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- Resource Type:
- Poster
- Creator:
- Tudin, Susan
- Abstract:
- Poster presented at the Teaching & Learning Symposium, Carleton University, May 11, 2016
- Date Created:
- 2016-05-11
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- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Panchen, Zoe A. and Gorelick, Root
- Abstract:
- In temperate regions, there are clear indications that spring flowering plants are flowering earlier due to rising temperatures of contemporary climate change. Temperatures in temperate regions are rising predominantly in spring. However, Arctic regions are seeing unprecedented temperature increases, predominantly towards the end of the growing season. We might, therefore, expect to see earlier flowering of later-season flowering Arctic plants. Parks Canada has been monitoring purple saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) and mountain avens (Dryas integrifolia) flowering and fruiting times for 20 years at Tanquary Fiord, Qut- tinirpaaq National Park, Ellesmere Island. Saxifraga oppositifolia flowers in early spring, while D. integrifolia flowers in midsummer. Over the 20-year period, Tanquary Fiord’s annual and late-summer temperatures have risen significantly. During the same timeframe, D. integrifolia showed a trend towards earlier flowering and fruiting, but S. oppositifolia showed no changes in flowering or fruiting time. Flowering time was related to monthly temperatures just prior to flowering. The number of flowers produced was related to the previous autumn’s monthly temperatures. We found no relationship between flowering time and snowmelt date. Our findings suggest that Arctic community level ecological effects from climate change induced phenology changes will differ from those in temperate regions.
- Date Created:
- 2016-05-17
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- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Millard, Koreen and Richardson, Murray
- Abstract:
- Random Forest (RF) is a widely used algorithm for classification of remotely sensed data. Through a case study in peatland classification using LiDAR derivatives, we present an analysis of the effects of input data characteristics on RF classifications (including RF out-of-bag error, independent classification accuracy and class proportion error). Training data selection and specific input variables (i.e., image channels) have a large impact on the overall accuracy of the image classification. High-dimension datasets should be reduced so that only uncorrelated important variables are used in classifications. Despite the fact that RF is an ensemble approach, independent error assessments should be used to evaluate RF results, and iterative classifications are recommended to assess the stability of predicted classes. Results are also shown to be highly sensitive to the size of the training data set. In addition to being as large as possible, the training data sets used in RF classification should also be (a) randomly distributed or created in a manner that allows for the class proportions of the training data to be representative of actual class proportions in the landscape; and (b) should have minimal spatial autocorrelation to improve classification results and to mitigate inflated estimates of RF out-of-bag classification accuracy.
- Date Created:
- 2016-05-17
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- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Fitzgerald, Saira
- Abstract:
- This article presents the results of the first phase of a research project on perceptions of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) in Canadian universities. Establishing explicit university recognition policies for IBDP students has been an ongoing task for the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), which conducted two studies on university perceptions of the IBDP in the UK (2003) and Australia/New Zealand (2007). The present study replicates these studies in the Canadian context, to discover how admissions officers in Ontario universities perceive the IBDP in relation to other curricula. Preliminary results reveal a high degree of uniformity in responses, consistent with the previous studies. The IBO is indicated as being the primary source of information, suggesting that it plays an important part in forming perceptions of the IBDP.
- Date Created:
- 2016-05-17
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- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Smith, Catherine A., Hayley, Shawn, Smith, Jeffrey, and Farmer, Kyle
- Abstract:
- Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting the nigrostriatal pathway, where patients do not manifest motor symptoms until >50% of neurons are lost. Thus, it is of great importance to determine early neuronal changes that may contribute to disease progression. Recent attention has focused on lipids and their role in pro- and anti-apoptotic processes. However, information regarding the lipid alterations in animal models of PD is lacking. In this study, we utilized high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) and novel HPLC solvent methodology to profile phosphatidylcholines and sphingolipids within the substantia nigra. The ipsilateral substantia nigra pars compacta was collected from rats 21 days after an infusion of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), or vehicle into the anterior dorsal striatum. We identified 115 lipid species from their mass/charge ratio using the LMAPS Lipid MS Predict Database. Of these, 19 lipid species (from phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphotidylcholine lipid classes) were significantly altered by 6-OHDA, with most being down-regulated. The two lipid species that were up-regulated were LPC (16:0) and LPC (18:1), which are important for neuroinflammatory signalling. These findings provide a first step in the characterization of lipid changes in early stages of PD-like pathology and could provide novel targets for early interventions in PD.
- Date Created:
- 2016-05-17
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- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Capaldi, Colin A., Dopko, Raelyne L., and Zelenski, John M.
- Abstract:
- Research suggests that contact with nature can be beneficial, for example leading to improvements in mood, cognition, and health. A distinct but related idea is the personality construct of subjective nature connectedness, a stable individual difference in cognitive, affective, and experiential connection with the natural environment. Subjective nature connectedness is a strong predictor of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors that may also be positively associated with subjective well-being. This meta-analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between nature connectedness and happiness. Based on 30 samples (n = 8523), a fixed-effect meta-analysis found a small but significant effect size (r = 0.19). Those who are more connected to nature tended to experience more positive affect, vitality, and life satisfaction compared to those less connected to nature. Publication status, year, average age, and percentage of females in the sample were not significant moderators. Vitality had the strongest relationship with nature connectedness (r = 0.24), followed by positive affect (r = 0.22) and life satisfaction (r = 0.17). In terms of specific nature connectedness measures, associations were the strongest between happiness and inclusion of nature in self (r = 0.27), compared to nature relatedness (r = 0.18) and connectedness to nature (r = 0.18). This research highlights the importance of considering personality when examining the psychological benefits of nature. The results suggest that closer human-nature relationships do not have to come at the expense of happiness. Rather, this meta-analysis shows that being connected to nature and feeling happy are, in fact, connected.
- Date Created:
- 2016-05-17
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- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Hundlani, Kalpana
- Abstract:
- Many studies reflect that today's younger generation spends a considerable amount of time online whether for doing their homework or playing games. However, the authentication schemes for this user group has received negligible attention. When exploring alternate authentication mechanisms for children, we decided to reduce the password burden and involve parents in the authentication decision. We chose to explore whether a parent-child password manager was a good choice for achieving this goal. We started with our 'Keep A Secret' prototype, a parent-managed password manager for children. On the next iteration, we designed 'KinderSurf', a parental consent mechanism based on the OpenID concept. We conducted two user studies for evaluating the prototypes. These user studies revealed areas for improvements, but overall both parents and children like the idea of using parental consent to log in.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Computer Science
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Bingham, Michael John Kendal
- Abstract:
- Mobile devices store immense amounts of sensitive data, making them attractive targets for attackers. The first line of defence against attacks is authentication --- verifying the identity of an agent accessing the device. We examine behavioural biometrics as an effective authentication mechanism on mobile devices. Behavioural biometrics model an agent's behaviours to establish their identity. We construct an authentication system based on profiling the device sensors (touch screen, accelerometer and gyroscope) during a swipe, defined as a quick, simple movement across a touch screen. In addition, we explore the relationship between problem setting and evaluation methodology in authentication systems, producing a list of requirements necessary for accurate evaluation. Finally, we perform a user study to ascertain the effectiveness of our behavioural biometric mechanism. We conclude that this system is resistant to attacks which trivially bypass standard mechanisms such as PINs, while also potentially lightening the usability load imposed by authentication.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Computer Science
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- McConnell, Erin Marie
- Abstract:
- Derived by an iterative in vitro selection process termed Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX), aptamers are short single-stranded oligonucleotides that bind to their cognate targets with high affinity and selectivity. Generally, aptamers have been widely used in biological and pre-clinical medical applications. A comprehensive analysis of aptamer selection data maintained in the Aptamer Database identified factors that should be carefully considered upon the design of selection experiments to optimize success. These findings should be applied to selections for nervous system related targets to improve the quality of selected aptamers. Specifically, the nervous system presents an especially interesting field of investigation. For example the aptamer target thrombin is a protein involved in the coagulation cascade and has important relevancy for stroke. The development of an aptamer-based pH-driven DNA nanomachine (pHAST) for the specific catch-and-release of thrombin is described. This work is an important example of how existing aptamers could be incorporated into a nanodevice to add specific functionality for applications within the nervous system. Dopamine is a small molecule neurotransmitter implicated in mental illness and neurodegenerative disease. The ability of dopamine-binding aptamers to attenuate perseveration and locomotor behaviour associated with dopamine over-activity was shown in live rodents. Finally, an aptamer-gold nanoparticle based sensor was developed based on a dopamine binding aptamer, DopaA20min, identified from a novel selection.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Chemistry
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Strickland, Noelle
- Abstract:
- Socially anxious students may be at risk for heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems (e.g., injuries), because they may endorse more maladaptive drinking motives, such as drinking to cope with their anxiety or to conform to peer-pressure (Hingson et al., 2005). This study assessed two conceptual models: 1) whether social anxiety predicts drinking motives, which in turn predict alcohol-outcomes (i.e., a mediation model), and 2) whether social anxiety exacerbates the effect of drinking motives on alcohol-outcomes (i.e., moderation model). Undergraduates (N = 387) completed an online survey, and of these n = 76 completed a follow-up brief survey study. Both surveys assessed social anxiety, drinking motives, and alcohol-outcomes. Results showed that coping and conformity motives explained the associations between social anxiety and alcohol-related problems, and coping motives explained the association between social anxiety and heavy drinking.Keywords:social anxiety; drinking motives; heavy drinking; alcohol-related problems; brief surveys; university students.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Psychology
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Özbek, Esen Egemen
- Abstract:
- Turkey's long-standing denial of the annihilation of about one million Armenians, between 1915 and 1917, is well documented. Over the past five decades, however, the nation state has come under increasing pressure from a range of internal and external sites, not only to acknowledge these grave historical atrocities, but also to name them as 'genocide' (a term coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944, on the basis of the annihilation of the Armenians and the Holocaust, which has become a cornerstone of international legal language surrounding crimes against humanity). I begin by rehearsing the official denialist state narratives which are in play immediately following the terrible events of 1915-17 and have continued almost unchallenged in the public sphere until the 1990's, when fuelled by tectonic shifts in Turkish politics and a serious crisis of national identity, critical- revisionist strands of history-writing began to challenge the Turkish official narrative. During the past two decades, there has been a proliferation of individual and collective initiatives advocating a coming to memory of the genocide at a wide range of sites: history-writing, the Law, Civic discourses, fiction, and public commemorations, among others. While I trace the longer trajectory of these counter-memories, the major aim of my dissertation is to provide a "thick description" of commemorative events which concentrates on the post-1980 period and documents and analyzes, for the first time, very recent commemorations of the Armenian genocide in Turkey. I suggest that challenges provoked by an ongoing commitment to the denialist ethos resulted in strategies such as a discourse of "shared pain" which unwittingly mute the transformative potential of these commemorations. In the end, they operate in an in- between space of transgression and containment that reminds us of the immense complexity of the coming to memory of national "difficult pasts".
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Cultural Mediations
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Jull, Margaret Anne
- Abstract:
- The animating question that guides this thesis is how can polarized interpersonal argument dissipate so that new possibilities can emerge? Through a multilayered autoethnographical research method, an account of emergent change is developed that integrates foundational concepts of intersubjectivity and conflict to contend that the dissipation of interpersonal argument can be made more probable by altering the intersubjective processes in which it emerges.The research’s autoethnographical framework focuses on the interiority of the researching self while investigating interpersonal argument through three aspects of intersubjectivity: activities of consciousness, interactions in spaces of encounter, and the dynamic interplay of contextual systems of meanings. Four autoethnographic case studies empirically illuminate how the discernment of threat can instigate the sometimes choiceless decisions to defend through conflict behaviors. These inquiries into interpersonal argument through the subjectivity of the researcher explore how diminishing the constrictive effect of threat, instigating reflexivity, changing spaces of encounter, and mobilizing other social meanings can contribute to a more probable emergence of change.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Sociology
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Fraser, Cory
- Abstract:
- The amount of String data around the world is constantly growing. As more of it accumulates, methods to search through it, and at higher capacities needs to be continually improved. This thesis analyzes string searching solutions that: support dynamic updates, support prefix searching, and can perform well using external memory. These solutions are compared against each other using different types of string data while performing various operations. The strengths and weaknesses of each solution is then identified and discussed.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Computer Science
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Bouchard, Laurie
- Abstract:
- Biomimetic architecture possesses tremendous potential for techno-ecological synergy, yet it currently lacks a strong philosophical foundation. Freya Mathews attributes synergy in nature to two fundamental principles of life: conativity and least resistance. In the pursuit of techno-ecological synergy, biomimetic designers need to embrace these concepts. This can only be accomplished through the rejection of the anthropocentric and technological dogmas of modernity in favor of bioinclusivity. While architects and researchers have begun to address this difficult task, an examination of architectural precedents reveals the investigative directions needed. The philosophical exploration undertaken in this thesis informs a biomimetic design strategy for the actualization of William Commanda’s vision for Victoria Island. The design of the Asinabka Indigenous Cultural Centre reinforces the synergistic potential of biomimicry through the integration of the Indigenous worldview. These concepts culminate in an arboreal structure embodying interconnectedness and in a roof garden promoting a renewed encounter with nature.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Wilkinson, Sabrina
- Abstract:
- This thesis examines the state of journalism in Canada with a focus on the quantity and quality of journalistic work. I find that journalism is not in crisis so much as a major and wrenching period of transformation. The Canadian press system is presently in a moment of change characterized by an array of different media players, shifting industry trends and a federal government inquiry. Amidst all the turmoil, data from Statistics Canada suggests there are more jobs in the field than there was prior to the emergence of the Internet. Further, my personal interviews reveal that newsworkers understand the role of the journalist as one that is being dramatically changed alongside the entire press system. However, to what end these changes point is not at all clear. Accordingly, the federal government and the CRTC play a crucial role in shaping the evolution of the Canadian journalistic environment.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Communication
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Bilici, Kumru
- Abstract:
- The Armenian Genocide and its multigenerational effects have long been a topic of cinematic representation. Given the scarcity of archival images and the contested history of the events of 1915, filmmakers have historically been preoccupied with proving the genocide and recalling its trauma. Here, I draw attention to a group of recent documentaries by post-exilic Armenians depicting their emotionally difficult return journeys to Turkey against the background of continuing denial; and I propose that these independent and personal “homecoming” films help us better understand the Armenian filmmakers’ multigenerational diasporic rupture and relationship with their ancestral homeland. Through close examination of three of these documentaries, I argue that the post-exilic Armenian “homecoming” films are cautious yet promising cinematic memory work towards the working-through of the trauma of 1915 seeking the possibilities of restoring an unwelcoming space back into a homeland.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Film Studies
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Sawatzky, Margaret (Margaret E.)
- Abstract:
- Farmland ponds can be havens for wetland-dependent wildlife, especially in agricultural regions with high rates of wetland loss. However, diverse wildlife can only persist in these agricultural wetlands if the water is of sufficient quality and if wetlands are surrounded by enough terrestrial habitat for semi-aquatic taxa such as anurans (frogs and toads). Most recommended protection measures for agricultural wetlands fall into one of two categories: (i) conserving a certain percentage of natural vegetation in the surrounding landscape, or (ii) retaining or implementing vegetated buffers between wetlands and adjacent crop fields. We empirically examined the effectiveness of these two strategies. We found that landscape-scale management is key to protecting water quality and anuran diversity in agricultural wetlands, and that for buffers to be effective, they must be larger than current guidelines dictate. Particularly, crop cover should be minimized within 200 m of wetlands, and woodland cover maximized within 1500 m.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Biology
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Liles, James
- Abstract:
- The fatal Canadian police interactions involving Sammy Yatim, Robert Dziekanski, and Paul Boyd played a major role in developing and implementing mental health units (MHUs). Based on interview and direct observation data, this thesis examines the impact of a Canadian MHU on police culture. I argue that there are a number of possible cultures that can emerge within police organizations. This thesis demonstrates the pervasiveness of the perception of danger and the resulting camaraderie amongst MHU members. Specifically, I evaluate the perception of danger held amongst MHU members, their conceptions of partnership, and the importance of defending and assisting colleagues. Herein, I also argue that this MHU gives rise to an emerging service-based conceptualization of police culture. Here, I recognize the fluidity of police culture by examining the service-focused nature of the MHU, the application of discretion, and the measurement of success and emotional commitment amongst MHU members.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Legal Studies
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Scammell, Joshua Glen
- Abstract:
- Scholarship on the avant-garde in Japanese cinema tends to focus on the 1960s. Many scholars believe that the avant-garde vanishes from Japanese cinema in the early 1970s. This study aims to disrupt such narratives with the example of filmmaker/theorist Matsumoto Toshio. Matsumoto is one of the key figures of the 1960s political avant-garde, and this study argues that his 1970s films should also be considered part of the avant-garde. Following Yuriko Furuhata who calls the avant-garde of the 1960s “the cinema of actuality,” this thesis calls the avant-garde of the 1970s “the cinema of virtuality.” The cinema of virtuality will be seen to emphasize a particular type of contiguity with the spectator. This strategy will be discussed in relation to four of Matsumoto’s short films: Nishijin (1961), For the Damaged Right Eye (1968), Atman (1975), and Sway (1985) and a brief discussion of Funeral Parade of Roses (1969).
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Film Studies
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Kingsbury, Cole
- Abstract:
- The geology of the Arctic is greatly influenced by a period of widespread Cretaceous magmatic activity, the High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP). Two major tholeiitic magmatic pulses characterize HALIP: an initial 120 -130 Ma pulse that affected Arctic Canada and formally adjacent regions of Svalbard (Norway) and Franz Josef Land (Russia). In Canada, this pulse fed lava flows of the Isachsen Formation. A second 90-100 Ma pulse that apparently only affected the Canadian side of the Arctic, fed flood basalts of the Strand Fiord Formation. The goal of this thesis is to improve understanding of Arctic magmatism of the enigmatic HALIP through field, remote sensing, geochemical and geochronology investigations of mafic intrusive rocks collected in the South Fiord area of Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut, and comparison with mafic lavas of the Isachsen and Strand Fiord Formations collected from other localities on the Island. Ground-based and remote sensing observations of the South Fiord area reveal a complex network of mafic sills and mainly SSE-trending dykes. Two new U-Pb baddeleyite ages of 95.18 ± 0.35 Ma and 95.56 ± 0.24 Ma from South Fiord intrusions along with geochemical similarity confirm these intrusions (including the SSE-trending dykes) are feeders for the Strand Fiord Formation lavas. The ages constrain a 3 Ma transition between the two pulses of older tholeiitic and the younger stage of alkaline magmatism that begins with the 92 Ma Wootton Igneous Complex. Based on trace element and Sm-Nd isotopic data, this 95 Ma pulse of South Fiord intrusives and Strand Fiord Formation lavas are derived from a homogenous upper mantle source that was crustally contaminated by sedimentary rocks of the Sverdrup Basin. In contrast, lavas of the older c. 120-130 Ma Isachsen Formation are derived from a heterogeneous mantle source and experienced significantly less crustal contamination. The mantle heterogeneity of lavas in the Isachsen Formation is probably defined in part by mantle melting that incorporated sediments from paleosubduction fronts ancestral to the Aleutian subduction zone. Furthermore, major element concentrations may also suggest contamination by evaporite diapirs from the Carboniferous Otto Fiord Formation.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Earth Sciences
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Doody, Christopher Matthew
- Abstract:
- This dissertation examines the development of authorship in Canada in the first half of the twentieth century, with a particular emphasis on the Canadian Authors Association (C.A.A.). By focusing on this association, the dissertation refutes the common narrative that the development of Canadian authorship was the result of a vanguard of modernist writers standing collectively against an older generation of amateur writers. Instead, it insists on the importance of a history of authorship that includes dissenting conceptions, specifically those articulated by the C.A.A., which resisted the practice of creating hierarchies for authors based on gender, age, quality of work, chosen genre, or professionalism. The development of authorship in the first half of the twentieth century was a site of debate and contestation. From 1921-1960, there was increasing pressure to define this key role in the national literary field. This pressure to define authorship was manifest: in the legal debates around copyright, which had ramifications for both the state and for private industry; in the debates between authors themselves, as seen during Book Week (1921-1957), which sought to determine the proper relationship between literature and the marketplace; in the creation and development of the Governor General’s Literary Awards (1937-1959), in which the association attempted to promote a specific type of literature; and in the rise of government patronage of the arts, which saw the state developing new ways to both fund and regulate culture. During these various debates over the role of authorship, the C.A.A. generally resisted hierarchies, and in doing so defended the middlebrow and the writer as a skilled labourer in the literary field. The association, however, was not always consistent in advocating these positions. This inconsistency demonstrates how difficult it was during this period to articulate a single, coherent definition of authorship. As such, this dissertation argues that literary histories that only recall the modernist narrative of the rise of authorship in Canada lose a sense of this important contest.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- English
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Copp, Alexander
- Abstract:
- This research examines the asymmetries of power that exist between a variety of actors when addressing issues of Ottawa’s urban forest. Champlain Park was identified as a case study because of persistent infill development pressures and the presence of bur oak. Through semi-structured interviews and supporting secondary materials, a discourse analysis was used to reveal key perspectives of the various actors involved in shaping the neighbourhood treescape. This research highlights how dominant discourses supporting the neoliberal compact city privilege developers in decision making over the urban forest at the expense of community residents. It also reveals an inherent tension within the municipal government. This research argues that a neighbourhood or community scale, the scale of the treescape, is also an important scale - but often neglected - for the management of the urban forest. This work argues that the urban forest should therefore be re-imagined as a mosaic of treescapes.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Geography
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Gebremichael, Melhik
- Abstract:
- As cities become denser the tendency is to continue the trend and urban morphology of building vertically in response to the shortage of land and growing economic needs. Addis Ababa in Ethiopia is a city that has seen its population increase dramatically over the last two decades. High-rise building has taken over the city, often completely erasing the existing cityscape, and eliminating traditional networks and street-shop relationships. This is also erasing traditional city dynamics. Where smaller shops and businesses add to the security of the street, they also preserve the cultural and historical significance of the streetscape. New architecture with urban sensibilities can play an important role in retaining the city dynamics, and in preserving the cultural and historical relationship of residents. By exploring historical live-work arrangements in different parts of the world this thesis will look into the two separate but connected elements of low-cost housing and market conditions.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Ventura, Katelyn (Katelyn Victoria)
- Abstract:
- In developing central nervous system therapeutics, delivery across the blood-brain barrier remains one of the biggest challenges. In the present study, a liposome, surface-modified with an aptamer for the transferrin receptor, was used to facilitate aptamer delivery from the periphery into the brain. Repeated, systemic administration of the aptamer produced no behavioral or neurodegenerative effects. In a behavioral experiment using cocaine administration to raise concentrations of dopamine, aptamer pretreatment reduced cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion. Systemic pretreatment with control manipulations of the aptamer delivery system did not alter hyperlocomotion. RT-PCR was used to detect the aptamer, confirming the delivery of the aptamer into the brain. Differential fluorescence was found based on the presence or absence of transferrin receptor aptamers bound to rhodamine-tagged liposomes. Results suggest that modified liposomes delivered aptamer into the brain. This multi-aptamer system has the potential to be easily modified to deliver treatments for a variety of neural targets.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Neuroscience
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Wang, Ruixue
- Abstract:
- This thesis proposes an ultra low power 8-1 analog multiplexer (MUX) which can deal with low voltage amplitude and low frequency bio-signals, the analog MUX is implemented based on IBM 130 nm integrated circuit technology.Also a bio-signal amplifier with low power consumption, high CMRR, and high gain is connected to the output port of the multiplexer. In this way, the bio-signals can be easily detected and selected. For the analog multiplexer design, a parallel transmission gate structure is used to select the desired signal while keeping the power consumption of the eight-channel analog multiplexer to 807nW. For the amplifier design, a three-stage differential operational amplifier structure was used to amplify the weak of bio-signals passed through the transmission gate structures. The amplifier was designed with a high CMRR 106dB and reasonable gain of 66dB.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Electrical and Computer
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Gulderen, Yelda
- Abstract:
- This dissertation project examines the Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPF-I), a global social policy initiative that brought together various international organizations which have traditionally had divergent social policy approaches. Since the launch of the SPF-I in 2009, most of the major international organizations in the development field became part of the Initiative and engaged in the Social Protection Floor (SPF) policy at varying levels. This project focuses on six international organizations, namely the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The overarching research question is, “what explains the extent of, and the variation in, the international organizations’ adoption of a given policy (in this case, the SPF)?” In order to explain the extent of policy adoption in international organizations, a policy adoption matrix has been developed. This matrix helps to identify each international organization as a policy leader, policy follower, or policy supporter based on the following parameters: the speed and the timing of policy adoption, the level of commitment, the breadth of organizational buy-in, and the scope of policy adoption. While the UNICEF, the UNDP, and the WHO are identified as policy leaders, the OECD is identified as a policy follower, and the World Bank and the IMF are identified as policy supporters. Next, this study explains why these international organizations are policy leaders, followers, or supporters. The analysis of policy adoption in the six international organizations reveals that: (i) the presence of policy entrepreneurs within relevant networks and the policy’s good fit in the organizations’ outlook explain why the UNICEF, the UNDP, and the WHO are policy leaders, (ii) the role of member states and the policy’s poor fit in the organization’s outlook explain the OECD’s role as a policy follower, and (iii) the external pressures and the policy’s poor fit in the organizations’ outlook explain why the World Bank and the IMF are policy supporters. This analysis concludes with an analytical framework towards a theory of policy adoption in international organizations.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- International Affairs
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Hayek, Sylvia J.
- Abstract:
- Investigations were carried out for three soft-sediment filled basins in the Ottawa, Canada region to examine the contributions of 2 and 3D site effects on ground motions due to weak motion earthquakes. In order for a 1D ground motion modelling software program to produce transfer functions approaching the frequency peaks obtained from soil-to-rock ratios of local earthquake recordings, a detailed soil profile, local modulus reduction and damping ratio curves, and local earthquake recordings are required as input. However, soil-to-rock amplifications and spectral curves varied from the predicted 1D output, suggesting the influenced of 2 and 3D effects. Horizontal particle motions on the soil sites do not match the orientations recorded on the rock site, with the direction of the motions depending on the frequencies examined.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Earth Sciences
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Wojnarowicz, Krystyna
- Abstract:
- The way in which a norm is legally codified in laws and treaties is often very different from what that norm actually accomplishes in practice. This thesis analyzes the “everyday politics” of protection implementation through the case study of the SPRAR refugee hosting project in Gioiosa-Ionica, Italy. I illustrate how productive and structural power work through the intimate relationship of care; between frontline workers who are mandated to implement protection, and the refugees who are the beneficiaries of said protection. Through patterned behaviour frontline workers create new local norms that condition legal protection and the provision of services. Refugees resist these practices and the way their protection is received in commonplace and concerted ways. As such the “everyday politics” of refugee protection in the hosting project in Gioiosa-Ionica is fertile ground for how power, resistance and contestation play into norm implementation.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Political Science
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Agil, Rania
- Abstract:
- Part of the solution to reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases is the employment of food as medicine. Whole grain consumption has been associated with a variety of health benefits owing to their bioactive constituents, namely fibre and phytochemicals. The overall aim of this study was to discover the underlying mechanisms behind the positive physiological effects of whole grains and further elucidate their nutritional value. In particular, the bioactive properties of alkylresorcinols (ARs), phenolic lipids present almost exclusively in cereal grains, and soluble dietary fibre, potential prebiotics, were investigated using triticale bran (TB), an underestimated cereal crop. Specific objectives were met through the following projects. Conditions for large-scale extraction of ARs from cereal grains were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Isolation of ARs for 16-24 h at a solid-to-solvent ratio of 1:40 (weight per volume) and temperature of 24 °C produced the highest yield with the least amount of co-extractives/unknowns. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of ARs were evidenced by in vitro model systems, ORAC, DPPH, and COX assay whereby results were in agreement with ex vivo model systems, RAW 264.7 macrophage cell cultures induced by AAPH or LPS. Subsequently, the in vivo effects of ARs were evaluated and oxidative stress markers in liver and heart tissues of mice supplemented 0.5% ARs and mice fed 10% TB demonstrated antioxidant protection. Additionally, water extractable polysaccharides (WEP) from cereal samples were isolated by varying treatments; the highest yield with the least amount of impurities was achieved by boiling water extraction followed by successive enzyme treatments, dialysis and successive ethanol fractionations. Using yogurt as fermentation model, probiotic yogurt in the presence of TB produced significantly higher TTA values, lower pH levels, and improved microbial viability compared to controls. In addition to the prebiotic potential of TB, likely owing to its high fibre content, isolates of WEP also demonstrated antioxidant activity as measured by ORAC assay. Findings of this study will contribute to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms behind the health benefitting properties of whole grains.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Chemistry
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Qiu, Yuqing
- Abstract:
- The advent of the Cloudlet concept—a “small data center” close to users at the edge is to improve the Quality of Experience (QoE) of end users by providing resources within a one-hop distance. Many researchers have proposed using virtual machines (VMs) as such service-provisioning servers. However, seeing the potentiality of containers, this thesis adopts Linux Containers (LXC) as Cloudlet platforms. To facilitate container migration between Cloudlets, Checkpoint and Restore in Userspace (CRIU) has been chosen as the migration tool. Since the migration process goes through the Wide Area Network (WAN), which may experience network failures, the Multipath TCP (MPTCP) protocol is adopted to address the challenge. The multiple subflows established within a MPTCP connection can improve the resilience of the migration process and reduce migration time. Experimental results show that LXC containers are suitable candidates for the problem and MPTCP protocol is effective in enhancing the migration process.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Electrical and Computer
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Saber, Hamid
- Abstract:
- In this work, we study the problem of designing rate-compatible (RC) error correcting codes for use in incremental redundancy hybrid ARQ (IR-HARQ) systems to address the rate flexibility requirement of wireless communication systems. Our goal is to design codes to maximize the throughput of IR-HARQ. The rate-flexibility of our schemes is achieved by puncturing and extending a mother code. We consider reliability-based (RB) HARQ schemes where a feedback channel is used to convey information reflecting the reliability of the received code bits. We aim to design RB-HARQ schemes based on LDPC codes with the goal of improving the throughput performance while maintaining the overhead in the feedback channel. We then show how both low density parity check (LDPC) and low density generator matrix (LDGM) codes can be combined to design RC codes whose nature varies from LDPC to LDGM as the rate of the codes decreases, and thus benefiting from the advantages of both types of codes at the same time. The proposed method results in a universal capacity-approaching IR-HARQ scheme which remains within 1 dB of the Shannon capacity of the binary input additive white Gaussian noise (BIAWGN) channel. We then study the design of polar codes for IR-HARQ. We propose new puncturing and extending algorithms for polar codes, and show how they can result in capacity-approaching throughput performance with very low decoding complexity. We then aim to improve the performance of polar codes at finite lengths to use them as the mother code. In particular, the design of generalized concatenated codes based on polar (GCC-polar) codes is studied. A new method to design the GCC-polar codes is proposed. The proposed method employs density evolution to design the outer codes for the actual channels seen by them with the goal of minimizing their BLER. Once a set of outer codes with different rates have been constructed, we propose a rate-allocation algorithm to determine the rates of the outer codes of the GCC-polar code. The resulting GCC-polar codes outperform Arikan’s codes and the previous works on the literature and can be used in place of the mother code for IR-HARQ based on polar codes
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Electrical and Computer
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Somers, Sterling
- Abstract:
- Presented is an implementation of a time sychronous middleware for Python ACT-R and the open-source robotics simulator, MORSE (Echeverria et al., 2012; Echeverria, Lassabe, Degroote, & Lemaignan, 2011), a novel vision system, and novel motor system, which I collectively call ACT-R 3D. A new 3D camera and a crude body-model robot was added to the MORSE system to facilitate modeling of afforance-based research on aperture passage (walking through apertures and rotating shoulders as needed). Presented as a proof of concept are three affordance models based in ACT-R. The models tests a novel theory, the Theory of Geometric Affordances, that proposes that humans make geometric comparisons between apertures (depth, width, height) and stored representations of body postures (body schema). Both models are individually qualitatively compared against human performance for overall shoulder rotation while walking through apertures of various widths (Warren & Whang, 1987; Higuchi, Seya, & Imanaka, 2012) and overall safety margin while passing through apertures (Higuchi et al., 2012). The second model (Model 2) shows the best performance, with the same model exhibiting rotation similar to human performance across both experiments. Model 2 supports the conclusion that an abstract geometric comparison mechanism is sufficient to support aperture passage judgment without the use of semantically-laden labels. This is the first known affordance model, modeled in a computational cognitive architecture, to match preliminary human performance data.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Cognitive Science
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Martynova, Ekaterina
- Abstract:
- The current research investigated the effect of transformational leadership style on employee outcomes, while taking gender and gender-related attitudes into consideration with an online sample of front-line employees (Study 1) and through an experimental vignette study with undergraduate students (Study 2). It was found that transformational leadership style positively influenced employees' hedonic and eudaimonic well-being through work engagement in the employed sample and the effect on work engagement was subsequently replicated in the email vignette study. These findings suggest that transformational leaders allow employees to become engaged at work; in turn, work engagement positively influences satisfaction and fulfillment in life. Although significant gender differences in perceptions of transformational leadership style were not found for male and female supervisors, employees’ gender and subtle sexist attitudes appeared to influence perceptions of transformational leadership behaviours, such that participants who endorsed subtle sexist attitudes perceived fewer transformational leadership behaviours.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Psychology
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
Shine a Light: Surveying Locality, Independence, and Digitization in Ottawa’s Independent Rock Scene
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Audette-Longo, Michael Robert
- Abstract:
- This dissertation examines the articulation and reconfiguration of locality in Ottawa's independent (indie) rock scene. It argues that styles of producing and relating to indie music that have been traditionally embedded in local scenic activity and practices of “do it yourself” (DIY) have been translated into more ubiquitous, quotidian, and valuable metadata and labour that organizes and powers the operations of disparate digital media sites, including digital music services like Bandcamp, CBC Radio 3, and Wyrd Distro. This argument is developed through closer analyses of the following case studies: the entrepreneurial strategies and musical focuses of Ottawa-based independent record labels Kelp and Bruised Tongue Records; scene-bound media like zines, blogs, music video and campus/community radio; the re-articulation of local regions as metadata that organize the search and retrieval functionalities of the digital music streaming services CBC Radio 3 and Bandcamp (a particular iteration of local regions I dub the “indexi-local”); and the concurrent incorporation of DIY labour and reconfiguration of the business of independent music evident in the digital music retailers Bandcamp and Wyrd Distro. This project contends that in the midst of digitization, the media sites, entrepreneurial strategies, and subcultural practices traditionally folded into the production of independence in local indie music scenes persist. This not only nuances narratives of upheaval advanced about digital media technologies, but also challenges narratives of decline and compromise recurrently articulated to the field of independent music. Contra academic and popular discourse that valorizes independent music for its ability to circulate outside of the “mainstream” musical, media, and cultural industries, this dissertation contends that independent music is entangled within these industries. Moreover, the persistence of local music scenes across the sites examined in this dissertation signals the continued value, power, and allure of independent music’s activities, subcultural commodities, and grassroots media sites to both scene participants and digital music services alike.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Cultural Mediations
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Charmchi, Amir Ali
- Abstract:
- When enabled by an adequate built-environment, humankind can find both welfare and meaning within the act of dwelling. This thesis explores the potential of the act of dwelling by framing an understanding of the built-environment as both the setting for, and the product of, dwelling. Humankind’s instinctive need for shelter has placed the house at the crossing point of rational and emotional action. In order to build good homes – that, beyond being economically conscious, are also socially meaningful – an exploration of the social, cultural, political, and economic factors pertaining to their construction, and a reflection on the theorization, production, and evaluation of residential architecture, are necessary. Driven to achieve meaning and economy in dwelling, and supported by historical and contemporary examples, this thesis develops an architectural proposal that integrates concepts of user agency, spatial flexibility, variable density, and financial feasibility in the form of a residential complex in Ottawa’s Centretown.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Moradiezatpanah, Tayebeh
- Abstract:
- This thesis investigates the idea of designing for meditating in healing spaces in order to foster well-being. In this regard, the Rehabilitation Center of The General Hospital, in Ottawa, Ontario, has been chosen as the primary location of the project. The goal of this thesis is to design a space that can support spirituality and sustain happiness in such a way that when passing through and spending time in one such space one would feel different from when they entered. Nature has a catalyst role in the project and will be introduced into the space to settle people’s mind and to realize the benefits of practicing Dharma. The project which is integrated with nature while providing a meditative environment for people to learn, contemplate, and to validate the Dharma. It also emphasizes the development of wisdom, facilitating a connection between spirituality, art, and sense of place.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Guo, Kai
- Abstract:
- Predicting the effect of the variability of design parameters on the performance of high-speed integrated circuits is crucial to a successful design. The conventional Monte Carlo technique is computationally expensive due to the large number of simulations and a slow convergence rate. To address the above difficulties, a novel method is presented in this thesis for time-domain stochastic analysis of large active/passive circuits with multiple stochastic parameters. The new approach reduces the computational cost of variability analysis by using the Stochastic Collocation technique. The Sparse Grid algorithm is applied to limit the growth of the computational cost with an increase in the number of stochastic parameters. In addition, the proposed method is based on the Model Order Reduction algorithms coupled with the Numerical Inverse Laplace Transform approach.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Electrical and Computer
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Wright, Jessica
- Abstract:
- In 2011, Correctional Services Canada closed Canada’s oldest prison in continuous use, Kingston Penitentiary, as part of a larger reorganization and distribution of Canadian prisons. This thesis considers the abandoned prison site as an opportunity for productive and strategic architectural imagination. Through a series of modifications of the old prison -- removals and insertions of new buildings, and thorough redefinition of the grounds and buildings, in particular to do with the way the prison is inserted into its surrounding neighbourhood -- architecture here serves to support new thinking about correction and reformation.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Aygin, Zafer Selcuk
- Abstract:
- We use tools from the theory of modular forms and the interplay between Eisenstein series and eta quotients to deal with some number theoretic curiosities. We describe three of them below. Let $k\geq 2$ be an integer and $j$ an integer satisfying $1\leq j \leq 4k-5$. We define a family $\{ C_{j,k}(z) \}_{1\leq j \leq 4k-5} $ of eta quotients, and prove that this family constitute a basis for the space $S_{2k} (\Gamma_0 (12))$. We then use this basis together with certain properties of modular forms at their cusps to prove an extension of the Ramanujan-Mordell formula. We express the newforms in $S_2(\Gamma_0(N))$ for various $N$ as linear combinations of Eisenstein series and eta quotients, and list their corresponding strong Weil curves. We use modularity theorem to give generating functions for the order of $E (\zz_p)$ for these strong Weil curves. We then use our generating functions to deduce congruence relations for the order of $E (\zz_p)$. We determine all the eta quotients in $M_2(\Gamma_0(N))$ for $N \leq 100$. We then determine the Fourier coefficients of four classes of those eta quotients.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Pure Mathematics
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Phinney, Sarah
- Abstract:
- Urban theorist Jamie Peck theorizes austerity urbanism as a dominant state practice of financially “restructuring” the fiscal agendas of local governments in order to reduce government budget deficits in times of economic recessions. This thesis examines how austerity urbanism as a theoretical lens can be used to describe urban transformations in the City of Detroit. My central argument is that Detroit, specifically following its municipal bankruptcy, is experiencing an austerity moment as a result of the United States’ shift towards neoliberalism that dismantled Keynesian principles and compelled the federal and state government to withdraw their presence in fiscal aid transfers to local governments. This era created a reinvigorated neoliberal politics of austerity in the City of Detroit that is based on balancing state budgets and favouring cuts in government expenditure.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Political Economy
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Katumba, Rachel N.
- Abstract:
- This thesis details a technique of eradicating reference spurs. It involves a Fixed Width Variable Amplitude Charge Pump (FWVACP) which is inherently insensitive to current mismatch. Charge pump current pulses are modified such that they have a fixed width and occur on the falling edge of the reference signal. Phase error information is embedded in the amplitude of the current pulses. The periodic nature of these pulses creates nulls at integer multiples of the reference frequency. At the VCO output, this translates into nulls at offsets equal to integer multiples of the reference from the carrier effectively eradicating the reference spurs. The FWVACP and a standard charge pump were fabricated using IBM 0.13 micron CMOS technology. The prototype occupies less than 1 mm^2. A more than 10 dB reference spur reduction was measured with a FWVACP as compared to the standard charge pump.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Electrical and Computer
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Appleby-Ostroff, Shelley
- Abstract:
- This qualitative empirical study develops a set of theory-supported criteria for designing effective training programs for peer tutors in discipline-specific writing centres. It then assesses whether the criteria are present in a writing tutor-training program at an Eastern Ontario law school. The study draws on theories about writing-centre pedagogy, the writing process, and effective training for peer writing tutors in developing the criteria. Measuring the law school's writing tutor-training program against the theory-supported criteria reveals the presence of most of the criteria. The only significant shortcomings identified are that the law school's program does not select tutors on the basis of their personal attributes, focuses more on practice than theory, and does not include regular observation and self-evaluation activities. These findings suggest that the program is effective in training law-student tutors to provide discipline-specific writing support to their peers.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Nelson, Rodney Lee
- Abstract:
- Abstract: Can Indigenous businesses operate within a capitalist system while maintaining Indigenous traditional values? If so, what model of business governance would promote this balance? This thesis examines how First Nations peoples in Canada can combine their traditional knowledge with conventional corporate governance to effectively create a governance model of business management. In a post-colonial state, can First Nations businesses maintain traditional values and teachings, such as maintaining a balance (only taking what is needed) and reciprocity while engaging in capitalism? If so, what would this model of business look like from a corporate board perspective? The premise of this research is that traditional knowledge can be an important aspect of Indigenous corporate governance. The objective of this work is to explore the concept of an integrated approach to governance and First Nations’ traditional teachings to create a new model of governance more suited to First Nations businesses. This model of governance combines two systems of governance to produce a new system that is appropriate to First Nation ventures. This research provides a practical approach for interpreting and applying traditional knowledge and governance to create a responsive form of First Nations corporate governance that can impact strategic development and guide the decision-making processes for boards of directors, which govern First Nations businesses. The development of such a model is not only important to the success of Indigenous businesses in Canada but is essential to reducing poverty and the cycle of dependency on government subsidies. Lastly, the use of traditional teachings as foundations for governance may also enhance economic sustainability and self-determination for First Nations communities.
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Canadian Studies
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Al-Attar, Rasha
- Abstract:
- During winter, wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) can endure whole body freezing with 65-70% of total body water converted to extracellular ice. As a result, cells experience extensive dehydration when water exits as well as anoxia due to interruption of blood flow. Adapting to such challenges requires metabolic rearrangement, partially mediated by transcription factor control over gene expression. Here, involvement of the nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) transcription factors, isoforms c1-c4, was analyzed in liver and skeletal muscle over freeze/thaw and anoxia/re-oxygenation cycles. Freezing activated NFATc3 in liver, leading to increased osteopontin expression and glycogen synthase kinase 3β repression (the latter potentially linked with glucose production as a cryoprotectant). Anoxia activated NFATc4 in liver, leading to increased atrial natriuretic peptide levels. Neither freezing nor anoxia significantly affected NFATs in skeletal muscle. Overall, the study indicates that NFATs have a crucial role to play in the natural cryoprotection of liver.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Biology
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Chen, Sijing
- Abstract:
- The purpose of this research is to synthesize chitosan nanoparticles with encapsulated DTPA or 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO), in a hope to improve the efficacy of the decorporation agents by taking advantage of the mucoadhesion property of chitosan. The resultant CS-DTPA/TPP and CS-HOPO/TPP nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering, which can provide information about morphology, chemical structure and size distribution, respectively. The release profiles of CS-DTPA/TPP and CS-HOPO/TPP nanoparticles were obtained via in vitro release studies. The release process includes an initial burst period, a slow release in the later stage, and a relatively stable level in the final stage. Lysozyme has no effect on the drug release from the CS-DTPA/TPP and CS-HOPO/TPP nanoparticles.This cationic protein will not greatly change the final cumulative amount of the decorporation agents released from the CS-DTPA/TPP or CS-HOPO/TPP nanoparticles.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Chemistry
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Hall, William Kent
- Abstract:
- Rock climbing access to public, protected, outdoor areas has increasingly become a matter of organized intervention. Tensions between a free, creative, and rebellious 'spirit', and the challenges of growing a sustainable sport abound in climbers’ recreational experiences. Climbing ‘well’ is thus a problematized experience – a site of subjectification in which who belongs in environmentally and culturally sensitive places is established through an ethical stylization of conduct. Exploring how dominating norms intertwine with liberatory possibilities in the ‘games’ of climbing ethics, I argue for critical sensuality as a conception of how critical work emerges as an aspect of climbing ‘well’. This position will be supported through consideration of Foucault’s ethical genealogies in conversation with phenomenological, feminist, and critical sport approaches. Further, fieldwork undertaken in contested climbing spaces will engage with the bodily experience of ethical subjectification, as co-generated in narratives, interviews, and climbing practice.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Sociology
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Costanzo, Rachel Zoe
- Abstract:
- This thesis examines events leading to and during the Indian occupation of Alcatraz Island of 1969-1971. While scholars have used the occupation as an example of the changing trajectory of American Indian activism in the late 20th century, especially in regards to the American Indian Movement and Red Power Movement, the event is rarely examined on its own terms. This thesis seeks to fill that gap, focusing on concrete community building initiatives both on and around Alcatraz between 1964 and 1971. In doing so, it argues that Alcatraz was not only a symbolic space of Indian freedom, but also a physical place where Indians’ lives were changed, and Indians’ futures were informed. The thesis brings to bear significant archival research from the National Parks Service Records and Collections, public collections in San Francisco, CA, where many occupiers have preserved their occupation accounts and photographs.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- English
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Cameron, Brent Andrew
- Abstract:
- High-fidelity flight simulation has the potential to reduce the cost and increase the safety of ab-initio, or introductory, flight training. However, many existing flight simulation training devices either lack fidelity or are completely unaffordable for smaller flight schools and flying clubs. This thesis details the development and implementation of several cost-effective technologies suitable for use in low-cost flight training devices. Using these technologies, an initially-obsolete and non-functional Cessna 172 flight training device by Vector Training Systems, Inc. (circa 2002) was reverse-engineered, redeveloped, modernized, and its functionality extended to create the Carleton University Redeveloped Vector Simulator (CURVS). Using modern microelectronics in the form of commercially-off-the-shelf hardware and software, this research showed that the potential exists for a new generation of high-fidelity yet cost-effective flight training devices to be created which are suitable for use by small flight training units.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Aerospace
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Ratte, Alexandra
- Abstract:
- The Government of Canada has demonstrated that it is making an effort to be more open and consultative with its citizens through its membership with the Open Government Partnership. Although adaptations to evolving technologies have provided more opportunities for engagement, it is still questionable as to whether respondent voices are truly being heard. Through a case study on the consultations held for the drafting of the second National Action Plan on Open Government in Canada, this notion of respondent representation was explored. It appeared from the outset that there was overlap between respondent contributions and policy, but a more thorough analysis of the data demonstrated that the details of the respondent contributions were left out. As open government is still new, it can be concluded that positive and gradual progress has been made but there is still room for improvement should the Government of Canada intend to expand its participatory opportunities.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Communication
- Date Created:
- 2016
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Robitaille, Corinna
- Abstract:
- Housing is important to Canadian women as they generally have lower incomes than men, they live longer, and are more likely to live alone. With a mix of private and shared spaces, cohousing is an option worth exploring as an option for women baby boomers as residents share resources and support. The aim of this study was to discover how common areas in cohousing contribute to a sense of belonging for women baby boomers in cohousing. This exploratory research was based on an interdisciplinary review of literature in design and architecture and qualitative data collection. Findings suggest that for women baby boomers in cohousing the opportunity for sense of belonging is created through the coalescence of many factors, including common space, interactions, meaning and time. The findings will be of interest to designers and architects interested in cohousing as a housing option for some women baby boomers.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Design (M.Des.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Industrial Design
- Date Created:
- 2016