Search Constraints

Search Results

  • Early life programming of neurodevelopment and growth: understanding nutritional, inflammatory, and placental contributions in complex pregnancies

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    White, Marina
    Abstract:
    There is substantial evidence to show that inadequate nutrition in the periconceptional, pre- and post-natal periods can profoundly influence developmental and health trajectories of the embryo, fetus, and infant. However, improved knowledge on how nutritional factors may exacerbate, or lessen, suboptimal fetal and infant outcomes in pregnancies complicated by additional adversities is needed. To help address this knowledge gap, two core projects were undertaken to investigate relationships between perinatal nutritional factors (at the molecular, individual, and household levels), the placenta, and fetal or infant neurodevelopment and growth in: 1. pregnancies carrying a fetus with a neural tube defect (NTD), and 2. pregnancies affected by maternal HIV infection. In the first population, we show for the first time that fetal NTDs associate with placental maldevelopment and dysfunction, evidenced by an increased risk of placental pathologies and dysregulation in fundamental placental gene networks, including nutrient transport. Several dysregulated placental gene networks in fetuses with NTDs were sensitive to multiple nutrients, emphasizing the need for research to expand beyond a folic acid-centric view to identify new targets for NTD prevention and improve outcomes in fetuses with NTDs. In the second population, we found that infants who were exposed to maternal HIV infection and antiretroviral therapies in early life are susceptible to the adverse effects of suboptimal nutritional exposures both pre- and postnatally, evidenced by poorer growth outcomes in infants exposed to HIV and household food insecurity. We also found that there is potential for early life nutritional factors to be leveraged to improve outcomes in these infants. An integrated understanding of how nutritional exposures at the molecular, individual, and household/community levels contribute to fetal and infant programming in children exposed to suboptimal prenatal environments is key for developing interventions to improve developmental trajectories and lifecycle health globally.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Health Sciences
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Analysis of Open-Source Data in Wind Power Prediction Modeling

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    von Zuben, Elizabeth Lynn
    Abstract:
    As identified in the 2021 IPCC AR6 WGIII report, wind energy has a high potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The deployment of wind energy, however, has fallen behind its potential in part because of the need for improved wind power predictions. This thesis combines historical power production data, meteorological station data, reanalysis data, and numerical weather prediction output data (WRF model) to determine the optimal combination of data sources and variables for wind power prediction using a random forests model. A study then further evaluates reanalysis data and methods of bias correction for this type of data, to improve power predictions at 52 wind farms across Canada using power curve and machine learning methods. Recommendations are proposed for: the use of data sources and important input variables; the utility of global reanalysis data sources by terrain features; and the utility of bias correction methods for downstream wind power prediction.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Mechanical
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Unveiling Macrophage-Biofilm Interactions: Implications for Cellular Metabolism and Wound Healing

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Versey, Zoya
    Abstract:
    Chronic wounds are challenging to treat, prolong hospitalization, and may lead to infection and/or amputations. Bacterial biofilms impair wound healing and promote a low-grade inflammatory response. Macrophages are chronically activated in a pro-inflammatory state and are unable to promote tissue repair. It is unclear the macrophage-biofilm interactions that drive this persistent pro-inflammatory activation. In this study, we found that treatment of bone marrow-derived macrophages with conditioned medium from single-species biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa resulted in different patterns of mitochondrial reprogramming and inflammatory responses. S. aureus induced a low-grade inflammatory response, associated with a transient reprogramming of the mitochondria. Alternatively, P. aeruginosa induced a hyperinflammatory response associated with sustained mitochondrial reprogramming. Both SA and PA treatments induced terminal reprogramming towards sustained inflammation in macrophages. Our findings imply that secreted factors from biofilms of different species alter mitochondrial function to rewire macrophages to promote prolonged inflammation in chronic wounds.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Health Sciences
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Ontario youth workers' discourses on overrepresentation of Indigenous youth in the criminal legal system

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Venczel, Elizabeth
    Abstract:
    In an age of reconciliation, following the TRC's recommendations and the work of activists, the issue of Indigenous youth overrepresentation in the criminal legal system is being problematized more than ever. Although the use of incarceration towards criminalized youth has decreased since the adoption of the YCJA which emphasizes diversion, the overrepresentation of Indigenous youth has increased. This thesis explores the discourses and experiences of youth workers in Ontario in order to understand their perspectives on the problem of overrepresentation, focusing particularly on the critical role of the police in filtering in or out criminalizable youth. Although the youth workers interviewed in this project identify many contemporary issues in the policing of Indigenous youth, their discourses reveal the limits of attempts to tackle the problem of overrepresentation through reforms of criminal legal frameworks and institutions.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Legal Studies
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Human Factors in Drone Delivery of Automatic External Defibrillators for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Older Adult Considerations

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Tierney, Lauren Jamie
    Abstract:
    Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) delivered by drone have the potential to improve survival rates of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA) due to earlier access to defibrillation. There is a lack of user-centred, and older adult-focused research in this area. The present study evaluated the perceptions and interactions of older adults with a drone delivered AED operation to identify human factors considerations that may enable the design development of a more inclusive and accessible drone delivered AED service. A Drone Bystander Centred Design Framework (DBCD) was developed and informed design concepts for key service touchpoints, including the drone, the drop mechanism, AED packaging, and dispatch communication. Results from this study provide novel insight into older adult characteristics and how they may relate to this emerging service model, older adults' service experience of a simulated drone delivered AED, as well as cognitive, psychographic, sensory, perception, and movement control considerations.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Design (M.Des.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Industrial Design
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Quantitative Assessment of Teleworking on Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Simon, Sharane
    Abstract:
    Teleworking offers various socioeconomic benefits to society, but its environmental impact remains poorly understood. Using eleven participants from Ottawa, Canada, a year-long pilot study was designed and implemented to quantify energy usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in three domains: home office, transportation, and information and communications technology (ICT). The results show that transportation and home heating and cooling account for >94% of the energy associated with teleworking. Home office equipment, lighting, and ICT account for the remaining 6%, with an insignificant impact on GHG emissions (<2%) due to the low-carbon electricity grid. The results indicate teleworking will likely result in a net reduction in energy use and GHG emissions compared to conventional working arrangements due to reduced daily commute, especially when employees travel long distances to their company offices via personal vehicles. However, teleworking's net impact is highly variable, dependent on personal choices, routines, purchasing decisions, and household structure.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Building
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Towards a More Inclusive Museum: Developing Multi-Sensory Approaches to the Visual Arts for Visually Impaired Audiences

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Berube, Patricia
    Abstract:
    This thesis investigates the contribution of multi-sensoriality to the understanding and appreciation of two-dimensional artworks, such as drawings or paintings, by people with visual impairments. This exploratory study was conducted from a disability studies perspective, in which the researcher's role was that of a facilitator and the participants were experts of their own experience. This participatory action project draws on interdisciplinary research practices in several interrelated fields, including accessibility and disability studies, blindness studies, anthropology of the senses, tactile perception and haptics, and translation studies. Previous research focused primarily on initiatives to translate visual arts into tactile content to make them accessible to people with visual impairments. The present study contributes to multi-sensory initiatives for the low-vision and blind community, drawing on research findings of sensory museology and cognitive psychology to deepen our knowledge about multi-sensory translation. Data collected from three rounds of individual interviews and one co-design session with visually impaired participants was examined using a qualitative methodology. A thematic analysis was developed to inform design decisions and identify barriers to inclusion in art museums. The study also included the co-creation of multi-sensory translations of Franklin Carmichael's painting In the Nickel Belt (1928) and Outport Icon #2 (2001-2002) by Duncan de Kergommeaux. The broader findings of this study provide evidence to support the notion that touch and hearing can play a valuable role in conveying the nature of art to visually impaired visitors, giving them greater autonomy in their interpretation. This study challenges the long-standing tradition of museums relying on vision as the only acceptable sense through which visitors can access visual arts. While further work may be needed to assess the degree of equivalence between experiencing a painting through sight and accessing it through touch and hearing, this project establishes a foundation for further research and initiatives pertaining to the implementation of anti-ocularcentric approaches in museums. Keywords: Accessibility, Anti-ocularcentrism, Blindness, Co-design, Mediation, Multi-sensory, Museums, Museology, Painting, Visual arts, Visual impairments, 3D printing.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Cultural Mediations
    Date Created:
    2023

  • No Decision About Us Without Us: Informing Rare Disease Policies in Canada with the Lived Experiences of Patients and Families with Rare Genetic Lysosomal Storage Diseases

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Khaddouj Awada, Nahya
    Abstract:
    Canadians born with rare diseases (RDs) experience a myriad of challenges as they navigate the healthcare system to access lifesaving drugs and related services. Canada lags behind other advanced industrialized countries in implementing a comprehensive national strategy to manage RDs and facilitate access to drugs for rare diseases (DRDs). The existing provincially managed system for accessing DRDs is fragmented, uneven, and uncoordinated. It is not reflective of patient experiences but rather aggravates patient challenges, including delayed access to treatment and inconsistent decision-making for drug coverage. The central purpose of this dissertation is to understand how lived experiences of RD patients can inform health policy and the healthcare system to improve RD care. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with RD (lysosomal storage diseases) patients and their families and a review of policy documents, this dissertation uncovers four major challenges encountered by RD patients beyond gaining access to DRDs. These include 1) difficulty in obtaining a timely correct diagnosis; 2) lack of coordinated, efficient, and holistic patient care; 3) lack of consideration of patient voice in decision-making processes; and 4) difficulty in navigating the healthcare system due to stigmatization. This dissertation also finds that the patchwork of programs that govern access to DRDs in Canadian provinces has been ineffective and has failed to support patients in receiving timely and equitable access to DRDs. The above factors demonstrate the necessity for a comprehensive national strategy for RDs that goes beyond an orphan drug framework and addresses the holistic needs of the patient population. Patients and families must be centrally included in the continuum of care and the policymaking process. Such a framework empowers people affected by RDs and reduces their marginalization and exclusion. This dissertation fills important gaps in the existing literature. It delivers important data and insights 1) by collecting extensive, hitherto unavailable, experiential data from RD patients and their families by bringing their unique voices to the policy table; 2) by making patient-centered recommendations for the proposed national RD strategy; and 3) by offering a structured patient engagement framework in the RD sector to meaningfully engage RD patients in decision-making.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Public Policy
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Green Space, Physical Activity, and Complete Mental Health: Evidence from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Forget, Genevieve
    Abstract:
    Bioecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) suggests that local green space and physical activity may be associated with complete mental health; however, evidence is mixed. Mixed findings may be attributable to the different operationalizations of variables and/or covariates that have been used. The current study used specification curve analysis to assess the robustness of associations between green space, physical activity, and complete mental health among middle-aged and older adults. Data came from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging and the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (n = 28,635). Green space and physical activity did not interact in most instances. Main effects of green space were mixed (49.71 - 75.26%), and median effect sizes were small (β = -0.016, 0.025). Main effects of physical activity were robust (89.47 - 97.22%), and median effect sizes were small (β = -0.036, 0.036). Results highlight that specification decisions influence the strength of associations between variables.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2023

  • A System for Bounding the Execution Cost of Web Assembly Functions

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Shortt, John
    Abstract:
    WebAssembly is a programming language and virtual machine architecture that allows code to be executed in any environment that implements a WebAssembly runtime. WebAssembly has been formally specified using an abstract syntax, and a soundness proof of this specification has been written and mechanized. We build on this to create a system that determines a bound on the runtime cost of a WebAssembly function. We show that for a broad class of real-world programs this cost can be computed efficiently and we develop a software tool called WANALYZE that does so. The software tool is comprised of a set of algorithms that perform a series of transformations on the raw WebAssembly bytecode into forms that are more suitable for analysis. We test WANALYZE against a suite of programs of varying size and complexity and find that WANALYZE is able to successfully analyze over 99.9% of the functions in these programs.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2023