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  • Early-life seizure sensitive neurones: Their characteristics and role in epilepsy pathology

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Horsey, Emily Anne
    Abstract:
    There is a large body of literature exploring early-life-seizures (ELS), however, much of this research focuses on whole brain regions. This thesis aims to understand the characteristics of ELS-sensitive neurones and their role in future seizure pathology. Using c-Fos-GFP/c-Fos-tTA based transgenic mice, we found that at P10 ~18% of pyramidal neurones are activated in the CA1 pyramidal layer of the hippocampus in response to a kainic acid (KA) seizure. Electrophysiology recordings of ELS-sensitive neurones found a decrease in spontaneous GABA activity. Using c-Fos-GFP/c-Fos-tTA/TRE-hM3Dq mice, which flags ELS-sensitive neurones with the excitatory DREADD hM3Dq, we found that reactivating ELS-sensitive neurones is sufficient to evoke seizures. Finally, using c-Fos-GFP/c-Fos-tTA/TRE-hM4Di mice with the inhibitory DREADD hM4Di, we found that suppressing ELS-sensitive neurones after a seizure recovers the increase in excitability. These results indicate that ELS-sensitive neurones play a crucial role in future seizure pathology and pose a unique target for further research.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Neuroscience
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Examining Neuroendocrine and Inflammatory Biomarker Profiles to Characterize PTSD Subtypes and Symptom Profiles.

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Jarkas, Dana Abdulaziz
    Abstract:
    Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a multifaceted mental health disorder characterized by diverse clinical and biological profiles. Participants in the current study comprised individuals with PTSD who had military experience and healthy controls. All participants completed questionnaires assessing mental health symptoms and provided saliva and blood samples for cortisol and inflammatory marker determination. The dissociative PTSD group displayed the highest symptom severity, reflecting a high degree of comorbidity, in addition to elevated traumatic life encounters, including experiences of childhood abuse. Individuals with dissociative PTSD had elevated nighttime cortisol, whereas the non-dissociative PTSD group did not differ from controls, while both PTSD groups showed elevated cortisol awakening response. Inflammatory levels were associated with clinical symptomatology and childhood traumatic experiences. This suggests that PTSD subtypes may be differentiated on a clinical and neurobiological level. Further delineation of the biological underpinnings of these subtypes can inform personalized treatment strategies for individuals with PTSD.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Neuroscience
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Task Scheduling and Productivity

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Leblanc, Corey
    Abstract:
    The current research aims to describe general scheduling tendencies, evaluate the impact considering task end-times have on scheduling tendencies, and to assess links between scheduling tendencies and productivity. Throughout four studies, findings indicated that participants consistently preferred to schedule tasks on-the-hour (e.g., 9:00 or 10:00 vs. 9:15 or 10:30). When considering task end-times, this tendency for on-the-hour scheduling was reduced, especially when participants had five tasks or more to schedule. On-the-hour scheduling is likely a form of intermittent scheduling, which has been detrimentally associated with productivity. Although some correlational evidence was uncovered to support the notion that on-the-hour scheduling would be detrimentally linked to productivity (Study 2), replications showed no association between the variables (Study 3). These findings provide valuable information regarding scheduling tendencies, as well as the impact considering task end-times have on scheduling. However, more research is needed to examine links between on-the-hour task scheduling and productivity.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Ready to Play: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Return-to-Sport in Adults with Prolonged Concussion Symptoms

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Wong, Vicki
    Abstract:
    Introduction: Sport-related concussions are recognized in all types of sports in athletes of all ages. While concussion presentation involves transient symptoms, some may have prolonged symptoms that linger past the typical 2-week recovery time for adults. These prolonged symptoms can affect physical, emotional, cognitive, and sleep domains. Research Significance: This thesis examined adult athletes who experience prolonged symptoms of sport-related concussion to further our understanding of the type of symptoms that are common in an understudied population. Many of the psychological and sociological deficits are not evaluated in preparation for return to sport, but the aim of the thesis is to show their need to be included. Links between psychosocial and physical impairments can drive decisions regarding return to sport. Methods: Based on the biopsychosocial model, 3 cross-sectional studies assessed which symptom domains were clinically relevant, influenced disability, and related to each other. The studies included several clinical outcome measures delivered in online format such as the concussion symptoms, fear avoidance, sleep changes, cogniphobia, pain catastrophizing, and disability post-concussion. The last study included a small sample of participants doing a qualitative interview to confirm objective findings. They were asked to reflect on mental health, sociological impacts, and physical symptoms. Results: The concussion groups showed clinically relevant levels of concussion symptoms, mental health distress, and fear avoidance behaviour. The athletes also presented with significant changes in their abilities of daily activities. Episodic memory was also found to be a deficit for this study. Athlete interviews had statements about fear, loss of self, acceptance, and emotional regulation. Limitations included changing to online formats due to Covid-19, small sample sizes, and utilization of new outcome measures. Future work would expand on the emotional and sociological findings and address cognitive tasks for adults with prolonged symptoms. Evaluation in conjunction with physical activity or training helps an athlete return to sport. Conclusions: Adult athletes with prolonged symptoms of sport-related concussion live with many physical, emotional, and sociological impairments. It is a population that needs further research to focus on their impact and future intervention plans.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Neuroscience
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Daily Order of Alcohol and Cannabis Use Predicts Drinking Quantity on Simultaneous Use Days, but Substance Use Motives do not Moderate

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Carnrite, Kendra Dawn
    Abstract:
    The present study examined whether using alcohol versus cannabis first when simultaneously using predicts levels of alcohol consumption on a given day, while focusing on daily levels of coping and enhancement motives for simultaneous alcohol and cannabis (SAM) use. Undergraduate student drinkers (n=370) participated in a 14-weekend diary study in Fall 2021, completing surveys on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings (n=2,826 responses) assessing their SAM use, alcohol consumption, and motives for SAM use the previous day. Findings from multilevel models showed that students consumed a greater number of drinks on SAM use days than alcohol-only. Students reported consuming less alcohol on SAM use days when they used cannabis versus alcohol first, and no moderating effects of daily coping or enhancement motives were found. Results suggest that college and university students may not drink heavily on all SAM use days, and students may strategically use cannabis first to reduce their drinking.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Towards End-to-End Semantically Aware 2D Plot Tactile Generation

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Heydari Dastjerdi, Mohammad Mahdi
    Abstract:
    The goal of this thesis is to automate converting 2D plots including to tactile format. We defined the problem as an image-to-image translation where the source domain belongs to 2D plots and the target domain is the tactile equivalent of the input plot. The proposed method is based on the pix2pix architecture using UNet++ as the generator. We also propose to use gradient penalty and perceptual loss to further enhance the results. To achieve editable outputs, we propose two approaches. One aims to generate RGB outputs. The other aims to generate multichannel outputs where each channel is associated with a component of the 2D plot. We evaluate the proposed models quantitatively and qualitatively. For RGB outputs we use foreground MSE, background MSE, precision, and recall. On the other hand, we use pixel accuracy, Dice coefficient, and Jaccard index to evaluate our channelwise model.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Missing the Past Eating Disorder: Exploring the Dark Side of Nostalgia during Eating Disorder Recovery

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Bossom, Isabella Rose Ludvig
    Abstract:
    Behaviour change is motivated by a sense of self-discontinuity with the pre-addicted self because self-discontinuity elicits nostalgic reverie for life before the addiction. To date, these associations have only been tested among people attempting to initiate behaviour change. Herein, I examined whether eating disorder recovery is hindered by feeling that the recovery process has fundamentally altered one's sense of self (i.e., self-discontinuity), thus eliciting nostalgic reverie for the eating disorder. In Study 1, among people in eating disorder recovery, self-discontinuity was negatively associated with subjective recovery and mediated by nostalgia for the perceived benefits of the eating disorder. In Study 2, I manipulated self-discontinuity and then measured nostalgic reverie for the perceived benefits of the eating disorder and subjective recovery. Contrary to predictions, participants manipulated to feel self-continuous (versus self-discontinuous) felt earlier in their subjective recovery via nostalgia for the perceived benefits of the past eating disorder self.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Competitive Securitization in Civil-Military Relations: Internal Threats and Civil-Military Power Dynamics in Turkey, 1980-2016

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Aubrey, Scott Bryce
    Abstract:
    Civil-military relations (CMR) theory often holds that internal threat reduces civil control. However, this is not always the case: Turkey, which faced constant internal threats between 1980 and 2016, saw several periods of increasing civil control, particularly under President Özal (1989-1993) and the AKP after 2002. This study proposes that 'competitive securitization' between civil and military authorities explains these disparities in civil-military outcomes. In this framework, internal threat itself does not decreases civil control. Rather, civilian and military agents each 'securitize' internal threats, legitimizing measures that shift the civil-military balance-of-power in their favour. Where military securitization is more successful, civil control decreases, and vice-versa for civilians. This study applies this framework to eight key periods in Turkish CMR between 1980 and 2016. It finds that, with the exception of the early 2000s when EU accession dominated CMR dynamics, 'competitive securitization' provides a strong explanation for changes in Turkey's civil-military balance-of-power.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    International Affairs
    Date Created:
    2019

  • Longing for Homes Where Mangroves Used to Grow: Narratives of Internally Displaced Persons in Southern Philippines

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Quintero, Romeo Joe Linao
    Abstract:
    This master's thesis project, involving three months of ethnographic fieldwork using decolonial Filipino methodology and methods, is an exploration of armed conflict induced displacement in Zamboanga City (Mindanao, Philippines). The stories shared by eleven research participants from four barangays, interrogate the dominant representations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) as voiceless victims in need of rescue and reliant on humanitarian assistance. Using bahala na or agency specific to the Filipino cultural context, IDP women and gender diverse individuals challenged the conventional understandings of agency to recognize decision-making beyond individual choices. The findings highlight that the enactment of agency by Filipino IDPs in southern Philippines is shaped by class and ethno-religious-linguistic identities, revealing the inherently unequal and unruly patterns of mobility.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Women's and Gender Studies
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Pinnipeds in Arctic Canada show no evidence of retained microplastic pollution

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Jardine, Alexander Michael
    Abstract:
    As the threat of plastic pollution continues to loom heavily over the global environment, the Arctic has drawn increasing research interest as a potential sink for debris. More specific to the Canadian Arctic, it is unclear whether marine mammals accumulate microplastics (MPs:  5mm). Pinnipeds, like walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) and ringed seals (Pusa hispida), are both ecologically and culturally significant, which poses a risk to northern food security. Here, I present the first assessment of MPs in Canadian walrus by examining the stomachs of 36 animals from Nunavut. Additionally, I expand on existing literature by evaluating the stomachs of 10 ringed seals from the Northwest Territories, Canada. I detected no MPs ≥ 80µm in any of the animals. This result suggests that walrus and seals in the Canadian Arctic either do not retain MPs or are not exposed to them, which is consistent with studies from similar regions.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Geography
    Date Created:
    2022