth and Internet access eligibility conditions in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). To illustrate the value of the VRI, the paper shows that the relationship between wealth and expected retirement date is very different in the VRI than in the HRS and SCF—mainly because those surveys have so few observations where wealth levels are high enough to finance substantial consumption during retirement.
- Date Created:
- 2014-12-09
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Whitehead, Anthony D. and Monette, Richard
- Abstract:
- In order for computer generated imagery to recreate the characteristic visual appearance of phenomena such as smoke and fog it is necessary to compute the way in which light interacts with participating media. In this work we present a novel technique for computing volumetric single scattering lighting solutions for particle-based inhomogeneous participating media data sets. We seek to calculate volumetric lighting solutions for particle-based data sets as such data sets have the advantage of being spatially unbounded and relatively unrestricted with regard to memory as compared to uniform grids. In order to perform the calculations which are required for computing such a lighting solution, we introduce a novel octree based data structure. We refer to this new data structure as a density octree. The design of the density octree allows for efficiently computing light attenuation throughout the spatial extent. Using our data structure, we are able to produce high quality output imagery of arbitrary particle data sets in the presence of arbitrary numbers of lights.
- Date Created:
- 2014-07-02
18. Report on the Implementation of Domestic Violence Death Review Committee Recommendations 2007 - 2011
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Research Change, Action
- Abstract:
- This report highlights the lack of action from ministries and organizations to help end violence against women, created by Action Research Change with the support of CFICE’s Violence Against Women Hub.
- Date Created:
- 2014-12-01
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Lait, Michael
- Date Created:
- 2014-03-24
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Shaw, Samantha, Johnston, Melissa, Mulrooney, Nadine, Poppleton, Matthew, Mager, Zoë, Knight-Lira, Andre, and Wilkinson, Matthew
- Description:
- Completed for: Peterborough GreenUP Professor Tom Whillans, Trent University Trent Centre for Community-Based Education
- Abstract:
- This document is a compilation of research reports written by students in the Environmental Resource Studies/Science (ERTS) 3160H class at Trent University in the winter of 2014. The research was completed in conjunction with GreenUP, Trent Centre for Community-Based Education (TCCBE), and Taylor Mackey (a graduate student research assistant in Trent’s Sustainability Studies program). The students looked critically at urban food forests around the world and made suggestions for designing a food forest in Peterborough. These reports will help inform this process alongside a report written by Taylor Mackey as part of his research assistanceship: An Urban Food Forest for Peterborough: Planting for Our Future. An urban food forest is an area in a city or town where trees, and often other plants, are intentionally planted for food production. These urban food forests often attempt to mimic natural ecosystems. Currently urban forests are generally considered valuable solely for the ecosystem services they provide, such as stormwater management. In the past these urban forests were often managed for the products they produced, rather than just the services they could provide. There is increasing interest in creating edible landscapes in urban areas. Some are starting to see urban forests as more than something that can clean the air or reduce the stormwater runoff. Some are starting to see the potential to create areas that can provide these services as well as produce food for human consumptions, as well as a host of other benefits. Most of the studied urban food forests focus on food security. Urban food forests have the potential to provide the same services as our current urban forests, but also produce food (and perhaps increase biodiversity in the process).
- Date Created:
- 2014-05-05
21. Common Site Planning Initiatives for Abbey Gardens and Peterborough GreenUP: Includes Final Report
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Badeen, Dennis, Schryer, Brook, Fox, Karen, Xie, Guoyun, Halsey, Gordon, McTavish, Kristeen, Purdon, Matthias, and Potter, Kristen
- Description:
- Completed for: Abbey Gardens & Peterborough GreenUP; Supervising Professor: Tom Whillans; Trent Centre for Community-Based Education
- Abstract:
- Finding Common Ground for Facilitating Collaborative Partnerships stemmed from a desire among several employees of Peterborough GreenUP and Abbey Gardens to explore the potential for collaboration between both organizations. In the winter of 2014, planning began for a meeting between members of GreenUP and Abbey Gardens facilitated by Trent graduate students in the Sustainability Studies program through the Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project and Trent Centre for Community Based Education (TCCBE). What this meeting would look like and what would be discussed evolved over the next few weeks and culminated in a daylong workshop in Bobcaygeon on April 1st, 2014. This report summarizes the main ideas that came up in several activities and presentations. It contains resources on the background of the project, next steps, and the contact information of participants from both organizations. Appendices include the presentation slides from the respective organizations presentations, staff lists and contact information for each organization, and detailed activity notes from the workshop.
- Date Created:
- 2014-04-07
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Mackey, Taylor
- Description:
- Completed for: Peterborough GreenUP , Supervising Professor: Tom Whillans; Trent Centre for Community-Based Education
- Abstract:
- An urban food forest is modelled after a wild forest, but is intentionally designed and planted with food production in mind. Essentially an urban food forest is a combination of wild forest and orchard. They are made up of a close-knit community of plants that help each other. There are many benefits that an urban food forest can provide. They can improve the environment we live in; help build stronger, more resilient, communities; and can provide a host of economic benefits as well. Urban food forests help us create more sustainable communities that are healthy and enjoyable to live in. We need to rediscover our past, when we cultivated urban forests, not just for the services they provided, but also for the products as well. It is not just rural forests that can provide useable products. In fact it might even be argued that urban forests can be more productive, per unit of area, because of the intentional planning and design that goes into them. An urban food forest is a community within a community, the plants help and support one another, just as we help support one another in our communities.
- Date Created:
- 2014-04-07
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Lalonde, Julie
- Abstract:
- Elders are the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population; yet, little is written about their lives. Using an intersectional analysis, I conducted qualitative interviews with economically disadvantaged elderly women in the Ottawa area to try and uncover the daily experiences of being a woman who is both elderly and living in poverty. My research argues that elderly women are invisible in Canada and that the consequence of this erasure is that we fail to recognize the ways in which economically disadvantaged elderly women are incredibly resilient and resourceful. However, I caution against simply praising their resiliency. Instead, I advise a critical examination of the systemic barriers that force elderly women to work so hard to survive. Keywords: intersectionality, feminist gerontology, poverty, elderly, rural, urban
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Canadian Studies
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Winton, Ezra
- Abstract:
- This dissertation looks at the ways in which the Toronto-based Hot Docs documentary film festival is undergoing a process of transforming documentary cinema and culture from the margins to the mainstream through a process of the commercialization of documentary. In particular three interlocking forces are examined, including populism, consumerism and liberalism. By privileging commercial interests and strategies over local community, advocacy and political activist considerations, Hot Docs is developing into a very successful and vital cultural institution and event, both nationally and globally. This thesis investigates the consequences of the festival’s commercial strategy with two aspects in mind—the mode of its consumption, and the management of contestation and dissent—and argues that radical perspectives, local advocacy and political participation are being eroded for the sake of a large, accessible and attractive festival image and performance.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Communication
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Zhou, Xiaoyun
- Abstract:
- Successful organizations increasingly rely on data analysis to develop new opportunities, guide business strategies and optimize resources. Online analytical processing (OLAP) systems are one of the most powerful technologies to provide the ability to interactively analyze multidimensional data from multiple perspectives. In this thesis we designed a new data structure, the PDCR-tree, that work on distributed systems providing low-latency transactions processing even for very complex queries. Using a PDCR-tree we demonstrate how to build a real-time OLAP system on a cloud based distributed platform called CR-OLAP. The CR-OLAP can be built using an m+1 machine scalable architecture so as the system load increases, the number of machines, m, can be increased to improve performance. Experiments show the system can process a query with 60% data coverage on a database with 80 million data tuples with a response time 0.3 seconds or less, well within the parameters of a real-time system.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Computer Science
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Huang, Yue
- Abstract:
- This master thesis is to fulfill the curiosity in how special characteristics of Brownian motion motivate the development of Ito calculus from Stieltjes integral. We will see the general Stieltjes integral theories and how the concept of p-variation plays a determining role and the case where the fractional Brownian motion can also be an integrator under the Stieltjes scope. Then we will give a tour of the distinctive traits of Brownian motion and how they mark the necessity to evolve a new Ito integral. Subsequently, we expand the integrator in Ito integral to jump-diffusion processes. Thereafter, we see how these new stochastic processes play a role in modelling financial assets and how sample paths of these stochastic processes can be generated using simulation and examplify the fact that Jump-Diffusion models are improvements from classical Black-Scholes-Merton model to incorporate the fat tail effects exhibited in empricial financial data.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Probability and Statistics
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Webster, Richard James
- Abstract:
- Camouflage is ubiquitous in the natural world and provides adaptive benefits to both predators and their prey. In this study I test concepts of animal camouflage using the experimental paradigm of humans foraging for real and artificial moth targets on a computer screen and assessed camouflage efficacy by measuring detection rates. Chapter 1 outlines the questions and objectives of this doctoral thesis. In Chapter 2 I introduce the phenomenon of disruptive coloration, followed by a brief-review of the visual mechanisms contributing to visual search. Chapter 3 tested if non-random orientation behaviour of moths in the field could be explained by behaviourally-mediated camouflage. I showed that the preferred field-orientations of moths were associated with lower detection rates in the lab, and that the relative orientation of the moth to the tree was the key driver. Chapter 4 tested the fundamental assumption that disruptive coloration functions by impairing shape perception. It was predicted that if edge-intersecting patches are disruptive, then altering the shape of a target would interact with edge coloration. Artificial moth-like targets did show an interaction between edge coloration and target shape, which explained detectability. These findings suggest that effectiveness of camouflage due to edge markings is dependent on target shape, which further supports the hypothesis that edge markings function as disruptive coloration. Chapter 5 took a similar approach to chapter 4 but tested if there was an interaction between edge coloration and target boundary visibility, which could explain detectability of moth-like targets. Results from Chapters 4 and 5 suggest that shape and boundary properties play a role in disruptive function of edge markings. Chapter 6 tested how this might occur. It is thought that edge-intersecting patches impair object recognition. It was predicted that moth-like targets with more edge-intersecting patches would be harder to recognise. Recognition was characterised by human foveal vision, monitored by eye-tracking. Indeed, targets with a larger number of edge-intersecting patches were associated with being difficult to recognise, and reduced detectability even at the expense of background matching.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Biology
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Patterson, Zachary
- Abstract:
- Chronic activation of the stress response can lead to a number of metabolic disturbances such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, Type II diabetes and car- diovascular disease. The exact mechanisms underlying these metabolic changes are currently uncharacterized. Traditionally, many of these effects have been at- tributed to the increased levels of circulating glucocorticoids (cortisol in humans and corticosterone in rodents) as a function of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity. However, recent evidence suggests that the gut de- rived hormone ghrelin may be a key contributor to the physiological changes generated in response to chronic stress. Ghrelin is a gut-brain peptide that promotes appetite and the accumulation of adipose tissue by encouraging the utilization of carbohydrates as a fuel source, while sparing fat tissue. Inter- estingly, plasma ghrelin concentrations increase in response to stressful stimuli, and remain elevated following cessation of the stressor. The present thesis was aimed at investigating the role of ghrelin in mediating stress-induced metabolic changes. In addition, this thesis explores the efficacy of potential therapeutic treatments of stress-induced metabolic disorders. Overall, the data presented in this thesis suggests that ghrelin elicits an increase in caloric intake in response to stress while promoting the utilization of carbohydrates as a fuel source. Central ghrelin signalling is required to elicit the metabolic consequences of a chronic social defeat stress. Increased ghrelin secretion in response to stress caused a significant increase in visceral adipose tissue and produced a hormonal profile indicative of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Animals lacking a functional ghrelin signalling system do not show these metabolic changes. Pharmacologi- cal blockade of ghrelin with a putative GOAT inhibitor was sufficient to reduce stress-induced ghrelin secretion and subsequent caloric intake, thereby improv- ing the metabolic outcome of a chronic social defeat stress paradigm.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Neuroscience
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- St-Louis, Felicia
- Abstract:
- It is imperative that we understand the physiological, behavioural and ecological consequences of stress in wild animals. This thesis presents an integrative and multidisciplinary study on the ecology of stress in a tropical coastal marine fish, the checkered pufferfish (Sphoeroides testudineus). By incorporating physiological and behavioural tools, I quantified individual variation in the glucocorticoid (GC) stress response and established a negative relationship between the GC stress response and two established fitness proxies of the pufferfish (chapter 2). GCs were then experimentally elevated for the purpose of investigating the thermal-related consequences on the pufferfish in the laboratory and in their natural coastal habitat (chapter 3). Various consequences were documented including fluctuating GCs and weakened fitness proxies to thermal shock, and minor variations in ecosystem dynamics. As a whole, this thesis improves our understanding of the ecology of stress in a wild tropical fish population.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Biology
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Gouchie, Lauren
- Abstract:
- This study examines women’s experiences of, and attitudes towards, menstruation and menstrual suppression. Using a grounded theory, approach one-on-one interviews with women highlight common motives behind the decision making process to manipulate and/or suppress menstrual cycles through use of hormonal contraception. While current advertisements by pharmaceutical companies for contraceptives work to be an influencer for menstrual suppression, they often fail to portray accurate representations of women and women’s lives. Instead of being influenced by these advertisements, women are more and more commonly utilizing health care professionals, the Internet and friends as sources of information about contraception and menstrual suppression. This study highlights the contradictions experienced by women who wish to use hormonal contraceptives to continuously alleviate pain associated with menstruation, or for contraceptive purposes, but are hesitant about the presence of synthetic hormones in their bodies. While convenience is attractive, many women prefer to remain natural.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Social Work
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Raynauld, Vincent
- Abstract:
- This doctoral dissertation examines the growing impact of the two converging dynamics that are responsible for the reconfiguration of the online and, to some extent, real-world political communication, mobilization and organizing dynamic in the United States in recent years. These two converging dynamics, which constitute the core of the online politicking 3.0 model, are the grassroots-intensive uncontrolled decentralization and hyper-fragmentation of digital politicking. It is argued in this dissertation that the Tea Party movement is one of the first large scale manifestations of online politicking 3.0 in the United States. In order to illustrate this point, this dissertation offers an extensive quantitative content analysis of slightly more than 1.7 million tweets with at least one #teaparty hashtag that were posted on Twitter’s public timeline between December 9, 2009 and March 19, 2011, a time period roughly coinciding with the 2010 Midterm U.S. election cycle. A heuristic review of some facets of #teaparty tweets is also conducted in order to contextualize some of the quantitative data. This dissertation concludes that the the communication, organizing and organizing impact of the Tea Party is likely to be felt in the future. It is expected to have deep transformational effects on the structure of the political mediascape and, to a broader extent, on participatory engagement patterns in the United States and many other national contexts over the next decade.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Communication
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Monjazeb, Amirhossein
- Abstract:
- Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is a process in which a mobile robot travels through an environment and concurrently makes a momentary map of the environment and uses that map to localize itself. The simultaneous localization and mapping is currently one of the most challenging problems in the field of autonomous mobile robots and providing a solution to SLAM may open doors to the world of truly autonomous robots. The most significant contribution of this dissertation is to provide a novel approach to Simultaneous Localization and Mapping problem in extensive outdoor environments and based on estimation approach. The new approach is called Unscented HybridSLAM filter which presents a consistent mathematical model out of a rigorous probabilistic Bayesian-based framework. It is theoretically proven that the map converges and how the new approach can handle correlations that arise between error in motion and error in observation. It is also shown that there is no need for a large storage of information since the inherent structure of Unscented HybridSLAM does not require memory as much as its counterpart filters. The map evolution of the new algorithm is examined in detail as well as its performance. The new approach is compared to currently used algorithms in particular EKF-SLAM, FastSLAM, and HybridSLAM and results are probed and discussed in different simulated scenarios. Together, the theoretical modeling and simulations results prove the consistency of Unscented HybridSLAM and show that it is possible to apply Unscented HybridSLAM as an alternative algorithm for real implementations.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Mechanical
- Date Created:
- 2014
33. The Rhetoric of Dominion Income Taxation and the Modern Political Imaginary in Canada, 1910-1945
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Tough, David G.
- Abstract:
- This thesis uses Quentin Skinner’s study of rhetoric to interrogate the origins of the modern political imaginary in Canada between 1910 and 1945. The Dominion taxing power was the object of a sustained rhetorical critique in the early 20th century, in which the Liberal and Conservative party identities, built around the protective tariff in the post-Confederation era, were slowly weakened and supplemented with a new representation of difference: the left-right spectrum. Beginning in 1910 with the Grain Growers’ Guide, the nationalist resonances of the Dominion tariff were cast as duplicitous distractions from exploitation and fiscal inefficiency. During the First World War, this characterization of the tariff and the political differences it produced became tied to demands for ‘conscription of wealth,’ as the basis of a fairer and more democratic political culture. A species of what Ian McKay calls a “people’s enlightenment,” this critique resulted in the first Dominion income tax, the Income War Tax of 1917. A Dominion income tax introduced the new possibility of transferring income that had been taxed progressively from one region to another. The catastrophic economic depression of the 1930s exposed the weakness of the tariff as a fiscal instrument; a more powerful Dominion income tax was cast as the necessary solution to the crisis, and was duly introduced in 1941 and 1942. With these changes, income taxation became a universal burden and the possible basis for large-scale Dominion social programs like the Family Allowances – a combination that Shirley Tillotson calls “the citizenship of contribution.” In recognition of this new possibility, party programs for the redistribution of income were aligned on a left-right spectrum. The displacement of the old party system and the establishment of the new spectrum were both examples of what is here termed political modernism, creating a new and modern political imaginary for a democratic politics of redistribution.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- History
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Pearcey, Mark Edward
- Abstract:
- Until recently, the expansion of international society has been depicted as the linear projection of European norms and values into the non-European world; specifically, Westphalian norms and values. Increasingly however, critical English School scholars – amongst others – have begun to critique this perspective, noting that the evolution of international society has been constituted through the interaction between expanding European empires and the non-European peoples they came into contact with. Edward Keene (2002), for instance, argues that the norms and values that underpin international society are the product of imperialism. Problematically however, many of these accounts tend to overlook the long-term negative effects of these norms and values, focusing instead on how they established the foundations for a cosmopolitan society of states. This dissertation reflects critically on these types of arguments, through an historical analysis of Indigenous-state relations. Specifically, it asks: What role have state-Indigenous relations had in constructing the colonial legacies of the discourse on civilization? And, what are the implications of this for understanding the relationship between international and world society in International Relations theory? Through this analysis, this dissertation contribute to IR theory in three ways: 1) by supplementing the English School’s focus on intra-societal relations with greater attention paid to ‘inter-societal’ relations; 2) by establishing a space for dialogue between the English School and Postcolonialism; and 3) by ‘decolonizing’ English School theory, challenging its Eurocentric and state-centric assumptions.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Political Science
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Chauvin, Michel Evan
- Abstract:
- LTE is being deployed to meet consumer demand for high bit rate mobile wireless. This thesis studies 3 areas of wireless communications; phase noise, Doppler and link adaptation, and multi-antenna system performance. The thesis focuses on the performance of 4 base-station (BS) antennas, simulation results using 3GPP's spatial channel model and the effects of impairments and configurations on the downlink. The best performing antennas evaluated are the 4-transmitter, 4-port, correlated cross-polarized BS antennas when TM4's CLSM is used. Despite added overhead, 4 antennas provides gain over 2 antennas due to beamforming. When only 2-ports are available, TM3's OLSM outperforms TM4 as UE velocity increases, since 2-port TM3 is less dependent on CSI. Link adaptation latency contributes to degradation starting at low velocity. In addition, high-speed train simulations show throughput degradation at 350km/hr. Finally, the downlink is subjected to phase noise to show the effect of generated and measured phase noise.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Electrical and Computer
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Robson, Jennifer Colleen
- Abstract:
- Canada has account-based, tax-preferred savings instruments that are delivered through the financial services sector and that receive generous support through federal income tax incentives and direct transfers. In this thesis, I ask whether there is adequate evidence to treat this set of tax-preferred savings instruments as a hidden welfare system, and, whether the system is progressive or regressive in distributing public support for individual or household saving and accumulation of assets. The thesis presents three different studies of the set of tax-preferred instruments: a history of each instrument, an analysis of household data on ownership and allocations, an exploratory qualitative study that explores consumer perceptions, understanding and use of these savings instruments.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Public Policy
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Babchishin, Kelly Melanie
- Abstract:
- Few studies have examined the patterns of change in risk-relevant propensities among sex offenders. Given that existing evidence suggests that offenders’ risk of reoffending can change across time, the ability to detect change in measures of risk-relevant propensities would be useful for release, management, and treatment decisions. Of the studies that have examined change in such factors among sex offenders, researchers assumed that the observed scores were without error, making it impossible to disentangle the effects of true change from increased reliability. To date, no studies have examined whether this assumption is correct. The current dissertation advances knowledge by examining change in sexual offending risk using statistical models that separate the effects of measurement error from true change. Two studies were conducted, both using repeated assessments of the Acute-2007 scores for sex offenders on community supervision (Hanson et al., 2007). In the first study, the temporal stability of the factor structure of the Acute-2007 was examined across three time-points for 317 sex offenders. The Acute-2007 met the assumption of measurement invariance and, as such, observed changes were attributed to true change on the risk-relevant propensities assessed by the Acute-2007. The factor analyses supported a one-factor model; however, additional analyses found that two factors (i.e., Approach and Collapse factors) were differentially related to other similar risk measures and recidivism. In Study 2, sex offenders were found to decrease on risk-relevant propensities during the course of community supervision. Higher risk offenders were found to change less than lower risk offenders on the Acute-2007 total scores after controlling for initial scores. The rate of offender change also significantly differed across supervision officers on behavioural indicators of intention to reoffend (Approach total scores) but not indicators of coping skills (Collapse total scores). Exploratory analyses found clear incremental effects of initial and reassessed scores for the prediction of any recidivism. The findings support the Acute-2007 as assessing dynamic, changeable risk-relevant propensities for offending. Additional studies would be required to identify the best methods of integrating change in risk assessments of sex offenders.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Psychology
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Albaraky, Ashwaq Omar E.
- Abstract:
- Plants are exposed to abiotic stresses such as drought, high or low temperature, and to biotic stresses such as insect attack or pathogen infection. Plants have developed specific mechanisms to detect external signals with proper phosiological responses in order to survive under these challenges. Protein Phosphorylation is involved in plant response to pathogen attacks. One of the principle phosphorylation pathways that are used by plants in biotic and abiotic stress responses is mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, which consists of MAPKKK, MAPKK, and MAPK. The following work will be presented: cell death mechanisms, DNA repairing genes, β-glucanase and glutamine synthetase, and FLR gene expression have been studied when resistant and susceptible wheat cultivars were challenged by fungal toxin Fumonisin B1 and defense signaling molecule salicylic acid (SA).
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Biology
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Baldwin, Christopher
- Abstract:
- As the prevalence of mechanical space cooling in the residential sector increases in Canada, the amount of energy consumed and greenhouse gases released is increasing. Solar absorption cooling has the potential to significantly reduce the energy consumption for space cooling. The design and construction of a complete experimental apparatus to assess the performance of an absorption chiller was completed. The experimental set-up consists of a heat source, a heat rejection loop, and a building load simulator. In addition, a model of the experimental set-up was created in TRNSYS. Through simulation it was determined that the chiller should be run for seven complete cycles and measurements taken at 30 second time intervals. The error on the temperature readings was determined to be ±0.49°C while the temperature difference measured by the thermopiles has an uncertainty of ±0.15°C. The thermal coefficient of performance can be determined to an overall uncertainty of ±3.8 percent.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Mechanical
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Zhang, Xinchu
- Abstract:
- Current communication technologies have a significant role in satisfying social connection and networking, but have not yet been developed to entirely support interpersonal communication, especially in creating and maintaining intimacy and a sense of connection in an intimate relationship, specifically with young adult children and older parents. Under the emerging trend of ubiquitous computing, this research examines the possibility of creating new means for augmenting intimacy in remote affective communication between young adult children and older parents. From a small-targeted group, this exploratory study rooted in family communication activities and family life is exploring the possible themes, cues and artefacts that support family closeness but are missing in conventional communication (audio and video). By generating a group of concepts and new tools for remote family interaction, the findings of this thesis offer insights into new means of communication tools for supporting family connectedness.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Design (M.Des.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Industrial Design
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Hosseini Fatemi, Maryam
- Abstract:
- This study presents an analysis of the semantics of the Persian object marker –râ. Semantically, –râ has been identified with definiteness marking (Sadeghi, 1970; Vazinpour, 1977), specificity marking (Browne, 1970; Karimi, 1989, 1990, 1996, 2003a, and 2005) and presupposition marking (Ghomeshi, 1996; Ganjavi, 2007). In this study, I challenge the assumptions presented in previous works and argue that while definiteness, specificity and presupposition capture important aspects of the meaning of –râ, none of them adequately characterize its semantics. Specifically, I argue that a unified account can be given if we assume that –râ is a maximality operator which picks out the maximal member of the denotation of its argument following Link (1983) and Beck and Rullmann (1999). The maximality proposal can account for the appearance of –râ on question words, contrastive topics, donkey sentences, plurals and indefinites which have remained unexplained in previous accounts of –râ.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Cognitive Science (M.Cog.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Cognitive Science
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Alatawi, Eid Salem S.
- Abstract:
- Insights into particle transport and deposition process in impinging jet flow, in light of the available experiments, can be gained using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations. The present thesis focuses mainly on the prediction of aerosol particle transport and deposition in impinging jet flow. An extensive literature survey has indicated that the present work represents the first comprehensive investigation of aerosol particle transport and deposition, using Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes/eddy interaction model (RANS/EIM) along with near-wall corrections, and large eddy simulation (LES) numerical approaches applied to particle-laden impinging jet flow. A new in-house tracking code for particle-laden impinging jet flow using modified EIM, as well as modified EIM in conjunction with the near-wall correction technique based on impinging jet flow characteristics was developed to simulate the particulate phase. Two different approaches in the framework of RANS method, RANS SST (shear stress transport) and RANS RSM-BSL (Reynolds stress transport-Baseline) model were used to simulate the fluid phase in three cases of nozzle-to-surface distances of L/D = 2, 4 and 6. Also, to better understand the applicability and accuracy limits of different numerical methods on aerosol particle deposition, one representative case for an impinging jet flow of L/D = 2 was performed using LES. Deposition results without near-wall correction, with turbulent tracking, showed unrealistic behavior at the beginning of the wall jet region and close to the stagnation point. Once the normal-to-wall fluctuating velocity, which plays important role for particle deposition on the impingement wall, was properly modeled via the near-wall correction technique, significant improvements were obtained when compared to the previous experiments, for all L/D cases. However, the results showed that RANS RSM-BSL/modified EIM, in conjunction with the near-wall correction, have better performance in predicting the deposition results. Particle deposition results for L/D = 2 showed that LES is in closer agreement with previous experimental data more than RANS RSM-BSL/modified EIM along with near-wall correction. These results provide new insight into the general behavior of the aerosol particle transport and deposition process in impinging jet flow.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Mechanical
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Pyne, Stephanie Anne
- Abstract:
- This thesis takes a reflexive narrative approach to critically interpreting the iterative processes involved in the making of the Lake Huron Treaty Atlas (the Atlas). The Atlas is an interactive, multimedia, geospatial web product that reflects an inclusive approach to telling the story of the Robinson Huron Treaty relationship process over time and across space, bringing together a variety of historical and geographical perspectives. Both the thesis and the Atlas interpret Anishinaabe perspectives and incorporate them in their style and approach; they participate in the current trend in critical cartography to engage in mapping in new ways by reflecting the multiple dimensions of socioeconomic, political and cultural ‘reality’. Making contributions in many areas, including in the conceptual and practical spheres of cartography, this thesis comments on some deep trends such as the spatial turn to performance and the critical turn to interpretation. In addition, it participates in the seventh fire project of reconciliation reflected in the significant Anishinaabe Teaching, the Seven Fires Prophecy, by promoting a holistic and emergent approach to development, and by emphasizing the possibility of bridging perspectives to build intercultural awareness through the collaborative creation of the Atlas as a reconciliation tool. This thesis asserts that through holistic, reflexive and critical cartographic practice, it is possible not only to acknowledge Anishinaabe perspectives in mapping processes, but to integrate them as well, in a manner that (1) preserves their inherent meaning and value, and (2) augments the meaning of the cybercartographic mapping processes. I aim to demonstrate how this type of practice has been employed in the Lake Huron Treaty Atlas project by providing critically reflexive narrative accounts of the Travels in the Making of the Atlas Map and the Map of Maps, each of which functions as a narrative portal to the other maps in the Atlas.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Geography
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Jayasinghe, Prabodha
- Abstract:
- The matric suction is one of the stress state variables used in the interpretation of the engineering behaviour of soils. This thesis documents development of a Poroelastic Matric Suction Sensor (PE sensor). The advantage of this sensor is that it is a direct method with a relatively large range of suction measurement (up to 8MPa), without any cavitation. Modifications of the sensor were carried out to increase accuracy. The modified sensor was then evaluated by comparison with total suction measurements made in artificial silt and in fine grained material. In addition, the behaviour of the sensor when using oil sand tailings was also monitored and compared. The experimental results showed that the suction range of the sensor is about 8MPa, with a mean relative uncertainty of 0.5MPa, a standard deviation of 0.5MPa compared to the WP4T PotentiaMeter Device. The behaviour of the sensor at temperatures below 00C was also investigated.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Environmental
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Christie, Kelly-Lyn
- Abstract:
- Despite increasing research and accessibility of treatment, depression remains a leading cause of global disease and disability, and depression rates among young adults continue to rise (WHO, 2007). Both trait mindfulness and mindfulness training have been inversely associated with depressive symptoms (e.g., Segal, Williams & Teasdale, 2002), however, the processes underlying this effect are not fully understood. The goal of the present program of research was to identify the extent to which psychosocial variables (including internalized stigma, coping, appraisal and stressor responses) account for the relationship between mindfulness and well-being. In Study 1 (N = 368), trait mindfulness predicted lower endorsement of internalized stigma and greater endorsement of positive appraisals and adaptive coping repertoires among young adults, which in turn predicted a decrease in depressive symptoms. In Study 2, an analysis of both student (N = 372) and community (N = 275) samples revealed that trait mindfulness inversely predicted the use of emotion-focused coping techniques in response to a variety of interpersonal, financial, and workplace/academic stressors, while mindful coping was associated with greater perceptions of controllability and the use of problem-focused coping strategies. Study 3 sought to determine if trait mindfulness (Study 3.1; N = 19) and brief mindfulness training (Study 3.2; N = 87) influenced psychological response (e.g., anxiety, affect), coping, and neuroendocrine response following an acute stressor task. Facets of mindful observing and awareness predicted lower baseline cortisol among participants, while non-reacting to experience predicted a diminished cortisol response from baseline to post-stressor task. No differences in coping, psychological or neuroendocrine response were observed as a function of a brief mindfulness intervention, suggesting that longer interventions may be needed to elicit beneficial effects. These results support an inverse relationship between trait mindfulness and negative appraisals, internalized stigma, and the use of emotion-focused coping strategies, and suggest that these variables might constitute important pathways in the relationship between trait mindfulness and depressive symptoms. Programs targeted at developing mindfulness skills might be particularly effective in mitigating physical and psychological responses to stressors among individuals at risk of depressive illness.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Psychology
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Courtney Mustaphi, Colin John
- Abstract:
- Multiple vegetation and forest fire history records were established by analyzing Holocene-aged lake sediment stratigraphies collected across a vegetation and elevation gradient in southeast British Columbia, Canada. The stratigraphies were dated using radiometric techniques, lead-210 and radiocarbon dating, and tephrochronology and were examined to understand the spatial controls of forest fires and how those controls varied in importance throughout the Holocene in response to orbital geometry variations, climatic change, forest composition changes, and fuel abundance within the watersheds. Local conditions have been shown to be important controls of fire activity in the region, but can be overridden by other broad-scale factors such as climate. Aspect was shown to be an important spatial control of fire frequencies at mid elevation Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir forests. At subalpine elevations, fuel abundance within the catchment was important in explaining millennial to centennial scale fire frequencies. When investigating past biomass burning, the analysis of macroscopic charcoal morphologies permits a more nuanced analysis of the temporal variability in fuel sources and taphonomic processes in a watershed. This study contributes to our knowledge of the varying spatial controls at the landscape scale of Holocene forest fires in mountainous southeastern British Columbia, to understand the influence of local and broad-scales controls of biomass burning and to the analysis of sediment-charcoal morphologies.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Earth Sciences
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Thiem, Jason
- Abstract:
- Global reliance on water resource development has resulted in the disconnection of key migratory pathways for numerous fish species, leading to population declines. Fishways represent one solution for reinstating connectivity, although their biological effectiveness often remains unknown and the mechanisms contributing to successful passage for most species is poorly understood. This thesis applied an interdisciplinary approach to investigate fishway passage by lake sturgeon. Identification of key spawning habitats downstream of a dam equipped with a fishway revealed that attraction and passage efficiency of the fishway unlikely limit reproductive success in this population of lake sturgeon; nevertheless, lake sturgeon still locate and pass the fishway annually. Overall fishway passage efficiency was 36% and successful passage was unrelated to adult sturgeon size or water temperatures. Successful passage events were highly variable in duration, and turning basins within the fishway considerably delayed passage and increased failure rates, leading to speculation that variability in energy use resulting from path selection may be a possible mechanism for delayed or failed passage. New methods were developed for the field quantification of sturgeon swimming activity and energy use using animal-borne accelerometers. Calibrations demonstrated the utility of accelerometers as a direct measure of volitional swimming speed and identified that sturgeon are capable of swimming at speeds in excess of those previously observed. Field application identified that sturgeon rarely used high speed swimming to traverse the fishway and that energy use was not predictive of successful passage, although successful individuals exhibited a higher cost of transport. Successful fishway passage resulted in an energetic cost equivalent to individuals travelling 2.1–13.3 km in a lentic system. Other endogenous (i.e. internal state, navigational ability) or exogenous (i.e. fine scale hydraulics) factors possibly influence passage success, although these remain unknown and represent an area for future research on sturgeon and numerous other species. Fishways remain a promising solution for maintaining connectivity in fragmented systems and this thesis serves as a useful model for gaining insight into fishway effectiveness for a single species. It also highlights the challenges and necessary knowledge required to ensure optimal habitats are available to all species.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Biology
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Nur, Ruqia
- Abstract:
- Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), is a devastating inflammatory disease of infants for which there is no cure and exact causes remain unknown. Diagnoses are limited to radiographic findings and in most institutions Modified Bell’s Criteria is used, neither are capable of reliable early detection. In this thesis, a novel method of abdominal infrared thermal imaging is proposed that allows direct measurements of skin temperature, which are capable of unveiling thermal abnormalities that may indicate intestinal inflammation characteristic of NEC. Abdominal thermal symmetry analysis was performed, results obtained from the 20 normal and the 9 NEC affected infants were statistically compared. A higher degree of thermal asymmetry was seen with the NEC group in comparison to the Normal group, notably when image enhancement techniques were done. We are hopeful that this new non-contact, non-ionizing method may potentially offer an early diagnostic tool.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Choudhuri, Mohommad Mahbubur Rahman
- Abstract:
- Four dinuclear ruthenium (II)-terpyridine-bipyridine complexes of bridging substituted (dimethyl-, unsubstituted dichloro- and tetrachloro-) 1,4-dicyanamidebenzene dianion ligands have been synthesized. The singly oxidized complexes were characterized by vis-NIR, IR and EPR spectroscopies which confirm a valence configuration with the oxidized bridging ligand. Six dinuclear ruthenium (II)-terpyridine-bipyridine complexes of bridging substituted (tetramethyl-, dimethyl-, unsubstituted, dichloro-, tetrachloro-) azodi(phenylcyanamide) ligands have been synthesized. The EPR spectroscopy, supported by IR and vis-NIR spectroelectrochemistry of singly oxidized complexes showed a transition in non-innocent behaviour of the bridging ligand and established the ligand-centred radical descriptions for tetramethyl-/dimethyl-, a delocalized metal-ligand mixed-valence description for unsubstituted, and a localized metal-centred mixed-valence descriptions for dichloro-/tetrachloro- azodi(phenylcyanamide) complexes. Six mononuclear ruthenium (II)-(dmso-S)-bipyridine complexes of substituted (pentachloro-, tetrachloro-, trichloro-, dichloro-, monochloro- and unsubstituted) phenylcyanamide monoanion ligands were synthesized and characterized. The complexes exhibited photo-induced Ru-S to Ru-O and thermal Ru-O to Ru-S linkage isomerism in solutions and solid polymer films. The quantum yields (0.43-0.06) of photo-induced Ru-S to Ru-O linkage isomerism are shown to decrease with increasing donor properties of the phenylcyanamide ligand. The thermal Ru-O to Ru-S back reaction (k = 4.52 – 2.61 x 10-3 s-1) showed a modest decrease with decrease in the donor properties of the phenylcyanamide ligand. The scan rate dependent cyclic voltammograms demonstrated redox-induced Ru-S to Ru-O and Ru-O to Ru-S linkage isomerism and provided estimates of ground state isomerism rates. DFT calculations established the non-innocent behaviour of phenylcyanamide ligands. Five mononuclear neutral ruthenium (III)-terpyridine-chloride complexes of substituted (pentachloro-, tetrachloro-, trichloro-, dichloro-, monochloro-) phenylcyanamide monoanion ligands were synthesized. The paramagnetic NMR spectroscopy of complexes in dimethylsulfoxide provided estimates of pi-carbon spin density distributions of phenylcyanamide ligands (0.7-3.0 %) and suggested a Ru(III)-centred spin in disagreement with the gas-phase DFT spin density calculations which gave mostly ligand-centred spin. It is suggested that specific solvent-solute interactions stabilize the Ru(III) oxidation state.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Chemistry
- Date Created:
- 2014
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- O'Shea, Mary
- Abstract:
- The budding field of religion and film has almost exclusively consisted of works by religious studies scholars. The objective of this thesis is to approach religion and film from a film studies standpoint, with a focus on narrational, stylistic, and genre analysis. The films explored, Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas, Mexico, 2007), Requiem (Hans-Christian Schmid, Germany, 2006), and Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols, USA, 2011), are not a part of the popular Western cinema that dominates religion and film discourses. These independent works about resurrection (Silent Light), possession (Requiem), and apocalypse (Take Shelter) secularize the religious element of their respective narratives, and as a result, there is room for doubt, hesitation, and a variety of interpretations. The ambiguous sensibility of these films is crucial to this thesis, which aims to complicate the notion of the “religious film.”
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Film Studies
- Date Created:
- 2014